"Something is wrong!" War cried, stumbling into the palace and bowing quickly to each Primary before straightening up.

"What is it?" Life asked, his forehead crinkling in worry. War was never one to panic.

"The humans! They've started a world war!"

"Why would you do that?!" Death asked angrily.

"I didn't! That's the problem!"

The Primaries exchanged nervous glances.

"Settle down now, we can work this out" Earth said calmly, although clearly more on edge than usual. "Are we sure this isn't a mistake? Perhaps someone initiated something on accident?"

"Not possible" War said, crossing her arms. "I'm the only one who can initiate conflicts between countries and I did no such thing"

"Strange things have  been happening lately" Ocean said, biting her lip in worry. "Just a couple years ago that giant ship crashed into that iceberg and killed all those poor people. Neither Death, Earth, or I had any part in that, and a soul count of that level would normally require our input just as much as a battle would for War"

"Thank you for bringing this concern to us, War" Life said, standing up. "We will discuss and see what we can figure out. Until then, try and do what you can"

War looked as though she wanted to say more but instead simply shut her mouth and nodded curtly before spreading her opalescent wings to fly out the door.

"This doesn't make any sense" Ocean muttered, beginning to pace back and forth. "We should have control over these events"

"Perhaps it's a fluke" Weather suggested, shaking his foot anxiously. "I'm sure this will all wash over if we just let the humans tire themselves out. They always have in the past"

"Not on such a large scale" Ocean interjected.

"Now Ocean, lets just relax" Earth said in a pacifying tone. "We can't jump to conclusions or we may end up doing more harm than good"

"I... agree" Life said hesitantly, glancing at Death who nodded his support. "Right now there are no linkages between these events, and we need to keep the peace. If the others lose faith in us it could derail the whole system we have in place"

"If we ignore the signs of a bad omen then maybe we deserve the consequences, but fine" Ocean grumbled, sitting back in her chair as she reluctantly yielded the argument.

I'm not just going to forget about this though

~~~

Wealth bowed low before the primaries, only straightening once Life motioned for him to.

"I'm uh, having a slight problem"

"What's wrong, Scar?" Death asked kindly. He and Wealth had always been good friends.

"Well, several of the powerful nations of the world are currently experiencing massive drops in stock market value" Wealth began. "And the people are suffering greatly without money to provide for their families"

"Is there a reason for your doing this?" Life interrogated.

Wealth's eyebrows shot into his hairline and he raised his hands in defense.

"No, no, it's not my doing! That's the problem!"

Life crinkled his forehead and sat back in his seat.

"You have control of the overall affluence of the world's population, right?"

"Yes, usually" Wealth said. "But it's as if the humans are acting of their own accord lately. I mean, not completely but every time I try to correct the issues, they just trend downwards again after a couple of years"

Earth opened his mouth to speak but before he could War burst through the door again fluttering down and landing next to Wealth, who yelped in surprise.

"Again! It's happening again!" She yelled.

"Ok, ok, what's going on?" Life asked, his attempt at placation failing as she glared at him.

"The humans are growing more violent by the year, and based on the chaos in Europe and Asia right now, I fear another world war will be on us within the decade"

"Are you serious?" Ocean asked, her eyes wide. "Life, we have to do something!"

"You're right. You're all right" Life agreed, flashing a determined smile at each of them. "War, Wealth, please leave us. We need to make a plan"

The two Gods bowed (War more hesitantly than Wealth) and spread their wings, beginning to speak in low tones as they left.

Life held the smile on his face until the door swung shut, his grin instantly crashing to the floor.

"Death, are we sure Chaos is still confined to the realm?"

"Definitely" Death stated confidently. "I've been checking for his presence every day to make sure. Besides I am the only one that can open the portal or navigate the realm. Even if someone tried to break in to get him out, which is impossible anyway, they would be stuck there forever"

"Ok, then why is all of this happening?" Ocean asked, her eyes wide with concern. "If Chaos isn't the perpetrator then... maybe we should consider that we are"

"Care to explain?" Earth asked after a moment of silence, arching his eyebrows at her.

"Well... maybe Chaos is in charge of more than just... destruction. Perhaps he also sees to keeping the balance between the humans. I mean he is  a Primary, and perhaps he's more complex than we give him credit for"

"Oh Ocean, that's ridiculous" Weather snapped, speaking up suddenly and making her jump.

"I also find your theory improbable" Earth agreed. "Do you have any evidence?"

"I mean, no" Ocean said, putting her hands on her hips defiantly. "But I don't see you two offering up any suggestions"

"Alright, alright, calm down" Life soothed, putting his hands up. "Right now we don't have any leads and if we start arguing between each other we'll never get anywhere"

"But-"

"Not now Ocean, please" Death interrupted, rubbing his temples in an exhausted sort of way. "Let's just... all take a break for now"

Ocean glanced around at her fellow Primaries as they all relaxed into their chairs and shook her head.

Ridiculous

~~~

Grian felt the chains around his wrists squeeze as a soul tugged on his bindings. Another wrapped itself around his middle, making him tense up and causing a bone chilling cold to wash over his body.

"Screw off" he muttered, not bothering to lift his head as the souls screamed in his ear, letting off a burst of light as they flew away, and leaving him in pure darkness once more.

Grian sighed and allowed the tension in his shoulders to dissipate, spreading his large purple wings and attempting to wrap them around his head to try and soften the shrieks and wails of the souls that echoed in the inky blackness.

Where was I?  He thought, straining his mind to remember the number he was on. It was very hard to keep his memory intact in such a place. Oh right

"If 2,972,813,054 bells ring in the tower of bray, ding dong, your true love will stay" he sang quietly. "Ding dong, one bell today in the tower of bray. Ding dong, ding dong"

The rhythm of the song had been thrown off long ago (as soon as he had hit 21 bells to be precise), but Grian didn't care.

He had to keep track of time.

"If 2,972,813,055 bells ring in the tower of bray, ding dong, your true love will stay. Ding dong, one bell today in the tower of bray. Ding dong, ding dong"

By his count, it had probably been between 70 and 100 years, but it was getting harder and harder to keep counting.

The song helped.

"If 2,972,813,056 bells ring in the tower of bray, ding dong, your true love will stay"

Mumbo's face swam behind his eyelids and he shook his head violently, his lips stuttering as he struggled to finish the song.

"Ding dong, one bell today in the tower of bray. Ding dong, ding dong"

"You're wrong"  he had said. "You're not a monster. You're scared and alone, and you can't get rid of me that easily"

Grian took a shuttering breath.

"If 2,972,813,057 bells ring in the tower of bray, ding dong, your true love will stay. Ding dong, one bell today in the tower of bray. Ding dong, ding dong"

Oh Mumbo, I hope you've forgotten me by now. I never will.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! If you did, please consider leaving a like and a comment to let me know what you think! Also, if you are interested in what the tune of the song Grian was singing is, you can view this video to hear it: 

https://youtu.be/kIlbHHDWKXQ