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The map spread out on the table in front of us bore marks of the different locations where Liam had sensed the presence of the black seeds. Melinda and I had carefully plotted each point, and the more we analyzed them, the clearer a strange pattern emerged.
I narrowed my eyes as I drew a line between the various marks. "Look at this, Melinda. This isn't random."
She leaned closer, scrutinizing the tracings. "A circle…"
Liam, sitting nearby, stared at the map in fascination. "If we connect all the points… There's a missing spot."
I followed his gaze. At the exact center of the circle lay an empty point, a place we hadn't yet explored.
"Downtown Toronto," I murmured.
Melinda nodded slowly. "If Pitch chose these locations, it's not for nothing. He's building something. Preparing something."
I straightened, gripping my staff. "Then it's time to go see what he's cooking up."
***
The abandoned office building loomed before us, dark and silent amid the city's lights. The shattered windows gave it a haunted appearance, and the main entrance was boarded up. But it would take more than that to stop us.
I signaled Melinda and Liam to stay back as I approached the door. With an icy breath, I formed a thin layer of frost over the lock, then struck it sharply with my staff. The ice exploded into shards, and the door creaked open ominously.
The interior was pitch-black. Only moonlight filtering through the broken windows cast ghostly shadows on the crumbling walls. The floor was littered with dust and debris, but what immediately caught my attention was the strange sensation in the air.
A cold different from my own. A presence.
"He's here," Liam whispered, visibly tense.
I shot him a reassuring glance before moving forward cautiously. "Stay behind me."
***
The basement of the abandoned building was steeped in oppressive darkness. The air felt heavy, saturated with an energy that made my teeth grit. Behind me, Melinda and Liam edged forward, the shaky beam of a flashlight revealing cracked concrete walls covered in graffiti faded by time.
A strange crackling resonated in the air. A hissing whisper, as if wind seeped through the walls despite the lack of windows. I tightened my grip on my staff and stepped forward, my senses alert.
Then, a shadow moved.
A slender figure draped in shifting darkness emerged from the shadows as if birthed by them. Two golden eyes ignited, piercing the gloom with icy intensity.
Pitch Black.
He stared at me with visible surprise, his smirk first amused before twisting into something more calculating.
« Well… » He drawled, savoring his own astonishment. « Jack Frost. I must admit… I wasn't expecting you. »
I steadied my hold on my staff. « Neither was I, Pitch. »
He tilted his head slightly, the shadows rippling around him like a living cloak. « Curious. I thought I was alone in this world. What a delightful coincidence. »
His eyes swept the room, briefly landing on Melinda before settling on Liam. A flash of interest crossed his golden gaze, and a slow smile stretched across his lips.
« And who's this? » He squinted. « I didn't account for you in my plans, little one. »
Liam stiffened under his stare but didn't back down. Melinda placed a protective hand on his shoulder, her expression steely.
I stepped forward, blocking Pitch's view of them. « He has nothing to do with you. »
Pitch raised an eyebrow before chuckling lowly. « Nothing to do with me? Oh, Jack… I think you're mistaken. This boy… he's special. »
I clenched my jaw. « You don't touch him. »
Pitch sighed, feigning boredom. « Oh, relax. I hadn't foreseen his existence. Or yours, for that matter. But… » He pretended to ponder, stroking his chin with bony fingers. « …this could turn out even better than I imagined. »
My stomach twisted. « What are you planning, Pitch? »
He studied me for a long moment before smiling. « I've always found it unfair, you know? To stand alone against you Guardians. In my world, you were many, so powerful, so self-assured. I was the one fighting, alone, without allies. »
His voice deepened, turning threatening. « But here… everything is different. »
He stretched a hand toward the floor, and the shadows began to swirl around him, rising in thick, undulating plumes.
« This time, I won't be alone. »
A chill ran through me. « You're trying to rebuild an army? »
Pitch slowly shook his head, the shadows intensifying. « No, not an army. A single entity. A perfect being, capable of existing in both the real world and the realm of nightmares. »
His gaze flicked back to Liam, and my heart clenched.
« And thanks to him… » he murmured, a sinister smile spreading. « My creation will be complete. »
Rage surged within me. « You won't have him, Pitch. »
He chuckled softly, as if my words amused him. « Oh, Jack… We'll see. »
The air grew heavier, darker. The shadows seemed to breathe, vibrating with his presence.
I raised my staff, ready to fight. « If you think I'll let you do this, you don't know me. »
Pitch Black locked his golden eyes on mine, his smile fading.
« No, Jack. » He paused, then added coldly. « I know you very well. And you… you're not the real Jack Frost. »
My blood ran cold.
Melinda and Liam exchanged confused glances, but I stood frozen, rooted to the spot.
Pitch sneered as he melted into the shadows, his voice echoing in the oppressive air.
« We'll meet again soon… impostor. »
Then he vanished, leaving us alone in the suffocating darkness of the basement.
***
Silence fell over the room after Pitch's departure. The darkness clung to the walls like a living entity, and the air buzzed with lingering tension. At the center of the room, where Pitch had stood, a black tree rose menacingly. Its gnarled branches clawed toward the ceiling as if grasping for nonexistent light. Oozing from its bark was a thick, tar-like black sand that pooled on the floor, forming shifting puddles as though the shadows themselves had come alive.
An invisible barrier encircled the tree, an impenetrable force field blocking any approach. Jack cautiously stepped forward to cross the boundary, but a frigid shiver shot down his spine the moment he neared it. An ancient, malevolent energy repelled him, resonating with Pitch's very essence. He tightened his grip on his staff, eyes fixed on the dark tree. This wasn't just a seed. It was the heart of a larger scheme, a threat far greater than he'd imagined.
He turned to Liam and Melinda, who lingered near the entrance, still shaken from their encounter. Liam clutched his jacket, eyes wide with restrained fear, while Melinda studied the tree with a hardened, calculating expression.
« We can't do anything here right now, » Jack murmured. « We need to get back. You'll be safer at home. »
Melinda hesitated, casting one last glance at the cursed tree before nodding. « You're right. Liam shouldn't stay here any longer. »
Jack escorted them out of the building, ensuring nothing followed. Night had fully fallen by the time they reached the Gordons' house. A reassuring glow spilled from the windows, stark against the oppressive darkness they'd escaped. Jack ushered them inside and shut the door behind them, exhaling an icy breath that dispersed into silver wisps.
« Lock everything tight, » he advised, meeting their eyes. « I'll return tomorrow. »
Liam nodded, still shell-shocked, while Melinda regarded Jack gravely. « Be careful, Jack. What we saw tonight… this is just the beginning. »
Jack nodded before turning away. He scaled the roof in agile leaps and perched on the snow-dusted ledge, arms folded over his knees. He gazed up at the moon, bright and motionless in the night sky.
« Now… what am I supposed to do? » he whispered.
Silence answered, deep and unfathomable. Jack clenched his staff, staring at the moon as if hoping for guidance. He knew the celestial orb had always watched over him, had once given him a reason to exist. But now, facing Pitch, facing this shadow threatening to consume everything… he needed a sign. A direction. A purpose.