Wilson had been assigned the duty of marking camp. Willow and Wolfgang went south, Webber and Wendy heading the opposite direction. Wilson sat down, leaning on a tree. Never would he have thought he would be relaxing in the sun on a summer day. That was the last thing he thought he would be doing. Yet here he was.

If he were being honest, this would probably be the happiest that he's been through this whole ordeal. Who knew that the former Winter God would be relaxing in summer.

But of course, relaxation only comes to those who truly deserve it. A dark cackle rang through the trees, startling Wilson. The black-haired man stood, panic coursing through his veins. Maxwell...

"What do you want, Maxwell!?" Wilson hissed, attempting not to sound frightened.

"Ah, Wilson. So good to see you again. How have you been holding up?" Maxwell cooed menacingly, sounding in all directions.

"Not well thanks to you, you psychopath!" The angry Ice God growled, backing into the center of the clearing. The shadows in the trees seemed to be moving.

Maxwell chuckled to himself. "Psychopath? That's quite the name. But I still prefer Maxwell, King of Shadows. Has a better ring." The Lesser God laughed.

King?! Wilson's realization was almost painful. Maxwell had seized the Nightmare Throne, becoming the King of Umbra. That's what he meant by impress Charlie and the gods alike. But why?

"I can see you're quite shocked. Why is that, Old Friend?" Maxwell asked faux confusion layered heavily on his voice.

"I-I just didn't expect you to do it. No one did." Wilson stuttered, continuing to scan the treeline for a sign of the Shadow God.

"You knew I felt underappreciated. And when Charlie went missing we all mourned. So I took it upon myself to take the burden of the Nightmare Throne." A hand rested on Wilson's shoulder, and the frightened man whipped around, to face the cloaked figure. Maxwell, King of Shadows.

Too terrified speak, Wilson let out a strangled noise. He hadn't been this close to Maxwell since before that meeting over a month ago. He never really did go near Maxwell in general, his ambient shadow aura almost too powerful for a Lesser God. But now he was the most powerful man in Umbra.

"You should thank me. The cost to rule is higher than you could ever think. If you were King, you would agree," Maxwell said gravely, but Wilson knew he was just making it sound that way. In reality, he wasn't mourning. He was just trying to make Wilson think that. And he wasn't buying it.

"You're a dirty liar."