Fight or Flight (V1)

Chapter 18: Rebuild

Grian lied in bed, staring at the ceiling. He didn't know how to go about the day, considering what had happened yesterday. But nevertheless, he eventually dragged himself upright and began his morning routine.

It of course, started with him straightening his wings, which had been healing nicely. He technically wasn't supposed to fly for another two days, but in his panic yesterday, he'd flown to Scar's and back. It of course, hurt a ton now. Guess his flight deadline was pushed farther back. Another two days, most likely.

Grian sighed audibly and began to painfully straighten the feathers that had been ruffled in his sleep. As usual, he also brushed some feathers off his bed that had broken off in his sleep. It was a strange addition to his morning routine, but necessary as he'd discovered.

He stood up and stretched after he finished, noticing how messy his base was. Even after he'd created the shulker monster upstairs, he'd managed to make a mess. One that he probably should clean up. It's not like he had any projects going on, so he mentally put that on the agenda, along with...

Grian held back a lump in his throat. He needed to rebuild his Atrium. It probably wouldn't be the same, but either way he needed to get rid of what remained. Everything needed to be cleared out. Nothing was salvageable. Might as well start now. He took the bubble elevator to the top and shivered as he stepped out into the long-gone nature room.

He pulled out his shovel and got to work.

______________________________________

"Hey Grian." Iskall said, landing behind the Faerie.

Grian jumped a little. "Oh, it's you. Good morning."

Iskall held up a shulker box full of fresh grass and bone meal. "I thought I'd help. Mumbo'll be joining us later."

"You don't have to-"

"I know. But I want to." Iskall said, setting down the shulker box.

Grian sighed. "Alright. I guess we should finish clearing this space out?"

"I'll also put down some torches to clear out the chill in here." Iskall nodded. "I'll start with the trees. At least we can recycle them for furnace fuel."

Grian silently went back to his work. He was incredibly anxious, but something about the way Iskall spoke, or the way Iskall let him have his space... Well, it helped to say the least.

________________________________

Mumbo dropped down into the Atrium a couple hours later. By then, Iskall and Grian had cleared out the top layer and had just about finished laying the new grass and sea lanterns down.

"Hey guys, I brought some fish." Mumbo said, setting down the buckets he was carrying. "I've got a salmon and two cod."

Grian perked up a little. "Really? That's great! I'll get started on the pond."

As Grian got busy, Iskall handed Mumbo a stack of wood and whispered, "Grian's cheered up a little since this morning, but he still seems a bit anxious."

Mumbo took the wood. "Considering what happened yesterday, I can understand why. Hopefully he feels better soon."

____________________________________

Grian chalked it up to an accident. Yesterday's incident was just an accident, wasn't it? Iskall was right, he only just discovered his magic, there was bound to be some hiccups along the way.

But just to be safe, Grian decided to practice his magic in a secluded area, somewhere only he knew about.

So he moved the book to his hidden lab in Hermitville. No one else really knew how to get in there, and it was far enough underground that if something did go wrong, he wouldn't destroy anything important.

On another note, the Architects had rebuilt his Atrium in a matter of hours. The only thing missing was some new parrots, which Grian had purposely avoided. It was too soon. And as for his mental promise to "clean his room"...

He, of course, forgot. He knew he'd never get around to it, but he'd moved the stray shulker boxes out of the middle of the floor at least. 

As Grian climbed into bed, he wondered if he should continue to pursue answers. But he knew that he'd never stop wondering why he'd woken up one morning with wings, so without another thought, he lied his head down and fell asleep.