Hidden Powers

The Black Mist

Grian clutched his hand trying to block out the darkness coming from it. Black mist pushed itself around Grian's fingers and fell slowly to the floor, turning itself into pretty but horrible patterns. The mist would have been magnificent, but it felt horrible and it brought coldness into the room.

Goosebumps appeared on his pale skinny arms as the suns dying light illuminated his small frame. A piece of his honey blond hair fell into his face, but Grian didn't dare to touch it. Not as long as that horrible mist was seeping through his fingers.

The mist would plague him often, and now was the worst time to have it. Grian himself had called an architech meeting, so Mumbo and Iskall were coming over. They were expected ant minute now and Grian couldn't stop the mist. It was if it had a mind of its own, seeking to ruin Grian. Or maybe it wasn't trying to ruin him. The most it did was feel cold and look evil.

The sound of a rocket firing brought Grian's attention to the entrance of his base. No! Not now! Mist still falling, Grian shoved his hands behind his back in a desperate attempt to hide. Mumbo glided down slowly, followed by Iskall in his green suit.

"H-hey!" Grian stuttered out desperately trying to hide his hands. Thankfully the other two didn't seem too observant. Mumbo glanced upwards before pulling out a notebook.

"Have you considered turning the heat on?" Iskall rubbed his arms, trying to bring warmth to them.

"Heat?" Mumbo glanced at Iskall, scribbling something down on the book. "I thought you lived in an iceberg."

Iskall glared back as he continued to rub his freezing limbs, Mumbo seemingly unaffected. "My iceberg has heating!"

Grian's face flushed a little. His heat was functioning just fine, even currently running to warm up the cold the mist induced. "My heat just kicked on."

Iskall looked at Grian with worry. "You don't look so good, you're pale." Iskall was right. Grian's normaly tan skin had turned as white as a ghost. Iskall's gaze traveled down the length of Grian's body, frowning when he saw the hands tucked behind the back.

"Grian, you've got something coming from behind you!" Iskall yelped as the mist pooled around him. Mumbo pulled Grian's hands from behind his back, making Grian cringe.

"Oh my......" Mumbo trailed off and dropped the shaking hand. He pulled at his black mustache and grabbed his phone. Grian started to run away when he was stopped by Iskall.

"Don't run." Iskall sounded afraid. Grian tried to struggle away from Iskall, but the strong man kept his skinny frame from slipping away. As Mumbo put the phone to his ear to call someone, Grian almost screamed. What were they going to do to him?

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Iskall hated that he had to keep Grian from running away. He couldn't tell Grian what they were going to do because the poor man was in a state of panic.

"Grian it will be okay. We are here to help you." Iskall tried to soothe Grian before he had a stroke.

Fear filled green eyes turned to face him. "How do you know that? This is a curse!"

Iskall only shook his head, waiting until Grian calmed down before he released him. Mumbo took the phone away from his ear.

"Scar has something to show you." Mumbo lent Grian his hand so he could get up. All three of them waited patiently for the explorer to show up.

Soon enough, Scar half flew, half fell, through the entrance. His landing was anything but graceful, but he got up and dusted off his outfit. The cowboy hat he was currently wearing lay crooked on his tanned face.

Mumbo cracked a smile at his good friend. "You always look like Indiana Jones, but you fail to act like him."

Scar's face lit up with a genuine smile. "You never know. Maybe one day I'll be as agile as a tiger. Until then, I'll just have to keep respawning." His eyes roved around, resting on Grian's shaking frame. "What's up G? I heard I have to show you something.

Iskall nudged Grian forward with his elbow. Tripping slightly, Grian recovered and showed Scar the mist. Scar furrowed his brows in reply and tapped his mouth. After a second he glanced back up at Grian.

"You think it's a curse, don't you?"

Grian nodded not daring to say a word. Scar had sympathy written on his face as he lifted his hand up. A second passed before a tiny spark of purple shot out of Scar's palm. It formed itself into different shapes, even a sword before moving on.

"I have Vex Powers," Scar closed his fingers making the purple go away. "You have Guardian powers."

"Guardian powers?" Grian looked at the mist, hoping that he wasn't referring to the giant fish.

Scar nodded while Mumbo and Iskall gaped at the mist.

"Not the fish," Scar clarified. "Guardian of the coded stones. It's a rare power indeed, not to be taken lightly."

Iskall looked at Scar, then back to Grian. "A guardian of the coded stones..." Awe was in his voice as he retreated into his mind. Grian had a more pressing matter to dive into.

"Why does it feel so dark and cold then?"

Scar opened Grian's palm again and pulsed light into it. "It's a void stone, so it needs to be kept safe. Don't worry, you'll learn to control the powers."

Grian gasped as a translucent purple stone materialized in his hand. Mumbo grabbed some glasses out of his pocket to study the crystal. Wait, when did Mumbo need glasses? Pulling the glasses up to the top of his head, Mumbo leaned back after a moment of study. "That matches the one Xisuma owns."

Speaking of the admin, Xisuma teleported to where the group was gathered. He crumpled to his knees, all energy lost. He looked up at the stone in Grian's hand, fear in his eyes, before he went unconscious.