Jack

* Nightmares
* Mary Skelter 2
* Finale

**Jack** is the main protagonist of *Mary Skelter: Nightmares* and a deuteragonist for *Mary Skelter 2*. He is a Blood Youth, able to utilize his blood to reverse the effects of Corruption on Blood Maidens.

An unfortunate incident in *Mary Skelter 2* would see Jack turned into a Nightmare, but somehow he retains his sanity and kindness, if not his appearance or speech skills.

## Profile

### Appearance

Jack has short, light blue hair and dark blue eyes. Before joining the Dawn, he and Alice wore prisoner rags, torn up from their torture by the Marchens. His pale complexion is a combination of his natural looks and the almost-perpetual anemia he suffers from using his blood for everything from calming Alice to using the Mary Gun.

After joining the Dawn, Jack now wears their uniform, though he only buttons up the top button of the jacket and wears a gray-blue stripe shirt underneath. He wields the Mary Gun with his right hand, with the gun itself being attached by a tube and gauntlet. A holster on his right leg stores the gun when not in use. Around Jack's neck is a pair of headphones, intended to muffle the Jail's cries.

As a Nightmare, Jack is a grotesque parody of a human being, with spindly legs and arms and an upper torso bulging with muscles. His face only has one eye, surrounded by a sideways toothy grin shaped like a crescent moon similar to the emblem on other Nightmares. Vines wrap around his legs and arms, and leaves sprout from the top of his head. Alice's hairpin is embedded into his blackened right arm.

### Personality

Jack is kind but timid, almost a bit of a doormat when it comes to interactions such as those with Kaguya or Thumbelina. He's prone to bouts of self-deprecation due to his perceived lack of ability to contribute to Dawn's efforts. There are times when he feels exasperated or even a bit snarky, particularly when embroiled in arguments between the Blood Maidens.

Jack's Blood Libido manifests as a desire to climb high places, which in the game becomes a desire to ascend the Jail. Compared to the other Maidens, this Blood Libido does not overtly affect Jack's personality.

Jack's helpful and gentle demeanor remains even as a Nightmare, though this is partially stymied by his appearance and his now diminished speech. This seems to be at odds with his nature as a Nightmare, where every battle is a struggle for Jack to keep from lashing out at everything. While the other Blood Maidens and characters can partially understand his mumbling drawls, only Otsuu seems to be able to get the full context of what Jack tries to say.

Jack appears to have become a bit scatterbrained since becoming a Nightmare, occasionally wandering off from the party to pick up random items, though this will sometimes result in gifts that the Blood Maidens enjoy.

### Relationships

#### *Nightmares*

* Alice: After their shared childhood and imprisonment, Alice has come to see Jack as more or less the only reason to continue living, let alone fight for Dawn. She displays a tendency to immediately come to his defense when the others egg on him for various occurrences, except when she's embroiled in an argument and Jack passes by. Then she insists that Jack take her side of the issue. If Jack is ever injured or kidnapped, Alice will be the first to rush to his aid, for better and for worse.
* Red Riding Hood: Red Riding Hood sees Jack as a little brother with some serious guts to challenge he Jail, though she does believe he has a habit of getting into trouble.
* Thumbelina: Thumbelina's relations with Jack are a tad rocky, given the sheer number of times she's witnessed Jack in what can be described as "lucky pervert" events and his penchant for (inadvertently) seducing girls. She does admit that Jack has his reliable moments.
* Cinderella:
* Kaguya: Kaguya is initially neutral to Jack at best, given her disinclination towards any manner of exertion or social interaction. It later evolves(?) to Kaguya seeing Jack as a sort of on-call servant.
* Gretel: Gretel sees Jack as an unusually kind boy, given his reluctance to fight Hansel. He also makes a good test subject whenever she has a hypothesis or potion to try out.
* Rapunzel: As the person to feed her sweets, Rapunzel sees Jack as a good person who gives her tasty food.
* Hameln: As the precious person of her "lady" Alice, Hameln sees Jack as someone in need of protection.

#### *Mary Skelter 2*

* Otsuu: Otsuu is basically the only one who can get the full context of Nightmare Jack's drawling speech. She tends to be the one to translate his more complex messages.
* Little Mermaid: A friendly acquaintance before becoming a Nightmare. Afterwards, the two get along as mutual members of Otsuu's social circle. Jack also enjoys Little Mermaid's singing, to the point where he will dance along or stand entranced by it.
* Gretel: Gretel holds an interest in Jack as he's the only other Nightmare besides Hansel to not only display intellect and the ability to speak, but actually make use of it. As a result, Jack has a mild fear of Gretel and her zany experiments regarding him.
* Hansel: The two hold little acquaintance with each other beyond both of them being Nightmares.
* Rapunzel: Rapunzel sees Jack as a fun person to play with and climb on.
* Thumbelina: Initially, Thumbelina sees Jack as a potentially dangerous asset, as despite his blood's ability to negate Corruption and Blood Skelter, she's still wary of his nature as a Nightmare. After certain events lead to her sisters nearly dying, Thumbelina gradually warms up to the rest of the party, Jack included.
* Snow White: Snow White is initially put off by Jack's intimidating appearance, but eventually comes around.

## History

Jack has no memory of what happened to his parents, though the presence of a Marchen corpse from where he came to seems to imply his parents were captured and/or killed.

Jack spent his childhood in the same unnamed village where Alice grew up. After an incident where Jack became a decoy to some children bullying Alice, the two forged a strong connection. Sometime before the beginning of the game, Jack and Alice are captured and imprisoned in the Jail.

## Story

#### Prologue

As prisoners, Jack and Alice are tortured by the Marchens on a daily basis, their only solace amidst the Jail's pleased wails being each other and conversations with their cell neighbors. One day, after being returned to their cell, the duo hears a commotion outside and discover that the Marchens were killed. A girl with a hood suddenly appears and, after confirming that she is "the one", drags Alice with her. Intent on staying at Alice's side, Jack follows the girls outside the cell.

The girl introduces herself as Red Riding Hood, a Blood Maiden like Alice, whose mission is to find others like them to help them escape the Jail. After successfully defeating Marchens with her, Alice decides to join her on the condition that Jack may accompany them.

During their escape, the group encounters a Nightmare, an invincible monster who roams the Jail. With no other choice but to run, the group is forced to abandon the other escapees and flee. Alice, after witnessing the Nightmare slaughter the escapees and being told there's nothing anyone can do about it, goes berserk. Red Riding Hood recognizes Alice's state as "Blood Skelter", and tells Jack to leave her. Jack ignores her warnings and approaches Alice anyway, causing the berserk Blood Maiden to injure him and splatter his blood on and around her. In that moment, Alice somehow reverts back to her normal self, much to Red Riding Hood's surprise. Jack remains conscious despite his injuries and is carried by the girls as they make their escape.

#### Joining the Dawn

Jack is brought to Dawn's HQ in the Liberated District. With his wounds patched up, he's soon introduced to the main members of Dawn's support staff; Haru the weapons manufacturer, Miko the doctor, and the Professor, the de-facto leader and head researcher. The Professor is curious as to how Jack's blood can revert Blood Skelter, but decides to put off any research for later. Jack and Alice are then sent to the Rescue Center, where Miko performs a basic physical exam. The doctor explains how Massacre, Blood Skelter, and Corruption work, and then extracts some of Jack's blood for research purposes. The two are sent to their own rooms, where Jack takes a moment to think about his past, and curses his powerlessness to protect Alice. Alice comes knocking on his door, and talks about how she can't quite forgive herself for injuring him in Blood Skelter. Jack alleviates her concerns, and the conversation switches to Alice's decision to work with Red Riding Hood to escape the Jail. Jack is concerned about the risk to her life, but they make a mutual promise to stay alive, no matter what.

#### Chapter 1

Jack wakes up in his room at Dawn, surprised that he's no longer in a cell. Red Riding Hood enters his room bringing a set of clothes made for him. Jack is uncertain why he's being cared for like this, given his lack of ability to contribute, but his concerns are dismissed, and he's told to meet the Professor after getting dressed. Alice soon comes along, also dressed in new clothes. While the two are slightly suspicious at how Dawn has rooms and clothes already prepared for them, they quickly put it aside in favor of the impending meeting.

In his lab, the Professor explains how they discovered Blood Skelter only through the sacrifice of a young Blood Maiden, and that they were unwilling to risk any more for the sake of research. After a few questions to Jack, the Professor adjourns the meeting by telling Red Riding Hood to give them a tour of the Liberated District.

After touring the Liberated District and familiarizing himself with inhabitants such as the exceedingly lazy Blood Maiden Kaguya, the gatekeeper Towa, and the religious group the Order of the Sun, Jack joins Alice and Red Riding Hood (against Miko's wishes) on a trip to gather magnolia leaves from the City Streets. In doing so, they discover a core, one of several empowering the Jail according to the Professor. The man wishes them destroyed, so Red Riding Hood does just that and takes a piece for the lab to study after dealing with a large Marchen that seemingly appears to protect the core. When the area's Nightmare shows up again, Jack and co. are surprised when they fight it and the beast somehow feels weaker than usual. Seeing a possibility, the party resumes their attack and destroys the Nightmare, returning to Dawn HQ with a sense of triumph. While the other at Dawn are happy to know the existence of cores and the mortality of Nightmares, they're also displeased at Red Riding Hood bringing Alice and Jack beyond the Liberated District's walls without prior approval. The Professor is just relieved that they did not encounter Snark, a Nightmare so powerful it obliterated the Dawn and their escape attempts 15 years ago. There's more bad news to be had, however. The results of studying Jack's blood have come in, and while his blood *does* have anti-Corruption properties, that same property makes him incapable of combat with a Blood Weapon, as the Marchen parts needed to manufacture them rust into useless scrap without the Corruption in them. Mundane weapons that can significantly injure Marchens like guns are rare, so Jack is effectively forced to stay back in all operations. The reassurances from those around him are cold comfort, as the Professor adjourns the meeting and advises everyone to get some rest.

#### Chapter 2

Waking up from a dream about his and Alice's past, Jack bursts into Haru's workshop early in the morning. He boldly asks Haru to make him a weapon using his blood so he can convince the Professor to let him enter the front with the Blood Maidens. Haru is moved by Jack's stubborn resolution and promises to make him a weapon, but Jack will need to persuade the Professor himself. Later, Jack convinces Miko to assist with the creation of such a weapon before going to bed for the day. He is soon awoken by Alice, who says an emergency meeting has been called at the Rescue Center. Arriving in the medical ward, he spies two Blood Maidens, their eyes pink from blood exposure and their bodies covered in wounds. The two blubber on about how a Nightmare showed up in the Graveyard and captured their sister Thumbelina. The Professor deploys Alice and Red Riding Hood to the Graveyard, ordering Jack to stay behind. Once the two have left, Jack readies to follow them before Haru walks into the room, having finally completed Jack's "weapon". Dubbed the "Mary Gun", it attaches to his wrist and sips from his blood to fire it at high velocities. Jack uses this tool on the two Blood Maidens, whose show signs of impending Blood Skelter, and purges their Corruption. Witnessing this, the Professor is convinced, allowing Jack to sortie with the newly-introduced Snow White and Sleeping Beauty to rescue Thumbelina from the Graveyard.

Soon after entering the Graveyard, Jack and co. reunite with Alice and Red Riding Hood, who are stuck in their tracks by a wall. Alice is reluctant to let Jack risk his life on the front and with his gun, but soon relents in face of his resolve. The party then makes their way through the dungeon until they finally find Thumbelina locked in a cell. They dispatch the Marchen guarding it and free the Blood Maiden, to everyone's rejoicing.

Deeper in the Graveyard, the party finds the area's core, and sensing the Nightmare's approach, destroy it. Triumphing against the beast after a pitched battle, Jack soon faints from overuse of the Mary Gun. Jack wakes up in his room with Alice watching over him, before Thumbelina enters with a message from the Professor. In commendation of Jack's actions, Dawn has approved his deployment into the field alongside the Blood Maidens. Jack is elated to hear this, then is struck by Thumbelina almost immediately after for misjudging her age in relation to her diminutive size.

#### Chapter 3

Waking up to a ringing phone, Jack receives a call from the Professor, asking to meet him in the lab in 15 minutes. In his rush to make it, he bumps into a blue-haired girl, scattering her cleaning utensils everywhere. The girl takes a moment to reprimand him for his excuses before letting him on his way.

Jack arrives in the lab and is egged on a little by the Blood Maidens for sleeping in before the Professor begins the meeting. He outlines their progress in destroying cores and Nightmares and remarks that the Jail Tower has begun to grow higher. Jack and the girls are curious as to why this is happening when the Professor explains it. The cores acts as regulators on the Jail's growth, distributing energy and resources to allow each area to expand. By destroying the cores and cutting off the flow, the allocated resources are repurposed into the main Tower, causing it to increase in height in a fashion similar to that of trimming branches on a plant. The Professor is intent on expediting the process of core destruction before the Jail begins to adapt tolerance and contingency to the loss of cores. He's planned out two areas where Dawn has committed their scouting efforts; the Temple area past the City Streets, and the Downtown area past the Graveyard. Both are of strategic importance, but neither one is more important than the other, and the Blood Maidens leave the decision in Jack's hands (While there is a choice divergence here, the canonical decision appears to be Downtown).

#### Chapter 3.1: Dowtown

Jack makes the decision to enter the Downtown area, as it's past the Graveyard area where they saved Thumbelina. The girl in question finds it a pretty sentimental reasoning, but Red Riding Hood believes gut instincts shouldn't be ignored. The Professor interjects with the news that it's now possible to enter the main Tower of the Jail, though it's not recommended since Dawn hasn't been able to scout the area yet.

As the meeting winds down, the blue-haired girl from earlier that morning barges into the lab, declaring her participation in the mission. Jack is confused as to who she is before the others introduce her as Cinderella. Before Red Riding Hood's mission to the City Streets, Cinderella went out by herself and was presumed missing or dead after a long period of no contact. It seems as though she got back some time ago, but was overlooked in the flurry of activity following the discovery of Alice and Jack. After a moment where Alice and Cinderella argue about the latter's recklessness and the risk of Blood Skelter, Jack interjects by saying he understands both their feelings of not wanting to burden the others while also wanting everyone to stay safe. After purging her Corruption, Jack asks why Cinderella was not approved to go on missions. Red Riding Hood explains that Cinderella's penchant for close-combat (a.k.a. beating Marchens to death with her fists and feet) causes a lot of blood to splatter on her, which is good because of Massacre, but bad because of Corruption. When questioned why Cinderella did not immediately report back, she's embarrassed to say that she got caught up in cleaning the entirety of Dawn HQ, to various expressions of exasperation. With the meeting brought to a close, the party prepares for their mission.

Arriving in the Downtown area, the party is ambushed by a Nightmare right in the front of the entrance. The party is relieved to escape until Cinderella lets loose a scream. In fleeing from the Nightmare, one of Cinderella's glass slipper earrings was dropped. Jack and Red Riding Hood don't see the issue, but Cinderella is inconsolable. Thumbelina tries to brush off her concerns until Cinderella riles her up with certain statements. Alice defuses the tension by proposing they look for the earring as they explore the area, mollifying Cinderella.

As the party explores the Downtown area, Cinderella is increasingly distraught as the earring is nowhere to be found. The party consoles her on the lack of results, with the Blood Maidens expressing how they can relate to her feelings. Suddenly, the area darkens again, and the party is cornered by the Nightmare. Jack is narrowly saved from an ambush thanks to Cinderella, but just as Red Riding Hood suggests a retreat, Cinderella spots her earring stuck on the Nightmare's body. The Blood Maiden is insistent on fighting the Nightmare to get it back, but since the Nightmare is invincible while the core remains, the others drag her away. Cinderella is vexed about the state of her earring, but her focus is now on doing whatever needs to be done to get it back from the Nightmare. Red Riding Hood confirms their plans to destroy the core, and the party proceeds deeper into the area.

As the party proceeds into the area, they become confident in their odds of success after dealing with so many Marchens along the way. In the process of navigating rugged terrain, Red Riding Hood's hood is caught on a wall, and she can't remove it. Jack takes a moment to remove the hood from her shoulders, to the suddenly meek girl's gratitude. Red Riding Hood is fretful about any dirt or tears on her hood, then elaborates that the hood is a precious object to her, as she feels uneasy without anything over her head. The party assures her quirks are not abnormal, and proceed deeper into the area.

Reaching the depths of Downtown, the party comes across the core, guarded by a giant Marchen. Dispatching both guardian and core, the party soon plans to defeat the Nightmare and reclaim Cinderella's earring. After a tough battle, the beast is vanquished, but suddenly it begins to speak. It drawls the message "I... S...orr...y... Snaaark!" into a mysterious square object before it explodes. Jack jumps into the explosion to protect the earring, and when questioned by Cinderella, he replies that it was something undoubtedly important to her. The last thing Jacks sees before his conscious fades is the shattered remains of the object the Nightmare had.

Waking up in the Rescue Center, Jack finds Miko and Cinderella watching over him. The latter is immensely worried for him, and asks why he protected the earring. Jack relates to her his desire to climb the Jail, and that everyone seems to have something or other they won't budge on, so she shouldn't worry about it. As Cinderella leaves the room, Miko comments to Jack that the Blood Maidens are getting along and coordinating better, and everyone seems happier overall, before asking him to return to his room and rest.

Jack, still wobbly from his recent recovery, is caught by Towa before he hits the floor. The man comments that he should get some rest and eat some more food, but then gets a call from his transceiver. Jack recognizes the shape and sound of it as similar, if not identical to, the one the Nightmare spoke into as it died. Jack brushes these thoughts off as conjecture, and is caught by Alice before he tumbles to the floor again. He remarks that everyone seems to have forgotten to report to the Professor, before asking Alice if she has anything in particular she fixates on. Alice remarks on her habit of getting into arguments since she gets bothered by seemingly inane and nonsensical conversations, before the two of them decide to look into the quirks and fixations of the other Blood Maidens. After passing a message to Clara, who tells them the Professor's in a heavy talk right now and can't have visitors, Jack and Alice retire to their rooms.

#### Chapter 3.2: Temple

Having overslept again, Jack is called by the Professor to meet up in his lab. Thumbelina and Red Riding Hood tease him for sleeping in, but Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty are sympathetic to his fatigue from using the Mary Gun. While there aren't any pressing topics on the agenda, the Professor does comment that Clara brought him Jack's message about the Nightmare being able to speak, which is a surprise to Miko and Haru. The Professor has never seen or heard anything like this before, so he plans to look into it later. The meeting ends with the party planning the enter the Temple Area.

As the meeting closes, a flustered Kaguya barges into the room, asking the party not to go to the Temple area. The party is confused at her insistence, but Kaguya refuses to elaborate and flees. The Professor remarks on this oddity as their scouts didn't find any unusual dangers or features to the area outside of the usual Marchens and hazards. The party makes their preparations for the expedition, though Jack begins to notice oddities in Dawn such as Marchens not attacking Haru or Towa disposing of the Professor's Marchen specimens.

Entering the Temple area, the party's efforts are soon halted by a wall of fire. The dilemma stumps everyone for a moment until Red Riding Hood gets the idea of dragging Kaguya with them. The girls are uncertain they'll get through to the lazy Blood Maiden, but according to her, Jack will be key to the plan.

Returning back to Dawn HQ, the party tries to recruit Kaguya, but even in face of their reasoning, she refuses to do any work. Jack suddenly remembers the conversation they had way back, and proposes that she help them if they gather her "five treasures". Kaguya says she'll consider the offer, then nudges them out of the room. Thumbelina is uncertain about this idea, but then the party comes to the realization that Kaguya's five treasures are likely hidden within the Temple area itself. With that in mind, they scour the Temple looking for treasures.

The party finds four of five treasures in the area, but are stumped as to where the fifth would be. Red Riding Hood proposes coercing Kaguya into helping by force, but is rapidly shot down. Jack gets the idea to ask Kaguya for a clue to the final treasure, and they return to Dawn HQ. There, Kaguya asks why they bother going through the effort of trying to destroy cores and escape the Jail before demanding the four treasures. Jack refuses, when suddenly, the treasures light up, revealing that Kaguya was hiding the final treasure this whole time. Angrily, the party questions her reasons before she storms off in a huff. Searching for Kaguya, Towa by the gates tells them he saw Kaguya running off to the City Streets, and they theorize she went to the Temple area. The party goes there to find Kaguya attacked by Marchens and intervene. Kaguya wonders why they're not yelling at her, and disbelieves their declaration as her friends. She talks of her past, how she fought Marchens for her home village and was feared for her power, to the point where they ostracized her and took her treasures. Jack understands her reason for disliking humans, and proposes she instead work for the sake of her fellow Blood Maidens, which she tentatively agrees to. Kaguya mentions she saw some Marchens carrying off prisoners, and the party moves to free them.

Finding the imprisoned humans, the party is surprised to hear that the Order of the Sun's teaching are apparently known to them. Just as Red Riding Hood is about to free the prisoners, the area darkens as the Temple Nightmare approaches. The party attempts to flee, but this agitates the prisoners who think they're being abandoned. Their disparaging accusations of the party being monsters like the Marchens brings Kaguya's trauma screaming to the fore. This is not helped by the fact that like the Downtown Nightmare, this one can also speak, except it drawls about how it must capture Kaguya. With no time to settle tensions, the party makes their escape.

With the Nightmare well behind them, the party takes a moment to cool their heels. Alice is suspicious at how the Order members made it deep into the Jail to spread their teachings if they're not combat capable like Dawn, but Thumbelina, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty head off any accusations. The party soon drops the conversation and gets back on track to finding and destroying the core.

Moving into the Temple, the party finds several Marchen carcasses, some of which look to have been torn up from inside. Nobody knows who or what could possibly manage this, but it reminds Red Riding Hood of some of the feats the old members of Dawn achieved 15 years ago, having fought Marchens and establishing the Liberated District even before the appearance of Blood Maidens. With that tidbit out in the open, the party ponders what could destroy a Marchen guts-first before moving on.

The party finds and destroys the Temple area's core. Proceeding onward, the party finds themselves in a large tower before they hear the familiar screeches of the Nightmare. Suddenly, the ground begins to shake, and they peer outside to find the Nightmare has grown as large as the tower itself. The tower shudders with each attack by the Nightmare, but with some ingenuity and old weapons in the tower, they climb up and slay the Nightmare piecemeal.

With the Nightmare defeated, the party moves to escorting the prisoners to the Liberated District. The prisoners are elated, praising the Sun and Lady Oohime. Thumbelina remarks that she understands Kaguya's dislike of humans, given how quickly they went from cursing their names to singing their praises. The party decides to table the conversation and move back to Dawn HQ.

Back at HQ, the party is making their report to the Professor. While he's happy about the destruction of the core, he's more elated by the fact that Kaguya is finally cooperating with the mission.

Jack departs from HQ with Alice when they hear a commotion outside. They ask Towa about it, and it seems that the Order is holding a celebration to welcome the new escapees. Alice still has her suspicions as to how Order proselytizers could traverse the Jail as freely as they seemingly do, but leaves it be as the two retire back to their rooms.

#### Chapter 4

Jack is awoken again by the Professor's call, telling everyone to meet in the lab. On the way, he bumps into Clara, who says some awfully suspicious things. Apparently, she completely forgot to tell the Professor about the talking Nightmare and got scolded by Haru for it, which is odd, since there was nobody nearby who could've heard it, but the Professor still mentioned it anyway. The concerns are quickly put aside as the morning meeting looms.

In the lab, Jack finds unexpected guests in the form of Michiru and Hitsuka. After a brief moment of reunion with Snow White, Thumbelina, and Sleeping Beauty, the two Order leaders speak with the Professor of a special investigation request, two of them, in actuality.

The first is the rumor of a girl walking around with a Nightmare in the Dorm area past the Temple. Red Riding Hood and the Professor are surprised to hear this, as they lost some scouts to that area some time ago and investigations have stalled since. The Order believes this rumor to have some merit, as it came from one of their faithful who recently returned from that area. Michiru says she can see a young girl, lost and astray within the labyrinth, but she quickly goes into a minor fit before Chiaki calms her down.

After settling that matter, Chiaki speaks about the next rumor, passed on by some faithful who have returned from the Waterside area past Downtown. Rumors speak of a golden hairball wandering the area, killing Marchens and stealing supplies from missionaries sent there.

Chiaki wishes Dawn to investigate these rumors, save anyone they find, and alleviate the worries of the faithful. The Professor agrees with this plan, as he was going to send the party to investigate these areas anyway.

The team weighs the pros and cons of each area. Kaguya is interested in the golden hairball, and Haru's concerned about the risk of entering the Dorm area where they have confirmed casualties, while Miko reminds them that they have no information regarding this golden hairball. The Professor proposes the group split into two teams and have one rest while the other investigates, but the suggestion is turned down, not only because Jack would be unable to rest, but because it feels as though the Blood Team is coming together in terms of cooperation.

Which is mildly ironic, because in the next moment, the team is once again split on where to go first, leaving the choice up to Jack. (There's yet another divergence point here, but the canonical decision seems to be the Dorm)

#### Chapter 4.1: Dorm

Arriving in the Dorm area, Thumbelina remarks how the area doesn't look so different from the rest before Alice reminds her that people have disappeared here. All the while, the Jail's moans grow in increasing frequency and creepiness. Everyone comments how creepy the noises make the area, almost like a ghost could pop out, much to Red Riding Hood's consternation.

The Blood Team comes across a girl in glasses in one of the hallways, startling Red Riding Hood. The girl asks who everyone is, but just as Jack is about to introduce them, Alice interjects and demands the girl introduce herself first. The girl obliges and tells them her name is Gretel. Just at they're about to question her in regards to the rumors, she suddenly vanishes. Everyone is startled until Kaguya surmises that it was a special ability Gretel used since she didn't notice any item use. Everyone agrees that Gretel is a Blood Maiden, but if such is the case, why are there rumors of her being close to a Nightmare? They hypothesize that Gretel may be something else entirely, but shelve any further discussion until they get a feel of the area.

After a while of wandering, the party feels as though they're looping back to the same area. While they're distressed at the idea of flailing about like this, they continue onwards.

The seemingly endless loops take their toll, with Cinderella and Kaguya already starting to crack. Jack wonders why the worst of it seems to be endless loops when whoever is doing this could make deadlier traps. Rather, the whole thing feels like an elaborate prank for someone to laugh at their fumbling. The party thinks on this, then is horrified at this idea of a "prank" that kills people. Jack then theorizes that there must be some manner of clue or hint, or at least a way out implemented by the creator. He then notices several white stones dotting the floor, almost as if they were a trail out. The party is happy to have some manner of lead, and follows the stone trail.

Meeting Gretel once again, she's surprised that they broke out of the maze at all, let alone going to meet her. They find it odd that she set this manner of trap, but Gretel merely replies that anyone should know their home inside-out. Yes, Gretel considers the Dorm area, and all its noisy "cute" Marchens her home. She even refers to herself as a Nightmare, much to everyone's disbelief. She states she's been living here with her brother Hansel since she was born. The party wonders who Hansel is, when Gretel introduces him. Hansel is a Nightmare, a hulking beast who, like the last two, is somehow capable of speech. Jack attempts to defuse the tension, but Gretel has tired of "intruders" in her home, and orders Hansel to dispose of them. With no other choice, the party retreats.

Having escaped Hansel, the party thinks back on how it behaved, almost as if it was protecting Gretel. Whatever the case, it's undeniable that those two are the girl and the Nightmare from the rumors, and judging by their behavior, they are completely aware of their actions and show no remorse for killing people. Jack tells Alice not to jump to conclusions so quickly, but the party is conflicted, since their goal to destroy the Jail's core will likely put them at odds with Hansel and Gretel. They plan to reattempt diplomacy with Gretel, but continue on their way to finding the core.

Deeper in the Dorm, the party meets Gretel once more. She comments on their plan to destroy the core as their "duty", and finds it interesting. Jack attempts to speak with her again, when Gretel suddenly decides to grab him and warp to another part of the Dorm. Gretel remarks that Jack isn't like the other intruders she's had before, though she still won't let him off easy for his intrusion. The two converse on various topics, such as the walls with "eyes" in each area that almost seem to be watching them and the nature of Blood Maidens. Upon hearing of their strength and their ability to feed on Marchen blood, Gretel admits to Jack that perhaps she herself is a Blood Maiden. When he tells her of their plan to escape the Jail by destroying cores to grow the Tower, Gretel remarks that the Marchens do much the same in nurturing the areas of the Jail. Jack is shocked at this idea, before moving on to ask about Hansel. It seems like he and Gretel are very close, so Jack is unsure whether they actually need to fight before or after the core is destroyed, to which Gretel bluntly replies that they must fight since Nightmares are the enemy of Dawn. Gretel remarks on Jack's kindness before pointing him towards the exit as she takes her leave. Jack reunites with a quasi-hysterical Alice and a relieved Blood Team, who briefly become dead-set on beating up Gretel for threatening Jack before Red Riding Hood reminds them of their main objective.

Upon reaching and destroying the Dorm's core, Gretel appears before the party once more. Gretel remarks that she's never heard the Jail scream like that before, and theorizes the core was life support for both the Jail and Hansel. Alice refuses to apologize for doing the deed because of Gretel's callous treatment of people who enter the Dorm and die. Gretel replies that Hansel was the one to kill them, and they were intruders to her home, slaughtering Marchens every which way they went. Tension seems to rise again, when Jack proposes Gretel come with them, to learn more of the world and the Jail. Thumbelina accuses Jack of trying to seduce Gretel, but Gretel merely laughs at Jack's idea, tempted by the prospect of new knowledge. She refuses, however she does offer to let Jack and the others off scot-free, just this once, before departing. Everyone wonders if they can really leave like this, since leaving would mean whoever next enters the Dorm will become a victim of Hansel. Moreover, there's always the risk that Gretel could enter Blood Skelter out here. But Dawn has no way to support keeping Hansel, and would likely see him as a test subject, so the party has no choice but to confront Hansel and Gretel. Alice is uncertain of this course of action, but Red Riding Hood, acting as the eldest Blood Maiden, declares that she'll bear the brunt of the blame.

The party once again meets Hansel, accompanied by Gretel who marvels at how they squandered her mercy. In response to Red Riding Hood claiming responsibility for this, she marvels at the idea they can attribute human emotions to her, to say nothing of their confidence in winning against Hansel. Hansel bids Gretel to stand back, and faces the Blood Team.

The party wounds Hansel, exposing the grotesque body underneath. Gretel watches on with a sad look, causing Jack and Snow White to hesitate on continuing this course of action. Alice and Thumbelina steer them back on track, telling them that pitying Hansel like this would insult his resolve to protect what he holds dear. The most they can do now is give him a painless death.

Hansel finally collapses from his wounds, spilling blood all over Gretel and the Dorm. Gretel's eyes change color, revealing her status as a Blood Maiden. Hansel apologizes for failing to protect their home, and Gretel merely tells him it's fine. Hansel bids Gretel to live on before he finally disappears, leaving Jack to wonder if this was really the right choice. Upon seeing Gretel's eye color, he panics and splashes her with the Mary Gun, thinking she was at risk of Blood Skelter. Gretel remarks on how her Blood Maiden powers and emotions associated with them were locked deep within her this whole time, the nature of such statements making the party think understanding her will be a task in and of itself. Red Riding Hood asks if she really going to leave her home, but Gretel replies that Hansel told her it was fine, and with him gone, there's no longer anything binding her to the Dorm. Now she wishes to sate her curiosity regarding her nature as a Blood Maiden and the secrets of the world around her. The party soon makes their way back to the Liberated District.

Back at HQ, Jack thinks on how Gretel really had no qualms about joining Dawn, though there may be some teething problems regarding her personality. Speak of the devil, Gretel barges into Jack's room without knocking, being unfamiliar with human social cues. Jack asks her why she's in his room before Gretel grabs him again, warping the two to an area outside the Liberated District. She wishes to speak with him in private, as she's not quite sure how to handle the others yet, and Jack seems to have a unique brand of kindness given what happened with Hansel. Gretel airs her suspicions regarding the secrets of Dawn, starting with everyone's seemingly random fixations and urges. This causes Jack to flashback to his talk with Cinderella, about his desire to climb the Jail and relating it to her fixation on her jewelry. Gretel remarks that in some ways, Alice is a lot like her, wishing to find logic in the world rather than seeking emotion from it, save for special exceptions like Jack and Hansel. She then reveals that she read a lot of books in the Dorm, and a few of them had stories featuring characters with names just like those in the Blood Team. Jack is surprised at this, but Gretel merely thinks it interesting that their names could be linked to their fixations. Also of note to her is the purpose of Marchens, which Dawn has never elaborated beyond their threat to humanity. The Marchens have a role in nurturing the Jail by spilling blood to feed it, make the air ring with screams to lull it to sleep, having surfaces licked to sate its libido. Jack wonders why they seemed to capture humans to do so when Gretel's Marchens only ever did so with each other. Gretel then says that Hansel never attacked humans until it was confirmed they were "intruders", which should run contrary to what Dawn and the Blood Team know about Nightmare behavior. Also of note is the fact that the Dorm never had the wall with the "eye" that they previously spoke of, because Gretel refused to abide any intruders, including members of Dawn. The end theory is that someone from Dawn is working with the Jail itself to monitor them all. Jack is shocked, but Gretel points out more oddities in Dawn, such as their ability to find so many of these ostensibly rare Blood Maidens alive, and the fact their escape plans never got moving until Jack's blood was made an asset. With a final suggestion to keep their rendezvous secret, Gretel warps them back to HQ.

In the lab, the Professor congratulates the Blood Team on destroying the Dorm's core, and remarks that Lady Michiru is pleased with the results. He thens comments how sad it was that they were forced to kill Hansel, bringing the mood down before he switches rails to formally welcome Gretel to Dawn. Greetings are exchanged, and the subject then changes to the Blood Team's mission to explore the Waterside area to investigate the golden hairball.

#### Chapter 4.2: Waterside

In the Waterside area, the party comes across the rumored "golden hairball", as it appears to be eating something. It spots the party, stands up, and flees deeper into the area. Nobody is certain exactly what it is or what it was eating in such a barren place, but press on to find out more.

The party finds the hairball again, but just as it attempts to flee, Sleeping Beauty begins to placate it. Jack tries to speak with the hairball, but it gets startled and flees, causing him to get scolded by the others. Everyone is certain the creature is female, either a Blood Maiden or a Nightmare, but they can't tell without getting closer. It's in that moment that Jack comes up with a plan, one that renders Thumbelina shocked at his deviousness.

Sleeping Beauty lies on the ground, surrounded by a pile of candies with a few of them trailing from the main pile. The hairball is soon tempted by the delicious candies and into the main pile. Just as she gets close enough to notice Sleeping Beauty, the party jumps out and pens her in, leading her right into Sleeping Beauty's arms.

The hairball is in their grasp, but she continues to snarl at anyone who gets too close. Jack gets the idea to tempt her with one of the many sweets they have, and she devours it with gusto. She asks Jack for more, but he promises to get her more when they're done talking. Going through introductions, the hairball addresses herself as Rapunzel, and calls Jack a "good person" for giving her delicious food. She's still wary of the other Blood Maidens, but Jack introduces them as his friends, placating her with the promise of getting to eat more food if she follows them. Everyone is curious as to what she's been eating all this time, when Rapunzel introduces her "usual meal" as none other than the walls of the Jail. In shock, they point out the pink around her mouth, which Rapunzel licks up, causing her eyes to change color and revealing her status as a Blood Maiden. The party briefly ponders on what Marchens and the Jail taste like before diverting back on topic. Cinderella moves in to groom Rapunzel's long hair before she lets out a startled yelp. Jack asks what's wrong before Thumbelina yells at him to turn away. Turns out that Rapunzel is...not wearing any clothes under all that hair, much to everyone's embarrassment. Thumbelina orders Jack to go back to HQ and get Rapunzel some clothes while the others stay and watch over her. Alice accompanies Jack to protect him, after Rapunzel extracts a promise from Jack that he will return.

Back at the Liberated District, Dawn's staff wonder why only Jack and Alice have come back when he explains the situation. Haru hands Jack some clothes, calling them "Thumbelina's spares", but it seems to Jack that the clothes are almost tailored for someone else already. Jack questions this, and it turns out Haru is the one handling the production and maintenance of their clothes, much to the man's embarrassment.

Jack and Alice return to the Waterfront, where Jack is told to look away as the others dress Rapunzel. With the young girl dressed, she's eager to show everyone the place where she was born for some odd reason, but Red Riding Hood promises to do so while they're looking for the area's core.

Deeper in the area, the party finds the Waterside core and destroy it along with its guardian. Rapunzel starts digging through the core and Marchen's internals, much to everyone's shock and Jack's reproach. They then move to find and eliminate the Waterside Nightmare.

As they find and eliminate the Waterside Nightmare, Rapunzel becomes disappointed as the beast's corpse fades, leaving nothing for her to eat. As Jack attempts to redirect her attention towards something more immediately palatable, Rapunzel suddenly notices something and runs off. The Blood Team follows her to an area void of anything save for a single Marchen corpse, with its stomach torn inside-out like a number of others across the Jail. As Rapunzel explains that this is where she woke up, Kaguya lets out a scream. She goes into a state of hyperventilation, and the Blood Team decides to return to HQ so everyone can rest.

A little ways away from the Liberated District, Kaguya continues to remain silent after coming down from her episode. The Blood Team worries for her, but Jack is concerned she may close herself further if everyone were to pile on her, so they agree to have Jack speak with her in private. As the two converse, Kaguya suddenly asks Jack for reassurance that everyone will be her friend no matter what. He gives it to her, and she promises to explain everything later in the night.

Night falls, and Kaguya gathers the Blood Team on Dawn's rooftop. Just as she's about to speak, Jack arranges for Gretel to warp everyone outside the Liberated District, just as she did while speaking with him. Out there in private, Kaguya asks the Blood Team about the Marchen corpses with torn stomachs, and if any of them can remember their childhoods. She reveals something that shocks everyone but Rapunzel; Blood Maidens are born from the stomachs of Marchens. She explains that she heard this fact when a person she thought of as her parent was in the process of foisting her off to the Professor. They explained the circumstances behind them finding her, and he listened with interest. Kaguya didn't want to believe anything she heard was true, but she found herself unable to deny it after discovering Rapunzel's place. Everyone is in disbelief, since neither the Professor nor Michiru spoke of this, though Kaguya believes this was a kindness on their parts. Gretel suspects otherwise, but her comments begin to rile up the others, particularly when Cinderella rounds on Jack and Alice, asking why they seem so calm. Jack denies being so cool in face of these revelations, as Alice explains that this simply provides context for why she and Jack were ostracized by those of their village. Red Riding Hood and Thumbelina try to wrap their heads around it before Snow White suddenly shouts for everyone to stop. She asks for everyone to stop arguing, since Kaguya wanted them to know these truths, even if it led to them shunning her for revealing them. Kaguya explains that even if they shunned her for revealing this, she wanted to tell them, along with expressing her gratitude for everyone being her friend. Everyone takes a moment to wind down from the tension, as Kaguya cries tears of joy that everyone continues to accept her before they return home to rest.

The next morning, the Blood Team once again meets in the lab. The Professor tells them that thanks to their efforts in growing the Tower, their escape plan is in its final stages. But first, he has something to tell them, something that he only confirmed thanks to Rapunzel and Gretel, as he was reluctant to share it without sufficient proof. Holding their breath, the Blood Team listens to the Professor's explanation. It turns out the Jail's mimicry cannot affect the infants contained within pregnant women. These mothers, even with their Marchen bodies, incubate the child until it bursts from their bellies, resulting in children with special powers. In other words, Blood Maidens and Blood Youths. Gretel summarizes everyone as a Marchen-human hybrid, one that Miko explains holds certain quirks referred to as their Blood Libido. The Professor intentionally thought these traits were an instability in a Blood Maiden's mental healh, but reevaluated it as a unique trait after Gretel joined. Miko explains that this is neither good nor bad, merely an eccentricity of particular note. The Professor wonders why the Blood Team is silent, and they explain they heard it from Rapunzel and discussed it amongst themselves. The support staff are quietly proud of everyone's growth, and the Professor closes the meeting by declaring today a free day for everyone to rest and mingle.

Outside, Gretel converse with Jack and Alice, though it seems she hasn't quite gotten the hang of speaking without aggravating Alice. Snow White briefly attempts to speak with Jack, but quickly flees.

Back in his room, Jack is unable to relax given the things he's learned and the speed of developments. A knock from his door reveals Snow White, who asks to speak with about something she cannot share even with her sisters. She wonders why the Professor only brought up the origins of Blood Maidens now, given that the Blood Team would be in shock and disbelief if they did not hear it from Kaguya and Rapunzel first. Moreover, the other Dawn staff seemed almost nonchalant about such a revelation. Jack explains that he and Gretel have their own suspicions, and the two promise each other to become stronger so everyone can escape together.

**"I think it will prove interesting if you keep what we shared here secret"**

The following may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk!

#### Chapter 7

The next morning, the Blood Team meets the Professor and Haru in the lab. They ask him why the sentience of Nightmares is a recent discovery, which Haru explains as stemming from the fact that until now, Nightmares have been murderous beasts they needed to flee from ASAP, with few exceptions like Hansel. The Professor then explains that he needs the team to explore the Station Grounds area, past the Waterside and Dorm. Red Riding Hood remembers that area as the place where the Professor and his leader found her and adopted her into Dawn. The Professor calculates that destroying the Station Grounds' core will grow the Tower enough that they can escape from the Jail, bringing up everyone's spirits before Haru asks for one last check on the Mary Gun.

As Haru finishes his check, Jack asks if he and Miko knew about the Blood Team's origins as well. Haru responds that they had no definitive proof, but they could infer that the children of Marchens had special powers. Jack worries if he and the others will be able to live on the surface with normal humans, but Haru brushes off his concerns as something for when they escape.

As the Blood Team enters the Station Grounds, they are surprised by a joyful cry from the Jail. Everyone finds it convenient that Dawn's goal are something the Jail also wants, but without further information, there's little they can do but move forward.

Delving into the area, they find a note on a defeated Marchen. The note is seemingly written from the Professor's perspective, talking about their discovery of Red Riding Hood. While she's initially blushy about speaking of her past, the team notices inconsistencies in the note and the circumstances that make them suspicious. Red Riding Hood starts to hyperventilate, and the team has to stop so she can calm down. Red Riding Hood insists on proceeding, but the others are uncertain of her condition, so they escort her back to HQ.

At the Rescue Center, Miko is concerned for Red Riding Hood's conditions, but calms down after the situation is explained. Kaguya makes a comment on how they can suffer human-like symptoms even as monsters, before Miko retorts calling them precious people. Red Riding Hood calls for her father, but Miko tells her the Professor is out right now. Red Riding Hood recovers moments later, and while Gretel and Snow White's suspicions aggravate her, she's soon mollified by the idea of her father simply being his usual forgetful self. As the team takes a moment to relax, they reiterate their plan to destroy the Station Grounds core.

Deep inside, the Blood Team finds the core. They dispatch the guardian as soon as it appears and smash the core. Everyone is elated, as this means the Tower will grow tall enough for them to escape. But first, there's unfinished business with the Station Grounds Nightmare.

As the Nightmare wavers, the Blood Team is about to finish it off. But suddenly, Gretel stops them and begins to interrogate the Nightmare, of all things, asking it what happens when the Jail Tower grows. Just as the Nightmare is about to answer, it is skewered from behind by another creature. The Nightmare screams out the name "Snaaaaark!" in its death throes. The party briefly stares down with Snark before they are surrounded by a group of Marchens, and are forced to focus their attentions on them.

Eliminating the last of the mob, the Blood Team looks around to see Snark has vanished. Some among them are curious about Snark's existence and nature, others are unnerved by its appearance and behavior. Whatever the case, they believe Snark's behavior is quite foul, as it attacked the Nightmare from behind while it was weakened, as if it was trying to stop the Nightmare from telling them something. Everyone is suspicious as to why Snark tried to stop them from knowing about the Tower's growth, when Snow White declares there may be a traitor among them. Red Riding Hood is in disbelief, but Gretel merely commends Snow White's thinking, aggravating the former as Dawn has treated them all like family. They return to HQ to speak with the Professor, but he suddenly goes on a tangent about the time he found Red Riding Hood, flustering her and seemingly redirecting the conversation. Jack ponders on how nobody brought up the possibility of a traitor as they retire for the night.

The next morning, Jack awakens to a commotion out in the halls. An emergency meeting is being called in the lab. The Blood Team convenes there, where Miko and Haru explain that the Order has taken a large group of survivors outside the Liberated District. The Professor left saying he would investigate, but hasn't reported back since. The Blood Team goes to the Order HQ to find it almost empty, with some of the followers telling them Michiru and Hitsuka led a large group of the faithful to the Jail Tower. The team is surprised at the idea of ordinary humans climbing the Tower, especially since the Order lacks the mean to fend off Marchens and Nightmares. The Blood Team decides to go to the Tower to find the Order members and the Professor.

Deep in the Tower Base area, the Blood Team sense lots of Marchens around. They wonder why the two Order leaders brought so many followers to a place this dangerous, and theorize that they're being led here by the "traitor" in Dawn. While there seems to be no relation between the Order and the traitor, lack of correlation doesn't change the fact that the traitor's goals and the Order's seem to be aligned for now. Suddenly, Rapunzel notices something on the ground.

The something turns out to be old weapons and blood that is neither a Marchen's nor Jack's. The Blood Team looks around and it seems to be the site of Snark's attack 15 years ago, where he slaughtered the original members of Dawn. Jack notices a transceiver on the ground, much like the one the Downtown Nightmare used to speak with Snark, and decides to take it with him.

Deep in the Tower Base, the Blood Team discovers a flower tree in full bloom, which Gretel recognizes as a cherry blossom, or sakura. Everyone feels a strange nostalgia gazing upon the tree, one that seems to explain why they have their urges and Blood Libidos. It is something intrinsically tied to their own existence. Michiru appears hale and hearty to Thumbelina's joy, as she explains she came to pray in this place, where everything began and where everything will end. Chiaki makes himeslef known, being reluctant to bring Michiru here, but in doing so, she too remembered everything. Gretel theorizes and makes some cryptic statements before she outright tells Jack that Michiru is a construct of the Jail's mimicry, much to Chiaki's shock. Michiru apologizes for deceiving Chiaki, but explains she has a role to play. The followers who gathered to her, and climb the Tower as it is now, will find what Jack describes as "treasures...and an evil giant." Michiru tells the team her role is to save them from an ill fate, and beckons Chiaki to follow her as they go. The Blood Teams follow suit, deeper into the area.

The Blood Team comes across the Tower Nightmare, surrounded by human bodies. As the Nightmare wanders off, the team looks at the corpses and realizes they're not members of Dawn nor the Order, seemingly ordinary people who tried to climb the Jail. They take the corpses back to the sakura tree, and bury them beneath its roots along with some of the remains left behind by the old Dawn members. Kaguya looks behind the tree and finds a core. While the Blood Team has no idea what could happen if they destroy another, they see little choice as the alternative is trying to handle the Tower Nightmare while it's still invincible. They dispatch the guardian the core deploys, and then smash the core itself before hunting for the Nightmare.

As the Tower Nightmare falls, the Blood Team briefly considers taking a break before deciding to continue on. Ascending to the Upper Tower, their progress is soon halted by a dead end. Jack cannot shake this feeling of danger he has, but feels he has to see this through to the end, a sentiment echoed by the others. Suddenly, the transceiver begins beeping, picking up a signal from somewhere. Jack picks up, and hears the voice of a boy who describes himself as "someone who died and came back to life." Apparently, his corpse was among the dead they buried beneath the sakura, and somehow that led to them being able to revive. While everyone is in disbelief, the boy then asks if they're also unable to proceed, as his group has also met a dead end. Thumbelina tells Jack not to trust so easily, but the boy shrugs off their concerns. According to him, the Jail's mimicry absorbed both their bodies and the Dawn weapons, causing a sort of reincarnation scenario where the survivors' bodies have been embedded with the memories and skills of the Dawn members. The boy describes his memories wherein he finds a little girl named "Red Riding Hood" in the Station Grounds killing Marchens with her bare hands, implying he's been given the memories of Dawn's leader. Gretel corroborates, since he's speaking of things only someone from 15 years ago would know. He asks if Alice is also there, and when questioned why he knows Jack and Alice, asks if his voice sounds familiar. They suddenly flash back to their imprisonment, where they had two neighbors in a nearby cell. Jack is surprised to find the two are still alive, even if it's a manner of metaphysical limbo. The boy then talks about the Jail's structure, and how it's built on two spirals similar to a beanstalk. The two groups are on differing spirals, and the boy's group contains buttons labeled "2, 3, 4" with no instructions on what to press, so he asks Jack to see if there's any clues on his end before disconnecting. Jack apologizes for making this decision without coming to a consensus, but the others accept, seeing there's no other way to proceed.

In another part of the area, the Blood Team finds a riddle, "How many legs does man have in morning, evening, and night?" They send this information to the other team, who tells them to standby since they've got someone who's good with puzzles. The Blood Team goes back to the dead end and is surprised to see the door open. The boy explains the meaning behind the riddle, and the two teams agree to cooperate to climb the Tower.

The two teams continue to climb the Tower, as the boy asks them how they killed the Tower Nightmare. The Blood Team explains the link between cores and Nightmares, causing the boy's memories as the leader of Dawn to kick in. Jack wonders why he would've liked this information since the leader died to Snark, but the name goes unrecognized. Red Riding Hood elaborates that Snark is the king of the Nightmares, but the Dawn leader affirms that it was a Nightmare that killed him, causing the Blood Team to go silent. They're unsure what is true now, but they know they'll find it at the top.

Near the Jail's top, the Blood Team is in high spirits at the thought of finishing the fight. Gretel asks how Jack is feeling, and he responds that this is his Blood Libido, to climb the beanstalk and defeat the giant at the top. The Blood Team reaffirms their desire to end this story, and begin spinning their own tales on the surface.

The team approaches a core, the one they believe is the last of the cores. Since it seems the cores were designed to direct the Jail's energy, they wonder why there would need to be cores on the lower levels if all they were doing was drawing energy to the Tower. Jack briefly listens for the Jail's cries, and can only sense extreme joy from it. The team is now uncertain about this path, but have little choice to proceed without further info, so they dispatch the guardian. Just as they're about to smash the core, vines erupt from it and devour the Marchen's corpse. Gretel theorizes the core is nourishing itself from the guardian as the team watches in disgust. The spectacle ends, and the party destroys the core.

As the core shatters, the Jail's elated cries echo as the Tower begins to shake. The tremors do nothing to change the Blood Team's objective, as they hunt for the area's Nightmare.

The beast is found and is soon injured in their battle. With the end in sight, the team redoubles their efforts, and the Upper Tower Nightmare finally falls. After a brief celebration, the team looks for the Order followers they thought were up at the top, but there's nothing to be found. Then they spy a set of stairs leading up, seemingly formed from the Jail's growth. They ascend, prepared to face Snark at the very top of the tower.

At the Tower's summit, Snark is nowhere to be seen. The team jumps at a sudden presence, only for it to be Michiru, Chiaki, and all of Dawn's support staff. While the Professor is glad to see them, Jack voices his suspicions at the secrecy and inconsistencies he's found, and the Blood Team allows him space as he crafts his theory.

#### Bad Ending

Should Jack fail to reveal the traitor, Michiru will reveal the origins to herself and Chiaki. When the seed that wold become the Jail first fell, it consumed the city above. Michiru and Chiaki were victims to it. The Jail's mimicry revived them, and in doing so granted their wish to be siblings forever. In the process, the Jail also absorbed a book of fairy tales Michiru was reading, and mimicked it to create the lands and characters, though altered due to the Jail's very nature. Suddenly, Michiru begins to accuse the Professor, as he was apparently the "blue ird" that fed her. In reality, the blue ird tried to poison her mind by having her consume the Jail's flesh and blood, but it seems she acted as such so as to raise no suspicion. Michiru demands the Professor let her followers go, but then screasmsring out in the area. Michiru and Chiaki rush ahead to save the followers, Haru and Miko follow as they tell the Blood Team to watch the Professor. The man in question merely chuckles as he proclaims none can stop him now. He pulls out a gun on the team, pointing it in their direction as he leaves through a door. With the threat gone, the Blood Team decides to pursue the Professor, or rather, pursue Snark.

In the final chamber, the Professor reveals his true form as Snark, and rejoices at the results of growing the Tower. It turns out the Jail's "moon" was actually an egg, and by growing the Tower, it would inseminate the egg. The power of the egg, along with the desires and sorrow of the sacrificed followers, would grant Snark the power of a god. Jack insists Snark won't have his way, but the latter tells them it's too late. The egg hatches, revealing the Evil God, a monster created from the Jail's power mixed with the human sacrifices. Snark commands it to attack them, and so battle ensues.

The Evil God falls, but Snark is nowhere to be seen. The Tower begins to shake, as the energy keeping it together was drained from inseminating the egg. The team regroups with Haru and the others. Haru comments that he has no idea what will happen to the world, now that the Jail's egg has been inseminated, but with the Tower collapsing, their plan to escape to the surface is a complete failure. Despair begins to leak into everyone, before Jack rallies their spirits, declaring that no matter what they must do or how long it takes, they *will* escape from the Jail.

#### True Ending

Jack suspects the traitor is someone from Dawn, as only they knew the details of the Jail escape plan. He then accuses the Professor of being the traitor. The Professor merely brushes off the theory as coincidences, as what he knows is not what Dawn as a whole necessarily knows. Miko merely admits that since she and Haru did not voice their own doubts, it's only natural the two would be suspected as accomplices.

The Professor continue to construct counters to Jack's arguments that he's a fae, until Jack pulls out the memo for the magnolia leaves from so long ago. The proof that the Professor standing before them couldn't have written the memos they've found, because his handwriting is absolutely terrible. The Professor brushes it off as him being unable to use his hand correctly due to the injuries from 15 years ago. Miko corroborates his injuries. Then Jack points out the mysterious room filled with monitors in Dawn HQ that seemingly showed areas both in and out of the Liberated District, each one looking suspiciously like places where the Blood Team found eyes on the walls. It seems Jack is about to corner the Professor, whose arguments are becoming increasingly flustered, when Haru interjects.

He tells "Snark" to give up, that they cannot replace what's been lost. He explains that Snark replaced the original Professor Tohjima, and planned to make the Blood Team torture subjects in order to spur the Jail's growth. He reiterates Snark should just consider coexisting with the planet, confusing Jack until he explains. Haru and Snark hail from another planet, one that's long since been destroyed. The Jail was a native creature to that planet, which Snark sent to Earth to terraform it into something more suitable. But the Jail was too adaptable, and ended up coexisting with Earth's indigenous population. Snark, unwilling to accept failure, pulls out a gun and makes his escape. Haru explains Snark's plan to make the Jail inseminate the egg acting as its "moon." The result would be a brand-new core, full of the life and energy needed to grant its holder's desire. Michiru appears and explains that she too is a reincarnation from the Jail, just like the Blood Team. She was once a girl at a preschool until she was unknowingly resurrected by Snark for his plan. Haru then tells them to hurry, as Snark plans to sacrifice the followers to inseminate the egg.

The Blood Team finds the Order followers, but are shocked to see another Michiru. Turns out the Jail's mimicry has already begun creating clones of her as Marchen. The team dispatches the clones and frees the followers, though they're rapidly disparaged for attacking "harmless" Marchens. For a while it seems the followers will merely sit in their cells, until words from Kaguya and Michiru mollify them and restore their faith. Haru and the others stay to escort the followers to safety, leaving the Blood Team to handle Snark.

Approaching the peak, Jack ponders if they, as heroes and heroines of a story, will fade away once the story is brought to an end. The others insist they'll merely return to being ordinary people, and resolve to end their stories how they see fit.

At the top, the Blood Team confronts Snark, who throws one final Marchen into the egg to fuel it. He explains that the Jail acted outside his expectations by mimicking characters from fairy tales, though he saw a possibility to change the world in that. The team prepares to fight Snark, but he declines, stating he prefers to pull strings from behind the curtain. He explains that he planned for the souls of the Order followers and their desires to be sacrificed to fuel the core's reserves, but since those are no longer an option, he chooses to fuse with the core, as tentacles spring out and pull him in, covering the area in light.

The light subsides, in its place a girl with the wings of an angel. A loud voice roars in the surroundings, surprising the party and causing the girl to suggest a retreat as she warps them away. The team lands on fragments of the Jail Tower, suspended in the air. There, the girl tells them that the core birthed two desires which split into two different beings. One is Snark's desire, fusing himself with the Jail to transform into a Nightmare. The other, the angelic girl before them, born from a wish to save the world. As it turns out, the girl is actually another of Jack's cell neighbors, who reincarnated underneath the sakura tree. As the angel explains, the Jail Nightmare approaches, proclaiming itself the god of a new world. With a brief exertion, the angel gathers the rubble, forming a path to the Nightmare. The Blood Team readies themselves for their final battle.

After a long battle, the Jail Nightmare finally falls. Suddenly, their footholds begin to fall apart too, as the angel lacks the power to maintain them. As the team tries to run to safety, one of their number stumbles and begins to fall with the footing. Jack briefly panics, wondering if there's anything he has that can save her.

(*Hint: You are supposed to use the Mary Gun Reverser here. In the event you do not have it or do not use it, you get an alternative Bad Ending)*

Using the thrust generated by the Reverser blast, Jack gradually slows their descent to a safe speed, and they reunite with the others on the ground, promising to forge a new story together.

Following that, the game cuts to members of Dawn and the Order gathering supplies for their exodus from the Jail. The angel shows up once more ready to guide them all from the Jail. Jack asks where the others accompanying her went, and she replies that they've gone to a safe place, where she'll follow them once this is over. As she vanishes, the Blood Team and all the gathered people glow as they float up into the sky, where they'll go to the surface world.

#### Prologue

Jack is imprisoned in the Jail's City Streets area along with Alice and several others. Otsuu and the Blood Maidens of Dawn break them loose, but Jack is injured protecting Alice from a Nightmare, knocking her hairpin off. Alice goes berserk and further wounds Jack in her rampage, sending him tumbling into a pit with Otsuu and Little Mermaid.

When the Blood Maidens come to in the Underground Cave, Jack is mortally wounded and barely conscious. Even in this state, he's still thinking of Alice and wishing he could protect her. Otsuu and Little Mermaid marvel at his determination, but suddenly, blood-red vines erupt and spread over Jack's body, filling them with dread. They pull and cut frantically at the vines, but they soon engulf Jack, and his body begins to bulge and shift. Little Mermaid screams and averts her eyes as Otsuu witnesses Jack become a Nightmare.

#### Chapter 1

Otsuu is prepared to protect her princess against their erstwhile friend, when she feels a brief headache that quickly subsides into warmth. Sensing something coming from Jack, she attempts communication with the creature and is rewarded by stifled drawls. Jack remembers his wish to protect Alice and is relieved to see Otsuu and Little Mermaid alive, even if he's not fully capable of articulating it.

The three continue through the streets until they come across more Marchens. Jack stands at the ready to help out with his new body and powers, though it seems every battle is a struggle to maintain his sanity amidst the violence and pain shared through his link with Otsuu. Also of note are the gates they find standing in their path, which repeat the words "please insert the correct item" and "I was made to only tell the truth." It almost seems as if the Jail itself is talking to them.

Eventually Otsuu and co. reunite with Mamoru and a few other prisoners. While they're all shocked by Jack's monstrous appearance, his behavior and Otsuu's word that he's peaceful mollify them. The party then spies a group of Marchens who are...marching in line, as if being directed. One Marchen even seems to beckon them along. While they're uncertain of following the lead of a Marchen, they're left little choice since all other paths are blocked by the swarm. While they follow along, the other prisoners introduce themselves; Kaede, a spirited redhead girl, Itsuki, a calm and collected ponytailed man, and Takumi, a purple-haired man with a headband and a toothy grin.

The Marchen leading them along stops, and the rest fall into a formation as a girl appears before them. The girl introduces herself as Hameln, the Demon King of the labyrinth. Or at least, that what she tries to say before her speech slurs into "Demon *Kyng*." All tension immediately dissolves as Hameln's speech devolves into almost-gibberish not even Jack can ignore. Otsuu attempts to steer the conversation by asking her purpose in gathering the party here with Marchens, to which Hameln responds that she wishes to play a game. She searched far and wide for humans who would become her slaves and play tag with her "forevyr", according to a manga she found lying on the ground. Mamoru asks for clarification on what she means by "tag", to which Hameln gladly obliges by ordering a Marchen to run, then chases down and eviscerates the creature right in front of them. After a brief horrific realization, they observe that Hameln's eyes changed color when she got blood on her, revealing her status as a Blood Maiden. But the party has no time to chat, as Hameln has already begun to count up to ten before she chases them.

The party dashes frantically, trying to stay out of Hameln's reach, but Itsuki collapses and is about to be slaughtered before Little Mermaid intervenes. After combat ensues, Hameln briefly stumbles over her cape, giving the party a chance to gain some distance. Hameln quickly catches up, however, and Otsuu decides to buy some time against Hameln while everyone else splits up. After another battle, Mamoru suddenly interjects, telling Hameln to come and get him, then allow the party to chase *her* instead, as per the rules of tag. Hameln is intrigued by this development, as her minions would flee when she attacked them with little regard for each other. Mamoru merely replies that he won't abandon his friends, and they won't abandon him, giving Hameln pause.

Hameln suddenly bursts into joy, delighted that the "friends" and "friendship" her manga contained actually exists in real life, and desires to have friends just like Mamoru and co. Mamoru attempts to lead her on a wild goose chase for "friends", but is stopped by the others who decide to become Hameln's friends. Hameln is overjoyed, and declares that she's gone from a "demon king" to "a hero to protect and guide [her friends]." Hameln then leads them all to a place where they can rest after the game of tag.

Hameln guides the party to the ruins of a subway, which she used as her home. The party marvels at how open and relaxing this place feels, with a view of the Jail Tower and impressive lighting for a ruin. Everyone then discusses their various places of origin, such as Mamoru and Hikari living in a village bordering the Liberated District to Itsuki and Takumi actually being a part of Dawn's R&D. As Jack inexplicably falls asleep standing up, the party soon retires to various parts of the subway to rest for the trip back to the Liberated District.

The next day, everyone is awoken by Hameln's loud voice, while the girl in question has changed her attire to "befit a hero", as she puts it. Hameln then joins the party as they move towards a bridge that will lead back up to the City Streets area.

On the path to the Liberated District, the party finds parts of the area absolutely wrecked. Mamoru proposes that it was when Otsuu and Dawn fought the Marchens before, but the damage is too widespread to be from one conflict, even considering the power of Blood Maidens.

The party arrives at the Liberated District. But something is not quite right. Seeing smoke, they rush in to find Dawn's HQ in flames. They desperately search for survivors among the rubble, but only find the corpses of Haru and Miko, to Little Mermaid's horror. Then a scream rings in the air, causing Otsuu to dash ahead, with everyone trailing behind her.

The party is treated to the sight of a Mysterious Nightmare bearing down on a disemboweled Towa Kadowaki. Otsuu dashes in to assist, but the Nightmare is formidable enough to block or simply endure her attacks. The party is split on whether to fight or flee, before the Nightmare makes the choice for them and withdraws. Hameln wishes to charge ahead, but Otsuu stops her, saying they need to prioritize searching for survivors. After Otsuu consoles a hysterical Little Mermaid, the party takes a look through the District, but find nothing but corpses and rubble. For safety's sake, they seal off the City Streets where the Nightmare fled, and regroup in Hameln's cave.

In the cave, the pallor is stifling to everyone's mood. Everyone except Hameln, it seems, as she tells them anything is achievable so long as they're still alive (though she ripped this line straight from her manga). These words gradually lift everyone's spirits, along with news from Little Mermaid that no Blood Maiden corpses were found, meaning they likely are alive but scattered across the Jail. Reinvigorated, Otsuu proposes Hameln's cave become their base of operations as they reunite the missing Blood Maidens.

#### Chapter 2

Jack has an odd dream about hallways, running, and being chased. When he awakes, Otsuu is already up and preparing to meet with the others.

**"I think it will prove interesting if you keep what we shared here secret"**

The following may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk!

### *Nightmares: Switch Remake*

#### Another Story - Path to the True End

To open this path, you must first finish Mary Skelter 2, then achieve what would've been the True Ending of the original Mary Skelter: Nightmares.

A new area opens in the Underground Cavern, much to Hameln's surprise. The team senses a Nightmare in the area, and decide to hunt it down.

Deeper in the area, the Blood Team discovers a core. Dispatching the guardian, they destroy the core, rendering the area's Nightmare vulnerable, though they're unnerved at how different the Jail's cries sound compared to previous instances of destroyed cores. On their guard, they proceed to search for the Nightmare.

Upon meeting the Nightmare, Gretel asks if it can think and speak, though the creature simply growls at her. A battle ensues and they injure the Nightmare, but suddenly it flees, much to everyone's surprise and consternation. Intrigued by this, they move in pursuit. Cornering and slaying the Nightmare, the team celebrates, but Jack feels as though something was off the entire fight. The team looks around and notices they went pretty far chasing the Nightmare, and are uncertain if they're even underground anymore. Moreover, all the observed oddities compared to their normal experiences with the Jail aren't adding up.

The team notices a metal plate in the way of what looks to be a window and move it. They look outside to see a sky with a color they've never seen before, and a Jail Tower off in the distance. The area they're in seems to be connected to the Tower, but it fills everyone with an uneasy feeling. Alice notices writing on the plate they moved, and Red Riding Hood realizes it's a sign for a train station. Upon reading the words "Tochomae Sta-", Gretel wonders if they're actually outside the Jail. Thumbelina can't believe that, given how it feels as though they've stepped out of one Jail and into another. Alice can only remark how hopeless the place looks, but Jack tells them it's too early to make any conclusions, and they proceed towards the tower.

The Blood Team find themselves inside the Metropolitan Office area, as the Jail Tower seems completely different from what they're familiar with. As they walk through, Jack hears a faintly familiar voice repeating "I was not made...to lie..."

As the Blood Team ventures deeper into the area, they discuss the possibility of there being more than one Jail Tower. Their talk is put on hold when they spot the Nightmare fleeing and pursue it, as the creature pleads them to leave it alone.

The Blood Team finally corners the Nightmare, but Jack senses that its voice, begging them for mercy, is genuine. Red Riding Hood and Hameln are unconvinced until Gretel also voices her doubts that this is an act. They attempt to converse with it, and the Nightmare talks to them in stifled drawls. Suddenly, it mentions the name "Little Mermaid", causing Red Riding Hood to yelp in shock. It continues, telling them that it was saved from Marchens by Little Mermaid, but it was too scared to approach her, let alone speak.

Over time, the two slowly became friends, but by the time the Nightmare worked up the resolve to thank Little Mermaid, she was nowhere to be found. In attempting to go home, it got lost in the Undergorund Cavern, where the Blood Team found and chased it as it left copies for them to fight. As the creature repeatedly asks where Little Mermaid is, Red Riding Hood confesses that she killed her. While it was in self-defense as Little Mermaid fell into Blood Skelter, Red Riding Hood wanted to come clean now that she knew someone was looking for Little Mermaid.

The Nightmare is in disbelief, denying any affirmations that Little Mermaid is dead, and flees as it cries out for her. In its escape, the Nightmare drops something, which turns out to be a microphone. As the others ponder on whether they should keep chasing, Jack flips a switch and the microphone turns on.

A song rings out from the mic, and they can hear voices cheering on the singer. As one voice says that "Jack liked [her] singing", Jack suddenly gets a sense of deja vu, before his head starts hurting, feeling as if someone's memories are flowing into him. As it recedes, Jack reassures the others that he's okay, and thinks to himself that the memories he received aren't someone else's, they're his own from another time and another place. In his recollection, Jack suddenly calls out for Otsuu and Little Mermaid. As the others ask him what's going on, Jack tells them to chase the Nightmare, or rather Otsuu, and dashes ahead of everyone.

The party finds the Nightmare in front of a door. Jack thinks about what she's planning, expanding the area to grow the Tower, and in doing so, create the Witchcraft core to wish upon it. Otsuu wished on the Witchcraft, reincarnating 10 years back to the Aquarium Ruins to save Little Mermaid. Jack tries to tell Otsuu who he is, but she refuses to listen to him as the others watch. The Nightmare demands him to move and attacks, only to be intercepted by the Blood Maidens. It seems as though diplomacy has failed, and now the Blood Team must defend themselves.

The Blood Team wounds the Nightmare, all the while Jack is attempting to stop the battle. The others tell him that there's no other choice but to fight. The beast falls apart after sustaining damage, but something's not right. The Blood Team sees something inside, and realizes they only destroyed what was essentially an outer shell rather than the actual Nightmare. Nightmare Otsuu emerges from the shell, demanding everyone stay out of her way. The Blood Team and Nightmare Otsuu square off as Jack wracks his mind for a way to bring back her memories.

As the two sides fight, Jack employs a number of oddly nostalgic items (which Nightmare Jack found and gifted to the Blood Maidens in Mary Skelter 2). The items draw Nightmare Otsuu's interest, until she begins to scream as if in pain. Jack calls out to her, and she starts to remember him. The others are surprised that Jack knows Nightmare Otsuu, who has become remorseful for attacking everyone. She wonders where Little Mermaid is, and Jack reminds her that this is the world where Little Mermaid died. The Blood Team wants Jack to explain, but he tables it for later, asking Otsuu to confirm some things. First, that Otsuu reincarnated after sacrificing herself to the Witchcraft, meaning that her memories of the previous world stem from her turning everything back to what it was before. Jack asks if she enjoyed those memories, which she does, though she admits the ending wasn't the happiest. Jack tells her she doesn't need the Witchcraft, but Otsuu still wants to save Little Mermaid. Jack tells her there's a way to save her without changing the world. Previously, the Blood Team buried Mamoru, but the Jail's core brought him and several others back to life. So it may be possible for them to resurrect Little Mermaid using a core, so long as they can get her body and her microphone to one. With that in mind, the Blood Team return to the Liberated District with Otsuu in tow.

Back at Dawn HQ, Jack finishes explaining about the parallel worlds to the Blood Team. While it's still a bit crazy, they can at least believe it since Otsuu said some things that could only be known by those with intimate knowledge of the Blood Team. They move towards a graveyard, where Dawn buried Little Mermaid after they finished studying her Blood Skelter. There, they dig up the coffin they buried her in, all the while fearing that if Little Mermaid's corpse is too decayed, there won't be enough for the core to work with. Red Riding Hood is unable to continue, so Jack opens the coffin.

Inside is Little Mermaid's corpse, still in Blood Skelter, but *also* still perfectly intact, not even a smidgen of rot after 10 years of sitting in a wooden box in the ground. While it is a little confusing, Otsuu and Jack are elated that there's a chance of them bringing back Little Mermaid.

At the top of the Metropolitan Office, the Blood Team finds the core and dispatches its guardian. Just as all seems fine, the Metropolitan Nightmare shows up and destroys the core before fleeing. The Blood Team is concerned that it may have been Otsuu's core, but Otsuu herself has no idea which area's core is hers. Then Gretel suggests they climb to the very top of the Tower to make use of the Witchcraft, and they move on.

Higher in the tower, the Blood Team finds the Metropolitan Nightmare. The creature taunts them, and they ready for combat.

After a long fight, the Nightmare finally falls, giggling all the while. Otsuu checks over everyone's condition, her care all but confirming their relations in the previous world. Suddenly, the Jail begins to wail as the Tower shakes, causing Jack and Otsuu to realize the Witchcraft may be forming as they speak, and they rush on through the Tower.

Atop the Tower, the Blood Team gazes upon the Witchcraft. Jack asks Otsuu to hand over Little Mermaid's body and her mic, but Otsuu is concerned that perhaps that will not be enough to revive her, thus she proposes sacrificing herself to the core. Jack and Red Riding Hood try to stop her, Gretel approves of Otsuu's choice, as the main thing they need is something to prove the Little Mermaid they're trying to bring back existed and is needed. Red Riding Hood stands aside, and Otsuu brings Little Mermaid's body into the core with her. When the light disperses, Otsuu is human again, in her arms a fully-grown and **alive** Little Mermaid. Little Mermaid regains consciousness, a little woozy from two sets of conflicting memories, but otherwise overjoyed to be alive and with everyone. As Jack joyfully proclaims that everyone is safe for once, the Blood Maidens demand an explanation from him. Otsuu and Little Mermaid leave him to stew a bit before they brush aside any potential arguments, and they all return to the Liberated District.

#### True Ending

For the most part, the ending starts off the same, as everyone readies their luggage for their exodus from the Jail. Otsuu and Little Mermaid watch on, as they didn't have much on them in this world. Then Mamoru and Itsuki show up, asking Otsuu if there are lots of Jails on the surface. Otsuu tells them there may be *some* Jails on the surface, given the Underground Cavern led to the Metropolitan Office Jail. Jack sees nothing wrong until Itsuki explains their situation.

As mimicked creatures born of the Jail, Mamoru and the others *need* to be near a core to sustain themselves. So while the presence of additional Jails would allow them to live on the surface, there's also the issue of needing to continue repelling Marchens from wherever they wish to settle. Otsuu admits that might be a problem, but nonetheless, there's a possibility to be found everywhere so long as they stay alive.

As the light engulfs them all, carrying them up into the sky, Jack promises that they'll create a new story, together.

### *Mary Skelter: Finale*

Overcoming the Jail twice across timelines had hardened him beyond his meek personality, and he matures into a bold, level-headed leader for his allies. His strength becomes the collective's, evident in his kindness and sacrifices.

After the attack from Genocide Pink, Jack and the Blood Maidens are scattered. In the confusion, Jack manages to form a team with Otsuu, Little Mermaid, Miko, Mamoru, Hikari, and Michiru. He is one of the six main protagonists of the game, alongside Mary, Toh, Red Riding Hood, Clara, and Pyre.

### *Love Prison Tower Mary Skelter: True End*

Whilst farming together, Mamoru suddenly proposes to Hikari as he couldn't bear another day without her by his side. Hikari is shocked since they weren't dating though ends up accepting anyway. Mamoru then sets up the wedding immediately and asks Jack to officiate. As he had had no time to invite anyone with such little notice, he only ends up inviting Kaede, Itsuki, and Takumi. Kaede ran into Otsuu, Little Mermaid, and Hameln on the way, and brings them with her. Kaede and Itsuki revealed they too had gotten engaged, and decide to turn it into a double wedding. This gives Jack the courage to confess to the girl he has feelings for (though in Rapunzel's case, she confesses to him and he tells her to wait a few years before they can actually date whilst in Snow White's, she accidentally confesses to him first).

Some time later, Jack and his girlfriend (or Jack/Rapunzel, since they aren't dating in theirs yet) go to the beach and enjoy their time together.

Many years later, Jack and his girlfriend get married (in Rapunzel's, she is now an adult with the duo having been dating for a few years).

## Powers and Abilities

* **Jail Sensitivity**: Jack is capable of perceiving the Jail's emotions based on its cries and wails, such as joy from its desires being satisfied or pain from a destroyed core.
* **Purifying Blood**: Jack's blood is capable of purging Corruption from Blood Maidens who come into contact with it. Using the Mary Gun, Jack is capable of letting the Maidens fight without fear of mental death by Blood Skelter. Unfortunately, this same blood prevents him from directly contributing in combat, as any Blood Weapons rust into useless scrap when in contact with his blood.
	+ **Mary Gun**: Jack's "weapon" while he traverses the Jail with the Blood Maidens. By sipping blood from his wrist, this gun can fire Jack's blood at high speeds. This allows him to use the Mary Gun to cure Corruption and even Blood Skelter in the heat of battle. The Mary Gun can also be used on the map to shoot blood, whether to activate certain gimmicks or mark the walls in case of Nightmare attacks. As it draws directly from his blood, the Mary Gun strains Jack's already frail constitution, and can potentially kill him with blood loss if he doesn't faint first.
		- **Mary Gun Reverser**: By giving the Fancy Hydraulic Motor to Haru, the Mary Gun can be tuned up to fire a spray of blood strong enough to send Jack flying backwards. Can be used on the map as a means of rapid backwards traversal. Automatically stops after a certain number of spaces or when the party hits a wall or gimmick.
		- **Purge**: Removes all Corruption from one Blood Maiden
		- **Life Purge**: Immediately cancel Blood Skelter on target Maiden.
		- **Recover**: Restores a certain percentage of a Blood Maiden's SP
		- **Strengthen**: Target Blood Maiden receives two random buffs
		- While there is a post-battle animation where Jack cancels a Maiden's Blood Skelter with the Mary Gun, this does not drain his blood supply
* **Guard**: If so inclined, Jack is capable of using his own body to protect a Blood Maiden from enemy attacks and completely nullify damage. Unfortunately, having the durability of a normal human, Jack cannot take nearly as many blows and can lose consciousness against even the weakest of Marchen attacks.
* **Items**: As someone who is not directly within the throes of battle, Jack holds the party's medical supplies when combat occurs. If the situation calls, Jack can take advantage of lulls in combat to patch up the Blood Maidens and maintain momentum.
* **Nightmare Powers**: As a Nightmare, Jack can use various abilities to support the party, though this will strain his mind. Mind gradually recovers outside of battle.
	+ **Nightmare Zone (One/All)**: Jack can use his own version of the Nightmare Zone to prevent enemies from taking action, though it will reduce his mind gauge.
	+ **Deep Breath**: Jack slows his actions for a moment, calming himself and restoring his mind gauge
	+ **Ripper Jack**: If Jack is pushed to the brink of sanity, he may transform into Ripper Jack. Ripper Jack is uncontrollable, and will attack ally and enemy alike. Jack can be calmed down from this state by Otsuu's Counseling, but if he enters Ripper Mode 3 times in one battle, the game will end. Be advised that Jack entering Ripper Mode exposes Otsuu to a lot of Corruption. The same also applies to Jack's mind should Otsuu go into Blood Skelter.
	+ **Purge (One/All)** and **Life Purge**: Even as a Nightmare, Jack's blood miraculously retains its anti-Corruption properties. Purge allows Jack to reduce Corruption in one or all Blood Maidens, while Life Purge can cancel Blood Skelter. These abilities will strain Jack's mind.
	+ **Rabbit Hole**: Possibly as a side-effect of Alice's hairpin embedded in his hand, Nightmare Jack can harness her Blood Ability to create a "checkpoint" where the party can save or warp back to base. Like Alice's Rabbit Hole, only one checkpoint can be on the map at a time, and it cannot be placed on "gimmick" spaces.
* **Coordination**: As a Nightmare linked to Otsuu, Jack works together with her, allowing them to fight as a pair. Jack and Otsuu get two turns which can be split any which way among them. This also links them emotionally, such that one can sense the other's feelings, though this is mostly one-sided wherein Otsuu helps Jack maintain sanity.

## Trivia

* Jack is named after the titular character in the English fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk.
	+ Jack shares his urge to climb the tower with his fairy tale counterpart.

* The name Ripper Jack could possibly be named after the notorious London murderer Jack the Ripper.
* Jack shares his Japanese voice actor with Ju.
* As revealed in Thumbelina's Blood Libido 1 event, Jack has never seen a cat but aspires to cuddle one.

**"I think it will prove interesting if you keep what we shared here secret"**

The following may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk!

* In *Mary Skelter 2,* after the humanoid Jack is created to protect the party against the Love Nightmare, he can go into what appears to be the equivalent to Blood Skelter for Blood Youths when he becomes Ripper Jack. His eyes have a similar appearance and his hair turns black.
* During the fight against the Love Nightmare, the humanoid Jack will still have the Nightmare Jack sound effects and voice. His Mary Gun art will have changed to the humanoid version.
* Jack's birthday is the 6th of January.

1. ↑ At the end of *Love Prison Tower Mary Skelter: True End* Jack marries his girlfriend. This can be either Alice, Gretel, Red Riding Hood, Kaguya, Rapunzel, Hameln, Snow White, Thumbelina, Sleeping Beauty, or Cinderella.