Jack was in a white void. He doubts this is the afterlife. As a spirit, he is already dead. Or is he?
The void then changed. Jack found himself in a world he never saw before. He stood in front of a massive castle, the windows reflecting sun light, making the light brown bricked castle look like gold.
"Jackson!", yelled a female voice. Jack turned around, he felt as if he was called.
He found a young girl, around his physical age. She looked like a younger version of Mother Nature. The dress was more flowing and lighter in color, the same could be said about her curly hair, decorated with a gold circlet.
An oddly familiar boy was running up to her. He looked like Jack, but so much younger. And he also spread ice.
"Jackson, stop that! The Lunars won't appreciate slippery floors.", said another voice. This man has to be Kozmotis. A more healthy fish face, tall as heck and a dress-like robe. Albeit dark blue and gold. Including a big golden chain. "And Emily, the same goes for you."
"But flowers are pretty!", answered Emily.
"Emily, so is ice. Stop insulting your brother's magic.", he said.
"Yes, papa..."
"Scolding the kids before the Lunars arrive, Kozmotis?", said Sandy's voice. He was taller than the Sandy Jack was familiar with.
"Sanderson, if you ever have children, you may understand.", said Kozmotis.
"If you fish face can land a lady, so can I.", replied Sandy's old self.
"Uncle!", gasped Emily shocked.
They then collected themselves. They bowed as someone appeared.
"Welcome, Tsar Lunar.", said Kozmotis.
The tsar was young, as old as he assumes Katherine to be. He wore a cape made of the galaxy. How fitting for the man on the moon.
Jack watched this. Of course, if he is Pitch's son, then Sandy is his uncle. And Emily his sister? And of course she insults his magic even in past lives. And still, she gives no reason for why she does it.
So, this is the man in the moon. The man who ignored him for three centuries straight.
The void shifts again. Now jack finds himself on what could be called a battle field. The castle now cracked, no shining windows. He heard a woman yell. He saw Emily with her scythe. She stood in front of their father, who laid on the ground. She stood in front of his younger self.
"Father!", she yelled.
Kozmotis was surrounded by pure Darkness. His skin became gray and his golden eyes got that silver rim Jack was so afraid of. Then full silver. But didn't he have just a silver rim in his time?
"Corruption!", yelled Emily, "No, no, no! Father!"
"Not anymore." Kozmotis, or now Pitch, sounded as if he had two voices speaking in sync. "No Kozmotis anymore, only Pitch Black, King of Nightmares."
Emily dropped her scythe in shock. She took a step back. "Jackson! Run! Try to find Uncle Sandy!"
She picked her scythe back up with a root and readied herself to attack. The newly crowned King of Nightmares dodged her attack and moved to Jackson. Pitch summoned a bunch of shadows whose surrounded Jackson. He then cut Jackson's throat with his scythe. Jack flinched, seeing his own death.
"Jackson!", yelled Emily Jane.
Pitch then dropped his scythe. Jack walked closer and saw gold spread in his eyes, the silver rim remaining.
Jack had a theory, a crazy theory. The silver is the Darkness' control, the gold is Kozmotis. Killing his old self broke a part of Kozmotis free, this part dropping the scythe, which is apparently a family trait.
Pitch then was yanked by his sister's roots and just slammed against everything nearby. While Jack would love to see her beat Pitch senseless, he noted that the Tsar and Sandy were closing in on his old self.
"Lunar! You need to do something!", demanded Sandy.
"I-I can turn him into a Nightlight!", said the Tsar, "After that, we'll see. If you help your niece while I help your nephew."
"Of course.", with that, Sandy activated his whips and joined Pitch.
"Uncle! The Darkness corrupted father!", she told him. "It makes him do these things!"
"This can't be changed, dear!", he replied.
Jack saw that his younger self became of light. Lunar lead the newly created Nightlight away.
The scene shifted again. He saw his Nightlight self with the Tsar, as well as Sandy, Emily and Katherine! They were on what looks like the moon.
Jack listened to the Tsar and Sandy discussing what now. Lunar explained that Pitch fled to a planet that has spirits. They will become spirits when going there and fight Pitch, albeit Lunar will stay on the moon.
"So, seasonals existed before this? Wow." This revelation was mind blowing to Jack. But it makes sense, if he considers what Aurelie said. Earth can exist without the guardians, who apparently in this point in time do not exist yet. But Earth can't without its seasonal spirits.
"Pitch build himself a niche on Earth. He targets the fear of children to get stronger.", explained Tsar Lunar.
"What a coward." Apparently, Bunny was there, too. He didn't notice. Bunny looked rough and angry. Of course, this has to be shortly after Pitch ended the Pookas. Of course Bunny would be angry.
"I will choose souls to fight the core of fear. Children can be protected with memories to know what they stand for, with hope to have a will to endure the fear, with wonder to replace the fear and dreams to rest from the fear. I think I miss something..."
"I take on the dreams.", said Sandy, "My language would become soundless on earth anyway. If I don't speak, I won't wake the children."
"And I be the hope.", said Bunny. "If I can survive, than so can this planet with weak magic."
"I won't call it weak, just more passive in use.", said Katherine. "May I be the wonder? With my stories?"
"I am sorry, Katherine, but I found someone else for the wonder. An earth native. The same goes for the memories.", said Lunar. "She is a mistress of memory based spells. Katherine, I want you to assist the time spirit of this planet, as an ambassador for us alien spirits."
"And me?", asked Emily.
"I... don't know if you should have a duty, Emily.", he said, "I would say you search for your own niche."
"I see, you think I can't fight my father.", she said annoyed.
"That monster isn't Kozmotis anymore.", stated Sandy.
"I see it in his eyes, father is still there.", she argued, "You gave up so easily on your brother."
"That's rich coming from you.", replied her uncle. "Apropos, what about Nightlight?"
"I will keep him on the moon for now.", said the tsar. "I want to try to restore his memories."
"Took him a while.", muttered Jack. "Looks like Emily made herself more than just a niche."
Yet another change of scenery. Now it was just him as Nightlight and the tsar.
"Nightlight, I have made a decision.", he said. "I will reincarnate you as a human boy on earth."
'Uh, why?', asked his old self. Ah, he was already mute in his past life.
"Subconscious shock caused muteness...", whispered the tsar. "Nightlight, you will see."
"I think I see it now.", said Jack to himself.
The void changed again.
Now Jack saw himself as a human boy. Brown hair and eyes, not pale as paper. An outsider, mute. But he had a sweet sister.
"Good, at least one life in which I have a nice sister.", he commented. "And I am the older one for once."
He saw how he was a loner with the other humans, but his family was nice to him. Albeit his sister, Piper, really tried to make him speak. "Even this snippet is annoying."
He watched his past self and Piper ice skating. Jack enjoyed that memory, real fun. Then the ice cracked. Jack now realized he and Piper were surrounded by Nightmares – or beings similar to those – when this happened. But Piper and his past self had just eyes for the not so frozen lake.
His past self kept calm and offered Piper to play. She agreed. They played some game utilizing the shepherd's staff and switched places. Jack observed the Nightmares stepped back with each step, the more fun they felt.
Then his past self crashed into the ice. His second death. Or third, if his existence as a Nightlight counts as a death.
He saw the moon becoming more prominent. His body was dragged out, and became his cold self.
"You are Jack Frost.", the moon said.
"Not really, old man.", muttered Jack. He flew around his old self – apparently he doesn't need wings nor the winds to fly in this – it was as if he saw into a mirror.
"A seed of Darkness is planted..." Jack does not recognize that voice. No, he does. This is the second voice of Pitch Black. Is this the Darkness that corrupted his father? He has no idea what it would be instead.
"Didn't Emily interrupt the ritual?" The void shifted to Emily trashing Pitch and his lair. Jack stepped in between Emily and Pitch. Looking at Emily, he asked, "Why did you shun me?" No answer. Of course not. "Wait a minute."
The void shifted when he wondered about the ritual. Does that mean he sees a memory related to his wings when he wishes for them? He focused on his crystalline wings. Like predicted, the void shifted.
His not so old self was surrounded by the other winter spirits. Queen Aurore was standing behind him. She touched his back and a pair of wings grew out of ice. Then his first flight.
Yue, Sapphire and the twins – two spirits always pulling pranks and acting as a unit – helped him reign the sky. They flew though the cold of the Arctic, before gliding though Europe of past times. Albeit he did nearly fly into a tower, twice. Stupid Big Ben. Wait, Big Ben was the name of the clock, right?
Jack teared up, he misses his wings. He really does. The freedom. The community they represented. The void then became white again, before Jack woke up.
He found himself in a shallow pool. A healing pool of the ice palace. It had been centuries since he was in one. No, the ones in the ice palace aren't decorated with ice flowers. Going out of it, he looked around. He was not in the ice palace, but where he was instead, no idea. His staff was leaned onto the wall. Taking it, he felt the Northern Wind greet him. And blow dry him. Neat.
"What the heck happened, Wind?"
"Oh no! Pitch Black escaped the Prison cells!", he heard a voice yell. Prison? Someone managed to imprison Pitch? Emily. It has to be Emily. Wait, does that mean he is in Emily's palace? And when did he start to think of her as Emily. Mother Nature made it clear she doesn't think of him as her brother.
A sense of dread started to spread inside of Jack. He should leave, now.
Emily was furious, he escaped! She knows for sure the Darkness will try again to puppeteer her father into turning Jack. Jack! She needs to check on him! Her brother should be healed by now. Maybe her father made his way to him, trying to take him.
She moved to the healing chambers, where she saw Jack, getting ready to fly out of a window.
"Jack.", she said. He stopped dead in his tracks.
"H-Hello, Mother Nature."
That hurts, being called that title. But it makes sense, Jack probably doesn't know what she knows.
"You just spoke!", she cheered. The pools healed more than she thought. She then collected herself. "Jack, stay. We need to talk.", she said, "I need to apologize."
"About what?", he asked. "I... I saw my memories. There are still gaps, but I now know of my past lives. Of father, of you, Uncle Sandy."
"Then why do you call me by that title?", she asked.
"Because I hate you!", he nearly yelled. His louder volume still made her flinch. "You shun me! Which itself, I don't care. What I care for is that all the other spirits – save for Sandy and the Deathlings, oh, and Katherine – also shunned me! Even other winters! I lost my wings! All because of you. Is it my ice powers? I now know that you thought they were inferior to your flowers."
"That was just childish stupidity what you saw, Jackson.", she countered. "I am sorry. I will fix this."
"You can't even fight without dropping your scythe at least once. I doubt that.", he argued, "The guardians, I need to check on the guardians. I did promise them to fight Pitch, after all." With that, he left. Leaving his sister heartbroken behind.
Started: 7th July 2023
Edited: 2nd September
Finished: 7th July 2023
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