Chapter Note:
I do not own Rise Of The Guardians or the characters
Chapter 1: The Light Before The Dark
As the fog surrounding his memories lifted, it gave birth to new light, putting together an image. That image turned out to be Kozmotis Pitchiner, General of the Golden Armies, war hero against the fearlings, and guard of the prison which held all the worlds' evils. Pitch's past self before he was The Nightmare King.
-Kozmotis POV
Kozmotis Pitchiner stood beside the prison gates which held all the worlds' evil's, his soft auburn gaze flickering to the sky for a moment. Everyday a new enemy was captured and put into the prison, that's where they belonged. Taking a deep breath, Kozmotis headed back towards the base, he needed to gather his men for the next assault.
"Men! We are needed along the fifth border!" …Silence. "Men?" Kozmotis frowned and hurried forward, grasping the cold metal handles that lead to the loft, the main room in the base. Throwing the doors open he gasped, in front of him lay the scattered bodies of his men. Bleeding, or slowly being taken over by the fearlings dark shadows. The look of surprise on his face morphed into bitter regret, gaze narrowing into thin slits. "Shows what good all that training did you, none of you faced one day on the battlefields, just patrols and practicing. What a waste. You would have never survived.
Turning his back on the dead bodies he fled the base to return home, needing to file a report for the commander. Scythe in hand, Kozmotis leapt up the stairs to his home and slipped inside. Blinking, as a pair of small arms latched onto his waist, he smiled. "Hello my little Seraphina." Lifting the child into his arms he pressed a soft kiss to her temple. "What did you do while Daddy was gone?" he mused in curiosity to the seven year old.
"Miss Lilliana-"Before the girl would finish her sentence Kozmotis gently interrupted her.
"Mother Nature dear, remember, you can't use her full name. It is improper for such a divine being. And when she…goes away, you will be called Mother Nature. Now, go on." He murmured allowing her to continue with her report of the day.
"Mother Nature" Seraphina corrected herself, earning a smile from her father. "Was teaching me to control tree roots, it was fun!" Soft peals of laughter, similar to a chorus of bells, slipped past the child's lips.
"Very good, very good. You are learning quickly my love. You look more like your mother each day." Kozmotis murmured while stroking her cheek softly. The thought of his wife brought a pang to Kozmotis' heart, she had died in one of the fearling raids. Both he and his wife were not immortal like the divine beings in this world, though they could live longer than most humans.
- 2 Days Later -
Kozmotis awoke early two days later to a loud siren ringing in the air, an intruder an entered their world. Jumping up, he ran towards the door, yelling to Seraphina to stay in the house. As he went out, he could already see what had caused distress among the divine. A large floating ship was hovering close toward the ground, landing a moment later with a loud earth-shaking thud. Stepping forward cautiously, Kozmotis watched as a small man leapt from the top of the ship, floating to the ground below. As soon as the small man's feet touched the ground, he smiled broadly. The bright mid-day sun reflecting off his bald head, he then spoke. "Hello! Tsar Lunar! At your service." His overly cheery tone made Kozmotis wince slightly, he was not used to such a happy being.
"Um..hello. I'm Kozmotis." Giving a soft bow, the general eyed him warily. "Why are you here?" From the pocket of his robes he pulled out a long golden scythe, pointing it at the stranger.
"I protect the dreams of children! I am a guardian!" Tsar spoke, but Kozmotis let him say nothing else.
"Get away from here…you may be a fearing in disguise! Go!" Kozmotis shook with anger at the odd stranger, he didn't like it, not one bit. With an irritated look, he watched the stranger quickly board his airship and fly away, his voice yelling out to Kozmotis.
"We will meet each other again!"
Shuddering Kozmotis turned away and muttered to himself. "I hope we don't. Odd little man. Oh! The prison! I need to get back. It won't guard itself after all." Sighing he headed back toward the prison he was to guard throughout the day. And guard he did, all day long and into the night. The days were bearable, the nights, when Kozmotis became exhausted were horrible.
The fearlings mimicked voiced, they taunted him with voices of his mother, father, and wife. The voices of the dead, he didn't believe those voices, he knew the dead could not be brought back here. But one little voice broke through, one little voice that he dearly loved. The voice of his little Seraphina. "Help! Daddy! Help! I followed you, and the fearlings, they dragged me into the cell!" Her sweet voice screamed for his assistance, fear lacing every note.
And he believed it. Every word, every scream from the only person he had left that mattered. Kozmotis ran down the long hallways, toward the fearlings main cage where he heard the yells. Without hesitation he shoved the key into the lock and tossed the door open. Rushing inside, his auburn gaze wild with fear. "Seraphina! Where are you my little flower?!" He called desperately for her to answer. Then, something clicked, she was never here. The fearlings tricked him with their voices, tricked him when he was tired and disoriented. "No… no!" Whirling on his heel he turned for the exit.
'SLAM!' The door crashed closed in front of his shocked face, as the metal echoed, the peals of cold and malicious laughter soon followed, surrounding him. "Get away from me!" Kozmotis shrieked, fumbling for his golden scythe, swiping at the lean shadowed figures that pressed in on all sides, they eyes a burning gold, glowing in their sockets. The fearlings lunged, grapping onto Kozmotis and sinking beneath his skill, consuming him, taking him over. His screams echoed as he fought against the darkness that infiltrated his mind, his body, and his soul. In the end, his light was never bright enough to shield off the fearlings with will power alone.
Crumbling to the floor Kozmotis gasped heavily in pain and confusion, his hand curling into a fist around his scythe that was no longer golden, but pure black. His skin a sullen grey, hair the same deep black, the uniform he wore was now long black robes, and his eyes the mirror image of an eclipse. He no longer remembered who he was, he no longer remembered his daughter, he didn't even recall his own name. Just a faint word that echoed in his head. 'Pitch..' Nodding he slowly pushed himself to his feet, staring forward with a fierce determination in his eyes. "I am Pitch Black, and from this day forward, there is no more 'Golden Age.' Only the Dark Ages." Throwing his head back a dreadfully evil laugh sprang forth from his lips, wild and strong.
Smirking, he grasped the keys to the other cells holding his fearling minions. "Come my pets..we have a world to destroy." With each cell he reached, he released the fearlings and made them his minions, knowing his place as the Nightmare King.
Authors Note-
Seraphina is Pitchs daughter from the books that Rise Of The Guardians came from. The Guardians Of Childhood. Seraphina is Mother Nature, and Tsar Lunar will become the Man In The Moon/Manny/MiM. These are both characters from the books and once again do not belong to me.
Look for Chapter 2 soon!