Beneath Halloween's facade, a tale revealed the dark consequences of greed and abuse of power, turning happiness into an eternal hollow void. The twinkling of stars like specks of paint flicked in the abyssal canvas that is the night sky glimmering up above. Hues of persimmon radiating from lamps and pumpkins carved with faces stemming from the imagination of those old and young, bowls filled with a variety of colorful candies aimed to cater to those who partake in what we'd call 'Trick or Treating'. Sights often associated with Halloween, being one of the many holidays that people celebrate, there is something special with the moments within these activities that fill people with merriment. In this world there are assigned Guardians: five immortal beings chosen by the Man in the Moon to protect and keep children's hopes and beliefs safe against the Boogeyman, the source of nightmares. These Guardians consist of Santa Claus, The Guardian of Wonder, The Easter Bunny, The Guardian of Hope, The Tooth Fairy, The Guardian of Memories, Sandman, The Guardian of Dreams, and Jack Frost, The Guardian of Fun. All of them work together against their adversary, the infamous Pitch Black. The Boogeyman himself, already plotting another plan to spread fear and defeat the Guardians; by using Halloween.
A flurry of green sped through the air, clashing with a dark cloud of smoke that sliced past the mass of green. Through that, numerous silhouettes with flapping wings burst through the charm of mini fairies, revealing themselves to be hawks summoned by Pitch. Behind them, their summoners were also engaged in a fight; the Tooth Fairy inflicting a well-aimed strike directly towards Pitch Black, who swiftly avoided the attack, eyeing a specific figure in the distance. Meanwhile, away from the battle, Santa and Bunny focused on Frost, ensuring she remained out of the Boogeyman's grasp. She was the target, and they needed to keep her out of reach at all costs, for Pitch would recruit her to aid his plan of spreading darkness and erasing the youth's beliefs in the Guardians.
Lights, representing the children's beliefs, across the Globe of Belief had noticeably begun to look more dim than they normally would have appeared. The Guardian of Wonder stood there as he watched each light slowly glow weaker. His focus shifted as it got disrupted by the arrival of the other guardians. The Guardians of Hope, Memories, and Dreams gathered in his workshop for an urgent meeting. Each of them wondered why they had been called, but the fact that nearly everyone was present could only indicate that the children were getting affected. Santa promptly went over what he had observed over the previous weeks. "Have any of you noticed something amiss about the 'Believers'?", the man wearing a red and white coat that contrasted his black hair inquired. The other guardians looked at one another and it appears that they have reached a consensus. A woman with pink hair and iridescent wings, who was the Tooth Fairy, nodded and responded, "Few of my fairies reported that the children they were assigned to were acting odd. Ivan, I looked into their memories, many of them seemed troubled and guarded." Hearing her concern, a man stepped into the light which illuminated his grey hair and bunny ears as he chimed in as well. "During Easter, I noticed that some were reluctant to search in the egg hunt." The jingling of bells drew the collective gaze at their golden friend, whose short black hair stood in contrast to the shimmering sand. "Any thoughts, Sua?" Ivan questioned. Sua conjured symbols out of her abilities to convey her observations. It didn't take long for them to realize what had caused the children to act in such a way. "Luka…?" All heads turned towards a familiar voice. A figure with long hair and a hooded sweater, carrying their staff in hand. The only one of them who they thought hadn't bothered to join the meeting.
Pitch Black stood by the figure of the Tooth Fairy, who now lay unconscious on the ground. Conjuring a whip of sand in hand, Sandman aimed to strike Pitch in retaliation. Unfortunately, Pitch's shadows had begun to engulf her from all directions, forcing her to prioritize defense. Her distraction gave The King of Nightmares the opportunity to finally get rid of the Conjurer of Dreams once and for all with a bow and arrow in hand. Just like that, a long string of darkness struck the golden figure square in the back, her eyes widened as she turned to face him slowly. From where the arrow pierced her, the shadows began to spread throughout her body as if it was consuming her. In that moment, she ultimately felt a sense of peace and contentment knowing she had secured Mizi's life. In a blink of an eye, the Sandman ceased to exist. Off to the side, Mizi slowly began to stir, regaining her consciousness. The last thing she recalled was engaging in a fight with Luka, who was currently up in the air, close to what seemed to be a large clump of sand in the air, but with a darkened hue when there should have been a golden glow. Mentally putting the pieces together, she realized what had happened in her absence. Jack Frost, feeling dismayed, witnessed what occurred, which triggered a painful memory of a similar event before she became a Guardian. The day she lost Hyunwoo, her younger brother. In her shocked state, she hadn't noticed that Luka was in front of her. He took advantage of that moment to finally take her on his side, offering his hand. "Join me, Hyuna. And this conflict shall come to an end. With both our powers, imagine what we could do together. A symphony of ice and darkness coming together, blending into a concoction of pure terror with no warmth to console it. You were unseen once, like me. Now, you'll be much more memorable than you ever were." Down below, Santa and Bunny reach the injured Mizi, taking her into the sleigh. All of them bear witness to Luka speaking with Hyuna up above, but all of them knew they weren't in the best state to stop them. "Ivan, Till.. what about Hyuna?"
The usual twinkling of stars like specks of paint flicked in the abyssal canvas that is the night sky weren't visible as they usually were. An endless void that could stare back and give this feeling of emptiness was all that took its place. Shadows spread from every crevice and corner of town, nothing special to catch one's eye. Nobody was outside of their homes, and all that could be heard was the whistle of the wind that caressed the air in absence of other noise that should have been there. No feelings of hope, wonder, or memories to look back on. It's as though such concepts were dismissed as mere sentimental delusions. Those who were entrusted to impart these had simply vanished with their gifts left undelivered. Deep within his lair, Luka stared at his own globe that kept track of Believers in the world. His eyes swept through every light that went out one by one, exactly as he wanted. Next to him, Hyuna, as she'd rather refer to herself as she now felt undeserving of her Guardian title, watched alongside him with an empty gaze. A husk now lacking the very thing she used to represent, the luster gone in her eyes that used to be filled with determination, like a cave in the winter that echoes back its hollowness. "You were always my one and only weakness. That's why I resented you."