I have come up with a new updating plan: from now on, I'll be updating 2 chapters at a time so that you'll have more time to read to make up for the delay. First, let's get back to Claris and Elliot coming out of their deep sleep.

Chapter 7: Arctic Hangar

Claris and Elliot soon found themselves back at the Dreams Gate.

NiGHTS flew up to them and said, "Oh good! You're back. The next Nightopia is ready to be saved."

"Great! Where is it?" asked Elliot.

"Just go through this door." Owl stated, gesturing towards it.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Claris said.

NiGHTS and the Visitors went inside.

Arctic Hangar

As soon as the Visitors had entered, an icy wind blasted on their faces. Clearly, they were in an ice land, but through the thick snow, they could see planes being stored in warehouses. An airstrip ran along the edge. There were a few penguins and polar bears scattered around, as well as a creepy-looking snowman.

Claris remarked, "Well, this is a bit disappointing. What do you think, Elliot?" When she got no response, she glanced around. "Elliot?" She then saw him at the door to the Dream Gate.

Elliot was frantically trying to open the door. "Must! Get! Back! AAH! SO COLD!!" For some reason, the door wouldn't budge. "NOO! Please open! It's freezing here!"

Claris put a hand on Elliot's shoulder. "Hey, calm down, Elliot. If we stay close together, we can stay warm." she told him reassuringly.

Elliot shakily turned to face her. "O-ok." he agreed, shivering. He took Claris' hand and they walked together side by side.

NiGHTS soon flew overhead and spotted them. She glided towards them with a miscievious smile on her face. "Well, well, well, what have we here?" she asked, refering to why the Visitors were so close together.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Elliot said quickly in panic.

"Yeah! We're just cold!" Claris added.

"Oh, ok." NiGHTS said, forgetting the thought instantly. "Now let's get goi--" A NiGHTS Capture shot up, trapping the jester in it. "Aw, come on! I didn't even get to finish speaking!" NiGHTS complained.

Reala broke out of the snowman he was hiding in. "I was getting too cold! Now stop talking so I can get this over with." he said, shivering with his hands wrapped around himself. "How are you not cold?" he asked NiGHTS.

NiGHTS shrugged. "I was cold until I got trapped in here. I guess it protects me from the weather."

Reala looked thoughtful. "Yes, it is quite cozy in there, isn't it?" he said in a sly tone. "Makes you almost want to have a cup of hot chocolate, right?" Reala then pressed a button on his remote and a drink dispenser poured hot chocolate into a cup, then placed it in one of the cup holders.

NiGHTS stared at it with wide eyes and licked her lips. "You don't happen to have any marshmellows, do you?"

Reala grinned sneakily and pushed another button. The drink dispenser dropped several mini-marshmellows into the cup.

NiGHTS smiled in delight and grabbed the cup by the handle. She was about to take a sip from it, when she suddenly came to her senses. "Wait a minute..." She glared at Reala. "What are you trying to pull?"

"Nothing." Reala told NiGHTS.

NiGHTS was still skeptical. "Seriously? This is just for my pleasure?"

"Would I ever lie to you? Those other times not counting?" Reala replied. "Well, I might as well be off. If I'm late, then Wizeman would punish me severely." He then took off.

Claris and Elliot immediately climbed up to the cage. "Come on, NiGHTS! We need to save this Nightopia!"

"Alright, just as soon as I drink the hot chocolate." NiGHTS answered. She quickly gulped it down and threw away the cup. "Ah, that's better. Now we can go!"

They quickly Dualized, then flew off. Elliot and Claris together braced the wind as they searched around the icy runway and inside the warehouses. Together, they both seemed to share a big confidence about the whole situation. "We'll find that box in no time!" Elliot promised.

And soon enough, they saw the box. Claris sped towards it first. "Yay! We're not gonna freeze!" But once she put the Blue Chips in it, the box opened revealing it to be empty.

Claris and Elliot stared at it in shock and dismay. "What?!"

NiGHTS seemed puzzeled by this as well. "Strange...that usually works."

"What's a fake box doing here?" asked Elliot.

"Reala!"

Claris and Elliot both turned around in surprise. "Where?"

But NiGHTS shook her head. "No, no, I mean Reala must've put that fake box here. I knew something was up with him!"

Then Claris sighed. "Guess we now have to find the real box."

Elliot nodded. "You're right. But how will we know if there are more fake boxes? We don't want to waste our Blue Chips on them."

"We'll just have to hope we're lucky." NiGHTS said. "Come on! We have to find it before a blizzard sets in!"

To make a long scene short, they finally found the correct box and placed the key into the cage. Then they find themselves inside a giant bee hive, with honey flowing everywhere. The Nightmaren boss is actually a swarm of little bee Nightmarens forming into the shape of a larger bee.

"We're up against Beesca!" NiGHTS exclaimed. "We have to Paraloop the swarm as they charge towards us!" Nobody had to ask which way the bees were going to head as it was obvious that the swarm flew in the direction of the current honey flow.

Claris and Elliot cooperated well in the battle against Beesca. They'd combine their Paraloops to form a larger one that could take out more bees at one time. Even though it was challenging, it was actually fun for them. In fact, Elliot and Claris individually thought that this whole adventure wouldn't be the same without each other.

"Almost got him!" NiGHTS shouted, bringing the two to their senses. With one last Paraloop, the rest of Beesca got sucked in. "Yes! Another boss defeated! We'll stop Wizeman in no time at this pace!"

Once they got back to the Dream Gate and Undualized, Claris and Elliot remembered that they'll be going back into deep sleep very soon. "It was fun helping NiGHTS out." Claris told Elliot. NiGHTS and Owl were at the other side discussing how much they have accomplished.

"I agree." Elliot responded. There was a silence. Both of them knew that they had to do something before they went back to deep sleep. At last, they pressed their lips together. It was the last thing Elliot and Claris felt before they went into deep sleep.

I apologize if it seemed like I was rushing through the chapter. Oh well, the next chapter is, well, next.