HELLO EVERYONE! I'M BACK! Very sorry for not updating in almost a year- I still cannot promise when I will next update Fall of Ragers, because I am immensely busy and I have absolutely no time to work on it. I have so many new commitments in life and it's really taxing and exhausting, so please forgive me for not updating. I will do my best- but no promises!

Anyway, most of my ardent followers will know I post a Christmas special every year, and this year it has come particularly early! There's a reason for that- I want the message from this story to have some impact, and to have impact it needs time for reflection. It's my shortest Christmas special yet, but I hope it really reaches out to your heart because it is more a Christmas story than it is an Underland Chronicles fanfiction.

It is set just before the Fall of Ragers, in case you're wondering about the timeline. So no spoilers, don't worry, and it doesn't have many references to the existing story.

Consider the message behind this story, and enjoy this short snippet!

Christmas Conversation

"So... why is Christmas considered a season of hope?"

Gregor preferred the awkward drawn-out silence that preceded the question. Too often he had been forced to ponder the thought-provoking questions life begged an answer for, with life being Luxa in this case.

"I haven't told you before?" he tried to dodge the question uncomfortably, immediately reaching out to grab the small rock next to him. He placed his blade against it, almost sensually caressing the edge of the sword. Then he began to grind the stone against the sword, sharpening it with every stroke of the rock. It produced a high-pitched screeching noise which tore through the silence aggressively, almost rendering it impossible to talk through the harsh cacophony.

But Luxa went on anyway, of course.

"You tell me people give presents and are more generous," she recalled, which he found pretty cute. She seemed to reflect on the conversations they had without trouble, which suggested that she never forgot a word he said. He was glad to know that he still meant as much to her now as he did when he first returned. Back in the Overland his classmates went through partners like a banker flipping through notes of money. It was dirty and messy and even enjoyable, but there was no true sentiment. It was almost cold, but was also a gritty part of life.

Girlfriends and boyfriends came and went. But Luxa? Luxa was a perennial part of his life.

"I did," he replied, still sharpening his sword.

"But that does not tell us anything," she concluded triumphantly. "You are just being generous because it is Christmas. The logic is circular, Gregor."

He had no idea what she was talking about, but roughly understood the meaning she was trying to convey. "I think I mentioned Jesus, right? The ones that many Overlanders consider a god," he said slowly.

"Yes," she nodded. "Jesus of Nazareth. There are a couple of scrolls that mention his name briefly, but they tell us little of this man. But how can one man give hope to the world?"

Damn, that was a really good question. And one which Gregor didn't have a genuine answer to- he could give a generic answer most pastors gave, but it wouldn't exactly feel like he was giving her question the answer it deserved. He had to give the answer way more justice than a simple explanation of Jesus' sacrifice for mankind.

And that meant considering what Christmas really meant to him and what made him love it so much.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I guess… You know what, I don't have an answer."

She looked at him quizzically. "You do not know why you celebrate Christmas?"

That hit Gregor hard. The season he revered so much, the season that inspired the best in him… was it utterly meaningless in the end? Was it just celebrated out of tradition or did it really mean something more to him? And if it really had no meaning, were those who saw Christmas as a secular festival right after all?

Was it true that Christmas was a kingly feast?

Or was it supposed to be a Puritan fast?

"I celebrate it," he began slowly. "I celebrate it… because it gives me hope."

The word seemed to strike a chord with Luxa, probably because of its association with Vikus. "Hope?" she asked.

"Hope," Gregor said firmly. "There's no reason to celebrate Christmas because it's just a season- it's like Halloween or Easter. It can be any time of the year, it'll still be a festival of hope. We just celebrate it at the end of the year, cos it's cold and many people are left alone in the cold. And I guess… when people are most alone, they don't have hope."

Luxa nodded slowly. "But Christmas can be celebrated any time?"

"It should be celebrated at any time," he insisted. "It should be celebrated at all times throughout the year! But Christmas… it reminds us of who we should really be, and it reminds us of the best parts of ourselves."

He paused for a moment, before continuing, "Hope never dies, and Christmas is trying to tell us that it will always be there, if we choose to look for it. Only from the darkness and the cold can we truly feel the light and the warmth."

He stopped to reflect on what he just said. It was almost as if his mouth never moved- he allowed his heart to open up and do the talking. He didn't know if he had just spewed out a truckload of illogical bullshit or not. All he knew was that what he said made sense to him, and it was the truth to him. Luxa was going to have to find her own answer to her question, just like everybody else.

Everyone had to find out what Christmas meant to them, and how significant it would be.

Because (or at least Gregor believed so) everyone could only figure out the answer for themselves- it was a choice as to what to make of Christmas. It could be a period of inspiration, or just another triumph of commercial capitalism. It was down to the individual to shape Christmas for himself or herself, and maybe even the community as well.

"I need the hope from this Christmas," Gregor went on, "to keep me going. I haven't seen Calvin in two years, and my family in more than four. I've lost so many people over the last few years, and… and sometimes I wonder why I keep doing what I do. And that's why I need Christmas- to remind me of the good and to pull me back into the light. And to give me hope where there's none left."

He realised he had unconsciously begun to tear, and he brought a hand up to his cheek to feel the dampness. It had been a rough few years for Gregor (and that was putting it very lightly). But here, standing in the High Hall and looking over Regalia below with the woman he loved, and telling her what Christmas meant to him… it gave him courage and yes, hope.

Things would get better someday.

He glanced over at Luxa, who had the subtlest of smiles on her equally tear-stained face. "That," she said, "was quite poetic, and very inspirational too. I rarely see this side of you."

"I'm not poetic," Gregor said gruffly. He wasn't, really. He just wore his heart on his sleeve, and was willing to be vulnerable in front of Luxa.

He looked down from the High Hall and almost started tearing again as he saw a couple of kids playing with a rat. This was what Christmas was all about- setting aside the differences for a common trait shared by everyone- the feeling of hope. There was kindness and goodness in every one, if it could just be teased out. And there was no better time than Christmas.

He heard the fluttering of wings behind him. "You're late," Gregor said.

Apollo lumbered into view. "My apologies, Warrior," he said. "I was preoccupied with setting up the Christmas decorations."

"Where are you going?" Luxa asked them as Gregor clambered on top of Apollo.

"Ares' cave, your Majesty," Apollo replied. "It is becoming a tradition of ours to honour him every Christmas."

"Stay safe," Luxa said fiercely, and Apollo nodded in return.

"I will," Gregor responded as well. "Take care, babe."

The giant bat then launched off the High Hall and soared into the air, an exhilarating feeling that Gregor never failed to appreciate.

"You know I am present as well, do you not?" Apollo asked Gregor abruptly.

"What?"

"I am referring to how you called the queen 'babe'," Apollo answered bluntly. "I am not used to hearing my queen addressed as such."

"Get used to it," Gregor shot back with a grin.

"Keep those disgustingly sweet moments to the bedroom, Warrior," Apollo replied, with a short 'hur hur' laugh punctuating his reply.

Gregor just chuckled and chose not to respond to that. He looked down at the city in all its magnificent splendour, with the decorations screaming of Christmas and the atmosphere screaming even more so of the festival of hope.

Vikus would have been proud.

Gregor just smiled as the wind caressed his face gently.

I hope you enjoyed this little taste of the Underland again! The focus is on the similarity between Christmas and a recurring theme in the Underland- hope. And with this, I'd like you to consider the message of this story. I haven't been particularly subtle with it, but just to end this story off with a message:

Many people dismiss Christmas as a commercial festival rather than a season of hope… They're somewhat right. The spirit of Christmas is slowly being lost with each year. Which is why it's all the more important for us to step up and make sure it isn't lost.

So go out there and make someone's day. Bring a smile to someone's face. Be cheerful and helpful. Give presents to those who need it. Because that is what gives us hope- in a world enshrouded in darkness, it is the moments of humanity that shine brightest. And there's no better time than Christmas to be united in love.

Be the inspiration the world needs, and you will see a change. Christmas IS a season of hope- prove it to all those around who have started to doubt it.

Merry Christmas and God bless everyone!

Vengeous