"Remind me that this never gets easier."

"This never gets easier."

We gaped at the eerie architecture standing majestically in front of our eyes, the sharp tower roofs looked more like daggers than just a normal rooftop. The full moon behind the castle made its appearance more eerie, and at the deepest pit of my mind I think I would want to stay here forever than go there.

The centre of the architecture looked like a big broken branch with blisters, the corner never looked any sharper. How dark the castle was reminded me of Pitch Black, but I hardly believe that he would stay in a place as majestic and easy-found place like this.

Yes, it fits his character. Tall, sharp and eerie, dark colours dotting everywhere but if I were to be a high class villain, I wouldn't stay where people could easily spot me. Ruins the fun. A bony bridge leads up to the entrance, and when I say bony, it literally is bony. It makes me wonder how much lives were sacrificed to build that bridge that was as far from Jamie's house to Megan's. Angus hesitated to comment on our reactions, but said something soon after.

"Behold. Witch's Lair."

"A witch's lair?" Aqua, Ben and I cringe simultaneously. Angus and Si gaze longingly at the dark building, giving a short hum as a response. "Is there no other way than just..." I trailed off, observing the dark forest around the castle that seemed to fit in mood of eeriness. The silhouette of the gigantic architecture was contrasted against the moonlight, giving the feeling inside a horror movie.

"There is, if you want to get lost in that forest." Aqua replied, being obvious.

"Just go along the bridge until you stop in front of a grey door." Angus suddenly spoke.

"What?" I inquired as the three of us snap our heads to look at him.

"But beware of the dragons," He turned to me. "You can freeze them if you can't avoid,"

"Oh, not this moment, please not this moment," I heard Aqua plead.

"There are no guards at the entrance, just the demons once you get inside..." His expression flashed fright, and Si came to clutch at one of his branch as she gave me a uneasy look.

"Just say that you want to meet the queen."

"You're talking like you're saying goodbye." I pondered, my hand coming to cross itself up my chest. "We just want to get some water from the Lake."

"The lake's behind the castle. You want Hyre too, right? Touch the one with the violet leaves, if there are memories, then it's Hyre." He advised, ignoring my remark.

"Well, you're coming with us. You'd tell me which is which, wouldn't you?" I questioned, seeing no need for him to explain everything.

Silence.

"Angus?"

"We've come too far than we should," Si stuttered. "We shouldn't be here,"

"What do you mean?"

"We must go."

"No, you mustn't," Ben let out a humourless laugh.

"We're sorry, and good luck,"

Angus started to back away, but stopping as Aqua demanded him to.

"We didn't even get to say goodbye?" He came up from behind me and walked up to Angus, smiling a bitter smile. The time Aqua consumed was used for me to make solid frost, shaping them instinctively. One was as big as my palm, and another was as small as Si's palm.

"Thanks for the hospitality," He sighed, patting Angus on the branch.

Ben was on my heels as I was the next to walk up to them. I placed my palm against Angus' bark, with the solid snowflake under. Blue light ignited, and Angus gaze at the finishing touch as I lift my hand away. The flake was firmly planted on his bark, and as he was marvelling, my hand that held Si's flake was offered freely to her.

Si took the flake shyly, spinning the flake between her fingers.

"You shouldn't have," She beamed at me, pressing the flake against her chest.

"Just a thankful reminder for taking care of my brothers," I smiled.

"May I?" She pointed to my hair, and I let out a chuckle as she plucked a strand of my hair.

"It's silver against light," She awed, the single strand of my hair was clutched around her fist. "Thank you,". Bending down to bow curtly, Angus mouthed another "good luck" to us, before waving and walking away slowly.

We stayed immobile at the sight of Angus and Si walking away, their shadows blending in with the night. Once they were completely out of sight, my bitter smile turned upside down. Aqua stared off at where their shadows were, and Ben was sniffing behind me.

"So goodbye, don't cry and smile," I sang, turning around and nudging Ben who had his hand on his mouth and nose. I couldn't see if he was really crying as the night was dark, only the dim light of the moon to illuminate our surroundings.

"Stop singing, though you have a good singing voice." Aqua muttered as he returned to me and Ben.

"We're alright. We have each other at least." I teased, patting Ben's shoulder. Aqua cackled, walking away to find a safe ground for us to rest. Ben and I followed him, and he seemed to stop under a pine tree. Ben excused himself, saying that he needs fresh air and that me and Aqua should start building temporary shelter.

Me and Aqua got to work immediately, with the moonlight and Aqua's torch lighting up our space."I couldn't be more thankful for their help," Aqua confessed as his hand formed a water wall around us, the clear liquid flowed in the air and above in order to shape a flat, transparent roof.

"Well, at least they brought us this far," Frost patterns slithered up the water wall as it turned solid with my touch, the pattern connected seamlessly once it was frozen. I slapped my palm on the wall and ice shattered, forming an arched entrance. The sharp, broken ice edges smoothed itself with a swipe of my fingers, giving a safe and proper entrance.

"Fancy," Aqua complimented before stalked out of the shelter to check on Ben. My eyes marvelled at my work, the indescribable loop to loop of my frost never cease to amaze me even after centuries looking at them. I never get bored. Honestly, I need someone to appreciate this. My abilities. And the first person I've ever met to actually get to understand me for real, is Jade.

She doesn't need any explanation to why I do it. I conjure up a frost, say something, and she would just gush and agree with me as if I just spoken a thousand words to convince her. It's nice to know someone's there when you feel so empty and stuck all by yourself.

That's why I do this. I can't let her go. She's immortal but not immune. She could live for as long as she wants but will go if she can't stay. I need balance. Jade's given me the exact mass I needed to get a hold on myself tighter. She has that. and I need that. So what when everyday is Christmas day, I would be given luxury every hour in my existance, I would still feel empty.

This meant-to-be love is like someone holding on to you, and you can't let go, you don't want to let go, you just want to stay. Without it your heart would be thirsty, thirsty for love. Then it would be hungry, hungry for affection. When it's too thirsty and hungry, and it can't be quenched, it would turn into fury. Fury of love. Fury of seeing someone else happy. Fury of seeing someone else loved. With that kind of fury, you turn into a monster that destroys everything.

I don't want that. I don't want to end up being a monster. I can't live without her, now that I met her, I can't lose her. I need her. That's why I need to go.

My eyes had gone out of focus, and I'd been staring at nothing for a few pointless seconds. I jolted up hearing three knocks at my side, and there at the other side of the transparent wall was Ben. His face looked slightly unsymmetrical and out of place in consequence of the frost patterns, and he laughed just as I did.

"What's up with your face?" He bellowed from the other side, his head thrown back in laughter. I laughed, holding in the fact that his face probably looked worse than mine at the moment. "You look like a melted snowman!"

I pouted my lips and narrowed my eyes, my fingers waving at my face. "What do you mean? I look as equally fabulous as Aqua," I joked, posing like a Victoria's Secret model as he chortled louder. Aqua walked in, hearing his name being mentioned. Seeing me posing, he just shakes his head and walked to the end of the shelter, smiling and muttering things to himself.

"DUCK!" Aqua yelled as another fireball almost burned our heads off, thanks to Aqua pushing my shoulder down. I gripped the bones, hesitate at first but once Aqua warned that the bridge wasn't stable, I was glad I gripped it. "What are you waiting for?!" I yelled on top of my lungs, my voice no match with the shrieking of the dragon. "RUN!"

We sprinted as fast as we could, trying to reach the grey door that seems so far away though it was just a few strides from where we are now. The dragon's menacing shriek was the one who made my heart pound like it was a bass drum.

Ben was lucky he reached the door first, and then Aqua, and the last was me. "Freeze him, freeze him, do it, do it, do it, do it!" Ben hopped nervously, handing me my staff which I didn't ask him to. I gripped Aqua's shoulder and brought his shaking body forward, urging him to get the dragon soaked.

Aqua conjured the most humongous tsunami, and even watching him shoot his shaking hands forwards left me fascinated. Without debating much further, I took the opportunity of the wet dragon to shoot frost. Blue bullets flew from my staff, hitting the dragon accurately. Intricate frost started to spread quickly on his scales, and one last blue bulled pierced him through the heart.

We witnessed as the dragon break to a million pieces, the bridge breaking. I then realised I was a step standing on the bridge, and I was collapsing along with it without even getting to react. I reached out to Ben who held out his hands to me but was a millisecond too late.

Surprisingly, chills spread down my back as Aqua's element elevated me up. Since my bare hands were touching the water, it turned to ice almost instantly. Heavy breathed, I just closed my eyes in relief as I raised with the frozen water. I took Ben's offering hand this time and jumped just in the nick of time before the ice dropped, thanks to rational gravity.

"Are you okay?" Ben asked me, pulling me up. "Do I look okay? No I'm not. I may be okay right now. But not okay just yet." My words tumbled out of my mouth, my hands still shaking, my heart still pounding. "Thanks," I sighed to Aqua who seemed to have found a spot for him to lay down in front of the door we were supposed to enter. "Sure, sure, sure," Each word that flew out of Aqua's lips indicated nervousness and shock.

Ben seemed to do just fine, asides from his heavy breathing and absentminded pats to my back. It took a solid minute for me to tell Ben that his consecutive patting are getting more and more pain triggering. He apologized, removing his shaking hands instantly. The three of us just stayed there, regaining our consciousness before finally standing up, facing the door with so much passion and charisma as if we weren't shaking a few minutes before.

My hand was raised to push the door open but instead, it opened itself. We peeked inside, and once we stepped inside simultaneously, we found out that the inside of the lair was more like a normal mansion with white furnishings, white marble floor and a damask wallpaper. It was monotone, but it was luxurious.

"There you are," We snapped our heads to the woman descending the stairs in a graceful manner, and she stopped quite far from where we stood. "I thought you would never make it."

"But we did." I replied, jumping right into the conversation without even introducing ourselves. Rude, judging that this was her house, but once she was expecting us, why not join the creepy game?

I couldn't see her face clearly as she was so far away, but she continued talking without getting closer to us. "Lets just get to the point that you want to get the lake water."

"Lets." Aqua replied.

"A few centuries ago I fought for this lake, and defending it until now. I-"

"Wait, is this where the villain start to give her speech scene?" Ben laughed, and I couldn't help but join in his spontaneous react. The woman hissed, pointing her long, painted nails at Ben. Before we know it, Ben smashed his back towards the wall behind him, and all I could do was gasp.

"BEN!" Aqua and I started to sprint towards him, but once I realised that a force was holding my feet down, I turned to the woman knowingly.

"Don't even think about it." She answered our movements, and Aqua growled beside me. Warmth was holding my legs down, and I bent, my eyes into slits as I suspiciously studied the invisible force. My vacant hand raised and hit something, until the force was lifted from my legs once I hit. My frost seemed to have trailed itself on the force, and I saw it spreading, until it shaped a being with horns, a frown plastered on his face.

I smirked knowingly at Aqua before kicking the invisible demon that was holding down Aqua's feet. With the freedom, me and Aqua sprinted to the immobile Ben, but what made me halt was multiple shrieking that sounded like hell breaking loose. I spun, only to find that the woman wasn't there anymore, and was replaced with two men. One of them I recognized, the young man that hit me in the ice cave.

I heard Aqua's worried voice behind me, but I was too clueless on how the room turned into such havoc in just a second. The young man smiled at me in greeting, raising his fist up - which I don't know why. The demons showed themselves up and lined behind him, and that was why he held his fist up.

"AQUA!" I threw my sling bag towards him, and he caught it firmly, understanding my silent request. Aqua was going to try get over the demon, and to the lake behind the castle. Once the man released his fist, the whole army of sly smiled demons charged right up to me and I grounded my stand.

Now or never, Jade's voice echoed in my mind.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Blue bullets and ice was shot everywhere, and it hit some of Jack opponents. Yet, Jack's powers was no match for the mass battalion before him. He multitasked, his legs kicking and his fist punching, back flipping anything that nears him. Ice daggers were fired, and that only manages to bring down a few.

Aqua did what he did best, soaking the demons. Jack would freeze some, but he had no other choice but to stick to his only task. Aqua clutched Jack's bag, holding on to it like it was his dear life. Ben, he was immobile and breathless, laying on the floor.

Jack and Aqua fought, their lives at stake. One wrong move, they'd be over. Sadly, Aqua made one, and he ended up lying on the floor, similar to Ben after being thrown to the wall - unconscious. This distracted Jack, and drove him mad. He was one and all alone, but he never felt so furious after seeing his brothers break in front of his eyes.

Sharper dagger started to shoot rapidly from his fingers, flying ice swords floated in the air and sliced through his opponents. However, since Jack's method wasn't something thought over his brain, and it was both blind defence and attack, he backed away, feet taking small steps as his ice blue pupils dilated.

Unable to control himself, Jack tried to calm down, but bad judgement took over. All he could think of was killing, but little did he know that when one of his sharpest daggers were reflected and went the wrong, and the worst direction - towards him. There went Jack, falling on his knees as the dagger pierced through his shoulder. Rather than a graze, the dagger left a big open cut on Jack's shoulder.

Blood gushed out of the cut, staining his attire. He regained sanity, but sanity made the pain worse. He rolled to his side, holding in the urge to trash everything if it was able to cure the agony. The bruises left on his face and torso from his previous fight triggered as well, making it harder for Jack to reach up and heal the cut.

He gave an inhuman growl as the young man known as his attacker came up and gripped his face, the way he had did before. Jack was unable to do anything but just throw profanities he didn't know would leave his lips. Once his opponent was ready to stab his chest through with Jack's own ice dagger, the large door on Jack's left was teared down. Almost instantly, the man hovering on Jack was thrown to the side, and for the first time Jack heard his raspy voice crying for help as the giant eagle took his torso in its beak, throwing him up to the ceiling.

Jack's face automatically pulled up a relieved smile despite the pain he felt, seeing saviours coming in the last minute. The two other eagles guarded both Aqua and Ben, their beaks nudging the elementors' lifeless-like body. A bigger wave of relief washed over Jack as Angus and Si who claimed to have left the castle grounds hover over him, helping him up. Si's minuscule hand took Jack's finger, trying to place his palm over the deep cut on his shoulder.

Jack healed himself almost instantly, and he healed all including the bruises. Angus's branch was offered to help him stand up, Si dragging his staff towards him by the hook. His eyes widened at the sight of a perfect army battle right before his eyes, a group of Angus, a swarm of Si, a clan of giant bears and eagles, each with their opponents. He was left standing alone as Angus and Si went to help the immobile Aqua and Ben.

Jack watched in slight fear as ten and more demons start to cluster together, forming a rather giant monster. The creature seemed to have made for Jack customly, seeing that his first move was shooting snow bullets. Jack gulped in both awe and disbelief, mixed with a hint of ridicule since the monster was two times bigger than himself - and that it wasn't even a fair fight.

But Jack Frost held his staff even higher, recalling the last few words.

"Now or never," He exclaimed.

Jack's eyes were in slits as he managed to dodge every singe attack launched by the slimy and azure demon, and the sly smile was almost wiped off of his face once he witnesses Jack dodge coordinately and not fire a single speck of snow since the beginning. It went off guard for a second, yet Jack took oppurtunity of that golden second to stab a sword made of pure ice, right into the demon's chest. Jack left the sword there, smiling as the sword went right through.

It let out a scary shriek and went off guard again, Jack's hand forged another sword and immediately sliced his wrist off. Jack wince at such violence, since he still have the heart of a human, but brushed it off as he recalled the way Ben and Aqua fall apart right before his very eyes.

His head.

Jack froze at the sound of Aqua's voice in his head, and he wondered why he was even there.

What are you waiting for, you butt? Take this diamond opportunity!

Jack listened and ignored why, and the sharp crystal sword glistened before Jack swung it towards the demon's head. But simultaneously, as his head was sliced off, his hand was also in motion, taking the sword from his slimy torso and in a blink of an eye, Jack's torso was slashed.