Lucas waited for everyone to exit. Eventually, the incoherent chattering of classmates dwindled, until the only audible sound was that of his thoughts. His eyes were fixed on the desk's smooth surface, while his mind ran wild with speculations.

What will Santa Claus look like? What if we don't reach him in time? Will he have the answers I'm looking for? What if he wants a milk-and-cookie sacrifice?

"Hey," Rosanne's concerned voice dispelled his thoughts. "Is everything alright? You kinda look worried."

A knot formed in his stomach as he peered at her. He silently wished he could mask his emotions like Clyde. The only time Lucas could recall Clyde being easy to read was back in the Himalayas when they were being cornered by gruesome yetis. Since middle school, he had mastered the art of being unreadable most of the time.

I can't tell her I'm thinking about Santa Claus. Gotta come up with something...

Rosanne's cheeks tinted as she inserted a follow-up statement. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked. I'll be going now." She shot up from her seat.

Lucas was appalled at the bad impression he was giving off. She put him on her bucket list, he supposed the least he could do was give a proper goodbye.

"No, wait," He rose from his desk. The suddenness of the action stopped her in mid-turn. He buried all the Santa stuff in the back of his mind and tried for a small smile. "Sorry, I was just lost in thought." His smile fell as he attempted to tell her what got him so worked up. "My family...they haven't come home yet."

Rosanne's face turned ghastly pale. Lucas chided himself for dumping such kind of news on her. If he continued with honesty, he would have to tell her about the Wendigo. But as a mystic, it didn't seem very bright to do so. She might urge him to call the police-or worse, Fantasio Inc.

"I mean they travelled yesterday," He blurted. "For vacation. 'I miss them already' is what I meant to say."

"They travelled without you?"

"Umm, it's complicated?"

"Huh, funny enough, I can relate. My dad's a top researcher at Fantasio Inc. Ever since he got that promotion he's been travelling almost every month."

"Fantasio Incorporated, huh?" Lucas flinched.

"Yeah, they're actually legit." Her tone got defensive. "Like cryptids are real...and Fantasio like actually captures them."

"Oh, I don't doubt their existence-if that's what you're thinking."

"Whew," She sighed. "Sorry, it's just- some people still don't believe. The naked-eye-effect, you know."

"What's that?"

She threw a puzzled look at him. Realizing he was serious, she obliged. "That stuff Henry Harrison found out; if you stare at a cryptid with your bare eyes you'll forget what you saw almost instantly after you look away. That's why Fantasio advises taking pictures and recording videos."

"Ah, I see..." The meeting with Santa reared its head in his mind. "Let's continue in the hallway, I have somewhere I need to be."

***

The two were walking side by side, down the almost desolate hallway. Lucas was enjoying her presence and from the look on her face, she seemed to be enjoying his too.

"So your dad's an explorer? Like the guys in Jumanji?" He stroked his chin.

She giggled. "Noo, How'd you even come up with that? Researchers travel to examine samples and carry out analysis and a bunch of other stuff."

"Now you're sounding like a grown-up." He teased. "Ever considered asking to follow your dad on his next adventure?"

She playfully nudged his shoulder, a grin plastered on her face. "It's not an adventure. And yeah, I did. We agreed he'd take me with him next time...which happens to be this evening."

"Whoa, nice. Where to?"

Her smile grew even wilder as she faced him. "You won't believe it. We're going to the North Pole!"

"No way..." Lucas's eyes widened. I'm going there too.

"Finland to be precise." She said. "There's this city called Rovaniemi, it's partly in the Arctic Circle, and it has this beautiful place called Santa Claus Village, which is where we'll be staying."

Lucas gulped. "No way you mean the real Santa."

She snickered. "Santa isn't real, dummy. But the place is like super Christmasy. It's giving 'Santa's workshop'. I'm so excited to go!"

"Well, good for you." He reached his locker and turned the locks. "I hope you have fun."

"Thanks," She rubbed her arms. "Do...you have any plans for the holiday?"

Fiona's words resurfaced in the boy's mind.

'So save your worry for our current mission. We have to stop the world from ending in two days.'

He brought out a backpack from his locker. The pitch of his voice increased without his will. "I'll admit, I'm not feeling so merry about this season." He cleared his throat, trying for a calmer voice. "I'll be going out with some friends though-just a regular outing."

Rossane's phone pinged causing her to glance at it. A hint of sadness mingled with her expression. She told Lucas her dad was waiting for her outside.

"Hey," he hung his backpack. "I can give you my number so we can chat later."

Rosanne wore a docile expression as she twirled her hair. "Would it be weird if I already had your number?"

Lucas's breath caught. "I mean...probably."

"Then I don't have it." She blurted.

After they exchanged numbers, Rossane waved him goodbye and hurried along.

Lucas gave a peace sign before going in the opposite direction. Suppressing a grin and taking a deep breath, he set himself on mission mode.

Gotta get back to the Absconditum. He thought. Clyde and Fiona are probably waiting for me.

He located the bathroom and slipped into a stall. With a squeeze of his Protector's Medallion, he disappeared in a burst of golden light.

For a few seconds, he was unconscious. When his eyes fluttered open, he found himself at the foot of the Boundless Doorway. Its many symbols glowed as the door stood shut.

"How exactly does this teleportation work?" He muttered, rising to his feet.

A noise came from behind him, the stomping of metallic boots. His heart leaped into his throat as he whipped around. Before him stood a Knight in shining silver armour, broadsword in hand.

Lucas took a cautious step back, one hand reaching up to confirm Elasto's presence. "Fiona and Clyde told me about you yesterday. Your name is Chivary, right?"

"Why indeed, Protector Lucas. A pleasure to officially make your acquaintance. I am Chivalry, the enchanted armour and keeper of the Absconditum." The armour strapped its sword to the side and extended its right hand.

Lucas reluctantly shook the armour's hand.

"You gave off a different vibe yesterday. Care to explain?"

"I do not understand how my vibe was 'different'. The moment I sensed your presence in the Absconditum, I hurried up the stairs to welcome you. But you used the Boundless Doorway before I could reach you."

"Oh," Lucas crossed his arms, awkwardness creeping into the moment. "So... this 'Boundless Doorway'," he leaned against the grand door. "How does it work exactly?"

"Did you know, the Boundless Doorway performs teleportation and reverse teleportation?"

"You know what? Forget I asked that. Do you know where my friends are?"

"They are at the North Pole."

"What?" Lucas said. "Without me?"

Chivalry pointed to the left of Lucas. "Protector Fiona asked me to show you that note."

Lucas's eyes flitted in that direction, spotting a sticky note attached to the edge of the Boundless Doorway. He plucked it and read Fiona's writing.

'Lucas, we'll be waiting for you at the North Pole. Before travelling, you'll need to log your previous expedition. Ask Chivalry to take you to Scribbles. When you're done, read the second note.'

He looked at the opposite end of the door, and sure enough, there was another sticky note attached. He muttered. "She could've just called."

Turning to Chivalry, he said "She wants me to see Scribbles. Sounds like the name of a hardcore writer."

"He does write occasionally. Follow me," Chivalry said, striding across the curvy passageway. Lucas obliged, speed-walking to keep up with the enchanted armour. He zipped past the Infinite Arsenal and the three Protectors' bedrooms. Finally, Chivalry stopped in front of a double glass door, black symbols etched intricately on it. Through the glass, inside appeared to be a massive empty room. "Scribbles is waiting for you, Protector Lucas."

Let's get this over with.

He pushed open the doors and what he saw made his jaw drop in awe. It was a library like no other, so large, he couldn't see the roof or the walls. Grand golden bookshelves floated inches above the ground. And floating above them were more golden bookshelves. The floor itself was pure white marble. The scent of the place was a faint mix of fresh books and really old books with a touch of lavender.

"Protector Lucas," a squeaky voice called. "Welcome, I am Scribbles, custodian of the Magic Library."

Lucas turned to the voice, his eyebrow rising on instinct. To his right, was an elevated platform, and on it was a white desk fit for a librarian. Floating behind the desk was a large book with gold coloured hardcover and large adorable eyes drawn on the front cover. Below the eyes was a drawing of a mouth.

"You're a talking book?" Lucas flinched.

"Hmph. I've gotten worse reactions." Scribbles said. "I presume you've come to log your expedition?"

"Yup."

"You have no idea what that means, do you?"

"Nope."

The drawing that was Scribbles' mouth frowned, coupled with adorably drawn puffed cheeks. "I loathe teaching Protector 101."

"Don't know what you're talking about, but can we wrap this up? I've got questions to ask Santa and a Dark Forces team-up to stop."

"Pfft. You must feel important. Generations of Protectors have come and gone. You're not the first to go on a mission and you won't be the last. What makes you stand out isn't the fact you're a rare mage; it's the legacy you leave behind. And with that, I'll dive into 'logs'.

You'll serve roughly five years as a Protector of Balance. At the end of your service, a book will be compiled chronicling your adventures and the lessons you want to pass down to the next generation. That's why it's important you record or log each mission before heading out for the next one."

"Woah. Okay, so how do I do that?"

"Your Protector's Medallion has a memory feature, it temporarily stores data of your missions. Just press it on one of my pages, and I'll transfer the data."

Scribbles flipped open, its pages scrolling by before stopping on a blank page. Lucas shrugged and stepped onto the platform. Slowly, he stretched his medallion. Once it made contact with Scribbles, a warm glow radiated.

***

"Alright Fiona," Lucas detached the other sticky note from the Boundless Doorway. "What's next?"

The note read; say these words 'Destination, the Claus Estate.'

Lucas was puzzled, but he did so anyway. Suddenly, the symbols on the Boundless Doorway lit up, and the door creaked ajar. He swung the door open, squinting at the stream of light. Here goes nothing.

He stepped through and instantly, he was in a new environment, standing on a stretch of ice that extended as far as his eyes could see. But there was no soul in sight, no object even. Just a desolate frigid space with slow-falling snow.

A red light around his neck had him looking at his medallion. The inscribed rose pattern flashed a dim red. "That doesn't look right."

He took a step forward and hit something that felt like a wall. An invisible wall, maybe?

There was nothing he couldn't believe at this point. Reaching out his hand, he felt a thick smooth surface in front of him. Suddenly, a white doorframe appeared, ten metres high and three metres wide. He touched the space between it and still felt a hard surface. Then he realized the doorframe was actually the outline of an invisible door.

The Door opened inwards, but from Lucas's perspective, a magnificent view of a compound appeared within the doorframe.

Before he could take in the view, someone obstructed him. Standing at seven feet tall was an insanely ripped dude wearing white clothes and a bright red coat with a stylish black belt. He had a short white beard, and silky, long, white hair. His chiselled face was jovial as he peered down at Lucas with divine blue eyes. There was something powerful about his presence.

"Ho, ho, ho," the man bellowed. "You must be the magus verborum. I'm Santa Claus, Fiona's father."