"Well, come on in," Santa said.

Awestruck, Lucas stood still, observing the Light Force. Wow, so this is Santa Claus.

"Anytime now," Santa displayed a warm smile.

"Oh, right." Lucas meekly stepped inside, partially disillusioned from the view of Santa only to have his view fully captured by the majestic landscape beyond the door.

Far ahead of him was a mansion, brown and made of fine wood. It had multiple windows but not a single door. At the center of the roof, a huge chimney protruded; three times the average size and beauty. Patroling the mansion was a bunch of hopping snowmen. Their smiley faces and arms were made of ice. Arching on the horizon was a rainbow made of snow.

"Welcome to my Zone," Santa said. "The moment you placed your hand on my MBD, I sensed your presence and blew out of my house to receive you."

"Did you mean 'flew'?"

Santa chuckled before transforming into a swirling mass of snow, causing Lucas to stumble. The haphazard mass blew itself to the rooftop of the mansion and combined to form Santa Claus. "Ho, ho, ho, ho." He laughed. "Should have seen the look on your face. Well," he beckoned with a gesture. "Come up here."

Wow, so this is Santa Claus. Lucas broke into a jog until he was at the base of the mansion. The snowmen didn't pay him any mind.

"You can't fly, can you?" Santa looked down from the rooftop. He snapped his fingers and falling snow clumped together to form a frosty escalator. The base of which was beside Lucas while the top was joined to the roof. "Use this,"

Lucas shrugged, about to comply when all of a sudden, Elasto snaked down his neck, wrapping around his right forearm. He gave a puzzled look as the scarf then extended one of its edges into the air which stretched and stretched until it reached the rooftop-wrapping around the chimney while its other end was still tied around Lucas's forearm.

"Elasto, what are you-"

Like a grappling hook in action, the scarf propelled Lucas into the air. Before he knew it, he was on the thick wooden rooftop, face to face with a scrutinizing Santa.

"I swear," Lucas huffed as Elasto returned to its original size and relocated to his neck. "This thing just likes to show off."

"Hmm. Interesting scarf you've got there." Santa remarked. "Let us proceed inside then." He snapped his fingers and the escalator burst into snowflakes. After placing his other palm on the awe-inspiring chimney, a 'ding' sound emanated.

It opened like an elevator and inside was pure white.

"The entrance to Santa's home is a chimney. Why am I not surprised?" Lucas walked in after Santa Claus. "Wait, I thought you loved jumping into chimneys."

"Stopped during that centuries ago." Santa straightened his coat while the elevator dinged shut and began descending. "One Christmas Eve night, I jumped into a ridiculously small chimney– the nerve of the chimney builder– and I was stuck. Had to exert some manna to free myself... by breaking that chimney. Of course, as benevolent as I am, I used mana to repair the chimney on my way out." He slowly scratched his beard. "A few broken chimneys later... I realized chimney diving was unsustainable."

Lucas bit his tongue to suppress a laugh. The thought of Santa cursing as he got sandwiched in a soot-covered chimney.

"Is there something on your mind?"
Santa rose a divine brow.

Lucas cleared his throat. "Umm, I was wondering if your name is really Saint Nick."

He rolled his eyes. "Saint Nicholas was a mystic who saw me on duty once. I inspired his famous acts of generosity."

"You know, I stopped believing in you when I was a kid because I didn't get presents."

"I deliver every year, but not everyone receives their gifts." Santa shrugged. "There are three rules to receive a present from me. One: Write your letter under the snow or beside a window when it's snowing. That allows me to read through the snow and send your wish to the elves. Two: Have a chimney in your house or at least a window cracked open on Christmas Eve night. Three; don't ask for things to hurt others with." He glared at Lucas. "I'll know if you do."

The elevator dinged open, revealing a large living room with white couches on a cookie-shaped rug. Numerous portraits filled the walls. The place was cold but not freezing, giving a very welcoming aura.

"Lucas, you finally made it," Clyde said, sitting at the edge of one of the white couches. "What took you so long?"

Fiona was on the opposite side of the same couch. Lucas figured she was supposed to feel at home, but she had her arms folded and a look of unease.

He was about to answer Clyde's question when a kind-looking woman stood up from an adjacent couch--a tray of cookies in hand--and gracefully approached him. She wore a red-and-white checkered gown and a warm smile. She looked like she was in her late thirties but had snow-white hair styled in a bun with bangs dangling in front of her ears.

"Welcome, to our lovely home, I'm Mrs Claus." her blue eyes twinkled with excitement. "Why don't you have a cookie? I'll fetch you some milk."

"Yeah, Lucas," Fiona growled from behind, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Why don't you have some milk and cookies? The only damn thing we eat in this house!"

Santa loomed beside Lucas. "Watch your tone, Fiona." He shifted his attention to the boy, patting his back. "Have a cookie, son. And take a seat."

Without hesitation, Lucas swiped a cookie and made his way to the couch where his friends were seated, plopping down between them.

Mrs Claus exited into another room while Santa relaxed on an opposite couch, holding the trio's gazes at the same time. He had a passive stare that made Lucas uncomfortable. "Well, I believe you three came here for a reason--do tell."

Lucas whispered to Clyde. "You guys haven't told him yet?"

Clyde whispered back in a calmer voice. "He refused to grant us an audience until you arrived."

Why? Lucas thought. His family popped into his mind and he glanced at Clyde and Fiona to see if either of them wanted to speak first. They gave a slight nod of approval as if reading his thoughts.

He took a deep breath and looked at Santa. "Do you know what happened to my parents and my little sister?" Tears stung at the corner of his eyes.

"Explain what you mean by 'happened'." Santa's voice was calm and collected while retaining its natural boom.

Lucas told him about how they hadn't come home, along with his encounter with a wendigo. Santa said he could help, but he needed the location of their workplace and middle school-which Lucas provided.

Santa Claus straightened his posture and closed his eyes. "I'm about to check what happened in those locations yesterday." His eyes reopened, flashing blue like a lightbulb. His skin also became luminous with blue light.

Lucas watched in awe until the glow faded and Santa was back to normal, gloom etched on his face.

"Your parents made it safely to their workplace, likewise your sister. But the snow never recorded them leaving. If they were captured as you said, then their captor probably used teleportation to get in and out. Sadly, there are a handful of Forces, Mystics and Cryptids with that power."

"Can't you track them or something?" Lucas's voice cracked.

"Ahh," Santa relaxed into his seat. "You mistake my power, magus verborum, and you underestimate yours."

"You're not really making sense!" He snapped.

Santa frowned and immediately Lucas sank into the couch, his rage dying on the spot. "Sorry, didn't mean to shout."

Santa nodded. "With magical prefixes and words in your native language, you can cause practically anything to happen. There are infinite possibilities for a magus verborum."

Those words made Lucas remember his last lesson at Coach Timi's office.

"...good, now tell me the phrase I taught you."

"Umm...umm...'I mutare mundum sickle'?"

Coach Timi frowned. "Close, but no. Get it right next time, it's 'Mundum sic mutar'. Meaning-"

Lucas clenched his pants at the knees, muttering, "I alter the world this way."

Rising to his feet, he took a firm stance. It's got to be worth a shot.

"Mundum sic mutar! My family appears in front of me."

Unlike before when a piercing sound followed, this time a shattering noise filled the air, like glass being smashed.

He caught a look of shock on Fiona's face, and Clyde's slightly raised eyebrows hinted he was also in disbelief.

Seconds passed by and nothing happened, no one appeared.

"Interesting..." Santa stroked his chin.

"What happened?" Lucas asked nobody in particular. "Why didn't it work?"

"Lucas, magic words are like requests," Clyde said. "The Universe can grant or deny them in accordance with the laws of magic. Yours was..."

"Denied," Lucas muttered, grief welling up inside him. "Why?" He glared at Santa. "I thought you said it was possible -"

"Possible doesn't mean it always works. It's either you don't have enough mana for your spell to work, or the captor in question is using magic more powerful than yours to bind your family."

Lucas fell back on the couch, dismayed.

Santa leaned forward. "It's not all that bad, you know. At least they're alive. If you get stronger, you might actually be able to bring them back."

"How do I do that? Get stronger?"

"The only way there is, practice."