Nights Twilight Dreaming

Chapter Twenty-Eight

In the Quartz Palace, an unknown person is seen in the Crystal Grove hiding in the jasper trees. They looked to be female but were completely in shadow. She seemed to have short hair, around the same length Crystal's was when she had her traditional short-bobbed hair. She was looking around the grove in hopes of finding something of interest but could find nothing in particular. When she looked ahead, she saw that the smokey quartz in front of her was showing an image of Crystal and Nights entering the Quartz Palace together one at a time. The moment they had seen this image, she grinned. She had found what or who she was trying to find.

Crystal had just entered the Quartz Palace alongside Nights and her four pets, Cumula, Pidge, Bela, and Stella. They were on their way to the palace itself since Nights missed out on exploring the place due to his previous guard duty back at the Dream Gate. As they made their way over there, some Nightmaren hoards tried to attack them at every angle. Luckily their combined efforts overpowered them and the hoards were dispatched. The group finally made it to the Quartz Palace, which only took twenty minutes to do. Crystal held her hand up to the blue moon quartz gate to show her Ideya thus allowing safe passage for the group. They entered without any fuss whatsoever. They then proceed to the large door. Crystal once again showed her Ideya and the door opened inward. The group entered and as soon as everyone was inside, she waved her hand again closing the door behind them to keep out the stragglers. Nights looked around the interior and was impressed with the layout of the foyer.

"Wow!" he noted. "This a much different layout than what I was used to!"

"That's because the layout changes depending on the location in the real world," Crystal explained as they climbed the amethyst staircase. "Right now we're in Tacoma, and let's just say that the area isn't exactly ideal for nightly strolls."

"That's when the villains come out to play, right?" Nights asked causing a slight snicker from Crystal's pets.

"Exactly," she responded with a wink and a smile. "Anyhow, the mirror maze is still active if you want to take a look. We used to play hide and seek in there all the time."

"Except I'm always the seeker," Nights stated with a wink.

"Fair enough, my flying friend," Crystal shrugged with a smile. "Fair enough." The group entered the opal door to the right just as before and came upon the hallway from before. Nights, Bela, and Stella were amazed by how much has changed since Crystal's absence. The group went past the portraits of her family members. One of them was Zephyr to which Nights took notice and twirled in a brief circle in celebration.

"Yay! You adopted Zephyr!" he shouted in glee. Crystal looked at the portrait of her triplet and shook her head slightly.

"Not exactly," she explained. "We did a DNA test on him for both the paternal and maternal sides. It turns out he, along with Kayla who is in between me and Zephyr, is actually one of my kidnapped siblings." She looked at her brother's portrait one more time. "Luckily Zephyr got away and found the four of us during the Duelist Kingdom 2.0 tournament." Nights was amazed when he noticed the resemblance between the two.

"Ah, so he's been reunited with his actual family," he stated.

"Exactly, my flying friend," she confirmed while turning her head back to him and smiling. "The kidnapper was recently caught actually. His name is Dorian Sorkenski, and he had a warrant for his arrest. The charges? Kidnapping along with grand larceny, since he had a surplus of heirlooms and artifacts in his walk-in storage closet." Nights breathed a sigh of relief the moment she said those words.

"Zephyr told me about him," he explained. "He kept a lot of hidden agendas, but he wasn't a very good father. At least he won't be pulling his strings anymore." Crystal wasn't the least bit surprised that Nights knew her brother since his job is to protect visitors like herself from his own kind. She smiled and nodded in agreement. They then proceed to go past Kayla's portrait. Just when they were doing so, Nights took notice of the portrait of Jessica piquing his interest.

"Hold on a minute!" he exclaimed while looking at the portrait. "Are you and Jessie related?" Crystal looked over at Nights and looked between both him and her sister's portrait for a brief second before responding.

"Ah, good eye, Nights," she said with a smile. "Jessa's my little sister conceived and born during the four years I spent in Egypt with my guardian Professor Atem. And judging from your expression looks like you two know each other." Nights nodded enthusiastically upon hearing Crystal's response.

"Yeah! We've been exploring her world together!" he told excitedly. He looked over at the portrait one more time before adding, "She's so sweet and also the most curious visitor I've seen in the Night Dimension. I've probably rubbed off on her with that one."

"To be fair," stated Crystal, "she's always been like that. Anything new will pique her interest no matter the size." Crystal and Nights nodded in acknowledgment before moving on from Jessica's portrait. The group continued toward the door with the mirror maze and that was right after the area with the make-shift bridge of platforms for Crystal and her pets to go through, and Nights to fly overhead. As they approached the door, Crystal opened it and beckoned Nights to enter first along with Cumula and Pidge. They obeyed and she entered soon after closing the door behind her as she did. While this happened, Ruby can be seen overlooking Crystal and Nights' venture into the palace itself from a distance. Reala flew right to her as turned around to see him beckoning to follow her. She nodded and the two left the area via his vortex.

Crystal and Nights, along with her pets, have just entered the maze of mirrors, and thanks to the former's navigation, they were able to go through the first part of the area with ease. They came across a fork in the road before they chose to go left. Crystal looked through some of these mirrors as they traversed the maze and took note of the Ideya of Courage and Purity resonating along with her Shining of Valor. The group moved along all the while, turning to the right this time when the area ended where they had no choice. Crystal was using her foresight for a bit to note which way to turn in case of a setback in their exploration. As they neared the exit, she could have sworn she heard a voice coming from the end of the large maze.

"Did anybody else hear that?" she asked a little concerned as they all traversed through the maze to the very end.

"Hear what?" Nights asked as he floated alongside her.

"Someone's talking to themselves at the ending point," she explained as they went to the right of the maze. "We'll need to get a closer look to find out who." She and the others continued to surge forward out of suspicion more than for fun as they had no idea what was in store. They come across a clearing in the distance to which Crystal quickly deduced as follows.

"There's the end of the maze," she told the group. "But who is that circling the area like a goldfish?"

"Only one way to find out," Nights replied playfully with a wink. "Come on." Crystal and her pets were a bit perplexed at the situation, but she and the others wanted a closer look at the intruder anyway, so at Nights' suggestion they continued forward in hopes of finding out the truth. They continued to go through the mirror-lined hallway for twenty seconds before they realized that it was a fellow Nightmaren, like Nights, and thankfully one who is an insurgent rather than a loyalist.

"Hey that's one of your cousins, Nights," Crystal said playfully with a smile.

"Hey, watch it," replied Nights who gave a playful smirk with a mischievous brow. The pets snickered a bit at the reaction while Crystal said with a laugh, "It was a joke. And a bad one at that. I'm sorry." They continued until the Nightmaren in question was in full view and can be seen clearly. This one looked as though she was curious about everything in her area. She was mostly orange with accents of yellow and red in certain spots in her attire. Her attire was an orange coat with golden yellow hem, yellow buttons that seem to be tied with red string, thus holding the coat shut, yellow puffed sleeves with red slits and light-orange v-shaped cuffs, orange sleeves with red, golden-yellow hemmed and buttoned armbands, and light-orange Elizabethan cuffs, a light-orange tight-fitting shirt under the coat, a golden-yellow belt decorated with yellow buttons, a pair of orange pants, a pair of knee-high boots with golden-yellow hems, soles, and cuffs, the hems decorated with red circles, and with the calf portion of each boot red, on the foot portions yellow. Below the golden-yellow cuff of each boot were three golden yellow buttons. Her most distinct features are her light-yellow skin, her orange eyes, her yellow collar, and her hat which looked like the sun's rays, each tassel striped in yellow. She was frantically flying about as if she were darting around in circles. Crystal and Nights approached her, and the former recognized her right away. He waved over to her to get her attention.

"Hey Sunburst! Over here!" he called. The fellow Nightmaren, now known as Sunburst, looked over at Nights and waved excitedly at him. She then took notice of Crystal and performed a mid-air skip right beside her with a bubbly smile.

"Oh my gosh, I'm Sunburst!" she proclaimed to a slightly amused princess. She then cocked her head slightly as if she was confused for a moment while adding, "Who are you?"

"Princess Crystal," the young princess answered politely. "Looks like you got yourself lost in mirror maze somehow."

"You know it," said Sunburst excitedly. "I came here because a visitor ended up in here by accident. But after I paralooped her out of there, I ended up losing track of the entryway. I got so lost for like an hour just zooming around like a housefly. But then you guys showed up and I'm way better now."

"Well, if you're feeling lost in the maze," Crystal spoke to her, "Nights and I will be more than happy to help you out of here. Nobody likes being a rat trapped in a maze."

"I certainly hate the idea," Nights remarked with a slight giggle. Sunburst was gleefully impressed with the young princess's offer along with his remark.

"You bet, your highness!" she replied happily. "You lead and I'll follow like a will o' wisp at night!" Crystal nodded as her pets snickered a bit at Sunburst's comment. Off they went to the entrance of the maze.

Crystal, Nights, and the others were leading Sunburst through the maze while going straight. They went straight for about thirty seconds before coming to a fork in the road. Crystal, having known this place like the back of her hand, chose to go to the right while Nights and the others followed close behind her. After three minutes, they came to another fork in the road and she chooses the left this time. As they were heading over to their destination, a Nightmaren hoard appeared and the group quickly dispatched them. Sunburst's fire and light magic proved to be quite useful in the battle against the group of evil beings. Once they were dispatched, they continued to surge forward. They continued to take turn after turn until they reached the entrance to the maze and exited through the door. As they did, somehow, a mirror image of Crystal is shown in the mirrors completely in shadow except for her dark sclera surrounding her golden eyes. She looked at the real Crystal and grinned rather maliciously before dispersing into a shadow-like mist upon running toward her. This is surely a sign of trouble ahead.

Meanwhile, in the resistance headquarters, Hikaru was busy writing some notes down and was once again wearing her mask. When she looked in a mirror after finishing one part of her notes, she realized her mishap and removed it promptly. After placing it in her pockets, a pair of fellow Nightmarens entered her work area to check on her progress. One was a blue Nightmaren, the same rank as Hikaru, and the other one, and he had light blue skin and red eyes. Below his cat-like eyes were three triangles that seem to resemble bottom lashes. His attire was a blue two-horned jester hat that seemed to drape down at waist length, a white-collar with a red-gem rhombus at the front, a blue jumpsuit with a dark-blue tail-coat over it, a large red gem that looked identical to Nights' red diamond, light-blue sleeves with blue cuffs, a red gem at the end of each one, a pair of black gloves with white fingers covering his hands, and a pair of dark-blue boots that were decorated with a tiny red gem and large red gem each, a white tip at the toe portion and white heels, and blue hem and cuffs. For a Nightmaren that seemed to be blue, he seemed to be quite cheerful to see Hikaru. The other Nightmaren was wearing a predominantly black outfit decorated with red, orange, and yellow flames on his sleeves, cuffs, and collar. He wore red pants, black boots with flame spurs, and a pair of yellow square gems on the sides. His hat had only one tassel and looked as though it was pointed upwards like a candle, complete with a tiny flame. He had a large square yellow gem in the middle. He also had dark skin and orange eyes. The duo waved Hikaru over as she approached them.

"How's our favorite nerdy Nightmaren?" asked the Nightmaren in black.

"Great, Zurok," she replied. "I was just finishing up when you came in. How about you two?"

"We just came by with some good news," said the blue Nightmaren. "That Nightopia the princess mentioned would take a while to appear? It has just emerged from the darkness. It's ready for us to enter now."

"Perfect, Som!" Hikaru responded excitedly. "That means I have more research to do and more clues to find on which loyalist captured Crystal when she was a toddler!" Zurok snickered a bit upon hearing this statement.

"I'm not surprised they went this low to bring a visitor that young to Nightmare," he told her. "Like the old saying goes over there. The younger the prey, the stronger the Ideya." He looked over at the crystal ball which contained the event of Crystal's kidnapping and frowned.

"What I want to know is why they didn't just take her Ideya right on the spot," he added with a hint of skepticism. "That's how loyalists do it. Why didn't he?"

"Perhaps he had something else in mind," Som replied with concern. "Don't forget, some of the visitors are either a Magician of Light or a Sorcerer of Darkness. So it may be something related to their powers. Which makes me worried about Crystal since she's a rare breed among her kind." Hikaru and Zurok look to Som like they knew he was on to something. Luminaire entered the room as they did so.

"Sorry to barge in, but can I tag along to the new Nightopia that just opened up?" she asked. Hikaru and the others were a bit perplexed at her question but quickly realized what was needed.

"Great idea, Luminaire," she told her. "The more folks together the better. One of us will have to be a witness if we get caught."

"Very much agreed," said Zurok.

"Well," said Som, "We better get going. Who knows what lies beneath the sand. All I gotta do is wash it down with my water magic."

"Don't make a lake in the desert this time, goofball," said Zurok playfully. Som looked at him with a look as if he had smacked an innocent bystander causing Luminaire and Hikaru to giggle and Zurok to smirk. The trio left the base soon after and went toward the next realm. Little did they know that trouble will soon be waiting in the wings.

Meanwhile, Crystal, Nights, Sunburst, and the Nightmaren pets are still navigating through the palace to get to the entrance and lead Sunburst to the resistance headquarters. They went through the hallway containing her family members and managed to make it to the door, but not before fighting a hoard battle against some 3rd Level Nightmarens. After dispatching them, Crystal and the gang made their way to the entrance and came out into the foyer. They then made it down the stairs and straight toward the door. Crystal raised her hand to it allowing the Ideya of Courage as well as her Ideya of Purity to shine through. This opened the door for the group as they all exited the palace at the same time. The door shuts itself soon after they did so.

While heading toward the gate, Crystal spots an unexpected discovery. A second Nightmaren in the distance. This one looked to be female, but she knew better than most dream creatures don't have genders. She took a closer look with her foresight. The Nightmaren is the same rank as Nights and Sunburst. She had over the shoulder-length black hair with the bangs braided at the front and a braided half-bun on the back of her hair. She also had pearly-white skin and orange eyes. Her attire consisted of a black rhumba dress with a purple belt, an orange frilled hem at the shoulders, a purple belt that seemed to curve up a point, a three-tiered skirt with the top part red, the middle part purple, and bottom part orange, a purple collar, a purple circular gem in the middle of her chest, a red rose pin, a pair of leggings under the dress which had a red tiered cuff at each hem, and a pair of black strapped ballet flats. She also appeared to be wearing a mask that was black with three roses on each end, two red, two purple, and two orange, as well as a circular purple gem like the one on her chest. Crystal was a little skeptical of her presence. What's a loyalist doing out here? She used her aura sensory to check on her heart. She can see that the aura was white and blue meaning she meant no harm. Doesn't seem to be a bad guy even though she has the mask on. Maybe I should ask her why she's in Nightopia. Before she got the chance to approach the new Nightmaren, Nights and Sunburst took notice as well and called her over.

"Carmilla! Carmilla! Lady Carmilla!" shouted Sunburst excitedly.

"Hey Carmilla, over here!" Nights called as well. The female Nightmaren looked over at the group and smiled before flying toward them. Now that Crystal had a closer look at her, she was amused at the sight of her mask before straightening herself out.

"I was wondering where to find fellow rebels," spoke the Nightmaren, now known as Carmilla. She sounded sophisticated and she had a Mexican accent to match her voice. She looked over at Crystal in confusion. "What are you doing lollygagging with a visitor of all people?"

"Carmilla, this is Crystal," Nights explained. "She's one of the more recent additions to the Nightopia Resistance."

"Pleasure to meet you," she replied with a smile. Carmilla's eyes widened slightly upon hearing Crystal's name.

"Well," she spoke with slight surprise. "So you're the visitor Wizeman's been so worked up about." She smiled before giving a slight bow to her and adding, "Llámame Carmilla, mi señora." Crystal gave a polite curtsy in response.

"Como desées," she replied in the same language. Nights and Sunburst snickered along with Crystal's pets.

"I keep forgetting you're multi-lingual," he told her with a giggle.

"As trained by my mother," she clarified. She then looked over at Carmilla and asked, "Anyhow, what brings you here in the dream world?"

"Thank you, I was just about to explain that," said Carmilla with a wink. "Wizeman was getting a bit too demanding as of late, not to mention the nothing to stop Calavera from harassing me. I had about enough of the injustice going so, I came out here to find some fellow Nightmarens and join their cause for rebellion."

"Ah, so recently diverged from Wizeman's control," Crystal responded with a slight smile.

"Precisamente, mi señora," said Carmilla with a smile.

"I'm glad you got out of there when you had the chance, Carmilla," Nights told her. "Let me tell you, it's way better to think for yourself than think for Wizeman." Crystal nodded in agreement.

"Then it's settled!" Sunburst piped up. "We're gonna bring Carmilla to HQ and bring her up to speed on the goings-on in the resistance!"

"Hey now, keep your voice down, Sunburst," said Crystal with a giggle. "You gotta remember that Wizeman has eyes and hands everywhere. You don't want to give away the location of HQ out here, all right?" Sunburst realized what Crystal was talking about and immediately calmed down right before putting her fist on her head while beaming and sticking her tongue out. Carmilla and Nights laughed at her antics along with Crystal's pets' snickering. The young princess looked over at Carmilla and realized that her persona mask was still on her face. They were about to proceed to the location of the door when Crystal stopped her.

"Hold it," she told her while putting her hand in front indicating her to wait a moment. She then gently took the mask by the middle portion and removed it from her face much to Carmilla's surprise. Nights snickered knowing exactly what Crystal was doing while Sunburst realized why she did so and sighed in relief.

"Sorry," explained Crystal sheepishly, "but unless you're a Wizeman the Wicked loyalist, you do not need the mask on."

"Wow, I had no idea you were versed in our culture," replied Carmilla who is impressed by Crystal's knowledge.

"I like to hit the books now and again," Crystal smiled while beaming. Sunburst hopped a bit in the air while Nights snickered a bit. Crystal was about to walk in the direction, but not before she looked back to her allies and said, "Shall we?" She took off toward the door with Nights, Sunburst, and Carmilla, along with her pets following close behind. Little did she know that there was trouble about to come crashing in their direction.

To be continued…