Madame Melinda "Mother" Nature was … an interesting spirit, to say the least. Not many spirits got to see her except three of her four most powerful 'children', but most run-ins with other spirits were not well-timed.
To the outside world of spirits, she appeared to be cold-hearted, strict, and short-tempered. Only a handful of spirits knew her true side: Guardian of Childhood Sanderson Mansnoozie, Guardian of Childhood Toothiana, Spirit of Spring Daisy Thornstone, Spirit of Fall Friedrich Redleaf, and Spirit of Summer Chris Sunbeam.
The three spirits previously mentioned then walked into the Library of Ancient Magic that Melinda was studying in. Studying the murder places, she sensed a dark, ancient magic she hadn't seen in the while. Now she was just trying to figure out what exact magic was being used against her children.
"Permission to speak, Mum?" Daisy asked.
"Permission granted, love," Melinda said, putting away another book.
"You have visitors, Mum," Daisy explained. "The Guardians of Childhood." Melinda turned to her daughter in shock. "We asked them to wait for your permission to enter the treehouse."
"Yes, go let them in," Melinda said, almost too shocked to speak.
Daisy left the room, but Chris and Friedrich remained.
"Mother," Friedrich spoke up, waiting for the notion to speak. "Am I correct in saying Jack is officially a Guardian of Childhood?"
"I believe so, my son," Melinda smiled, turning towards her two boys. "You should be proud. Your baby brother has become one of the Greats."
"But we were never kind to him, Mum," Chris pointed out. "He probably won't even want to talk to us anymore."
"You'd be surprised, Chris," Melinda assured him. "Jack is a creature of forgiveness and second chances. Even after the Guardians ignored him and hurt him for so long, he gave them a chance. And now he has a close group of comrades, even a second family, if you will."
"Mom?"
Chris and Friedrich moved aside to see Daisy leading Jack into the room. Melinda smiled to see her youngest son still sporting his 300-year-old trousers with his signature blue hoodie. His staff was held tightly in one hand. And still no shoes. The other Guardians followed in after him.
"Melinda," Tooth said.
"Toothiana," Melinda greeted. "Sanderson. Nicholas." She looked at Bunny and smiled. "Aster."
"My name is Bunny," he growled.
Melinda shrugged and went back to Jack. "Come, I want a hug."
Jack stood in shock for a moment before Daisy pushed him forward. Jack caught himself and looked at Melinda in thought for a moment before handing his staff to Daisy and wrapping his arms around Melinda's waist. Melinda tightly hugged Jack back.
"I made a mistake," Melinda confessed. "Keeping you away from your birth-right family."
"Mom, it's ok," Jack promised, patting her back. She pulled away from him and frowned.
"No, it isn't," she countered. "You were left out there, all alone for 300 years. No child should have to go through that, Jack. And I thought I was protecting you that way, which only makes it worse. I was afraid that if Pitch realized that you were both a son of me and MiM, he would see you as valuable and come after you." She sighed. "But I guess it didn't matter in the end, did it?"
"What do you mean?" Jack asked.
"I have connections with the animals in Antarctica, Jack," Melinda narrowed her eyes. "I know what happened that Easter."
Jack looked down at his feet, suddenly nervous. He hadn't exactly told the other Guardians what had happened there yet, just that Baby Tooth helped him open his teeth box and unlock his memories. They hadn't even questioned how she got back to him when he accidentally left her in Pitch's lair.
Melinda seemed to get the hint and didn't push Jack further. Daisy handed Jack's staff back to him, which he gladly took.
"Mother Nature, do I have permission to speak?" North stepped forward, clasping a hand on Jack's shoulder. Jack smiled at the gesture.
"Proceed," Melinda nodded.
"I'm sure you've heard about these … 'murders', upon your elementals," North questioned.
"Yes, I have," Melinda said sadly. "That is why these three have not been allowed to leave. And I knew Jack would be safe with you."
"We're still worried for Jack's safety, though," Tooth spoke up, floating forward. "Is there any possible way this could be Pitch? Looking for revenge against Jack in some way?"
"No, my woodland creatures in Burgess have kept an eye on his lair," Melinda shook her head. "Have been watching all entrances, even the secret ones he thinks nobody knows about. The moment he would've left, I would've been warned."
"Do you have any idea as to who could be doing this?" Bunny asked, now a little worried. They knew how to deal with Pitch, but a new dark spirit? They were back at Stage 1, with many spiritual lives on the line.
Melinda turned towards the book she had open on the desk behind her. "I visited the sites, investigated the best I could. What I've found out so far is this: whoever is doing this has access to very dark, very ancient magic that takes many years to learn and perfect. If I can just figure out what magic they're using, maybe that'll lead us to who it is and how to stop them."
"If I may, Mum," Chris spoke up. "But I didn't think any magic could exist that could actually kill immortals. We're immortal for a reason."
"You're an elemental, Chris," Melinda corrected him. "It's a different type of immortal." Then her eyes lit up. "Of course!" She turned to Chris. "4th floor, 5th shelf, book number 10. Now."
"Mother?" Friedrich asked in confusion as Chris shot up throughout the library. "What's going on in your mind?"
Chris shot back down with the book and held it out. Melinda quickly took it, opening it up and flipping through the pages.
"Chris just made me realize something," Melinda said excitedly. "It should've been so obvious to me in the first place. These elementals are being killed. There's only one way to kill an elemental." She set the book down on the desk, and everyone gathered around to see what she was talking about. "The Elemental's Curse."
"The what?" Bunny asked.
"It's a very ancient form of dark magic, Aster," Melinda stated. "Created before the Man in the Moon was even born, when mortals were cavemen and dinosaurs roamed the Earth. There are two things necessary for this to work: a pure black heart and knowledge."
"Knowledge of what?" Friedrich asked.
Melinda began pacing around the room as North and Bunny studied the page. "All elementals were once mortal human beings. They become elementals if their lives were ended tragically because of something of nature." She turned back to the group. "Anil was found in the Sahara, correct?" North nodded. "He died in the Sahara as a human, from starvation and dehydration. Topaz was found in the Ozarks. She died as a human when she ate something poisonous there. And Naida …" Melinda thought for a minute. "She didn't die in Asia, though."
"She was burned!" Tooth realized in horror.
"Then she must've died in a natural fire as a human," Melinda said sadly. "This knowledge that magic requires is knowledge of how the elemental died as a human. That is the only thing, combined with the Curse, that will kill an elemental for good."
"Do you have any idea how someone could've learned this?" North asked.
"No," Melinda shrugged in defeat. "But if we don't figure it out soon, more elementals will die."
"Madame! Madame!"
Melinda and the others turned to see a fox hurry in.
"It's horrible, Madame!" the fox cried.
"What is?" Melinda asked, kneeling down to the fox and holding him as he cried.
"Another immortal!" the fox continued crying. "He's dead, Madame! He was killed!"
"Show me where, now," Melinda ordered. The fox nodded and wiped away his tears before rushing from the room. Melinda turned to the others. "Well, are you lot coming or what?"