Rise of the Shadows

Chapter 1

LOOKS LIKE I'M BACK EVERYONE! HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! ENJOY THE FIRST PART OF THE SEQUEL TO A FLASH OF GOLD...

Prologue

Darkness. That's the first thing I could remember. It was dark... and it was cold and I was scared. Then...then I saw the Moon. It was so big, so bright... It seemed to, chase the darkness away. And when it did... I wasn't scared anymore. Why I was there and what I was meant to do, that I've never known. And a part of me wonders if I ever will. A dark chuckle echoed from the pitch black forest, causing Jack to turn around.

"Darkness?" A man rose from the shadows. Or what looked like a figure of a man. "That's the first thing you remember Frost? I intend to make you scared like this night again. And you will fear me Frost." The man clasped his hands behind his back. "Believe me you will be so scared in your last moments…how ironic that the first thing you saw will be the last thing you see." He paused. "It'll be pitch black. The shadows will consume you." He looked at the hole in the ice. "You better be scared, because I'm coming for you Jack." Jack watched and was sucked somewhere else.

Something wrapped around his neck, slamming him roughly into a wall. "I'm going to make you pay." His hand tightened at my throat and I desperately clung at his hands. "Goodbye Jack." My eyes widen more as I saw his other hand pull back, a knife in it. It is thrust forward and I jerk up. Waking with sweat on my forehead.

Chapter 1: The North Pole

(The Workshop)

Jack had jerked forward from the nightmare and got up from his bed only to wince. It had been seven months since they had defeated Pitch. The wound had long since been 'healed'. But that didn't mean Jack hadn't been scarred, literally and figuratively scarred.

A red line still clearly visible from the scythe that had been run through him, Jack shuddered at the thought and continued walking through the quiet hallways of the workshop. It had been seven months…seven months of restless nights. Jack sighed and continued on. Off to find North…

(Flashback POV)

I will get past the Yeti's this time; I will get past the yetis this time! Jack flew even faster towards the glowing workshop. He was about to reach the doors when he was flung backwards.

Something had a hold of the back of his hoodie.

"Blafagrah." The Yeti's eyes narrowed and he continued to speak the cryptic gibberish. "Jarc Fraga. Yoa agarn."

Jack sighed in annoyance, "Hey Phil." Once again he had been caught. But hey...this was Phil, he'd try smooth talking him into letting him in, not like he had never tried that before. "What's this? The fourteenth time is it? I don't suppose a big furry...Yeti..."

More like carpet...

"Like you, with so much...authority, would escort me through the workshop?"

Phil smiles at the praise, then, to Jack's disappointment, realized what was going on. He grumbled angrily and held onto the winter spirit's hoodie tighter walking away from the workshop. "Oh come on Phil. Not even one little peek?" Jack remembered back to when he came up with Phillip's name.

Yes, Phil was short for Philip. For warlike, but Phil was just faster to say, it made trying and bargain, with him once he had been caught at the Workshop's gates, hence the word trying. Phil could be very vicious, that's why the 'warlike' meaning worked. It fit. A little too perfectly.

Phil glared at the winter spirit and Jack sighed. "I can show myself the way out, I know it well enough." He looked at the ground. "You can set me down now." The Yeti thought about it for a second then hesitantly set down Jack. Right as his feet touched the ground the boy immediately took off...towards the workshop, once again.

Phil was in a rage. Goodness child. I swear when I get my hands on you-!

Jack rushed to the door, pausing for a mere moment before pulling the handle of the door. It only opened a small crack, not nearly wide enough to see anything, before a big furry hand slammed it shut again.

...

(The Workshop)

Jack continued through the workshop hovering over the ground, too tired from the lack of actual sleep to truly walk.

Dragging his staff behind him, letting frost gather on the floor behind him. While continuing on his way many elves slipped and fell, the bells tinkling as they crashed to the ground. He stopped and poked his head through a door. "Phil? North?"

...

(Flashback POV)

Phil stepped in front of the doors and leaned close to Jack's face, growling loudly. Jack lifted his shoulders, innocence entering his voice. "Yes?"

The Yeti huffed angrily in Jack's face, reaching behind him and plucking off of his feet by his frosted hoodie once again. "Hey!" Jack swung his free arm, clutching the neck of his hoodie with the hand that also held his staff. "Come on Phil, I just wanted a peek." He crossed his arms as he was reluctantly flung over the Yeti's shoulder, and Phil proceeded forward, trudging through the falling snow that was now beginning to fall harder.

"You're no fun." A flash of color catches Jack's eye and he looks up, only to be lifted up again.

"Hey!" The winter spirit's cries of protest fell on deaf ears. Jack's eyes widened as he saw the portal swirling. "No…don't you dare Phil, don't you-"

The Yeti smiled as he tossed the winter spirit into the portal destined for the city of Burgess. "Harrumph." Now that…was fun. Phil thought. He then turned and walked back to his post, just in case Jack decided to come back.

...

(The Workshop)

Jack walked into the room and looked around. Turning around Jack saw Phil walk by the door and he jumped back to into the hallway. "Phil!"

Jack smiled chuckling to himself as he saw the Yeti. "Hey Phil, you know where North is?"

He responded in a series of jumbled mishmash words.

Jack nodded, pretending to understand. Phil just rolled his eyes and pointed to North's personal workshop. "Thanks." The winter spirit smiles and the furry Yeti waved him away.

…

Jack opened North's workshop door and poked his head through the opening. "North?"

Jack laughed quietly as he saw the Guardian of Wonder sleeping on his toy prototype desk with his mouth open, and a small trail of drool on his beard. Yet his wonder filled eyes were still open, staring blankly in front of him. Is he even asleep? Jack walked over to him and gently poked North's shoulder with his staff.

North’s eyes widened and he jolted awake. “Pitch! He’s..he’s back!”

Jack was taken aback and he looked at North, concerned. “How do you know?”

“I feel it. In my belly!” He stood up grabbing his shashkas. “Although belly may have had some help from nightmare.”

The winter spirit looked at him with wide eyes. North had had a nightmare too?

…