Everybody stared at the entrance to the arena, watching the shadows slink and slither in, heralding the arrival of their enemy. Pitch's keen gaze caught sight of the man first, if Obscurus could still be called a man. His red eyes lingered on Pitch's silvery-gold ones, and then he stepped forward so that he could be seen in the glow given off by Lunar and Nightlight and their fires. Everybody tensed, but Obscurus seemed like he didn't care about any of them. His eyes were locked onto Pitch.
"Clever little Prism," he sighed, his voice caressing their ears like something slimy, and they all shuddered except for Pitch. "You found their weapons." He paused then looked at Nightlight. "I thought you were dead, little nuisance."
"It is difficult to destroy light," Nightlight said; a thrill went up Jack's spine at those words, and he saw Obscurus's eyes flick to Pitch.
"I will concede that point," he said coolly. "But a black hole destroys everything it touches. Even light."
"But are you dark enough to steal my light?" Nightlight replied, gripping his spear so hard that his knuckles stood out.
Pitch could smell fear, like an exquisite perfume. It wafted from Nightlight, and it was so powerful that flashes of memory were woven into it. Pitch saw pieces of the fight that had put out Nightlight's glow, and the fear was compounded. Obscurus was fanning the flames without a word or a movement, and Pitch narrowed his eyes, baring his teeth. Not his Nightlight. Without conscious thought, Pitch sent out a mental shield.
Immediately, the fear from everybody began to calm, and they all relaxed a little. Lunar turned his brown eyes onto Pitch, surprised by the force he felt in the shield. None of the others seemed aware that there was a shield except for Jack, whose mind reacted like a cat nuzzling and wrapping its body around its owner He was happy, relieved that Pitch was defending them. Nightlight seemed to sense something different because he straightened up, flashing white teeth.
"You can't touch us," he said confidently.
"Now, now," Obscurus said, focusing his attention on Pitch. "We all know that your little display will not help, Prism-boy. You will falter, and I will win. Come here and I will make your death quick and… relatively painless."
Pitch didn't move. "Pain doesn't scare me, Obscurus."
"Oh, I know all about what scares you," Obscurus crooned. "You're afraid to die."
Pitch let out a bark of laughter, throwing his head back so that he didn't catch the flash of terror on Obscurus's face. Jack saw, and his eyes flicked over to see that a soft light began to glow in Pitch's skin as he chortled. But then he stopped, his silvery-gold eyes latching onto the now-calm dark creature. He stepped forward, pushing past the Guardians, who looked threateningly at his back, but they didn't attack.
"You know very well, Shadow Man," Pitch said evenly. "That death does not scare me. Death has never, ever scared me." He paused, scrutinizing the man, and tilted his head. There was a distinct feeling of fear coming from Obscurus, one that he'd never recognized before. "But you are, aren't you?"
"Death will never touch me," Obscurus scoffed.
"Death comes to everybody," Pitch corrected. "Even those of us from the Golden Age are susceptible to death. Or else there would still be life on this planet." He paused. "Or you killed everybody. Both are plausible. But the point is, death comes to everybody. There is no point in fearing the other side. Dying is an awfully big adventure."
Obscurus hissed, standing tall. "I am as good as immortal."
Pitch shook his head. "Nobody is immortal. Not even you."
The Shadow Man shifted topics as easily as the shadows grew around them. "You're the reason they died."
Pitch stiffened, the shadows draining from his face as he blanched. For a moment, his complexion was as clear and white as it had been when he was a child, and Lunar wished for a sign of the boy he'd known. Jack wished for the colors for an entirely different reason, his young mind working quickly to connect the dots, all of his thoughts stemming from the one realization that he'd had days ago. His heart hammered in his chest as the shadows crept back up Pitch's face as he flushed with anger.
"Shut up," Pitch said hoarsely.
Obscurus laughed softly, the sound sibilant. He turned to Lunar. "Did you know that, Lunanoff? That Prism is the reason your precious parents died? I would have left you all alone if it wasn't for him."
"Shut up," Pitch snarled, his eyes growing wild.
"Stupid fool, thinking he could handle the light. Because all he is, is a shadow, and all he causes is death. And when you die, it will be his fault, too."
Pain slashed through Pitch's heart, and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that those words were true. He let out a cry of agony and lunged, ready for death. Obscurus laughed gleefully, melting into the shadows. Before he'd even solidified, Pitch spun to face him, his eyes swirling with pain-filled rage.
"Don't you talk about them!" he spat.
"Or what?" Obscurus taunted.
Pitch shrieked and jerked his arm forward, throwing something at the man. Obscurus sidestepped, but the blade of the thrown dagger sliced into his cheek, leaving a long, black line. And Obscurus yelped, raising his hand up to his cheek. Shock didn't even begin to describe the expression on the dark face as the slim hand drew back, black blood smeared across his palm and cheek. He looked up in disbelief.
"You… You hurt me," he said faintly. Then anger began to build. "Enough of this! Attack!"
Nightlight and Lunar moved first, jumping toward the shadows as they began to take form into beasts so terrible that it ached to stare at them for fear of losing your mind. North and the other Guardians, when they saw Lunar move, began to fight as the beasts surrounded them. Pitch didn't even care about the shadows, and he waved his arm.
"Let me through!" he bellowed, and Obscurus was surprised to see them obey. They turned their attention to Jack, who laughed gleefully, sending out a burst of frost.
"Kick his ass, Pitch!" he crowed, unafraid as he turned to fight.
Pitch went straight for Obscurus, materializing a sword with his power. The blade was dark, and he held it up defensively, his silvery-gold eyes locked on his foe.
"Let's end this," he said through clenched teeth.
"Gladly," Obscurus said, pulling a sword from a sheath at his hip.
They circled, ignoring the chaos of the Guardians' fighting across the room. This was between them, and it always had been. Pitch breathed calmly, though the fear pulsing throughout the room was amazingly potent. Obscurus inhaled.
"Smell that? You do. I know you do," he teased. "You hate it, too. You hate knowing fears, but you always will. We're alike, you and me."
"We are nothing alike," Pitch hissed.
"You are just a filthy shadow like me," Obscurus said. "And you will die knowing that I will kill everybody here, and it will be your fault."
And he lunged forward. Their swords met with a loud clang and they began to dance. Across the room, North was fending off the bear that had attacked him as a child, killing his best friend. Terror gripped his heart, and all he could think of was 'I'm next. He's going to kill me next.' Sandy fought two shadows shaped like Void Serpents, and they were promising to bring him safely to the black hole, where he could grant no wishes and protect no children from the night, and he was feverish with fear.
Toothiana and Bunnymund were back to back, her fighting monkeys, him fighting enormous dogs. Whenever they switched, the shadow beings would switch, so that there was no escaping their fears. It felt like fear was so thick that they were sweating it through their skin. And Nightlight was fighting a lion, which snarled and snapped, teasing him with the thought of being smothered by the dark again. His fear was so sharp that the boy was sure he bore its marks in his skin as it cut even deeper.
Jack was dancing around the shadows, and the shadows morphed into something that resembled Autumn. Fear began to bubble inside of him, and then he remembered Pitch's words: "You are allowed to fight him." So Jack stood straight and spoke to his fear.
"You will never touch me again, Autumn," he said firmly. "I won't let you. You are a pathetic bully, and I belong in the Guardians. Lunar chose me for a reason, and you will not control me anymore."
To Jack's surprise, the form of Autumn stared at him, searching for something, and then it exploded in a shower of sparks. Obscurus screamed in pain, spinning to see Jack standing still and watching the sparks settle. With a wave of his hand, he flung Pitch back and stormed over to Jack. His eyes searched Jack's face, looking for something, and Jack stared back, unafraid. And then the red eyes widened.
Jack saw a realization dawning, and his mind wondered what new fear he would show him. He wasn't sure because he was not afraid. And then it hit him. He wasn't afraid anymore. And Obscurus didn't understand that. He couldn't find fear in Jack's heart. And that's what the Autumn-like shape couldn't find either. It couldn't turn into a fear because Jack wasn't afraid. Jack let out a loud laugh, and Obscurus raised his hand to strike the boy, but Pitch suddenly grabbed Obscurus by the throat and spun him around.
"Don't you touch him!" Pitch screamed, slinging Obscurus to the floor.
Obscurus gasped then surged up, and Pitch gave a cry of pain. A shimmering substance, almost like a rainbow dipped in ink, splattered the floor. The hidden blade had torn across Pitch's stomach, leaving a cut that began to ooze. Obscurus backhanded Pitch, who crashed to the ground, groaning. The Shadow Man grinned in triumph as he raised the blade. Jack panicked and blurted out the first thing in his head to try and stop Obscurus from killing Pitch.
"I know what you're afraid of!"
Obscurus paused. "Death?" he asked dryly, lowering his arms to arch an eyebrow.
"That's not your main fear," Jack babbled.
The room went silent as Obscurus raised a hand, silently ordering the shadows to stop. The Guardians were pinned, save for Lunar, who glanced over to analyze the situation. Obscurus snickered. "Pitch knows I'm afraid of nothing."
"That's not true," Jack said, his heart pounding in his chest. He had to keep talking. "Pitch doesn't know what you're afraid of because you're good at hiding it, but you are afraid of something. And I know what it is. And I know why, too."
"Really?" Obscurus asked, turning to kick Pitch as he tried to stand. "And what is that, Jack Frost?"
"You're afraid of Pitch Black."
Obscurus's face pinched, and everybody knew immediately that Jack was right. Only Lunar wasn't surprised. But Pitch certainly was.
"What are you talking about, Jack?" Pitch asked, a little winded as he forced himself to sit up, grasping his stomach.
"He's afraid of you. That's why he wanted to kill you when you were a kid and on Earth when he tracked you down, and then he lured you here. Obscurus is afraid of you."
Pitch's face was blank, and Obscurus gritted his teeth. "And why would I be afraid of little Prism-boy."
"Because you haven't managed to make him a wraith yet," Jack said, speaking fast. "You tried when he was a child by raping him, but his light didn't fade like you wanted. So you got him again and again, I don't know how many times, but you kept finding him and hurting him and hurting him, and he began to fade, but not as quickly. You keep trying to put out his light, but you can't, and you need to kill him now before he realizes that he is the only one in the whole wide universe that can kill you. Because darkness can't fight the light. Where there is light, there is no darkness, and you're afraid of his light."
Obscurus growled and took a menacing step forward, but he paused when Jack continued.
"I know something else, too. Something that nobody else knows. Not even Lunar knows what I know." Jack paused for a moment then took a deep breath. "Pitch Black is one of us, he just doesn't know it. Nobody knows it because nobody thought to look. But I know he is."
"Is what?" Lunar asked quickly, his eyes bright.
Jack looked Pitch directly in the eye. "He's a Guardian of Childhood."
