It... Has been a long time.

I admit, I lost inspiration for this book, and wanted to finish off Curse of the Vex, and start the 3rd hermit play, but now I've come back with plans for every chapter except the next one. So updates might be slow until then, but after that, hopefully quicker. (Depending on life)

I struggled with the start of this chapter, looked back at my chapter plan, banished a chapter to the void and changed the PoV of this one.

Hopefully after THIS chapter it all goes a bit quicker...

I'm bored.

The Sever was only a set-back in our progress. It's a couple days since it appeared, spreading sculk terrifyingly far during that time. Doc and Etho started measuring how much it grows each day, and that's about it. Jimmy and Tango came back annoyed from their apparently one-sided talk with Pix. I've been consistently doing less than I wanted to, reminded of Scar and Mumbo every time I'm by Sculk Tower or next to the Sever as their bases remain unfinished and denial fades into dull yearning for my two best friends.

'Sweetface? What are you doing here?'

I turn at the sound of who could only be Keralis, followed by xB and Beef, entering the former's base that I'm fishing at.

'Not much,' I admit. 'Not helping...'

'Brian, you've been helping!' Keralis insists, sitting next to me.

'You've been helping us so much,' xB agrees.

'And we all know what you've... been through.' Beef sits on my other side.

'I'm coping,' I explain. 'Somewhat. A bit. Well... not much. Or at all. I'm not coping. I'm can't cope. I can't do this.' I bury my head in my hands, wrapping my wings closer.

'Grian, it's alright.' Someone lays a hand on my leg. I peek through my hands at xB, the guardian hybrid comforting me as much as he can from his position in the water. 'You've have every right to not be coping.'

'Exactly,' agrees Beef. 'Doc's told me a bit about... you know what. He said you're the bravest person he knows for surviving what the Sculk did.'

'That's Cub. Cub's recovered. And Tango. And if Scar's surviving, wherever in the stupid Land of stupid Souls he is. Still. Because I stopped Cub rescuing him by being unable to recover from my stupid stupid...'

'Brian, sweetface, you've been through so much. No one's telling you to do anything you don't want to.'

'I want to! I want Scar back! He's the closest friend I have... left. I want to help him! But the moment we were ready to, the stupid Sever opened up and now EX is worried about sending us through, and xB, you said the portal's halfway through the stupid Sever now... and Pix isn't helping...'

'Didn't he say anyone possessed can open a portal?' Beef recalled. 'Or something like that?'

'Try telling Cub or Tango they've got to be possessed again...'

'I'm a Watcher.'

We all look at Keralis.

'What?'

'I'm a Watcher. I'm happy to be possessed by Evil Bubbles,'

'...Evil Bubbles?' I focus on the easiest part I don't understand,

'Because Bdubs is Bubbles and he's mossy.' Beef translates. 'And he thinks Sculk looks like moss...'

'It does!'

'It doesn't! Sorry... that's not relevant.'

'Keralis... are you sure? You remember what happened to the rest of us that were possessed?'

'I know,' Keralis remains unfazed. 'I understand. But I wanna help you, Brian. If being possessed by Evil Bubbles is how to do that, I'll do it.'

'Keralis, do you even understand what you've agreed to? We don't know if we can unpossess you afterwards, or if you'll even do what we say when possessed. You completely lose control. You believe the sculk and do what it says 100%. Ok?' I warn, for once not forcing down the memories. 'You'll be blind, powerless, dangerous, and utterly corrupted by the Sculk. It takes over your mind.'

'Brian, I understand! I'll just open the portal, and you can leave me in a box.'

'The SCULK doesn't want to open a portal! It doesn't want to make this easy for us!'

'What Grian's trying to say is that this is a terrible, terrible idea and we should pretend it was never thought of,' Beef interrupted. Keralis falls silent.

'I think it's worth a shot.' xB spoke after a few moments. 'Possess Keralis, and then get him somewhere we can threaten the sculk. The only way out will be to create a portal to the other world. We go through... Ren said something about Pearl being unconscious when he woke up. Maybe the same will happen to Keralis. We go through, save him, and then find Pearl and Scar and have a safe way between the worlds under our control, exactly where we want it to be.' xB finishes. I'm left trying to think through his plan, find any problems.

'Why didn't Cub go through to the Land of Souls?' I ask eventually.

'What?'

'When you trapped Cub. He didn't travel through to the Land of Souls. Why would we expect Keralis to do the same now?'

'Because they have a base of operations there now.' xB replies. 'Pearl can find Keralis and bring her to them.'

'It's risky. Incredibly risky.'

'I accept the risk.' Keralis shrugged. 'I'll become Evil Bubbles, you trap me, and I go to the Land of Souls for you.'

'We need to ask more hermits before we do this. I'll put a message in chat...'

'Brian I WANT to do this!'

'You WANT to be possessed?!' I can't help but snap back. 'You want your mind and body to be completely under the control of the psychotic sculk that's already killed... what? Skizz, Zedaph, Xisuma, Joe, Mumbo, Gem, given Etho permanent injuries, possessed me, Tango, Xisuma, Cub twice, Pearl, Pix and probably Scar too. Trapped Ren and Scar in its world, and Impulse here, tore a huge, infinitely deep ravine through the centre of this server... oh, and didn't it also kill Badtimes's friend?'

'I want to STOP IT! Look into my eyes and tell me I won't accept the risks of the sculk!' Keralis's huge eyes refuse to look away from my own.

'You're putting everyone in more danger!' I snarl. 'You're acting irrationally and selfishly if you think ANY good will come of another hermit being possessed by the F***ING sculk!'

'Grian, calm down,' Beef tries to placate me by saying, a hand on my shoulder.

'The sculk CUT OFF MY WING! While I was CONSCIOUS! And SCREAMING! And- and- and...' The memories overtake me. Sculk tangles tight around my hands and wrists, pinning me to the ground, unable to move. Cub's laugh, distorted and cold, overwhelmed as a blade barely sharp enough...

'Grian? Grian, it's ok.' Beef's voice reaches me. 'Everything will be ok... xB STOP SPLASHING THIS ISN'T...'

Water.

I blink, spluttering, as my face is covered in cold, salty water, dragged away from the nightmares. Keralis is hugging me. Beef's got an arm around my shoulder, eyes almost as wide as Keralis's, holding my hands. xB's hiding his panic.

'Grian?'

'I'm sorry.' I mutter. 'I'm so sorry. Don't- don't do this. Please. I'm not going to argue any more just... don't do this.'

I stand, shaking off the trio and their continued questions and insistences and taking to the air on wings that'll never be the same again.

Ok, this went quicker than I thought it would.

And better.

I didn't even cover everything I thought I would

Which means I have more content for next chapter.

Oh-ho-ho... next chapter...

:)