CozyJac watched the chopped up timber as it was tossed into the blaze. She was awe stricken by how massive the fire became in such a short time, but her sense of wonder grew to a sliver of uncertainty as her thoughts began to cloud. It was just right for a fireplace in a giant household, but from the perspective of a human, there was enough of an inferno to completely engulf the likes of a structure more scaled to her size. "There, that should do it." Bo said as he tossed the last of the firewood that was needed. "That'll certainly keep us comfortable for the evening." Jac sat at a safe distance on top of Bo's single seated couch, yet there was no escaping the sight of the caged flames. Jac couldn't help but stare blankly as she gripped her nails into the fabric. When Bo finally made his way over to her side, he could instantly tell that something was off. "You all right?" Jac was in a trance, she gazed without blinking but a few times that minute. It took several hand waves and near shouts before the young woman snapped out of it at last. "Elheim to Jac! Can you read me!" "Huh?" Jac literally shook her head, her hair whipped from side to side. "Were you daydreaming again?" Asked Bo. "S...sorta? I guess?" Jac took a deep breath and explained what she was seeing from her own point of view. Her words steadily opened the Bunyan giant's eyes. "Oh. I'm... sorry if setting up the fireplace scared you.." "Wha~? Nononono it's not like that. It just.. feels weird I guess." "Well I don't blame you... But doncha worry, that fire's 100 percent contained! You'll be safe without a doubt." "Yeah, I guess that should be obvious." Bo could tell that his adopted sister was still visibly uneasy, which was far from normal for her. But without a second thought, Bo was on it. He stepped into the kitchen for just a moment to whip up some pick me ups just for this occasion. As the microwave heated their drinks, he pulled out a couple of cookies to add as a topping. Right before he heard the ping, he pulled out the tiniest miniature he could find in the cabinet. Slowly and as gingerly as he could, he poured the hot brew of chocolate and cream into the tiny cup. He then shaved a little bit of the vanilla crumbles into her drink, not as fancy as he would have liked but it would have to do. In a few short minutes, Bo was back with the hot cocoa at hand, taking extra measures to stabilize his sister's helping. "There you go sweet pea. Sorry, I tried to add your cookie in just the right amount but it broke." "Well, I guess that's just how the cookie crumbles." That got a chuckle out of the Bunyan giant. Jac then looked at the mug with a big smile on her face. "But yeah, it's the thought that counts." Bo sat down and brought Jac over to his chest. The human then proceeded to walk over to the crook of his arm where she settled down. As soon as she took the first sip, Jac perked right up; the sugar gave her a much needed boost, but just the right amount, not overbearing as was the case when consuming most giant confections. Bo really knew how to make it work. The two drank in silence as they took their time to soak in the warmth of their brew. After Bo was about half way done, he finally spoke. "I used to be terrified of fires as a kid. Especially after what happened to my mom." "Yeah.." Jac replied quietly, "I can imagine." "But, I eventually got over it, and now I even volunteer to help stop small fires if there's ever a need. So, what I'm saying is, if I can get past it, so can you. Cause you're the bravest, most toughest person I know." "I'm not as strong as you. C'mon!" Jac laughed. "Not physically, of course! But you know what I mean. It'll take time, so don't feel bad about it. For now, you've got me to keep you safe." "Since you fight these things sometimes, I guess I don't have to worry." "Mmmhm!" Jac asked Bo to set the cup aside as she began to settle down. She was a lot more relaxed now that she was literally on top of her big brother, and she could finally bask under the warmth and the soft glow of the very flames she had gotten so worked up over just minutes before. The two continued to relax for the rest of the lazy evening in that very spot. And it would not be long before the two of them would drift to a sound slumber.Reverie Jac was walking in air. Yes, quite literally. After she stepped over a puddle, on a sidewalk paved with crayon graffiti of every color imaginable, she found the end of a rainbow. A fabled occurence, one that legends proclaim would lead to vast otherworldly kingdoms or treasures beyond the wildest dreams. Do any of these hold truth? Only one way to find out! The young woman placed her foot atop the prism of light, which caused the surface to solidify and morph in shape. Soon the rainbow arc transformed into a stairway of seven colors that appeared to reach up into the luminescent stratosphere. Jac wasted no time hopping on and she began her ascent towards the stars. "Jac..." Suddenly there was a low, echoing voice that cut through the air, it whipped and whirled pass Jac's body like a raging gust. Colorful dust started to kick around her; in turn, her body weighed down, like an enormous, unseen pressure was pushing against her. Yet not even this will take her down so easily, she'll fight against a literal storm if she has to. "I'm not giving up!" She exclaimed with true defiance in her tongue. "No matter what you say you won't keep me down!" "Jac, what the hell? Get back down from there!" "NEVER!" With a cackle and a raspberry that she aimed towards... the sky, Jac triumphantly ignored the voice without questioning it further, and carried on up the stairs. Before long, she had made it to the top of the arch, which she took great pride in by jumping around and dancing. "HA! I MADE IT! IN YOUR FACE - - Wh-WHOH!" At that exact moment, the ground beneath her began to rumble. The foundation of the magical staircase was weakening and it felt as if it was about to give way right under her feet. Sure enough, the stairs at the base of the rainbow began to break apart, effectively turning the colorful staircase into water vapor once more. Jac tried her best to marathon her way through the rest of the passage, but it was too late. "JAC!!" Down down down she fell, some ten feet, then twenty. She could see the world increasing in size in the blink of an eye before she ultimately passed out from vertigo. Immediately thereafter, there was impact. Her landing was soft, nothing too fluffy like the clouds that she ran past earlier, but leathery and warm. She slowly came to, just as she was gently being lowered into the dip of the palm that became her lifesaver. These hands would then cover her up as they folded together, embracing her on all sides. "Jac!! Wake up!!" Jac's eyes shot open. Moderate rain poured all around her as the chilling air whipped its way past the pillar of fingers she had laid against. She looked to the side to see the pavement where the graffiti rainbow was drawn, from up here it doesn't look as massive. And just in front of her was a giant sized jungle gym. It then dawned on her. "Was I... dreaming?" "Jac!! You could have gotten seriously hurt! What were you thinking!?" "I... got carried away... didn't I?" She said with a weak laugh. She looked up to see the face of her giant, and gave out a blep as a weak attempt to look cute. Richard looked angry, as well as fear-strickened, towards the tiny woman in his hands. He was trying very hard not to exclaim, though the cracks voice was enough to let her know that he nearly had a heart attack just before this. He paused to made sure nothing was broken, as he pulled her arms up gently like a ragdoll. "I'm fine." Jac said as she righted herself up in the dip of his palm. "I'm none worse for wear, as they say." "Let me guess. Did you get too much sugar into your system again?" "Uhhh..." "Jac!" "That new chocolate ball that they were handing out at the factory looked soooooo good! I just had to take a bite out of it... or four." "You can't keep eating candies made for giants! You know how dangerous it can be! Look what it almost got you!" Jac stared into the jungle gym as she tried to recall what she could remember. Blurry fragments of rainbows and the sky.. but not much else. "I must have been sleep walking hard..." "Your sugar rushes are intense Jac! If I hadn't come along, you could have been seriously hurt, or..." At this point in time, Richard was a lot more worked up than Jac was. The human tried to ease the tension by running a hand on one of his fingers. "I'm ok. The important thing is that you were here. Thanks... for saving me. And I'm sorry I made you worry." That was enough to get the Wile giant to calm down, if only by a sigh through his nose. His face still looked a tad judgmental however. "I should get you out of the rain at least. Bag, pocket, or..?" "Pocket!" Jac cuts in. "Sure thing." Without further discussion, the giant dipped Jac ever so gently into his chest pocket. She slid down into the warm felted landscape, the beating of the drum behind her also made for nice background music. Yes, a pocket without any obstructions and a seat belt for good measure was one of Jac's favorite hiding spots. "Now then. You can dream all you want in there." "It's night now. It's probably best if I can hold it off until I can get some real sleep in my own bed." "You're making sense. I like that." "Hey!" "Before then, let me treat you to a nice dinner and a movie when we get home! How does that sound?" Jac was beaming. "I'd like that. Would we get some of those chocolate vanilla shakes for dessert? Mmmm-mmm!" Richard had to sigh. "After what happened tonight? In your dreams!" "Aww! I'll behave this time! I promise!" "Not a chance!" "Aww c'mon!" This small back and forth would continue as Richard trekked towards home. Compared to what nearly happened earlier, this was a welcome calm.Moth"WAHHH! WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!" Aiden ducked and flinched as the strange little creature fluttered around him, giving him the shock of his life. Richard stood by the shrunken Wile as he watched the ladder flail about. The sight of this was hysterical but the larger Wile had chosen to be discreet about it. "You're scared of a butterfly..." "Is this what a butterfly is?!" Aiden practically wailed. "I always thought that they were pretty little things, not murderous monsters out for blood!" Richard fell out laughing. "You're too much, you know that?" "Easy for you to say! Why don't you come down to my level and see just how terrifying this thing is with your own eyes?" Richard cracked a side grin. "I know what insects are like. Sure, they take some getting used to, especially when you realize that some of them defy the laws of physics as we Beanstalks know it. But once you can get past how freaky they are, they're not so bad... usually." "What in the world is going on here?" Jillian questioned as she walked in through the human entrance. As soon he saw her, Aiden bolted forward and made a flimsy attempt to hide behind the elf. Upon spotting what he was running from, Jillian held a hand to her mouth with endearment. "That's what the problem is?" "It was attacking me earlier!!" "It's a little white poodle moth! Such a gorgeous creature.. Why would you be so scared of this itty bitty guy?" It was obvious Jill was teasing the red head at this point. "You should have seen him earlier, he was practically being chased." Richard replied with a toothy grin. "Yeah! What he said!" Aiden cried. The moth was currently perched atop a Sprout-scaled shelf, sulking the bristles on its legs as it observed the commotion below. "Are you pulling my leg?" Jillian said. "I'm telling you! That bug wouldn't leave me alone!" Aiden then told his account while waving his arms around to set the scene. "I was here, just minding my own business. When suddenly that creature swooped down and crashed onto my head! And it kept doing it too! And no matter what I did to avoid it, it just dived and flung and loop-the-looped! I have no idea what it's deal was!" While listening to Aiden's testimony, Jillian gestured lightly for the moth to come closer to her. The insect's antennae twitched as it turned it's body towards the elf's coos and whistles. It then flew off of its resting post and swooped onto Jillian's finger. Which instantly caused the chicken-hearted Wile to hide for the nearest cover. "Aren't you a pretty little thing! Yes you are!" Jillian hummed as she hovered a finger over it. She took particular care to prevent touching any part of the moth's delicate body. Aiden slowly came out of his curled position to take a closer look, though he remained cautious. "You.. you tamed it." "Nah! These kinds of moths just feel relaxed around elves. We've had them as companion pets since ancient times so it's likely ingrained into their DNA! This one's in such prime shape too! I better work on getting it some life extension potions so I can rehome it to someone who can take good care of it." "Yeah.. you do that. So long as it stays clear away from me, I'll be... happy for it..." "Aiden. Aren't you wearing that woolly sweater?" "Um... yeah? Why?" "Well no wonder! I just found out that this is a little lady! So no, she wasn't really coming after you, she most likely just wanted to lay her eggs on your clothes." Aiden took a moment to fully process what he just heard. Before the realization settled in... and the start of a small, high-pitched scream commenced, which had increased in volume and intensity by the second. "All right!" Jillian shouted. "I'm taking her with me for now! Try to relax, will ya!" Jillian kept the moth by her side as she made her way back to her workshop. Along with getting her new charge somewhere safe, her ears needed a break as well. Aiden wouldn't dream of doing the last thing she said until the elf had shut the door behind him. It was only then that his bundle of nerves settled, if only slightly. He turned around to face the front of the giant sized desk he stood on and wondered where Richard had gone. Only to discover shortly after that the Wile giant was hunched over on the side of the furniture with a look of someone who was in pain. He immedietly exploded in laughter in spite of himself. "You're no better than Jac." Aiden pouted. "I'm sorry...!" Richard uttered before releasing the heckling maniac that he was trying his best to tie down. "If you can't handle a moth, I wonder how you would fare with other bugs? Like jumping spiders?" "Jumping what?!!" Aiden squealed. Richard almost wanted to tease him a little more, but he thought it'd be best to hold back... for now at least. After all, his friend has already had enough scares for one day.Secret“Jackie Newton? Is that really you?” Jac’s eyes shot open upon hearing that name. She turned around to see an older blonde haired woman with a large pink hat who was bent on walking towards her, much to Jac’s dismay. The young woman failed to recognize her, which immediately caused all of the alarm bells in her head to sound off. Her legs began to tremble as an unrelenting panic crept up into the deep corridors of her mind. Concurrently, Aiden stepped into the picnic area with an ice cream cone in each hand, one of which was appropriately sized for his much smaller friend. The Wile giant had arrived the moment the older woman walked up to Jac, and he thought nothing of the conversation at first. Just a friendly “how do you do” and all the casual chatter that was to be expected in a public park. That immediately changed however, when Aiden sensed the the ever bubbling terror that radiated from his human friend. Which in turn caused him to respond with a deep, guttural snarl. Jac had took notice of his low rumblings straight away, as did the stranger. “Is that…? Oh god!” The older woman backed up just as she was beginning to realize what she was potentially dealing with. A giant by themself was threatening enough, but a Wile giant was a whole nother issue altogether. “Aiden!” Jac shouted, as she put herself between the woman and the teeth baring giant. “It’s alright! She’s not here to cause trouble!” “Wa-huh?” Aiden paused just as he was leaning over the two humans, which caused the older lady to fall under the giant’s shadow. She cowered immensely from the pressure of those enormous copper eyes that stared directly at her, as she folded herself into a ball behind the more defiant Jac. “Uh, I thought…?” Aiden looked between the two several times. As he realized that he had caused the attention to shift towards him, he mellowed out instantly and stammered. “Oh! I’m sorry!! My bad.” “It’s okay.” Jac said as she patted the Wile giant on the hand that was firmly on the ground next to her. “You sensed my nervousness, and you were right to be worried about me! But I’m fine now, so try to relax!” Aiden turned to the woman, and gulped nervously when he saw her flinch at the mere notion. “Uh! I didn’t mean to scare you… uhmm…” The Wile figured that the best course of action was to back away as much as possible. He returned to the picnic mat several yards away, though he made sure to keep the two humans within his line of sight just in case. The older woman spent several minutes in a dumbfounded trance and took her time to get her bearings together. Jac rolled her eyes but did offer to help the lady back on her feet, which helped to calm the latter down considerably. “I… I can’t believe you actually tamed that… that Wile giant…” The woman finally uttered. “I don’t really care for such a condescending word. He left of his own will.” Jac spoke with a slight sternness in her tone. “Still, it was really brave of you to stand up to him! He was quite ferocious.” Jac had to hold back laughter. “Aiden’s the least ferocious Wile giant I’ve ever met! He wouldn’t hurt a fly, quite literally.” That still failed to put all of the lady’s fears to rest, though in hindsight it may have been for the best. Knowing that there was a "predatory" giant that seemed to come to Jac’s beck and call was enough to keep her from overstepping. And yet as the two began to talk once more, Jac’s wariness never fully ceased. For the woman, who had revealed herself to be a retired tax collector from Petithiem, would bring up things from Jac’s past that had made her substantially uncomfortable. Aiden meanwhile could not retain his focus on anything else as the human’s conversation continued. Perhaps most irritating for the inquisitive giant was the fact that, per Jac’s request, the rest of their discussion took on the form of near whispers. Which made it difficult for the Wile giant to hear amidst the distraction of other outdoor noises. Though even then, Aiden’s sharp hearing was able to pick up bits and pieces. This helped to fuel some of his anxieties however, but it was thankfully short lived. For just as sudden as she came, the woman had bid adieu to Jac and went on her way. Jac slowly walked up to her giant friend with a heavy look in her eyes. “How much of it did you hear?” She asked. “Not that much.” Aiden replied. “What part?” Aiden cleared his throat lightly as he lowered his palm to the ground, which Jac hopped aboard without question. “What was that lady’s deal anyway?” He whispered instead. “She didn’t even get your name right.” “She… she did.” Jac felt like she had no other choice but to explain at least the bullet points of what he had witnessed. As she was lifted up to his ear, Jac briefly gave him the rundown of her name, what it had connections with, and why the woman spoke to her the way she did. Jac made it very clear that the elder must never tell anyone else back in Petithiem where the former was today, in which the woman replied that she wasn’t planning on returning to that “stuffy old port town” if she could help it anyway, so her “secret would be kept safe.” Having the Wile giant around would insure that the older woman would make good on her promise. Aiden took all of this in without saying a word. He wanted to, but he just couldn’t find his voice after hearing this influx of eye-opening revelations. He was well aware of some of the heavier details from previous chance meetings, but it still brought a slight tear in his eye when he learned just how complicated and hard this was on his human friend. After a few minutes of processing what just happened, Jac broke the silence. “Promise me one thing. Please don’t tell anyone what happened today. We’ll take this to our graves if we have to.” “Of course.” Aiden replied softly. “Another added to the pile. But… what about Richard?” “Especially Richard!” Jac exclaimed, before she looked around and lowered her volume to a mere mumble once more. “He doesn’t even recognize the dag… err…” “I’m aware… But… but why though? Shouldn’t he of all people need to know?” “Please don’t…” Jac was in the verge of tears for a brief second before she collected herself again. “I beg of you…” Sensing the severity of the moment, Aiden quietly relented, speaking softly while gently wiping her eyes with the tip of his finger. “All right. I promise.” Relief washed over the tiny human as she fell back into the digits that were supporting her. As he brought her back up to the front of his face, Aiden smiled. Whether he agreed with Jac or not, he was much more inclined to respect her wishes if it meant that even a fraction of pressure could be lifted off her shoulders. Now that the tension had passed, the Wile giant felt that a nice cold treat was the best thing they could have for this occasion. But as he looked back at the cones on the laid out picnic cloth, he sighed. “The ice cream is probably a puddle by now. I could get you another.” “Mmmm, melted ice cream…” Jac mused, the thought of it made her relax even more. “Just what I needed today. But since you’re offering… ehh, I don’t mind seconds.” Aiden had to sigh again at that response. Not that he minded, of course.Gentle Bo stared at the potted plant for a good minute or so as the leaves quivered ever so slightly. He went to get a closer look, only to see a fraction of what appeared to be a much smaller being as they scurried to get away from sight. Bo could barely make out a figure, he could have sworn that he saw a familiar sleeve. There was only one person he knew who wore that particular hand-knitted sweater. "Rod...?" Bo uttered in the tiniest voice he could muster. The sound of his name caused the elf's ears to perk right up, as he scooted further into the cover of the leaves. "GO AWAY!!" He shouted desperately at the top of his lungs. He was pretty sure the giant couldn't hear him, but Bo was able to read the message well enough based one how intensely the leaves shook. Bo had never seen the elf in his normal five inch height. He was well aware that Rod would never show his true form out in the open, so that was enough to tell him that something was up. Bo also understood however that he couldn't just straight up talk to him upfront, as the latter would least likely trust someone so massive in his current state. The giant needed to approach this with care. After putting his thinking cap on for a moment, Bo pulled out his phone. He decided that the best solution was to make a call. In a moment's time, a faint fragment of a familiar ring tone sounded off from between the leaves. Realizing that there was no way to convince the giant to ignore this, Rod caved in and answered, though he said nothing at first. "Rod? What happened?" Bo talked not through the device in his hand, but in the same barely audible way as he did before. "Please, I want to help." After a minute of consideration, and much sighing, Rod finally spoke. "My magic just suddenly died on me. It happens when I've gotten low on energy..." "And you didn't want me to see you like this?" "I trust you as a friend. And yet.. I don't enjoy knowing that larger folks can see me in my vulnerable state... especially since, you know..." "Say no more! I can certainly see where you're coming from." Bo replied. "Even though I've never been in your position, I can figure out how uncomfortable you must be with someone like me at this time, friend or not. Although..." Bo rested his hand under his chin. "Was it your intention to be hanging around the plants?" "Um...no..." "So you're stuck..." "I can get off of this platform on my own...given enough time..." "Listen man... I know it seems like I'm the scariest thing in the world right now, but you're going to have to trust me on this one." Bo said with determination in his whispered words. "I've had to hold tiny elves and other smaller folks before. You've seen that with your own eyes! So please, let me get you out of there and into someplace more secluded. Okay?" Bo then took out a single finger, pointing it just before he touched the little pot itself. Rod looked at the digit with fear welling up in his core. He could see the fingerprints form craters on its tip; this in turn would cause the elven man to gulp, and vibrate even more. Sensing the tension from the silence, Bo did his best to remain calm for his bud no matter how much of his own nerves he had to quell. He took a deep breath from his nose, and said: "It's going to be okay. I'll be gentle. I promise." A minute passed. Then two. When it had seemed like nothing would change from this situation, Rod finally made his move. Carefully and gingerly, he placed his hands onto the warm surface of Bo's fingertip, and began to crawl. The tiny elf wrapped his arms and legs around as much of the skin he could hold onto, and he still shivered as if he was freezing despite the heat all around him. He remained silent throughout, but Bo knew from experience that Rod was about as good and ready as he'll ever be. As steadily as possible, without a single shake or sway, Bo transported his tiny passenger with his finger still extended throughout. After the initial uncertainty, Rod managed to return to his usual calm self gradually but surely. It would not be long before he began to feel grateful for this improvised ride. After all, this was certainly better than many cases of being held by other giants and even humans. Bo really did earn the title of one of the Beanstalk Society's gentlest giants. After Bo sat the elf down in front of the hole in the wall as per instruction, Rod got off sporting a weary smile. His confidence boosted profoundly once he got off of his carrier; he was relieved that this was over, but was also humbled by the events that took place. Bo noticed this as well, and had instantly released the bundled up worry he had been shouldering throughout this time. "Thank you, my friend," Rod said. "You were a great help." "Anytime." Bo chuckled. "Would you have expected any less?" Rod made a side glance to his giant companion and gave out a small grin. "Of course not." He replied. The elf would then retreat into the walls, retiring for the day and starting the process of regaining his magic as the night went on.personSnowed OutWith a gentle breeze the snowflakes fell, becoming one with the sea of white that had made up the forest floor. Surrounded by the mighty cedars as she watched the powder dance and sway, Jac was reminded of a scene from a Christmas movie. A far cry from the storms that had whipped through the town the night before. Jac let out a foggy sigh. Long after the holidays have come and gone, the frosty weather had more than overstayed its welcome. In particular, Jac was left stranded outside after the previous night's blizzard, which had only validated her frustrations further. With this part of the Beanstalk Society largely buried underneath this icy menace, and her workplace being closed for the day, the young woman was left with nothing but to kill time. As she added the finishing touches to her snowman, Jac paused for a bit to admire her work. A standard effort, not too shabby. The doldrums were about to set in however, her eyelids drooping on occasion as she continued to be on the look out. If she was going to do nothing all day, then she might as well rope her best friend into this so they can spend the day doing nothing together. After all, she did happen to be staying over at his house when the blizzard passed through. For a giant like him, this was nothing that a couple of hours of shoveling couldn't fix. But any knee high snow pile for these gargantuan folk would be enough to completely engulf any dwelling within the human district, with Jac's apartment being no exception. Despite repeated reassurances from the townsfolk themselves, Jac could not help but let her mind wander. How were her neighbors doing? And what would she be doing at this very moment if she was trapped along with them? At that moment Jac had snapped back to focus as she heard a rumbling sound, a low growl that echoed in the winter air. Luckily for her, it came from a familiar voice. Sure enough there was Richard, who was making an effort to roll a massive snow ball nearly half his height up the hill. With every shove, extra clumps of snow added more to its size and weight, yet it somehow managed to maintain a perfectly rounded shape throughout. Jac couldn't help but be struck with internal laughter, for to her it appeared as though the Wile giant was pushing a mountainous boulder by the way he was panting. After what seemed like a tremendous amount of time (for the Wile giant at least) Richard brought the snow orb to a designated spot on flat, stable ground. As soon was taken care of, he immediately flopped down on his back red in the face as he huffed entire blimps worth of air in and out of his lungs. Jac clicked her tongue and shook her head, having to fight back from expressing her amusement further. "Who are you trying to impress?" Richard opened a single eye to side glance the woman as she made her way towards his head. His look held a playful glint. "I have no one to please but myself." He said in a fox-like tone. Jac was near his cheek at this time. "But why go through the trouble? You're not competing for some award or making something that could land on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens." "I'll have you know, I have good reason to make a perfectly round snowman bottom. Just... give me a minute..." Richard had to stop for a moment, for he was still recovering from exhaustion. He soon continued. "At least the hard part is over with." "If you aren't having fun, then what's the point? I made mine without using much elbow grease." Richard turned his head to the side to get a better look at Jac's creation. He watched it in silence for a good minute. "What is that?" "What do you mean what is that?" "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" "Tell me the truth, Richard. What do you think?" "The truth...?" "Yeah! Doncha think it looks pretty good?" "It's decent." "Of course!...Wait, huh?" "Pfft" "Rich!" "I didn't say it was bad. I said it was decent." Said the giant as he perked his lips. "Ohh, go finish your own dang snowman. Let's see what you got, Biggs." With that, Richard steadily pulled himself up and back on his feet with renewed vigor. In less than a minute, his entire frame towered over the human, taller than any of the buildings in her local district. This same titan of a man gently lowers his hand with his palm face up on the snow. "Since you're not busy, do you want to tag along?" Without hesitation nor a reply, Jac climbed onto Richard's hand, and bolted for his shoulder as soon as he lifted her gingerly onto that spot. She dove straight into the loose opening between his neck and scarf, and quickly settled into the giant's warmth. With a small smirk, Richard waited for Jac to eventually poke her head out. They then began to play a little game of hers that she always does whenever she's tucked away like this. "Onwards!" Jac commanded, pointing out to the great beyond. "Aye aye, captain!" Richard replied. And off they went. . . . . . . . It didn't be long before Richard returned with the second snow clump in his hands. He stacked it atop the first, then went to work fine tuning the spherical shape as he made it appear like a shining bald head. After a while however, Jac noticed her giant had stopped moving for a few minutes. She peeked out of the shelter of Richard's scarf to investigate. As suspected, the Wile giant had already moved on to decorating the second piece with stones. "Oh? So tired that you're resorting to putting the face on his torso?" Jac teased. "No, I wanted to create a Snow Daruma instead of the standard one." "A Da..? What is that?" "A snowman based off of a Japanese wishing doll. My dad used to make them with me when I was a small kid. Ah! Wait... I need to explain that concept to you, too." "As you can see, I have time." Jac said plainly. Richard then went on in textbook dialogue about daruma facts. All this talk of a sitting Buddhist monk that the snowmen resemble and the history behind the curious paper machete dolls that also took to the monk's likeness was enough to make Jac's eyelids heavy. At least until he came to the part where he spoke of their ability to grant wishes. "-- their eyes are blank, see? So if you make a wish or set a goal in mind, you draw an eyeball on one of the daruma's eyes and place it on the shelf for the household to see." "And then the daruma helps you grant your wish?" "Yeah.. according to tradition anyway. After the wish comes true, you draw the other eye in. And send it off to a shrine to show thanks for its support." "I see. So it's like a genie." Richard's tone of voice grew disheartened somewhat. "It's not that foolproof." He reached for his pocket to pull out his phone, but stopped short after recalling his battery was nearly dead. "I could show you, but..." At this very time, something lit up like a fire in Jac's mind, a remnant of a small memory that has clicked into place. "Didn't you have a white, rounded face object on your shelf in your living room? It had a bunch of facial markings and it only had one eye!" "That's the one!" Pausing for another moment, Richard then replied with a softer expression. "I'm surprised you remembered it at all." "Of course! I can't forget that gigantic face that scared me half to death! I was nearly startled off on your shoulder that time." "For someone your size who isn't used it, I'm not surprised. I was afraid of it too before I knew what it was. When I was like, five.” Richard chuckled under his breath. "By the way, whatever happened to it?" Richard had expected this. He continued to pat down his snow daruma, as he seemingly tried his best to not let Jac's question get under his skin. "Is something wrong?" That got Richard out of his trance. "Oh? Oh. No, you see..." He hesitated a bit, as he struggled to come up with the best course of action; eventually he settled on being blunt without spilling all of the details. "I wasn't able to get my wish granted... so after a while, I gave it up." Jac gasped. That lit flame ignited into a blazing passion. "They still only had one eye, right? Why didn't you let them do their job? I'm sure that doll was working hard for you!" Those last words stung a little. If only she knew that Richard's daruma could never grant his wish. It was impossible, so it was better for him to not be reminded of it. He spent the next few minutes without saying a single word, as he covered his emotions under the illusion that he was engrossed in crafting his snow creation. Jac didn't question it, but she did finally speak when the silence became unbearable for her. "Are you okay?" She asked meekly. A half-startled Richard replied. "Huh? Yeah! I'm fine. And I'm just about to wrap this up." He knew if he changed the subject, Jac would likely forget about it, and sure enough this was the case. With a final pat, Richard backed up to give Jac a full view of his work. The girl gave the snow daruma her honest review: she had to admit, this snow person was picture perfect with two clean spheres that made up the head and body. The face was simple, yet effective with a cute emoticon-like smile. It definitely fits the bill as something you would see on a holiday postcard. And yet, Jac felt as though something was missing. "Hm?" Richard knew that look in her eyes. After a tidal wave of brainstorming, a spark coursed through the human's mind. And upon processing it, she couldn't help but give out a smile that shined brighter than any of her surroundings. She whispered into Richard's ear; since they were alone, there was no point in doing this except to get a silent reaction. And there it was, that smile was contagious. Richard spontaneously perked up the side of his lips, slightly showing his sharp canine teeth. "That's perfect." He whispered back. He made his way towards Jac's snowman and carefully lifted it up onto his palm. With precise and delicate accuracy, Richard slowly sets it down on the left shoulder of his snow daruma, adding just a tad more snow to the base of the miniature to keep the latter stabilized. The giant then backed up to let his friend marvel at this sight. The result was a perfect giant and tiny person snowmen pair. “I call it Beanstalk and Beansprout united!” "Eh, that works. Mine does compliment yours perfectly I must say." "So, Rich. Think my snowman is only decent now?" "No. Truth is, I thought my efforts were pretty decent as well. The standard round body, round head approach. Nothing fancy. I just got carried away with the first piece. But together? I think they increased both of their marks by at least a hundred percent." "You think?" "Am I wrong?" Richard turned his head to look at the young woman on his right shoulder with a smile as wide as she was tall. Noticing the giant's willingness to express his glee (something that isn't too common for the Wile these days), Jac returned with a large grin of her own. "Nope. Not at all. And I couldn't have made such a perfect work of art without ya, of course." "Likewise." So with that, the two friends continued to look at their accomplishments for some time. As the snow, while still light, was increasing by the hour, Jac watched as her thoughts began to drift away once more. Being lost in her own ponderings, she remembered something she forgot to ask Richard before. "Do Yu...um. Snow darumas? Do they grant wishes, too?" "I've never heard of it." "It wouldn't hurt to try I guess." Jac asked the giant to hold her in front of the snow daruma's face. She then clapped her hands together, before she broke the momentum and asked Richard. "Aren't you going to make a wish?" "I don't bother with these types of things anymore. Besides, I don't really have anything to wish for right now." "Ok then!" With that, Jac closed her eyes and thought about what she wanted the most at this very moment. She then reached and with a bit of trouble she pulled out one of the stones that made up the snow daruma's eye. She then handed the heavy rock to Richard, who placed it in his coat pocket without effort. The Wile giant was puzzled by this. "Aww. The snowmen look less than stellar now.." "Don't worry. I'm sure the Da-roo ma–” "Daruma." "Right. I'm sure they'll get it back soon. Sometime today, hopefully." "What exactly is this wish now?" "It's a secret." "You can tell me..." "Well...hmmmm... nah. Wanna make sure I get my wish, so I don't want to ruin it by saying it aloud.” "Suit yourself." Richard shrugged, with Jac teetering slightly on his shoulder. This got her to respond with a cheeky laugh that the Wile wasn't sure what to make of. But he chose to refrain from any further questioning about it. As the quiet snowfall continued to coat the landscape in a sea of white, the two friends continued to take advantage of this free time. Hopefully Jac will be able to return to her apartment by day's end. If not however, she would have Richard to give her a home away from home.Memoirs of the Lonely Phoenix I have risen once and I have fallen twice. I was the first of many, a progenitor, a prophet according to some. I was told I could set my foot atop the heads of kings, to unleash a storm upon the metal kingdoms and bring forth a lush overgrowth of forests. Such lofty goals were alluring, but it was not a path I chose to follow. Not once did I step forth however, for I was struck down before I was given a chance to soar. When the flock went towards their palaces in heaven, I was left clinging to my shell. Hunters held a bounty for my yolk, a cup forever refilled as a precious source of eternal youth. I was traded and shuffled in the back alleys of lowly passages, my treasured form hounded by a pack of hungry wolves. I yearned to see the bright sunshine of the noonday, yet in darkness I remained. Soon the ruffles ceased, as did the pain. The lives that I saved no longer wanted me, I was rescued or perhaps abandoned somewhere. It was cold and by that point, I was too tired to want to put in the effort to be reborn again. I wanted nothing more than to be rid of everything, but I could not merely cease. So instead I slept. For how long, I cannot tell from within these confines. It must have been eons, for my sense of self began to lay dormant. It was time for another to take my position as a wanderer of this world. No matter, I enjoy sleeping, continuing it only seems natural. Many times have I risen and many times I have fallen. The whispers in the corridors of my mind spoke of me being the fourth generation. I heeded the fragmented directions that had been perfected over the ages: to tuck in my wings so I could blend in with humans, to hold my chest up high while keeping my fire at bay. Nothing else mattered, so I was free to roam. Small capsules of history dotted across the land revealed that my prior selves had unfulfilled lives. I set out to do the opposite, a comfortable existence was all that I strived for. The cogs of the tall woodwork clocks were the new talk of the town. It wasn't long ago when the men and giants rode in droves on their carriages, bringing prosperity to this once humble place. And yet I largely kept to myself, speaking to the passing birds when few others bothered to notice. I learned to live with that however, the warm sip of tea on quiet mornings was more than enough to satisfy me. And yet, life always finds a way to grip you into the trenches of something grander, subtle, elegant but profound nonetheless. I met her at a lowly pub, she wore a long, satin gown with a white sash around her waist. She smiled and I grinned back. I was quite unremarkable, yet for some puzzling reason she took a liking to me. We continued to talk, and continued to meet for many an hour and in numerous places. And with every encounter our hearts danced a little bit more. I soon fell into her warm embrace, my lips locked with hers. She looked into my eyes one radiant dawn and asked if she could stay by my side forever. I said yes without a shadow of a doubt. At that moment, I wished for a power only mortals possessed. Such a union was set up for heartbreak, but my heart knew not then nor did it care. I loved her. Even if only for a fleeting moment I wanted nothing more than to spend as much of my life as I could with her. We sang the songs of the air and flame, and trotted through countless moonlit nights. She shared her love of exploration that brought within me a sense of wonder for the wider world, and on almost every work day we would pocket a quarter or two to fulfill our dreams of travel later in life. We nearly reached the top and bottom of the world, we sailed the vast seas and walked under groves of cherry blossoms. Every cherished moment with her, no matter how great or insignificant, made my life that much more full, my fire kindled brightly. And in our twilight years we continued to stroll in harmony. Even when her legs gave way, and her voice grew weak, we continued to waltz and sing duets in silence. Age meant nothing to me, but with enchantment I matched her face, her arms, her labored breath. Even as we grew old together, we never drifted apart. My wife, my linked partner, my better half, my dearest friend. I offered her my blood, and she knew very well who I was and what I was, but the thought of hurting me even for a single life pained her. And in her own words, she wanted to travel the vastness of the night to meet the constellations she admired in all of her years up close. And on the following dusk, when the deep orange of the sunset fell over her time worn cheeks, she left. Gods I wish I could have followed her. My heart became numb. This is the life immortals must tread, countless people gone in what seemed like mere minutes to us. I could not bear her loss, nor could I fathom going through this again with anyone else. How mortals put up with it is beyond comprehension, perhaps a shorter lifespan serves as a release to handle such pain. When am I allowed to rest? Nothing brings me joy anymore, to fill out this empty husk left behind seemed like a fool's errand. For many more grueling years I wallowed in this thought, I did not wish to connect with anyone, anything. Until at last, my soul slipped into dormancy. Sleep, at the very least, gave me the closure I wanted. Perhaps we will even cross paths once more in my dreams, I think my chained soul can reach the stars if only for a moment. I've died many times, though I picked myself back up at every chance I got. Seventh generation here, name's not important. When you're like me and you've carved a path for yourself in these streets, you learn to gain a thick skin and a knack for not fearing what's right in front of ya. And this was long before I began to listen to the voices in my head yapping about me being some kind of deathless god. After that revelation you couldn't get me to stand still. The guys before me must have had it good, yet they had let the world walk over them. As for me, I swung back with piping-hot cinders, and I wasn't afraid to bite. Living a life vexing the devils, to retreat and do it all over again. It was an endless game, one that scratched an inch that few other jobs could satisfy. Bounties and heists were all the same to me, I cared not for any moral high ground. As word spread of my successful hunts, all matters of men and Wile came pleading on their knees. But I only bent towards the most rewarding gigs, nothing else was worth my time. Save for… kids who needed help finding their mothers, or nice old ladies who had their sole treasure stolen, or people who stopped to offer kindness knowing damn well who I was without expecting anything in return. I couldn't say no to them, even providing my services free of charge in these cases. While I lived in infamy by and large, some within the wider community spoke kindly of me and what I've done for them. It wasn't much, but it felt good. So long as I avoided the eyes of hogs and white suited gents, there was little that stood against me. And yet thanks to them, I couldn't dawdle in any one place for too long. I sometimes had thoughts of what it would be like to settle down with a burly, yet tender man who wanted to stick around with whatever I was. I guess it will remain a pipe dream, such a high stakes profession demanded I be on the move. And I still loved and rolled with it in spite of it all. No one stood a chance against me, yet I applauded their repeated efforts. The thugs would soon be creative with their attempts however, for they caught wind that I wasn't immune to pain. My job steadily became much harder, that alone made me hesitant to press on. The days began to blur, how long has it been since the thrills had lost their luster? My passion faded with every new mission, and I couldn't understand why. My hesitation led to my downfall, that I'm most certain of. Had I not tripped and fallen into that explosive, it would have passed through me harmlessly like it normally did. My mind suddenly slipped out of my control, the nails of my soul clung on in desperation. How could this have happened?! I can only become dormant of my own volition, right? Why did I succumb to it then?! I'm not finished yet!!! I screamed at the top of my lungs. Yet what's left of my body uttered not a single sound. As I sunk deeper into the abyss, I reflected on everything, and all that I should have done. There was so much I took for granted, so much I had missed, so many things I fell short of experiencing for myself. I never got to feel warmth up close, nor spend my days on things that actually mattered. I won't truly die, I know that now. But I hope the life that follows won't fall into the same trappings mine had. I'm not ready to become fully dormant yet, I'll show them myself if I have to. I’m the eighth and current generation, and I don't have much to share from the relatively short time I've been here. I hatched scared according to Hayden, seventh gen for clarification. I mean, I don't know how it was for them, but the voices in my head were loud in the beginning, which led to a skewed first impression of the world. Despite all that, I'm enjoying my time here so far. Sure life is not without its headaches, and boy was that ever apparent just a few years back. But I met many cool folks who helped me along the way, and I'm thankful to have them as lifelong friends. I broke the curse of lonely phoenix Wiles it seems, that much I can say. I still have no idea what I want to do with my life, and I'll take as long as I need to figure that out. In the meantime I want to focus on the little things that spark joy in my heart. Like the melon bread that's worth the trip to the other side of town, or the crisp smells of the fireplace on a frigid winter’s night. I met someone who lit up a candle in my chest, the best moments I have so far have been with him. My heart skipped a bit when we held hands for the first time. Here's to many more moments like this. Maybe I'll be a poet like fourth gen, or work hard to make people smile like six did. I want to make seven proud, I know a little flame lights up in my eyes from him still. Wherever I'll wind up, I know I'll be ready. Whether grand things await me, or a simple ordinary life, my only wish is to have cherished moments throughout. And to share it with anyone who cares to join me in this little journey of mine.trophypersonHaunted 10: Mist (Final)The atmosphere was eerily quiet, so much so that one could hear the light scurrying of a mouse. A heavy patch of mist blanketed the entire field, but unlike their previous visit to this domain, not a single sign of marble-like trees, grass, or shrubs could be found. Jac slowly opened her eyes to find herself laying on a cushion in what appeared to be a house.. or rather, what was left of it. The flames had chewed out a large portion of the abandoned structure, which allowed the heavy fog to seep inside. The first thing she could discern as she gazed up was the charred remnants of what appeared to be a mural painting that had been discolored and withered over the span of ages. It depicted a battle between a woman wearing white robes and a large, multi eyed black monster with multiple people scattered about on both sides cheering them on. "Ah! You're finally awake!" The baritone voice shook Jac out of her laying position. She turned to find an older gentleman who wore a black cowboy hat. "I brought you over here to rest up. There was quite a commotion out there earlier. Destroyed this old place, it did." The old man sighed. He looked up at the mural when he noticed the young woman had taken an interest. "And to think that this was one of the few things that survived the onslaught. Such an odd thing, that fate is." "Am... I dead?" Jac said reluctantly. "Oh no! You still have that cord that's chained to your body. You can't see it, but it's there. You'll live. Oh!" The gentleman recalled. "There's someone outside who's waiting to see you. He's been worried sick about you ever since you arrived, and he kept on apologizing--" Without another word Jac sprung up, and while she struggled to maintain her footing, she managed to make her way past the burned up corridors until at last she found an opening. There on the Veranda stood a lowly person who carried a large plumage of red and gold feathered wings on his back. His arms were folded on the guardrail, and his face was completely sheltered in them as he slumped low in deep despair. Jac paused for a moment, before she found her voice again. "...Aiden?" The familiar red head swung his head back the instant he heard her voice and immediately lunged himself forward to wrap his arms around her. The young woman was no less shocked than she was a second ago, but she would nonetheless embrace this moment by squeezing him tighter. "I'm so sorry Jac!!" Tears were running down Aiden's face. "I didn't know what else to do to get rid of that witch, but I was so worried you might have--" "It's alright. You... saved me.. but..." Jac looked down at the enlarged wings on his back, and upon further inspection discovered that they were transparent. Tears started to form in her eyes as well, as she planted her face onto the chest of the puzzled Wile. Jac said nothing to alleviate his confusion but her crying grew louder all the same. "What's wrong?" Aiden sniffed. "You're dead, that's what's wrong..." "WHAT?!!" Jac then brushed her fingers on the tip of his wings, and that's when he realized what she was referring to. "OH! Oh no. This?" He then began to lightly swat at the wings while saying "Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!" And they in turn gradually faded out of sight. "This is just what happens when I use my powers too much and wind up in, um... limbo, of sorts." Aiden placed a hand behind his neck. "I may be gone for a little bit, but I promise I'll be fine, okay? I just need some time to recover, that's all." "Are you an angel?" Jac asked with sadness in her voice. "No.." "Are you... satan?" "NO!" Aiden grumbled. "I'm just a regular Wile giant who just happens to have magic that's a bit different from everyone else." "You weren't kidding..." Jac chose to drop it for now; she's seen him come back before, yet this was the first time she got up close and personal with witnessing his spirit form. Speaking of which.. "How long have I been here for? I hope it's not too late before I--" "No need to worry about that." Said the older gentleman as he stepped out to greet the two. "Even if you spend a long time here, it'll only be like a few seconds in your world. So you can take as long as you need to unwind.. Or not. It's your choice." "Oh. That's... convenient." Jac uttered. She felt a large weight thrown off of her shoulders upon hearing that revelation, but it would not be long before a new problem caught her eye. She turned her attention to the edge of the veranda, where she spotted two bright lights that were perched atop the railing. Jac squinted her eyes before she decided to have a closer look. The glow of the two objects had cut through the mist, as if they were a beacon from a lighthouse, except of course much smaller. "Is that...?" Jac gasped when she immediately recognized the glowing butterfly, which was laying on its side with what appeared to be a broken wing. "Yeah, that's her." Aiden spoke with a slight crack in his voice. "I burned up her spirit, so her core is all that's left. I believe all of her magic is gone." Jac breathed a sigh of relief. "Serves her right. Well, what is… who is that glowing bug standing next to her?" "I'm not sure. I found him inside of the collective demon's body, believe it or not. He actually helped me to get my head together and fight back." "You're kidding!" "Hold on just a minute!" The gentleman with the black cowboy hat pulled out his monocle and began to look very closely at the small speck. And upon a thorough examination, he nearly dropped his glasses in his flabbergasted state. "Mr. Jones!" He said rather bitterly. "Hello Reginald." The firefly replied after a brief moment of silence. With that confirmation, the old man took out his leather wallet and swatted at the poor bug, which caused audible squeaks to be heard from the two youngsters behind him. "I should have known you would show your face around here again! Scoundrels like you never get Tickets!" "Hey hey hey, no need to resort to violence, okay?" Aiden said as he stepped in between them. "He helped me out, so I brought him here. I had no idea he was...that guy..." "It's alright." The white speck said with a strained voice, though he was otherwise unfazed. "I had it coming for a while. When I was in the body of that beast I had about a hundred years to reflect on my past transgressions. I deserved every bit of punishment that I had received during that time, and I've accepted the fact that I won't be forgiven for most of them." He then turned to the golden butterfly and paused. "I haven't caught wind of everything, but it seems as though my wife had done all of these things with the sole purpose of trying to bring me back to life. If only she knew, that would have been impossible..." "After what you've done I don't understand why she would go through all this trouble!" Reginald huffed. "I knew of those rumors, and I understand why you don't see me as trustworthy. But mark my words, I've never cheated on her since we were together. When I made my vows to her... I wanted to change because she became the light of my life... and now..." The light of the firefly had grown to a mere flicker, as his voice began to well up uncontrollably. "Now she won't even speak. She's been unresponsive ever since she got here! It's as if she's dead, even though souls can't die... I expect some form of damnation. But not like this..." "Now now. There's no need to go that extreme." Reginald sighed. "I could transfer a little bit of my energy to her, but I don't believe it'll be enough to revive her." Nothing was said for the next few minutes as the room grew heavy with the Firefly's increasing grief. As much as it pained her to do so, Jac was also trying to come up with a solution despite her grievances against the witch. "Are you absolutely sure she can't regain her magic?" She asked the Wile. "Positive." Aiden replied. "Wait, why?" "Does your regenerative powers work on others?" "I... I never considered using it that way before. I don't think it's impossible, just... hard." "I have a suggestion." The firefly said after giving it a bit of thought. "Perhaps, lad, I could ask you to give a little bit of your energy to me so that I may use it to try to revive her myself? We have what you folks call, a Link, a contract of sorts. I can help her, but not if I'm trapped in this... pitiful state." "Well, I can sure try. Sharing energy is a piece of cake. If you think you can use that to charge up your powers, then go for it." "I'm willing to try anything." The firefly wasted no time getting on the shrunken Wile's hand as soon as he was prompted to do so. Aiden cupped him with the other and closed his eyes, and within moments his energy wings reappeared as he began to take on a gentle, yet otherworldly orange glow. Beams of light were absorbed into the small form underneath his fingers. Almost instantly, a bright light flashed between his fingers; as soon as the Wile opened his palms, the firefly shot out and reemerged as a tall, dark man sporting a pompous suit and a tuft of hair on his chin. "Great Scotts! I... I'm free...." Mr. Jones was nearly speechless. "Wait... I thought you were a much older guy than... this?" Jac questioned. "You're looking at someone who is eternally 38 years young! Whoever gave you that impression?" The man said as he gave a teasing leer to his former butler, who only raised his arms coyishly in response. Without further delay, Mr. Jones lifted the lifeless butterfly onto his open palms, and tried to imitate what was done to him just moments before. After a minute of no change, despite giving as much of his own light to her as he could muster, he immediately knelt down, and embraced the tiny insect in a pool of tears. "I... I'm so sorry for what I've done to you..." He whimpered as softly as he could, "none of this would have happened if I hadn't... If I didn't... with my own..." Just then, he heard the faintest whisper from between his palms. "It... wasn't your fault..." The man opened his hands and his expression melted as he looked down upon his wife. The former witch was now a tiny little thing, with small, white butterfly wings on her back. Her robe was a pure sheen of gold unlike the dusty white of her past self, and her expression was that of bewilderment and simultaneously of overwhelming relief. "Bartleby...?" She gasped. "Evangeline!" He cried. "Why are you so big?" "I don't know! Why are you so little?" He laughed while shedding tears of joy. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I can't make you any taller..." "I don't mind. So long as I'm with you, I don't care either way." "Likewise." The two shared in each other's warmth for some time, as everyone cried tears of joy for them.. except for Jac. Laughter was shared and formal introductions were made, and while the young woman was still incredibly salty about what happened just hours before, this would change somewhat quickly after it became apparent that Evangeline couldn't recognize her or Aiden, and had seemingly forgotten everything that had happened since her reawakening. Jac thought 'If she was faking her amnesia, she was putting up a damn good act,' but she eventually dropped making any mention of it further. Bartleby Jones called for a celebration, but Aiden and Jac felt that they had enough adventures for one day. "Time for you two to be heading home then?" Reginald asked. Aiden looked at his friend for confirmation and got it with a swift nod. "I want to rest up in my own body, I think. Aches and all." She said. "Well, that's understandable. Feel free to come by and visit any..." The realization settled in that the ghosts didn't have any home to return to, for their mansion had been left in shambles. "I'm sorry..." Aiden felt guilty. "It was an accident." Reginald said, and with a long sigh he gave a fraction of a smile. "I guess this means it's about time for me to get a move on. Got a Ticket for a train I've been meaning to ride for quite some time. I heard the destination is nice." "I wish you the best of luck on your journey." Mr. Jones said. "Unfortunately, due to my... actions in the past, I was never gifted a Ticket." "Heck, almost everyone gets one eventually. Even scoundrels like the two of you!" Reginald chuckled. "You just have to earn yours over time. It may take a millennium or two, but it will happen." "Well, that's plenty of time for us to explore the world at our own pace, isn't that right, Bart?" Eva announced. Bartleby smiled at his wife on his left shoulder. "I'll be glad to go anywhere if it's with you, my love." ….. After one last goodbye, Aiden took Jac by the hand, and with the lift of his magical wings he flew her en route back to reality. When he finally sets her back down to the spot where her physical body laid, the Wile too, would have to part ways. "I have to go build my nest now… I'm so gosh darn tired, I'll likely need a month to fully rejuvenate. I'll be on standby if you need me." "Wait!" Jac exclaimed. Aiden turned around and saw that Jac was on the verge of tears. "Thank you.... For everything... for saving everyone!" Aiden didn't feel like a hero, but he accepted that form of sincerity nonetheless. "No problem, Jac. I'll see you around!" And with that his spirit took off into the air, heading off to what was likely a place where he could use his Phoenix reviving power in peace. ..... "Jac... Jac...! Please... wake up..." Jac slowly awakened to the sound of her Wile giant's voice. And the first thing she saw was his face overtaking her entire view, with his nose propped up against her cheek. "Rich…ard...?" She said weakly. "Y...you're alright..." "I'm the one who should be telling you that!!" Richard cried excessively, though the volume of his voice remained low. "I thought I lost you for real this time!...I can't!... I just want to..." Jac watched as the Wile giant's lips parted, to which she immediately reacted with a sharp "NO!" But the smaller human was surprised to get a series of soft kisses, wet kisses, and cheek rubs back to back. Jac had no energy to make a fake protest against it, for the overwhelming relief of surviving all of this had finally started to set in, as she too released a cascade of tears of her own. "I'll be ok Richard! Don't worry! We don't have to worry about that witch or the curse, or anything anymore!" Jac held onto Richard in a tight hug for a good, long time. A new dawn approached, and this meant that that frightful Hallows Eve had finally come to a close. The friends would take it easy for many months thereafter, with Aiden reuniting with the gang shortly enough. He made up with Jillian, and thanked her for helping him to snap out of it during his rage. To which she humbly replied no hard feelings towards. Everyone avoided high magic thrills and paranormal hijinks for a long, long time. After all that excitement, they all deserved a little break.Haunted 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.Haunted 7: SpiritJac and Aiden thought that they would never return to this horrid place again. The haunted house loomed over the landscape like an imposing entity that would cast a shadow far greater than the forest itself. And there stood the darkest part of the shade: a single pitiful tree, its baneful branches appearing to beckon the two as they made their way ever closer. This time Jillian accompanied the duo as they entered this plot of land, and while he remained unseen, Richard was also on standby. Jac was not given much detail as to what went on during Aiden and Jill's meeting with the head of the scavenger hunt, but one thing was certain. The two had barely spoken to each other since then, and they tried their best to not address one another. Sensing the underlying tension in the air, Jac tried to lighten up the mood. "All I got to do is place the jewelry under the tree, say the magic words and be done with it. Simple as that!" "I... don't think it's going to be that easy Jac." Said Jillian. The elf woman's confidence was absent, and her voice was almost as small as if she were at her normal borrower-sized height. "You.. look like you've seen things..." Jac then placed her hands on her hips. "Okay, what happened?" Jillian slowly looked at Aiden before quickly ducking her eyes back to the human. "I don't really want to talk about it." "You can stay here and wait for us, you know." "I can't! Just, stand back and watch my best friend walk into a frying pan! Ghosts aren't my level of expertise, but if I can use my magic to provide some form of protection then, I'll go wherever you need to be." Meanwhile, Aiden was largely silent throughout, as once again the alarm bells inside his head had begun to ring all at once. His nerves were fighting to control his natural flight or fight instincts, which was starting to flare up immensely as the surrounding fog thickened. As the three were on the move, a strange unexplained pressure was beginning to weigh down on them. The more it seemed like they were advancing, no matter how long they took, they barely made any progress as the tree stayed firmly rooted in the same distance from their starting point. "This can't be real! It's like a mirage!" Jac complained. "The miasma is terrible here." Jillian uttered as she covered her nose and mouth with a sleeve. "What's that?" "It's like an extreme imbalance of negative energy. It can cause all kinds of problems if we stand in it for too long..." "You mean...you can see it too?" Aiden gulped. "Wha? No..? You can?" Jillian wariness peaked at that point. "Yeah.. It looks like a purplish smog that's covering the entire yard..." "Y-you're kidding!" Jac exclaimed. "No?" Said Aiden. "You mean you guys, can't...?" His voice grew to almost a whimper as he sensed the growing fear in Jillian's expression. "I'm not surprised anymore..." Jillian said flatly. "There are gaps in the smoke...maybe... I can direct you guys through the least concentrated areas of the stuff." Aiden was hesitating a bit, but his confidence grew with each word. "I don't know if it'll make a difference, but perhaps we can actually reach the tree that way." "So it's like a haunted maze?" Jac asked. "I guess..." "Then it's worth a shot..." Aiden led the way through the narrow gaps between the heavy plumes, the two women careful to retrace his every step. The path was winding and full of twists, yet sure enough, they were finally starting to make progress as they were closing in towards the hallowed bark. Little did they know, there were invisible eyes on all sides taking note of their every move, in particular those of the shrunken Wile. 'The Phoebe is becoming a nuisance' A female voice whispered. 'We warned him not to interfere,' uttered a male's, ‘now he must pay the price.' Just then, something within Aiden snapped and he began to let out a low, guttural sound. Which in turn caused Jillian to slink behind Jac. “Are you ok?!” Jac exclaimed. "They're already here." The Wile snarled. "Don't worry about me! Let's MOVE!! GO GO GO!!" Without further questioning, Jac and Jillian tried their best to keep up with Aiden as he raced the rest of the way through the maze. The closer they had gotten to the barren tree, the thicker the miasma became, and with it the apparitions that were chasing them had become more apparent. "Are those wisps?!" Jac yelled. "No! These must be the..." Jillian started as she fought back a strange burning sensation that had started to overwhelm her. Suddenly, the elf woman grew sickeningly faint and before long she withered back to her regular size of four inches. Jac caught Jill just before the latter was about to plummet to the ground. The human drew her closer, eyes widened from the outcome. "Oh my god, what happened? Say something!" "I... don't know." Jill replied weakly. "I'm sorry Jac..." It was during this exact moment when Jac realized that Jillian had been setting up a magical barrier around the group this entire time, which had now shattered due to this event. Without its protection the miasma was beginning to seep into their lungs, which increasingly made it that much more difficult for them to breathe. "We're almost there! Hang on!" Jac exclaimed as she covered her respiratory canal with as much clothing as she could. She gently placed the drained elf in her pocket as she continued to run after Aiden, with the restless wisp-like beings still in hot pursuit. The setback of inhaling corrupted smog had slowed down their advancement significantly however, which gave the foul spirits the chance to surround them in every direction. The apparitions dived and swarmed strategically around the three friends- a frenzied attempt to outmaneuver them that lasted more than several minutes, with each second exposed to the invisible poisonous fumes being enough to put a dent in their lifespans. Aiden fell over and was dogpiled relentlessly by more than a dozen of these fiends. At the same time Jac could feel the pressure intensifying… but in spite of everything that was trying it's damndest to hinder her, she remained mostly unfazed and was determined to push through it. "I'm not giving up! No matter what you try to do, you can't stop me!" Jac exclaimed as more of a means to psych herself up as she was being bombarded by the cold fireballs throughout her body. She then pulled out her knapsack and threw as much of the magic dust within as she could in the air, which in a flash ignited with an intense bluish-white blast. The sparks were enough to send the evil spirits aback momentarily, and while they were largely unaffected by its burn, they seemed to be blinded by the glow that was emitted. This was enough for Aiden to snap out of his cowering state as he quickly regained control with a swift fiery assault from his nails. The apparitions feared his onslaught, and immediately took off from him, but not before a couple of the wisps had become singed in the process. At the same time both he and Jac felt a sudden earth shake, which would then rumble profusely as the quakes drew nearer. Within minutes the silhouette of a giant cut through the thick smog, which brought everything to a stand still. "JAC!!" Richard bellowed. "Took you long enough! Where have you been!" Jac hollered. "You're here but... I can't see you!" The Wile giant tried desperately to peer his fingers through, but to no avail. "I recognized your magic and came as soon as I could..." "I don't understand Rich..." Jac replied with the first hint of concern in her voice that she had all day. "We must have gotten trapped in between worlds somehow..." Aiden said. “You're kidding…” The shrunken Wile took careful note of the fact that about thirty or so spirits had all gathered to face the new threat that was the other Wile giant, though they were unable to go past the point where the miasma cloud ends. He held his hands to his forehead, his eyes pinching intensely. "C'mon think! There's got to be a--" Suddenly, his panic settled when he saw the knapsack in Jac's hand. His focus then shifted back onto the miasma, and then to Richard. "You two are Linked, right?" Aiden spoke with purpose. "Can you combine your magic powers?" Jac grew hesitant. "We're still practicing that, but..." "Richard! You know a bit of wind magic right?" "Yeah, why?" Richard understandably had hesitation in his voice. "Use the spell to transfer your wind to Jac! And Jac, toss that powder of yours straight at the tree. If you can pull it off, you may be able to blow this miasma away!" "Will that work?!" Jac exclaimed. "I don't know! But it's better than nothing!!" With that declaration the two reluctantly complied. Jac took a deep breath and swiftly got in position for what would have been a few feet away from the Wile giant if they had been in the normal world. She then pulled out a good helping of the pixie dust and held it in her right hand. Concurrently Richard was swirling the air around him, as his magic was concentrated in the tips of his fingers. As soon as the unclean spirits realized what was transpiring, they charged wildly at Jac, but were cut off at every turn by an unusually focused Aiden who took full advantage of his ghost burning ability at maximum adrenaline. Richard chanted the spell, and within seconds a gust of wind blew from his outstretched arms. The miraculous power of the Link caused it to flow in front of Jac's hand, which in turn- despite being much weaker in comparison to her giant- began to stir the smog around her. Their breathing synchronized as did their heartbeat, and with that solid momentum Jac's timing was perfect as she aimed the magic powder directly at the tree, just as she called upon the ignition spell. A burst of hot wind carried the pixie dust into the hollowed bark, and upon impact the tree exploded in a sea of piping cinders that shined a brilliant blue. In an instant, the spirits fell, caught in the tempest that would also cause the smog to gradually dissipate. Jac was experiencing a tremendous amount of pressure to keep her arms upright so that the heavy breeze would keep going, but Aiden helped to lift one arm, and Jillian pitched in with a renewed commitment to regain her human height so she can hold the other. Within moments the miasma had blown to the far side of the empty field, and while the blaze had been blown out, the tree was starting to crumple under its own weight. And as the smoke cleared, the three friends had found themselves back in reality where night had since fallen, with Richard standing clearly right behind them. With warm hugs and a cheerful celebration, the worst of their troubles were seemingly behind them, and there was only one more task left to do.Haunted 6: Shimmering "Where... am I?" Jac opened her eyes and found herself floating, or perhaps submerged underwater.. but she was still breathing somehow. Everything around her was an unsettling black void as far as the eye could see... save for a small, flickering light that emitted from the glass egg that hung from the necklace she wore. Jac could just make out the faint hint of a butterfly pattern from within. "Why do I...?" As soon as she gave the item a tap, the illumination at its core suddenly grew to envelop her entire surroundings with a majestic, white sheen. Jac watched in awe as she saw a mysterious, yet beautiful figure manifest itself before her eyes. She shimmered with a golden radiance that sparkled over her snowy dress. "You freed me..." The being spoke. "I can't thank you enough for what you've done." "W-who are you...?" Jac gasped. "I am called The Witch of the Dawn. For a long time I was the tutelary guardian of this land... At least, until the evil spirits of the hallowed bark destroyed my precious home. You are the first person to succeed in finding my precious jewel! The very one that will aid in my resurrection..." "Uh..." "Don't worry dear. Rest assured that no harm will come to you so long as I'm around. I promised a friend of mine." "Wait! How did I... wind up here?" "WAHHH! ANOTHER ONE!!" Jac whipped her head to the source of that scream just as she saw a familiar red headed Wile literally fall into the strange 'room' they were in, where his descent gradually slowed to a halt. Jac hovered as fast as she could over to his side. "Aiden!! How the hell did you get here?!" "I haven't the slightest idea..." Aiden grumbled as he managed to float upright again. "I was in that guy's house... And it turned out.. he was possessed by one of the evil spirits in my dreams…” "You mean? The head of the scavenger hunt?" The shrunken Wile nodded. “Some stuff then happened and, I ended up here.” He then took notice of the witch again and immediately slinked behind Jac for cover. "Who's this?!" "Do not fret. I am not your enemy." The witch replied, her expression was soft, yet somber. She appeared graceful, yet simultaneously she seemed as though she was searching through the very essence of Aiden's soul. It was almost like he could “feel” her presence tap into him, which didn't help to calm his relentless nerves at the slightest. "Hold on!" Jac exclaimed. "Weren't you the one who led me here? You look suspiciously similar to a certain butterfly I know..” “You would be correct. My true power was locked away in that jewel. Had it not been for my light, you would have still been under the control of that foul spirit.” “Wait… you saved me?” “Correct, dear.” The witch's smile beamed even brighter. “And now you are truly free from that wicked being. It was the least I could do… for freeing me in spite of your affliction. Again, I am eternally grateful.” As Jac was trying her best to wrap her head around all of this, Aiden's mind was brewing as well. His thoughts failed to escape the ethereal witch however, as the infiltration of his very essence quietly continued. "Indeed, it is as you suspect. I did know Bartleby… long before he became possessed.” "I wish you had warned me before you read my mind..." Aiden mumbled. “Huh?” Jac was completely lost. “Don't let the stories lead you astray. Before he became broken.. he was a kind man. One who went above and beyond to help everyone he could…” The room fell quiet momentarily, as the witch's eyes began to cloud. The two friends looked at each other before Jac broke the silence. "So you're…the woman from the story?” “You know about that part?” The witch looked down. “...Yes… I was his wife, before I lost everything…” The two friends uttered not a sound, even in their heads. After a brief moment the witch continued. “He didn't want to hurt me. But, the 108 were relentless. They knew I had the power to eradicate them, which is why they came after me specifically.” “The 108…” “That doesn't li- -” Aiden uttered before Jac interrupted. "Wait, I'm confused.” Jac tugged onto the glass egg lightly, noticing then that it was somehow fastened tight. “What is this exactly? And why are the evil spirits using the scavenger hunt to go after it?” “My jewel solely holds the key to completely destroy them. That is why they will stop at nothing to destroy it first.” The witch explained. “Even before they became sealed to the hallowed bark, they cannot touch this jewel, its purity is greater than their dark energy. Unfortunately, anyone who ventures too close.. are ultimately prone to their influence.” “So.. that would mean that they possess people to try to do their dirty work for them…” Jac put a hand to her chin. “And if they succeed?” “I pray that it won't come to that. The 108 must be plotting to stage something elaborate, if they are this desperate after being dormant for so long.” The witch then took a deep breath, and looked towards the great white void that surrounded the three of them. “All Hallows Eve draws near, the time when spirits are at their strongest. It's not a coincidence.. they could pose a great threat to many lives if they are released." Aiden gave out an involuntary squeak. In contrast, upon hearing this revelation, the pit of Jac's core began to boil. She clenched her fist with renewed vigor, determined more than ever to set things into motion. "Tell me what I need to do." She said. “Are you certain?” The witch asked. “Once you embark further on this quest, there is no turning back.” “Positive! The whole world could possibly be at stake here! I don't want to stand back and watch after everything I learned … If there's anything I can do to stop this before it's too late, well.. Then I guess it's worth trying!” “But Jac! It's too dangerous!!” Aiden exclaimed. “We have the tools for it! So it can be done, right?” At first the witch seemed apprehensive towards the idea, but then she saw the sheer look of fire in Jac's eyes. One that showed total conviction to the cause, someone perhaps worthy… to actually succeed. This was enough to make the ethereal witch cave. “Perhaps the stars had aligned for us to meet at this exact moment. Very well then! If you insist on stopping the 108 once and for all, then you must heed to my instructions and listen well!” The witch floated over to Jac's side, resting a hand on her shoulder. The human could feel a cold chill from her touch, signifying that she was indeed not of this world. "You must go to the hallowed bark and place the jewel underneath it. You must then repeat the spell that I will give you at that time. The foul spirits will stop at nothing to make sure that you will fail, so you must stay vigilant!" The witch then turned her head to Aiden, who jerked upon seeing her soft smile once more. "You have the power to burn even spirits. Your fire will come in handy if the need arises. Can I count on you to protect her?" Aiden gulped. "I'll try my best, ma'am." The shrunken Wile still shivered at the prospect of making eye contact with her. It was as if his gut was telling him something important, but he couldn't discern what exactly. Just then, Jac and Aiden suddenly began to lift out of their positions; steadily at first, but at increasing speed, they were being carried off higher to who knows where. “What the?!” Aiden cried. “What's going on?!” Jac shouted. “Your physical forms are starting to awaken. You should remember everything I've taught you here, so don't fret.” The witch stayed behind in her exact spot, yet her brilliant radiance could be seen far in the distance. “Hold on!” Jac shouted as she began to fight in vain against the current. “I still have so many questions!!” As the two drifted further away, the world around them literally cracking in its foundation, Jac was surprised to hear the good spirit speak now in her mind one more time. "Farewell for now. If all goes well, we shall meet again. Stay strong you two, you don't have a moment to lose!” ..... "Jac...? JAC!!" Jac slowly blinked her eyelids awake, and the first thing he saw was a crestfallen, human-sized Richard. As soon as the Wile witnessed her return from the brink, he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her as tight as he could. The young woman could feel the sweat that had previously drenched his skin and shirt, as well as his pouring tears. "Thank God!" Richard cried, before saying nothing else for a long time as the two continued to soak in each other's embrace. Jac gathered as much strength as she could to look around. She realized that she was back at the cemetery as a light rain poured down where they stood. Furthermore, they were alone. "R-Richard...?" Jac said weakly. "Wha… Where's Aiden...?" "Aiden's not here. What are you talking about?" "Oh.... nevermind." She put her hand on her chest to find that the jewel was still present. Everything she saw leading up to this point had all felt like a wild fever dream, but it was obvious that this was anything but. "Let's go home..." Jac said. "I'll… try to explain on the way..." Richard lifted the exhausted woman over his shoulders. As he was about to carry her away, Jac spotted what appeared to be a small piece of yellow paper next to the crater that she had dug up. She asked the Wile to hand it to her, and while she couldn't make out the misshapen writing at first, she was eventually able to decipher its code. 'The final task is a simple one. Bring the necklace to me. If you can't do this then destroy it. You will then receive your prize.' Jac then crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it afar. "Yeah, like that's going to happen." She thought.Haunted 5: GravestoneAfter many delays, the time had finally come. With the wretched sticky note at hand, Jac had set out to the graveyard off the edge of the human district to find the eponymous Bartleby's tombstone that was etched so vividly in her mind. She hated this wild goose chase more than anything- after the events of the previous nights, she felt as if she was being dragged into this otherworldly mess without having any say on the matter. Aiden and Jillian had split off to find the mastermind behind this dubious scavenger hunt, so without the red head's protection Jac had brought along the next best person. Or rather, he volunteered to accompany her while she tried her best to to insist that she'd be fine on her own. "You didn't have to follow me here, you know." Jac said. "You can't technically go any further anyway since this is a human restricted area." "I don't like this at all Jac," Richard spoke rather uneasily. "Tell me again why you have to do this?" "If I don't, then the ghosts will just keep coming back." "Jac..." "I know you don't believe in these things, but you have to trust me on this one! The visits have become more frequent as of late, and every night I get the exact same dream of this woman with white rags pointing her finger towards me..." "You may need some therapy..." Richard mumbled. "After this is all over with, I think I will take you up on that." Despite the fact that the two friends had visited the cemetery during midday, the atmosphere within the area still felt eerily cold. Barely anyone else was present even at this hour, and the scenery throughout appeared misty and hollow. Nevertheless, Jac proceeded to march through the main entrance without losing any of the confidence she had whipped herself into. As soon as she stepped forward, she suddenly felt the Wile giant's finger brushing her shoulder ever so gently. "Wait," he said with a tense voice. "A-allow me." And before she was given the chance to turn around, she witnessed a whitish-blue radiance that blossomed across the yard, illuminating the area in a soft, warm glow. Jac understood right away what this meant, yet it still left her completely stunned. She slowly looked behind her just as the magic had started to fade, and there stood Richard not even a foot taller than her. Jac knew Richard felt vulnerable in this form, and would never think to shrink down out in the open under normal circumstances. This situation must have been truly dire for him. "You! You didn't have to--!" "Don't sweat it, okay?" Richard said after he shook some of his dizziness away. "Let's go, I want to get this over with before nightfall." Jac remained silent, but pressed onward after she snapped herself back to focus. Best not to question his decision, although deep down she appreciated the act more than he realized. Searching through hundreds of different gravestones, most of which have been worn through the passage of time, was no easy task. For the next couple of hours, the two companions decided to engage in small talk to help alleviate some of the stress that had been building up since their arrival. Jac made a passing statement that Richard uses magic much more frequently in her dreams, to which the shrunken Wile replied as being hogwash. The human laughed, only to lose herself in quiet sorrow as she admits to missing such lighthearted night visions. Ever since that fateful night, they've been replaced by the sinister being that seemed to have taken up residency in her head. .... "I... I think I found it!" Jac raced over to Richard's side after he made that declaration. There stood a large tombstone with what appeared to be vines with razor sharp needles wrapped all around it. Engraved was the name of Bartleby Jones, and just underneath was the worn and torn fragment of something yellow that fluttered in the wind. There was no mistaking it. Jac hurriedly pulled out the paper and scanned it frantically..only to drop to her knees, eyes narrowed in utter disbelief. "You.. You can't be serious!" Jac didn't have the energy to shout her fury to the wind. Dumbfounded, speechless, lost, and even more afraid…She handed Richard the note briefly before she slowly got up, and walked away. The shrunken Wile was no less shocked, for a single written word had brought everything to a stand still: ’Dig’ "Screw this, I'm going home." Jac spat angrily as she tore up the note and tossed it into the rubble. "I'll get a medium or the Bean to help me fight this ghost. Destroying private property isn't worth it." "Yeah..” Richard sighed. “Couldn't have said it better myself.” .... Jac was infuriated by the fact that she had wasted her time and energy on this thing, this entire thing. This was looking more and more like a case of a gravedigger's folly that had incurred the wrath of those who should have been left undisturbed. Jac was secretly kicking herself for allowing these consequences to happen to her, and getting her friend Aiden involved only made her overwhelming regret even worse. These were the thoughts that would plague Jac's mind the following evening, and she couldn't shake off the feeling that it was all her fault. The tossing and turning had become relentless. As she began to mentally stew herself in a dark corner of her mind, Jac slowly turned her head. Somehow, subconsciously, she knew it was there. Perched on her left shoulder once more was the glowing butterfly. Jac remained semi-conscious however, so at this moment in time she believed she had already fallen asleep. "Oh. It's you again." Jac said flatly. "What do you want?" The pretty little insect fluttered about as it usually did whenever it was addressed. Jac pinched her eyes shut and tried her best to ignore the slight nuisance, and sure enough the glow had faded. With a quaint smile, Jac turned to lay on her back before she gave out a long, drawn out sigh. And as soon as she opened her eyes again... She saw that the apparition that was by the entrance on previous nights was now hovering right over her head. Jac would have had the start of a scream, if it wasn't for the ghoulish hand which was at this very moment pushing hard onto Jac's face. Using the other hand to restrain her left arm, the otherworldly being had effectively pinned the young woman down. Jac struggled with all her might, but it was no use- in no less than a few minutes time, the human would lose all consciousness... ..... Richard tried calling Jac multiple times. He had a gut feeling that something had gone horribly wrong, for his friend never failed to leave a message or two to give at least some kind of signal to how she was doing. Using his phone's tracking system, he was able to pinpoint the human's approximate location, his eyes widening at what he saw. This can't be… no. He couldn't believe it. And yet, his gut told him to follow. It was half past midnight, and a shrunken Richard wasted no time retracing their tracks at the lowly cemetery. The Wile frantically searched for any signs of his best friend- - Jac's scent, yes!! He whipped his head and was able to spot her from a far distance. Kicking his legs to catch up, Richard's eyes began to tremble as the realization began to set in. His walking slowed, his breath started to labor, as he increasingly became mortified by what laid before him. "J... Jac?" Richard nearly choked up. Jac turned to face him slowly and mechanically, she bore eyes that flashed bright with what appeared to be no signs of any eyeballs in her sockets. As if being pulled like a marionette, the woman slowly jilted her head back and resumed what she was doing. Upon seeing that she had taken a shovel and was using it to upheave dirt, Richard crouched down to the ground, tears dripping without ceasing. To say he was about to throw up was an understatement.. this HAD to have been nothing more than a horrendous nightmare… it's gotta be. And he wanted nothing more than to wake up from it. Then, she suddenly stopped. Tossing the shovel aside, Jac pawed into the crevice that she created and pulled out an object that sparkled against the light of her eyes. A vintage trinket lopped by a piece of string- it resembled an oval shaped gemstone, center as white as snow. The Wile could feel an unnerving and mysterious aura emitting from it, but that was the least of his concerns. Jac suddenly cried, in laughter, and with hysterical sorrow, back to back in an uncontrollable fit.. as she embraced the object close to her heart, the shine in her eyes slowly fading out. A similar light would then reappear inside of the abnormally in her hands, and with this it felt as if a great weight was lifted from her entire body, a euphoria unlike any she has ever felt. And just as soon as she would have regained her sense of self, she would then lose consciousness once more. She would have plummeted to the pit below if it wasn't for a timely catch.