Jacko paced in the throne room, if one could call it that anymore; he was not a king without a kingdom and the pale boy before him was paler than normal. Weak from hunger and he could not hope to feed the poor boy himself. He looked at the vampire, the boy's red eyes were dull and his pale skin now made him look closer to being a ghost. Jake stood before his master and ruler, the king of Halloween; the idea to be rid of Christmas to strengthen Halloween had come to an abrupt end with the rescue of North. Not just by the Guardians, but by the boy that Jacko had recognized as the "key" that the fortune teller had told him of before. They needed help and Jacko was determined it was this boy, the one Jake had been forbidden to turn into a vampire like himself, that was going to be needed to strengthen them all. Unlike the tales of them being thirsty for blood, Jake was only hungry for fear... it was what all spirits of the kingdom of Halloween lived for and needed to survive. It was in short supply and those who had once been so easily frightened of the tales they made up themselves were now next to impossible to frighten. There was a good dose of fear every once in a great while, but it wasn't enough. Those who lived in this kingdom were starving and their king was no less so; for he did not steal from his subjects to survive himself... rather... his pale visage made it plain he had skipped out on the last meal that had been offered up.
"Sire, is it really good that you missed the last feeding? How much longer can you hope to last for our people if you do not feed?"
"Perhaps not, but I cannot watch my people starve. The fear the boy brought with him upon his capture gave us some strength that lasted longer than I had hoped... but it's not enough. We still all go hungry. Only the children must be fed."
"So you continue to say, but how much longer? How many more must fade before the boy is brought here?"
"I cannot force him, I must some how convince him..."
"How?"
"I go myself."
"But sire... if you go then you might not return! What then?"
"If I am trapped in the human world... so be it. I would rather that then stay here, doing nothing and watch the kingdom fade. Be watchful at the gates my young friend. I will return in victory." Or not at all... He thought as he moved towards the crypt that was his garden and Jake could only watch as the Pumpkin King disappeared into the fog and from sight.