Sorry about the late & unpolished entry. I originally had way more fluffy plans for this oneshot, but school and mental health have been taking a toll on me this week.

I figured something was better than nothing, even though it was hard to save this draft from becoming full-on angst. Open-ended flangst counts as fluff, right? Anyways, we've got some platonic Convex set in Season Five, as well as my interpretation of a certain alter's backstory!

"I dunno about this one, Cub." Scar giggled nervously, eyeing the mansion in front of them. It had taken days of travel to get here, and entire weeks of bartering with the pesky villagers to even obtain the map, but now that they were finally standing at its doors...

"It really is more intimidating up close, isn't it?" Cub said finally, almost robbing the exact thoughts racing through Scar's mind. All he could do was imagine the horrors inside, the evil sorcerers and their minions who were hell-bent on keeping their magic to themselves.

Luckily, Cub had taken the time to prepare, and he was more than an adequate fighter. Scar couldn't say the same for himself, but he wasn't about to let his best friend take on a woodland mansion by himself, especially when both of them needed the same thing from inside.

"You have your potions at the ready?" confirmed the scientist.

Scar nodded brightly, holding up the bottles they'd brewed a few days before embarking on this adventure. Each was filled with a shining liquid, distinctly coloured so they couldn't be confused with eachother. Scar had done his utter best to label them clearly- a process which was hindered by his dyslexia, but he still knew the shades well enough to tell which ones were for his own buffs, and which ones to throw at his enemies in a pinch.

"I'm ready if you are." Scar took a deep breath, finally letting himself relax a bit. He sat down in one of the bedrolls they'd set up camp with for a brief second. They'd both already set their spawns here in case of disaster, but Scar wanted to be extra careful. Knowing his own history with mob combat, he'd be waking up in this spot multiple times.

"Get in, find the evoker, get out." Cub mumbled as they traversed the foyer into the lavish house waiting beyond.

"Huh- We should probably just skip the first floor." Scar pointed out,  seeing the first staircase waiting right in front of them. He didn't expect the rest of the mansion to cater to them this easily, but it was a welcome break.

And so that's what they did. Running instead of fighting, it wasn't long before the two were already on the top floor, facing one of the mansion's toughest inhabitants.

An important lesson in mobs, that anyone on the Hermitcraft server should've known, was that most didn't listen closely to reason. Sure, some of them were intelligent creatures- skeletons and spiders were strategists in their own right, and endermen knew enough to keep their opponents guessing- but that didn't mean it was easy for Cub and Scar to get a monster to work with them, as opposed to against.

"We're not trying to fight you." Scar said with uncertainty, as if he wasn't really sure what they were meant to be doing at all. He knew the evoker and its Vex would have to be alive and willing to give a potion of its magic to them, but right now, it wanted the two hermits dead.

"We've come to help the vex, we need your help for something we plan to create on our server." Cub tried, a little more confidence in his voice.

The creature let out an earsplitting hiss as it raised its hands, sending out a wave of jagged talons that rose through the ground like ghosts, instantly solidifying into sharp peaks once exposed to the air. Scar sidestepped, stumbling out of their way just in time.

"Wrong spell. We need it to summon the Vex, that's who we'll convince." Cub frowned.

"Did you see that dodge?" Scar was grinning ear to ear, and if they weren't in the heat of battle, Cub would've given him a high-five right then. Instead, he focused, parrying an attack of his own. "That was an amazin' dodge, you can't deny that." he chuckled proudly to himself.

Scar nocked an arrow, but before he could let it fly, the creature was raising its arms again. It knocked Cub back against the wall, who landed there with a painful-sounding thud.

"Oh gosh, Cub, are you alright?" Scar raced over, fumbling around in his bag until his hand hit what he was looking for. The vial of bright pink instant healing potion. He poured it into Cub's mouth, not letting a single drop go to waste. Soon, his friend's eyes had fluttered open, and he looked completely revitalized.

"Watch out!" Cub sprung up, shouting, as he readied his shield. Scar whipped around. Turning his back to the evoker was a mistake.

In front of them was a whole army of Vex, ghostly fey-like creatures wielding menacing swords. They swarmed around the two, and Scar felt their iron blades piercing him, too small to block easily, but large enough to leave lasting damage with each hit.

The vex could hold iron without burning- it was the only solid proof that their magic was different from the traditional, natural type. But that didn't mean it was inherently evil, Scar knew that if they earned the vex's blessing, him and Cub would use it to create some great things on Hermitcraft.

"We're seeking to share your magic, we'll pay you back!" Scar tried. Cub was saying similar things, and both of them weren't fighting back, only blocking where they could. If they hurt one of the vex, they would only be deeper in debt to them. Entering the mansion was already enough to provoke them.

Then, without warning, the fighting stopped. Not that it was really 'fighting' in the first place- more of a one-sided onslaught. The vex seemed to communicate telepathically, and all at once, they halted their attack. The evoker's eyes glowed cyan as it froze. Cub and Scar did the same, though in their case, it was out of fear instead.

In that moment, something changed. Both of the hermits could feel it, something inside them had finally broken through the barrier keeping them separate from the vex. Scar looked over at his best friend, and looking back at him were two ghostly blue eyes, lighting up the room. Scar could even see the corners of his own vision tainted with the same otherworldly light- no, energy.

They weren't enemies to the vex. They were the vex.

"We actually did it!" Scar rushed forward, tackling Cub into a bear hug that suited his friend's name. His eyes must've squeezed shut at some point, because when they opened again, they were back to their normal emerald. "I thought we were crazy. But now..."

"The Convex plan might not have been so far-fetched after all." Cub finished, his chest puffing up with pride as they both broke away, making their hasty escape through the mansion. "I'm proud of you, man, you didn't even die once!"

"We'll see how long that lasts." Scar added with his signature chuckle. "What are the chances I even make it out of the woodland mansion in one piece? One in ten?"

"Try twenty."

Both of them shared a laugh at that. Maybe it was relief, or the fact that they were now connected by ancient forces, but everything seemed to be painted over with a joyous shade of light blue.

Scar couldn't wait to return to the mainland, and start working on the dream they'd shared all season. Hermitcraft better be ready for the Convex.

That was when Scar felt the first shift inside of himself. Magic was a fickle thing to work with, and the lines between friend and foe were always blurred. Especially with a type as volatile as vex magic.

Scar wasn't the one in full control, not anymore. Neither was Cub. Even though they were players in this world, the ones with the unique ability to make conscious decisions, magic wasn't something that could be put to use so easily. The vex were a separate entity, however close they would become over the next season.

Exhausted and worn down from the lengthy journey, Scar slumped down on his bed the moment he reached his base. He bid a short goodbye to Cub, before hanging his elytra on it's handcrafted hook on the wall.

Even as he lay there, letting sleep overtake him, something inside of Scar was still wide awake. The magic hiding within him, still dazed and confused from being assigned to a player.

Imprisoned in a human soul. It was definitely... unusual, for a vex spirit to be in this state. It felt almost insulting, to the other entity. He wasn't quite sure if he would want to work with Scar yet. Or his friend, Cub. They invaded the mansion, the sacred land of the vex, and for what? Powers? Money? The two players carried talk of a plan, but the vex weren't known for their cooperation. 

Well... Maybe this human didn't seem so bad. Maybe they could work together, as friends bonded through magic usually did. Scar was asleep by now, so the vex's thoughts were entirely his own, as he considered what the future might bring for them. They were both in the same uncharted territory, after all.

It was too early to know what was going on. But time would tell.

Scar closed his eyes. And BadTimes opened his.