A Crown of Broken Runes (ACOBR)

Chaos

Mumbo laughed aloud, joining his friend in jubilation.

Grian was soaring high above, so high he looked no bigger than a sparrow. Suddenly, Mumbo watched his wings fold in, and Grian plummeted towards the ground. His laughter was wild and free, echoing through the sunlit skies.

Ever since Grian had told Mumbo about his wings, the playful hermit had seemed lighter, having gotten a weight off of his chest.

Mumbo had been brighter too, and the server had moved into a sense of peace. Grian truly had a big influence over everyone on the server.

Mumbo remembered a time before Grian, in the fifth season. His smile faded for a moment. It had been a bad season, especially towards the end, with a few hermits becoming almost permanently offline. After that, hermits rarely saw each other at all, so Xisuma decided it was time to start anew.

And then came Grian.

They didn't know where he came from, he was just there, standing next to Xisuma when they all arrived in the new world. Only Xisuma knew where the new hermit had come from, because Grian himself didn't seem to remember anything. Maybe he had just appeared, someone who had come into the world along with the coming of the sixth season. Who knows.

Once, Mumbo had tried to get an answer out of Xisuma, but the devious admin had dodged the question.

From the very first moment, Grian filled the server with life. His wacky shenanigans and crazy pranks brought the hermits together like never before. Sure, the past worlds were fun, but Grian...

He made the server exciting.

A gust of strong wind almost knocked the Redstoner over as Grian alighted on the ground, chuckling breathlessly.

Mumbo approached his friend as he landed, fixing his dishevelled hair as he did.

"Those are some magnificent wings you've got there. Looks more fun than an elytra, anyway."

Grian turned to him with wide, twinkling eyes, "Much more!"

"Wait..." Mumbo stepped closer to the birdman, reaching out for his wing. Grian winced back, and he quickly withdrew his hand.

"Sorry, did I-"

"No, no! Go ahead. I'm just... not used to having them out in the open like this..." Grian assured him.

Mumbo reached out a second time and gently spread the feathers, inspecting them. They were breathtaking.

"Do you reckon..."

Grian looked at him, returning the moustached man's mischievous look.

Mumbo released the wing, "Do you reckon you could lift me?"

~ ⬩ ᔑ╎∷ ⬩ ~

It was a bad idea.

Mumbo sat, dazed, his once-pristine suit now smudged with dirt. Both he and Grian were now gnawing sadly on golden carrots, lounging on the dusty ground.

So now we know: never try that again...

In hindsight, it was a bad idea to jump off the cliff. They should have tried to take off from the ground first.

Oh well...

Mumbo sighed. He and Grian had spent all day messing about, testing the capabilities of his wings.

Grian also seemed to have no idea about where the wings came from or who the stranger on the server was, but there was something he was still hiding. Mumbo wasn't going to push, however.