A/N: Sorry for the sudden halt in updates; I got hit by writer's block and just got my inspiration back recently.

Wendy scanned her surroundings in wary, trying to pinpoint the position of the vicious hounds that were coming to her, and her partner. In her hand was a red flower, floating in her palm.

"Wait for me, Abigail," she muttered, caressing one of its petals. She caught the sight of a rabbit hole and placed the flower next to it.

"Can you dig this hole for me, Wolfgang?" she asked the muscled man beside her.

"You calling your sister, Miss Wendy?" the man questioned in return. "Indeed I do; she's ready to play with us," said the Bereaved.

Wolfgang pulled out a shovel from his backpack while Wendy already had her axe in hand. "Maybe it's best if Wolfgang kill the bunny for you," he told her with the faintest hint of worry, the tip of the shovel already dug into the burrow slightly.

"It won't work that way, dear friend," Wendy explained. "If you say so," he said with a shrug and dug the rabbit hole in one try.

The horned rabbit scurried away as soon as its home was destroyed, but its life was swiftly ended in two swipes of Wendy's axe.

The red flower was bathed with the rabbit's blood, and seconds later, it disappeared with a ghost took its place.

"Hello, Abigail," Wendy greeted her deceased twin sister, who replied with a whisper. She picked up the dead rabbit and placed it in her backpack for food. "Do you want to play with us?" she continued, glancing at Wolfgang.

The muscled man was trembling from head to toe and she refrained herself from laughing at him. "Forgive me for not telling you, Wolfgang," she said instead. "This is my twin sister, Abigail."

The strongman blinked at the apparation before him. "It's...nice to meet you, Miss Abigail," he held out his shaky hand. He noted the ghost also sported a red flower like Wendy, the only difference was that the flower was at her left side.

Abigail let out a cheerful noise which he assumed as a reply. Hearing her, he smiled weakly, only to be interrupted by the howls that had chased them since two days ago.

"Wonder how many of them will come," Wendy murmured, gripping the axe in her hand. Seeing that, Wolfgang replaced the shovel with a hammer and slowly pounded it in his right palm, ready to fight the beasts.

Suddenly, Abigail wailed softly.

"What is it, Abby?" the blonde girl asked. "Someone's in danger?" she went on as her twin sister continued with a nod.

"Let's go toward west, Wolfgang. Someone needs us." With that, Wendy headed to said direction, followed by Abigail. The muscled man only sighed miserably before tailing the two.

(line break)

Maxwell only watched as his partner, Willow practically skipped ahead of him as they walked toward the white building that caught their eyes a while ago.

Why do I feel this is a bad idea? he mused. He glanced at his shadow double, which he has conjured from the Codex Umbra. "What do you think about it?" he asked quietly.

The shadow puppet merely raised its shoulders as if to say, "Oh, I don't know; what do you think of it?"

"Probably one of his playthings he had set up to torture us," the man stroked his pointed chin as he deduced his thoughts.

"Then what's the problem? Just tell her she can go there by herself and let's continue doing our job."

"But I don't want her to get caught in his hands. She could get killed, you know that, right? Besides, it won't hurt to investigate what that building was for."

"You've made your own choice. If something bad happens, well let's just say your curiosity was the one that killed you."

"Fine." Maxwell turned away from the shadow puppet grumpily, muttering something unintelligible when Willow's voice brought his attention and he looked up, mouth agape in amazement.

The structure was shining brightly under the moonlight and he had to squint his eyes from the glaring sight before him.

"It looks...ancient," was his first impression about the building. Several stone pillars of it had some markings embedded on them, though he took no notice about them.

"And pretty," Willow gushed with eyes lit up in joy.

"Even prettier than your fire?" Maxwell couldn't help to say it, eyebrows raised. His mouth almost broke into a mischievous grin but he stopped himself, knowing the woman had quite a punch.

"Not fire pretty, although I do feel the same soothing aura fire always gives me," she retorted. She took a step into the building and gazed at him. "You're coming?" she asked.

The man turned to his clone, which only shrugged and folded its arms.

"Go ahead, I will take care on what's happening out here."

With that, Maxwell followed Willow into the mysterious structure.

(line break)

"Would you look at that!!" Willow exclaimed as she entered the only room of the building. "Maxwell, please don't tell me you've gathered too much food!!"

"And why was that?" Said man asked as he loitered into the room as well.

"Look around you!!" she ordered in elation.

Maxwell blinked hard at the sight before him.

Every meal he could think of was on the long table as he scanned around the room. He gulped, hungrily staring at the food. He noted that some of them were just placed recently, judging from the steam and the aromatic smell that flooded his senses.

B-but this is insane, he thought. Why would he do this? I'm such a jerk to him back when I was the King. Did he ever have any remorse on me?

As if to answer him, a small piece of paper floated in front of him and he grabbed it, scanning the words written on it:

Dig in.

"Oi, Maxwell!"

Willow's brash voice woke him up and he turned to her, absent-mindedly crumpling the paper in his right hand.

She was holding two plates, in which she placed them on the roundtable of the room. "I don't know what meal suits you, so I just picked a bit of everything and put them together!" she shouted.

"That's fine!" he called back before heading toward her and sat on a red armchair. He gazed up to see its design and briefly touched the fabric, wondering if he had known the seat before.

"Oh my, the food here is such luxury!" Willow spoke excitedly as she sank into the same seat opposite him and picked up the eating utensils. "I can't wait to dig in!"

"We might as well do it now, young Willow," Maxwell said, already taking a bite of the steak served. He watched as she muttered her prayers and followed suit, savoring the meal.

After what seemed like a good hour, they finished.

"That was such a good meal," the firestarter said, leaning against her seat. "Makes you wonder why the King's being generous all of sudden."

"As a form of gift, I suppose," Maxwell wiped his mouth with a napkin before continuing, "for surviving the endless two nights."

"Do you think it will happen again?"

"Probably."

They sat in silence for a few minutes when Willow got up from her armchair. "We better get going, Maxwell. The full moon isn't going to last long and we both know we've wasted too much time."

"Sure," the man said, only to be interrupted by his hands, which were budged to his seat. Stunned, he tried to lift them but to no avail.

"Willow, help me! I seem to get stuck to this chair!" he called out in panic. He felt invisible bonds wrapped around his limbs and shuddered; the memories of his time spent on the Nightmare Throne filled his mind.

Realization hit him like a train soon after.

"Say pal, looks like you're having some trouble!"

Of course this is a trap!! Maxwell lamented, his own words echoed around. This seat; it was the one he sat on back then!!

"I'm afraid I can't help you, Maxwell."

Hearing that, he looked at his partner with widened eyes full of disbelief. She in return, gazed at him sympathetically.

Clenching his fists, he heard the rustle of the paper in his right hand and quickly flipped it over, in which the words on it confirmed him:

For it will be your last.

"Sweet dreams, William," Willow continued.

Maxwell only watched in horror as her eyes turned fully red with a twisted grin crossed her face. She lifted her right hand and snapped her fingers.

The whole room was plunged into darkness.

(line break)

Wendy arrived at the scene where the howls of the hounds were the loudest, only to be greeted by the sight of a woman fighting against the brutes with her spear.

"Abigail," she looked at her sister, who had just arrived, "help her."

The bereaved's deceased sister immediately turned red and glided toward the beasts that attacked the poor survivor. The hounds whined in pain as Abigail hurt them with invisible claws. Soon after, all of the hounds were killed, leaving behind purplish meats.

"Sorry!" Wendy heard a man's voice. She turned around and smiled weakly at her partner, Wolfgang. "You're late," she said.

"Wolfgang got sidetracked," the strongman admitted with a blush. "Someone needs help!" He quickly rushed to the survivor, who was lying on the ground.

"Are you alright?" he asked. He gazed at her items, one that could give him clues of whatever he can call her at the moment.

He spotted a small lighter with a flower on its metallic body, gripped tightly in her left hand.

"Fire lady!" he called out. "Do you need any help?"

"Th-thank you, wh...whoever you are," the stranger spoke, gasping weakly. "It seems that I will die again, though. By the same brutes that had seized my life once."

"Say no more, fire lady! Miss Wendy will fix you!" Panicked, he tried to reassure her.

"Life is nice when it lasted." With a giggle, she continued.

"She's not very well in mind, Wolfgang," said Wendy, who crouched next to him. "Stay still, miss. Close your eyes and you will be fine."

She let out a pasty-looking item from her backpack and sighed. Death, she mused, is inevitable. Too bad I can't let her to do so.

She briefly caught the whisper in her ears when she applied the healing salve to the stranger:

"You did the right thing, Miss Wendy. And you've found your new partners."