With the Time Piece secured, Cloak Kid raced back towards the computer. Hat Kid no longer had her controller on her, so he couldn't see where she was or where she was going. If anything, all he could see was where the Snatcher was, which was back in that giant tree he used as his house. He had to find Hat Kid, though.

But then, the alarms were back. There was a Time Rift. A pink one.

Cloak Kid bit his lip. If the rift was pink, it needed his attention now. But, he worried what could happen if he left Hat Kid to do as she pleased. There was something off about her, but he couldn't figure it out.

But if he didn't take care of the Time Rift… the consequences could be dire.

He heard beeping as the ship's system printed out an approximate location. And his eyes beheld a jarring sight: Giant shards of glass, surrounding a glowing ball of pink.

The boy's next breath was shaky, as his brain recalled that fateful night that changed everything, and became the reason that they were drifting around in space.

He had to fix this… Now, before it was too late…

Before he had another calamity on his hands.

Cloak Kid gulped, a tear escaping one of his eyes as, once again, he had to put his duty above what he wanted.

A spirit flew into a giant cherry as Hat Kid trudged her way through the snow. It was falling from the sky and it was almost up to her knees. She tossed the cherry, and broke through the mountains of ice blocking the way. Her top hat was pointing her towards her destination: The mansion in the distance.

The snow only seemed to get worse as she got closer. She nearly slipped as she stepped on solid ice, finding that she was going over a frozen lake. There was no way it would thaw, and despite the bitter cold, piercing through her skin, she kept walking.

The manor seemed to be about three or four stories high. The roof was covered in a thick blanket of snow, with some of it piling on the edges of the windows, and frozen icicles hanging down from the roof of the porch.

Yet, as the girl approached the giant house, her form remained unshaken and didn't shiver. Her hands grasped the cold door knob, but found that it wouldn't turn to open. A few tugs didn't grant her the way in, at all. She pulled away, the fog of her breath visible as she sighed. She ended up walking around the property, still on the porch. Perhaps there was another way inside?

She was both relieved and upset once she found that the doorway into the cellar was open. The bad news was that she would have to go into the cellar. It smelled awful. It was kind of musty with a heavy scent of mud, dirt, water, and metal.

Hat Kid let out an exasperated sigh. As soon as she set one foot on a step, she already knew there was no turning back. It was either this, or have her soul eaten by the Snatcher. She took another step and then another, descending into darkness.

Cloak Kid decided that the best place to start the search was near the Snatcher's hideout. It was risky, but all he had to do was stay calm. From the bushes, he could see the shadow still reading that book, "How to Kill Kids," with a grin still plastered on his glowy face.

Suddenly, he looked out the backway of his house, like in a flinch. Hood up, Cloak Kid, as much as he didn't want to, gazed into the Snatcher's eyes just as he was turning back to his book.

What he saw was… interesting.

It was very brief, before turning back to his desire to devour Hat Kid's soul once he was done with her, but he swore, for only a moment, he saw something happier. Something with brighter colors, adorable critters, beautiful brick houses and…

A beautiful woman.

Cloak Kid's jaw dropped ever so slightly. If what he saw was true, then the Snatcher must have sensed something. Was the Time Rift nearby?

Maybe it was pink because of him?

No matter. He had to find it quickly, if he was going to hurry and protect his shipmate. So he snuck towards the back of the shadow's hollowed out house and headed into the wilderness.

There was at least some semblance of a path as he made his way through the forest. It was brick and stone, with grass and moss growing between the cracks. The trees that towered above him made him feel small, and he still held that odd feeling of being watched. He saw the remnants of houses and pieces of furniture, but he kept walking. There wasn't any time to explore. If he wasn't quick enough, it would only be a matter of time before the Snatcher found him.

Suddenly, he was startled by a wall of green fire. He looked around, hoping that there was a path around, but there wasn't. He picked up a stick and threw it, making it fly above the wall, but the flames roared and burned the stick to ashes.

The barrier looked familiar, though. It was just green, and not the normal orangy red fire. He looked around, and he wasn't surprised to see more fire spirits.

"We want to die! Yay!" They were like the other spirits. From what he remembered, Hat Kid had tossed paintings into the fire, and when they were gone, a lot of the barriers had gone with them.

Cloak Kid bit his lip. He dreaded to know what kind of foolish souls ended up in those paintings. Did they really deserve that?

He had no choice if he wanted to get to the Time Piece.

When Hat Kid entered the cellar, she was appalled to see that the walls were covered under a thick sheet of ice. There was murky water that came up her knees. There were giant barrels in the basement. It made sense to keep something like those around, but it looked like the place hadn't been tended to for a long time. She wished she could say that she was given a break from the cold, but she wasn't. It was just as chilly as it was outside.

Regardless, she waded through the water, when she sensed someone behind her: A Subconite.

"Hey, newbie! Boss told me to remind you, uhhh… you signed that paper about not using your hats while in the manor."

"What?" said Hat Kid. She took off her top hat, pulled out the contract and read it from top to bottom.

There was tiny writing on the back.

"Don't use any of your stupid hats."

Hat Kid rolled her eyes, mouth in a pout. As hesitant as she was, she had no choice. Her name was signed on it, along with the Snatcher's stupid stamp. It was legally binding. So, she put her hat, along with the others in the Subconite's arms, who promised to give them back once she was done. What if she ran into something? Or someone?

She sighed, eyes half-lidded, after the Subconite left her alone. Yet, she just felt like a disgruntled worker who was forced to do some overtime. However, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a mask. It was made out of the fabric she picked up after helping those fire spirits. The contract said she wasn't allowed to use hats, but masks were a whole other story.

She hadn't had the opportunity to even use it yet, but when she put them on she gasped.

The girl could see through the eyes of a dweller of the forest of Subcon, and saw things that were invisible to the naked eye.

While there wasn't much to see in the manor's cellar, one thing did catch her by surprise. There were a set of chains on the wall, but there, she could make the outline of a person. Someone was bound by them. But how long ago? The girl didn't know.

Hat Kid didn't have time to dwell on that, and drifted her focus to the double doors that could take her up from this place. She pushed open the double doors and walked up the steps.

Hat Kid found herself in the hallway of the first floor. He could see the front doors that seemed securely locked. The walls were old and wooden, the walls blue with deep scratches in them and pictures were hung up with tiny draws under some of them. A purple carpet led down the hall.

Her figure trembled at the sight of what she saw. There were other people in the hallway, frozen solid like glittering statues. Did they attempt to break in here, as well?

Right. The thing she was looking for was in the attic. Wait. What was she looking for again? She ran her fingers through her brown hair scratching at her scalp. Well, she was sure she'd remember once she made it to the attic.

She continued walking down the hallway, hoping to find some stairs.

"WHO'S THERE?"

A voice boomed throughout the hallway. If Hat Kid still had a soul, it surely would have been scared out of her. She fell backwards, scooting away from the source.

"WHO DARES ENTER MY HOME?"

Hat Kid saw the door on the left beginning to open. She saw a shadowy, hunched over figure walking out, eyes glowing with a sinister red. Just as it was about to spot her, Hat Kid dashed and took the first door on the left.

Once the door was closed, Hat Kid fell forward, scooting away from the door. Her breaths were rapid. Who the heck was that?! Even if she didn't know someone actually lived here, there was no way it looked friendly… but it totally made sense why the Snatcher would give her such a contract.

She could still hear the footsteps of the being who dwelled in the halls.

"Come on out, little one…" the voice sounded female, but still malicious. "Don't be shy…"

There was no way Hat Kid was going to listen to that. In the room she was in, she found a piano, and up ahead past a doorway was the kitchen. Still, she didn't find any stairs to the next floor, and she had to get to the attic. If she stepped out into the hallway, she would totally get caught. That woman was probably waiting for her to come out.

She thought for a moment, hearing the snow and wind howling outside. Perhaps she could create a diversion. She crept up to the piano, took a breath…

And slammed her palms down on the keys as harshly as she could.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps, rushing towards her location. They were coming from the hallway, so she rushed into the kitchen. Covering her mouth to muffle her panicked scream, she made her way to the kitchen and peaked briefly into the hallway, to see that the mystery woman had gone into the other room at the end of the hallway.

With that in mind, Hat Kid went into the room where the woman had come from and found a pool table and a bar. Near the dartboard was a flight of stairs, which most likely led up to the next floor.

She just hoped whoever lived there didn't hear how her feet were making the floorboards creak.

"Thank youuuuu!"

Cloak Kid had tossed the painting into the flames of the fire pit. It roared and the fire spirits were grateful. Just like they wanted, the fire burned bright as the flames towered above and before he knew it, the spirits were gone, along with the fire and it's barriers.

Fragments of fire fell down around the boy. He reached out his hands, managing to capture some. They were warm and somehow also soft… like fabric. He could use this, like the thing he found earlier.

The boy sighed. At least he could proceed forward, but before he could, he suddenly felt a chill up his spine. His cloak was doing its best to keep him warm, but it was the kind of chill that sent shivers down his spine, leaving him with a feeling of unease. Then the ground shook and crows were flying away. He took a shaky breath. Did the Snatcher sense the barrier come down? If he didn't do something, the Snatcher would be drawn to his location.

So, quickly, Cloak Kid dashed away from the scene. He ran and ran and ran, until he found a tiny shack to duck in. He hid, pressing his back against the wall near the entrance. He held his teeth tight once he noticed them chattering.

The boy could see the Snatcher's figure where he had been standing earlier. Several Subconites were with him, searching around the area. Cloak Kid squatted down, wrapping his cloak around himself as he saw some of the minions getting closer to the small shack. He covered his mouth, shaking intensifying as he swore they were going to check inside. To his fortune, only one came up and merely just checked inside by staring from the entrance.

"Nothing here, boss!" said the Subconite.

Cloak Kid heard him walk away, when a terrifying quake shook the whole forest. The ground was cracking with pink light shining through, pink lightning was striking and the wind was blowing harshly. The boy peeked outside only briefly to see literal cracks of light in the sky. He gasped, whole body shaking as he fell onto his knees. The Time Rift was getting worse.

"What the heck is this?!" the Snatcher yelled. He looked away from the sky just in time to see the cloak-wearing child running towards the back end of the forest. The Snatcher grinned, looking at the child, like a predator who found prey. Was that kid behind what was happening to his forest?

"Where do you think you're going?!"

Cloak Kid, while startled, was ready, he tossed on his Rocket Cloak and launched himself forward, boosting him ahead before the Snatcher could just teleport in front of him.

He could see it up ahead: A giant glittering sparkle that was guiding him to his destination, as he tried to not think about the giant shadow and his minions pursuing him.

Once on the second floor, Hat Kid saw a locked door. Hearing footsteps, she quickly got out of the hallway and went through the first door she saw on her left. She entered what looked like a bedroom. The walls were red, but there were deep scratches in them here and there. There was a wardrobe next to a fancy four-poster bed. The letter "V" was carved into the headboard. On the nightstand, sitting under a three set candle stick, was an old ruined diary.

Hat Kid was slightly curious and picked it up, but a lot of the pages were torn out.

Page 13:

Why? What have I done wrong? In his letters he talks about her. A 'tutor'. He says he loves me. But SHE sees him. I get letters, and SHE gets his time.

He is MINE. Once his studies are finished I will have him back.

Page 48:

Dear diary,

Today my prince left to begin his studies. He will be so far away, and for so long. He won't forget me, will he?

His beloved princess?

Day 73:

He is coming back. Just one weekend. A short holiday, from HER. I will convince him to stay.

I CANNOT let my love leave again.

Sounded a bit melodramatic. Hat Kid closed the book. It sounded sad, but at the same time… obsessive. If the woman in the house was a princess, maybe she was just jealous. There were more papers scattered around the room. Even though she had a job to do, she was sure that it could wait a little longer. On the desk, she found a torn page from the diary.

Mother had a bit of an accident last week, so today I got crowned as queen. Now the prince can't call me his princess! Life isn't fair!

So, the owner of this manor was a queen, Hat Kid thought. She looked over and found a scrap of paper sitting by an envelope.

My Dearest Vanessa,

It has been many days since I saw you last, but it feels like months.

My time here at the Academy is hard, but I am progressing quickly. There is so much to study when it comes to law, but the library here is well-stocked. Our tutors are the finest in the land, and I am thankful for their help. I have been attending private study with one, an experienced practitioner of law by the name of Lady-

The rest of the letter was ruined and torn. It was as if it were done in a fit of rage.

"Come on out… We can have some tea…"

Hat Kid didn't have time to dwell on it. The owner had to be this Vanessa woman. She found another scrap of paper: it was a tiny note, but it said enough.

My prince enjoys his breakfast far too much. I'm jealous of that darn bacon! He loves it! No more bacon in this house!

The girl shook her head. Being jealous of other women near her prince was one thing, but bacon? She turned around, hoping that Vanessa wasn't planning on coming in and saw a key sitting at the top of the bed's poster board frame. She couldn't reach it, no matter how much she jumped, but Hat Kid might need it. Maybe she could get something to help her?

There was another door south from Vanessa's bed, once she was through, Hat Kid found herself in what looked like a kid's room. There were more scratches in the blue walls. The floor was checkered in two different shades of blue. There was a stuffed teddy bear in the corner, a frozen man by the door, a train set at the center of the room, a rocking horse in the corner, and a set of balloons tied to a neatly wrapped box.

Another scrap of paper was on the table near a chair.

Oh, I wish I could just keep him always! Locked up and in chains in the cellar! But you can't chain a man… can you?

Hat Kid shook. Was the shape she saw in the cellar… the prince?

Taking a balloon, Hat Kid crept back into the bedroom and let it float high enough to nudge the key. It took a few more tries before it finally fell down. The girl let go of the balloon, the key bouncing in her hands, before she finally got a firm grasp on it. She sighed in relief, thankful it didn't hit the floor, before she heard the whistling of air leaving the balloon. It had drifted over the candlestick and the fire caused the air to flow out.

Then it popped.

"I know where you are now!"

Covering her mouth to suppress a squeak, Hat Kid ran back into the kid's room. There were only two rooms, so if that woman wasn't in there, she'd probably find her where she was right now. Luckily there was another door which led back into the hallway.

The only way to go was left, which led her back to the locked door. The key fit and she was able to unlock it.

Hat Kid ran up so fast, she almost tripped, but finally, she made it into the attic, but there wasn't much up there that was worth noting. With the mask on she just saw weird meaningless markings on and the outline of a person on the ground. Other than that, there were just some boxes, an old piano and some old furniture.

But in the back was a chest. Hat Kid crept up to it and her eyes sparkled once she opened it. It was a glittering hourglass. She picked it up, her eyes in awe of it, but then she frowned.

Wait. Why was she looking for this again?

Then she heard it. A laugh. It was crazy and loud. It echoed and rumbled through the house. Hat Kid turned around, the room filling with an icy chill, and her teal colored eyes met with the red glowing ones of the figure standing at the entrance.

"No one enters my forest and leaves in one piece!" the Snatcher yelled. "You are no exception, kiddo!"

Cloak Kid's feet pounded the old, cracked pavement. He saw it. Giant glass shards, bricks and gears floating around. The ground was cracking open and spirits were flying free. Whatever was happening was nothing like the possessed outhouse from earlier.

"What have you done to my forest?!" the Snatcher shouted.

Then, at the center of the whole mess, the boy saw it: A pink Time Rift, sitting at the center of all the floating shards, bricks and gears.

The shadow tried one last time to grab the child. He lunged forward, stretching out his noodly arms, but the tip of his cloak slipped just out of his grasp as the boy jumped into the air and laid his hand on the Time Rift. Everything around him froze and was enveloped in a blinding white light.