Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Beginning....

It all begins with a wish.

A foolish wish at that- Every wish has it’s consequences.

“I wish... the Lich... never... even ever existed!”

From that wish, a timeline is born-

And alternate universe, with the changes put in place.
A bomb never struck and a boy untainted by magic...

However, that would change quickly.

A foolish wish it was- For the Lich’s birth precedes all wishes of any scale. He is a catalyst; he is the end, and he will be there when the end begins. There is no preventing death.

It is inevitable. Hence, a very VERY impossibly foolish wish to make.

But it is made.

A child is taken over, a cursed crown from long ago perched atop his head- Filling the boy’s mind with whispers of ice and frost. He is called the Snowman.

There is a change- And the very thing that had been prevented has come into play.

There is an explosion.

The Lich is borne of devastation once more. A boy reunites with his dog, but it's not his dog any longer.

He pulls the strings of the young, tampered mind of the Snowman- Who is easily manipulated.

The Lich whispers dark intentioned, sweet promises in his frozen ears. He searches for the Enchiridion to complete his purpose.

To end everything in the name of his master. The last scholar of Golb, he will prevail.

Victory is close, like a beast hovering over its trembling, defenseless prey- But once it opens it maw- Something intrudes.

A pair. A boy and his dog. Finn and Jake.
A man needs a maid.

Somehow, they succeed- Yet fail all the same. For the lich remains- Perhaps only a hand left of its once large and burlesque body. Severed from himself- But spread through every single universe. Every single possible timeline- Rest assured he is there.

This includes the universe of the Finn and Jake, who defeated him once before.

He fails in the wish made universe, but the deed is done. His influence lives on still, now in every reality- Regardless of what occurs now from here on out.

Time goes forth. He gathers power. It's mostly the same in every universe. He whispers dark words in the ear of his alternate self- A baby, a child, perfect to sculpt into a new predecessor to his name.

Perhaps in another universe, he does not succeed. Perhaps in many ways he does not succeed.

In that universe, the lich’s remains would be culled by a blade wielded by said babified version of himself- JUST in time, and furthermore ending the secondary lich from that timeline entirely. The Lich means nothing now.

It’s never spoken of again. Perhaps as a result, a little green grass boy- Made up of a hero's memory and a demon sharp as a dry blade of grass- He would feel very miffed and nasty over his inability to prevent even the large baby from getting past him, despite that being his only job.

In that universe, Finn would still be alive, happily laughing away until the next misadventure. In that universe, Golb will touch the earth and become intertwined with the mind of a human- Dedicated to protecting her one true love.

Perhaps almost everyone gets a happy ending. This happens most frequently in most timelines after all...

However, this is not that story.

No. This is not that story at all.

This is a story of lies and deceit, psychologically unbinding and horrific in a great many ways. The innocent will become victims to toxicity and cruelty. The good will remain blind, and the blame will be shifted, despite all clear signs of innocence. Heartbreak and hopelessness fester in every crevice of every word. This is a story of despair and great loss. All that, in between shining, frail beams of light- Hope, however futile it may be. Life is fleeting and cruel, that is a lesson to be learned here.

Perhaps it will make your stomach twist and your heart throb. Perhaps your head will start to fuzz, especially when it becomes truly apparent that all hope is lost. Or at least when it seems to be.

Perhaps... Perhaps... Perhaps.
Changes.

The multiverse is endless, and therefore so is the Lich and he IS the end. So what? If in every reality, he is doomed to fail at the hands of what's good and pure- How is it, that he can be defeated in every single one? It's not reasonable.

But in an infinity of timelines, that can be changed with only a single breath.

Anything is possible.

Perhaps in this story, the odds are in his favor. Perhaps all is truly lost- But if there's one thing to be assured of, the universe loves an underdog story...

The fact of the matter is this.

Full honesty.

As much as it pains me to say, by the time the first chapter is done and over with-

Finn the human, the purest of hearts, trustworthy hero of his time- Will be no more. Replaced by a demon, a wolf in sheep's clothing- Wearing his flesh and reputation as the perfect disguise.

Finn the human will die, before the breaking dawn of the next morn.

And in turn, the fate of not just Ooo, but the multiverse itself will be at stake. Terrifying odds, with nobody to combat it. Hope would likely be all lost. In this story- Rest assured, Finn will be the first, but certainly not the last to lose a life in this horrific disaster of a timeline. There's no reason to lie about it.

It's true.

Without a hero, this timelines world- Is totally doomed...

Or at least it would be- If not for one more person that HADN’T been taken into consideration. A shred of a should- The last remaining piece of a catalyst comet- Sent if only for the purpose of spreading change.

But perhaps that's getting ahead of ourselves.

The fact of the matter is that in every universe, no matter what form it takes- There will always be a hero there to combat the creatures of death and destruction. But with the scales tipped in a beast of pure evil’s favor...

It's hard to tell the outcome, but I'm afraid the future seems bleak.

Yes. It seems so. But in darkness, the smallest flickering's of light shine brightest, and opportunities are presented to those that wouldn't have had the chance initially.
Unlikely hero's will be forced to rise, and the fate of the world is nothing but a roll of the dice.

The world will continue to turn. And while Finn the human may be dead and gone not long from now- His memory lives on in another, however tortured a soul it is. Will it be enough to end the bloodshed? Or will it not? Perhaps this will be the timeline in which the Lich finally gets his way...

Or maybe, just maybe, there is hope for us yet.

Who truly knows? That’s up to them to decide...

It takes time for a flower to sprout- But under the right conditions, even in adversity- It can bloom in spectacular ways.

Chapter Text

Chapter 1... Whispers

Darkness.

It's all he could manage to see as he felt his limbs fail him. Straining at whatever seemed to be binding him to his place in the void, he struggled valiantly in his bizarre shackles, but to no avail.

He knows it's a dream, but the pain in his grass woven ligaments felt so real, it was getting harder and harder to discern from reality.

Suddenly- Everything was on fire. He tries to scream as the bright neon green flames lick at his flesh- Flesh? He doesn't have flesh anymore- Something still holds him motionless, and a heavy weight sags on his upper torso. It curls around his chest like a slimy parasite. He bristles at the thought, but he knows it's not truly him who bristles. He couldn't scream, not now. The flames lit up the world, but their stale lighting brought him no joy. For now, the soulless light was giving him a front row seat view of the thousands of corpses littering the ground below where he hung in the darkened sky. Corpses of people he both loved and didn't know- Each one motionless and rotting, with green spires of thorns piercing through their bodies.

He couldn't breathe- Why couldn't he breathe again? That was normal now right-? He struggled with much more fever now in his odd sort of torture keeping him bound- Now he could recognize as long grass chains- Holding him hostage and helpless but to watch as the melting corpses melded into one being- A being so dark he could barely move. He couldn't even if he wanted to.

Piercing green eyes bore into him, and he could feel himself nearly shattering.

‘We need to go. Go. Leave them. We need to leave now-’

The voice on his chest hissed to him- The weight was beginning to weigh him down and made the strain on his bound arms even worse than before. But he was left unresponsive by those horrid, horrid eyes.

‘Can't you see? Danger. Can't have that- We need to leave. Don't want to be around when he comes- Don't want to-’

His head grew fuzzy with thoughts- Those horrid thoughts- Thoughts of a coward.

F̵̫̱̓ḯ̶̱̅̚ň̷͍̮̹̩ṉ̴̛͓̹̩̾̅̀ wouldn't run. He would face the issue head on. But what could he do? All he does is donk things up. That much was obvious from the sort of day he’s had today-

“HOO!!! HOO!!!”

His festering thoughts are brought to a halt and suddenly everything shifts- And all he could see was a golden translucent owl creature-

‘Cosmic owl!’ his mind supplied-

But something was wrong. The celestial creature seemed to be tangled up in the same sort of grass blades that held him bound in the air. The owl continued to hoot and squawk and struggle- Before their eyes met and everything

 Felt.

So.

Real.

“Fern-” It hooted.

“Fern. Fern.”

“FerR-”

“-ERN!”

Fern awakes with a large gasp- Despite not needing air intake- And instinctively brought out his trusty grass sword to slice at anything in his general vicinity- Fight instincts kicking in due to the leftover rush of adreonlin fear from whatever twisted dream he woke up from tonight. His blade whistles in the air as Finn dodges the onslaught of attacks-

Right. Finn. Not a monster.

Fern drops his arm abruptly, grass sword sheathing back into his arm, and he tried to act nonchalantly.

“Hey. What's up?”

Clearly, Finn had other thoughts on his mind, seeing how the human disregarded his initial violent behavior and seemed to stare into the bushes way too intently to be considered normal.

“I heard something.” Finn is poorly whispering to him now, where Fern’s assumed ears would be- The very human flesh like boy looking alarmed, which obviously made the tiny grass hairs on Fern’s back raise a bit. Finn continues to whisper-yell to him as he sits up, the human boy cupping the side of his lips as if that would do anything to affect the sound of his voice.

“Can you see what it is with your tree senses?”

“...I don't have those.” Really, that was sort of presumptuous of his human counterpart to think- But Fern let it slide and only continued to look puzzled as he too, heard the noises rustling in the depths of the bog. Finn goes ahead and lights a torch to allow them better vision- Although Fern decides to not let it be known that he could see perfectly fine in the dark. They both watched on with bated breaths while the rustling grew louder.

... Louder...

Oh.

False alarm. It was only Mr. Fox, that one fox guy. Sounded pretty offended too, and Fern was proud to say that it wasn't HIS fault that Mr. Fox would be, quote, “Brooding about this all week.” However, any sorts of thoughts on the matter were quickly discarded once Fern managed to tear his eyes away from the scene- Only to lock on to the bizarre yet familiar creature perched atop the big tum of their current charge.

Well, that's not good.

“Look.” Fern pointed at the thing shrouded with shadows, and Finn in response brandished his torch- Only to find a rather large mustard yellow hand on top of the sleeping sweet peah, instead of like, a stomach eating parasite or something.

(Fern still doesn't know why the term parasite gets him so flustered feeling-)

“Aah! Get offa him!” Finn was quick to shout, to which the hand responded in turn with an exclamation of its own. Fern hummed to that, a hand that could talk, how odd? He doesn't have time to muse though, and he could sense himself immediately snapping to alarm as Finn charged the bizarre hand creature- Only to be promptly socked in the face and flung back.

‘Ok- So we ARE attacking. Cool.’

That was his cue, wasn’t it?

“Hup! I got him!” Having leapt into action almost immediately after Finn did, Fern bites the bullet and tackles the yellow hand thing into the dirt. Small noises of exertion left his grass throat as he struggled to keep the wriggling hand thing pinned to the ground. It was no biggy though. Meanwhile, Finn looked on at the phalange creature with a sort of dramatic haunted look, eyes narrowing to glare at the perpetrator.

“Oh no. I know where I've seen that thing before!”

Yeah, Fern did too, and he had a pretty good feeling that they were both having the same sort of flashback- To when they were in the Farmworld universe, and human Finn chopped the hand off the weird Jake version of the Lich. The disembodied hand falling into the portal thingie and being duplicated all through the multiverse and junk. Them coming back home, and BMO for some reason looking mighty traumatized. Also, the window was broken for some reason.

Yep. Good times.

“That must’ve been the day that BMO found that little sailor hat-” Finn exclaimed with worry, before brandishing his sword towards the hand beast still in Fern’s tight grassy grip.

“Hold him down, Fern! That hand is the FLIPPIn’ LICH!”

“I know.” Fern tries not to deadpan too harshly, its fine that Finn sometimes forgets that he was technically there too, albite swordlike and strapped to his back.

Whatever whatever, Fern's gaze narrows downward to the squirmy hand belonging to the last scholar of Golb, which was now speaking words somehow- How he was doing that without a mouth Fern had no idea-

The lich hand chuckles lowly from underneath him and begins to speak.

“- Yes child. I have returned once more to-”

“Bah! Bah! Bah! Bah! Evil! You're gonna get it for messing with our boy Sweet Pea!” Finn makes a show of covering his ears and brandishing his sword- Fern notes that the Lich hand appears rather unphased and only seems to find the whole situation humorous. He continues on speaking as if Finn didn't just totally interrupt him or something.

“That vessel may appear harmless, but he came from me. Once I remind him of his legacy, The Lich shall reign once more...” The Lich pauses, and Fern could practically HEAR the smirk in his evil voice.

“Isn't that right... Son?”

“Agh!”

“Finn!” Fern loosened his grip for just a split second of alarm, as Sweet pea- (Could it really be considered Sweet Pea in that moment if he was being controlled by the Lich?)-Grasped Finn from behind and started to squeeze, forcing Finn to drop his blade. However, in this moment of fear for his human counterpart, the Lich was able to weasel out of Fern’s grip- Shoving him away and onto his bum- and furthermore the creature of evil managed to scuttle into the depths of the surrounding foliage with a resounding totally evil laugh.

As the Lich’s influence faded from the forefront of Sweet Peas mind, dropping the air deprived Finn to the ground to recuperate, Fern couldn't help the floodgates of dark thoughts from opening wide. He felt a sick feeling in his chest, and he stared intently at the last place the Lich had been.

How could he have faltered like that? Let the Lich get away? He had him pinned! He had ONE job!

He wanted to both scream and disappear curled up in a ball of self-pity.

Some hero he was.

“Ugh! I dinked it AGAIN!”

The exclamation came out of him as if forced through a straw, anger at himself overwhelming his other more depressive thoughts, which came in waves. However, Finn didn't seem to notice nor care about Fern’s current episodic thoughts and feelings concerning his failure to keep the evil hand in one place like he was supposed to- And began to pace around. Sweet Pea also seemed rather troubled, although he probably had reason for that. Panting heavily, the large baby-faced Lich variant got all teary eyed and sniffled loudly.

“Why did Mr. Hand call me ‘son?’ Was that my monster Daddy?”

“Okay, ahh- Um- Delegate delegate-” Finn seemed to be sweating barrels as he pace about- Only when suddenly, Finn faces Fern with a stoney look of determination. Pointing at the grass boy with little reluctance, he seemed to have almost full trust in Fern's abilities.

‘For some reason...’ Fern’s thoughts betray him.

“Fern, stay here and guard Sweet Pea- I'm gonna try and catch up.”

“Don't trust me to guard anything.” He could only sigh in response.

“I'm a total scrub-up...” It was true.

Fern couldn't even guard a disembodied hand- What made Finn think he was capable of guarding something as large as Sweet Pea? Not to mention the fact that- Despite being essentially the same person as Finn- Fern was no good with kids. Heck, he made a kid at the library cry today. And not even that long ago he thought it was a perfectly normal idea to cut Sweet Peas tendons in his legs to stop him from having a meltdown and stop running! It would've worked sure, but what kind of guy does that or thinks that it’s ok?

Even so, despite all this, Finn still grasps the sullen Fern by the shoulders, forcing the grass version of himself to face him in the eyes. To which Fern has no choice but to hang on to his every word, as the human whispers very loudly.

“Dude, there's already one Lich loose in Ooo. If Sweet P turns E-V-I-L tonight, there might be a second. I need you here...” Finn pushes away from Fern, who wobbles a bit where he stands. Warmth floods his chest as he preens at the newfound mission in mind- A goal he could surely achieve.

The human drawing his sword as he began towards the break in bushes where the Lich disappeared in- Finn flashed him a bright hopeful smile and a big thumbs up.

“You got this!”

Ferns eyes widened, as Finn disappeared in the bush. He blinks a few times before turning to face Sweet Pea, eyes cast downwards to his grass hands.

Maybe he doesn't need to be good with kids? He had the manpower to hold off a big baby, right? Finn believed in him, and Finn was like the best guy he knew- Maybe not the best judge of character- But still, a pretty good dude. He should know, he used to BE him, and that had to account for something.

“You got this...” He whispered to himself and allowed those thoughts to spur himself on, muffling the sound of a hissing voice in the back of his chest. There was no fleshy Finn here now to think of ‘better’ ideas or steal his thunder. Just him calling the shots...

It was his opportunity to do something right for once, however simple it may be.

Yeah...

“Quickly, while the boy is gone, we must seek out my Well of Power-”

Fern glanced up abruptly only to find Sweet Pea shaking away the Lich’s influence again, who seemed to be vocalizing his plans aloud. Fern tries not to feel a tad bit miffed- He wasn't even being acknowledged by the Lich in his plans. Did that disembodied hand really see him as such a minor threat in comparison to the human Finn that- He's not even an afterthought?

Gee. Way to make a guy feel insignificant. ‘But hey-’ The lesser heard voice in his head brightly exclaims. ‘This just means we can be the wrench in his terrible plans!’

Oh yeah, that was a nice thought.

Sweet Pea snivels again, and looks at Fern with genuine teary fear, giant hands being brought upwards to clutch near his mouth.

“No! Am I turning into a monster?!”

Feeling much more in control of himself now and his behaviors, Fern only shrugged in response. Who was he to sugar coat it? Maybe if he instils fear, Sweet Pea will fight against the influence of the Lich more.

“That’s the working theory, yeah.”

Sweet Pea immediately drops down onto the ground onto his bum at Ferns response, beginning to weep into his large hands. Awkwardly, Fern pats the giant lich baby on the arm with a very stiff grassy limb.

“There there?”

In a split second, Fern is wrapped into a ginormous hug by Sweet Pea, who begins to cry more earnestly than before- Squeezing his grass body like a child would a teddy bear...

It's a good thing Fern didn't need to breathe- Or else he’d probably be dead.

He could do this. Yeah.

Meanwhile...

There is the beeping of a voice box message.

“I can't come to the phone right now. I'm either hanging with Finn, my kids, my GF, or I'm dead. Bye!”

There's a tone, and he began to speak.

“Hey man, hit me when you get this.” Finn lets out a sigh and with a click hangs up the phone- Clicking his tongue out loud in an almost condescending manner. Absentmindedly, he tucks the cellular device into his backpack as he continues to push through the dense marshland forestry- Following the small trail that the hand beast wasn't even subtle about creating.

“Dude’s missin’ a Lich fight.” Finn shook his head with a fond roll of his eyes- But continuing forward, nonetheless.

Finn was hot on the Lich’s trail, that could be for certain- Although it wasn’t too hard to decipher where exactly the Lich hand was heading- As the surroundings were beginning to become rather familiar. Eerily so. Finn knew he was getting close once the rundown subway ruins came into view, to which he approaches with little to no hesitance or fear, and a straightforward expression painting his face.

“Ok, Lich-” He muttered under his breath as he entered through the ruins, very VERY familiar now.

“Get ready to die... Again. For, like, the fifth time!!!”

Shaking his head, Finn didn't seem to show a lick of fear as he descended the cement stairs down into the depths of the rundown subway- Remnants of what humanity used to be, oh, so long ago. Looking around, he stuck out his tongue almost playfully and a glimmer of recognition sparked behind his eyes.

“Oh hey, it's this awful place...”

There. A shadow passes from in front of him, skittering below across the floor.

“Oh, your tricky huh...” Finn could only snicker to himself as he continued forth into the unknown... Not knowing what was to come...

This was going to be a cakewalk, he figured. How many times had he stopped the Lich? Too many to count... So, like 5 times maybe? Either way, not only that- But right now the Lich was a hand. Just a measly HAND. Puh-lease.

Finn definitely had this covered...

Or maybe perhaps, fate would have other ideas...

Who would've thought that he had been playing right into the palm of the Lich’s plan?

As Finn continues forth, he has no clue what's to come... Oblivious to the path that which his fate was about to play out...

Elsewhere...

“Hup! Ok. Yeah. Yeah, morally- This probably wasn't the best way to go about this, but I’d consider this a success.”

Placing his hands on his hips, Fern could only stare at his handiwork with partial pride, as the seemingly possessed Sweet Pea seemed to struggle fiercely in the tangle of vines strapping him to the earth and surrounding trees, in a sort of spiderweb formation. Apparently, Ferns brutal truth tactic didn't work and upon calming down from his pity party, Sweet Pea was promptly swept back into the control of the Lich and attempted to make his way over to the Well of Power.

Obviously, Fern couldn't have that.

“Must go- To Well of Power-”

The possessed Sweet Pea hisses from above, but honestly, it's kind of getting pitiful, seeing that this is like the 10th time already that he's droned on about it.

It all happened rather quickly too. One second Fern was leading a still sniveling Sweet Pea back to the borders of the forest- The next, a giant yellowish fist was barreling towards his head!

(̶H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶n̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶s̶u̶p̶p̶o̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶o̶d̶g̶e̶.̶ ̶H̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶u̶p̶p̶o̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶t̶o̶p̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶.̶ ̶M̶a̶y̶b̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶F̶i̶n̶n̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶s̶t̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶a̶l̶i̶v̶e̶.̶ ̶M̶a̶y̶b̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶n̶-̶ ̶I̶t̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶e̶s̶c̶a̶l̶a̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶t̶e̶r̶r̶i̶b̶l̶y̶-̶)̶

Obviously, Fern was able to sense the strike coming and roll out of the way just in time. Unsheathing his grass sword, the fight began. However, Lich/Pea was basically a Zombie- Sure he was incredibly strong, but it was more so in the sense that he was bulky and bumbling. Fern was anything but- Nimble and precise- As well as strong. He could do this.

He could hold him off. He was in his element.

“Foolish Parasite- Release me from these bonds. You cannot delay the inevitable.”

Fern only squinted in response at the hissing Lich/Pea, who hung helplessly above the ground in Ferns tightly woven web of vines- All the trees in the surrounding area sturdy and steadfast, most certainly not budging an inch as the Lich/Pea continued to struggle. Fern only shifted from foot to foot, at a loss now what to do.

“Yeah- I'm pretty sure I can, actually.”

Lich/Pea only struggled more in response- However, falling limp before beginning to laugh. That laugh, that was most certainly not Sweet Pea talking.

“Incompetence... Are you not worried about your human counterpart...? The child that cannot help but run headfirst into danger...”

Fern pauses at the thought and shifts where he stood at this, a small curl of uncertainty twisting inside his chest area as he narrowed his hollow grass gaze towards the giant man-child hanging from above, wearing a smile that did not fit his face. He only frowned harder at this.

“Finn can hold his own. He... Always does.”

“Of course he does. A boy who never falters... Will grow too close to edge of possibility...”

Lich/Pea doesn't respond any more than that- Instead- All struggle seems to leave his hosts body as Sweet Pea slumps over, going full wet noodle and somehow causing the vines to loosen. Fern’s eyes widen exponentially- As the web begins to unravel all around him, and all he can do is flounder.

“Hey! Nonononono- Stop that!”

“...Your efforts are in vain, Parasite. The child will fall... And you will die with the guilt knowing that you played a part in the worlds undoing...”

“Gah!” One of the vines tied to Pea/Lich snapped- Rubber band like, it flings backwards from the tensions to slap Fern in the face, blinding him momentarily. However, one vine snapping was all it took for the entire web to completely disassemble- The lich possessed Sweet Pea landing onto the ground with both large feet with a ginormous earth-shaking collision. And as the darkened green glowing eyes of the possessed ex-lich loomed over him, Fern could only shift into a more comfortably rigid fighting position.

What else could he do? His plan- With the vines- Failed. He messed it all up again. Finn was foolish to have entrusted him to take care of a man-baby- And Fern was beginning to think that Finn was a fool for going to face the Lich by himself.

What was he to do now?

“I won't let you pass me. I can't donk this up this time!”

For a moment, Lich/Pea did not move, only a step or two away from Fern- And seemed to stare all the way into the depths of his soul shreds with those soulless glowing green eyes.

A moment that would quickly pass.

“Move.”

In that split second, Fern didn't process a giant yellow palm coming up to clutch his entire face and head- Letting out a muffled yet no less indignant exclamation as the possessed Sweet Pea flung him away with a straightened arm. To the side- In which Fern collides into a nearby tree- Causing quite a bit of loose grass to explode from behind his back. Dizzy and discombobulated, the possessed ex-lich only stared a few moments before turning slowly and began towards where Fern assumed his so called ‘Well of Power’ would be...

‘Flubbed it all up again...’

Leaning up against the tree, as Lich-Pea's thumping footsteps faded out, Fern was now alone with his thoughts.... And for some reason, two voices spoke from the inside. Voices he knew, yet couldn't pinpoint entirely for some weird reason...

‘It was futile anyways. We should leave now before things get dicey...’

‘...What?’

‘We failed. This whole hero thing was overrated anyways. We’ll only get ourselves killed-’

‘But- That’s not-’

‘Yeah, we should leave. Thats guys trouble- We need to-’

“No!” Fern leaps upwards and unsheathes his grass sword once again, looking mighty irate and shaking his head wildly.

“I can't stop now- I- I- I- I'm not going to give up just because I couldn't watch a dumb baby! Finn needs my help!”

‘No- No- It's not our fight-’

Fern shook his head again, as if to discard the thought and began to run in the direction of where Lich/Pea had been heading. Cursing himself aloud, Fern only pounded on his skull a few times with his free hand, gritting his now sharpening teeth with a hiss of annoyance.

“I can't believe it- How pathetic AM I- That I was just going to give up after just one hit!”

Yet another reason why Fern was a total flake in comparison to the righteousness of the, quote, “Real” Finn...

Him and his stupid thoughts trying to make him give up. Even if he’ll never measure up to the human Finn, and if he will always mess things up somehow like a reverse 4 leaf clover- DOESNT mean he was able to just... Stop. It wasn't in the cards. Maybe it was a Finn thing. Either way, he made a promise to Finn and himself. He could only hope to keep it, but he would try...

Following the very large path in the Lich/Pea’s wake, Fern let out a huff as the damage seemed to grow fresher in destruction... He should be getting incredibly clo-

There! The large silhouette was hard to miss.

Bending his slightly longer than usual legs before pumping onward, Fern then takes a flying leap to grapple onto the pudgy head of the possessed man-child. Pressing his blade up against the throat of the lich/pea and covering his eyes with his free hand, Fern had to hold on like nobody's business as he’s nearly bucked off. Lich/Pea begins to stumble about and attempts to paw at Fern, but to no avail. Grass boys don't have bones, and Fern didn't hesitate to curl his arm around the head multiple times to ensure his position on top of the possessed ex-lich.

“Release me pitiful insect- You are intruding on matters that don’t concern you.”

“Uh. It kind of does concern me- And regardless of my insecurity's and weird donked up feelings- I'd still like to try and keep things alive- I'm not a monster man.”

There's a loud fwapping sound paired with a yelp on the grass boy’s part. Fern's mind is reeling- Most likely for a multitude of reasons now, as Lich/Pea slams him into a nearby tree with a reverse headbutt- But Fern doesn't let go or loosen his grip. Not this time.

‘I can't mess this up again... What should I do... I need to end this fight here and NOW...’

“Gah!” The Lich/Pea manages to club Fern upside the head- And suddenly, the forest is gone, its only Fern and the Lich. A fierce chill sweeps through Fern’s body, and his arm that had clutched the warm face of the possessed Sweet Pea now only presses up against squishy, rotting flesh. Legs that wrapped around the girthy neck of a large child, now hanging loosely around the frail bony skeleton of the scholar himself...

The Lich doesn't know this, but in his attempts for intimidation, he just made it so much easier for Fern to revert to his default defenses- The grass Finn’s self-imposed limitation to not hurt Sweet Pea quickly forgotten.

“Release my charge, false hero- You cannot prevent the end from-”

“GRAGH!!! Glob your shmob hole!!!” Panic flooding through his entire body, Fern now promptly swings an arm up, and just as quickly brings a sharpened grass elbow down to crash into the skull of the possessed child- Or at least from his perspective, the skull of his longtime foe and undead fashion disaster- The Lich.

In an instant, the illusion of the lich faded away, leaving only Fern and a slowly teetering Sweet Pea, who in turn had a giant welt the size of a plum atop his head where Fern had struck him.

“Oh- Ohhh... Goodnight... Moon...”

Back to his baby voice, Sweet Pea only managed to mutter aloud that one thing, before toppling to the ground- Taking Fern along with him-

“Oof! That smarts...” Fern could only groan, having taken most of the blow to Sweet Pea’s head as he toppled like a fallen log. After taking a moment to gather his bearings- Fern managed to weasel his way out from underneath the still and unmoving man-child. Bringing himself into standing position, Fern could only stare at the young lich born child a few moments before nudging the unconscious giant's pudgy arm with his grassy foot.

“Are you dead? I didn't kill you, right? That really wouldn't be good if I did...”

Awkwardly, Fern shifts from foot to foot and blinks a few times after staring at the boy intently. Unpin closer inspection, the ex-lich was still in fact breathing. Shrugging at this information, Fern could only nod to himself in concerns to the obvious signs of NOT MURDER.

“Thats good enough for me. Honestly, thinking back, I probably should've knocked you out earlier...”

Only silence followed his words. Eerie silence. Which was weird because this was a swampy marshland, which on any other normal day would be bustling with nocturnal life.

And now, Fern was alone with his thoughts, which was never a good thing for him. A distraction would be nice... Or something...

“Um. Okay. I'm not going to drag him back to camp, he's too heavy.... So.”

So. Glancing back down at the snoozing Sweet Pea, Fern began to fiddle with his fingers as he ponders

“I wonder if Finn is ok.” He muses, but only for a second- Quickly distracted by something elsewhere. The grass boy purses his lips, before spotting a small pile of debris- Twigs and branches lying innocently on the ground after the Lich’s whole trampling of a path. Ironically enough, it's at this exact time that a breeze whistles throughout the bog, and Sweet Pea curls in on himself while shivering very loudly.

It dawned on Fern what exactly he should do next and tapping a grassy tipped finger on the side of his chin, he tilted his head as the thought wriggled in his brain.

“Right. Cold is still a thing for guys with skin stuff.”

Fern stands up a bit straighter and begins to strut straight-legged over to the pile of twigs and branches- Noting that they were in fact dry- And began to collect some more, staring blankly with jis hollow grass boy eyes, and trying not to think of anything beyond the words escaping his mouth.

“I should build a fire.”

And build a fire he would.

Because the hard part was over now, and all he had to do was wait for Finn to get back to them- With news of the Lich’s defeat. Yep...

The hard part was over...

One part of him seemed to preen at this, happy to have finally done SOMETHING right today. The other side was far more skeptical...

Yeah. It was over.

6 minutes previously... Elsewhere....

“I can hear you down here!!! He-lloo evil Lich dude...” Pausing a moment to regain his footing, after vaulting himself over numerous pipes to descend forth into a hole in the ground- Finn paused a moment to huff out loud and place his hands on his hips in an almost condescending manner.

“Speak up man! Let's get this whole villain monologue thing over with, chop chop!” Finn even went as far as to chop his hand into his palm a couple times for good measure. Skittering and shuffling sounds reverberated throughout the chambers, as once again the boy returned to the oh-so familiar place where Princess Bubblegum had unfortunately been dunked like a caramel apple in that one time.

The chamber underneath the old subway station, and location of the Lich’s ever important and ever terrifying Well of Power. Glowing eerily green and basking everything in its cold pale viridian hue.

“Wha-?” However, the young hero was quickly interrupted by a blur of yellowish orange slamming into his torso from behind, throwing him off balance and forcing the hat wearing human to stumble straight into the nearby glowing well of pure nefarious power.

“AH!” Luckily, thanks to pure survival instinct, Finn just manages to grasp onto the edge of the well with one hand, fingernails digging as far as they could into the hardened dead concrete ledge- As his only prevention from falling into the depths of his doom below. The well swirls with neon green sludge, almost reaching out for him as the human boy struggles to get some footing- Only to find that the corrosion of the well walls prevent such a thing from occurring- His legs only scraping uselessly against the walls in a ditch attempt to keep himself from falling.

Above him, the Lich’s hand in all is mustard colored glory began to laugh- A dark chuckle that reverbed throughout the room. Although, despite his current predicament, Finn’s face remained calm and collected- Almost bored. But the panic sets in very slowly as the Lich looms tantalizingly close to where his quickly whitening fingers gripped the edge of the well in a death squeeze.

“You have bested me in many worlds, child, but I always return...”

Flick. Finn forced himself to silence the hiss of air being sucked in through his teeth as the Lich began to ever so slowly flick at his aching fingers. Loosening his grip one by one, finger by finger seemed to be the plan. Even so, the human plastered a nonchalant look on his face and blinked slowly, hoping to glob that his voice didn't shake with the exertion and fear.

“You're so evil its boring. Your basic, man.”

Another flick. Finn’s eyes start to dart around for a solution. He finds nothing- And feels the icy dread creeping up his legs as the pure destructive cosmic power licked at the air below him.

“Yes. While a mortal world doubts and questions, I know exactly what I am. I am the ceaseless wheel... The last scholar of Golb...” The Lich paused and Finn forced his flicked off fingers to clutch onto the ledge again. The lich hands shadow seemed to morph into something new, creeping upwards to the ceiling as his true form is shown through his shadow. His voice was deep and dark, and he chuckled lowly as Finn felt the ledge crumble just the slightest bit.

“I am your doom.”

‘Ok. Maybe now is a good time to panic. But like, not too obviously.’ Finn's thoughts betrayed his obviously growing unease for the situation at hand, his fingers growing awfully buzzy as he puffed out his cheeks with exertion. Even so, he forced out a half laugh and stared upwards determined where he assumed the lich hand was perched- His fingers slipping just the slightest micro millimeter.

“I've heard less cheesy lines in one of Ice Kings fanfiction readings! Seriously man, you need to work on your villain one liners a bit more- It's getting PRE-tty repetitive.”

“Silence child.”

A flash of uncertainty flickers on Finn’s face as he felt his buzzing fingers get flicked again by the demonic scholar above- He bites his lip with a grunt as he attempts to regain his proper grip, only managing to make him slip the slightest bit further. Oddly enough- The lich is quiet now and doesn't respond to his epic hero banter beyond what he has already.

It wouldn't be too outlandish for Finn to hope. He’s been in worse pickles before- Right?

“It would seem that my vessel is indisposed at the moment... That parasite... Is proving to be more resilient than it's worth...”

‘Fern and Sweet Pea!’ Finn's mind supplied as the Lich continued to muse to himself. Fern must be doing a good job keeping Sweet Pea away from the Lich- Although if the word ‘indisposed’ means what he thinks it means- Finn is going to have a somewhat looooong talk with Fern after this is all over- the importance of not beating up your kid charges...

He’ll cross that bridge when he gets there.

“What's the matter lich?” Finn couldn't help but goad and grin as it dawned on him that the evil scholar wasn't getting what he wanted. Smirking widely, Finn could feel a bead of sweat on his brow and a sharp pain shot up his arm from continual use.

“We aint gonna let you get to him. Not even over my dead body.”

“I wouldn't expect anything less... From the self-proclaimed hero of Ooo...”

The Lich’s voice is the same as it was initially, low and menacing. However, there seemed to be another layer to his words than before, and Finn had to admit- With how his hand was starting to cramp up majorly- He was starting to get worried.

His smile was growing shaky. But he wouldn't let that put a damper on his ceaseless optimism.

“Yup. Tha-ats me. A hero... Grk. Finn Flippin Mertens...”

Another finger flicked, Finn couldn't withhold the yelp escaping his throat as he slipped farther than before- And becoming increasingly aware of the violent viridian green goo festering below him in the well- Awaiting his fall.

‘Positivity- Positivity- Good vibes- Hope and stuff... Just a little longer...’

“I have y-ou right where I want you...” He was bluffing, but the evil hand didn't need to know that. Every moment that passed, Finn could feel his strength ebbing away- And the situation continues to grow even more dire for him.

The Lich chuckles at this, and a chuckle turns into a short- et never considered sweet- laugh- And the human boy could swear he could hear the bloodlust in his voice.

“Foolish child... A hero is nothing more than a tool. You use your trust as leverage and your promises as currency... However, a hero like you could be of use to me now... Perhaps you can assist me with... Everything...”

Finn almost lost his grip on the edge of the well right then and there- Eyes widening and brows furrowing at the absurdity of the statement.

“Are you kidding me!?” Somehow, he found the strength to exclaim with passion.

“I'll never help you- Your like- Totes pure evil! And I aint no villain canoodler.”

The Lich of course remained unphased, voice reverberating as shadows of dark creatures danced along the ceilings with wicked enthusiasm.

“Of course, you aren't... That’s why mortals find you trustworthy. You're a hero with a reputation... A hero with leverage to be utilized...” The Lich paused before continuing, Finn now ducking his head down and shifting his shoulder a bit with a slight whine of irritation- Once again his feet instinctively beginning to scrape the walls. He had to be strong. He had to seem strong. Show no weakness in the face of true evil...

“Due to your parasitical companion preventing my vessel passage to me... It seems that I have been forced into using more... Alternative measures... I'm sure you understand child...”

“I'm still never gonna help you. Ever! Never ever, ever.”

“Oh, but you will.” The Lich’s eyes narrow in his shadow, and Finn gulps loudly while furrowing his brow.

“Your grip grows weary... And nobody is coming to save you...”

The tiny ledge that Finn had been holding on to begins to crumble, much to his utter terror- However, luckily, there was another, much much smaller ledge- To which, upon the first crumbling, he managed to grip like his life depended on it... Cuz it did obviously.

‘That was a close one-’ Finn’s mind buzzed unhelpfully.

Finn was tired. And the Lich knew it. But it was okay... It's ALWAYS okay...

Finn always manages to get out of whatever scrape or scuffle he gets himself into...

Smiling shakily, he forced his hand to cramp up in its same position, clamping down on the impossibly small well ledge as he scoffed and began to ramble- An idea coming to him.

“Ha! Thats where you're wrong Lich! I could do this aaaalllll day!” He really couldn't.

“I'll just hold on until help DOES come! Cuz unlike you- I ha-ave friends!” His arm really hurt. He thinks maybe his shoulder’s dislocated now.

The Lich doesn't respond yet- And Finn now scrambles with his metal arm to grab his phone from out of his backpack-

“Fern will come! Or- Or- Jake! Maybe! Yeah- Jake! He always comes in the nick of time- I just need to- Press- The- GAH!”

A small stone from above smacks into the middle of his forehead, causing the young hero to shout in alarm- And furthermore lose his already testy grip on the phone in his metal hand... Bionic hand instinctively moving upwards to clutch the miniscule edge of the well frantically- He watches hopelessly now, as the phone showing his brother Jake’s contact- Only a click away- Now descending downward and plunging into the hissing acidic depths of the well below.

Finally, hopelessness shows on his boyish face as he stares downward a few moments, before slowly turning his head upwards to face the grinning shadow of the Lich once more. It's now that he feels cold flesh digging into both wrists of his arm- Metal and human alike- As the Lich hand grips him tightly and the shadow continues smiling menacingly.

“You delude yourself, child- And I for one, have grown tired of this game of cat and mouse. This world's time is short... In the name of Golb, it cannot wait any longer.”

The Lich hand begins to twist at Finns arms, lifting them off the ledge and forcing Finn to rely on the Lich’s grip to not let him fall into the depths below. Despite being a hand with no recognizable facial features, Finn can feel the cold dead green eyes of the Lich boring into his own. It made his heart stutter and like a bucket of ice water, the gravity of the situation dawned on him. Even so, as the Lich held him more and more over the hungry burbling waves of toxic green energy below him in the well- Further and further away from the ledge- The Lich, both the hand and the shadow- Laughed.

And this time, Finn couldn't stop his fear from showing on his face, goosebumps running down his arms and legs as his eyes blew open wide.

“It's time to take the plunge... Hero.”

“Wha-”

The Lich hand, then jumped, Finn in tow.

The 16-year-old didn't have time to process as time seemed to slow down- For just an instant- as he dropped like a stone, alongside Lich’s hand. The two of them tumbling down- Down into the depths of the well. He didn't have time to process the fact that he was falling at all. At least not completely. Miles a minute, thoughts passed him by- Falling backwards and unseeing of his impending splash- While the mouth of the well grew smaller and smaller. The ledge that had been his lifeline only moments ago- Fell away from him.

It felt like infinity, but he just couldn't process it.

That he would not survive.

That the Lich had succeeded.

He feels it's cold embrace approaching, the waves of cosmic power and pure evil rolling in heavy waves, practically reaching out to catch him and sweep him away. The Lich hand still held a vice grip on both his arms- The shadows of the scholar that had painted the ceilings now trickling behind the hand like a kite string.

Time speeds up again, and Finn is breathless.

Dark laughter bounces against the walls of the chamber- As Finn finally finds the air in his lungs to scream. A scream that very quickly is cut short with a hissing splash, the sound being carried away by unheard, nameless whispers of stale wind...

But the Lich’s diabolical laughter never falters.

For the Lich, at least for now...

Has won.

1 hour later...

“- I just don't understand it. What's the difference between him- And me?”

“You’rrrreeee... Green!”

The campfire cracks from in between the two figures as Sweet Pea calps his large hands together joyously- Because technically he was right, Fern supposed. The grass boy only sighed heavily and began prodding the fire some more with a nearby stick, face expression level and placid. He shrugs and glances over at the little ex-lich who seemed to sport a large blemish to the top of his head.

“Yeah, I guess I am. Props to me for spilling my insecurities to a giant baby.”

In an instant, Fern once again feels the embrace of the large, little boy squeezing his abdomen impossibly hard- Sweet Pea even going as far as to squish their faces together- Cheek to cheek- As if Fern was some kind of oversized grass stuffed animal. The horned sweetheart seemed to act empathetic, stroking the top of Fern’s head with his free hand as if petting a kitten.

“There there Mr. Plant man... I don't think you're a monster.”

“Thanks...” Fern can only deadpan in response, voice tight as he attempts to peel himself out of the embrace of the oversized child. He manages to success, although from the chest down, his body has been compressed and flattened- Which he begins to fix upon backflipping out of Sweet Pea’s arms and landing back onto his log seat by the fire. Narrowing his gaze irate towards the oblivious young ex-lich, he sighed again.

“-That means- So much coming from you-”

“Uh huh! I know you're not one cuz you saved me from the monster in my head!”

“I just knocked you out.” Fern only deadpanned somewhat puzzled in response- before holding an extended arm out to flash the large child a thumbs up.

“But-ok.”

Sweet Pea grins brightly at his positive response, and for a moment Fern feels like he's doing something right.

 Pausing a moment as to pull out a candy bar from out of his chest and tossing it over to the man-child across from him, Fern then stood from his seat in order to take note of the time. To do so, he used an old survival trick he had learned as a little kid from his dad- (Joshua-) Putting his hand up towards the sky with his palm in and measuring the distance from his hand, the horizon, and the moon. Noting how long it's been, Fern's brow furrowed- And he couldn't help but muse aloud as Sweet Pea tore into the candy bar given to him.

“It's been a while. Finn should be back soon.”

“Do you- Do you think that the monster hurt him bad?” Sweet Pea looks up at him worried, with those pinprick eyes and with chocolate smeared impossibly all over his pudgy face. Fern only shrugged, not finding it in himself to lie to the kid or soften the blow.

“It's entirely a possibility.” Fern didn't think so- Finn could hold his own sure- But his fleshy human body was still pudgy and easily puncturable. Honestly, anything could happen. But again, incredibly unlikely. He nods to himself, and leaves Sweet Pea with his own silence, once again prodding the fire with a stick causing it to crackle obnoxiously.

A movement that he immediately ceased with, upon hearing the distinct sound of rustling coming from the surrounding forestry beside their camp. A rustling sound that grew louder and more stilted by the moment- As whoever it was- Lurking within the boggy bush- Began to approach rather rapidly.

Silently, he summons his grass sword into his hand and leant forwards with his hollow grass boy eyes trained intently on the location of the sounds. The other arm extended backwards in a sort of shielding pose, he hisses in the direction of Sweet Pea, who was beginning to show signs of alarm. Whimpering, the big-little boy practically began to crush the last bites of candy bar in his hands, close to his mouth as Fern crept closer to the rustling greenery.

“It could be a swamp beast- Try not to be too scared, they are attracted to the smell of fear...”

“O-oh...”

Sweet Pea cowers only cowers behind him in response- His little kid eyes widening as he attempts to hide his face into his hands with a yelp- And the approaching visitor's movements through the thicket became more and more defined.

Even so, Fern lifted his sword behind him without another word, eyes narrowing as his lips pursed. Abnormally long legs bent with the spring of a rubber band- He prepares himself to face whatever it is intruding on their campsite- Swamp beast or not...

He swipes downward with only a single fell swoop- The sharpness of his grass blade slicing the branch perfectly in half and furthermore revealing the invading beast to be-

“Hey Fern, how's it hanging? Holdin’ down the fort all good and stuff?”

Ah. A familiar face.

Fern had to take a step back as Finn Mertens breezed past him with a smile, slipping out of the foliage with a weirdly off-putting smile- Pausing a moment, the newly arrived Finn turned to face the grass boy with a tinge of worry showing clearly on his face.

“Fern?”

Fern squints suspiciously and tilts head in an almost cursory glance- Sensing something off and looking at him up and down.

“Oh...Yeah. Everything's... Finnnne...”

Something felt... Weird and he couldn’t seem to put his finger on it. Even so, he faced Finn with a barely passable smile, all while Sweet Pea seemed to shift awkwardly where he stood- The strange tension in the air making everything awkward.

“So, the lich is dead?” Fern figured he should get straight to the point.

“Yup! Slew him with my own two hands.” Finn seemed to flex his fingers in front of him slowly for good measure, his robotic hand seemingly moving just as smoothly as his still connected fleshy ones. Speaking of flesh, Finn was looking awfully pale- And his smile didn't seem to meet his blank eyes.

Fern could only wonder what happened to his human counterpart to seem so... Shaken up.

“Cool. Good for you Finn...”

“Anyways. You must be tired Fern. Say, why don't you head on home while I take Ol Sweet Pea back to Tree Trunks house.” Finn seemed to act sympathetic, but for some reason it felt really fake. Fern felt cold, which was a new feeling. He didn't really feel things much anymore, but the cold was overwhelming. It was not a good feeling.

He didn't know why, but for some reason Finn was acting incredibly strange. Not in how he spoke or seemed to express himself. It was in the way he held himself, the way his smile seemed plastered, and his eyes were duller than usual. His voice lacked its everyday liveliness and overall, Finn did not sit well with Fern. He should know better than anyone what a healthy Finn was like...

Even so- Finn's statement didn't leave much room for intervention as Fern would discover quickly.

“Oh. I can come with too-”

“I insist.” Finn's voice- Fern didn't know how to explain it- But it seemed to sharpen like a dagger pointed straight to his core. There was no arguing. Fern didn't even know Finn could speak like this.

“Go home Fern. I'm only walking him home. He trusts me- Don't you Sweet pea?”

They both turn to face the big boy in question- Who seemed to shiver slightly as Finn pat his arm. Even so, Sweet Pea smiled happily in the human boy’s direction, and moved to grasp the hero’s extended hand.

“Yes!” He exclaimed.

“I super-duper trust you- Your always nice to me.”

Sweet Pea twisted his foot- Predictably- Very sweetly, with a bashful expression on his face. To which Finn flashed Fern a thin lipped, almost victorious grin, before waving him off twice with one nonchalant hand. It was the fleshy one. But it moved awkwardly, like his ligaments were not fully connected.

“Go. Leave.”

Even so, Fern relented. His wearied negative thoughts coming back to him at full force and overpowering his initial mixed thoughts.

“...Fine. If that's what you think is best...”

“I do.” Finn’s response was almost immediate, and Fern felt a pang in his chest once more- Sharper than the last spattering few. He doesn't know where the animosity came from, but Finn seemed to be uncaring of his current attitude- As he and Sweet Pea swiftly turned away to leave- With Fern standing next to the smoldering fire that had once been a campsite- All alone now.

Fern wanted to slice something, kick- Scream- But nothing could filter out the thoughts. Thoughts speaking negatively of Finn and how it was unfair. How he thought was so much better than Fern. How Fern deserved to be seen too- To be Finn again. He was in the way- Stopping him from being the one true Finn. Preventing him- Stopping him. In the way. In the way-

But something still niggled in his mind. Something so very quiet- Yet overpowering all the same. Something that broke through the barrier of twisted jealousy and he recognized it as his own voice.

He was worried.

“That was weird. For a moment there-” Fern mused aloud, as he began his trek homeward- Now breaching the swamp forest barrier and walking onward through the tall grass below the sparkling night sky. His grassy brow furrowed; he mused some more.

“I could've sworn his eyes turned green...”

Fern forced himself to shake the thought away as soon as it came- soft, moss padded feet practically silent with every step as he continued home.

It was nonsense.

Just... Nonsense.

Sighing, Fern turned back to face the forest being left behind for a moment- Taking in the view and imagining Finn happily laughing alongside Tree Trunks and Mr. Pig as he returns Sweet Pea home, and they call him a valiant hero. They praise him more- And Fern tried to imagine himself in the daydream Finn’s place. But he couldn't.

Instead, Finn’s face seemed to twist horribly- The flesh falling off and rotting as his skull begins to show. Familiar glowing green eyes bore into his skull as dream Finn began to laugh in a way that was not his own- Reaching towards him with a gnarled rotting hand with green goo dripping off his flash in place of blood-

“Gah!!!” Fern shook his head again, before tripping over a solid object jutting out of the ground. A log.

Before him stood the Tree House, not far off and Fern could practically feel the bristles of alarm leaving his grassy features.

Maybe Finn was right. Maybe he was tired...

So so very tired of his head screaming at him...

Finn was ok. Everything was ok.

He just needed rest.

Yup.

Rest...

Later that night... 3:33 AM...

The treehouse was silent- Minus the sounds of slumber permeating throughout the living space. Soft snores could be heard coming from the living room- Where a yellowish orange dog slept soundly on the couch- Clutching a telephone in his stretchy anamorphous arms, as if cuddling a blanket.

Nearby, perched upon the top of a shelf, lies a sleeping teal robot, small digital “z’s” flashing on it’s facial screen as the robot snored electronically away. A few paces away, a small pie throwing robot also seemed to be in the depths of dreamworld, his little pie throwing arm moving slightly up and down with every wheeze of a snore.

Atop the treehouse's canopy, slept a grass boy- Who seemed to once more be having fitful dreams. His brow furrowed, as he makes small noises of restlessness and turns back and forth. Mumbling under his breath concerning things but nevertheless deep deep in sleep.

All in all, not a single beast of the day stood awake- The night taking it’s toll as the 3 inhabitants slumbered away...

Barring just one- The 4th resident of the treehouse- Who seemed wide awake, yet not all there.

Finn the human stands alone, an unidentifiable look on his face as he hovers ominously over the prone form of Jake the dog. Eyes lacking any semblance of emotion and his flesh pale as a ghost, he reaches towards the oblivious brother with a blank expression.

It didn't seem to be for any nefarious reason, but tensions seemed incredibly high, nonetheless.

Carefully, like a slippery eel- The near sickly-looking Finn managed to filch the phone from Jake’s sleeping embrace. The human boy lets out a small, low hum as he turns away from the quivering Jake- The freezing atmosphere upon Finn’s proximity becoming an unbearable cold for the dog/alien hybrid.

Finn seemed uncaring of this though, and took his time inspecting the phone, his stone-cold eyes narrowing upon seeing a singular message on the small phone screen. Clicking a button to press it- The light of the tint screen seemed to reflect light on his pale greasy face- The green glow making the scene oddly terrifying.

“YOU HAVE 1 VOICEMAIL” The phone’s tinny female voice pierced the veil of silence and the atmosphere seemed to warble. Even so, Finn pressed on.

“Your grip- Kssshhhh- Weary child-”

“Ksssshhhh- I could- Kssshhh- This all day- Ksshhh-”

“I just- Ksshhh- To- Ksshhh- Button-”

“AAAAAGGGHH- KSSSHHHHHSSKK-”

There was a clicking noise, and then a chime- The small tinny voices of the voicemail cutting off abruptly as the voicemail messaging system concluded the very incriminating message.

The sound of screams still echoing in the air but in unheard ears. Finn only stares down at the phone apathetically some more, before his flesh finger darts about the keypad.

“DELETE VOICMAIL FROM INBOX? --- WARNING: BY DELETING A MESSAGE- IT CANNOT BE HEARD AGAIN-”

Finn’s cold gaze narrowed; his silhouette being lit up by only the cold glow of the moon- Though he remains silent, barring the noise of buttons being pressed as tensions rose.

“VOICE MAIL DELETED”

The incriminating evidence of this expedition has been eliminated. Nothing but a dream to all who had listened in the bleary night.

He hummed lowly underneath his breath as he finally moved again- Stiffly dropping his arm down and allowing the phone to fall from his grasp- Clattering onto the floor abruptly. But nobody perturbed at the sound of hard plastic on wooden floors.

His actions in the night remain his own.

Legs moving almost robotically, as if his limbs where not his own- Finn began downwards to the treasure room/foyer- His blank coal seeming eyes scanning the darkened room with thinly veiled interest- Before inevitably landing on a simple silver blade- Lodged in the depths of golden coins and aged wood.

He stood there in the dark all alone for a moment, feeling how the sword fit in his palm- And before long, his initially placid eerily emotionless expression finally changed, showing some semi balance of emotion.

It was not a good thing.

A low quiet chuckle turned into pure malevolent laughter as the off-putting human boy’s eyes began to shine with an unholy light- And as he brought the shining polished sword up to his face- The person in the blade’s refraction did not match with the boyish face he wore in the moment.

For it was not Finn in the reflection of that merciless blade- Finn had died that night.

For in that sword’s rapier-

Only the grinning, skeletal face of the Lich remained. With eyes blazing a fearsome viridian- He laughs. But it is a laugh without mirth.

For the beginning of the end has only just begun.

***Chapter 1 end***