So..... uh, hi. It's been awhile, hasn't it? (Ah gosh I'm all shy--)

Um... So like two months ago, I had a lot going on. Exams were hot on my heels, and afterwards I got a lot more hours at work than I had anticipated. I was sick for about a month, and while it wasn't the worst I've had, it did leave me very lethargic. And to top this all off with a cherry on top, personal issues happened, and pretty much if I thought about writing, my mind would wander straight to my problems. Naturally I just... began to hate writing because of that, not to mention I didn't really have time. And in the moments of sickness that I had to just breathe and just... exist, I felt bad for not writing, but also it felt like such a chore. I just wanted to rest... 

And my friends took me aside and just told me to let it go. Just... don't write, take a hiatus because you're going to end up hating your series and it's just going to go down the toilet. And, I felt bad about it, but I did. And, here I am again. So yeah... uh, hi. 

I can't say I'll be updating as often as I used to, I'm not even sure if I would consider my hiatus "over" but... I think I just need to ease back in. I've been finding myself thinking about TLO a lot lately, so I'm taking this as a sign that I'm ready, or almost ready to resume again. I actually finished writing this chapter before I took my hiatus, but I needed to edit it again. (Also, what did I write again? I guess I'll find out as I edit it.) 

I want to thank a reader that goes by "Your Friendly Neighborhood Binger" on AO3. They've been leaving a lot of comments lately, and I think they were really pushed me to start lore-weaving again. 

For pride I was going to analyze different genders of the various gender nonconforming characters (pretty much all of the leaders--) but I think I've rambled enough. Maybe next time? Tell me if you want that. Or if that'd be boring.

Oh and uh -- with this chapter, TLO is officially over 300k words! So uhh-- yay. 

✧✰✧

"Y-yes Cub!" Mumbo exclaimed, giving a rather awkward bow. He then immediately began muttering to himself and Grian, his eyes fixed on Cub, was helpless to break the spiral. "We're all going to die! We're going to die! And-- and why did I just bow? I never bow! Gosh, have I been watching too much ani--"

"Relax, Mumbo." Cub only sighed, snapping his fingers again. The evil aura that had been radiating out of him simmered down into that of a gentle presence rather than a surrounding void. Even so, his Vexian features did not retreat. If anything, in fact, his skin only got bluer as horns began to protrude from his head and small wings from his back. "I'm not going to kill you... directly." He smirked, showing off his right upper fang.

But despite this laced threat, Iskall stepped in front of his two friends. With one on the edge of muttering up a storm again and the other frozen in place, it seemed as though it were up to him. He held up his left hand horizontally and held his right vertically underneath of his left to make a T. "Hold on, hold on... timeout. We need to talk to you, for real, outside of this game. As well as anyone else from the dead team that happens to be here." Grian nodded behind him, shyly making his own T. It was something akin to a safeword he had invented since the rather embarrassing Civil War incident last year. He bumped Mumbo to get him out of his head and join the two of them.

But despite this, Cub only grew more prominent Vexian features. His skin was completely devoid of grey, turning blue instead. His eyes lit up enough to light the area around him, almost like a different kind of aura, as his claws, wings, horns and fangs grew to full size. "Right..." He nodded in a shrill voice as he turned to walk away. "Follow us."

"Us?" Mumbo couldn't help but ask as he hurried to follow his friends through the door Cub walked through. Grian was a little more hesitant, taking a few moments to study the doorframe and the surrounding area before going in as well, closing the door behind him.

"Yes, us." the Convex confirmed, elaborating no more. "This is our study. There are no traps. Now, please, make yourselves comfortable." He extended his arm, gesturing to the study.

The room was simple enough; an unsuspecting room with a couch, a bed, a tea table and two matching chairs. One was set at the table, while the other had been pushed aside at an awkward angle as though it had been merely in the way. With a single glance at it, Grian was almost sure that Scar must have been there earlier. A mid afternoon cake break in a setting like that had been extremely common for them since they were children, after all. He watched as Iskall and Mumbo both took a seat on the couch before he tentatively took the discarded chair, readjusting it so that he had a good sight of all of his friends. Cub grabbed the other chair, adjusting it as well. Seeing as Cub was now the closest to Grian, the avian felt his anxiety raise though he tried his best not to show it. This was his friend. That's what he kept telling himself.

Right... One of them should actually speak. Mumbo didn't seem to be doing it, nor Iskall. Had too much time passed? Grian gulped, about to speak, but to his surprise, Cub, or rather the Convex, was the first to speak instead. "There's something you should know." It explained. It was looking at everyone, but it seemed to be mostly looking at Grian. "You get overly worried about things instead of thinking about more important things like diamonds or cake, yes?" It asked rather directly. Did that mean it was the Vexes that were talking? It had to be, at least partially, but something told Grian it was Cub as well. The Vexes hadn't fully taken him over, even though it sure looked like it.

Distracted by that thought, he had almost forgotten that he had been asked a question. He suddenly jumped in his chair as his name was called before he nodded. "That's right... and we were worried about the dead team. We were worried that you might have changed." Looking at Cub in such a form, it was undeniable that he had in fact changed in some regard. It was in a way he had not suspected at all, an old form that he had watched for years. He wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse than whatever he had pictured in his mind.

"He just wanted confirmation that this is just a game, nothing more, nothing less." Iskall replied, though he almost sounded unsure of himself now, even as the Vexified man passed out pieces of cake to everyone. The way his giant dragon head seemed to stare at the other was telling; Grian could almost hear his thoughts asking why Cub looked like that.

"Just a game, huh." It hummed, a soft sound of amusement passing its lips. For an ever playful Vex, however, Grian focused rather on the more serious part of its voice as he watched it bite into its first piece. Juice from the strawberry, the color of blood, dripped from its lip but it quickly licked it away.

"So it is just a game." Mumbo sighed in relief as he let himself melt into the couch and eat a piece of his own cake. "See G, there's nothing to worry about."

But the Vex only shook his head, its mouth full, as it pointed its fork at the human spoon. "Now, we didn't say that." It explained. "Cub and Scar most definitely went through changes. We are here to protect them. We won't let them down again." It's eyes shimmered even more as dozens of Vexes came out of the crevices and dark corners of the room, some even phasing through the walls and floor.

Iskall sprung to his feet, taking ahold of his sword and maintaining a defensive stance. "It is a trap!!" he exclaimed as Mumbo scrambled to his feet as well to take on a similar footing. Grian, however, stayed sitting. The memory of the Vex that had played the Dragon head prank had come to his mind in that moment. If the Vexes had meant harm, at least to him, it seemed as though they would have chosen to do it at that moment. All of his years of watching had taught him that Vexes, often thought of as hostile, were driven by three things: play, greed and the desire for a vessel (power). Sneaky, cruel, lying, but once you learned what they wanted, they were rather predictable. And for once, he had the most reasonable and calm reaction: none. These new Vexes wandered the room, their weapons at their sides with no drive for attack. They were there for Cub, that was all.

"We assure you, it's not." The Convex assured, merely waving its hand as one Vex landed on its shoulder. The way that it nuzzled the Vexian man's neck was enough to leave Iskall and Mumbo visibly puzzled, putting away their swords with much reluctance. The creature known as "Cub" cupped its hands, allowing for another Vex to land, this time in its grasp. "See? We mean no harm. We are here to protect the Friends of Vexes. We aren't even having fun or getting paid."

Mumbo glanced over at Grian to see how he was taking all of this. The angel quickly darted his eyes away, wondering if it was seemed odd to the others that he was being calm about this, especially being so anxious about everything else in this situation. It wasn't that he was fully calm of course, but at least with the Vexes, he knew what he was dealing with.

"There's that 'we' again." Mumbo noted. "And-- mate, why do you look so..."

The Convex raised an eyebrow, giggling exactly in the tone of the Vex. "We are using Cub as a vessel to contain him." It explained, its tone calm, perhaps with a slight of mischief. (Then again, that's how they always sounded.)

Iskall took a step closer to the Vex, hand on the hilt of his sword though he didn't take it out yet. "What do you mean contain him?" He asked in a low growl.

"And-- and this vessel thing." Mumbo added, glancing back and forth from Iskall to Cub to Grian, trying to gauge how serious this was.

"Friends of Vexes offer themselves as vessels to the Vexes. The Vex will grant them magic in exchange for taking over their bodies every now and then." Grian explained for the Convex. Toeing the line of what all he could say, he tried to rid his tone of emotion even as he nearly trembled in his seat to try and prevent his friends from guessing more. "Of course, not all people are compatible with Vexes... but Cub is a Friend of the Vex, so... the Vexes' may have already known they were compatible." He didn't explain why they were so protective of him, hoping that they would assume that was because the Vexes cared for him. That would be both true and false, an alternative reason lining underneath. He also did not explain why it was he was knowledgeable about this subject in the first place.

His words made his two friends glance at each other, exchanging mixed looks as the Convex simply confirmed it with a nod. It was Iskall who spoke next. "And what is this about containing him?" He asked, suspicion lacing his tone.

"Do we trust him?" The Convex asked itself, lifting up its head a bit as it spoke. It paused before looking back at everyone. "Cub isn't himself right now. We are restraining him so he does succumb to what the others have."

Grian gulped at that. Yes— this was more than a game. That was what the Vexes were saying to them. "The Grey Skins really are hostile." He stated more than asked, feeling his stomach sink as he himself grew pale.

"He changed." The Convex chittered. "They changed. We must intervene to prevent temptation."

"Wait, so..." Iskall slowly lifted his head, looking over at Grian. Underneath his mask, he couldn't help but frown. Grian really was not being overly anxious this time. "They really are blood thirsty..."

"Yes. You look almost as tasty to them as a diamond." The Convex confirmed, beginning to teethe the air at the very thought. "But us Vexes do not want to kill. Us Vexes want to keep Cub and Scar safe. We will trap him in his subconscious for now."

"They're cannibals?!" Mumbo nearly fell right out of his chair. "They're going to eat us all?!"

But Iskall shook his head. "No... not literally. None of the Grey Skins were eaten by the others."

The man only chuckled at himself, both for his foolishness and the strange position he had fallen in.

Usually, Grian would have laughed at his bestie, the fool, but not this time. The situation was too grave; this was no laughing matter. "So... how do we turn them back to normal?" He asked with hesitance. Could he trust the Vex to tell the truth? Could he trust that they knew what to do at all?

Thankfully, or unthankfully, he didn't need to decide that. The Convex simply shrugged its shoulders. "We don't know, we don't know at all. This is all we know to do." It explained. "The universe—" then it forcefully closed its mouth, careful not to pierce its tongue with its sharp fangs, as though it had decided to not say what he was thinking after all.

"What about the universe?" Iskall pressed, crossing his arms as Mumbo found his seat again. But the Convex shook its head.

"A mistake." One Vex assured, more to itself than anyone else.

"We shouldn't have said anything." Another agreed.

"Divert, divert!"

Grian couldn't help but look at the little creatures chittering to themselves as their random movements became more nervous, more frantic. They were hiding something, no doubt. Though, glancing at his two architects, he had to pause to consider the possibility that he knew a suspicious amount. Did he suspect them because he understood them? Because he was more familiar with them? Did his friends suspect they were hiding something? If neither of them did, he would have trouble explaining why without explaining that he knew the ancient Language of the Higher Species, without explaining why he did. And thus, with his over-analysis, he was nervous to say anything about his suspicion directly. "Please, if you know anything... maybe then we can help Cub and Scar return to normal. They and the others are our friends." He reasoned.

"And Scar?" Mumbo echoed, a question in his tone.

"He— is a friend of the Vex just like Cub, remember?" The avian reminded, a sheepish smile appearing on his face as he felt his anxiety grow from that one little question.

"Oh yeah, the Vexes would see him the same as Cub, then." Iskall only shrugged, causing Grian to let go of the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. After which, all three of them looked to the Convex, who suddenly seemed to be more fascinated with the floor. "How about it, then?"

"What then?" It asked itself and the other Vexes.

"We must protect the Convex."

"All hail the Convex! The perfect vessels!"

"They give us all the diamonds we desire!"

"Scar!"

"Cub!"

The room was quickly growing loud with useless comments from the Vexes. Even though there were only a few dozen, that was nothing compared to what these two used to have. How they didn't go insane listening to them every day, all day, was beyond Grian.

"Would they really know anything though?" A final Vex asked, quieting them all. The silence was telling that they had reached a conclusion.

The Convex's skin began to grow a little paler, the Vex's grip lessening for a few moments. "You can't tell them." He explained to himself as he glanced at Grian. "That's an order." And in the moments following, the Vexes took over again, its shoulders lowering in submission to its host.

This, of course, was more worrying than before.

"T-tell us...?" Grian tried again with a lump in his throat and little hope that he'd get a response. Indeed, he didn't, the creature suddenly staring down at the floor as the Vexes swirled around it. There was just enough that it was hard to watch them all, and so when another one emerged, the others hardly noticed it. It stealthily slipped into the vessel.

In the moments following, the Convex looked back up. "You shouldn't be here. You need to leave." It warned.

"But we just—" Iskall began.

"We cannot guarantee your life. We will prevent Cub from regret. You must leave." It growled, slowly standing up as its blue form began to shift closer to an angry red.

"It's settled then." Grian grimaced, quickly getting up, knowing the angry color all too well. They had overstayed their welcome, and he didn't want to take any more risks than he had already. "Let's go."

"Already? But what about-?" Mumbo began to ask, but the anxious avian quickly shook his head, taking a step towards the door.

"We could regroup." Iskall supposed as he stood up as well, his gaze not breaking away from 'Cub'. "Don't want to get found by one of the other of the Deads if what he's saying is right." He gulped after, not realizing the anxiety that had been slowly building within him yet again. He took ahold of his best friend, slowly steering him towards to the door.

"Ahh... too late..." the Convex hummed with a playful smirk. Before they could dwell on that, the door opened itself.

✧✰✧

Where the darkness loomed on endlessly sat a single figure. Her dark hair spilled onto the floor, almost melting into the black surrounding it. Void may have been sitting there for a few moments, or for an eternity. To it, there was little difference. 

She didn't hear them, and yet, she knew they were there standing behind her. Having lived outside of time since her existence, the Void had come to expect just this. They needn't even say a single word for it to understand. It propped one of its misty black knees up so it could hug it. "You want me to join you, Fledgling; Glimmer; Sweetheart." It hummed. Void waited for a response, but it never came, causing her to sigh. "I suppose you aren't exactly a fledgling anymore though, are you? You've grown since we first met. And... you aren't exactly him, either. You're something... other." The galaxies within her eyes swirled mysteriously as it pondered on this. 

She groaned as she slowly rose to her feet, turning to face the creature. She shook her head, noting to itself that these mere observations were useless. They knew, void knew; there was no use voicing such things. "I will not ask you how you managed to enter my realm, my vessel. Instead, I will be frank with you: my answer is no." She paused, studying the creature, whose feathers ruffled slightly, but there still was no yielded response. All the same, she understood what they meant. "Not yet, anyway... There is one last thing that I must do. It's true; I've been used and abused since nearly the beginning of my time, but I think it's about time I cash in that favor from Brother first." 

Forming a cloak into existence, the Void pulled it over her shoulders and tied it tight. With one last glance back at the realm that was an extension of herself -- was herself-- she disappeared into the darkness and vanished from the all-seeing sight of the mangled mess of what could only be described as a monster.