Location: Great Plains Wasteland

A caravan of crimson clad figures moved through the grey wasteland. The Grimm Troupe had fallen under some rather tough times recently, their Nightmare Heart was just barely getting by, there just were not enough dead kingdom's they could collect from. Last time, another nightmare troupe had beat them to it.

Grimm was honestly getting a little desperate, if the heart died, he and his troupe died with it. Grimm was gathering what knowledge he could from his other half, but there was not much it could do without enough nightmare flame to satiate it. Grimm was collecting what information his Nightmare Heart possessed about this place, it was a common thing to do among troupe masters. Their Nightmare Hearts were valuable instruments in discerning the cause of a kingdom's collapse.

It was that little piece of himself that always remained in the Nightmare Realm. It was through his heart that he could read the cause of the flames that drew them.

They were coming up on the ruins of a kingdom now, hopefully there would be unclaimed nightmare flames. From what the Heart had shown Grimm, it was the usual story of a Wyrm biting off more than he could chew. They did that surprisingly often for bugs with the power to see the future. Apparently this one had called himself the Ebony Emperor, his story was one of getting on the bad side of some traveling war band of strange creatures. In the battle, he and his personal guards, as well as those around them just… died… they just collapsed, began spasming on the ground, and then died.

Grimm didn't really understand how that happened… for as arrogant and fool hardy as the stories of the Ebony Emperor make him out to be, he was still a Wyrm, albeit on the weaker side, but still. The reason for him not reincarnating was that the strange creatures brutalized his body so badly, that reincarnation was rendered impossible for him. His guards had suffered a similar fate.

Grimm shivered, a roving band of strange creatures that could kill a god was disconcerting. Though the likelihood of them still being here was slim, they still must be careful.

A spear pierced the head of the bug, causing it to go still. It appears he would be eating well tonight. The tall figure took his spear out of the now deceased bug's cranium, and slung it over his shoulder. The figure began making his way back to the little living area he had made for himself.

How long has it been now? He wondered, two years? Three years? It was all a blur. He remembered coming to this place for the first time. It was… rather bloody, he wasn't quite sure how it happened, just some weirdly fancily dressed bugs pulled swords on them, and when they had been skewered, some more of his kind's kin joined in. Then there was that weirdly horned one… that one was a powerful magician, it had downed several of his comrades. They had to use the ancient relic they had retrieved from a ruin left behind by the ancients. It was a cylinder with a downward pointing arrow with a tilted cross next to it.

He remembered how scared he was when he threw it, and all it did was burst in a small plume of smoke. He was afraid that the thing was either not working due to it being old, or that it wasn't actually a weapon. It wouldn't be the first time they mistook an ancient party item, for a weapon.

He chuckled at the memory. His friend was shocked when all he had done was launch brightly colored ribbons at a bug instead of killing it. He ended up beating the poor thing to death with the thing he thought was a type of boomstick.

Luckily however, the weapon had worked, somehow. The damned bugs just died, wasn't sure how, they just fell over and died. The ancients were sure strange in their methods of killing, but if it worked, it worked.

It worked a bit… too, when his friends at the meat from their adversaries… they similarly fell over to the ground shaking… and died.

W...why isn't he more careful!? A tear escaped his eye. His friends were dead, because of him! The tall figure stopped his walking to focus on his thoughts.

"Why?" He said aloud, almost like he was expecting the universe to answer him.

The figure sighed, and continued his walk through the long since collapsed bug realm. Apparently that bug he killed with his ancient weapon had a more vital role then he had originally thought, as when it died, the other bugs acted more… feral. They stopped using their swords, or any semblance of coordination, either fleeing, or trying to attack them or even other bugs rabidly and without thought.

It was good he supposed. It made the place more… livable to him. He couldn't really leave alone, that would be too risky, so he stayed, and made a living off killing and eating bugs, it was a simple, but livable life. Though he would give a lot for someone to talk to, he has been alone for a long time.

The guilt for his comrades' death never left him, sure how was he supposed to know the ancient weapon made those affected unsafe to eat? It's not like his friends knew either, none of them knew. Still, he was the one that threw it… he sighed again. He remembered his friends congratulating him for his kill, as they began collecting the corpses for that night's dinner. They had no idea… no idea at all.

The figure entered his little living space, passing through some cloth he had gathered from the little bug community he had draped at the entrance he had made in one of the many underground caverns the bugs had dug out. They were not exactly… in the right state of mind to... well… mind.

The figure sat down, and put the carcass over the fire.

Grimm was ecstatic, this kingdom was plentiful in nightmare flame, it was completely untouched by other troupes, there would be enough to last the Nightmare heart for a good long while. He had sent his grimm kin out to collect.

"I told you that it would work out, did I not?" Brumm told him.

"You said that the last five times, dear Brumm" Grimm retorted.

Brumm gave a humph, "What is the condition of your body, master?" Brumm asked.

"Healthy enough, I have plenty of time before we must commence another ritual, do not worry" Grimm said.

Another thing that separated Grimm's troupe from other nightmare troupes was him actually caring about his troupe's continued survival. They all tried their best, it was partly what made that last line of failures so painful. Where most other troupes would just 'recruit' from nearby kingdoms when their numbers thinned, Grimm tried to keep his alive. Maybe that was his sister's influence, oh how she did care about her moths.

"Do not feel guilty my dear master, it is not your fault" Brumm said, trying to comfort him.

"Isn't it though Brumm? Was I not the one who allowed himself to be beaten to nearly every dead kingdom he had-"

"Grimm, I assure you, it was not your fault. Put your mind at ease, we have a bountiful harvest before us, tearing yourself apart about the past will do nothing but distract you"

Grimm sighed "Very well Brumm... I will try"

"That you try is all I ask"

The tall figure cracked open the cooked bug's shell, it was nicely cooked. He had done this enough times to be pretty good at it. He took out his hunting knife, and cut off one of its limbs, and took a nice big bite out of it. It was times like this when he missed spices. He and his friends traded an ancient artifact for some spices with a passing group of Entomologists they had encountered. They used big words, and their weapons and armor were of a quality he had never seen before.

However, one should not let their mannerisms fool them, they fight with the ferocity as is natural with his and their kind. They hadn't run into many groups of them, but one group was never the same as the other. Always made up of a new set of individuals, it almost made him wonder if they had set up… their own version of a village like the bugs but… no… no that was not something their kind did, no matter how many big words, or fancy armor and swords they had, they were still… oh what was the word that they used to describe their kind… oh yes, human, they were still human.

He was torn from his thoughts when he heard a strange noise near his little living area. He put down the limb he was eating, picked up his spear, and prepared himself for a fight.

The seconds seemed like hours as he waited, spear at the ready, ready to skewer whatever thing dared tried to enter his living area. He was almost ready to put his spear down and get back to eating when suddenly a small crimson thing shot through the cloth he had draped in the entrance.

The grimm kin novice was ecstatic, the amount of nightmare flame he was detecting was absolutely massive, it was like a mini Nightmare Heart. Master would reward him well for its retrieval. For some reason it was behind some cloth, ah well, it wasn't uncommon for nightmare flame to appear in weird places, who knows what horrors could have happened behind that cloth.

"Got ya…." The grimm kin yelled barging through the cloth. Only what he saw was not a nightmare flame… but a strange shell less creature. Oh… but it was tall, and holding a spear… oh dear, this may not have been the smartest thing he has ever done.

Suddenly the giant creature let out a yell and began charging him.

The grimm kin let out a yelp, and let out a bout of flame, which the creature dodged, but it stunned it for long enough to get away.

"NOPE NOP NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE" The grimm kin yelled floating away as fast as it could.

Grimm was currently practicing one of his many dances, he enjoyed doing it, and it would come in use when he finally needed to do a ritual to renew his body. He was not looking forward to it, the Troupe would always treat him like a child, no matter how many times he voiced his displeasure about it. Or at least, when he was able to talk again, whenever he tried to talk soon after being reborn, it always came out as a nyah.

Suddenly a grimm kin burst onto the stage looking as though he had just stared death in the face.

"M-m master, found a nightmare flame… but… it was large… and scary, and-"

"Calm down, what happened?" Grimm asked, it was rare for his grimm kins to get so frightened, but when they did, it was usually because of something unexpected.

"I am sorry master, but, I went out to collect nightmare flames right"

"This is correct" Grimm said in confirmation.

"So I found a large, and I mean huge amount of nightmare flame. Its not like anything you have seen before"

"Okay" said Grimm.

"But when I got there, it was a giant, and I mean HUGE shell less thing with a spear." the grimm kin said dramatically.

"Oh dear" Grimm stated.

"But do you wanna know what the weirdest part about it was?!"

"I would very much like to"

"The nightmare flame was coming from it! Oh you should have seen it, it blazed like a mini Nightmare Heart"

Grimm was silent at this, it couldn't be another Nightmare Troupe master, the grimm kin would recognize that. This was some strange giant that somehow contained nightmare flames. Was this the thing that killed the Ebony Emperor?

In terms of power, old Ebony wasn't really… that strong... in terms of wyrms. He was still strong enough to create a kingdom, but compared to your average wyrm, the now deceased Emperor was quite lacking. His arrogance was likely caused by an inferiority complex, and it wouldn't be too out of the question that a group of particularly powerful non-higher beings could have put old Ebony down.

Perhaps this giant 'mini Nightmare Heart" as the grimm kin had described it was one of them? He wanted to see it for himself, just to confirm it.

"Where did you spot it?" Grimm asked.

"In one of the caves, there was a bug over a fire, its probably been subsisting on the poor now mindless sobs" The grimm kin explained.

That would make sense, as the Ebony Emperor certainly was not powerful enough to have his mind granting field last long after his death.

"Lead me to it" Grimm commanded.

The grimm kin obeyed as always, and led his master the caves that held the strange beast.

The man was not happy, that little floating pest had burnt his meal! Damn magicians, and their unnatural powers. He would have to make another kill if he didn't want to go to sleep hungry. He took a bite out of the still unburnt bug leg he had cut off before the rest of his meal had been ruined.

He picked up his spear, and marched through the thankfully unsinged cloth that covered his little living area. The man began his march back into the caves, he needed no map, he knew it like the back of his hand, and now it was time to hunt.

The grimm kin novice led his master through the rather dreary and decrepit cave system, the pathways and arches were worn with age and neglect. No one has been around to maintain the kingdom's infrastructure it would seem. Grimm himself was very much interested in this so-called 'Little Heart' now that they were closer, Grimm could clearly detect this vast source of nightmare flame.

True to the novice's word, this 'Little Heart' was filled to the brim with it, in fact... Was it producing nightmare flames? What kind of creature was this? To be holding and producing such large amounts of flame.

"I'm telling you master, if we catch this one, we will be set, I tell you" The novice said as he floated alongside grimm.

"I don't doubt that, my faithful subordinate-"

There was the sound of something walking on stone in the cave in front of them. Grimm and the novice stopped where they were. The novice staggered slightly, and nearly dropped his staff, but was able to catch it fumbly before it hit the ground.

The steps were heavy, too heavy, it would certainly fit the story of the creature being giant. Grimm could detect the bountiful source of nightmare flames right in front of him where the sounds were coming from.

"Alright Grimm, don't mess this up, your troupe is counting on you" Grimm thought to himself, and took a deep breath.

The steps got faster… wait no, that was running, the creature was running at them! A giant bipedal figure emerged from the darkness, spear raised and ready to kill.

"Alright… show time" Grimm thought to himself, while the grimm kin hid in a corner.

Just as the creature was upon him, Grimm side step, and did a little twirl. The creature whipped around, its very expressive face staring daggers into him. It once more charged, this time Grimm jumped over the creature, doing a flip, and landing behind it.

Grimm put out his hand, like he was offering the creature to a dance. The nightmare flames this creature emitted making the prospect rather enticing.

The creature would charge, and Grimm would dodge with one of his many practiced dance moves. He was dancing circles around the poor creature, Grimm could have ended this a while ago, but he was having too much fun.

Maybe it was the stress of whether his troupe would survive or not finally being lifted with the discovery of a ripley dead kingdom to harvest from. Maybe it was his senses screwing with him, after all the Little Hear- the creature was a lot more like a small Nightmare Heart then even the grimm kin thought.

He was the caretaker of his Nightmare Heart after all, to care for it was ingrained in his instincts. Perhaps that's why he could never bring himself to strike the Little Hea- creature, damn it, it really was messing with his senses. It would certainly explain why he was enjoying this so, he was doing what troupe masters loved most, dancing, with the thing they dedicate their lives for caring for.

In short he was doing his favorite activity, with something his instincts were mistaking for his favorite thing.

The man was getting more pissed by the second. This bug WOULD NOT STAY STILL! He couldn't land a single blow on it, and… was it… mocking him? Did it view this as a game? The thought of that made his blood boil.

It were times like these when he wished he still had a functioning boom stick. But he didn't, so he had to resort to trying to skewer this red bug- OH COME ON THAT WAS SO CLOSE!

The bug with red eyes who wore a black and crimson robe twirled out of the way of his strike. He was getting tired, the bug didn't seem fatigued at all, while he was starting slow down.

His breathing was getting more labored, this seemed to embolden the crimson clad bug, who was making more bold moves, like stroking his cheek or poking his nose in the process of dodging a spear thrust.

In his fatigue, he didn't notice how he began to hold his spear a little to lightly… the crimson bug took advantage of this, dodging another thrust, it grabbed his spear on points on either side of his hand, and spun around, tearing it from his grip.

The bug turned around… and tsked at him, or, at least it sounded like it, he didn't know how bugs talked.

It started making some other noises at him as it's mouth moved, it was… talking to him, but of course he didn't know what it was saying, he didn't speak bug!

Grimm looked smugly at the clearly tired creature "Well Little Heart, you did your best in sure" Grimm said, ignoring how he called the thing Little Heart again.

"But… I think it's time you give it a rest, maybe take a nap, that would sure make things easier on all of us, would you not agree"

The creature looked stared back at him, anger clear on its face. It took out a knife it had on its belt.

"Apparently not," Grimm said smugly, now was time for the final act of this performance.

The creature once more charged, this time however, when Grimm sidestepped, he put his leg out, and tripped the tired creature. Causing it to fall flat on its face on the hard stone floor.

Grimm winced, his instincts flaring at him to assist what they were tricked into thinking was a Little Heart who was injured. He resisted, oh… but it was bleeding… maybe, oh it was even red. First he had to make sure the large creature was really knocked out, trying to carry a giant and resistant creature was not something he believed to be in his abilities.

Grimm turned the creature onto its back, its eyes were closed, and thankfully still breathing, It appeared to be quite knocked out. Grimm wiped some of the blood from its forehead, it would require rest, and a healthy supply of nightmare flames- no, no, his instincts were still playing tricks on him. This thing was not a nightmare heart, and did not burn it as fuel. In fact, like he had suspected earlier, it appeared to be producing its own, where did it get the energy to produce so much flame?

That was a question for another time, Grimm lifted the creature up bridal style, showing a strength one would not expect from how he looked. It looked rather bizarre, as the creature was much larger than he was.

"Good work my faithful subordinate" Grimm said to the grimm kin who was hiding in the corner.

"Y-your welcome master" said the grimm kin, still a bit scared of the sleeping creature.

With that, Grimm twirled around, and in a puff of red smoke, disappeared, leaving the grimm kin alone to get back to the tents they had set up.

The man awoke groggily, he was lying down on something much softer than what he was used to. He tried to move, but found he was bound, right, he face planted on the hard stone with that damned dancing bug.

"Ah, look who decided to wake up" said a voice to his side, his eyes shot open, to see the same bug who he had fought in the caves at the bedside.

"You're probably wondering how you can understand me, well, your mind had many juicy secrets, I could not resist" The red bug chuckled.

"Who are you!" The man demanded.

"Patience Jason, I was getting to that-"

"How do you know my name!"

"Like I said, I was getting to that, there is no need to be rude" The red bug said in a chastising

"Well, to answer your first question, I am Grimm, the most esteemed master of the Grimm Troupe, and a god of the Nightmare realm"

"You some sort of magician?!" Jason asked.

"In a sense" Grimm responded, this caused the man to tense up a bit.

"I fucking hate magicians" Jason spat.

"There is no need to be rude Little Heart, I didn't judge you for killing and devouring bugs now have I? However, I feel like you and I could get along splendidly, despite your belligerent bluster, how about an offer"

"I owe you nothing!"

"Hold on now, you haven't even heard it yet, in exchange for forgiveness and the stabilization of your soul, you join my troupe, and assist in the care of the Nightmare Heart. Trust me when I say your role will be rather easy.

"Why should I help you?" Jason asked, struggling against his bindings.

"Well, to put it bluntly, you don't have a choice, I apologize Jason, but you are too valuable to just let go" Grimm said chuckling slightly.

"You said this was an offer!" Jason yelled.

"I did, didn't I? But offer sounded much more inviting than demand, doesn't it? I think so"

"Let me go damn you, or I swear I will-"

"Do what Little Heart? What do you think you can do? You are lying here, tied up, and threatening a god, do you know how ridiculous you look?"

Jason lied there silent, just looking at Grimm, he was feeling something he hadn't in a long time, fear, he was afraid, what was this troupe master going to do to him?

"Oh don't look so afraid Little Heart, I can assure you traveling around with my troupe will be much more pleasant than squatting around old decrepit caves, which from what your memories reveal, you had a hand in causing their current state." Grimm said.

Jason began kicking and yelling, his restraints however kept him down.

"Let me go you magical demon!"

Grimm sighed, the hard way, then. He put his hand in front of the struggling human, and snapped his fingers. The man went limp, fast asleep. His sister Radiance had shown him that trick, apparently she used it to help moth hatchlings sleep.

Grimm again snapped his fingers, and the bindings around the human's limbs unraveled themselves. He gingerly picked up his Little Heart… "ok, you know what?" Grimm thought to himself.

"He may as well be"

Grimm walked out of the room in which the human had been subdued, and into the next room where the cleansing ritual would take place. Seriously, how does one have four equals parts of nightmare flame, dream essence, soul, and VOID, in their souls at the same time? They didn't even resemble any of their elements.

"We are prepared for the ritual master" Brumm said, he had been waiting for him

"My thanks Brumm, my thanks, it is time now, for a most glorious dance"

It did not matter, he only cared for the nightmare flame. While he wouldn't be able to fully get rid of the others, he could at least make the nightmare flame dominate. He would give his Nightmare Heart all the flame it could possibly ever need, his troupes future would be secure.

Grimm set the human down on the table, it was surrounded by grimm kin of varying ranks, all ready for the ritual.

Grimm walked to the head of the table, put his arms above his head, and snapped with both hands. With that, the ritual began. Grimm kin were dancing in a circle around the table, Grimm himself was harnessing the power of his Nightmare hear, crimson sparks flew all across the room, but the grimm kind continued their dance like they didn't even notice.

Brumm was just watching, it was not every day you saw the birth of something only second to a Nightmare Heart.

"May all your sins be cleansed in flame

May all your wrongs be righted this day

Oh Little Heart be born this day

From your womb of chaos, may your flames rise

So that our Nightmares may never truly die

Oh Little Heart, let us hear thy cries

So that our Nightmare Prince may rise"

The grimm kin chanted repeatedly, getting louder with every repetition. This was the first ritual of its kind to ever take place. Grimm had to do extensive research, using much of the gathered nightmare flame to dive into the Nightmare Realm, and gather what information he could. Other Nightmare Hearts looked in suspicion at his activities, but did nothing, for they could not have possibly known what being he had in his possession.

"Oh Little Heart, you must let your past die

So that our Nightmare Prince may rise

So that our King may have you by his side

So that our Heart will have it's kin

All hail to our Nightmare Prince"

The new verse began, it was almost time for the finally. Oh how his instincts were going to be short circuited with the 'Nightmare Prince' around, Brumm had suggested the name, it made the most sense. Not only was the as of yet unborn Nightmare Prince going to basically feel like a Nightmare Heart personified. It was going to be bound to him.

Grimm never really planned on being a father, but it appears that he may be one soon, after all, with no memories of his own anymore, it was going to be up to Grimm to basically raise the thing. It was probably for the best that it's memories will be erased anyway, they didn't seem the most.. Cooperative sort. It wasn't murder, Grimm rationalized to himself.

It wasn't like he could keep the human's memories intact with the ritual like this, such a radical restructuring of the soul made that impossible. His troupe needed him, and he was merely giving him a better life, as well as doing a service for the world. I am sure no bug would complain about there being one less big scary monster that wouldn't think twice about eating them.

"Gods may die and kingdoms may fall

But you will never answer death's call

Dear Little Heart, so strong and tall

Heed our words and our master's call

For you shall outlast everything

Now you shall hail our Nightmare King"

With that final verse, the Nightmare Heart beat faster. The many crimson sparks and cinders all coalesced upon the sleeping form of Jason. The chanting of the last verse repeated over and over, getting louder and louder. The troupes organ blared.

In a glorious flash of crimson, the grimm kin's chanting, the blaring organ, and the ritualistic dance ceased.

The figure on the table sat up, his attire having changed from dusty old rags to robes of the troupe's color scheme, and wore a smiling mask, with two vertical lines, interrupted by the mask's eye holes, a signature design among nightmare troupes.

The crimson clad figure got up and stood on the table.

"All hail the Nightmare Prince" The grimm kin shouted.

The newly christened Nightmare Prince gave ninety degree a bow, then went back to standing at full height.

Grimm was silent, he was still processing the awesome power he had just had linked to himself. He felt… powerful, like when he was within the Nightmare Realm. The Nightmare Heart was more than satiated, it was brimming with power.

He looked upon his Little Heart, had gotten off the table, and was bending down to eye level with him. With a smile, Grimm spoke to his newly born prince.

"I hereby declare you Xym, and Nightmare Prince of the Grimm troupe" Grimm said with as much authority as he could muster.

"I am honored, Nightmare King" said Xym, the pain of losing his friends was gone, but so were the memories he even had friends. Every good, evil, and all things in between were gone. There was only the Nightmare Prince. He was a blank slate, one which Grimm could do as he pleased with.