Hey guys, and welcome to Chapter 38 of Running for Life!
We're coming down to the wire guys! After this, I predict two more chapter before we're done, and then the soundtrack right after! Thanks for sticking with me this far, guys, I could've never done it without you!
Speaking of appreciating readers, it's review time! Thanks so much to A chaotic person (Thanks, they did!), Yukomin, pikachukite, Aekidna (Aw, thanks, that means a lot!), BooksAreMedicine, Brenne, Fluttershy127 (Thanks!), WHYYY (Oh I dare), jackandelsaforever101, rwbygirl, and Guest (Haha, thanks!)!
With that, onto the chapter!
Chapter 38: Fun
"I want Mama and Papa!"
"I'm afraid this is the end of the line, sprite. There is no escape."
"You cannot run forever, boy!"
"GET BACK HERE, DEMON!"
"The lot of ya are demons. Ya summon blizzards, ya freeze towns. Hell, ya give out hypothermia like its candy! There ain't much evil ya don't do."
"That old man is a fool. Not a soul shall stand in my way."
"Well of course it's a mistake! Yer a snow sprite, a-!"
"I can't...I WON'T join you!"
"Fine. Just kill me then."
"It's just like in all the stories...a snow sprite killed my papa!"
"You killed my husband...left my daughter without a father…"
"So it's a fight you're looking for, is it? Well, I just came for little Miss Olivia, but I suppose I could spare you a few minutes if you really want!"
"NO!"
"Ah damn it...Pitch is NOT gonna be happy about this…"
"...Onyx stabbed you."
"Leave...leave me alone…"
"Like you'd know anything about kindness, damn sprite."
"My name is Simon, and two years ago, you took my arm from me."
"Your devil magic robbed me of my arm!"
"I knew that you would only bring suffering to my family and friends."
"Kill...Guardians...kill...Guardians...kill...KILL…"
"Fear...dark...blood...DEATH!"
"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…"
"Y-You...I-I'll make you pay for what you did…"
"She's dead...Onyx left her body, so...she's dead…"
"So I'll tell you what...you can have them back."
"Got you...I see that Lunar granted you his protection, hm…? Well...I believe that was the last time it will ever help you."
"Don't think I don't know your weaknesses, boy…"
CRACK.
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R…
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...
Run…
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Run, run, run away…
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"Do not fear for us. We love you very much."
…
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Buy yourself another day…
…
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"What if we're wrong? What if they're not all evil?"
…
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A cold wind's whispering secrets in your ear…
…
…
"And when I saw ya get attacked by that Nightmare...well, let's just say ya looked a lot more like a child than both your formal and 'rebel without a cause' acts permit. Yer a child, I'm a Guardian, ya finish the puzzle."
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So low only you can hear…
…
…
"Jackson…?"
"L-Livi…?"
"Y-Yes…"
…
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Run, run, run and hide…
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"You saved my sister. And me. And...And you're Olivia's brother. That's proof enough."
…
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Somewhere no one else can find…
...
...
"But...you helped to save Elizabeth, Jamie, Sophie, Olivia, me...and everyone else in this town from the Nightmare Army...and I...you've...you've made it clear that it was...a-an accident...I-I'm not sure if I believe you, but...I won't hold a grudge against you…"
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Tall trees bend and lean, pointing where to go…
…
…
"I see. Well, Jack, I...can never forgive you for taking my left arm. And make no mistake, we are far from friends. But I hope that we can part ways with a mutual sort of respect for each other."
…
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Where you will still be all alone…
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…
"Anyway...is true that we thought that way. But we were wrong. You are not demon, you are not bad. You are very good...but have had to live through bad things."
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Don't you fret, my dear…
…
…
"I learned something when I was a Fearling. Something important."
"What do you mean, Jack?"
"Fearlings are harmless."
...
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It'll all be over soon…
…
…
"I am sorry. For...for everything. It is time. Pitch will not get his way. Alright?"
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I'll be waiting here…
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"J-Jack Frost...t-take the l-locket...h-help thwart my f-father's plans...a-avenge y-your kind...p-prove yourself…"
"I will...I promise…"
"G-Good...n-now g-go...y-you will b-be returned to the G-Guardians...go...I-I know you can...do...it…"
…
…
...for you…
()()()()
Why…?
Why does it hurt so bad…?
Why...does everything...hurt…?
Wait, now he remembered. Everything hurt because his staff was broken. Due to its connection to him, pain coursed through his body in agonizing waves, only seconds in between each one. Jack's vision blurred, fading in and out as he struggled to stay conscious.
Through the incessant ringing in his ears, he could just barely make out the sounds of the battle, which seemed to be heavily leaning in the Nightmare Army's favor, still raging around him. As far as he could tell, Pitch was no longer standing near him, having been attacked by one of the Guardians.
They're keeping him away from me… he thought vaguely.
His straining eyes soon landed on a familiar piece of wood just in front of his face-familiar besides the fact that it was in two pieces. Jack felt sadness well up within him, as well as a crushing sense of hopelessness. Damn it...now I'm completely useless…
He closed his eyes.
I'm sorry, Livi. I'm sorry, Emily Jane. I'm sorry, every child that has suffered the Nightmare King's wrath. I'm sorry...Guardians. I couldn't find my Center. I failed.
He gave a slight sigh. What could my Center have even been…? None of my traits seem that worth protecting…
One was... a small voice in the back of his head told him. Remember…?
Suddenly, Jack's eyes flashed open.
"I...I remember…" he whispered softly.
Indeed, he remembered the young boy of years ago. The boy who loved nothing more than to run around and play, providing entertainment for the younger children with every story he told and game he made up. The boy who found it so satisfying to bring a smile to another person's face. The boy who recognized when someone was sad and did all he could to make them laugh. The boy who his current self had tried so hard to push down in order to survive the years on his own. The boy who, despite his best efforts, had not quite perished in the fire like he originally thought.
The boy who practically embodied fun.
"That's it…" he whispered. "That's my Center…F…Fun…"
It was Fun. It had always been Fun. The one thing he had convinced himself he had no right to have, that was the thing that his very core was made of. How ironic.
I found it...at a time like this...when I can't even do anything… he thought, feeling the hopelessness creep back in. He then gritted his teeth, azure eyes narrowing into slits as the tone of his thoughts turned determined. No...I have to do something...I have to get up...I have to...
The young sprite suddenly realized that his gaze had been fixed on the broken halves of his staff. An idea slowly formed in his mind, and, fighting past the unrelenting pain, he reached out and curled his fingers around both halves of his conduit, pulling them towards him. Struggling an immense amount, he sat up, propping himself up against the wall behind him.
"Okay…" he murmured. "Time to see if this works…"
The boy took a deep breath, then jammed the two halves together at the break, pushing as hard as he could. Unfortunately, his first attempt was futile. Nothing happened, and he eventually lost his grip on the pieces.
Jack groaned and picked them up again, forcing himself up on his knees. I believe, I believe, I believe… was the mantra that continuously flowed through his mind, and he held onto that, pouring his entire being into that concentration.
Little by little, he felt power begin to rise in him. It felt just like it had when he had been fighting Onyx, only better. While that power had been fueled by pure rage and lust for vengeance, this was power was born of understanding, light, and most importantly, Fun.
Blue light began to penetrate his closed eyelids. When he opened them, he couldn't stop a wide grin from forming on his face at the sight of his beloved staff fusing itself back together with the cerulean glow of icy magic. The pain and fear faded, replaced by an unfamiliar but comforting sense of calm.
He smirked. I'm back in the game, he thought.
However, his smirk didn't last long once he got a good look at the battlefield. It was becoming increasingly apparent that the Guardians were losing. Just as it had for Jack, the reveal of the Fearlings that had once been children seemed to have driven away the simple fact that the creatures were harmless if there was no Fear present. He couldn't blame them; the horror was difficult to overcome.
But overcome it he must.
With another deep breath, he stood. He was mostly concealed in the shadows, so he was able to briefly observe the fight without being noticed. Each of the four Guardians seemed to be dealing with their own horde of both Nightmares and Fearlings, and none of them looked as though they were in very good shape.
Aster was covered in scratches and his boomerangs were gone, forcing him to use his bow and arrows instead. He was by no means terrible with the new weapon, but his skill with boomerangs was still far superior. North was down to one sword and seemed to be limping slightly, though his fighting spirit hadn't died at all. Tooth still held both of her swords, but one of her wings was bent at an odd angle, so she had no choice but to fight on the ground, which wasn't exactly her strong suit. Sandy looked the best of them all, but even he was beginning to slow down a bit.
Just as he was about to jump into the fight, Jack noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. When he looked closer, his heart nearly stopped. Pitch, almost completely shrouded in darkness so he could not be seen by anyone in the middle of the room, only on the sides like Jack was, was standing on a high pillar above the action. He held nothing, but his arms were positioned in such a way that it gave off the illusion that a bow was in his hands. As Jack stared, an arrow made of Nightmare sand formed, nocked in the invisible bow.
The Nightmare King aimed the arrow directly at Sandy's turned back.
He let it fly.
Though he had only seconds to react, somehow, Jack managed to fly forward just fast enough to position himself perfectly in the arrow's path. With a shout, he let a blast of frigid magic escape him, freezing the arrow solid and allowing it to clatter harmlessly to the ground.
"Now take this…" Jack whispered with a smirk. A snowball formed in his hand, and a heartbeat later, said snowball was flying through the air on a direct course for the Nightmare King's face.
"What!?" came Pitch's incredulous shout upon impact, catching each of the Guardians' attention.
"Jack!" North exclaimed with a relieved grin as he jammed his sword into a Nightmare's flank, causing it to dissolve into black sand. Tooth beamed as well, and even Aster gave a slight chuckle.
Sandy nodded at him in thanks for the save, and Jack nodded back in acknowledgement. He then turned his attention to Pitch once more, who had appeared on a pillar much closer to where Jack hovered.
"So, I see you've fixed your little stick…" the Nightmare King spat, brushing the snow off his face before raising his scythe. "I don't know how you did it...but it won't happen again!" He swung the weapon, the blade heading directly towards Jack's chest, but the boy blocked it with his staff. The powerful magic that now flowed through the aged wood flashed blue, causing the staff to not only resist being sliced in half, but to also viciously repel the deadly scythe.
As a result, Pitch was flung backwards, skidding to the very edge of the pillar before he was able to stop himself and jump back to his feet. "You didn't have this power before…" he growled. "What are you!?"
Jack's eyes narrowed as he lifted a hand to unclasp the chain of the locket around his neck. "My name…" he said quietly. "Is Jack Frost." The young sprite gave a smirk, holding up the locket for Pitch to see. "And I'm a Guardian."
He tossed the locket to the Nightmare King. When he caught it on instinct, the effect was almost instantaneous. Pitch let out a bloodcurdling screech that Jack was sure really came from the hundreds of Fearlings inside him. He dropped the locket immediately, but Jack was able to catch a glimpse of the hand he had used to catch it-for a brief moment, Pitch's skin had changed from slate gray to a light flesh-color.
That's the proof… Jack thought, eyes wide. He really was human once…
He shook his head and pushed his thoughts to the side, knowing that he had to act rather than think. He darted forward and hooked his staff around the Nightmare King's waist, flinging him off the pillar and into the fray below.
"Quickly!" he yelled to the Guardians. "You must bind him before he regains his bearings! And don't forget, the Nightmares are the only threat! Fearlings are harmless!"
As far as he could tell, the Guardians got the message, so he allowed himself to delay a brief moment to pick up the dropped locket. He took a deep breath and whispered, "Emily Jane...thank you."
He clasped the locket around his neck again, then leaped off the pillar. Quite a ways before he hit the ground, he hovered in place and surveyed the area. North held the magical chain and was fighting his way toward Pitch, who was still writhing on the ground in pain. The other Guardians were attempting to stem the seemingly never-ending flow of Nightmares, but were not having the best time of it.
The Fearlings cowered in the corner, powerless now that their supply of Fear was cut off. While their absence improved the situation, tensions were still high. The four immortals were powerful, but even they had their limits, especially after having already been fighting for so long.
They needed help, and Jack was willing to give it.
Time to have a little fun… he thought, focusing on only the best memories he could think of. After a few moments of remembering each of the little rays of sunlight that recently had lit his usually dark life, he grinned slightly. He was ready.
He mentally reached into the reserves of power that were finally, finally fully accessible to him. His staff began to glow blue with power, as did his eyes. With a shout, stunning blue bolts of ice that resembled lightning shot not only from his staff, but from his very being, striking every Nightmare in his general vicinity.
Though his attack dissolved a sizable amount of the equine beasts, he did not get to see the Guardians' reaction to it, as the amount of power it took him to accomplish the feat was colossal. Drained, he fell to a clear spot on the floor, feeling unconsciousness threaten to take him over for the second time in the fight.
Hope that did something… he thought, weakly lifting his head to look around.
A slight grin formed on his face as he saw North reach Pitch's prone form with the chains. Within seconds, the Nightmare King was completely bound by the magic in the metal.
"No…" Pitch gasped. "N...NO-!" His cry was cut off as the magic affected him completely, causing his eyes to roll up into the back of his head as he fell unconscious. It was done. The Nightmare King was once more incapacitated.
Around the room, the Fearlings fell dormant, apparently unable to move if their master was in such a state. The Nightmares dissolved as well, leaving only Jack and the...no, and his fellow Guardians, for he could no longer deny the fact that he was one of them.
Jack allowed his head to rest on the ground as the immortals approached him. A tired smile formed on his face as a sigh of relief escaped his lips.
Finally...it was over.
:)
See you guys next time.
'Til then, Sapphire316, out.