...hey.

...hey guys.

...guess what.

...THIS GIRL'S SIXTEEN NOW!

Yep, my birthday was Thursday the 20th, and I got both my driver's license (or permit or whatever you'd call it at this point) and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild! Woo! (Honestly more excited about the Zelda game...is that bad?)

Anywho, now that that's out of the way, sorry for the lack of update last week, but I'm here now so let's get going with the reviews! Before I say thanks, I just gotta say...GalaxinaGrace...I'm assuming you're trying to insult me by saying "Omg, the cringe in this", and by the blankness of your account, I'm assuming you're a troll, so...consider yourself disregarded. :)

ALRIGHT SO REVIEWS! Thanks so much to Yukomin, Nekohime1, BooksAreMedicine, Serami Nefera (One step at a time indeed), jackandelsaforever101, Brenne (Correct!), Guest (Aw, thank you so much!), rwbygirl, OneWhoDreamz (Thanks!), SylfElf, and Guest (Don't worry, I'm alright! Just was a little busy last week, heh)!

So! Without further ado, on with the chapter!

Chapter 35: Into the Darkness

Darkness. It surrounded him on all sides, pressing closely in on him and sending discomfort flooding through his body. The silence held him captive, nearly suffocating him despite the lack of a gag in his mouth.

Still, it was better than having to be aware of his surroundings.

The Guardians had been reluctant to accept the idea, and Jack suspected it wasn't only because of their promise not to restrict him again. No, the looks in their eyes-yes, even Aster's-told him they didn't want to take him through the village and into the lair at all after what had happened. Apparently, his breakdown had struck a chord somewhere, and inspired their natural instincts to protect. They had tried to comfort him once he had woken up, but he hadn't listened; there would be time for comfort once this whole ordeal was done.

For now, despite the fact that it was all he could do to suppress his profuse trembling, he had to press on.

The immortals had already been ready to go when North had carried the fragile, sobbing boy back to the camp, but had been willing to drop everything on his account. Jack would be lying if he said he didn't appreciate the notion-regardless of how much he was surprised by it-but he also couldn't help but feel that refraining from storming the Nightmare King's lair simply because he couldn't handle seeing what used to be his home was a bit foolish.

I'm not worth that, he thought, frowning. No individual is worth that, right…? 'Tis a nice gesture, sure...but I'm glad they did not fight me on it too much…

Once it became clear that Jack would remain stubborn in his choice to go along with the plan, the Guardians had no other option than to comply. Apparently, despite their concern, they saw his reasoning, and knew that he could be dealt with once the Nightmare King had been taken care of.

So currently, Jack was being carried by North again, though the act involved a significantly lower amount of tears this time. The young sprite involuntarily shuddered at the memory, trying to ignore his quickening heartbeat. Where were they now? They had to be within the village by now, right? It felt like it had been hours since his world had been darkened and silenced. Logically, he knew it could have only been a few minutes, but that didn't stop the anxiety from ominously creeping up on him.

Get it together, Jack… he chided himself. This…'tis no state to be in when facing the Nightmare King himself, and that is something you will have to do...for those children he's taken...and for...f-for Livi…

He tensed considerably, the memory of his sister's bloodied body flashing through his mind, but there was no time to dwell on the grisly image. He felt North change the position in which he was holding him, and he figured they had reached the hole beneath the bed frame. Sure enough, he was shifted in such a way that he was now draped over one of the man's shoulders, and the rhythm of North's movement was changed, signaling that he was climbing down.

Soon, they reached the bottom of the tunnel, and Jack was placed on the ground in a sitting position. With a sigh, he reached up and removed his blindfold, then unwrapped his ears as well.

Visibility in the dark tunnel was not much better than behind the blindfold, but he could at least see a softly glowing ladder made of dreamsand that had allowed the Guardians lacking flight capabilities to get down the hole. Jack exhaled and stood, squinting in the dim light to try and discern his surroundings. Unfortunately, the dreamsand and the small pillar of light from the outside world could not serve to light the way further along the shadowy area.

"Are you alright?"

Jack started at the sound of North's deep voice, then took a breath and turned to face the man. He could barely discern his features in the darkness, but figured there was a concerned frown on his face.

The boy nodded. "I'm fine," he assured the Guardian. In reality, he felt like lying down and not moving for at least a week, but figured he shouldn't express that feeling aloud. Instead, he retreated a bit further into the dark under the guise of trying to see what was ahead of them, when in reality, he merely wanted to hide his trembling.

Jack couldn't decide what disturbed him more, the fact that he was directly under the remains of his village or that he was alarmingly close to what was to be the ultimate battle with Pitch Black, the Nightmare king. The trauma from six years ago was pounding away at the back of his mind, trying to get him to pay attention to it, but he was more focused on the very real possibility that he might never see sunlight again.

I might die down here… he thought with a gulp that he hoped was not audible. I might actually die here without being able to accomplish or avenge anything…

With a start, he realized he didn't want to die.

He may have been pretending that he didn't care, especially when he had asked Sandy to kill him during their time at the Tsar's palace, but the undeniable truth was that he valued his life, as full of struggles as it may be. The young sprite figured it was only natural that he'd have the instinct to stay alive, but it somehow still surprised him how afraid he was of death.

I knew Sandy wouldn't kill me...that's why I wasn't afraid then… he thought. I suppose I should have known...after all, for six years I've been on the run, trying to survive...and for what? There's no reward, no fun involved…'tis just struggle after struggle…

Jack's already present frown deepened. Until now...this…this is it…'tis all or nothing...either I die here...or hope for a better life once we chain the Nightmare King...I hope it will be the latter…

His thoughts were interrupted by a slight tugging at his sleeve. He blinked and looked down to see Sandy, his golden form softly glowing, nod at him reassuringly. Jack took a deep breath and, after a moment, returned the nod. "I'm ready," he whispered.

The Sand-Spinner patted him gently on the arm, then lifted his hands to create a glowing ball of dreamsand that would serve to light their way. Jack glanced over his shoulder briefly, taking a last long look at the pale sunlight streaming into the tunnel, then turned his back on the outside world.

Without another word from any of the five of them, they moved forward into the ominous darkness.

()()()()

Jack wasn't sure exactly how long they had been in the tunnels, but he already found himself longing for the crisp, cold Iskaldian winter air. He was not claustrophobic, but he had always preferred wide open spaces to enclosed ones, and was starting to get irritated by the circumstances.

Why does the Nightmare King's lair have to be underground…? he thought miserably. Why can't it be on...I don't know, on a mountain or something?

Luckily for Jack's discomfort, however, the tunnel soon widened into a large empty room, allowing him and the Guardians to spread out. The room was not lit in the slightest, but Sandy's dreamsand fixed that quickly. Unfortunately, though, the golden light revealed that there was no exit from the room besides the way they had come in from. The walls, ceiling, and floor was all made of the same storm gray stone, and not a single door or tunnel disrupted its smooth surface.

"I don't like this," Aster muttered gruffly. "This has got 'trap' written all over it…" Jack silently agreed-he trusted nothing about the strange room.

Suddenly, a sickeningly familiar female voice sounded, echoing through the room. "Ooh, well aren't you smart!" The voice laughed, and Jack felt his already frigid blood run even colder.

You, he thought numbly.

Aster's emerald eyes widened and locked on something directly behind Jack. "Jack, look out!" he shouted, his accented voice breaking Jack out of his trance.

The young sprite whipped around just in time to see Onyx materialize out of his shadow, knife in hand. With a gasp, he swiftly jumped backwards, only just barely avoiding getting his throat slit by her blade.

Onyx snickered coldly. "Oh, would you look at that? Someone's been practicing!" Hoping to catch her off guard, both North and Tooth lunged at her, swords brandished, but she quickly dove back into the shadows before they could reach her.

"Ah, ah, ah," she chided as shadows flickered across the room. "Now, now, two against one isn't fair! Come to think of it, neither is five…" She giggled. "Looks like I'll have to pick just one of you to fight! Let's see...eenie...meenie...minie...you!"

Later, Jack would suppose that he should have expected to be chosen, but that didn't stop him from being surprised into speechlessness when he was dragged into the shadows on the floor, the sound of the Guardians yelling his name fading into nothing. He was reminded of the events leading up to his becoming a Fearling, only this time, he didn't lose consciousness. Instead, he was merely taken into another room nearly identical to the first, save for the distinct lack of a tunnel leading back out to the surface. Jack, however, could not see this right away, as there was no dreamsand present to light this room.

With a large amount of concentration, Jack was able to force enough magic out of him to create a long, thin strand of glowing blue frost that mimicked the dreamsand in its lighting capabilities. It didn't work as well as the golden substance, but it at least enabled him to discern his surroundings.

With a start, Jack realized that he was trapped.

Onyx's high, sinister laugh reverberated around the room as she appeared a little ways in front of Jack. "You know…" she said with a cold smirk. "I remember you now, Frosty...you were that little messy haired boy from this village, weren't you…? The one who threw a snowball at me…? Well, let me tell you this…" Her yellow eyes flashed dangerously. "Something as silly as a little snowball won't save you now."

She lunged forward, aiming her dagger at his abdomen, but the moment she drew close, he closed his fingers tightly around his staff leapt up into the air, hooking her around the waist with his weapon, and threw her against the wall. Onyx gasped in surprise, but sprung up instantly, eyes narrowed.

"So, snow sprites can fly, can they?" she snapped. "You're not exactly playing fairly, hiding one of your abilities, but hey...I do like a challenge!"

She vanished into the shadows briefly, then sprung out of a dark patch on the ceiling, tackling Jack and taking him to the ground. He gritted his teeth and struggled against her, but she possessed an almost superhuman strength and was able to pin him easily.

"You're not going anywhere, kid," she hissed, raising her dagger.

Jack's eyes narrowed. He had a plan. He continued to struggle, halfheartedly hoping that he might be able to shake her off normally, but it was to no avail.

I hope the Tsar's protection counts here… was all he could think.

He closed his eyes and waited for the dagger to pierce his flesh.

Sure enough, the pain hit, but he felt as healthy as ever. Luckily for him, though, Onyx chuckled and stood up, allowing him to move. However, he did not.

Just wait a few seconds… he told himself as his body went limp. Make her believe she killed you…

"Honestly…" Onyx said aloud to herself, presumably shaking her head in disbelief. "This was the Tsar's choice for a new Guardian? This child? Heh...too easy. It almost wasn't even fun…not nearly as fun as our first encounter...especially when I stabbed him and killed his sister…"

Jack couldn't stop himself from stiffening. Suddenly, he didn't care if Onyx noticed. Anger flooded his veins in place of blood, and he felt his magic bubble to the surface. With one swift movement, he jumped up and yanked the dagger out of his chest, then froze it solid, shattering it. He smirked at the look of pure shock on the young woman's face.

"W-What!?" she exclaimed. "You should be de-ACK!" Her words were cut off as Jack waved his hand, sending a burst of frigid wind slamming her into the wall and holding her there.

"ENOUGH!" he yelled, the hurt and anguish he had held back for so long making his way into his ragged voice. "Just SHUT UP!" The temperature plummeted as wind that should not have been possible so deep underground began to pick up, whipping around him with increasing ferocity. Suddenly, he found that his expansive reservoir of winter magic was completely at his disposal, with no difficulties whatsoever in getting it to work properly.

For the first time, a flicker of fear passed through Onyx's yellow eyes. "W-Wait-" she stammered.

"NO!" Jack interrupted, ignoring the pain in his throat as his own eyes began to glow a sharp, cold blue. "Y-You...I-I'll make you pay for what you did, you...y-you BITCH!"

"Jack, please!" A voice sounded that was unmistakably Onyx's...but at the same time, was not hers at all.

The boy froze, the blue glow fading from his eyes. He stared in shock at the girl he had pinned to the wall. In a matter of seconds, barely anything had changed, and yet somehow, everything had.

The young woman in front of him had a pleading, somewhat pained expression on her face. She did not emanate the dark aura Jack had become used to feeling whenever Onyx was around. She looked scared.

She had green eyes. Not yellow, green.

"Please…" she repeated, her voice sounding extremely light and breathy in comparison to Onyx's harsh tones. "Hear...hear me out…I can't stay in control for long, but...there's some things you need to know...things only I can tell you…"

Jack was silent for a long moment, staring at her with wide azure eyes. He let his magic retreat back inside of him, the temperature rising back to normal as he did so. He realized that Onyx must have been a Fearling possessing a human being. He would have chided himself for not realizing before, but he was too stunned to form coherent thoughts. Finally, however, he whispered three quiet words, "Who are you…?"

The woman looked him in the eyes and told him softly, "My name is Emily Jane Pitchiner...the daughter of the man who became the Nightmare King."

Hehehe, we've got quite a few answers coming up next chapter! Hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you guys then!

For now, Sapphire316, out.