The Dark Scholar was an indisputed master of breaking visitors. His torture gardens, where visitors were twisted into masterful art of pleasure and pain, were without rival. And yet, some of the visitors to his realm resisted. Some still escaped.
His slaves could be physically broken yet remain mentally strong. He needed to understand their alien logic, how their feeble minds reconciled their experiences in Faerie. And for that, he needed an actor.
The Huntsman delivered to the Dark Scholar the actor he sought. Holden was imprisoned in a mirror - all mirrors, for every mirror is a portal to the Dark Scholar's realm. For his eternity of imprisonment, Holden stared helplessly upon the reflections of all mortals. He studied their nuances, their manners, their dreams and their fears. And he changed, until he was no longer one of them, but merely their reflection.
While Holden's entrapment in the mirror realm seemed to last an eternity, but a year had passed in the realm of mortals. Holden was released onto the human world as the Dark Master's servant. Having lost his identity, Holden clung tenuously to his new name: Fetch.
Fetch both retrieved mortals for the Dark Scholar to study and replaced them while they were gone. His skin ran like quicksilver, fluidly mimicking the features of those he replaced. Fetch served the Dark Scholar for years without complaint, as he was merely a reflection of his master's will.
The Dark Scholar's hold over Fetch was broken in early 2005. While stalking a carpenter in Fitzgerald Georgia, Fetch discovered an postcard advertisement… for Holden Banks, mayoral candidate. Fetch had considered him to be nothing more than the Dark Scholar's reflection. The discovery that Fetch too had a reflection meant that he was someone important, someone more worthy than being another's lapdog. For the first time, Fetch rejected his duties. He returned to Faerie to confront his former master.
The Dark Scholar was displeased with Fetch's insolence, but he was also intrigued that a servant as loyal as Fetch would reject his rule. And so the Dark Scholar's experiment continued, albeit with a twist. The assistant became the subject. The Dark Scholar robbed Fetch of his memories of his servitude, then released him to find his way back to the realm of mortals. If Fetch succeeded, then he would be an excellent subject for future study. And if he failed… well, the Dark Master could always find more actors.