Raging Demon Reaper

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Grim Tales. If I did, this would be on the SNAFU website.

WolfassassinKing- Sorry, no. BNever even played that game myself.

nightmaster000- Maybe, we'll see! Here, all he knows of Mimi is that she helped kidnap his sister. Since she didn't save him and he never saw her more vulnerable human form, he has little reason to help her, and probably doesn't even realize she might need to be saved.

Cf96- Maybe, maybe not. You'll have to be surprised like everyone else!

Brandon Storm- It'll be revealed eventually.

detrametal- Glad you enjoyed it so much! As for the eagle and Junior's father, we'll get more hints and snipits as the tale goes on.

Lord Razer- Yep, Mandy's genes came back to bite her in the ass. As for coupling, eh, it depends on how it flows together in the future, but most likely harem.

maddog- As you will soon find out, yes and yes.

corylane101st- Wait no more!

Kenju- I probably do have a bone to pick with religion. And as for why no one made Soul Edge into a BFG before? Cause no one is crazy like Akuma! And yes, i know I missed a few oppurtinities in the last chapter- I wasn't feeling well towards the end.

As for Clone's embarassment, I'm glad you enjoyed it and hope you enjoy what is come up here, which should make up for every missed opputinity. I'm going to leave the subject of Junior's father alone in regard to you.

As for HIM, I'm apparently good at twisted, evil characters. And HIM is right up my alley in that regards. He is, surprisingly, fun to write at times. And I have NEVER played Dark Souls. As for Junior 'stalling' for the Redeemer, not everything is as it appears.

Fear the cannons people! Fear them for they will rain death upon you! As for Mandy, yes, I get it, I probably should'nt write when I'm sick. And I'm making up for it! As for the Reaper-Beast and Wicked Scary...huh, they are a bit allike. As for Mandy and the Batman comment? All I have to say is 'Yes.'

It shouldn't. I'm playing the Eagle close to the chest for now. As for Pacific Rim? haven't seen it yet. The Evangelion scene? Not intentional. I didn't realize the similarity to the two scenes until after I wrote it.

As for my cliffhangers? Well, I have to keep you and the others on your toes, don't I?

coldblue- To be honest, I'm starting to like the idea of HIM being Junior's father as well. Sure, it'd be a bit cheesy, but it'd be funny as hell if I got around to writing it. I can see Junior banging his head against the wall, grumblnig about fate screwing him with incest-love-interests where ever he goes.

It's going to take hi a while to think ratioally enough about his oedipus moments to properly blame Mandy for them. But yes, Mandy would SO do her own son, or daughter even. I'm not sure there is anything she WOULDN'T do.

As for how Junior handled HIM, like I said, Junior inherited a few things from his mother. And yes, the King and Queen are realizing that the game has changed. As for Jack, you have no idea the things he has done.

Eh, don't worry, I did something so clever with the eagle that no one is going to figure out who/what it is until I start dropping hints.

Your questions/suggestions

1. We'll just have to wait and see.

2. Dan- You'll get some confusing answers to now. Nergal Junior- you'll have to wait until next chapter.

3. Probably yes, as I too want those twins in my story.

Your answers:

1. Don't worry, Junior will probably shed a bit of light on that soon.

2. Oh yeah, Mandy and Grim know what/who the Eagle is, and yes, it IS connected to Junior's father.

3. That'll probably be elaborated/explained during HIM's next appearance.

4. You're actually proetty much right. He is remembering how things were. And missing them a bit.

5. Yeah, things between those two will be interesting to say the least.

6. You make a good point on that. Though, I did leave a tiny hint to who it is.

7. Not exactly, but you'll find out during Minnie's tale that's coming up.

8. Well, you're right about the eagle. Junior was NOT ready for what he was about to unknowingly do.

9. Close, but not quite. HIM has a reason for being interested in Junior.

11. Good point.

12. All good ideas. The answer is probalby a mix bag though.

13. You're right on just about all points here, actually.

14. I'm just going to point this out. Mandy has more than one army. She lost her royal gaurd, but that isn't a whole lot. As for Grim, he has his old arm back- weither it's still in god condiiton is to be seen. And yes, Minnie will be adjusting while Junior adapts to his new state of being. While things might turn out ti be 'okay' in the broadest sense of the word, they will certainly be busy!

As always, thanks for the engaging reviews!

PS I'm surprised you haven't read Slave to True Death, cold. It'd seem like something you'd love, considering it's got a Slave-Mandy. Also, don't know if you're a Code Geass fan or not, but I've branched into that territory with a new story as well..

Regular speak

Thoughts and Emotions talking to person outside mind

Demonic or Animalistic Speak

Demonic or Animalistic Thoughts

All was still in Halloween Town. The battle, the war against the Demon-Reaper and the Rogue Reaper-Beast, was over. In its wake, numerous beings lay dead. Of Queen Mandy's royal guard, thirteen hundred flaming Tikbalans, less than a hundred remained. Of her second army, over ten thousand, she had only lost about five hundred. That, Mandy knew clearly, was only thanks to Junior reclaiming his senses, his clones turning against the Rogue Reaper-Beast, and his timely return to deal with his rampaging Nergal-beast. If not for those three events, her army would have suffered much greater causalities.

Of the people of Halloween Town, the numbers were just as bad. The population of the town was not that big to start with, barely breaking a thousand. Of them, two hundred had been lost, at least. The bodies were still being found, if there were bodies left to find; in the sewers, in their homes, in pieces. The village itself looked like it was at the point of collapsing. All it would take was one good earthquake and all of the town would crumble apart into the sewers. Dawn was coming, mere hours away...a true end to this horrifying night that had scarred their holiday of choice.

Jack Skellington hadn't stopped scowling since the battle ended; not that anyone could blame him. There was little to be happy about, except not being dead and in the stomach of the Underworld Prince. Many assumed the scowl was over the actions of his nephew, of how the town was destroyed and so many killed. But as he strolled through the ruins of his domain, the King of Halloween couldn't help thinking how his nephew was the last person he was angry with at this point.

"Hey, Jacky," A voice called, drawing his attention. Jack, still limping and covered with bandages, turned to see one Dan Phantom, smirking tiredly at the skeleton as he sat on a piece of concrete. His torso was wrapped in bandages, a small stain of green ectoplasm seeping through the wrappings, and his legs were wrapped up in casts. His green skin was scratched up some, but he didn't have many more visible wounds, "You look like shit," Dan said bluntly to the Pumpkin King.

"And you look like dead shit," Jack retorted without missing a beat, taking a seat near the ghost. "So, where were you anyway? I thought Junior ate ya," Jack asked gruffly as he idly watched the Halloween town citizens help the skeletal soldiers look through the ruins for injured and supplies to help the wounded.

"Honestly? I thought he did too. Last think I remember was that fucking tailed-spawn about to finish me off before I passed out. I wake up, the fighting is over, and some piece of shit soldier says they found me in the rubble of the town hall," Dan answered, grumbling in displeasure over having missed the grand finale.

"City Hall?" Jack asked thoughtfully, more to himself, "I think that's where Pain and Mandy fought him. I guess they spooked him before they could eat you," Jack theorized.

"So, what's going to happen to the brat anyway?" Dan asked curiously as he pulled out a bottle of alcohol one of the soldiers had given him and took a swig of it. It was supposed to be in case the pain in his chest acted up, but everyone deserved a drink after a night like this.

"Give me some of that," Jack said, holding out his long arms and long fingers for the bottle. Wordlessly, Dan handed him the beverage, and watched Jack gulp down a few mouthfuls with a raised eyebrow.

"How the hell does that even work for a skeleton?" Dan asked, a bit curious.

Jack scoffed as he passed the bottle back, "Dan, you're a brat," Jack said bluntly, Dan almost choking on his drink at the sudden insult, "You're powerful, I'll admit. But you're obviously from Mandy's generation. If you have to ask about something as simple and mundane as that, you obviously have a lot to learn," He finished, obviously a bit annoyed with something.

Dan snorted lightly, "Well, forgive me for not being an ancient bag of bones," He said in irritation, "Probably just magic any way," He grumbled lightly.

"Reapers are creatures of Death," Jack started evenly, out of the blue, "We don't need sustenance to survive, but that doesn't mean we don't like it. We all have a tongue. Junior's is physical and seems normal, but some are invisible, a mass of energy that simply translate taste to our souls. At the bottom of the skull, where the food would fall out, is a dense buildup of Death-Energy, for lack of a better word. Anything we eat turns to naught but ash and smoke by that. It adds a bit to our supply, but we'd have to eat a thousand pounds of food every day for a year to get some kind of improvement," Jack said in a monotone voice.

"Damn," Was all Dan said, blinking as he absorbed that, "So, the Kiss of Death...?" He asked idly.

"Yeah, a few reapers just...vomited some Death-energy, basically, into the mouth of the one they kissed, causing them to die," Jack explained.

"Note to self, never do a reaper-chick," Dan said to himself, making Jack roll his eye sockets at the statement, smirking lightly. "You never did answer my question though," Dan pointed out.

"Why do you care?" Jack asked, looking at the ghost oddly.

"I can't get a rematch with the brat if he's put to death," Dan answered bluntly.

The skeleton bit back a response to that ironic statement, "What do you think is going to happen?" Jack asked evenly.

"Under more...human circumstances, I could see the kid getting locked up or put to death. However, given where we are and who his family is? Nothing." Dan answered.

"He's the Undead Prince of the Underworld, the Son of Death and the woman of commonly called the Bitch Queen. He's also the one that just had us all dead to rights not even five hours ago," Jack pointed out evenly, "Of course nothing is going to happen to him."

"Your town seems pretty pissed with him though, from the grumbling and whispering I've heard. The boy's got them wetting their pants even after the fighting is done," Dan said, smirking in sadistic amusement.

"You forget, I'm his uncle," Jack pointed out, snatching the alcohol back and chugging down the last third of it.

"You'd stand against your own people for that kid, even after he just destroyed this place?" Dan asked, grinning now.

"If Mandy is so callous and Grim so spineless to not do so, than yes," Jack said, almost snarling as he broke the bottle in his hand, glass falling everywhere.

"...Jacky boy, I think you and me are going to get along just fine," Dan said with a dark chuckle, stopping as Jack's head snapped up lightly, "What's up?" Dan asked warily.

"He's awake," Jack answered simply as he rose and walked off towards his home.

Dan laughed to himself, "I'd almost think Jack was the kid's father if he hadn't told me otherwise," He said in amusement. He may have a lot of work to do to get back into shape, but he could tell that the future would be very interesting for him.

Meanwhile

Junior didn't make a sound when he awoke. He just laid there with an apathetic face, tinged with sadness, as the events of last night washed over him. He slowly rose and idly took stock of his surroundings. He was in a bedroom of some kind. It wasn't his, or anyone's at the castle. All the bedrooms there were big and spacious. This one was on the smaller side. There was a desk on the other side of the room, not four feet from the bed. There was a book shelf next to it, right next to the window. Junior idly noted the bed he was on was a bunk bed.

He barely even had to look to know that Minnie was sleeping next to him. Her grip on his left elbow was evidence enough. Silently and slowly, he removed his skeletal arm at the elbow and slipped it off, leaving the bottom of the arm for Minnie to hold onto. He looked on sadly as she snuggled it. Her form was not her old form, nor the form of her soul. No, it was some kind of ragdoll, like his Aunt Sally was. A patchwork of skin-like rag-material, stitched together. Her hair was turned upwards, like his mother's was when she was a child.

He flinched as she turned from lying on her stomach to the side, holding the arm against her chest and showing her missing eye. He brought his hand up to the right eye she had given him. With a heavy sigh, he slipped out of bed and headed over to the window, attempting not to make a sound and alert anyone to his awakening. He stared at his reflection for a long while. He didn't look any different, really, minus the obviously missing arm and the single red eye he now sported. His hair looked a shade darker, but that could be the lighting.

Without much thought, Nergal flesh creeped over his body and imitated human skin, giving the illusion of him being alive. Three tentacles sprouted out and formed into a new arm. Junior looked at it briefly as he glanced over his form. He hadn't had time to take stock of his soul's appearance earlier. He retained his hair color and style, only now encompassing the whole of his scalp rather than just the tuft of hair he normally had. A second eye grew in his left socket to match the Nergal one. His skin had a small tan to it though. He found that odd, given he was a skeleton, but supposed it was just his natural skin tone. Everything else about him seemed normal, save the crimson coloring of his eyes, which he had to assume was something he inherited from his mother.

With a deep breath, he prepared himself for what he would do next. Slowly, his flesh rippled with crimson energy. His flesh turned a blue-black color as it demonified, his sweater morphed into a coat as the hood came up on its own. His toes and fingers became claws. A tail silently ripped out of the bottom of his spin, swinging gracefully in the air, never hitting a thing. Eyes coated his form, red Nergal eyes, as many little horns adorned his head. Axe blades emerged from the end of his tail while his teeth became jagged and razor sharp as his mouth glowed like the gates of hell.

His red orbs gazed into the window, drinking in his form, of the monster he had become. He sighed, red tinted smoke emerging from his mouth, as it set in. This was real. This was the Demon-Reaper. This was him. He glanced away to his left, not wanting to look at himself any longer, and blinked as he did. He looked the titles of the books on the shelf, wanting some kind of momentary distraction.

"The Howls of Skoll and Hati" "The Trail of Xolotl" "Ripperana" "Death of the Abyss" "The Children of Moloch" "The Screams of Kagutsuchi" "Birth and Death of Tatewari" "Wisdom of Gibil". The titles went on and on. Every one of them was interesting in their own way, but there was one book that stood out to him. Maybe it was the title, maybe it was the lacking of author label, maybe it was that the book seemed so old, or maybe it was the fact that it seemed to be the only one that was hand written. Either way, the book his now-human and clawless-hands reached out for was "Fire and Death: Brothers of Terror".

Some part of his mind, probably some extra manner lessons from Minnie's memories, told him he shouldn't be going through his uncles private books, much less after what he did last night. Still, he opened it to the first page and read the words intently.

"I have no name.

I have no name.

The world burns

It burns for nothing.

It has always been burning.

I stare at the flames.

I ask them my name.

They are silent.

I ask them again, loudly.

And they roar, louder.

But give no answer.

I rage and scream.

They rage and scream.

I stop, and so do they.

I have no name.

But now I know.

I Am Fire.

And I am why the world burns.

I am why all things burn."

Junior didn't realize how wide his eyes were, or how heavily he was breathing, until he finished that one page. It was...so eerie, so...similar to what he was thinking, and how he had been thinking when he had been too deep in his rage. It wasn't just the words either. It was the hand writing. It looked...it felt...sadistic, gleeful...insane.

He shook his head and placed the book back on the shelf. His family had more secrets than he could deal with, it seemed. His father, Minnie's powers, and every other little secret they had that they deemed Minnie ready to know. Like the emergency armory on their floor, the teaching of the political structure of the Underworld, the secret exit...okay, he could give them that last one, seeing as the entrance ended up being in Minnie's room. Still, the fact remained he got left out of the loop in this family more than anyone else.

His eyes, all fifty of them, went wide as he heard footsteps coming towards the door. By the smell of the soul, it was Jack. Junior glanced at the window, than at Minnie as the feet got closer...

Jack slowly opened the door as he walked in, trying to make it creak as little as possible. Last thing he wanted to do was scare Junior and make the kid blast him on instinct. He raised an eyebrow at what he saw. Junior seemed to be sleeping peacefully next to his sister, who was hugging his arm by the looks of it, 'I know I sensed him wake up...did he just go back to sleep?' Jack wondered suspiciously as he walked into the room and glanced around, looking for anything amiss. He almost found nothing until his sockets landed on his book shelf. Just barely poking out of order from the rest of the books, was his journal of sorts.

Most people would be upset at such a violation of privacy. But as he reached out and plucked it from its place in the shelf, Jack smiled to himself, 'I haven't touched this thing in over a hundred years now,' He thought fondly, 'This does bring back memories,' He mentally added in nostalgia. His nonexistent eyebrow creased as something occurred to him and he looked at Junior oddly, 'Wasn't he a skeleton when we brought him up here?' He thought in confusion, tilting his head as he looked at the flesh and blood form of Grim Junior. He blinked as understanding came and smirked before strolling over to the bed side. He leaned down and made sure to whisper as quietly as possible to the boy, "When you get back, I need to talk to you, Nephew," He informed before heading out of the room with a limp, tucking the book into his ribs as he closed the door slowly.

Junior gaped as he used his claws to grip onto the wooden wall beneath the window. His uncle was good, very good. Still, he hoped the impending talk wasn't going to be too unpleasant. He doubted it would be nice, all things considered. He just wanted to be able to leave this town without Jack hating him, even if he deserved it. Knowing he couldn't stay out long but not wanting to go talk to his uncle just yet, he climbed around the wall and onto the roof, keeping his head low as to not attract attention. Jack might, might, not hate him, but more than a few of the townsfolk were bound to want his head permanently detached. Not that Junior would be very willing to give it up.

He sniffed as he treaded along the rooftop of the mostly-wooden building. He could smell his parents, both of them. His father Grim was in the town, it would seem, probably ordering around troops and seeing to a few souls Junior hadn't devoured. His mother, on the other hand, was in this house. No doubt sleeping away her exhaustion from all the fighting and regeneration she had to go through in one night. His body moved on its own as he followed that intoxicating scent of evil incarnated. He was just thankful it wasn't the window at the front of the house or someone was going to see him.

He hummed in his throat, an almost growling noise, as he peered over the edge of the roof. The window was right below him and he noticed it was open. With his mindset from before this Halloween night, he would have simply crawled right through. In his current state, he was more suspicious that his mother of all people would leave a window open while she was, relatively, vulnerable. Then again, an army was all around this ruined town now. Getting to her, killing her, and getting out alive would be damn near impossible for even the best assassins, even if she wasn't immortal. It also helped that Mandy herself was a former assassin.

As Junior slowly crept down to the window and in between the open space, he mused that he didn't know why he was doing this, really. He didn't know why he wanted...needed to see his mother right now. He just let his body move on its own accord. The room he found himself in was similar to the one he just came from, sporting a desk and bunk bed here as well. Only difference was that it was bigger and lacked a bookshelf, making it more spacious. There were a few boxes in an otherwise empty corner, leading Junior to guess this was what his uncle used as a storage room of sorts.

He turned to his mother's sleeping form and was almost amused; Almost. The cover over the bed was made for a queen or king sized bed, not a regular sized one. He knew why though. He remembered from a time when he was very young and had slept with his mother due to a nightmare, Mandy had a habit of rolling a lot of the sheets around her body while sleeping. He wasn't sure why, it couldn't be the cold- her bed at the castle was heated.

Still, Junior found himself staring at his mother's sleeping form. She had a scowl on her face that seemed more relaxed than her waking one was. Her hair was spread out over the covers, like a golden waterfall. The sheets hid everything save her face and one arm that clutched the sheets lightly, the other arm under a pillow.

He stood there, watching her silently breathe in and out, not knowing whether he wanted to cry or glare anymore. He had killed her. He had her trapped in his appendages and drove spikes through her legs, eyes, brain, neck, and most of her organs and felt her body turn lifeless in his tentacles. She came back and he almost ripped out her soul to devour it. Only her stubbornness kept him from getting it before he returned to his senses. And Pain...he had driven a knife through his hands, he had stolen his father's scythe with the intent to reap him, he had...he had...

He wrapped his arms around himself as he warded off that train of thought for now. Fortunately or unfortunately, that led to the next train. She had been keeping so much from him, and it made him more than angry. It wasn't even just that she was keeping secrets; it was that she was keeping secrets that ONLY he didn't know about in the family. What the hell did she want from him? Why was he left out? If she wanted him to grow up and be mature like Minnie, she sure didn't help him any in that regard. Than a sour thought came to mind; Grim Junior and MiniMandy. Maybe she was trying to turn them into a second generation of her and Grim…a spineless, pathetic reaper with a Bitch Queen wife that ran everything.

He sighed, silencing that thought. He had no idea why she did the things she did, he doubted his father did either. And, somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he knew that she only trained Minnie because she showed promise while he hadn't yet. That, however, was probably what stung the most. And the issue of his biological father was not something he could excuse on any terms- if Minnie got to know THAT, there was no reason not to tell him as well. His family was starting to annoy him with their secrets that were secrets only to him. What made him so untrustworthy? It's not like he could tell anyone about it. He didn't have any friends and everyone he met was more interested in Minnie. That wasn't the jealousy talking anymore, that was simply fact. Why they wouldn't tell him, and only him, was the interesting thing.

'Mother, I get the sense you and me are heading towards an impasse. I'm not going to be able to ignore what I know and you're probably still not going to give me the answers to all these secrets,' Junior thought grimly, 'Our family made it through the night, Mother, but we may not survive the consequences. I'm not the same little boy that ran to you every time he got scared...and you're probably happy about that,' He thought as he turned to exit the way he came, tired of the emotional torment this was putting him through.

Then his whole body went rigid as something grabbed his tail. He turned his head, not that he needed to, to see what it was. His eyes widened as he saw it was Mandy's hand, now outstretched and grasping the tail just below the axe blades. To his relief, she appeared to still be sleeping, and probably dreaming at this point. Not wanting her to cut her and wake her up, Junior retracted his tail blades.

His demonic face blushed and all fifty of his eyes went wide before starting to glaze over as her thumb rubbed against his tail's shaft, slowly and methodically, almost tracing along his skin. He watched, helplessly as her fingers began to knead his Nergal-flesh, his tail standing a bit straighter on its own accord. Junior bit his lips to fight back a moan he was ashamed to have, desperately wanting to move, but his body wasn't listening to him. It was his mother for fuck's sake! But for some reason, that didn't matter as his body shook in twisted delight at what those little touches were doing to him.

He gulped as a smirk graced her sleeping face.

Her grip released, but the tips never ended contact with his appendage. He didn't know why, but his body refused to move at this chance of escaping. The Queen hummed in her sleep, coming out as a rather erotic purr to Junior's ears, as her finger tips traveled up the length of his tail. Junior found himself standing on the balls of his feet as his tail forced itself higher and closer to the hand until Mandy's index finger found the tip of his tail and rubbed tiny circles on the end surface.

"Well, aren't you a big one," She murmured in her sleep as her hand moved to grip the tail just below the tip, her fingers kneading it again. Her thumb grazed teasingly over the tip and underside. He found himself choking back gasps as her fingers continued their devilish work upon his young flesh.

Several of Clone's more Oedipus memories flashed through his mind, like his mother handling the control stick to the cannon, all made out of his demonic flesh. He brought his hands up to cover his face as green Nergal blood started to ooze from his nose. This didn't make any sense to him! He had used his tail for brutal combat last night, why the Hell was it so sensitive all of a sudden?!

His legs began to wobble as shivers raced up and down his spine while Mandy slowly, agonizingly, pressed her thumb into the tip of his tail, "Almost," She whispered, almost mockingly, teasingly. His breath hitched in his throat as she licked her lips in an all too alluring way. If his didn't get out of here soon...he didn't know what would happen, but he didn't want to find out...

Mandy snapped her eyes open in annoyance as Grim Senior entered the room with a confused and concerned look on his face. Just when she was about to fire that cannon of Junior's again. She internally drooled a bit at the prospect of getting to use that thing again. Tired and with a crisis on her hands, she didn't have a proper chance to savor the moment when she fired that thing or bask in the afterglow of using such a weapon.

"Mandy? Ya okay? I dought I heard something," He asked, looking around oddly, swearing he heard something from this room. Then again, Jack's house was on the old side, so it might just be it creaking.

Mandy ignored his question for the most part before giving Grim an odd stare, "Why do you smell like sweat and shame?" She asked plainly, making Grim blink in confusion.

Meanwhile

Junior panted hard as he collapsed to all fours in the woods of the Hinterlands, thankful that the Pumpkin King's dwelling was near the edge of town or he would have been spotted for sure. He had no idea how long or far he had ran. He just wanted to get far, FAR away from his mother and that devilish, evil, tempting...soft, delightful, pleasing to the touch...corrupting and innocence stealing hand! 'What am I? The poster-boy for incest!?' He thought to himself in frustration. His tail twitched erratically in spasms as he tried to banish the memories from not two minutes ago. His internal tentacles constricted and relaxed in a pulsing fashion, almost longing to go back to that room for a second helping and more.

It was so wrong, so disgusting, but he couldn't deny the fact that shivers were wracking his body, almost like small seizures. His entire body tensed as he scrunched his eyes for a moment. He finally groaned pitifully before he flopped backwards onto his back, his tail now limp, 'I am one sick fuck.' He thought in disgust. 'This night cannot get anymore screwed up,' Junior thought miserably, 'I almost KILL my mother, twice, and now I...,' He stopped that thought with a shiver, grimacing at his body's action.

With a sigh, he pulled himself off the ground, 'I think I now know the reason why people need cold showers on occasions.' He thought in bitter amusement as he started to head back to town. He really hoped there were no more surprises for him...

Halloween Town

Mellori, a young witch child, walked through what was left of her home with her head drooping, her gaze on the ground. She shouldn't be alive. That was the thought that repeated in her mind again and again without fail. She shouldn't be alive. There was no other way to say it. She had come face to face with the Demon-Reaper in all his raging and hungering glory. He had reached out with a tentacle to steal her soul...and then she passed out, her last thought being of how she hoped King Jack, sneaking up behind the Son of Death, would be able to handle him.

She had woken up hours later, only to find that the battle was over and a lot had happened while she was unconscious. The prince and his clone army had regained his...or their senses, but another demon took over the giant pumpkin-themed form he had, leading to another battle until the Prince's soul returned and turned into a giant monster to fight the other giant monster...It sounded way too confusing in her head to try and sort out.

All she knew was that a lot of people were dead and she should be among them. In truth, she felt like a walking corpse, and not in the zombie-like way. She felt like she was already dead, her soul already devoured, and her body just hadn't realized it yet. Perhaps her mind was just numb from the shock of it all. Thankfully, Zeldaborne and Helgamine, the two heads of the local Witch Coven, were alive and well. Halloween Town played host to between one and two dozen witches.

Though, at least five of those were dead. That's how it was with everyone right now. They were all counting their dead as best they could. The prince's hunger may have been primarily for souls, but he and his clones didn't seem to mind eating bodies either. Some of the streets were still running with blood even now, chunks of flesh floating along every now and then. If the streets hadn't been so damaged and cracked from the fighting, Mellori imagine the town would actually be flooded with blood of green and red.

She took a deep breath to try and calm herself down, lest she hurl her stomach contents. There was one place left, one place where the Demon-Reaper had not truly laid waste…The Graveyard. Perhaps she could clear her mind there...

Hinterlands

Junior's eyebrow twitched as he made his way through the forest. He couldn't be sure, but he could have sworn he hadn't run too far from the town. Or at least, not so much that he couldn't see the settlement. Of course, it hadn't occurred to him until he had been walking for at least fifteen minutes that with the claws on his feet, he should have seen tracks on the path where he had ran. He saw no such tracks however, and wondered if he had accidentally got turned around.

He groaned at the thought of being lost, debating how he should get back. There were three logical ideas, well, four actually. One was retracing his steps back until he found his original spot and hoped, and hoped dearly, that there were in fact some tracks for him to follow. He didn't like that plan for more than one reason, but mostly because there was a good chance of him walking right past the spot if there were no tracks.

Second idea? Well, he couldn't smell the blood and fire from the battle, so that meant he was up wind of the place, at least. The problem? There was no wind for him to sense. Third idea? Re-sprout a bunch of clones to help him search for it. However, that probably wouldn't end well if the town, or anyone really, saw him with any number of clones and he really didn't need any more trouble than he already had.

Then there was the last idea. Flying. Or even just climbing to the top of the trees to spot the town. The issue with this one...there was none, actually. He just needed to know which way to go, than he could sneak back in easily enough. Honestly, he just hadn't thought of that until he realized he was lost and needed a way back- he was really not use to being able to climb or fly yet. He flexed his claws and rolled his shoulders, about to ascend to the top of a nearby tree, when he stopped.

His eyes blinked before slowly narrowing as he picked up the faintest sounds in his ears. Junior hummed a growl of curiosity and suspicion, unable to place the sound just yet. His eyes traveled in the general direction of the noise. It was only now, as his eyes searched for something, that he noticed the sun was about to rise, the first rays peering over the horizon and painting the sky a shade of orange.

His senses on alert, he crept, quietly yet swiftly, from tree to tree. That sound, it kept coming every few seconds. It sounded like a kind of scraping or...like something was being dragged hard against the earth. As he got closer to the noise, he stopped less and less frequently, more and more sure of the direction he was traveling. Soon, he was sprinting between trees until the sound felt like it was right in his ear.

Junior ran past a tree and winced as the sunlight now hit him right in left side of his face, making him shut his eyes to give them a chance to adjust. It was the first time he had seen such a bright source of light with physical eyes rather then the sight of his sockets. He blinked them open and looked bewildered at his surroundings. He was at the edge of a clearing that he hadn't even realized was there until now.

He blinked as he heard the sound again and looked to his right. There was a building there, a wooden house. It was small and old, the paint long since flaked away and the wood looked like it was starting to splinter and rot. The roofing had seen better days, half the shingles gone and the other half barely hanging on. The windows were still in place, though, some of them were cracked- from accidents or from age, Junior couldn't tell. The chimney, he idly noted, was about the only thing that looked convincingly stable.

He tilted his head to the side and spied a wooden horse fence behind the small dwelling. Curious, he headed along the side of the building, keeping his senses open and alert. He wasn't completely sure, but he didn't think anyone was in the house- that or they were hiding in there. However, as he got near the fence, he froze as he heard the noise again, very nearby. He silently walked along the wall and peered thought the top gap of the horse fence, into the backyard.

He immediately had a good idea of what he had heard. There was a small farm in the yard. Or at least, what would eventually be one. The ground looked freshly plowed- which was probably what made that noise earlier. He didn't see the farmer yet so he crept forward a little more until his eyes landed on something- or rather, someone. Junior was about to address the farmer when his eyes went wide as he actually took in the farmer's appearance.

"Dad?"

Halloween Town

Minnie yawned as she awoke, smiling as she hugged the pillow closer to her chest, her eyes not yet opened. Then she noticed an odd feeling, like her right eye was numb. That was when she remembered...everything. Saving Junior, dying, the angel, HIM's daughter...and then Junior's rage...his unstoppable, unending, insatiable, undefeatable rage.

She squeezed the pillow harder against her for comfort...that was when she realized that the pillow was decidedly NOT a pillow. Her eyes, or eye rather, snapped open and starred at the sleeping, human face of her brother. She blushed scarlet as she realized that her 'pillow' was actually his arm and promptly released it. She blinked as she realized that this was a bunk bed and idly wondered which of them had crawled into the lower bed with the other already slumbering there.

She looked down at her left hand as her right one traced the whole for where her eye would be, noting a stich on the bottom of the hole and tracing it down her cheek. Her body was no longer flesh and blood. She was a ragdoll zombie, a spirit in an artificial and makeshift body, stitched together of scrapped clothes. She stole a glance at Junior's body, which seemed lifeless. As a skeleton, he didn't need oxygen, or anything at all to breathe. Even in this masquerade of a human body, he still was not hindered by such mundane needs.

The irony that she was now the one undead and that he was now the one 'living', or more biologically alive than before at least, was not lost to her. A single fact still hadn't sunken in. Well, several things hadn't sunk in, actually. She wasn't going to get any older. She was stuck at this physical age now, unless there was a way to age ragdolls. That was a depressing thought. Sure, her mother didn't age either, but Mandy was in her prime. Minnie wasn't even in puberty yet!

She sighed, smiling sadly. As sad as some parts of this situation were, she was content with the fact that her family had survived the night and her brother was back to sanity...

"You're right...She did hide everything that my Mother and Dad told her not to tell me."

She frowned as Junior's words played through her head. How much of that had been a ploy to keep HIM's attention and how much of that was real? How much of Junior's rage was at their parents for all the truths they kept secret from him, of the secrets Minnie herself kept from him?

Junior had all her memories. She knew what giving him her eye meant, but she hadn't never really realized the implications of that simple fact. Every secret, every lesson, every instant of her life was for his viewing pleasure. Her eye turned sorrowful at the idea that she may lose her brother to their family's secrecy. He may not blame her for it, but she was as much to blame in the end. In fact, she was more to blame for all of this than anyone.

"I see you're awake," Mandy commented as she stood in the doorway, her daughter's head snapping up, having never heard her matriarch enter the room.

"Mother...," Minnie said, not sure what else to say. How does one start a conversation after something like what had happened to them?

"Your soul settling in well?" Mandy asked evenly, nodding to Minnie's new body. Minnie nodded slowly as she gathered her thoughts, glancing at her brother, "Amazing, isn't it? How fast things change?" Mandy commented idly as her daughter sighed and climbed out of bed, careful not to wake Junior.

"Mother...there ist something I trow ye sceolde wit," Minnie said sadly, Mandy nodding.

"I was hoping to get a side of the story from at least one of you before we left any way," She remarked evenly. There were a lot of questions that she had had to wait all night for. Minnie should at least shed some light on things.

Hinterlands

Grim Junior stared wide eyed at the figure for moment before he realized something. This wasn't his father, unless Grim Senior had gotten a new robe since last night, which he doubted. This figure was dressed in a hooded black cloak, a baggier one than his father's which lacked the spiked-up shoulders. Also, the Grim Reaper's cloak hid even his feet, touching the ground, while this one stopped above the ankles, showing black shoes. The hood was up and hid the face, but what had really thrown Junior off was the scythe, slightly muddied at the blunt end from being dragged through the earth as a make shift plow.

The scythe, there was no getting around it for Junior. The black staff, the gleaming blade, that familial feeling it gave off. That was the Scythe of Death. He knew that weapon anywhere, any reaper did. That this person, that anyone but his father had it at all, sent alarm bells off in his head. However, the fact he had used it for something as simple as plowing a farm struck him as odd. And as he focused in on the Instrument of Death, Junior realized something else. Whoever this person was, they were flesh and blood, for a very human left hand held the scythe.

Junior watched in unhidden curiosity as the farmer strolled into the middle of the plowed area and reached into his pocket before bringing his right hand to his face to examine something. The prince's demonic eyes perceived the object easily enough from a distance. It was a seed of some kind, and it was darker than black, a single point in which all light seemed to cease to exist. Junior almost jumped as the farmer brought up the scythe and swung it into the ground, embedding it into the ground at an angle. The crack echoed throughout the forest, only adding to the ominous feeling the scene was giving off.

The farmer crouched as he held up the seed, as if checking it for imperfections, before planting it into the soil directly beside the Reaper's Scythe. And with a sweep of his left arm, he turned to head towards the dilapidated house, leaving the weapon of death without a care and never seeming to notice the young hybrid watching from the side of his home.

Junior wasn't sure why he was still standing there, why he didn't grab the scythe and leave. Sure, the farmer seemed rather dramatic about planting a seed, but...something just didn't feel right to him. Maybe it was because the man had his father's scythe or maybe it was how strange it seemed for a farmer to plant only one seed when he had a lot more plowed ground than that. So, he stood there, waiting for something. What, he couldn't know. All he did know was that his gaze was transfixed on where the seed now laid.

Slowly, something happened. Around the plotted land, small plants began to rise and grow from the depths. Yet, the black seed did not grow. There were dozens and dozens of plants, all growing in a rapid pace. It was as if weeks and months were passing in minutes. And Little Boy Death couldn't help noting that ever plant looked different; Red, green, black, brown, yellow…thorns, vines, flowers, berries….roots and leaves…every plant was unique, but all of them looked dangerous in their own right.

The odd thing was, they all seemed to be struggling with each other- vines and roots wrapping and pulling at each other, thorns cutting and ripping at spines, berries and fruits dropping to the ground and rotting poisonously at the roots and soil of other plants. Junior couldn't help noticing the two plants growing up the blade of the scythe. White and gold vines intertwined over it and each other. The white one was plain with withered leaves that had dark veins in them. The gold one was covered in thorns and spines and its prickled flowers were red and black.

Then, suddenly, it all stopped and Junior was broken from his trance. In his unquenchable curiosity, Junior jumped on top of the fence and gazed over the strange garden with interest and confusion. The plants were no longer fighting, but they were slowly growing still and the 'slain' plants now rotted away as the surviving one grew over their former land.

Junior couldn't help noting that there had been dozens and dozens of plants at the start, but now the numbers had dwindled to only a few main ones. The yellow and white plants, however, took up a third of the space now. The only rival they had was a red plant, covered in spines, taking up a fourth or a fifth of the space. There were still many more, but only a handful of plants controlled nine-tenths of the available area. The rest was controlled by many smaller plants

Junior froze as the farmer came back out, with a bucket in his left hand, and headed over to one end of the land opposite of where Junior now stood. The Demon-Reaper had the distinct feeling the man was smirking now. Holding the top of the bucket with one hand and the bottom with the other, the farmer splashed the contents of it over the plants. Despite all logic, the liquid spread over the entire plot. It took Junior a moment to realize what it was. It was crimson blood, with specks of flesh floating through it.

The farmer headed back to his home, never once even looking at the Nergalized skeleton standing on his fence. Junior turned towards the garden as the blood was soaked into the soil. He squinted as he saw something move where the farmer had placed the dark seed. The dirt wiggled and bulged as a small black sprout emerged from its dwelling...than all hell broke loose.

The plants all started to thrash and tear at each other with abandon. The Red plant was particularly vicious, stabbing at chunks of flesh and literally tearing up roots with its spiny vines. But the gold and white ones were still the rulers of the garden, holding back the red plant and hurting it as much as it did them. The smaller plants were little more than cannon fodder to the larger ones.

Still, throughout this madness, Junior couldn't help watching the little black plant. It slowly grew, tangling in with the white and gold ones for support as it grew over the blade of the scythe. It should be dead, by all accounts. It was right in the heart of the Gold/White territory and they could have slaughtered the young thing. Yet, they didn't. There was absolutely nothing interesting in the little plant besides its unnaturally dark pigment. It had no thorns, no prickles, no leaves, no flowers, or anything. Its vines shined brightly against the morning light and its limbs clung tightly to those of the gold and white plants.

Junior raised an eyebrow as the warring plants began to settle down, only occasionally lashing at each other now. That wasn't what had his interest though. The golden plant, which had grown a quarter way up the length of the scythe's staff with the white plant, was what had his attention. More to the point, it was one of its flowers. A seed slowly slid out and fell, embedding itself into the ground on impact. It logically shouldn't have pierced the dirt at all, but it did.

Junior watched as this seed grew and another golden plant emerged, this one with a green outlining instead of the red of its mother. This one grew fast, faster than the dark seedling had. It weaved in between and around the gold and white plants that ruled the garden. In no time, it had out grown the dark seed, which hadn't even reached the staff or grown its roots beyond its immediate area. The young gold seedling didn't just reach the staff; it already started to grow around it.

The dark seedling was overshadowed by all around it and seemed to have no room or ability to grow beyond a slow creep that would take an hour to truly notice. Junior narrowed his eyes as the younger golden plant sprouted a flower; a beautiful flower, grey and green with purple highlights, sitting on its highest vine. Then, something happened that Junior couldn't see. All he could see was the gold-ling suddenly sag all of its limbs. With that, the pedals began to fall away and float down to the ground.

Coincidentally, those pedals eventually landed on the ground near the dark seedling. Its roots slowly crept up and grasped every pedal, dragging them back into the earth with them. Junior watched in fascination as the dark seedling changed rapidly…its stem, its roots, and its vines. They all started to grow thicker, becoming more gnarled as they did. Green thorns grew all over it as brown streaks grew throughout its dark limbs. All turned quiet for a moment, and then the golden seedling started to rot away...

Junior went wide eyed as the green thorns turned red. It almost sounded like a scream erupted when it happened. The dark seedling suddenly started to rip and tear at the white and golden plants. And unlike their previous foes, the co-ruling plants couldn't beat this small attacker. Every cut was healed, every severed vine was regrown, and everything else just didn't affect it. The roots of the dark plant erupted from the ground, spreading to tear the gold and white plants off of the Scythe of Death before starting to envelope it. Not wrap around it, completely cover it.

And as that happened, it still spread and thrashed at the white and gold plants, never letting up. Something strange happened though…once its limbs conquered to one edge of the White/Gold territory, the edge that sided with the red one, it stopped. And, stranger still, the usually violent red plant did nothing to antagonize the dark plant. Curiously, they left each other alone, for now.

However, just when it seemed like the dark plant would take over half of the White/Gold land, its advanced was halted. Its limbs drooped as its healing slowed, its growth on the Scythe stopping, the blade now covered but most of the staff remaining bare. It was overtaxed from its rapid conquest and was now being pushed back, slowly but surely by the co-rulers. Just when it seemed like the darkling might lose this war, an unexpected ally came to its aid.

The red plant grew a berry on its vine, a fat one, and leaned the vine over half way to the darkling's territory. The roots of the darkling slowly, almost shakingly, sprouted out and up to take the berry. Whereas other berries had acted as poisonous bombs, this one seemed to only act as a replenisher. The red thorns turned a much darker shade of red as it was slowly pushed back. For a moment, it seemed as if nothing would happen, but Junior knew better than that.

The dark plant erupted forward once more, sending the White and Gold plants to the point of death, cornering their remaining portions in different areas. And as its victory was near complete, the vines of the dark plant grew rapidly up the staff of the Weapon of Death until it encased the entire thing, hiding it from the world. And with that, its thorns turned darker than black as it poised itself to kill the former rulers, the rest of the garden seemingly transfixed...

Then they stopped, as if becoming normal plants now. The Dark Plant now ruled a majority of the garden while the white and gold ones were restricted to small spaces, almost lying near dead against the ground. Junior just stared, wondering if it was finally over. He wasn't surprised that it wasn't. That didn't mean what happened next didn't terrify him.

The vines along the scythe constricted tightly on the weapon until they merged into it entirely, trapping the scythe within. The staff became gnarled red-brown flesh with black thorns covering it erratically, the morning rays of the sun shining against the thorns. On the blunt side of the top, a small and mangled scrap of metal formed, twisted until it had a deadly point. The curved blade appeared, still embedded in the ground. However, another pointed blade erupted from above it with a slicing-roar as it too dug into the earth…then another on top of that, and a forth on the third; Four blades on one monstrous scythe. Unlike the thorns, no light reflected in that cold, silver metal.

Junior shook uncontrollably as his scythe, the scythe he had made with the arm of his father, stood right before him. His eyes dilated as he stared at it, a nervous sweat going down his face. It was impossible. That thing shouldn't exist anymore; he got rid of it to return his father's arm. And besides that, only the Demon-Reaper could make that weapon. Junior sincerely wished he hadn't had that thought when he saw what happened next.

The ground where the Demon-Reaper's Scythe pierced the earth began to bleed a black, blood-like substance. It spread like a living thing, oozing out to cover the entirety of the garden. The plants slowly sunk into the blackness, as if there was a sea beneath that dark surface rather than solid earth. Junior stood silently, looking down into the black hole that now lay beneath the horrid scythe, like a portal to a realm of a lightless abyss.

His eyes went wide as an arm appeared out of the darkness; a human, adult arm, clawing its way up where the golden plant had been. Soon, another joined it, one near where the white plant had been…but this one was a skeletal limb.

The monstrous prince looked on in a combination of horror and shock as the two figures pulled themselves out of the black void. It was his parents, Grim Senior and Mandy. Both were injured heavily, Grim's cloak being torn and many bones broken or shattered. Even his skull was covered in cracks, and his entire right arm was missing. His mother though, she was a wreck. She had puncture holes all over her body, blood pouring from all over and flooding from her mouth. The blacks of her clothes, barely hanging onto her body, were practically painted red with her own blood. Yet, no pool of blood formed over the dark surface she laid upon.

They both laid there on the ground, too weak to move, as Junior looked on from the fence post, unable to move himself. A strong wind might have pushed him off his perch at that point. He gazed upon the broken shells that were his parents and couldn't do anything but stare…then his eyes suddenly relaxed with a heavy sigh, hanging his head. Slowly, he walked atop the fence towards the garden, the mental spell of the scene finally broken.

He stopped once he was on the fence post the upturned staff of the scythe pointed too. With a grunt he leapt onto the scythe, landing with his claws grasping onto the thorn-covered staff. The Prince looked down on the bodies of the King and Queen with sorrow and regret, his vacant heart heavy. Then his brow furrowed together as he looked to his left, towards the house. Approaching the garden was the farmer again. Junior wasn't sure if the man saw him, or even could. He didn't seem fazed by what had become of his garden or that there were two royal bodies in it now.

Junior stared at him for a long time, trying to make out the face in that hood. That's when it clicked in his head. His Nergal eyes could see in the dark. Seeing that face shouldn't be a problem, but it was. That wasn't a natural darkness concealing his face. Junior narrowed his eyes at that revelation, now more aware than ever that this farmer was no mere farmer. The black-cloaked man just nodded downwards to the blade of the scythe, indirectly acknowledging Junior for the first time.

The Living Death blinked but looked down, raising an eyebrow as he did. His mother, Mandy, was reaching towards the blade of the scythe, which was just a foot or two out of her grasp. Honestly, it didn't surprise Junior. His mother was a fighter and wouldn't give up for a single moment until she was dead. Surrender was a word she didn't have in her dictionary.

It was her eyes that caught his attention. That wasn't determination in her eyes, that wasn't the look of her refusing to give up. Those were sad eyes, almost...like she was trying to comfort someone. It was a very unnatural and strange look for him to see on his mother. Still, he stared at her hand, trying to figure out what she thought she was holding...

Junior almost fell off the staff as a small hand appeared out of the dark liquid and was held by Mandy's own, a flesh and blood one. And from that hand, a right hand at that, grew an arm…then a torso and a head. But there was no left arm or any legs. Junior didn't even realize his eyes were brimming with tears as he saw the body of his amputated sister was impaled, face up and through the chest, by the very scythe he had created to attack his own family in an insane fit of rage. The very scythe he now stood upon, like a crow perched over the dead.

Minnie gasped up green Nergal blood as she held her mother's hand, squeezing it from the agony of her condition. Her empty right eye socket oozed and pooled the same liquid as her intestines and tentacles lay splayed over the ground. Her remaining eye struggled to look up at him, at her brother, crouching on his perch over her mutilated corpse. He expected scorn or fear, disappointment or pity, or anything else, really. Anything but what she did. She smiled up at him, in terrible pain, before her eye turned dull and her body sagged against the ground. Soon after, Mandy went the same. Grim had passed on long before those two did.

Junior allowed a lone crimson tear for his family to descend down his demonic face, and fall into the dark blood that still covered the garden. He jerked in surprise as he saw waves of red pulse through the black pool, emanating from where his tear had fallen. They spread out and bounced off the edges, cascading every which way until it was a veritable light show of black and red.

Junior stood on the staff, alarmed and confused, until a great wave washed over the liquid, silencing the red waves as the dark blood settled once again. Junior slowly looked over to the farmer, where the wave had originated, and saw that he had his left palm held out. Over the palm was a cut, and from that cut had poured black blood. But as soon as Junior had witnessed it, the blood rushed back into the cut and the hand was healed as if it were never even injured.

Junior was at a loss now, truly, and just stared at the farmer, who Junior was sure knew what was going on better than he did. Junior opened his mouth to say something, and saw the farmer's hood rise silently, showing Junior had his attention. For some unknown reason, the prince hesitated and closed his mouth, not even sure what he was going to say. To his surprise, the farmer just nodded, apparently in understanding.

Junior jerked his head to look down the scythe and saw...something...forming out of the liquid, near and around Minnie's body. The dark blood was rising up off the ground, oozing up and around the blade to form a shaky, humanoid form on top of it. It growled and snapped at Junior with an impossibly wide grin as it gripped the staff with its claws, trying to climb up it to him as tendrils of dark blood formed from the ground, coming up and connecting to it from every angle.

It took a moment, but only a moment, for Junior to realize what shape the black liquid was taking. It was his; a completely black and liquid version of his Nergalized form, lacking any definite features save a mouth. Junior eyed the abomination, wondering what it wanted. Once all the blood was gathered, showing the bare ground again, it roared at Junior before leaping at him. His eyes widened and narrowed in the same breath. With all his new instincts, he reeled back his arm and punch the Liquid-Junior in the face.

To his shock, it exploded into black blood, the substance briefly flying in all directions before it all froze in midair, 'I knew that was too easy,' Junior thought in annoyance as the dark blood shot towards him, giving him a sense of Deja vu. It slipped in through his mouth, his nose, and every one of his numerous Nergal eyes, making him grit his teeth as the force of them impacting with him was enough to send him backwards and off the scythe, forcing him to land on the fence post again.

He panted and gasped when it was over, when the last of the dark blood was absorbed into him. It was a very...strenuous feeling, almost enough to make him pass out again. He wiped a hand over his face to try and get a handle over himself. And as the hand came down pass his eyes and to his mouth, he looked confused at the scene before him. The bodies of his family were gone, and in their place, the garden with the numerous plants had reappeared. The darkling still held the majority and the White/Gold pair were still in pitiful states compared to their former glory, surrounded by the dark plant. However, there was one thing that had not changed from what he had just witnessed; The Scythe. It no longer had the vines of the darkling wrapped around it. However, it wasn't the Scythe of Death again, it was still the Abominable Scythe of the Demon-Reaper. The only proof for Junior that what he saw had indeed happened.

Junior looked to his left and saw the farmer approaching him until they were right next to each other. He gazed up at the hooded man cautiously yet curiously, his expression showing how lost he felt. There was a weird air about the two for those few moments, making the Son of Death even more confused to the intent of this being. Junior blinked as the farmer patted him on the shoulder, both good-naturedly and praising. The boy starred up in shock, his red eyes wide. It couldn't be...could it?

The farmer gently pushed him off the fence, sending him falling to the ground. It was a small fall, and Junior had suffered far worse in the past half-dozen hours. Still, the shock of it made him close his eyes on impact. He grunted as he stood up, shaking off a small headache...and gaped as he saw where he was now. He was in a cemetery. He looked towards where he had fallen from, where the garden and farmer had been.

In place of the fence post he had stood on was a stone cross of a grave-marker. And where the garden had been was nothing but the cliff to a small hill. He went to the edge to overlook the area and found that the cemetery was huge, with many hills and trees, and scattered about was probably every different kind of tomb and crypt normally found in a graveyard. In the near distance, Junior could see Halloween Town, or what was left of it any way, now covered in the rays of a new day.

He rubbed his forehead, trying to understand what just happened. Did...that did happen, right? Was it a dream and he had sleep-walked from the Hinterland to here? Or...or had he imagined the whole thing? Was he losing his mind after everything that had happened, to the point where his grip on reality was slipping? He looked thoughtful, and perhaps hopeful, as he realized there was another option. That what he had witnessed was an illusion or vision of another's design. He really, really hoped it was that one. He liked his sanity to remain, what little he still had any way.

He sniffed the air and hummed. He smelled something, something familiar that he couldn't place. He lowered his gaze and saw a black cat below the cliff, running through the graveyard. Not too far behind it was someone following after the feline. Junior could smell the person as female and young, about his age by the size of her. Junior raised an eyebrow at the pair but didn't disturb them as traveled together, the cat never running too far from the girl.

He managed to smile sadly as she seemed to play with the cat. At least he hadn't ruined everything in this town, it seemed. He frowned though, feeling a nagging sensation in the back of his mind that he knew this girl from somewhere. Then he realized two things. One, that this was the witch-girl Clone didn't eat last night and two, he was still in his Nergalized form. He decided to leave before he was noticed, lest he give the young witch a heart attack.

He shook his head with a sigh and started to head back to town. He felt like getting it over with, but he didn't really believe anything was going to be 'over with' by today's end. No, his unlife had been changed and he was going to have to deal with that change however he had to. His family and their secrets, HIM and his 'real' father, his power, his own mind, and so much more. Yes, he had much to deal with. And none of them had an easy solution...

End of Chapter

There it is, number 10! At this rate, this story will reach 100,000 words within three more chapters! Currently, the views are around 8300 if anyone cares. And, as some of you might know, this story has now been up for over a year now! It's been a great ride so far and we're no where near done! Still, I've been happy to entertain all of you who have stuck around for the ride, regardless of when you joined in! Well, onto my notes about this chapter.

I didn't realize this until near the end, but Junior only said a single word this entire chapter. We saw his thoughts on a few occssions, but he never actually spoke except for the "Dad?" moment. Look into that however you want. And the witch from earlier has a name now, and concidentially, we have another nameless figure appear right after I gave Mellori her name.

And speaking of 'The Farmer', as Junior refers to him, I enjoy writing him. If he creeps any of you out, don't worry- he's suppose to. And yes, I HAD to throw in that Oedipus scene with Mandy and Junior's tail. Funny thing? It got deleted and I had to remake it- I think this turned out better than the first one. I don't know why, but the Mandy/Junior Oedipus moments are just so fun to write.

And yes, Minnie too, is worried for the state of her family now that Junior found out a few secrets and isn't happy about it. Also, if you don't know what she said to Mandy, it's baically, "There is something i believe you should know."

As for the scene with the plants...don't even ask where that came from people. I had another thing planned but somehow it morphed into this and it turned out SO much better than I had planned, and longer too!

QTP: Who or what is the Farmer? How did he get Grim's Scythe? What were those plants? What did it all mean? Why did Junior jump on the scythe instead of trying to help Mandy and Grim? What was the Liquid-Junior thing? Is Junior losing his sanity? What did that page/poem Junior read from Jack's book mean? What is in the other books? What does Jack want to talk to Junior about? If not Junior, than what IS Jack so angry about? Are Junior and his mother really heading for an 'impasse' as Junior fears? Is Junior going to have an 'incident' with any of the towns folk? Why didn't Clone eat Dan? Was Mandy 'really' trying to make a second generation of herself and Grim or is that just Junior's paranoia talking? What is Minnie going to tell Mandy? Is this the last Junior has seen of Mellori?