It was dark and cold. He wasn't too sure what had happened after the survivor had put the divining rod into its holder; all he thought that he had died, being free from the cursed throne forever. He smiled; at least he wasn't suffering anymore.

Then he heard some noise. He tried to ignore it and returned to his dreamland but to no avail. Frustrated, he opened his eyes, rubbing them groggily for a while before looking up with a slight pain in his head.

It was such a beautiful day.

His smile grew wider; he hadn't seen daylight ever since he was pulled into the realm and being held captive by Them. And so, he got up and ran around in joy, laughing heartily.

"Freedom, at last!" he called out, spinning around as if he had won a big lottery prize. He went on until the throbbing in his head pulsed again and he lay down on the ground, heaving relieved sighs to ease his headache.

He glanced aside when he heard a buzz and continued to watch as a bee came toward a red flower, picking its pollens before it went to another. The sight of the flower and its foul smell reminded him of something.

Then it came tumbling down.

He sat up and stared in horror at the evergreens, the leafless saplings, the bushes, the redbirds and crows...

...he was still stuck in the Constant.

Realization dawned onto him and he gulped in fright; he hadn't thought much about this world being so unforgiving from his point of view during his time on the Nightmare Throne. Now that he knew, he sighed miserably and got up, filled with determination to survive above anything else.

He dusted the dirt away from his three-piece suit and felt a bulge in his pocket. Curiously, he pulled out whatever was in there, and was more than surprised to see a book with the capital letter 'M' was on its cover.

The Codex Umbra.

He stared at the book for a long time, memories of his past came flashing in his mind. Only when a redbird fluttered by did he noticed the day hadn't changed much; the sun was still out, ensuring every friendly creature there with its radiant light.

But he knew he was wasting time, so he kept the tome inside his jacket and went venturing.

(line break)

He managed to collect a large number of cut grass, twigs, logs and even found four gold nuggets from the graveyard. The food he gathered too, was more than enough for him to satiate his hunger.

He had just plucked a berry bush clean when the sun finally set down, causing the world to darken slightly.

"Charlie will be waking up soon," he noted a bit melancholically, and began to start a campfire. It was rather tedious, having to make fire the old way, but it worked and he beamed proudly before sat on the grassy ground.

"Sure beats darkness," he said before starting to cook some of the berries. He had seen some rabbits around the biome and decided to catch some if he got time.

"That fire is small and boring."

He stopped and looked up, seeing a young woman in red and black before him. In her hand was a small lighter with a flower engraved on its body.

"At least it does its job well," he countered, setting the berries aside. "Say pal, you're new here?"

"Not really, just got here a few days ago," she replied and sat across the fire. He shifted slightly as she pulled out three bundles of grass before adding them to the fire, making it blaze brightly. "That, is a real fire," she grinned and scooted closer.

Just as she did so, night came.

He was slightly taken aback at the sudden change but then frowned at the person opposite him; surely the heat didn't bother her much if she was willing to stay close as possible to it. But here was a companion, and he was more than elated. He only felt a bit uncomfortable with her interest of fire.

"So..." he cleared his throat and tugged his red tie loosely, "Maxwell's the name."

"Willow," was the reply. "That's not your real name, isn't it?"

His eyes widened in shock when he heard it.

"Well, it isn't," he confided after a long silence, wondering if she was reading his mind. "It's William. William Carter."

Willow smirked. "Nice to meet you, William." She held out her hand in which he instantly felt suspicious of her attempt. She somewhat reminded him of someone, what with her gesture and all.

"Just call me Maxwell," he insisted as they shook hands. "Besides, I hadn't use that name for a long time." He turned away from her with a sour look.

"Suit yourself," said Willow when he made no further moves of conversations. Her eyes then caught the faint glint of the gold nuggets. "You won't mind if I have one of your golds?"

Maxwell glanced a bit before handing her one. "What'd you have in mind with it?" he asked skeptically. "Something beneficial," she answered with a wide grin and thanked him for the gold before setting to work.

He only watched as she bent the gold using some rocks and arranged the logs so that they can support whatever she was working on. He admitted, she seemed to know things and was skilful to handle some work.

Just like someone he remembered.

He wondered what had happened to him. Judging from the long daylight, he probably had changed some rules of the Constant, and there will be more to come if he wasn't careful.

We, he corrected himself as his eyes fell onto Willow. He threw two more cut grasses into the fire to keep it going and gazed deeply into the darkness ahead, wondering what had happened to his once beautiful companion.

"Charlie..." he mumbled sadly, only to be pulled back into reality when he heard a clank. Annoyed, he exhaled deeply and turned to his partner to mind her own business but was stopped with the sight of a machine, its center was turning to emphasize its function.

"Say pal, how about we do some science?" Willow's grin broke his surprise.