trophyHaunting 9: SkullDarkness Absolute nothingness surrounded him, as the Wile felt like he was slowly dissolving in a pool of black gold. Such is the fate of souls that get usurped by the man-of-war monster.. As if that wasn't hellish enough, swarms of piranha-like teeth were gnashing him from head to foot. No wounds were shed, no bruises nor blood. The very core of his spirit was under attack instead, the pain of which exceeds that of any other. Aiden genuinely wished for anything to put an end to this, the madness he was slowly sinking into seemed inescapable. The evil spirits had made good on their promise to make his suffering slow and merciless... The Wile was unable to ignite his flame no matter how much he yearned for it to burn, for the body of the collective spirit had completely enveloped him, just enough to not crush him. He had long since gone past the panic stage.. overwhelmed, defeated.. he was too tired to even turn a head. He was forced into a state of isolation within his annihilation, frozen.. without hope… 'What are you doing, lad?!' A strong, yet unfamiliar voice echoed in his brain, which snapped him straight out of his trance. 'You have to keep fighting!' "I... I can't!" Aiden whimpered in his mind. 'Yes you can!' The voice shouted. 'You've done it before! If not for yourself, then do it for--' Just then the Wile heard a nauseating scream. He followed the sound to the best of his ability against the intense pressure of his entire surroundings, when he saw that at least two of the foul spirits had ganged up on something that gave off a faint, minuscule light. Aiden could not understand why, but he had the sudden urge to squirm with everything he had. Pushing and thrashing his way towards the scene, the Phoebe Wile's internal ferocity was starting to build up, and with it the drive to slash his nails, loosening his hand just enough to reach out and grab the foul spirit that had just consumed the speck. With a quick squeeze, ignited with the heat of his mystical fire, the wisp-like blob let out a chilling shriek as the Wile ripped out its very core, revealing the weak essence of what appeared to be a glowing firefly from within. In their combined fury, the surrounding community of the single minded demons pressed down onto the Wile even harder, this time compressing his body to the point that it became difficult to breathe, let alone stay on the surface of the ever increasing black pool. But with a bit of good timing, Aiden was able to slip his arm pass the pressure point. Despite the numbingly intense pins and needles that snagged onto his loose appendage, he managed to grab the hapless firefly and absorb its essence into his body. And with it securely tucked away, and his main source of energy still exposed in the open, the Wile had just enough power needed to start wreaking havoc with his inferno. With his ferality no longer in check, the Wile set out a tremendous scream as he began to set himself ablaze. Aiden's renewed adrenaline gave him the perfect opportunity to push against the mass of blobs for just one second, which was all the time he needed to let loose all the chaotic energy that would make the kings of gehenna proud. ....... The chill in the air intensified as the entire yard became lit with a soft, yet unsettling white glow. Jac had kicked off her shoes and was walking towards her two dumbfounded friends. With each step she took, the grass would grow wildly around her bare feet- every blade of which taking on a dusty white color that gave them the appearance of marble. Her hair had turned a similar shade, and the light from her eyes had made her pupils a disturbing bleach. "Jac... what's happened to you...?" Richard spoke barely a peep. "Don't touch her!!" Jillian screamed. "Please," The witch and Jac's voice said simultaneously. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am called The Witch of the Dawn and I was once the goddess of the land you are standing on. Jac made a contract with me, and has become my host. She is sleeping now, but she will awaken and reunite with you soon enough." Richard had drowned out every word as he held Jac close and rubbed his cheek against her; tears ran down along his face, which had softened the glow of her hair somewhat as it made contact. He didn't care that touching her left his hands numb and caused his skin to crack, he just wanted his best friend back dammit! "Jac... This happened before, so I know you can snap out of it again! Please! I beg of you! Wake up~!!" Richard kept up his tight embrace all while Jac remained largely emotionless. A hint of reflection was spotted in her eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly as it came. She saw the damage done and the visible shaking of the giant's hands, which triggered a reaction that was likely from the possessed herself that caused her to jerk away and jump off onto the grass below. "The elf is right. It's best that you don't touch me while I am active." The witch said. With a renewed burst of rage, Jillian stomped on the ground. "What are you plotting, Witch? What is the purpose of all of this?!" "I came to reclaim what is mine." The witch proclaimed. "Where my long time enemy sought to reap what was left of this land, I choose to make it beautiful once more. I will do away with the industrialized cities that have encroached in my domain for far too long, and bring the forest back to its former glory! The way it was always meant to be!" "Your idea of paradise is a wild unchecked forest with weird looking white plants that don't even look edible and are already half dead. Got it." Jillian quipped. "Leave me out of it." "Talk down to me again elf, and I won't be so merciful next time!" The hair behind Jac began to rise ferociously, as it flowed eerily with the unsteady wind. Jillian remained firm but chose not to take it further, for any rash response could result in injury to Jac. Richard felt just as helpless, if not more so. He stared blankly at who he formally knew as his best friend, as she approached what was left of the cursed tree and began to spread her arms wide. "The time has come for me to reestablish my rightful place in this world! This will be the start of a new era! People will flock to my forest and worship me again...." Hints of tears began to fall from Jac's eyes, but it was unclear whether she or the witch had shed them. "Then my full power will be replenished and I will finally have enough strength to... bring him back to me..." The jewel in front of her chest began to float upward and took on a sinister red glow. The whirlwind then kicked up and surrounded her like a barrier which would have blown Jillian back if it wasn't for the giant hand that had caught her. The wild plants then exploded in size right where Jac stood, rapidly enveloping everything in her surroundings like an infestation of white, otherworldly weeds. "It's not safe here! We have to go!" Jillian shouted. "But... what about Jac?" The words that came out of Richard's mouth stung and the start of tears formed on Jillian's eyes as well. "I know! But we don't have a choice!" No matter what however, Richard wouldn't budge. It took a sudden lightning flash between them to break the Wile giant's fixation of his back-turned Link partner. The electrical current was situated at that very point in the sky before them- Jillian understood right away that this was far from any natural phenomenon, and her fears were confirmed when a ripple through space began to form just above the cursed snag. "Come hither spirits and lend me your power!!!" The Witch shouted with a fiery passion. “We shall take the night this All Hallows Eve!!” All of a sudden, just as the peak of the gusts were whipping, and the opening of the void had made a visible dent in the night sky, she heard a crack. And then another. And then... With a loud smash, the glass oval jewel shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. Immediately after, the storm had quieted and the disturbance had caused the magic to come to a complete halt. This left the Witch absolutely livid. "NO!!! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!! HOW IS THIS--" At that exact moment in time, something caused her to lose her voice, as she, and the others behind her, gave out a series of audible gasps. A set of bony fingers as intense as the surface of the sun appeared from the ripple in the sky. They began to pull it apart, tearing a hole in space just wide enough for it to go through. And out of it came the biggest and most horrifying giant that anyone had ever laid eyes on. A macro being engulfed by flames all over its body, with a torch that bloomed from the top of its skull-like head. Blotches of mass could be seen all over, which wailed individually, and yet all at once in sheer agony, in tandem to the enigma's earth shaking shrill. It sat its foot down, instantly igniting the path it treaded, swallowing up the last of the cursed tree as it made its way towards the haunted house. Jillian screamed as Richard finally broke from his petrified state to scoop her up and onto higher ground. But try as she might, Jac couldn't move. No matter how much the holy apparition screeched in her head, the jewel was no more and the ability to have control over her was destroyed along with it. Jac's natural fear of immense fire kept her firmly rooted in place, as the titanic monster was now just a few feet away. The beast locked eye sockets with the young woman and was about to reach out to grab her with a finishing hand. Against her better judgment, Jillian struggled to break free from Richard's grip and charged head on towards the fiery demon. Her personal safety was put on the sideline in a brief moment of adrenaline and sheer willpower. Just as the infernal being's finger was mere inches from the terror stricken witch's face, Jillian dived as close as she could just behind the wall of flames and began to scream at the top of her lungs. "DON'T HURT HER!!!" Much to everyone's surprise, the giant suddenly paused. "WHATEVER YOU DO! PLEASE!!! DON'T HURT JAC!!" After a moment of tense staring, the surrounding flames caused the girl to overheat and collapse. The hand immediately grabbed hold, but not before its fire was let out, revealing a sun-like glow to an otherwise normal giant hand. Against the ground, the being laid his hand gently over the fainted Jac. And with a light tap of a finger against her chest, a part of her spirit fell out from behind, along with that of the Witch of the Dawn. The Witch desperately tried to get away but it was no use, for the giant instantly snapped her up. With the foul spirit now in its clutches, the glowing giant then proceeded to crush inward while reigniting its hand. With a horrendous final cry, the witch was disintegrated into hundreds of glowing butterflies, each one burning with an intense flame which had made all but one disappear as it's embers went out. When that was over with, the enormous skeletal beast pulled back and looked upon Jac with great concern. In this very position it gradually faded away, and along with it the flames it had left in its wake had all gone out at once. In the giant's place, a multitude of faint white orbs began to float into the sky, as if they were being pulled into the moonlit night. This gorgeous scene was overshadowed by the young woman who lay still on the forest floor, in front of where the tree once stood. Richard wasted no time to return by Jac's side, and with tears anew, he held her limp body to her face, and pleaded. "Please wake up Jac.... please! Wake up....”Haunted 8: Moonlight Jac placed the glass oval stone in the center of the hollow. Just being near this cursed snag made the hair on her skin crawl uncontrollably; the rancorous aura still oozed strong, but had dwindled greatly thanks to the fresh cinders that continued to flare up between the crevices of the wood. With no further delay, the young woman stepped back and stood just a few feet away from the tree, as her three friends watched on from a distance. "You can do it Jac!" Jillian said, "I believe in you!" Richard and Aiden shared in her sentiment. Jac took one more look at them with a quaint smile. She then took a deep breath, sat upon the earth, and began to concentrate. She mentally called for The Witch of the Dawn to assist her with the final spell. The glowing butterfly manifested itself within the confines of the jewel, and with its arrival a voice as vibrant as sunshine echoed in Jac's mind. "You must repeat this incantation exactly the way I tell it, and you mustn't stop until I deem it safe to do so. Now, are you ready?" Jac affirmed her commitment and vowed to do whatever it takes. And with that, the light of her eyes glowed a bright yellow momentarily, before she closed them shut and began her chant. The words were intangible to anyone including the one who spoke it aloud; the lyrics carried with it a divine meaning that felt like a reflection from a far distant past. Jac continuously looped the spell, and with every passing minute, the miasma that had been blown to the edge of the field had slowly parted. A strange sensation washed over Jac as time went on- she began to feel almost lighter than air. Nonetheless she carried on without ceasing, voicing the purification hymn until the voice in her head had come to a complete stop. When she finally opened her eyes, Jac found herself in a strange, misty forest. Everything that surrounded her, from the trees off the distance to the grass beneath her feet, were colored a dusty white. The only object that seemed as natural as she could discern was the full moon that lit up the night sky, its light being the one source able to cut through this thick blanket of fog. "W-Where am I...?" Jac gasped lightly. "I wish I knew..." Said a familiar voice from behind. Jac twirled her head back to find, as she had been expecting at this point, Aiden standing with his hand behind his neck. "Where's Richard and Jill?" Jac cried out. "I think we left them at the yard..." Aiden spoke in a dampened mood. "It's always something, isn't it..." "Yeah..." Jac raised an eyebrow. Even she was starting to grow suspicious about Aiden's sudden appearance basically everywhere that involved the supernatural. "I guess we have no choice but to look for a way out. Notice anything strange?" "Of course! Everything is..." "That's reassuring." Jac sighed. The two friends decided to walk down a path in hopes of finding something, anything, that could send them back. After trekking past the leafy groves in silence for some time, Jac decided that it was about time that she had a little talk. "Aiden, I..." Jac hesitated. She steeled herself before saying the next words. "I think you know more than you're letting on." "How so?" The shrunken Wile had a slight unevenness to his voice. "About ghosts and all kinds of weird stuff! You don't need to hide any of that from us, especially if you think it could help in any way. So tell me, is there anything else you know about all of this that you haven't told us yet?" "I, honestly... wish I had an answer to that." Aiden gave a deep, long sigh through his nose before he had the courage to continue. "It's not like I understand entirely what's going on, but I know that since a certain point in my life, I've been able to see and affect stuff that others can't. To me it's like the normal things you witness every day, so it surprises me... and sucks, when I find out that others don't... and are afraid of me for it." "...I'm sorry." "Don't sweat it okay? That's how it is when you're a Phoebe Wile." "Is that why Jillian...?" Aiden's demeanor changed when he heard her name, and he stopped walking momentarily was he took a deep breath. "I did something the other day that scared the living daylights out of her." "What the heck did you do?!" "I- -" Suddenly, a burst of wind left the two friends with a bitter chill. The two raced in search of shelter, using the moon as their guide. They eventually made their way towards the center of the forest, where they found rows of white stags that stood in an aligned circle. What they witnessed at that exact moment left Jac in a state of shock.. for the first time since this ordeal began, Jac was quivering throughout her entire skin. Near breathless, she finally spoke. "What the hell... is that?" Aiden meanwhile was cowering down on his knees. All the visions from those sleepless nights had manifested themselves in the form he saw before him- it was all of his worst nightmares come true. The Wile was desperately holding back the ferality that was screaming to claw its way out, although he was running on paper-thin restraint at this point. Before them was the titanic Portuguese man-of-war-like monster… the swarm of evil spirits that have merged to form a single entity, confined with strange otherworldly chains to the hollowed tree that the two friends were all too familiar with. And standing right in front of this catastrophe of a creature was The Witch of the Dawn, who was looking upon it with content in her eyes. Not even a moment later, Aiden felt a gut wrenching sensation in his body that caused him to wince even further. He then coughed up a strange, smoky blob that floated up like a magnet to fuse with the rest of the spirits. While helpless to do anything about their situation, the combined entity were seething with infernal rage. "Thank you for bringing me the last of the spirits," The witch said with a calm, gentle voice, "As well as for completing the task, Jac. No one else would have accomplished this so spectacularly. You are deserving of a gift worthy of a god." She turned back to the multi-eyed fiends and added. "It appears that there are only 107 of them left. One of them was completely eliminated from existence, or so I've heard. Which, I won't lie, makes my job easier." 'He was a natural born leader!' A female voice cried. 'When we get out of these chains, Phoebe,' shouted a male voice, 'mark our words, we will burn you to a crisp as you did so mercilessly to our comrade! We'll make sure you'll suffer!' "Oh pipe down, you ingrates." The Witch huffed. "You all will get what you want, so there's no need to complain." "Wait, WHAT?!" Aiden screeched. "W- What's going on?" Jac was quaking, "What are you talking about? What even is this place? And why is...?" "So many questions, Jac! But I suppose you of all people should know." The Witch walked up to the young woman and held a hand to her cheek. The witch spoke these next words with a sweet, almost motherly tone. "I will need a new body to complete my resurrection, but to do this I must have a powerful source of energy that would sustain me for a long time, as well as a sacrifice." She then extended an arm towards the collected evil spirits, as if showing off a grand display. "This demon will provide that energy source. They will get what they want in the end with an immortal host, but rest assured they will have no control over us. Their influential powers will be no more, for my divine essence will eventually eat away at them bit by bit. Poetic, don't you agree?” The foul spirits struggled against their chains wanting nothing more than to charge at the holy woman, but that was all they were really able to do. "And what is this... sacrifice?" Jac was near petrified. What she didn't realize was that her being frozen in place was not of her own doing, and without warning an unseen force slowly lifted the young woman into the air with a tight grip between her chest and neck. Jac's airway was obstructed and she struggled to utter a word, let alone breathe. All the while the witch looked at her with a blank, expressionless face. "JAAAAAC!!" Aiden rushed to her aid, but it was no use. In that very instance white tree roots exploded from the earth and latched onto the shrunken Wile giant, wrapping themselves like a snake's coils around his entire body. He let out an obscene, bone curling scream as he realized that he was reliving his prolific night terrors in real time. The tree roots drew him closer to the evil spirits, who wasted no time swallowing him whole into the massive blob of their gaseous form. "A...A...id... en..." Jac stuttered as hot streams of tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Don't worry..." The Witch remarked. "He'll just regenerate like his kind are known for. This makes him the perfect scapegoat. That lucky bastard." Try as she might, Jac's efforts to escape from her position were fruitless. Every lash, each jostle resulted in her body being squeezed tighter and tighter. And with this came a recollection- she went through this very same feeling that fateful night.. when the vengeful spirit in white rags covered her mouth. “I…It was you ... that night. You… processed me…” The witch was chuffed to finally be acknowledged. “Caught on at last.” She whispered. “You… lied to me…” “I did what I had to to free myself, and by ridding ourselves of the wicked spirits, I'd say I'm well beyond redeemed at this point!” As those very words were spoken, the 107 spirits all wailed in otherworldly fashion as they were slowly being vacuumed into the glass jewel that was still wrapped around Jac's neck. The Witch then approached her with a radiance that pierced through her mind. "The task is complete. As soon as you awaken, you will be immortal, for I will be reborn… as you." Jac's eyes shot open as she heard that statement, yet the witch tried to lessen the blow by wrapping her arms around her. Jac struggled ferociously, but this gentle hug has sealed her fate. "I'm sorry for keeping this from you before, but I knew you would object to it. Do not fret, I will let your soul have control over our body frequently. We shall take turns! I made a promise to the Bean that I wouldn't harm you, and I'll keep my word, especially after all you've done for me." Despite everything, Jac was able to gather as much strength as she could to shout as loud as possible, all while hyperventilating between words. "YOU... YOU USED ME!!" "Immortality is a blessing. You should be honored." "YOU USED ME!!" "I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me." "ENOUGH WITH THAT BULLSHIT!! YOU'RE NOT EVEN LISTENING!! YOU!...USED!...ME!!! YOU USED ALL OF US!!!" At that precise point in time a dazzling white light engulfed the two, completely overtaking the entire witch's domain in its wake. Reality was calling for their return together, and Jac was screaming to the top of her lungs all the while.