The wind tore through the forest like it was alive. Jack Frost skidded across the ice, barely keeping his balance as something dark moved between the trees—too fast to be natural, too wrong to be real. He twisted his staff in his hand, snow bursting under his boots as he slid backward. “Okay… not my best night,” he muttered, eyes narrowing. The shadows surged forward. Jack snapped his staff down. Ice shot across the ground in jagged spikes, forcing the darkness to split apart. “Yeah—nope. Stay back.” A nightmare lunged. Jack flipped sideways, landing in a crouch as it crashed where he’d been standing. He exhaled sharply. “Seriously? You guys don’t get tired?” More shapes emerged. Dozens. Jack slowly stood up, rolling his shoulders like he was annoyed more than afraid. “…Alright. That’s new.” He spun his staff once. Frost exploded outward in a widening circle. “Guess we’re doing this the hard way.” The nightmares closed in. Jack’s grip tightened. “Fine. Come on then.” He launched forward. Ice erupted with every swing—bridges forming under his feet, walls snapping into place just to break apart again as he moved. He laughed once under his breath, sharp and breathless. “Bet you didn’t expect snow day, huh?” A shadow slammed into him from the side, knocking him across the frozen ground. He rolled, came up fast, and wiped frost from his cheek. “…Okay. That one actually hurt.” He planted his staff hard into the ground. The air dropped instantly colder. “Alright,” he said quietly now. “No more messing around.” A blizzard exploded outward, swallowing the darkness. When it cleared, the forest was silent again. Jack stood alone in the snow, breathing hard, staff resting on his shoulder. “…Yeah,” he said after a pause. “That’s what I thought.” The other guardians join