Hidden Powers

Second Chance

The stone TFC was holding was cracked, a tiny sliver neatly down the middle. That wasn't the only problem, however. TFC didn't have wings, the Master Coder was nowhere to be found, and they still needed to find the Light Stone.

"We've come so far only to set back again," Xisuma studied the stone, wondering if he could fix it. "And while Grian's powers are great for attacking, we really need to work on your control."

Grian rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly while Mumbo looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"You're lucky you can do useful stuff. All I can do is spawn pigs, thanks to someone." At that last remark, Mumbo gently elbowed Iskall in the ribs.

"At the time it was humorous..." Iskall muttered. Grian sensed that the two would be bickering for a while so he interjected.

"Speaking of pigs, where did Rueben go?"

Xisuma looked up from his stone and handed it back TFC. "I think he is in Mumbo's base. And I can fix the stone, but I need help."

"What kind of help?" TFC rumbled.

"End magic help."

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Scar guided Simon into his house for a few minutes. He knew time was running out, he had just gotten a notification that the poison had reached the edge of the world and was getting steadily closer.

"Simon, we don't have much time. You need to find Xisuma?"

"Yes." Simon shuffled around. "If you tell me I can teleport there."

Scar paused over a book before opening it. "I need to use my Vex powers to find them, last I heard they were going to the Aether, but I don't know if they are still there."

"Perhaps they are in the End?"

"Hadn't thought of that," Scar mused. "But it is better to double check."

"No time." Simon grabbed Scar by the arm and pulled him out. Gusts of wind pummeled them as a cloud of darkness blotted out the horizon. Scar could only stare with horror at the poison that drew nearer and nearer. It was only when the blackness swallowed the futuristic district that he snapped out of it.

Beside him, Simon struggled to open the portal. The wind with hints of the poison whipped all attempts away.

"Let me help." Scar took all of his concentration to make a shield around them so Simon could create the vortex between dimensions.

Simon created the portal, slowly but surely. When he heard the warning from Scar, he put a final blast of energy into it. Fully opened, Simon made the mistake of looking back. The poison was on top of them, eating maliciously at Scar's shield. The purple light sent bursts everywhere as it became unstable.

Both of them would have been greedily eaten if Simon hadn't pulled them both through the portal at the last second.

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"What in the world?!?" Mumbo jumped in the air as a portal was formed and two bodies fell through it with a thud. Behind him Tango yelped in surprised, saying something in Netherine that made Zedaph shush him. Iskall's eyes widened, he could understand Netherine, but chose to say nothing.

Xisuma somehow managed to stay calm the whole time, but Xisuma was always calm. If Xisuma wasn't calm , you should be worried, because that's when things are really bad.

Grian was over at Scar's side in an instant, with Xisuma to help the unknown man.

"Guys," Scar said weakly, rubbing dust out of his eyes. "This is Simon, holder of the Command Stone.

Wispers of, "Simon?" and "Is it the Master Coder?" permeated the small group. TFC walked up and shook Simon's hand. "Only one more to go."

Simon frowned but asked the more pressing question. "Where is Wels?"

When everyone looked down at the ground, Simon felt empty inside. Grian was near to him, so he put a hand on his shoulder. "Can't you reverse it?"

Simon felt a spark of happiness inside of him as he realized what he needed to do. "I was delivered a message with the stone. It was a riddle, and I didn't know what it meant at the time, but I think I know it now." Everyone was listening with peaked curiosity at this point. "It went like this:

"The sixth was safe,

For it held the key to life in its place.

Another one destined for it indeed,

When the holder of it will recede."

Everyone looked confused, and rightly so. It wasn't even a full riddle, and they weren't exactly amazing riddle crackers. Simon clarified what he had just learned.

"In order to bring Wels back, I need to recede. I need to give it up, to let someone else be the keeper of the sixth stone. Wels is that person, I just have been blind to it."

Bits of Endstone crunched beneath his feet as Simon shifted. Grian raised his eyebrows with question. "Either you're going to have to slip through time and create a double, which I do not recommend," Grian paused and glanced at Xequla, still not sure what to do with him. "Or you have to die to give up the stone."

Simon paused to let that reality sink in. His brother Luke would be able to help the Coders just fine. He just felt bad to leave him like that. "I know the costs. But before I go, what do you mean one more stone? I thought this was the last stone?"

Grian slowly nodded before a light flashed in his eyes. "I know how to find the seventh stone!"