Marceline opened her eyes, to find herself suspended in mid-air. She was back in the abandoned city, the emerald skies glaring down on her once more. She felt the same familiar coldness wrapping her up tightly, preventing her from moving freely.

The Lich, she now knew its true name, was standing before her just as it had done several times before. She heard, almost felt, the scratchy dark voice that the Lich spoke; once more it shook Marceline to her very core.

Come to me, Marceline.

Come into the circle.

Come to me, Marceline.

Once again, she felt herself being pulled closer to the Lich, its menacing eyes filling her up with fear. She tried to pull away from it, but once again to no avail.

You cannot escape, Marceline.

Come into the circle.

"NO!" She tried her hardest to overcome its terrifying gaze and the feeling that it left her. The more she fought though, the weaker she became as if it were sapping away at every bit of strength that she had in her body. Eventually, she decided to give in to the Lich's power, knowing that this was the end for her. No one was around to help, not even Simon whom had dropped her at such a height.

Come to the circle.

Come to it and feel my wrath on the universe.

Come into the circle, little Marceline.

The voice steadily grew fainter as she found herself. She was falling right toward the river. A hard tug on her coat lifted her up and gradually closer to safety. Her head still spinning, she tried to familiarise herself with where she had landed. Then she saw Simon, and her mind became focused once more.

"I thought I'd lost you, little Marcy."

"Why did you let go?"

"I was fighting against the crown"

Simon had been so focused on keeping himself together, that he had dropped Marceline by mistake.

"Realising that I dropped you jerked me right back into myself, and I knew I had to catch you. I really thought that I'd lost you, little Marcy. I'm so sorry."

"I knew that crown was a bad idea, Mr Simon. But it's alright, I am safe and I want to keep going with you." She took his hand and smiled.

"Well now that's over, where on earth are we?"

Slowly, they turned away from the edge of the slope. There were trees going along for quite some time, as if the bridge led to a short forest path to the next town. It was rather shaded and would make for a good spot to stay overnight, if they didn't need to get as far as they could in the next few hours.

Remembering what he had noticed about the damage done to the wall, he started making his way through the trees, Marceline still holding his hand.

"Why are we walking so quickly, Mr Simon? Shouldn't we find somewhere to make a camp?"

"I think that might be too risky now. I feel that something isn't quite right about being here."

"What do you mean, Mr Simon?"

Before he could respond, there was a slight rustling coming from behind them.

"We need to get on the path, quickly"

"Why, Mr. Simon?

"Just follow me, and be careful otherwise you'll trip"

The rustling was getting louder. Simon knew that the path was only a short distance from where they were, but it still didn't settle too well with him what could be hiding in the trees. He helped Marceline over fallen tree trunks and carried her after she tripped on a root. They finally made it on the path, but the rustling didn't seem to fade; it was in fact getting closer.

Simon placed a hand over his crown, ready to put it on in case of something rather sinister lurking in the forest, all the while keeping Marceline close to him.

"Keep quiet, Marcy. I think there could be something nearby"

"Like a monster?"

"I don't know. Just stick with me"

They waited each second as they watched carefully in the trees. They heard breathing, then a low grumble. Eventually the sound's owner crept out through the bushes. It was merely a small deer, following them; it appeared to have been afraid of something and took a liking to Marceline. It came over to Marcy and allowed her to pet it on its nose.

"We have another companion joining us for the night."

"Can the deer come with us then, Mr Simon?"

"Well, he can stay with us overnight, but tomorrow we will need to find him somewhere to make a home for himself"

"What if he's the only animal that survived?"

"He might be, but there could be more out there. Though now that shouldn't matter too much. We need to make a camp for now"

Simon decided to make a small camp a mile down from where they found the deer, sticking close to the path for when of an escape. The deer was given food and a small pile of moss and leaves used as bedding. It seemed rather content.

Still paranoid of what might be out there, he kept watch for most of the night, keeping a close eye on Marceline using a torch he had found near the bottom of the camping bag. Every now and again he would walk around the camp where they slept, making sure nothing was hiding nearby. Slowly he drifted off after a few hours.

A little distance away from the camp, someone or something was watching them carefully, waiting for the right moment to strike. It could be hours before they do; because they want to wait until the perfect time. The unknown person's breathing was raspy, as if they had run for some distance, possibly seeking the ones who slept in the camp. They watched and waited until dawn came, waiting until that one perfect moment.