When Krampus exited the jail, he trudged through the snow. Memories of his childhood after being brought to the North Pole were almost always joyful thanks to Simon and Vanilla. They helped him cope from finding his parents dead on that bloody Christmas night. Both of them accepted him for what he was, in contrast to the elves and deer who were wary of him. Those soft, gentle times would stay in his heart, even if he committed such an unforgivable crime in return.

Taking the easy way out and teleporting to his final destination wasn't what he wanted. He wanted the snow to scratch his skin, cling to his fur and encase him in ice until he froze to death. Alas, he wouldn't die under such circumstances, so he'd have to do with this as punishment. The snow's cold breath crawled down his spine, making him smile bitterly.

On his journey to town, the things he hadn't paid close attention to before were coming to light. His vague memories of Santa that were once blinded by naivety disillusioned. As a kid, Krampus ignored the crooked smile plastered on Santa's sticky face at the sight of the injured. The young demon goat brushed it off as worry, but even then was wary of its presence.

Santa would always lick his lips and stare at the wounded subjects for as long as he could while comforting lies rolled out of him with ease. Never once did he show genuine remorse or sorrow for them, which confused him then. It was clear now; Santa had always been mad. A sick sadist who enjoyed shoving his victims' hopes in front of them before snatching them away. He had no right to live in Krampus' eyes. But in some ways, so didn't he. Unfortunately, he realized this fact too late.

Finally, after the taunting voices in his head simmered down, Krampus reached the castle. It was heavily guarded by snowmen of all sizes, growling and roaring as ice spears penetrated through their bodies. Each snowman wore an old metal helmet and goggles. One frozen soldier stood out from the rest. Jack Frost stood at the front, playing with a toothpick in his mouth. He wore a blue pea coat covered by an even deeper blue scarf, smiling when he caught sight of Krampus' dispirited face.

He smirked, then discarded the thin item. "I told you not to let the frost bite."

"You... did you know this would happen?" Krampus hissed with a clenched jaw. His fists tightened as he shut his eyes to block out his acquaintance's smug grin. "I just wanted to help them! But-"

Jack chuckled, taking a step forward. "I know everything, Sunshine. I control the wind, and with it I hear the voices of all. For instance, I heard that Simon died. So did Henry, Clyde, Nixon, Dasher and Vincent, all by your hands. For that, you must repent."

"No! Don't you see? It was all the king's fault! If he hadn't forced the girl to cook then..." he desperately tried to justify his actions, pounding his fist on his chest for emphasis.

Jack stomped his foot, making the ground shake. The snowmen behind him struggled to keep their stance, but eventually stilled. He shot a cold glare at the withered man. "Then what? You wouldn't have plucked the poor girl's eyes out and slashed off her ears?" Vapor rose from his icy skin and into the sky as heavy breaths rumbled out of him. "I heard the words you whispered that night. The only thing you accomplished was quickening the deaths of everyone you touched with those slender fingers."

Vanilla's tearful face appeared in his mind before the demon could give a rebuttal. She stared at him with red eyes full of fear until her image faded away. Then, the corpses of burnt reindeer buried beneath the snow brought him to his senses. He took a staggering step back before sinking to the ground. All at once, the snow under him began to turn red. He knew it wasn't his blood; it was the blood of his comrades. The blood of those who believed in him.

"Do you understand now? This is why you must die, Love," Jack said in a tone layered with pity. "Before it's too late."

The goat demon clicked his tongue. "Don't you think I know that? I will disappear in due time. That's what I promised Vanilla. However," he paused, placing his hand on his knee to rise once more, "I'm taking that damned king with me. I am the punisher of sinners, after all."

"How unfortunate. I was hoping to play with you a little longer. Oh well." He sighed, then turned back to his army. "Don't move until you hear my call. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir!" every snowman yelled, including two familiar ones. Krampus recognized Yuki standing behind a nameless soldier, holding a steady gaze on the ground.

Krampus frowned, then turned to Jack. He folded his arms and to hide his sorrow. "Aye, Frosty. I don't have time for this. If you won't let me see him, then I'll have to force my way in." Deep within, a realization hit him. It was the 23rd. If he didn't kill the king tonight, more children would die. "I won't stand for anymore deaths," he spat.

The frozen man lifted his chin to stare down at Krampus. "As won't I. Let's get this over with, shall we? I've been aching for some foreplay."

Krampus shook his head, then stretched his limbs. "Cease your babbling and come at me."

"Very well." Quickly after, Jack closed in on Krampus and jumped to land a kick on his head. A rush of wind followed after, tracing Jack's every movement. Krampus' body flew back on impact. He skidded across the ground until he slowed to a stop feets away.

"Shit," he cursed when he pushed himself up. His head pounded from the kick, so he held it in his palm to comfort it. When Jack approached him, he clicked his tongue before growling, "I don't need your help."

Jack crossed his arms and smiled. "Yeah you do. C'mon," he offered his hand to pull him up. Instead of grabbing it, Krampus swatted it away. Jack glanced at his hand for a moment, then snickered. "You're still an ass. But a dead one." Ice shards shot from his outstretched hand, barely scratching past Krampus' beard. The ones that landed cuts left a trail of frost in their wake, climbing up his neck with haste.

He let out a hiss at the sharp pain. Still, he wouldn't falter. He kicked Jack's knee while struggling to stand up. Yet he didn't budge, as his body was as hard as, well, ice. Krampus bolted up to attack the frozen man, throwing punches until his knuckles were stained red. Eventually, he paused to see the damage, yet Jack remained unaffected as the other creature's body slowed from losing energy.

Even as blood dripped from his hands along with the broken shards scraping his bones, he continued. "You should've told me!" He pushed him down in order to force their eyes to meet. "We were acquaintances... why didn't you say something?" His cheeks heated from a mix of embarrassment and anger.

"Oh, is that what this is about?" Jack smiled after coughing. "I was just a kid, as were you. What do you want me to do? Pat your head and say 'good job'? I tried to warn you because I knew what Santa was like. Hell, he made me― why wouldn't I?" He pushed Krampus off, reversing their positions so that he shadowed over him. "You were an outsider; you weren't supposed to know the truth. But you just kept getting more involved in our affairs like an idiot!"

Krampus snarled at the harsh words. "He made me an advisor. That was my job! Besides, why didn't you do anything, then? Vanilla led a rebel; you just stood by and watched. I'd rather be an idiot than a coward."

The grip on his arm tightened, sending shivers up his spine. Jack fell silent. For a moment, a tension hung in the air. His cobalt eyes glared at Krampus while his jaw clenched. "And I'd rather be a coward than a killer."

Any respond Krampus prepared was forgotten. The snarky remarks clogged up his throat. He hadn't noticed how much of a monster he really was. A sneer spread across his, face when he gulped. His hands gripped onto Jack's scarf as he attempted to moisten his dry throat. "Whoops. I'm sorry Jack, did I hurt your-"

His sentence remained unfinished once Jack slapped him. "Look at yourself! You brought chaos to this town the moment you set foot here. Why did that king even bring you in the first place?" His brows furrowed, scrunching together to form creases on his forehead. His gaze was steady before turning away with a sigh. "Just, stop. It's pointless."

"I can't," Krampus growled while lighting his fingertips on fire, "because more children will die if I don't stop him, and I don't want that. If you do, then..." he trailed off, pushing his hand on Jack's chest. "I can't promise your safety."

As steam rose from his skin, Jack allowed the ice from his touch to stretch farther across Krampus' body. He smirked once he grabbed onto his horns, covering them in a thin sheet of frost. "You can melt me; if I don't freeze you first, that is. You know I've always wanted to."

The goat demon's skin tingled from the sudden drop in temperature. Even if he was adapt to the cold, he preferred the heat of Hell. He felt like he was sinking in the Arctic Ocean, awaiting his cold death. Suddenly he thought of Marie, the mermaid whose sister fell for the king's lies, only to be devoured soon after their marriage. Yet instead of going for her sister's killer, she stayed bent on drowning him instead. "Funny how every person who falls for me wants to kill me."

"Serves you right," Jack coughed out before sliding his fingers down to the goat demon's cheek. He cupped it in his palm and snared, "I don't want this either! But it's too late. It's almost time for his big day and the elves are being worked to the bone to make it perfect." He glared at the factory afar from them. "If you ruin it, then I can't promise it won't get messy. For all of us."

Krampus grimaced. He didn't want to put their lives in danger. Still, he shook his head. "There's no turning back now. He's already ruined enough lives."

"So have you!" Jack dug his nails into his skin. "You're being foolish. Why do I even bother trying to help you?"

He was just as confused by his actions as Jack was. Moments ago they were at each other's throats and now they were screaming half-baked arguments at each other like children. A smile tugged on his lips at the comparison. He chuckled before answering, "Because you aren't my enemy."

Jack scowled as a sigh left his frost-bitten lips. He shook his head at the demon's words. "That may be true, but neither was Simon. Look where that landed him." He pointed his thumb back in the direction where Krampus ran from.

The goat demon opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a boot shoving his face into the ground. "You shouldn't have anything to say. You brought this on yourself!" He pushed harder, yelling from above.

Krampus shot a glare at Jack, clenching his teeth in annoyance. "Good to know," he growled before reaching behind himself to grab the only weapon kept within his fur: his father's bundle of birchwood. He then gathered all of his might to strengthen it with his demonic energy and pierced it into Jack's ribs.

The blue creature let out a groan as he fell into the ground. "Bastard," he muttered. His clothes were red from the open wound bleeding under his coat. He wiped his lips, then reached down to freeze his bruise once he was back on his feet. "I thought we weren't enemies?"

"We aren't, but I can't keep playing around with you!" Krampus' breath was heavy while he swung the large faggot over his shoulder. "You should understand; I don't want anyone else to die if I can help it."

"You should've thought about that before you let Lilith die." Once he growled those words, Jack rose his hands up. The snow around him seemed to mimic the trembling movement of his arms. Its swirls and dips followed his fingers as musicians followed the silent orders of their composer, until the snow merged together to form a spear of ice. He then pointed a spear that erupted from his arm at Krampus. "You must repent."

Krampus prepared himself for battle. He knew that by the end of this, there would only be one victor; one survivor. It had to be him. He took a deep inhale, adjusted his hold on his father's inheritance, and ran forward. "Move, Jack!"

Jack sprinted. "No," he yelled with a voice so loud the snow surrounding him flew away, "dumbass!"

Their weapons clashed harshly, sending sparks flying from contact. Krampus' fag bashed into Jack's head, forcing the frozen man back. In return, he thrusted his weapon into Krampus' arm.

The goat demon chuckled, then engulfed his hand in black flames. He waved it over the crystal and sighed. "Listen," Krampus started after flicking the broken shards from his fur, "as much as I love playing around, I have shit to do." The fag dropped behind him as he smothered Jack's face with his scorching touch.

After an eternity of silence, he finally released the screams Krampus wanted to hear. Those sweet cries of pure agony sent a wave of excitement up his tingling spine. Krampus kept his hands on the soldier's body and squeezed until they fell to the ground. Even then, he wouldn't let go; if he did, he would lose. Instead, he hovered over Jack, who was unable to order help from the snowmen even if he wanted to, whispering, "Does it hurt? I'll be real quick."

His knees pressed on Jack's stomach when he laughed again. He dug his nails into his old friend's cheeks, smiling at the blood slipping down his fingertips. "I told you to get out of my way, now look what happened." Krampus breathed out a shaky snicker while Jack's once cobalt coat of armor turned white before melting away.

Jack gripped the goat demon's fur, but only managed to tug a few strands off. He attempted to kick him off in vain. His strength was gradually depleting with each layer of his frozen skin that dissolved into the snow. His lungs were strained, as Krampus had been strangling him for awhile now. Even so, he croaked out one sentence: "Kick his ass."

Krampus froze; not only mentally but physically. His eyes returned to their usual stoic gaze while Jack's breath. The fire pulsing through his veins transferred to Jack and to him, the coldness of the Arctic. They were both exhausted, neither bothering to argue any longer. He wiped his face, then stared at the hand now covered in frost. "I will."

By then, Jack's face distorted beyond compare. His eyes slid down the sides of his face until they reached the snow, dissolving into water along with the rest of his body. His laughter lowered to whispers, then nothing. Steam and tattered blue clothes were the only remaining evidence of his existence.