A boy, 23 years of age, stood at the edge of a fountain. His multitude of tails flicked behind him, a basket was held loosely in his arms as he peered down at his reflection.

"Hello," a man, older and far taller, greeted the boy.
The boy looked up, his eyes glowing unnaturally. Or maybe it was just the reflection from the fountain.
The man's eyes glowed just the same, except his were more purple.

"Hi," the boy greeted back, his tails puffed up defensively no matter how much Cool Boy Vibes™ he was projecting.
The man's eyes landed on the boy's stomach where a hexagonal honey orange crystal resided embedded deep within.

The man silently held up his hand where an electric purple crystal was embedded in the back, disguised with a glove. The boy's heart skipped a beat. He didn't think there was anyone else like him!

The man smiled.
"I'm Doc," the man introduced.
The boy took his outplayed hand, "Ren!"

They sat by the fountain for hours just talking. Doc on the ground beside the fountain so he wouldn't get wet, Ren on the wall of the fountain, his tails wagging excitedly.

●●●●

A woman entered a bedroom. It was empty. As it usually was nowadays. Cans still splayed out around the room. It still stunk of teenager.

He curled up in the twin-sized bed. 'He'll be back soon,' she kept reassuring herself.
But still, 'He's replaced you. Found a family that actually treats him right. I hope you know that. You were easily replaced,' still echoed in her mind.

The brunet had been lying through his teeth. Clem had seen right through it. Her husband, however, had not. He hasn't looked at her since. Apparently, there was some logic to him in the man's words.
Not his. Yeah right.
I suppose, he hadn't met her mother, had he?

You see, her mother had a red patagium but her father had a black patagium. The only color that overpowers red. So of course her child would have Red or Black. And she told him this. Over and over....

He never listens.
It was never a problem. Not really.
......
She's doing it again....
D*mn it.

●●●●

"Dave?" A small voice asked.
The older boy groaned and looked down from his spot on the rock. His little sister stared up at him intently.

"Yes, Mari?" Dave asked.
The girl smiled up at him and began to try and climb the rock too.
Dave reached down to help her and settled her on his lap.

"Why did daddy leave?" Mari asked.
Dave gently carded his hands through her hair.
"I dunno marigold, I dunno," Dave responded.

●●●●

"Hi!" A boy greeted, brown curly hair dangled as he stood upside down, halfway in the ceiling.
"Uh... hello?" The younger greeted.
The older male hels his hand out.

"I'm William!" The boy greeted.
"Dave," the younger responded.

●●●●

Dave cried out in pain as William clenched his wound closed with his cut hand.
Come on, work! Work, work, work, g*d d*mn it!

"It's gonna be ok Dave! You're gonna be ok!" The older brunette assured. Tears streamed from the younger brunette's eyes as he tried his best to breathe.
Calm down!

"WIL!" Dave screamed his eyes flashed an unfamiliar red and his ears echoed with a thousand voices, all greeting him and each other as if it was their first time meeting each other.

William let out his own sob and pressed his face into the younger's shoulder.
"Hello?" A voice gently called out.
A man stepped into the cave cautiously.
"Oh, my g*d!"

●●●●

"Do you see him?"
"Why does he look like that?"
"That definitely isn't his natural color."
"Why is he green?"
"That's so disgusting!"
"Don't look at him, kids. He might infect you!"

"I hate the End," Xisuma declared startling Doc who let out a startled laugh.
"Why? What are they saying?" Doc asked chuckling.

Xisuma didn't properly answer. Instead, he asked, "am I unnatural to you?"
Doc turned to look at his leader and raised an eyebrow.
"No? You're just Xisuma. Why?" Doc answered.

"Do you think I'm... Special?" Xisuma asked shifting uncomfortably.
Catching on Doc smirked and replied, "⍙⟒⌰⌰, ⊬⍜⎍ ⏃⍀⟒ ⏁⊑⟒ ☍⟟⋏☌ ⍜⎎ ⏁⊑⟒ ⌇⊑⎍⌰☍⌇ ⌇⍜, ⊬⟒⏃⊑. ⟟'⎅ ☊⍜⋏⌇⟟⎅⟒⍀ ⊬⍜⎍ '⌇⌿⟒☊⟟⏃⌰'!"

That turned some heads.
"Wha- Doc! Don't say that!" Xisuma scolded, quickly covering the taller's mouth with his hand.
"⏚⎍⏁ ⊬⍜⎍⍀ ⋔⏃⟊⟒⌇⏁⊬-!" Doc teased stepping just out of the other's reach.

Xisuma chuffed and slapped the taller's arm. Doc just laughed.
"Besides, it's President, not King," Xisuma joked.
Doc couldn't stop his laughter as he keeled over.

"Oh, my bad Mr.President. Didn't know the specifics were so important!" Doc teased nudging the green shulk with his foot.

Xisuma smiled. Any negative comments forgotten about.

●●●●

Pounding rang through the building. Kristin gripped tirelessly at her ears. It was loud. Echoing. She wanted it to stop.

Kristin pushed off her bed and swam to the front door. It was a decent ways away. 8 orange octopus tails twirled around the young woman like a dress, a blue dress overtop anyways.

Carefully the woman pulled her stone front door open to the face of 3 guards.

"Where is your husband?" A guard demanded.
Kristin blinked at the man.
"You have my husband, sir," Kristin replied snippily, brushing back a strand of hair that escaped her crown braid.

"Your husband is not at the palace ma'am. Is he here? Are you hiding him?" The guard asked trying to push his way in.
4 tentacles blocked him.

"My husband is a respected member of this kingdom. He is the rightful King of the Merling Empire. He is supposed to be in Witness Protection. Are you telling me you let someone take him?!" Kristin accused.

"No, of course not!" The guard quickly assured.
"Then he's still at the castle then?" Kristin asked.
"Well, no- I- We just-" the guard stammered.
"So you lost my husband?" She asked.
"Yes," the guard answered, satisfied.

The scream was phenomenal.

●●●●

"Heh, I'm sorry... My wife did what?" Beef spluttered, the merling beside him, a man he didn't know the name of, chuckled and shrugged.
"She started a riot," the man informed.

He's only been gone 3 months!

Dear lord, he loved that wonderful woman.
Speaking of which; d*mn he missed her and her wonderful cooking.

●●●●

Shakily a boy knocked on a yellow door.
It took a minute but eventually, the door swung open to a pale blue Shulked brunette girl.

It took a moment for the girl to register who was in front of her.
"Purpled?!" The girl asked her voice rising in pitch.
"Teagan," the boy greeted peering over the 12-year-old's shoulder to try and find her older brother.
Instead, he was met by her 9-year-old younger sister, Lani.

"Is your brother home?" Purple asked, eyes scanning the area, reminiscent of how he used to come to take the boy out to play before he disappeared.
"Uh... No? He went out to become a hunter last I checked," Teagan answered stiffly and Purpled froze.

"Oh."
"Where have you been?" Teagan asked, "Tubbo was worried sick."
"Yes, sorry. My uh- parents split up so suddenly and I left with my dad and brother so quick I didn't even get to say goodbye," Purpled hummed.

Liar

"Oh, I'm so sorry," the girl murmured remembering when her mom disappeared one day after Lani was born.
Purpled sighed.
"Well, I uh- really just wanted to say hi and show him I'm back..." Purpled hummed anxiously.

"Oh, well I'll let him know if I see him! You should stop by and hand out with us sometime, it's nice knowing we didn't lose you," Teagan offered as Lani bounced on the balls of her feet waving at Purpled.
Purpled waved back before moving to leave with a quick murmured assurance that he would.

"Oh! By the way, you were friends with Drista and Dream no?" Teagan called back to him.
"Uh, yeah," Purpled confirmed.
"Well, they moved to a different town after you disappeared, if you were planning on going to them next," Teagan informed.

The 15-year-old nearly deflated at the information and nodded his quick thank you.

G*d d*mn it!

●●●●

"So?" Ponk asked.
"Tubbo's a hunter now," Purpled growled.
Ponk snickered, "that little honey mustard? A hunter? Are you sure?"
Purpled glared at the older forcing him to shut up.

"He's going to get himself killed or kidnapped! I need to find him and bring him back home!" Purpled announced.
Ponk smirked.
"Still this obsessed even after all these years?" Ponk asked.
Purpled didn't respond, he just walked past a glint of need bright in his eyes.

●●●●

Schlop!

The woman before him collapsed on the ground, white-hot pain erupting through his back.
He could feel the red liquid trailing down from the point where the pain was most prominent. Mirroring the red that pooled down the woman's back.

He couldn't move.
It didn't feel real.
This wasn't real!
This had to be a nightmare!
2 hands grabbed Grian's shoulders.
His eyes flicked to the familiar face.

Mumbo.

Mumbo, what did I do?

I just hugged her...
I didn't mean to!
I'm sorry! What happened?!

He doesn't know how long he stood there, an aching scream in his spine. Long enough for Mumbo to leave him. Long enough for the body to be taken away. Long enough to get the spine that lay broken on the ground engraved into the back of his eyelids. Long enough for a younger Elytrian with the beginnings of a beard and black and teal wings upon his back to join him.

They stood together in silence staring blankly at the horizon for hours.
Long enough for the sun to fall, its cascading rays draped innocently over the surrounding landscaping.

"We don't blame you, ya know," the Elytrian informed shattering the comfortable silence.
Finally, Grian tore his stare from the horizon to the boy.
Their eyes met. And although the boy's eyes were filled with tears, he still smiled at him.

He didn't deserve it.

●●●●

BONK!

Bitzel stumbled backward, startled by the sudden forced stop. He blinked up at what should have been nothing.

Behind him, Deo burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
"You ok Bitz?" Luke laughed, the white cat mrowing out its concern about him.

But just glared at it.

How dare the air betray him in such a way!

"This is why you need to go to sleep before 1am," Dan teased pulling the young Avian up to his feet, careful to make sure he didn't end up on his patagium.
"Bullsh*t," Bitzel pouted.
Dan flicked the younger's forehead, scolding him about his language but it widely went unnoticed.

When had they gotten so comfortable with this man? It had been a few months, sure. But they were more comfortable with this guy than they ever were with Mr.Knite back home.

Which just feels oddly wrong.
They wonder if they'd still feel this way if they were ever to see the guy again.

●●●●

"⏁⊑⏃⏁ ⍙⏃⌇ ⎐⟒⍀⊬ ☊⍜⋏⎎⎍⌇⟟⋏☌, ⌰⟟⏁⏁⌰⟒ ⌇⌿⍀⟟⏁⟒." Tin commented, his eyes dull as he watched you.
To be fair you didn't explain it very well.
Tin huffed, unable to be mad at his only friend. If you would even call yourself that.

"⟟ ⎅⍜ ⋏⍜⏁ ⎍⋏⎅⟒⍀⌇⏁⏃⋏⎅ ⍙⊑⏃⏁ ⌇⏁⍜⍀⊬ ⊬⍜⎍ ⏃⍀⟒ ⏁⍀⊬⟟⋏☌ ⏁⍜ ⏁⟒⌰⌰, ⌰⟟⏁⏁⌰⟒ ⌇⌿⍀⟟⏁⟒," Tin sighed mournfully.
If you could cock your head, you would.
"⍙⊑⍜ ⏃⍀⟒ ⊬⍜⎍ ⏁⏃⌰☍⟟⋏☌ ⍜⎎, ☍⟟⏚⏚⌰⟒⌇?" Tin asked.

You didn't know how to answer. Instead, you float around him absently. His gorgeous purple eyes follow you as you move.

"⏃⌰⍀⟟☌⊑⏁, ⊑⍜⍙ ⏃⏚⍜⎍⏁.... ⊑⍜⍙ ⌰⍜⋏☌ ⊑⏃⎐⟒ ⟟ ⏚⟒⟒⋏ ⊑⟒⍀⟒?" Tin asked.
"7." You answer.
Tin didn't seem taken aback by the answer. Not like how Kristin would have.

"⎅⍜ ⊬⍜⎍ ☍⋏⍜⍙ ⊑⍜⍙ ⟟ ☌⍜⏁ ⎅⍜⍙⋏ ⊑⟒⍀⟒?" Tin asked.
"No." You answer.
"⍙⍜⎍⌰⎅ ⊬⍜⎍ ⌰⟟☍⟒ ⏁⍜ ☍⋏⍜⍙?" Tin offered.
"Yes." You answer.

"Alright then, let me tell you about a story I like to call, The Neverending Fall."

-----

Notes:

Sorry, this chapter is so.... Sad? Confusing?
An explanation about it being Confusing is because this chapter is supposed to be told by you who don't actually know the story, you just know the glimpses I've shown you. I thought it would be kinda cool.
An explanation about why it's sad? Idk my stories tend to take on my emotions and my Puppers just got diagnosed with C**cer so I haven't been feeling the happiest.

Have a pic:

By me
It's Tommy's room and his mom btw.
There are easter eggs if you look close enough.

----

Translations:

Doc:
Enderian ="⍙⟒⌰⌰, ⊬⍜⎍ ⏃⍀⟒ ⏁⊑⟒ ☍⟟⋏☌ ⍜⎎ ⏁⊑⟒ ⌇⊑⎍⌰☍⌇ ⌇⍜, ⊬⟒⏃⊑. ⟟'⎅ ☊⍜⋏⌇⟟⎅⟒⍀ ⊬⍜⎍ '⌇⌿⟒☊⟟⏃⌰'!"
English = "well, you are the king of the shulks so, yeah. I'd consider you 'special'!"

Enderian = "⏚⎍⏁ ⊬⍜⎍⍀ ⋔⏃⟊⟒⌇⏁⊬-!"
English = "But your majesty-!"

Tin:
Enderian = "⏁⊑⏃⏁ ⍙⏃⌇ ⎐⟒⍀⊬ ☊⍜⋏⎎⎍⌇⟟⋏☌, ⌰⟟⏁⏁⌰⟒ ⌇⌿⍀⟟⏁⟒."
English = "that was very confusing, little sprite."

Enderian = "⟟ ⎅⍜ ⋏⍜⏁ ⎍⋏⎅⟒⍀⌇⏁⏃⋏⎅ ⍙⊑⏃⏁ ⌇⏁⍜⍀⊬ ⊬⍜⎍ ⏃⍀⟒ ⏁⍀⊬⟟⋏☌ ⏁⍜ ⏁⟒⌰⌰, ⌰⟟⏁⏁⌰⟒ ⌇⌿⍀⟟⏁⟒,"
English = "I do not understand what story you are trying to tell, little sprite,"

Enderian = "⍙⊑⍜ ⏃⍀⟒ ⊬⍜⎍ ⏁⏃⌰☍⟟⋏☌ ⍜⎎, ☍⟟⏚⏚⌰⟒⌇?"
English= "Who are you talking of, Kibble!"

Enderian = "⏃⌰⍀⟟☌⊑⏁, ⊑⍜⍙ ⏃⏚⍜⎍⏁.... ⊑⍜⍙ ⌰⍜⋏☌ ⊑⏃⎐⟒ ⟟ ⏚⟒⟒⋏ ⊑⟒⍀⟒?"
English = "Alright, how about.... How long have I been here?"

Enderian = "⎅⍜ ⊬⍜⎍ ☍⋏⍜⍙ ⊑⍜⍙ ⟟ ☌⍜⏁ ⎅⍜⍙⋏ ⊑⟒⍀⟒?"
English = "Do you know how I got down here?"

Enderian = "⍙⍜⎍⌰⎅ ⊬⍜⎍ ⌰⟟☍⟒ ⏁⍜ ☍⋏⍜⍙?"
English = "Would you like to know?"