Grian pushed Mumbo away from him and stepped forward, forcing his eyes up to meet those of his fellow primaries.

The coil of shame and utter self disgust that had been churning in his stomach since his grasp on the attacker's throat doubled, and he bent over slightly as a wave of nausea threatened to take him to his knees.

"Why..." Death murmured, his cloak fluttering behind him as he knelt over the body. "When you are aware of the rules, when you know how this would effect you, why would you do this again?"

Grian felt his heart sink as Mumbo's breath hitched behind him.

"Life, I-"

"Quiet Chaos"

They fell into silence as Death sank his hands into the body and pulled out a smokey grey orb. He cradled it delicately in his arms, gently placing it in a small pouch and tying it safely to his belt.

"I hate transporting the souls this way" Death muttered while Ocean nodded understandingly. "Such a long stage of limbo for them"

Grian felt his chest ache and he looked at the ground.

"I-I'm sorry" he whispered.

"You know very well that's not good enough" Life said, his voice strained as though he were struggling with the situation. "You have yet again destroyed one of my creations and brought pain upon a mortal before their set time. And you" he rounded on Mumbo. "Just what do you think you were doing here with him?"

"He has nothing to do with it" Grian piped up as Mumbo's mouth began to open and close wordlessly in panic. "He's only been down here this long because I manipulated him into trusting me"

"That's not-"

CRACK! CRACK!

Two more strikes of lightening illuminated the great sky, and Earth and Weather strode forth.

"I told you this would happen" Weather growled at Life, looking down on Grian as though he were scum.

"Now Weather-"

"Don't defend him Ocean! He isn't one of us! He's destruction and violence, and even 2000 years on the ground couldn't change the inevitable!"

Ocean bit her lip and looked down at her hands, nodding slightly.

"What is this?" Earth asked, walking over to where the small God was and reaching towards his mask.

Grian flinched, stumbling back and blocking his face with his hands.

"Please don't-"

"Shut up" Weather snarled.

With a flick of his finger, a strong gust of wind toppled Grian to the ground, knocking his mask loose and allowing it to be easily pulled off of his head.

The Primaries drew in a collective gasp and Weather jumped back in alarm.

"Uch! What's wrong with your face?! It's hideous!"

Grian curled in on himself, doing his best to shield his left side from Mumbo while tears began to spill down his cheeks.

His worst nightmare was taking place before his eyes and he couldn't do a thing. It didn't matter. He deserved every second of it.

"Hm" Earth hummed, grabbing the small God's chin and forcing his face up. He ran a finger down the scars, pressing roughly into the corroded flesh. "A mark of sin. No wonder Redstone asked for medical books at Language's library"

Grian's eyes snapped open and he forced his face from Earth's grasp so he could turn to Mumbo.

The tall God had gone from looking furious, to looking guilty, his eyes glancing everywhere except Grian's face.

"You knew?" Grian asked, his facial expression stuck halfway in between disbelief and bewilderment.

"I..." Mumbo hesitated. "Y-yes"

His eyes finally locked with Grian's, his expression softening into tenderness.

"Ever since-"

"-the creeper" Grian finished, looking away and bringing up his hood to hide his face.

He felt dizzy. The combination of the head trauma from the fight, the dehydration from his crying, and this sudden realization left him spiraling deeper and deeper into anxiety, unable even to listen to the Primaries as they discussed their next move.

He knew. He knew this whole time and he didn't tell me! The liar! The con, the fake, the... the... he... didn't leave... he didn't-he doesn't care about the scars.

Grian chanced a look at Mumbo, who was still staring at him, his eyes wide with concern.

He cares about me... and I can't let that continue.

~~~

Mumbo felt abundamort.

His nails dug into his palms as he watched Weather berate the small God, and nearly moved to strike him when the mask was torn from Grian's face.

Mumbo had never experienced such extreme levels of disquietude as he inched his way towards his companion, his chest aching as Grian recoiled from his touch.

"Grian... please"

"What's wrong with you?" Grian whispered, so quietly Mumbo nearly couldn't make out the words. "Why are you still here?"

"I... this is my fault. I drew attention to you, asked about you... if I hadn't been attacked-"

"No!" Grian hissed, raising his eyes to meet Mumbo's. "It wasn't your fault! It was mine and I won't let you pay for my mistakes. Besides, you don't even know me"

Mumbo furrowed his brow.

"Yes I do. I'm your friend, and all I want to do is help! Why won't you let me?"

"Because I'm not your friend!" Grian snapped, yanking his hand back from where Mumbo had reached for his grasp. "I'm Chaos! I'm destruction! I manipulated you! You were just too stupid to realize it!"

He stood up, towering over Mumbo.

"I am not a God, I'm a demon, and demons can't be changed! It would be better for everyone here if you just left"

Mumbo shook his head vigorously, standing as he tried to ignore the way Grian's words tore at his heart, ripping it to shreds.

"Y-you're wrong. You're not a m-monster. You're scared and alone, and you can't get rid of me that easily"

"What is wrong with you?!" Grian yelled, making the Primaries turn. "I am bad for you! I'm bad for everyone! I have killed hundreds before, and I don't feel guilty for killing one today!"

"That's enough!" Life shouted, nodding at Weather who grabbed Grian's hands and bound them behind his back. "Clearly you have no sense of empathy or remorse, and we can no longer allow you to stay on the ground. Expelling you from the heavens was a light punishment for your last strike and we simply cannot be lenient this time"

He glanced at Death who stepped forward.

"Chaos, you have been a plague to us since the creation. Since you offer nothing to the world, and to assure that you can no longer cause further destruction, we have decided to confine you to the realm of death for the rest of time"

Grian's face went ghostly pale.

"Do you have any final words?" Earth questioned, his voice as serene and calm as ever.

Grian looked at the Primaries, and then at his feet before glancing up to meet Mumbo's gaze.

"I'm sorry for what I've done to you. Please try to forget me"

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! If you did, please consider leaving a like and a comment to let me know what you think!

Definitions in case anyone needed them
- Abundamort: When you love someone so much you feel like you will die
- Disquietude: a state of uneasiness or anxiety