The Greatest Fear of the Nightmare King

Chapter 30

In such an endless darkness as his own, Pitch knew of only one kind of light that could be found within, and as far as he could understand from all the vague and spotty memories from back then, such a brightness had been entirely lost to him long ago. It couldn't help him now, and it certainly couldn't help Jack wake up unless he figured out where it was.

Still, if some piece, even just one solid and real memory of that wonderful, pure light could be found somewhere within him, he had to do this.

Bunnymund, arms crossed as he stared at the Bogeyman, was not greatly pleased with the events that were currently unfolding. "I can't believe you're doing this. You've got buckley's chance this'll work out. I don't get why you're so intent on acting like you care about Jack, but now you're gonna risk-"

"I do care. More than you could possibly-....more than I, myself, have been able to understand. The children may need me, but they need Jack, too. Or don't you remember how Jack saved all of us, despite you being apparently willing to turn your backs on him at a moments notice...?"

Words that had been caught in Pitch's throat fell wearily in the peaceful night snow outside North's workshop, still and quiet despite whatever ruckus was likely going on indoors. Deaf was not a word that applied to Bunnymund, so he didn't miss that Pitch had included himself in those who Jack had saved, and this made him go silent. In the absence of the frost spirit's fun and games, Pitch had grown desperate. Until this happened, he hadn't realized how much time he'd been spending with Jack, or how different everything had become only because of his presence. After pushing so hard, putting forth so much effort, was Jack really going to disappear? Now that Pitch had finally become a Guardian, like he wanted?

Pitch would have been furious at him for it, if he weren't so occupied in feeling emptied out in several unique ways.

The cycle had to be broken. Every night, Pitch had been confronting Jack's sleeping form with some new tactic to wake the boy that would only end in failure, sending Pitch further into a state of anxious depression with the dread that Jack would remain forever frozen. Even Bunnymund had noticed how intensely Pitch would guard over Jack. Against his better judgement, Bunny had gotten curious enough about the visits to spy, and it seemed to be Pitch's luck that the one night Bunny did so...happened to be the night Pitch decided to enact his final attempt at waking Jack. Being far too distracted and perhaps also too melancholy to care greatly if Bunny protested further, he continued, talking to Jack now.

"Your children can no longer protect you." Pitch spoke softly as he leaned over Jack, Bunny's nose twitching in concern for why he would say something like that, but calming as he went on. "So that job falls upon me, now." It was Jack's doing that Pitch became a Guardian of Childhood, and in return it was Pitch's doing that Jack was corrupted with darkness. This was the least he could do to make up for everything, though none of his debts would ever truly be repaid, he was sure."Somewhere between covering the worlds in fear and regaining pieces of myself, I realized why Kozmotis put us here."

A glance was shared between those two conscious present. Pitch suddenly understood why Bunnymund was not stopping him. It seemed even the Pooka was not distant enough to be blind to Jack's suffering. Any chance was better than none. Pitch returned his gaze to Jack's sleeping face, noticing the flakes of snow on his eyelashes. "Of course I didn't realize it at the time, but I was looking for something. Something you gave me."

As he spoke, Pitch began settling himself, laying down next to Jack, leaning on his elbow and holding his free hand on Jack's forehead as if to check his temperature. It bothered Bunny, but still no move was made to interfere, deciding instead to watch intently, Pitch still talking as though Jack was the one hearing his words. "Unlike you, I wasn't chosen, you know- to be like this. Nobody led Kozmotis down the path to become the Bogeyman, every step was of his own accord and even despite that, he-...."

For a moment, Pitch simply broke off there and closed his eyes, allowing his hand to slide across Jack's face, feeling the lesser cold of him before sighing and retracting, laying down completely and slipping his nearest hand into Jack's own. "-He wasn't afraid until he became me. I wasn't afraid of the dark until I existed."

Bunnymund scoffed. "Well you're a right mess, that didn't even make any sense."

Not even a brief glare was spared, though Pitch's face obviously twitched in annoyance before he went on, squeezing Jack's hand to ground himself for what was to come. That's what this speech was- preparation- a reminding of what he was going to do, what he was going to look for once this began. "I've only been afraid because as soon as Kozmotis Pitchiner became Pitch Black, I've known the truth of what lurks within the darkest corners of people's minds, waiting for chances to be unleashed upon the world, and I wanted it to be me, but it wasn't. I only represented it, just as you represent fun and the Guardians represent wonder, hopes, dreams, memories....but it was already there, you can be sure of that. Even my nightmares turned on me when I was weak enough, so you don't need any more proof, do you? I'm not fear. I just remind everyone of what fear is like because I can see into the depths of their hearts and minds where they hide their real terrors."

The snow that had once been gentle had become a storm, and soon it would even be blizzard by the time Pitch finished with his final words before he would be falling asleep, his dark form gradually being buried beneath white. "So you may not be the light anymore, but you have to remind me what it was like. By now, I'm quite certain you're the only one who can. Good night, Jack."

It became too difficult and the wind was freezing his fur, so Bunny turned around just as Pitch finished, thumping his foot on the ground to make himself a tunnel back to the Warren, not before giving a departing look back to the two slumbering spirits.

"I'd say sweet dreams, but I know it's gonna be a bloody bumpy ride. Good luck, mate."

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Within the dreamscape of infinite black, a voice called out a few words to Jack and everything went white.

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((Author's note: This is the end of this fic, but it's not the end of the story.  The sequel is named The Sweetest Dream of the Spectral Boy and the first chapter of it is already up!  Thank you for sticking around this far!  I hope you will read the continuation! <3 ))