"If fear didn't exist all men would be monsters." Silvia pointed out.
"That's true." Pitch sighed. "Fear is a balancing force in the world. It keeps children safe in the wild and keeps adults from becoming criminals. The man in the moon's parents didn't believe that. So slowly but surely they began to hunt down and extinguish all sources of fear in every corner of the universe. What couldn't be extinguished was imprisoned. One day the prisons guard, a man by the name of Kozmotis Pitchiner, was tricked into opening the gates. In that moment I was born."
"So you were once human like me?" Silvia asked.
He nodded. "I was once Kozmotis, but now I'm Pitch."
"What happened after you were born?" Silvia asked.
"I went to restore fear to all the different corners of the universe." He closed his eyes and breathed heavy sigh. "But for many places it was to late. The damage that had been done could not be repaired and countless planets fell to ruin."
"What happened to the man in the moon's parents? Couldn't they see what they were doing? Couldn't they tell that things were getting worse instead of better?" Silvia asked rapidly.
"I chased the man in the moon and his parents here to earth. I knew what they were planning to do and I attacked them before they could do it. The fight was long and difficult but in the end I was at least partially victorious. The then infant man in the moon's parents were banished to the stars, And in my exhaustion I fell to earth. When I awoke the man in the moon had grown up but he was not concerned with earth, and as I looked around myself I realised much to my horror that as I had slumbered so to had earths fear." Silvia gasped quietly beside him. Pitch smiled. "But hope was not lost for earth. Her people were still young and could be taught to fear again."
"So you taught everyone to fear again? That must have taken forever by yourself." Silvia observed.
"I wasn't by myself Silvia. The earth's darkened state and my slumbering presence had created numerous dark spirits but without fear they were powerless. They wandered about without purpose, but I gathered them together and together we formed what the man in the moon would later call the nightmare kingdom. Slowly we taught the world to fear again and life began to improve." He frowned slightly. "The man in the moon noticed this, and in response he created the guardians. He told them a very different version of the story I told you. As a result they seek to destroy me and my kingdom, all in order to fulfill their horribly misguided purpose of protecting earth's children."
"So the guardians are basically the man in the moon's soldiers?" Silvia asked.
Pitch scoffed. "More like pawns."
"And you have a kingdom?" she asked.
He nodded. "I am the nightmare king."
"Does that mean I'm a princess?" she wondered.
Pitch thought for a moment. Silvia wouldn't technically be a princess of nightmares because she wasn't a spirit but she was however his daughter. "Not right now because you are still human. But if you become a spirit one day then you will be."
Silvia sighed in relief. "I was worried for a second there."
Pitch raised an eyebrow. "How odd. Have I managed to find the one little girl who doesn't dream of being a princess?"
Silvia nodded. "Being a princess is about a lot more than just dressing up and wearing lots of jewelry and makeup. There's loads of responsibilities to. And most girls don't think about that. Plus if I was the princess of nightmares I'd have to be worried about the possibility of becoming the future nightmare Queen. I might be a strong little girl but I'm not princess material."
Pitch chuckled. "I thought the same thing when the other dark spirits asked me to be their king. I knew nothing of being a king but I did my best and my people thrived. Even now that the guardians have forced us into the shadows we are thriving."
"Can I meet the others daddy?" Silvia asked.
"Not tonight Silvia. The moon is at its fullest and I'd rather not lead him straight to my people. When the moon is new I'll take you to meet them." Pitch promised.
"What are the others like daddy?" Silvia asked.
"Well they were all born of my magic so for the most part they are like me but they each retain most of their human personality and like the guardians they each have a specific task they oversee. It's just that their tasks are the ones that humans would rather forget. I'll let them tell you about their purposes I do believe you would adore Haisley Hallows. She's the spirit of halloween." He said with a smile.
"You're just saying that cause I was born on Halloween." Silvia replied with a giggle.
"Which will make her love you. She has a special love for the kids born on her holiday." Pitch pointed out.
"I'd imagine so. Kids like me probably have some kind of magical link to the spirits that are in charge of the holidays they're born on." Sivia observed.
"Well you aren't wrong. Children like you are more likely to believe in the spirits of your birth holiday for the entirety of your life rather than only believing for the duration of your childhood." Pitch explained.
"Does it make her stronger to have life long believers?" Silvia asked.
Pitch nodded. "Lifelong believers provide the strongest boost to a spirits innate magic."
Silvia thought for a moment. "So magic is tied to belief?"
He nodded again. "It is. A spirit can only be seen, heard, and touched by those who choose to believe in them."
"Is that why 'ghosts' and 'demons' knock on walls and throw things?" Silvia wondered.
"It is. Sometimes those knocks and thrown objects are the only ways spirits can get humans to listen." Pitch explained.