Nicholas made Jack follow him towards his lodge.
"By the way, what happened there?"
"With the Yeti?"
Jack answered somberly while gliding, Nicholas was walking hurriedly.
"It died."
"Although not by my hands."
"My uncle…"
"At least a version of him killed it."
"He was made of ice…"
All of a sudden, Nicholas stopped abruptly.
Jack glided a meter in front before making himself stop.
"Made of ice?"
The snow felt as if it was falling slower.
Tension grew.
Nicholas gave a thinking face, his eyes hiding a bit of worry.
Jack's mind puzzled.
What is going on?
Nicholas kept walking once again, making Jack have to keep up.
Jack spoke worriedly.
"What's the matter?"
Nicholas kept walking.
They finally reached the front of the lodge.
Nicholas approached the door.
"Come."
"We will talk inside."
Nicholas prompted Jack to sit at the table. He went to another room and grabbed a big piece of paper and placed it on the wooden table. It was a map—a map divided by six territories: Spring, Summer, Monsoon, Autumn, Late Autumn, and Winter.
A red mark surrounded the land: Winter.
"What's the deal?"
"While you were out, I went around investigating near villages."
Nicholas placed, with strong determination, four pieces of small wood surrounding one big piece in Winter. Nicholas' voice echoed in the lodge.
"This is us."
He pointed at the big piece.
"The others are our surrounding villages."
Nicholas grabbed two of the small ones and threw them away…
"Both of these were destroyed."
"People died… A lot of people."
"There were some survivors. But I'm afraid if I don't look for them fast enough, they won't make it."
Jack's eyes widened.
"Died?"
"Why? What could destroy two villages?"
His face turned into a slight frown.
"Wait."
Jack gritted his teeth.
"Don't tell me he…"
Nicholas looked at him with a determined gaze.
"The villagers that survived barely know anything."
"They say that they couldn't see anything."
"That suddenly a flash of light encompassed the whole village."
"And the next second, people died. Some were stabbed, others fell."
"But one thing was the same in all of the villages."
"Spikes of ice surrounded the villages…"
Was it me? Is he looking for… me?
Jack's thoughts puzzled.
Nicholas' voice interrupted his thoughts.
"I don't know what it was, but it might be him."
"Jack, let me tell you something. Monarchs of lands usually show face. Ours… never did."
"I'm afraid he might be coming back."
"And for the worse."
Jack stared at him, shaking off his worry.
Now's no time to lose focus.
"It most likely is him."
"He was the one controlling the Yeti's mind to do what he did."
"Miche… That was the Yeti's name. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be standing here."
"I don't know why he didn't try to get into my mind…"
"But I was able to kill him."
Jack stood up, looking at the window nearby.
"He wasn't so far away from the village."
"For all we know, he could've been coming here…"
Nicholas looked at him, scratching his face.
"Do you think it might have to do with the fact that you have the same lineage?"
"That he didn't enter your mind?"
Jack, also filled with thoughts, spoke.
"Maybe…"
"But my mother…"
"She had our lineage."
"Unless she did something that would let him."
Nicholas spoke, finishing a thought.
"Sealed it."
Jack raised an eyebrow. His mind echoed.
Sealed?
"Your mother fled, as you know."
"She wanted to step away from everything after seeing the War of Renewal as a child."
"To keep you away from your uncle."
"She most likely tainted her blood."
"Filling it with something else."
Jack stared, his face bewildered.
"That's how he did it. That's how…"
"He was able to enter her mind."
Jack hit the table with his hand, gritting his teeth. His eyes shining slightly blue, his hair turning white.
Nicholas looked at him firmly.
"Jack, think. Don't rage."
"Don't get ahead of yourself."
"That's only a speculation."
Jack relaxed, his hair going back to its natural color. His eyes dimming back the light.
"We don't need to alter ourselves in situations like this."
"First, I will get to the villages that had been destroyed."
"I'm thinking of bringing people here."
Jack asked him,
"How?"
Nicholas slightly smirked.
"I made something."
Jack looked at him curiously.
Nicholas guided him outside behind his workshop. There were tens of piles of broken wood nearby. His reindeer was tied into his resting place. Next to it, a structure could be seen covered by a brown coat. Nicholas grabbed the end of the coat, revealing it.
It was a big sleigh that consisted of three aisles of seats.
Jack's eyes widened at the sight. It was made of wood, smooth and curved. Only one bit of color could be seen—there were two initials: SN.
Jack looked at the letters curiously.
"Why SN?"
Nicholas scoffed.
"Actually, my name is Saint Nicholas of the Pole."
"My father gave me both names."
Jack slightly giggled despite the situation.
"What are you laughing at?"
Jack held in more laughter.
"Why would someone call their kid a Saint?"
"My father… the founder of this village—he was weird."
"I didn't see him when he founded all this."
"I abandoned my house when I was about your age."
"I made a mistake, Jack."
"Make sure you can protect what's yours too."
"So rest up for now and get healed up."
"Leave in three days."
Jack still looked at the sleigh.
"And you?"
Nicholas started tying his reindeer to the sleigh, patting him on the head.
"I will leave right now."
Nicholas placed a bag into the sleigh and sat down.
"Goodbye, Jack."
"Sorry for making you do this. It's just…"
"I can trust you and your strength the most."
"I left a map towards the villages in the house."
Nicholas moved the ropes of the sleigh, commanding his reindeer to move.
Jack watched as Nicholas ventured off, the sleigh gliding just above the snow, levitating ever so slightly.
Faint yellow lights shimmered from its tips, scattering into the wind.
Jack turned away, his back to the glow.
For a moment, his eyes shimmered determined.