AN: Okay, so this story holds a special place in my heart, because of all the dumb decisions I remember making in high school, I was ever so proud of having this idea. So yes, this a crossover, THREE crossovers to be exact. In high school, I wondered if I could make of story containing three of my favorite series at the time: Invader Zim, Soul Eater, and NiGHTS (both Into Dreams and Journey of Dreams). I was a genius!
This is a rewritten version if my high school writing though, which means it is ten times better!
If you're wondering why I didn't put this in the crossover section, I have two reasons: One, again, this is three crossovers, and two, I tried once, and I can guarantee you, close to no one goes to the crossover section anymore! Plus Zim, Dib, and Gaz are the main focus of this story anyway.
I'm sure a good number of you know Soul Eater already, and hopefully there are a few who know NiGHTS. It's a really good game! You really don't have to know it to understand the plot, so don't worry! Same goes for those who don't know Soul Eater!
So please, even though this is a prologue, take the time to read and enjoy!
Prologue: The Tale of the Two Kingdoms of Night
...
Maka Albarn entered the living room of her shared apartment, book in hand with a happy smile on her face.
"Okay, I got it!" she announced to three others occupying the space. First was her weapon, Soul Eater Evens, relaxing in a beanbag chair. The other was Blair, in her kitty form curling on a plush pillow next to Soul. And lastly was Crona Gorgon who sat on a pillow with a blanket wrapped tightly around their form. Tables and couches were pushed aside to make room for piles of pillows, blankets, beanbag chairs, pizza, and sodas. It was their little sleepover party whenever missions were too stressful and they wanted a day to relax and have a little fun.
Hearing Maka's voice, Soul opened a lazy eye after lightly dozing off the carbonated drinks and pizza slices. He let out a yawn and stretched his limbs.
"So, what did you say this story was about again?" he asked.
Maka sat in her own beanbag chair and held in both hands a brown hardcover book, aged with worn out edges.
"It's an old book I found in a bookstore during our mission in Europe. It's a tale about a war between two kingdoms, located in a different dimension from our world. They say it's a place where all our dreams come from."
"You mean like while we're asleep?"
"Yup. The beings in this dimension are responsible for what we see in our dreams and why they feel so real to us. Hey Crona, you remember me telling you about that, right?"
Crona perked their head up and gave a tiny nod.
"Y-yeah. One kingdom was called Nightopia… and the other was called Nightmare. R-Right?"
Maka smiled. "Correct. The land of Nightopia controls our good dreams while Nightmare controls bad dreams. This story talks about two rulers, the gods of each kingdom."
"Oooh. Sounds interesting!" Blair perks up from her laying position, attentive to hear more of the tale.
"Sounds cool enough I guess." Soul stretched once more and relaxed his back against the bean chair. "Alright Maka, I'm all ears."
The meister technician nodded and opened to the first page of the book. The page shows a portrait of the two kingdoms, one in colors of alluring white and gold, the other in ominous black and purple. Above stood the two almighty rulers, towering over their respective kingdom. Maka cleared her throat and began reading.
Since the beginning of mankind, dreams have always existed. They fuel our ambitions, our goals, our purpose, and our happiness. They also reveal our fears as well as our deepest sorrows. Legends say that these dreams come from a world far beyond our own, where our unconscious minds enter when we sleep. They call this place the Night Dimension.
The Night Dimension was ruled by two gods, deities responsible for creating our dreams. One was named Radius, the goddess of dreams. She ruled over Nightopia and was able to see what we desire most, ensuring good dreams to all who enter her realm. The other was Wizeman, a more ruthless god. He ruled the land of Nightmare and knows our deepest fears. In his realm, he makes sure nowhere is safe for our minds to be put at ease.
For eons, the Nightopians and Nightmarens have opposed one another, instigated by Wizeman who's goal was to destroy Nightopia and conquer all of the Night Dimension. Countless times he had tried to assassinate Radius, but she was always able to see through his ploys. Enraged at his failures, Wizeman declared war on the goddess, saying whoever wins would remain supreme over the realm. If she did not accept, he and his followers would come and forcefully claim her land.
Though fearful of the fate of her kingdom, Radius did not accept. Instead, she stepped into Nightmare and approached the god herself, despite the protests of her people. Surprised at her actions, Wizeman saw this as a golden opportunity to kill her once and for all.
The gods fought. The fight was said to have lasted a whole year, neither of them wanting to lose and the chaos they unleashed brought treacherous storms on both kingdoms. In the end, Radius remained victorious, but did not end Wizeman's life. She told him the reason why he lost is because as long as people desire good dreams over bad, she will always be more powerful than him. However, bad dreams are also important, she continues, for they give important lessons that'll impact a dreamer's daily life. She didn't want to kill him because his role was just as sacred as hers.
Enraptured by her words, Wizeman seized all attempts to destroy her and her kingdom. The two formed a truce, a treaty, which consisted of transferring a piece of their souls inside a vessel; one of Radius' prized weapons. The weapon would symbolize balance, equality, and peace between the kingdoms.
But sadly, this peace did not last long. One of Radius' closest subordinates, a witch, recognized the value of the treaty and sought to claim the weapon for her own selfish benefits. She betrayed Radius by planting a curse, extracting her soul from her body and dumping her carcass into the Dark Ocean, where it would rot until the body was no more. But just as the traitor was about to collect the treaty, it mysteriously vanished. And Wizeman, blinded with rage and grief of goddess' death, burned the witches' flesh and destroyed half of her soul. Before he could cease her from existence, the witch ate Radius' soul and used its power to escape the Night Dimension, and from then on, she was never seen again.
To this day, people believed the reason why we have more nightmares in our dreams is not only because of the disrupted balance in the Night Dimension, but also because of Wizeman's pained and emotional state. The Nitopia kingdom still stands, but remains vulnerable without its ruler.
As for the treaty, the weapon that holds the pieces of both Wizeman and Radius, it was never found. But all hope that wherever it may be, it is safe and away from the witches' clutches.
Maka closed the book, the sound bringing her listeners back from their stupor, hardly believing that the story had ended.
"Wait… that's it?" Soul asked.
"That's it," confirmed Maka. "What, were you expecting a happy ending?"
"N-No, of course not!" a tinge of a blush appeared on Soul's cheeks. He huffed. "You sure pick some pretty bizarre readings Maka."
"B-But… " Crona weakly spoke up. "If the goddess is gone, w-won't Nitopia eventually be destroyed?"
"Good question! The remains of Radius' power still holds Nightopia together to prevent it from falling apart. Though Wizeman does his best to make it stay that way, there's not much he could do. He can't physically enter Nightopia without his dark presence damaging it further and he doesn't allow his henchmen to enter unless it's necessary… well all except for one."
Soul raised a brow. "Huh? And who's that?"
"Not much is known about this guy, but he was once a Nightmaren who served under Wizeman, but soon abandoned his role and switched sides. He was able to gain Radius' trust before she died and because of that, made him one of her own. He now monitors Nightopia in her place and helps it continue functioning, usually by becoming a guide for small children since their minds are innocent and pure."
Maka spotted Blair curled up in her little kitty ball, fast asleep. The sight made the girl yawn, just realizing how tired she is.
"Well I guess that's enough fun for today. It's getting late," says Soul, grabbing a nearby blanket and went over to wrap it around Maka. She thanks him happily.
"Yeah, you're right. I got grocery shopping to do tomorrow." Maka shifts to a more comfortable position in the beanbag chair, lying on her side. The lights in the living room dimmed and soon everyone was settled in for a good night's rest.
"Goodnight Soul, Crona." Maka muttered softly.
"Night."
"G-Goodnight Maka…"
...
A long concrete road that stretched for miles and miles was deserted and empty, pitch black thanks to the night sky. Walking along the dirt path next to the concrete road was a lone figure, a girl, panting harshly from walking nonstop, not allowing herself to get even a minute of rest. At this hour, it's far too dangerous. She knew from experience. Until she's found a town, city, or even a gas station with an understanding store clerk, she must-
The girl yelped in pain when her leg muscles pulled again, causing her to trip and fall on her knees, a black case she carried fell next to her with a clank! She stayed still for a few seconds, easing her breathing and waiting for the pain to subside before she slowly picks herself up. She grabbed her case by the strap and placed it back around her shoulders.
She continues forward, noticing with a sense of relief that in the distance, numerous lights glowed, casting away part of the darkness of the night.
A city. A safe haven, at least for now.
Will she find what she's looking for? Not likely.
If not, she'll just stay there for a few days, find food, replenish her strength, and then travel somewhere else.
_Detroit, Michigan_
It was yet another normal night in the bustling city as the civilians of Detroit were doing their own thing, minding their business walking along the streets or driving to their destinations. Nothing out of the ordinary.
But at a nearby park, we find two young boys playing cat and mouse. However to them it's no game. The fate of the entire planet lies in whoever could overpower and defeat the other. Would be more serious if anyone gave a damn about this.
No one gave a damn by the way.
"You won't get away this time Zim!" yelled Dib, hot on the alien's tail.
"HA! Foolish Dib!" taunted Zim. "You've been saying that for five years and you still have not caught me! You may as well give up now!"
"NEVER! Not until I stop you and expose you to the world!"
As Zim said, it has indeed been five years. Five years since he set foot on planet Earth with a goal to conquer it, five years since Dib had took it upon himself to stop him. Between the two of them, this habit never changed. Even now, as they grow taller, their clothes slightly different, and also attending high school, the two were still sworn enemies that hated each other.
Having enough of the goose chase, Zim dashed out the park exit and decided to just run home. He knew the Dib would follow him there. No matter, he thought. The gnomes shall take care of him.
But as he exits through the gates, he crashes into someone. The impact causes him to fall roughly on his back. Wincing, he glanced at who would dare get in his way at his moment of escape. Turns out, it was just some homeless girl who looked to be about the same age as him (if we are counting Irken years). She wore a brown tattered sweater with sewn in patches, black leggings, beaten up sneakers, and carried a small bag and a weird black case. Her charcoal colored hair was super long, unkempt, and nearly covered her whole face. Also, she looked filthy. The sight disgusted Zim.
"Stupid filthy human! Watch where you're going!" yelled Zim and without another word, he ran off.
The girl stumbles to get up, having to use the gates for support. A second later, another person runs through. Luckily, she made sure to avoid him and silently watches the other boy frantically search the area.
'Damn it! Where is he?' Dib searched around the exit but could not find Zim. Still, the invader could not have gotten far. Someone must've seen him. Dib spots a girl close by and considering it worth a shot, he approaches her.
"Hey! Have you seen an alien run by here?" he asked.
Silence and a frown was all he got. Dib sighed.
"He's about yay big: green skin, red outfit, has a metal thing on his back. Can't miss him," he explained.
Thankfully, the girl gave a nod, a show of understanding and pointed to where she saw the guy run to.
"Thanks! Hope is still not lost for this world!" Dib says as he ran in that direction.
The girl watched him run until he was out of her sight, confused at his words, but shrugged it off and walked onwards. It's not like it was any of her business.
As she strolled, she began humming to pass the time. It was a tune she was familiar with. A tune she knew by heart. How she knew it however was a mystery to her. She had no memory of learning it. There are in fact a lot of thing she can't remember about herself and so far in her search for any helpful clues she's reached dead ends at every turn.
But she won't give up, even if she has to walk the entire earth. It's the only thing she could do.
AN: For those who are wondering, the Soul Eater universe here takes place after the events in the anime. Also, I made Crona a non-binary gender. It just fits for me.
I hope none of this is confusing anybody. This is my first three-way crossover so let me know what you think!