Hey, guys! Welcome back to RFL 2: Into the Dark! I know this isn't my usual update day, but I needed a little extra time for this chapter (it's a long one!) and I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. Now, for the reviews!

Thanks so much to Demi clayton and EveryFortressFalls (Ahh, thank you so much! It was great fanart, I really loved it! :) I hope you continue to enjoy reading!) for reviewing!

And with that, on with the chapter!

Chapter 28: Evacuation

"As much as I appreciate your help…" Lily said reluctantly, glancing over at Jack and Simon as she placed a few carefully-wrapped books in a crate made from ice. "Isn't the main priority getting the people out of the city…? I can handle packing up my magic supplies on my own, really."

It had been surprisingly easy for the Guardians to convince the remaining New Iskaldian snow sprites to evacuate their homes, though Jack suspected that that was largely due to the fact that they had Shiro, Rayla, and Lily, all trusted members of the community, vouching for them. While the other four Guardians and the last two councilmembers had promptly set about helping the citizens prepare for the move, Jack and Simon had both volunteered to assist Lily with packing the materials located in the magical research center.

Jack was almost certain that Simon's reasons for helping mostly centered around spending time with Lily, but the younger boy was more focused on the magic supplies themselves. He knew that Ebon had already inherited Arios' apparently at least moderately extensive knowledge of magic, but was adamantly against allowing the Fearling to get his hands on any more information. The Guardians and their allies needed any sort of edge they could get, no matter how minor, if they hoped to be able to defend themselves against the Nightmare Army.

As such, Jack waved off the other snow sprite's concerns as he carefully placed what looked to be jars filled with various ingredients for potions into another ice crate. "Don't worry about it, really," he assured her. "Despite what Ebon said, the other Guardians are known for their ability to work quickly...they'll be able to get everyone out safely with time to spare, even without Simon and I."

"He's right, you know," the archer called over from where he was filling yet another crate with more books. "Besides, with everyone else already working on loading the sleigh and getting animals ready for travel, what would be left for us to do? Pack up the citizens' clothes?" Simon snorted and shrugged his left shoulder, causing his empty, tied-off sleeve to prominently sway. "I'm not the most efficient when it comes to folding shirts, you know."

Lily managed a slight, superficial smile, though she still appeared tense and distracted. "That's fair," she said, turning back to her own crate. "Though to your credit, you do seem fairly efficient at putting books away." Her words sounded as though they should have been playfully teasing, but it was clear that the young woman's heart simply wasn't in it.

Admittedly, Jack wasn't feeling too chipper himself at the moment, but he sensed a distinct need for at least a shred of levity in the conversation. I'm the Guardian of Fun… he acknowledged silently. Even if I haven't been acting like it for a while...I really need to fix that…

Keeping his Guardian title in mind, Jack rolled his eyes in a comically exaggerated fashion. "Fairly efficient? I don't know about that," he said with an over the top scoff. "I think I could do much better, personally."

While Lily gave him a surprised look at first, Simon caught on relatively quickly, shooting the young sprite a smirk. "You're seriously trying to lord yourself over an amputee?" he asked, not even bothering to pretend to be offended. "And one whose only hand is practically numb from touching ice all day, at that?" He placed his hand over his heart, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Honestly, Jack, I had no idea your self esteem was that low! It's quite concerning, really."

Jack shrugged, giving a false pout. "Well you didn't have to call attention to it like that…" He sighed heavily. "But I suppose you're right...maybe I'm just jealous of your incredibly superior book-stacking skills…"

The archer snorted amusedly. "That appears to be the case," he agreed. "But don't worry, I'm sure that, with years and years of practicing an action for which you use your hands, you too can reach the skill level of me, a person who's missing a hand."

"Moon above, I wish!" Jack laughed, breaking character a bit. "Think if I freeze my own arm off, I'll be able to match your excellence?"

Simon raised an eyebrow curiously. "Can a snow sprite even do that?"

"Only one way to find out."

Suddenly, Lily, who had been watching their exchange with bewilderment, let out a small giggle, catching both young men's attention. As they looked over in her direction, she managed what seemed to be a more natural smile than before.

"You two have a very strange friendship, you know that?" Her voice was a mix of lingering confusion and newfound amusement, which Jack took as a distinct improvement over her previous melancholy tone.

"Oh, we know," the boy replied, smirking. "We've been strange since the beginning, to tell the truth."

Simon scoffed. "Speak for yourself, Frost. I've always been perfectly normal."

"Says the one who got possessed and shot me through the heart in the middle of a cemetery," Jack pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Says the one who didn't die from that," Simon retorted with a roll of the eyes. "And the one who used to say 'tis and 'twas all the time."

Jack's expression almost immediately dulled at the attack on his since-faded accent. He then forced a mocking smile onto his face and replied, "'Twas my accent. 'Tis not that strange, you know."

The man merely smirked teasingly, unfazed. "Considering the fact that Central Iskaldites are, quite literally, the only ones that still talk that archaically...yes, 'tis."

"That's not even how you're supposed to use that word," Jack deadpanned. Simon, however, didn't seem to care, only shrugging him off with a light laugh.

Lily, meanwhile, seemed even more baffled than before. She looked back and forth between the two of them, eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement. "The...part about Jack's accent is what you focus on," she said slowly, as though unsure of whether to trust that she had understood the exchange she had just listened to. "Not...the part about being shot in the heart…?"

Welcome to our insane world, Miss Callia, Jack thought amusedly. You might want to start getting used to it, since I have a feeling you'll be here for quite a while.

"Don't worry, he's forgiven me for it," Simon chuckled. "He froze my arm off, I chased him down and shot him a few years later...we ultimately decided to just call it even and move on."

Jack nodded. "And thus, here we are."

For a few silent moments, Lily simply stared at them, stunned. Then, she finally cracked a small smile and shook her head in a manner that was almost fond. "Well...I suppose if even you two can learn to get along, then there must be at least some hope for the rest of snow sprite and human relations, right…?"

At this, Jack found himself managing a smile as well. "Right," he said with a nod. "Ebon's no doubt set us back by quite a bit with his revolutionary stunt, but...if we can stop him and expose what really happened, I think we can salvage things."

Lily bit her lip nervously, smile fading. "Perhaps...but that's the issue, isn't it? Ebon...we can't expect to beat him easily, can we? From what he said, it sounds like taking the Tsar's palace was child's play for him...I know a Fearling wouldn't have problems getting past mortal guards, especially when backed by many sprites' powerful magic, but...what about the Tsar himself…? Doesn't he possess magic that's far stronger than any of ours…? Why was he not able to stop Ebon in his tracks…?"

Jack frowned, pausing to consider her words. She's right… he realized. When a Fearling has access to large amounts of Fear-which Ebon no doubt got ahold of from parading around the capital with a hostile group of snow sprites, scaring the citizens-its power grows significantly. In that case, even on his own, he probably could easily overpower regular guards, regardless of whether they knew any magic or not. But the Tsar...he should be stronger than that. He can grant immortality, bestow multiple layers of protection against death itself...hell, he even reversed my transformation into an actual Fearling...he'd have to possess an astronomical amount of power to perform even one of those actions, and he's done all three, some on multiple occasions...so then why…?

Suddenly, Jack's eyes widened. "...that's why…" he whispered aloud.

Simon frowned, eyebrows raised, as he glanced over at the younger boy. "Um...if you've just had some sort of shocking revelation you want to share, then...you're going to have to be more specific."

Jack, however, barely acknowledged the archer, instead slowly bringing a hand up to his head in order to run it through his silvery hair. That's why… he repeated silently. Tsar Lunar gave Zephyr and me immortality just a few months ago...and just before that was when he restored me to my regular form after I was turned into a Fearling...magic of that sheer magnitude must take an incredible amount of time to recover from...I'd bet anything that the Tsar simply didn't have the power required to drive off Ebon available to him at the time. All because of him still being drained using up so much of his power on me...damn it...just how much of this is my fault!?

"Um...Jack…?" Lily asked carefully, stepping a bit closer to him and tilting her head to get a better look at his distressed expression. "Are you alright…?"

The boy immediately shook his head. "No…" he answered softly. "I'm not, I...damn it, this...it's my fault again…"

Lily's eyebrows creased and she glanced at Simon in confusion, who merely shrugged, apparently equally puzzled. "How is that possible…?" she asked uncertainly. "You've been here the whole time...none of this could be your fault, Jack…"

He quickly shook his head again. "No, you don't understand…" he said quietly. "It has to be my fault...the amount of magic the Tsar has used on me recently must have drained him to the point of not being able to fight Ebon...that's the only explanation I can think of. The Tsar is capable of extremely powerful, extremely taxing magic, but even he has limits…"

Lily and Simon's eyes widened, and they shared a quick glance. "So…" Simon said slowly, his eyebrows creasing in concern. "That's why it was so easy for Ebon to take the palace? Because the Tsar's still recovering from all that magic…?"

"It has to be," Jack whispered faintly as he lowered his head in shame. After a brief moment of silence, frustration began to rise up within him, and his fingers curled into tight fists. "Damn it...why is so much of this my fault!?" he spat, not looking at anyone in particular. He began to pace back and forth across the room, practically radiating anxious energy. "My presence woke Ebon up, he used me as an energy source and a distraction for the Guardians, and then was able to waltz right into the Tsar's palace since the Guardians were gone, and Lunar's weak from wasting all his magic on me! Damn it! What is it about me that makes it so easy for everyone to just...just...use me like a puppet!? Am I just that naive!? Is that it!? Was everyone right about me!? Am I really just a pathetic little boy that can't control a damn thing!?"

In his frustrated rage, Jack barely noticed he was speaking-let alone shouting-aloud until Simon abruptly caught him by the shoulder, stopping him in his tracks with a sharp, "Hey!"

The boy's eyes went wide as he tilted his head up to meet Simon's stern gaze. In actuality, the archer was only a few inches taller than him, but Jack had unconsciously curled up on himself in anguish so much that he suddenly felt extremely small next to the other young man. Swallowing the lump that had formed his throat, Jack forced himself to straighten up so that he could better look Simon in the eye.

"Listen to me," the archer began firmly. "There is no way you could have known that all of this would happen. You never even chose to come here! Moon above, Jack, you were left for dead in the desert, remember? You couldn't have known that you would be brought down here-or even that this city existed in the first place-or that there would be a conscious Fearling looking for a way to rise up. You couldn't have known that you'd be captured and tortured, and...hell...we'd never have expected you to piece everything together in the state you were in when we first got you out of there. And of course, months ago, you couldn't have known that the Tsar would be weakened from using magic on you, nor that it would turn out to be a problem now. Jack, this mess is not your fault."

"But I-" Jack weakly tried to interject.

Simon, however, shut him down almost instantly. "I'm not done," he said sharply. Then, suddenly, his severe expression softened as he heaved a quiet sigh. "Jack...I wouldn't be saying all of this to you if I wasn't certain that I was right. I'm...I'm no stranger to feeling like a pawn to a Fearling. I was possessed by one, remember…?"

Jack's azure eyes widened slightly at the memory. He hadn't forgotten, of course, that when he and Simon had met in front of his late sister's grave, and unnamed Fearling had taken control of the archer once it had become clear that he had been deterred from trying to end Jack's life. However, he had to admit that he had barely considered what that experience had been like for Simon. The boy found himself wincing in shame at the thought.

"That thing used me," Simon continued softly. "It invaded my body and used it to try to kill you. It even would have succeeded, had it not been for the Tsar's protective mark on you. Do you have any idea how long I spent thinking about that after the fact…? I was wracked with guilt for what must've been weeks...months, even." He shooks his head, a deep frown on his face. "True, revenge on you was my original goal, but...you changed my mind, and rather quickly, at that. I suppose you could say that my heart was never really in it. I willingly backed down...but that damn demon almost killed you with my bow anyway. It was...a disturbing experience, being able to do nothing but watch as it controlled my body. In truth...it's haunted me ever since. I still get nightmares about it sometimes."

Jack stared at Simon for a few moments before whispering uncertainly, "Why are you telling me this…?"

"Because I want you to know that what you're feeling right now...I've felt it too," the archer answered, squeezing Jack's shoulder a bit, as though to comfort him. "I know how much it hurts to feel helpless and weak...and like if you had just been a bit stronger, a bit smarter, a bit quicker to act, then maybe something bad could've been prevented. But...you have to remember that we've been dealing with Fearlings here, Jack. They literally exist to manipulate people so that they can get their Fear, right? It's their specialty. It wasn't my fault that I was possessed, and it's not your fault that Ebon used you. So please...don't beat yourself up about this. There's nothing you can do now but move forward."

Jack remained silent for a few moments, considering Simon's words. He's...right, he internally acknowledged. I suppose I really couldn't have known that any of this would happen, or how to prevent it… He heaved a sigh. He could still feel guilt incessantly gnawing at him, but he resolved to push it down for the time being. I need to focus on the evacuation for now...I can't let my regrets distract me from helping the people here. Like Simon said...all I can do now is move forward.

With that, the young Guardian took a deep breath, straightening his posture and looking Simon in the eye as he nodded firmly. "You're right," he said, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't be dwelling on this when we still have a job to do here."

Simon grinned. "That's the spirit. Now, come on...let's finish helping Lily pack up all these magic things. We're still on a time limit, after all." He and Jack both glanced over at Lily, who had been watching their exchange with some level of bewilderment (it had been quite an odd conversation without the benefit of context, Jack realized). The girl jumped a bit in surprise when she noticed that attention was back on her, but quickly composed herself, standing up straighter and clearing her throat.

"Right," she replied. She still looked somewhat confused, but appeared to resolve not to ask for details at present. "We're almost done here, but even after we clear out this room, there's still a lot of work to do. Food, medicine, extra clothes...we're going to need to get all manner of things out of the city, and that's not even counting everything the others are already working on…" She trailed off, clearly nervous, and Jack found himself sharing the feeling.

Simon, however, merely smiled. "Well, then we'd best get back to work," he pointed out. "If we just stand here worrying about how much there is to do...none of it's ever gonna get done, yeah?"

In spite of everything, Jack found himself chuckling slightly. "When did you start using motivational lines like that, Simon?"

The archer smirked and held up his empty sleeve. "When I decided I was going to teach myself how to use a bow and arrow with only one arm," he told the boy, a hint of teasing smugness present in his voice. "I know I make it look easy now, but believe it or not, it took a lot of work to get the hang of."

"Did it also take a lot of work to get the hang of all that humility?" Jack snorted.

"As a matter of fact, it did."

"Alright, you two," Lily interjected before the young men could continue their banter. She pretended to be annoyed with them, but a small smile still pulled at her lips. "As amusing as this is...I think it's about time we got back to work."

()()()()

Once the three of them had finished packing up the contents of the research center, it was then time to transport all of the crates to the surface, where they could then be loaded into North's sleigh. Lily had cast a levitation spell on a few crates, which caused them to smoothly drift alongside the trio, ensuring that they wouldn't have to make a second trip. Still, though, Jack and Lily each held two crates stacked on top of one another, and Simon, not to be left out, carried another, pressing its side against his hip so that it would have the support it needed to prevent falling.

In this way, they made their way through the city, past several snow sprites gathering their own belongings or leading the larger animals towards the tunnel that Aster had formed in the far wall. From a distance away, Jack noticed Aster himself gripping the reins of both Dusk, Simon's mare, and Zephyr. When Jack managed to lock eyes with him, the Pooka remained silent, but gave a firm nod, as though to assure the boy, I'll take good care of him.

In spite of himself, Jack allowed a small, relieved smile find its way onto his face. The two might have butted heads quite often in the past, but Aster had earned Jack's trust long ago. He had no doubts that the older Guardian would successfully get his equine friend to safety, so he kept moving without a worry.

Jack, Simon, and Lily reached the exit tunnel rather quickly, but upon entering it and beginning to head towards the light at the other end, Lily's footsteps began to slow, until she finally came to a complete stop. Upon noticing, Jack and Simon both halted as well, looking back at her with a mixture of confusion and concern.

"Lily?" Simon asked cautiously. "Is everything alright…?"

"I...I just…" Lily gulped and averted her eyes. "...I haven't actually been to the surface in years," she admitted. "I suppose I'm just...overwhelmed, at the thought of it…"

Jack's expression softened as he observed her tense, anxious stance. He carefully made his way to her side, making sure that the crates in his arms didn't shift too much. Once he was right next to her, he spoke to her in what he hoped was a comforting enough tone. "Lily...trust me. I know firsthand how jarring a sudden change of circumstances is. But please, believe me when I tell you that, once you get up there...you'll feel so much better." He smiled, thinking of when Aster had taken him up for some fresh air to clear his mind before. "I know I did."

Lily looked at the younger sprite uncertainly, seeming to study his face for any hint of insincerity. Upon not finding even a trace, she closed her eyes, taking a deep, calming breath. "...okay," she said finally, after a few moments of silence. "You're right, I'm...I'm probably just overreacting…"

Jack arched an eyebrow. "I didn't say that," he pointed out. "I don't think you're overreacting at all. In fact, I'd be surprised if you weren't intimidated by this whole mess. It's only natural to be scared...this was all caused by literal personifications of fear, after all. But the only way any of us are going to get through things is continuing to move forward in spite of that fear. Right?"

To Jack's mild surprise, Lily managed a smile at his words. "You make a good point," she agreed. Her smile took on a distinctly teasing quality to it. "You're wise for your age, you know that?"

The boy's expression dulled slightly and he rolled his eyes in annoyance that was really only halfhearted. "I'm seventeen, not seven," he mumbled. "No need to patronize me." Still, he couldn't keep a small smile away from his own face for too long. "Seriously, though, I'm not all that wise. I've just...experienced a lot, I suppose."

"Well...I'd argue that wisdom typically comes from experience," Lily replied with a chuckle. "And so, I'd also argue that you are in fact wise."

Jack wasn't so sure he agreed with her, given his embarrassing lack of foresight during recent events, but he merely smiled and nodded, not wanting to bring the mood down once again. "Not a bad argument," he conceded instead. Then, his expression became a bit more serious, and he looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Are you ready to go?"

"I...I think so." She still looked nervous, but less so than before. "We can't stand here forever...uncomfortable or not, I'm going to have to face the surface."

"That's right, and you know what?" came Simon's voice, as he walked over to the two and took up a position on Lily's other side. He smiled gently. "You won't have to do it alone."

Lily glanced over at him in mild surprise, but her expression softened into a grateful smile rather quickly. However, after a few moments, it became clear that neither of the two of them were in any hurry to break eye contact, so it took a loud clearing of the throat from Jack to get them moving again. The two adults quickly looked away from one another and started moving again, as though pretending they hadn't just been caught gazing into one another's eyes for entirely too long, which left the younger sprite to trail along behind them with a wide smirk on his face.

Well, well, well, what do you know? Jack smugly thought to himself. Is that a hint of reciprocation I see from Miss Callia there…? I suppose they were able to spend some time getting to know each other while I was out of commission...perhaps Simon's not quite as hopeless of a romantic as I'd thought.

Before Jack could say anything to either of them, however, he noticed the other end of the tunnel drawing closer, so he held his tongue, resolving to tease Simon about his observations at a later time. Instead, he quickened his pace a bit until he was once again at Lily's side. As they neared the surface and her resolve seemed to waver, he got her attention and gave her a short, encouraging nod.

"You've been up here before," he reminded her quietly. "No matter how many years it's been...a snow sprite doesn't belong underground. You know that as well as I do."

After she took a final deep breath to steel herself, she gave a firm, determined nod of her own. She looked ahead, at the star-specked sky visible from the exit's opening. "You're right. We...we belong up there. Beneath the sky...where we can breathe fresh air and feel the wind."

Jack smiled. "That's the spirit."

And with that, they took the last few strides needed to reach the very end of the tunnel, finally stepping out into the chilled night air of the desert.

Almost instantly, Jack felt the tension in his body relax as a cool breeze ruffled his hair. Just as before, his body's innate connection to nature allowed the cold to temporarily soothe him. He wasn't naive enough to think that something as simple as fresh air would suddenly solve all of his problems, but he would be lying if he claimed that the feeling of his empowered magic didn't feel wonderful.

Unfortunately, the silvery glow of the moon overhead reminded him that now was not a time for carefree relaxation. Idly, he wondered if Tsar Lunar possessed enough magic to watch the Guardians' actions through the moon, as he had during their previous mission to chain the Nightmare King. Jack entertained the thought for a few moments before ultimately tossing it aside. The Tsar was likely too magically drained to accomplish such a thing, or else he would have been able to anticipate Ebon's attack. Besides, even if that hadn't been the case, the chains that now bound Tsar Lunar were likely similar to the ones that had been used to restrain Jack himself, in that they suppressed all of their wearer's magic.

Suddenly, the boy found himself wondering if the Tsar was also being tortured like Jack had been. With a shudder, he quickly banished the thought. There was no use in worrying about something like that until they were actually in a position to do something about it.

Thankfully, his attention was quickly drawn away from his dark thoughts by the faint sound of bells overhead. Blinking in surprise, Jack looked up to see a magnificent red sleigh pulled by six powerfully built, flying reindeer suddenly materializing in the sky above them. He gaped as the antlered creatures circled, hooves striking nothing but air as they seemed to gallop on the wind itself. Soon enough, however, they gradually made their way to the ground, landing surprisingly smoothly in the sand, not jostling the sleigh much at all.

"Whoa…" Jack breathed, sapphire eyes wide as he stared at the vehicle. Where the hell have they been hiding that all this time?

"Aha!" came North's voice as he dropped the reins and leapt out of the sleigh. The man strode towards Jack, Lily, and Simon, a wide grin on his face. "That is all magic supplies, yes? Excellent! Here, help me load them onto sleigh." He plucked one of the levitating crates out of the air and took it over to the back of the sleigh, carefully placing it inside.

Jack and the others followed North's lead, though Lily appeared noticeably dazed as she slowly moved towards the sleigh. Her eyes were like saucers as she stared out across the ever-shifting desert sands, then up at the diamond-studded, ink-black expanse that was the night sky. She seemed to barely even notice the sleigh and the reindeer right in front of her, overwhelmed as she was with the prospect of simply being outside after prolonged confinement in the underground city.

Jack couldn't help but smile slightly upon seeing the wonder in her eyes. No matter what happens next...I'll fight for my people, he promised himself. Someday, none of us will ever have to hide in the dark again...this will all end. Even as he loaded his own crates into the back of the sleigh, he felt his smile turn grim with the thought of the struggles still ahead of them. For better or for worse.

()()()()

No matter what Ebon had claimed before, the Guardians of Childhood were truly no slouches when it came to efficiency. Jack was almost certain that some sort of strange magic had to be at play, because without it, clearing out an entire underground city in only a little over five hours seemed completely and utterly impossible. Each time he asked about it, however, he was met with little more than a knowing smirk and a wink, no matter which Guardian he approached.

He was starting to wonder if the others would ever start telling him things.

Regardless, he could hardly complain now that all of their work was done. All of the New Iskaldian sprites and their belongings, as well as any extra supplies they figured they would need, had all been relocated to the Guardian base in Iskald, which North claimed was an expansive workshop with plenty of spare rooms for the refugees. Aster had also made sure that all of the animals had made it there safely as well, and had already gotten them settled into the stables.

Now, the only individuals left in the underground city were the five Guardians, Simon, and Lily, who had all agreed to perform one last sweep of the place to make sure nothing important was being left behind. The seven of them had split up, made their way through every ice building, tunnel, and offshoot they could find, then met back up by the lake in the center of the city to confirm that nothing was left to be gathered.

"Alright, I think we're just about done here," Aster said with a firm nod once they were all back together. "Time ta clear out ourselves."

"I still can't believe we're done already," Simon spoke up, looking bewildered. "How did that...work, exactly?"

While the other Guardians merely shared conspiratorial smirks, Jack rolled his eyes. "Don't bother. I've been asking all day and I'm still clueless."

"Now, now, leave specifics to us!" North laughed, clapping Jack on the back so hard that the slender boy nearly had the wind knocked straight out of him. "Important thing is that we have finished well before deadline! Now we all get in sleigh and make final trip to workshop."

Before Jack could tell North off for the hard blow to his spine, Aster cleared his throat uncomfortably at the mention of the sleigh. "I think my tunnels might be faster, mate. And, um...and safer."

Irritation forgotten, Jack smirked. "Afraid of a little flying, rabbit?"

Aster's eyes narrowed. "Hardly, Frostbite," he mumbled defensively. "Just...showin' concern for the deadline. And everyone's lives."

As Jack laughed, Tooth sighed and moved to hover in between the two of them. "Boys," she scolded. "Enough. Jack, stop teasing Aster. Aster, stop trying to get out of riding in the sleigh."

"Fine," Jack replied with a shrug.

"Fine," Aster echoed, though the scowl didn't leave his face.

Despite their lackluster efforts at agreement, Toothiana seemed satisfied enough, and she smiled. "Good. Now, let's get out of here. We should be back at the workshop long before Ebon even realizes what's happened."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Everyone froze.

"In fact...I'd argue that he already knows exactly what has been happening here."

Jack felt his already frigid blood run even colder.

"And by extent...so do I."

The voice that echoed through the emptied underground city was not Ebon's, nor was it Arios'. This voice was deeper, smoother, and far more chilling.

To the Guardians, the voice was alarmingly familiar.

A tall figure draped in ink-black robes emerged from the shadows, amber eyes glittering with malice. He extended one of his slate-gray hands as if in greeting, though the grin he flashed was cruel, and filled with too-sharp teeth.

"You Guardians really are a naive group, aren't you?" sneered Pitch Black, the Nightmare King. "Why would you ever trust a Fearling's words?"

:0

Hope you guys enjoyed, and don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you think :) I'll see you guys next time!

'Til then, Sapphire316, out.