His sister's voice was only an echo now. As the light of the moon faded from Jack's eyes, the voice faded with it. He was back in the emptiness, back in his first memory. The time he spent under the ice was a mystery to him, to everyone except the moon. Like a dream without a dream, he could only float in the void of nothingness that was his subconscious, no movement, no sound, nothing. Is this what it's like to die?

… Jack… he heard a whisper. The voice was distant and soft. … Jack Wa… the sound progressed. The voice was getting closer and louder by the second. Was it his sister calling to him? Could it be the Man in the Moon? His lips quivered, his eyes struggled to open and he tried desperately to move his body to the sound. It was a fruitless attempt.

"Wake up you frozen idiot!" the voice roared. Jack's eyes snapped open. He let out a breath. His body was rushing to the surface of the water. He looked up to see the moon growing larger and the light growing brighter. He was rising from the lake. The layer of ice was getting closer. This next event might be a bit more painful than the first time he experienced it. Impact in 3… 2… 1…

"Aaaaah!" Jack shot up, gasping for air. He peered at his surroundings to find out exactly where he was. However, his vision was too blurry to distinguish anything. His body was aching in pain, was it from the moment he hit the ice? Then he remembered he was in the lake. He started patting all over his body. Surprisingly, he was completely dry.

That's odd. He thought to himself. He looked down at his clothes to see that he wasn't in his white shirt and brown vest. He didn't even have his cloak on. As he slowly regained his vision, he noticed that he wasn't in a forest at all. He was lying in a bed in a room. This doesn't make any sense.

While he was focusing on where he could possibly be, someone grabbed his head and turned it to face a blurry, bearded man. The man started wiping Jack's eyes, dusting something from his face. Jack started blinking wildly.

"That should… be… it! There we go." The old man took his hand off the winter guardian's head, dusting black particles from the bedside. Jack's vision was clearing up. The old man was Ombric, the grumpy wizard.

"Ombric? How are you here? How am I here? I was in a lake and ready to fly up like before—" He was interrupted. Ombric lifted Jack's eyelids, looking into his pupils. The old man had a disgruntled look, removing his hand from Jack's face and taking a seat next to the bed. Jack looked puzzled. "What's going on?"

"First off, good evening sunshine. You were out cold. This time, the sleep wasn't helping." Ombric was picking up the black sand scattered in the room.

"I'm aware I've been asleep. I was in dead in a lake. But, how are you here?" Jack had a lot of questions buzzing in his head.

"I don't know what you mean by lake. I found you buried in the ground and covered in this black dreamsand." Ombric opened his palm and revealed to Jack the very familiar sand Pitched used on him. "You've been missing for almost three years. I had to get a search party going for a few months to find you."

"What? No… no, I was… I was with my family… living with my family. I was alive, actually alive! I was with my sister, with my friends! I… I changed the past… living…" he went quiet for a moment. "I... I died… again…"

"Wasn't real, Jacky boy. Pitch used the sand to create the perfect dream, a dream that you truly thought was real." The wizard explained. Jack furrowed his brow. He almost didn't want to believe it.

"It… it can't be… Everything that happened, everything I felt. It had to be real! It had to—" Jack recalled the moment the girl in yellow invaded his memory. "She said… wake up… So it was only a dream… all of it…" He clutched his fist, Jack was physically shaken. He felt a small hand on his shoulder. He turned to see the tooth fairy fluttering over him.

"Don't underestimate the memory locked inside your teeth, Jack." She placed a lone tooth in his hand. "The dream you went through was so much more than any simple dream. It is the closest you can get to reliving your life. Everything that happened, happy or sad, will always be a part of you." Tooth smiled. Jack lightened up, placing his hand on hers.

"Heh, thanks Tooth … Hey, wait, you know who I am." He looked back to the fairy.

"I needed her help waking you up. She had to study the tooth we found in the sand to figure out where Katherine had to go to find you." Ombric explained to the boy. "Once she figured out where you were, I had Sanderson send Katherine in the dream to look for you."

"Sanderson? You mean Sandy? Sandy's here?"

"He's with Katherine right now." Ombric interrupted. "I should let him know to wake her up—"

"Wasn't I supposed to keep this all a secret? You're the one that told me—"

"Sanderson doesn't know who you are or the details of why you're here. I had to tell Toothiana because she would have figured it out anyways while rummaging through your memories. She agreed to keep quiet as well." The old man affirmed. Jack looked over to Tooth. She nodded her head. Ombric turned Jack's head back to him. "As for you, you have a job to do! Time's rewriting itself and fast. You have to—"

"Save Arendelle, got it!" Jack shouted. He was about to leap out the window until Ombric hooked Jack's staff around his neck and pulled him back down. The young man groaned in pain.

"Like I was saying, you have to find something called the Nebula's Gem. It's the source to all these out of control winters." The old man slammed a book into Jack's chest. He turned the pages to reveal a sparkling blue gem. "If you want to stop the storms, you have to find this."

"What is it?" Jack asked, rubbing his neck.

"It's a relic from the Moon Clipper, a very powerful relic." Bunny stated, hopping into the room. Jack was startled by the large bunny jumping towards him. Before he could say a word, Ombric put his finger over Jack's mouth, shaking his head. Bunny stood at the bedside and looked down to the book in Jack's lap. "When Pitch first came to Earth, he almost destroyed the Moon Clipper, scattering relics from the spacecraft. These were scatter through all of Earth and time."

"What? Clipper? Through… time? This thing can do that?" Jack pushed away Ombric's hand.

"That's right. It's one of the most powerful relics to fall from the moon. When it was lost, this little guy pierced right through the time stream. The storms were never natural to begin with. That's why Tsar sent you. He wanted you to keep this away from Pitch." Ombric took the book and tossed it behind him.

"What's so important about this gem? Is it some super weapon? Is it—"

"It's a defense mechanism. If an innocent heart dies in its presence, it will unleash an unimaginably powerful storm." Ombric looked out to the sky. "It was a last resort if Pitch ever got to Tsar. This was meant to be used if the day ever came when Pitch corrupted Tsar's heart and turned him into a Nightmare Child."

"Nightmare Child… a child of fear… oh no! Elsa!" Jack reached for the window again but the old, bearded man grabbed his hoodie. "Stop! Let go!" Jack shouted

"Not this time. This time, you're taking another exit. We can't have Pitch finding out you're awake just yet. Mr. Bunnymund?" Ombric smirked, looking over to the large rabbit. Bunny tapped his foot a few times and a tunnel opened in the floor. "Alright, go save Arendelle for good!" Ombric had a large grin on his face. He returned the staff to Jack. "It's been three years since you and I last spoke. I think you owe some people an apology when you get back there."

"Duly noted." Jack grinned. He dropped into Bunny's tunnel. The rabbit hole closed in on itself thereafter.

"I still don't feel right about this, mate. Can we really trust him to do this on his own?" Bunny peered at the wizard looking at the flower on the ground.

"Of course you can! You've already done it once." Ombric smirked at the puzzled looks of the other guardians. "Don't worry, you might not be with him but he's not alone."

Jack was gliding through the underground tunnels. He had forgotten the feeling of riding the cave systems in the earth. It was his third favorite mode of transportation, second being flight and first being North's sleigh. As he rode through, he could only think of what Pitch did. He was not sure whether to hate him or thank him. Jack had another chance to live his life, if only a fraction. However, it was time to move forward. He had a job to do.

Nearing the end of the tunnels, he was ready for a fight. Jack was launched out of a large pine tree on the mountainside overshadowing Arendelle. As he looked down at the kingdom, he was astonished by what he was witnessing. The fjord was completely frozen over. The land was draped in a thick layer of snow. The scale of this winter was far beyond his expectation. He bolted towards Arendelle in hopes of finding an explanation.

As Jack made his way over the town, he couldn't shake off the same feeling of dread he felt upon his first arrival. This time, however, the unnatural winter had an ominous feeling of fear. He looked all around to find anyone in the town square that might have an explanation.

"Prince Hans!" a small, older man in glasses cried out. Escorting him were two larger men in red. The three men trudged towards another man with ginger hair and irregularly long sideburns. Curious as to why the young man was with the Arendelle guards, Jack stuck around to overhear their conversation.

"Are we expected to just sit here and freeze while you give away all of Arendelle's tradable goods?" The old guy waved his finger to the young man in blue. It was clear he was frustrated about something.

"Princess Anna has given her orders—"

"And that's another thing! Has it dawned on you that your princess may be conspiring with the wicked sorceress to destroy us all?" the old guy interrupted. The grumpy individual was fuming now. Jack wasn't sitting too steadily either.

Where does this scrawny guy get off? Jack thought to himself. His irritation towards him only grew worse. How could he possibly think Anna would do anythi— wait… sorceress? Jack stood silent for a moment. Suddenly, he heard the galloping of a horse at entrance of Arendelle. It had no rider and was chaotically bucking and kicking. He watched as Hans rushed towards the horse to calm it down.

"… Princess Anna's horse."

"Where's the Princess?"

"Where is she?" The crowd was growing restless and so was Jack.

"Princess Anna is in trouble! I need volunteers to go with me to find her." Hans shouted to the people. As people started calling out, the old Duke stood firm, calling out to Hans.

"I volunteer two men, my lord!" the glassed man shouted. Jack noticed him whispering to his bodyguards. He went over to hear what he was saying. "… should you encounter the queen, you are to put an end to this winter. Do you understand?"

This wasn't good. When he said "wicked sorceress" he meant Elsa. Jack had to find out where she was and get to her before they did. He also had to find Anna before something happens to her. He was fully aware of how careless the girl was and in a winter like this it troubled him even more.

Jack soared across the skies over the fjord, desperately looking for any sign of where the princess or queen could possibly be. Flying through the snow covered forest, he could see smoke rising in the distance. It was a better clue than any to finding their whereabouts. He shot towards the smoke trail and found himself in front of a large wooden shack

Jack looked to the sign hanging in front of the door. "Wandering Oaken's…"

"Trading Post." A voice finished. Jack quickly turned to see a couple travelers standing behind him. He took a step to the side as they made their way into the cabin. Jack followed behind them.

"Hoo hoo." A smiley, muscular man behind the counter called out. "Big vinter blow out! Half off on deh uze of the sauna and vinter commodities! Our store iz deh proud host of the Princess of Arendelle herself!" the man cheered. Jack finally struck gold.

"Oh, wow! Princess of Arendelle? I recently met her at the coronation. When did she stop by?" the brunette girl asked.

"Come on, we don't have time for this! We still need to find the green frog and head back." The tall man next to her explained, begrudgingly.

"Oh, she vent off with dis big, rude fellow not too long ago. I believe dey were heading to zee North Mountain." The man with the broad shoulder smiled.

Jack was ecstatic. He finally had an idea of where to find them. He blew open the door and rushed through the air. He couldn't help notice the large white horse stare at him as he flew off. That isn't important, though. What's important is getting to the North Mountain as quickly as possible. Before he could do anything, however, he had to figure out what or where the mountain was. There were a few of them in the area.

While flying, he found a trail in the snow heading in the opposite direction of the trading post and into the mountains. He could only assume it belonged to the princess, at least, he was hoping. As he followed the trail further and further, he could see a cliff in the distance. He was now hoping this wasn't her.

He flew over the edge and could clearly see a destroyed sleigh that was slightly smoking. Before he could freak out, he saw footsteps on the other side. Jack smiled at the sight, following the tracks in the snow that continued deeper and deeper into the forest. The further he went into the icicle filled cliff side, to his surprise, he found a behemoth of a snowman walking through the forest.

"Okay, that's one big popsicle." Jack chuckled. Suddenly, the large snowman turned its head. Jack bolted behind a tree to hide from its sight. Why am I hiding? There's no way he could hear me. Then again, there's no way that could be a giant, living snowman. The boy thought to himself. He moved slightly to the big monster's left side and whistled.

The large snowman roared and started charging in Jack's location. In a moment of panic, he covered himself in snow and watched the beast crush all the trees around him. He remained in the snow for a bit until the beast settled down. The monster continued to trek through the mountain. Jack uncovered himself and quietly followed behind him, curiosity got the better of him and it was likely that snow thing was tied to Elsa.

Jack followed behind the large snowman for several minutes until he could clearly see where the large ball of snow was heading. Before him, there stood an enormous ice castle at the edge of the chasm. Looks like I found where Elsa is.

Suddenly, he heard a fearsome roar. Jack was careless. He completely forgot about the snow monster he was trailing behind and now the big guy was towering before him. A giant fist came crashing down on Jack. He took a side step into a boulder, barely able to dodge the assault. The frantic guardian flew between the snowman's legs and made his way over the bridge. The giant snow monster chased after him.

"Take it easy! Take it easy big guy!" he shouted, frantically trying to open the large ice doors. Turning his head to the snowman, he could see it stomping towards him at lightning speed. At the last second, he ducked under the large monster's leg. The beast barreled right into the door, shattering the large ice wall and crashing to the ground of the main hall.

"What's going on?! Marshmallow, is that you?" a female voice cried out. Jack looked up to see Elsa rushing down the steps of the ice castle. He was speechless. She was in a crystal blue dress with glittering ice patterns laced over it. Her braid woven hair draped over her left shoulder and her bangs slicked over her head. This wasn't the same Elsa he remembered.

"Oh… oh wow…" Jack's jaw dropped as he stared at the beautiful queen. Before he could admire more, the snowman took the opportunity to take a large, powerful swing at Jack, sending him crashing into the wall adjacent to the broken entrance. He yelped in pain as he landed to the floor. Before Marshmallow could take a second swing at him, Elsa ran over to stop the beast.

"Bad Marshmallow! I only asked you escort Anna and her friends out, I didn't ask you to beat anyone up!" Elsa scolded the behemoth. Marshmallow frowned, setting his arms to his side. She hurried over to the injured boy. "I'm… I'm so sorry, are you alright?" she asked in distress. She didn't want to cause anyone harm but she just watched this man get pummeled into the wall. Jack could only chuckle and cough in pain.

"Heh… you… see me." Jack smirked, laying his arm over his stomach. He groaned as he tried to pull himself up from the floor. The queen was not having it. She held him down to keep him from overexerting himself.

"Of course I can see you. Now, hold still." Elsa began examining his injuries. "You're so cold, I'm sorry but I don't have any blankets here." She was very worried about his condition. He could only laugh at the response. As she looked over his body, she was startled when he took her hand. "What are you—"

"Just… just trust me on this…" Jack forced out the words. He opened her palm. With his hand over hers, he summoned a small layer of ice and snow that slowly constructed an ice crystal flower. Elsa gasped at the sight. She was in utter disbelief.

"Jack…?" she whispered in shock.

"Hey there, Elsa. I heard you're a queen now." The young man in blue grinned before going unconscious.