Chapter Text
Beginning....
It all begins with a wish.
A foolish wish at that- Every wish has it’s consequences.
“I wish... the Lich... never... even ever existed!”
From that wish, a timeline is born-
And alternate universe, with the changes put in place.
A bomb never struck and a boy untainted by magic...
However, that would change quickly.
A foolish wish it was- For the Lich’s birth precedes all wishes of any scale. He is a catalyst; he is the end, and he will be there when the end begins. There is no preventing death.
It is inevitable. Hence, a very VERY impossibly foolish wish to make.
But it is made.
A child is taken over, a cursed crown from long ago perched atop his head- Filling the boy’s mind with whispers of ice and frost. He is called the Snowman.
There is a change- And the very thing that had been prevented has come into play.
There is an explosion.
The Lich is borne of devastation once more. A boy reunites with his dog, but it's not his dog any longer.
He pulls the strings of the young, tampered mind of the Snowman- Who is easily manipulated.
The Lich whispers dark intentioned, sweet promises in his frozen ears. He searches for the Enchiridion to complete his purpose.
To end everything in the name of his master. The last scholar of Golb, he will prevail.
Victory is close, like a beast hovering over its trembling, defenseless prey- But once it opens it maw- Something intrudes.
A pair. A boy and his dog. Finn and Jake.
A man needs a maid.
Somehow, they succeed- Yet fail all the same. For the lich remains- Perhaps only a hand left of its once large and burlesque body. Severed from himself- But spread through every single universe. Every single possible timeline- Rest assured he is there.
This includes the universe of the Finn and Jake, who defeated him once before.
He fails in the wish made universe, but the deed is done. His influence lives on still, now in every reality- Regardless of what occurs now from here on out.
Time goes forth. He gathers power. It's mostly the same in every universe. He whispers dark words in the ear of his alternate self- A baby, a child, perfect to sculpt into a new predecessor to his name.
Perhaps in another universe, he does not succeed. Perhaps in many ways he does not succeed.
In that universe, the lich’s remains would be culled by a blade wielded by said babified version of himself- JUST in time, and furthermore ending the secondary lich from that timeline entirely. The Lich means nothing now.
It’s never spoken of again. Perhaps as a result, a little green grass boy- Made up of a hero's memory and a demon sharp as a dry blade of grass- He would feel very miffed and nasty over his inability to prevent even the large baby from getting past him, despite that being his only job.
In that universe, Finn would still be alive, happily laughing away until the next misadventure. In that universe, Golb will touch the earth and become intertwined with the mind of a human- Dedicated to protecting her one true love.
Perhaps almost everyone gets a happy ending. This happens most frequently in most timelines after all...
However, this is not that story.
No. This is not that story at all.
This is a story of lies and deceit, psychologically unbinding and horrific in a great many ways. The innocent will become victims to toxicity and cruelty. The good will remain blind, and the blame will be shifted, despite all clear signs of innocence. Heartbreak and hopelessness fester in every crevice of every word. This is a story of despair and great loss. All that, in between shining, frail beams of light- Hope, however futile it may be. Life is fleeting and cruel, that is a lesson to be learned here.
Perhaps it will make your stomach twist and your heart throb. Perhaps your head will start to fuzz, especially when it becomes truly apparent that all hope is lost. Or at least when it seems to be.
Perhaps... Perhaps... Perhaps.
Changes.
The multiverse is endless, and therefore so is the Lich and he IS the end. So what? If in every reality, he is doomed to fail at the hands of what's good and pure- How is it, that he can be defeated in every single one? It's not reasonable.
But in an infinity of timelines, that can be changed with only a single breath.
Anything is possible.
Perhaps in this story, the odds are in his favor. Perhaps all is truly lost- But if there's one thing to be assured of, the universe loves an underdog story...
The fact of the matter is this.
Full honesty.
As much as it pains me to say, by the time the first chapter is done and over with-
Finn the human, the purest of hearts, trustworthy hero of his time- Will be no more. Replaced by a demon, a wolf in sheep's clothing- Wearing his flesh and reputation as the perfect disguise.
Finn the human will die, before the breaking dawn of the next morn.
And in turn, the fate of not just Ooo, but the multiverse itself will be at stake. Terrifying odds, with nobody to combat it. Hope would likely be all lost. In this story- Rest assured, Finn will be the first, but certainly not the last to lose a life in this horrific disaster of a timeline. There's no reason to lie about it.
It's true.
Without a hero, this timelines world- Is totally doomed...
Or at least it would be- If not for one more person that HADN’T been taken into consideration. A shred of a should- The last remaining piece of a catalyst comet- Sent if only for the purpose of spreading change.
But perhaps that's getting ahead of ourselves.
The fact of the matter is that in every universe, no matter what form it takes- There will always be a hero there to combat the creatures of death and destruction. But with the scales tipped in a beast of pure evil’s favor...
It's hard to tell the outcome, but I'm afraid the future seems bleak.
Yes. It seems so. But in darkness, the smallest flickering's of light shine brightest, and opportunities are presented to those that wouldn't have had the chance initially.
Unlikely hero's will be forced to rise, and the fate of the world is nothing but a roll of the dice.
The world will continue to turn. And while Finn the human may be dead and gone not long from now- His memory lives on in another, however tortured a soul it is. Will it be enough to end the bloodshed? Or will it not? Perhaps this will be the timeline in which the Lich finally gets his way...
Or maybe, just maybe, there is hope for us yet.
Who truly knows? That’s up to them to decide...
It takes time for a flower to sprout- But under the right conditions, even in adversity- It can bloom in spectacular ways.