Hey, guys! Welcome back to RFL 2: Into the Dark! I'm so sorry for being away for so long, there's been some personal and anxiety-related stuff that I've been dealing with for a while, which I won't get into here. Instead, now that I'm here, let's get to the reviews!
Thanks so much to the lone reviewer last chapter, Milly34k! Thank you for reading, and I hope you continue to enjoy! :)
And with that, on with the chapter!
Chapter 29: Return of the Nightmare King
From the Journal of Arios Fletcher
I believe something terrible is about to happen.
I have only been conscious for a few minutes, and already I feel darkness beginning to pull at the edges of my vision, so I must be quick in writing out what I have discovered. I don't know if it will be particularly useful to me, or if it is even possible for someone to find this journal and benefit from it, but...no matter. I will write it down all the same, if only because there is absolutely nothing else that I can do.
The Fearling has given me some of its memories. I don't know how, and I don't know why (pure entertainment on its part, perhaps?), but it has given me visions of some of the things that it has done while in complete control of my body.
Firstly...I now know who it used me to torture. It was Jack Frost. The fifth Guardian of Childhood. The boy who was brought into the city, unconscious and half-dead, by a few guards. The boy who I had felt nothing but rage towards while the Fearling's consciousness was not yet separated from my own.
Now, I feel only shame, guilt, and pity.
Recalling the lists the Fearling left on the wall of my underground room...I feel sickened all over again. That boy, Guardian or not, is a child. Or...perhaps was a child. I'm honestly not sure if he's even still alive. The Fearling neglected to show me anything that might have indicated that.
But I did hear all of his screams...his cries, his wails, the broken rasp of his throat when he could scream no longer...they're haunting.
If he is still alive, and if, for whatever reason, he should one day discover this journal...I want him to know how sorry I am. A simple apology feels like nothing in the face of what he suffered at my hands, but I'm afraid I can offer nothing else. I've clearly proven myself to be too weak to fight off the Fearling...I am powerless.
...I should move on, before I become too disheartened to write.
Secondly...I saw my sister, Cynthia. The Fearling used my knowledge of magic to curse her into unconsciousness. For a moment, I almost thought she was dead, but the Fearling made sure I knew she was still breathing.
I am grateful that, as far as I know, she is still alive. Perhaps the resident expert of the magical arts in New Iskald, Lily Callia, has even managed to undo the curse…?
Ah, but still...I worry about the emphasis that the Fearling put on the fact that my sister still lives. I have not yet forgotten what it forced me to do to my father...I can only hope that it will not eventually use my own hands to end her life as well.
Cynthia...I'm so sorry. To lose a father and a brother in one fell swoop, after already having lost a mother...I can't bear the thought of you in so much pain.
I worry even more for her and the rest of the sprites...no, the rest of Soluna itself, because of the third piece of information I was given.
The Nightmare King has already been unchained.
I still possess far less context than I would have liked, but...the Fearling showed me enough to know that the entire Tsardom is in danger.
From what I remember of the story that I overheard Jack Frost relaying to the council, when the Nightmare King was chained by the Guardians of Childhood, all Nightmares and Fearlings not currently possessing a vessel went dormant as well...unfortunately, they have all awoken now, with the intention of creating a world ruled by nothing but Fear.
However, they first intend to target New Iskald. For what, I'm not sure...they could be trying to collect as much Fear as they can before attacking those who live on the surface? Or perhaps they mean to eliminate Jack Frost? Or...and I shudder to think of it...could they be attempting to bolster their ranks with more possessed sprites…? I have no idea, but...
…
…
...I can only hope that none of the other citizens end up sharing my fate.
()()()()
Ebon had lied. That much was obvious, of course. And in hindsight, Jack probably should have seen it coming from a mile away. Lily had even pointed out that the Fearling was under no obligation to keep his word, but somehow, they had all still remained under the impression that the Nightmare King was still chained.
And here I thought that Ebon was making things easy for us by giving us too much information about his plans… the boy thought numbly as he stared at the demonic being before him. No...he only told us exactly what he wanted us to know...and caused us to believe exactly what he wanted us to believe.
It was then that the Nightmare King locked eyes with the young sprite, and his cruel smirk widened. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my servant's favorite little power source," he chuckled darkly. "I suppose I have you to thank, in part, for my swift return, yes? Mhm, all that delicious Fear rolling off of you in waves...it must be an awful burden for you, I'd imagine, but quite useful for me."
As a wave of Fear, an uncomfortable mix of natural and otherwise, washed over Jack, he found himself struggling to even stand, so badly was his entire body shaking. His voice nearly sealed itself away once more, but somehow, using every ounce of willpower that he had left, he managed to choke out, "W-Why...why did you wait…?"
Pitch Black smirked, cocking his head to one side in an unsettling mockery of innocence. "What was that, boy? I couldn't quite hear you."
"Jack, stand down!" Jack heard Aster hiss beside him, but the only acknowledgement that the boy granted the Pooka was a slight twitch of one elfin ear. He simply kept his gaze firmly focused on Pitch, no matter how badly he wanted to bolt like a startled deer.
I'm not afraid of you, he repeatedly thought, desperately trying to force himself to believe it. I'm not afraid.
"W-Why-" The young sprite's voice broke, but he quickly swallowed the lump forming in his throat and continued. "Why...why did you wait so long to come here? If...i-if you were awake this whole time...why not attack sooner…?"
The Nightmare King grinned, baring his pointed teeth. "An inquisitive one, are we? Mhm...very well, I'll briefly indulge your curiosity. For one thing...I find that Fear is so much more satisfying when it's preceded by hope."
Out of the corner of his eye, Jack noticed Aster tensing in anger.
"Seeing one's spirits raised only to be crushed soon after…" Pitch continued smugly. "It's a rather delightful thing to watch."
"Th-That doesn't answer everything!" Jack suddenly stammered, forcing the words out despite his nerves. "I-It's been hours...you could've gotten that effect at any time, w-when the other snow sprites were still here...w-why wait until only we were here…?"
Pitch chuckled. "Sharp observation. Indeed, there was another reason I chose to let those sprites escape for now...it was simply strategy. They may be safe in your base for now thanks to all those little protective spells...but what will happen when their precious Guardians do not return?" As he spoke, the shadows began to shift, and Jack felt his heart start to beat significantly faster. Fearlings and Nightmares alike began emerging from the darkness to surround the Guardians' small group, some of them noticeably streaked with ice and frost.
Jack's eyes widened in horror as he realized that the ice-marked Fearlings were the transfigured snow sprite children they had encountered several months prior, and the similarly frosted Nightmares were the hybrid equine monsters infused with some of their stolen magic.
Damn it...not this again… he thought, despair threatening to overtake him.
He tried to remind himself of what he had learned during his previous encounter with the Nightmare King-that Fearlings were powerless when faced with an absence of Fear. Unfortunately, though, such information did little to help Jack now. He could scarcely even remember a time in which he wasn't constantly filled with inescapable terror.
He once again cursed himself for his shameful weakness.
"Thanks to my servant's actions, I am in an empowered state," the Nightmare King continued with a cruel smirk. "And your precious Centers, your hope, your wonder, your fun...well, let us say, they're all in short supply at the moment. Once I finish you off here, all those sprites you 'saved' will have no one to protect them...and the moment they finally step outside your mysterious little base, they'll be captured and added to my army."
A few feet away, Jack heard Lily gave a sharp gasp, but she did not dare speak. The group's collective silence apparently served as Pitch's cue to continue.
"You may have great strength, Guardians," he acknowledged. "But clearly...you are vastly outnumbered."
Indeed, the seven of them were quite thoroughly surrounded by the creatures of the shadows. Jack even thought he could see a number of Fearlings clinging to the ceiling just above them, as though to prevent escape by flight. In the distance, it also seemed as though a defensive row of Nightmares had formed directly in front of the exit tunnel, further diminishing their chances of returning to the surface alive.
What was that Simon said about an underground city not being a very defendable position…? the young sprite thought grimly as his grip on his staff tightened. He supposed that the fact that Aster had returned his weapon and conduit to him quite a while ago was one small blessing, but he was beginning to doubt that it would make much of a difference against the sheer quantity of monsters around them.
"What's the matter, little Guardian?" A new voice suddenly caught Jack's attention with the sickeningly familiar way it made his skin crawl. Sure enough, Ebon was the next figure to emerge from the shadows, right beside the Nightmare King. He grinned right at Jack, appearing to revel in the boy's gradually increasing terror. "Not ready to die yet? In that case, I suppose I could arrange for you to return to your old position...tell me, what kind of cell would you like this time?"
Jack couldn't have responded even if he had wanted to. His voice almost seemed to flee his throat entirely as memories of his torture once again flooded into his mind, sending his thoughts into a spiraling frenzy. Not again not again not again I can't go back I can't go through that again I CAN'T DO IT PLEASE DON'T LET HIM TAKE ME-
He barely noticed himself falling to his knees until they painfully hit the floor, and even then, he was too focused on the sound of Ebon's cruel laughter ringing in his ears to pay his positioning much mind. The boy clamped his hands over his pointed ears as the Nightmares and Fearlings around him forcibly enhanced and fed on his Fear. He heard a scream, and it took him a few moments to realize that it was his.
Within seconds, Lily and Simon were flanking him, both desperately trying to calm him down, while the other four Guardians surrounded the three of them in a protective, rage-filled circle.
"You will never take him again!" North, who happened to be the one still facing Ebon and the Nightmare King, roared furiously. He tore both of his swords from their sheathes and held them aloft, looking as though he was fully willing to and fully capable of tearing apart every member of the Nightmare Army right there and then.
Aster, Tooth, and Sandy were in similar states of fury. Aster's ears were turned completely backwards and pressed flat against his head, and he held his boomerangs in such a way that it looked more likely that he was going to use them as bludgeons rather than projectiles. The feathers on Toothiana's head were fluffed up in rage and her razor-sharp wings seemed to beat even faster than normal. The blades of her twin swords glinted even in the relatively dim light, and she more than looked the part of the warrior queen that she was. Sandy's golden glow had significantly increased as well, and his dreamsand whips snapped and bit angrily at the hooves of a few Nightmares that had dared to venture too close in an attempt to get at Jack's Fear. The Sand-Spinner's display of power sent some of the shadow creatures scrambling backwards a few feet, hissing in the light.
Once the monsters had backed off, Jack gradually began to feel a dark pressure ease off of his mind, and his breathing soon evened out. He slowly lowered his hands away from his ears and looked around at the Guardians' defensive ring in mild awe.
...they're still strong… he silently reminded himself. They still have their magic, their power...and so do I… Though his hands were still shaking slightly, the boy forced himself to close his eyes and take a deep breath. They're still going to fight, no matter how hopeless the situation looks. So...I should do the same.
"Jack...are you okay…?" he heard Simon ask uncertainly.
Pausing only to allow himself another deep breath, Jack opened his eyes, turned towards the archer, and nodded firmly. "Yeah," he whispered. "I'm...I'm okay." With some minor assistance from Simon and Lily, he stood up, not daring to leave the circle that the others had created, but still working to draw his magic up from within him until frost covered the entire wooden surface of his staff and cold energy crackling at his fingertips.
I will fight, he internally told himself. I will fight these demons until my last breath...so no one else has to suffer what I did. After all that I've failed to do already...I absolutely cannot afford to give up now.
Pitch's narrowed eyes swept across the circle of Guardians, his expression unreadable for quite some time. Then, a smirk crept onto his face.
"You wish to try your luck in a fight?" he drawled. "Very well then." The Nightmare King then lifted his slate-gray hands into a rough imitation of claws before proceeding in the most condescending, taunting tone he could muster, as though he were addressing frightened children.
"Boo."
()()()()
It hadn't taken long for the defensive circle of Guardians to be completely dismantled by the rush of Nightmares and Fearlings all pouncing on it at once. Despite their apparent aversion to Sandy's magic, the Nightmare King's command had spurred the Fear-hungry monsters into an instantaneous all-out attack, and at present, Jack could hardly even discern what was happening around him.
As far as he could tell, only Simon and Lily remained directly by his side, the other Guardians having been caught up in the stifling tides of black sand and shadows, which quite easily swept them elsewhere. Jack nearly felt himself begin to succumb to panic once again as more of the demons began to close in on the trio, but Lily quickly raised one of her hands high above her head, and called out, "Helisolus!"
Instantly, a small but astonishingly bright light, like an apple-sized sun, appeared in her open palm. Jack was momentarily blinded, but when his vision gradually began to return, he noticed that the area directly around them was almost entirely free of Nightmares and Fearlings. Both sorts of creatures loathed the light of day, and they were practically scrambling over one another to escape the tiny sun's radiance.
"Moon above!" Simon exclaimed as he shielded his eyes with his arm. "I have to say, Lily...the more time I spend with you, the more tempted I am to start learning magic."
"Agreed," Jack murmured. He was admittedly starting to wish that, while he had still been waiting for his natural magic to manifest, he had thought to try learning general in the meantime, as Lily had. I can think of many situations where that might've been useful, he thought, annoyed with himself. This one included. A shame that the thought never crossed my mind before.
"I'll gladly give you two some lessons later," Lily replied, though she didn't take her eyes off of the now-wider ring of monsters around them. "But first we have to make it out of here alive!"
"Fair point," Simon mumbled as he pulled a hunting knife from his belt. For the first time, Jack realized that, while he still wore his quiver of arrows on his back and the odd contraption that allowed for one-armed archery on his leg, the archer was without his bow.
When he noticed Jack looking at him curiously, Simon grimaced. "When that damned Fearling captured me, he didn't stop at taking my weapons off me-he destroyed my bow," he explained grimly. "Just snapped it to pieces right in front of me. I'm pretty sure he only left the arrows alone as an insult...it's not like they're of much use on their own."
Jack frowned and nodded. "Right...lucky you still have your knife, then."
Simon laughed drily. "Only a bit," he replied. "A hunting knife isn't exactly meant for battle, but...I suppose it's slightly better than going empty-handed. Don't expect me to be able to contribute too much to the fight."
"You should really think about investing in a sword, Simon."
The archer scoffed. "I'll tell you what, if we somehow manage to make it out of this hellhole alive, I'll start training to be the greatest damn swordsman Soluna's ever seen, and I'll even take up magic as a hobby. Deal?"
Jack snorted slightly, feeling some mild amusement creep up in spite of their dire circumstances. "Deal. And I'll hold you to it, believe me."
"Boys, as entertaining as your banter is," Lily suddenly cut in. Her voice sounded somewhat strained with the effort of maintaining her sun charm while also shooting the occasional ice blast at any particularly brave monsters that attempted to draw closer to them. "I'd suggest returning your attention to the Nightmare Army currently surrounding us!"
"Right, sorry." Jack quickly refocused on the surrounding dark creatures, which were gradually becoming bolder as Lily's concentration on her sun spell began to waver. His grip on his staff tightened once again as he tensed for what was sure to be an oncoming onslaught of black sand and shadow.
"Here goes nothing…" Simon mumbled, lifting his hunting knife. "If anyone has any last words prepared...now would be the time."
Unfortunately, before any of them could utter even a syllable, an especially daring Nightmare leapt out of the shadows, colliding with Lily. Her sun charm was immediately extinguished, effectively plunging the trio into darkness. Jack and Lily's dark-vision quickly kicked in, their eyes taking on a bright blue glow, but Simon, being human, was forced to wait for his eyes to readjust to the dim light.
"Why, why did I never bother with learning any magic!?" Jack heard Simon groan frustratedly beside him.
"Never mind that!" Jack shot back, trying desperately to ignore the panic rising in him as several Nightmares began galloping towards him. "Focus on staying alive!" The boy swung his staff in a wide arc, sending a barrage of icicles surging towards the equine monsters. His attack connected, and each Nightmare dissolved into formless black sand.
"Is that our only plan!?" Simon yelped, managing to plunge his knife into the flank of a Nightmare that had whinnied beside him and given away its positon.
Jack's eyes flicked to the side, gazing in the direction of the city's exit tunnel for a brief moment before he was forced to turn his attention back to a Fearling that was trying to claw at him. He sent a shining blast of frost in its direction, which deterred its assault long enough for him to answer Simon. "Not quite! We're only going to survive this if we get the hell out of here, so we need to fight our way to the exit!"
"Hold on!" Lily called out. "What about the other-ahh!" She was briefly interrupted by a Nightmare's rear hooves nearly colliding with the side of her head, though she thankfully darted backwards just in time. With a scowl, she then thrust her hand out and grabbed the horse's swirling, almost-ethereal tail of black sand and forced a thick layer of ice to spread across it, eventually engulfing the creature's entire body and freezing it solid. Lily then shot a large blast of ice at the frozen Nightmare, shattering it into pieces. Then, she continued, "What about the other Guardians!?"
Though he was in the middle of sending ice shards hurtling towards several other shadowy beings, Jack managed to shout back, "They've probably come up with the same plan by now! I'm sure they'll meet us there, but for that to happen, we need to get going as well! Come on!"
Without waiting for a response from the other two, Jack whipped around to face the exit tunnel, the glow in his eyes burning brighter as he harnessed as much of his magic as he possibly could. He focused in on the rage and hatred he felt for the Nightmare King, for Ebon, for the rest of the demons that even now were hellbent on devouring the Fear that had long threatened to overwhelm him. He thought of all the pain they had caused him, how they had orchestrated the slaughter of most of his people, how they had turned the world against the survivors, how they had tortured innocent children and transformed them into twisted, Fear-hungry monsters, how they had killed his baby sister.
His eyes narrowed. His teeth clenched.
Then, with a near-primal scream that was practically torn from his throat, Jack allowed his magic to violently surge out of him, creating blinding bolts of frost that could have passed for lightning, and forcing it all into a straight line in front of him, tearing a path through the Nightmares and Fearlings that had swarmed the city.
Shrill screeches and whinnies filled the air as the monsters fell to the crackling ice, though Jack barely heard them. His vision swam, and he felt himself begin to sway on his feet. He likely would have fallen face-first onto the ground had Lily not rushed to his side to catch him.
"A-Are you okay!?" she asked, visibly alarmed.
However, Jack shook his head as firmly as he could manage, dismissing her worry. "I-I'm fine…" he mumbled, straightening up. "We need...we need to run. Now."
Lily bit her lip, unsure, but ultimately nodded. "...right." She turned to Simon, who had been staring, mouth agape, at Jack's display of power. "Simon!"
The archer started, quickly turning to look in the direction of her voice. "Huh!?"
"We need to get out of here!" Still holding tight to Jack in case he collapsed, Lily grabbed Simon's arm as well and began to run along the already-closing path that Jack had created. The young Guardian forced himself to keep pace with her, though he was beginning to regret using so much magic at once, thanks to the fatigue it had inflicted him with.
Anything to ensure we get out of here alive, he reminded himself. I'll put forth every drop of energy I have into escaping from this place, because living to fight another day...that is all that matters now.
I hope you guys enjoyed, and don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you think! Thanks so much for reading, I'll see you in the next one!
'Til then, Sapphire316, out.