Webber's POV

"Tyler, hold on, slow down!" Wilbur shouted, scrambling to keep up with me as I ran on ahead. I let out a huffy sigh, crossing my arms and waiting for my friends to join me. Wilbur nearly tumbled down the slope I had slid down with ease, pausing to catch his breath and to let our human companions join as well. The only one properly keeping up with me was Popsicle, who now paced around my feet and pawed at the dirt, ready to run again.

"I'd love to run to keep up with you guys, but someone's gotta make sure Pyrite doesn't set the forest on fire!" Winona called from the back of the group, with Wilson just a few steps ahead of her. Even Chester was with us right now, standing silently at Wilson's side with his tongue sticking out.

"Your companions are scrubs," Wilbur snarked, dragging himself back up and staring back at the humans. Winona paused only for a second at the slope before using one hand to keep her balance and sliding smoothly down the mud. Wilson hesitated for a moment longer, and his descent was much less graceful.

"Are we sure that... um... Wilbur knows where he's going?" Wilson asked, furiously dusting himself off as if he had been clean before the muddy hill. "We've been doing a whole lot of walking."

"Tell your friend that he's stupid."

"He knows what he's doing."

"That is not what I said."

I chuckled and gazed down at the indignant prime ape. "If you're so desperate to be understood by them, maybe speak English."

"English is the language of fools," Wilbur proclaimed. "But if you insist, I shall employ my extremely limited mind you knowledge of English for this one." He turned on his heel, stuck his tongue out, and shouted: "Stupid!"

Winona barked a laugh, covering her mouth with one hand as Wilson glared at her. "He's been leading us in what I'm pretty sure is circles!" He exclaimed. "And forgive me if not entirely believing this nonsense about talking to WX!"

When I bared my teeth at him, he finally silenced himself, grumbling lowly. Winona and Wilson clearly didn't quite believe Wilbur to be as intelligent as a human, and his inability (or refusal) to speak directly with them only solidified that incorrect thought.

When Wilbur had woken earlier that morning, spouting stuff about dream-stepping, I was a bit cautious as well. He told me once before about his ability to call for Charlie, and how the last time, it had been my lost friend to answer the call, but this seemed more extreme. Wilbur hadn't called for anyone and had expressed genuine confusion about WX calling for him. It was something that really only Maxwell should have been able to do. Nonetheless, he believed his words wholeheartedly, and some of the details he added was enough to convince me.

The book, apparently named the Codex Umbra, that we had once relied on for information, was not something I had shared with him. I had honestly forgotten about it, given how long it had been since we had last needed it. But, in the beginning, it had been WX to bring back the strange tome, with absolutely no explanation about where it had come from. His initial explorations had taken him quite far from camp, as this current adventure proved.

And then... the shells. While Wilbur had been there when I had given the Ancient Guardian the seashells, but the sparkle in his eyes when he mentioned them. He was wearing them. He received them. Well, it was enough for me to believe that Wilbur knew what he was doing.

Or, maybe, just maybe, Wilbur was horrendously lost.

"See, I recognize this tree," Wilbur said, arching his tail to motion at the tree beside him. "Because I saw the branches and thought they looked like a middle finger. But then I don't remember... hmm. Gah, what do all trees look the same!?" He hit his forehead with his fist.

"He's lost, isn't he?" Winona said lightly, and I gave her a loose shrug in response.

"No! No I'm not! I just need a better view. Tyler, give me a boost!" Without waiting for me to consent, Wilbur launched himself onto my shoulders, clinging tightly on and staring straight ahead. I felt his tail flicking against one of my whiskers, which twitched in response.

"Wilbur, you're a prime ape. Just climb a tree."

"You're right!" Wilbur exclaimed, a bit too loudly given that he was right in my ear, before promptly disembarking and clambering up the middle-finger tree.

I shook my head, sighing fondly.

Winona and Wilson came to stand beside me, craning their necks to peer into the branches. "Are you sure we should be following him?" Wilson scratched his head. "I mean, he's a monkey and its taken him this long to climb a tree. He can't even monkey right."

"Actually, he's an ape," I corrected. "A prime ape."

Wilson tapped his chin. "No no, he's a monkey. He's got a tail, see? Apes don't have tails."

"Humans are also fantastic at being wrong about everything," I said. "How could a species called a 'prime ape' be a monkey? Think, Wilson."

He opened his mouth to argue, but Winona patted his shoulder to stop him before he could. "Calm down, it's just semantics."

Wilbur dropped from the tree with a loud thunk, causing both of the humans to jump in surprise. He dusted himself off, grinned at me, then started walking forward once more. "I've got my bearings again. Okay! Not gonna get lost again! Not... that I was in the first place of course!"

I tipped my head at the others and jumped to catch up with Wilbur. He certainly seemed confident once more, head held high and tail arched over his back. Popsicle fell into step behind us, sniffing at the tree litter every once in awhile as if trying to get his own bearings.

"So... I guess I'm a little confused," Winona spoke up after several minutes of silence. Wilson gave a small 'hmm?' of acknowledgment and I glanced back at her. "Maxwell's Door is the portal that got us here? So then, realistically, it should take us back home, right?"

"That's the plan," Wilson said.

"Then... what's the point of all the fanfare about us? If this is how the whole thing is supposed to end? You know, why go through the trouble of all the fancy titles and promises if it was just going to end with us going through the door and going home? This isn't adding up."

"Well, you guys are from a different world, right?" I asked. "You're not from here?"

Wilson frowned slightly. "I guess you are, aren't you?"

"So is Wilbur. So... if Maxwell's Door does take us home, then I'll still be in this world. Still present to take the Throne, I guess." I shrugged, hoping to appear nonchalant. "Which means... I'll probably have to say my goodbyes to you two."

Winona froze, her eyes wide, causing the rest of us to pause as well. "Wait, I can't leave yet! What about Charlie?"

Wilbur perked up. "Wait, how does she know Charlie?"

"That's her sister," I said.

He slowly raised his hands, pressing them into his eyes. "You mean... Charlie. My friend Charlie. The same Charlie who is possessed by Nightmare, serves the Nightmare Throne, and tries to keep the timeline in order. The very same Charlie that I have mentioned several times before and you have never mentioned to be one of your companion's siblings?"

I opened my mouth to discredit that, but found myself unable to. Charlie is, by no means, a rare name. And really, even the simple idea of Wilbur's friend and Winona's sister being the same is just so off the wall that the possibility never occurred to me. "Charlie's not a rare name," I mumbled.

"In a world like this?! When there's been like, thirty people max that have ever been brought here? Charlie is indeed a very rare name! Ask her to tell me more about her if you doubt it. Or, better yet, name drop 'William Carter'."

"Winona, does the name William Carter ring a bell?" I asked the handywoman. She stared at me for a moment, then nodded.

"I think I've mentioned him before. That was Charlie's fiance. Is Wilbur okay? He seems pretty worked up."

"Fun fact," Wilbur said. "William Carter is Maxwell's real name."

"What!?" I shouted this in English, drawing the attention of the entire group once more. "What do you mean William is Maxwell's real name!?"

"I'm sorry, what? I don't think I'm following. How on Earth do you know about William and his stage name? Is he here?" Winona's eyes were wide, and she looked almost uncomfortable. Like she was very much not a fan of this conversation, but it was one that needed to happen.

"You guys all put pieces together, but can we do it while walking?" Wilbur asked.

And so, we did, struggling to connect pieces together in a coherent way.

"The last time I saw Charlie and William was at their last show. There was an earthquake and a lot of people swore they saw shadows coming from the book they used for their act. I didn't see them, personally, but the stories are pretty consistent. They were always together, almost inseparable, but William... I dunno, something was wrong with him. He wasn't himself before the show."

"If it is the same people, which I'm beginning to believe it is, then the book, whatever it was-"

"The Codex Umbra," Wilbur filled in.

"The Codex Umbra," I corrected. "Brought them here. But then Maxwell- er, William- got put on the Nightmare Throne. And Charlie became... Wilbur, fill me in on that. What's Charlie's situation?"

"She's Nightmare's host," Wilbur said. "Not like The Host, but in the sense that she is Nightmare's vessel. Or... whatever it has. Nightmare takes her appearance, and without her, it would die. However, it also uses her to do its bidding, like stalking the darkness and attacking people who stay out at night. The Nightmare Servant is what she's called."

"Charlie became... possessed by a demon and now kills people in the dark." I scowled at the sour taste the words left in my mouth. "But she's not evil."

"No. She's not evil," Wilbur agreed. "When Nightmare's not involved, she's entirely innocent. Honestly, she's probably the least evil person here."

"She's not evil," I said again, more confidently.

"She's... possessed by a demon," Winona repeated softly, wringing her hands together. "But she's not evil. Can we save her?"

"If you're in the business of drinking disgusting poisoned blood and Nightmare likes you better than her, then sure." Wilbur shrugged. "It can only jump between vessels through blood contact, and only if it chooses."

I relayed the information.

"What about me, then?" Wilson argued. "How did I become its host if I never had contact with its blood?"

"Translate for me, Tyler: Your title, like mine, is sort of misleading. You weren't actually Nightmare's host. Nightmare possessed you, yes. Could control your mind and words and feelings, but really, it was just controlling parts of your brain. It wouldn't have had full power over you. The possession that Charlie is under is much more absolute. Her body is Nightmare's vessel. That's why if you ever actually see Nightmare, it looks like a twisted version of her. If someone else became its vessel, then it would look like them."

"Then what does that mean for Charlie?" Winona pressed when I finished relaying the message.

"It means that unless somebody else gets Nightmare juice in their body, she's like that forever." Wilbur shook his head. "Trust me, if I could have helped Charlie, I would have. But I'm not stupid enough to subject myself to that torture. Nightmare... doesn't need more power over me."

My translation wasn't exact, but I also didn't want Winona to go out and get herself possessed for Charlie's sake.

"I'm sure she's fine," Wilson reasoned. "It seems as if she's very much made a decent place for herself here. I mean... being possessed by a demon isn't great, but it sounds like she's a bright spot in a dark place."

"She would be," Winona mused softly. "But... I'm sorry. I can't leave without her. We'll find this Door, but I can't go with you guys."

"I'm not touching that door," Wilbur said. "Once you guys are gone, I'll probably go back to the Archipelago. Who knows, maybe I'll try to help Charlie, too. She deserves that much at least after everything."

"Wilbur woud help you," I told Winona, who gave a soft smile and nodded thankfully at the prime ape.

"So then it's just me and Webber," Wilson sighed. "Webber, would you... risk... going to Earth? I mean, if the Door takes you there instead of your home..."

I inhaled sharply through my teeth. I... hadn't thought of that. I had assumed that it would be my home, given I remember building the Door. But Wilson made one as well, on his world. Where would it go?

"The better question is," I said wryly. "Would you risk being stuck in this world if it takes you to my home?"

"Um..." Wilson nervously looked around. "It's not like... as bad as this place, right?"

"Same creatures and everything. Just... civilized. I lived in a town."

"That's... I guess that would still be better than day-to-day survival."

"It's quite lovely. Just don't mess with the spiders."

Wilson was silent for a moment, as if he had to think about the joke, or maybe the fact that I would make it, but he eventually did give a small and awkward laugh, as if afraid I would take offense to the humor. I rolled my eyes good-naturedly, then glanced up at the trees.

"I think I want to stay a bit, though. I want to know where the Door is so I can leave when I'm ready, but... I think I want to stay with Winona and Wilbur. Try to help Charlie."

"What? Webber, come on..."

"I've been away from my family for four years now, Wilson. A little longer won't hurt. Besides." I scratched Popsicle's head, and the ice hound's tail thumped against the ground. "I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to Pop."

"I remember this!" Wilbur suddenly blurted, shooting forward. Without hesitation, I darted after him with Popsicle by my side. "There was that animal trail over there, and the berry bushes there..." I drew to a stop as Wilbur turned in a circle, pointing out various landmarks as he mentioned them. "Then that means..." He padded to a thick clump of brush, poking his head into the thorns to see on the other side. He drew back, fur tousled and prickers stuck in his fur, but a wide grin on his face. "Prepare to feel stupid for doubting me, humans."

As Winona, Wilson, and the duo of slower pets caught up to us, Wilbur drew back the plantlife to reveal...

Wilson yelped. as if in pain, clutching his head with a deep grimace. I flinched at the noise and flipped to look at him, but he was still standing, just with one eye half-closed as if struck with a headache. "Sorry. Don't- ah- don't worry about me. Just that... egh, that sound."

"It's Their favorite torture device," Wilbur agreed. He pushed forward until the brush fully cleared away into a flattened circle of grass. This place appeared well-worn, despite no obvious signs of footsteps or life. The mud was packed hard, with flattened grass stalks covering what normally would have been a muddy mess.

It was the machine in the center, though, that drew our attention.

Our attention.

Like Wilson, pain was building in the back of my head. But for me, it wasn't caused by whatever godawful sound the machine was producing. Rather, it was the familiar pang of a recently dormant spider testing the waters. With a low growl, I pushed back, and surprisingly, he gave rather easily. The pain faded.

The machine was shorter than I remembered, but that might have also been because of me having grown taller since last face-to-face with it. It was crude, appearing very much on the verge of collapsing under its own weight, but it held firm.

Winona shuddered. "Anyone else just get a terrible case of Deja Vu?"

"Mine didn't sound like that," Wilson complained.

"Maybe it did and you just forgot," I said helpfully. I paced closer, pausing only when Popsicle grabbed my lame hand. I glanced back at the puppy, confused by his reaction, as he desperately tried to drag me away. "It's okay, buddy," I promised. I reached up to scratch his cheek in an attempt to calm him down. "I'm not going yet. I'm just taking a look, okay?"

In the corner of my eye, I noticed both Chester and Pyrite trying to stop Wilson from getting closer to it. The scientist looked desperately confused, but his head must have been hurting too much to try to argue. Chester physically blocked his way, nudging Wilson's leg in the opposite direction, while Pyrite spat tiny globules of lava onto the ground in front of him, almost like a warning shot.

"Why... are they acting so weird?" Winona asked cautiously, remaining unharrassed by animals but noticing easily enough that we did not share the same convenience.

Popsicle barked frantically, and Wilbur scowled.

"It's bad. That's all he keeps saying. It's bad," the prime ape translated. He looked vaguely nauseous.

I touched the wood of the Door, ignoring Popsicle's low whine as I did so. It felt... strangely warm. Certainly not from the sun, given it was cast in shadows, but from something inside. Like machinery that had remained running and never had the chance to cool.

"So... I guess we say goodbye then?" Winona said softly, finally tearing her gaze away from Maxwell's Door. "At least... goodbye to Wilson?"

Wilson, for his part, seemed uncomfortable at being called out. He gazed up at it, something uncertain flickering in his eyes. Then, after a moment, his expression settled on something quiet and cold.

"No," he said calmly. He pushed Chester away and stepped over Pyrite's attempted barrier. Then, he placed his hand on the wood as well, fingers curling slightly into it as if beckoning something from inside. "There must be five. Five to make it to the end. We can't do that here."

Winona took a step closer, stopping only when Chester and Pyrite turned their attentions to her. "Um, Wilson?" She laughed uncomfortably. "Ah, uh, what are you talking about?"

"Do you seriously believe he would let us get this far and wouldn't push us to complete this?" Wilson said instead. He turned to face us, and suddenly, my entire body was swamped with terror.

I recognized this.

I stumbled away from him, violent trembling already starting even as both Wilbur and Winona reached out to me. I pushed away their advances, shaking my head furiously. "No. No no, no no no. You- I thought you would be-"

"I thought you would know more than anyone about biding your time, Webber. After all, is that not exactly what you're doing?" Wilson- Nightmare?- tapped his head, grinning wickedly. "We're too close to the surface here, though. Let us dive a little deeper, shall we?"

"Wilson don't!" Winona shouted, just as he pulled the lever on Maxwell's Door.

Despite myself, a raw scream of terror tore itself out of my chest as shadows burst through the Door. They twisted in on each other, dancing around themselves before branching out into clawed fingers. The terror reached a fever pitch as one of them latched onto me, and I found myself incapable of making any further sounds. Beside me, Winona stared blankly ahead as if in a state of shock, and Wilbur was hissing and thrashing against his binds, struggling to reach Wilson in what was likely a valiant attempt to flay the scientist alive.

Only I knew it was Nightmare here now.

Winona and Wilbur were dragged into the ground by the shadows with muffled cries, in a sight far too familiar to what we had experienced the last time this journey was made. Before they could take me, however, Nightmare beckoned them forward, and they lurched forward quickly to follow the demand.

"Find the machine," Nightmare said calmly. It reached forward, flicking one of my whiskers and chuckling softly as I flinched at the contact. "We'll be waiting for you in Darkness, Young Heir. But until then... toodles~"

I wanted to scream. I wanted to lunge at the creature that had stolen my once-friends face, to get revenge for everything that it had done to me. I wanted to cry. I wanted to hide and try to wait this out and pray that maybe, this time, Nightmare wouldn't succeed in killing me once and for all.

Instead of making any attempt to hurt me, though, it simply shook its head, then waved one hand. The shadows restricting me responded, and dragged me into the ground alongside the others into what I assumed would truly be the beginning of the end.