changing future: book 1 through time

chapter 6: a thief, a girl, and a boy of light

HERE WE GO!!
Be prepared for some cute kids being cute kids! CUZ IM STARTING IT STRONG ALREADY.

Also apologies for updating a day late but honestly I lost track of time ahsjdjdn I promise tho, this is already a completed story just waiting to be uploaded.

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The astral boy laughed as he dashed through the clouds, enjoying his little game of tag with the moonbeams. But as the night started to come to an end in Siberia, Russia, the boy had decided to head back to the village he vaguely remembered from the last time he had been there. 
 
Yes, his memories were fuzzy now, but he still knew the significance of that place. But first he had to stop and peer down below his cloud where he could hear the sound of galloping horses and cheerful hollering as a band of thieves rushed through the fields and into the forest. 
 
With a laugh, the boy flew down through the morning mist, shining the way for the ex-Cossack and his band of thieves, flying over the rapid river he watched as the men followed him. It didn't take them long to cross the river using his help. Any body of water that they were to cross, streams, rivers, lakes, and even fjords were illuminated by the boy's glow, lighting the way for the band of thieves to cross.
 
Soon they had climbed high on a mountain range, but this time, there was nothing to support them as the edge of the cliff dropped into nothing but misty clouds. The boy leapt into the air past the cloudy cliff as he proceeded to bounce on the clouds before hiding to observe the man he knew would later be called Santa as he urged his horse with a booming laugh to leap into the clouds in a leap of faith. With a smile and a wave of his staff he started to lead them on a road made out of mist and light. 
 
Eventually, they came to a stop in the forest that surrounded a very important village. Nicholas St. North halted in his tracks to look around himself and his crew as he tried to find the boy that had helped them get there, a boy that seemed to have not been seen by anyone but himself. 
 
With a shake of his head, the Russian man urged his horse in a slow trot through the forest. Dawn was close now, the early light not yet filtering through the shade of the trees around them. It was eerily silent, too. But the boy that watched them did not have any trouble watching the group as they were approached by a beautiful woman from the trees offering them a vast amount of jewels and gold. 
 
All of them were instantly entranced by the treasure, each one turning into small statues of elves and gnomes, forever cursed to serve as forest sentries. All except North, whose horse, Petrov, forced the man away enough to hear the call of the children. 
 
The sound caught his attention in an instant and he rushed to their aid. Behind the man, the boy followed closely yet silently as he hid in the trees to watch the following events. The first time, he had gone off to play with the moonbeams while the moon still shone after directing the ex-Cossack to his destination, but this time, he stayed to watch the following events. 
 
It was a battle he had not seen the likes of before! The tree, Big Root, had the children swaddled up between its roots protectively as it swung its branches wildly at the towering black bear the size of a house. He watched as the bear ate the old wizard in one gulp, then he watched the ex-Cossack join the fight. The fight wasn't long, but it was tiring and hard. Though eventually the bear was slain, and North laid on the ground, bleeding out. 
 
The hidden boy frowned as he watched Pitch appear in front of the children, materialising from a cloud of black smoke, snarling and in his hand he held a broken staff. "This is all that is left of your precious wizard." He sneered.
 
The boy had the urge to rush forward to stand protectively over the children, but he knew he should not interfere. Pitch moved closer to the petrified children and soon he twitched, seeming to fade in the light that now broke through to them. As the sun rose, the Boogeyman dimmed evermore. 
 
"In time…" he winced, already feeling the horrid effects of the sun and already missing the days of his immunity to the horrid light. "In time you'll be mine…" dropping the staff, he sunk down into a crack in the ground, disappearing from sight and senses right in front of the children and tainting the very ground he had slipped through. 
 
It didn't take long for the shade to reappear beside the boy of light, hidden safely in the shadows of the tree as they both watched silently the proceedings after Pitch’s disappearance.
 
The parents all came rushing out, holding their children protectively and apologising for not being there when they needed them the most. They watched how the children all cried and told their parents of the events that had happened. They watched as the parents comforted their children, reassuring them. All but young little Katherine. 
 
Katherine stood apart from the rest, looking distraught. And how that made the astral boy's heart ache something fierce. She stood there, unsure. Then something unusual happened that had never happened before. Pale green met bright silver as they locked gazes. The light child flinched slightly as he dashed to hide behind the tree where he stayed for the next couple of proceedings, earning a curious glance from the shade next to him. 
 
It didn't take long for the village to revive both the bear and Ombric through their combined belief. And the astral boy was quite pleased to know that it was Katherine, his Katherine, who had led them back to their basics. 
 
He peeked out from behind the tree in time to see all the families returning home to comfort their children more. He watched how with every step the old wizard took, the more life seemed to return to the village like magic. It wasn't long until they had moved the young bandit inside of Big Root to be treated and soon the central plaza was cleared as the bear returned to its post, now as white as snow. 
 
By that point, Pitch had already left to deal with the fearlings that he could still wrangle up. The boy of light however decided to move to sit on the branches of Big Root, his glow dim enough to be hidden by the leaves as he watched through a window. 
 
He stayed there for the day, unmoving and simply watching with a small fond smile. He watched how they treated North's injuries. He watched how the kids came to visit. He watched how Katherine brought him food. Sure, North was going to take a couple of days before he could properly walk around again, but the stubborn man simply refused to sleep more than necessary. Instead, filling the hours by telling stories whenever he could- some got so bizarre in his half asleep state at times. 
 
Soon, the day turned into night and he had gone to meet with Sandy and Pitch just outside of Santoff Claussen, on the mountain closest to the small village. 
 
Landing softly on the snowy peak, the boy of light waited, but not for long as soon enough he was joined by one stout golden man of dreams and a shade who looked more tired than anything. The exhausted look on the shade’s face earned him questioning looks. 
 
Pitch grumbled, slumping his shoulders slightly. "I'd like to see you try to wrangle fearlings who won't listen…" This made a concerned look cross the faces of both the boy and dreamweaver. 
 
For ease of writing and ease of reading, whenever Sandy is to use his dream sand to speak, it shall be automatically translated for clarity and simplicity from here on out. Do note that each of the characters still must translate the code that the Sandman speaks in.
 
:Do you think it would cause a problem?: The Sandman asked, his face worried. 
 
"It may be… however it might just be because I have not led them in so long and must readjust to the abilities I currently have." Pitch admitted, frowning. 
 
"Fearlings are unpredictable, the instant you feel them getting out of your control, do not hesitate to tell us. We can not allow this to interfere with the timestream." Both Pitch and Sandy turned to face the youth among them as his voice rang clear in their heads, regarding him with surprised expressions. Silence fell around them, causing the boy to fidget with his staff, his brows creasing and his shoulders tensing. 
 
"What?" He spoke out loud this time, blinking once before holding his spear defensively, feeling a little intimidated by their stares. 
 
"Seems like the boy has grown up." Pitch commented, earning him a lighthearted glare from said boy. 
 
"Hey!" 
 
Sandy chuckled silently at this. :he had a point, Jack. You're not acting as much as a lost child as you were before.: Instantly the boy started to shake his head before looking away, his expression turning soft and distant. 
 
"...not Jack…" he whispered. 
 
"Nightlight, then?" Pitch wondered, surprise evident on his features, earning him a grin from the boy in front of them before shaking his head. 
 
"Not Nightlight." 
 
:who then?: Sandy wondered, cocking his head to one side in confusion. The boy only laughed lightly. 
 
"I am neither, but I am both. We are one and the same." The boy replied before leaning on his staff loosely as he thought for a moment. "FrostLight." He hummed, tapping his chin before nodding to himself with a wide mischievous smile. 
 
Sandy gasped in slight awe as he finally understood the situation. Pitch only nodded in recognition before returning back to the topic they were discussing earlier. 
 
"So what shall be our next move?" 
 
:continue as we have been?: 
 
"Slight problem." FrostLight spoke up in their minds. "I don't think we can keep the timeline exactly as it was the last time."
 
"Then what do you suggest, boy?" Pitch frowned, eyeing the child of light. 
 
"Take note of key events and ensure those stay exactly as they should be, but everything else we might be able to change even if slightly."
 
:but that's dangerous!: Sandy exclaimed with his sand, his eyes glistening with worry. 
 
"Maybe. But things have already started to change. Katherine has already seen me before our first official meeting and North had stopped to try and find me. Things are changing- small things, but we must be careful."
 
With a defeated sigh, Pitch nodded. "I guess you do have a point…" looking up at the moon, the shade backed away slowly stepping into the shadows once again. "Well then… until next time we meet up." And with that, the Boogeyman was gone. 
 
Not long after did Sandy follow, off to spread more dreams around the world, leaving the spectral child all alone. Well, not entirely. 
 
He sat down, waiting for the moonbeams to come to him. Soon he was surrounded by them but he did not follow them as they tried to coax him to play. 
 
"Well, little MiM? I know you've been watching us. Tell me, my brother, what you think of our situation." He projected, hoping to reach his intended target.
 
There was silence. With a sigh and a slump of his shoulders he got up. But just as he was about to leave, he heard it, the softest of whispers in the wind. 
 
I trust you, my Guardian.
 
With a smile, FrostLight leapt into the air, playing tag with the moonbeams for a good hour or so before he resigned himself to watch over the village of Santoff Claussen, knowing he did not have to patrol the nights like he had once done in his memories, for he knew Pitch now, and he knew that the shade would stay low for a while. It also helped ease his mind that the Sandman was about, patrolling the nights for him, trusting him more than capable of dealing with the rogue fearlings. 
 
FrostLight had perched high in the branches of the tree, in the small nook that he had occupied so long ago in memory, right next to where, eventually, he hoped Katherine would have her treehouse built. With a quiet and content sigh, he closed his eyes- not asleep, but merely daydreaming. He was content, whole, and not alone anymore. 
 
Yes, there were times since he had become whole again that his personas would split, each dominating the other, however he was whole now and he knew that his old life and his new one would eventually meld together properly. After all, he was one person, one soul, even if being split had taken its toll on his soul. 
 
With a small smile, he listed out the differences between Jack Frost and Nightlight. Nightlight is a warrior, a Guardian, and a child with too much responsibility placed on his shoulders. Jack is a Guardian in his own right, but he was more inclined to out wit his opponents than to face them head on, on top of that, Jack was more free than Nightlight ever was. They are two sides of the same coin that made up FrostLight, one was serious and calculating, the other carefree and mischievous. 
 
And although they seemed vastly different, they both had been part of each other, whether they had realised it or not. For Nightlight had always had a habit of silently causing mischief, while Jack could easily switch to seriousness in the event of seasonal matters. Two sides of a whole. FrostLight smiled at that. 
 
He sighed softly, cracking his eyes open to stare up at the moon with a small smile. He wanted to speak with his old charge, his leader, and his brother again. He wanted to make sure he was doing alright. But that was Nightlight speaking. Jack on the other hand seemed to have very conflicting feelings. That left FrostLight wanting to ask questions, demand answers, and simply just let out some steam of being left alone as Jack Frost for so long…
 
The creaking of wood caught the spectral boy’s attention as he strained his senses to watch what was happening down below. Underneath the large tree, the front door swung open slowly, squeaking slightly to reveal Katherine attempting to sneak out, a lantern in hand to light up the path as she glanced around cautiously at the darkness. FrostLight couldn't help but smile at her from his perch high above the tree. But once again, he was surprised by what she did next. 
 
Wrapping her yellow coat closer to herself, she glanced about in search of… something. “I know you’re there…” she practically whispered out into the silence of the night. FrostLight startled a bit but stayed in place in case someone else was there.
 
“You’re here somewhere… I can’t see you but you’re watching, aren't you?” Once again she spoke, a little louder this time. He watched her intently, taking note of the courage shining in her eyes so very brightly. A look that he only now just realised he missed so much… 
 
“You were watching this morning.” she stated boldly, still looking around. “Please come out, I just want to talk…” 
 
FrostLight worried his lip lightly, thinking of what to do. Should he go to her? Should he stay hidden? He looked up to the moon, his eyes begging for an answer. As if in response, a ray of moonlight illuminated the form of the young girl. He watched her for a moment longer before she sighed and her shoulders sagged. 
 
“Maybe no one is here…” she whispered to herself, her eyes downcast and somewhat misty. 
 
“ I am here… ” came FrostLight’s voice like a foreign whisper in her head. That made Katherine spin around in search for the source of the voice. 
 
“Where are you…?” she asked, her eyes now shimmering with interest and curiosity, though there was a hint of caution to her stance and voice. 
 
FrostLight let out a soft chuckle, allowing it to echo in the wind to hide his presence. It was light and gentle, perfect even, like the sound of small bells. “ Find me! ” the spectral child urged playfully, slouching in his position as he watched the girl continue to look around. 
 
“A game of hide and seek? At night? No fair!” Katherine let out a giggle of her own feeling the bubble of joy rise up in her chest. “I barely even know what you look like!”
 
There was another bout of chuckles before a reply came forth. “ But I glow! ” 
 
“And yet I have a feeling that you can completely hide within the shadows.” Katherine retorted, scouring through the bushes in search of the boy. 
 
“ Fair point. ” admitted the spectral child after a while giggling slightly as the young girl walked right underneath him. Smirking to himself, he hooked his knees around the branch he was sitting on before dropping upside down behind the girl, making sure to stay silent so as to not be noticed right away. He stayed like that, his hands dangling uselessly as he held his staff. All in all, it was a silly thing to do, but he just wanted to make the girl smile. 

“Well if it's fair then show yourself!” she giggled, placing her hand on her hips playfully, unable to hide the wide smile. 
 
“Turn around.” FrostLight spoke up, startling the girl and making her jump slightly with a yelp as she whipped around so fast that her hair came flying back into her face and making her splutter. This caused the spectral boy to laugh so hard that he lost his grip on the branch, making him fall face first into the ground being too elated to stop his own fall. 
 
It took both children a good while to sputter and spit out either hair or dirt before the two truly looked at each other. Once they both locked eyes, they started to laugh together before suddenly the doors of Big Root shot open and out came a worried wizard. 
 
“And what are you doing out of bed at this hour, young missy?” Katherine stiffened at the voice of her adoptive father figure as she spun to face him with a nervous smile, a blush seeming to creep up her cheeks. 
 
“Ombric!” she called out in surprise. “I thought you were asleep…”
 
“I was asleep until I heard you laughing at this ungodly hour! Now what is it that made you laugh so much?” he wondered, his eyes scanning the outside only to spot the strange boy sitting on the ground not too far from his young charge. 
 
“Oh! Well, you see, he-” the girl gestured to the fallen boy who stared up at the old wizard. “Was out here and I couldn’t sleep until I saw him again.” 
 
Shyly, FrostLight waved, offering the wizard a small nervous smile of his own as he held his spear up to his chest defensively as if it was a beloved stuffed animal. Ombric blinked a few times before sighing and opening the door wider for Katherine to walk inside. A gesture she was all too familiar with as she deflated and dragged her feet through the door frame. 
 
FrostLight continued to sit there, looking anywhere but Ombric before hopping to his feet and starting to walk away until his attention was called by the old wizard. “And where are you going young man?” Now it was FrostLight’s turn to stare at the wizard and blink before gesturing towards the mountains. 
 
Ombric shook his head and motioned for the boy to get closer. “Come in, I can not have a boy, magical or otherwise, stay outside in this weather. Come, have some hot chocolate. I’ll bet you would have never heard of it before but it is quite good on cold nights like these.” 

FrostLight stared at the old wizard, his eyes wide in pleasant surprise before a smile stretched his lips as he bounded towards the door where Ombric let him inside the magnificent tree where he would be served hot Chocolate with Katherine.