I do not own Adventure Time.

~~o~~

Chapter 11 - Blank Points Pt. 3

Keeoth was having a real trouble. He had flew for hours on end, then when his wings got tired, Keeoth ran for a few more hours. With all his efforts, the Greater Demon, Abaddon still chased him.

"C'mon dude! It's just few drops of blood! I just need some to make a hat! Stop chasing me!"

The demon just stared at him, facial features unchanging, and continued to ran after him. Trails of Abaddon's feathers lay on the crystal flooring, with no wind to blow them away. This particular demon scared Keeoth to a certain degree more than the demons in Nightosphere. Abaddon looked like a cross between a stuffed turkey and a headless knight.

Keeoth finally saw the person he was hoping to meet, one of the non-demon and the only non-evil being inside the Crystal Citadel. The muscled young human looked really tough, standing around six feet in height. Keeoth thought that was obvious. For fifteen Ooo years, he only experienced 'the Reset' twice. This human fought day and night for the past fifteen years and only died twice.

"Hey, Langhorn! C'mon Samuel, help me man!"

The human insist they call him by his name Samuel but during his stay inside the prison, he acquired the title of 'the Langhorn'. Samuel the Langhorn, the fierce human who languidly snapped the horns of the demons he defeated like it was just picking daisies in the park.

Samuel looked at his direction, the jingling of his chainmail made of demon horns echoing across the nothingness. "Why would I even do that? Demon, you're a demon. If anything I should add your horn to my collection too."

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Keeoth evaded a petrifying beam from Abaddon as they ran in circle around Samuel. "I have knowledge of the Lich's location!"

"Very well, Keeoth."

Samuel drew his blade from its scabbard. It looked pitiful in Keeoth's eyes, being an accomplished blacksmith himself. Samuel's sword was marred by numerous battle-scars and chips. It was never an impressive sword to begin with and the damages only improved its general ugliness.

But this is Samuel the Langhorn.

The human pulled down the hood of his off-white cloak, exposing his equally scarred face and shoulder length blonde hair. Samuel's cerulean eyes locked on his prey and threw his sword. The Abaddon dropped down, the sword sticking up from the demon's chest.

"Fruitless! This demon doesn't even have a horn..."

"What's with your fetish for demon horns, anyway?"

Samuel pulled his sword, shook off the demon blood, and slid it inside the tattered scabbard. He then proceeded to stroke his moustache. Keeoth was certainly impressed by the human. It would take more days or weeks for Abaddon to be Reset and pester him again. That is how the Crystal Citadel works. Easy to get into, impossible to get out; not even by dying.

"Just tell me where I can find the Lich."

Keeoth gazed through the dark, cave-like crystal citadel. He can not see the other side of the prison, for it was theorized to go on and on forever. It should have been called Endless and Timeless Crystal Cave instead.

"The Abaddon left a trail of feathers, it should lead to the Lich's whereabouts."

"What were you even doing with his followers anyway?" The young man shot Keeoth a piercing look.

Suddenly, Abaddon's corpse dissipated into a shower of flowing embers that was carried by the non-existent wind to some place only Glob knows where. It took him a few seconds to reply, being both scared of his 'friend' and amazed by the light show. "I was just snooping around. Haven't you noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

"The Citadel gets new prisoners now and then, and since no one can really die in here, it should be normal that the number of demons and other fiends should rise, right?"

Samuel looked lost in thought for a moment. "Yeah, now that you pointed it out, there are less demons seeking a fight with me."

He knew Samuel wouldn't really kill him, but Keeoth really wanted to prolong the conversation so he could properly bargain with his life just in case he was serious with his threat earlier. "And it so happens that that incident started on the day the Lich set foot here in this prison."

"C'mon then. Let's follow the feathers. I wanted to challenge the Lich anyway."

Now that Samuel pointed it out, the Lich never did messed with the two of them and preferred to lurk in the shadows. The second time he came across the followers, they were gaining in number. Something was happening behind the lines, and Keeoth was certain he doesn't want to be part of it. Where can I even hide in this place though? You can see the flat expanse of crystal floor, the domed crystal ceiling, but no walls. Just perpetual bleakness. You can only see a few feet from you before the darkness swallows the view. There wasn't even light source to begin with. One nosy demon might just walk over him accidentally and eventually.

Crystal Citadel is one weird prison. They don't get hungry, cold, hot, old or anything. They just exist. Passive existence was never an option for wrongdoers, so sometimes riots break the monotony. Keeoth participated once and vowed never to join again.

"How much farther, Keeoth? I swear if you're pulling my leg, I'll reap every tendons in your body."

"I dunno, Sammy. I was running and flying for hours but seeing that time doesn't hold meaning here, it could have been just a few minutes."

Samuel pointed somewhere up ahead. "Looks like your estimate was right."

A few feet from them, a gathering of probably every prisoner the Citadel held stood around the tall figure of the Lich. It seemed like a meeting of utmost importance officiated by the being. Heads, tendrils, tongues, and fingers nodded in what seemed to be agreement on what the Lich was babbling about. Keeoth heard a few snippets of the Lich's monologue.

"...is time to take up arms against a common enemy. This arrogant swordsman had humiliated all of you for a long time now -"

"Samuel, they seemed to be talking about you!"

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Captain Obvious."

Keeoth let out a groan. "Why are you so casual about this?"

"I can take them on. Besides if I die, I only..."

Keeoth looked at the human tauntingly. "Now, you just remembered. The folks you defeated never came back, Sammy."

The human was unfazed by that though. "That just makes this more interesting then."

I can't believe it. What is wrong with you? You don't even seem to belong here!

"...that fool, Samuel the Langhorn must be stopped! And I have the way to extinguish his life permanently. All you have to do is kill him one more time!"

To Keeoth's horror, the Lich looked at them directly. His frightening half-skin, half-skeletal face shone with emerald fire coming from his left eye. Keeoth could feel the blood drain from his face. This would not be the first time he will die, and surely he hoped this wouldn't be the last. Well, at least you'll get away from this place.

"...and after we butcher that human, I will rip open a passage out of this Crystal Citadel. For the Line That Divides was never a restraint and never was a partition, it is the Pristine Corridor."

"Pssh, looks like this Lich was promising a non-existent escape route huh?" Samuel looked at him directly. "How good are you in a fight?"

"I'm practically useless."

"Then stay close to me and try not to get in the way of my blade."

"No. I've got a plan."

Keeoth saw the look of terror in Samuel's eyes as he sucked out all but the last ounce of blood in his own body to fashion a crimson kite shield for the swordsman. Keeoth handed it to Samuel before dropping to the floor weakly. "Use it well, my friend. If I don't come back, try not to miss me. Hehe."

"You fool...go to sleep then, Keeoth. May Fate be kinder to you in the next cycle."

The last thing Keeoth saw was the advancing army of the Multiverse worst nightmares as they threaten to overwhelm the lone standing human. Then everything went black.

~~o~~

"I don't get it Prismo. Simon was able to hold back the influence of the Crown for years. Why did the alternate Finn went mad instantly?"

"Because he willingly accepted the Crown to save his family, unlike Simon who despised the object."

Bonnie, who was secretly a sucker for romantic things, interjected. "It is a shame. That blingwad could have save that girl, Flanna, instead of letting her die of hypothermia."

Marceline sure thought that Finn Mertens and Flanna Hacksworth's side of tale was truly beautiful and tragic. Even when the moment the alternate Marceline made a wish to give the couple a better ending (where Finn the humble farmboy, married the hotshot firefly, Flanna and had a kid) the tragic universe still existed.

She grimaced at the thought of Ice Prince spending hundreds of years to revive the girl she loved so much, without even remembering her name, but only to fail again. Flanna was revived into an exact image of Flame Princess; frost and fire, together they can still cause the end of the world like FP and Finn. I wonder what would be Ice Prince reaction if he ever saw his another alternate self having a better life with Flanna?

"What happened to the Jake-Lich anyway after the Prince trapped it into a hole in the earth?"

"Don't worry, Princess. It's still in there but for some strange reason, it is becoming weaker and weaker."

The Vampire Queen thought for a while. "What if I just wished everything to be alright?"

Prismo chortled annoyingly. "Girl, that would have just transported you in a universe where everything is okay, but eventually, Ice Prince's budding time-space manipulation will spread its influence throughout the Multiverse. In Glob's words, a moot point."

Bonnie interjected again. "Well, it might be better than what you tasked Finn and Jake to do."

Marceline agreed silently. Prismo asked the brothers to incapacitate the Ice Prince, halt him from accepting the new powers that was arising from within him, and keep the Flame Princess safe. All of those based on Cosmic Owl's cryptic prophecy. In a sense, they're going against Fate.

"Your plan? I can't see how will it work out. How could the two do those feats is way beyond me." Marceline opted to tell what were her thoughts about the matter. "Why can't we just kill the Prince and be done with it?

"That would just result in another universe being born, Queenie, one where the Prince still lives."

"Ugh, Bonnie..my head hurts. C'mon give me a massage."

The Princess just scoffed at her, apparently immune now from her teasing. Bonnie then spoke to Prismo as she lazily flicked through the TV Wall with the remote. "But why can't you let us see what's happening with the two?"

"You'll just flip over into hysterics if you do, c'mon."

The TV Wall now showed some person wearing a suit of armor inside of what seemed to be a fortress. The knight nervously looked around and slid inside his scabbard a long sword with an infinity symbol in its hilt. The blade radiates with bluish aura that seemed to reach for the person holding it.

"Wagglesags, that's boring! Why can't you just send us to Finn and Jake's whereabouts to help them?!"

"You see Princess, sending over those two made me broke hundreds of rules. I'm not inclined to break them again. Glob came earlier to warn me about my meddling." Prismo looked away uncomfortably. "He thinks I'm just favoring one universe over the others."

"Look, Prismo, we promise you we won't go ballistic. No matter what we see in the alternate universe. Just let us watch over the two weenies, please! Right, Bonnie?"

Marceline looked at Bonnie who was glued to the TV Wall again, apparently enticed by what it currently shows. An older and more mature looking Finn and Flame Princess were kissing indiscriminately somewhere in the Fire Kingdom, unheeding to other people. Pink flames enveloped them in an infinity sign. The Vampire Queen admitted the scene was kinda romantic, noting the relative attractiveness of both the couple. Finn certainly looked...handsome.

Prismo noticed her reaction and smirked. "I think I know what's happening here."

"Hey, Bonnie! Cut it out!" She snatched the remote and switched to a random universe. "Did you even heard what I said?"

"Yeah, and I agreed. You're just too busy looking at Finn too to notice my response."

Marceline shot him an annoyed look. "So how about it Prismo? Deal?"

"...Alright. I kinda crave some company anyway."

The remote disappeared from her hand and rematerialize near Prismo. He pushed a button and the TV Wall flickered for a moment, like a channel with bad reception, before clearing up.

The scene instantly made them tensed.

"Uh-uh. You kinda promised not to be hysterical."

~~o~~

The next chapter was already finished. It just need some more improvement. I fear my chapters are becoming inconsistent in terms of quality.

Ooobserver: Thanks, man! Have a digital cookie.

Guest: I dunno, dude. Unless an administrator or many people get offended, I'm inclined not to change the rating. Thanks for the review anyway.

The concept of Crystal Citadel is really interesting. I wonder why the creators never pushed through with their idea about it?