Jack's eyelids fluttered and he groaned as he gained consciousness.
The lights were off in the room and the clear night sky was visible through the open window. A slight breeze ruffled his hair as he sat up.
Jack felt like he'd been hit by a train, his whole body ached and he felt weak - as if he'd been stricken by the flu.
Wincing, he managed to swing his legs over the side of the bed and stand up.
He ran his hand up his forehead - it was slick with sweat. His heartbeat was loud and irregular and his breathing was ragged.
As he regained his bearings, Jack looked around, his vision slightly blurry. He was still in the same room he'd been in before passing out.
But one thing was definitely different. The walls were painted with soot as if they had been licked by raging flames.
What the hell? Jack stood up, staggering with his own weight. Was that… a dream?
His feet turned black as they collected the ash that blanketed the floor like snow.
Across the room, stood neatly against the wall, was his staff. Someone must've put it there after he'd passed out.
He stumbled toward it, happy to see that it looked the same.
Losing balance, he lunged toward it, grabbing it with one hand in an effort to steady himself.
But as soon as his fingertips made contact, a jolt of pain raced up his arm and he crashed to the ground, writhing in agony.
Panting, he lifted his gaze as the pain subsided and stared in disbelief at the staff in his hand. It glowed bright orange under his fingers as if lava was flowing through its crevices.
Though it was just an old, dead branch, it had never seemed more alive.
Where his skin touched it, the wood was decorated with scorch marks that reached out from his hand like black veins or streaks of lightning.
Jack could feel heat pulsing from beneath its surface as light seeped through its twists like the embers of a fire.
Loud pounding startled him out of his shock. "JACK?! ARE YOU OKAY?!" It was Tooth.
Jack stuttered, not knowing how to respond. "I- uh…" A moment of silence.
"I'm coming in, Jack!" The door opened. More silence. Tooth gaped at the state of the room.
When her incredulous stare fell on the winter sprite, the silence was broken by a loud gasp. "Wh-what… happened to you?"
Jack looked down at the floor. How was he supposed to know?
"What's going on? Was that Jack screamin-" Bunny emerged in the doorway, his question cut short.
The same look of disbelief was plastered on his face. This happened twice more as North and Sandy came to see what all the ruckus was.
Jack began to feel uncomfortable with their gawking and said, "Look, I know the room's a mess and I don't know what happened either. But why are you all… staring at me like that?"
Sandy lifted a finger, pointing wordlessly at Jack. A simple exclamation point appeared over his head.
"What is going on?! Why are you all crowding in the door…way…" Jack's gaze shifted above the short, golden man to see Lily shoving her way through the sea of guardians and freezing as he came into her view.
"… Jack?"
A/N: I am honestly so sorry for leaving this the way it was. If any of you are still following this story - thank you. Sincerely. I hope you are all staying healthy in this crisis. I'm home from college and find myself with a bit more time to spare, so I've decided to revive my one and only ongoing fanfiction. I'm not sure how of even if I can get my regular readers back... But I've decided that it doesn't matter. As long as somebody gets to enjoy it - even if it's only one person (me lol)!