A Moment Everlasting

The air wasn't moving.

Nothing was.

Clusters of snowflakes hung suspended all around them, as if scattered by some bored god who had forgotten to make them fall. Clouds that should have been billowing and surging around them remained static, as unmoving as the mountain they stood upon. And the dark world's distant canopy of twinkling lights were muted and faint, looking more like a faded photograph of the real thing. A poor pastiche of the vivid, brutal, but often beautiful world they had travelled across to get here.

It wasn't cold here, either. No chill wind bit into them, no fresh snow tickled their skin. But neither was it warm. It was as if temperature itself, as a physical aspect of the world, had just... stopped existing.

The two of the looked at each other. Ralsei opened his mouth to speak, but no sound would issue forth. Kris tried to respond, and found only silence. They reached for each other, seeking some small solace in this alien, frightful world. Their hands felt like they were moving through lukewarm treacle. Fingers interlocked, but their touch felt no more substantial than memory.

They continued walking. Their footfalls made no sound. Snow didn't crunch, clothes didn't rustle. Breath died the instant it left them.

Nothing happened.

There was no time for it to happen within.

Ahead of them stood the ruins of a small circular shrine or temple. Its worn columns and ice-coated stonework spoke of a once-glorious past, a halcyon era misremembered by all and revered by no-one. The site had received no worshipers for a very, very long time.

It was as if time itself had fled this place, condemning it to a neverending instant of decay.

...a figure stood in the centre of the grounds, its tall silhouette stark against the pallid, still surroundings. It seemed to be the only real thing in that entire space. And as they set foot upon its territory, and it turned its head a full 180 degrees to face them, they understood why.

'Desecrators,' it croaked from its chipped beak. 'Why have you disturbed the sanctity of this place?'

As if that weary voice had broken some powerful spell, the air around them began to stir once more. Sound rushed back into the world, harsh and grating after the unnaturally tranquil silence that had come before. Frigid air slammed into them, chilling them to their very souls.

'We... we meant no disrespect,' said Ralsei, stepping forward. 'This land... it's being choked beneath an eternal winter. Its people are suffering... we only wish to help.'

Great, saucerlike eyes bored into the prince. '...is that correct?'

Now Kris too stepped forward. 'Grandfather Rook. Is all of this your doing?'

'And what if it is? Do you intend to stand against me?'

Neither of them answered. The birdlike figure sighed contemptuously, swivelling the rest of his long body to face them. His midnight-blue greatcoat shimmered as he turned, the material seeming to consume any light that fell upon it. Countless clocks and watches hung from fine copper chains that jangled as he moved, in a manner similar to the more festive bangles worn by the Parkorpus far below. An uncannily long neck stretched skyward, cloaked in long black feathers, forming almost a third of his entire height. His colossal head was haloed by an ostentatious headdress, with points fashioned after clock hands holding a great brass ring suspended in the air behind him. Its weight forced his elongated neck into a permanent bow, almost giving him the air of a hunchbacked sage contemplating some profound truth, or a weary king fretting over a terrible dilemma.

But there was no thoughtfulness in that owlish glare, no remorse. Only a deep, unabating resentment, so palpable it was almost a physical force unto itself.

He moved silently towards them, leaving no footprints in the snow as he advanced. His talonlike hands clutched a tall sceptre held diagonally across his body, tipped by a wide metal disc that looked almost identical to the ruined clock face they'd seen back at the abandoned house. Kris shivered involuntarily as they saw where its hands were pointed - one minute to midnight.

One minute to the end of time.

'I am afraid your quest was a failure before you even started,' he spoke again, now towering over them and blotting out the sky with his opulent and uncanny visage. 'This world has already been forgotten, you see. There is no hope for it now, except for the salvation I offer. Why... did you think your meagre candle could thaw the unyielding permafrost of time itself? What utter arrogance.'

'...Grandfather Rook, we don't have to do this,' said Ralsei. 'Just because something is forgotten, it doesn't-'

'You were warned,' he cut across the prince, clacking his beak in scorn. 'You were given ample opportunities to turn away, to leave this world to its fate. You have seen what becomes of those who defy my judgment. Still, you ignored them. Why? What did you think you could accomplish by coming here?'

'So... that was you?' said Kris. 'The blizzards, the lighting strikes, the crystals in the cavern... everything…'

The tall darkner chuckled blackly, seeming pleased with himself. 'Those who disrupt my divine solace will be punished. Those who dare bring life to this slumbering world must suffer the consequences.'

'B… but why?' said Ralsei. 'Why are you doing this? What possible reason—?'

At this, Grandfather Rook's composure fell away, and his entire figure trembled, chains rattling furiously with every movement. 'You are not owed an explanation! My decree is not to be questioned! No... you WILL submit! You too will reside amongst the detritus of yesterday! You too shall become part of my world of tranquillity! You will realise your mistake, and you will thank me for liberating you! Now, stand and be judged, interlopers!'

He moved faster than his tall, wiry frame suggested, catching the two of them off-guard as he swung his staff down between them. They dodged to either side, the attack separating them from each other. And where the clock made contact with the ground, a bleak grey ice began to spread, anathema to life and time, freezing all it touched into total inertia.

'You witness the power I command,' he scowled. 'With it, I shall reduce everything to utter stillness. Submit to it now, give up your childish wants and desires, and join with us in a perfect silence.'

The sceptre scythed across the ground in a wide arc, metal sparking and screeching against stone. Rook drew his arm back for another blow, but this time Kris was ready for it, and blocked the strike with their shield. Surprised by the sudden resistance, the birdlike figure retreated, coat and cape fluttering as he glided away from them.

'No,' Kris grunted, arm aching from the impact. 'We'll never submit to you. We'll never throw away our lives!'

But Grandfather Rook just laughed, a hideous, cawing chuckle that rasped across their ears. And the shield that had defended them so boldly against his attack now grew deathly cold, the metalwork tarnishing before their very eyes. With a pained cry, they cast the traitorous defender aside, where it was quickly buried beneath the swarming snowfall.

'It is too late, human. Once my magic touches you, nothing can stop it.'

Kris held their arm out in front of them, eyes wide with pain and terror, watching as the cancerous frost enveloped their hand, numbing and ossifying the skin with a bitter cold. They tried to move their fingers, willing themself to somehow break the spell, but their impulses were unanswered, and their digits remained stuck in place.

No feeling past the elbow. It was as if that entire part of their body had just been amputated. Or like it had never existed to begin with.

'Do not resist, child,' said Rook. 'Though you may not realise it, this is a blessing... freedom from a lifetime of pain and suffering. Be thankful, and let your frail heart succumb to stillness.'

He waved his sceptre through the air, and the mist it left behind formed numerous icy spears hovering above him, each tipped with that same upside-down heart, each pointed directly at Kris. And with a final flourish, Grandfather Rook sent them soaring towards their target.

'KRIS, NO!'

Something knocked them down, and the deathly barbs whistled over their head. Kris looked up, eyes fixed upon Ralsei, who had jumped in the way of the attack, whose wide smile concealed the pain he suffered from the spear stuck into his back.

'How... touching,' mocked Rook. 'Very well. I shall grant this simple blessing, and allow you to be united in perfect tranquillity.'

'A-are you okay, Kris...?' said Ralsei, wrapping his scarf around their frozen hand, rubbing it tenderly between his paws.

The human shook their head. 'You... you're hurt... we need to...'

But the prince just shushed him. 'It's okay. It doesn't matter. As... as long as you're well... I'm happy. I can... I can rest, if I know you'll be...'

'No...' they replied, hauling themself upright, taking hold of his hand. 'I already said, I'm not losing you again. We're going to continue... together.'

Something shone from the depths of their SOUL... a power, a warmth that enveloped Ralsei and seeped into his body. And from him emanated a soft emerald light, as cool and gentle as an angel's wingbeat. The two energies met, intertwined and merged together, becoming something new, something transcendent, a palpable aura of care and devotion that soothed frostbitten skin, restored feeling to numbed nerves, imbued life and time back into them.

The two of them rose to their feet, bathed in light, hand-in-hand, the deleterious effects of Grandfather Rook's insidious magic completely dispelled.

'...how are you...?' he spat, eyes wide with shock and disgust. 'Nothing should be able to...!'

'We're not going to let you do this,' said Ralsei calmly, as the two of them stepped forward. 'Your power, fearsome as it is, cannot hold against us.'

Rook ran a spindly talon across his face. 'Y... you think you've won? You think that I'll stop, just because you... YOU...!'

He reared his head back, beak wide open as he drew in a powerful breath, before expelling it towards them in a thick, icy miasma that froze the very air in place. Kris and Ralsei dodged either side of the blast... only this time, instead of being isolated from each other, a strand of red cloth connected them by their hands, channelling their combined strength into a literal bond that could not be sundered.

Grandfather Rook screamed at the sight of it. 'You filthy, writhing creatures! Unsightly specks! I'll freeze you where you stand!'

He swung at them as they approached, his clock-sceptre tracing glittering lines of frozen time behind it. But undaunted, they pressed on towards him.

'Mister Rook, please… you don't have to do this!' Ralsei implored, sidestepping another frenzied blow. 'What are you so afraid of?'

Rook regarded him with a withering stare. 'As if you actually care. As if you could possibly understand.'

'If you don't tell us, how can we help you?'

The birdlike figured shook, every feather on his body trembling with anger. '...help? HELP?! You, who dares to call yourself a prince, who dares to presume he has the right to invade my domain, and disturb my repose?! NO! You are nothing more than a stupid, interfering child playing pretend, thinking you can solve all your problems with a kind word and a simpering smile! Your "help" is neither needed nor wanted!'

'He's offering you a way out!' yelled Kris. 'He only wants to help, even after everything you've done!'

Rook's neck snapped a hundred and eighty degrees to fix the human with his glare. 'And YOU... yes, I know just what you are, lightner. You flit through the world like a ghost, no drive and no ambition, waiting for someone to give you all the answers and show you the way... but when they do, you rebel and cast them out. Nothing will ever be good enough for your fickle soul, will it, so why bother ever trying?'

They winced, struck by his cruel words. 'That's... that's not-'

He swung at them again, driving them back, forcing the distance between them and Ralsei to grow. Straining the scarf holding them together.

'...oh, but I suppose you think it's different this time, do you?' he said. 'You think you've finally found something... someone... that can bring you the happiness you so desperately seek. And tell me, human - do you suppose that thing you call "love" will save you?'

Down came the staff, missing them by mere inches. Metal struck stone like a death-knell, ushering in the end of all light and joy in the world.

'Let me tell you something, both of you - this... "bond" you supposedly share... it's not real! What you think you possess can never exist in this world! One of you must wear the leash, one of you must crack the whip... THAT is the nature of the relationship between light and dark! And no matter how hard you wish for it to be different, no matter how "special" you think you are... all this childish notion shall bring you is misery upon misery!'

'Y-you... that's not true...'

'No, you're wrong,' said Ralsei, voice high and defiant, his slender frame quaking with anger. 'I... I refuse to accept your words! What Kris and I share... it's painful, yes. It scrambles my thoughts and confuses my heart, threatens to turn everything I know to be true on its head... but crucially, it's REAL! I feel it with every passing second, with each beat of my heart! Whatever else you might call it, I know this feeling to be love, and I choose to believe in it! I choose to give myself to it, to Kris, and I do so freely and with joy! And I will always choose this! Always!'

Grandfather Rook's beak turned upwards, in what could almost pass for a cruel smile. 'And when they abandon you to the dark, princeling? Will you continue to adore your capricious master after they've relegated you to the dusty crypt of history? As surely they will! For it is in the nature of all lightners to outgrow their precious toys before long! And you will recall my words, and you will wish you heeded my advice!'

But the prince stood firm. 'I-if that should happen, then... then so be it! I would be a fool to think otherwise!'

'It's not going to happen!' said Kris. 'I'll never abandon him again! Our memories and our time together mean too much to me, even if it isn't...!'

'What sickly-sweet sentiments you spout,' said Rook. 'How easily they spill from your lips, lightner. But time is cruel, and cares not for your hasty promises!'

He lifted his sceptre above his head for another attack, but instead of aiming for either of them, he swung down towards the scarf tying them together. The cold clock-face pinned the fabric to the floor, stopping the two of them in place. And worse, for his insidious magic was beginning to take hold again, stiffening the free-flowing material into something hard, and cold, and dead.

'Bear witness, both of you, as I rip your precious bond asunder!' he cried, reaching down to take hold of it with curved talons ready to tear into the fibres and tease them apart with wanton cruelty. 'With these hands, I shall correct this aberration! I shall liberate you from your chains!'

Both of them cried aloud, as if it were their own bodies and spirits being unravelled. Each felt the other's agony, more acutely than even their own - their joint suffering compounded and multiplied to such levels that the overriding impulse was to thrash and scream and beg for it to stop, for death's sweet song to quell the pain, numb the soul, and bring time itself to a screeching, juddering halt.

But Kris... they already knew something of that agony. The torment of losing a fundamental part of yourself, drawn out over years and years, was as familiar to them as breathing. And so, they did not succumb. They did not submit. They took that pain and focused it into their clawed hands, channelling dire fury into their fingers as they leapt for Grandfather Rook, latched onto his pristine coat and tore into the silken fabric, forcing buttons loose and clocks to clatter onto the cold floor far below.

'U-unhand me at once...!' he cawed, yanking the scarf up in an attempt to wrest them from his form. 'You... you dare to lay a hand upon my unsullied being?!'

'Shut up, shut up, shut up shut UP SHUT UP SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!' roared the human-turned-demon as they rent and wrenched at him, all thoughts of MERCY forgotten. All they could think of now, all they wanted to do, was to take this pain and throw it back at him, to hurt this pompous, cawing bastard, strip him of his arrogance and his haughtiness and expose him for the fear-stricken bird he was.

Rook reared back, terror in his giant eyes, as he flailed hopelessly against the assault. In his efforts, Ralsei's scarf fluttered away from his clutches, before rearing back like a cobra and wrapping itself around his frail neck. At its other end, the prince drew his fingers together tightly, a frightful expression upon his normally-demure features, placid pink eyes surging a violent red as Kris's own indignation was channelled through him.

'S-so... you would... resort to violence so quickly,' Rook coughed, one hand scrabbling at the scarf tightening around his throat. '...then... then do it. It's... the only way you'll ever stop me...!'

Kris gave a final wrench, and Rook's coat came undone, the tattered fabric fluttering feebly in the icy winds.

'...b-but know this...' he choked. 'All you'll have... really done... is prove me right...'

Kris balled their hand into a fist to strike directly at his unprotected form... and froze at the sight before them. No body, no physical being to harm... only a jumbled mess of byzantine clockwork, gears upon springs upon ratchets, all seemingly arranged without any rhyme or reason to them. The metalwork was faded, coated in fine crystals that Kris immediately recognised as ice. Ice that clogged teeth, secreted itself into vital mechanisms, spread outwards like a vile white tumour threatening to choke all life and all movement from everything it touched.

Kris saw Grandfather Rook's heart, frozen in time. And Kris understood. They felt pity worm into their soul for this wretched creature, and their fist unclenched itself, at the same time as Ralsei's scarf loosened itself from Rook's neck...

...and with a vile, rasping laugh, the clockwork monstrosity wrenched himself free from the fabric, took hold of Kris by the scruff of their neck and threw them hard upon the stone floor below. The sound of shattering bones tore through the air. With a cry, Ralsei was by their side at once, tending to their injuries. The two of them looked up - Grandfather Rook's true, twisted form loomed large in front of them, a living paradox, the ultimate refutation of life and love.

'...but why are you so horrified?' he said, voice soft and frightful, bearing down upon them with his colossal head and his unblinking black eyes. 'Did you not wish to see my soul...? Did you really think it possible to... change me? Did you truly believe that you could just click your fingers and make me see things YOUR WAY?! YOU AND YOUR INSIPID PLATITUDES, YOUR IMBECILIC DAYDREAMING?!'

He drew back from them. Grandfather Rook trembled, his eyes ablaze with a fire and a fury that contrasted so starkly against his own frozen spirit. As if in answer to his rage, the clouds that enclosed the summit from the outside world began to churn and spin, lightning arcing far above their heads in a frenzied dance of light and noise. He thrust his sceptre as high as he could, as if determined to catch that force of nature, spool it like an errant thread and bend it to his whim.

'R-Rook, you can't...!' screamed Ralsei.

'DON'T MOCK ME WITH YOUR FALSE PITY!' he screeched. 'I... I WON'T BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT! I WON'T TOLERATE IT! I SHAN'T! I CANNOT!'

A searing trident of electricity slammed into the tip of his staff, and he convulsed as it coursed through his body, jumped across his inert clockwork, caught the strands of cloth and feathers clinging to him and set them ablaze with a malignant violet fire. Power, murderous ire made manifest, streamed from the points on his headdress, forming a burning halo that cast his features into flickering, frightening shadow.

'You... you think me afflicted?' he growled. 'You think me some kind of helpless VICTIM?! No... I CHOSE this! With my own hands, I cast away my time, liberated myself from those dread shackles you call sentiment! And I shall do the same to you. To this entire wretched and forgotten dark world! THIS IS MY MERCY, AND NONE SHALL BE SPARED FROM IT!'

In a flash of light and burning feathers, Rook was gone. Only for him to reappear instantaneously behind Kris and Ralsei, his arm already drawn back for a savage blow. They threw themselves out of the way of his scything sceptre, aglow with ice, lightning and fire, scorching all it touched with his fury, even as it left chilling permafrost in its wake.

'The sweet illusions of the past, the empty promises of the future... such concepts are meaningless! There is only Now! All that truly exists is this very moment! A moment that I shall capture in ice forevermore!'

Again and again, he swung at them in a blind apoplexy, wreaking destruction and ruin with each cruel blow. Every impact upon the cold stone sent tongues of thunder snaking across the ground towards them. Kris leapt and ducked out of their path, whilst Ralsei caught and redirected the untamed energies upon the tip of his scarf, sending them harmlessly away. But Grandfather Rook was not finished. With a shrill, heavenward cry, he swirled his sceptre high in the air, catching yet more lightning upon it and weaving it into a crackling, blinding corona high above his head.

'If you will not submit, then I shall destroy you! Nothing and no-one shall be allowed to break my perfect world!'

'So you're just running away?' said Kris quietly. 'You're freezing everything, just so you don't have to deal with it anymore?'

Rook's neck snapped around to face the human. '...what did you say?'

Kris was undeterred, their eyes never leaving the screaming lightning loop high above them. 'Whatever hurt you so much that you thought it better to freeze your heart... I get it. I understand what that's like. It's... horrible. Thinking you've been abandoned, that no-one loves you...'

'Stop talking!' screeched Rook. 'Be silent, you accursed lightner, before I-'

'But just because it hurts doesn't mean you can just... give up on the world!' they continued. 'You may think you're protecting yourself, but by closing yourself up, you also shut yourself off from the possibility of something new and better. Something real and true and beautiful to devote yourself to. Something-'

'I said STOP!'

Grandfather Rook cast his arm down, and the thunderbolts collected above him dispersed at once, showering down upon the battlefield in a revelry of destruction. Each strike generated a deafening sonic boom that rattled their bones and made their ears ring painfully, shook the ground and blasted aged stone into plumes of dust and rock. The attack was relentless, and try as they might, they could not perfectly evade every bolt, deflect every piece of stone that flew through the air. When at last the lightning stopped and the dust settled, Kris and Ralsei stood, albeit barely, clinging to each other, pushed to their limits.

And still, Grandfather Rook was not finished. He advanced towards them with arm drawn back, cracking Ralsei across the face with a ferocious backhand that sent the young darkner sprawling. Then, he took hold of Kris before they could rush to the prince's aid, lifting the squirming, snarling human up to his face.

'You... you dare talk to me of such things?!' he spat. 'Children such as you know NOTHING of devotion! To stand in one place, for years, watching, waiting, wondering, worrying...! It is a ceaseless torment! An eternal self-flagellation! And all of it in the absolute service of one who will never see you, never acknowledge you, never appreciate you!'

A cruel bark issued from his beak as he cast the human away, watching as they skimmed across the bitterly cold stone floor and came to rest beside their companion.

'And through it all, time ticks on, mercilessly... Memories fade, children grow up, and love withers on the vine. To be used without thought, and cast aside without care... THAT is the fate of all darkners!'

'N-no, that isn't true at all, 'coughed Ralsei, struggling back to his feet. 'Mister Rook, please listen...!'

A change came over Grandfather Rook just then. His lofty form became still, and the smouldering fires covering him were extinguished at once. And the world around him started to slow down, become still, and stop entirely. He gave one great, deep sigh, and unfurled the rest of his cloak, exposing his seized clockwork to the world, the source of his uncanny abilities, the frozen heart that would itself freeze time's very passing.

'...but I will put an end to it,' he said, his voice eerily calm. 'Never again shall we suffer the pain of neglect. Never again shall we yearn for something we cannot reclaim. I shall bring time itself to a standstill... and then, no-one will ever be able to hurt us, ever again.'

The hands on his many clocks juddered into life, moving in unison from the final minute to twelve, the last vestige of time that would ever flow again. The field of frozen time began to expand outward, capturing everything it touched and robbing it of all movement, all potential, all life. Flames were arrested mid-flicker, lightning hung suspended in the air, and even the darklight itself became glassy and opaque, solidifying beneath the oppressive pall of Grandfather Rook's final great spell, his magnum opus.

'Kris, we can't let him do this!' said Ralsei, trembling with awe at the sight. 'There... there has to be something we can do...!'

They cast their eyes around, desperate for some sign, something they could use to hold back this tide. They looked into their SOUL, scrabbling for answers... but none came.

Then... from somewhere off in the distance... something glinted and glimmered in the fading light. Kris's shield, cast from them so long ago. The insignia on its front half-buried in snow, of a small wind-up key, and the initials L.R.

...that was it.

'Ralsei, we have to get that shield back!' they called, reaching for one end of his scarf. 'We can stop this, but I need your help. Do you trust me?'

The prince looked at Kris, resolute despite the looming catastrophe. They were the bravest person he had ever known, the most dependable, the kindest... he would go to hell itself for Kris, because he knew that they'd always find a way back.

'Yes,' he said, taking their hand in his. 'Now and always.'

'Then stay by my side. We'll finish this together.'

Grandfather Rook's voice boomed over them. 'LISTEN NOW, ALL THOSE WHOSE HEARTS ARE BROKEN! HEED MY CALL, AND REJOICE! ABIDE WITH ME, IN A WORLD OF PERFECT STILLNESS! REPOSE WITH ME, IN A WORLD OF ABSOLUTE SILENCE!'

Kris and Ralsei darted towards the discarded shield, moving in perfect synchronicity with one-another. The time-stopping field slammed into them as they advanced, but the resonance of their bond prevented the magic from taking hold right away.

'That's it,' said Rook high above them, his voice coming to them as if through deep water. 'Now you see. Embrace your final salvation. Be united in my perfect new world, a world where nothing changes and nothing dies.'

The air was heavy, so heavy, like iron in their lungs. Each snowflake was as hard as a ball-bearing, near-impossible to shift from their preordained place. The light pressed down upon their shoulders, bidding them kneel and give in. Soundless, warmthless, emotionless, lifeless, they fought on, though their extremities were turning numb and their hearts were freezing over.

They reached out, each hand grabbing one end of the shield. At Kris's touch, the cold iron morphed and changed, flowing like quicksilver into the shape of a fine blade, aflame with their will and the strength of their devotion. With Kris holding one side of the key, and Ralsei holding the other, they turned towards Grandfather Rook, brandishing their new weapon, training its point directly at his cold, dead clockwork.

'Th... that is...!' he gasped, wide eyes filled with recognition and dread. 'N-no! Keep that thing away from me!'

They advanced towards him, heedless of the bitter chill emanating from him. Rook tried to back away, but too late he realised that he was not exempt from his own spell, and found himself rooted to the spot.

'Y-you can't do this...' he mouthed. 'I... I've come too far, I've given up too much! I won't go back! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME GO BACK!'

Kris and Ralsei looked at each other, and with a soundless yell, they leapt up towards the gaunt darkner, plunging the tip of their wind-up key sword straight into a small slot just below where his heart should be. Grandfather Rook's beak hung open, his body convulsing, his arms flailing uselessly against them, powerless to stop this coup de grace.

The key did not move at first. But as they continued to exert more force upon it, it began to wrench and twist round, shaking off countless aeons of crusted ice with each new movement. Cogs crunched and spings groaned as they continued to turn, the motions becoming swifter and smoother, and with each new twist of the key, more and more of Grandfather Rook's once-dead soul began to stir, to tick and tock as it was always meant to.

He screamed as decades of repressed pain, sorrow and longing were brought back in an instant, the haunting sound of a being who was forced to reckon with his heart's deepest, darkest feelings after so long. And with a final twist, and the sound of shattering glass, Grandfather Rook's clockwork became completely free of its icy prison, and began to move again.

Time rushed back into the space like a thunderclap, sending the three of them sprawling in different directions. Kris and Ralsei landed shakily upon their feet, while Rook simply floated in place, his great neck reclined backwards, beak open in something of a demented stupor. When he finally came to, the birdlike being craned downwards, his spindly talons tracing lines across his gently-thrumming clockwork.

Around him, the world was quiet, despite the wind and snow and gently smouldering fires. As if waiting for something to happen.

Rook clenched his fists, eyes screwed shut. His voice, when it returned to him, was little more than a pitiful old moan.

'M…My power… Th-this... this can't... what is this...?'

Cautiously, Kris and Ralsei approached him. The windup key that had shattered Rook's long-frozen heart shone resolutely in the cool darklight surrounding them.

'You're free now, Mister Rook,' said the prince, with a soft smile. 'There's no longer any need to continue.'

He took another step forward, arm outstretched to give his erstwhile adversary a reassuring touch. Kris watched, keeping their distance, the tension in their heart spiking because they knew this wasn't over. You didn't just flip a switch and go back to normal...

Rook clacked his beak, as if in thought. Then he did it again, faster and louder. And again, and again, chattering a defiant beat that drowned out the gentle ticking of his internal mechanisms.

Clack, clack, clack clack clackclackclackclack

A low, pained groan emanated from his throat. The noise swelled in loudness and pitch, droning across his incessant clacking, the sounds melding together as part of a discordant, nightmarish orchestra of pain, madness and fury.

Then it stopped. Grandfather Rook's head whipped towards Ralsei, stopping the prince dead in his tracks. Every feather upon his head bristled, his grand headdress rattled and clanged. He seemed more demon than darkner in that moment, eyes burning black with hatred.

'You...' he croaked. '...what. Have. You. Done.'

Kris sprinted forward, the grip on their sword so tight it hurt their fingers.

Realising his mistake, the prince tried to take a step backward. 'I, err... um... we were... j-just trying to help...'

'WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!' Rook screamed into his face, before rearing back and lashing out with his staff. Kris was there in a heartbeat, deflecting the frenzied strike with their own blade. Behind them, Ralsei cried aloud at the noise - the human looked over their shoulder at their companion, as if to reassure him that all was well. Ahead of them, Rook's gangly frame thrashed about, arms and neck flailing, tattered coat blustering with each movement, staff whistling through the air with abandon. He didn't even seem to be aiming for them, but just mindlessly attacking, his colossal eyes unfocused and wild with pain.

'YOU... you think THIS was helping me?!' he spat. 'NO! Your thoughtless actions have condemned me instead! I offered the world salvation, freedom from pain and torment, and you... you... YOUUUUU...!'

Cold, hateful lucidity seemed to return to him for an instant, as his eyes caught sight of the key-sword in Kris's hands. He screeched as he swung for that object, as if destroying it would somehow reverse what was done to him. But the blow was not true, and the hateful object easily turned his attack away. Rook's attention turned to Ralsei instead.

Yes... defenceless little prince. See how your knight will protect you from THIS!

His body lunged forward, an ungainly mass of limbs and clockwork, talons outstretched to snatch at the diminutive darkner in front of him, nails primed to rend flesh and tear fur. But Ralsei leapt effortlessly aside, and with a flick of his wrist, his scarf wrapped itself around Rook's outstretched arm, yanking him off-balance.

'We're sorry, Mister Rook,' he said, his expression determined. 'We know it hurts. But you can't run away from your pain any longer. Trust us... this is for the best.'

'How... how can you say that...!' he spat, trying to extrude himself from the pink material. 'You're just a stupid...! Imbecile! Foolish! Know-nothing! You know NOTHING of my pain, my endless exile, cast away from the one I...!'

Ralsei's reply was quiet but firm. 'Actually, I know exactly what that's like. I, too, was abandoned and forgotten. But I never lost hope. I never doubted that I would be found again. And I was. So you see, I'm not just saying these things for the sake of it. If I can be found again, if I can be loved again, then so can all of us... and so can you!'

'B-b-but that's preposterous!' Rook screeched. 'That can't have... you think it's really THAT easy, do you?! You think we can all afford to wait and hope, and pray that's enough?! No! NOTHING will ever replace what I've lost! Nothing ever can! No joy, not even the possibility of joy, is left in my world now, do you see that?!'

Rook recoiled, clutching at his chest, features wracked with a soulful agony. His eyes cast themselves over to Kris once more.

'You,' he said. 'Lightner. Undo this pain. Put me back the way I was! I... I have to fulfil my mission...!'

But they just shook their head, and sheathed their sword.

'Y-you must… you must!' he croaked. 'I-if you do this, I will... I will preserve your bond forever! I will officiate your eternal matrimony, protect the raging fires of your devotion and shield them from time's cruel passage! Your love for each other shall never fade or tarnish, but remain bright and beautiful, forever! Isn't that what you want? IS THAT NOT WHAT YOUR HEARTS DESIRE MOST?!'

Kris listened carefully to those words, their expression thoughtful. But then, once more, they shook their head.

'No.'

Rook flinched, turned his attention back to Ralsei. 'Th-then what about you? Don't you want to bask in the radiance of your lightner for the rest of eternity? Are you truly happy to follow them into the capricious world, even though you risk abandonment and misery?!'

The prince was even more resolute. 'No, Mister Rook. As beguiling as your promise is... I'm afraid it doesn't mean anything.'

He cried aloud, as if stabbed. 'B-but how... how can you possibly... if you already know the pain of which I speak, how suffocating and all-consuming it is, then why... why risk suffering it again? How can you... possibly bear it...? I don't... I cannot grasp it. It... it makes no sense...! I cannot... this pain...! It's... it is too much... I...!'

His clock sceptre fell from his hands, clattering upon the stone floor. Seemingly unable to support himself any longer, Grandfather Rook sank to the ground, his hands the only thing keeping him from collapsing. Head bowed as low as it would go, so that his beak and the top of his headdress touched against cold stone.

'...why... why did you have to leave me...?' he sobbed. 'L-Lilibeth... why couldn't you have stayed with me...?'

Kris and Ralsei looked at each other.

'It... it wasn't enough. No number of lifetimes could ever be enough...! You were... my light, my guiding star... but I... I could not keep you. All I could do was watch as you... you slipped away from me. And now... all I have left is...'

'...she must have been... very special to you,' said the prince quietly. 'I'm... we're sorry that she couldn't stay.'

Rook did not look up. 'All I wanted was peace... I only wanted the pain to stop... why couldn't you allow me this simple thing? Why condemn me to this lifetime of suffering? Why, I ask you?'

'I'm sorry you were left behind. I'm sorry that you had once known love, and had it taken away from you. But the best way to live with that pain is to honour those memories you had with that person. To remember the good times, and be thankful for the chance to have experienced them.'

Rook said nothing, but continued to weep bitter tears that dripped down upon the thawing stonework.

'...your pain is real, and it deserves to be acknowledged,' Ralsei went on. 'However, in your eagerness to close yourself off, you denied yourself the chance of future happiness. Not only that, but you were also going to deny everyone else that chance, too. Perhaps you could have lived with that - I don't know. But if you had succeeded, you would have let the grief win. Your heart would never have mended, and you would have been consumed by bitterness forever.'

He looked up, shocked at what he was hearing 'I... I... is that... my grief... would never have...?'

He looked at the prince, as if entreating him for an answer. But of course, there was none that he could give. Rook blinked as he pondered those words, took them apart in his mind and scrutinised their meaning.

'Let me ask you something then... both of you,' he said. 'If... if there was a chance - any at all - for you to secure your future happiness, to avert any risk of loneliness and abandonment. Would you not try for that?'

'Mister Rook, we... of course we would. But not if it meant denying everything else to do it. Not if it meant bringing the rest of the world to a complete standstill. Because no matter how wonderful love can be, it's important to remember that there's an entire world out there, full of opportunities and adversities. We can forge new bonds with others who will support us and care for us. And when times are tough, we can draw on those bonds for comfort, and reaffirm our love for each other through those dark moments.'

'...an entire world...' said Rook, as if the concept was entirely new to him. 'Friends... I... had forgotten that word. Yes... I did have friends, once. But... I do not think they would look so kindly upon me now...'

'...perhaps you should reach out to them, then. Take the time and care to apologise. Try to make things right again. I... I think that you might just be surprised at the response you get, Mister Rook!'

'...after all I've done, I'm... not so sure that I am deserving of forgiveness. I... I am afraid, prince. Afraid that I shall be spurned and shut out. I'm... scared that I am destined to be alone... to be lonely, forever. Tell me, how can I risk that? How can I possibly withstand that pain?'

But Ralsei shook his head, looked away. '...I... I'm sorry. I don't really know how to...'

'You try again,' said a voice next to him.

Grandfather Rook looked over at Kris. 'Can it really be so simple, lightner?'

The human shrugged. 'Dunno. But three days ago, I had no-one. No friends, no-one to talk to, no-one to listen to me. I burned all my bridges a long time ago... or so I thought. Then I fell into a dark world with Susie, and I met Ralsei, and... I started trying, again. I put myself back out there, dared to be vulnerable with these people, hoping against hope that they might do the same. And... they did. And I'm so glad they did, because now I have friends. I have people who understand me, who care for me, despite my awkwardness. It... it made me feel like I actually mattered. And it was thanks to that that I, in some small way, was able to reconnect with people I'd thought I'd lost. People I thought would never want to speak to me again.

'But if you never try... if you convince yourself that everyone hates you and wants nothing to do with you, that your chance at happiness is gone forever... then you'll never move forward. You'll never know whether you could have been something other than what you became. Even if only one other person is willing to reach for your hand... that will have made it all worthwhile in the end. Because that's how you beat the darkness. That's how you live from day to day. When you have someone who can understand you in that way... it makes life worth living.'

There was a hearty sniff off to the side, and Kris turned to see Ralsei bawling his little eyes out, wiping his floods of tears away with his sopping scarf.

'Th-th-that was b-beautiful, Kris...!' he said. 'I-if I wasn't in love with you before, then I definitely am now...!'

The human pulled a face. 'R-Ralsei, can... can you not, just now? Appreciate the sappy comments, but there's a time and a place.'

Grandfather Rook snorted. '...I suppose that I was... rather hasty, in my initial assumption of you. It's strange. I want to despise you, and yet I cannot deny that there is... something of an affinity between us. Stranger still, I find myself... pleased, that you have been able to overcome so much.' He inspected his clockwork again, as though the answer to this riddle might be ticking somewhere among that busy machinery. 'Pleased, and... yes. Hopeful, too. Perhaps... perhaps I too can overcome. Perhaps there is a one who, despite my actions, may still yet offer the solace and understanding I seek.'

Ralsei beamed, and took another step towards Rook. 'Well, I can't speak for Kris, but... well, um... I would be happy to help you however I can! In fact, you...' his eyes lit up. 'Y-you can come back with us to my dark world! There are lots of new people there for you to meet, I think you would like it very much!'

Rook snorted again. '...you really ARE a naive little fool, aren't you? But... what you offer cannot be so easily dismissed. A new world... a fresh start. A chance to be something other than a bitter, lovesick imbecile. It is a most generous gift you give, little prince. I... thank you.'

Ralsei took another step towards him. Kris set their teeth and clenched their fist, but the prince's warm smile stopped them. There was no danger anymore. Nothing left to protect him from. And very gently, Ralsei put his paws around Grandfather Rook's neck, soft fingers interlacing with ebon black feathers. A small growl of surprise emanated from the birdlike darkner, eyes wide at the unexpected contact. Then, very slowly, Rook lowered his head, closed his eyes, and smiled.

'...th-this warmth...' he said, voice high and wobbly, fighting to keep some semblance of control over his emotions. 'I had... forgotten what this felt like... how... pleasant this could be. What... what a thing to forget... what a thing, indeed...'

Around them, the unbroken dark world sky twinkled gently with a myriad shining stars. And the snow and ice that had settled across this land for untold ages began to thaw, patches of green peeking out from beneath the once-oppressive blanket of white.

A land, once frozen in time, now returning to life again. A heart, once frozen by hate, now beating anew.

It was some way down the other side of the mountain where the fountain was hidden. The way down to it was treacherous, but the thawing snow made an excellent mode of transportation. Both Kris and Ralsei whooped with delight as they were borne down a flume of meltwater, joined together by the prince's scarf. It was a brief interval between the all the chaos of their tumultuous adventure to just forget about everything, to live in that one vital, perfect moment, not worrying about past nor future. Hearts as light as a fresh dusting of snow, hands as warm as a crackling fire, the two friends-turned-lovers held onto each other and just... were.

But of course, such a moment could not last. And all too soon, they stood at the base of the fountain itself, dwarfed by its magnificent stature, bathed in its prismatic glow.

'...they're... rather beautiful, aren't they Kris?' said the prince, giving their hand a squeeze. 'It's... almost a shame to have to seal them... don't you think?'

'...you shouldn't say stuff like that.'

'...I know. But...'

Kris's hand fell away. They didn't speak for a moment, but when they did, it was with a small, shaky voice.

'...I...'

Memories of their time together flashed through their mind, more impressions of emotions than concrete events. The snowball fight, where everything had changed for them. The fevered haze through which he had taken such tender care of them. The argument they'd had while trying to decide what to continue on for. The awful realisation of his fate in the Cavern of Frozen Flames, and their joyous reunion and declaration of love.

So much had changed here, in this place. Winter would never be the same again for them, after this.

That's right... winter... out in the light world. Where everyone else was...

...but... but did it really have to end so soon? Did... they really have to go back, right now?

Couldn't they... stay here just a moment longer, with him...?

They turned to say something, but before they could utter a single word, Ralsei took both their hands in his, and gave them a small, sad smile.

'...you must, Kris,' he said, blinking back tears. 'I don't want to either, but... you must.'

'...what, because of the prophecy?'

Ralsei shook his head. 'No... it's because you have to live the rest of your life. I... You are so, so special to me... but there are people out in your world who... who love and cherish you as well. And it would be... I would never dream of taking you away from them.'

Kris's lip wobbled. He was right. Of course he was right, damn him. Their hands found their way to his face, fine fingers running through silken fur as he caressed his cheeks and wiped away his tears.

'I'll... never let you go again, Ralsei,' they choked. 'Not as long as I live.'

The prince's smile widened, and with a quiet sob he butted Kris's forehead tenderly with his own. 'I'm... so happy to hear you say that, Kris... I will wait for you, always, until the end of time itself. And when you come back to Castle Town, I'll... have a wonderful chocolate cake waiting just for you. You can... you can eat the whole thing, okay?'

The human snorted through their tears. 'P-promise?'

Ralsei leaned in closer, lips so close to Kris's. 'Promise.'

They held that kiss for as long as they dared, breath suspended in that place betwixt light and dark. And it was as if time itself froze, and the moment would last forever, as long as they were pressed together.

With heavy breath, they drew apart, and time resumed its ceaseless march.

'...you'd better go,' said Ralsei. 'But I'll see you again, okay?'

The human nodded once, turning back towards the fountain. From somewhere in their chest, the SOUL began to glow and resonate with the darkness.

'...I love you.'

'...and I you.'

A needle of white leapt from their heart, piercing the fountain and freezing it in place. As the light expanded and consumed the dark, Kris dared to look back, to see if he was still there. But it was too bright, nothing could be made out. Yet they knew he was there, somewhere, watching over them from the dark. They knew it, as surely as they knew the sun would rise tomorrow.

The light of the future overcame them, and the dark world of snow and time was no more.

Author's note.

WE DID IT! PATCHWORK CROW ACTUALLY FINISHED A MULTI-CHAPTER FIC! THIS CALLS FOR A CELEBRATION OF SOME KIND! SOMEONE GO BAKE A CAKE OR SOMETHING

...whew, what a ride this has been! From its humble beginnings as a short and sweet fic about Kris and Ralsei playing in the snow, to something approaching an actual dark world adventure, to the final grand showdown with G-Daddy Clock Bird Thing, this fic has surprised and delighted me at every turn. As cliche as it probably sounds, I never expected it to get this grand in scope, never expected the themes and motifs to come out as they did, never expected just how invested I would actually become in this silly little idea I had all those months ago. I tell ya, if you guys had half as much fun reading this as I did writing it, then I'll be a very happy author indeed!

Thanks to everyone who's followed me from the beginning with encouraging comments and kudos! Special shoutouts to Goopleglop, Redamancyy, SwatchBox and others who were very kind with their praise and feedback! If you're after more Kralsei stuff, then definitely check out some of their works on AO3 if you haven't done so already!

Of course, it would be remiss of me not to thank the ever-dependable Kastek, who continues to hold me to the highest possible standard of fluffy nonsense. I hope that you learned lots of new and interesting words during your tenure as my beta, and my descriptions of food didn't send you into fits of incoherent hanger. To anyone still reading after this point, go and check them out, they're mad talented and they write beautifully for someone who's only been doing this for a year. Plus they're an utter sweetheart and deserve all the kudos. Go and show the anxious birb some love already, will ya?!

Now, the question remains - what's next? I'm thinking of going back to Through Shattered Glass after this, but I also have a few one-shot fics flitting around that could be interesting. Whatever it turns out being, rest assured this is far from the end of me here.

Cue groans of disappointment.

Take care of yourselves, and I hope to see you all again soon :)