CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Helen found herself daintily falling down to the Dream Gate, where Owl and NiGHTS were looking over a big chest that was placed in front of the fountain.
"For you!" Nick said, bowing.
"Thank you, Mr. Narrator…wait…where are you?" Helen asked.
"Oh, I'm pretty much just a voice now." Nick said, trying to sound optimistic. "I'm cool with it though. Now open up the chest! It's a nice new Persona for you to check out!"
Helen opened up the chest and found a golden mask, slender in form with "horns" and teal "eyes" over the cover.
"That's…that's the Dragon Persona, it will help the wearer fly against the toughest winds!" NiGHTS said.
"I wonder what you look like as a dragon." Helen wondered.
Then…shining light appeared, raining down at the end of the Dream Gate and forming a large double set of stairs. Owl hooted happily.
"Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo! It's been MILLENIA since these stairs have appeared!" He told Helen. "Though time goes faster in OUR world than yours, it's still an amazing feat! It must be due to your beating that awful Queen Bella!"
"Come on Helen, let's go check out what's at the top!" NiGHTS said.
Owl sighed sadly. "It seems your ideya is close at hand, Helen… I regret that…I will have to say goodbye to you soon, for I've grown very fond of you." He admitted.
Helen hugged the old bird. "Thank you for everything, Owl." She told him happily. The owl blinked, then hugged her back.
"Take care, little visitor." Owl said gently. "No go, go, I'm sure your ideya's at the top of the steps…" He told her.
But when NiGHTS and Helen reached the top…nothing was there.
"What? How odd!" NiGHTS commented.
Then it happened. An earthquake shook the whole area, and Helen fell to the ground with a cry. Turning around, NiGHTS gasped at the reason for the earthquake…the dark god Wizeman!
"Fools! You think to defy a GOD!?" Wizeman growled.
"WIZEMAN!" NiGHTS shouted.
"Th-that's Wizeman?" Helen whimpered at the sight of the many-handed, masked being who's eye-imprinted hands glared down at NiGHTS.
"Your infantile disobedience stops here, NiGHTS." Wizeman said coldly. "Now you will know my WRATH!"
His eye-hands all shot out, clenching for a moment before suddenly opening wide, sending out great beams of dark, purple energy that whizzed through the air. Screaming, Helen curled up into a ball as NiGHTS shielded her eyes…
Then they turned around and saw, in horror, that the Dream Gate was falling into the dark abyss below in large chunks.
"Owl, Nick, NO!" Helen screamed.
"Wizeman! How could you!?" NiGHTS gasped, horrified at her "father's" cruelty.
"Have you not yet learned to hold your tongue?!" Wizeman snarled, grabbing NiGHTS in one of his mighty hands. The purple jester squirmed around uselessly, unable to break free.
"NiGHTS!" Helen called out, rushing forward as Wizeman raised her friend up into the air.
"You leave me no choice but to remove your consciousness and replace it with another." Wizeman spoke.
"Wh-WHAT?!" NiGHTS shouted, eyes going wide with fear. Helen gulped in shock.
"And as for YOU, visitor…" Wizeman went on, looking down at Helen…and another…
"Huh?" Helen whimpered. She looked very pitiful. Most would have felt some twinge of sympathy for such a small, frightened girl, but Wizeman had long since lost his kindness and felt no remorse for what he was going to do…
"Continue your search for your Ideya amongst the whirling sea of darkness…FOREVER!" Wizeman proclaimed, reaching out with one hand and grabbing her, holding her up along with NiGHTS.
Helen struggled, but she was even weaker than NiGHTS was, and Wizeman's laughter echoed in her very soul as he sank down into a dark cloud. The last thing she heard before all went dark was a familiar voice crying her and NiGHTS's names out…
"You MONSTER!" NiGHTS shouted as Wizeman casually tossed her into the Dark Ocean. "YOU MONSTEERRRRR!!"
…
…
…
…Yet even as she fell, Helen's heart was wide awake…and she would not given in to the darkness so easily!
Mum…I'm sorry…but I finally understand…
I realize what's most important to me!
And I KNOW that there are some things that just CANNOT be replaced!
Mum…please…
Please give me the courage…to protect what's important!
The light all around her like a nebula being born, with rays of red light shooting out like sunbeams from her body. She could hear a beautiful flute…just like NiGHTS's flute…and she pirouetted, spiraling into the air…
She found herself flying above Bellbridge, as chunks of building floated around like a giant's stepping stones. Little black clouds hovered around, and the city was sleeping below, it's windows lit up in the night as a harvest moon shone gently. Helen could see a glowing blue light before her…
She rushed towards it, spiraling around like he'd felt NiGHTS do so many times, arms out, feeling familiar push of wind in her hair, and she grabbed ahold of the blue light and pushed it forward, and it shot through the air, rushing through Blue Drops that whizzed toward her, filling him with hope and energy.
Helen saw a Bird Rider flying far ahead…and where THEY were, that meant NiGHTS was surely nearby! Helen quickly raced after it, flying through a loop of gold rings around an ominous floating building. It was a sad attempt on Wizeman's part to frighten her, to remind this girl that she was alone, that Bellbridge and the rest of the world belong to HIM, the "god"…
But he was nothing more than a bully, and Helen wasn't frightened of him anymore! She shot around the building just as she saw the blue light from before strike it…and it burst into balloons of a thousand colors.
She continued to chase Bird Rider as the balloons flew up into the sky and sailed through golden rings as fireworks rose up around her, exploding into beautiful green and white light.
"Are you watching me, mum? If only you could see how well I'm doing!"
Racing forward, she grabbed the Bird Rider's Tail, tugging him back.
"Where's NiGHTS?" She insisted.
"D-d-down there, he knows!" The Bird Rider gasped out, pointing downwards through a dark cloud. Helen spun the Bird Rider around and around, then let him go like a shot put, and he sailed through the air into another floating building, making it explode into more balloons. Helen then sailed downward through the dark cloud, which made him think of Wizeman…
But she hadn't come this far to be stopped by a cloud. She tore the cloud apart by shooting through it, and was rewarded to see the city of Bellbridge all lit up below. Soaring downward, ducking she flew across the famous Bellbridge Tower Clock Face, seeing another Bird Rider coming close to her. She was on him in an instant, grabbing him just above a skyscraper and demanding to know where NiGHTS was.
"I don't know where she is!" The Bird Rider insisted. "Wizeman locked her away, NiGHTS is over there!" He squawked out, pointing to the west. Helen nodded and raced through the air in the direction he'd pointed…
Then something frightening happened. All of the city just…STOPPED. All traffic, all motion, all movement…and the lights went out one block at a time. Wizeman's wicked laughter filled the air…
Suddenly Helen heard somebody shout her name…and she turned her head to see Will!
But then they both froze, a nameless fear gripping them. Their Red Ideya suddenly rose out from their chests into the sky as Wizeman's laughter grew louder and louder. They fell down into the dark abyss that had once been a city, screaming…
But then they stopped falling and looked at each other. No. NO. They would not lose. Not now! They could do this!
"Come on, Helen!" Will said, taking her hand.
"Yes…let's do this!" Helen insisted.
The two let out a cry together, and beautiful golden light surrounded them as their red ideya were forcibly yanked back into their bodies and Helen thought back to that beautiful song they'd performed…
In the nights! Dream delights!
I want to see you standing theeere!
In the nights! Dream delights!
I've found someone who really caaa-aaares!
In the nights! Dream delight;
I want to see you smile agaaain!
In the nights! Dream delight;
You're the one I've waited foooor!
They soared up into the air as light filled the city once again in a beautiful, sweeping wave, and tiny specks of snow floated all around them. Will turned to Helen.
"I can feel it…this snow." He said. "It's so cool…and soft…I always loved playing in the snow…"
"Then…let's let it be a sign of our friendship." Helen said, getting an idea. "As long as snow falls…" She held out her hand. "It'll remind us of our friendship…and of the great times we've had in the Night Dimension! It's just like the dust that falls down from when NiGHTS paraloops…"
"You're right…it IS just like that." Will said, holding a snowflake in his palm. "Alright…let's go get him back!"
The two of them soared through the air, towards the gigantic clock tower where a large, circular padlock had been erected, blocking all intruders from approaching it. At the front was another key-wielding Bird Rider…
But naturally, he stood no chance against Will and Helen. In an instant, they'd broken open the lock, and it fell to pieces, revealing none other than…
"NiGHTS!" They both shouted.