4
Powers
Jack
Everything felt wrong, it felt cold and sore as if Jack had gotten thrown against a brick wall. He tried to open his eyes, everything was hazy and blurred. A few figures stood above him but he couldn't make out their faces. They looked like they were talking but nothing would come into focus and his ears were ringing.
"He's awake." He managed to make out but he didn't recognise the voice, it came from one of the blurry figures in front of him. Jack had to shut his eyes again trying to make sure he could focus and the haziness seemed to shift a little.
What he didn't expect was to come face to face with a giant rabbit and he let out a giant scream, trying to back away and knocked his head. It was then that Jack took notice of his surroundings.
He seemed to be in a room where the ceiling was made of stone. HIs eyes travelled down the wall to see stone walls and what looked like a slit that was supposed to be a window. Where on earth was he?
"Jack." A voice said and his eyes followed to see a giant hummingbird woman covered in iridescent feathers bobbing around in front of him. He let out another piercing scream and scrambled back even further hitting the bed board. The creature laughed and Jack picked a pale hand up.
Wait. Pale? He stared at his hand, the creatures now forgotten. He had never had pale skin and it looked almost like snow. His skin had always been a lovely peach.
He was distracted again when the creature's wings began to pick up speed. He had to be in some bizarre dream, that was the only explanation he could think of it. He had no idea what was going on or where he was.
"Manny, I think you'd better tell him." The creature said to a figure that Jack couldn't see.
This figure came into view and Jack was pretty sure he was having a fever dream. The figure was stout and round. His hair had no more than a single solitary hair that coiled into a spiral. He was wearing a silver coat and waistcoat.
"Hello, Jack." The stout man said and Jack was at lost for words. He was too shocked to even run out of fear.
"Jack?" The bird woman asked. Jack noticed that rabbit was still standing but leaning against the wall fiddling with a boomerang.
"Where am I?" Jack managed to get out, if this was a dream, he had to go along with things right?
"Perhaps we better discuss the matter without any company." The stout man replied and the two creatures nodding their heads before disappearing through a small slitted archway that Jack had noticed before.
Once they had gone, the man sat down on the cover of Jack's bed.
"Do you remember what happened before waking up?" The man asked. Jack tried to strain his head, what had happened before he had woke up. There was something there, a few images and suddenly they came into focus.
His friends had been kidnapped! He had been stabbed. He went down to pick his hoodie up but noticed that there was a shirt that looked like it was made out of cloth. Jack lifted the cloth to reveal more pale skin underneath but the wound was gone, the skin had healed over.
"What's going on?" Jack asked in confusion to the stout man. He needed answers, nothing made sense at all!
"So you do remember. I believe you were dying after Pitch stabbed you."
Jack nodded, he didn't like to think about it. He had been dying? So had he died? Was this heaven? But he didn't feel like he had died.
"Yes, my friends. Some strange man took them, I have to find them!" He shouted, trying to get out of bed but the stout man gently pushed him back down.
"Your friends have been taken by a man known as Pitch Black in this world, he is a cunning master of foolishness and trickery. I however have no idea what intentions he holds for your friends, it may be to do with what happened six years ago with the disappearance of your friend, Tooth."
Jack's eyebrows were raised in surprise. What was this man talking about? Pitch Black? Another world? And what did this have to with all the events that had happened six years ago? Jack had some many questions, he didn't even know where to begin.
"What do you mean, 'this world'?" He questioned first.
The man smiled. "You're in another world, this galaxy is made out of pocket dimensions, some have magic in them and with the right portal, you can travel between these worlds. The world that you come from does not have magic but if you use the portal, some will last for a tiny amount."
"Okay, so I'm in another world, did that bird woman carry me here?"
"Yes."
"So who exactly is Pitch Black?"
"We do not know much about him, except that his plans for your friends cannot be good."
Jack ran a hand through his hair. He was tired and strained. Nothing made sense!
"Right, let's say that I believe you and I'm not in a crazy dream, what does this have to do with my friend's disappearance and how do you even know about that?"
The man nodded. "Tooth, why don't you come back in here?"
Jack's eyes widened as the bird woman came back in.
"Manny? What is it?" She asked and looked at Jack, his eyes widened.
"Your friend, Jack." Manny said pointing to him.
"You told him?" She asked sadly and Manny nodded. Jack watched the exchange with wide eyes. There was no way this woman was Tooth was there? That was it. This had to be some lucid dream that didn't make sense.
"I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming. I need to wake up." Jack mumbled.
"I'm afraid you're not dreaming, Jack. Everything's real. Manny can we have a few minutes?" The bird woman who was apparently Tooth asked. Manny allowed the offer and went out of the room.
The bird woman stayed hovering as Jack's started at her fluttering wings. They reminded him of a dragonfly.
"Hello again, Jack. It's been a long time. You've changed so much."
Jack had gotten over his shock. So everything was real? Was this really Tooth before him? He hoped it was, how often had he longed for his best friend to come back to him?
"I guess you have too. How did this happen?" Jack gestured to the feathers and she seemed to look down her body in sadness.
"On the day that I disappeared. All of us were playing by the lake perhaps playing a game of tag when I saw a portal appear out of the sky. Pitch Black came through and saw all of us. He wanted to kidnap our friends even back then. He talked to me, saying that I wasn't important. I was confused but he laughed. Then he grabbed me and pulled me through the portal, he wanted to use me as bait however I fought him and he let me go. However I was unaware we were up in the sky and I fell into a forest, in this world. However the portal had closed so Pitch Black couldn't get back to the lot of you. "
"I fell onto a branch from such a long and could feel myself slowly dying from the impact. When Manny took me in, of course I had broken several bones but he seemed me with the magic of the moon. He's one of the last wizards left to inherit this power and he saved me by turning me into this. You see the way the magic works, it's almost like a transformation spell that takes the elements of where you died or almost died from and changes them to something that saves you. I don't understand it myself, it's so complex but this is what it turned me into and like you, I'm now changed forever." Tooth finished telling the story and Jack began to process the whole story.
Why was Pitch Black after his friends six years ago? What did this all mean? So many questions were running through his head. Then he thought about what Tooth had just said, what did she mean 'like you'?"
"What do you mean, I'm also now changed?" Jack asked, his face showing signs of worry.
"You haven't seen yourself, have you?" Tooth said sadly and Jack's heart began to hammer in his mouth.
"Why, what's happened to me?"
Tooth looked around before seeing a desk and what looked like a mirror. She picked it up and then passed it to Jack, who took it with a shaky pale hand.
His heart began hammering again when he saw his reflection. His once chocolate brown hair was now a brilliant white that resembled snow, his skin was pale and eyes a beautiful blue like crystal water. A trim of frost lay on the collar of the cloth shirt he was wearing.
Jack wanted to scream as he took in his reflection. He didn't recognise himself.
"What's happened to me?" Jack asked as Tooth fluttered over to him.
"You were dying, Jack. The only way Manny could save you was by using magic and you were dying in a snowy environment so I guess it made you a sprite of winter."
"No, no, no. I'm not a sprite, I'm human!" Jack cried. "Tooth, you were human once too!"
"And now we're not, Jack."
"I need to get home, I need to get back to my mom and sister." Jack cried in fear, he had to tell them what had happened. They would be worried sick.
Tooth looked sad again. "That may be impossible. The orbs that create the portals are very rare to find and often the date on them is erratic. That's why Pitch Black appeared yesterday, it took him six years to find it but it sent him back to that date, I followed him through the first time. I wanted to see you and you grew up beautifully."
"There has to be another way back home!"
"There isn't but the orbs can be created with a few ingredients. However the ingredients are scattered throughout this world and it would take weeks to find them all."
Jack began to feel tears brewing behind his eyes and he let a few fall. However they froze when they touched his cheek. He couldn't get back home, his friends were gone and to top it all off he was now a winter sprite.
He clutched his knees and began to sob. Tooth went to reach out for him when she was stopped by Manny who shook his head.
"Give him time, you were only young when it happened. You were still at the age that believed in magic."
Tooth nodded and went out of the room. Manny watched Jack with interest until he stopped sobbing.
"Jack, I had to do that to save you. You were brave trying to stand up to Pitch but I'm afraid your death was inevitable so be glad of this gift bestowed upon you. You will see your family again in time. Now I believe the first thing on the agenda is rescuing your friends, however you have no combat skill."
Manny's words were comforting but Jack didn't know how to feel about this new 'gift', he wanted to be back to regular old Jack.
"Combat skill? You want me to fight?"
"Yes, you see this world is known as Arida, there are six kingdoms, each ruled over by a leader. However over the last few years, the kingdoms have become divided and wars have begun. Pitch Black seems to be at the center of this and he holds great magic. Magic that I haven't seen since the dark age. Those were very bad times, when the nightmares ran rampant. I was only slighter younger than I am now."
"So what do you want me to do about it?"
"We believe he is using your friends as weapons and is working with accomplices. I believe you will want to rescue your friends?"
"Yes but I don't know how to fight!" Jack protested.
Manny laughed. "Oh my boy, we will show you how to fight. A month's training should suffice. So would you do it, would you join the Guardians?"
"The Guardians?"
"That's what we call ourselves, we're a rogue force and need all the help we can get. So will you join us?"
"As long as get to rescue my friends and get back home?"
"Yes."
"Then I'm in." Jack said with a smile and pulled the covers of him. He stood up next to Manny and looked around the room for his hoodie but it was nowhere to be found, he decided to worry about it later.
"We'll meet Bunny and Sandy later. I do believe that your staff is ready."
"Staff? What do you mean, staff?"
"Your conductor of your powers. North has been making it for you. I think you need something to channel all that winter energy stocked up don't you? Your powers are going to be quite difficult to control."
Jack followed him out of the room and wondered who 'North' was and if the staff was really going to help him with his new found powers.
