She stared at her reflection as she held the soul of the handmaiden. Her eyes narrow as she knew what would come next. Shannon studied her darken circles under eyes as she moved her lips to recite the enchantment from the Unknown. Her eyes closed in a newly found fear. There was a darkness was eating her up. But Shannon knew it was with cost to live. She was well beyond the point of return. The young witch turned away from her reflection. The warm of the soul radiated between her fingers. The body of the handmaiden laid in a small sphere in her pocket. It was to be the vassal of the Unknown. On one hand, it was ready. The soul on the other hand... Shannon twirled her fingers around its life force. The young witch held out the vial of the essence of the Unknown. As she poured the black liquid taint onto the brightly glowing soul. It tried to fight back the darkness. Shannon raised her voice.

"I want to live. Is it so bad I want to live?" Shannon whispered to victim, "Would you understand my struggles? I have been dying to escape my fate. And now... My only way to fight back is to do this. My time is growing shorter and shorter... Would you really blame me for wanting to unite Dreams with Reality?"

The soul wormed about in her hands. Shannon narrowed her eyes and sighed, "I am only a human spellcaster. I am doomed with a very short lifespan. Would it be so terrible if I continued to live? I would be helping more people with things, if I had more time. Could you even understand what good I could do?"

"Fred! Sophia! Gin!" Edgar stumbled about the strange world, "Where are you?"

The young duke swallowed in the dark and empty place. It was far from friendly. The place he existed in was without substance and meaning. Everything felt everywhere and nowhere. It only started to take form once he thought about the forest. The last solid moments of alertness were his saving grace. Or so he thought. The forest seemed to pop back into place. The meeting ground was empty still. There was no sign of Fred, Sophia, or Gin. Edgar paused as he reflected on the eerily thoughts of all the cobwebs that had been about. He heard the rustling of the leaves above from the forest. Edgar spun about as he spotted the sliver threads of webs. He shuttered as he felt one on his hand. Jumping, the young duke scrambled about as he heard louder scuffling from along the webs and leaves.

"Stand back!" Edgar shouted as a large spider crept forward. The young duke fell back in fear. Here in the starless night and odd woods. It was not natural. He froze in fear. Yet as his eyes wildly went about the space as the giant spider moved forward.

"FRED! SOPHIA! GIN!"

No one answer.

"FREEEDDD!"

Silence.

"Guys!!" Edgar managed to shout as his voice cracked. He shivered with terror, "Someone help!"

Edgar crawled backwards. His terror won over his eye for detail. The young duke found his feet once more as dashed away. He heard the unsettling rustling of thousands more coming. As Edgar a deep wish for an escape and safety he ran straight into a door. A plain old wooden door sitting in the middle of the strange forest. The young duke panicked as the thousands of restless feet and legs approached him. He reached out his hand and pulled open the door.

He ran into the doorway without much more thought. Edgar quickly pushed himself against the door and searched for a lock, if only to buy himself time. His fingers fumbled around a lock. He bolted it shut as the spiders charge in. Edgar pushed himself against the door as it pounded shut. The restlessness of the spiders remained. A terrible sound of scratching and hissing came from the other side. Edgar jumped away from the door. As he backed up, Edgar stumbled into a pile of books and baskets. The duke screeched in fear as he swathed away the items. He panicked as he scanned the new room. The doorway back to the dark forest seemed to melt away into the darkness of this place.

Edgar covered his chest as he worked to gather his wits. He heard a rustle. The duke reached out on the dusty floor for something to defend himself. His hand curled around a long pole as he hopped to his feet. Edgar held up the pole and shouted, "Stand back! I am armed!"

A little old woman came scuffling inside of the area. Her tiny wrinkled and shaking hands held up a lamp. Sitting neatly on top of her gray hair was tight bun. She wore a dark blue dress with large flowers printed on it. Her glasses were half off her nose as she came forward in the lamplight. Not the least startled, the old woman replied, "I am glad you found my broom, Edgar. I dare say I would be lost without it."

"Broom?" Edgar drop his mouth open for he did hold the most deadly of cleaning supplies.

"Yes, Edgar, my broom. I have sweeping to do. I fear I hardly get time to clean up around here since the children have become more adventurous," She smiled.

"Children?" Edgar rubbed his head.

The old woman held out her hand for the broom. Her soft voice added, "Yes, Yuki and Mika. They are very hungry nowadays to see the outside world. I being their old nanny cannot always keep up with them. But I do get my stride back in the winter. Always a good season for the old. Brings warmth to my heart it does for I cannot wait for the spring to come next. Winter is a very lovely season of rest before new life."

"Huh," Edgar confusedly handed over the broom.

"Not very talkative are you, dear?"

"Who are you? How do you know my name? Where am I?" Edgar swallowed, "And where are my friends?"

"My wards call me Nan, Nanny Amaranth. My employer calls me Lady A.M. My friends usually call me a very different name," She chuckled as she gathered the broom, "You may call me Nan."

"Are you a witch or something?"

"And now you start to talk? Hhehehe," She beamed as she clicked on the lamps in the room, "I am hardly a witch. I am hardly much more than an old soul who job is to ensure the safety of her wards. No ... Edgar, I am no witch. I am just a friend and employee of the Scarred Man."

"The Dream Weaver? Is he how you know my name?"

"No, I know you because of Drake. He once came in here before he ran off with the fairies. Brave soul he was. But I personally think that he could have chosen his wish much more carefully," She swept the floor thoughtfully.

"My cousin..."

"You sure like to echo information," Nan shrugged, "Yes, Drake. He came a while ago. You are now in the Junk Shop of the Scarred Man."

"I feel like I was in grave danger a while ago... My brother, Sophia, Gin... We were just in a dark forest and then..." Edgar started to lose himself.

Nan touched his shoulder, "I am sure it is a hard tale to tell. It may not even be past the danger yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you may be in the Junk Shop of the Scarred Man right now. But I fear he is away right now. Nowhere to be found. Your time with me here is frankly limited. You will be soon reunited with your friends back in the Brik of Doom."

"Wait?! What?"

"Dear Edgar, I am no Scarred Man. I am hardly at my peak of power right now. I am just a harmless old nanny of two children. We are after all nowhere near the season of winter," The old woman swept some more.

"I am merely in a dream," He tried to reason. Reason was failing.

"Sorta," Nan grinned, "My guesswork from working with a Dream Weaver is you have been knocked about by a powerful source. Your desire for help has lead you here. But as I said the Scarred Man is not here right now. You are left in my humble serve."

"Want can you do?" Edgar recounted the strange witch.

"There is someone struggling to keep there is mortal soul. I may only be able to do limited works within the mortal realm, even in that of dreamwork. But I have not served under the Scarred Man without learning something. Please take my lamp, even if you are stuck in the veils. You will be able to find your way," Nan grinned.

"My friends!" Edgar took the lamp.

"Wait, boy! You must try and return to this shop when the Scarred Man returns. He will have everything you need to try and set this all right!"

"Got it!" He hurried to search for the door again.

"Boy! Don't open it to the left! Open it to the right. Left leads back to the dangerous spiders! Right will take you to your friends!"

"Okay!" Indeed, Edgar found his way back from once he came.

Nan, however, shook her head. She sighed, "He hurried off before I could brother to tell him more. Youth... So impulsive."

The junk shop door rang from its bell. The Scarred Man walked into the room with a tired look on his face. He stared upon Nan and checked his watch. He groaned, "I missed him, didn't I?"

"Yes, sir."

"Darn," The Scarred Man rubbed his cheeks.