Quest for the Omnistone

Chapter 33: Bending the Truth

Max:

"J-Jack!" Crystal exclaimed as the winter spirit walked through the open balcony doors. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." He answered vaguely. "What do you mean by 'world separation'?"

"You see... well..." For once, Crystal had no excuse ready. "Why aren't you with the other Guardians?"

"I figured Johnny might be missing his bow. I found it hanging from a hole in the floor of one of the guest rooms." Jack held out the weapon but retracted his arm as Johnny reached for it. "What's going on?"

Johnny held out his hand in an attempt to use Jedi Force to get his bow. Jack probably anticipated it and hit the floor with his staff. Ice erupted from the ground, climbing up to our shoulders, trapping us. Johnny began steaming, but Jack stopped him. "I wouldn't risk melting the place down if I were you."

A slight 'SWISH!' sound came from behind Jack and he turned to clash staffs with Crystal. She had evidently escaped the ice trap and tried to take the winter spirit by surprise. "Now's not the time for games, Frost." She said, pushing her silver, saber-toothed tiger-headed staff against Jack's wooden, frost covered one.

"So quit playing around and answer the question." He retorted, pushing away and striking his staff on the ground again. No ice came out to get Crystal, so I guessed he did it out of frustration this time.

Crystal remained silent.

The ice around me was getting uncomfortable. This never happened when my ice powers were stable, so it was kind of getting on my nerves. I closed my eyes, blocking out my surroundings in an attempt to rid my body of the dreadful cold.

'Think happy thoughts. Warm thoughts.'

"—none of your business."

'Sunny weather, bonfires, barbecue...'

"You sure—"

'Anything but this dreadful....creeping....discomforting...'

A powerful gust of wind blew by me and I snapped. "You're from different realms! You hear me?! You weren't supposed to meet Elsa when you did! And—"

"Max!" Crystal exclaimed.

"Don't you 'Max' me, woman! I'm freezing in this ice trap, which is not supposed to happen! So, you got your answer, Jack Frost! Now lemme outta this—"

I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head and I blacked out.

There's danger in the air, Danny Phenten.

Danny:

There was total silence after Crystal knocked Max out. If I had known about Max's discomfort, I would've phased him out. But it was too late now.

"What...what did he say?" Jack asked, gripping his staff tightly. He looked as lost as the first time someone walked through him.

"It's probably the ice. He tends to shout random things when he loses his temper. With unstable ice powers, he must've found the trap uncomfortable." Everyone turned to me as I said it.

"How'd you—" Jack noticed that I was out of the ice.

"Hey, ghost powers, remember? I was supposed to, uh, knock you out or something while Crystal distracted you."

He stared for a moment before turning to Crystal. "Max couldn't have just been babbling random things. He said that was the answer. We're... we're from different realms?" He seemed sad for some unknown reason.

Crystal set her jaw as if coming to a decision. "Different times. Time and realm are two different things. Max gets the two mixed up sometimes." She explained. "You and the Royal family are from different times. You weren't supposed to... to meet yet."

Jack's eyes lit up a bit. "Well, why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

"Knowing how things will and will not be is quite dangerous. Would you like to know how and when you die, perhaps?"

"I'm not going to—"

"That's what you think now. If someone were to tell you right now that you're going to die tomorrow, you'd act very differently, yes?" she pointed out, removing Max from the ice.

Noticing the action, Jack waved his staff in the air and the ice completely disappeared. "So... when were we supposed to meet? And how?"

Crystal opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it and directed her attention to Max. She snapped her fingers and he woke up. "Ugh, my head." Max muttered.

"If we were going to meet eventually, why don't you just leave things as it is now? Why go to so much trouble to fix it?" Jack questioned.

Before we could say anything, the door burst open and Bunny came in.

"The princess wants you to, uh, show her how to fly." He told Jack. Jack looked at Bunny, then at Crystal. She tilted her head slightly without blinking and Jack got the message. 'Keep it a secret between us for now.'

Jack nodded slightly before bounding out the door. "Show her how to fly, eh? This'll be fun. You can help, cottontail!"

"Oh no, I— what did you call me?"

~

"You little liar." I said once the Guardians disappeared down the hall. I double-checked the area for eavesdroppers before speaking again. "They weren't really going to meet, were they? Why give him false hope?"

Crystal's face reddened slightly. "I-it wasn't a total lie. Everything has its time. When characters or worlds completely pass on, they all go to the same location. It's like... like an eternal vacation spot. It may be possible that they meet there. Or possibly..." she trailed off, lost in thought.

"Crystal," Johnny began. "Why—"

"Time's running out. We'd better get a move on." Crystal said, getting her head out of the clouds. She stomped her foot and a portal appeared under her and Max.

"Really? Really?!" Max exclaimed before they vanished through the portal.

"Crystal's right. Time's a-wasting!" Lazlo exclaimed.

"See you later then." Johnny said, going through his own portal.

"Well, how do we get the Guardians to their side of the boundary?" Raj asked.

A knowing smile crept on Steven's face. "What?" I asked. "You know you creep me out when you look like that, right?"

"D.T.C, we're going camping."