Dark Woods: Hollow Remnants/Volume 1

Dark Woods: Hollow Remnants Vol. 1 is the first volume of the Fantendo - Drive series Dark Woods: Hollow Remnants. Volume 1 was released in 2015 and takes place after New Woods. The comic is weekly.
==Characters==
===Main Characters===
*Hein - the main protagonist who gets pestered by remnant of the Dark Woods, that keeps luring him back again. He goes out on investigation to see what is the actual cause.
*Ligeia - the deuteragonist and love interest for Hein. She helps him in his quest while slowly more about her past is revealed.
*Dizzy - a creepy monstrous, but somehow cute, big cat who tries to help Hein with looking for an answer.
===Antagonists===
*Slender Men - a species originating from the Dark Woods with the natural ability to cross between dimensions. They have been known for several kidnappings and are a pest to Hein.
*The Twisted Cross - consisting only out of Susan Syringe, Olivia Blade, Kathleen Kutt and another freeloader who has a bigger focus in the first issue.
**Sam Bracer - an unofficial member of the Twisted Cross whose gender is open for interpretation. Sam works for Susan Syringe for own causes.
===Recurring===
*Lily - the older sister of Hein who currently spends most of her time on her new study.
*Rai - the boyfriend of Lily, and good friend of Hein. He moved into their house because of his bad home situation.
==Issues==
===Issue 1: Plagued Dreams===
Hein woke up from a bad nightmare. He was covered in sweat and was breathing heavily. He looked at the clock. 2:37. He wiped some of the sweat off his forehead, sighed, and got out of bed. In his undergarments he walked out of his room, down the hallway, to the bathroom. Once there he looked to himself in the mirror, his eyes had a normal color to them, his scleroses wasn't black anymore and he had a normal blue eye color. He turned on the water crane as another sigh escaped his mouth. He bended over to splash some water in his face, it felt refreshing. He blinked with his eyes a few times then looked up again.
When he looked in the mirror he suddenly saw Plague Master standing right behind him. He fell to the ground, landing on his side. He was startled at the sight of the black coated man. But when he looked in the bathroom, there was no one. Another door opened and Rai exited the chamber of him and Lily.
"What happened bro? You made loud noises." the older guy said yawned while rubbing his eyes.
"I-it's nothing. Nothing to worry about." Hein quickly replied gesturing him to go back to sleep.
Rai shrugged and headed back into the room, closing the door behind him. Hein closed his eyes for a few seconds. What was that? Was he beginning to see ghosts? He stood up and turned off the water crane. It probably was just his imagination. He headed back to bed and tried to get some more sleep before it was morning.
~
Hein woke up around 8 in the morning. The rest of night went well and Hein good a good night rest. The morning went as it went everyday since he returned from the Dark Woods, it was pretty much the same routine. It was kinda boring, but he guessed he was glad that he wasn't constantly in life danger. It was still summer vacation, although the dull weather didn't make it appear that way. Hein headed out, he decided to stroll through his hometown. He was walking pass the place where he first entered the Dark Woods, it now was just the simple park he remembered, as if the entrance to the Dark Woods was never there in the first place.
He continued through the park and sat down on a bench.
"Pssst. Hein."
Hein looked around but had no idea where the voice came from. Out of fear he stood up again and headed back home. The day followed the same routine again. Dinner, TV, bed. Before Hein went to bed he sat down next to his sister. He knew that he was going to have a nightmare again tonight as well. And he really needed to talk with someone about it.
"Just tell me what's wrong Hein. You know you can tell me anything." Lily asked concerned.
"I know. Nightmares have plagued me constantly after a week since we returned from the Dark Woods." he said while looking down to the ground.
"I prefer not to talk about that place, but if it troubles you, go ahead."
"It's just... I've been having these weird thought lately, like is any of this for real, or not. I want to line the pieces up. Yours and mine.
"So basically there's still a fracture in your memory that needs to get closed."
"I believe that fracture already has shattered. I keep seeing things that aren't there. Not only in my dreams, but also during the day. For example, someone called out for me this midday in the park."
"Wasn't it someone you know? Or maybe you misheard it?" Lily said now somewhat more shocked as her eyes spread.
"I'm sure he was calling for me."
"Sorry Hein. It's already late and all this talk about the Dark Woods brings back bad memories. Just try to get some rest."
Hein nodded and disappointed headed up to his room. He undressed and stepped into bed. He closed his eyes and quickly drifted off...
Hein awakened in the Dark Woods he saw Lamia killing innocent people, one by one, transforming them into hideous creatures. She turned around.
"It's your fault Hein. You let your sister go, she has suffered an eternity because of you."
The scene skips to Nostradamus who had a large cut from his shoulder across his chest. He took off the plague doctor mask revealing his empty eyes.
"You killed me. You killed Pan. You're a monster."
Hein woke up again, same as last night. How could he stop these nightmares? He can't just simply ignore them. Getting out of the Dark Woods had succeeded. Now he needed to get rid off the Dark Woods inside of him.
===Issue 2: Is This a Date?===
Another day had arrived, another sleepless night had passed. Hein went through his morning routine. He took a shower, got dressed and went down to make some breakfast. He was sitting with his sandwich with cheese on the bank watching cartoons, not that was that much interested in them. His mind was somewhere else, at the dream he had last night. The dream that he always had. While eating the sandwich he reflected on what he had done in the Dark Woods, despite it being already a few months since he had returned. The nightmares had a core of truth in them. He killed Pan, he killed Nostradamus. He was a murderer.
The doorbell rang.
Hein walked to the door with his sandwich still in his hands, and opened the door. There he saw a girl who was slightly taller than him, she had pink hair that reached to the middle of her back and blue eyes. She was wearing tight jeans and a black tank top, it was good weather after all. Hein looked at her, she had changed so much from when he first encountered her. To think she once used to be a mythical creature who got turned human, then a freak, and now is a member of society.
"Hey Hein. Fancy to join me for a drink?" Ligeia said with an inviting smile.
"Uhm... sure. I still need to finish my sandwich though." he said looking at the piece of bread in his hand, as if he was not sure what to do with it.
"Take it with you! Dummy." she said and grabbed Hein's hand.
Hein smiled. He put on his shoes, left his jacket at home, and exited the house, locking it when he left. The two talked a bit about how things were going. Hein and Ligeia were in some kind of relationship, but had not yet defined it as a romantical relationship, although they had mutual feelings about each other. They sat down at the little café where they both ordered something to drink. Ligeia ordered a Cola while Hein ordered a Sprite. During their conversation Ligeia noticed that there was something off about Hein.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked concerned
Hein look up in surprise. "No, not really. Just having trouble sleeping as of late."
"If there is anything, you just can tell me, you know that right? With that said, what is wrong?"
"Sigh. Well, ever since we returned from the Dark Woods I've been having bad dreams about it, and lately I've also been seeing things. I don't know if it is because of the lack of sleep or..."
"I see. And you don't know what is causing all of this?
"Not really. But I hope to discover what that is. I just have no idea where to start. Yesterday I did go to the park, the place where I found the portal to the Dark Woods."
"Anything happened there?"
"I guess someone was calling out for me. But I might have misheard it."
"I think we need to dig deep in things you encountered in the Dark Woods that may still be present here."
"You mean the other fre.... people I rescued?"
"For starters. So are we going to do this together?"
"...Like a date?"
"A-a date?! Of course not... maybe, uhm... as a team."
After their talk on the subject they decided to change the topic until they finished their drinks. Ligeia came back on the subject giving information of where the others may be. She suspected that most of them had summer vacation just like them. But Chorus Clown, Distressed Doll, Bearded Woman and Scorching Smile probably were at work, maybe Bearded Woman not, she could have already retired. They however only had an idea of where the Bearded Woman lived as she gave them her adress to stop by some time for a snack.
The house was on walking distance and would only take a mere 10 minutes. During their walk they talked some more, mostly about what they were going to do next year. If they start working or were going to school. They came across a hospital on their way which somehow got Hein's attention. He felt like he was missing a thought, something important that had happened in the Dark Woods. He looked up at the hospital again and saw a shadow on the roof. Hein turned to Ligeia and said what he saw. But when they looked back, there was no shadow. Ligeia decided not to say anything and they continued to the residence of the old woman.
They arrived there, it was a suburban house, the nameplate read: Winifred which might be her first name. It was displayed beneath her house number. They rang the door and the old woman opened, this time she had no beard and looked liek your regular old woman. She let them inside and said she would prepare some snacks and something to drink. The two sat down on the couch and looked around. It was a nice house, simple design, old features, but still very nice. Winifred entered the living room again, handed over their drinks and placed a plate with cake on the table.
"What nice of you two to visit? I rarely get visitors." the old lady said with that standard old granny smile.
"You invited us to come some time, so here we are." Hein said.
"Although we do have something to discuss, but that can wait till later." Ligeia quickly added.
"Ow, don't be that way. Get it off your minds, then we can talk about other things." Winifred said and took a sip from her tea.
"Thanks. The problem is that I've not been able to sleep well and keep see and hearing things around me that aren't there. All of which seem to be related to the Dark Woods." Hein explained.
"So we wondered if you know more of this perhaps." Ligeia added again.
"That doesn't sound very good. Although I was the first one to enter the Dark Woods, I never really got any side-effects of it. Maybe it also was because I haven't been scarred that much as others. Maybe the reason is that you might feel guilty because you murdered the father of a child. I can understand that, but the man was no good and didn't deserve to be a father. You did the right thing."
"I guess so..." he paused "But even though I have closure with it, the dreams won't go away. It is like it's pulling me back in for some reason."
"Sorry my boy. Unfortunately I cannot provide you with more help."
"That's okay. Thanks. Shall we change the subject?" Ligeia suggested.
As they continued a normal conversation Hein kept staring out of the window. It was like he constantly saw a large shadow standing before the window, but said to himself that it probably was just a tree. Though he couldn't shake off the feeling that it indeed was something.... real. They ate the cake and drank the soda and said their goodbye's to Winifred. As they exited the house Hein looked to the side where he kept seeing the shadow... there was no tree there.
~
That night Hein woke up this time not because of a bad dream, but more because he felt a presence in his room. He sat up straight and suddenly a big cat-like creature was staring down on his with big shining eyes and a huge grin filled with thousand teeth. What is this creature?
===Issue 3: The Cat is out of the Bag===
The big shiny eyes of the creature were staring into Hein's soul, in disbelief he rubbed his eyes. The monstrosity was gone once he opened his eyes again. What was the creature he just saw? Hein tried to ignore the pressure to keep thinking about the creature, but couldn't shake it off, preventing him to fall into sleep again. Eventually the bird started tweeting, Hein opened his curtains and discovered that morning had arrived. He looked at his clock, it was only 7:30. Hein laid in bed for a while, he didn't check the time, just laid there. Around 10:00 he got a text message from Ligeia.
Wanna hang out today?
Hein send back a message agreeing to the offer. He quickly got dressed, ate something and exited the house. As he strolled towards Ligeia's current residence he felt someone was walking behind him. It was as if someone was breathing in his neck, it was surely an uncomfortable feeling. Hein collected the courage to turn around, there wasn't a single person, save for a cute little cat that was licking itself near the wall. Hein let out a sigh and continued. It didn't last long before that presence returned again, it was truly horrible. Hein started running and at the first opportunity he took a sharp left turn into an alley. It was a dead end. Hein turned around to the opening of the alley.
"Come out! I don't who or what you are, but just show yourself. I'm getting sick of this! You coward!"
It was quiet for a while. Hein looked down to the ground and let out another sigh. Why did this only happen to him? Suddenly the presence returned again, Hein's eyes widened. There was no one in front of him and behind him was a dead end. Hein turned around and saw the gigantic cat-like creature towering him. Hein took a few steps back. He looked at the creature but slowly calmed himself down when he noticed that the cat indeed was a coward. He had a nervous smile and sweat apparent on its forehead.
"Wha- who are you?" the boy said in shock.
"I-I don't r-really have a n-name. B-but you can call me.... Dizzy." the creature said with its wide grin.
"I see. Why do you keep following me around?"
"You s-see. I-I'm actually you.... In some sort of way." Dizzy said awkwardly.
"I don't understand..."
"I know you've been having b-bad memories of th-th-the D-dark Woods. I'm connected to t-that."
"How so? Last time I checked you're a gigantic cat who I never have seen in the Dark Woods."
"I'm kinda the m-manifestation of your p-powers from the Dark Woods. I'm your d-demon manifestation.... As well as from the others!"
"That's actually kind of awesome. But I would prefer that I wouldn't get so many nightmares of the Dark Woods anymore. I'm lacking sleep."
"Sorry, I wish I could've helped you with that. But there seems to be an entity from the Dark Woods that keeps crossing the realms. And because you're viewed as the ruler of the Dark Woods in this dimension you are getting side-effects of it."
"Hey you stopped stuttering." Hein noticed.
"I kinda was nervous to meet you." Dizzy blushed and looked at the ground.
"So summarized I just need to kill that entity in order to continue living in peace?" Hein continued to avoid that topic.
"Basically." the cat looked up.
"Okay... I have nooo idea where to start. Hmmm, I'll find something out. Care to join me to Ligeia?"
"Of course!"
Dizzy transformed into a small orange cat and walked beside of Hein towards the residence of Ligeia. Once they had arrived there, Hein knocked and Ligeia opened the door. She hugged him and invited him in. They sat down on the couch where Hein began to explain everything that he learned from Dizzy. The cat transformed into his true form, which kinda shocked Ligeia, but she immediately called him cute, especially his wide shy grin.
"I will help too! Seems like we're a team of three!" she said excited.
Hein smiled when suddenly their attention was attracted by the news on the TV. It showed a report of two kids who have gone missing. A brother and a sister. The sister was out playing when it started to get late outside. Her father tasked the older brother to pick up his sister, but he never returned. The father headed towards the playground where he saw his little daughter lying unconscious over the shoulder of a tall slender guy with no face. His son held the creature's hand. The father was shocked when the man, along with his children teleported away. The father was grieving on-screen as he told the story.
"This might be related to the person who crosses the dimensions." Hein said.
"Let's get on the case. If it is the case that this creature also causes your bad dreams, then we might have a much bigger crisis at our hands." Ligeia said slamming her fist in her palm.
===Issue 4: No Face, No Service===
Hein, Ligeia and Dizzy, who had gone back to his cat form again, roamed through the town. It was a regular day here, quite boring to be honest. The three decided to wait till it was night, as it was more likely for the creature to come out then. Ligeia and Hein sat on a bench in the park, the same park where once the entrance to the Dark Woods was. On top of the bench was Dizzy starring through the space between the two. Hein was already getting sleepy, as he didn't sleep well the night before.
"So this is the place where you entered the Dark Woods?" Ligeia said and looked around, noticing nothing weird about the place.
Hein nodded. "It is also the place where they found the car of Rai, so the Dark Woods might've appeared here. Maybe this town was a gateway where they disposed of the Lilith."
"I see." she replied. It was quiet for a while again, the silence was broken again by Ligeia. "What are we going to do against this creature? How will we kill it? It seems like a very dangerous creature."
"We've faced worse in the Dark Woods. I even had to fight you twice."
Ligeia laughed "Not that I wanted to. And I kissed you afterwards, right?"
Hein blushed and looked away from Ligeia.
"But what I meant. We don't have any weapons, or powers in this world." Ligeia said.
"Well, we have Dizzy. He said that he harbors all of our former powers." Hein replied although not sounding really assured about this fact and rubbed the back of his head.
Dizzy smirked "Yeah I said that, but I have no idea how to return those to you, or to use them myself..."
"Shit." Hein cursed.
It was officially night now. The sky was dark blue and filled with stars and clouds. They had not seen the creature appear out of some portal yet, and were losing hope of encountering it. They suddenly heard the scream of what seemed to be a young woman. The three immediately got off their seats and rushed towards the sound. They arrived at a playground in the park, surrounded by many trees. A young woman was crawling backwards in fear of the tall creature in front of her.
Hein didn't know what to do until he saw a stick lying on the ground. However before he could reach it, Ligeia grabbed it and stormed at the creature. When she tried to slam it she went right through and is appeared somewhere else. "I know that ability. It is as I recognize this energy vibe as well."
Ligeia rushed at the tall one again and repeated the progress, but again was unsuccessful. Hein looked at Dizzy who had gone to his regular size in the meantime.
"Dizzy why don't you transform back into your cat form. I got a plan which might give me some of my powers."
"Uhm... okay." the cat replied. Dizzy transformed back into his cat form. "What now?"
"Jump on my back and put your claws into my body, some power must be transferred that way."
Dizzy did as Hein told and jump on his back putting his upper claws into his shoulders and the lower claws into his back. Hein grunted in pain but quickly came over it. When it happened the barbered wire whip appeared in his hands. He felt the energy returning to him, and his sclera changed from white to black. "Awesome. I hoped for my scythe, but this will do. I also feel some of my strength has returned."
Ligeia was still doing her endless pursue after the slender man, while the woman was still cowering in fear. When Ligeia missed again, Hein rushed to the place where the creature spawned. Before it could teleport Hein trapped him in his barbed wire. He pulled the demon towards him and punched him in his empty face. The punch generated a giant crack on the head and the creature fell down to the ground. His face almost felt like it was a doll.
Ligeia went to the woman and helped her get back up. The woman thanked them for saving her from that hideous monster and returned to her home after Ligeia assured her that the creature has been taken care off. Dizzy detached himself from Hein's back, making the barbed wire vanish. Hein could feel his strength returning to its normal human state. The boy inspected the body and tried removing the suit it was wearing. As suspected it had no genitalia and looked like a Ken doll down there. He turned the body around and saw a big black 4 carved in its back.
"What is the meaning of this?" Hein questioned, inspecting the number on its back.
"It means there are more of them. And if there are more, there must be a leader." Dizzy speculated.
"I see. Didn't the creature's movement also remind you of a certain somebody?"
"It kinda did.... It did remind me of Pan. But it could never be him. He's dead. You killed him and his friends confirmed that for you." Ligeia answered.
"True. Now then, what shall we do with this body?" Hein asked.
"Let me take care of it." Dizzy's mouth widened to an immense size, similar to that of the Chorus Clown, and swallowed the entire body. "That's taken care of." the cat said showing his bright smile again.
Hein and Ligeia were a little bit creeped out by what Dizzy just performed, but didn't dismiss it as something weird. After all they did see many other weird things happen "Then let's return home." Hein said as they left the area.
===Issue 5: Nocturnal Nightmare===
Hein woke up in a beautiful place, a place filled with flora and fauna some of which he couldn't even recognize. There was a large marble garden house at some distance from it. Hein was curious and headed towards the building. As he made his way to the marble structure he didn't notice the grass he was walking on rotted behind him, turning into a dirtied ground. The flora withered behind him and the fauna turned into hideous creatures.
Hein entered the building and turned around. By now he noticed that the whole landscape had changed into a rotten and dark place. The marble garden house slowly turned into a circus tent. He looked around him and saw the freaks approaching him from every side. He couldn't find a way to escape and cowered in fear of what was to come.
Ligeia, hovering in the air as the Morbid Mermaid she once was, looked him in the eyes. The Distressed Diva and Blue Beast pinned Hein down to the ground. Ligeia slid with her finger over Hein's chest and made her way up to his chin and got a hold of it. She slowly brought her lips to his ear.
"You abandoned, you disappointed, you killed... you failed." she whispered into his ear. Hein couldn't move, he seemed paralyzed, he wanted to run away but couldn't move an inch.
"Wake up Hein." Ligeia whispered. "You're having a nightmare." Ligeia coughed and her voice changed drastically to that of Dizzy's "Hein! Wake up! You gotta wake up, you're having another nightmare!"
Hein's jumped up and sat up straight in bed with his eyes wide open staring into the nothingness. He took quick deep breaths and didn't even seem to notice Dizzy next to him. His breathing calmed down.
"That dream was horrible." he said and plumped himself down on his back.
"Sorry, I wish I could make the nightmares stop." Dizzy replied. Hein saw that Dizzy felt really guilty, which wasn't his intention to make him feel that way.
"It's okay Dizzy. I'm glad you're here to support me, who knows how much worse the nightmare would've been if you hadn't woken me up." he chuckled.
"I-if I may ask, what did you dream about?"
Hein described what he could remember as Dizzy was listening with shocked eyes.
"You saw flora, fauna and marble buildings in the Dark Woods?" the cat said surprised. "I've never seem any of those components before, not in anyone's memories of the Dark Woods."
Hein sighed. "It was worth trying to figure out if there is any meaning behind these dreams, but they only seem to depress me. You did check everyone's memory, right? Even Winifred's?"
"Yes." Dizzy assured him, but his look quickly changed. "However I can only see the memories of Ligeia till the point she first kissed you. When she lost her abilities as a Siren... but she should've been there around for a longer time." Dizzy said.
"Hmm... I wonder if Ligeia herself knows more about her past. She never really rold me anything about it... welp, we've kinda been avoiding the topic completely about the past." he chuckled a bit near the end.
"Yay! We're going to Ligeia again!" Dizzy cheered.
"Who says?" Hein said immediately.
"You like her, don't ya?" Dizzy teased.
"Just transform into your cat form." Hein rolled his eyes and grabbed his jacket and left the house with Dizzy. The two arrived at the home of Ligeia and entered it. They sat down together on the couch, Dizzy giving Hein a weird look because he sat on the opposite side of Ligeia. Hein noticed it but tried to ignore his companion. Hein began telling the nightmare he had last night and that Dizzy couldn't recall any past memories of Ligeia.
"I see." Ligeia responded while nodding her head slowly as she was processing the story. "I haven't really thought about my past either, but now that you say it I indeed seem to only recall my memories from the moment I kissed you."
"Shit, I wished we could've gotten more out of this." Hein said angered of his disappointment. He suddenly stood up. "I know something that might help you remember more. I'll fetch it from home, I'll be back in half an hour."
"Must I come with you?" Dizzy asked.
"No, you two keep each other company. You won't even notice that I'm gone." he chuckled and left the house.
Hein ran over the streets towards his house, he decided to take the same shortcut through the alley on the way to Ligeia to save time. He was halfway the alley when suddenly another Slender Man appeared out of nothing. Hein now with no powers to lend from Dizzy finds himself in peril. He tries to flee but is quickly grabbed by a tentacle and smashed against the wall by the Slender Man.
Hein tries to stand up but gets kicked on against his back, pinning him down to the ground. The Slender Man picks his body up again and throws it towards a group of trashcans knocking Hein unconscious. The creature approaches Hein again but suddenly get decapitated from behind. The faceless head falls onto the ground followed by the rest of the body.
"Shall I take the boy?" an unknown voice asks.
"No I'll take care of his body. I want to study him before we begin operation, the things he displayed in his previous battle are interesting." another unknown voice says. She continues. "You two can take the body and head of that creature. Dissect it once we get back to the hospital and see what spawn of Satan this is." the three females take their treasures and quickly flee from the scene.
===Issue 6: Dental Care===
Where am I?
Hein saw only black for his eyes, he blinked quickly and slowly opened his eyes. He looked around and found himself in an empty gray room. There was one window in the room of which small rays of sunlight shined through the curtains. Hein blinked again. He tried to move but quickly noticed that he couldn't.
He fondled with his fingers and discovered that he was lying on some kind of structure. He quickly noticed that he was strapped against a cold stone table. He turned his head to the other side and saw a metal cart standing next to him filled with all kind of equipment.. varying from a saw to a needle to a stethoscope.
The door opened, Hein quickly stared to the roof and closed his eyes, wanting to hear the conversation.
"I assume I can let you take care of him for the time being?" a female voice asked.
"Of course I can." the other chuckled, although the voice wasn't a distinct male or female voice. "So you three are going to work on that other thing downstairs?"
"Only Blade and Kutt are going to examine that doll. I on the other hand have personal matters to attend to. So if you don't mind I am going to take my leave now." she said and left the room. Hein heard the door close behind her. It was silent for a few moments. Footsteps approached which stopped right next to him.
"Ugh... you aren't awake yet?" the voice said and quickly slapped Hein in the face. Hein, who already was awake, grunted in pain and looked up to the figure standing over him. "Oh, so you are awake, little twerp."
"Argh... who are you? What do you want?" Hein replied in anger, grinding his teeth.
"What do you wanna know, you little shit? One question at a time." the person sighed. "Okay, I'll just answer them in the order you asked them. I am Sam Bracer, dentist... at least that is what my certificate says." Sam chuckled. "What I want? Hmm, a better salary, a nice dinner, the latest edition of my favorite magazine. You name it."
Hein looked irritated. "You know that that is not what I meant you bastard!" he said.
"Ooow, you want to know what I'm going to do with you?" Sam chuckled again. "Cutting, sawing, pinching, you know, the usual." Sam grabbed the saw from the metal cart. "Now, say 'aaahh'"
Ligeia and Dizzy were running through the city, looking for Hein who still hadn't returned. They were looking in every corner and alley but didn't manage to find him. They went to his house but nobody was home. Lily and Rai probably were somewhere out, and Hein's parents were probably working. "How can he suddenly disappear from the world?" Ligeia asked desperately as she sat down on a bench.
Dizzy jumped on the bench and laid down on her lap. He looked up to her. "Sorry this catnip doesn't know any better. I wish I could help you but the only thing I can provide you are your powers." he said.
"Thanks." Ligeia sighed and petted Dizzy on his head. "...What kind of powers could you give me right now?" Ligeia held out her arm for Dizzy to scratch. Dizzy followed the orders suggestion of Ligeia and went with his nail over her skin, but didn't draw any blood from it. Ligeia could feel the aura in her flowing differently and before she knew it she conjured upon a bubble of water.
She played around with it for a little while before dismissing it again. She saw a woman with purple hair walking over the street... rather uncomfortable. The woman stopped in front of Ligeia and stared down at her. There was an awkward silence between the two before the purple haired woman started talking.
"Okay, let me get right to this. I know where that boy you are looking for is. I'm not trying to help you or anything, I just want to mess with the plans of the others as it will give me more time to look for someone I hold dear. Anyhow, your boyfriend is at the abandoned hospital in the outskirts of this town, it is their hideout for the time being." she said although seeming rather irritated.
"Uhm... I really appreciate your help... but who are you exactly?" Ligeia asked.
"My name doens't matter, just make sure you interfere with their plans. I know both of you have powers and I would hate for them to get their hands on that. But I should be taking my leave now, these casual mainstream clothes really... bother me." she said. "Laters!" she shouted as she walked away from them again.
"That was weird." Dizzy said with a chuckle.
"Yeah I know. But she did help us get to Hein, we need to hurry and save him!" she said. Ligeia put Dizzy on the ground and the two quickly ran towards the outskirts of the town.
Back at the abandoned hospital Sam shined a light above Hein's face. "Why are you refusing to smile for me little boy? I just wanna cut you open... from the mouth." Sam grinned.
Hein turned his head away from him. "What is your obsession with mouths anyway?" he asked.
Sam laughed. "You don't seem to see the beauty in dental care my young lad. A good denture is the first step in being a good person. And I see that your mouth has slipped out some pretty cruel things. So best to just remove and replace it."
"You're one to say. You've been insulting me the whole time."
"Trying to stretch time? Welp, I've got all day, so that doesn't matter. But it you aren't going to show your mouth to me I'll just have to start at another place." Sam picked up a dental syringe and stuck it into Hein's arm. "Hopefully this will calm you down a little."
Hein slowly lost his consciousness and returned to a calm position. Sam grabbed the saw approached Hein's face, but right before Sam could make the first cut, movement stopped. "Hmmm, it's no fun when he isn't conscious. I'll wait."
Ligeia arrived at the front door of the hospital and stormed right through it. She continued down the hallway until she reached a large room where two woman were standing next to a table which held the body of a Slender Man, although a different one than that they fought the other time.
"Who is this Olivia?" the one asked.
"I don't know Kathleen, but I think we should teach her a lesson." the other said and both readied their weapons.
"Lend me some more power, I will need it to fight these two." Ligeia asked Dizzy. The cat jumped on Ligeia's shoulders and got a firm grip on her with his nails. "Let's go girls."
===Issue 7: Brace Yourself===
The chamber they were standing in was dark lit and had only few windows of which all were blocked by wooden planks. In the middle of the room was a table with the Slender Man on display. His fancy business suit was ripped off and only his smooth white body remained. He was pale white, very skinny or slender you may say, no face to show and the genitalia of a Ken-doll.
In front of the table were two young woman. One of them, of which she heard was Olivia, was wearing a mouth mask and had a rather indifferent face expression. She had sharp nails on her left arm, which probably is what she used as weapon. The other one, whom she heard as Kathleen, wore an eye-patch was wielding a huge saw-like weapon. They looked pretty menacing, but Ligiea imagined she could take them on.
"So are you going to make your first move, or not?" Kathleen asked flipping her saw in mid-air.
"I'm bored... I'm going to make the first move." Olivia said and rushed towards Ligeia immediately after saying her words.
Ligiea was caught by surprise by her fast assault, and surprised by her speed. She quickly formed a wall of water and pushed it into her direction. Olivia was able to jump out of the way from the water and slided to the side.
"Water huh? A radient element." Olivia said as she inspected the drops of water on her arm.
"Pay attention!" Kathleen shouted from behind and was ready to land a blow on Ligeia. In the hope that she could use the move she formed a bubble around her which protected her from Kathleen's attack. The bubble popped and Ligeia quickly retreated. Both the girls stood up and the positions of the four were now switched.
"Dizzy, to what extent can I use my powers? I was already surprised I could pull off the bubble." Ligeia kept her attention on the two girls while she was conversing with Dizzy.
"Hmm... I guess you can use most of your water abilities. Unfortunately I can't give u enough to use your tentacles at the moment. But you can't use all your animal abilities, but I can't pinpoint which ones... sorry." Dizzy said.
"Guess we'll have to check out which ones I can use." she said with a grin. She engaged combat again with the two girls. Olivia took a head sprint of Kathleen, who on the other hand prepared to throw her saw. Ligeia focussed on Olivia while paying attention to Kathleen. The distance between her and Olivia lessened and as expected Kathleen now threw the saw.
Ligiea quickly conjured up a Puffer Bomb, the puffer difted into the direction of the saw. Next Ligeia put her hands on each other and pressed the ground between her and Olivia. The puffer bomb exploded on impact with the saw and Ligeia conjured a thick pillar of water from the ground that blasted Olivia back. The saw flew away but was quickly retrieved by Kathleen.
"Hmm... It's not hard to figure out both of your attack patterns. You..." Ligeia pointed to Olivia "...go head on for close combat while you..." she now pointed at Kathleen "...keep your distance and go for projectile and sneak attacks."
"How clever of you to find that out so quickly little girl." Kathleen smiled. "Too bad we can't use our full potential. If you didn't notice already, we are going easy on you." she chuckled.
Ligeia grinned her teeth. "Well the go all out on me!"
Olivia roller her eyes. "Didn't you listen? We can't use our full potential... but until she is here."
"Olivia. Shut up." Kathleen slid her hand into her pockets and revealed a vibrating phone. "Can we get a time-out, this call is important." she said. Ligeia was confused by the time-out. She looked behind her and saw the door to the next room not far away from her. She wanted to make a sprint for it, but Olivia would probably catch up with her soon.
"I understand... Are you sure we should leave Sam beh-.... okay, okay. See you in a few." Kathleen said and hung up. She sighed and put the phone back into her pocket.
"Olivia we have to leave. Orders from above. Take the body and let that girl do whatever she came to do here." she ordered. Olivia quickly snatched the Slender Man. Both of them waved to Ligeia as they left the building. Now even more confused Ligeia lowered Dizzy from her back.
"I have no idea what just happened." Dizzy said.
"Me neither. But we should continue, Hein might still be here." she said and the two headed through the door and up the stairs to where Hein should be. There was a single closed door on the second floor, and weird noises coming from that specific room. Ligeia and Dizzy approached and opened the door and saw a person standing in front of Hein who was tied up on the table, similar like the Slender Man.
"Hein!" Ligeia shouted, catching the attention of both.
Hein quickly turned his head into her direction and smiled. "Ligeia! You came for me!"
"Who the fuck is this whore!" Sam shouted furious. "Deep breath. What are you doing here you pesky little girl?"
"Freeing my boyfriend, so get out of the way!" she said with a determined look on her face.
Sam laughed. "How is someone like you going to save him?"
Ligeia lowered to Dizzy. "Do you think you'll be able to pull out my tentacles? You can disregard my water abilities, just pull out the tentacles." she whispered into his ear.
"Uhm... yeah, I think I can do that." Dizzy jumped on Ligeia's back and attached himself to her again. There was a small pause. "Go for it." the cat said.
"Prepare yourself dentist!" Ligeia said and ran towards Sam. In reply Sam got ready and summoned four metal wires out of his denture with sharp knives on the end of them, as if they were enchanted braces. Ligeia was shocked to see those suddenly appeared but slided past him and managed to get a tentacle out of her to grab Sam's legs and throw him against the wall. Ligeia quickly ran to Hein.
"Quick! Attach yourself to Hein!" Ligeia said to Dizzy and literally threw him against Hein. Dizzy did as he was said and attached himself to Hein, who immediately felt the surge of powers flowing through him. He broke free from the straps and summoned his scythe.
"Awesome, I can use my scythe!" he smiled. "Ligeia you get back for now, you've done enough." Ligeia nodded and took a few steps back.
"Looks like my ability channeling skills have improved." Dizzy smiled.
Sam recovered from his fall and readied his brace tentacles. "You are going to pay for that you little shit!"
"Jeez can you watch your language for once?" Hein commented. "But first try to get through me if you want to hurt her." Hein said with a smile.
===Issue 8: The Cavity===
Hein rushed at Sam with his scythe held firm in his hand. He prepared his swing upon closing in with the fake dentist. Sam however responded by blocking the swing by crossing all four of the braces in front making it a good shield. Hein was knocked back a few steps.
The two charged at each other again, but time and time again they were just clashing with each other without anyone sustaining any major damage. One time Hein would swing and Sam would block it by crossing the braces while the other time Sam send out the braces which Hein blocked by twirling his scythe. It went like this for quite some time. Hein took another swing at Sam. This time however Sam only used three of the braces to block the attack and send out the fourth one that hit Hein in his side.
Blood spilled on the ground.
"Hein! Are you okay?" Ligeia shouted from across the room.
Hein nodded and smiled at her. "It's only a scratch, I'll get over it." and immediately charged at Sam again. He threw his scythe towards him, but Sam blocked it by getting a hold of the scythe with his braces. Hein however slid past the dentist was now behind Sam.
"Please let this work Dizzy." he said and created a nocturnal energy disc in his hand and trusted it into Sam's back. Sam was pushed forwards and slid across the floor against the wall. Hein quickly summoned his scythe back and ran towards the uncomfortable lying Sam. He swung his scythe at Sam's back, but it once again got blocked by the braces. Sam wrapped his braces around the scythe and stood up again, making sure that Hein wouldn't surprise attack him again.
Sam grabbed Hein at his throat and then pushed him against the wall.
"You little piece of shit. Do you really think that you could defeat me? A boy who gets his powers from a cat? Jeez, I should've just cut open the cat instead of waiting so long for you to wake up. But I guess that after I snap your neck the cat will be my next project." Sam told and tightened his grip around Hein's neck.
"I bet the other girls will be glad that I finish you off." Sam laughed.
"The other girls?" Ligeia questioned herself. "You mean those Olivia and Kathleen persons... and I guess they also have someone higher in command."
"How do you know of them!" Sam exclaimed.
"Well I fought them... but they left during the battle and were told to leave you behind. Hmm what a good team you all are." she mocked Sam as she saw the the dentist was getting frustrated.
"WHAT!?" Sam shouted. Hein was thrown through the room. "Someone is going to pay for this." Sam rushed towards Hein, Ligeia and Dizzy. All four braces were wide open ready to stick into them from four angles.
"Stay back Ligeia, I will take this." he said.
"Haha, don't act to heroic, but don't get injured too much." she responded and took a jump backwards.
Hein waited for Sam to close in and right before the braces would cut into him, Hein summoned his scythe and cut Sam in half. The upper body flew through the room while the lower body went to its knees and fell on the ground, shortly followed by the upper body that hit the ground in the distance. Hein noticed that two of the braces managed to injure him, luckily only in his shoulders.
Hein, Ligeia and Dizzy headed out of the room and passed the upper body of Sam.
"Tell those twisted ladies next time you see them... that they... can eat shit." Sam passed away on the cold hard floor.
"Should we bury..." Ligeia was interrupted by Hein.
"No, let's leave. I've had enough of this place."
-----
Hein, Ligeia and Dizzy left the building and were walking in the populated streets again. The day was almost at its end as sunset was in the sky. Ligeia sighed. "Who could've known that something like this could happen just on the moment you weren't with Dizzy." 
"Yeah, I guess I should accompany both of you at all times when you guys are going out." the cat said.
Ligeia chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so." she then turned to Hein again. "So what were you going to fetch from your place?"
Hein looked down to the ground. "Come along with me. I don't know for sure, but I have something at home that isn't from Lily but has been there for a very long time. I want you to see it, as I think it might be yours." he said.
"Huh... that's weird... how can something of mine be at your place?" she questioned.
"I don't know either... but when you kissed me the first time as a Siren... I got the feeling I already knew you, as if I recalled a memory of us from before the Dark Woods." he said. "And I probably should get some treatment." he said as he inspected his wounds. He assumed that the people looking at them on the street were shocked by seeing his wounds.
They continued walking and returned to Hein's home and entered it. They went to the living room and saw Lily on the couch watching TV, like she usually does when she has no motivation to do anything else.
"Hey Lily. We're back." he said. Lily stood up and turned around, when she saw Hein her eyes widened.
"What have you been doing?" she sighed. "Well let's patch you up, I'll go get some bandages from the bathroom."
"Wait Lily!" Hein said. "I've never told you about Dizzy right..." he asked. Lily looked at him in confusion. Hein nodded at Dizzy who then transformed into his 'monsterous' form in which he almost bumped his head against the ceiling.
"Okay... I didn't see that coming." Lily responded.
"Dizzy is a vessel that contains all of our powers, although he can't let us use them all as it takes a lot of energy from him. He already did some stuff for Hein like his barbed wire, scythe and nocturnal energy, and for me my basic water attacks and tentacles." Ligeia explained.
"Although I'm much more capable of transferring powers in this form... although this form would be useless during a fight." Dizzy looked at Lily who now had already calmed down from the shock of seeing the monster cat. "I just insert my nails into you and you can use your healing powers on Hein."
"That's actually pretty confenient." she said. And as said was done. Dizzy stuck his nails into Lily's arm and she used her healing powers to close the wounds of Hein and also the minor ones on him and Ligeia. Once she was done Dizzy detached himself from Lily and turned into his cat form again.
"I like this form more... I'm much more agile." he smiled.
"Hein... the object..." Ligeia reminded.
Hein nodded and took Ligeia upstairs. Once they were in his room Ligeia sat down on the bed while Hein grabbed a little box from under said bed. He opened it and inside of it was a silver necklace with an empty hole that should be filled with someting, probably a gemstone.
"I recognize this... but I can't recall any memories." she said and grabbed it out of the box. "Maybe something will come back once I put it on." Hein took over and assisted her in putting on the necklace. Ligeia's eyes widened as some images were shot into her mind.
A path through a tranquil wood leading up to a nice cheerful cabin in said woods. The door opens and a wave of warmth overwhelms Ligeia. It continues going through the cabin into a specific room where a beautiful box contains the silver necklace with a Lapiz Lazuli in the hollow hole inside of the necklace.
Ligeia stares at Hein unable to speak.
"Ligeia... what did you see? Ligeia?" Hein said and waved his hand in front of her face. It took some seconds for Ligeia to return back to Earth.
"Wow... Hein... I saw a cabin... in the woods. It was beautiful." she smiled. "I got the feeling that it was a place where I was save, where I felt at home." her eyes widened in happiness. "I think the gemstone that belongs in this necklace is there! We need to get it, maybe it will recover more of my past memories!" she pleaded.
"Okay, on one condition." Hein said. Ligeia nodded. "You're sleeping here tonight."
===Issue 9: Cabin in the Woods===
Hein found himself in an empty bedroom, there seemed to be no form of life. He looked at the bed and saw blood stains all over it, and it appeared that someone was under these blood coated sheets. The whole room was darkened it was hard to tell really. He decided to pull up the sheets and there he saw Pan.
The door op the room opened and Plague Master was standing in the entrance with a huge cut from his shoulder all the way to his heart. The window broke behind him and the upper body of Sam crawled in. Pan now sat up straight on the bed and the gigantic hole in his body was clearly notable.
"Blood still stains when the sheets are washed"
"Sex don't sleep when the lights are off"
"Kids are still depressed when u dress them up"
"And syrup is still syrup in a sippy cup"
The three closed in on Hein who panicked and didn't know what to do anymore. These were all the people he had murdered. Pan, Plague Master, Sam Bracer... and now they were coming for him.
"He's still dead when you're done with the bottle"
"Of course it's a corpse that you keep in the cradle"
"Kids are still depressed when u dress them up"
"And syrup is still syrup in a sippy cup"
Hein sat up straight in bed heavily panting. When his breathing calmed down he took a huge sigh. The boy left his bed and went to the bathroom to drink some water. It was still early in the morning, so he didn't expect Ligeia to be awake already. He dressed himself and went downstairs to watch some cartoons, to take his mind off things.
After some time Ligeia came downstairs and took place next to Hein on the couch. "Slept well?" she asked.
Hein shrugged. "I've had worser dreams... but certainly better ones."
"A nightmare... would you care to tell what happened?"
"I was attacked by reanimated corpses of Pan, Plague Master and Sam Bracer, the dude we defeated yesterday."
"Isn't Sam a woman?" Ligeia decided not to delve further into it. "I think the nightmares will stop soon, you don't have to think much of them." he shrugged, Ligeia stood up and poured a glass of orange juice for herself in the kitchen and took a gulp from the glass. "What time did you plan to go to the woods?" she asked.
"I dunno. In two hours maybe, just enough time for us to get ready... mentally as well." he suggested.
"That's okay. I'll get ready as well."
-----
The two hours passed very quick, Hein and Ligeia got ready to leave and Dizzy joined them as well. Just when they were about to Lily approached them.
"You sure you two, I mean three, can do this alone. I might be able to support you both." she said concerned.
"I think we'll be able to manage it, what could be in that cabin? It can't be worse than what we faced already." Hein responded.
"Okay then. Don't get yourself killed then, I'm counting on you Ligeia, keep him save." Lily returned upstairs after Ligeia nodded at her. The two headed out and started their journey through the woods to find the cabin. Unlike the Dark Woods the regular woods of this dimension were green and filled with wildlife, mostly insects and small animals though. Beams of sunlight shined through the opening of the trees and according to Ligeia the spots should lead them to the cabin. She somehow got the feeling that would be best, and with nothing else to go on they went for it.
"Is this going to last long?" Dizzy asked after two hours.
"I'm getting the feeling we're almost there!" Ligeia exclaimed and waited for the others to join her. The other two picked up the pace and joined her side. "We're here." she said and pointed at an abandoned cabin in the woods which seemed to not have been taken care of for a couple of years.
"It somehow feels.... familiar." Ligeia murmured, but loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Let's explore it." Hein said.
"Ik looks kinda creepy, but yeah, I'm attached to you." Dizzy joked. The three entered the old cabin. The outside was not taken care well of. The wood seemed to ravel out, vegetation was pouring out from holes and covered most of the outside environment of the home. It could be assumed that the house was empty for a long time now. The inside however also wasn't in the best shape, most furniture lived on the last life and the vegetation also was spread through the inside of the house. And not to forget to mention, it is very very dusty there.
"I wasn't expecting visitors." an unknown distorted voice said.
The three quickly turned around and saw another Slender Man standing in front of them. This one different however very much from the others. Not only did it have the ability to speak but also did he wear the same outfit as Pan had always done.
"I wasn't expecting that someone else already broke in. " Ligeia said. 
"Broke in? I own this place." the Slender Men said. His voice was cracked and distorted much like his appearance which kept distorting.
"I'm sure that this place isn't yours! I know this place! It was warm and cozy, this can never be yours!" she said getting a little emotional although she couldn't pinpoint the exact reason of that.
"Ooow. Back then. I didn't own this place back then. But I remember you now..." it said.
Ligeia made a fist and wanted to attack the creature, but Hein halted her. "Question. Why are you capable of talking? And why are you wearing Pan's outfit?" Hein turned to Ligeia. "He can talk, we need to get answers."
"Those are some serious confronting questions... but I'll answer them." it said displaying no emotion on his faceless head. "Why am I capable of talking? Because I am the perfect Slender Men created, and that immediately ties in with your second question, because I'm the perfect one he granted me with this suit." it answered.
"So Pan was involved in making all these Slender Men?" Hein continued to ask.
"You probably have heard several creepypasta's and urban legends about this 'Slender Man', right? They are kinda true. Pan made a total of five Slender Men, with me being the last one #5, but also the best one." it praised itself. "You all have seen it as one creature while there are multiple. The Slender Man a creature who spirits children away, it kinda makes sense. What we actually do is collect the Lilith and bring them to the Dark Woods for Pan."
"I see, but why are you all still here when all the Lilith have been collected, and freed now already. And the fact that Pan is dead should effect you guys, right?" Hein asked.
"We kinda grew our own consciousness. And I adapted to the creepypasta this world knows us as. Although I'm just pulling the strings from this cabin." it said.
"What happened in this cabin?" Ligeia asked.
"Ah, you want your memories back... that can be arranged. Your remnant is inside of me, so get it out." it revealed six black tentacles coming from its back that all aimed at Ligeia.
===Issue 10: Hollow Remnant===
The tentacles headed towards Ligeia, but were quickly blocked by Hein's scythe. Dizzy had quickly latched onto Hein to protect Ligeia.
"Let me fight that thing. I want what is mine." Ligeia said confident and nodded at Dizzy. The cat detached himself from Hein and now was attached to Ligeia instead. Without wasting a second she send out a waterblast towards SlenderPan. In response the creature teleported away and now stood next to Ligeia.
"Tentacles!" Ligeia shouted and now was able to let her tentacles appear and she grabbed SlenderPan. The faceless head stared into her eyes and then quickly teleported out of her grip. Again Ligeia performed an attack by sending out one of her blowfish bombs. It drifted to SlenderPan who was unaware of its effects. He sliced the bomb with his tentacle which initiated the explosion and blew off the tentacle.
The static around SlenderPan began to become worse and one could see that he was angered. Ligeia noticed that she did hold SlenderPan on the defense and that she was on the offense, she had to keep that it that way.
SlenderPan lifted itself up with four tentacles and rushed towards Ligeia wanting to heavily damage her with his other tentacle. Ligeia was surprised by its speed and had little time to thing. She quickly conjured up a water wall but that only held back a little of the attack and she was still slammed to the side of the cabin. Hein caught Dizzy out of the air and summoned his scythe. He quickly performed a few sliced and the other tentacle was now off as well, now only four remained.
Hein quickly headed over to Ligeia and helped her get up.
SlenderPan laughed "You think you can take me down so easily? Here I come!" the creature teleported to the two and held them in a firm grip of his tentacles against the wall. "Now, what can you do now?"
"If we both had our full powers you wouldn't stand a chance." Hein said.
"Yeah, but guess what. In this dimension your powers are blocked!" it responded.
Dizzy sneaked in his normal cat form behind SlenderPan and transformed into his normal form. "I may not be able to use their powers, but I have my own as well!" the cat said and enlarged his claws and cut off the tentacles that held Hein and Ligeia, leaving the creature with only two of them. Ligeia quickl grabbed Dizzy who transformed back and summoned her eight tentacles and got a hold of SlenderPan's arms, legs and two remaining tentacles.
"Too bad I have eight, huh?" she said with a smirk on her face. She then pushed her two tentacles through the hollow chest of SlenderPan and in the process ripped off his other two tentacles. She retrieved the Lapis Lazuli from inside his chest and dropped the creature to the ground. It appeared to be death as no movement was to be seen of the creature.
"You did it Ligeia!" Hein cheered.
She blushed. "Thanks." she looked at the gemstone in her hands. "This should give me my memories back." she pushed the gemstone into the silver necklace around her neck. Ligeia's eyes widened.
Ligeia saw a little girl with pink hair and an older woman with pink hair sitting in the cabin
They were hugging each other
"I love you mama, I love our life."
"Me too sweetie."
"But why did the others not come along to enjoy this life?"
"I don't know sweetie, but as long as we are together. I have a present for you."
The mother pulled out a silver necklace with a lapis lazuli as gemstone and put it around her daughter's neck
"I love it mama!" 
The mother smiled
Ligeia let out a huge gasp and closed her eyes to calm down.
"What did you see?" Hein asked.
"I think I saw my mother... here in this cabin. But I only got a little piece of my memory back." she sighed. "I wish I could have it all back."
The door suddenly opened and a man was standing in the entrance. The man had long white hair and was wearing a black priest outfit with a crimson coat around him. Around his neck were two necklaces; one with a crucifix and the other with a pentagram.
"That's because it is a hollow remnant. Ligeia you are very important, and if you want to get your memories back follow me."
"What is your name." she asked.
"Call me Father Trip."
END OF VOLUME ONE
==Gallery==
Hein Casual.png|Hein
Dizzy Render.png|Dizzy
Ligeia Render.png|Ligeia
SlenderRender.png|Slenderman
SlenderPan.png|SlenderPan
SamBracer.png|Sam Bracer
Category:Comics
Category:Subpages
Category:Fantendo - Drive
Category:Dark Woods