Leon opened his eyes to see a snow filled the sky, he was looking at the top of the tree line. Leon straightened himself upright in the bed of snow. He had no recollection of how he got there as he looked around seeing trees and snow as far as his eyes could see. Getting to his feet he began to check himself and what he had on him. He retained his weapon, Gaia-Tama, and was still in his baggy blue and white long sleeve, high collared shirt with his goggles hanging from his neck and baggy jeans. After he analyzed himself he began to walk forward. Unbeknownst to the direction, he was walking, be it if he was going north, south, east or west, as he tried to ascertain his location.

Something about this place didn’t feel right but felt familiar at the same time. The surroundings seemed foreign yet familiar and the more he walked the more familiar it felt. About 20 minutes had passed since he began his walk on the lookout for others or something to show where he was located. The snow fell gently and glimmered in the snow, at some point along the journey he pulled his goggles over his eyes to protect them. Due to inappropriate clothing, he had begun to feel to the chill of the subtle breeze infiltrating his bones. He thought it would have been nice if he somehow had a jacket.

Though he was cold it wasn’t how he expected it, he began to feel warm and cozy. He looked down and saw he was wearing a brown winter jacket with a fur trim and hood. “Did I always have on this coat?” he asked himself. Shortly after his walk began he could not shake a certain feeling. He felt a burning sensation like he was being watched but no one was around. After a few more minutes he saw a figure in the distance approximately 20 meters away. He began to walk towards it cautiously. When he closed the distance down to 10 meters he noticed it was not a person but a snowman however it didn’t look like a regular snowman.

Snowman:

The snowman somehow looked evil and it’s face held a grimace expression. It stood four feet tall and wore a top hat with a red band. If there was a snowman it means that persons should be around. Leon began to inspect the area. He tried to figure out where the person who created the snowman may have originated from. After a brief inspection, Leon came to the conclusion it may not be possible due to the snow. With the steady rate that it was falling and not knowing how long the snowman was built the tracks of person that built him were lost to the elements.

Leon decided to take a quick break and sat in the snow. Leon heard a voice behind him “Not very jolly now are we?” as he was grabbed by branches and subdued in the snow. It was the snowman. With terror in his eyes at how a snowman could talk. Leon struggled with all his might as he tried to break the embrace of his captor. Leon kicked and clawed at the snowman, as he regained his composure he grabbed at the snowman’s arms and broke them quickly after getting back on his feet and got his weapon at the ready.

Leon didn't know what was going on, from since he awoke something felt off and somehow different. It felt real but at the same time a fantasy, though he felt like he was making decisions it also felt like he was just an onlooker from the outside. It was like a dream being played out like a movie. This evil snowman that previously had him subdued in the snow made it feel more so. He gripped his weapon is his hands as he kept his eyes on the foe in front of him. The snow started to fall heavier and begun to obscure his vision.

A strong gust blew and Leon shielded his face and wiped his goggles to clear the frost. The snowman was no longer there, Leon remained wary of his surroundings. It didn't seem like he would see him and he closed his eyes and begun focusing on what he could hear. The wind whistled through the trees, howling as it called out to the cold. The snow as it crunched beneath his feet as he adjusted his stance. Leon still had the feeling of being watched but could sense no one. He slowly opened his eyes as he scanned the area one more time.

After a few minutes passed of Leon being on guard, he began to relax his stance. He could not wrap his head around what occurred. How is it that a snowman attacked him, where is he right now and why doesn't he remember how he got there? Most of all wanted to know why it felt like his actions, were being watched. Leon cautiously resumed walking on the lookout for the slightest movement or noise.

Outside became dark, unnaturally so, the trees touched by the darkness felt as though they were no more. It seemed to be encroaching on Leon's position, lightning flashed and then BOOM!!! the thunder clapped and echoed into the dark. Such an ominous feeling, Leon again felt like he was just an onlooker in his own body.

"This is not real" he heard a voice whisper from inside him. Leon saw small men and women on average three feet tall, some walking with canes covered in red and white stripes while others rode on reindeer. Leon saw his body move as he observed, he got defensive, cautious of his previous encounter. "....or ... die" he heard the voice whisper inside of him again.

He saw himself slam Gaia-Tama into the snow and obscured the line of sight of the short persons on him. This move, however, was performed on a stronger level than what he knew himself to be capable of, this was just too surreal for coincidence. A dream, that's what this was but why does it feel so real? Leon regained control of his body. Aware that it was all a dream he made it lucid.

Now that he gained full control of his actions Leon threw his weapon into the screen of snow he just created. Hoping to clear a path and not be surrounded. He swung the chain forty-five degrees to his left and then pulled to return Gaia-Tama to his hands. Leon began to run forward through the screen. A few of the short people and some that rode the reindeer seemed to be lightly injured while others were still shielding themselves from the impact of the snow sheet he created to subside.

"Wake or you will die" the voice whispered in him again. He wasn't sure what it was but it seems like it could be trusted. "Die in the dream and it's so in reality, will it and you shall be free" This statement caused some confusion for Leon at first as he did not understand it's words.

Leon continued to run, he had already covered a distance of fifteen meters. The short people regained their composure and those on the reindeer gave chase. As Leon continued towards the darkness he noticed his visibility was being restricted as though he was going towards a door or void.

Turning around to stand his ground the small people began to look wild and the reindeer feral as they growled and snarled. Leon took his stance, the words that the voice whispered inside of him echoing in his head. Normally if you come into danger in a dream you'd wake up, however, this time that didn't seem to be the case. If it were he would have awoken when the snowman attacked you. "Krampus will have you, Santa will smile with glee, it's time we killed you on this spree" the short people chimed among their snarls.

From their canes they drew swords, the reindeer looked at Leon as though he was a meal. There was no way he could defeat all of these even if it was a dream. How can you defeat a hoard so large that all you can see is heads as far as you could see? it definitely wasn't this large before

Preparing to defend himself as they engage he finally deciphered the meaning of those words. "...will it and you shall be free" it meant that with enough focus and willpower he could break it. Leon closed his eyes tightly as he hoped it would work. He first willed that those opposing him were gone.The sounds of the snarls and the rhyme they chimed disappeared. As he opened his eyes he saw they were all gone, not a trace to be seen. He released a sigh of relief as he fell to his knees. The coat he wore began to fade into the wind as the darkness began to crumble. Leon closed his eyes again and willed himself to awake from this dream. Who was Krampus? why would Santa want him dead? and what is the voice that saved him?

Leon awoke in a room full of mist and he saw someone in a big red suit, he blinked and they were no more. Was that Santa? Leon saw a small person like his dream snarling as they busted through the door escaping the room. Leon quickly got to his feet and saw a knife on the table by the door. As he went through the door and saw the person fleeing he threw the knife at them, now five meters away. The knife pierced their back just under the left shoulder blade.

Leon stood in the doorway, as the remainder of the mist left the room and blew past him into the night air.  He slowly began to proceed towards his target that laid five meters away, as he walked Leon tried his best to grasp the current situation.  He wasn't entirely sure where he was.  It seemed to be quiet and secluded with no one or anything around.  There were no distinguishing features upon the grey walls.

As he approached the short man, he pulled the knife from his back as he turned him over.  It was then he took note of his features, medium length brown hair that fell with a bang over his left eye.  He looked no older than twenty-five years old with smooth features and a few freckles sprinkled upon his cheeks.

As his chest slowly rose and fell his eyes began to lose focus and he coughed up blood.  While it fell from his lips Leon knelt down on his left knee to the right of the man's body. "Why did you do this?"  He coughed and slowly began to reply "The fruit of dreams lays with me no more ... the nightmare of this season ... you will truly endure" these words didn't make sense to Leon.

Leon wanted to investigate him further but before he could the man took his last breath, his eyes rolled back and body turned limp.  Reality around Leon seemed to crumble as cracks began to appear in the middle of the air.  He began to back away and run from this unusual phenomenon as he was unsure if it would cause harm and he wasn't interested in sticking around long enough to figure out.

He entered the room from which he awoke, saw that his weapon was hung on a wall, among other weapons, he grabbed it.  He was still unaware of where he was and not sure if he may encounter more enemies or threats along the way.   As Leon rushed to make his way back outside he saw that the room was surrounded by these fractures in the air.  He turned around with the intention of trying to dig his way out through the wall at the back of the room.  To his surprise, he saw that there were fractures within the room.  Everything just seemed to be closing in on his location, analyzing the situation he saw no way out and knew not of what was occurring.  He closed his eyes and awaited his fate.

Everything went white and he heard the voice he heard from within him before. "You have survived the battle but the war has yet to begun" as he saw the shadow of a silhouette behind his as his conscience left him.

The warmth of the sun could be felt on his skin as the breeze caressed his face. Leon slowly regained his consciousness in a field of grass with trees surrounding it's perimeter approximately 20 meters away.  Gaia-Tama was by his side, he held it firm in his grip as he got to his feet.  The breeze of the wind began to nip at his skin slightly.

"You have finally awoken" Leon heard a voice behind him "You truly are special beyond what you know".  Leon turned around, what first got his attention was a lone cloud hovering over the person the voice belonged to.  The cloud, seeming to cover a one meter radius produced snow in an isolated area,  the cloud also seemed to be following the person that resided below it.

Leon rubbed his eyes  in this belief as he thought he must be in another dream. "This is not a dream Leon yet it's not what you know as real, this is here yet it is not" as Leon was about to respond the person continued "I know you are curious of who I am, I am Jack Frost."

This person that called themselves Jack Frost slowly approached Leon, he gripped his weapon firmly.  Though Leon felt no intent of Jack being hostile the few situations he was in every time he awoke somewhere left him skeptical.   Leon couldn't make out the features of Jack's face but he took note of what he was wearing, a blue opened jacket without a shirt and a pair black jeans.

"Why am I here?" Leon asked.

"This is a warning...the world is under attack by Santa many may be unaware as of now but I have chosen you to face him" Jack replied

"Santa? as in Santa Claus?"

"The one and only, something has happened to him and turned him violent, I believe his evil counterpart Krumpus has something to do with it, I was once under the spell and attacked some pirates but I have broken free after that encounter.  Right now Santa intends to kill everyone be it if they are naughty or nice"

"How can I trust you?"

"The same way you trusted my voice when you were being attacked in your dreams by the eater of the fruit of dreams.  You may not recall everything when you wake but someday Santa will come for you, you are one of the few candidates that can potentially stop him" Jack said as he pulled his hands from his pockets "Now return"

The world became bright again and Leon found himself on the streets of the Nil district with no recollection of how he got there but he heard a voice in his head say "farewell, till the time you are needed comes" Leon looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

END