Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Time was passively ruthless. It did not stop for anyone nor did it falter in its steps. It was an endless line where you would never get the chance to see the beginning and end. You wouldn't hope to. The steps time would take left a mark behind like the frost beneath my feet, hinting of a presence long gone and only stories left behind in their wake.  History was the past we made and the memories we now hold, evidence that would soon erode similar to rock and water. What you've grown to love now hate, and hate to now love. It always shifted and changed the perspective within each century that a person would live.

It drove humans mad with any kind of change that would not sit still within their lifetime. Each generation brought a new set of trends and ideals that perhaps did not hold much weight in the past but were substantial now. Everything always seemed to move with time, genetic and solid figures. It was a testament of adapting to the world around you. Some aged quick and others aged slow. What took you twenty years to age into adulthood, a cat's lifespan would have already passed by. Just because you aged slower did not mean you were unchanging. The mountains seen today were never present a millennia ago and the trees rooted to the soil were once saplings before.

Forever moving, ever constant.

Time is a testament to that.

Father Time himself would make sure of it. 

The past only survived in memory. Stories passed down to not be forgotten or ignored. Walk towards the future but never forget the past.

"Remembering roots, Jack." North would one day sit me down on one of his many fur-covered chairs in his workshop. Always making me feel too small and light on them unless giant hands would press me down by the shoulders. This would be one of those times and I would look up at him in sorrow while he continued, "Nikogda ne zabyvay, otkuda ty rodom. Is the only thing we Guardians have of ourselves." Never forget where you come from, I would mouth the first half to myself frequently. Sometimes in my mother tongue, other times in different languages. The message did not lift its weight any easier. The irony stuck in my mouth like raw cabbage. 

Sometimes I would wonder if Man in Moon had attempted to set me up for failure.

"...and this memorial is dedicated to-" 

A large stone shaped like the shell of a pistachio, about the same height as North, stood tall and proud next to my pond. Words carved in the center with a minimal design surrounding the edges in a rectangular shape. A name was carved at the top, bringing the attention of a group of tourists that wandered around the lake in quiet interest and awe.

For centuries it was early Autumn whenever I dropped by to visit Burgess, Pennsylvania. Making sure to paint the leaves into beautiful shades of oranges, red, and yellow to emphasize the seasonal change and work my way around the globe. It would be the same place I would then begin to drop frost and sleep the weeks away whenever I would find myself empty of children to entertain, frost to throw, or leaves to paint.

It was a home standing in the frozen pond.

I quickly learned, however, that this routine that has worked the past centuries could not hold substance the same when I began to work as a Guardian.

I figured that out the first year I woke up to one of the many children of Burgess- a believer thanks to Jamie Bennett -poking at my body in worry. They fuzzed over my state of being sleeping soundly under a blanket of snow until I reassured them that it was in my nature to sleep in the power that I make. The children were easily fascinated like that.   

Standing a distance away where I peered down from a branch covered in a light layer of frost of my making, a group of humans slowly began to trickle away the moment the darkness began to settle. The last of them followed the tour guide out.

A small girl of blonde hair and hazel eyes however drifted away momentarily to stare up at the inscription of the carved stone a little longer. She carefully stepped over the mountain of flowers left behind by people and traced the last emboldened words with her tiny fingers before peering over at my general direction. There was nothing to be said between us except an exchange of shy waves.

I made a point to bring a finger up to my lips in a 'hush' manner as if sharing a secret between us both. She mimicked the action with a giggle before hopping off to chase after her grandmother who wobbled ahead. I shook my head in amusement before eyeing the memorial once more. 

It was late Autumn when I arrived today. Most of the leaves were already dead on the floor or swaying with the wind that continued to circulate the forest around these parts. Winter has not quite arrived in the calendar, but anyone with eyes could see the snow and deem it over with fall season. I made sure to not cover the lands in too much frost in my wake so I wouldn't disturb the work of the Spirit of Fall. Although not a friend of mine, we had a weird dance of tag in between the seasonal changes.

I like to believe they find something fun in the way I do as well. 

It didn't take long for the flutter of familiar wings to draw closer to me. I peered over at Toothiana who landed next to me in the thick branch. It managed to support both of our weights without much effort, and I had to believe it was mostly because we each weighted feather-like. She carried with her nothing but a white carnation flower tucked behind the rings of her feathered ears and a gold coin smoothed to perfection in her hands.

She graced me with a look of sorrow before gently landing a hand on my shoulder. It took most of my willpower to not shake it off. "How are you holding up? I'm sorry I missed the memorial. I know how much this means to you, I did not mean to be held up in the palace today of all days..." She began to explain, but I gently placed my hand over hers. 

"It's okay," I mumbled. "We have all the time in the world to visit whenever, right?" 

She shook her head in denial. "It's not okay, Sweetness. I would say the same thing about my work and look where that got me."

It took me back to one of our more memorable conversations over what felt like so long ago.

"This was always the part I liked most: seeing the kids... Why did I ever stop doing this?" She stared down sorrowfully at the sleeping child who was a fierce believer of the unnatural magic that ran our world. The boy in question was not disturbed by her fixing his hair momentarily, the action feather-light and barely noticed.

I also gazed intently at the boy reaching my size and slowly aging onwards, sitting on the bed crisscrossed with my staff resting on my lap. I did not leave a dent since my weight was practically nonexistent. "Hmm. It's a little different up close, huh?"

It made the difference that she attempted to emphasize how losing the habit of it made us forget the most important things in life. At an instant I felt both comforted and vulnerable under her saddened gaze. I looked away to concentrate on not scratching the itch behind my eyes.

"Oh Sweetness..." I was then enveloped into a side-hug. I awkwardly reciprocated the action, if only because I didn't want to collapse entirely. 

"I'm here if you ever need anything, alright?" She kissed the side of my head buried under locks of white hair before letting go after I reluctantly nodded. She seemed hesitant in leaving me alone, but eventually she dropped further below with the help of her wings until she stood in front of the memorial.

I couldn't see her expression from behind but I could tell she was grieving in her own particular way, her wings drooping exponentially. From below my branch I faintly heard the gentle twinkle of sand rubbing together and a heavy pair of feet walking close behind. Dead leaves crunched beneath the disturbance in their wake. It didn't take a second for me to guess that it was Sandy and North respectively arriving. Both of them peered up at me with sympathetic smiles before making their way over to Toothiana.

I did not have the energy to respond to the gesture.

A much more gentle pair of feet (or paws?) stopped next to my tree. "Aye Frostbite," a familiar voice called from below, "mind comin' down a sec?" 

I most certainly did not have the energy to move from my spot, but I did so anyway. Ignorance took up more energy that I didn't wish to spend. I leaned forward with a foot in the air, allowing myself to flutter down expertly with the gentle hold of Wind. From the birthplace of my pond to centuries later, Wind had never once dropped me without repercussion. Wind pecked my cheek before leaving me to stand next to Bunny, the sensation cold yet soft. Like a touch of frost. 

There was nothing left to say, I would think. Not from my end and not at the moment. I just didn't know what to say.

Bunny must've thought the same, breathing next to me silently. I could picture him opening his mouth, unsure what to say, and closing it up again perfectly. 

Predictively, his furred hand reached to pat my back, the weight present yet not a burden. I inclined my head in his direction, not quite breaking my gaze from the memorial where the rest of the Guardians stood. I felt that at any given moment if I looked away then perhaps so would the memory of what this place once stood for. In some instances I believed it to be true as well.

I was scared of losing what little memory I was able to salvage from my tooth box as is. What if there was a chance I would forget the things I have made in this confusing life?

The Guardians said it wouldn't be possible with our spiritual magic tied to the world. With Manny powering our existence limitless and the belief of children tying our magic into the fabrication of this life... as long as we continued to exist then the memories we make wouldn't be forgotten. The explanation didn't cover my special case of the life I had 'before'.

Just another thing to hold against Manny.

"...Twenty years huh." Bunny sighed, the paw never once leaving my back. I turned to look at him expectantly. For the past two decades he would have some new words of consolation for me to listen to. It just seemed like... routine at this point. It didn't hurt as much now than it did the first time. 

"How're you holdin' up, bub? No new blizzards to drop on this anniversary yet?" He half-joked. I almost smiled at the dark sense of humor- but given Toothiana's weird knowledge of knowing when something inappropriate was said, I figured it was best to feign ignorance. 

It took a lot of effort to summon my voice again, the feeling heavy like that of the weight of a bus. "None in the past year," I responded truthfully, turning my gaze back to the memorial rock where the rest of the Guardians stood. They seemed to softly exchange words themselves out of my hearing range before taking brief glances at one another. Toothiana gently grabbed ahold of North's larger hand and seemed fine staying there sharing the space. 

Bunny nodded along. His paw didn't lift, instead running down my spine with the dull end of his nails. I didn't even know until now that he had to nails to begin with- but it seemed obvious in hindsight now. He continued, "Y'know my Warren is open always if you need it. I 'aven't had any help with my goggies in a long while."

Meaning there was always an excuse available for the company. Throughout the years Bunny and I developed a sort of friendship out of awkward excuses to be in each other's company and painting his eggs at one point. Just to annoy each other without actually meaning it. It was nice having someone to bother without any legitimate anger.

"Thanks." It still took me by surprise just how ready the Guardians were to take me in as one of their own even now with all my flaws. A bitter, smaller, part of me demanded to ask why they couldn't have done it before I became someone important.

But that part of me was the kid inside still crying to be seen by anyone and desperate for the validation that I existed. Maturing was learning that not everyone knew when a new spirit was automatically born and as unorthodox as my own. Learning that Man in Moon didn't just resuscitate anyone from the dead left a scary feeling in my mind.

It still didn't flatten the bitterness, but definitely left another impression.

"C'mon. I bet your bollocks that the others are waitin' for us." Deeming the conversation over, Bunny nudged me forward in the direction of the others. I stumbled a couple of paces before quickly regaining my footing.

Having no other choice I walked over while Bunny hopped from behind, the distance between the tree line and the pond shortening with each step. I felt a mix of apprehension yet like being at home again. It was a strange occurrence. 

Eventually we caught the eyes of the Guardians and they left us room to join them in front of the memorial. I didn't need to read the inscription to know what it was carved underneath. I had it memorized up until this point and I wasn't quite sure if the feeling it left behind was full of pain or love. Maybe a bit of both. 

"Any departing words, Jack?" North asked, his free hand resting on my shoulder in the similar manner of Bunny. It seemed like everyone was looking for an excuse to be in close contact with one another. It took me a minute to realize that perhaps nobody wanted me to be left alone at the moment and... it was something. I didn't know what else to say about it.

Warm? Trust?

Love?

"Yeah," I said in a daze, "just the one." Fully turning my attention back on the rock, all of the emotions of my past had finally come back to me.

Same height and width as North, carved and molded to look similar to that of its environment around my pond. It still stood out in size intimidating yet the writing carved in simple font was gentle and inviting. In front of the memorial was a small pile of flowers bought from floral shops and small cards with inked writing inside. Over the years I felt more sadness but at this very moment... I felt renewed.

Like stepping into the role of acceptance.

Looking up at the stone and seeing for what it was and what it represented, I couldn't help but feel a bit of that love run through my body.

Drifting my attention down to the gifts, I noted on the pile of flowers one of Toothiana's golden coins carved with the face of a young boy laid in the center placed delicately on top of a Christmas wrapped box and a pile of sand glittered everywhere. I smiled when I noted the bundle of flowers seemed to be revived although the chill temperature should've withered them away by now. 

Stepping away from the hands of North and Aster in order to better face the memorial, I longed for one more minute to spend with a special boy before our time would diminish. But I couldn't and this was the next best alternative. 

"Rest well, The Last Light."

'You will be missed,' I thought to myself, carefully positioning the tip of my staff over the memorial. Frost gently began to pass over the heavy rock, intricate designs of snow glittering against the rising moon. The chill grew colder though no one voiced it.

We stood there for a while staring at the stone, expecting nothing out of the silence and yet everything from one another's comforting touch. One by one we each found the strength to leave for what would be the last time of the year, mindfully consoled that we wouldn't let the memory of one of our many little friends die without cause. 

North seemed to hold our team together by his calloused hands and warm heart, leading the way further from my pond and closer to civilization through the forest trail. The rest of us kept quiet, the mood somber and chilly. Toothiana shifted to hold my hand from one side and Bunny jumping to link his paw over my shoulder from the other. Sandy quietly led beside North, consciously looking up at the moon rising ever so slightly across the sky. Man in Moon shined down at us, permanently full and bright for all spirits to see across the world.

Only people and animals would look up and see the shadows dancing across the moon's surface, marking the time and keeping track of the position that it once held highly so long ago. Us Guardians would never see a day or night with a shadow hiding the moon away; only clouds if Mother Nature turned gloomy.

It could be a new moon tonight and we wouldn't know either way.

There was a slight comfort in it the same way we would always know that we were not alone. Manny a silent support from above even if his help was reliable at best and questionable at worst. 

The leaves crunched beneath the feet of the Guardians as they trudged through the forest. Snow gently began to blanket over the trees wherever they left. The gentle light of the moon shining their path onwards through the forest. The silence was accompanied with the Wind that danced around the forest, rustling leaves and tickling the chill down everyone's spine.

Sandy brought the attention of everyone by floating forward, showing a series of pictures that everyone has gone used to understanding with ease. 

A clock with arms rolling forward quickly. Five stick figures. The sun. 

North nodded along, a wistful shine in his eye. "Da Sandy. It is been long time since we last hang around tot sun. Must do more often, absolutely."

"Mm," Toothiana fluttered forward with a smile full of longing, "we always do it when the world needs help. Where should we go next? Perhaps we could use a vacation for a day."

"Eto brilliant idea, da! We must take break from routine; go around globe and has fun!" North replied with a jovial step, hyping up the rest of the Guardians from the quiet atmosphere the closer they reached the other end of the forest. The lights in the distance grew brighter as a pleasant presence for the team to look forward to without daring to cross inside. Simply standing on the edge of the ever-growing population of Burgess City made them feel safe without being caught by any stray children awake at the hour.

"Where to? In case anybody noticed we 'ave a walking ice pick with us." Aster piped up from behind, pulling the youngest of the group along in his furred grasp.

"Ice pick?" Jack Frost mimicked Aster's accent somewhat indigently with a disbelieving stare, "excuse me but I can survive a little sun out!"

"It ain't the sun am worried about, mate." Aster replied with ease, not elaborating much else. 

Luckily- or not so luckily for someone like Jack -North filled in where Aster didn't bother to. Rubbing lemon on the burn mark. Or 'adding salt to the wound' but his expression was better. "Aye. You will melt at first heat."

Jack couldn't believe his ears on the matter. He was tempted to stomp his way in front of the Guardians and demand who else just assumed that winter spirits could melt out of existence. The thing holding him back was literally Aster's firm grip on his shoulder.

Still, it didn't stop him from jumping at his own defense from where he continued to walk behind the group. "I don't- I won't melt just because of a little heat! My powers are just a little weak against it. I sweat. I sweat like a normal person." 

The men of the group hummed along like they didn't believe him. Sandy shared a look with Aster while North made a noise of agreement. "It is called melting too."

"It's not!"

"It definitely is," North continued, clearly entertained by the child spirit's offense on the matter.

"Okay, how about where else we could go instead?" Toothiana interjected, fluttering forward to steal everyone else's attention away from Jack. To which he was thankful for. 

Sandy showed an imagery of a large tree and a question mark next to it.

"We could visit some ol' friends of ours," Aster shrugged half-heartedly. He wasn't putting a lot of energy into the planning unless absolutely necessary. Typically against North.

"'ow about camping? We haven't seen Whispering Woods in long while." North jumped in with more energy than his counterpart. 

Aster rolled his eyes. "Only you would be jovial about creepy woods, mate."

"Bets creatures in woods like these, friend! Great communities live there, we can tour and explore new cultures." 

"Can we even do that in one day? Seems like a pastime to me."

"I assure you, Bunny. Many things can be done in one day. Just have to-"

The rest of the Guardians shared a look of amusement, walking forward in order to tone out North and Aster who immediately fell into a comfortable routine of arguing. There was never any heat behind any of their fights which came to show how truly comfortable they were with disagreeing with one another.

Sandy waved his hands at the other two and showed an image of an intricately detailed large tree with a question mark once more. 

Jack Frost attempted to make sense of the drawing but thankfully Toothiana caught on to what Sandy was asking. "Oh Santoff Claussen? You're right, we haven't been there in a long while. It would be nice to see some friendly faces there for sure!" 

Jack had to scrunch his nose at the name. It sounded an awful lot like Santa Claus without it being Santa Claus. Could it be where North originally came from? "Santoff Claussen? What's that?" 

Toothiana brightened even more if that was possible. "Oh that's right! We never introduced you, but originally it's where everything started with our Guardianship duties.

It was originally founded by a man by the name of Ombric Shalazar during the Golden Ages. It's a safe haven where creation and invention from your mind could be made without fear until- well, Pitch Black happened. Father Time now runs the haven in Ombric's place and keeps a closer eye on any individuals who wish to come in or out of the community."

Jack rolled over the information in his head before accepting it for what it was. "So, what, is it like... the place of dreams? What makes it so special that it needs to be closely guarded?"

The queen fairy gestured with her hands to emphasize how Jack caught the idea without realizing. "That's exactly it, Sweetness. It's a haven for enlightenment and to dream the impossible without fear of any influence of the outside world. Artists all over the world who heard about this place could only ever truly enter if their intentions were pure and kind hearted. Any selfish desire would get them turned away on the borders powered by Father Time's magic."

Sandy nodded along, seemingly lost in the memories he left behind during those adventures years ago. A dreamy smile in place while floating alongside Toothiana.

He scratched the back of his head with his staff, feeling the hard surface tussle his snowy locks from their messy place and leave behind a messier outcome. Not that he quite cared about his appearance. He couldn't help but ask. "So what should I expect from someone like Father Time?" The itching desire to make a good first impression on someone new never left his person.

"He is very wise and holds a lot of knowledge about everything besides time. He worked with us in the defeat of Pitch Black and he used to spend a lot of his life teaching children the knowledge he obtained before that. I honestly think you'll like him." Toothiana responded easily, placing a comforting hand on Jack's shoulder. North and Aster could still be heard arguing from behind them, the debate somehow different from before.

Jack meekly nodded. The tips of his ears sting with frost, somehow making him blush blue with cold in contrast to his dead pale skin. 

Sandy was in the middle of conjuring up more images before a sudden rumble came from behind the Guardians, startling them into a wary stance. They faltered once they realized it was a glowing white portal with a hint of red, pink, and green surrounding it. And yet North wasn't the one who had thrown a snowglobe.

The familiar swirls left them stumped for a second before an even more familiar figure stomped out of the entryway; Phil the Yeti. His appearance eased the Guardians for a second before the news settled from the garbled figure.

Whether it was studying Yeti-Speak from the Yetis themselves, being omnilingual, or just having a deep understanding of body language; they all understood what Phil had to say. 

"There is an emergency." 

"What is we waiting for?" North called to his teammates before storming forward towards the portal, one saber in each hand sharpened to perfection. Sandy quickly flew behind him with whips made out of dreamsand. 

Jack had to momentarily stop before quickly asking the remaining Guardians present, "do you think it's Pitch Black?" Toothiana's frown and the silence that followed her through the portal didn't help to ease any nerves.

Unlike the queen, Aster brought up his boomerangs and made his way towards the portal. "Would hope not." Without any sight of wariness on his part, he hopped into the portal as well.  

The winter spirit could only harden his grasp on his staff before jumping into the portal after the Guardians. Phil being the last one standing followed close behind to close the portal after them.

-

On the other side of the portal stood a number of Yetis lumbering around hard at work. Christmas time was upon them and many could not afford to put the holiday on hold simply because of an emergency.

Similar to any other emergency they have faced, they proceeded to work and wait for North's arrival unless he couldn't be present for the time being. By then they would dictate an assigned group of Yetis to run the holiday in North's absence; North had once explained this to Jack Frost in the early years of the young spirit's Guardianship role.

Only two other Yetis stood by the centerpiece floor staring down at a third figure that paced on the spot. This figure was unfamiliar to Jack and yet it seemed to make the rest of the Guardians drop their scrutiny. 

Ease rose up in everyone's faces, including a bright smile from North. He threw his hands up in a welcomed surprise before wrapping them around the stranger, his laughter infectious towards the rest of the team. The stranger had laughed as well and matched the energy of the larger Guardian. Jack stood in the back completely clueless, unsure what to make of it. He slowly dropped his staff from the defensive after a minute of watching. 

"Ahh Father Time! It is been so long, old friend! Tell me, how is the children of yur realm?" North finally dropped the stranger from his strong hold, patting the figure on the back with a heavy hand. 

"Oh they are doing just fine, Nicholas. Carefree as always. The Great White Bear is as healthy as ever watching over our young and defending the borders with their mighty strength." The figure spoke like one of a fairytale, hands splayed out exaggeratedly. A narrator detailing the wonderous things in a world inside a book, bringing the story to life with the only tool being the imagination of others. 

Or maybe not a narrator but a very old grandpa entertaining the youth, Jack Frost thought with a smile. Yes he could see what Toothiana meant about him liking the old timer. 

"But how have you been? I bet time moves differently wherever you go." The queen fairy quickly flew forward to catch Father Time's hands, rubbing them gently with her thumbs in a comforting manner. She seemed to scan his face for any injury as if the old being was prone to throwing himself off of cliffs. Jack wouldn't know anything about that.

Father Time nodded along with an extra shine in his pupil-less eyes, "that it does, Your Majesty. I have been doing great without restraint as always. Although I do have to lay back on the sweets as of late; who knew cookies could detain your body from exercising magic?"

Toothiana, who carried a face full of adoration, perked up at the end of Father Time's statement before yanking his hands forward with more force than necessary. She flew up on his face with more anger than one would know what to do with and yelled, "What do you mean you have to lay back on-! Have you only been eating cookies this whole time?! What about your teeth! Think about the health of your body and the nutrients it needs to stay alive!!"

Everyone in the vicinity quickly withdrew themselves in fear Toothiana miraculously decided to turn her wrath on them instead. Some of the elves running below their feet seemed to had also sensed her anger and stumbled over one another in order to hide the freshly baked cookies they have carried around. North seemed to fondly roll his eyes over their antics, not truly unnerved by the queen's anger.

Jack winced from where he decided to sit between the wooden rafts on the ceiling, looking down at the rest of the Guardians with a bit of pity.

"Alright sheila, we get it.." Aster carefully trudged forward and attempted to land a paw on Tooth's shoulder. She snapped over at him angrily, Aster's paw quickly retracted along with his entire frame. 

She huffed in annoyance, "what's there to get? Apparently it doesn't matter anymore if you're immortal or not as long as you can eat anything you want as if magic itself will keep you healthy. Honestly the nerve of some men." She muttered more colorfully censored profanities under her breath, a hand pressed to the side of her head attempting to nurse a migraine. 

North didn't pay her any mind, continuing the conversation from where they left off. "So what is problem? Have you come meet tot newest guardian here, Jack Frost?"

Jack perked up from his perch.

"Unfortunately, I haven't found the appropriate moment to meet your new Guardian," Father Time apologetically shook his head, massaging his hands from the tight grip Toothiana had them in. "Something is amiss and I am in need of your assistance once again."

Jack slouched. In his mind it seemed like the Big Four were needed elsewhere without him.

"Absolutely! We will make greetings along way," North brightened before motioning over for Jack to come. "Come with us! Adventure starts now!" Much like a kid despite his size, he eagerly looked up at the rafts where he somehow knew Jack would be hiding in. 

Having no other choice but to listen to the bigger guy, Jack jumped down and landed next to a sleepy Sandy. Sanderson blinked momentarily to wave at the younger spirit before his eyes grew droopy once more. Jack didn't fault him for already growing tired. He rested his staff over his shoulder and waved over to where the rest of the Guardians stood, "where to, Captain?"

And almost as if awaiting for a dramatic moment to come, everyone turned their eyes towards Father Time. The man, more solid metal like a statue made of scraps than fleshy human, curled the corner of his lips upwards and eyed the Guardians in return. 

"To the Big Root."

Somewhere in the distance a grandfather clock struck twice.

It was a whirlwind of activity before an obscure side of the North Pole burst open and a sleigh pulled by nine reindeer flew out, a cacophony of noise in its wake between cheerful shouts and cries of despair. North handled the reigns at the front while the rest of the Guardians held tight to the side bars, the wind of the north channels carrying the heaviest weight while magic directed them to their destination.

Deep in Siberia, the Guardians flew overhead a region full of trees, snow, and moss that covered the ground from the bird's eye view. The cold drop in temperature brought up shivers down Aster's spine while he curled up in a fetal position, slightly comforted by the gentle hands of Toothiana who shared the feeling. The same could not be said by the rest of the Guardians.

Eventually through the harsh bitter wind, North yelled out "hold on to yer butts!" and directed his sleigh towards a particular set of pine trees.

Before anyone could grow alarmed, Father Time threw himself next to North and held out his copper hand out into the air. At an instant an illusion shattered and a portal warped into place; much different from that of North's. 

Jack Frost laughed in awe as they passed through the portal- a long tunnel full of the colors of the rainbow.

A certain pressure stung in his head the moment they traveled through, his knees wobbling in place from where he hovered over his seat. He didn't notice but his smile had turned sour, gritting his teeth attempting to get past the awful feeling of his brain being squeezed into a tube of its own.

A grandfather clock chimed four times, each ring louder than the last.

The moment he opened his eyes- when did he close them? -he realized they were on the other side of the warped rainbow tunnel. The moon high in the sky greeted them from the other side of the portal, the night gleaming with darkness and light coming into one. Each shadow that marked its existence glittered innocently in place, forever untainted by the night itself. 

Up ahead where North continued to command the reindeer, Jack turned and could imagine his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. At an awe, in the distance, a tree bigger than anything he could've imagined rooted firmly in place. 

It was bigger than what any tree could realistically exist out in the planes of the mortal world.

Roots tangled everywhere on the ground and yet rows and rows of creases on the bark glowed faintly of yellow dust similar to that of Sandy's dreamsand. The glow ran up through the trunks and swirled into the branches high above. Each leaf would glow a different shade of green, mesmerizing to the eye and a reflection to that of Man in Moon himself.

Below, in-between the roots, a colony of huge round stones shaped like eggs would be strategically-placed and acted like homes to the people of this isolated village. Mushrooms growing on the sides of the trunk would glow faintly underneath while acting like the 'floors' for more egg-shaped rocks placed on top of them. The moss that grew everywhere reflected faintly against the moon. Not one natural entity left in the dark and yet not quite glowing enough to light up an entire room.

It was ethereal. 

The Big Root, Jack had to assume. There was no other way it couldn't be. 

As if to sense Jack's excitement, North briefly glanced over at the boy before calling out. "How do you like new adventure!? Having fun yet!?"

"Very!" Jack responded, cackling when the wind brushed his hair over his face. He had a hard time keeping it out of his eyes when all he desired to do in that moment was to continue to look. 

"Wait until you see the inside, New Guardian," Father Time could barely be heard over the wind. He didn't keep his blank eyes away from the prize which happened to be his home since the beginning of time on Earth. 

Jack snapped his neck over to the ancient being. "The inside?!" 

"Hold on tight!" North yelled once more, snapping the reins at full speed. Everyone momentarily lost their footing in the meanwhile.

What you would assume as North crashing into the trunk of the Big Root at full force, instead, the center of the tree opened itself up and allowed entryway for the sleigh and six Guardians. Narrowly, however. This did not stop the full force North had to pull in order to quickly stop the reindeer from advancing further from their landing platform. Everyone cried out in alarm. 

It was only by pure luck that nobody was mortal like that of a regular person otherwise some muscle joints in the neck would definitely be felt by the morning afterwards. 

North, unphased by his poor landing, jumped out of the hazardous sleigh and patted each of his reindeer with praises and laughter. Aster was strongly against the sentiment, the second to hop trip out of the sleigh with wobbly feet and a worse balance. Father Time, equally as unphased as North, gracefully exited with a nauseous tooth fairy and sandy figure in tow. 

Jack was last to exit, ignoring the six-foot one inch rabbit sprawled on the ground next to him. 

"That was fun," he grinned, "can I drive on the way back to the Workshop?"

A chorus of no's could be heard at an instant.

North threw an arm over Jack's smaller frame, tutting disapprovingly. "Tot first time you drove mad like frozen car. Swerves everywhere and not looking at tot road, you."

The memory of Jack Frost, freshly in denial of being a Guardian, driving the sleigh on the way to the Tooth Palace and wrecking the bottom of the metal frame in an attempt to land. It was only through hopes and prayers did the frame not fall apart for the rest of the journey required to defeat Pitch Black.

The Yetis weren't very happy when they finally looked over at the sleigh for repairs that same morning. Jack could've sworn he heard the Yeti's equivalent of a swear based on Toothiana's outraged gasp.

"Be as it may, Guardians, the reason I called for your assistance is further inside of the Big Root." Father Time begun to take the lead, waving his dominant hand over to a large stairwell made of smaller roots and vines braided together leading upwards. Jack was last to follow along on the journey, wanting to commit the entire trip to memory just in case. 

Reaching upstairs was a complicated matter for the Guardians alike. The Big Root proved to have grown larger than thousands of years ago. The Guardian of Wonder made note of all the different rooms and hallways that seemed to have grown alongside the tree.

While the outside faintly glowed of pure dust through the bark of the tree, the inside was illuminated by Glow-Root. Bulbs of sour round fruit growing out of branches held a bioluminescent glow within the skin, illuminating the inside of the Big Root to a much greater degree. 

Eventually they reached the end of the stairwell in front of a large entryway, the inside completely different from the rest of what Big Root provided.

Machinery seemingly grown out of the walls made of bronze metal with broken pieces of bark running the edges where plant met machine. Cables covered the floor entirely, connecting one contraption to the next with wires sticking out of random spots between gizmo and cables. The atmosphere was suffocated by electricity. You could feel every hair on your body rise on point. Deprived of vines and deprived of any significant life yet somehow growing from it.

It was like entering a world inside another world.

Jack could only describe it based on children's aesthetic as 'clockpunk.' There was a ridiculous amount of clockwork tied to the machinery and whatever was left of the walls and the ceiling. They each tic-tocked at the same time and yet you could still hear an echo bounce around the walls of the room outside of the electricity running within the wires.

The winter spirit could see how this would best describe Father Time's person too.

Speaking of which. 

"Guardians," the ancient being addressed the room, "this right here is where I have the majority of my life's work since I picked up a new title centuries ago. When Tsar Lunar himself had given me my new name to go with my form, I knew my work would not be the same as before. I now hold different things dear to me. I have changed. But so have you."

Seeing Father Time in a new light, Jack couldn't help but think of a human statue come to life made out of unoxidized copper. Scraps polished to a shine that made his suit robe fashionable, dragging down to his knees. A beard under his nostrils with pointed ends poking at his puffy cheeks and the rest of his beard under his chin outgrown 'till it reached almost to his belly. Eyes glimmering no matter the light, entrancing to witness even with the lack of pupil or iris in his eye. Each lock of hair or beard framing his body was glued together, it did not shift nor did it move individually. It was one piece sticking firmly in place.

Yet despite looking not at all human he seemed to emphasize all of what humanity would be by the end of time. 

A historical artifact. A story in one shape. A memorial. 

Father Time's direction shifted over to me shined beneath my own, making me feel all kinds of inferior in front of him despite both of us playing a role in time. Each Guardian did yet none content what I knew we both could do. What we did. 

Something in his expression changed. A flicker of something that I couldn't recognize but hoped it was nothing terrible either. I could only frown in return until he decided to look elsewhere, continuing where he left off as if nothing happened. But I knew- I knew something did. I just couldn't prove or ask for what. 

"I had begun to guard this world of its magic in a similar manner that you have guarded children's memories and innocence. I had been tasked to guard time itself; all of it. From the beginning where Earth met its first meteorite 'till the end consumed by the sun. It will be, it is, it was enjoyable. However-" Father Time turned to face the center of the mechanical room, arms spread out in the air like a showman entertaining an audience.

Cables move away on their own and the bare floor immediately opens up to a sizable display with a cubed crystal in the center made up of the iridescent rainbow moving all at once. From one angle it looked like it was housing multiple cubes inside, yet from another angle it looked to be filled with millions of shards.

I was never any good at physics but I was pretty sure that wasn't supposed to be possible.

Right away the Guardians' attention is split between being enamored by the crystal or eyeing the mirror displays that seemed to have replaced the clocks bound to the walls and the machinery behind them. None of it made any sense to them but nonetheless their trust in Father Time did not falter. 

"-something has been tampering with my works. A creature... a slippery thing that I cannot quite catch with my own two hands. It seems to move away whenever I introduce it to light, yet remains in whatever crevices that can be afforded in my rooms. I have since then attempted to rid of this creature by introducing GlowRoot to my village, and yet the thing... persists. It seems to leave my subjects frightened by the new slippery development. Any clue as to who this could be?"

It was in that moment that everything cleared up. 

"Pitch Black," Aster narrowed his eyes. The sentiment was shared by everyone in the room. 

"What it is that he would want from your work, Father Time?" North had to ask, his eyebrows pinched in a way that let everyone know that he was thinking up a solution. 

"But how?" Jack intervened, "we haven't heard from him in over a century. Not since I became a Guardian. We made sure he was locked away in that domain... That was supposed to keep him away for a little longer, right?" His voice faltered at the end, not quite so sure of himself after everyone's gazes trained onto him. 

Toothiana made sure to gently lower herself to where Jack could only keep his eyes trained on her, a small hand barely gracing his shoulder in a manner of reassurance. She didn't have an exact answer to give him but she knew she would rather lose her passion than to watch Jack shrink himself down in discomfort because of his teammates.

Her family.

She started to console him, "well, it's not an exact science. These things can happen given who exactly we're dealing with..."

"But it doesn't mean he's completely back. It must've taken a lot of strength for Pitch to even escape his prison- once we find him again it will be a lot easier for us to handle him. Alright?"

For now it was enough. Jack accepted it with a nod. He turned to face the rest of the Guardians once more, ensured that this would be a dilemma he wouldn't have to face alone. He tilted his head expectantly, silently asking what to do next. Father Time had him covered in that regard.

He smoothly grasped everyone's attention once more, lifting his hand towards the cubed crystal right in the center. "This right here I call The Infinite Mirror; a reflection to other worlds should you shine a light right where you want to see. There are many worlds that run in an interval and others that run at a faster rate compared to ours. It is as such implied that these here are connected to one another not by similarities but by existence alone. 

Each world is a piece of shard bound to The Infinite Mirror, and only The Infinite Mirror can allow you access to view the other worlds through the... well, literal mirrors on the walls. However..." Father Time lifted that same hand to scratch his solid beard and peered closer to his own invention. "Recently I foresaw the idea to use the properties of this crystal to manipulate time physically. I have not been able to make it far, but it is enough for me to cover a solid base should the people of Santoff Claussen need me whenever I'm not available presently. It should, theoretically, work like a tracking device. If I'm not here you'll be able to find me elsewhere."

Aster was skeptical of the idea in total, crossing his arms in thought before speaking up. "An you can't be alerted by your people through your 4th Dimension shpizzle, can you?" 

The thin smile on Father Time seemed fake but there was no reason for him to be upset about anything, Jack analyzed. 

"No, I cannot hear them through another world." The ancient being patiently explained. "Which is why I am allowing this to exist within your minds as well, Guardians. If I am needed, find my cube, and I'll be within your reach."

Sandy clapped his hands to garner the attention of everyone and showed imagery above his head. Pitch Black's recognizable figure, a cube, and a question mark. 

After a minute of silence it was North who finally spoke up. "Pitch must want use cube for time. But it is to why and how he knew about it first."

Aster uncrossed his arms with a scoff. "It's obvious, ain't it? To wipe us out from the start of the Golden Age."

"He wouldn't go that far, would he?" Toothiana had to ask, unsure herself where Pitch Black's morals would lay. It's not to say she didn't believe that Pitch wouldn't be capable of doing it; it was a matter of asking if he would go that far.

"You're nutty if you forgot what he did to Sandy 'ere," Aster nodded over to his silent teammate, "we all thought it would be the last of Sandy before those ankle-biters brought 'im back."

Jack gripped on his staff. The memory still seemed so fresh on his mind from years ago. The guilt never quite left over failing to save one of the more powerful Guardians they had. He never mentioned it to anyone else but he has been practicing ever since how to ride the Wind faster than before.

Cheap tricks he could pull, distractions, far-ranged shots, anything to buy him time. Sanderson seemed to know the guilt that followed Jack around like a storm cloud but never could succeed in wiping it away.

"And we're grateful," North butted in, "which is why we ne moch' underestimate Pitch again."

The fairy reluctantly accepted the possibility. The itch in the back of her head never stopped, the idea of it odd in a way that she couldn't quite pick. He looked cruel and spoke crueler. He knew how to get under your skin and made a spectacle of it. He preened under the attention like a peacock, flaunting his feathers and using all tricks under the table to distract and hit everyone from behind.

If he did not want to be seen then he would be capable of disappearing under the radar. To her this seemed sloppy.

"Alright," she exhaled, "where did you first notice signs of Pitch Black? Maybe he left some clues behind. How he entered or perhaps how he leaves."

Father Time hummed in thought before waving over the Guardians to follow him once more. "Come along. It is a couple of floors down. We might as well catch a quick snack while we're at it. Anyone against peanut cookies? Or perhaps a jell-o caterpillar? I think I last heard that truffle muffins are in the trend now."

From behind him the queen fairy scowled but simply kept her mouth shut. The rest of the Guardians followed into step behind them, leaving The Infinite Mirror behind in the center untouched.

Jack, the last one to leave, studied the cube for a couple of more seconds before leaving. Skeptical as to why an important object wasn't more closely guarded left it alone for the time being. He would come to question Father Time about it later. 

He swore stepping outside of the room he heard six chimes. He couldn't prove where the noise came from.

Stepping into another site of the Big Root where Jack assumed would be the control module, he wiped the last of the crumbs off his hands on his hoodie and jogged over to the machinery. He studied the layout of the room, making a full wide circle on the spot in awe. While the rest of the Guardians had slowed down behind him, it wasn't possible to hide the amusement in their eyes over his excitement. Sometimes he liked to play it up in order to get them to do his bidding. 

Who knew the Guardians of Childhood could be easily manipulated into doing a child's desire? 

Perhaps it was a Guardian thing. Tripping over themselves when it came to a child's whims, finding fulfillment in making something smile full of wonder and imagination. 

"Seeing somethin' you like, Frostbite?" Aster joined the eternal child in the sightseeing. He was more focused on the plantation that seemed to grow in harmony against the metal walls, not at all fighting against it. Vines spreading over the panes in a web-like manner reaching the ceiling and slowly trickling down again like rope bearing glowing sour fruit.

It seemed so bizarre yet amazing in various ways that the Pooka didn't think it would be possible. Could advanced technology coexist with nature?

Aster never seemed to think up how it would be possible. But wasn't that the wonders of magic? It could always prove you wrong in some way.

Yet of course not all beauty could exist without its flaws.

Whilst the control module existed to face a large thick window facing outside and at the edge below Santoff Claussen resided in; you could see the glaringly obvious signs of disturbance with the plantation dying on the module.

They seemed to be slowly suffocated by the lack of light, discolored and crusty into a yellow lime. Studying the many plants a bit closer, you could barely see black spots on the window slowly moving with the moon. The moonlight never seemed to touch the dying branches and vines by the control panel. The shadows were blocking it.

This angered the Pooka to no end. The disrespect of life on an innocent flower for more evil scheming seemed the kind of thing Pitch Black would do.

Toothiana flew next to Aster and studied the module with similar intensity, humming in thought before peering over at the entrance where Father Time stood. "How long has this been here?"

Father Time gave half a shrug, stepping over to her sorrowfully. "I only noticed this bewildering circumstance by my own child, Katherine. She was patrolling Big Root on my behalf while I had other matters to take care of at the moment. I'd say five months."

"Five months??!" Barked out Aster. You could hear his eyes almost pop out of his sockets in shock. "Ya mean to tell me Pitchie 'ere has been lollygagging in your tree for five bloody months??! How 'as no one else noticed?!" 

North raised his arms in an attempt to placate the Guardian of Hope. "Now look here, Bunny..."

"No, mate. You look! Ya know what this implies?? This just means Pitch 'as been runnin' around under our noses for almost half a 'ear. Maybe more! How much strength 'as he recovered by then??" Aster bellowed out. Out of everyone in the group, the Pooka took the information hard.

Nobody else seemed to have realized it until the Pooka said it out loud. By then the circumstances were turning out to be more grim than possible. 

North continued with his attempts, the results half lackluster. "But Pitch still not full strength, my friend. We made sure prison strong with all powers combined, da. Half year does not mean he recovered from before. Something must broke Pitch out and help Pitch here. We must find out what."

"But who would help Pitch break out of his prison?" Toothiana quickly asked. "There's so many spirits out there but none of them half as powerful enough to break through our layers of security. It would take forever for us to find out who the perpetrator could be."

North nodded along, hand stroking his large beard in thought. "Then we must look at prison. See any clues there."

"I bet your nilly the clues are half gone by now," Aster crossed his arms, keeping his gaze trained on North.

"We must still try..."

In the meanwhile Jack Frost continued to analyze the plantation on the control module, ignoring the rising volume of the Guardians behind him. Sandy had flown over to thoughtfully stare at the moon as if Manny would dare to graciously offer an explanation.

He bets that Manny knew about Pitch's break out as well yet dared not to say anything about it. Keep it a secret just like every other thing he's done. 

He touched one of the branches with a delicate finger, noting how the frost just... froze. In place. It didn't spread nor did it die out. It simply frosted over where his single digit touched. 

'Hmm.' He pensively thought, scrunching his nose. 'How come none of these plants here seem to stagger with my cold? They don't sway, they don't move. It's almost like they're frozen in-'

"Jack Frost," a voice closely called from behind him. It was Father Time. 

Would it be ironic if Jack said he froze on the spot?

He slowly turned around, his grip on his staff stiff with power. He noted just how tall Father Time really was; he could rival Pitch Black for sure. 

"Spirit of Winter, Guardian of Fun, and Commander of Storms. You have my sincerest apologies, my boy. I did not mean to congratulate you late on your new role as a Guardian; matters are hard to keep track of when you are needed everywhere throughout time to keep watch.

Though I will say, the adventure you had to get to this point was enjoyable to witness from afar. You had what it took to defeat Pitchner Black after one encounter with that King. Your strength and resilience is admirable for sure. It should honestly be a movie of its own, in my own humble opinion." The ancient being did not lie, he was kind with every word spoken.

It made it that much harder for Jack to decipher if the Guardian of Time was hiding something or not. 

"Thanks," he stiffly answered. He eyed over where Sandy was supposed to be standing next to him, only to belatedly realize Sanderson had gone elsewhere. Leaving him alone in a corner with only Father Time for company. It wasn't ideal for the eternal child.

From behind his back, Father Time revealed a simple stone made of pure white marble. Cradling the marble in his hand like a treasure worth million tears. "As a belated gift on my part, I wish to bestow upon you a present that I have been caring for centuries before your existence. It would do you quite good on your journey, I imagine."

Tentatively shuffling close, Jack inspected the small thing from afar. It was small in Time's hand about the size of a 50 cent coin and it glittered beautifully against the moonlight. Jack was convinced it was somehow glowing on its own.

But what could a small stone do to help him on his journey?

Father Time continued. "It may not seem like much- and it is more than definitely missing its other half, but I'm sure you'll find it should you decide to go looking for it. Do me a favor, my boy, and keep it with you at all times in the meanwhile."

He extended his copper hand out with the marble in hand, invitingly for Jack to take. Upon much closer inspection, Jack noticed half of the marble was indeed missing. Like it broke somewhere along its journey. 

The boy cautiously lifted his hand to inspect it, the distance closing in-

Thick branches in the walls began to flail in place. Leaves were rustled in alarm, a cry of crickets crying low in union echoed everywhere. There was no source to tell where it was coming from. It caught the attention of everyone. 

-Jack retracted his fingers and turned to face the equally alarmed Guardians. 

Father Time pursed his lips together before running out of the room, leaving the rest of the Guardians under his dust. Considering how frustrated the older man seemed, they silently followed along in a hurried pace matching that of Father Time.

"What's the hurry 'ere?!" Aster called out, easily catching up with Father Time due to his large rabbit form. 

Father Time, somehow fast despite how leisure he appeared, was not at all surprised to see the extraterrestrial keeping pace. "There has been a breach by the pier. Pitchiner may have already attempted to break in as soon as I allowed you entrance inside my domain," he explained.

"Wouldn't 'ave he already broken in by his shadows?" The Pooka made a face, finding the entire situation bizarre.

"Shadows are everywhere, my friend. That is something that will always be constant. Pitchiner may be able to use the shadows of the world to travel everywhere, but under anyone else's domain? Shadows are his blind ears. They do nothing else but feel around like the nose at the end of a star-nosed mole!"

The rabbit silently processed the piece of information. He thought back to his Warren and the shadows that blanketed each tunnel at night. He hated the idea of Pitch just having an easy access into listening into his domain should he desire.

He had strengthened the wards over a century ago when Pitch broke his goggies just outside of the tunnels of his domain but-

It was still a sore spot.

"My GlowRoot works as a constant source of light and a sensor should any unnatural darkness disturbs their glow."

"But why now?!" North called from behind, lagging a bit due to his huge frame and the tight hallway being shared by the rest of the Guardians. "Pitch must know we're here, da?! Why risk fighting in low power?!"

By that point they had reached the center of the Big Root where the sleigh was stationed along with the herd of deer. As expected, the pier was in a frenzy with shadow figures running wild and flickering at any source of light. Depictions of horses crawled against any flat surface that they could find at a moment's notice, not quite solid like the previous battle. The deer were visibly in distress, grunting in place and stomping their hooves against the ground.

The alarming sight did not distract the Guardians enough to realize that a certain figure was not present.

"Unless he ain't." Aster mumbled.

It took one second for everyone to inspect the chaos that emerged before they jumped into the fray. 

North jumped into his sleigh and seemingly began to search for something within his large sack, stepping on any shadow that crawled beneath his feet. The action left the Fearlings to cry out but not quite die.

Aster and Toothiana used any short-ranged weaponry at their disposal and attacked any fearlings that dared to solidify at the sight of them. Jack and Sandy worked together to throw their power at a further distance, covering the areas that the rest of their teammates wouldn't have time to dodge. Father Time had summoned a staff of his own and began whacking any shadows that attempted to startle their first Guardian.

This left North to continue his search in his sack before letting out a cry of joy. In his excitement he lifted his hands to reveal a-

"Flashlight?" Father Time eyed the contraption with keen interest, not once slowing down with his swings. He seemed to always predict when a shadow would try to slash him without needed to look.

"Da! Child once wished a powerful light to keep monsters away. They lived in a shed with no light. So? I gift light!"

"Brilliant, mate!" It was said with so much sarcasm no one would believe Aster if he claimed it was genuine. "How is this supposed to bloody help?!"

"Like this! Smotret'!" 

And if anyone needed any more reason to make their lives easier, they stopped the moment North turned on the flashlight. It was a small contraption in his hand yet somehow it gave powerful results. 

At an instant, the light baked half the room with startlingly more brightness than they anticipated. Half the teammates standing in the flashed zone had to look away with their eyes tight shut.

The shadows on the other hand wailed as if being burned by the sun itself. It might as well be the case for them since they shriveled on the spot. 

Many sizzled away and the few left made the gross attempt to escape by clawing their way in between the crevices of the docking bay leading to outside. Their resistance was futile and it took mere moments for North to move the flashlight towards the remaining fearlings. The unholy screech was the only thing left of them.

Silence slowly engulfed the room once more.

Everyone stared at one another, bewildered at the outcome.

The fight, while grand, ended quite... anticlimactic. 

Jack wasn't so sure if it was appropriate to laugh at the circumstances. He smiled anyway.

"Aye..." Aster scratched the back of his head, unsure what else to say. He didn't notice Sandy giggle behind him.

"That was easy," Jack grinned. 

"I'm afraid too easy," Father Time inspected the sleigh, noting how there was no permanent damage to his apprentice's mode of transportation. "Say, North. Any reason as for why you carry that around? Perhaps my people would like to make their own version of it here as well."

"Gladly," North laughed. "I use similar lights for sleigh too. Christmas can get very dark in some areas."

"Not to sound like a party-pooper but any reason as to why there were shadows here?" Jack piped up, analyzing the entrance joined by a tired Sandy.

"As I said, my GlowRoot was disturbed by the increase of darkness in the room. The shadows." Father Time explained.

"Yeah yeah I get that," Jack narrowed his eyes, "but that doesn't explain where Pitch is."

The mystery just kept getting stranger. There was a faint taste in the air smelling an awful lot like fear; sour and rancid. The rogue shadows suggested that Pitch Black was involved and yet there were no signs of the man himself here. 

This brought them to a new level of wariness. Just what game was Pitch attempting to play?

As if the question needed to be answered, Aster spoke up. "Whatever game Pitch wants to play needs to end now. There ain't something right 'bout all of this."

Toothiana sent the Pooka a look that said 'I told you so'. Aster pointedly did not look in her direction.

"Why sent us here? No damage anyone except fearlings," North thought out loud. 

"Why indeed," Father Time hummed. 

In an effort to contribute to the conversation, Sandy poured out a list of images over his head. It proved fruitless when no one noticed his silent suggestion. He rolled his eyes in annoyance, smoke made out of sand poured out of his ears.

At an instant the branches and leaves surrounding the room rustled once again, more alarmed than before. The endless noise of cricket's low singing echoed through the entire pier. This was joined by the GlowRoot flickering as if their power was disturbed by a sudden force. 

The Guardians gazed ahead in a confused panic.

"Now what?" Aster narrowed his eyes.

Sandy threw his imagery once more, catching the attention of Toothiana and North. One figure boxed inside. 

"A trap?!" Both Toothiana and North exclaimed at once.

Growing tired of the guesswork, Aster threw his paws out. "A trap for what?!" 

It all made sense to Jack at an instant.

"The Infinite Mirror!" he yelled, calling for Wind to carry him out of the room and headed up the flight of stairs. "It was a trap to keep us away from that crystal!"

Alarmed, everyone poured a burst of speed into their bodies and chased after Jack. The spirit of winter was further ahead than they were at the second.

The Pooka caught up after another second, hopping in all four of his paws to match Jack's speed. Toothiana and Sandy weren't far behind them.

Big Root was sectioned into many levels to house the many achievements or magic that Father Time used. The Infinite Mirror just so happened to be stored in the highest level possible with only the control module being a 'middle point' before traveling further down to the pier.

The distance between the Mirror and the pier was at least twenty levels to travel through.

Belatedly, Jack realized, it was perhaps planned from the start. Pitch Black had potentially broken into Big Root long before they entered the domain. Their appearance might've spooked Pitch into sending them on a wild goose chase as a distraction.

The distance between the top and the center point of Big Root was large. It would take a while for the non-fliers to reach the highest level. If Toothiana, Sandy, and himself flew ahead then it would buy the rest of the Guardians time to catch up while simultaneously guarding the Infinite Mirror.

The thing is- half the team would be separated from the rest. Would the risk be worth it?

As if to read his thoughts, Toothiana landed a firm hand on his shoulder. "We'll split up and buy you guys time. There's too many flight stairs and we can't risk Pitch escaping with the Infinite Mirror!"

"Now would be a bloody good time to reveal a secret elevator, mate!" Aster glared at the railings spiraling to the top. His powers of tunnel-traveling couldn't be accessible in other spirits' domain. There were wards set in place- especially one as magically gifted as Father Time -that would prevent him from doing so.

"Perhaps if you reach the end of this hallway and turn a right, you'll find what you're looking for," he vaguely responded. Father Time, strangely enough, was at ease from behind the rest of the group.

"Stay safe," North regarded the rest of the Guardians. 

The fliers nodded along before flying up in the air with a burst of speed. 

It was an interesting dynamic, Jack thought. A tooth fairy, the spirit of winter, and a sentient star made of sand. Not one flier had a talent that could match the other. Yet they each followed one another in sync, expertly dodging any stray fearlings that soon began to appear the closer they reached their destination.

The closer they flew, the more dangerous things grew. At one point the trio had to momentarily stop from hitting an ambush head-on. It was getting them nowhere rather quickly.

Toothiana frowned, "there's too many ahead. We'll never reach the Mirror in time."

"If only we had asked for that flashlight North had," Jack frowned, more annoyed than really upset about it. He punched a horse running by with his free hand, the frost at an instant dispersing the creature out of existence.

Sandy waved his arms over to them, momentarily capturing their attention while simultaneously defending their sides. He made a show of pointing an invisible staff in front of him and jolting it in place like a shotgun. 

The two fliers looked down at Jack's staff- lovingly named Twinetender at some point in his comparable short life -and hummed in thought.

Jack gripped the coarse material, watching as the frost traveled through the cracks of the smooth bark without pause.

"Hmm," he contemplated. 

Not a moment later, Jack shot a burst of snow ahead, scaring off the horses from their narrow path at an instant. It was sharp and webbed out of his staff like that of a spindling sentient thing. It reminded him much of the electric snow he managed to create the first time avenging Sandy's death.

He hadn't been able to replicate it as grand or as dangerous afterwards. If he had to guess it was more of an emotional instinct that made it possible. He doubted he would want to be in a situation where he would need to rely on emotional power to survive a deathly scenario.

Taking advantage of the lack of fearlings for a second, Sandy shot forward with a whip made of his dreamsand. He threw it around at anything that moved towards their direction, leaving behind less creatures than they started with. 

Toothiana and Jack took a second to catch up with Sandy's hasty speed, each with their weapon in hand. Toothiana, Jack noticed, was carrying out dual swords that had North's signature engraved at the base of the handle. Moderate size in her grasp and comfortable for her to swing around with ease.

She must've borrowed them without anyone noticing. Jack ought to ask where she learned to handle a sword.

Later, Jack promised himself.

He blasted another force of snow from his staff, clearing the path for another couple of seconds that they used to advance forward. Toothiana flew in the back, her wings fast and sharp enough to cut any fearling that dared to attack from behind. Sandy continued to lead the trio with the force of his magical sand making huge waves. 

They knew they had reached the top when all they could see was nothing but fearlings and other minions blocking their path. The entrance to the Infinite Mirror was just a couple of steps ahead and yet they couldn't see much from where they stood. 

The air tasted sour and rancid. Like wasted milk left out in the sun for too long. It was too warm that felt much like a burn to their skin.

Sweat clumping together making muddy sand. 

Sweat that made it hard to breathe in a humid spring setting.

Sweat under feathers that weighted down like a wet blanket. 

They each huddled closer together as the sweaty ice machine worked hard to frost a bubble around them, attempting to keep the warmth at bay. 

The fearlings grew more violent. They screeched at the sight of unwanted visitors within their presence.

They each jumped, it was unclear who threw the first punch. Perhaps it was an enraged fearling. Perhaps it was Toothiana quick on her feet. 

Time was blurring together. Jack was unsure when he started feeling like melted ice on the spot. 

The fear in the air felt wrong. 

Wrong wrong wrong.

Wrong like a missing ingredient in a recipe. 

It tasted wrong. Everything was wrong very quickly.

Jack needed to think. Just for a second. 

There was a chime in his ears. Slow and reversed. Fifth chime. Fourth. Third. 

Why were the fearlings a lot more loud? Did they always scream like a banshee in his ears?

Jack didn't notice when he stabbed the staff on the ground but he needed a moment to think.

The cold spread through the room at an instant. Ice covered the surface of the walls and floor beneath their feet. The ceiling didn't fare any better. Vines died and stuck like icicles on the spot. 

The darkness stayed but there were no horses to be found. 

Toothiana shivered where she hovered in place. She could see her own puffs of breath in front of her, she hugged herself to gather a bit of warmth. "This feels wrong," she quivered. It wasn't a whimper. It was from the cold.

Sandy showed an image of Pitch above him. Horses. An X. Question mark.

Toothiana refused to believe it. "It has to be him. No one else could control shadows like he can."

The air still tasted rancid but not quite as sour. It smelled of something else Jack couldn't put a name on. 

He huffed. "It still feels wrong. This whole thing from the start."

The trio assessed their teammates before resuming their goal. They decided it was better to conserve whatever energy they had left by walking the rest of the way. It didn't make the trip any less creepy. It could almost be like walking into King Jack-O Lantern's house of madness. 

Just almost. 

They reached the room and turned the corner towards the entrance. 

Shadows crawled over the walls and ceiling. Horses marched in a tight circle across the entire room. The lights had flickered inconsistently; it could be described as faulty. It was madness contained in a snow globe. But the centerpiece of the pretty globe was Pitch Black himself, his back facing the Guardians with his hands hovering over the Infinite Mirror.

Pitch could smell horror from a mile away yet not once had he turned to face the rattled trio. He had a slouched posture of that of a man who had something to hide. 

Jack called out, "it's over, Pitch! Turn yourself in!"

"It doesn't have to end like this," Toothiana raised her dual swords, "don't make this harder than it needs to be!"

In a slow deliberate move Pitch raised his head and inclined it towards the trio's direction. The tension raised against the Guardians before-

Jack dared not to drop his guard and yet he could feel his bones freeze on the spot. He dared not to think otherwise- dared not to believe it. Dare not to let his emotions guide him..

...but the golden pale gaze running deep in Pitch's eyes seemed to hold a different view. Tired. Jaded. Were those bags under his eyes?

The winter spirit momentarily tightened his resolve. 'Yeesh. Ever heard of a good night's sleep?'

The joke didn't tickle his longs like it normally would. 

The King of Darkness tiredly scoffed. He made an effort to turn around deliberately slow until he faced them entirely. It didn't escape anyone's notice how roughed up his clothes were. It could be seen clear as day even through the stampede of horses running in formation.

He mockingly inclined his head once more. "Hmm? Where's the rest of your Guardians? Taking a stroll?"

"They'll be here soon," Toothiana glared onwards, "for now you'll have to worry about us."

Pitch tutted with a shake of his index finger. "That's less than what was needed to defeat me before."

"We grew stronger while you were gone," she quipped. Toothiana carefully did not let her suspicion show. Pitch continued to stall but she did not know what for.

Jack butted in. "What's your big plan this time? Break out of your prison under our noses and steal the crystal?"

Pitch growled. "You just know everything about me now, do you? Why don't you tell me what I'm stealing this for?" Growing more animated with anger, the tiredness had dissipated the more he spoke. "If I'm so obvious to you now, why don't you just stop guessing and start beating me now? Do you have another cage for me to live in? Is it smaller? Darker? Deep enough it would be hard to move left and right. Morning to Midnight."

During his speech he had stepped closer to the three, leaving them to raise their weapons in defense yet not quite sure when to proceed. At that particular point the stampede of horses had grown faster. Harsher. Louder. They were equally as enraged as he was. 

Yet by the end of Pitch's rant the Guardians momentarily stopped. 

Noticing the lack of action on their end, Pitch narrowed his gaze. "What? Is that too dark for you? Well here's another coin for your thoughts." He manifested a coin- the same coin Toothiana chucked at him decades ago -and flicked it to their feet. The coin so small yet it tinkled loudly against the floor. It rolled and rolled until it finally collapsed in front of the hovering queen.

"Have you ever sat somewhere alone for so long the only friends you make are that of your own head? Do you ever hear them? Every remark, every comment, every insult? They're so loud to me. So mean and plain annoying. You know what gets more tiring than not being noticed? It's when your purpose is stripped from you." 

Silence engulfed on their end. The only noise surrounding the room was that of the stomp of hooves and the endless screeching.

Jack made an effort not to think too deeply about it. Ignored how this was another brick hitting too close to his heart. Another thing he could relate from his past.

"Whatever talent you can do is just gone and now all that is left is this-" Pitch showcased the fearlings running in a circle around the room. Wild and viscous it almost seemed like Pitch was trapped in the center with no way to escape the running herd. "-eating you alive from the inside. Tell me, Guardians, is that a life worth living?"

Pitch stepped forward once more, momentarily shoved back by a stray fearling. He didn't show a sign of feeling the unexpected push. It was as unfeeling as his smile, growing larger yet no emotion held behind it. "Your own sand. Frost. Fairies. Whatever. They eat your magic away and all that will be left of you is an empty husk until even that is gone and you're nothing left but a story of the past."

"If I knew this is where the road would lead me after so long, then perhaps it would be best to save myself the trouble from experiencing it to begin with. I will use this cube and stop myself from enduring such a brutal end. You would like that, wouldn't you? After all, you made me turn out like this. I'm saving you the trouble, that's all."

Why shouldn't they stop Pitch? 

Jack had to think a better way past this question. It took great shame on his neck to realize he really considered something behind this thought.

"I'm sorry you're going through this," Toothiana answered for them. She was very sure on this front. A part of her unknown to Jack had begun to face Pitch, a look holding something that he couldn't quite understand. "But we cannot let you do that. It will be a disturbance of the timeline itself and we cannot unravel the thing we don't understand."

It registered to Jack that this something was sympathy. 

"If we are the cause of this- of you dying like this... then let us help. We can help find you a place where you can continue living as long as you don't disturb the children of the world." 

It still seemed like the wrong thing to say. Pitch deciphered her wording as a lie. Another cage. Like the fairy wasn't seeing the entire picture that he was attempting to paint. He grew more frustrated, ignoring the second and third shove coming from other bold fearlings.

Then he exhaled. His face smoothened out. Any anger left on him disappeared quicker than before. Stone cold and unfeeling, he turned around to peer over at the Infinite Mirror.

"I feared you would say that."

Taking this as a cue, Toothiana threw herself forward while Pitch wasn't looking. 

She should've known it was a trap.

Pitch made a large turn and expertly grabbed Toothiana by the arm, dodging the swipe of her arm attempting to restrain him. He used the momentum of her rush in order to throw her back towards the other side of the room.

One of her legs knocked on the crystal, leaving it to twirl on the spot with a bright hue. 

At an instant, the mirrors on the walls and the ceiling began to spin. Gentle at first before gaining more speed with each spin. They were turning counter-clockwise; the opposite direction of the fearlings. The creatures themselves grew more agitated. 

The light pouring from under the Infinite Mirror beamed stronger, leaving the horses in a frenzy attempting to escape the brightness surrounding the room. 

Jack realized the only direction they could escape was through the entrance where he and Sandy stood.

Sandy, with more experience fighting enemies, could jump out of the way with ease while the stampede changed direction. He effortlessly parried against Pitch Black, a silent kind of anger that could be seen through his quick precise movement. Anything outside of facing Pitch could be seen as nonexistent in the eyes of Sandy.

Jack had jumped the opposite direction half a second too late, his momentum interrupted by the herd shoving him sideways. He hit the floor with a yelp, pain buzzing through his side for a moment. Looking up at the battlefield, it took him a while to notice the room had shifted. No longer was the floor made of metal sheets stomped together by brute force. It glowed beneath him in gradient colors.

He looked up just in time to witness a blurry depiction of Pitch shoving Sandy to the side, the force sending the Guardian to the floor a couple of feet away from him. 

The pain faded by then; a spirit did not ever feel pain for long. A Guardian less. Jack took advantage of this and grappled his Twinetender to face Pitch, summoning a force of his nature in order to throw the deranged being off-balance. 

It worked like a charm. Pitch glared at Jack with that of unnatural anger. He could fade into the shadows at any moment and Jack would bet his eyes would continue to glow unnaturally like that of a cougar. He briefly wondered if this was a mistake.

Toothiana took this distraction in order to tackle Pitch from behind, wrapping her legs around his neck and using the rest of her weight to pull him back. He stumbled backwards in surprise, clawing at her legs for purchase. 

The off-balance pull brought Pitch to slam Toothiana against the wall, perfectly hitting one of the mirrors that rotated around the room. The weight had disappeared in less than a nanosecond- and so did Toothiana. Leaving nothing but feathers where she had been on his back, clinging to his rumpled attire and others fluttering to the ground.

She was gone. 

Jack had no time to process what this could mean, his knees buckling to the floor in shock. 

It was at that moment that three other witnesses had entered the room. One of them being Nicholas St. North who saw the events play through with a cold sweat. Nobody had time to prepare for the consequences. Least of all Pitch.

"PIIITCH BLAACK!!"

"NORTH DON'T-"

It didn't matter if you could tie a mountain to North. He would find the strength to push forward with the grace of an elephant and the anger of a bull. 

Before anyone could fully stop him, North tackled Pitch against the same wall with a fist in the air ready to slam it down and-

gone.

"NO!" Slamming a fist against the frame of the entrance, Aster spat out a curse. He forced himself to shift his gaze towards the remaining Guardians and hopped over to Jack. "Kit! You alright?! Answer me!"

It was like the world had finally tilted itself on its axis. Nothing was beginning to make sense to the kid, Jack Frost. He was breathing hard yet no air seemed to get through his lungs. The staff under his grip was pressing down hard on the ground, smooshing his nails to the point of breakage. All of his joints were frozen solid, cold to the touch even for him. 

It went unnoticed by everyone but the broken mirror that had sizzled their beloved Guardians out of existence had begun to destabilize. What should have been just a window to the other side of another world had formed into a tunnel sucking anything into its own existence. 

It was a blackhole in the shape of a circular broken mirror. 

It was safe to guess that it was too late for the rest of the Guardians. 

Aster was first to feel the insistent tugging between his legs. He checked on Sandy and, to his dismay, the star-shaped Guardian was losing grip on his purchase to the ground. Sandy was scrambling for anything to hold onto while being tugged by gravity itself, only barely grabbing ahold of the pedestal holding the glowing crystal.

"Hold on, Sandy!"

The Pooka shoved Jack towards the entrance of the room, hooking the spirit's staff against the frame. Then he bravely aimed his descent towards the pedestal, letting himself cling to one corner and simultaneously allowing Sandy to grab a better purchase by extending his paw out. The other Guardian gratefully took advantage of the help and climbed up the side of the pedestal, never losing his grip on Aster's paw.

It still didn't matter at the end. 

The tugging persisted and won over at the end. 

His large feet were grappled by an invisible force and pulled.

Aster did not have time to dig his dull nails against the pedestal, his grip slipped and-

A whip made of dreamsand had wrapped itself around his wrist, leaving him suspended in the air tugged between two ends. One end pulled by his long-time friend and the other a gravitational pull by the mirror. It would come to find out the adrenaline would dull out the popped muscle on the Pooka's shoulder.

For a moment it seemed like things were looking up. Aster sent Sandy a grateful smile, the latter reflecting the gesture with a confident grin of his own despite the sweat running down his brow. His tiny hands trembled attempting to counter the pull of the mirror yet he persevered. 

Outside of their standoff, Jack had managed to shake himself out of his thoughts and focused on climbing his Twinetender like a rope to safety. Just as he could stretch his hand out and feel the frame of the entrance grace his fingers, a pair of copper boots stepped in his peripheral. He faltered in his grip, squinting upwards to come face to face with Father Time himself looking down at him in return.

The old man who casually stood on the edge of the room without a care, gravity itself warping around him without cause. Untouchable. Undisturbed by the chaos surrounding his domain. 

Jack wondered just how much undeserved trust was laid upon this cooky piece of metal. He glared up at the older Guardian, thrusting his arm out in a grabby motion. "Help us!"

The elder knelt down in front of him, silently inspecting the grip of Twinetender against the entrance-frame. Entranced for only a total of ten seconds before allowing his attention to shift towards that of the eternal child. In his grasp hidden from Jack he rubbed the broken marble in a soothing circle. 

Humming in thought, he studied the boy's eyes filled with so much emotion in such a little time. He could see clear as day the fear and wariness he held for Father Time himself. Despite it all he held up a front of courage, bravely asking for help from someone who had given him no reason to fully trust him in their first greeting.

Flighty and distant. Loved by all and bearing a heart close to gold in his shoulders. Yes, he could recognize that anywhere. 

'Time. There is so much of it and yet not enough. We all wish to have a little more time to understand the things we don't know,' the elder internally exhaled. 'However... These precious moments, no matter how fleeting, must be preserved.'

Peering down at the marble glittering in his grasp. Cold to the touch despite being held by the warmest of hands at one point. Katherine, Oh Katherine. You cherish what you had and move on for a better tomorrow, Katherine. 

Instead of going through the demand of the child, he leveled his gaze closer to the other. They were close enough to almost touch noses. Idly, Father Time wondered if his nose would potentially oxidize into blue at the touch of the other. 

He lifted his hand to showcase the broken marble, letting the shimmer to capture the attention of the winter spirit. And as if to share a secret, he began to whisper for only the ears of the child to hear. "Take great care of this, child. Keep it close to your heart. Search for its half if you must. Do not worry for the passage of time, for you will soon realize it was a part of you all along."

Behind them, nothing more was left of the large rabbit other than a muffled scream while getting sucked through the mirror. The sound was not given the grace of an echo. It was to say the Pooka was no more. 

Sandy had lost his grip during the tug and fell backwards, instantly pulled towards the mirror without a second to catch himself once more. He too was gone.

And without any remorse of his fallen friends, Father Time let the marble slip from his grasp and down towards the continued suck of the mirror. Jack lost his focus at the sight of the marble and let go too. He gaped at the elder with a feeling of betrayal swell in his chest, nothing left to do except to fall without Twinetender in his grasp.

Before he could fully disappear, he saw words come out of Father Time's mouth one final time despite the distance growing. 

The last message he would hear from him in a long time. 

It was the chime of a grandfather clock. Once. Twice. It continued to march until the eighth tune.