Jack's heart thundered in his chest, and he glanced down once again at the fire cupped in his palm, a bright spot of blue that illuminated the labyrinthine tunnels he was traveling through. He had checked several rooms for the other Guardians, but he hadn't found them yet. He was searching for a room big enough to be a prison. Squinting down at the map, he traced his path then turned right at the next intersection.

The tunnel stopped abruptly in a dead-end, and Jack cursed under his breath then paused. The map had been completely accurate until this moment. He scanned it again, checking to make sure he was right. There should have been a decent-sized cavern in front of him. On a whim, he drew his fingers over the wall, and he immediately regretted it. It was sticky and dark, bringing to mind the fears. He brought the fire closer and saw that it was a door.

He stood there, studying it for several minutes then glanced at the fire. It was the same kind of fire that Pitch had shown him on Earth. He knew how to make it again if it went out, and he had plenty of ingredients hidden in the pocket dimension he had slung on his back, so he thought about what he needed. I need a light strong enough to shatter the darkness that protects this room.

Immediately, the light blinded him, becoming so bright that he thought he'd go blind. He gasped and threw the fire forward, then watched as it engulfed the door. There was a hiss as the shadows evaporated, then the door began to burn. Within seconds, the door was a puddle on the floor, and Jack blinked furiously, rubbing his eyes to try and reacquire his night vision. A hand touched him, and he lashed out, sending out a burst of frost so cold that it would burn a normal human. There was a yelp followed by a Russian curse. Jack knew that voice.

"North!" he gasped. "Sorry. I can't see. Stupid fire blinded me."

"Come on in, Jack," a soft voice said, sounding pleased. "North, please lead him over here. Poor thing can't see. I can help him."

North grumbled. "As long as he doesn't attack me again."

Jack laughed, the sound seeping into the room, and he could feel the darkness shrink away. North grabbed his hand and guided him forward. He pressed his hands onto the boy's shoulder, and Jack went to his knees. Small hands gripped his face, and the same pleasant voice spoke, both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

"Close your eyes, Jack."

Jack obeyed and then felt a soft pressure. The voice urged him to open his eyes, and when he obeyed, a gentle glow met his gaze. He blinked, getting used to seeing again, and then he took in the owner of the voice. He knew who it was immediately and smiled. The small, round man, with a bald head and bright eyes, smiled back at him and brushed his hair back in a fatherly fashion. The gentle glow somehow radiated from within the man. It reminded Jack of Pitch's rainbow, only more constant and less colorful.

"Lunar!" Jack exclaimed. "Thanks!"

The Man in the Moon jumped a little, blinking at him in surprise for a moment, then he smiled again. "Any time. We didn't expect you for a few more days."

Jack nodded, slinging the pack off of his back. "Pitch didn't want us to linger on the net. He said lingering in fear is bad for you. And if anybody knows what he's talking about, it's the Nightmare King, am I right?" He paused. "That was you that helped him, right?"

"Yes, Jack."

"Cool," Jack glanced at the door. The fire was still burning in the doorway, and he hummed. "I bet if I remove the fire, the door will reform."

"Would it?" Lunar asked pleasantly.

"I betcha it would. I'm not supposed to be found out yet. Not until Nightlight finds your weapons and stuff."

Before any of the other Guardians could talk, Jack strode over, leaned down, and scooped up the fire. North, Toothiana, and Bunnymund gave a cry of fear but noticed at once that Jack didn't seem bothered. As he'd predicted, the dark door reformed, and he smiled triumphantly. Turning, he walked back over and set the fire on the floor. Then he began to pull things out of the pack he'd brought. The Guardians were focused on the fire. They couldn't tell what it was. It crackled merrily like a fire from Earth, but there was a tinge of blue light that none of them understood.

"What is this, Jack?" Lunar asked, leaning close.

"Pitch calls it a Sparking Paradox," he said idly.

"I've never seen anything like it," Lunar murmured. "You touched it, yet you didn't get burned. You, of all people!"

"It's not hot for me," Jack explained. "The properties of the fire alters itself depending on the needs of the person looking at it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You guys probably see a normal fire with some blue stuff in it, right?" They all nodded. "Well, that's because you think it's a normal fire, and I lit it. First time I saw it, it was black because Pitch had lit it. Right now, it's a soft blue light for me. But it can be whatever you want. It can be hot or cold, red, blue, black, green, purple, whatever you want."

He glanced up to see them thinking to themselves, and he wondered what they saw. North grinned and let out a booming laugh, while Sandy flashed several symbols of wonder. Toothiana squealed, and Bunnymund tilted his head, his green eyes gleaming. Jack couldn't help but snort in amusement at their antics, then he focused on pulling out the rest of the feast. To his great enjoyment, it was North that recognized what he had first.

"Food!"

Every eye turned to him. Jack grinned and nodded. "Food. Pitch says to eat all you can. Get your strength back. We have plenty. You can eat it cold or hot. Just use the fire to heat it up. It's all cooked already. I have some drink in here somewhere…"

He looked into the pack then shoved his entire arm down into the depths, shocking everybody once again. Sandy clapped and made several unknown symbols, and Lunar nodded.

"It's a pocket dimension, Sanderson. You're completely right. Pitch must have had one."

"One?" Jack asked, heaving his arm up and out with a jug in his hands. "I think he said he had three onboard the ship and more on Earth."

That surprised Lunar and Sandy more than anybody else, and Lunar leaned forward. "He has multiple pocket dimensions?"

"Is that important?" Bunnymund asked, reaching for a piece of meat.

"They have become rarer and rarer since the Golden Age," Sandy said solemnly. "The art of making them has faded from memory."

"Pitch knows how," Jack said pointedly.

More silence then Lunar leaned close again. "Prism is certainly surprising."

Jack's eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah. Prism is certainly surprising." He beamed at them then gestured down at the huge pile of food. "Eat up. As much as you want. I have lots more, and it's going to take a few days for the plan to come together. There are a lot of tunnels."

Jack picked up a piece of a strange, cold fish, and he took a bite as the others dug in. They were looking much thinner than usual and quite hungry, and the group's eagerness for food and drink wasn't surprising. It took a while for them to be satisfied, and they leaned back, satiated for the moment. Lunar glanced back at Jack and saw him tracing some black lines on a paper, mouthing to himself. The boy shook his head and reached into his hoodie, pulling out a small crystal.

Lunar immediately became interested, and his glow brightened as Jack began to murmur into the crystal. He waited then nodded and spoke again. North opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but Lunar held up his hand, staring intently at Jack as the boy nodded and slid the crystal back into his shirt. He pressed his finger against the paper and a mark appeared in blue. Lunar cleared his throat.

"Is that the connection crystal that Prism and Nightlight used to use?"

"Yep," Jack said, trailing his finger over the lines, leaving blue behind it. "Pitch gave it to me."

"And the paper?"

"A map of the tunnels."

"Map?" Toothiana asked, perking up as her wings fluttered.

"Yep."

"Why do you have a map?" Lunar asked.

Jack paused then looked up. "Because Pitch drew it."

"How could he know the tunnels?" Bunnymund asked, his ears slicking back with anger.

Lunar turned sharply. "You're doing it again."

The Pooka flinched. "Sorry."

Jack stared at them, looking wary, almost afraid. "You're… sorry? That you were mad… at Pitch?"

There was the dreaded flash of a shadow, then it passed. Lunar sighed. "I will find a way to get rid of it when we get back to Earth, Jack." He glanced at the boy. "Yes, I know of the shadows. Yes, I know it has to do with Pitch. It's from Obscurus."

"The veil," Jack muttered, shaking his head. "I hate seeing them like that. It scares me."

"Seeing us like what?" Toothiana asked.

"Seeing you hate somebody. Because you do hate him," Jack said bitterly. "You hate, him and you don't know why, but you hate every bit of him. I can't stand seeing you guys of all people hating somebody!"

He slammed his fist down, and ice spread out across the dark floor. Lunar stood up and went over to Jack, sitting right beside him and wrapping an arm around him. Tears slid down Jack's face, but he didn't brush them away. Instead, he held the map out.

"We're here," he said, pointing at a dark splotch in the maze of tunnels. "I just heard from Nightlight, and he's checked several of these over here." He pointed at several blue splotches that he'd marked. "I checked these four looking for you, so I know the weapons aren't there." Another gesture at more blue splotches. "And we figure that Shadow Man is here." He pointed at the largest cavern.

"Makes sense," Lunar said, reaching up to wipe away the tears. "But how does Pitch know these tunnels?"

Jack looked up and smiled. "We're on Tenebris."

Lunar nodded. "His home planet. I see. That makes sense. It would be a good place for Obscurus to base his operations."

There was a noise, and Jack shot up. Somebody was coming, and he moved fast. Within seconds, the remains of the food were dumped into the pocket dimension, along with the map and the fire. Then Jack threw the bag down and sat on it, hiding it. He crossed his arms and glared at the door as it creaked open. Shadow Man walked in and looked around, his gaze lingering on Jack before he pulled somebody from behind him. It was Pitch.

"You know them, Prism-boy," he said, as sweet as a cavity. "If they don't kill you, I will."

And Obscurus threw him across the room. Pitch slammed into the wall then dropped to the floor. He didn't move. Obscurus laughed, then he focused on Jack.

"As for you, boy. I want to know how you got in here."

Jack stuck out his tongue. Obscurus took several steps forward, and there was a flash of movement. Pitch had gotten up with such remarkable speed that none of the Guardians had seen. He stood in front of Jack, looking ready to rip the Shadow Man's head off. And they saw something strange happen. Obscurus actually hesitated as he stared at Pitch's dark, drawn face, and his fierce, bright eyes. And then he stepped back.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that you can't get out again. You will both be dead soon."

He turned and strode toward the door then paused and took two steps to the corner. He reached out toward the child-wraith. It had quieted down since the Guardians' first days in the dark, but as Obscurus got closer, it began to scream and sob. The dark man stood over it then reached down and slapped it. It cowered away, sobbing louder than ever.

"Ah," he said brightly. "Sweet music. Enjoy."

Then he went to the door and slammed the door closed. It sealed behind him and left them all in a darkness that was only lit by Lunar's soft glow.