Galacta Knight floated in blackness until suddenly being thrust into the air again, tumbling to the ground with a surprised yelp. He landed headfirst onto a metal floor, the hard surface clacking violently against his mask and smashing him in the face. He laid on the cool floor for a few seconds, stunned and disoriented. His blue eyes opened slowly, blinked shut, opened again. As soon as he came to his senses Galacta Knight stumbled to his feet and held his lance out, looking around in a panic. It appeared at first as if he was surrounded by darkness, but as his glowing eyes began to adjust to the dim light, he could see that he was actually standing in a large room. The area's walls and floor were cool to the touch, appearing to be made out of some strange dark metal. The interior was circular in shape, its domed ceiling held up by six pillars of indigo marble. The only light was a single chandelier that hung from the middle of the dome. Its design was jagged, angular, made of an alien architecture he didn't recognize. The fixture's light cast tall shadows on everything around him.
At first, Galacta Knight appeared to be alone. But as he became more aware of his surroundings he noticed the translucent ball had also joined him, fading slowly into view. The blue-pink orb radiated a soft light in the darkened space, looking more like another decorative furnishing of this alien landscape than a sentient being. Galacta Knight's feathered wings flattened against him, chills going up his spine as he stared at the now-familiar orb. He knew that he was now completely at Nightmare's mercy. It did not take the fallen Star Warrior long to realize that it was that orb that had brought him here through some sort of teleportation. Though the circular area they occupied appeared empty he could hear the shouts, growls and yelps of Demon Beasts echoing from numerous unseen chambers beyond the room. He realized that with one word, Nightmare could easily have him killed.
'Welcome', the eerie voice said.
At the sound Galacta Knight snapped to attention, looking up at Nightmare as he spoke. He didn't reply; so shocked and fearful was he that he didn't trust himself to say anything appropriate in response.
'You do still want to join me, yes?' the floating orb questioned.
Galacta Knight remained silent as he gave a hesitant nod.
At the sight of his response, Nightmare began to transform. Galacta Knight heard the faint click-click of all nearby doors bolting shut first. He looked around wildly as the orb darkened to pitch black, radiating the same strange dark vapors that had enveloped him before. All at once, the sphere morphed; Nightmare transformed into his true form. Galacta Knight was transfixed as a strange head, long and crooked, emerged from the mass of black that the floating ball had become. The ethereal black mass stretched as the head emerged, growing bigger and bigger. Two long, lanky arms that ended in claw-like hands erupted from the swirling void. The spacey translucence that made up the sphere's outer shell swept back from the body, hanging limply as it turned into a cloak. Nightmare stood, towering over the far smaller knight in the form of a man. His lower body receded into darkness that constantly swirled in a vortex, giving him an appearance that was at once ethereal and ghastly. His hideous head was crowned in a helmet topped with two curved, golden horns. Galacta Knight tilted his round body upwards as he stared at the evil being, feeling himself begin to quake in fear and awe. Nightmare looked down at him, flashing the warrior a fanged grin.
"It is good that you have chosen to join me…"
Though his words were no longer voiceless and now came from his twisted mouth, Galacta Knight still heard each word echo inside and all around him as if he was being spoken to by a god. Galacta Knight bowed his head respectfully, kneeling down in front of the dark force as he tried to mask his rapidly growing fear with a show of respect. There was no going back now if he wanted to live.
"It is true, Nightmare. I hereby wish to serve you."
Nightmare glared at the ex Star Warrior, glasses sliding down his crooked nose to reveal his eyes. To Galacta Knight's horror, he had none. Nightmare's eye sockets were filled with the same blackness as the rest of his body, black vapors wisping out of the empty holes from time to time.
"You do realize", the monstrous being continued, "that as a former commander of the Galaxy Soldier Army you have put quite a dent on my past operations. I should kill you via public torture followed by execution held for all my beasts and generals, in order to demonstrate to them what happens to those who dare defy me."
Galacta Knight remained silent as he looked up at Nightmare. Though his reaction was hidden behind his mask, the blue eyes paling out in color betrayed his emotion. He replied carefully, unable to keep the nervous tremble out of his voice.
"But...but surely you have a better use for me?"
The ethereal being grinned. "Indeed, I do..."
The former Star Warrior was swept off his feet by a sudden, powerful force of air being channeled upward. He instinctively began to flap his wings, flailing his arms uselessly for a second as he adjusted to the sensation. The channeled air billowed outwards from the vortex of Nightmare himself, tugging at the lower edges of his cloak and revealing nothing but blackness within. Galacta Knight rose in the air before settling into a hovering position as the wind died down, leaving him level with the phantom's face.
Nightmare reached into the depths of his shimmering cloak, twisted grin never leaving his visage. Galacta Knight kept a wary eye on this seemingly omnipotent being; even though he no longer had much of a choice in the matter, he still didn't trust him. Slowly the violet sleeve emerged from between the folds of the cloak, revealing what appeared to be a piece of ethereal parchment. The semisolid, vaporous paper gave off an eerie glow. The sheet itself was of average size compared to Nightmare himself, but to the far smaller knight it was large enough to be a quilt.
"Here is a contract dictating the conditions of your...service", the monster began with a voice so falsely sweet that it chilled Galacta Knight even more than his neutral tone. "This document states that you will hereby sever all ties with the Galaxy Soldier Army, and work for me as an officer."
Nightmare grinned. "Under the Holy Nightmare Corporation you will be granted full protection from Arthur's army of fools, given legions of Demon Beasts to command, and most importantly-" Nightmare paused, his eyeholes beginning to spark white as he continued, "You will be granted powers beyond compare!"
Galacta Knight tensed, eyeing the large, glowing parchment in front of him.
"Powers?" he mused aloud.
"Yes", Nightmare purred. "I will bestow upon you the same powers all of my generals receive. It will elevate you to a whole new level of combat. Those soft-skinned knights would have no chance!"
Galacta Knight's eyes glowed a deep green in thought. He had simply thought that Nightmare would take him under his wing, and did not expect to be given powers on top of it. This all sounded to good to be true, and the offer left him extremely suspicious. He wondered if the 'power' was actually a powerful magic that would wipe his will, perhaps even turn him into a de-facto Demon Beast. Nightmare had given him a lot to mull over, and only a short amount of time to do it in.
"Of course", Nightmare continued, "There is a catch. Think of it as...a little insurance policy. After all," his tone growing patronizing, "I cannot elevate my little Star Warrior to new heights only to have him go running back to Arthur, mmm?"
Galacta Knight's eyes flashed from green to red in the span of a second. "I would NEVER return to him".
Nightmare merely chuckled in response.
"While I trust your word, Galacta Knight, I will not do such a thing without a bit of assurance that you will always stay under my command. And so," he said, "With the blessing of power also comes this condition; should you betray me, should you lay a single hand on myself or other soldiers in the Holy Nightmare Corporation, you will immediately lose ALL of your powers. Including", Nightmare added with a devilish grin, "the ones you had in the first place."
"...All of them?" Galacta Knight asked numbly. He pictured what that would even be like, and the mere thought made his stomach drop. He imagined lifting his lance and being barely able to jab with it, having no more strength or dexterity in him than back in his civilian days. He would be defenseless; and if this was the condition of his service rather than being killed outright, then perhaps if he chose to disobey Nightmare had planned a fate for him worse than death.
Nightmare responded to Galacta Knight's obvious hesitation, one clawed finger pointing to the script in the contract.
"This is bound by a magical spell, and so would not be a 'bait and switch' to steal your powers. This would only happen if you were to betray me and fight once again in the name of the Galaxy Soldier Army." The being flashed a ghoulish grin. "Do you really think that you would still be alive if I just wanted to kill you or absorb your powers?"
Galacta Knight's eyes paled in response. He kept his concealed face as neutral as possible, but knew deep inside that he was right. Entire armies could not stand against Nightmare alone. He would have no chance.
"But I do not want to destroy you, Galacta Knight. I want to empower you. With your knowledge of the inner workings of the Galaxy Soldier Army as well as your battling prowess, you would indeed make a fine soldier. That is why I want you to join me."
Galacta Knight remained quiet. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as memories came rushing back to him.
A lump formed in his throat as he remembered back to when he was first recruited. A plucky young boy, awkward but eager, stood lined up with other recruits of his kind with his blue eyes shining. He put his hand upon the book of the Stars, and swore the oath; that he would forever serve the Galaxy Soldier Army, and always fight to kill anything that would harm the well being of the universe. It was then that he was first suited up in the very same mask he wore to this day. He then remembered moving through the ranks, proving through the years that he was both a skilled tactician and powerful fighter. He remembered commanding others under him, then being promoted and assigned to Rock Star. He thought of his grand plan, how everything went horribly wrong at the Red Gorge...and then he remembered Meta Knight, his old friend, the one he trusted with all of his ideas. The one who had betrayed him the most.
He blinked away the tears.
"I accept."
"Splendid!" Nightmare said, chuckling to himself as Galacta Knight signed the huge paper with the odd, ghostly pen that had been floating beside it.
Immediately upon signing, the contract evaporated into nothingness. With that, Nightmare began to move his crooked hand over the smaller figure in front of him. His hand began to glow red as he began to chant, saying words in a strange, clipped tongue that Galacta Knight did not recognize. He felt a tension in the air grow, a similar feeling to when one is in the vicinity of a thunder storm. The masked knight felt on edge, and steeled his nerves as he forced himself to remain hovering next to Nightmare and not attempt to bolt. Suddenly, Nightmare thrust his hand towards Galacta Knight. A scarlet bolt of pure energy shot from his hand, quick as lightning. There was no time to react.
It hit him.
Galacta Knight screamed; his wings spread out as his entire body twitched uncontrollably, spasming as the energy engulfed him. The feeling was indescribable, so intense that he felt unable to do anything. But as the initial blast subsided, he was able to return to his senses and realized that what he had felt was not pain, but pure, overwhelming sensation. It even felt almost pleasurable. All at once, Galacta Knight was on top of the world. He felt such a rush of adrenaline, such a surge of pure power within him, that nothing had ever felt so good to him before and would ever feel as good since. He yelled mindlessly as the energy took control of his senses, feeling an explosive exhilaration in every nerve of his body. His eyes burned deeply, and so he closed them. When he opened them again a few seconds later, the former Star Warrior had been transformed forever.
The red energy suddenly let go of him. Numb and confused, the released knight tumbled through the blackness he had been floating in before landing once more with a thud. He groaned as he quickly rose to his feet. Bloodred eyes gazed through a mask that was now crowned with two golden horns, staring at the world around him with a new outlook, an almost childish naivete. He noticed that his vision was sharper, as was his hearing. He could feel his muscles, tense, coiled within a body that retained the elasticity of his species but was now far firmer. Outwardly he looked much the same, but inside he had been changed forever.
He had never felt so alive.
"Thank you", Galacta Knight murmured. He dropped to his feet, dipping his head and wings in subservience to the force which had granted him his dark gift.
Nightmare laughed in response. His booming voice seemed to grow and grow, and it felt now more than ever that Galacta Knight could hear Nightmare from deep within his soul.
"Excellent", Nightmare crowed. "No more softness. No more compassion. You're a REAL warrior now."
Meta Knight 's eyes popped open. The first thing his gaze settled upon was the warm brown glow of the canvas ceiling above him. All he could hear was the slight but steady creak-creak-creak of his rusted fan as it blew dry air in his direction. His tent was hot, the tiny triangular walls doing little to keep out the oppressive desert heat. He attempted to move and immediately stopped, wincing as pain shot up his right shoulder and flooded his entire body.
It was afternoon, the day after the incident with Galacta Knight's reemergence and attempted assassination. Meta Knight had remained asleep for a long time. Whether this was due to the strong pain killers the nurse had offered him earlier, or sheer exhaustion from the battle he had experienced earlier that night, he couldn't say. It was not long before he realized that it indeed felt much better to be asleep. He cursed under his breath and squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to continue resting. However, due to the pain of his wounds and the intolerable heat of the late afternoon, resting further was impossible.
The blue Star Warrior rolled over in bed as much as he could without harming his injuries further, but soon gave up. He instead chose to lean forward, reaching his good arm over towards the book he had been reading before the incident occurred. The desert's suns beating down on his poor tent, if nothing else, illuminated the area enough that he could comfortably see the pages without having to light his candle. He decided to focus on little things like that, and the story he had been following, rather than the events that had transpired the day before.
Hours had passed before he heard a rustling outside of his tent. Meta Knight looked up sharply, feeling a bit miffed as the interruption came during the climax of the story he had been reading. His annoyance evaporated as Sir Nonsurat strode in, carrying a strange yet familiar round object in his gloved hands.
"Greetings, Sir Meta Knight" Nonsurat greeted him with his deep voice as always, his tone seeming a bit too mirthful for Meta Knight's tastes considering everything that had gone on recently. The wounded warrior raised a hidden brow in response.
"Greetings, Sir Nonsurat", he replied politely.
Meta Knight's yellow eyes rested upon the object the commander of the Axe Knights had been carrying, eyes narrowing to slits as he quickly realized where it had come from. Nonsurat held a large, white buckler with a distinctive pointed cross shape, the raised design tinted a light magenta. That was the shield belonging to none other than Galacta Knight.
Meta Knight gasped, his eyes flashing a brief prism of colors reflecting his strong, yet mixed, emotional reactions at the object. White in shock, red in anger, before settling on a bright green in contemplation.
"Can it be? …" He began, eyes traveling slowly over the circumference of the battered buckler before resting his own gaze upon Nonsurat's with an almost rabid curiosity.
"How is it that you found this? Do you possess his mask and lance as well? And...and what of the rest of him?"
Nonsurat's glowing gaze remained steady as he rested the round buckler against the sandy ground beneath him, running a gloved hand along the shield's rim as he responded.
"This was found at what we believe to be the scene of his death", Nonsurat began. He then proceeded to tell Meta Knight in as much detail of what they found – his shield, the blood, the swirling vortex, and all of the evidence pointing towards him being taken away by predators.
Meta Knight felt his head begin to pound as he listened to the tale, squeezing his eyes shut. It just didn't make sense. "What you describe does sound like he was taken away by something, perhaps a sandworm or rock golem or whatever else could possibly survive in this forsaken place... but it just doesn't add up."
The blue Star Warrior set his book down on the sheets, slipping an arm underneath his mask to squeeze his hurting eyes.
"If there was something out there, something large and hungry that preyed on the weak, there is simply no way that Sir Arthur would have been able to rescue me after the doomed mission. I'm fairly sure that I was the only thing alive for miles, and was technically an easy meal for a predator for days on end."
"Maybe they just weren't hungry" Nonsurat quipped.
Meta Knight gripped the sheets with his less wounded arm, sucking in his breath sharply as he tried not to allow his eyes to redden in front of his superior. He was not in the mood for jokes.
Nonsurat remained unphased by Meta Knight's reaction. "It is true that you were vulnerable, Sir, but you did not bleed. Galacta Knight's blood was all over the place. Perhaps whatever had gotten him was a creature that's only attracted to such scents."
Meta Knight slowly eased out of his death grip on the covers. Nonsurat did have a point, and it was that possibility that made him truly take his words as truth and not see the scene as an elaborate or even staged escape on Galacta Knight's part.
"That is a definite possibility", Meta Knight mused. "But what of his mask, his lance? I'm sure that he would not have gone down without a fight, and neither of those pieces of armor should be digestible unless the thing that had caught him was truly enormous."
Nonsurat shrugged. "This is all we found, and there were absolutely zero leads found by my search parties in any other direction for miles around the base. What we can definitely deduce from this", he said, making a sweeping gesture to the buckler that rested by his feet, "Is that he definitely went this way. There was definitely a struggle of sorts, with something. And that now," he continued, "he is at least partially defenseless."
Nonsurat fixed his eyes on Meta Knight, amber gaze beginning to dim softly.
"If no one else, Sir Meta Knight... you should be able to understand that even if he did survive, he will not live for for much longer."
Meta Knight gave a small nod in response. He understood exactly what he meant.
Galacta Knight had suffered major injuries, and that sprint away from the fight probably took all the energy that remained in him. He couldn't fly, he could barely run, and if what the search parties had found was any indication, then he had no place to safely rest nor provisions to rely on. If he had gotten into another struggle that night and remained out in the desert until the morning and beyond, he most likely bled out under the relentless suns.
Still, Meta Knight's brow furrowed as he thought of all the possibilities. There was no way Galacta Knight did this without any backup plan. There was a chance, however slim, that he had somehow survived. The lack of a body, or more accurately, the telltale cosmic dust that was left behind whenever his kind had passed onto the stars forever, needled away at him. He shook his head, slowly at first and then more violently as if doing so would shake away all of the doubts.
"Don't rack your brains over it", Nonsurat said with a dismissive wave. "I am officially listing him dead. If he isn't dead right this second, then he's good as dead out there in the desert without any help or water."
Meta Knight froze upon hearing his words, before slowly nodding in weary acceptance. Whether or not he had truly passed on, Galacta Knight would not be a threat to them for a good long while if the condition he was left in was any indication.
Sir Nonsurat moved forward, standing at Meta Knight's bedside. To the blue soldier's surprise the usually proud commander stood at attention, giving him a salute.
"Well done", Nonsurat said warmly. "Sir Arthur in particular, I believe, has plans for you outside of Rock Star after seeing what you have accomplished."
Meta Knight's eyes widened. "Really? Like what?"
Nonsurat quickly turned around in response, sweeping his scarlet cape out from behind him as he began to exit the tent. "Just be sure to heal up soon so that we may have use of you again" he stated briskly, grabbing the shield as he made his leave.
Meta Knight watched him go with curiosity piqued more than ever, straining to hear the commander's last words as he left. He could hear the old knight muttering to himself as he slipped out from between the canvas folds, something about feeding valuable rations to a one-armed deadweight.
Although it had not been long, Meta Knight already knew that was simply Nonsurat's bizarre way of showing appreciation.
He smiled.