NiGHTS loved the many Nightopias each Ideya carrying Visitor brought in. The vast lands gave way for hours upon hours of fun and exploration even after the Visitor returned to his or her own world. So while it was sad the Visitors were gone, their bright Ideyas still left their beautiful visions of paradise intact. It also gave Nights something to do during the long daylight hours until the next Visitor came around. Today, Nights visited a Nightopia that had lasted over a decade.
"He still held on to his dreams," she said with a smile as she went through the door back to the Dream Gate. She expected the usual sight of Owl talking to the empty space in front of him. Nights loved it when Owl did that when a Visitor was around. They always thought the old bird was crazy at first until Nights, eventually, explained that Owl was talking to the invisible creature who now lived at the Dream Gate.
Nights gasped and froze at what she saw. Instead of Owl resting peacefully on his perch, he was encased in a barrier bubble. Chains and random spots of paint hanging in midair meant the invisible creature had also been caught. Their captor sat on an edge of the fountain in the middle of the plaza. His arms and legs crossed obviously waiting for Nights' return. Reala had taken her friends hostage.
A dreadful and ominous scene if all three of them weren't fast asleep and snoring.
Nights sighed. "Really now." She didn't think she was gone that long that Reala had time to do all this and then became so utterly bored he dozed off. She flew over to check on Owl and the invisible creature who also got tired of waiting for her. They seemed okay and Nights didn't want to risk waking Reala up by waking them up. Reala... Ever since he popped back into Nights' life, he kept coming by almost every week with a new scheme for her demise.
Surprisingly, Nights actually didn't feel anger towards Reala for these attempts. In her heart, she still felt guilty that he had suffered because of Wizeman's defeat by her hands. However, guilt or not she would allow him to hurt her, or more importantly her friends, for his blood feud. How dare he capture her friends! She was understanding when he came after her, but her friends? She wanted to beat the tar out of him right this moment!
Yet, she was unsure if that would get Reala to release them from their Captures and who knew how long it would be before a Visitor with an Ideya came by the Dream Gate. Nights, as someone who got captured rather easily, knew how frustrating the experience could be. Thinking about that irritation, Nights figured out how to deal with this problem. Besides, if this idea didn't work she could always go back to Plan A which was beating the daylights out of Reala.
Reala had planned an early morning attack on Nights' companions for the lack of Visitors. An Ideya carrying Visitor would ruin his latest scheme. That accursed Nights always seemed to have one or two Visitors, plus the old owl and that invisible thing helping. Why not eliminate that complication and take them out of the equation? Just the two of them: Him and Nights. Not to mention if Nights became desperate and tried that blasted murder-suicide stunt, he had hostages to prevent it.
Admittedly, capturing a teleporting bird and someone he couldn't even see presented a bigger conundrum then he excepted, Reala nonetheless got the job done. It took longer than expected too, but Nights had not came back. Noon came yet Nights had not. Reala reasoned at least he was resting in preparation for their upcoming battle in which Nights would lose. Yes. Soon Nights would be here and he would end this. Soon. Very soon.
Reala awoke with a jolt. Had he been sleeping? No! What if Nights had came back? He looked around. The bird and thing remained in their Captures. "Good," he muttered.
"Good evening to you too, Reala."
Reala whipped his head around. Nights. He moved to attack but was met with resistance. He looked down to find himself confined in a pink and purple beanbag chair. "Arh!" he screamed as he struggled against the constraint that happened to be Nights' transformed body.
"While I don't have your power to conjure up items, Reala, I do have my shape shifting to fall back on."
"Let me out!"
"Not until you let Owl and the invisible creature go first," Nights told Reala who just screamed at her response. "It's not fun being captured is it?" Reala continued struggling. He tried to claw, kick and bite Nights but to no avail. The noise woke up Owl and the invisible creature who could only look as Nights held her grip on Reala. He continued to thrash about until he felt his energy go low.
"You're dead," he told Nights between breaths.
"Yes. Yes. So you tell me every week." Reala growled at Nights comment. "Look, Reala. I don't want to keep you trapped in here anymore then you want to be trapped. Why don't you just release my friends and we'll go back to just fighting each other. Please don't involved them."
Reala's face contorted in disgust. "Me not involve them? They're the ones who keep interfering."
"Can you really blame them? You're not exactly the nicest person and they like me."
"Enough of this useless chitchat. Release me now and we'll settle this the old fashioned way." He couldn't wait to sink his claws into Nights even in his tired state.
"No."
"No?"
"Not until you release my friends. If you don't, I'll just keep you here and you can see how boring it is to be stuck in a Capture of some sort."
"Oh no." Reala's tone dipped with sarcasm. "I'll be stuck here all evening. What ever will I do?" he continued. "How will I ever report back to Master Wizeman? Oh. Wait. I can't. You destroyed him."
"Alright, fine. Wizeman is gone but don't you have the other Nightmarens to command?"
Reala sneered. "How nice of you to say your creator is gone with such a casual tone. And for your information, those third ranks act on their own accord. They don't take orders from me."
"They don't?" Nights pondered this.
"Like I need them." Reala scoffed. He didn't want to admit those lower ranked Nightmarens didn't even give him the time of day.
"So, who do you talk to during the week?"
"As if I need someone to collaborate with."
"Really?" Nights asked sympathetically. "You have no one to talk to?"
"Do you really ask this many questions?"
"I just had no idea you were alone." Nights felt sadden by this news. Not only sad but guiltier because this was an indirect result of her actions. "Hey, I know!" Her voice chirped up. "How about this, free my friends from their Captures and we all can have an adventure together?"
"Oh, but what is an adventure without a proper villain, Nights? I do enjoy my role rather well. It's a role you forgot a long time ago."
"I never forgot; I just never fulfill that role." Silence followed after Nights' statement. She began to rethink her Capture strategy, but her thoughts kept going back to pity for Reala. Something else crossed her mind. "I just realized something." Nights turned to look over to her friends. "Little one?" she called to the invisible creature.
"Mm. I'm just listening."
Nights called over to Owl next. "Owl, you've been rather quiet too."
Owl pointed around him indicating the barrier and threw his wings up in frustration. Nights saw Owl's beak moving but she couldn't hear any sounds coming out. Owl's Capture was sound proof from the inside. "Reala..." Nights voice was low.
Reala smirked. He awaited Nights' accusations of the Capture he left the old timer in. He wanted to feel Nights' hate.
"That is the best idea you've ever had!"
Wait. What? Reala turned his head to see Nights happily smiling.
"I mean not only did you make a brilliant Capture to prevent his teleportation, but you also found a way to keep him quiet! That is such a wonderful idea!"
Reala was speechless. He expected anger and venom not compliments. Owl also could not believe what he was hearing.
"You like...?" Reala shook his head. "You're just saying that."
"No, Reala. I mean it," Nights continued. "Do you realize how hard is it to find peace and quiet with the old bird squawking on and on." The old bird sent Nights a dirty look as she kept on praising Reala's accomplishment.
"Stop it," Reala said playfully. He really didn't want Nights to stop.
"You should be proud."
Reala turned away from Nights. "I did place a great deal of effort in that Capture design."
"You can defiantly see that!" What Nights did not see, however, was Reala smiling at that moment.
"Nights," the invisible creature spoke up. "How can you say such nice things about something that is keeping Owl captive?"
"Nothing wrong with appreciating fine craftsmanship when you see it."
Reala's face felt hot, but he liked the feeling. He waited patiently for more positive comments about himself as Nights and the invisible creature carried on their conversation. He scowled indignantly as time passed and Nights' attention didn't turn back to him.
"For someone who complains about the old timer's lectures, you seem to chatter away like an old hen, Nights," Reala mocked. Owl nodded his head in agreement.
"Hmpf! Well, I would be happily flying around the Dream Gate if someone hadn't taken my friends prisoner.
"Oh..." the invisible said sadly. "You wouldn't be talking to me?"
"I'm not saying that." Nights sighed. "I'm just saying mean old Reala here has us all cooped up."
"Didn't seem to think I was so mean when I shut the bird up."
"Yes, here I give you a compliment and you insult me in your next breath."
"Oh dear. Poor Nights. An insult? Did I hurt your feelings?" Reala kept up his ridicule. "Forgive me for that. I mean, I insulted you? Here you destroy our Master and I have the gall to insult you."
"Argh!" Nights groaned in frustration. "You really think I wanted to? I wanted to destroy my creator? No! He left me with no choice."
Reala scoffed. "If Master Wizeman wanted you dead, you should have submitted to your fate like all the others."
"It wasn't about that. By that time, I knew my life was forfeit. My little 'game' of 'keeping alive' was over, but those dreams... How could I ever allow such beautiful dreams to be destroyed? That's why I chose to fight Wizeman." Nights paused for a second and her voice became calmer. "We should have been destroyed too, Reala, but by a miracle we're still alive. We should be enjoying life; not trying to hurt each other."
"Hurting you is the only way I can enjoy life. What else do I have? As you pointed out, Nights, I have nothing. I'm alone." Reala's confinement shifted and the clutch on him tighten. The hold, however, was not of animosity but rather of empathy and good will.
"You don't have to be alone," Nights told Reala as she hugged him, her head resting gently on top of his.
The moment was too soon broken up by laughter coming from outside the Dream Gate. The startled Nights and Reala immediately looked at the entrance way but saw no one.
"Who's there?" Reala yelled out into the darkness.
To be continued.