Free: The Ideal Ally
The Nightopia changed me. My skin, to my surprise, tanned. My black colors, on the other hand, bleached to purple. I tore off my cape: I didn't need it to give myself a menacing appearance, anymore. And anyways it was too hot for this dream.
I practiced music day after day, experimenting with the keys of my invisible flute to see what sounds and tunes I could replicate. Even though I was in a Nightopia, dreamers were nowhere to be seen. I figured the owner must have been busy elsewhere.
Even though I had my flute, my life had become rather boring. Music is fun, but flying is more fun, and I wanted to be out there catching the updrafts over the mountains. I was so desperate for entertainment that I tried coaxing some Nightopians to the Ideya Palace. But as dumb as they were, they weren't dumb enough to fall for that. I couldn't even pinch their cheeks or use them for softballs.
But then, one day, something else came over the rolling hills.
It didn't have the wings or halo of a Nightopian. It was taller, and it was walking on its two legs.
A dreamer.
It was another girl. But this one had reddish—no, pink—hair pulled back in a ponytail. She wore clothes that would have helped her stay cool in the waking world, since most of her arms and legs were uncovered. From her height and body shape, I guessed she was in the teenage years—those years when they start resembling adults but are still judged too inexperienced for full independence.
Four shining globes of different colors swirled around her: Ideya, the embodiments of a dreamer's psyche. It was impressive that she had all of the typical Ideya even at adolescence. Most by her age had lost at least the white one.
I had been playing my flute, but after I saw the dreamer, I stopped to stare. There had been no one out here for the weeks I'd been in this Nightopia. What was she doing here now?
I let go of the flute and drifted to the edge of my prison to watch her more closely. She looked dazed, and she stumbled around gawking, as if this world were alien to her. It was strange that she didn't feel comfortable in her dream, especially a nice one like this. What was wrong with her?
Then I saw a red-and-white striped shell zooming in behind her. The Kircle clicked its crab claws, chuckling over what it was about to do.
If Ideya are like lamps, Nightmare is like shadows. The more Ideya the Nightmarens steal, the less light, and the more Nightmare can expand. Wizeman likes that, the power he can have over dreamers' minds by spreading his dominion. And the Kircle, as all Nightmarens, was looking forward to pleasing Wizeman with its work.
The girl looked over her shoulder and ran, but it was pointless. I could hear other Nightmarens coming.
They swarmed in, leaping out from behind the trees and bushes. Other Kircles and some legless yellow Shleep dove on the dreamer.
She screamed while they tossed her around like a beach ball. Each snagged an Ideya as they passed her. In seconds, all four were taken.
Then they dropped her flat on her back and flew away snickering. The clicking and baa-ing and laughing died out, leaving just me and the dreamer.
She rolled over and rubbed her back, groaning. "Ow."
I looked around at the Nightopia. The sun still shone, and that wonderful breeze still turned the windmills and brushed the grass. But I knew it wouldn't be that way for long. Not with the girl's Ideya gone.
I'd seen it happen to so many other Nightopias. Their light continued for a while, but in hours—at most a day—they became dark, silent, and lifeless. The Nightopians that couldn't get away were bullied or eaten by Third Levels.
And now Nightmare was going to take this world away, too.
This Nightopia looked fun. And it was going to be destroyed before I even got to play in it. It would be boring again. And cold. And dark.
I touched the red gem in my chest to stop a… chill, I suppose you could call it. Just thinking about going back to Nightmare made me sick. There was nothing I could do about it, though.
This world would die.
The light would die.
My hope would die.
The girl stood up. Her eyebrows pinched together, and at first I thought she was going to cry. That wouldn't have been unusual for someone in her shoes. But then something came out of her body, shining bright red. Oh, sweet powers above, I thought to myself, was that what I thought it was?
"You," I said.
She turned around so fast I thought she was going to trip. Staring at me across the hill, she demanded, "Who are you?"
"My name is NiGHTS," I said. I smiled in a way that I hoped looked friendly. I had no fangs, so that should have helped.
She took a cautious step forward. "What are you?"
I almost said, "a Nightmaren," but I didn't want to scare her away. "An ally," I said. "I want to help you save your dream."
"So this is a dream?"
"Yes. You know that because you're lucid dreaming. Because of your Red Ideya."
"Ideya?" She came closer.
I could use this, I thought. I could get out of the Ideya Palace by using her body. After all, the barrier was only designed to stop Nightmarens, not human dreamers.
"Parts of your heart," I explained. "They create worlds like this." I frowned for dramatic effect before continuing. "The Nightmarens took your Ideya, except for your Red one. This world will die soon if we don't get the others back."
I wondered what I'd do once I got out. I could only stay free for as long as the dreamer was asleep. Once she woke, I'd return to my prison.
"How do we get them back?" she asked. She was almost at the edge of the pagoda, now. Her eyes were pink. What a strange color.
I looked away for a moment to think. Ideya could open Ideya Palaces. If we got all of the girl's Ideya back, I could possibly be freed. But the girl didn't have the power to fight the Nightmarens on her own. She was young, (mostly) Ideya-less, and land-bound. The only option I had was…
I touched my chest again. I didn't want to, but it was the only way. I couldn't stand to stay in the Palace-or in Nightmare-forever.
I found myself turning and saying to her, "We'll have to join together. I can't leave this Ideya Palace without you, and you can't fight the Nightmarens without me."
She raised a pink eyebrow. "We'll join forces to win?"
"We will join." I held out my hand. "You and I will merge together and share a body."
The girl took a step back, scrunching up her nose. No, no, no…! Don't go! "How does that work?"
I held myself still, afraid that any movement or hint of desperation might send her running. "All you have to do is take my hand."
She was studying my face.
I begged, "Please. It's the only way."
Her forehead pinched again, but this close I could tell it wasn't from her almost crying. It was a glare of determination. Of Courage.
"Alright," she said, and stepped across into the pagoda.
I swallowed down a squeal, though I'm pretty sure I was still grinning. That's alright. I looked friendly.
She faced me and started to raise her hand towards mine. "Your name is NiGHTS?" she said.
"Yeah."
"I'm Claris."
"Pleased to meet you."
Our hands touched.
Author's Notes
I was never quite sure what the explanation was for how NiD worked. If I messed up on the lore for Ideya, the Ideya Capture, etc, please let me know D:
The next chapter will come when I get a chance to write it. I've been busy moving into a new townhouse :) See you all around!
-Penelopi
