"What is it?"

"A demon I've been tracking for some time. It's a relatively weak one, but fast as hell, faster than Dash much to my annoyance."

"A demon? Here?"

"How the bloody hell is that possible?"

"I agree; we are one of the oldest to exist and have only heard fairytales regarding the existence of demons. Not even the Man in the Moon has told us of any demons wandering the planet," Pitch stated as he gestured himself and Sandy.

"This one isn't normal than any tale you might've heard."

"What do you mean?"

"This particular demon…it was made in a lab. It had literally been engineered with a purpose by its creators. From what we gathered, it had been genetically altered with blood from other demons, humans even and who knows what else. Because of it, it is able to twist things around to what was needed."

"So we have a real piece of work in our world then? Not just a random demon, but one made in a bloody test tube?"

"I'm afraid so," the redhead sighed. "I only wish I got more information regarding why this particular demon was crafted and what its purpose is supposed to be."

"It's raising hell, that's what's the blimey bastard's doing!" Bunny snarled, already in her face, ready to grab her by the throat.

However, before he or anyone else had time to react, her eyes hardened, using inhuman speed to grab his arm, twisting it behind his back, pinning him easily to the ground.

"Fuck!" he cursed loudly, wincing in pain.

"I suggest you do not pull that again," she scolded with a threatening growl, eyes flashing animal like.

Almost as fast as she had him pinned, she let him go, surprisingly stepping next to Pitch of all people.

"Whoa…" Jack awed at how fast the woman was on her feet.

Feeling something rub against his legs, he looked down, finding the cat nuzzling, easily ignoring the spat his master had with the holiday spirit.

With careful hands, he gently picked the cat up, the feline ignoring the cold, purring against his touch.

"Rather defensive about the neck?" Pitch taunted with a small laugh.

"We can survive a rainfall of bullets and arrows, endure cannonballs fired into the stomach and chest. We could even be forced to ingest vast quantities of poisons that could kill even the strongest of demons. And yet, our Sun Cells end up saving us, even if the healing is agonizing. However, if our neck is snapped or endures some other severe damage from being slit or nearly decapitated if not completely…we simply die. It would take a tremendous amount of luck, spells, whatever to bring that Caterian back from the dead. I'm just glad it isn't our fatal trigger, that it isn't linked with our existence."

At that point, everyone stopped what they were doing, dumbstruck at what they heard, clearly not expecting such an answer.

"What…what do you mean by that?"

"Somewhere in our bodies, we have a core to our very soul. It is the very core that gives us existences than simply living. Without it, we not only die, but fade away, incapable of reincarnation less the gods will it. And it is the same with all species, not just Caterians."

"So…so we have one too?"

"Yes, but yours is more vulnerable because you're already a spirit. What you are now is merely the shell that protects your very core."

"Oh man…that's really messed up."

"Hai, it is, but what part of existing isn't?"

"I'm afraid I have to agree with that," North grumbled when seeing how shook up Jack and Tooth looked.

"But it isn't just that, that worries me, for in another part of the body is a strand that branches from the core."

"What now?" Bunny questioned, seeing how serious the woman was.

"If someone were to find that strand and strike true, they could kill not only that Cateron's existence, but the existence of all Caterians, of all felines connected to us. We would exist no more, the memories ripped from all connected to us, leaving only sensations of great loss. Memories would be rewritten or blanked out completely depending on what influence any cat had on someone. All physical remnants would burst into flames, reducing all to ash, living and dead alike."

"That…that's insane!" Tooth practically shrieked with horror. "H-how would you even know that it's true?"

"Not only have I seen it happen with other species with similar flaws, but ancient texts left behind by ancestors, possibly the very god or gods who breathed life into us."

The fairy could feel tears prickling her eyes, not wanting to think of something like that actually happening before a thought crossed her mind.

"But if it happened…"

"How would I remember? I said that they had similar flaws, not exact."

"But I still don't get how you could be so sure that you have that feature, that anyone would have such a dangerous feature in them."

"I had special mirrors whisper their history, leading me to ancient libraries once lost to time, the keys thought forever lost. It was those texts I learned, taking years to decipher alone and with allies from my world and others."

"Mirrors?"

"Hai, I used a variety of mirrors as did my predecessors before me, both of noble and military birth. We had mirrors of angelic descent, demonic, made by us or given by allies. We even had some that simply appeared with no direct origin of its past."

"What did the mirrors do for you?"

"Depending on size, they would either let us use them as means of transportation with a similar mirror to itself. It was the only way we could explore other worlds before we were introduced to space travel, shown the technology used to make ships. The smaller ones were used merely for observation. We used them to study other worlds they could connect to, to learn culture and history, it helped us enrich our own stale culture."

"Stale?"

"We were so busy fighting we basically forgot how to really enjoy life, histories of holidays and seasons lost. So we adopted new ones, copying from other worlds to help keep ourselves sane, keep the children, our future sane and happy."

"That's pretty sweet way to use them," Jack smiled, liking how these mirrors are used before North gave a cough, grabbing everyone's attention.

"I do not wish to interrupt, but you know of this demon and need our help as well as needing yours."

"Of course, gomen'nasai for getting off topic like that," the woman apologized.

"Aside from the obvious, why are you so determined to hunt and catch this demon to even travel worlds, dimensions even? Destructive or not, it doesn't sound like it has anything really to do with you," Pitch asked with a light wave of his hand.

"It had been engineered by a far more powerful demon, and that's enough reason for me to hunt it. I don't know what it's been made for, but it can't be good. I intend to catch it and study it. And if I must, I'll kill it."

"That makes sense. It needs to be caught soon before it causes further harm," Tooth nervously spoke.

"But the demon though…the one here, what could we do to help?" Jack asked.

"I mainly wish for you to do as you were doing before. Keeping eyes and ears open for any sign and evidence of the demon's presence. I know many of you are weary not only from hunting this demon, but for what it has done to the children of this world."

A terrible look crossed Sandy's face, the woman walking over, pulling the small man into her warm embrace.

"I know you wish to help the children, I have been doing the same or you would have completely faded away," she spoke softly, the others hearing.

"Wait, you can manipulate dreams too?" Tooth gasped.

"Not in the way that these two can, but very close. I used cards to help me. I summoned Dream and a couple others to travel and vanquish that gray sand. And if we couldn't do that, we would stay with any children for as long as necessary. We would do what we can to ensure their mental stability doesn't cave in."

As she explained, she reached behind herself with one hand, the other supporting the golden man with ease.

Reaching under her coat, she pulled out several cards, revealing them to everyone else in the room, who could only stare in awe.

"Dream, Sleep, Shadow, and Illusion?" Tooth whispered as she stared at them.

As she glanced at each of the strange looking cards, she could feel immense power coming off them. But, they weren't hostile despite some of the designs looking intimidating, namely the Shadow Card's appearance.

"Dash is also a card, but summoned. They were something I created to help a student I took in and kept them around. I found that not only were they useful, but I grew attached to them as they attained their own life in a sense. I was simply fascinated by their own individuality from myself and each other. Each of them, they carried their own will while following my own."

"How many do you have?"

"In total, fifty-two. I had Clow-kun make the outlines of the cards, to come up with as many as he wished and make two copies, leaving the back and front blank for the main portion of the image."

"How come?"

"His magic was very unstable in his younger years, so having them manifest through a medium helped him greatly. In regards to the blank cards, I used the first set to manifest and create all of my cards, including a summoning staff. Being my student, he copied my actions perfectly save for the staff. He had enough control to summon them without needing one."

"So you only made the staff so he could try making one himself if necessary? You don't need one yourself then?"

"Exactly, though it does help if I'm in battle and I need to focus, the staff helps me out quite nicely as an extra medium."

"So in a sense, there's two of each of those cards?" Jack asked, staring down at the cat, realizing there's another just like it out there.

"Exactly, I have one set obviously. For many years, Clow-kun kept his set until he found a suitable heir for them. He passed them down to a young girl who later became my adopted daughter. Even now, from the last I spoke with her, she had been talking of finding a possible suitor for when she may have to pass the cards down next. Although, it may not be for many years before that happens."

"So can they appear whenever?"

"Sort of, there are different ways," she said before going into greater detail when asked.

As she finished, mentioning other cards when asked, namely by Jack if she had any similar to what he can do, Bunny interrupted them.

"That's lovely and all, but what about this demon thing? If you haven't caught it yet and we couldn't even get a sample of sand let alone catch this bloody thing, what makes you think the seven of us will be any different?"

"I have an idea for a trap, but it's risky, and it's suicide to do alone, even for myself."

"So you need us then?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be here now, would I?"

"Point taken, so what is it?"

"For starters, before arguments start, I'll be the bait. I've tangled with demons before, dealing with all sorts of varieties. It'll be safest that way than risk one of you and panic, or worse, get killed."

"Guess that makes sense, as you said, you have experience," Bunny grumbled before getting elbowed sharply in the ribs. "Oi!"

"So what kind of plan are you thinking?" Pitch asked, raising his brow.

"From what I could figure out about this demon, it's trying to mimic yours and Sandy's powers. Poorly, but enough to cause damage as we've seen."

"No shit."

Ignoring the rude comment from the Pooka, the redhead continued, "Being that's the case, I'll use Illusion and a combo of other spells to make myself appear as a child. I'm sure I can come up with something to hide my scent, or enough so it doesn't find out.

"Being the demon is targeting children, it won't be able to resist," the nightmare king smirked, "quite ingenious. But how are you certain it'll take the bait?"

"I've seen it run into a wall and chase its own reflection, its own shadow even."

"So in some ways, it's similar to an animal? Intelligent to some extent by means of survival, yet when you take them out of their natural environment, change it even, they'll panic."

"Exactly, therefore a trap beforehand will help," she responded with a forced smile. "But because its actions are closer to an animal, it also makes it more dangerous. There's no reasoning with it, so talking is out of the question. It's completely unpredictable, no telling what its thinking. At least it'll be like this until I can catch it."

"In order to read its mind?"

"Hai."

"But being as fast as it is and having impeccable hearing, we need to draw it someplace we have time to trap it in."

"That's correct, so we'll need to study its movements, find out exactly how fast it is in order to counter it. That's where you guys come in. While I'm bait, I can't do much without making it suspicious."

"So you need us to basically make some sort of containment, almost a barrier in case it broke away from you?"

"Hai."

"But because you're making yourself bait, child or not, aren't you putting yourself at risk?" Jack asked worriedly.

"I'm a lot stronger mentally than you may think. I've seen things most would be able to imagine, shouldn't imagine without going mad. Some things I wish I never saw, but have," she sighed sadly, looking down at the floor. "But because of it, if the demon were to try and hurt me, mentally, it'll have no effect."

"But no one's invulnerable to madness…"

"You're right, but it takes certain strength to not only endure it but recover from it. I have seen it time and time again on my planet, some I helped heal, and if not myself, my own children helped in some manner. But then there are others beyond saving, forcing us to keep them locked away, not to hide them with shame, but protect them from themselves and others."

"I know it must be painful, but what happened to your world?" North asked, having seen how the woman's features darkened.

It wasn't threatening, no, it was sadder than anything, more so when he voiced that difficult question, knowing the memories must be painful.

"I apologize, I should not have asked…"

"Its fine, if it'll help you trust me further, I'm willing to tell," she finally answered.

"You really don't have to, I mean whatever happened…it had to have been horrible."

"It was, but it's also in the past. Much as I wish it, it cannot be changed, not at this point in time, not after all that's happened. And even then, what could be done?"

"What?"

At that, she began to tell them of her planet, stating how many years ago it had been since it had been destroyed, prior to being here.

She explained its geographical layout, the sea, similarities it had with earth by means of bearing oxygen and similar vegetation where crops from earth could be grown and vice versa.

But it bore differences, such as fewer main lands and the planet itself being double if not more in size compared to earth or other planets. Yet it made sense with what lived on the planet, the dominate species roaming their respective continents.

Despite its larger size though, it moved roughly the same speed as earth, having the same rate of time it has, having similar seasons even.

But despite that, at least with the Caterians, they didn't age like humans, instead their growth was far slower. Instead of aging once a year, they aged once every hundred years.

With the extended lifespans, their growth on a technological scale was kept simple, wanting to preserve nature for as long as possible.

Her people even went as far as expanding homes underground or higher up depending on the situation. Very few made their homes wider, usually relating to how big a family they have.

She explained that it was safer not only for the forests and preserving space for others, but in the case of disasters or war, families can take shelter underground. They can wait it out until it passes. And if their escape route is blocked, they can simply dig their way out or call someone telepathically dig them out.

Some wondered what she was getting at, explaining about her planet, yet when she mentioned fighting, they stopped.

That had to be part of what led to her home's demise if not the exact cause.

She told them about the Ratiers, a race similar yet different to their own. They aged similar to them, though faster while young, slowing down as they reached a certain age.

They could only guess she meant when they reached in a sense, puberty, where they would be technically old enough to bear and sire offspring.

She explained, trying to keep her tone calm how they would cause havoc, attacking anything, even themselves not out of fear, but simply pleasure. Many enjoyed killing others, torturing, even raping them.

There were very few opposite to them, much like how there were some Caterians who would act more like the Ratiers.

The war started when a scientist and her crew sailed the world, studying their home beyond what they could see. They had no ill thought of hurting the Ratiers, not even thinking there were others beyond normal animals. They had more advanced technology by means of guns while Caterians were still using bows and spears in a sense.

But as told, whether there was any thought of hurting them or not, they were willing to hurt others for sheer joy. They attacked this crew, forcing them to flee and never return.

It was thought to be the last of them, until Ratiers managed to build their own ships and sailed, finding her specie's land, attacking them.

It was the start of what would be many wars to come.

"These Ratiers, they're the cause of what happened to your home?" Tooth asked, feeling sad for the woman, for her people.

"Maybe, I'm not certain," she admitted, having taken a moment to pause in her tale.

"What do you mean?"

"It was during another of those dreadful wars, a time where I was born, where I had already gave birth to dozens of sons and daughters. Whether this war was a trigger or simply a coincidence, but at some point, the planet began to break apart."

"Wait, you mean…" Pitch asked, having uncrossed his arms, staring wide eyed at her.

"Cateria had imploded on itself."

"But if it destroyed itself… How did you even survive?" Bunny asked, getting elbowed for how he worded it.

He snapped at the fairy, only for the redhead to interrupt by continuing, redirecting their attention immediately.

"I used a spell to save everyone it could reach. I even went as far as saving those on enemy lines who had wanted nothing to do with the war."

"So you were able to save your family as well?"

"Hai, I was able to save my entire family, even saving many friends, and a majority of my people. But due to our injuries, we would not have survived for very long and it would be impossible to have myself and other doctors attempt to treat everyone, including ourselves. Therefore, the best way to save them, at least in that moment, was to reverse it all."

"Reverse?" Pitch questioned, curious of what she meant.

"It may sound insane, but I used a spell to reverse everyone's ages. It might've not been the best plan, especially as the spell went awry, but it was the only one I could think of at time."

"What do you mean it went, awry?" North questioned, having a bad feeling about it.

"The spell did what it was supposed to, but did to well."

"It aged you to far back, didn't it?"

"Hai, because of it, I knew no one would survive. So to save them, before I was too young to control my magic, I used two more spells. One to scatter everyone, including myself to the far corners of the universe, to find host families to reincarnate in. The other was to seal all of our memories, so we wouldn't remember who and what we really are."

"But you obviously got your memories back."

"Some were immune, how or why, I don't know, but it turned out to be a bitter blessing."

"How so?"

"Darkness, she is the demon I mentioned, who orchestrated the one we're having a problem with now. She is targeting worlds and targeting various people of all kinds, human and inhuman, one world to the next. While those who still had their memories sealed could've lived out their days in blissful peace, their lives would've been cut short by her. They wouldn't be able to fight back, not knowing how to fight truly fight back if at all."

"So those who remembered, undid the spells on you and the others?"

"Just those who they've found so far. There are still many we've yet to find not just in my family, but outside it as well."

"So there are still others that don't know who they really are?"

"Exactly and I constantly wonder and fear how they are doing. I constantly think about how they must be doing, if they are happy, if they are scared, if they really are unaware of their identity or remember it all."

The others were silent, hearing her honesty, all of them feeling heartbroken at how distressed she sounded. Some were more upset than others, almost feeling her pain and worry as a mother and friend.

She has so much on her shoulders, possibly more than she should allow herself to carry, yet it wasn't as if she asked for it in the first place.

After a few minutes of silence, North decided it was time to speak, having taken her words and let them sink in, watching the others carefully.

"What do you say? We trust her majesty?" North asked, the tension somewhat remaining, but it was easing away.

"What does your belly say?" Bunny asked sarcastically.

"To trust her. What of you, Jack? Tooth? Any fears towards her?" he stated before turning towards the other two.

He felt the woman held something back, but something inside told him it wasn't anything that could threaten them. Therefore, he decided to ignore it for now, not inform the others, knowing it could put them on edge, the Pooka especially.

"I trust you and Sandy. You've never been wrong before," Jack chuckled, Tooth agreeing with him instantly.

"Guess I have no choice, then?" Bunny chuckled, the tension beginning to ebb away.

"Pitch? You willing to work with us? Even if for short while?"

"Not like I have much of a choice," the nightmare king shrugged.

"Great!"

From there, everyone began to discuss some plans, up until they had to part ways to do their jobs and search for the demon when they could.

Caitlin would work alongside Sandy during his routes, learning how he communicated at a pace both could match.

She was simply fascinated by what he told her, reading his sand when he told her tales of their past than the simple spying she had done previously.

They worked together to find a pattern and find out how to lure the demon out while at the same time performing the dream weaver's natural duty.

But due to what the demon had done, it made it difficult; therefore the redhead combined several of her cards' magic with the glowing sand to make it stronger.

It hadn't been a perfect solution, but any homes they arrived shortly after the demon struck, they undid it.

Any they were unable to get to fast enough; they merely prayed the child would recover through their work and possible therapy if bearing loving enough parents.

The golden man was still greatly upset over the amount of children he unintentionally harmed, leaving him to occasionally break down into silent tears.

Thankfully, the woman was there to comfort him for hours on end, treating him as if he were her own flesh and blood.

With North, he had several of the woman's other cards joining him, lending their strengths and abilities to his workshop.

Those cards were Wood, Watery, Shot, and Fly, assisting whenever the next Christmas came and he found himself short on time due to the demon.

In one of their brief gatherings regarding information on the demon, they would share how they felt about the cards helping.

North was proud enough to say not only had he been enjoying their help, but the Yetis simply adore the cards, particularly Wood.

They loved how she would help fetching things with her elegant branches or would keep the more delicate toys from harm if the elves got over zealous.

With Jack, he had Dash at his side, having found the magical creature amusing and fun to have around.

He had other cards accompany that went by the names of Snow, Little, Storm, and Rain.

All of them were helpful, though three of them were as big of pranksters as he was which made things hectic, not that he complained.

The only thing to keep him and the mischievous cards somewhat in line was Snow. He couldn't help but think that she had been left with him on purpose because of his track record and the others.

Bunny, at first annoyed having some of the cards following him, but soon them to be pleasant company to have. Those were Flowery, Sweet, Silent, and Fight, each one having a unique role.

If he found himself tight on time, Sweet and Silent were immediately by his side, lending their assistance.

The sugary card would be very useful if he needed to make some chocolates extra sweet at the last minute. If he was someplace that was far too crowded and didn't need to risk being heard by children, the elegant looking card would be of help.

Even the floral card was helpful, creating a small blizzard of petals to help hide him if the winds were in his favor as well as the trees.

As for Fight, she was a fun spirit to spar with on his spare time, amazed at how she deflected his punches and weapons easily.

With Tooth, she had a ton of fun with some cards that accompanied her, they being Light, Mirror, Voice, Song, and Windy.

As with many of the other cards, they helped using their abilities in some manner, particularly if she was on the field.

Windy would help her spread any orders or messages from her other fairies. Mirror and Voice helped make it easier on the deliveries and such. Namely they would disguise her as a parent or older sibling in case a child woke up.

Usually it was done to convince them to go back to sleep, or that they were in a dream to release a fairy they inadvertently caught.

As for Song herself, the most help she made was making things livelier, singing beautiful songs to fill the palace.

No song was ever the same, nor the same language.

Some Tooth recognized, others she didn't, guessing they might've been songs being sung from other worlds or a time she was not around for.

And finally, in regards to Light, whenever Tooth got a break or made to take one if pushing herself to hard, they would sit and talk.

They would share and discuss things, passing questions back and forth, clearly intrigued of each other and their lifestyles.

As for Pitch, at first, he complained much like Bunny had having cards follow him around, even trying to lose them, only to be found shortly after.

Those very cards left with him were Dark, Time, Shadow, Through, and Void.

Time could easily slow things down if feeling he was moving too fast for any of them to keep up. Although, even without having to, Through could just phase through things to catch up with no trouble at all.

Dark and Shadow just traversed into the shadows, though they weren't as annoying to have around, the female card more as he'd find himself talking to her at times

The only other card that he admitted to find most fascinating was Void, learning from her about her abilities and the story of her copy's past.

Out of all the cards, the childlike card had to be the most mature and quite possibly the most intelligent.

He also learned more about the woman through them, though careful of his words so not to upset them or risk them reporting to their master if they feel he's a threat.

Yet, despite their work, it still took them several years to gain any form of progress, the deaths dwindling to almost nothing thanks to their teamwork.

Once a pattern had been found when the seven got together to talk about their findings, they began planning on what should be done.

Throughout the course of it, Caitlin explained in more detail relating to her species, what happened exactly on her planet prior to its destruction.

There were some parts they were sure she withheld, but she was honest for the most part, so anything she didn't reveal; it was likely to personal to share.

Even Pitch was respectful enough not to try and mess with the woman, finding a strange peace with her.

It was clear she was no spirit, people could see her, and her telepathy was amazing, leaving her open to talk with them perfectly without worry of people staring at her.

Because of it, it gave them a huge advantage at how she was able to do more regarding the cases. She could pose as an officer, a doctor, whatever was needed, showing just how manipulative she can be.

"So, we going with plan?" North asked.

"Hai, also…I think I have an idea why this demon was sent here. But it isn't certain, but it may give us an idea on how to fight against it."

"Is that why you had these cards follow us almost nonstop?" Pitch questioned, trying to sound more annoyed than he is.

If anything, he was more in awe at how long they've lasted out of their sealed state.

Fact that they could stray so far from their master without their strength waning too much was an impressive feat not only on their part, but the woman's too.

"That and I had them summoned to keep you safe in case the demon showed more intelligence and tried to attack any of you at some point. That way, you'd be kept safe with their help either to kill it or escape."

"What are you theorizing though?" Tooth asked as she sat down.

She watched as Jack sat next to her, Dash and Baby Tooth curling up alongside them.

"I contacted some family to do more research, see if they can break into the labs that made that demon to find out more. Whatever its purpose was, this was not the intention Darkness was looking for. It was never meant to make people mad; it was supposed to solely kill, infecting people with something. What that may be, I don't know. A trace is being made regarding everything used to make that damned thing."

"What?"

"Oh god…"

"So we're dealing with a real threat, aren't we?"

"Hmm…I used a spell, hopefully to coax the Man in the Moon to come out and not be so afraid of the demon's power."

"So he really was afraid…" Pitch muttered, not happy about it for once.

Before long, moonlight engulfed them, leaving all six to stare up at the moon, bathing in the silvery blue light.

Soft whispers were heard in each of their minds, apologizing for its cowardice, the fear taking hold in such magnitude.

"Manny says he apologizes for acting like a coward…" the Christmas spirit began before the redhead interrupted him.

"There is no need to apologize. Judging from your reaction, from what North and the others had often bragged about you…some of the genetic material used to make this demon must belong to Darkness herself. She's a very powerful and dangerous demon I've had to clash with often. Even I fear her powers at times, whether I am at full strength or not, alone or in an army, whether she is in an army or fighting alone."

"And you still fight?" Pitch asked, awed at her words.

Already, he could feel a small twinge of that once delicious fear, only by getting to know the woman, he couldn't enjoy her fear.

"Through fear, there is courage. I fight through my fear, facing it head on. I know that if I don't, I not only disgrace my blood, but my family, my very existence no less."

"Words of a warrior, a queen no less," North commented with a nod, his hand running through his beard a bit before the moon's voice returned.

They each made their comments, filling the lunar spirit in over what's been happening and what their plan is.

They all knew that while the moon shown in the sky at times, they could sense his retreat, far too frightened to show himself completely.

Until now that is, the redheaded alien they've come to know shielding him with her powerful magic, giving enough comfort and strength to make his presence known.

"So, what does he think of the plan?" Caitlin asked, glancing at the beautiful moon, amazed by the power emanating from it.

"He is wary of plan, but willing to go along with it. You fight demons for years, while this one is…" North began before a ringing was heard.

At first, they believed it was one of the elves until realizing it wasn't a bell, the redhead fishing through her pockets, pulling a phone out.

"Gomen'nasai, it must be Torna reporting in," she chuckled nervously after muttering curses when hunting the device down.

"Torna?"

"My daughter, firstborn to be exact."

"What kind of Cateron is she?"

"Wind based."

"A wind user?" Jack asked with excitement.

"Hai."

Once pulling the phone out, giving a nervous laugh again having pulled different things from her pockets that matched its size, she flipped it open.

Hitting a button, she set it for speaker, letting everyone hear what her child has to say.

'Okāsan?' a woman's voice echoed through the device.

"Hai, I'm with the Guardians I've told you about the last time you called. So if you can, speak in English so everyone understands."

'I remember, you said you had a dream weaving spirit accompanying you that time, Sandy-kun was his name, correct?'

"Hai, that's his name. The others with me are North Pole, also known as Santa Clause to children. Though out of all the others I've seen, I think he's truer to his role."

'From what you've told me about him, I'm sure,' the woman on the other end laughed.

"Thank you, but I am certain there are others better than me out there."

"Yeah, right," the nightmare and guardian of hope grumbled under their breaths, unintentionally smirking at each other's words.

'Is that a Russian accent? Quite interesting indeed, at least it makes more sense in regards to origin. I wish I could see you in person to greet you properly. But right now, I am a tad busy on a few jobs.'

"It is alright, we are busy with own jobs too. It can get a little crazy."

'That's true. So who else is with you?'

"The Easter Bunny."

'One of your favorite holidays? I bet he has to throw you out constantly from eating any candy or eggs he has.'

"I can restrain myself," the redhead pouted, earning some snickers from the others at how her own child teased her. "Anyway, I'm having far too much fun spending time and getting to know everyone to go and dive into a pile of chocolate and eggs."

'I know you're not that bad.'

"Arigatō, as for the other main Guardians; we have Tooth Fairy and Jack Frost, even the Man in the Moon, to some extent."

'Some extent?'

"Manny doesn't physically talk; we have to translate what he says. He is literally moon, talks to us Guardians and other spirits with his light."

'That's amazing, having to be bathed in such beautiful light.'

"He gives his thanks for the compliment," Jack chuckled.

'Anyone else with you?'

"Hai, he isn't a Guardian, but he has proven so far a helpful ally. He is the entity of nightmares, as he calls himself the boogeyman; Pitch Black."

'Why give himself such a childish name?'

"Childish?" the nightmare king snarled.

He was ready to smash the phone to pieces if a yeti hadn't made his presence known, clearly intimidating him enough to behave.

'Gomen'nasai, I didn't mean to offend you. I meant using the name 'Boogeyman' as an alias. It sounds far too childish for someone who represents nightmares.'

"I scare children, what else do I call myself?"

"I think you mean you used before the lil' ankle biters stopped believing in you," Bunny reminded, making the other glare hatefully.

'I doubt anyone can ever stop believing in fear. Without nightmares, nothing really to be afraid of, we don't have the means to push ourselves to survive. We won't have the necessary courage to protect loved ones as well as ourselves. To know our limits, of what is a danger or not,' Torna explained thoughtfully with a gentle, but stern tone.

The others could only stare in a mix of awe and wonder, knowing she was right. More so as she spoke once more, directing it more at the nightmare himself.

'Pitch Black is it? While I'm sure your job may not be the most enjoyable one, but hold honor onto it no matter what anyone says. I'm sure with the right means, you could help millions of children. Whether you're near them or in the shadows, I'm sure if you really wanted too, you can help them face these fears. Maybe even conquer them; help them be ready at a steady pace for the real world.'

Pitch could only stare in shock, finding such truth in them, seeing the others share the same look as he did.

First Caitlin makes her statement that through her fears, she finds courage and now her daughter is saying the same thing plus more.

He could hardly believe his ears when he listened; finding that these two were able to see good in what he did, even if no one, including himself thought otherwise.

With hesitant words, the nightmare king spoke the two words he never believed he would ever utter with absolute honesty.

"Thank you."

'It's no problem at all, Pitch-kun. The fact my mother trusts you, she must see a spark of light in your aura. Thus she's holds enough faith for you not to harm her or anyone else. And I'm sure over time, that spark of light will shine brighter and brighter than any star in the sky.'

"My…my aura?"

'Hai, every living creature, living spirit even, all bear an aura, one that represents who they are just as much as the core of their soul. My feeling, as well as Okāsan and many others, if there is even a tiny spark in the blackest of auras, there will always be a chance. You could even call it hope for that individual to pull themselves out of the darkness. Isn't that correct, Okāsan? You are the one to discover the full usage in reading auras and mastering it through other aura readers.'

"Indeed I have, if I hadn't, our courts would have been far more chaotic than it was originally. I was able to discover who told the truth or who lied by peering straight into their soul. I only wish I had learned this ability sooner or I had been born sooner to make use of it."

Immediately the Guardians shifted uneasily, realizing that if what they heard is true, then Pitch always had a chance to be good. And yet, they did nothing to help bring it out so he could be their friend and ally than constant enemy.

In fact, they might've made it even worse through conflict, banishing the poor spirit nonstop, firmly believing he was nothing short of pure evil.

They only hid their sorrow and guilt when the dark clad spirit glanced around, possibly trying to read them.

"Torna, what have you found?" the redhead's voice broke through their thoughts, startling them almost by her kind but strong tone.

'H-hai! I found a particular strain that stems from the demon you're hunting. You told me Sandy-kun and Pitch-kun use sand as their main weapon, almost as if it is their element? I suggest that if they were to go into combat against the demon, they avoid making direct contact with their sand. They will have to find other means to fight if not stay out of it completely.'

Immediately, symbols came and went over the sandman's head, eyes wide with shock and confusion, Pitch filling in the smaller man's absent voice.

"Both of us would like to know exactly why?"

Hearing a sigh on the other line, they wondered if she was getting annoyed or might've been tired. But something told them that it was likely the latter by how she sounded and the concerned look the redhead held.

Any color in their faces completely drained however at her words…

"If either of you makes contact, it isn't sure, but apparently…whatever this demon has, it looks to be contagious. Not to humans obviously, but it might for you two, maybe even the others with you.'

"What is it? what have you found?" the redhead asked, alarmed by this.

'It appears to be some sort of petrification ailment, though I'm not entirely sure what it might be. I'm trying to look for its origin source right now to find out how it works and if there's any known cures.'

"I see…"

'I also plan on calling Hiroki to lend me a hand. Hopefully, he'll be able to find out if his demon blood can nullify it to act as a cure if we can't find its origin source, let alone a cure. He is the only one we know with petrification skills to date. All others that exist are either in hiding or working for Darkness.'

"How long do you think it'll be to find out where it came from?" Caitlin asked calmly, but the inclination of fear still showed, but not for herself.

No, any fear she was showing, it was directed for the safety of her newly made friends in this room. Everyone could sense it, not needing Pitch's powers to know that much.

'What you're dealing with is thankfully so heavily diluted the only way this demon could infect someone would be to make direct contact. Even then, it's not likely, they may have to be made of sand or use it to such a heavy extent it's like an element to them.'

"So having me use my Sand card is out of the question unless I risk killing her or getting myself killed in the process," the redhead mumbled in a sour tone.

'I can't be sure. From what I've read on previous test subjects written in logs and recorded on video, it looks like it.'

"Any weaknesses?"

'Nothing specific, looks like the body was built like your run of the mill E-class demon, so it should be pretty easy to take down once cornered. I have a few theories why such a demon form was picked…' Torna started before her mother interrupted.

"Probably to either disguise the demon's full power or to make controlling and sending orders into it easier, avoid it rebelling. And by making it such a weak demon, most who hunt demons, be it a different group or our own, may likely ignore it."

'Hai…'

"Either way, it looks like it might be an easy kill. It's just catching and containing the little fucker that's the main problem. Domo arigatō Torna, you've been a great help. Call me if you find out anything else. I don't care if it's a fraction of data, I'll take anything if you feel it'll help us," her mother thanked with a bitter smile.

'Of course Okāsan, and it was a pleasure to hear your friends' voices,' Torna replied, sounding similar to her parent. 'Take care everyone.'

That said and done, the phone was soon hung up and pocketed away, the redhead turning her attention to everyone else in the room.

"So what are we going to do then? Without Pitch and Sandy helping with their powers, it's going to make catching this demon much harder," Tooth stated softly.

Worry was clearly etched into her tone, not even Jack's gentle touch soothing her.

"Well, now that we know sand is out of the question, then we'll go for the next best thing we have," the redhead stated with a small grin.

Hearing that, it caused the others to stare at her in confusion, wondering what she might've been planning.

"That is?"

"Frost."

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