MARVEL: The Guardian chosen by the Moon

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The streets of Toronto were a silent chaos. The icy wind howled between buildings, whipping snow into capricious swirls as my golems continued their assault against Pitch's nightmares. The battle had been violent, intense, but the shadows had begun to weaken.

Pitch's nightmare horses attempted a final push toward the Gordons' house, their furious neighs echoing like agonized screams. But the spiritual barrier held strong, and my golems—massive and relentless—finished off the black sand creatures one by one. Their icy fists struck with brutal precision, scattering the nightmares into powerless wisps of shadow.

I could see it all through the eyes of the little snowman I'd left with Liam. The tiny guardian perched on his shoulder, watching the fight with childlike enthusiasm.

"Look at them go! Jack planned everything!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

Liam, however, stared at the scene with a mix of awe and worry. "But what if Jack loses to Pitch…?"

Melinda placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "He won't lose. But we have to do our part. It's time to act."

She glanced at the car parked in front of the house, keys clenched in her hand. Their plan was clear: while Jack distracted Pitch, she would take Liam to the black tree's site to force their enemy's hand.

She opened the car door. "Get in."

Liam hesitated for a split second before nodding and climbing inside. The snowman hopped onto the dashboard, ready to sound the alarm if anything went wrong. Melinda revved the engine and sped into the night.

**In the sky, the struggle between Jack and Pitch reached its climax.**

Pitch, watching his nightmares fall one by one under my golems' blows, gritted his teeth. "Impossible…" He stepped back, analyzing the situation, and I saw realization dawn in his eyes.

"Your ice creatures… You placed them strategically." He inhaled sharply, a vicious sneer twisting his face. "You're truly not the Jack Frost I knew."

I smirked, slightly winded but still defiant. "Thanks for the compliment. But I think you're losing."

Pitch narrowed his eyes, then fluidly stepped back. His body melted into the shadows, vanishing in a swirl of black sand.

He was fleeing.

I could have chased him immediately, but that wasn't my goal. Not yet.

"Come on, Pitch…" I muttered, watching him disappear. "Do what I expect you to."

**In the car, Melinda and Liam approached the abandoned building housing the black tree.**

Liam scanned the night, his heart racing. "Did he see us?" he whispered.

Melinda tightened her grip on the wheel. "He'll see us. That's the point."

They arrived at the dark, derelict building, its silhouette looming against the night sky. Melinda parked, gripping the wheel a moment longer before placing a steadying hand on Liam's. "If something goes wrong, you run. Understood?"

Liam nodded silently. He knew she wouldn't let him argue.

They entered cautiously, descending the stairs to the basement where Pitch's black tree stood. The air was thick, saturated with a malevolent presence that made every breath laborious. The black tree towered before them, ominous, its gnarled branches dripping with sticky black sand. The floor bore a dark circle I knew was impassable to me.

As they approached, a shadow peeled away from the wall, materializing into a fluid, threatening form.

Pitch Black was there.

His golden eyes glinted maliciously as he swept the room before settling on Liam. A smile stretched across his thin lips.

"You came," he murmured, amused. He advanced slowly, each step echoing on the concrete. "Good. This saves us trouble."

Liam clenched his fists but stood his ground. He knew Jack would come. He knew he couldn't give in to fear.

Pitch tilted his head, feigning thought. "You know, I don't need to hurt you. Come with me… and this all ends. Your grandmother won't suffer."

Liam swallowed, his breath quickening. He knew Pitch was lying. But part of him hesitated. He took a step forward.

"Liam, no!" Melinda's voice cracked like a whip through the oppressive air. She stepped between her grandson and Pitch, her gaze blazing with resolve. "Protecting you is *my* duty."

Pitch sighed, annoyed. "And what do you plan to do, old woman? Truly think you can stop me?"

Melinda didn't answer. Instead, she closed her eyes… and began to speak.

But not to Pitch.

Her words were soft, murmured, nearly inaudible. Yet the air shifted instantly. A frigid current swirled through the room. The walls trembled faintly, a spectral shiver rippling through space. Then a whisper rose—distant at first, then clearer.

Pitch frowned. "What are you doing?"

He raised a hand to approach her, but the moment he stepped forward, an invisible force hurled him violently backward. He slammed into the wall, shadows writhing frantically around him as if scrambling to comprehend what had happened.

His eyes widened with rage and shock. "No… This can't be."

Melinda opened her eyes, and an icy shudder swept the room as countless voices echoed around them. They weren't human… they were far older.

Pitch growled and tried to rise, but froze abruptly. His expression twisted into furious recognition.

He'd sensed something.

At that moment, the wind shifted.

A shrill whistle split the air, and a glacial gust blasted through the empty building's walls.

Then, in a sharp, slicing gust, I materialized at the entrance, staff in hand, determination blazing in my eyes.

I raised my staff and, with a swift motion, activated the final element of my plan: the golems stationed at the seeds.

Across the city, the ice creatures awoke to my call, synchronously destroying the nightmare seeds poised to bloom. Explosions of ice and black sand lit the air, severing Pitch's influence over the city.

He stiffened, sensing his power waver.

They were disappearing. One by one, they were being erased.

"What…?!"

A laugh echoed from the basement entrance.

"Looks like you've got a serious problem, Pitch."

I strode in, Twinetender in hand, triumph in my eyes. My staff struck the floor, sending a frosty shudder across the cracked tiles. Behind me, an icy gale swept into the room, scattering the last wisps of black sand escaping the malignant tree.

Pitch clenched his fists, seething. "You…"

The air crackled with unbearable tension. Pitch's oppressive presence filled the room, but his confidence had waned. He felt the shift, his grip on the city slipping as his black seeds vanished one by one, eradicated by my golems.

And he knew it.

"You…" Pitch snarled as I appeared at the basement entrance. His golden eyes burned with fury. "What have you done?!"

I twirled my staff, letting ice shards fall around me. "Oh, nothing much. Just a little spring cleaning."

Pitch roared and tried to lunge, but an invisible force pinned him to the concrete wall with a deafening crash. He grimaced, his shadows thrashing like caged beasts.

I turned and saw Melinda, arm outstretched, her eyes glowing with an unfamiliar light. She murmured words in a language I didn't recognize, and the air crackled with energy. Whispered voices resonated, invisible currents lifting dust and black sand.

"It's over, Pitch," she declared firmly. "You won't touch Liam."

Pitch gritted his teeth, struggling to break free, but with each attempt, the spiritual pressure intensified, crushing him further. He was no longer in control.

Liam, trembling but resolute, turned his gaze to the black tree at the room's center. Its thick trunk oozed black sand, dark pulses radiating from its core. The black circle on the floor remained, impassable to me.

But perhaps not to him.

I placed a hand on his shoulder, offering an encouraging look. "Liam… You're the only one who can enter there."

He stared at me, fear in his eyes, but nodded slowly. He knew what he had to do.

Melinda continued her incantation, keeping Pitch immobilized. Sweat beaded on her temples, but she held firm, giving us the chance we needed.

Liam stepped forward, breath shallow, heart pounding. He approached the dark circle, hesitating before lifting a foot and placing it inside.

Nothing happened.

He took a deep breath and walked forward. Where I'd been repelled, he crossed the barrier effortlessly. He was inside.

Pitch thrashed violently, eyes blazing. "No… NO!"

He unleashed a final surge of shadows, blasting Melinda back. She staggered but stayed upright, upheld by the spirits she'd summoned.

I didn't give him time to act.

"Liam, get back!"

The boy scrambled away as I raised my staff, summoning every ounce of power I had left. Frost spiraled around me, the air turning glacial. Every grain of black sand began to freeze, immobilized by my burgeoning storm.

I held nothing back.

I closed my eyes, feeling pure energy surge through me, carried by the northern wind and the moon's light. Then, with an icy roar, I unleashed it all.

An explosion of frost and magic engulfed the black tree. A titanic shockwave rocked the basement as ice devoured the dark trunk, spreading along its branches like inverted wildfire. The black sand twisted, resisting momentarily before succumbing to absolute cold.

The tree let out one last sinister groan… and imploded.

The shockwave was instantaneous.

A blast of blue light and ice swept the room, hurling everyone backward. I lunged for Liam, shielding him just before impact. The wave threw me against a wall, but I'd spared him the worst.

Silence fell abruptly.

A dull ache pulsed through my body, but I pushed myself up, searching for Liam. He lay on the floor, breath ragged, face contorted in pain but conscious.

I rushed to him. "Liam! Are you okay?"

He opened his eyes weakly and nodded, but a violent shiver wracked his body. I saw the mark.

Beneath his torn shirt, a black scar spread across his chest, resembling dark roots burrowing into his skin.

My heart sank. "No…"

Melinda stumbled over, her gaze locking onto the mark. She knelt and placed a hand on Liam's chest, closing her eyes. She seemed to search for something… then paled.

"The tree is destroyed, but it left a mark on him…" she murmured.

Pitch, weakened and kneeling by the wall, watched with a vicious smile. "You don't destroy something so ancient without consequences…"

I turned to him, rage simmering. I approached slowly, my breath still uneven.

"You lost, Pitch."

He spat black sand and smirked. "Perhaps…"

Then, before I could react, his body dissolved into a cloud of shadows, vanishing into nothingness as he whispered a final threat:

"But I'll be back."

Silence settled.

The black tree was gone. Pitch had fled. But Liam…

I placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me, exhausted but alive.

"It's over, Liam," I whispered.

He nodded weakly, his gaze drifting to the dark scar on his chest.