<Alright everyone, this chapter is signaling the slow return of me after 2 days away. It's been a nice two days away,and I've done some fun stuff! Like read old Glee fanfics and such. Anyways I'm getting of topic. Uploads will resume but I can't promise one every week, but I'll try.

Ok that's enough of that, please enjoy this everyone!>

Death watched as Reapers and other beings of death wander around the main hall of the underworld castle. His masked face switched between who he watched from time to time.

It had only been a few short minutes that they'd been back, but they already wanted to get back out there and help. But they knew they couldn't, no matter how much they wanted to.

They were brought out of their thoughts by the clearing of a throat behind them. Turning they came face to face with a demon, the dark skinned entity's glowing red eyes looked at Death with a tiny bit of uncertainty, "My lord, we're having trouble with one of our new arrivals. And his wife is raising hell to in the afterlife."

"What kind of trouble?" Asked Death, "You usually have no trouble sorting someone, so what's so different with this one?"

The demon shifted a bit, clawed feet nervously clawing at the ground, "Er-well the problem is that he's being honest when claiming innocence, but when we look at the things he did in life we can clearly see that he isn't innocent. We suspect mind control, but we can't find anything to really prove it."

Death frowned at that, only powerful magic could do such a thing. But who could have done it, and why?

"Can I get his file? I'd like to take a look for myself."

The demon nodded and pulled out a file from thin air, "Here it is my Lord."

Death took it with their magic, the file didn't look any different then any other. It was semi thick, so it was probably someone who was around fifty or something. They turned it over and almost dropped it as they saw the name on the file: Xenagoras Zackorith Void.

Grian's father might have been mind control? Death couldn't believe it. Hell, they almost sent him to hell or something similar right then and there. But they stopped themselves. These files were created by the person's soul itself, they couldn't be changed or lied in. So there was a chance Xenagoras was mind controlled. But by who? And why did it never look like he was being controlled in all of the memories they'd seen of him?

Death frowned, seems like they needed to go have a talk with the newly dead Void, "Take me to him, I need a few answers from him directly."

The demon bowed before straightening up and leading Death through the halls of the dead (as they liked to call their castles walls) to the soul chambers. That was the place where unclear cases were sent to be judged before being sent off properly to the afterlife.

The doors opened automatically as Death neared, sensing that they wished to enter said room. Eyes turned to look at the two of them entering, some with fear and shock (the people being judged) and others with respect and slight confusion (the Soul Judges and demons). Death paid them all no mind, focusing instead on the red clad man sitting isolated in a dark corner.

The man looked up as they approached, red eyes glinting with a deep sadness that Death wasn't expecting, "Xanagoras Void, I hear you're having a bit of trouble getting through."

It wasn't a question, just a simple statement.

"I am," said Xenagoras, "No one truly believes what I say, nor do they let me explain or look back in my memories to see that I'm not lying." He was glaring daggers at the demon who went to get Death, said demon just scoffed and looked away with a sneer.

Seeing that nothing good would come out of the demon staying Death let them go. As soon as they were gone they turned back to the Void in front of them, "What is it that they don't believe?"

"That I'm innocent." Said Xenagoras evenly, though there was a slight waiver in his voice, "Because I am, for the most part at least."

"For the most part?" Asked Death gently, barley hiding their curiosity.

The dirty blond looked around with cation, as if he expected someone to just jump out the walls and attack him. After scanning the room again he turned to answer, "I used to work for this person named Fallacy, they offered me things I just couldn't turn down so I joined them. But over time I started to see how wrong the things they were doing were, but I didn't leave until I met Alexia." The man's somber tone turned more light as he mentioned the name, "She was the one who offered me a better life then the one I had, so I took it and never looked back. I moved back to my old home where my brother lived, and everything was great. A few years later me and Alexia married and had a son, it was the perfect life." The smile that had slowly crept up on Xenagoras' face quickly fell, "But I was a fool who thought it was that easy to shake Fallacy just like that. They were in my mind, prodding me to do horrible stuff. I kept the thoughts away for a few years, but that all went to hell the day my wife died. I couldn't keep them away any longer and soon they had full control."

Xenagoras broke himself of, not being able to continue. The man looked up at Death, a desperate look in his eyes, "Look, I don't care what happens to me, just tell my wife and son I'm sorry for everything."

Death remained quiet, looking down on the red eyed man, "I won't tell your wife."

Xenagoras looked dejected, but also accepting, "I su-" Before he could say more Death stopped him by raising a covered hand.

"Please let me finish." Seeing that they had the man's attention Death continued, "As I was saying; I won't tell your wife of your innocence, you'll tell her that yourself."

"You believe me?" Gaped the dirty blond, eyes wide.

Death chuckled quietly, "You cannot lie in this room, to call you a liar is to doubt the ancient magic of the Universe."

Xenagoras smiled relieved, but that smile soon turned into a frown, "But will you tell my son, Xelqua?"

Death grimaced behind their mask, "I will when I get the chance, and I promise to tell the rest of your family when I can."

"Why does it sound like there's something going on with my son?" Questioned Xenagoras, noticing the different way he spoke of his son.

"Do you remember the person who killed you?"

The Void furrowed his eyebrows, wondering what this had to do with his son. A thought hit and his eyes widened in horror, "No... it can't be."

"I'm afraid it is so." Said Death gravely, head bowed.

Xenagoras collapsed onto the table, tears threatening to fall, "No, not my little star, not my Xelqua. Why him?" He looked up at Death with desperate eyes, "What happened to him? Who did this to him?"

"You already know who it is."

Xenagoras shook his head. He knew that he already knew, he just couldn't accept it. "Just. Tell. Me."

An invisible hand made the red clad man look at Death dead in the eyes of their mask, "Don't deny it, it won't change the reality of things."

"Can you take me to my Lexi?" Whispered Xenagoras, a few small tears escaping his eyes, "I need her, please."

"Of course, but remember I won't be able to see you until at least two weeks have passed. Have you asked all you need of me, or are you really ready to go?" Asked Death, tone comforting as they looked at the man before them.

"I am."

Death nodded, and with a wave of their hand Xenagoras faded out of the room. As soon as he was gone Death teleported out of the chambers and into their study. They sat down with a thud, head hitting the back of their lavish throne like chair. Tyrothon, who had been mostly unharmed from being forcibly dragged out of the world of the red moon, looked up at Death curiously.

They sagged in their chair as they turned to their familiar, "How didn't I see it? I should have seen he was being controlled, but I didn't. What more haven't I seen? How many more innocent people will be killed because I missed something?"

Tyrothon sat up from where he had been laying down and trotted up to Death. He nudged his skeletal head against Death's arm as if to say 'none of that now'. Death let out a laugh at the undead horses actions, "Alright, I'll try to be positive." Tyrothon huffed out a happy puff, "But don't expect much, I'm not my sister after all!"

The black horse let out another huff, this one sounding more like disbelief (somehow). He clearly didn't believe Death, much to Death's annoyance.

"I help one person, and suddenly you think I'm the definition of kindness and goodness?" Scoffed Death, shoulders relaxing as they argued with their familiar. And yes, they did look like an idiot doing so, "Unbelievable! I should replace you."

Tyrothon scoffed as if to say 'as if!'. "Your right, it would take far too much energy to get a new familiar. Your lucky for now."

Tyrothon let out one last huff before heading back to his pet bed and laying back down, head turned away from Death.

"Damn equidaes, only existing to annoy me." Snorted Death, looking over just in time to see their familiar turning even further away from them.

The smirk they got from that reaction stayed for the remainder of the day (yes there are days in the underworld. No I don't know how either), and if Death was honest it was a nice break from the past few days. They had been worrying far too much about saving Grian that they hadn't had time to relax. They may be Death, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse and the ruler of the underworld, but even the mightiest of kings need to take a break from time to time to forget, if only for awhile. Today seems to be that day, maybe they should do it tomorrow too?

Yeah, a two day break sounded good. Wonderful even.

Back in Hermitcraft Iskall and Mumbo sat cuddled up on the couch of the cottage Grian had made, the fireplace was radiating a low flame in front of them as they sat together. It had been silent in the partly dark room for a few hours now, the two just shedding their tears of grief in silence.

"Do-do you think we'll ever get him back?" Whispered Mumbo into Iskall's hair, arms pulling the brunette closer.

The Swed cuddled closer to the taller at those actions, "Of course will, this is our Grian we're talking about. The man who spent weeks building this very house in secret as our anniversary gift. He will come back to us."

"It's just... All of what he said, he truly believes what he said." Mumbo let himself get lost in the fire, dark red eyes sad and downcast, "And I'm scared to think what will happen if we can never get him out of that mindset."

Calloused hands cupped his face and whipped away the tears who had escaped, "Hey, none of that now. Stop saying stuff like that. Don't even think about it."

"Then what do you say I think about instead then?" Asked the mustached man, genuinely curious as to what his shorter boyfriend would say.

"All of the stuff we'll do with Grian once he's back of course!" Chirped Iskall happily, a smile spread across his face, "Every date we'll have, all the kisses we have to make up for. And so much more!"

Imagining all of what Iskall was saying brought a smile to Mumbo's face. Huh, that was better. "Your right Snowflake, that is better." For his helpfulness Iskall was rewarded with a gentle kiss on the cheek.

He really liked cheek kisses from Mumbo, because it means that he cares about you enough to bend down to give you affection, even though forehead kisses would be easier for him. And vise versa Iskall loved forehead kisses from Grian for similar reasons.

Iskall snuggled up closer to Mumbo, making sure his head rested over Mumbo's heart. Once comfortable he let the gentle beating of his raven haired boyfriend's heart lull him to sleep. And soon after him Mumbo fell to the land of sleep.

Things weren't shining by any means, but they could still see. And that's all they had to do to win; see the bright future ahead. 

<I have nothing to say here other then that this was fun to make! I'm glad I managed to get the fluffy Iskall and Mumbo scene in! 

Since that's all I have, I wish you all a wonderful time!>