Season 3

xB stood in his room inside his base. It was dark and he wasn't really sure what he was doing. Since the new season, xB had been on his own. He had his own base, rather than staying at Xisuma's like he had the previous season.

He was excited to build it, and he was really proud of how it was turning out, but...

He felt alone. The base felt so empty since it only had one resident. He saw Mr. Void often, but it didn't really feel the same.

xB laid down on his back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. He wanted to prove to Xisuma that he could be on his own, but he was still a kid and was still very unsure if he could. He always hesitated whenever he thought about telling X about his loneliness. Xisuma believed in him, and xB didn't want to ruin that.

He laid on the bed for about five minutes when there was a knock at his front door. He shot out of bed and crept out of his room, grabbing a sword for protection. He slowly approached the door and peeked through the window to see who was here so late at night.

A man in green doom armour stood at the door, holding a thermos. xB was both relieved and confused.

The boy opened up the door.

"Mr. Void?" xB lowered his sword.

"Ah, hello xB." Xisuma said with a smile in his voice.

"Why are you visiting this late?"

Xisuma looked at the boy. "Are you having a bad night?"

xB paused. He was about to say no, but he felt himself nod. He started to cry as he stuttered out a confirmation.

Xisuma stepped forwards towards the sobbing boy and gave him a hug.

The two stood in the doorway, hugging, for a few minutes. xB finally let go and wiped his eyes with his hoodie sleeve. He looked up at the Admin.

"How did you know?"

Xisuma smiled, but xB couldn't see it. "The same way you always knew, I guess....May I come in?"

xB nodded and stepped aside to let the Doomguy through. X took off his boots and set them by the door. He handed the thermos he was holding to xB.

"I brought you some tea."

xB smiled and opened up the thermos, inhaling the scented steam that lifted out of the container. He took a sip, surprised to find that it was a perfect temperature.

Xisuma pulled something out his inventory and leaned against the closed front door as he removed his helmet with one hand. He set it down, holding his breath, before quickly equipping what looked like the bottom part of a hazmat mask.

"There we go. Now I can breathe without having to wear the helmet, and now you can see me better. It's not as effective, but I'll take what I can get." Xisuma picked his helmet back up and held it under one arm as he walked to xB's living room. The boy followed close behind.

Xisuma sat down on the couch after setting his helmet down on the table in front of him.

"Why not get a helmet like the one Mr. Biffa has?" xB came over to the Admin and sat down next to him.

"...I think I like being a mystery." X chuckled. He put his arm around xB, who snuggled in close to the man, sipping tea from the thermos.

"So...what's got you feelin' down?" Xisuma looked at xB.

The young hermit sighed. "I...I don't like being alone. Normally, I'm fine with it, but...I don't know. Sometimes I just feel extra alone, and it's even worse now that I have my own base. I was...scared to tell you cuz you believed in me and thought I could make my own base. I didn't want to disappoint you.

Xisuma nodded as xB explained. "To be completely honest, I miss having you around. I didn't wanna tell you because I thought you wanted to be your own hermit."

xB closed the cap of the thermos and leaned over to set it on the table. "Really?"

"I guess I'm not used to being alone either. I've always had someone ." Xisuma answered.

xB looked at Xisuma, who returned the glance. The Admin smiled. xB could tell by his eyes. The boy hugged Xisuma tightly, not minding the bulky armour.

"Thanks for coming over, Dad." xB smiled as he felt the Admin return the hug.

"I'll always be here for you." Xisuma ruffled the boy's hair.

"And I'll be here for you."

Present Day

Xisuma and Hels stepped towards the portal that Etho had informed them about. The plume of fire on the back of Hels' helmet grew slightly brighter as they had approached the gateway to the Nether. Xisuma felt hesitant to go inside. Grian needed his help, but...Alex was his brother.

Hels looked over at the Admin and chuckled. "Are you scared of the Nether?"

Xisuma rolled his eyes. "No. I've just got a million different things going on."

Hels shrugged. "Meet ya inside, nerd." The knight walked backwards into the portal.

Xisuma sighed and stepped into the swirling purple vortex. The familiar whooshing feeling brought him to a connected portal in the Nether.

The heat of the lava and fire felt strangely comforting. It was quite the opposite of the empty cold of the End. Xisuma came here often since Nether portal travel was faster than just traversing through the overworld. He knew his way around fairly well. His father would tell him and Alex stories about fighting the demons in the Nether. Xisuma always admired the bravery of his father.

Hels was standing next to a chest, pulling out armour and weapons. The fire plume was the brightest it had ever been, and the soldier's eyes glowed orange. His grin was a bit off putting.

"You ready?" Hels looked at the Admin, who nodded in return.

"If Alex took the Doomsuit, then he might have gone somewhere related to our dad." Xisuma theorized.

Hels nodded. "Uh, sure okay. Lead the way then."

"Ugh, we've been searching for hours. Are you sure he's even still in the Nether?" Hels complained.

"I'm sorry, I thought you liked it better here." Xisuma faced forwards as they marched through yet another empty build.

"Yeah, but we've done so much walking."

Xisuma stopped walking. He was holding a crossbow.

"What's wrong?" Hels came up next to him.

Xisuma stared at the wall in front of them. "I don't know where to go anymore." He admitted.

Hels put his hand on Xisuma's armoured shoulder. "Uh...hey, you should probably head back. I'll keep on looking for Alex."

The Nether soldier seemed genuine in his offer. Xisuma slowly nodded. "Alright...if you find him, try to get through to him. If you can, see if he'll come back to the Overworld."

Hels gave a thumbs-up. Normally he hated helping people, but there was something in it for him. Plus, the faster they found Alex, the faster he could finally be apart from Wels.

Xisuma turned around and began to exit the way they came.

Hels took out a pickaxe and mined the wall in front of him. Strangely enough, it didn't open up to the outside. Instead, it revealed a longer hallway, unfittingly dark. The fire on Hels' helmet acted as a torch as he entered the new location.

Alex was indeed in the Nether. He came here to get away from his brother, and to feel closer to their father. His job was located in the Nether. After he was banished from the End, Alex had found an old hidden headquarters of sorts one day while looking for a place to make his hideout.

As he had explored the base, it became clear that his father used to use it. He had discovered a room full of his dad's stuff. Alex never told Xisuma about the headquarters. He was sure that his brother would try and claim it.

The headquarters must have been in use after Doomguy had adopted the twins since there were a few pictures of the three of them in the room. Alex had cleaned up part of the headquarters and made it his home.

It's where he found the red Doomsuit that he wore most of the time. He also found an odd animal that he recognized.

When he had first opened the door, a quick movement had caught his eye. A small creature hopped up onto the desk next to a computer. The sight of her brought a smile to the Ex-Admin's face.

He stepped up to desk and pet the rabbit on the head. "Hey Daisy. How long've you been in here?"

The rabbit sniffed Alex's hand and nuzzled against it. Daisy had been their father's rabbit. Alex's real concern was how she survived in this room for so long. He always knew that the rabbit wasn't a normal Overworld bunny. He stopped trying to find a reason after a while. Why try to find a reason for a thing that makes you happy?

Daisy would follow Alex when he wore the Doomsuit. Alex found comfort in that.

This day was a bit different. As Alex walked down the halls of the mostly empty base, he wore his father's normal suit, the one that Xisuma normally had. When he entered the room, which he had turned into his bedroom, Daisy perked up. She saw the green suit and bounced happily towards Alex. She hopped onto the bed and into his arms.

"Hey little rabbit." Alex pet her head before setting her back on the bed. He removed his helmet and sighed. When he first moved to the Nether, he couldn't breathe the air normally. It was easier to breathe than the Overworld atmosphere, but he still needed his helmet or mask. After a while, he started to no longer need the filters. He had apparently adapted to the Nether. The first time he took off his helmet in front of Daisy, she seemed a tad confused. The soldier wasn't the actual Doomguy, but it was Alex instead. She still followed him around though.

Alex sat down on the bed next to his rabbit and looked down at the helmet in his hands. He wanted to be Doomguy ever since the soldier had rescued him and Xisuma as children. When X took the suit after their father died, Alex felt like his brother was against him. It didn't help that it all happened while Alex was on trial. The last straw came when Xisuma showed up to testify in court against Alex. He was wearing the Doomsuit with his purple cloak. Alex had to fight back the urge to cry.

Alex thought that wearing the suit would make him feel better, but it didn't. He thought that maybe he would feel more like his dad, but he didn't. He felt more like Xisuma, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

When he had been banished, he tried to distance himself from his brother as much as he could. Since their father had an American accent, Alex grew up trying to speak like him. The Watchers and Admins around them normally had English accents, which Xisuma adopted. They sounded similar, but after he moved to the Nether, he focused on getting rid of any bit of English accent in his voice. It helped that Alex's voice was naturally deeper than Xisuma's.

It wasn't like it was difficult to tell the twins apart. Xisuma's hair was brown and fluffy, kept nice and short. Alex had white hair, which he kept longer and wore in a ponytail of varying length.

They had the same face though. But as Alex adapted to fit the Nether, that changed too. His eye colour took on a more reddish hue of purple, and so did his freckles. His teeth were slightly sharper, although it wasn't noticeable enough to make him stand out.

He doubted that anyone would see him and make the connected to Xisuma, since no one in the Nether knew his twin well enough. The name would tip them off, Alex figured. Void was a very Endish name. It would be hard to blend into the Nether's society with a name like that.

He took his father's name instead. Alex Blaskowicz sounded cooler to him anyways. To be honest, he wasn't sure what exactly his father's real name was, but he picked the alias he liked best. Back in the End, the Watchers and Admins would refer to him as Doomvoid, since no one could get him to reveal which of his aliases was the real one, if any. He was a human, and so he didn't have wings or magic. He did have guns, however. The Watchers had seen what he could do to demons in the Nether, so no one tried to mess with him.

The Endcity that Xisuma and Alex were from was the Capital. When they were just little kids, a revolt occurred. Rebel Watchers started destroying the houses of Admins and Watchers who supported the Council, which was essentially all of them. Alex and Xisuma's house was destroyed. Their mother and father hid them away and fought against the attackers, but they were outnumbered.

The twins hid and listened in fear to the massacre around them. Suddenly, loud bangs rang out through the empty space of a sky. Neither boy had heard a noise like it before, but things became very silent quickly after the bangs. Alex remembered hearing the heavy boots of a stranger stepping through the destruction. Xisuma was covering Alex's mouth so that he wouldn't scream.

The stranger stopped in front of the desk they were hiding under. The twins covered their heads with their arms in fear.

Out of the corner of his eye, Alex could see the stranger crouch down. He was wearing a suit of armour that was different than any Alex had seen. It was covered in dark purple blood. The man knelt down when he saw the boys.

But Alex couldn't remember exactly what happened next.

Alex, still laying on the bed, sighed once more. His memories kept getting fuzzier. It was getting harder to remember his dad, and he hated that.

24 Years Ago

The heavily-armoured man knelt down in front of the desk. He peered underneath in surprise as he spotted two young boys cowering.

"Are you two alright?" The man asked in a voice that sounded strange to the two English boys.

Xisuma looked at the man. He couldn't speak. His eyes were drawn to the weapon in the man's hand. It was mechanical and strange. Everything about the soldier was strange.

The man saw the brown-haired boy's concern towards the gun. He quickly put it away.

"I'm here to help. I promise." The soldier tried to reassure them. He looked up over the desk before returning to focus to the boys.

"Awe the bad peopwe stiww thewe?" Xisuma finally managed to whisper. The man shook his head.

"The bad people are gone. They can't hurt you."

Xisuma nudged Alex, who looked up as his twin took his hand off of his mouth. The boys slowly exited their hiding spot and stood up. Before they could see the scene of death and destruction, the man turned them around.

"You don't want to see it. It's awful." He spoke softly, but the boys could still hear him.

"But Mummy's out thewe!" Alex spoke up. The soldier froze. He looked over his shoulder before kneeling down in front of the small kids. He removed his helmet.

The man had brown hair with a slight swoop and a square jawline. He had a bit of stubble. He had a few scars that stood out against his tanned skin. His eyes were brown and filled with sorrow.

"I...I'm so sorry, kiddo. But, your parents...aren't coming back." The man looked at the boys.

Xisuma was a smart kid. He knew what the man meant by that.

Alex knew...but he didn't want to believe it.

"No! She and Daddy were right there!" The white-haired boy exclaimed. The man shook his head sadly.

Alex's eyes filled with tears. Xisuma stood silently. After a moment, both boys burst out crying. The soldier wanted to help them, but he wasn't sure what to do. He set a hand on each boy's shoulder and was about to speak when they ran forwards to hug him. The man fell back in surprise once again. The boys cried onto the bloodstained armour. The soldier put his arms around the kids to comfort them.

After a few minutes, Xisuma sniffed and pulled away. "But now we don't have a home..."

"Or a famiwee." Alex pulled away too.

The man picked them up in his big arms. "I can look after you until this gets sorted out....My name is Doomguy."

"Doomguy?" Alex looked up at the man. He nodded.

"...Mr. Doomguy, what happened?" Xisuma asked.

"Those Watchers hurt people. I came here to fix it. Those bad Watchers are gone. I made sure of it. I only wish that I had gotten here sooner. Maybe then, I could have saved your parents." Doomguy started walking forwards. Only half of the house had ended up getting destroyed. The twins' bedroom was still intact. Doomguy brought the twins through the open door and set them down on one of the beds.

"I need you two to stay here while we fix the scene. I'll come back. I promise."

Xisuma squeezed Alex's hand as he nodded.

After a while, the man opened the door again. "The Council talked with me. If it's alright with you boys, could I take you back to my base for a few days while the damage gets repaired?"

Xisuma nodded again. He had only just met this strange man, but he protected and saved them.

Alex hugged a stuffed rabbit tightly. "Awe you gonna take cawe of us?"

Doomguy nodded and gave them a kind smile. "Yes, I'll take care of you until-"

"Awe you our new daddy?" Alex interrupted.

The man's eyes went wide. "Well, you see, I-" He trailed off as he saw the hope in the young boys' eyes. They both stared at him.

"Do you boys have any other family?"

They both shook their heads.

"Would you rather have me take care of you then a Watcher or Admin?"

They both nodded.

Doomguy chuckled. "Alrighty. I'll gladly accept the mission...What are your names?"

"I'm Xisuma Void." X spoke quietly, but with pride.

"I'm Awexanda Void." Alex looked up. "But Awex is nice too."

"It's nice to meet you, Xisuma and Alex." Doomguy smiled. "The Council gave me some filtered masks so you can breathe in the Overworld." He stepped towards the boys and carefully put the masks on their faces.

"The Ovaworld?" Alex hugged the toy bunny even tighter.

Doomguy nodded. "That's where my base is at the moment. It's where I'll keep you for a few days until the Council gives the 10-4 to return."

"Will you live in the End with us?" Xisuma asked.

Doomguy thought. "Well, if I'm taking care of you, then I think so. Yes."

"Can I bring my wabbit?" Alex clung to his plush. Doomguy smiled.

"Of course. I have a pet rabbit, actually. Her name's Daisy." The soldier answered. Alex's eyes lit up.

"I've never seen a weal wabbit before!" He looked excited.

"Why don't we gather a few of your things so we can go?" Doomguy asked.

The boys nodded. Maybe things would be alright after all.

Present Day

Alex pulled out a box from beneath the bed. Inside it were some memories he wanted to keep safe. He took a worn stuffed toy rabbit out of the box and kissed its head before hugging it tightly and putting it back. In the box were a few pictures of when things were better, and his old Admin cloak. He wasn't sure why he still had it.

His thoughts were too loud. He needed to drown them out. The man turned to a guitar stand next to the bed where an electric guitar rested. He picked it up and plugged it in. He began playing one of the songs his dad had taught him. His mood improved quickly as his fingers slid smoothly up and down the fretboard. Daisy hopped next to him and looked content as the familiar tunes played throughout the headquarters.

As Hels walked through the empty halls, a noise began. Quietly at first, but increasingly became louder. It sounded like music. He followed the noise. As he neared the source, the headquarters became less empty. It now looked more like an in-use hideout.

"Huh." Hels approached the door that the sound was behind. He did a strange thing for him. He knocked instead of barging in. The guitar stopped.

After a moment, bootsteps came to the door and opened it. On the other side was Alex in Xisuma's suit. He had the helmet on.

"Hels?" Alex looked at the Nether knight.

"Ah, yes, hey Alex. Nice place. Hey, can we talk?" Hels got to the point quickly.

Alex was taken back. "Uh...Sure? How did you-...you know what, nevermind. What's up?"

"So your brother is worried about you-"

"Let me stop you there." Alex interrupted his fiery friend. "I don't want to deal with Xisuma right now."

"Yeah, but here's the thing. I promised him that I'd find you." Hels replied.

Alex removed his helmet and set it on the bed behind him. "Yeah, but here's the thing. I didn't want to be found."

"Understandable, but X promised that I'd get my own body if I found you." Hels explained.

Alex frowned. "Can he even do that?"

Hels shrugged. "Not sure. If he doesn't, I'll burn his house or something."

The Ex-Admin stared at the knight's glowing eyes. He didn't respond.

"Look, man. Xisuma realized how badly he messed up. He wants to fix things between you and him." Hels added.

"Then why didn't he come here himself?" Alex shot back, his tone a bit harsher.

"He and I searched for a while, but then I told him to head back. He's trying to help Grian deal with his divorce or whatever. I don't really know the drama going on with bird boy." Hels shrugged. "Point is, Xisuma is making an effort."

"He had his chance. I tried to fix things between us EVERY SINGLE SEASON." Alex began to yell. His eyes glowed a tad and a fiery aura started to appear around him. "I tried to help! I tried to tell him how messed up the Watchers were! He never listened! He banned me for trying to be his brother again! He told the hermits that my name was 'Evil Xisuma'! He tried to erase who I was. So don't tell me that he wants to make amends. He's had so many chances. I'm done being his brother." Alex's hands glowed with fire. Hels began to feel intimidated.

"If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be an 'outlaw'! I might even still have my wings! He took everything from me, and this place is the only place I have left. Now get out ."

Hels backed up. "Yeah...alrighty. Got it. I'll...go. Uh, sorry for interrupting your jams. You're great at electric guitar by the way!"

"GO." Alex flared his nostrils and pointed towards the exit. "NEVER COME BACK."

Hels backed away. Alex turned and grabbed the helmet and threw it at Hels. "TELL MY BROTHER THAT HE CAN KEEP THIS, SINCE HE'S ALREADY KEPT SO MUCH FROM ME." There was a hint of his original English accent in his voice.

Hels caught the helmet and ran back the way he came.

"Guess this means I'm still stuck with you." Hels grumbled to himself.

Alex slammed his bedroom door and fell onto his bed, tears of frustration and anger streaming down his cheeks. Daisy hopped towards her friend, hoping to comfort him. He looked up and picked the rabbit up into his arms, cradling her as he sobbed.

Xisuma stepped out of the portal and made his way back to his house. The sun was already going down. The two of them had been searching for a long time. He opened the door to his base to the sweet smell of something baking. X closed the door behind him and took off his helmet after pushing back the hood of his cloak. His boots were heavy with stones and nether rock that stuck to them. He took those off and set them by the door.

"Hello?" Xisuma walked further into the house. In the kitchen was Grian, wearing an apron and surrounded by ingredients. He had flour in his hair.

"Hey Xisuma! Did you find Alex?" Grian looked at the homeowner. X shook his head.

"No...Hels is still looking for him." Xisuma answered.

"Hels...?" The bird was confused for a moment. He shrugged it off. "...I hope things get better." Grian replied. Xisuma nodded.

There was a moment of silence as the Admin entered the kitchen. "So...what are you doin'?"

"Baking! I made cookies and stuff. Maybe I've been watching too many cooking shows." Grian chuckled a bit. "Would you like one? I've got like...seven different kinds."

Xisuma smiled slightly. "Sure."

"Great! We've got chocolate chip, sugar cookie, snickerdoodle, white chocolate and macadamia nut, peanut butter, ginger snap, and oatmeal chocolate chip. I don't know how two of these taste cuz...you know. Chocolate." Grian seemed sad about that. "White chocolate isn't real chocolate, and, uh, I didn't die when I ate it, so it's good." The bird chuckled.

"I'll take the white chocolate then." Xisuma smiled. Grian passed him a plate of cookies. They looked pretty well baked.

Xisuma took one and took a bite. He smiled. "These taste wonderful, G!"

"Aw thanks! I've always been pretty terrible at cooking, but I tried following an actual recipe this time!" Grian paused. He was about to sneeze. When he did, a few feathers flew up in the air. G stared at them as they floated down.

"Whoops." He smiled.

Xisuma watched the bird's reactions. He had stopped cringing at his feathers and wings. "I'm...really proud of you."

"...For sneezing?" Grian looked at X, an eyebrow raised.

"No...I'm proud of you for becoming comfortable with yourself. That's a big thing, G. You've come really far." Xisuma smiled kindly.

Grian smiled, his cheeks becoming tinged with red. "Xisuma...that...that means a lot. I'm actually really proud of myself." The furnace next to him dinged. Grian smiled and put a pair of oven mitts on. He removed another sheet of cookies from the furnace and set the tray on the counter to cool.

"Hey, I'm a mess. Do you mind if I take a shower? There's cookie dough all over my wings." Grian raised one of his wings to show the baking mess on them.

Xisuma chuckled and nodded. "Go right ahead."

Grian took off the apron and headed upstairs.

Xisuma took another cookie from the plate and absentmindedly ate it while thinking about the situations around him. Things were tough. He wanted to be able to solve all these problems, but that was impossible.

After about five minutes, there was a knock at the door. Xisuma set down his half-eaten cookie and stood up. He approached the door, picking up his helmet and putting it on before opening it.

On the other side stood a familiar bearded young man. He still wore a hoodie, even through all these years.

xB looked up at Xisuma. "Hey, Dad. Are you having a bad night?"

The Admin couldn't stop himself from smiling. He nodded and stepped aside to let his boy through. After Xisuma closed the door, he removed his helmet again.

"You always know." He chuckled. He set down his helmet and made his way to the couch, where xB had already sat down.

"That's...not your normal suit. Did something happen between you and Uncle Alex again?" xB studied the Admin's sad expression. The Admin nodded with a sigh.

"He...I can't find him. I want to fix things. I want to make it right, but..." Xisuma blinked back tears that had been building up.

"I'm sure he'll come around..." The young man tried to reason.

"xB...I was the bad guy. I ruined everything for him. And now he's hiding from me. I messed up." Xisuma wiped his eyes with his armoured arm. xB quickly hugged the man while he was distracted.

"You're trying to make things right. You're trying to make an effort. That's a good start, Dad." xB referred to the Admin as his father. He knew that it would help comfort Xisuma.

"...xB..."

"Yes?"

"Have....Have I been a good father figure for you? I know I was gone a lot during Season 4 and 5. I'm worried that I wasn't there for you when you needed me." Xisuma stared at the lit fireplace in front of them.

"You were dealing with issues. It's alright. Whenever I needed you, you were there." The hermit answered.

"...Thank you, xB. I'm glad you came by." Xisuma smiled.

The hermit grinned and hugged the Admin tighter. "No problem. I love you, Dad."

Xisuma began to feel a bit better. "I love you too, xB."

There was a crash as something tumbled down the stairs. Both men turned to see what fell. On the floor was Grian, getting up. He looked a bit disoriented. When he regained his composure, he looked at the visitor on the couch. His face turned red.

"Oh my gosh. I am so sorry for intruding, I was just waiting for you guys to be done so I wouldn't interrupt, but uh...I kinda fell down the stairs. Guess that's what I get for eavesdropping." Grian chuckled apologetically. "So I guess I was right about Dadmin, huh Xisuma."

xB's eye went wide when he realized that Grian had heard him call the Admin his dad. His face went red with embarrassment.

"Y-you heard?" The young hermit stared at the bird.

"Oh heck...that was a private thing, wasn't it. Oh my gosh, I'm-...Gah, I'm really sorry!" Grian chirped, trying to make things better.

Xisuma looked at xB and then at Grian. "You know I rescued him, right G?"

Grian nodded. The hermits were all sort of aware of the situation, but no one really asked more about it.

"Well...I took care of him, like my father did when he rescued me and Alex." Xisuma briefly explained.

"Ohhh...That...That makes sense." Grian nodded.

"C-can you...keep this between us?" xB asked Grian. The bird nodded.

"I won't tell a soul. Again, I'm so sorry for intruding."

xB could tell that Grian was genuine. The hermit smiled. "Thank you."

"Of course." He gave the hoodie-clad hermit another nod. "Does that make us somewhat brothers then?" G looked at Xisuma.

X chuckled. "Pssh, if I could, I'd adopt all of the hermits...even though there's a number of them older than me...well, in 'human years'."

Grian paused. "Wait, how old are you, Xisuma?"

"Uh...hold on, let me think...In human years, I'm around thirty...In End years...I'm not sure. I'm older than that, I know. Huh." Xisuma thought out loud. "I've just...stopped paying attention to time."

"That's valid." Grian replied. The bird took a step towards the couch when there was another knock at the door.

"I'll get it, X." G hopped towards the door instead. He opened it up, a warmth appearing. Wels stood on the other side, but he looked strange. His eyes were orange and his helmet was on fire.

"Hey, bird nerd, is Xisuma here?" The knight asked, his voice sounding a tad distorted.

Xisuma stood up from the couch and rushed to the door. "Hels! Is Alex with-" the Admin halted to a stop when he saw the soldier alone. The visitor shook his head.

"He refused pretty loudly . He doesn't wanna talk to you. Threw this at me to give to you." The knight handed over the helmet from the original Doomsuit. Xisuma took it and stared down at it in regret.

"It's...worse than I imagined. Oh goodness. I need more help." X couldn't take his eyes off of the helmet. "Thank you Hels. You tried your best."

"Sweet, does this mean I get my own body now?"

Xisuma sighed. "Yes. I'll have to deal with that later though, I hope you'll understand."

"Yeah yeah, I figured. Cool. Well, hope things get better. I gotta go-...I-...AUGH GO AWAY!" Hels snapped at himself. "UGH. Wels wants control. I better go." The fire on the helmet began to dim. The soldier flinched, the fire disappearing completely.

"OH GOSH. That was not fun." He looked back up at Xisuma and Grian. The bird looked very concerned.

"Alrighty, Xisuma. I'll see you later." The knight stepped back and waved.

"Thank you once again Wels and Hels." The Admin nodded as the soldier made his leave. X closed the door and walked into the living room, holding the helmet in his hands.

"I'm...I'm not even going to question what's going on with Wels." Grian tried to shake away his confusion.

"Grian...do you still have my cloak?" X looked up at the bird. He nodded and pulled it out of his inventory.

"Yeah, here."

The Admin took it and put it on. "I need to try again." He said.

Grian glanced at xB, who looked very concerned.

"Dad- Er,... Mr. Void. What are you doing?" The young hermit stood up.

"I need to get Biffa. He tried to fight for Alex in the trial. If Alex doesn't listen to him, then...I don't want to think about that." Xisuma put the helmet on and switched out his Strider cloak for his watcher one.

"You're leaving now?" xB watched the Admin as he retrieved his boots. He put them on and stood next to the door.

"I need to act now." Xisuma put the hood of the purple cloak on.

Grian could see the worry in the young man's eyes.

"Xisuma. Let me go with you." Grian stepped forwards.

"Grian, you have your own problems." X shook his head.

"I've got time! I need to help you! You helped me, and I want to help you in return. Please." Grian willed himself to his hero size and stood confidently.

"...xB...Tell Joe and Scar that they're in charge until we get back...Make sure people don't start wars." Xisuma looked at the young hermit. He nodded and saluted the Admin.

"Got it!"

"Grian, are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

Xisuma smiled slightly. He felt better knowing that he had a trusted friend to be by his side.

"Then we better get going." Xisuma opened the door. Grian quickly grabbed his shoes and put them on before exiting the house. He popped his head back in for a second.

"Hey, xB! Help yourself to some cookies! I made...wayyyyy too many. Better share them with the others." Grian laughed and popped back outside. Xisuma turned to look at xB. They shared a nod.

"I love you, xB."

"I love you too, Dad. You can count on me."

Xisuma gave him a thumbs-up before leaving and closing the door behind him.

Grian was standing outside, looking up at the dark clouds in the night sky. "So...where are we going?"

"To the End. Biffa returned there a while back. I'm...actually really glad you're coming with me. I'm not the most well-liked back there anymore." Xisuma started to walk away from the house. Grian followed.

"It'll be faster if we fly." Xisuma looked up at the tall man. A pair of purple wings appeared on the Admin's back, despite the armour and cloak that the man wore.

"Lead the way."

Mumbo stood in his headquarters. He paced back and forth, speaking to himself. He wanted to listen to Xisuma, but something in him wouldn't let his problems go. He liked to believe that he would get better and recover from his fall to semi-madness, but there wasn't enough time. Time was quickly running away. He never had enough of it. By the time he would be well enough to face Grian, the bird's time would be up.

"Tick tock...tick tock..." He muttered to himself, deep in thought. "I need...time. I'm running out of time."

He had gathered all the clocks in the HQ and brought them to his workshop. He hung them up all over the walls. They all ticked and tocked in a rythym that synced with the man's heartbeat. It was steady and consistent. He needed something like that to hold onto. He needed something to just stay consistent.

Grian's time was running out. Mumbo wasn't sure if he could even face him anymore. What if he finally exited the HQ, and it was too late? What if he fixed the lift, and Grian saw him before he was able to become even a fraction of his old self he had lost.

Mumbo's thoughts were pulled to the previous season. During Area 77, Grian had used a time machine he built. He remembered how Grian kept telling Ren and Impulse that it shouldn't be used to fix personal past mistakes. Grian always said this with a sad tone in his voice. Mumbo was sure now that Grian was telling himself that as well. Grian couldn't use the time machine to fix what happened with Taurtis.

Time was feeble. Mumbo knew that. But...Grian didn't know what would happen...right? Mumbo stopped pacing as an idea came to him.

"I...I could build a time machine...I could build a time machine!" He exclaimed. A grin spread across his face. "It's perfect! I'd never run out of time!"

Grumbot sat outside the workshop, trying to hear what his father was saying to himself. When the roboticist suddenly yelled out in joy, Grum's heart dropped at the words. A time machine wouldn't solve his problems. It would mess everything up even more.

Mumbo ran to his workbench and pulled out a fresh blueprint. "Oh, I can make it like the TARDIS! Oh, I've always wanted to be like the Doctor!" He couldn't contain his glee. He drew lines in white coloured pencil with precision.

Mumbo thought back to the BBC show he adored. Time travel was always so fascinating to him.

He began to speak to himself again as he drew the plans. "What was it he said? Time's not linear...it's a bunch of wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey stuff . Yes."

He pulled out materials he would need. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Mumbo sang.

The door opened and Grumbot came inside. "Dad...time travel isn't the answer."

"...Yes it is! I can fix everything! I can make everything right!"

"Dad. That's now how it works! You're going to mess up the present! What if we don't exist anymore?" Grum approached his father. Mumbo turned around to look at his son.

"I promise that I will build you. I'll make sure of it." Mumbo smiled.

Grum shook his head. "Dad. You need sleep. You're not thinking rationally."

"Grumbot! What is rational? Time's running out, and I'm not going to be able to meet the deadline. I need to fix what I've done!" Mumbo set down his pencil and stared at his boy's synthetic tear-filled eyes.

"You're spending all your time focused on the wrong things! Please!" Grum pleaded.

Mumbo sighed and shook his head. "I need to do this."

"At least go sleep. Please. Just...rest for a few hours." The robot boy took his father's bandaged hand.

Mumbo stood up. He turned to look at his plans one last time before getting dragged out of the room by his son.

"I-...Alright. Fine." Mumbo gave in. "I'll sleep. But I'm still going to build the time machine."

Grumbot knew he wouldn't be able to change his father's mind.

The living room was filled with Hermitbots, as well as Mumbo's robot family. It was lively, despite none of them being truly alive.

As Grum pulled his father out from the workshop, he was greeted by different bots. Mumbo smiled and said hello as Grum took him to his bedroom. He opened the door. Sitting on the ground next to the bed was Circuit and Griandroid. They looked up as they heard the door.

"Hello, Mumbo." Griandroid waved. His greeting brought a smile to the roboticist's face. Circuit looked at his dad, worry in his face.

"Here. Circuit wanted to talk to you." Grum told his father. Griandroid stood up and walked over to the door. He came up to Mumbo and gave him a hug that lasted a few moments longer than it should have. When he let go, he gave Mumbo a dorky grin and headed out of the room. Mumbo said a brief goodbye before stepping into the room. Grumbot stood in the doorway still.

"I'll let you two talk." Grum smiled and closed the door as he left.

Circuit looked up at his father as he approached him. "Hi Dad..."

Mumbo sat down in front of Circuit on the floor. "What's going on, Circuit?"

The one-eyed robot paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking up. "I'm essentially just...you...right?"

"Well...yes."

"Will I go crazy too?" There was genuine worry and fear in the boy's voice. His tone reminded the roboticist of his younger self.

Mumbo hesitated. "Circuit...you're not human. You...you can't really go crazy...I-...Are you worried that you'll turn out like me?" Mumbo's heart hurt at the realization.

Circuit looked away, ashamed. "N-not exactly. I'm...I just don't know if I am my own person. I know I wasn't originally intended to be your son. 'Melia and I were just going to be helper droids. But then you made us your kids. But...Sometimes I still feel like I was only built to be of assistance and not to be your kid."

Mumbo didn't know how to respond. He wasn't aware that Circuit felt this way.

"What...what are you saying?"

"Remember when you asked me whether I felt like you treated me like your kid or as a machine? I said as your kid...but...sometimes I do feel like just a machine. Jrum and Sahara are the babies, so you cuddle and kiss them a lot. Grum reminds you of Grian, and he's the most 'human' out of the five of us. Amelia's helpful and was special because she was your first daughter. I'm...I'm just here. I'm just you, but young." Circuit rambled.

Mumbo tried to make sense of the words. "You...don't feel like a new person?"

Circuit nodded. "Y-yeah."

The roboticist studied his son's sorrowful face. "I'm...Oh goodness, I'm terrible again, aren't I?"

Circuit looked at his father. "N-no!" He scooted closer to his dad. "You aren't! You're just preoccupied a lot!"

Mumbo shook his head. "I'm a failure of a father."

"If you're a failure, then that makes me a failure too." Circuit looked at his father in the eyes.

"You are not a failure!" Mumbo looked up at his son, almost appalled that the boy would say such a thing.

"Yeah! And neither are you! I'm you, Dad! And we're not a failure!" Circuit took his father's hands.

Mumbo looked at the boy's face. He brought back memories of the happy kid that Mumbo had been. Mumbo took his glasses off and slipped them onto Circuit's face. The boy didn't protest.

The mustachioed man smiled at his son. "You...you're...I-..." Mumbo couldn't find the right words. "Hold on a moment."

He pulled a notebook out of his inventory and began sketching in it with a pencil. Circuit waited patiently as his father drew. When the man was finished, he turned the book so the robot could see.

"What are your thoughts on this girl?" Mumbo asked his son. Circuit looked at the drawing. The girl in it had wavy hair and freckles. She looked around highschool age, and there was a smile on her face. The precision in the lines told the robot that his father had drawn this girl a number of times before, but the few eraser marks told him that it had been a while since his father had drawn her. She was quite pretty and the drawing elicited a response from the boy.

"I-...I mean...She's really, uh, pretty." Circuit didn't know why he was stuttering. His face felt weird and warm.

Mumbo let out a laugh. "Oh my goodness. You-...you really are just younger me."

Circuit blinked, and took off the glasses. "I-...Who's that girl?"

Mumbo got very quiet. His eyes took on a softer feel as a sweet smile came to his face. "Her name's Natalie...she was my girlfriend back in highschool." He chuckled as he reminisced. "Oh, goodness. Before we really met, I would just doodle her as I watched her from across the room in French class." Mumbo spoke softly. Circuit looked at the drawing again and then at his father.

"You programmed me to respond like you would. That's why I thought the girl was pretty, right? Because you did?"

"I...I guess...I wanted to see me in you. At least, the good things." Mumbo sighed. "I'm sorry, kiddo. I should have made you be your own person...with Amelia, she sort of is, since she acts much more mature than I did at your guys' age. She's not me...but you are."

Circuit took his father's hand. "Maybe...Maybe it's a good thing that I'm you. Maybe I can help remind you of the good. You made me to be the good in you. Maybe I just gotta show it."

Mumbo smiled. "...How'd you get so smart?"

Circuit chuckled. "You know that you're just calling yourself smart, right?"

Mumbo snickered. "Yeah."

Circuit grinned and hugged his father tightly. As he hugged him, he spoke up. "Did you love her?"

Mumbo hugged his son back, but froze at the question. "Hm?"

Circuit let go. "Did you loooove Natalie?" He asked in a teasing tone. His father's face went red.

"I-...Well, I-...Now,..." He began to stammer. "Well, as a matter of fact, yes. Yes I did." Mumbo finally managed to say.

Circuit smiled, but it faded. "What happened?"

Mumbo faltered once more. "B-between me and Natty?" His son nodded.

"...I left without saying goodbye. We didn't break up...I just...When Xisuma asked me to be a hermit, I was very excited. My parents agreed to it, and I packed and left the next day. I was so excited that I...I forgot to say goodbye to her. Or even tell her what was going on...Oh goodness." Mumbo put his face in his hands. "We were gonna go to Uni together. We were gonna study Redstone and become professors. We had a plan. People looked at us and thought, 'Yes, they are the perfect couple. They have their lives planned.'" The roboticist looked up. He was crying now. "If things worked out, we were going to get married!" He sobbed into his hands. Circuit felt awful for bringing it up.

"D-Dad?"

"I ruined it all! I'm a disappointment, aren't I?" Mumbo looked at his son, his vision blurry from the tears in his eyes.

Circuit shook his head. "Dad, just because you ended up taking a different route than planned doesn't mean you're a failure! If you hadn't come to Hermitcraft, you never would have made all these friends! You wouldn't have met Grian! You wouldn't have built me and the other kids! You didn't ruin it...you were excited. I don't think Natalie blames you. I don't feel like she would...even though I barely know anything about her."

Mumbo wiped his eyes. "...You're right." He nodded slowly. "That's not the mistake I need to fix. It's my more recent ones that I need to fix."

Circuit knew his father was building a time machine. Grum had communicated through their network to tell the others what Mumbo was trying to do. Circuit wasn't as human-like as his brother Grum. It was harder for him to fight back since his primary purpose was to assist Mumbo.

There was nothing he could say.

"You should fix your sleep schedule first." Circuit gave his father a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before standing up.

"If you believe I should, then I probably need to." Mumbo chuckled and stood up. He ruffled the boy's hair and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"I love you Dad."

"I...I love you too, Circuit."

"Does that mean you love yourself?"

Mumbo paused. "...Y-yes." He lied.

Circuit knew he was lying, but he didn't push it any further.

"I'll let you get some rest." The boy began to step towards the door.

"W-wait...Can you...Do...I..."

Circuit turned around. "You want me to stay here?"

Mumbo nodded. Circuit smiled and stepped back over to his father.

"Alright."

Mumbo took off his lab coat and set it on a hook by the bookshelf. He kicked off his shoes. Circuit looked at his own attire.

"Dad, do you have any other clothes I could wear? I...wanna try something different."

Mumbo looked over at his son. "Oh, uh...we've got some stuff left over from the hermitbots..."

Circuit nodded and rushed out of the room to get the clothes. Mumbo stepped into his bathroom to brush his teeth. When he was done, Circuit came back in the room. He was now wearing a long sleeved shirt with striped sleeves with a Metallica t-shirt over it. He wore a pair of black trousers and some socks with parrots on them. He was grinning.

"I look like I shop at Hot Topic." He snickered. Mumbo smiled at his son's outfit.

"But it was really cool to try something new. I like being my own person."

Mumbo stepped towards his son and gave him a hug. "I like you being your own person too."

The roboticist took his hair out his ponytail and shook it out. "I need a haircut." He sighed jokingly. Circuit sat on the edge of the bed.

"At least the hobo beard is gone."

"Hmm...true."

Mumbo sat down on the bed, his back against the pillows.

"Dad...can you tell me about Natalie? And when you were a kid? I wanna know about you."

The roboticist smiled. "It'll help me fall asleep...yes...We've got time."

10 years ago

Mumbo sat at his desk, waiting for the bell to ring and for class to start. He had his notebook on his desk in front of him, open to his French notes. His sketchbook was in his lap, open to a blank page. He readjusted his glasses as they slid down his nose.

The chatter of the classroom wasn't quieted, even when the bell rang. Mumbo glanced up across the room at the most interesting thing in the room. Natalie Nightingale, the kindest and sweetest girl Mumbo had ever met.

Well, he hadn't officially met her yet. He couldn't muster enough confidence to talk to her. She was one of the "popular girls", but she wasn't like them. She wasn't rude or snotty like the other popular kids. She was nice and helpful.

Mumbo felt a dorky smile appear on his face as he watched her laugh at a joke her friend Jenny told. He could hear her laugh even through the classroom noise. Mumbo had a crush on her, but he knew it was silly. She was...simply too far from where he was.

Mumbo doodled her laughing in his sketchbook while the teacher gave instructions for the homework that Mumbo had already done. He looked up at Natalie when he finished the doodle. She was working on the assignment, unaware of her admirer. Mumbo rested his cheek on his hand, watching Natalie mouth the French vocab from this unit. Jenny glanced up and nudged Natalie's arm, whispering something to her friend. Nat looked up and made eye contact with Mumbo. She smiled and gave him a friendly wave.

Mumbo's heart skipped a beat as he looked down at his notebook, pretending to work. His face grew hot and his heart was racing. He wrote lines in French in his notebook, trying to look busy. After a minute or two, he could feel someone standing in front of his desk. The teacher allowed the students to get up and move around for group work, and so it wasn't strange for someone to come over to his empty group to grab a chair or something like that. Mumbo sat by himself in the back of the class at the extra group since he didn't have any friends in this class.

The person didn't take a chair and go like usual. Instead, the person sat down and waited and looked at Mumbo. Finally, the boy glanced up to see who was there.

"Hi!" Natalie's sweet voice sang like a songbird.

Mumbo tried his best not to panic. "I-...Uh,..I ...h-hi!" He stammered, his face red. Natalie smiled.

"I couldn't help but notice you all alone here." She told him. Mumbo felt relieved that she hadn't said that she couldn't help but notice him staring at her.

"Y-yeah, I like to work alone in this class." Mumbo spoke quietly.

"Your name is Mumbo, right?" Natalie asked. Mumbo's heart fluttered with joy. She knew his name!

"Yeah!" He smiled.

"My name's Natalie." She extended her arm across the desks. Mumbo quickly wiped his sweaty hand on his pants and shook hers.

"I know! I mean, I-...uh, well, uh...nice to meet you!" Mumbo stuttered.

"Likewise! I've seen your work for the Robotics Club. You're amazing at Redstone!" Natalie replied.

Mumbo wasn't sure if his face could get any redder. "Not as amazing as you! How come you're not in Robotics anymore?" His smile was wide.

Natalie chuckled. "Debate Club and Theatre take up too much time, sadly. I might join again soon though! To be honest, Debate's not my thing. Plus, it would be cool to work with you!"

Mumbo nodded. He closed his mouth as she looked at him. He ran his tongue over the gap between his teeth and shrunk down in his chair. He never liked how his teeth looked.

"I've also heard that you're an artist." Natalie mentioned.

Mumbo stopped thinking about his crooked teeth. She knew so much about him...

"Kinda...I mainly draw plans and designs for the Robotics club and for Redstone contraptions I wanna build. I sometimes draw people, but..."

"Could I see? If you're comfortable with sharing it with me, that is! I don't wanna force you to do something you don't wanna do." Natalie seemed genuinely interested.

Mumbo looked down at his sketchbook. He quickly flipped through it past pages and pages of Natalie doodles. He felt like such a weirdo. He finally found one he drew of a robot. He hastily turned the sketchbook around to show her.

"I like robots." He said, instantly regretting how dumb he sounded.

"Oh wow! That's amazing! The detail is perfect!" Natalie gushed. Mumbo felt that dorky grin come back to his face.

"Thank you..." He smiled with pride.

"You captured me perfectly!"

Mumbo faltered. "I-" He flipped the sketchbook around to find that he had turned to the wrong page. The drawing he had just shown Natalie was indeed a robot, but it was a robotic design of her. Mumbo started to panic.

"I'm sorry! I-...I d-drew you, and I, uh, I do it sometimes and well, you're right there and I...I'll stop drawing you so much!" He apologized quickly. She looked confused for a moment.

"Drawing me...so much? You've drawn me more than once?"

Mumbo was pretty sure this couldn't get any worse, so he just handed her the sketchbook. "You can look through it." He beat down and pretended to be getting something out of his backpack under him. He heard her flipping through the pages. He finally sat up straight. She was smiling as she looked at his art. Her cheeks were tinged with pink.

When she got to the end of the book, she handed it back to him. "I'm really flattered, oh goodness. You're...you're such a sweet boy."

Mumbo had not been expecting that response. "I-...huh?"

"I have a question, if you don't mind. I know you look at me a lot from across the room. You doodle me a lot too...you got really flustered when I came to talk to you..."

Before she could ask her question, Mumbo flipped to a page in his notebook and ripped it out carefully. He folded it up and handed it to her as the bell rang.

"Here. Don't read this until this weekend. I know what you're going to ask, and I'm hoping this will answer it." He stood up and gathered his things. He avoided eye contact with her as he did so.

"Alright! I'll see you later then!" She took the note and watched as Mumbo hurried out of the classroom.

Natalie put the note in the pocket of her overalls. She would read it after school, since Friday counted as the weekend once school was out.

Mumbo felt like an idiot. Had he really just given her the note he wrote? He had considered giving it to her so many times before, but he always chickened out. It was hard for him to focus the rest of the day.

That weekend, Mumbo worried about what would happen come Monday. She'd laugh at him, wouldn't she? No...she wasn't like that. He was scared of being rejected again. He hadn't exactly had the most successful experiences with telling pretty girls how he felt.

It was Monday morning. Mumbo sat with his friends in the cafeteria. He tried to ignore his panic.

"Mumbo?"

He didn't look up from the laptop his friend was holding. One of his other pals lightly knocked him upside the head.

"Yo, Mumbo, she's talking to you." His friend said in a hushed whisper.

Mumbo slowly looked up. Natalie stood there, holding a folded piece of notebook paper.

"Could I talk to you outside for a moment? If you're not busy, that is."

Mumbo's heart raced. He nodded and stood up. He'd never stood close enough to Natalie to realize the drastic height difference. She was a pretty short girl, only around 5'2 or so. Mumbo was 6 feet tall, and he was still growing. He looked down at her as she smiled and started to head outside. He followed. The cold morning air was refreshing compared to the stuffy warmth of the cafeteria. She led him to a semi-private area next to the cafeteria.

"Mumbo...I read your letter." She began. "I thought it was very sweet and thoughtful."

Mumbo braced himself for rejection. "But?"

"Hm? No, no! There's no 'but'!" Natalie smiled. Mumbo blinked in confusion.

"W-wait, you...you liked my note?"

Natalie nodded with a smile. "You noticed things about me that I wasn't sure other people noticed, in a good way, of course. See, most guys would just be like 'oh you're so pretty' and all that. But you...you called me pretty, but you also called me kind and nice. You called me helpful and smart. That means a lot to me. I much rather want to be called kind than to just be called pretty. Your note meant a lot, Mumbo."

Mumbo stared at her, eyes wide. "I-...I'm really happy it did!"

"And it answered the question I was going to ask." She added.

He felt himself blush again. He stood awkwardly. Natalie hopped up onto the concrete planter box next to them. Her face was closer to his eye level now. He turned to her.

"I noticed there was a question at the end of the note that you scribbled out. Something about if I wanted to have lunch with you sometime. Well..." she leaned closer to him, a smile on her face. She quickly kissed him on the cheek, grinning as she pulled away. "I would love to. How does today sound?"

Mumbo put his hand where she kissed, his face redder than Redstone. He looked at her, his dorky grin once again returning.

"Today sounds perfect!" He smiled wide, not caring about his teeth for once.

"Great! I'll see you in French then!" Natalie turned to leave, but paused. "Actually, wait! I have something for you!" She handed him the folded paper. "I drew you."

She dashed back into the cafeteria before he could react. He stood by himself, holding the paper. He decided to unfold it and see.

On the paper was a pen drawing of Mumbo, holding a redstone block and smiling. He smiled so wide, his face hurt.

He had a date with Natalie.