The cold night breeze sent chills down Nathan's spine as he stood in front of an old farmhouse, which was built on empty land. There was nothing for miles, not even any weeds or critters could be seen.

The wind was strong enough to ruin his spiky hair, but one quick comb with his fingers fixed the problem. It was a freezing midnight, a silent one at that. He had his Letterman jacket to keep him warm, which had large green "N" stitched onto his black jacket. He could not do anything about the silence around him of course. But he had some company to help with that last one.

With him was his closest friend in the world, Jonah Bloodfield, but don't let the name scare you though, the guy was the nicest person Nathan had ever met. Jonah had a moppy hairstyle with a small ponytail. Nathan's other friend was not exactly human like him and Jonah, she was a few feet taller than them both, she could not relate with the two with their human traits either. She looked more like a black silhouette than a person, thankfully she wore a large coat and cargo pants. Her face was just a smooth mask, a blank canvas that inspired her name, Ivory.

The three stood right outside the farmhouse side by side, both men shared a quizzical look while Ivory stared with boredom. Clearly, she had no desire to be there in the first place, yet the two humans were ecstatic to be there. Jonah had even brought his lucky rifle for the trip. He was armed and ready for whatever awaited them.

Nathan marched up the steps and towards the door which gave three solid knocks.

"It's empty," Jonah believed. "Doubt anyone lives here, it's a bit… broken."

"The house looks like no one has lived here for decades, but no chance Scratch got the wrong place." Ivory argued. "Besides, it's all we have right now."

"So we should check it ourselves," Nathan added.

But before anyone else could say another word, the doorknob turned. The three braced themselves for whoever it was that answered.

From just a crack, they could see a golden eye that glared at them with hidden malice. "What business brought you here?" She hissed.

"Oh!" Nathan scrambled to present himself properly. "Excuse me, madam! I am Nathan, these are my friends Ivory and Jonah. Our car broke down a few miles ago, and we were hoping that you'd let us use your phone."

The woman stared at him for a second before she pulled the door wide open. Nathan had to take a step back as the woman exited her house just to reveal towering form. And that wasn't the most harrowing detail, her neck consisted of seven human skulls all stacked on top of each other. It ended with the skull of an elk, the antlers stained with an unknown substance. She wore a robe that covered her body, but something irked Nathan greatly as he swore he saw another pair of hands peek out from under the robe.

Her neck arched as she leveled the skull with Nathan's eyes. "Who do you hope to deceive, Nathan White?"

"White?" Nathan repeated, confused by the way she addressed him.

And just from that, the strange woman was taken aback, surprised by his reaction. "Strange, I saw deception in your eyes, but now I see only truth? What game are you playing!?" The strange woman vanished for a second before reappearing in the open area behind them. "Who was foolish enough to send you after me, the Midnight Witch, Beatrix!?"

With her introduction, Beatrix tossed her robe aside. What was revealed sickened Nathan. Her body was far more monstrous than her neck. It was like looking at a centipede and a human combined, the witch had exactly a dozen pairs of arms and another torso where it shouldn't be. She was a horror that Nathan had not expected to see tonight.

Jonah chuckled as he chambered a round into his rifle. "A little bird told us that you got the answers we were looking for. So it's best that we just talk instead unless it's a fight you're looking for."

"I want peace!" She bellowed, her voice alone shattered the windows of the house, whatever window remained that is.

Nathan scoffed. He marched off the porch with a glimmer in his eyes. "Then tell us everything I want to know…" He reached into his jacket and brought out a wooden puppet, which had somehow fit inside his jacket. And before the witch could even question it, the puppet in Nathan's hands started to shine. Once the light faded, Beatrix was shocked to find a massive sickle with an oddly designed handle in the puppet's place. "Who am I!?"

There was a minute of silence around them, the witch now had a confused look on her. Ivory and Jonah had taken their place on both of Nathan's sides, Jonah with his rifle and Ivory with her fists. Even though she was outnumbered, Beatrix showed no concern for the fact.

Beatrix allowed a chuckle to escape her teeth. "That explains it," She hissed. "but that doesn't explain the sickle."

"Just tell me what I want to know."

The skull tilted to the side as if to mock Nathan, especially with how silent she was.

"She's not talking," Jonah scoffed. "Can I just blast her now?"

"Very well," Ivory sighed. "if she proves to be difficult, then by all means, resort to violence."

No word was said after Ivory's approval, Nathan and Jonah simply jumped into action. The giant sickle created a long trench as Nathan dashed at his enemy while Jonah eyed the witch's skull. A thunderous clap was heard as a bullet sailed through the air, but Beatrix saw the attack and reacted calmly. The bullet whizzed over Beatrix as she dodged to the side. But she landed right in Nathan's path.

Once he was sure enough, Nathan pulled the sickle out of the ground and produced a green crescent light that went straight at the witch.

Beatrix summoned a wall of fire which was enough to stop the attack, but it left her open for Ivory to strike. Like lightning, Ivory crashed down upon Beatrix from above, and the ground shattered. Nathan would've thought that his friend had Beatrix now, but Ivory realized her mistake as the witch held herself upright. Her arms were like solid pillars, Beatrix was far stronger than anyone believed, and she managed to keep herself from being planted into the ground.

And like the monster she was, Beatrix started to crawl towards Nathan with a speed that scared him to the core. It was like watching a centipede as Beatrix zoomed across the field. Only for a bullet to slam right against her skull, but it left no lasting damage. Though it did force Beatrix to miss her target just by an inch. Nathan took this chance and served several of her limbs with one clean swing. There was no sound, not even a gasp from Beatrix, she simply crashed down as she lost balance.

And just like that, the Midnight Witch had been vanquished. Trapped under Ivory who had used her weight to keep Beatrix pinned on the ground.

Beatrix glanced at her severed limbs and noticed that she bore no injuries. Her wounds did not bleed. "The Gluttonous Maw…" She gasped. "So I had already lost in the beginning."

Jonah joined his friends so he could get a good look at their defeated foe. He took a small note that the heads… neck? It was far more disturbing up close, especially when the neck stared at Jonah.

"Alright, just ask her the questions you want, Nate, she's giving me the creeps."

Beatrix laughed.

"Alright," Nathan scowled at the witch. His blade found itself against her neck. "Who am I?"

The witch scoffed. "I've already said your name, boy, I will not speak anymore."

"I can slice your heads off and you'd still be able to live."

"But I wouldn't be able to speak?" She said in a cheery tone.

"Now she's just playing games," Said Ivory.

Nathan felt his patience grow thin, he was not a violent man, his friends know of this. So Ivory opted to interrogate their captive herself.

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"I'll give you five seconds to comply, or I'll rip your arms off and feed them to you."

"Your threats do not deter me, Sentinel. I've lived long enough to learn that my silence shall speak louder."

"So you won't, huh? Jonah put a bullet in her joints."

"You're the boss," Jonah complied blindly. He racked in a round and pressed it against one of the witch's arms.

"Yes, we have caught the Midnight Witch," The three froze as they discovered that one of the human skulls spoke, what frightened them more was the fact that it was Jonah's voice coming from the head.

"Your neck can speak?" Ivory said, completely caught off guard by the witch. What was worse was that the head spoke to a phone that was currently on call with the local authorities.

After the moment passed, the witch tossed the phone aside and allowed herself to cackle. "You are foolish to return, White, sometimes it is better to sleep."

"What do you mean?"

"My fate shall be kinder than yours, Hound. Shame that you will forever be oblivious of your past, for I shall never answer. The choice is yours, Hound, allow the law to come for me or just end me now. Either way, I've lost the moment you showed up at my door."

Nathan felt insulted. He had done this for one thing only, and it was to seek out the truth of his past. Beatrix mocked him, she knew that by withholding information Nathan would be left unsatisfied.

"Let's just kill her," Jonah suggested as he stared down his gun and straight at the elk skull in front of him.

"Let's just kill her." Beatrix mimicked Jonah once more.

Ivory stepped in before Jonah could even pull the trigger. "The Midnight Witch has a bounty on her… heads. Bringing her in alive pays more, so it's best that we don't do anything we will regret."

"But I don't have what I want," Nathan argued. "I'm willing to rip her apart for those answers."

"You are free to do so," Beatrix said slyly. "You can even claim that my injuries were caused by our battle. But I will never free you from your little prison, Hound."

"Why do you call me that?"

For a moment, Beatrix was silent as if she was deep in her thoughts. It wasn't long before she spoke. "Hound was the name given to you before you lost your memories."

"And?"

"You will have to discover the rest on your own, Hound."

With that, Nathan had found a clue about his past despite the witch's resistance.

******

"Well, at least we got something out of her." Jonah commented as he sat down.

The three had gathered in a small diner that they frequented, it was where they mostly go for breakfast and dinner. Some might even say it was their main hangout, they've spent time together in this diner more than they could remember.

And as such they were regulars, so the owner already knew what Jonah and Nathan wanted, especially for dinner.

"Chicken salad sandwich for Jonah, and burger for Nate. Enjoy boys, you two earned it."

Nathan smiled as his food arrived before they could even order. "Thanks, Scratch, I've been starving since we got back."

Pepper "Scratch" Cain was the woman who ran Cain's Diner, and for decades she had run the place on her own without trouble. And as some might not believe, she was still in her prime. For in truth she was not human, her race was simply called Apex. This was apparent with her ash-gray skin and inverted-colored eyes. Their sclera was black and their pupils were white.

As for Scratch, her main feature that Nathan would always remember is that her hair was quite curly, especially when she always tied it into a big bun on her head. Well, the second main feature. A common thing for the Apex that they shared is their oddly shaped mouths that reminded Nathan of a snake's. Or a really big smile with a pair of two fangs, but in this case, those fangs were the same color as her skin.

"All for my favorite boys! Can I get you something, Ivory?"

"No thanks," Was Ivory's simple answer.

"The usual, I see." Scratch chuckled at her little joke. "So, how was your trip?"

"Dead end," Jonah said. "she turned out to be the Midnight Witch, not only that, there was a hefty reward for her."

"We did get something out of her, apparently I was called Hound," Nathan added.

Scratch sighed tiredly. "So my leads still leave you in the blanks. But don't worry, I'm sure someone knows who Hound is."

"Thanks again, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Live a normal life? Well as normal as you can get with that little parasite of yours."

"Who you calling a parasite!?" Something had popped out from under the table.

A wooden puppet in a green dress with a white apron, and an old-fashioned black bonnet. Her mouth was not painted to have lips, instead, rows of razor teeth that could tear a man apart. Her claws on the other hand would do just that, so her bite isn't the only thing you have to worry about.

"You better not mean me, or else I'll bite a chunk out of your leg!"

"Easy, Gluttony, she's just joking." Nathan had quickly pulled the little imp away and held her still. "You did good today, I'm sure Scratch has some food prepared for you."

"Oh, okay," Gluttony's mood changed like a switch. "Hey, do you have any chicken? I like them whole and fresh."

"There's one in the freezer, go fetch it." Scratch answered.

The four watched as the puppet scampered off questing for a meal. If one had to connect the dots, they would learn by now that this puppet who's coincidentally named, Gluttony, is indeed the Gluttonous Maw. As the marionette searched for food, Ivory turned towards Nathan with a strange look, despite being faceless.

"You should really stop treating that thing like a pet,"

Jonah grunted in agreement. "The Gluttonous Maw is a bomb just waiting to blow up."

"Those two are right, you know.'' Scratch said as she stared into the kitchen where the freezer door had opened for a second. "Did you know Star Forged weapons consume their users if they grow too weak?"

"And Gluttony here is recorded as the only weapon to take form and speak, like a living person." Nathan argued as he took a bite out of his burger.

"It's odd that this even happened, but honestly in this universe, I'm sure there's an explanation."

Ivory cleared her throat, and every head in the room turned to Ivory. "Well while someone else wonders why, I'm curious if you got some work, Scratch."

The Apex grinned and revealed her rows of razor teeth. "You bet! Some real doozies for you bunch, very rewarding even. We got a bounty for the vice-president, commissioned by the president himself."

"Wait, isn't the vice-president a dog?" Jonah pointed out the details.

Scratch shrugged her shoulders. "Apparently the president discovered an assassination plot being planned out by the dog, details on who told everyone is still unclear."

"Next please." Ivory said.

"Demonic ritual under the local fire department?"

"That sounds better," Ivory then stood up ready for some action. She stretched her joints eager to get into the fight. "Let's just hope we're the first one there."

Nathan sighed. "Can't we do something easy and simple? Like painting a fence for the elderly?"

"Now that you say it, I do have someone who needs a hand with some chores." Scratch informed him.

Jonah on the other hand wanted no boring task, so he pulled his rifle from its place and held it with a prideful smirk. "Sorry, but I barely did anything today, so I'm very excited for some dangerous event."

Seeing as his two closest friends had already decided, Nathan finished his burger and went on to join the two. Hands in his pockets, he followed Ivory and Jonah towards the exit. "Gluttony, we're heading out!"

Gluttony dropped from the ceiling and latched herself onto his back. "I'm already here, I can't wait for a real meal, boss."

Nathan simply smirked at his companion's eagerness. Silently, he stepped out of the diner with a glimmer in his eye. And for whatever the future may hold, Nathan knew that his friends had his back no matter the challenge. And with their help, he was sure that he could unravel the mystery that is his past.

This is only the beginning of Nathan White's adventure, for it is like any story known to man, that danger always lurks in the shadows.

******

The engine was the only thing Beatrix could hear as she sat silently inside the armored car. The authorities were transporting her to a secured prison where most of her kind belonged. Dangerous individuals who are far worse than the last.

The car itself was just a van built and designed for prisoner transfer, also modified to prevent the escape of powerful entities such as Beatrix. Her hands were cuffed with a strange device that rendered her magic useless, she couldn't even use her heads to speak the voices of the innocent to taunt those around her.

"The Midnight Witch," A guard who sat across from her spoke, Beatrix took a note of his country accent and deep voice. She found it very familiar, yet she couldn't tell why. "You sure are knee-deep in trouble, far more than I could've been. You know, if it was me, I'd just fight until I can't even breathe."

"You know nothing," She hissed, she wanted to glare into his eyes and cause panic, but the guard had his cap over his face. Was he too much of a coward to even look at her?

"I know everything," He chuckled. "Kidnapping over a thousand people, organ trafficking, illegal body modification, and many more."

There was a silence between the two as Beatrix took in his words. Though it was already cramped enough, Beatrix raised her head higher until her horns bent the ceiling.

"All those crimes of yours would have gotten you a free ticket to Hades, but the Redeemers want you for your connections with the Bloody Tyrant."

"Watcher… so you've already arrived to finish me off."

The car came to a full stop, Beatrix watched as the guard stood up to open the door. And as she feared, someone was waiting for her behind it.

"Bea!" A female Apex with long gray hair. And it would appear that this mysterious woman was happy to see Beatrix. "So you got yourself caught, huh? Not good, Bea, not good."

"Master, I can explain."

"Watcher, can you go and clean up the rest? I'll take care of this."

Watcher only grunted before he went on to do her bidding. Beatrix would then hear countless shots, she presumed that the guards that were meant to keep an eye on her perished.

"Shame he couldn't bring his scarecrow costume," The Apex said. "So, anyway! You said you can explain. And don't be so formal, we're all friends here, call me Evie."

"I have information…"

Evie scoffed. "Beatrix, do you really think I'd keep you alive just because you know something?"

Beatrix lowered her head, she knew that her end neared.

"You will die, but not here." The witch raised her head as she heard Evie speak. "You can be defeated by some random hero wannabe, be caught by the cops, but dying is another thing. If I wanted you dead, we wouldn't be here. You still have value, Bea, your methods are useful to me. And if I kill every single person that made a mistake, then I'd be alone to do all the dirty work."

Beatrix walked out of the van just to discover the carnage that was caused to rescue her. There were others as well, familiar faces that Beatrix had not expected to see. They were Evie's most trusted officers, people who worked for Evie far longer than Beatrix had.

For Evie was no ordinary Apex, for she was the most dangerous creature on the planet. She was the Bloody Tyrant.

A woman approached Beatrix, she wore an attire far fitting for colder climates. And oddly enough, her skin was blue as if she was an aspect of frost. She was notably scrawny as well, and quite short.

"Jackie," Beatrix greeted the woman.

The woman now known as Jackie said nothing, she simply froze the cuffs that prevented the witch from using her powers. Beatrix broke the cuffs with ease as it no longer dampened her abilities.

Evie sighed as she sat down on the dirt. "So, I got an order for a dozen hunters, that means I need about 24 bodies by the end of the week. But before you start, I'm actually curious about the information you have that you believed would keep me from killing you."

"Hound is alive," Beatrix was quick to answer.

Once more, the dead silence took over as every living soul turned to face Beatrix. None said a word as they stared at the witch oddly. For a moment, a small smile cracked on Evie's face.

"Since when did you get a sense of humor?"

But then her expression turned sour. Evie stood up, a scowl formed on her as she walked over to Beatrix. Despite being far taller than the Apex, Beatrix felt small in comparison. She knew her place, Evie was far stronger than anyone currently present. Evie had power and connections, an influence that could change the fate of many. And if she was blinded by rage, then it would be hell on earth.

"Explain before I rip your heart out."

***