Drake stood at the entry to the Witch Academy. The gates of the university were made of lovely wood. The craved images of broomsticks and pointy hats were on every post. The humble buildings of brilliant yellows and blues gaily sat in the open. The place would have been charming any other day. It would have been downright beautiful with all its cute little plants and cheery statues of cats and happy children. But it was all amiss. There seemed to be a clear lack of people. No sound anywhere. Not even the single tweet of a bird. Drake looked up at the looming clouds over head. Primrose and Sweet Pea stormed ahead. Mika took large strides to keep up with the fast pace fairies. The boy lingered some more just as Ozzy and Lucky stood beside him. The two clowns stared at him. It was Ozzy, who spoke, "Drake."

"Umm?" The boy answered.

Ozzy rubbed her arm, "Listen... Back at the junkshop. We got to talking. Lucky and I think we would be more useful here at the gates. We think we might be handy in scouting around outside. You, know?"

"You are afraid?" Drake raised an eyebrow.

"Well ... Er..." Ozzy turned over to Lucky.

"It is okay," Drake grimly smiled, "I understand. You can be afraid. Yea, you can scout around here."

Ozzy and Lucky waved the boy off. He had dashed behind the fairies. The clowns nervously stood by the gates and the eerily stillness. Lucky placed her hand on Ozzy's shoulder. A black bird fluttered up to them. The changeling peered at it. It cawed loudly at them. A human voice rose from nowhere. It said, "You know that the witch is cutting off the extra people. I am bewitched until the thing cracked."

"You're the enchanted raven that Primrose told us about," Lucky pointed to him.

"Yes, its me. The Junkman sent me out here. I have news from the Birk of Doom," the raven bowed its head as a spider hopped down.

The spider added, "Lord Styx and Lady Muerte's daughter is in there. She is at the heart of the subject! A force is driving her to madness!"

"Why tell us? Shouldn't you tell Primose and the rest who went inside," Lucky pointed out.

"Because we who wait at the gates, know what is coming," the raven squaked.

The spider groaned, "It is clear that the hero's quest does not need us. We are to buy our time here at the edge of the conflict."

"Wait-wait!" Lucky shouted, "Primrose asked us to stay here as part of the scouting team. We were supposed to be helpful!"

"We witness what comes next. We wait in awe and horror as the world comes apart," the spider answered.

"I know it is not ideal," the raven sighed, "But it is how it is. My Mary is in there. But the Junkshop man said I must wait here. Here is where I will meet my Mary. It is the only way back to normal."

Lucky dropped her jaw, "We wait!?"

Ozzy puffed out his chest and frowned.

The clown elbowed her partner, "They want us to just wait!"

The spider rubbed its head, "The others meet their fated moments. We must follow the motions of the weave. It is what the Dreamweaver said we must do."

"You've got to be kidding me!!" Lucky shouted.

The skies above cracked with thunder and lighting. There was a sudden ripping sound. A vast ocean of noise that drowned everything. All color melt into a spectral of rainbows. The clowns turned to the screen of the school. It appeared like a smashed in mirrors. Shards of what was there lay all about. Each shard had a million different places, people, and worlds all mixed together. The worst part was that the breaking was spreading over head. It was eating away at the world on bit at a time. Lucky grabbed onto Ozzy. The giant held tight to his smaller friend. The raven and the spider watched all the shards. They fell about like snowfall in the winter. Amazingly the strip of land where the gateway reminded enacted. The raven nodded slowly, "I was expecting that."

"I see we have come to this point again. Do you think she will find a way out of this mess this time?" The spider said.

"Out of here again?" Lucky whispered.

"Ah, we have been here before. Many times in fact. It is interesting what happens when you are bewitched and muted. You learn a lot by being thought of as part of the background... . Hmm... You know, this time I am glad you waited by the gates. You normally try and run in there. I must say... I also think the Dukes did not fight this time," The spider seemed to smile.

The raven sighed, "I must say this time I think we will be out of the Dream Cycle."

"What do you mean Dream Cycle?" Lucky asked.

"Well, there is some mucked up business around here with the Lute of Fate and the Glass Apple. The whole Dream Cycle happened because some goof started our path. They had no clue where they were going with the whole affair ...It was another Dreamweaver. They thought they could just fix everything together. Ah, what a stupid wreck. Anyways, the Junkshop owner has been sorting this out now for years with the Dream Cycle. It makes the weaves in the pattern. Some people have been fight against him. But he will finish correctly this time. I believe it," the spider said.

"We are stuck here then!" Lucky let go of Ozzy and stared at the spider and the raven.

"More or less. I promise it won't be more than a few hours," the raven said politely.

"Shall we play a game? I personally like I-Spy!" the spider beamed.

Lucky turned to Ozzy. The giant shrugged. What else was there to do? Lucky turned back to the spider. She gloomily leaned against Ozzy, "Fine. You go first."

"I spy with my little eyes something with a boy running up a set of stairs!" the spider smiled.

Drake ran up the pathways at a brisk pace. Primrose and Sweet Pea were walking and turning their heads this way and that. The fairies understood the unnatural tone of the world around them. Primrose held up her hand as Drake caught up to the two fairies. A small breeze blew as they stood in the lovely courtyard. It was a still a calm and smoothing day, the storm clouds were off at a distance. Drake paused as he waited. Primrose whispered, "The others are coming here soon."

Drake said, "Did you know if they managed to find what they were looking for? We have just gotten to here."

"The Scarred Man may have sent them on different tasks, but we are on a new road. I don't think we will succeed on the plan path. But a new one just opened," Primrose gestured to a boy running up to the group.

The boy wore a clock with something strapped to his back. He huffed and puffed, "Primrose, Sweet Pea! Thank goodness!"

Sweet Pea crossed her arms, "Yuki... You bratty child!! You know that you mischief has caused no end of trouble!"

"Nice to see you, too," Yuki hissed. He turned to Primrose, "You've got to help me! Mika and the people she was traveling with have been captured. Heck, even the woman the Scarred Man hired was taken!"

"Great. . . How did that happen!?" Sweet Pea shouted.

"It is this girl! This girl named Shannon! She's a witch! She must have lost it or something! She just captured everyone! She made them into rock and everything! I don't know why the others didn't fight or anything!" Yuki nervously fidgeted. Behind Yuki's back there peaked out a lute. Drake raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me," Drake came forward, "But that seems a bit fishy that all the others should get captured without a fight and then you should get caught."

"I managed to escape," Yuki snapped.

Sweet Pea leaned closer to Yuki and motioned to the lute, "And why have you, brat, that lute there?"

"I found it on the group, while I was escaping!" Yuki frowned at them.

"That sounds too easy..." Primrose drew closer to Yuki.

Yuki lifted up the lute, "You-You-you think I am lying! I have the lute! This is the Lute of Fate from the Scarred Man! I have it! I will give it to you!"

Drake held out his hands, "Fine. Give it to me. I trust you."

Yuki gave it to him. Drake took the lute from his hands and held it near his heart. With his fingers and strummed the lute. It felt sickly. The whole was not right. Drake looked up at the others. The fairies frozen in place as the ground below them cracked. Roots shot up and grabbed the fairies where they stood. Drake gasped and dropped the lute. He dashed over to try and help Primrose and Sweet Pea. The two fairies fought hard as the shadow below Yuki bubbled to life and came out. Yuki had a twisted grin on his face as the shadow raised up. It held the Glass Apple in its hand.

The shadow said, "My dearest fairy queen and sister, I highly suggest you stop struggling. For I will finish cracking, if you resist."

Drake turned on his heel to the shadow creature. He narrowed his eyes and shouted, "Release my friends!"

Primrose sighed, "What is it you seek? And what have you done to Yuki?"

The shadow absorbed the image of Yuki. It shifted about in different flickering outline of people. It appeared to have trouble finding a shape to maintain. It shifted forward settling into several unknown shapes. It twisted features in its blackness. Finally, it focused itself onto another familiar shape. It appeared as Mika, "You see... I want to do good. The people who I took in. They will all be okay shortly. I don't really want to hurt people. But you see people have been trying to trick me. They are trying to get to my main helper. I cannot allow that. She is so willingly helping me. It is a fair trade."

Drake held up his fist, "We have friends at the gate! We still outnumber you!"

"I promised myself I would not hurt you. You are too important to hurt," It said as it shifted about in forms again. It was shapeless as it held the Glass Apple closer, "But those two have to go. They ones at the gate, too. You cannot have Shannon. You cannot have anyone of them. Not until it is finished!"

Sweet Pea yelled, "You mustn't smash that! You will destroy everything!"

The fairies started to get free from the bindings. Drake had called out for Ozzy and Lucky. But the thing did not like what was going to happen. It spread out its blackness with a whip of its hand, nightfall came about. The gateway seemed like a million miles away. The fairies were reduced to small rag dolls on the ground. It used all the powers it took from the others it absorbed. The thing stood breathing heavily in the courtyard. Drake stared in disbelief as his friends were not lost. He charged at it. The shadow sank down into the sidewalk. It popped up as the image of Drake, but different. It was not dressed in a beautiful party dress of pink and had on a gold crown. It had rosy cheeks and soft locks. The image of a princess. Drake stumbled backwards. He called out, "Ozzy! Primrose! Lucky! Sweet Pea!"

The little princess skipped over to Drake. It did a proper bow and smiled, "I am called the Unknown. But you ought to know soon, I will have a real name. The first that came to me. My original self is in here. They didn't ask to be selected to become part of me. But a child that young would really want a form."

Drake scowled as he ran to gather up the dolls that had been his friends. The boy tucked them into his pockets. He sneered at the Unknown, "Change them back!"

"You are not what I thought you might be like. You seem to not be grateful for everything I had done here. I have been working hard to please you. I have been working hard to please everyone. Why does no one get that?" It sighed with confusion. It strolled over to Drake as he tried to punch it again.

The Unknown sank down to the floor and rolled away. It popped up, "I have taken away the things that no one liked. Soon everything will be great."

"What did you do to my friends!?" Drake yelled.

"I didn't do anything to them. I merely ensured that they wouldn't get hurt. Plus the others were so willing to be enchanted. It wasn't my doing on the other group. But hey, it did make everything easier," It said as it hopped up, "This form causes you no interest?"

"None!" Drake shouted as he held up his fists, "Change back my friends!"

"No hollow feelings? No anger over it?" The Unknown asked.

"Change my friends back!" Drake repeated.

The Unknown puzzled in thought, "Huh..."

It shifted to an image of the dukes. Drake tried to punch and kick it. The Unknown tried an image of Mika. Drake pushed on with attacking. It changed to the image of Gin. Drake tried to aim for its head. There were feelings stirring inside of the boy. The void from inside was stirring up in him. It became Feathers. Drake froze for a half-second as a distance dream flickered in his mind. The Unknown knew something. It tried the image King Finn. Drake grabbed the Unknown by the wrist as he stared at the image of his father. The King of Yena was before the boy, who was robbed of his memory. Drake flipped the Unknown over his shoulder. The Unknown nodded to itself on the floor and changed to the form of the Queen of Yena. Drake stopped in his tracks. He huffed and puffed as memories like dreams were far away. He shook his head. Drake yelled.

The Unknown smirked and held the Glass Apple. It said, "My sibling, please, join me in my work. I need your help, too. It takes someone special to work the Lute of Fate. I promise, I will put it all back in order, if you just follow my requests."

"You. . ." Drake snarled, "You would go so low... You would go so low to bring back all that pain! I am not her! I am not related to anyone of those people! It is not true!"

"The Scarred Man took something from you in a trade, didn't he? He made you promises. He made you something else. The Scarred Man made me promises, too. He lies. He always lies. He never does right," the Unknown sighed, "I have collected the people the Scarred Man wronged. You know that he tricked the Dukes. He made them promises about returning you. He promised same woman that he could restore her boyfriend from being a bird. He promised a poor queen that he could give her back her kingdom. He makes promises, promises, promises. But he doesn't keep them," It sighed as it shifted again. It was formless again, "I can make good on my deals. There doesn't need to be trades. I can give people all their dreams without a price. I just need to complete the ritual. Please help me."

Drake gained back his strength, "Change back my friends!"

"You are very single minded..." The Unknown remarked as it paced. It shifted again in its image of a small child. It pointed to a dorm and hopped over to the pathway. It said, "Fine, you want to change your friends back. You want it back to normal. Okay. Follow me. Come with me. I will fix it. I don't want to disappoint you."

It sank back into the shadows of the floor and drifted back to the dorm. Drake ran after the moving shadow. It led him beyond the lawns of the courtyard. It brought him inside of the dorms. It took him upstairs and down dark hallways.

Drake had slowed down as he spied different paintings of people. Each one had a candle lit by them. One was of woman smiling with her two children in her lap with a happy kingdom behind her. Another was of the dukes at a party with a circus theme about them. The next was of a couple on a date in a club with them laughing. Another one was of a king sitting in a gay court with a jester and a queen at his side. The other had two twins together playing a sunny meadow. A final one of a young man standing proudly with his father watching him complete a task. There was a half-done one of a girl in a police office. She seemed busy doing paperwork. This one was not well done or happy. It was depressing.

Drake balled his fists, "Are you really meaning you made my friends and other innocent like this?"

"Why yes. I have. They aren't hurt. I will change them back. I will give you your lute. This I will do," The Unknown answered.

"And they just gave up?"

"Well. . .Yes, the just give up."

"All of them?"

"Most of them do. Like the last group. They were swell. They just gave up to Shannon without much fuss. I am pleased that someone else got the idea. Those twins from the Scarred Man understood real well. They knew exactly what I meant," the Unknown proudly said as they turned a counter to a dim lit hallway.

There a small dorm was lit up. The doorway was wide open. The shadow drifted into the space and came to a mirror. Drake came behind the thing and wandered. The Unknown stood up by the mirror and touched the cold surface. It ripped and the Unknown said, "Come this way, Drake. My dear sibling, I will not hurt you."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Drake paused.

"It is because the blood of whom we both love dearly ties us by bound. He who would watch over us is both our guardian."

Drake thought back to his strange dream. The Unknown waited patiently as Drake seemed to thoughtless wander into the mirror. Ah, how simple it was to get people to follow when they drifted into the Unknown. It was pleased. The boy now had something to lose himself in. The Unknown came inside after him.