In the end, it was so easy to forget.
Mumbo finally understood magic- after weeks and weeks of struggling. Of late nights with lanterns burning low, the oil running out as he kept reading.
Grian had to admit, Mumbo pushed himself much further, much faster than he did as a student.

But it didn't matter. He had forgotten about the faerie rings, feeding off of the jungle and turning it into a graveyard for the animals living there. The mewls of ocelots and the caws of parrots became less and less until Grian could only hear Professor Beak's chirps.
He forgot that using magic meant he could be found.

And Mumbo had used magic.

Grian's eyes went wide as the realisation struck, rushing to the door to peer down at the rings. The dirt in the middle had fallen away and he could peer through the rift into the world he left behind.

The once-bright and vibrant court was dead, red and black roses covering the entire back wall where there was once a rainbow of colours. Half the fae there looked broken inside, their wings drooping behind them as they sat at around tables or huddled in small groups. The other half stood proud, their eyes empty and mindless, backs ramrod straight as if they were soldiers awaiting some unspoken command. It was as if the rose stems had strangled the life from the court, covering it in tiny thorns that pricked anyone who wasn't paying attention.
And at the head of it all sat the Unseelie king himself, a crown of dead flowers in his hair as he stared up at Grian across dimensions.

"Pleasure seeing you again." came Thorns voice, cool and calculating, carrying through the portal.
Grian just stared in shock. He thought he had properly escaped it, gotten away from the court for good. And yet, here it was, staring up at him from the dying jungle floor.
"What, not going to greet your king? How rude of you. I'd have hoped that you learned some manners while you, ah...took a break from being among the court but it seems I've been sorely mistaken." The king rose from his throne, walking towards the portal until only his face was able to be seen.

"G, what's going....on...." Mumbo frowned, coming to the door to find his friend staring down wordlessly as a strangers voice echoed through the rift.

Thorn clapped his hands together upon seeing Mumbo, a look of surprise crossing his face "Ah! The fake faerie is here too. That makes this entire process much easier on me.
"Really, I should thank you, Red. You've made this task almost too easy."

"Red? Who's-" Mumbo frowned.

Grian shook his head. "Its me. Never let Thorn know your name." He murmured. "Only bad things can come from it."

"Keeping secrets, Red? Really now, you should know better. One way or another, I always find out." Thorn taunted. "Now, theres two ways this can go. Either you two come with me willingly, or I send some guards to forcibly take you back. I don't like having some subjects on the lose you know. Wastes magic that we could really be using for other matters."

Really there was no other option. Sighing, Grian stool up and slowly made his way down the stairs.

"Are you seriously going to just walk through there dude? What are you thinking?!?!" Mumbo hissed, grabbing Grians's wrist and tugging him back.

"Trust me, you don't want to see his guards." He replied. Something in his expression was broken, sad and defeated before any fight had even begun. Like he knew from experience that fighting back only led to tragedy.

"Red gets it. So, fake faerie, are you going to come willingly?"
Mumbo sighed, letting go of Grian's wrist.

"I take it I don't really have a choice here."

"Well you do have a choice. It's simply a matter of which is easiest for me. I really don't feel like sending some of my guards to fetch you- too much needless bloodshed and wasted magic. But if you resist, then you've forced my hand." The king mused, scratching his chin as if he were genuinely thinking about it.

"Right." He nodded, the redstoner starting down the stairs after Grian, who was already at the edge and waiting for Mumbo to join him.

"Thor-My king, you might want to back up so that I don't hurt you when coming through. It would be rather undignified if I crashed into you and we all landed on the floor." Grian said once they both stood at the edge of the faerie ring, and Thorn stepped back so that the duo didn't land on top of him.

Wordlessly, Mumbo reached out to grasp Grian's hand and gave it as squeeze for reassurance. The poor man looked terrified out of his mind.
"On three?" The redstoner asked, starting the countdown after he saw Grian nod.

And once he hit "three" the two of them stepped into the ring and felt weightless as the rift took them to the world they left behind years ago.