ACT II
Chapter 5: Adventure Awaits at DWMA!
_The Nightmare Dominion_
When taking note of NiGHTS' arrival in his lair, Jackle wasn't in the least bit surprised.
Currently, the Second Class Captain sat at his roundtable with his deck of cards strewn about in a particular order, while a teapot and plates of desserts hover in midair around him.
When you first look at him, you'd instantly take notice of his lack of a body, either he has no solid form or he's invisible like a ghost. All that could be seen is his sharp blue eyes and grinning pointy teeth while only wearing a long orange mantle, a jester hat curled forwards, gloves, and shoes.
Ever since he'd gotten the memo of Wizeman's orders, he had been expecting NiGHTS to come here.
NiGHTS was a lithe creature compered to his brother Reala, who possessed a stronger build. He wore a skintight suit in colors purple and pink with loose white sleeves, a purple jester hat, and white gloves. On his chest imbedded a red diamond-shaped jewel. While Reala's skin was ghost white (almost pale blue), NiGHTS had a healthy peach hue and the two had identical demonic blue eyes.
Wordlessly, the purple jester made his way to the empty seat across from Jackle and sat himself down. Instantly, a teacup and bowl of sugar cubes is magically set in front of him and the hovering teapot comes and fills it. Then, four sugar cubes plop into the cup and a small spoon comes to stir the tea.
"So the day finally arrives…" Jackle grins at the deck in his hand. "And it's been 300 years."
Already feeling anxious, NiGHTS takes the cup and gives a long sip. The herbs calm him some, but not enough. He sets it down.
"Is it true?" he says finally. "Is she really…"
"It's unconfirmed at the moment," the conjurer explains. "But a witch targeting every demon weapon that exists is enough to be suspicious, don't you think?"
The purple jester's fingers tighten around the cup.
"That's why Master Wizeman wants you to retrieve the weapon from its hiding spot in the Visitor World. That should be simple enough." It was only then Jackle raised his eyes from his cards to face NiGHTS. "Except it isn't."
The Nightmaren across from him remained silent. Jackle's grin twists to a frown.
"At this point, I'm afraid you can't keep this secret from him any longer, and you know it," the elder presses. "I covered for you and Radius even though it went against my standing as a Class Captain. The best and safest option you have now is bringing the weapon back here and telling Master Wizeman the truth."
"I know..." NiGHTS breathes slowly. "I know. I vowed to be prepared for this, should the day arrive."
Jackle nods and takes a sip of his own cup of tea. His wide grin returns. He then asks, "So tell me NiGHTS, what did you do with the child?"
_Welcome to Nevada_
A lone gas station sat beside an empty deserty road filled with nothing but sand, rocks, and heat. Inside the mini market resides only one employee, a middle-aged man who would rather be anywhere else but here if he were to be honest. Throughout the years he's spent working in this gas station, the man has met, seen, and experienced a lot of strange things, and a lot of strange people. He could say that he's gotten used to it by now, but the truth of the matter is, whenever people come into his store, they were always far from normal, and he's getting rather sick of it.
For once, he would just like a break.
An oncoming blue vehicle, in a design he's never seen before in his life, nearly crashes onto the station lot followed by a purple one looking just as odd. Either the man was seeing things or they both came from the sky.
Before he could contemplate what he just saw, the door was brutally kicked open, making the man cower behind the counter. He peeks to see a young teenage girl with violet hair wearing a goth-punkish outfit, and she was damp with sweat.
"I swear, if I don't see a cable charger in here, the sorry employee will receive nothing but pain and misery…" he hears her say in a menacing tone.
Lucky for him, he did have a variety of cable chargers to his right. He points a shaky finger to that area. Wordlessly, the sweaty girl heads there.
"STUPID FILTLY EARTH SUN!" Another person barges in… and he is by far the oddest looking person the man has ever seen. The boy in green skin raises his fists to the sky. "CURSE THIS HEAT! CURSE IT I SAY!"
"Will you shut up already?!" A taller boy in glasses walks in and thankfully he looks normal… if his head weren't so big. Behind him was a fairly normal-looking girl, except she's wearing strange red-lensed goggles over her eyes. On her head lay a green plush-looking dog, and… is that a flying tiny moose?
The man rubs his eyes and blinks a few times.
Sadly, his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.
"This trip would've been SO much simpler if you had agreed for us to stop and stay at a hotel, like we planned!" The speckled boy continues, grabbing 12-packs of water and soda. "But nooo, last night we had to camp out in the heat because of you!"
"For your information Dib-stink," the green boy yells back. "Never again do I want to share the same room with you! EVER! I'd rather submerge myself in acid water covered in meat!"
"And I'm not risking you having your own room! Someone needs to keep an eye on you in case you're plotting some evil scheme again! And there's no way I'm letting you room with either Gaz or Rev!"
"Pfft, as if the idiot could try anything." The violet girl snorts and rips open the pack of soda. She downs it quickly.
"YOU DARE MOCK ME?! I could have you and the Rev-human immobilized under my will! There would be no mercy!"
"Do you not realize what you're saying? If anyone heard that, your ass would be put to jail!"
"…huh?"
The speckled boy sighs tiredly, rubbing the bridge of his nose in defeat.
Meanwhile, the dark-skinned girl was off collecting snacks.
"Mmmm… I'll take that one… and that one- Oh! And dose. I like dose… aaannnd…" the green dog talks and the girl takes the snack items one buy one. The ones she couldn't reach, she gets help by the flying toy moose.
Soon the group of four teens present themselves at the counter, with two 12-packs of drinks (one of them opened), piles of snacks, a Game Slave MX battery charger, and ice cream bars.
"Here you go sir," the big-headed boy hands him a black card. The green boy, scary violet girl, and even the talking dog and moose were already gorging on the snacks before they could get paid. At least the other girl was patient.
Too stunned to speak, the middle-aged employee just takes the card, swipes it, and hands it back. The boy raises a brow, but shrugs and leaves with the rest of the group.
Once they were out of sight in those strange contraptions, the lone employee falls back on his chair. Now he's sure he's seen everything.
"I need a vacation…"
Days before…
"So what exactly is there in Nevada?"
The group of four return to the city, not long after dealing with the clerk-turned-pig monster. They all gathered at the dining table of the Membrane household. Dib was the first to start the discussion, his wounds long since cleaned and patched up and, luckily, didn't need stiches. But no doubt there will be scars that will probably be permanent.
"There's a city," Gaz begins, typing away in her laptop. "Specifically, a school that specializes in fighting Kishin Egg monsters."
She turns the computer over to them. Zim, Dib, and Rêver lean close to read the web page title.
"Death Weapon Meister Academy?" Dib reads aloud. "What's a meister?"
"Any person able to wield a demon weapon. That title goes to Zim. Seeing souls and tracking them is one ability a meister can possess."
"So this is normal on your planet?" the invader asks.
"I wouldn't go as far as to saying that's normal," says Dib. "The whole thing is still pretty bizarre."
"So do you think the members of the academy will help us?" asks Rêver.
"We don't have any other option. And besides, the headmaster, who calls himself Death, states that the academy will accept any meister or weapon and enroll them for training." Gaz linking her fingers together and resting her chin on them. "So here's what we'll do, we go to Death City and have Zim and Rev enroll into the academy. Then, we can try to gather as much information as we can as to who we're dealing with-"
"HOLD IT!" Zim abruptly stands, surprising everyone. "Zim did not agree to attend another putrid Earth-school! Why should I anyway?!"
"Well, as much as I would love to not accept this as well Zim, you're the only meister we got, so it can't be helped," says Dib. "And since we're likely to be facing more Kishin Egg monsters in the future, it's crucial for you to learn how to fight them."
"FOOLISH EARTH-BOY! Zim has undergone years of intense Irken military training, long before any of you were born! I don't need to learn how to fight! My superior brain and advanced technology will surpass all my enemies!"
…
…
…
At the silence, Zim narrows one eye at all their blank stares.
"What?"
"Zim, not even your Irken mech was able to put down that pig beast we faced," Dib points out. "I doubt any of your other inventions would work differently. And I highly doubt your 'Irken military training' prepared you for using demon weapons and gaining powers that allows you to see souls. Not only that, but there's probably even more to becoming a meister than just knowing those two things."
"He's right Zim," Rev says next, standing to reach Zim's height. "We were lucky to defeat that monster, but that's really all it was, just pure luck. If I hadn't recalled something from the past, I never would've connected our souls and that conversation never would've taken place. Things probably would've ended differently…"
She faces Dib and Gaz. "That was when we were kind of motionless. I suddenly remembered something, though it was a bit splotchy. When I was little, someone was teaching me about meisters and weapons, and how they should fight. I was told that the key role to it is for their souls to have a sort of connection, that way the meister and weapon can act as one unit rather than two separate beings."
"Wow…" Dib says in awe. "That's sounds cool… yet really complicated."
Rêver nods. "It was all very new to me, but that the same time very familiar, so I didn't have much trouble calling to Zim spiritually. It was then I understood what he was seeing and what he was feeling. There was a powerful force emitting from the beast none of us would have sensed because only Zim could. Other than seeing souls, he could also sense the energy wavelengths from them. Obviously, the energy from the beast was negative and it caused Zim to lose focus. I remember that type of energy was called Madness and that it can be contagious if powerful enough."
Dib leans back in his chair, eyes closed, trying to process this. "So obviously there's lot to this stuff we don't know anything about."
"All the more reason we should go to Death City. And Zim, like it or not, you are getting enrolled into the academy. All your teachings on Irk no longer apply to this and will not help you in any way. Is that clear?" The look in Gaz's amber eyes dared Zim to go against her.
Zim tries not to show fear though, crossing his arms and not looking at her directly as he expresses his displeasure with a frown. Still, he could see the odds are against him. Attending this school will help him learn about a concept of this planet he's never before discovered, and perhaps developing these new skills will help him with world conquer, as well as destroy whoever is trying to take that from him. He nods.
"Fine. Zim will comply to your terms… for now."
...
"Hmmmmmmm…"
Stein and Spirit arrive in the Death Room in time to see their boss pondering in that unique way he does. The death god was facing his attention to his mirror, tilting his cloaked body side to side comically as he continues to mull over his thoughts.
"Hmmmmmmmmmmm…."
"Is something the matter Sir?" Spirit speaks up.
"Oh hello Spirit! Stein! I didn't notice you stopping by!" Death gives them a wave with his foam-like hand. He then goes back to the mirror. "I was just taking notice of a few arrivals coming this way. Their method of transportation is rather interesting."
The two were close enough to peer at the mirror and see what he was talking about. In the skies were two aircrafts, small to fit at least three people and oddly designed. It is definitely something neither of them ever seen before.
"Do you think they pose a threat to the academy?" Stein asks.
"I'm not sure, but that's not my main problem."
Spirit looks to him quizzically. "Then what is it?"
"Inside those ships I sense four souls total," Death explains. "Three of them are human. However the fourth one…"
"What about it?" Stein urges.
"That's exactly my problem Stein. I cannot identify this fourth soul. Throughout my lifetime, this is the first I've felt such a presence."
The two tense at this.
"You can't be serious! You have absolutely no idea what type of soul is coming at us?" dreads the redhead.
"I'm afraid not. Though this one seems cunning, it is not pure evil. The other souls are young and are not a threat whatsoever. Nonetheless, whatever business they have here might be important. Why don't you two go check outside and see what they could possibly want?"
At this the two nod. "Yes Lord Death Sir."
They leave the Death Room, out in the hallways, and made for the main entrance/exit of the academy. Nearing their destination was when Stein suddenly halted his tracks. Spirit took notice after walking a few steps ahead.
"Is something wrong?"
The white-haired meister stood unresponsive for a moment, a thing that almost had the Death Scythe worried for many valid reasons, until the man blinked, as if awoken from a trance.
"It's nothing. Let's greet our new guests shall we?" He walks past Spirit so he wouldn't get the opportunity to press the subject further. Though Stein understood the reason for his friend's apprehension, he's perfectly fine now, as fine as a mad scientist/doctor could be anyway.
But that wasn't the reason he stopped. No, this was completely different. The Shinigami was right, there's a rather odd soul out there. But that wasn't his issue either. It's actually two of the human souls.
They feel very familiar. One of them in particular felt a little too familiar, like he's encountered this very soul before…
...
After a long trip through many states, and through the hot desert landmasses Nevada had to offer, the two ships have finally made it to Death City. The academy was very easy to spot, towering massively at the core of the city and sticking out like a sore thumb.
They made their landing at the front entrance.
Dib was the first to step out of the cockpit of his ship to take a gander at the wide expanse city far beneath the long stairway. Compared to Detroit, this place wasn't as intensively modern looking. There were no skyscrapers, just similar tall structures that fit together like a puzzle. There seem to not be many cars here either, with most of the streets being so narrow.
The academy itself was a unique landmark in its own right, with giant comical looking skulls as arches, red spiked pillars, and giant lit candles sticking out at various angles. For a school, the place looked more like a strange palace from the medieval times.
"I never knew such a place like this existed." He catches Rev's voice close by and finds her standing next to him, gazing out to the city. Though those goggles he gave her covered her eyes, he could tell there's a sense of amazement and marvel on those features, probably the same he's wearing right now.
"Neither did I. This place is kind of refreshing to look at. If only it wasn't located in the middle of nowhere, and in Nevada of all places. Not that I care, but how's Zim doing?"
Rêver forces a smile and thumbs over to where the Irken invader resided. Dib finds him crouched under the Voot Runner's shade looking almost like a mummified corpse as Gir douses him with water to keep cool.
"How is he not burned alive?" Dib asks speechlessly.
"He installed a water filter inside Gir to clean out all the chemicals."
"Ah."
Dib then felt a creeping chill travel up his spine. He shivers wildly. He knows this feeling. Someone, somewhere in the distance, is watching him. Intently. He mostly gets this experience from either Zim or Gaz, but since both of them were in his peripheral vision, Zim desperately keeping cool and Gaz busy playing her games, it couldn't be them.
"Greetings travelers!"
All four of them perk up at the voice and see two adult males come towards them from the front entrance of the academy. One of them didn't stand out too much, but the other was definitely bizarre-looking. The taller man in glasses had stitches all over his clothes and one across his face… and for some reason, he had a giant metal screw that appeared to be lodged in his head.
Dib was quick to find out where the stares were coming from. He felt like he was being analyzed from the inside out, and since the man clearly appears to be a scientist, that's probably exactly what he's doing. But why him of all people?
"Welcome to Death City, and before you, the Death Weapon Meister Academy!" The other man with red hair exclaimed with exuberance. "Any questions you have, please feel free to ask-"
"SILENCE HUMAN!"
Zim stands, and with an irritated scowl, marches over to the stunned ginger. He points a menacing finger at him.
"Zim demands he sees your headmaster at once!"
The men just blink at the Irken silently. It's easy to see his appearance is new to both of them.
"Have you gone deaf you stupid humans? OBEY ME!"
They look to each other, seeming uncertain what to do.
"And already we're off to a bad start," Dib mutters. Gaz just huffs inattentively.
Rev decides to act quick, stepping between Zim and the adults.
"Please forgive him!" she says. "He just cranky from the long trip, and he's not used to the desert heatwaves here."
"How dare you justify my reasons Rev-human! And Zim is not weak-mmph!" She covers his mouth. Zim struggles to free himself from her.
"Also uh…" Dibs speaks up and finches when eyes turn to him. The scrutiny from the weird scientist's stare was intimidating, but he pushes forward. "Well, we really do need to see the headmaster. His name is Death right?"
The air is silent with nothing but Zim's muffled shouts, and Dib believes he'll lose it if this goes on for another minute. The man in glasses slowly reaches his hand to the screw in his head and twists it. Like a dial, it clicks until there was an audible snap. A wide grin forms on his face that did not look friendly.
"Of course. Lord Death has noticed your arrival and is quite intrigued by one of you," he says finally. "Follow us please."
The men turn and slowly tread back towards the building. Dib releases a breath he didn't realize he held in.
Gaz raises a brow at him. "Why was he staring at you?"
The older sibling sighs. "No idea, but it was creepy as hell."
"KYAA!" The siblings turn to Rev's scream and see her pulling her hand away, making a repulsed face as she holds it close to her chest. "Ew ew ew ew ew!"
"That's what you get for trying to silence the great almighty ZIM!" Zim sticks out his worm-like tongue at her. The girl cringes further.
"That is the most disgusting texture I've ever felt…"
"You're just jealous because the Irken tongue is far greater your weak flat hyooman ones." Zim grins triumphantly, leaving the appendage sticking out on purpose.
Gaz rolls her eyes and leaves them to their idiocy.
"Come on you guys, or we'll get left behind," Dibs calls them back to attention. Rev follows, eager to shove the events out of her mind. Zim instructed his minions to watch the ships before catching up to them.
...
Of course, no one knew what to expect when meeting the headmaster of the academy.
"Why hello hello! It is so nice to meet all of you! Welcome to Death City!"
But this wasn't what they had in mind.
Dark cloak, comical skull mask and… foam-like hands? And what's with his voice?
"Now before we begin, there's something I'd like to ask, if you don't mind."
He took their silence as an affirmative.
"Great! You there with the strange skin color!" Zim tenses and points to himself. Death nods. "Yes you! Tell me, just what exactly are you?"
Zim slowly begins to panic, but tries not to show it. Instead, he puffs out his chest with confidence. "HA! Why I am ZIM! Normal human Zim you see?"
"I do see, but what I'm seeing is something that's definitely not human."
Zim's eyes become saucers. How could he know? And so quickly?! He didn't need to face the Dib to know he's grinning.
"Your soul is quite the quite the unique one Zim. Never before have I seen anything like it. Is there a name for your kind?"
"NO!"
"YES!"
"SHUT YOUR NOISE-TUBE DIB-SMELLY!" Zim tries to apprehend him so he wouldn't continue to open his big mouth, but Dib quickly dodges away.
"You've never seen a soul like his before because he's not from this world! He's an alien from outer space, and his goal is enslave our planet to the Irken Empire-AAAH!"
"YOU FILTHY DIRT-CHILD!" Zim tackles him to the ground, and the two begin a wrestling match filled with punches, kicks, bites, scratches, and stupid insults. Rev, seeing this more than once during their road trip, knows that trying to stop them is useless. She sighs while Gaz growls in annoyance.
For about a minute Death, as well as his two employers, stare dumbfounded at the fighting teens before the headmaster faces the redhead.
"Spirit?"
"Uh, yes Sir?"
"I believe you owe me fifty bucks."
"What?!"
Even Zim and Dib had to stop their fight in order to figure out what was going on.
"Don't you remember? You and I made a bet about the possibility of life on other planets. I am clearly the winner!"
"Are you kidding me?! We were drunk and made that silly bet two years ago!" Spirit stamps his foot angrily. "Besides, there's no way to know if this is true other than the fact that he's a weird kid with a weird soul!"
Hearing this gave Zim hope. He shoves Dib off him.
"Y-Yes! YES! I am just a weirdo who lives on Earth! Don't listen to the Dib! He speaks LIES!"
Dib see's he's losing this battle. He has to act fast! Think of something that'll make them believe instantly! He can't let this slip!
Then, genius struck.
"Hey Zim, is that a girl scout selling cookies?"
Zim gasps in horror and, without thinking, activates his robotic spider legs from his PAK, suspending him high off the ground.
"KEEP HER AWAY FROM ME!"
Death, Spirit, and the mad scientist stood agape at the sight of those robotic limbs. Dib smiles triumphantly.
"See? Proof! Solid definitive proof right there! He is an alien!"
Spirit deftly takes out his wallet, pulls out a fifty, and hands it to Death.
Once Zim registers that there are in fact no girl scouts around and Dib was lying, he was about to scream in his face. Only to realize what he's just done and now he's exposed his identity to more humans.
"D-Do not be fooled!" Zim retracts his PAK legs and tries to rectify the situation. "It is not an intergalactic device made by aliens, because it is not!"
"Too late Zim!" shouts Dib. "Now they know who you really are, and soon the whole world will-"
"Incredible!" Death shouts over the boy and with a surprising amount of speed, moves to analyze Zim more closely. The invader jumps in fright. "An extraterrestrial lifeform!"
"You are wrong! Zim is no such thing!"
"What planet are you from? What is your race called?"
"NOTHING! Because there is none! It is all lies by the Dib!"
"If I may suggest Lord Death, perhaps we can continue with this subject another time," the mad scientist speaks up. "Though I too would love analyze a brand new specimen from beyond our solar system, I think it's time we find out why these kids are here."
Zim did a yelp, realizing how big of a danger he's really in because of that man, and hid behind Rêver, using her as a human shield.
"I would rather have this one be kept alive Stein, but you are indeed right. We have gotten way off track. Sorry about that!" The headmaster claps his hands together. "So children, how may we be of service?"
"Well Mr. Death Sir," Rev says. "This is a school is a place for meisters and weapons, right?"
"It sure is! The purpose of this establishment is to train young meisters and weapons to become valiant warriors against evils of all kinds, but most importantly, we prevent the world from plundering under the hands of a Keshin."
"Right, about that," Dib pulls out a jar hidden in his trench coat. Inside was the red soul left behind by the pig beast. "You're talking about creatures similar to this, right?"
"Ah, yes indeed! It appears you've obtained a Kishin Egg soul! However, Keshin Eggs only enter the first stage of becoming a full-fledged Keshin. A student's task is to destroy them before they can develop further. Thankfully, only one Keshin has ever existed and, even more thankfully, was defeated. The Keshin itself harbors tremendous power, enough to plunder the entire world into Madness and destruction."
"Such a thing is that powerful?" Rev swallows nervously. To think, even the market clerk himself had the potential to become one…
"This 'Madness', what exactly is it?" Gaz asks next.
"Madness can come in many forms," Stein, the scientist, answers this time. "There's the basic dictionary form of Madness, where a person's behavior and mental stability tips off-balance. Then there's the dangerous kind, a type of force that can easily twist ones judgment. Those like the Kishin who can possess this force, are able to influence individuals to fall into a type of Madness. Fear, Order, Power, those are just a few examples."
The adults see the young group look to each other, their expressions grave, as if they've reached a silent confirmation.
Death tilts his head. "Is something the matter?"
After a few moments, the group began explaining the events that took place a few days ago. To find out that the extraterrestrial wields the abilities of a meister was a big surprise to them. But an even bigger surprise was the creature they faced. He was once human, but became a Keshin Egg because he stated that someone had granted him power. He went on to say that his master wanted Rêver's soul and she wouldn't rest until she collects every demon weapon that exists.
"Would you happen to know anything about this?" asks Dib.
"We do. In fact, it is a current dilemma we are facing as we speak," speaks Death and there was a small change to his chipper voice. "Weeks ago, a powerful witch has been manipulating Kishin Eggs, transforming them and forcing them to hunt down demon weapons, for reasons we have yet to uncover. Because of this, extra precautions are made in order to keep the students safe. I even had to order all my Death Scythes too keep on the lookout in their respective branches. Many lives have been lost…"
"Sir it's not your fault," Spirit began.
"I know Spirit, but the lives of my students are my responsibility. Yes they are trained to risk their lives in battle, but this is getting out of hand and there are still no solutions to be found." The headmaster clears his throat and his voice goes back to normal. "I am pleased to see you four have survived the ordeal, and I am even more grateful that you've come directly to us. The DWMA and all of Death City has now become a safe haven for all demon weapons and will remain that way until we deal with the meddling witch responsible. And, any help is greatly appreciated. Zim and Rêver, if you so choose, I will be happy take you in as my students to train in the academy."
"Thank you Mr. Death Sir," Rêver smiles. "That's what we were hoping for anyway. I'd really like to learn how to become a better weapon."
"And Zim desires to enhance these so-called, 'meister abilities'. Once I master them none shall stand in Zim's way! This dirt-ball planet is MINE to rule- I mean I wish to save this rotten stinky planet from its impending doom." Zim corrects himself innocently.
"Are you sure this guy won't pose any danger to us?" Spirit whispers silently.
"Like I said, he's cunning, but not really evil. Though I believe he'll have the tendency to be quite… complicated," the Grim Reaper whispers back. "We could always rely on Stein if he steps out of line."
"Good point."
"Spendid!" Death directs back to his new students. "You shall start first thing tomorrow morning at 7 o'clock sharp! I'll get Sid to help you with the living arrangements. And if you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime!"
_Nightmare: Wizeman's Domain_
Reala had this overwrought feeling stir within him once he found out the purpose of Death's visit. Nowadays, the subject of the weapon, the old treaty, has never been brought up amongst the Nightmarens for two reasons.
One reason is because it would stimulate rage within their master, something they all choose to avoid.
Another reason is because NiGHTS, the one responsible for hiding it during the downfall of Nitopia's goddess, was adamant on keeping his mouth shut about it. Not even Reala could contemplate on his brother's odd behavior, but thinking back on it now, he should've been suspicious of this from the start.
After the ceremony promoting peace between Nightopia and Nightmare, once the treaty was made between the gods, it was decided that the weapon would be kept with Radius, since it was originally hers before it was used as a vessel. No one complained.
Known for being proud, one would expect her to put the treaty on some sort of display for all to see. That didn't happen. Strangely, the treaty was rarely ever seen after that ceremony, if not at all. Reala can't even recall what the weapon looked like, because he'd only seen it once. Back then, no one saw this as a problem. Since the treaty contained soul pieces from two powerful gods, it was assumed that Radius only wanted to keep it safe and had it secured. Wizeman never bothered to check on it, seeing no reason to.
That should've hinted a few warning signs that something was out of place, but it didn't dawn on anybody until Radius' betrayal and NiGHTS' odd silence on the matter.
But now, in order to keep it safe from the dangers in the Visitor's World, NiGHTS has to hand the weapon over to Wizeman. Whatever he's hiding, he can no longer be silent about it.
The Class Captains made themselves present for this meeting. There are three classes, Reala himself being the first, Jackle the second, and as for the third, that title belonged to a Goodle. Imp-like soldiers in appearance, Goodles carry out the more important tasks out of the third class ranked Nightmarens. This one, who goes by the name Marcshot, happens to be the most skilled in his species. On one occasion, he lost an eye, leaving only a scar in its place.
The three captains wore their Persona masks, jeweled masquerade-looking masks. It is a must to wear them in the throne room and while under the presence of their master, for it is a symbol of devout loyalty.
They watched in silence as their master converses with NiGHTS. It was rather more of him demanding his creation to obey his simple task without any restraints he may have. This had to be the first time Reala's ever seen his brother look so apprehensive, for he's usually defiant and showed no ounce of fear before the nightmare god. But it wasn't Wizeman he's fearful of, that Reala knew, but rather the task he's given.
Wizeman notices and all could practically feel his anger rising.
"Your secrecy on this matter will no longer be tolerated. If it'll get in the way of your mission, you best speak now…"
It appeared as if NiGHTS was contemplating real hard, fists clenching now and then, and Reala couldn't understand why. It infuriated him just as much. Marcshot looked just as confused while Jackle just stood by them patiently.
Then suddenly, the purple Nightmaren opened his mouth and spilled out everything in waves. Waves that crashed Reala hard. He didn't know if he even heard him right, because it was too unbelievable.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by a pained shout. He sees NiGHTS grabbed tightly by one of his master's floating hands while another gets in his face, the eye embedding it piercing directly at him.
"You mean to tell me…" Wizeman's voice was beyond frightening to the captains. "That the weapon, the treaty, is a CHILD?!"
"That's… exactly what I said!" NiGHTS tries to breathe while glaring straight at the eye. "We didn't know it at first… we didn't think it'd be possible… but somehow, when your soul piece combined with Radius', it brought forth a child- AAAHH!"
The hand grabbing him squeezed him tighter and brought forth an electric shock. The electricity stops and NiGHTS grits his teeth in pain.
"And all this time you thought it wise not to tell me?"
"She knew about your dislike for children so she made the child her responsibility, but wanted to find the right time to tell you! Obviously, she never got the opportunity…"
That still didn't satisfy him. "And you… after three hundred years, you still kept quiet!"
"I HAD TO!" NiGHTS raged, and even the god himself was taken aback. The jester continues. "I had to! How could I tell you anything with the way you've been behaving since the day Radius died?! For years I've thought of what to do with the child and I had two choices: either have her put up with you or have her live in Visitor's World and make her believe she's one of them. I found the latter a better option, because at least she'd be better off there than be forced under your care-"
NiGHTS was ruthlessly thrown to the ground and the captains had to wince at the impact. The Nightmaren coughs and struggles to pick himself up.
"Who decides the fate of the weapon is no longer up to you." Wizeman looms over him. "By any means, you will retrieve it. My captains will assist you and will make sure your task runs smoothly and without fail."
Hearing the indirect order, the Class Captains kneeled respectfully, a sign that they will obey.
"Is that understood, NiGHTS?" His gaze never left the fallen Nightmaren.
NiGHTS was able to stand on his feet, but couldn't hover, not yet. Still, in his weak state, he glared fearlessly up at the god.
"Undertood, but only because it's for the best and it's for her safety. I would never abide, or even tell you this, if it was anything but."
"You are all dismissed," was Wizeman's only reply before magically transporting them outside his throne room.
All the Nightmarens reappear at the grand halls, in front of Wizeman's mirror.
NiGHTS wordlessly falls to his knees and stays there for some time.
Reala didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say. He had so many questions he wanted to ask. Who is this child? Where is she in the Visitor's World? What would be done with her once they bring her back to the Night Dimension?
"Well," Jackle stretches. "That could've been a whole lot worse."
He walks over to NiGHTS and offers his hand, much to the other two captains' surprise. NiGHTS takes it and stands upright once more. Jackle dusts away the dirt off his clothes and gives a grin.
"That was a close call, but you did good."
"Thanks," NiGHTS mutters.
"Wait, you knew about this?" Reala says, aghast. "And you hid it from us all this time, even from your Master?"
The cape wearing Maren shrugs. "I swore to keep my mouth shut."
"I can't believe this. As if we didn't have enough on our plate already!"
"Relax buddy-"
"Relax? Do you have any idea how much more complicated you've made this?! Especially you!" He points to NiGHTS, fuming. "If what you say is true, then that means we have to scavenge the entire globe out of billions of Visitors in order to find one child! That is, if we can even find her in time!"
"We don't have to go that far!" NiGHTS shouts over Reala. "Don't forget, I'm the one who hid her all those years ago! Finding her won't be a problem! That's not my main concern…"
Marcshot scratches his head under his military cap and Reala stares sharply.
"Then what is?"
NiGHTS hugs himself, unable to look at anyone. There was a twinge of pain and sadness in those eyes.
"I made her forget everything," he says. "Before I made her fall asleep, I made sure she knew nothing about her life here. I also kept her powers dormant. That way, she'd believe she's just an average Visitor like everyone else."
Reala's eyes narrowed. "And? You have the power to bring forth those memories back. So do that. It'll make the task easier for us."
A low chuckle bubbles its way out of NiGHTS, throwing Reala in a loop of confusion and, dare he admit, trepidation. Marcshot scampers to hide behind Jackle's mantle.
"No Reala…" NiGHTS speaks in an even lower tone. "It won't."