I've got some good news! the fever that was threatening to form finally went down and I hope it stays down. I still feel a little bit off, but I was able to sleep a lot yesterday. Seemed like the previous chapter was a tad bit confusing to you guys and I did go back and fix a lot of spelling errors and added a (hopefully) good explanation in this chapter. I'm now using a new spelling apparatus called Grammarly, so maybe that will tone down the sudden single missing letter errors.

(Chapter Ten: Eye of a Storm)

With Vanessa encase in ice created by an emotional bomb and a broken, Subcon was starting to feel a little less.. tense. The fight left the attacking team with a few scars, ripped clothing, and unforgettable trauma. It seemed like an everyday thing, to be honest. Julia was laid out on Snatcher's carpet inside the tree, along with MoonJumper who sat on the ground against the wall.

He looked at his daughter, who had been out cold for a day and a half but breathing. Meanwhile, Gabriele inspected the puppeteer's fatigue, he was still pretty low.

"Nothing rest won't fix.." Gabriele added stepping away to keep an eye on Julia. He looked at her still form and was reminded again about his past. "Amalia.," he whispered under his breath. Gabriele would say he's good at keeping thoughts down, but that would be a lie. Ever since that day, that was all he could think about.

What he could have done, and if only Gabriele was faster.

The being by the wall looked over at the doctor, questions floated around MoonJumper's head that wanted answers, "I thought you were destroyed.." MoonJumper squinted his eyes in confusion "how.. how are you still in one piece after all this time..?"

Gabriele didn't acknowledge him right away but then turned his head to look back. "I was helped, by an unsuspecting friend." Was all he said.

"But... I must know.." Moon spoke up again, one more question he needed to ask "were you... able to save that lover of yours?"

"...No." Gabriele looked down. His fists clenched and opened to keep his mind off his want to righteously punch the man who did this to him. "That's how I was able to escape you. Your contract was rendered null."

Which meant, Gabriele suffered for no prize in return. MoonJumper was a changed man now, he knew what he did was unforgivable, Gabriele was one of his many regrets. Truth be told by MoonJumper however, "I made that contract in hopes you'd get that chance to save her.." he held his hand to where his heart would be "I am truthfully, terribly sorry... I thought giving you a body that could not be infected, would save her."

"Why do I find that hard to believe." Gabriele looked away, no longer wanting to talk to him. Apologies won't bring his life back. Saying sorry won't bring her back.

"Hey! You two-" Snatcher stopped to look at the current mood setting on his home. It was rather.. depressing all of a sudden. "Okay, wow. What did you guys do..?" The purple ghost then shook his head, now was not the time "So, anyway... I managed to drag that witch icicle to the cellar! Sealed all possible exits with magic, and boom!" Snatcher expressed with his signature smile "If Vanessa thaws out, she not going anywhere." They had taken the time to raid the manor, retrieve those who had been lost and encased. Kero's biological parents were among the few. Proper burials will be planed soon.

"How ironic to leave her there of all places.." MoonJumper smiled, amused by this. Its well deserved.

With that news over with, Snatcher then gave Moon a look. It wasn't a nice one either "Oh, I've been wanting to tell you off for while Moon boy." The purple ghost got closer to him, not only that but he pulled Julia's soul out of her body. MoonJumper couldn't believe he was able to do that.

"Release her!" Gabriele shot up, ready to fight this man.

"Calm down, Doc. I'm not going to hurt her!" Snatcher yelled, looking at him, then his attention was back on MoonJumper "you see this!?" He pointed to the medium-sized green soul.

It was warped, glitched and broken. Cracks had formed where his strings had strangled her. Though that was just the thing now, Julia's soul was no longer tied up; the emotional power surge that left her, broke herself free. Her soul was now fair game, however, that was if anyone wanted it. Julia's soul was too broken to even be worth anything, MoonJumper had no idea she was under this much pressure.

Her eye was another question he wanted to ask, but with how she performed at the manor, it was safe to say he understood.

"Do you have any idea what you've done!?" Snatcher yelled back at him. MoonJumper closed his eyes, too ashamed to even look at yet another one of his mistakes "open your eyes, don't you dare look away until I put her soul back!" Snatcher snapped at him.

"I only wanted to protect her!" MoonJumper yelled back, but he started coughing, unable to speak louder than a whisper for the moment.

Snatcher eased up his voice a bit, but he was still harsh "oh yeah, good job! I didn't know to suffocate her was called 'protecting'." Slowly, Snatcher then placed the girl's soul back, looking at how calm she appeared to be "leave the contracts to me next time. How about this, you should stop making contacts in general." He pointed at him.

Gabriele was unsure what he witnessed, That.. thing was what Julia's soul looked like? It explains why she was so... different now but was the worst over? Was she going to go back to how she was? He hoped so. He much preferred that smiling face, then when she was always angry.

Julia felt.. strange. Like she was floating, but she wasn't. Where was she? Was she in her dream space? No.. it looked too much like.. Subcon? No- wait.. what happened? Why was her left arm missing!? She was slightly see-through, almost like a ghost, was she dead!? Oh god, she has to be dead this time!

No, hold on.

This feeling was familiar.. was she.. she couldn't be- Julia, ever since she was back home, was unable to use her astral projection to walk around while she was asleep. In all honesty, she thought it was a crazy fever dream every time she did it as a child. Why now of all moments?

Why was she in the middle of Subcon, wasn't she with Gabriele and the others? Where was her body..? Wasn't she supposed to be chained to it by MoonJumper's strings? The girl couldn't bring herself to worry about this, she was too tired to even think properly.

In the distance, she heard yelling, but those weren't familiar voices to her. Peeking from behind a tree, she saw a boy runoff, he looked rather distressed. Wait, she'd seen him once before; even if it was just a moment. Julia wanted to follow him, she was curious, does this mean her mind wondered farther then she realized..? That's never happened before- at all!

She was, in actuality, spirit, so she had no fear of being seen, or was able to interact with anything. She was merely a spectator. Though, because of these thoughts, she was unprepared for what followed next. The boy turned around quickly, panicked and at the ready to lash out with his weapon, which appeared to be a yo-yo.

Julia looked back with wide-eyed surprise, no, he couldn't see her.. could he? The boy looked just as stunned as she, but mostly because he was looking at her arm and her face. She lifted her right hand to feel around the area that grabbed his attention, and it would seem it wasn't only her left arm that was missing, but a part of her face as well. Her left eye and the part of her head that held her left ear were gone.

"I- I uh..-" the boy spoke, words failing him, he was already under so much pressure as he rubbed his face. He was a mess. But looking at herself? Her hat was missing, her hair was undone, Julia had just come from a fight so her face was bruised from the slap she received. She's missing a few pieces of herself for god sake! Compared to him, the tall girl was the only one that looked like a mess.

Julia tried to speak back, but no sound left her mouth that the boy could hear. He raised a brow at her, and Julia frowns. Right, just a spectator...

"As.. much as.." the boy hesitated, "...I want to talk to you, I can't- I'm in a hurry right now!" He looked up at her with a pained expression "Snatcher has my Captain, I- I.."

Julia knew where this was leading to, he was just starting his end fight in his world; she crouched down to his height to grab his attention. She held her thumb up and mouthed the words of encouragement:

'Kick his ass.' As she smiled.

He took a moment, surprised still lingering, he held his chest. The boy seemed to nod, but before he turned to run again he had to know..

"Are you... Julia..?" The boy asked, hopeful.

The girl kindly smiled back, A quick nodded to confirm this. Julia wondered how he had heard about her name? Now was not the time to hold him back though, Julia then stood to her full height and point off as if to say:

'go get him!'

The boy took off, not before taking one last look at her. He was unsure about this encounter.

Julia watched the boy disappear, She thought to herself, how was she going to get back? The only assumed answer was that she should just..

"The sun rises, rises! Time to wake and shine.." Julia jolted back from surprise, no- what was he doing here?! "And when you wake! You'll confide where you've hidden the master!"

Zephyr jabbed his hand through Julia's chest, making her puff away like smoke, He laughed to himself quietly. "Found you, little diamond.."

"Jesus Christmas!" Julia shot up and yelled, startling everyone in the room. MoonJumper who had been asleep against the wall, alongside Lynn and Kero on the chair, was startled awake as Snatcher and Gabriele looked at the girl. She meant to say Jesus Christ, but for some odd reason, she yelled Christmas. The sudden dizziness of vertigo hit Julia hard, making her lurch forward and covered her mouth.

The purple ghost noticed this action with panic, grabbed Julia by arms, quickly carried her away and out of his tree. In the distance, you could hear an unpleasant sound of Julia emptying her stomach. The sudden recall and vertigo was not a pleasant mix. It was almost like riding a roller coaster if you had a weak stomach.

Gabriele quickly stood at the edge to make sure she was okay, He saw Snatcher's face twist into disgust by the fact he had witnessed Julia lose her insides over the fence. Sometimes, Snatcher was happy he wasn't alive, getting that sick was something he doesn't miss.

"Julia! Are you all right!?" Gabriele called out, he heard coughing from her and then an audible intake of air.

"I'm..- I'm okay!" Julia called out. "Wish I had some water though..-"

She was, for the most part, fine. Many things were going on through her mind at the moment, just when Julia had thought that fighting Vanessa was going to be the end. Zephyr just had to make his appearance again, of all the opportunities, it had to be when the two main magic users were at their weakest.

Except for Snatcher, he was fine.

Julia slowly made her way back to the tree, The larger ghost keeping an eye on her to make sure she doesn't keel over. "Gabriele, I've got some terrible new..-" she huffed looking at him with worried eyes. "I- I think... Zephyr has a lock on me."

Kero perked up at this, scared out of his mind "Wha- What?! He's still alive!?"

"Okay, you two have mentioned this 'Zephyr' guy once before," Lynn folded her arms "who is he!"

"Julia.. what is going on..?" MoonJumper looked at her with a very concerned face, what was this about the crazy jester he wondered.

Julia looked at him, still worried, but also tired "So! A lot of things have happened for four years..-"

"Four years?!" MoonJumper was at a loss, he had been stuck in that attic for four years? How had he managed for so long? He had missed so much...

"Well, let's go beat this guy up too!" Lynn yelled, she was ready for another fight, But Julia sternly looked at her.

"Absolutely, not!" It was one thing to go fight Vanessa, luckily Lynn wasn't there during Julia's episode. Fighting Zephyr is another conversation she didn't want to have! "That.. thing.. is too sporadic to fight properly!" Zephyr was always in the air, never once had she seen him on the ground for too long. "I could be fast in the air if I had my motorbike." Julia trailed off as Lynn just puffed her cheeks out from being denied.

Gabriele stepped up to her "Then that would mean a three day trip from here, and another back," the others looked at the two "who's to say he isn't already here?"

"If he's after me, then leaving will give you some time to prepare!" Julia looked at him, but the doctor was confused.

"Don't tell me.." Gabriele sighed, looking at her "You're going back even if we had a say, aren't you..?"

"Oh yeah." Julia softly smiled

Snatcher sighed, if this 'Zephyr' was enough to make MoonJumper concerned, then she'd probably have a better chance if he helped out instead. Snatcher could make it to a place and back in a snap. Quite literally.

Okay, maybe not literally, but Snatcher was a fast flyer. After seeing what had been done to this girl, Soul and all, it's the least he could do. "I'll take her."

Julia took a moment before turning around, "... I'm sorry, huh..?" She looked at the ghost who wasn't joking around for once.

"I said, I'll take you." He sneered at her perplexed expression "Wow, kid. I didn't know you were hard of hearing too." He then shot a challenging smile at her.

Julia gasped at him "you listened here, you pasta reject!"

MoonJumper, Gabriele, and the kids watched the two as they fought. Throwing words at each other, as Snatcher grabbed Julia by the collar. The girl was unprepared to be thrown onto his back, but once she had gotten a hold of herself, she realized just how.. soft he was?

"What the hell..?" She whispered with confusion, feeling his head.

"You two." Snatcher pointed at Gabriele and Moon "I can't believe I'm saying this, but keep an eye on my forest!" Since he's going on a trip with Julia, who he'd gladly drop into the ocean for a laugh, he'd need someone to at least keep things in place. "Kero, keep the Swamp cleared too."

Kero nodded as he got up from the chair. "Bye, mama!" The child waved, looking at Julia.

"Bye, baby! I'll be back soon!" Julia waved back, she then turned her attention to Lynn. "We should probably bring you back home too.."

"Oh, you got to be kidding me.." Snatcher looked already done.

"We have to bring her back to Cooking cat!" Julia looked at him "She can't stay! Unless you want her to live here too?"

Snatcher was defeated.

"Juli.." Julia looked to MoonJumper, even after everything, the girl still refused to stay in one spot for long "please, you don't have to do this.."

The girl just smiled back, however, "But I do. You've done so much for me, dad!" She was still unaware of the condition her soul was in, or maybe she just didn't care "I want to look out for you now.. its the least I can do!"

Moon held his expression, to hide his hurt. Despite the problems, what he's done, the pain that he has caused to a majority of folks. She was still the same little girl he knew. The one who looks up to him. That girl who could keep smiling even when she kept falling.

She'll be fine.

"At least, before you go... take your things!" Julia blinked a couple of times after she remembered what he meant. Her hair was still undone, her hat and recently retrieved bat was against the wall. "You will need them.."

Gabriele had quickly handed the objects to the girl, and before Snatcher took off while Julia was tying her hair up, MoonJumper added "When this is all over. We have.. a lot of things to catch up on.."

The sun was nearly beyond the horizon, in an instant, Snatcher had already cleared half the desert. In another two hours or more, they could reach the small town that was just by the ocean. The two girls held on with all they had by how fast the ghost was moving.

"So, don't you think you're putting Mafia Town in danger kid?" Snatcher asked, keeping his head forward to see. "If Moon boy is worried about this Zephyr character, you think those idiots have a chance?"

"Probably not!" Julia called over the wind, she didn't plan on staying long. Grabbing her things and probably a quick bite to eat, that should do it for her. "But hopefully, we could get back before he shows up! How do you feel about carrying a motorbike?"

"I already don't like carrying you, carrot head." He said with a smug grin, he could see the edge of the small town already.

This was going to be a long ride.

Current Guest character:

Tie from A Hat and Tie in Time

I wanted to keep this chapter a little short, but it still meets my criteria of words. So, I guess no more supper long chapters because it gets confusing... However! I just had to add something special to this chapter! For so long there was only slight quick interaction between Julia and Tie where they don't actually talk (I mean, they still didn't really talk because I didn't want to intrude in their story) and I wanted them to just... Interact for a second. Stuff in my story is going to start to escalate soon as well, so- yeah.

Now time for the reviews!

Pmoneygreen: Thank you! I'm trying my best to take care of myself, It's a little hard when I don't have any family members around.

OPFan37: I'm going to try my best and answer some of your thoughts here: I'm glad you liked the fight with the knight, and I'm sorry the fight with Vanessa was a little disappointing. The original idea was to try and help the queen, but there are some situations where you can't help everyone and accidentally lash out. With Julia's case, she was under a lot of pressure without realizing what was really happening to her. Her emotions got the better of her, thus resulting in what happened in the last chapter.

A side note, I'm not the best when it comes to writing, sometimes I mix my words to fast and then past and present tense get smashed together. I don't know how others will react until it's too late for me to fully notice. I guess you can say, it's kinda like a doctor's handwriting? Only the doctor can who wrote it sees no problem. (It's another thing to work on.)

The guest was the Rough Patch that was in the manor, escaping, along with the tall figure at the end with the same Rough Patch. It's a nod to my friend's story they wrote on Tumblr. Also, thank you for the get well wishes.

Nico2411: Sometimes I don't notice that I'm pushing myself, I've just been in a writing mood for the past few days and I just wanted to.. write. thank you for the get well wishes too, though! It was mentioned in the earlier chapters that the two meet before Melody left, but what they talked about is still untold. You can use your imagination if you like!

Also, sorry about Gabriele, I'm trying for him to seem confusing and mysterious until his story is told. That or I just suck at writing my own character. I have a few characters that I don't do a good job in portraying and is a common thing that I just need to work out of.

Mad King C: For your first part of your review: Thank you for your concerns about Julia! She'll be doing better in later chapters, but at some points, there will be a switch that flips were she forgets 'Hey, Murder is a bad thing!'. The damage has been done. Snatcher, so far, is the only one who can bring souls out and show how they look, Moonjumper never had this ability because he just controls objects. He could still fell auras like the rest of the undead though.

For your second part: I did my best to explain what happens with this chapter, but basically the new charm that Julia was given wasn't fully charged, her emotions triggered a chain reaction when it broke. That or her magic prowess was incompatible. (To be honest, I thought giving her Ice powers would be awesome, but I scraped the idea halfway. Thoughts on what other abilities she could have are appreciated)

I hope I did okay in answering your reviews everyone, I was a little stuck on some of them.