By the time the bell rang to signal that his day was over, Krampus was exhausted. Sweat beads rolled down his face and fur. The more time he spent down there the more he longed to return to the bleak cold of the South Pole. The prince wiped his forehead, grateful that he could finally leave.

He had finally completed his duties, yet his chest tightened at the suffering the elves must've felt in the everlasting heat. Being exposed to this much heat was agonizing since they never saw the sun as much as Krampus and the king did. The only things that the prince could offer them were ice cream and a cup of cold water from the lobby as he checked each floor.

It should've been nothing for him to run up and down the steps. But with so little sins to devour, Krampus was burdened by exhaustion as he packed up to go. Before, he could've lifted the cells if he wanted to, yet now he was weakened to the level from hunger. He paced to the elevator and jabbed the 'up' button to escape the boiling cauldron of a building with his tail dragging behind him.

When his bare back rested against the cool marble wall of the lift, he breathed out a ragged sigh before letting an eruption of frustration out and slamming the wall with his fist as hard as he could. "That lying bastard!" he shouted, as if his voice could tear through the skies, "He lied. He said he'd... he'd protect the town while I was gone. He promised and yet―" The goat demon sucked in a quick breath and gritted his teeth. That lying cavity-infected licorice-brained imbecile took advantage of the trust everyone, including mine, had towards him and ripped it apart.

His coal-like eyes dyed a glowing red as fury pulsed through his veins. The light tuff of fur that covered his chest crept down his back and up his neck, wrapping him in an overwhelmingly large coat of auburn.

He froze, remembering the look of utter fear that possessed his dear friend's face when he walked in. What did they do to make her so terrified? A plethora of grotesque ideas came to his mind. If any harm came to her, well, even he was afraid of what he might do. Alas, he refused to break down in front of her, as she had enough to burdens to shoulder already. He didn't need her comfort, he needed justice.

A chuckle then crept out his mouth when he was reminded of his incompetence once more. The only reason he knew what happened in Toy Town during his absence was because the king allowed him to know. He was toying with him, the prince was sure of it. Krampus would've otherwise been blinded by ignorance for an eternity on the other end of Earth.

A trickle of blood flowed down his lip, making him touch it instinctively. In doing so, Krampus cut his finger with his teeth. He let out a silent curse before watching his wounded finger heal moments after. My teeth, he noted as the elevator neared the lobby, they grew again. I need to calm down. With deep breaths he rested against the wall once more. His fur eventually retracted back into his skin with haste, his teeth sinking back to their regular state as well.

Krampus turned around to check his reflection in the wall, sighing in relief when he looked just as usual. Given, he hadn't properly seen himself in a quite awhile so he was surprised to learn that he really hadn't changed since before his judgement. He was still the finest goat demon that was blessed with his father's and mother's looks.

At the bittersweet memory of his parents, he reached up to stroke his ridged horns. Even if the elves disliked his rather devilish appearance, he would still appreciate his life. The fact that the same king who took him in when he was an orphan would carelessly take freedom away from the people who loved him as a ruler sent trembles down to his hooves.

However, he wasn't quite sure if that was the case. Vanilla could have very well been exaggerating. She always did have a knack for acting, he noted. But something about her demeanor told him otherwise. So he made it a point to head straight for the factory afterwards, as that was the area where all the elves were most likely to reside.

Krampus turned around just as a elevator came to a stop, sliding the doors open to reveal the clean, monochrome lobby dripping with elegance. After going up the back steps numerous times to get some refreshments for the parched prisoners, Krampus had already embedded the architecture of the luxurious room into his mind.

He sprinted forward with his eyes locked on the double doors. Krampus' teeth chattered from the sudden drop in temperature. The wind brushed against his body, pushing and pulling his hair and fur in everywhich direction while he ran past the various painting and furniture scattered within the lobby. Once he reached the doors, he pulled on the cream-kissed double doors without hesitation.

A burst of winter air filled his lungs when he stepped outside, his hooves numbing at the bare contact with the white surface. Krampus grimanced at the sky while the doors closed behind him. Although he was glad to finally be out of that suffocating prison, he clenched his fists at the thought of those who weren't. He remembered looking at their pitiful faces as they begged him to let them out, and their cries when Krampus could only shake his head. He hated to see hope fade from their eyes, and he would've done anything to bring it back.

Yet when he spotted the dimmly lit factory that stood near the edge of the once cozy town, he sucked in a breath. It would take days to get there on foot, the goat demon realized with grief as he kicked the snow. Wait, that's it! He exclaimed when the familiar jingle of his friend's collar clawed past his clouded thoughts to remind him of who soared above the clouds under his care only a century or two before.

"Simon!" Krampus called out as he ran, his focus on the black silhouette flying towards him. When the reindeer turned to the prince, he waved his arms. 

Simon dived to the ground in a matter of seconds with snow swooshing in his wake.

"My Lord," he began once he landed before Krampus with a bow, "how may I be of assistance?"

Krampus smiled from ear to ear while patting the reindeer's head. "I want you to take me somewhere."

"Certainly. I am grateful to have the opportunity," Simon obliged, "to accompany you to wherever you may wish to go."

At his friend's stiff behavior, he couldn't help scratching Simon's head. "I told you; no need to be so formal, really. I just need to take a quick trip to the factory and check on  the others." Surely the town couldn't be in the grave state Vanilla described it to be. Krampus had to see it for himself.

"Ah, so the girl told you about what happened." Simon's gaze lowered to the ground. "My apologies for not informing you of the current situation at your request."

"No, no, it's fine. I don't care about that." Krampus gave a bitter smile when the air caressed his shivering cheeks. "You had to follow that man's orders. Still, I can't help but criticise the supposed way he's been running the place." As Krampus prattled on about the rules he learned of while watching the prisoners, he hopped onto Simon and laid back with his tail swaying with the wind. "It's horrible down there. One of the little ones was arrested for eating cookies. Cookies, Simon! I need to help them out."

"Well," he moved his neck and shoulders around to adjust to the added weight before taking flight, "just know that although you raised me, I cannot disobey him."

"Yes, and I was raised by Santa after my parents died. How ironic that he may be punished by his own 'child.'" Krampus stared at his large, scarred hands and licked his lips. "Anyways, I don't mind. I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

Simon only bobbed his head and apologized for his words as they headed towards the factory before remaining silent. After awhile, he turned to Krampus and warned, "Hold on," before kicking his legs to move faster. 

Krampus tugged on the reindeer's thick antlers to keep steady while he changed to a more comfortable position. He was nearly blinded by the stars they sped past while wind snuck into his layers of fur and traced his skin. Burying his head into Simon's fur for warmth was a simple task, but doing so would only prove his weakness. So Krampus tightened his grip on the deer's antlers and glared at the factory emitting toxic fumes.

While Simon searched for an empty space to land, Krampus noticed how desolate and lifeless the factory looked. No one was playing in the snow or testing out new toys like before. He remembered the workshop as a colorful, vibrant place with toy planes and hot air balloons taking flight in the sky and little dolls and cars littered the snow. What happened?

It was a fun time for everyone, when the town was illuminated by laughter and lunar powered christmas lights embraced the crystal trees. Now what remained of the past was endless snow that coated the land. Everything changed, yet stayed the same.

Krampus climbed off Simon and scratched his horns against the deer's antlers before nuzzling his forehead. The action brought out a relaxed hum from the worn out prince. "Can you wait here? I'm hoping this won't take much time."

Simon's deep voice rattled when he retorted, "Of course. It is the least I can do to make up for my sins." The reindeer gave Krampus hesitant smile. But before he could utter another word, the prince's hand scratched his neck.

"Simon, I told you; it's okay. You didn't do anything wrong. But if my hunch is correct," he trailed off when his eyes landed on the bustling old factory, "it's someone's time for retirement." He then gave a small, bitter smile before running to the building.