This story is dark and has a purpose. Rated T for safety
"Jack? Ja-ck?"
"Ugh, my head. What happened? Where am I?" Jack said placing his hand on his head as he tried to sit up.
"Took you long enough to wake up. Such an easy target when you are alone. I hit you so hard I couldn't even give you a Nightmare." The smooth silky voice came from a tall slender that figure appeared out of the shadows in front of him.
"Geez, you finally made a come back, huh? Took ya long enough. But I'm a bit busy right now Pitch so…"
"Do you not realize where you are Jack? Did you forget what happened? I guess I was a bit too rough. Not that it matters now. Welcome to your prison. There are no exits and the Guardians will not find you. Not that they would since your little "meeting" will not be occurring for another week or so. You are stuck here until I am finished with you. I am sure they would love to see you afterwards." Pitch stated gesturing to the dark cave like area the two spirits were in.
Jack glanced around noticing his surroundings as his eyes adjusted to his surroundings. They were in an underground cavern, his staff was gone, and he was chained by steel cuffs to the wall so he couldn't freeze them. He could still use his powers though right? He made an attempt to create ice but only a flicker of light appeared. His staff was only a conduit he didn't need it for minor uses. He wasn't scared but he was aggravated.
"It is a pity you have those pesky believers to keep you alive but no matter, it gives us more time for some fun. I think some games are in order. What do you say?" Pitch continued with a snake like tone.
"Hmm… games with the Nightmare King… it's a tempting offer but I will pass." Jack pondered sarcastically.
"What a pity because the question was rhetorical. You are going to participate whether you want to or not and you will fear me by the end. It seems your fear of the guardians opinions have subsided along with the fear of never being believed in. No matter, you have others and I know them all. The fear of not being able to breath, the fear of water, the fear of fire, and so many more. Fear will never disappear. You can face it, but more fear will take its place and you, Jack, have some of the strongest fears I have ever seen."
"Is that what you think? Try what you want, you will not feel the satisfaction of my fear. It is a shame a person once revered as a hero could fall so low as to harm the very thing he strove so hard to protect. You're nothing more than bad dream. There is nothing you can do to make me fear you." Jack spat with a glare as he got to his feet.
"We will see. I think this first game should be an easy start. It is called the fainting challenge. No real rules really. All that is required is that you or another person chokes you until you pass out. The longer you last, the higher your score. The goal, is to last longer than another person who did it. Since you do not have a partner to see how long you need to last, I will give you three minutes to try and stay awake. If you fail, you will receive a nightmare. If you win, we can move on to the next one. Many children have been hurt and a few have died from this challenge. Every challenge I will be giving you will be within that idea. One of your biggest fears dear Jack is death. You cannot die, but I can make you feel like you will." Pitch's eyes light up as a dark smile spread on his face as he motioned to his horse like dark sand creations to hold Jack in place.
"I know your tactics and I know my fears. I know how to face them and you will not get the better of me. What purpose does this serve anyways? What? You feel strong? You just came back and you're barely strong enough to face me in a real fight. You won't win Pitch. I will not let you break me."
Jack was scared, but he would never give Pitch the satisfaction of knowing it or hearing him say it. As long as he kept going, he could leave by the end of the week. He knew he was a scape goat to provoke the others. He just needed to last and when he got outside find the nearest snow bank. Being late and being hurt are two different things. He was late for a handful of meetings before due to late night storms. They wouldn't think much of it as long as he wasn't showing physical injuries. Pitch is making it a point to be known that he is back. If that is what he wants, Jack had no problem fulfilling that wish but, he didn't need to do so by worrying the others.
"If you say so Jack. Let's begin." Pitch sneered as he quickly moved forward and pressed on Jack's chest as hard as he could without breaking his ribs. "The timer has begun. Tick, Tock."
I would love some reviews so I know if it is liked or not and how to improve it.
The theme in this is Pitch using ridiculously stupid internet challenges as a form of torture because of the risk they can cause. The target, is Jack and he is using it to provoke the other Guardians into a battle. Do not try the challenges mentioned at home or at all really. I do not own the rights to Rise of the Guardians or any characters from the movie or novelized version.