Chapter 3

"Okay I finally decided that you were right. If I want to free from the cage I have to climb into it, dualize, and grab the key." Elise said.

"Wow gee and it only took three hours to finally realize that." Illia said in a sour tone.

Elise frowned seeing Illia was pretty ticked. After all no one would be happy from being stuck in a cage for three hours. Elise grabbed onto the chain and looked up. She estimated that Reala had put the cage at least fifty feet off the ground. Taking a deep sigh the began the long climb up the chain. Elise begin to pant as the climb began to get exhausting once she was eighteen feet off the ground. Her hands were aching with pain but she refused to let go. One because she knew she had to reach Illia and two because she didn't want to fall from such a tall height. After a few minutes she finally reached the cage. While she was climbing into the cage Illia was exmaining her hand with out her glove. When she saw Elise climbing into the cage Illia panicked and quickly slipped back her glove back on her hand.

"Okay know what do we do?" Elise asked.

"Now we dualize." Illia answered while holding out her hand. "Just touch my hand and you'll see what I mean."

Elise wasn't sure at first but finally she convinced herself it was okay. As soon as she touched Illia's hand a bright light flashed before her eyes. She squeezed them shut from how bright it was. When she opened her eyes she begin to panic she was transparent.

"Ahh! I'm a ghost!" she screamed.

"You are not ghost." Illia groaned. "We are daulized. We control each other's bodies now."

Elise blinked a few times before moving her arm and seeing Illia did too. Finally everything clicked in her mind.

"Now let's get the key." Illia smirked.

They flew over to the Goodles and they began to panic when they saw Illia. Finally they took off in all sorts of directions. Illia shook her head with the smirk still on her face. She was a about to take off until she was stopped by Elise. She was still worried about NiGHTS. Illia rolled her eyes with the smirk never leaving her face. Elise usually doesn't want friends because she fears in the end they'll hurt her. But deep down she felt she could trust NiGHTS. That she was too kind to hurt other's feelings. Illia on the other hand still made Elise feel uneasy. Also she could never shake the feeling that she saw Illia before.

"Can we go get the key know?" Illia asked.

Elise lowered her head and answered "Yes but... NiGHTS."

Illia placed a hand on Elise's transparent shoulder causing Elise to put her transparent hand on Illia's shoulder since they were dualized.

"Don't worry about NiGHTS. She'll be fine. Believe me."

"But won't she want us to find her soon?"

"Trust me NiGHTS doesn't want to be found for a long and I mean long while." Illia smirked.

Back in the hidden area of Memory Forest NiGHTS was lying on the ground with Reala next to her. She smiled softly as she gazed into Reala's eyes. He gladly returned it and did the same with NiGHTS' eyes. She caressed the side of his face with her . NiGHTS tugged on her vest as she was trying to think of what to say. Finally she thought up something.

"I can't believe you did that." NiGHTS said.

"I still can't believe I did it either." Reala replied.

"Wizeman forbid nightmaren to well you know. Yet you did it with me anyway."

"I know. But it was worth it."

After he said that he slowly brushed NiGHTS' cheek with the back of his hand again. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her on the cheek. Even though he was the most loyal nightmaren to Wizeman turns out he's willing to break some rules for NiGHTS. He traced the gold linings on her red vest with his index finger. NiGHTS sighed wishing her moment with Reala would never end but she knew eventually she would have to go back to Elise and Reala would have to report back to Wizeman. Reala was aware of this as well but the two decided to stay together for a few more minutes.

Back with Eric and Derek they had already went through Owl's long speech and were now in Derek's first dream world. His dream world has a snowy mountain up in the sky. Nightopians were on skis and sleds as they went down the mountain. When they would reach the bottom there they landed on a ski lift to take them back to the top of the mountain for them to slid back down again.

"This reminds me of my family went on a ski trip." Derek said in a happy voice.

"It does now?" Eric asked with interest.

"Yeah. Me and my dad would race each other done the hill. I always had a good time." Derek trailed off at the end.

"Well the nightopians are having a race so why don't you enter." Eric suggested.

"Really!"

"Sure and I'll help. Daulize with me and I'll help you win the race. Just touch my hand and we'll start."

Derek nodded and touched Eric's hand. Just like before with Elise and Illia the two instanly dualized with each other. Eric reached into his pocket and pulled out a black persona with white fur on it and silver jewels.

"How's that going to help us win?" Derek asked.

"You'll see." Eric answered as he placed on the persona.

With in an instant Eric took the shape of a white polar bear with black markings and a silver vest. The same persona was over his eyes even as a polar bear. Derek was surprised that the persona gave Eric that ability. The took their starting place at the starting line. With in an instant the race started. Eric zoomed past the other competetors since he was a polar bear and they fast when they slid down mountains on their stomach. Derek laughed as he felt the wind race through his hair. No one was able to catch the duo at all. After a couple of super fun minutes Derek and Eric crossed the finish line in 1st place. Eric pulled off the persona and changed back to normal.

"That was amazing!" Derek exclaimed.

"Eh I do it almost all the time." Eric replied.

"Who ever made that persona must be awesome!"

Eric frowned and replied "Just because someone makes something great doesn't mean they are great."

Derek knew instantly that Eric had a strong disliking of whoever made that persona. Derek knew how he felt. Most kids on his rugbee team seemed cool and had aesome stuff they would be a bunch of guys that would say that they are stronger than everyone. Derek always was scared that they me right about him being weak. In fact he feared the thought of everyone being stronger than him. He was only twelve and wasn't that strong. Everyday he would always go and pick a fight to prove he was stronger but in the end he would always lose and the kids would mock and tease him about it. Even though his dad would tell him there was another way to be strong Derek would never listen. His nightmares were created by the fear that he was too weak. Too weak to do anything great in the world.

Derek was snapped out of his thoughts when Eric tapped him on the shoulder.

"Come on let's go look for your ideya." Eric said while giving a wink at Derek.

Illia and Elise finally got the last key from the last goodle. Illia laughed to herself as she unlocked the cage. Elise was relived that the cage problem was out of the way but soon they had to deal with another. They heard a rustling noise from the grass. Illia grit her teeth and took a fighting stance which caused Elise to do the same since they were still dualized. Out from no where appeared a giant pink spider wearing victorian wear and a crown. Elise shrieked in horror at the sight of the pink spider.

Illia rolled her eyes and said "Oh please. Wizeman is wanting to catch me and he sends a level two nightmaren. Ha! Everyone knows I can easily beat you Bella."

"That's Queen Bella!" she snapped.

Elise was terrified of spiders so this didn't make her feel comfortable at all. Elise tried to run away but she got a death glare from Illia.

"Don't you dare run cause that'll cause me to run since we're dualized!" she snapped.

"Still have a strong dislike of visitors I see!" Bella laughed.

"Oh shut up Bella!"

"That's Queen Bella! Queen Bella!"

Illia rolled her eyes at the nightmaren. Bella made her metal web platforms appear and leapt up on the third level platform. She shot her web balls at Illia which she easily stopped. Illia let out a yawn before drill dashing the web ball at the platforms Bella was on. Bella quickly jumped back before the platforms she was on was destroied by the web ball. This time she shot three all at once at Illia. With a smirk on her face Illia created three giant crystals and slung them at the web balls causing them to fly in the direction they came from. With a look of panic on her face Bella took a giant leap to the next platform.

"I'm surprised that your boyfriend isn't here." Bella smirked.

"Eric is not my boyfriend! We're just friends!" Illia snapped.

Elise was curious of who Eric was but her thoughts were bursted by seeing a lava rock was heading for them. Elise knew Bella must have shot it because she would know that Illia would be to busy arguing with her to notice.

"Illia watch!" Elise yelled as she made Illia's body quickly catch the lava rock.

Illia was shocked even as Elise drill dashed the lava rock back at Queen Bella. She jumped onto the remaining platform.

"You will never beat me!"

"Is that right now?" a voice from behind said.

Bella turned around to see NiGHTS drill dashing into her and knocking her into the lava.

"NiGHTS!" Elise exclaimed with joy as she and Illia undualized.

NiGHTS flew down to them with a smirk on her face.

"Bella is always too easy to beat." she said.

"Ha! All level two nightmaren are easy to beat." Illia smirked.

Elise looked over toward the lava.

"Is she gone now?" she asked.

"Yes but she will be back." NiGHTS answered.

Elise nodded in understandment. If Bella came back this time she would be ready for them. Illia had a smirk on her face to show NiGHTS that she knows exactly what happened between her and Reala. NiGHTS gave Illia a glare to show her to stay out of it. Just then they heard insane laughing.

"No! Please not him." Illia groaned.

They turned around to see a nightmaren with a orange cape, orange shoes, gloves, an orange hat with two horns that went upward from his head and at the end curved toward his face. He had no body but he had two red eyes and a twisted grin where his face would be.

"Jackle." Illia and NiGHTS groaned in unision.

"Aw so you do remeber my name." Jackle laughed.

"I was hoping you would be dead by now." Illia groaned.

"Don't be like that especially when I have a trick up my cape." Jackle smirked.

Just then he pulled out an ace of diamonds cards and threw it at Elise. It opened a hole in the ground. Elise fell into it while she screamed.

"Elise!" NiGHTS yelled as the hole closed up.

Jackle laughed as he said "Ace of diamonds creates portals."

"Oh sure now you learn how to make portals." Illia said in a sarcastic tone. "It took you eighteen years for you to finally learned it while me, NiGHTS, Reala, and Eric learned it in one day."

Jackle glared at Illia saying "You better take that back."

Illia formed a smirk on her face which made Jackle's glare go away.

"You know what was one of the things me and my cousin Reala shared in common?"

Jackle shook his head nervously.

"We both loved hitting the crap out of you."

Jackle gulped, knowing what Illia was planning to do. NiGHTs was laughing when she knew what Illia was going to do.

Elise opened her eyes to see she wasn't in her dreamworld anymore. Now she was in a nightopa that looked like it was underwater. Fish was swimming all over the place. Elise breathed in seeing that in this nightopia she could breathe under water. Elise was trying to figure where she was until she heard something. She turned to she a twelve year old girl with blond hair in a pony tail, blue eyes. She was wearing a white blouse, pink dress jacket, a black skirt with black tights underneath, and brown shoes on her feet. She extended a hand out to Elise and helped her up.

"Hello. Who would you might be?" she asked.

"I'm Elise. And you are?" Elise said.

"My name is Helen." she replied in a happy voice.