"No," I whispered in horror, "No, not again."

I stumbled backwards and fell over in shock, "Please, no," I croaked in desperation, "I just made it out of here."

Tears began streaming down my face as I stared out at the vast expanse of white nothingness. I slowly folded my legs into my chest and wrapped my arms around myself.

"I can't."

I fell over on my side, shaking violently.

"I can't do this again. Not again."

I laid there for I don't know how long, shaking and shivering as sobs wracked my body. I just kept repeating it over and over.

"Not again."

"Not again."

"Please, not again."

I cried in dismay.

I shouted my despair.

I laughed at the futility of it all.

And then I heard the thrum.

"NOOOO!"

*crash*

"GAH! SONNUVA—"

At the sound of the voice I jumped and tried to scramble backwards. I was trying so hard to get away that I didn't realize I was on a raised platform and fell off, smashing my face into a hardwood floor.

"Hey now, just calm—"

Undeterred, I quickly got back to my feet and tried to run for it, only for my legs to seize up and send me crashing back down to the floor with a cry of pain.

"Dammit, girlie, take it easy would ya?" the voice growled in annoyance, "Yer gonna bust up yer legs again!"

That managed to penetrate the fog of panic clouding my mind.

My legs?

I adjusted my position so that I could view my legs easier and the first thing I noticed was that I was wearing a simple white nightgown and some cotton undergarments. The second thing I noticed were my legs, both heavily wrapped in fresh bandages. I also had a few bandages covering my arms and head. Once I got a good look and realized I wasn't in any immediate danger, I placed my hand on my chest and took a few calming breaths before scanning my new surroundings.

Apparently the 'raised platform' I had fallen off of was actually a bed near the wall. Looking past the bed, I could see I was in an abode that mostly seemed to be made of wood; from the hardwood floors to the wooden planks that made up the walls.

Am I in some kind of cabin?

The place certainly felt very... lived in. There were all sorts of portraits, a fireplace that was currently alive with a warm, crackling fire, a few pieces of wooden furniture here and there, and various other odds and ends. On the far side of the room I saw some stairs leading up to a second floor. I also spotted a few things I thought were odd. There were some weird objects that seemed to be some combination of metal tubing and wood hanging from the walls as well as some antlers, what I think were bear paws, and other animal parts.

I grimaced at the sight.

"Cozy, ain't it?"

My gaze snapped back to the source of the rather gruff sounding voice.

Standing in a doorway with a tray of broken glass and an amused smirk, was a giant of a man. He wore a collared dark red linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up at the elbow, thick brown woolen overalls, and fur skin boots. All of that combined with his massive size painted the perfect picture of a mountain man. From the shaggy, graying hair, massive yet surprisingly well trimmed salt-and-pepper beard, and many wrinkles etched on his face, I could tell he was an older man, probably in his sixties or so.

I realized I was staring at the man and had completely missed the question.

"I-I'm sorry, what was that?" I asked, blushing a bit in embarrassment.

The man just let out a deep chuckle, walking over to a nearby trashbin and dumping the broken glass.

"Never ya mind, girlie," he replied.

He set the tray down on a table near the trashbin, and dropped into a puffy looking, maroon colored armchair next to the fireplace.

"So," he began, gesturing for me to return to the bed, "have ya cooled yer head a bit?"

I nodded and slowly pulled myself back on top of the bed wincing in pain as I did so.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that," I said, laying back down and covering myself with the wool blanket I had thrown off in my panic. "I had a bit of a... nightmare," I finished quietly.

The man scoffed, "Seems like ya had more'n 'a bit', girlie."

His tone was brusque but I could hear a small undertone of concern.

I simply nodded quietly, staring into the orange glow of the fireplace.

"...Ya wanna talk about it?" the man asked after a few moments of silence.

I shivered despite the warmth of the blanket and fire.

"Not particularly, no." I replied with a small shake of my head. Deciding to change the subject, I looked over at the man questioningly, "Were you the one who treated me?"

The man gave another small chuckle and shook his head, "Me an' my granddaughter found ya laid out on the road, broken an' bleedin'. I brought ya in, but my granddaughter did most of the nursin'."

"Oh," I exclaimed in surprise, I then gave him a thankful smile, "well, I have to thank you and your granddaughter then," I said with genuine gratitude.

"Ah, don't ya worry about it none, girlie," the man responded with a dismissive wave. He looked at me with a contemplative frown for a minute before asking, "Ya got a name, girlie?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said with an apologetic smile, "my name is..." I faltered for a second before speaking again, "please, call me Sparkle."

The man snorted and looked at me incredulously, "Yer not serious are ya?"

I can't really blame him for his reaction, it does sound a bit ridiculous in hindsight but...

"I'm sorry," I said with another apologetic smile, "if it helps, Sparkle is probably my surname, but that's all I can remember right now."

"Ah, I get ya," he said, nodding in understanding, "amnesia then, is it?"

I nodded in response.

"Sorry ta hear that... Miss Sparkle," he said with a sympathetic—if somewhat slightly amused—smile, "ya can call me Jack, most everybody does at any rate."

I gave him a confused frown, "Is that not your actual name?"

"Nah, but it don't matter none," he replied flippantly. His gaze suddenly turned intense as he looked at me, concern now clearly visible on his face, "more importantly, when we brought ya inside ya were a right mess, and I don't just mean yer body," he continued to stare at me, idly stroking his beard in thought, "ya were shiverin' and sweatin' somethin' fierce, babblin' like a madwoman while ya were out; mutterin' something about some kind of noise and not bein' able ta escape." He leaned forward in his chair, his stare level and unbroken, "what the hell happened ta ya back there, girlie?"

"I..." I swallowed and looked off to the side, face hidden behind the curtain of my hair. "I don't remember," I lied, "I'm sorry."

I can't talk about... that, right now. To be honest, I'll probably never be able to talk about it. Besides, he probably wouldn't believe me anyway.

Jack was clearly unconvinced, but thankfully he decided not to push the issue.

Desperate for another subject change, I glanced around the room before remembering something.

"You said you had a granddaughter, right?" I asked, turning to face Jack, "where is she?"

"Little Jessie's sleepin' upstairs," he replied, glancing at the staircase with a small smile, "was up until about two in the mornin' takin' care of ya."

"Two in the morning?" I asked raising my eyebrows, "what time is it now? For that matter how long have I been out?"

"Take it easy, Miss Sparkle," Jack said with a laugh, "it's about three-thirty in the mornin' right now, and to answer yer second question... well..." the smile fell from his face, "yah've been out cold fer the better part of a week."

My jaw dropped.

A week? I know I wasn't in the best shape when I made it out of... that place, but I didn't realize the exertion was enough to put me down for a week.

"And you're granddaughter's been taking care of me this whole time?" I asked with awe and a bit of guilt.

"Yes indeed," he confirmed with a nod, "hardly left yer side once, bless her heart."

I let my gaze drift over to the staircase.

"I guess I owe her a lot," I said quietly, talking more to myself than Jack.

"Hey now," he said, giving me a stern look, "don't ya worry about it none. She was more'n happy ta do it, and besides," his look switched to one of bemusement, "yer healin' mighty quick."

I blinked in surprise, "I am?"

He nodded, giving another thoughtful stroke of his beard, "What should've taken a few months ta heal—with the proper care, mind—is probably only gonna take about two or three more days at the most," he gestured to my bandaged legs, "and I'm talkin' about the worst of yer injuries. I got no doubt everything else has already healed."

Now that you mention it...

I took a moment to examine the bandages on my arms and head. Sure enough, there was no pain when I applied any kind of pressure to the injuries.

"It looks like you're right," I spoke as I set about unwrapping the bandages, "there's no pain at all, and..." I completely removed the bandages from one of my arms to see nothing but smooth, unbroken skin.

"Well would ya look at that..." Jack whispered in awe.

I stared at my arm in shock, "But... how?"

"I don't rightly know, Miss Sparkle," he replied looking slightly spooked, "what I do know, is that not three days ago you had some nasty lacerations on both your arms and big gash above yer left eye." He shook his head slowly, not taking his eyes from my arm, "Now it's like nuthin' happened," he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples with a heavy sigh, "that ain't normal, girlie. Not one bit."

By this point I had removed all of the bandages on my arms and head and had gotten off the bed, carefully making my way over to one of the wooden chairs near the fireplace and taking a seat.

I ran a hand over my face and felt no kind of gash whatsoever.

Not a single cut or bruise.

What am I? What was I? I thought, gazing into the fire, apparently I'm not as human as I thought I was... but didn't I already know that, though?

For a long time I just sat there staring at the flickering flames and absently rubbing my unblemished arms—that is, until I happened to catch Jack giving me a strange look.

Frankly, it was making me uncomfortable.

"Um, did you need something?" I asked nervously.

"Have ya ever heard tale of the Headhunter, Miss Sparkle?"

Something in his voice sent a chill down my spine.

"I... can't say I have, no," I replied, very much not wanting to hear that tale.

He looked at me for another moment before nodding slowly and pushing himself out of his chair with a grunt.

"A grim tale, that one," he said, walking across the room to another doorway, "not fer the faint of heart, but I reckon a tough girl like yerself could handle a little old scary story."

I wanted to protest the statement, but he had already moved out of the main room and into another. From the sound of clinking glass and running tap water, I could only assume he was in the kitchen making... something.

"Just gimme a minute and I'll tell ya all about it," he called out.

I opened my mouth to politely decline the offer, but just let out a resigned sigh instead and took another look around the main room. My eyes eventually settled on a pile of clothes neatly folded on a table. I was wondering who they belonged to when I spotted a familiar sheathed weapon set against a wall near the table.

Right, those must be the clothes I was wearing when I left the... when I was brought here. I looked back to the scabbard and, after a moments thought, directed a flat look towards the man in the kitchen, and the sword must be the reason for the 'tough girl' comment.

Well that or the apparent regeneration.

Eventually, Jack came back into the main room carrying a tray with a large stack of sandwiches and a cup of tea by the smell of it, though I couldn't tell what kind.

"Figured ya might be a bit peckish after sleepin' fer damn near a week straight," he joked, "was actually gonna set a tray of tea aside fer ya when I saw ya mumblin' and squirmin' about earlier, thought ya were finally about ta wake up." He gave a hearty laugh as he handed me the tray, "turns out I was right. Didn't expect ya ta start screamin' bloody murder though, made me drop one of my good mugs. Now, now, don't ya worry none, Miss Sparkle," he added as I opened my mouth to apologize, "with the state ya were in I don't blame ya one bit."

I still felt a little guilty about the broken mug, but I didn't say anything more about it. Instead I turned to the tray curiously.

"So what kind of sandwiches are these?" I asked as I picked up a sandwich and pried it open for a better look at the ingredients.

"Ah, nuthin' too fancy," he replied with a wave of his hand, "just some roast beef and provolone with honey mustard and mayo on rye."

I forced down a grimace and plastered a hopefully convincing smile of gratitude. I didn't mind most of what was in the sandwich, but I felt an odd revulsion when he mentioned roast beef.

Jack is right, though. I haven't eaten anything in a week so I should at least try to eat one of these.

I put the sandwich back on the tray and picked up the cup of tea, giving it an inquisitive sniff.

"I don't recognize this tea," I said, turning to Jack, "what flavor is it?"

"Not quite sure, actually," Jack said with a shrug. He let out a tired sigh as he sank back into his armchair, "Jessie picked it up when she took a trip into town the other day and I didn't bother ta check the flavor."

I quietly snorted in wry amusement.

Dubious tea to compliment the dubious sandwiches.

I made a mental note to ask about that town later.

Wait a minute...

I blinked, resisted the urge to facepalm, and made another mental note to find out where I was in general.

"Well, thanks for the meal regardless, Jack," I said with an honest smile, "I appreciate it."

"It's no bother, Miss Sparkle," he said with another dismissive wave, "We didn't heal ya up just ta let ya starve ta death," he pointed to the sandwiches on my tray, "now, eat. While it ain't a very long story, it also ain't a pleasant one, an' I don't want ya losing yer appetite before ya even had one bite."

I nodded somewhat nervously, picking up a sandwich and taking a hesitant bite.

My eyes widened in surprise and I took another bite, this one far more eager.

Wow, these are way better than I expected them to be, I thought as began devouring the rest of the sandwiches with gusto.

Jack nodded in satisfaction and leaned back in his chair, his expression turning grim.

"I first heard the story of the Headhunter from my gram way back when. The way she told it, the Headhunter had been a well known legend even before her time. Make note of that, girlie, it'll be important fer a point I'm tryin' ta make."

I nodded and took a sip of tea. Though I still couldn't place the flavor, it was surprisingly good.

"Now, the legend of the Headhunter may have been around fer a long time, but no one knows much about the Headhunter itself. Oh, there's rumors aplenty, most of em' from folks who claimed they had a run in with the thing; the problem though, is that the stories change from man to man so often it's damn near impossible ta separate the fact from the fiction."

"The fact from the fiction?" I interrupted with a nervous frown, "wouldn't that phrasing imply that there's some truth to the legend?"

"Oh yes, Miss Sparkle," Jack confirmed with a grim smile, "after all, wherever there's smoke..."

"There's bound to be fire," I finished, my frown turning contemplative.

"Exactly. Anyway," he continued, "like I was sayin', the Headhunter became a legend, not through visage, but deed," he looked at me pointedly, "what with it bein' called the Headhunter, I'm sure ya can guess what a lot of those deeds involved?"

I gulped and nodded taking another sip of tea.

Jack nodded in return, "Aye. Unlike the men an' women who hunt bounties fer money, this creature had it's sights set on something a bit more literal. It wanted yer head in the most gruesome of ways, Miss Sparkle," he tapped the side of his head, "and it stopped at nuthin' ta get to it. Many a folk would come home ta find their loved ones had quite literally lost their heads, and a lot of them shared that same fate not too long after."

"That's awful," I whispered, eyes widening in horror.

"Indeed it is," Jack agreed, "but ya wanna know the worst part?"

I didn't respond, knowing the question was more or less rhetorical and that he was going to tell me whether I wanted him to or not. And sure enough...

"It always manages ta vanish before anyone shows up on the scene," he raised a finger, "an' not once has anyone been able ta find the heads of the victims."

I almost dropped my cup of tea in shock at the implication of his words.

"Wait," I responded with slowly rising panic, "you told me there might be some kind of truth behind the legend, so I assumed the creature might've been some kind of serial killer that existed a long time ago," my voice grew shaky, "but just now, you were speaking as if... as if—"

"As if the murders were still happenin' ta this very day?" he offered.

I gave a jerky nod, too terrified to speak.

"Aye, that's right. The decapitations still continue on as they have fer all these years."

"AND NO ONE'S MANAGED TO CAPTURE THE KILLER THIS ENTIRE TIME!?" I yelled as I shot out of my seat despite the screaming protest of my legs. Fortunately, I had already set the tea back on the tray so there was no spill or broken glass.

"Mind yer voice, girlie," Jack hissed, glaring at me, "Jessie's still asleep upstairs."

I sat back down, abashed but still afraid.

He gave a tired sigh and leaned forward in his chair, a serious look on his face.

"There's a few things ya need ta understand about the Headhunter, Miss Sparkle," he told me, as if instructing a child, "we call it a legend fer a reason."

I finished off the last of my tea with trembling hands as I waited for his explanation.

"Really think about it, girlie," he challenged, "these beheadin's have been going on for years—an' by years, I mean a couple of centuries at least. Though the method remains unknown, the results don't; it's always a headless victim, an' the heads are always missin'. Like I said, not once have the heads ever been found."

"And the perpetrator is always gone by the time the bodies are found," I finished, lowering my head in thought. My fear was rapidly melting away in the face of my growing need to solve this mystery. I had to resist the urge to start pacing as I analyzed the information I already knew.

If the killer had been getting away so cleanly for centuries then I doubt it was any kind of long running crime syndicate. If that were the case, rumors would revolve around the organization rather than a monster—and that's assuming such an organization hadn't already slipped up and revealed themselves at some point in the past.

It could be a copycat crime, but really though? The same type of murder perfectly executed the exact same way every time? For centuries? No, that doesn't sound plausible either. Maybe it was carried out by a single person who found someone to pass the title of Headhunter to when they couldn't kill anymore and the murders continued that way? Wait, no, that's the same as the copycat crime scenario and has the same problem.

Could it really be some kind of invisible, immortal demon?

Gah, I need more information!

"What kind of rumors are people telling about the Headhunter anyway?" I asked looking back up at Jack.

He snorted and shook his head, "Every kinda rumor ya can think of, girlie."

I 'hmm'd' and decided to change tack, "Well... what kind of rumors do you hear the most?" I asked instead.

The man once again stroked his beard contemplatively before giving an unsure answer.

"Well..." he said slowly, "I haven't heard much lately, and I still don't know anythin' about what it looks like. From what I have heard, most of the murders happen in secluded areas outside of town—oh stop yer blubberin'," he added when I started panicking again, "the nearest town is at the bottom of this here mountain and there ain't been any mention of an attack in years." I calmed down a bit, though I wasn't fully convinced we were safe, and he continued.

"And besides," he said, getting up out of his chair, "if that sonnuva bitch wants ta pay me or Jessie a visit, well..." he walked over to one of the strange metal tubed instruments and pulled it off the wall, "...that's what I have these for," he cooed, stroking the instrument like some pet.

"That's right," I began, eyeing the object curiously, "I was meaning ask you what those were."

Though, given what we were talking about and the context in which he decided to bring that up, it's most likely a weapon of some sort.

Jack looked at me with a raised eyebrow, "You ain't never seen a rifle, girlie?"

"Rifle?" I parroted with a slight tilt of my head.

"Oh, boy," he muttered to himself rolling his eyes. He turned to me and spoke so I could hear, "Look, let's just say one shot from this beauty is enough ta put most things down fer good and leave it at that."

"But what—"

"Don't worry about it for now," he interjected, putting the 'rifle' back on the wall, "I'll tell ya more about it tomorrow—well, later today I guess. Speakin' of which..." he let out a jaw stretching yawn "...I think that's about enough fer now. I gotta go out an' catch us some dinner today and ya still need ta rest a bit more." He made to head upstairs when I stopped him.

"Wait, hang on."

He turned to me curiously, hand resting on the rail lining the stairway.

"Why did you tell me that story?" I asked giving him a level look. I had suspicions I wanted confirmed and this seemed like the best time to confirm them.

He gave me an unreadable expression for a second before looking away uncomfortably. He seemed to struggle internally for a bit before he finally released a defeated sigh and turned to fully face me with an apologetic look.

"There's some other rumors I've heard about the Headhunter," he began. "things like the Headhunter bein' an immortal god of death that walks the earth, or some demon that can take the shape of a beautiful young woman or handsome man ta seduce folk before draggin' them off ta their death."

I raised a disbelieving eyebrow, but Jack continued unhindered.

"There's also the fact that no one knows how the thing collects the heads or what it does with em'," his gaze flickered to something behind me and I had a feeling I knew what he was looking at.

"And with me just showing up out of blue in the dead of night, you thought I might be the Headhunter?" I asked with a knowing look.

"Well, can ya blame me, girlie?" he argued, gesturing at me, "I mean, look at it from my perspective," he began counting off his fingers, "me an' my granddaughter come back from a trip to town at night—somethin' we don't normally do because the path gets dangerous—an' we find a girl splayed out on the dirt road bleedin' ta death," he shook his head, "me an' Jessie are the only ones who travel up an' down this mountain, Miss Sparkle, the only ones. Injured travelers don't just 'show up out of the blue', especially not near my cabin.

"On top of that, ya don't look... normal. Ya got strange hair an' yer eyes are purple. Normal folk don't get hair an' eye color like that naturally," he turned slightly and pointed at my sword, "an' what about that? I ain't never seen a sword like it. Sure, it could some kinda heirloom or somethin' foreign made, but I don't know that for sure. Ya say ya have amnesia an' can't even remember yer full name, but I don't know if yer tellin' the truth.

"An' then there's yer weird healin' along with the fact that ya don't look even the slightest bit emaciated after nothin' ta eat fer a week. Oh, we tried ta feed ya, but fer some reason yer body rejected everythin' we gave ya. In the end the only thing we were able ta do was keep ya hydrated."

He leaned back against the handrail and let out an explosive exhale, running a hand through his hair.

"I'll be honest, Miss Sparkle," he continued, staring up at the ceiling, "despite yer injuries, I didn't trust ya; hell, I still don't fully trust ya. The only reason I didn't leave ya fer dead out there on the road was because Jessie begged me ta save ya."

I winced at the harsh statement.

He brought his head down to look at me again with an unnervingly blank stare.

"Ya aren't normal, Miss Sparkle."

"Even if ya ain't the Headhunter, yer definitely not human either."

It was then that I realized I had been unconsciously rubbing one of my arms. I stopped and looked at my hands.

He's right, I realized, I can't really refute any of that. I can't remember enough to refute any of his claims. For all I know I very well might've been this Headhunter. Maybe I might've used that sword to lop off the heads of my victims.

The thought sickened me, but I still entertained it.

I guess I really am something different. I know that, but...

I clenched my hands into fists and grit my teeth, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill over.

But in the end, what does that make me?

The distress on my face must've been obvious because Jack's gaze softened and he looked away, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

"Ah, hell..." he muttered, then turned to me, making a placating gesture, "just... look, just don't do anything suspicious an' we won't have any problems. Does that sound fair?"

I wiped my eyes and nodded with a small smile, "Thank you, Jack... for everything. I know the current circumstances are suspicious, and I know it might not mean much coming from me, but I promise I'm not here to hurt you or Jessie."

I looked him straight in the eye, my face a mask of determination, "All I want to do is find out who—or what—I really am, and make my way home... if I even have one."

He looked at me for a long moment before chuckling and giving me a gentle smile.

"Get some rest, Miss Sparkle. Yer gonna need it if yer gonna be dealin' with Jessie."

With that, he made his way upstairs and I heard a door open and close somewhere above me.

Once he was gone I let out an exhausted breath.

What a morning.

I hobbled back over to the bed I was using, and laid down, trying to get comfortable. After a few minutes of tossing and turning I groaned in annoyance.

Ugh, I can't sleep with all these thoughts running through my head.

Why did I end up here?

Where even is here?

Who and what am I?

What's the deal with that sword and why can't I remove it from the scabbard?

What is the Headhunter really?

...what is that noise?

As I lay there in bed, I could hear a soft, consistent tapping coming from somewhere. I sat up and looked around, both confused and more than a bit nervous. Eventually, I managed to deduce the source of the noise as coming from one of the windows opposite the bed I was in. I listened for a moment more, straining my eyes to see through the darkness outside of the cabin.

The tapping came again, but I still couldn't make anything out beyond the window. After another few minutes of straining my eyes, I still couldn't see anything and the tapping had stopped. I felt an odd mix of apprehension and frustration. Giving a small grunt of annoyance I decided to ignore it and get some re—

The light from the fireplace went out.

The room was bathed in complete darkness and all my senses went on full alert in the ensuing silence. I could clearly see through the window now, but that did nothing for the heart that was rapidly pounding against my chest. Nor did it ease my now panicked mind when the tapping returned. My head snapped back to the window where I could now see a small silhouette just outside.

Though I could now see that something was there, I still couldn't quite make out the shape. I could hear the tapping coming from it's direction, despite whatever was out there showing no obvious sign of having moved at all. I tried to slow my breathing down to a normal rhythm as I stared at the shadow in the window.

It's not moving. Maybe a trick of the moonlight? Some kind of shadow cast by one of the trees outside?

I slowly inhaled and exhaled.

The tapping is probably one of the critters that inhabit the mountain.

Another deep breath, and I was calm.

There was probably a draft somewhere in the cabin that caused the fire to go—

"You poor child. So lost and alone."

I froze.

My eyes widened and my breath quickly began to pick back up.

I slowly turned back to the window, fully expecting to see the Headhunter or some other new horror.

Nothing had changed.

No. That's not true.

The shadow in the window still hadn't moved, but the tapping had once again stopped, leaving me in absolute silence.

And then two glowing golden orbs emerged from the dark shape.

My eyes remained locked on the window, breaths now coming in short gasps.

I heard something that sounded like a mix between a chirp and a bad cough come from the silhouette.

"Oh, my. You seem rather distressed."

My breath caught in my throat.

"Well I suppose that's understandable, but you really should try to calm down and get some rest, while you still can, child. Things are going to get worse for you very soon, and it wouldn't do to have you groggy and unprepared, now would it?"

What?

My panic was momentarily derailed by the voice's statement. Seizing the opportunity, I mustered up what little courage I could.

"W-what are you talking about? What are you?" I managed to croak out.

Is it the Headhunter?

I heard that strange chirping cough again.

"Oh no, child, now is not the time for such questions; though you needn't worry about me escaping off into the night with your pretty little head, I can assure you."

Before I could respond, the deep voice spoke again.

"You have many questions, and I may answer some of them when we next meet, but for now..."

I saw the shadow in the window shift slightly and it's eyes flashed with a bright golden light.

Sleep, girl.

My vision went black and I knew no more.

I slowly awoke to the feeling of something incessantly poking my arm.

"Oh, wow," a voice whispered in awe somewhere above me, "You were right, papa! She really is all fixed up, like magic!"

I stretched and sat up with an irritated grunt, trying to blink the sleep out of my eyes.

"Ah, dammit all, Jessie. Ya went an' woke her up with all yer pokin' an' proddin'."

I looked over to see a girl leaning on my bed, giving me a toothy smile.

She was young—probably no more than thirteen or so. Her navy blue overalls covered a short sleeved pink button up shirt and she wore light brown leather boots. She had bobbed auburn hair and though her slate grey eyes were a interesting contrast, there was something else my tired mind latched onto about the girl in particular.

She's got a very nice smile.

Before I could get a word out, the girl reached up and poked me in the nose.

"Boop!"

I snorted and instinctively batted her hand away. She just jumped up and ran into the kitchen, giggling the entire way. Jack had chosen to exit the kitchen with a plate of pancakes at the same time and just barely managed to avoid her.

"Oi!" Jack cried out, quickly sidestepping as the energetic girl ran past, "watch it, Jess! I told ya not ta run around when I'm cookin'!"

"You're already done, Papa!" she retorted from the kitchen.

He just grumbled and walked the rest of the way into the main room.

"I guess that's Jessie?" I asked with an amused smirk.

"Aye," he sighed, "a regular ball of fire, that one." He made his way over to my bedside and handed me the plate of pancakes, "There's orange juice in the kitchen," he offered.

I thanked him and dug into my pancakes. After a few minutes of eating, I glanced over to Jack to see him sitting in his chair messing with one of his 'rifles'. From what I could see, he had taken it apart and it looked like he was wiping one of the pieces down with a cloth. I watched him curiously for a few moments before he spoke up.

"So," he began, not looking up from his work, "how are yer legs feelin', girlie?"

I didn't fail to notice the carefully neutral tone as he spoke. Apparently Jessie noticed too because she slapped him on the leg with a disapproving frown as she walked by to sit on the opposite chair with a glass of orange juice.

"Don't be mean, Papa," she admonished, "and it's my job to take care of Sparky anyway."

I raised an eyebrow at the nickname, but didn't say anything about it.

She took a sip of orange juice and turned to me with a mock frown, "So how are yer legs, feelin', girlie?" she growled, doing a very adorable—if inaccurate—impression of Jack.

I giggled and Jack just rolled his eyes behind Jessie.

"I think I might be fine now," I answered, "I don't really feel anymore pain when I try to adjust them."

"Well go on then, girlie," Jack encouraged, "give em' a workout. Try walkin' around a bit."

I nodded and cautiously crawled out of bed. I slowly planted my feet on the ground and once I was up, I started walking around the room.

As I walked from my bed to the staircase across the room, I could see Jack and Jessie watching me intently—Jack with a slight frown and Jessie with pure glee. I was actually a little awed myself.

There's no pain whatsoever, I thought, both amazed and slightly disturbed, both legs were almost destroyed and yet they healed completely in a week.

I bent down to unwrap the bandages from my legs and, just like with my arms and head, there was no sign that any break had existed at all.

Unable to contain her excitement anymore, Jessie jumped out of her chair, ran over to me, and I gave a cry of surprise as she slammed into my back latching onto my neck and knocking me over in the process.

Oh, geez! I thought as the wind was knocked out of me, She's a lot heavier than she looks!

"Jessie..." I managed to wheeze out, "I can't b—"

"A week! I broke my arm really bad once and Papa took me to the doctor and I had to stay in that nasty hospital for a month before they let me go—"

"Jessie, please—"

"—but your legs got fixed like new in just a week! That's so amazing!"

"Ah, fer the love of the Holy Ones, Jessie!" Jack cried in exasperation, "Let the poor girl go!"

Jessie looked at her granddad in confusion, and then back to me.

She blinked.

"...Oh. Whoops." She released my neck and stepped away from me, skipping back to her seat while I was on my hands and knees, coughing and gasping for breath.

"Ya alright over there, Miss Sparkle?" Jack called out from his chair.

I coughed a few more time and clumsily rose to my feet, rubbing my now sore throat, "Y-yeah, more or less." I eyed Jessie somewhat warily, "Your granddaughter's got quite the, uh... grip."

He chuckled good-naturedly, "Aye, livin' in the mountains'll do that to ya." He looked over to Jessie, who had pulled what looked like a bunch of... doll parts from somewhere and was now sitting cross-legged on the floor putting them together, then he turned back and beckoned me over with a finger.

As I walked over he leaned forward in his chair and whispered to me conspiratorially.

"She'll deny it ta her dyin' breath," he told me with a smirk, "but between you an' me, she used ta be one of the frailest little things I ever did see."

"Really?" I asked, glancing at Jessie curiously.

And now she's so... energetic. I haven't even been around her that long, but I can't imagine her as a frail little girl.

A thought struck me then, and I looked back at Jack in bemusement.

"Wait, if you're her grandfather, why does she call you 'Papa'?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jessie stiffen and Jack grimaced slightly before letting out a quiet sigh.

Apparently I shouldn't have asked.

I quickly waved my arms in a placating manner, "I-I mean if it's a sore subject you don't have to—"

"Oi, Jess," Jack interjected, turning to Jessie with a gentle smile, "go upstairs an' grab my huntin' gear, would ya?"

Jessie's back was turned to me, so I couldn't see her expression, but she nodded once and quickly made her way up the stairs.

I watched her go with a worried look before Jack's voice caught my attention.

"Sorry about that, Miss Sparkle," he said with an apologetic smile, "I don't mind tellin' ya, but it's not sumthin' Jessie likes ta talk about."

"That's alright," I said, walking over and sitting down in the chair Jessie had occupied earlier, "I'm sorry if I made things awkward by bringing it up."

Jack shook his head, "Nah, don't be. Ta be honest I expected the question ta pop up at some point."

He set his now reassembled rifle on the table next to his chair and stood up, walking over to the fireplace.

"Jessie didn't always live with me here in the mountains, ya know," he began. He picked up one of the framed pictures sitting on a stand above the fireplace and stared at it with a wistful smile for a moment, before the smile fell from his face and he gave a despondent sigh, "She used ta live with her father—my son—and his wife down on a farm just outside of town before she came ta live with me."

He walked over and handed me the picture. I took it and looked it over curiously. The picture showed a younger, jovial looking man with black hair and a somewhat thin frame, and a rather lithe, auburn-haired, stern faced woman.

These must be Jessie's parents, I thought, smiling softly.

Nestled in between the two was what I assumed was a younger Jessie, peaking out from behind her father's leg with a shy smile. The three of them were standing together in front of an open barn. In the barn I could see what looked like the partially built metallic foundation for some kind of carriage.

After a moment, my smile turned to a frown.

I can't put my finger on it but... there's something... off about this picture.

Before I could investigate further, Jack spoke again, grabbing the photo from my hands.

"Her father fancied himself an engineer," he said with a derisive snort, "that was taken a little after he started workin' on what he called the 'Wanderlust'. Said it was gonna 'pave the way for the future of modern transportation'." He looked at the photo one last time before setting it back on the stand.

I heard him mutter something that sounded like, "The damned fool," and he walked back to his chair. He sat down with a satisfied grunt and continued his story.

"Well, he eventually finished the accursed thing an' insisted he an' his family take her fer a spin; a 'test run' he called it." he said, gesturing air quotes.

"I take it the ride didn't end very well?" I guessed, a little apprehensive about where the story was going.

Jack laughed.

There was no mirth in that laugh.

"Oh, ya don't know the half of it, girlie," he said with a humorless smile. He regain his grim countenance again after a moment and leaned forward in his chair, steepling his fingers and speaking to me like an instructor would a student.

"Now what ya need ta understand, Miss Sparkle, is that the vast majority of this region is forested mountains. That means a lot of steep ledges that'll drop ya into a sea of trees if ya aren't careful."

I nodded and he nodded in return leaning back again.

He closed his eyes and rested his head against the back of the chair.

That was all he did for a good minute while I waited patiently, not wanting to disturb whatever thought process he had going. Eventually he spoke again, his voice somewhat hoarse with emotion.

"That foolish son of mine," he groaned, obscuring the top half of his face with one of his massive hands, "I told ya he fancied himself an engineer, an' I woulda been happy ta support him—of course I woulda... but..." I heard him take a shuddering breath, "he loved ta tinker, ever since he was a lad, but he was never any good with machines. Everythin' he tried ta make only ever blew up in his face... literally." he looked at me, eyes glistening with unshed tears, "I told him, I told him those damn inventions were gonna get him killed one day."

I covered my mouth, sympathetic tears silently streaming down my face.

"I'm so—"

"Don't," he said, cutting me off with a sharp tone, then his voice softened, "just... gimme a minute, girlie. I'll be fine."

He took a few moments to compose himself before he continued in a somber and somewhat bitter tone.

"He took his wife an' Jessie out of the town fer his test run, an' not five Goddesses damned miles outside of town, one of the wheels gives out an' they all go tumblin' down the cliffside."

I gasped in horror and was about to comment, but Jack raised his hand to forestall whatever I was going to say.

"Pay attention, Miss Sparkle, because this is where things get a bit strange."

I closed my mouth and nodded, intrigued despite my distress.

"Fer some reason I still don't know to this day, me an' the rest of the townsfolk were never able ta find my son or his wife when we found the wrecked carriage in the forests below the cliff," he lowered his head, staring at the floor as he spoke, "the only clues we found ta what might've happened were twin trails of blood leadin' further into the forest. Most likely scenario was that they got dragged off by one of the beasts that stalk the woods."

I gulped nervously, "D-did anyone... follow the trail?"

He shook his head with a grimace, "Didn't bother, there was a lot of blood, Miss Sparkle," he looked at me, "whatever got em' out there, killed em' before draggin' em' off. That's why what we did find was so strange."

"And w-what did you find?"

He just stared at me for a moment, as if trying to decide how best to tell me. After an internal debate, he sighed.

"What we found was..."

"What Papa and the others found was me crying on the ground and covered in blood... or that's what Papa told me anyway."

Jack and I turned to see Jessie standing at the bottom of the stairs, carrying a leather backpack and some heavy clothing. She was staring at the two of us with a vacant expression that I found a little unnerving. I chose to ignore that however, and—in an odd reversal of the earlier scenario—I hopped out of my seat, rushed over and wrapped her in a tight hug, causing her to stumble back a bit, dropping the gear.

"I'm so sorry for what happened to you and your parents," I cried, "if I had known, I never would've asked about-"

"It's okay, Sparky," Jessie assured, another toothy smile replacing her eerily stoic expression, "It happened a long time ago and I got better. Besides, I don't even really remember what happened."

"But you—"

"Drop it, Sparky," she commanded in a tone of mock reproach.

I sniffed and backed away from Jessie with a small smile, "Alright, Jessie, if you're sure you're okay..."

Jessie groaned and started picking up the gear she had dropped, "I'm fine, Sparky. Now help me pick this up so Papa can get ready to go."

I blinked in confusion.

"Go?", I turned to Jack, "go where?"

"The woods out back fer some huntin'," he answered, raising an eyebrow at me, "what'd ya think I meant when I asked Jess to grab my huntin' gear?"

"Oh, right," I responded sheepishly.

I helped Jessie collect the rest of the gear and bring it to Jack, who started packing various things I didn't know the name or purpose of. After a minute he stopped and shifted through his equipment before calling out to Jessie.

"Oi, Jess," he asked, "I don't see the map here anywhere, did ya remember ta grab it when ya came down?"

"Nope," Jessie called back, "I'll go get it, Papa."

She ran back up the stairs, trying to pull a fur coat on as she went. For a time, I just sat in the chair and watched Jack finish the rest of the packing and put on his own fur coat.

"About yer original question," he began suddenly.

"Huh," I responded in confusion.

"Why she calls me 'Papa'," he clarified, "that was what ya wanted ta know, right?"

"Oh! Right," I answered nodding in understanding.

"Ta make a long story short—an' since I more or less told ya the long story—I took her in after her parents died an' she's been with me fer... oh, I think it's been a little over two years now. Fer a long time she was a mess; honestly I wasn't too much better, but eventually we were both able ta get over what happened an' move on—well, fer the most part anyhow. Somewhere along the way she just started callin' me 'Papa' an' that was that," he finished with a shrug.

As he went about checking his rifle, I sat there contemplating the story I had heard.

They've suffered so much, I thought despondently, my memory loss suddenly seems so... trivial in comparison to what they've been through... especially Jessie.

Another thought came to me as I saw Jessie come back downstairs with a map in tow, and I looked towards Jack tentatively.

"Hey... Jack?"

"Aye?" He responded, eyes locked on his rifle as he pushed... something into the bottom of it.

"Would you... happen to have any books about the area around here? Or the world in general?"

He gave me an odd look, and was about to respond when Jessie cut in, waving her arms around wildly.

"Oh, I got some books you can read!" She cried happily, "Just gimme a minute!"

She made yet another trip up the stairs and I turned back to Jack, shifting nervously and staring at the floor.

I really don't want to ask, and just thinking about what I would have to do makes me sick, but with the dangerous animals in the forests and a crazy, possibly immortal killer running around, it's probably a good idea to ask Jack for some help defending myself if worst comes to worst.

I looked up to see Jack giving me a bemused look.

"Is... there sumthin' yer wantin' ta ask me, girlie?" he asked with a confused frown.

I glanced at him nervously and gestured at the rifle he was shouldering, "Could you... teach me more about your rifles?"

His eyebrows raised in surprise and he looked between me and his rifle a few times before responding.

"Ya want ta learn how ta shoot?" he finally asked, eyebrows still raised in surprise.

I quickly raised my arms defensively "I-I didn't mean—I mean, I figured it would be best to learn just in case—well, this place seems like it could be... really... dangerous... and..." I trailed off as I looked anywhere but at Jack, wringing my hands together and continuing to shift nervously.

He's already done so much for me, despite his suspicions, and Jessie went far out of her way to take care of me. Neither of them had to do that and now here I am, asking for more.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Jack's sudden boisterous laughter.

"Huh?" I asked, blinking in surprise and confusion as he doubled over and continued to laugh.

His laughter died down eventually and, still chuckling, he responded.

"Ah, girlie... I haven't had a laugh that good in a while," he straightened up and addressed me with a small grin of amusement, "now before I answer yea or nay, tell me something, Miss Sparkle."

"Alright..." I agreed with an unsure frown.

He nodded his head in the direction of where my sword was resting against the wall.

"Do ya remember how good ya are with that blade of yours?"

"Actually," I began hesitantly, "I'm... really not sure."

"What do ya mean?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, "is it the amnesia?"

I shook my head and walked over to where the sheathed blade was, "I think it's a bit more than that," I picked it up and looked over the indigo scabbard. I was about to explain more when Jessie came back down the stairs, carrying a small load of books in her arms.

"I'm baaack~" she announced in a sing-song voice, "what'd I miss?"

"Apparently, Miss Sparkle here is wantin' ta follow in yer granddaddy's footsteps an' become a hunter," Jack answered with a smirk.

"Wha—but I... that's..." I sputtered, clutching the sword to my chest, "I said no such thing! I just wanted to learn more about your weapons to better defend myself!"

I grumbled quietly as Jack and Jessie broke into a fit of laughter at my reaction. Once the subsequent chuckling had died down, Jack spoke again.

"But seriously though, it's as Miss Sparkle said," he explained, "she's wantin' ta be able ta properly arm herself in case she lands herself in a dangerous situation."

"Well that doesn't sound like a bad idea," Jessie replied, setting the books down on a table, "you gonna teach her, Papa?"

"I'm thinkin' about it," he responded, turning to me with a thoughtful stroke of his beard, "but I believe Miss Sparkle was about ta tell me a bit more about that blade of hers first."

Jessie's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Oh, yeah!" she cried running up to me and eyeing the sword eagerly, "I was gonna ask you about that!" She turned to Jack crossing her arms with a pout, "Papa wouldn't let me touch it when we first brought you in."

She whipped back around to face me again before Jack could respond, "Sooo~" she prompted, jumping up and down with excitement, "tell me about the sword! Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

I laughed and gently pushed her away before looking back to the sword with a thoughtful frown.

"Unfortunately, there's not much to tell," I began, "when I first woke up after... losing my memory, this was the only thing I had with me," I looked over to Jack, who was listening intently, arms folded and leaning against a wall, "the strange thing is, while I don't remember who I was before I woke up, I have a strong feeling that I never once learned how to use a sword," I shook my head as my gaze returned to the sword in question, "I don't know how I got this or why I have it... but I do feel a sort of... connection to it that I can't really explain." I looked at the two sheepishly as I remembered another important detail, "Well, there's that and for some reason, I can't pull the actual sword out of it's scabbard."

Both Jack and Jessie's eyes widened in surprise.

"Really now?" Jack asked with a hint of intrigue.

I nodded, "I pulled as hard as I could, but it didn't even budge."

"Mind if I give it a go, girlie?" he offered.

"Yeah, let Papa try," Jessie added, "he's a big guy! If anyone can pull something out of something else, it's Papa!" she stated proudly.

Jack groaned and I chuckled, handed him the scabbard, "You're welcome to try if you want. Honestly I'm curious to know what the actual blade looks like."

As Jack took the scabbard and examined it, I looked around the room absentmindedly and spotted the books Jessie had placed on the table. Sword momentarily forgotten, I quickly walked over and sifted through the stack until I found one entitled 'Hestenia: Understanding Our World'. I smiled, feeling truly happy for the first time since I had woken up in that horrible place.

It's like a void inside me that I didn't even realize existed is being filled right now, I thought with glee and a bit of curiosity, maybe I was an avid reader before whatever happened, happened.

I took the book, and sat down in the wooden chair nearby. I went to flip the book open when a loud grunt made me jump. I looked up to see Jack struggling to to pry the sword from it's scabbard. He had grasped the sheath with one hand and the grip of the sword in the other and, by the strained look, heavy grunting, and bulging neck veins, I could clearly tell he was pulling with every ounce of strength he had. I actually found it a bit comical, and I could tell Jessie agreed if her cackling was anything to go by.

After one more pull, Jack gave up with a heavy sigh of exhaustion and looked at the scabbard incredulously.

"Didn't move an inch..." he exclaimed in awe, then he walked over and set the sword down next to the pile of books, "well I'm sorry, Miss Sparkle, but that sword ain't coming out of there anytime soon."

"Maybe you just aren't as tough as you used to be, Papa," Jessie quipped, walking to the front door of the cabin.

"Aye?" Jack challenged giving Jessie a mock glare, "an' I suppose ya could do better?"

"Nope. I'm good," she responded flippantly, not even looking back at Jack.

I raised an eyebrow at Jessie, weren't you just jumping at the chance to check out the sword for yourself?"

She waved a hand dismissively "Nah, watching Papa fail was good enough for me."

"Yeah, yeah," Jack responded, rolling his eyes. He did one last check of his equipment and followed Jessie to the front door, before he stopped and turned to me.

"We'll be out fer awhile so make yerself comfortable. There's still some orange juice and tea in the icebox along with whatever ya need ta make sandwiches," he turned to walk out before stopping again, "oh, and remind me ta teach ya the ins an' outs of usin' a huntin' rifle when we get back."

"I will," I said with a grateful smile, "and thanks again, Jack."

"Well, I did tell ya earlier this mornin' that I was gonna give ya the run down," he said with a wink.

I blinked.

Oh, yeah. He did say that, didn't he? But wait... I thought furrowing my brow.

"wouldn't it make more sense to take me with you if you're going to teach about how to use rifles?"

Jack shook his head, "Aye, normally that'd be the case, but where me an' Jess are goin' can be more'n a bit dangerous fer a greenhorn."

"And... Jessie's not a greenhorn?" I asked skeptically.

"Hey!" Jessie cried indignantly "I know these woods like the backs of both my hands!" she waved her hands in front of her face as if to make a point.

Jack chuckled and placed a hand on her head, "Believe or not, Miss Sparkle, little Jessie here is actually a damn fine shot fer her age."

"Yeah," Jessie added smugly, "so you better show some respect, Sparky!"

I raised my arms in surrender, "Alright, okay I concede," I lowered my hands and gave her an encouraging smile, "you really are amazing, Jessie."

She gave me another one of her toothy grins in return and skipped out the door.

Once she was out of earshot I turned to Jack with a small frown.

"You're really okay leaving me here on my own?"

He shrugged and stepped outside, hand on the doorknob, "It's like I said, Miss Sparkle, don't do anythin' suspicious an' we won't have any problems."

With that, he pulled the door closed and I found myself alone.

For a moment I sat there, just basking in the silence. After that moment I got up from the wooden chair and settled into Jack's cushy armchair with my book.

I'm going to be sitting for awhile so I might as well get comfortable. I'm sure Jack won't mind, I thought with a mischievous smirk.

I glanced at the title of the book one more time.

"Hestenia..." I mused with a slight frown of melancholy, "I wonder if I'll find any clues about my home..."

Setting those thoughts aside for the moment, I pulled the book open and began my research of the world I was dumped into.

I'm not entirely sure how long I had been reading for, but I estimated it was at least two hours or so. I had only managed to get through about three of the books so far and I ended up having to more or less skim through 'Hestenia: Understanding Our World' due to the sheer amount of information. From what I learned through that and the other books I'd read through so far, this world had four large continents and several smaller land masses. Each continent had several countries; some were bigger than others and each with similar or differing governments. Most countries I read about seemed to be a kingdom or empire of some sort.

Apparently, I was dropped on the continent of Palimus in a country called Vale. Jack's cabin was nestled right in the middle of a steep, heavily forested mountain known as 'Demon's Peak'; named so for it's treacherously narrow roads. The town resting at the base of the mountain was a small farming village called Thatch.

I was also able to find out that the 'rifles' Jack owned were a type of handheld projectile weapon called a 'gun'. It turns out these 'guns' were a relatively new invention, but in the ten years or so that they had existed, they had advanced rather quickly. Though the books I read through had information on what a gun was, they didn't have any information on how they worked, much to my irritation. In this case, I would just have to rely on Jack's knowledge for now.

And then there was the more... unsavory information I came upon.

I found out that many of the nations on each continent were in an almost constant state of war for some reason or another. There were wars both big and small and wars both civil and otherwise. Not to mention the brutal weather conditions that could crop up from time to time, various deadly beasts that roamed the land attacking towns and villages, and all manner of crooks and villains terrorizing the innocent.

What's worse was that some of the beasts I read about were so big they could pass for a small mountain.

This was the kind of world I was thrust into.

Needless to say I was shock, appalled, and scared out of my mind.

I could definitely see something like the Headhunter existing here after reading all of this.

Deciding to take a break, I closed the book I was reading, got up from the comfy armchair, and stretched my arms and legs. I set the book back on the table and walked into the kitchen to make myself something to eat.

The kitchen itself was fairly small and unassuming; there was a large sink for washing dishes, some cupboards, and a large wooden counter top for food preparation. Curious, I walked over to the large icebox sitting in a far corner of the kitchen and pulled it open. Within, I saw the ingredients Jack had talked about but rather than a sandwich, I opted to make a salad with the vegetables I found. I even found a bottle of some sort of salad dressing.

Sometime later, I walked out of the kitchen with a bowl of freshly tossed cucumber salad and a cup of what I now knew was called firemint tea. Sitting back down in the chair, I dug into my meal and idly let my gaze wander around the room.

I noted with some amusement that it was most likely late in the afternoon and I had yet to replace the nightgown with my own clothes.

I should probably get dressed.

Moving on, my eyes wandered over to the unlit fireplace and something seemed to register in the back of my mind.

I feel like I'm forgetting something...

I knew there was something there, just out of reach, but I couldn't pull it to the forefront of my mind.

My gaze slowly inched upward to the stand above the fireplace and met with the same picture frame I had seen earlier this morning. Not taking my eyes off the picture, I set my bowl down on the table next to my sword and the stack of books. I got up, made my way over to the stand, and picked up the picture frame.

What is it? I thought, giving the family in the photo a hard stare, Why does this picture bug me so much?

My eyes widened in realization as it finally hit me.

Everyone in the photo had soft brown eyes.

Including Jessie.

I swallowed and put the picture frame back on the stand with a shaky hand. I took a step back from the fireplace, my gaze still locked on the photo.

I'm reading too much into this, I thought desperately, She might have some sort of eye disease that causes pigmentation in the eyes to deteriorate over time.

It seemed as good an explanation as any for the change in her eye color, but I just couldn't bring my self to believe it. The discrepancy in that photo disturbed me greatly and I couldn't figure out why.

Maybe... maybe it's more than just the eyes.

I was about to try and piece together what I knew about Jessie, when the front door suddenly slammed open. I yelped and spun around to face Jessie who was wearing an impish grin. When she saw my reaction she doubled over, cackling obnoxiously.

"Oh wow," she choked out, "that was too good!"

I, for my part, just stood there trying to get my breathing back under control.

"That... that wasn't funny, Jessie," I panted, glaring daggers at the girl.

"Well I'm laughing aren't I?" she replied with a smirk.

"That's not—"

"Oi! Move it, Jess!"

At the sound of the voice, Jessie skipped out of the doorway and Jack walked into the house with a large gray lump draped over his shoulder.

"Um, Jack?" I asked tentatively, eyeing the thing he was carrying. On closer inspection I saw that whatever it was, was covered in fur, "what is that?"

I'm fairly certain I already knew the answer.

"Grey Forest elk," he exclaimed happily, "Jessie bagged it herself."

I looked over to Jessie, who gave me another toothy smile.

I shivered.

"Wow, that's... pretty impressive," I said, quickly looking back to Jack with a strained smile.

He practically beamed as walked over and ruffled Jessie's hair with his free hand, "Ah, it's like I told ya, a damn fine shot, this one."

He turned and started walking back outside, "I'm gonna go put this out back an' then we can get started teachin' ya the art of the huntin' rifle," he said over his shoulder with a chuckle.

He shut the door behind him, leaving Jessie and I alone in the main room.

I stood in the middle of the room, shifting nervously while Jessie was perfectly content to sit on the edge of the handrail lining the staircase. She sat there, kicking her feet and gazing at the ceiling while she whistled a tune I wasn't familiar with.

I glanced over at her, biting my lip in apprehension.

Just ask her, Sparkle, I thought, trying to muster up some courage, there has to be a reasonable explanation.

I schooled my features and tried to look as nonchalant as possible, resting my arms over the back of the armchair.

"Hey, Jessie?"

"What's up, Sparky?" she replied, still staring up at the ceiling with a lopsided smile.

It almost looks like she's... eager, for some reason.

"When I was talking with your granddad this morning, he showed me a photo of you and your parents."

I winced as the smile dropped from her face.

"Yeah?" she replied tonelessly, still looking at the ceiling.

"Well..." I said with a bit more hesitation, "I just noticed something... odd about the picture."

She had now turned to fully face me with a carefully blank expression.

"And?" she replied in that same toneless voice.

I gulped, "W-well I noticed that all of you had brown eyes, but yours are different from back then."

I saw a flash of... something in her expression, but it was gone so fast I wasn't really sure if I had seen anything at all. Before I could make sense of it, she was all smiles again.

"Oh, is that all?" she replied with a chuckle, "from what Papa and the doctors told me, the trauma from when I was found in the forest, caused some weird change in my eyes," she jumped down from the handrail and gestured to her face, "so now they look like this!" she finished with that toothy grin.

"Ah... I see," I said with a fake smile.

That doesn't make sense! I thought as my heartbeat quickened, there could've been any number of reasons for the odd change in her eye color that would've been perfectly acceptable, but mental trauma doesn't just drastically change eye color like that! That's just... that...

It was at this time that Jack re-entered the house. I glanced at him and noticed his hands were stained a dark crimson. I shuddered before realizing that it must've been from the elk Jessie had killed.

It still didn't help my nerves.

"Alright, girlie," he announced, walking into the kitchen, "just gimme a minute ta get cleaned up and we'll get started."

"You want me to get the training rifle out, Papa?" Jessie asked, already running to the 'rifle wall'.

"Aye," I heard Jack call back, "an' the range set up out back while yer at it."

"On it!" Jessie yelled back, already heading out the door with the rifle and a small box. She stopped in the doorway and looked me up and down with a raised eyebrow, "Are you really gonna learn to fire a rifle in a nightgown?"

I quickly glanced down at my attire and looked back to Jessie with a sheepish smile, my embarrassment temporarily drowning out my unease.

"Sorry, I was actually going to get dressed before you two came home, but I kind of... forgot."

Jessie merely shrugged and continued out the door.

I walked over to where my clothes were and grabbed them before looking around in confusion.

"Hey, Jack?" I called out.

"Aye?" he called back from the kitchen.

"Is there a place I can get dressed at?"

"Bathroom's upstairs ta yer immediate right, can't miss it."

"Alright thanks, Jack," I called as I headed up the steps. I got a noncommittal grunt in response.

I reached the top of the stairs and took a quick glance around. The second floor looked relatively small, being more or less just a hallway with four doors, all of which were closed.

So there's Jessie and Jack's rooms and... a guest room? I thought with a frown, why couldn't I have slept there? Unless it's not a guest room...

I looked at the other doors for a moment longer before shrugging off my curiosity and pushing open the door on my right. The bathroom was small with a simple shower that was just big enough to stand in, a porcelain toilet with a wooden lid, and a sink with a mirror above it. I set my clothes down on the seat of the toilet and took a moment to finally get a look at my own face.

Wow, Jack was right, I thought with some interest, I really do have violet eyes.

Aside from my violet, almond shaped eyes, my face was fair and slightly heart shaped. I had sidelocks that reached down just past chin level and a fringe that ended just above my eye brows. The rest of my hair was cut straight all the way down to the small of my back as I had observed before. I nodded in satisfaction, before frowning in bemusement.

All things considered, I don't think I look too bad, but... I feel like I should look a bit more worse for wear given everything I've been through. I haven't taken a shower in days and... I sniffed myself and made a face. I couldn't quite place the smell but it wasn't good, okay so I still do need a shower, but I look like I just spent hours getting ready. How does that even work?

I shook my head, dismissing the thought for now.

I have a bigger mystery to solve right now.

I stripped out of the gown and spent a good fifteen minutes putting on my original outfit.

Once that was done I walked out of the bathroom and back down the stairs. I didn't hear anything coming from the kitchen and when I went to investigate I didn't see anyone.

"They must already be outside then," I thought aloud.

I walked out of the kitchen and went to walk to the front door, but I stopped partway and glanced at the table by the armchair. After a moment's thought, I grabbed the sword off the table and strapped it to my back.

Might as well complete the ensemble.

With that done, I opened the front door and stepped out side for the first time since I escaped from that place. Closing the door behind me, I turned and squinted in the sunlight. The position of the sun indicated there was only four or five more hours before nightfall, but the altitude I was at and the direction I was facing made it so that I was looking directly into the shining orb in the sky.

Lowering my gaze, I could see that the front of Jack's cabin faced a cliff several dozen meters away with a rocky path that led down a slope that cut into the cliffside. I walked a bit further out and turned to look at the cabin itself. I wasn't any kind of home designer or anything like it so I didn't really have much to say about it other than that it did look surprisingly fancy from the outside, like someone had spliced a small, nondescript log cabin with a two story mansion.

Hugging the left side of the cabin was a massive rock face that seemed to rise for several stories before tapering off to a dull point. Over on the right was a large empty field that couldn't seem to decide between grassy or rocky. Further in the distance I could see the tree line of a forest.

This is a really nice place, I thought, raising an impressed eyebrow.

I remember Jack saying something about setting up a range out back, so I walked around the cabin looking for any sign of him or Jessie.

"Oi, girlie!"

I stopped and looked in the direction of the voice. Standing about a dozen yards away I saw Jack waving me over to where he and Jessie were setting up what looked like big planks of wood in the shapes of various animals. I ran over to the two and waved back.

"Sorry, am I late?" I asked worriedly.

"Nah, yer just in time in fact," Jack replied wiping his hands on his jacket, "follow me, girlie. I want ta show ya what you'll be workin' with." He walked over to an odd tiny wooden bench that was set up a ways away from the animal shaped planks and I followed behind. Once we reached the bench I could see one of the rifles was placed on some sort of stand facing the planks. next to the stand was a small box filled with small pieces of metal varying in length.

From what I've read, this must be the ammunition, I looked over to the wooden animal cut outs, and I guess those must be the practice targets.

"Alright, Miss Sparkle," Jack said clapping his hands together, "I'm going ta give ya the run down on how a rifle works an' then Jessie will help ya put what ya learned into practice while I get supper started, sound good?"

I nodded, feeling an odd sense of eagerness and discomfort at being taught how to use a weapon.

This is something I need to do, I reminded myself, especially after reading more about the dangers I might have to face eventually.

"Alright then," Jack continued, "I hope yer a quick study, Miss Sparkle, because I'm only goin' through the explanations once. We're burnin' daylight an' I've got ta get dinner goin'. First things first though," He turned to where Jessie was still idling by the targets.

"Jess!" Jack called out, "get yer ass over here an' come show Miss Sparkle what a properly loaded an' fired rifle looks like!"

"You got it, Papa!" Jessie called back. She ran over to where we were and gave whistle of appreciation when she saw me.

"You clean up nice, Sparky," she said with a smirk.

"Um... thanks?" I replied with a look of bemusement.

"Come on, Jess we don't got all day. I've got ta get that elk skinned and cooked by nightfall," Jack interjected impatiently.

"Alright, alright I got it," Jessie responded with a roll of her eyes.

She then sat down at the bench and got to work. She grabbed the rifle and pulled back on a handle attached near the top after pushing a small tab next to it. She then grabbed some ammunition from the box, flipped the gun over and fed the ammo into a slot in the bottom before turning it right side up and pushing the handle back into it's original position. Resting the rifle back on the stand, she leaned over the bench. She gripped the gun and took aim.

She continued to aim for a few seconds more before she finally fired, the resulting bang making me jump. She fired three times—one shot per target and all shots hitting the head dead on. She pulled and pushed on the handle after each shot and every time she did, the ammunition dropped out of the rifle, leaving me a bit confused. After the third shot, she pushed and pulled the handle one last time before flipping the small tab above the handle, and jumping off of the seat, leaving the rifle on the stand.

I looked over to the targets she had hit, then back to the rifle. I found I had gained some respect for the weapon after witnessing how it worked first hand.

It's definitely a powerful weapon, and it doesn't really seem all that hard to use. Granted, I don't know the proper terminology for the parts of the gun in question and there's probably more to it than just 'aim and shoot', I shouldn't have too much trouble picking this up. I should also take extra caution in case these guns are used against me.

"Oh, yeah!" Jessie cried striking a pose, "now that's how you do it!" She turned to me with a self-satisfied smirk and jerked a thumb towards the targets, "So what'd ya think?"

I didn't answer her right away due to the mental cataloging I was doing regarding what I had seen. I was jolted from my thoughts when I felt a hand slap my leg.

I blinked and looked down to find an annoyed Jessie giving me a flat look.

"I'm sorry, Jessie, what was that?" I asked with an apologetic smile.

Jessie huffed and turned away, "Ah, forget it," she grumbled.

I went to apologize again but Jack walked up and clapped a giant hand on my shoulder, tearing my attention away from the brooding child.

"So, ya think ya can manage after that little demonstration?" he asked, looking at me expectantly.

"I think so," I replied with a nod, "it doesn't look too difficult, and whatever needs fine tuning I can probably do on my own."

"Good girl," he responded with a smile, "now then..." he picked up the rifle from the stand "...let's get started, shall we?"

for the next half hour, Jack taught me about the different parts and pieces of the rifle and the types of ammunition. My confusion regarding the discarded ammunition was cleared up when he explained that the particular action Jessie had used was to eject the spent cartridges and replace them with new ones. He also threw in some basic information about guns in general and the different ways to load and reload ammo.

He also made sure to drill what he called the 'Four Cardinal Rules of Safety' into my head.

"The four rules are as follows," he started counting off his fingers, "first rule is ta make sure yer always handlin' yer gun as if it were ready ta fire; doesn't matter if it ain't loaded, never treat it otherwise."

I nodded and he continued.

"Second an' third rule kinda go together. Always remember ta keep yer gun pointed in a safe direction when yer not usin' it an' never put yer finger anywhere near the trigger unless yer absolutely certain yer gonna fire."

I nodded again.

All of this just seems like common sense so far.

"And the final rule of thumb is ta always, always be aware of yer surroundin's an' what's directly in yer line of sight at all times. Ya got all that, girlie?"

"Every word," I said with a smile. Without another word, he shoved the rifle into my hands and gestured to the shooting bench.

"Alright then, let's see what ya can do, Miss Sparkle."

I sat down at the bench with the hunting rifle and, making sure to flip the safety off, pulled the bolt handle back. I grabbed ten of the .303 caliber cartridges and fed them into the internal magazine through the bottom of the rifle, pushing the bolt handle shut afterwards. Setting the rifle back on the stand, I leaned over the bench and—gripping the stock near the trigger with my right hand and the handguard with my left—I aimed down the sight towards the targets.

There were four targets total; two were elks in mid stride, one was a bear rearing on it's hind legs poised to attack, and the fourth was a fox crouched low. Jessie had managed to put a hole in the head of an elk, the bear, and the fox.

I should probably aim at the biggest target for now.

I rested my cheek on the stock and took a few deep breaths. On the fourth exhale, I pulled the trigger.

The first shot went wide and I flinched as the rifle kicked. Jack had warned me about recoil and, while it wasn't as bad as I expected, it still took me by surprise. I took two more shots, missing the second and grazing one of the bear's paws on the third. After the fourth shot missed, I began to get frustrated which, in turn, only caused me to miss even more.

I knew this wasn't going to be as easy as it looked, but this is ridiculous! I thought, gritting my teeth and taking another shot, I've only managed to hit the thing once out of the five shots I've taken!

The final round that left the chamber hit the bear square in the middle.

"FINALLY!" I cried out in exasperation. I pulled the bolt handle back one more time to eject the last spent casing and pushed it back before flipping the safety on. Jessie decided to walk over as I was rubbing my temples in aggravation.

"Sooo..." she began tentatively, hands in her pockets, "how was it, Sparky?"

"Terrible," I groused, "ten shots and I only managed to hit the biggest target twice."

I would've been more nervous around Jessie given my suspicions, but at the moment, I was too irritated to care.

"You're the expert," I said turning to face Jessie with a frown, "what exactly am I doing wrong?"

"Well first off, you,"she poked me on the nose, "need to calm down. Getting frustrated isn't going to help you. At all."

I nodded, rubbing my nose.

"Also, try not to flinch when the rifle kicks, throws off your aim pretty bad."

"Right," I responded with a sigh. I looked around the field and noticed Jack was nowhere to be seen, "where's Jack?" I asked turning back to Jessie.

She nodded towards the cabin, "He went to go get dinner started," she turned back to me with her increasingly unnerving toothy grin, "I hope you like elk stew."

My stomach turned and I grimaced.

"I... we'll see, Jessie," I answered hesitantly.

I have to keep an open mind about what I eat. I don't like that the elk had to die for our food, but I have to accept that it's just the way things are done. Not to mention I have nothing to my name, or what I can remember of my name anyway. All I have is a sword I can't use and I'll most likely have to fend for myself once I leave here. Why do I even have this aversion anyway? Was I some kind of vegetarian? I did actually enjoy the roast beef sandwich Jack made f—

"HEY, SPARKY!"

I jumped with a yelp and turned to glare at Jessie, who just gave me an irritated look.

"Do you always do that?" she asked raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Do what?" I responded raising my own bemused eyebrow.

"That thing, where your eyes kind of glaze over and you just stop listening to whoever's trying to talk to you. It's kinda creepy actually."

This coming from you.

I rolled my eyes and ignored the question. Sitting back down at the shooting bench, I decided to get back on topic.

"So what else do I need to know about this thing?" I asked as I reloaded the rifle.

Jessie and I spent the last four hours going over ways to improve my accuracy. I learned how to fire from a prone, kneeling, and standing position. I figured out how to adjust my position to compensate for recoil and just generally became more comfortable with the weapon. I was able to memorize everything we had gone over and by the time Jack called us in for dinner I was...

Adequate.

In the end, I managed to hit what I was aiming for about seven out of ten times. Not great, but I was able to do it consistently. I was positive I'd only get better with practice so I wasn't too upset about it. Once Jack had let us know that dinner was almost ready, Jessie and I took down the targets and moved the shooting bench into an outdoor storage shed before making our way back to the cabin with the rifle and remaining ammo.

As I stepped into the cabin, the smell of elk stew hit me and all my concerns and reservations about having to eat meat were immediately tossed out the window.

"That smells fantastic, Jack," I praised.

"I know, right?" Jessie agreed as she put the rifle back on the gun rack hanging from the wall, "I'd kill for some of Papa's elk stew."

"Come on, Jess, none of that now," Jack admonished from the kitchen, "why don't you an' Miss Sparkle move the chairs out of the way so we can bring the dining table out?"

"Roger!" she replied happily.

As Jessie and I moved the chairs, I watched Jessie, finally taking a moment to contemplate what I knew about her.

She seems like any other happy and energetic kid in their early teens. Yes, she can be a handful like Jack had mentioned before, but she's also willing to help at a moment's notice. She did beg her granddad to help me when I was bleeding to death and looked after me for a whole week.

But there's something... off about her, though.

I found her smile absolutely adorable this morning, but as the day went by, I found it more and more unsettling and now when she smiles, it sends a chill down my spine. There's the fact that she's incredibly heavy despite her small frame and height.

And that brings me to the two most suspicious things about her.

I didn't think about it when Jack was telling the story, but why would vicious predators of the forest leave arguably the most vulnerable prey unharmed? Why did she lie about her eyes?

What is she hiding?

I shook myself out of my reverie and refocused my attention on the task at...

Jessie was staring at me with a toothy grin.

I stumbled back and fell over a chair I had neglected to move out of the way. Scrambling back to my feet, I snapped my gaze back over to Jessie only to find her clutching her stomach and cackling like mad.

"Oh, geez! I—I can't..." Jessie wheezed out between laughs, "that was beautiful!"

I just stared at her, my heart trying to beat it's way out my chest. It was all I could do not to start hyperventilating as flashbacks of that empty white space and that horrible endless thrum rushed through my mind.

Jessie's laughter eventually died down and she looked at me again, this time with genuine concern.

"Hey, Sparky... you okay?" she asked worriedly. She took a step towards me and I stepped back in turn.

"Y-yeah, just... just give me a minute."

It seemed like she had noticed my distress, because she didn't try to get any closer though she did look apologetic.

"Hey look, Sparky," she began, raising a hand placatingly, "I didn't mean to scare you that bad. I—"

"What was that noise all about?" Jack interrupted as he came into the main room carrying a long wooden table, "did ya get the chairs set—Holy Mother of the Sun!" he exclaimed as he saw me, "what happened to ya, girlie? Ya look like ya just had a run in with the Headhunter itself!"

"It's my fault, Papa," Jessie explained, "Sparky was spacing out again and I thought it'd be funny to scare her a little," she stared down at the floor, abashed, "sorry."

Jack sighed and gave Jessie a stern look, "Now, Jessie—"

"No, it's okay, Jack," I interjected, finally getting my nerves under control, "everything's fine. It was just a harmless joke."

Jack blinked in surprise, looked at Jessie who gave him a sheepish smile, and then looked back at me.

"Well... if yer sure..."

"Yes," I said nodding with a small smile, "I'm fine now."

"Alright then," he exclaimed, "Jess, go get the food while I set up the table," Jessie gave a mock salute and ran into the kitchen and Jack turned to me with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry ta ask ya this, Miss Sparkle, but could ya get some more firewood from out back?"

I balked at his suggestion, "You mean right now?" I turned to the window and saw that night had clearly fallen. I turned back to face him with an incredulous look, "Isn't that just a bit dangerous?"

Jack just chuckled, set the table down, and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, "The sun only just went down, so it should be safe as long as ya stick close to the cabin."

"Don't you have your lamps for lighting?" I asked pointing to a few lit lamps in the main room.

"Aye," he deadpanned, "but lamps won't keep us warm when it get's colder out tonight."

Oh... right.

"You'll be fine, Miss Sparkle, trust me," he said with an encouraging smile, "once yer round back, the logs'll be stacked right against the cabin, ya can't miss em'."

After a moment's hesitation, I let out a sigh of resignation, "Can I at least take one of the rifles? Just in case?"

Jack rolled his eyes at my perfectly reasonable fear of the unknown, but he got up and grabbed the same rifle I had used earlier along with a few rounds. He gave me the rifle and I loaded the cartridges before walking over to the doorway.

"Where you going, Sparky?" Jessie asked as she walked out of the kitchen holding a tray with three steaming bowls of soup.

I stared at the bowls for a second, inhaling the scent of the stew before answering.

"Your granddad asked me to get some more firewood, so..."

"Oh, alright then," she said with a shrug, "do you really need the rifle though?"

"Jessie," I replied giving her a serious look, "I don't know what's out there, and I'd rather not risk going out unprepared."

"Suit yourself," she responded, walking over to the table.

I huffed, opened the front door, and stepped outside.

As I closed the door behind me, I could tell that Jack was right to make sure we had firewood. The chill was already beginning to pick up and I shivered as I walked further out.

Okay, just go around back and...

Something was already wrong.

I was being watched.

I knew I was being watched, and it sent a familiar chill up my spine.

I gripped the rifle a little tighter and looked around the dark surroundings.

I didn't see anything out of the ordinary so far, but I brought the rifle up and aimed forward anyway, sweeping left and right as I slowly made my way to the back of the cabin. I kept my finger off the trigger, but I was listening hard for any sudden movements.

When I made it about halfway around the cabin I stopped and took a few breaths to calm myself.

I need to get a hold of myself. Nothing's happened yet and like Jack said, as long as I stick near the cabin, I should be fine.

I nodded to myself and continued walking.

Not three steps later, I heard a strange noise coming from above me and to my left.

I stopped dead, rifle completely forgotten.

I know that sound.

I whipped my head towards the direction of the noise. My eyes landed on one of the trees a little ways into the distance.

Another noise.

I looked further up the tall tree and, sitting on the highest branch in the tree was a familiar shadow causing that same odd coughing chirp.

"We meet again my lost little child."

It all came rushing back to me at the sound of that voice.

The tapping.

The vanishing fire.

The unrelenting silence.

The shadow in the window.

Even outside in the pale light of the rising moon, I still couldn't make out any of it's features save for the luminous golden glow of it's eyes. It sat there, as still as a statue and I could feel it's gaze boring into me.

I swallowed and attempted to steel my nerves.

I'm not sure how I forgot about this thing, but it didn't seem like it wanted to hurt me, I thought as I aimed the rifle in it's direction, maybe I can get some answers this time.

"W-what are you? A-and what do you want from me?"

I winced at the nervous stutter in my voice.

The shadow gave another eerie coughing chirp, which I was beginning to realize might've been a laugh.

"Very well, child. In commemoration of your... bravery, I suppose I can humor you a bit."

I let out a small sigh of relief, but still kept the gun trained on the shadow as it began to speak again.

"I have been many things in the past, my child... many things indeed.

"I have been a brilliant scholar, a benevolent ruler, a terrible tyrant, a mad prophet, a simple creature of the wood, and..."

For a moment, I felt its gaze intensify.

"...a faithful assistant."

I felt something stir in the back of my mind, but whatever it was, was gone before I could make sense of it.

"I have also been known by many names, but you may simply refer to me as Owlowiscious."

Owlowiscious? I thought, raising an eyebrow, what an odd name.

The shadow—Owlowiscious, laughed again.

"Alright... Owlowiscious, what are you doing here?" I demanded, feeling a bit more confident, "why are you stalking me?"

"Ah," it began, "you needn't mind me, child. I'm merely here to observe."

Observe?

"Observe what?" I asked, lowering the rifle and staring at Owlowiscious in confusion.

I saw the shadow move just a fraction before returning to its statue-like state. It had turned its gaze away from me and I got the impression that it was lost in thought.

For a moment, it didn't respond.

"What are you here to observe?" I tried asking again.

Silence.

"...Owlowiscious—"

"You were wondering about how the girl managed to survive her rather horrible ordeal in the forest, correct?"

How did it know that? I wondered with a growing sense of dread.

I gulped and nodded.

"Yes, but how did you..."

"She didn't."

The bottom fell out of my stomach as I started at Owlowiscious in silent horror.

"W-what?" I managed to croak out.

"Oh, yes," Owlowiscious answered, amusement edging into his voice, "the poor girl was, in fact, murdered, right along with her parents on that fateful day. A tragedy, really."

I dropped the rifle as I backed away in shock.

"I-I don't... but... b-but if she was... then..."

"If that girl met the same gruesome fate her parents did," Owlowiscious interjected, voice now full of mirth, "then what is that thing in the house with Jack?"

My face paled.

"You know," Owlowiscious mused, "the people in the little town down below have this interesting little proverb that I'm rather fond of..."

Nononono, not that. It can't be that. Oh, please—

"Oh, now how did it go again?"

"Oh no..." I whispered in terrified realization, "Jack has no idea."

"Ah, yes now I remember!"

I never caught the rest of what the shadow was saying. I was already rushing back to the cabin.

"Oh, well, maybe next time."

As it faded away into nothingness, Owlowiscious gave one last chuckle.

Silly girl forgot her rifle.

I ran to the front door of the cabin, praying it wasn't too late to save Jack from whatever was in there with him.

Don't play dumb. You already know what it is.

I shoved the thought aside as I threw the door open.

I froze.

"Oh, hey, Sparky!"

I took a step forward.

"Sorry about starting without you, I just couldn't wait anymore!"

Another step.

"It just smelled sooo~ good!"

A third step and I stopped, trying my hardest not to retch from the squelching that came from beneath my boots.

"Doesn't look like you got the firewood though. Eh, I guess we could just—"

"His head."

The thing hanging above me blinked.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Where's his head." I repeated, my voice hollow.

I already knew where his head was.

The evidence was splattered all over the tables, the floor, and the ivory daggers coming out of that thing's giant gaping maw.

"Oh, that," said the thing in a dismissive tone, "well, like I said, I couldn't wait anymore."

I turned my gaze away from the headless corpse that was splayed across the table and upwards to look directly at it.

It gave me a toothy grin.

"I tried to hold out until we were all here but the smell was driving me crazy."

"Why."

"Why what, Sparky?" it asked innocently.

"Why."

"Why did I trick you and 'Papa' here? Why did I replace little Jessie? Why did I wait so long for my meal? Why am I hanging around here talking to you when I could be having seconds? Is that what you're asking, Sparky?"

"Why."

It blinked again in confusion before a look of realization crossed it's face.

"Oh... I guess I broke you. Whoops."

The thing scuttled across the ceiling, down the wall, and stopped right in front of me, extending it's neck to peer closer into my eyes.

I made no move to stop it or run away. I didn't even lower my gaze from the ceiling.

"Hmmm..." it pondered "well, it doesn't look like you're going anywhere anytime soon," it stepped back and jumped on the table, adjusting itself as if to get comfortable, "I just ate, so I guess I could monologue at you for a bit, although I'm not even sure if you can hear me."

It cackled.

I didn't react.

"Well to answer your rather vague question, I like to play the long game, Sparky. It's how I've survived and stayed hidden all these years—well, that and the shapeshifting."

I slowly lowered my gaze to stare blankly at the mirror image of me lounging on the table.

"Useful, that."

The doppelganger chuckled.

I didn't react.

"Anyway," it continued with my voice, "I'm old, Sparky. Like really old—so old I don't even remember my age. I've seen and done a lot in my time and these days, all I really want is to enjoy myself. With my ability, I can basically live any life I want and when I get bored I just feast and move on much like I'm doing now. Although..."

It frowned and hopped off the table, discarding my image as it did so. It slowly scuttled around me with a look of curiosity.

I didn't react.

"You're honestly more of a mystery than I am," it mused, "from what I've seen taking care of you, you're certainly no human. Even back when I begged dear old Papa over there to take you in, it was because there was something off about you."

"Jack."

The thing stopped it's pacing and looked at me with interest, "Oh?"

I turned to the body of the kindest man I had met since arriving here, tears streaming down my face.

"I'm so sorry."

I started walking towards the corpse and the thing scoffed.

Before I could get any closer, a black, spindly limb lashed out and impaled the body, lifting it into the air.

I stopped walking and stared at the spot where Jack was for a moment, before I turned to track Jack's body as it was whipped to and fro by the thing's wiry black appendage.

"What exactly are you doing, Sparky?" the thing asked, waving the corpse around, "he's dead. He can't help you."

Another spindly limb shot out of the thing and tore the body in half.

"I guess I'm not really doing much to help your mental state, but..." it unceremoniously dropped the two halves to the floor, "I'm gonna devour your head anyway, so I don't really care."

It cackled again.

"The quacks probably wouldn't even be able to put you back together again anyway after something like this!"

Back... together...

"Well, this was fun and all, but I'm getting hungry again."

The thing scuttled back up the wall and across the ceiling, slowly making it's way above my head.

"I kind of wish you would've screamed or ran or something. But—"

"The... pieces..."

The thing stopped, and looked at me in confusion.

I ignored it in favor of the building headache I was experiencing.

I groaned and clutched my head in intense discomfort as the pain spiked rapidly.

"What's this?" I heard the thing mutter in interest above me.

Somewhere among the pain in my head, a thought surfaced.

When the Magic of Friendship falls apart, I'll make sure that we're prepared to put the pieces back together.

The floodgates opened and words slammed into the forefront of my mind like hammers.

Spike.

Princesses.

Research.

Friendship.

Magic.

I screamed in agony as a sudden, blinding flash of light erupted from directly behind me.

"GAH!" I heard the thing cry in surprise, "WHAT THE FUCK?"

I felt a completely alien, yet wholly familiar sensation travel through my entire body from head to foot. As the sensation passed and I came to my senses, I found myself lying flat on my back in a cold sweat—panting and gasping for breath.

I cried out in pain again as something slammed into and through one of my legs.

I glanced down and saw one of the limbs impaled in my left leg. I looked up at the thing and saw it shaking it's head and blinking rapidly.

"What the hell did you just do, Sparky?" it growled furiously.

My only response was to whimper in pain.

"You know what? Forget it, I'm not taking anymore chances," it said in a much calmer tone, "once I can actually see again, I'm taking your—ah, there we go," as it's vision cleared again, the thing glared at me.

My eyes widened in fear and I struggled to move. Another limb impaled my right leg and I screamed again.

It's gonna kill me.

I started to feel that strangely familiar sensation build up somewhere in my head.

It's gonna kill me.

I stared at the thing in wide-eyed horror as it's mouth opened.

And opened.

And opened.

ItsgonnakillmeitsgonnakillmeitsgonnakillmeitsgonnaKILLME!

That sensation traveled it's way down through my neck, then down to the shoulders, then to my arms.

With an inhuman screech, the thing lunged.

NO!

Clenching my eyes shut, I threw my hands forward and prayed something would save me.

I didn't have to wait long because the instant I raised my hands, I heard a strangled cry of surprise quickly followed by a heavy thud and several loud cracks. At the same time, I let out my own cry as I felt the thing's limbs rip themselves out of my legs.

I sucked in several sharp breaths, fighting through the pain to see what had become of the thing. I spotted it crumpled on the floor all the way across the room. The wall just above it was splintered and, in some places, completely gone, letting the cold night air inside.

How did that happen? I wondered, then I looked at my hands thoughtfully.

"Did... did I cause that?" I muttered allowed.

"Grgh..."

My head snapped back to the thing across the room.

It hacked and wheezed as it started to rise, glaring at me with equal parts confusion and unbridled fury. It had a grey, tar like substance oozing from several small cuts in it's body.

"You..."

I tried to scramble backwards in fear, but my torn legs made that all but impossible.

The thing started crawling towards me, trying to extend it's broken limbs which only flopped to the floor.

"I'll have your head, Sparky." it hissed in a low, dangerous tone, "I don't what you did, but I'll have your head before you can do it again!"

With that, it let out another inhuman scream and lashed out, stretching it's neck toward me with an open mouth full of razors.

"NO!"

I tried to summon up whatever that sensation was, and the thing was thrown back once again, it's giant dagger-like teeth just inches from my face. With my eyes open, I could actually see what I had done.

What I saw made my jaw drop.

The thing had been thrown back against the wall again, but that's not what caught my attention this time. This time I was too transfixed on the magenta glow surrounding my hands as I held them out.

This is... Magic... isn't it?

While I was distracted, the thing began to lift itself off the ground again, grunting with the effort.

"Damn... dammit," it coughed again, "what the fuck are you, Sparky? I know I'm an abomination but you're definitely something else."

I glanced over at the thing struggling to get back up and something shifted within me.

This thing has been murdering innocent people for centuries.

There was a new feeling that was beginning to rise in my gut, something I don't think I had ever felt before.

It killed the real Jessie and was probably the one that killed her parents.

No, I was sure I had felt this at least once before.

This... thing killed Jack. It was going to kill me.

I grit my teeth as I glared at the thing trying to recover on the other side of the room. The glow from my hands intensified and the thing gave a yelp of surprise as it was lifted off the ground.

"H-hey what gives?" it looked over at me and it's eye widened with genuine fear, "wait, you're the one that's doing this?"

I ignored it's question as I crawled over and propped myself against the wall.

"Hey, Sparks, c'mon. You're a nice girl, you wouldn't do anything to hurt me," it begged, wearing Jessie's face.

That just made the feeling grow in intensity.

When the Magic of Friendship falls apart...

I raised a magenta-hued hand and lifted the thing higher into the air.

"Wha—hey! What are you—"

"You're a menace."

The Magic of Friendship...

"Don't do it, Sparky," it cried in a panic, "if you do this, it's gonna fuck you up in the head! Think about it!"

I'll make sure that we're prepared to put the pieces back together.

"WHERE WAS THAT CONCERN WHEN YOU TORE JACK IN HALF IN FRONT OF ME!?"

With a thought, I slammed the thing into the ground so fast it didn't have time to scream. I heard a satisfying crunch as it hit the ground, but I didn't stop there. I raised it back up and slammed it down again. I continued to smash the thing into the floor again and again and again.

I smashed it with my fear.

I smashed it with my pain.

I smashed it with my rage.

At some point I realized I was screaming. I felt tears stream down my face, yet I continued on regardless.

I eventually felt my body getting weaker and that was enough to clear my head and end my relentless assault. I dropped the broken, crumpled mess that used to be the Headhunter and slowly slid down the wall I was propped up against, breathing heavy and throat sore from screaming. I kept my eyes focused on the thing for a few minutes more, then I looked over to where it had dropped Jack. My gaze wasn't on the torn body for more than a few seconds before I turned to the side and retched.

The retching dissolved into choked sobs as I sat there and wrapped my arms around my bloodied legs. Jack was gone, Jessie—the real Jessie—had long since died, and I was alone again. I was in a terrible place right now, but as I sat there mourning Jack, I remembered the little piece of my past that I had regained.

I wasn't even close to being a human originally—not physically anyway. I lived in what seemed to be a completely different world from the one I was in now, as a pony and the Princess of Friendship no less.

I would've laughed if I wasn't in so much physical and emotional pain.

I had a castle, a dragon assistant, and an as of yet unnamed group of friends who helped me fight off villains using something called the Elements of Harmony. I even had a one-on-one battle with some kind of demon centaur thing named Tirek apparently.

This all seemed ridiculous to me.

I know these were my memories, but I didn't feel like I connected with them. I felt like I was on the outside looking into someone else's life. Maybe if I had the whole picture, something would change, but for now, the joy of regaining even a sliver of my memories was severely dampened by everything else that happened to me tonight.

Not even the discovery of my newfound magical ability helped much. Yes, I was able to use it to stop... kill, the Headhunter. Yes, I rid the world of an evil that had been plaguing it for centuries. None of this changed the fact that Jack had died and I was left alone and had no idea what to do next.

With these thoughts and several others swirling about in my mind, and despite the pain in my legs, I eventually gave in to the exhaustion from the days events.

I awoke in a panic.

I snapped my eyes to the left and right looking for any sign of immediate danger, but I found none. I breathed a sigh of relief before my gaze settled on the twisted pile of black flesh across the room from me.

All the memories of what had transpired before I passed out came rushing back and I had to force myself not to lose whatever was left in my stomach. Fresh tears made their way down my face when I looked over to Jack's remains and I spent the next few minutes crying silently as I sat against the wall.

A sudden noise coming from the table distracted me and I looked up to see a small fox with a red and white coat sniffing at one of the untouched bowls of elk stew. It looked over to me, but didn't really seem too worried, as it went back to inspecting the food a moment later. Thankful for the distraction, I continued to watch the fox as it turned and yipped a few times.

I wondered what it was doing, until I looked over to where it was looking and saw three other foxes emerge from the hole in the wall created when the Headhunter smash into it. I was also able to determine that night had passed, judging by the daylight streaming through the opening.

Glancing back over to the family of foxes, I could see all four of them were on the table digging into the three bowls of stew. The sight managed to bring a small smile to my face and I opted to let them finish, ignoring the rumbling of my own stomach.

Once they had eaten their fill, the one that came in first looked at me one last time before all of them jumped off the table and ran back through the hole in the wall. I watched them go, strangely feeling a bit better than I had earlier.

I can't keep sitting around here forever, I thought as I attempted to lift myself off the ground, I need to remember that life goes on, despite Jack's death.

I cast another glance at Jack's corpse and flinched, resisting the urge to fall back down and start crying again.

It's going to take some time, but I will get over this, I thought with a sniff, I have to. No one else is around to hold my hand and tell me that it's going to be okay.

It looked as though the Headhunter had missed the bone and any major arteries when it impaled me; either that or I had started regenerating despite any heavy damage I had suffered to anything important. My legs had stopped bleeding and were already beginning to heal. The most I felt at the moment was dull throb and I found that I could stand without too much trouble.

It took me a week to fully heal my broken legs before, I thought in bemusement, why did they heal so fast this time? Is it because I have magic now?

Pushing away those thoughts for later, I closed my eyes, put a hand to my chest, and took a few deep breaths to fully collect myself. I opened my eyes and looked around the room.

"Now what?" I asked myself aloud.

My stomach growled, making my choice for me.

Breakfast it is then, but first...

I raised my right hand towards the bed near the wall and—pulling from the wellspring of magic I now possessed—I enveloped a blanket in a soft, translucent magenta glow. I moved it over to where the two halves of Jack's body lay and settled it on top of the gruesome sight.

I'm sorry, Jack, I thought guiltily, I promise I'll give you a proper burial, but right now, I just need some time.

I didn't bother with the Headhunter's corpse, feeling nothing but hatred and disgust for the creature that killed the kind hunter, his family, and so many countless others.

Having finished that, I walked into the kitchen and saw that there was still some left over elk stew in a pot on one of the larger kitchen appliances. I recognized it as a stove based on what I read about modern inventions. I set the stove to heat the leftover stew and poured myself a bowl when it was done. I couldn't bring myself to sit at the table, so I just ate in the kitchen while I contemplated what to do next.

I can't stay here—well I could, but with everything that's happened here... no, I just can't. I won't find anymore answers by staying here anyway.

I idly stared out the kitchen window as I thought, taking in the morning sunlight.

I think the best option might be to head to Thatch and find some work. I don't have any money and I should also let them know the Headhunter is dead. If I'm going to travel though, I'll need some supplies and without money...

I grimaced before letting out a resigned sigh.

I'm going to have to take what I can from here. I don't like it, but that's my only option right now.

With a solid plan in place, I finished my stew and left the kitchen to look for some kind of pack to carry supplies in. As I headed upstairs I noticed the torn and bloody state my leggings were in and added 'find new leggings' to my mental checklist.

I should also probably shower, I thought as I passed the bathroom.

Entering Jack's room and searching through his possession almost made me sick with guilt, but I pressed on for the sake of survival. I ended up finding the large leather pack he had used to hunt the day before and taking just that, I quickly headed out of the room.

As it turned out, finding leggings that fit me was just as difficult as I expected it to be and in the end, I had to get creative with a pair of Jack's leggings and some shears I had found, though I did manage to find a needle and some thread. The next problem I ran into was that I had no idea how to sew and had to make some assumptions about how it worked.

The end result was... less than flattering, but it worked and I was able to cover up any mistakes I had made with my tunic and boots.

After I finished modifying the leggings, I went to the bathroom to take a much needed shower. As I undid the straps and removed the scabbard from my back I immediately noticed a change to the sword.

One of the runes is glowing! I thought excitedly. My mind went into overdrive trying to find out what this meant.

This must be what caused that light I saw last night.

I shivered involuntarily at the memory.

I'm also fairly certain this has something to do with the fact that I can use Magic now, I furrowed my brow, as far as I can tell, I'm only able to use telekinesis. Does this mean that I can use more magic if more runes are activated?

I looked over to the sword's grip.

I wonder...

I reached over, grabbed the grip and pulled.

The sword came loose.

I gasped in astonishment and, with a smile of anticipation, I slowly pulled the sword the rest of the way out of it's sheath. I held it out to the light to get a better look at it.

I had been right about the sword being strange. The blade was completely rectangular with a flat top that was as sharp as the sides. Rather than the fuller that usually ran down the center of the blade, there were instead two wide rectangular slabs of metal bolted to either side that reach from the handguard to about two-thirds of the way up the blade.

The slabs of metal were violet like the handguard and the blade itself was light pink in color. One of the most noticeable things about the blade were three small holes cut in a vertical line towards the bottom of the blade near the handguard, each hole in the shape of a six pointed star.

I stared in amazement at the craftsmanship of the blade and, after a moment, returned it to it's sheath with a nod of approval.

Setting the scabbard aside and removing the rest of my attire, I hopped in the shower. I turned the heat up almost as high as it could go and sighed in satisfaction as the searing water hit me.

I really, really needed this, I thought, closing my eyes with a small smile.

I stayed in the shower for about half an hour before jumping out and slipping my clothes and scabbard back on.

I grabbed a few more things from upstairs before heading down. This included a map of the area, some writing utensils and paper, and a few canteens. I also did end up finding thirty copper bits, five silver bits, and a gold bit in my search, which I reluctantly pocketed. Thankfully, I had read up on how the currency worked here.

Essentially, one hundred copper bits were equal to a silver bit, one hundred silver bits were equal to one gold bit, and five hundred gold bits were equal to a platinum bit.

Heading back downstairs with the pack in tow, I returned to the kitchen and grabbed several cans of fruit and vegetables. I found a few pounds of jerky in one of the cupboards wrapped in plastic and I took those out as well. After filling each of the canteens, strapping two of them to my belt and putting the rest of the supplies in the pack, I walked back into the main room.

I closed my eyes and exhaled through my nose, then I turned and glanced at the blanket covering Jack's remains.

I'm as prepared as I can be right now. That only leaves one thing left to do.

I stepped past the blanket and headed out the front door. Going around to where the storage shed was, I entered, grabbed one of the shovels and made my way near the cliff in front of the cabin. I looked out over the cliff to the scenery below.

It was beautiful.

Facing east from where I stood, I could see the entire town of Thatch and the farmlands to the north a little ways beyond that. Past the farmland I could see further down the mountain to the rolling hills below and beyond that, I could just barely make out the hazy outline of a castle in the distance.

If I can see it from all the way over here, that castle must be massive.

I stepped back and began digging a little ways from the edge of the cliff. For the next two hours I dug what would become Jack's grave, and by the time I finished the afternoon sun was hanging high overhead and my face was shining with sweat. As I walked back to the shed with the shovel, my eyes fell upon something lying on the ground a few yards away.

I blinked and my eyes widened in recognition.

Of course! I thought, running over to the rifle I had dropped the night before, I can't believe I forgot!

I picked up the rifle and went to head back to the shed to put the shovel away, when I stopped again. Remembering why I'd dropped it in the first place, I turned towards the tree where I saw Owlowiscious for the second time.

I wonder if I'll see it again.

I walked the rest of the way to the shed, put the shovel back and went back into the cabin with the rifle. I looked around and found a cabinet near the gun racks. Inside the cabinet was a sling that I used to strap the rifle to my back and some .303 caliber ammunition that I packed away into the leather bag. I left the rest of the rifles hanging on the racks.

As much as I'd like to leave everything as it was when you were alive, I have to take every advantage I can get, even if that means taking one of your rifles. I hope you can forgive me, Jack.

With my sword and rifle on my back, and the leather pack slung over my shoulder, I lifted the blanket off of Jack's corpse with my magic and set it aside. i then picked up the two halves of the body and walked back outside, floating them along behind me.

I made my way back to the open grave I had dug and gently lowered the body inside. Making use of my magic once again, I enveloped the mound of displaced dirt and pushed it back into the hole, flattening it into ground as best I could. The exertion left me exhausted, but I wanted to see how much magic I could use before I got tired, rather than use the shovel again.

"I don't have any kind of grave marker I can place here for you right now," I said in a strained voice, tears once again trailing down my face as I kneeled in front of Jack's grave, "but I'll make sure to find something for you when I reach the town. When I do, I'll come back to mourn you properly."

I sniffed and wiped my eyes as I stood back up.

"I promise."

With a look of determination, I turned and began my long walk down the mountain path towards the village of Thatch.

Well here it is, the chapter that took up most of the time I spent trying to get this story out.

Could I have just split it into several chapters and released the story like normal? Sure, but I wanted (and still want) to have a self contained (for the most part) adventure in each chapter. That's the reason I'm going with episodes rather than chapters, just feels right to me.

That's also the reason updates are going to be rather slow, unfortunately. My apologies to the people that enjoyed reading this. I'll still be working on this for sure, I just won't be scrambling to finish it like I did with these chapters. I do have another story I'm writing after all.

Well folks, as always, hope you're looking forward to more!

Note: If anyone is confused about what Twilight's sword looks like, I based it off the first design of Sol Badguy's Fireseal