"We call it Kuk, after the Egyptian god of primordial darkness. We think that that's what the Egyptians were worshiping back then; actually, my team-mate thinks almost every god of darkness and death that people worshiped through the millennia were just facets of it. As for what it is, think Lovecraft. An empty sentient thing outside of time and space. Another enemy of ours pulled the world's stupidest move and, thinking he was going to gain an army of darkness from it to use as his own, he opened the gate that locked Kuk away from the world a crack."

Jack walked towards her, but he moved slowly and tried to keep his gestures from looking aggressive.

"Just a crack was all Kuk needed to stick its foot in the door. It's captured most of the other myths of the world it thought would be a threat and it's imprisoned them so it can feed off of the belief people have in them. It's trying to shove the door open more and more to get all the way in to destroy the world and in the process, the world's gotten a little more...unstable. Belief and fear, human emotions - they can all influence it more than they used to in the past. That's how we think you got pulled in from your world - there are cracks now. You fell through."

Jack leaned against a car with a sort of casual grace that came either from years of practice or possibly personal coaching from James Dean.

"I'm not here to hurt you or make you do anything you don't want to do. The Man in the Moon, the spirit that chose me and my team-mate as Guardians thinks you have what it takes to be one, but you're hardly more than a kid. You shouldn't have to fight. I just want to make sure you wind up somewhere safe, though. Kuk goes after anyone he thinks will be a threat. So, I can't give you any reasons to trust me - I'm a stranger. All I can offer is to actually try to earn it if you give me the chance."