Chapter 4: DAiZ of NiGHTS

"Welcome, Dialla to Nightmare." Wizeman said in a voice meant to be taunting and somewhat creepy.

Dialla was frozen, she couldn't believe how BIG he was. He never seemed this intimidating in the games before. She summoned up the courage to speak to the intimidating ruler of dark dreams. "W-why am I here?" she asked, flinching when the monstrous hands slowly flew toward her and began to circle her. The eyes stared unblinking which sent shivers up her spine.

"Do you fear me, child?" the deep voice asked.

"N-no, I always stutter and freeze up in the presence of pure evil." She may be terrified but like her mother she was never too put out for sarcasm. The dark lord seemed to feed off of her fear as he chuckled.

What's happening? NiGHTS is for real? Why am I here? Aren't I supposed to be chasing that purple light right about now?

Dialla's head whipped around at the three pairs of eyes on her but they all kept moving. "What do you want from me?" She finally asked, figuring that she was brought here for a reason.

"All I need you to do is stand still", Wizeman said, and Reala backed up a bit.

Dialla tried to run, to move, something to get her away but her limbs became so heavy. She heard about this from Polla and Kitty. Whenever they had a nightmares and something was chasing them or they had to run their bodies in the dream would move so slowly as if they were submerged in molasses, or time for them slowed down incredibly. Then she noticed the little streams of white sparkles approaching her. Where did those things come from?

One landed, lightly, on the back of her hand, and she could move again. Immediately, she tried to brush it off, but it was permanently stuck there. More sparkles poured in from either side of the area, rushing to congregate around her.

"What's going on?" She whimpered. Millions of little particles of light were wrapping themselves around her body...they were rapidly consuming her bare feet and crawling up her pants legs.

"St-Stop it!" she yelled, stumbling to the floor, desperately trying to shake off the little lights eating at her body. "Stop!"

But they didn't listen. They continued to wrapped around her back, then closed in around his arms. There were too many sparkles now for her to even see clearly. Then, at last, they began to close, surging up from her waist, and down from her head. She'd be completely encased.

"What is this?" she cried out instead. "What's happening to me?" But, of course, there was nobody to answer him.

Dialla squeezed her eyes shut as the light began to eat away at her face.

"Gyyaaaaaaah!" she screamed out as the particles at last covered her entire head. It burned like she'd just emerged in a vat of rubbing alcohol. Her body felt like it was being squeezed and pulled in every which way. She dropped to the ground and writhed. Desperately, trying to tear herself out of them, but it was no use. And finally, they closed completely over her chest.

The terrible burning sensation flared up again, even more piercing, and it only lasted a few more seconds, before, mercifully, the light began to gently fade out again and left her, shaking on the mirror floor.

Dialla held perfectly still and waited until the very last prickles of the searing light had gone before she chanced to open her eyes again. Standing up shakily, her eyes caught her reflection on the floor and gasped as large purple marble eyes stared back.

She didn't recognized herself at all. She wasn't human anymore. Her head was now a sphere with a bright yellow jester's hat that, when she felt it, was a part of her head. Twin horns protruding out curled down then flipped up at the ends. She felt at the mask on her face, blinking those large eyes when her fingers felt skin, instead of mask materials. The mask was painted on, like butterfly's wings, in cyan and lilac hues with white sparkles around her eyes.

Her hands moved down, fingering the yellow ribbon around her white collar, and then pulling at the brass buttons on the richly patterned purple vest. Over the vest was a Gumby green coat with gold trim and a fuchsia patterned lining, it was buttoned at her middle by a single button shaped like a four sided diamond. Pants that matched her yellow cap covered her spaghetti legs and purple boots trimmed also in gold adorned her feet that had grown in size. A emerald star gem was encrusted on the shin of each boot.

"I look like Mardi Gras threw up on me." She said to herself. It was true, every part over her was in different shades of gold, purple, or green; with acceptation of white for the undershirt. Even her nails were painted a light violet.

Reala's snickered brought her out of her daze. She looked up at Wizeman. "Why me?"

"You will replace the one who betrayed me."

NiGHTS. "B-but why me?

"I have my reasons. From now on, your name is DAiZ."

Days... or Daze? "Um… How do you spell that?"

"D-A-i-Z."

"Oh…Cool. Uh…I... have another question..."

"Yes?"

"Didn't you and Nights and Reala and all the other nightmaren die?"

"My dear child... dreams never die, as long as we exist in the dreams and nightmares of humans."

"So, that's how it works... does that mean as long as you have had communication with a visitor, you have the chance at being... immortal?"

Dialla, or as she was now called, "DAiZ", was beginning to think this idea of being "trapped" here as a nightmaren wasn't so bad. She thought about it, it was actually pretty cool. But how long will it last? And what about her friends? Polly and Kitty. If she did restore Wizeman to his full strength would he send her back or keep her here?

"How long am I going to stay in the dream world?"

"As long as needed... I may even have use for you after you are sent back to the waking world."

"What about my body? What will happen to it?"

"Your physical form will remain unchanged. Appearing as only asleep and you will awaken once I have no use of you."

But what about the time? What if I'm asleep for weeks. My mom is in debt as is without hospital bills for a comatose daughter to add to the mix.

Wizeman droned on about how she was to remain loyal and there punishments for betrayal were dire. Blah blah blah.

What's to become of me?