Chapter 30-New Shadows
Dawn was coming to an end. With what remains of the suns light, it illuminated the clouds as an endless land stretching far beyond the horizon. A warm wondrous land that was in complete serene. It was one of those days, one of those moments, where people could forget their worries and problems. Forget that they were at war; forget the nightmares lying in the darkness of their minds and shadows. Just look up towards the ending dawn and forget.
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The ground just started shaking without warning. The earth shook so suddenly, so violently, that everyone was knocked hard off their feet, even buildings collapsed due to the sheer brutality of the quake. At the time this was happening, Elsa and Anna were with Hiccup and Merida at the castle's workshop. The four had to struggle to make their way out of the workshop, and had barely managed to clear the way before the shop collapsed. Jack and Rapunzel were out for their routinely patrol, too far away to feel the shake. However, they had herd the sudden cry of birds and their frantic flaps, the forced rustles of trees, and they felt the fear and terror coming from Elsa and Anna through their Pact. Due to this sudden alert of activities, the two halted out of confusion for a few second, before turning themselves around and rushing back towards town any way they can. Jack, by his magic over the wind took flight, and Rapunzel, she painted furiously to open a door—any door, that would lead her back into town.
The shaking lasted for a good ten minutes. Other than the catastrophic constructional damages, as a result of the shake, a seemingly bottomless pit had opened up in the center of town. No matter how far any of the soldiers look, they saw nothing, no end. A few of the men have tried tossing rubbles into the pit, but there was no sound to suggest the bottom was near. Jack arrived at the pit around the same time Elsa and the others did to join the investigation. Rapunzel joined them not so long after they had gotten started.
There was something suspicious about the pit from the very beginning. Angus was nervous to move anywhere close to the pit, even refusing to move as Merida encouraged him to. He kept trying to block Merida from going near the hole, but didn't attempt to do so further after she'd gone pass a certain point. Toothless arched his back and his eyes sharpened. He bared his fangs and growled at the pit, also refusing to move closer, or even allowed his rider to advance. The young Guardians had felt something was off themselves. Taking charge, Jack had Rapunzel ready her violin, and told Elsa and Anna to go back to the castle. However, the sisters refuse to do so, reminding him that they promised to stand-side-by-side with the Guardians in whatever battle is to come. Not wanting to drag out an argument, he asked them to move as far back from the pit instead. Following the spirit's lead, both Commander Gorm and Atlas had the assembled soldiers at the pit ready themselves. They also sent out a few messengers to inform the rest of the army to prepare the best they can.
Jack didn't believe it would be safe to stand close to the edge, for fear that their grounding would crumble, or something could easily pull them in. But, he had an idea. He asks Merida to try urging Angus to come close to the pit again; Jack needed her to try something with him. As for Hiccup, Jack discreetly instructed him to stand by the sisters with Toothless, just in case they need to get them away if necessary.
Once Merida had Angus under certain corroboration, the two took to the air. They hovered themselves right over the pit but kept a large distance between them and the hole. In unison, they both shot their light straight down the pit: Merida with one of her fiery arrows, Jack, with bolt of frost. Their light couldn't illuminate the hole the tiniest bit. However, they distinctively heard a quiet moan, echoing from the pit's very depth. Several more followed. Jack shot another bolt, and the moaning was louder this time, loud enough for everyone else to hear.
Not taking any chances, Jack told Merida to quickly go around town and create multiple lights with her fire, as big as a bonfire if possible. But most importantly, she needs to keep as many of them from going out at possible. With a nod, she instantly had Angus circle down before turning towards the nearest open road, while she was shooting more fire arrows to their mark. The flames once struck, blazed ten times in mass. They never caught fire to anything else but keep their heat from burning. She also shot her fire towards the sky and kept them afloat by her magic.
The moaning grew in volume and number. "Back out! Everyone back out!" Jack shouted. None of the humans could understand what was happening, nor could they see what the Winter Spirit was seeing. But no one, not even the Commanders, dare to question Jack's sudden order and did as he said. Every soldier had their weapons and shields at the ready. Elsa was prepared to use her ice magic, and Anna had taken up a sword from one of the nearby rubles. Rapunzel had moved the farthest away out of everyone. The power of her attack may decrease slightly due to sound wise because of the distances, but in exchange, the sound wave she produced could resound and expand, giving her a wider range. Hiccup remains in his position with Toothless but had drawn out his silver shield from the dragon's saddle.
Jack turned towards the dying light of the sun. The land of warmth was quickly disappearing, to be replaced by nothingness. No stars, no sign of The Man in the Moon or his light. Jack returned his eyes back down to the pit and was met with other eyes—multiple pairs of eyes looking back at him. They were largely round with no iris or pupil; they were completely hollow white. They blinked in unison once, then twice more, before letting out a horrific chorus of shrieks, of screams, of cries, of moans, tremoring the ground with their horrendous voice.
Some of the soldiers dropped their weapons, while others started shaking throughout their whole body, but there was no denying that everyone present felt the struck of fear. Their heart beats increased, their mind had gone blank, the air in their lungs was caught in their throat, and they were all frozen in place.
Jack barely managed to get himself to move. He let out his own maddening scream to block off the voices. Once he could hear himself through ears and thought, he tore himself higher into the sky far out of sight. Above, everyone could see the clouds gathering. The once serene land of endless warmth was turning dark, and cold. The air was turning into chills. From where the clouds gathered, in its center, they could assume Jack was there. He was forming a mini typhoon not of water, but of ice and snow. When finished, he once more he bolted with speed heading towards the pit, taking the typhoon with him by its tail.
Coming in close to the pit, Jack spun his body while swinging his staff around, sending the typhoon into the pit. He continues to send the raging storm thundering in; rasping winds shattering with frenzy voices. The thrashing winds forced everyone to bend low to brace themselves against the cyclone. Toothless had snatched Hiccup back towards the Arendelle sisters, and was shielding them the best he could with his wings.
After a minute or two, it had looked as if Jack's attack was making an effect. But then everyone saw, black clouds of vapor crackled its way out though the side, seeping into the storm and ever reaching closer towards Jack. The sulfurous took shape as ghostly figures, but they had no physical outlining to distinguish individuals or even look human, they didn't even look like any mythical creatures. They were shadows—different from the Nightmare beasts, and in their own right, more terrifying then those animals. They holler and shrieked, stretching their long bony thin arms towards Jack. Their fingers were like plant roots, so lengthy and twisted, it's a wonder as to how they could stand against the aggressive wind. But nevertheless, they inched closer and closer until they managed to grab Jack all along his body.
He continued to hold on to his attack despite so, though it wasn't going to be long before the shadows overwhelm him. Seeing this, the commanders started ordering their men to get in defensive formation. In the distance, Merida and Angus were seen rushing back furiously. Rapunzel was already beginning to play, building up her own storm of melodies to send over once Jack's cyclone ends. Elsa and Anna were at the ready, and so was Hiccup with Toothless.
Jack takes the chance to look over where he last saw the sun. There was only a dip of it left. Jack turns back and looked over at Elsa and Anna. "Hiccup!" he yelled. Without a word his friend quickly had the sisters mounted on Toothless, surprising them suddenly by his action and strength. He saddled himself on and the dragon took off. The sisters tried to get Hiccup to turn back but he was set on getting them away. Elsa turned her head just in time to see it all: Rapunzel sending in her melody, Merida shooting a massive swirl of fire towards the pit, and the soldiers taking their stances. Once the sun disappeared, the new shadows came spewing out overpowering the storm, and overtook Jack into their abyss.