Note: Sorry for the long wait everyone. I had a bit of a burnout. But after reading another light novel story with 500 chapters, I re-inspired myself.

Chapter 26

"Loneliness can make you feel that you have a kingdom in darkness."

-Mrk Ontim

North jumped off Mary Sliverwick and landed on the dark ship with a thud. Then, he raised his sabre at Molten's neck. Molten raised his hand in the air over his head grudgingly. "Alright, alright, you got me. I surrender."

Pitch pushed aside North. "Don't listen to it. We need to kill it."

"No, wait! You need me! You need someone who knows how to steer the ship with all the humans on board. I can steer the ship back to Earth!" Molten cried.

"It will kill any of us again when it has the chance," Pitch said stoically.

Molten fell to his knee and begged. "Please, don't kill me. I want to live." He sobbed.

The guardians exchanged some looks between each other. North scratched his beard. "Well, if we are on this ship to watch his actions, I believe he won't do anything."

"You didn't fight it so you wouldn't know, but I'm telling you it's too dangerous alive." Pitch snarled.

Bunnymund stared at sobbing Molten on the ground meekly. "But, he looks just like a cranky crying teenager."

"Don't let its appearance fool you. It is heartless." Pitch snapped. He turned to Jack, Sandy and Tooth. "You all saw what it can do."

"...He surrendered." Tooth said tentatively. "I can't harm an opponent who isn't willing to fight anymore. No matter how cruel one can be."

Sandy also lowered his whip. Then, gestured to Tooth if she was willing to punch him for what he has done, just as she did for Pitch.

"I would, but I don't think I can make it feel any pain with my physical punch." Tooth smiled sadly with pity in her eyes. Molten was a night creature after all-no matter how human or physical Molten looked.

Jack agreed with Pitch, yet he was also conflicted. Molten was going to-no, he did kill Jamie, Jack thought. If that Jamie was real instead of made from the black sand, he would never forgive Molten or even look at Pitch in the eyes anymore. Molten originated from Pitch and Jack wondered if he could continue to trust Pitch from now on. But, Pitch has demonstrated from the previous fight that he was capable, if not more, to be dependable. Just as they have given a chance for Pitch to demonstrate he could follow through, Jack realized he also needed to show such 'good faith' toward Molten as well.

Thus, with distaste, Jack changed the sharp icicle into a round ball in resignation.

Pitch watched the group come to an inevitable and unchangeable decision and hissed. "I warned you all. I know it better than any of you."

"Well now, I'm just curious. How do you know Molten?" Bunnymund asked suspiciously.

Pitch glanced to the side sheepishly. "It was part of me. Sometimes, they speak." He hesitated. "Inside of my mind."

This statement turned their heads.

"I didn't want to say anything clearly." Pitch huffed.

"Right," Bunnymund said doubtfully. "Not like we don't think you are already insane or anything."

"Just listen to me for once!" Pitch growled.

"I will be good. I promise. Please, just don't kill me. I want to live." Molten said with tears streaking down his face. Pitch glared with all his might then turned away, detesting the very sight of Molten in his line of sight.

Mick and Pick watched the whole encounter with baffling awkwardness. Finally, seeing an opportunity, Mick interrupted. "It was a pleasant time while we were with you. Although I believe I showed my indisposable side, I hope you call us to be at your service! Of course, for a price." Mick's eyes sparkled like the gold coins he imagined. The Guardians all nodded and chuckled while Pitch remained silent as the night.

"Yes, it was an interesting ride for sure. Nice knowing all you strange bunch," Pick said. Everyone except Mick turned to Pick with a look of surprise.

"You can talk?" Tooth asked in shock.

Pick tilted his neck. "Of course! I just squawked and didn't bother to say anything because that's our bit ya know. Mick and Pick, we have our own bits. That's the way we roll." He croaked.

Mick quickly shoved his hand on Pick's beak. "Alright, we overstayed our welcome here. Let us get out of your hair and be on our merry way." Speedily, they embarked, waving their hands in the air with some sorrowful tears in their eyes (no one knew it was whether or not loss of their potential profit or their actual tears of good-byes) until they became a tiny dot, shining just like a star in the midst of the Sea of Stars.

Or, that was the way it was supposed to be. Yet fate played a mysterious role.

"Wait! This ship has no more energy. Before, it was fueled by the nightmares and fears. But without Dream Pirates, that would not work anymore." Molten interrupted Mick's imagination. He dabbed his tears away with his sleeves. "You need to have it pulled by another vehicle such as that ship." He pointed at Mary Sliverwick.

Mick looked up at the stars and sighed. Giddily, Molten stood up quickly and then realizing the sabre has not been removed from his neck, he gently made a suggestion. "It's quite easy. I can help."

With that, Pitch realized Molten's saving grace was set in stone. Frustrated, he sulked away into the underbelly of the ship.

Pitch stood amongst the hanging adults. They reminded him of his cave, where empty cages hanged from the cave ceiling. They were always damp, rustic and cold. But the cocoon he felt under his hands was warm and breathing. They were filled with life, while his cage would never be. He couldn't remember why he had the cages in the first place. Perhaps when he thought of trapping Tooth's minions, he thought birdcages were a brilliant idea. Now such thought brought him dismay. Using the daggers, he quickly got to work in freeing the sticky threads and cocoons.

"Need a helping hand?" A voice said behind him. Pitch turned around and came face to face with North brandishing an oil lantern above his head.

Pitch ignored him and continued to work, now with yellow and orange flickering in the dark. The threads glinted and shined as if it was made out of thin golden silks.

North came beside him, slashing at the threads with his sabre accurately with speed. "I know you think we made the wrong decision."

"I know it is the wrong one. And we will all suffer for it." Pitch grumbled.

"But, sometimes, we believe we should give someone a chance. A chance that they will do the right thing."

"Like how you all believe you did so with me?" Pitch showed his teeth. "Do you think I need such a pity?"

"I never said that." North defended.

Pitch gazed out into the darkness where he saw the abyss. "You all disgust me. The endless tyrants of your own belief that tore apart my own pain to be scrutinized and be judged to your own regard. You wouldn't ever understand." Pitch said quietly. He turned his back and hacked away more webs in the air.

North eyed Pitch warily. "We would never understand and that is because we never lived your existence." North wiped away the threads on a young woman's sleeping face and he smiled faintly as if to recall some ancient memory. "Even so, there are things we feel and we express and that is called connection. I can't speak for the rest of the group, but I never pitied you."

Pitch stood silently, halting his slashing motion. Then he chuckled. His chuckling got louder and louder. Like a villain in a dramatic play, Pitch raised his arms wide with daggers in each of his hands while he slumped his shoulder. "I'm the bogeyman! The Nightmare king! I chase and live for no other emotion besides fear. What you speak of, old man, it's nothing to me, an ancient will that I'm not bound by. I cannot sympathize with the pain and instead I have to seek to tame it and foster it, in hope that it will bear a fruit called fear."

"That doesn't mean you don't emphasize, no?" North retorted back.

Pitch turned around and smiled sadly. "I should be killing these pathetic humans instead of saving them. Then the children would fear me."

North closed his eyes and sighed. "Who is Kozmotis Pitchiner?"

Pitch's head thundered and his vision shook. The name. He heard of that name before. In the darkest dream, he has heard of an echo of such a name.

"Say that name again," Pitch replied blankly. North looked at Pitch strangely.

"Who is Kozmotis-"

Pitch heard a scream in his head. Then, the scream shattered into a million pieces as if it was ricochetting off a million broken pieces of glass. He clutched his head and his expression twisted. He hit the ground, gasping like a fish out of the ocean. Agony filled every fibre of his being and he heaved onto the floor. North immediately grasped Pitch's slumping shoulder with his one hand while the other slashed at the black remnant that soon dissipated into nothingness. North dropped his swords and grasped Pitch that became limp in his arms with his eyes remained open. North shooked him, slapped him lightly across the cheek, and even hugged him. But, Pitch's eyes didn't see anything except for unending darkness and only heard screams of reverberating broken pieces of glass. A minute passed, and then some. Pitch couldn't tell if it was 5 minutes that felt like an hour. Pitch shuddered in North's arms until the screams faded and he could once more see the dim light from the lantern reflecting heavy concern in North's warm blue eyes.

Pitch didn't reply. He didn't need to when they were interrupted by a slow creak from the door.

Tooth poked her head and with sheepish guilt of interrupting the conversation and what she hoped was a consolidation from last fight they had. Yet, Tooth urgently flew in to ask a single question she and others have been a long time wondering.

"Pitch, where did you hide the kids?"

Tooth remained in the basement with North, helping to bring down the humans. Tooth flew in a wild but accurate frenzy with an anxious heart as she held each human dangling on the ceiling carefully before cutting the threads and settling them down to the ground. In addition to her quick mobility and flight, the cooperation North had with her showed the time they spent together as comrade in arms were not mere wasted times. Soon, Pitch found himself climbing back onto the deck where he was met with the group waiting for him.

Jack sauntered over to Pitch carefully and assessed his every move. "So where did you hide the red sack?"

Pitch rolled his eyes. "Where I believe is the safest place." Pitch crouched down into his own shadow and from there, the neighing of horses could be heard as the portal opened to reveal the red sack, safe and sound. Jack stared at the unending shadow that was hidden under Pitch with animosity.

"You left them in your own shadow?" Jack fumed.

"Pitch replied chillingly. To be exact, in between the shadow that I travel freely. You would be surprised, it has great amount of space."

"Of course, that's where they were." Molten stared at the red sack with starving anticipation in his eyes as if he just found his hidden Christmas present. Bunnymund eyed Molten suspiciously.

"Don't even think about it mate," Bunnymund said and he pulled on the shackle they put on Molten's wrists.

Molten laughed nervously. "I was just wondering where they have disappeared to. I'm glad to see they are safe and sound!"

Jack quickly undid the rope around the red sack and hand first popped out. Then, the sack uprighted itself and opened up, revealing Jamie standing up cautiously. "Is everything over now?" Jamie asked. He gingerly stepped out from the red sack onto the deck.

"Yup, everything is over." Jack grinned widely. Perhaps first actual grin he had for a while now. It was a pure smile of relief.

Jamie stepped beside the red sack and the red sack began to swell. Then outburst of Children climbed over each other, some with tears in their eyes, some with wonder and some carrying others who fell asleep while waiting. They all swarmed around like hive and looked around with nervousness. In the midst, Sarah forged her way out until she finally hugged Jamie and Jack together.

Sarah looked up at Jamie. "Where's mom?"

Jamie stared back at her. "She's going to join us soon."

Sarah rubbed her eyes. "Ok. I'm sleepy now. Let's go home." Jamie smiled and rubbed her head.

"Alright. Let's go home."