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What Is Your Center?	By : LuciferDragon Category: +M through R > Rise of the Guardians Views: 1676 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Rise of the Guardians world, and I make no profit at all from this fiction.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
For a month and a half, things continued to improve between us. He would either retire to my home in Germany when the sun began to rise, or I would stay in his lair in Venice. His Nightmare Onyx and Hessian also seemed to be getting on well. The globe in my tower continued to glow brightly through the nights, much to the annoyance to the Guardians. Since we were still keeping the balance, they could do nothing about it.
He kept to his word and behaved himself. He still scared anyone he could, but at least he wasn’t turning them into terrible creatures as he once had long before I was even born. There was still one old habit he kept to. Some days while staying with him, I’d wake to find him in his chair by the fire, his gaze taken by a single gold locket. In all the centuries I had known him, I never asked to look inside, nor wanted to know why he would look so sad. He deserved to keep secrets of his past, just as I did.
Christmas was fast approaching, a time of year that was supposed to be filled with miracles and joy. I never interfered with the other’s days, just as they never interfered with mine. That didn’t stop Pitch from wanting to have a little fun. I had to use my best, ah, influential talents to keep him from doing anything more than spread his Nightmares just like any other night. He grudgingly promised not to ruin the buildup to North’s one night a year.
I sat in an oval chair on the wooden ground floor of my tower, absentmindedly petting one of my Shadowbats as I stared at the globe. I had seen it flicker strangely earlier, taking my attention. It wasn’t too odd for it to glimmer here and there as Pitch was out on his own, but this had been different. It was centralized and had lasted a few minutes. His flickers never lasted more than five seconds.
The lights came on again and I jumped to my feet, ignoring the squeak of the ‘bat as it was rudely woken by landing on the floor. I rushed to my workstation and put a glass sphere on the holder. The shadows inside only gave way to darkness, and I could make out a few lumps in snow. I ran my hand over it again to get it closer.
I almost knocked it from the holder as I realized what the lumps were.
The lumps were that of teenagers, torn asunder. Their bodies stained the snow red. I felt sick and turned my gaze away, hoping the Guardians wouldn’t believe Pitch capable of something like this.
I watched the globe closely for a week, never mentioning what I saw in the sphere when he was around. He’d leave for the night, and I’d keep my post, my tension mounting as the lights glowed brighter each night. What was making everyone so scared? I hadn’t seen an area so lit up since I created the globe.
On the tenth day, four days before Christmas, I insisted I go out in the field with him. He made no indication that he noticed the lights, and agreed that I could come with him. The whole night as we poisoned the dreams of adults and children alike, I kept my eyes open, looking for anything other than us, Tooth’s fairies, and Sandy’s Dreamsand wandering around. I was so preoccupied I didn’t take into consideration how much fear I was putting into a woman’s dream, and ended up giving her a night terror she couldn’t wake from.
He noticed however and corrected my mistake, shifting the sands to that of one of his Nightmares. “You’re distracted tonight,” he muttered as the small horse ran rampant over the woman. Her cries had died down, but her face was still contorted in a form of pain.
“Something is wrong,” I confessed, stroking the Nightmare as it came closer.
I didn’t expect him to nod. “The lights have been brighter.”
“I was wondering if you’d noticed.” The Nightmare ran over my shoulders and nuzzled me before returning to work. “What is it?”
He shook his head, catching my gaze. “I’m not sure. It isn’t my doing; I’ve been keeping my word.”
“I believe you.” We left the house through the shadows, standing on the roof of the apartment building, looking down at Onyx and Hessian as they attempted to graze in the snow-covered dark grass. “Should we be worried?”
“Doubtful.”
“This thing is killing people, Oogie. We don’t kill.”
“You and I don’t. This thing obviously does.” He made me look up at him. “If it becomes a threat to us, to you, we will do something about it. Until then, there is not much we can do.” Both our eyes widened as a rope of golden sand encased his wrist before he was yanked back and over the side of the building. A harsh thud sounded out.
I clasped my hands over my mouth to cover a yelp of surprise and rushed to the side, seeing the Guardians advancing on him as he shook his head to clear it. Once he took in his surroundings he backed into the wall, a hand held up in defense.
North was the first to advance on him, lifting Pitch by the throat and shoving one of his swords to his chest. “What have you done, Pitch?” he demanded. “Children are dying!”
“I doubt he cares, North,” Bunny said, his boomerangs trained on his target. “I knew we should have gone after him when we had the chance.”
I leapt down from the building, stumbling a bit as I landed. “Wait, North, put him down!”
They looked only slightly surprised to see me. North turned his sneer to me. “Watch yourself, Hana. You don’t want to protect monster like this one.”
“Who else would be low enough to kill to regain his power?” Bunny added.
I looked at each of them, entirely powerless. Tooth tried to put a comforting hand on my shoulder, but I brushed her off, looking to Jack. He only turned away. His gaze said there was nothing he could do.
Pitch curled his lip. “Do you honestly think I’d waste my time killing these pathetic wretches?”
“You have done so in past. Who is to say you will not again?” North answered, and I could see a trickle of blood run down Pitch’s chest from the sword.
He hadn’t flinched. “I haven’t. Something is wrong, I will agree with you for that reason only. I am not the one leaving parents childless overnight.”
I approached North and held on to the arm pushing the sword into Pitch’s skin. “Please, North. He’s telling the truth.”
The large man kept his gaze forward. “I see you and your little Spirit are doing well again.”
“It’s none of your damned business, North. Now let me go.” He flinched as North’s hold on his throat tightened.
“That’s enough, North.” I looked behind me, seeing Jack standing there. “If he is telling the truth we’re wasting time with him.”
“And if he is lying we have him where we want him,” North shot back.
“North, please listen to me,” I tried again. “I know it’s very close to your day, and you care immensely for your wards, but you have the wrong man. If you don’t believe him, believe me.”
“And why should I believe a woman just as evil as he?”
I took my hands back as if I had been slapped and Tooth reprimanded him. I had known they didn’t approve of my holiday and what I did, but I didn’t know they thought I was evil.
A scream rang out a few blocks down, making us all jump. The others ran towards it, leaving me alone with North and Pitch. The Russian growled and dropped him to the ground. “We finish this after. If I find one of your creatures, I kill you myself.”
He took off after the others and I knelt by Pitch’s side to check the wound on his chest. He only looked horribly confused as he touched the blood, looking at it as if he wanted to make sure it was real.
“We should help them,” I muttered.
He clenched his fingers into a fist and stood again. “Why? So they can finally stab me through and then come after you? I’ll have nothing to do with it.”
I didn’t rise. I only looked down the road. “Of you can clear your name once and for all.”
“There is nothing you can say to the man to make him think otherwise.”
I stood and summoned my small twin scythes. “Stay behind if you wish, but I’m helping them.” I didn’t wait to see if he was following. I ran in the direction of the others, hearing the sound of fighting ensue. I turned a corner, facing the edge of thick woods, and stopped in my tracks as my weapons almost slipped from my grasp. Before my eyes, the Guardians were fighting two creatures with goat heads and legs, but the torsos of humans. I heard running behind me and knew he had finally chosen to help. I darted forward as another of the creatures emerged from the woods, a massive hammer held over its head, heading right for Tooth.
I crossed the blades in front of me and extended my arms, effectively slicing the arm off the creature. It let out a howl I had never heard before. It was a high-pitched sound similar to a train whistle as it turned on me, its horns lowered to strike. It leapt forward with such surprising speed I barely had time to dodge out of the way. The creature immediately changed its course and its horns grazed my belly, tearing my sweater as I dodged it again. Before it could counterattack, a boomerang caught its attention long enough for me to stab it through the spine with my scythes.
Bunny came out of nowhere, delivering a killing blow to the creature’s head, making its neck snap. I leaned forward on my knees, breathing heavy. “You ripper, Hana?”
“Yeah, just need to catch my breath.” I looked up just as one of the creatures was about to ram into North from behind. Before I could shout a warning, a massive scythe swept through it, severing the beast in two. I saw Pitch give North a grin before all of our gazes fell to the remaining creature, now being frozen in place by Jack as Sandy broke the frozen thing into shards with his whips.
A chuckle off to our side made us all stand up straight, weapons at the ready. “You are impressive. I see I will have some obstacles in my way.” Whomever was talking, we couldn’t find him. Every direction we looked was clear.
“Show yourself!” North shouted out, clapping his swords together.
The chuckle rang out again. “Now now, patience old man. You’ll get what you desire.” A figure emerged from the shadows, and I immediately took in the sight of massive horns curled backward from his head. He had a hand held up in a careless manner, letting us see his curved talons of nails. As he came closer, I heard his heavy boots crunch through the snow. His mannerisms alone, the pace of his steps, were making me nervous.
“Who are you?” Bunny demanded, holding his boomerang at the ready.
The darkness still kept the fine details from us, but I could clearly see light reflecting off his teeth as he grinned. “I am known as many things. Son of the Morning. The Lightbringer.” He bowed. In an instant he was gone again, but his voice rang out in an echo, leaving us with a chilling lead. “But you may call me Lucifer.”
- 7
- 8
- 9
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What Is Your Center?