"They're not coming for you, Frost," Pitch grinned, thoroughly enjoying the fall of the other. Nothing could be sweeter than breaking the spirit of such an obstinate creature.
"I know," Jack answered, voice gone weak from disuse, "I don't want them to…" Pitch had done it. He'd shattered the frost spirit's soul, broken him down. The darkness had swallowed Jack and he held no concept of time here- he could have been here for days, years even. The only flicker of light Jack had anymore was the ember of Pitch's spiteful eyes.
"What do you mean you don't want them to?" Pitch snarled, clearly not satisfied with that response. But Jack did not answer, instead withdrawing his mind from the bleak abyss around him. Fury pricked beneath every pore of Pitch's flesh before he suddenly lashed out, striking Jack with the end of a black staff, black tendrils creeping out and cupping at the other's face- Jack gasping as the breath was suddenly ripped from his lungs, terror lacing through his every nerve as his fears soon played out before their very eyes in the form of shadows- blacker than the dark around them.
One figure in particular danced, graceful and beautiful even in that form before another figure, darker than the rest had captured her in his palms. "Ahh, so that's it…" Pitch smiled darkly, "Your heart doesn't lie here," he purred, his staff pressed against the frost guardian's chest, "You've hidden it away in her. Mmm, I'm sure you miss her. Don't fret, I can certainly arrange a visit."
Breath was stolen back by Jack as he suddenly was filled with a rage like nothing he'd ever felt before, "No," he nearly growled at Pitch, lunging for the other but finding himself stumbling through nothing as Pitch suddenly disintegrated in a mirage of wisps, appearing directly behind Jack now. "Hear me, Jack. I have you and I will tear you apart from the inside out if I must- if you don't do as I ask of you," he hissed against Jack's ear, Jack jerking his head away before looking back at Pitch over his shoulder.
"What do you want from me?" Jack lowly growled.
"I know it's in you- I've seen it, the terrible things you can do. Now give in to it. Let the darkness consume you, or I'll consume her," Pitch viscously promised. Jack looked away, the cold around them now freezing, their breath visible little plumes of mist. Pitch's influence was taking claim, his white locks turning grey, eyes growing white, void of color, light and warmth.
"What do you wish of me?" Jack flatly asked, tone absent of emotion.
A terrible grin pulled on Pitch's lips, "I want you to show your so called "friends" your sudden change of heart," he said, the staff gently pounding against the ground as a portal opened- the North Pole nearly blinding Jack as he squinted, shielding his eyes. Stepping through, a thick layer of ice fanned out across the snow, each step he took, the colder the world around him grew. But Jack couldn't feel it. Jack couldn't feel anything.
"Something's coming," Bunnymund shivered, hair standing up on end, nose twitching lightly, ears perk and stiff in the air. North had called upon the others when Toothiana had urgently told him what had happened to Jack. Looking out the window, he stepped aside so the others could see as the world grew darker, colder outside. Bunnymund and Sandy both looked to North before all three turned their gaze to Toothiana.
"Jack!" she gasped, shooting up but whimpering and falling back onto her feet.
"Tooth, don't," Bunnymund urged, "You're still weak from pushing yourself too much," he said. "Sandy an' I will check it out, aw'right?"
Tooth's eyes looked earnestly up into Bunny's before shooting up to North's pleadingly. She needed to go, she needed to see him. Something was wrong, she could feel it heavy as she could her heart. She needed to be there for him.
"Let her go," North told her, understanding the look in her eyes.
An exclamation mark flashed over Sandy's head as Bunny tried to protest, "It's not safe," he finally put out what everybody was thinking privately.
Tooth's brows furrowed, eyes growing angry, "You've always doubted him," she accused Bunnymund, "You're always the first to ridicule him. You want him to be dangerous. But he's not- He's good. I know he is!" Tears welled at those beautiful violet eyes and before Bunny could even utter her name, she stormed out to greet the boy who held such a hold over her heart.
Wings too worn, she used her legs, running through the snow, numb to the cold that burned at her nose and fingers. She could see him in the distance and relief filled her soul, a smile lighting up her face as she ran harder now. "Jack!" she chirped with joy before the cold hit her like a train. Her heart skipped a beat before dropping into the pit of her stomach, even her feathers useless against the cold front. She shivered, stopping in her tracks as Jack grew near enough for her to see what he had become. He was nothing more than some eerie ghost of the boy she knew. "J-Jack?" she stammered, fear tinging her small, desperate voice.
He raised those bone white eyes to hers and shivers ran down along her spine, she swallowed hard, feeling the snow beneath her feet begin to harden, ice forming. "Jack… what's happened to you?" she weakly whispered.
"Move," he commanded her, his sights set towards North's home.
"J-Jack look at me," she said, reaching out to touch him, her hand suddenly pulling back. She looked to her fingertips which had grown dark blue, almost black- frostbite. "What did Pitch do to you?" she demanded as he pushed her aside.
A cold, bitter laugh from a voice that Toothiana couldn't believe was Jack's own filled her ears before he turned that even colder gaze towards her once more, "You think Pitch did this to me? You of all people should know… I was this all along. I just needed Pitch to show me that," he cruelly answered her.
Sorry dears for the huge, huge delay in updates. Anyway, have some Dark!Jack. And, as always, thank you for all the support!
