Nights: Return to Dreams

by Iona

Wizeman returns to power, and Nights is caught unaware.

8. Chapter Seven: Into the Eyes of an Emera...

Chapter 7:

Into the Eyes of an Emerald Storm

Umbrae laid there in a crumpled heap, bound hand and foot with knots that her hands could not recognize. She had been tied up all night and she could feel her muscles cramping and twisting into knots of their own. Her eyes were done crying now, there was no more self-pity left within her. She had come to the realization that she had been beaten last night. Nights had been perfection in his performance, and he wasn't even at his peak. The rest of the morning had been spent imagining what kind of warrior he must be when he reached the peak of his prowess, and how that prowess could ever be beaten. She opened her eyes when she heard the voices approaching and looked to find their source. There they were, the entire group. The dreamer, the healer, the warrior, and the scholar, all of them together and speaking in low tones.

"When you arrive in Mystic Forest, you must remember that not all the signs lead towards the center, most of them point to a different path that will get you only further lost. This book will help you, although it is rather old and might be out of date." The old Nightopian produced a light brown leather book and handed it to Nights, "It's words may still be useful, however, and so you should study it before making the dangerous trek."

"I will. Thank you, honored one, for your hospitality and your wisdom."

"It is I who should thank you, Nights, for returning a valuable scroll and book to our fold." Then both of their eyes turned towards the tied up Nightmaren on the floor, still struggling against her bonds. "What will you do with this one?"

"I don't know yet." Then they both walked past, followed by the dreamer Claris, and the healer Pirdy. They stopped at the door and Nights turned his large eyes back to Umbrae and said, "Everyone, why don't I meet you outside. I want a moment alone with this Night Terror."

Here it comes, thought Umbrae, here he comes to kill me. I deserve it, I have fallen in battle. There is nothing that can save me now. The Night Terror looked up once more and saw Nights walking towards her with a firm step, the sword in his hand gleaming in the candlelight as though it were on fire. He kneeled down and removed the gag from over her mouth and said, "Reala chose his Nightmaren well. You have a real fire in you."

Umbrae snorted and shook her head, laying it back on the ground. "Obviously it wasn't bright enough if I couldn't defeat you in a weakened state."

Nights only chuckled and raised the sword. Umbrae closed her eyes tight and waited for the sharp pain. The sword whistled and a moment later the tightness around her wrists was released, and her aching muscles screamed as her arms moved for the first time in many hours. Her eyes opened slowly and she could feel the same release from around her ankles. "Get up, Night Terror, and let's go."

"What do you mean, let's go? You don't actually think that I'm going to travel with you and help you to defeat my master."

"That's exactly what you're going to do." Nights bent down and started rubbing Umbrae's ankles, trying to get the circulation flowing back through them so she could stand. "Do you know why you're going to do it?"

"I'm not going to do it, so it's a stupid question to even ask."

Nights only smiled and continued rubbing, "Alright, if you don't want to hear why, it's not something I have to tell you. You're going to go though."

Umbrae would never admit it, but she liked having the Nightmaren rub her ankles, and the pins and needles that were running through her feet didn't seem to bother her as much. If she didn't have the mask over her mouth, Nights might have noticed the blush creeping across her face. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to continue looking strong and said, "Alright, Nights, why am I going to go with you? What in Dreamland could you possibly say that would make me betray those that I have fought with."

Nights nodded his head, his large eyes twinkling. "You're intrigued. You want to know why I turned against Wizeman and all the power that was given to me. You want to know more about the dreamer, and you want to know why the healer decided to abandon all that she's known and would willingly lay down their lives in a hopeless struggle against superior forces. And finally, you want to know more about me."

Well, he had hit the nail right on the head. There were more questions, but the ones that Nights mentioned were the ones that troubled her most. Why had Pirdy left the Nightmaren, and who was this dreamer that Nights seemed to protect like a mother to her cub. "Those are questions that anyone would ask. It doesn't mean I want to jump up and fight by your side," she said.

"Why do you owe Reala and Wizeman so much?"

"I fight for them, I am a soldier in their army."

"You're a servant for their own whims. Wizeman and Reala hate one another, and you're nothing more than a pawn in their political game."

"That's not true," Umbrae hollered, "I am a Night Terror. An assassin and thief without remorse. I have destroyed villages and towns because they did nothing more than annoy my master with their lack of subservience."

"Oh, and you're proud of that." smirked Nights.

"Well, no, not all of it. It's still better than living on the run, dodging every patrol and Nightmaren you come across for fear that you'll be killed. Never sleeping, always watching. What kind of life is that."

"It's a life of freedom, a life of doing what's right for this world. It's a life fighting against the tyranny and oppression that your master and Wizeman enjoy spreading. If Wizeman is successful in bringing the waking world into this one, then he will end up destroying both. You're fighting for your own death, and that doesn't sound like something you would do."

Umbrae sighed and shook her head. She sat up and looked around the Museum and shook her head once more. "You don't understand. This is what I grew up doing, I know nothing else."

"I do understand. I grew up the same way, knowing nothing else but destruction. I worked for Wizeman once too." Nights knelt down and said, "Come with us Umbrae. Fight with me, I need your help. Pirdy and Claris are not warriors, and I'll have enough trouble finding our way through Mystic Forest, let alone trying to protect them from the dangers that lay inside. Come with me and fight by my side. I promise you that you'll get into at least one battle every few days."

Umbrae let out a quick laugh before she bit down on her lip to stop it. He has an infectious way about him, she thought, enough that you believe in what he's doing as much as he does. She looked down at the floor and took a deep breath. She would be leaving the one thing she knew and be entering a world she knew nothing about. That frightened her more than any opponent she had faced before, but she didn't know why. She had never had a friend before, she had always been afraid that one would backstab her. Nights, however, was offering her something different. He was offering her comraderie on a level that she had never realized before, and that was frightening as well. This was a true warrior, turning his honored enemy into a friend and ally.

"Come on, Umbrae, it will be a great adventure, and you might even make a friend or two." Nights stood up and offered his hand to help her stand. She grasped it and hesitated a moment more before she stood up as well.

"Alright, Nights, I will travel and fight with you. Make no mistake, however, I do not do this out of any kind of friendship. I do this only to appease my curiosity and because you promised me the chance to fight."

"Fair enough." Nights extended his hand once more, looking Umbrae squarely in the eyes. She hesitated for a moment under that gaze, knowing that if she returned the gesture, she would forfeit her life and lose the respect of this warrior if she betrayed him. She extended her hand and shook Nights' firmly, nodding her head. "Fair enough."

Elliot had finally reached the Dreamworld. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, keeping it in as he listened to the familiar sounds of the windmills creaking on their floating islands, and the water tripping over waterfalls in the distance. "I thought I would never see this place again. Part of me was hoping that I wouldn't, but the rest of me is happy that I have." He took another deep breath and let it out slowly as he started walking across the green hills. Then his ear caught it, the annoying and persistent ringing. He rubbed a finger in his ear and listened again, hoping that it wasn't in his head. The ringing was only gone for only a moment before he heard it once more. It was distant, but slowly getting louder and he looked about in hopes of seeing what it was. He started walking again, a thought creeping into his head that the ringing was familiar to him. The thought distracted him for a moment as he tried to pin it down, and his feet started walking faster as the ringing got closer.

"What was it? What do I remember that rang when I was here last time? It wasn't a Shleep, or any kind of creature. I know that. What was it?"

He looked about once more and his eyes finally fixed on a shadowy object in the distance beaming a light onto the ground and heading straight for him. Those eyes went wide as he recognized it, and he started to run as fast as he could. It was the Alarm Guardian, and it was heading straight for him. If it touched Elliot, he would wake up and this trip to Dreamland would be over.

Reala paced through the Nightmare Tower with a quick step, his hands behind his back and his eyes on the floor. Umbrae had not yet returned, Nights had escaped and the other Night Terrors were nowhere to be seen anymore. Had Wizeman discovered his game already? No, Reala was too clever and the plans too well laid for the Lord of Nightmares to discover it already. He stopped his pacing and walked out to his balcony, overlooking the encampment below. There were troops returning from their day of conquest and victory, bearing prisoners and the spoils of war. His trusted generals would be sure to bring him all of the most important spoils, which Reala would keep for himself. Everything else would go to Wizeman and he would continue to believe that the Nightopians were nothing more than mere idiots.

He stepped onto the ledge of his balcony and prepared to hover to the camp below, when his eye caught a shadow moving in the night. It was darker than the rest and it was moving too quickly to be a Nightmaren or any of his soldiers. He watched it closely as it headed straight for Nightmare Tower and easily dodged through the patrols and guards. It didn't fly, however, and that was what made Reala realize that it was Clawz, returning from doing Wizeman's bidding. The fact that Umbrae had not returned and another of his other Night Terror's were missing, and now Clawz was returning from the direction of Soft Museum was too much of a coincidence. Reala's eyes narrowed dangerously. Wizeman had suspected that he was up to something, and had sent the cat to go out and destroy as many of Reala's precious Night Terrors as he could. That was the only explanation for it. His hand clenched into a fist and started to shake in fury, the claws biting into his palm and causing him to bleed. "You will pay, Clawz, for what you have done."

Wizeman saw his faithful servant returning as well, and could feel an anger from Reala immediately start to swell up as the creature ran towards the Tower. All the Lord of Nightmares could think was, "This ought to be interesting," and he walked back into his apartment.

Clawz dashed left and right past the unsuspecting guards, creating nothing more than a stir of wind at his passing. His eyes looked up towards Wizeman's quarters and saw the orange firelight burning, meaning that his master was still awake and waiting on him to report. He dashed through the Tower entrance, easily bound up the stairs, his claws scratching lightly on the door to his master's room only a moment later.

The door swung open of it's own volition and Clawz walked inside, his claws clacking against the stone floor. He trotted over to Wizeman and bowed his head.

"Report to me, most faithful," came the booming voice of Wizeman.

"Master, one of the Night Terrors went to Soft Musuem to seek information. She was routed and destroyed by Nights in a fight. Nights, however, was damaged and almost killed. He is not at the peak of his proficiency yet and may prove vulnerable under a more skilled assault. The information that the Night Terror sought is now in the hands of the Nightopian Archivists at Soft Musuem, and I am still unable to discern where they are hiding themselves."

Wizeman nodded, walking once more to his balcony and looking out at the moon high above. "Clawz, rest tonight and then tomorrow I want you to seek out the Demi-Maren Jackal."

"Jackal, master? You will use Jackal to attack Nights?"

"Yes, he is sufficient enough to defeat Nights in this kind of weakened state. Yes, he will do just fine."

"Master, I was hoping that I might have the privilege of destroying Nights myself."

"Don't be ridiculous, Clawz, you are too important to me to risk in a confrontation with Nights. Let's use the Demi-Maren mercenary first and see if Nights' skills are really that out of shape. Then we will make a further determination."

Clawz bowed his head once again, proud at the fact that Wizeman didn't want to risk losing him, and proud that his Master found him too important. "Of course, Master. You are most wise."

Wizeman nodded his head, reaffirming his plan to himself. "Go and rest, most faithful, you have performed well. Inform me when you leave to retrieve Jackal for me." Clawz turned and trotted out of the room, leaving Wizeman alone once more. "Reala, Reala, Reala, what am I going to do with you son." He looked down and saw the Nightmaren floating down towards the camp, no doubt to take the prize share of the spoils that his warriors had gained. Mere baubles, thought the wizard. They are nothing, Reala, but you do not see beyond their glitter and that is why you will never be Lord of Nightmares. You do not see that my destiny is far greater than any mere title. Nor do you see that our future is now clouded once more, by Nights.

Elliot continued to run as fast as he could, trying to dodge the spotlight of the Alarm Guardian. He had managed to outdistance it, but he was getting tired and he knew that the guardian would never stop its pursuit as long as Elliot continued to be in the Dreamworld. He needed a place to hide for a while and catch his breath. He looked around for the Ideya temple, but couldn't see it anywhere, which was funny because the last time he was here, he seemed to have a natural instinct for finding them.

Elliot spied a small cove of trees in the distance, rising up out of the landscape around a pool of clear blue water. He hoped it would be enough to hide him in, until he could figure out another plan, or until he was rested enough to make another run for it. The ringing became louder once again and Elliot made a run for it, taking in a deep breath as he made for the trees. The Alarm Guardian spotted him right away and turned course, the spotlight moving forward and trying to stun him. Elliot dodged and weaved as best he could, using all of his athletic skill. The spotlight was quick, darting and trying to get it's light on top of him. Trees zoomed left and right as Elliot continued his dash. He ducked behind a bush, but the spotlight had shined on his foot, and already he could feel it numbing up. He tried to continue to run, but his foot wouldn't hold him up anymore. He fell hard to the ground, stunned for a moment. It was all the hesitation that the Alarm Guardian needed. A moment later the light was squarely on the boy, and Elliot could already hear the soothing words. "Time to wake up, little dreamer. Time to wake up."

A moment later he awoke in his room with a start, sweat beading down his forehead, and his breath coming in ragged grasps. He looked about, hoping that this were not true, that he wasn't really awake yet. Tears started to run down his face, and his hands clenched into fists. "No..", was all he could murmur. His hand found a baseball and he grasped it, flinging it across the room with enough force to shatter the basketball trophy on his shelf. He sniffed and then hugged his knees, continuing to cry. "So close Claris. So close."

Claris huddled onto the back of Nights as they all flew back towards the Mystic Forest. She turned her eyes towards Umbrae, studying the female Nightmaren dressed all in black. She was a powerful figure, to be sure, but Claris saw that she had changed since her conversation with Nights. She saw a curiosity in those eyes now, and those eyes were now looking straight back at her. They blinked once, and then narrowed dangerously and went back to looking forward.

"Don't stare at her," said Nights above the holler of the wind around their ears. "She'll take it as a sign of hostility."

"What did you say to her to get her to come along?"

"I promised her a thing or two, and she joined right up. Come on Claris, give her a break. Remember that all the other Nightmaren that you're traveling with were once all on the bad side as well."

"I think that's different, Nights," she hollered back. "I mean, I never knew you when you were evil, and I don't think Pirdy has an ounce of evil inside of that huge heart of hers. Umbrae, though, she just gives off evil vibes."

Nights laughed and shook his head, "That's because she doesn't know anything else. Give her time, Claris, being a hero is new to her. She'll get used to it."

The peaks of the tall trees in Mystic Forest started to appear on the horizon, and Claris lowered her head once again, "Should we be worried about Nightmaren patrols? We aren't exactly entering friendly territory, you know."

Nights shook his head once more, pointing to the east as he did so. "See that black smoke over there?"

Claris followed his finger and her saw a large column of black smoke rising into the air in the distance. A small tongue of orange flame leapt up every moment or so and Claris nodded her head. "It looks like something's on fire."

"Something is. The Nightmaren armies are attacking a small city called Idia. They're probably hoping to get the large food supplies stored there."

"We have to go help, Nights. Those poor Nightopian don't stand a chance. We can help defend."

Another shake of his head, "We can't, we have more important things to do right now. We'd be wasting our time, unfortunately. By the size of the fire, it looks like the Nightmaren are already well on their way to winning. We'd be risking our lives for very little gain."

"Very little gain! Nights, it's a city of Nightopians. They're being slaughtered."

"And if we don't stop Wizeman, more will be. We need to cut the head off, and the rest will fall afterwards. We are only three Nightmaren, and one is a healer at that. We don't stand a chance."

"Nights.."

"Enough!" hollered Umbrae, flying near Nights and Claris. "Nights has already given you more than ample explanation for not going. His strategy and advice are sound, and wailing to him that we should go and die nobly is stupid and pointless. We are nearing Mystic Forest and to enter the center, we need strength and clear thought, and we will achieve neither with you whining." She flew off before Claris could respond. Her mouth hung wide open in shock and disbelief as her eyes followed the Nightmaren flying off. She had never been reprimanded like that before, and it was something she didn't think she liked very much. Nights didn't say a word, he just tried to hide his smile and continued to fly. Pirdy just blinked, not knowing what was going on, but just happy that she wasn't at Idia right now.

Nights and his group landed on the outskirts of Mystic Forest, looking up at the tall trees that rose before them like a huddled group of giants. Claris swallowed hard and a moment later, Pirdy was right next to her, trying to hide herself behind the taller girl. Umbrae stood next to Nights, her eyes trying to search through the intense shadows. "Nightmaren patrols have been trying to claim Mystic Forest since this all began. All of the patrols that have gone in have never come back out. Wizeman and Reala were furious, they needed the wood of the trees for some reason, and they weren't getting it."

Claris looked at Umbrae and then back to the trees, "Were they trying to get to the center, like we are?"

"No, they were only here to chop down some trees and get the wood back to the Tower. Not a single log of wood made it back though."

Nights nodded once and then looked towards where the column of smoke was continuing to rise into the air. "We'll camp inside for tonight and start for the center tomorrow. I want to read this book, find out what we're going up against."

The group entered into the trees and Nights once more made sure to get plenty of rocks to form a circle to contain a fire. "Be sure only to get wood from the ground. If there are spirits in the forest, let's not anger them by destroying the trees." The others nodded and set out to find some wood.

"Nights," came a tiny voice, "are you sure that we're safe in here? Unfriendly spirits and everything, they don't like intruders."

The Nightmaren turned and saw a frightened Pirdy looking up into the trees, her arms wrapped around herself tightly. "Don't worry, they won't bother us unless we start doing something drastic that they don't like." Within moments, Claris and Umbrae returned with armloads of wood that they placed near the rocks. Another moment later and Nights had a cheerful fire brewing. They all sat close, and for the remainder of the evening, Nights talked about the book, and what they could expect inside.

Elliot walked through the park, his eyes cast down at the ground even as the sun shined down and tried to cheer him up. "I must be out of shape or something, the Alarm Guardian never caught me before. I couldn't even find an Ideya Temple. I always knew where it was before. It was like an arrow was right in front of my face all the time." He took in a deep breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth, raising his head and looking at the crystal blue lake beside him. Elliot tried to clear his thoughts but they refused to be dusted away. "I need to talk with someone who understands." His feet turned and he started heading towards the hospital.

Reala twisted his hand and stared at the gold goblet he held. An evil grin formed across his hideous face as he saw his reflection in the pure gold. "Perfect," he said aloud, "a beautiful piece of metalworking. When I am Lord of Nightmares, I shall have many more like this one in my collection. Poor Wizeman, so lost in your delusions of grandeur that you've missed the smaller picture all around you. You want the waking world, and you want the Dreamworld together, but it doesn't work out that way, Father. To stubbornly try and bring the two together is a foolish endeavor indeed."

"Is it?" came the voice from behind. "I thought it was a goal that you and I shared together."

Reala's eyes narrowed and he turned, finally resting on the giant form of Wizeman hovering in the doorway. "It was never what I wanted, it's always been what you wanted, Father." Reala set the goblet on the table and walked out to the balcony, pointing up to the moon. "See that up there, Father, see that precious moon hanging over us? You control it, you control this entire place, and even now my armies rage across the land, snatching back all that is ours, and yet it's still not enough for you. Your greed is going to be your downfall, and I'm going to be there when it happens. And when you're on your knees, weighed down by your own greed, I will be there to take all that is yours, and make it mine."

Wizeman lifted a single of his seven hands and an unseen force suddenly seized Reala. He struggled to try and break free of the bonds, but it was no use, he was captured. Wizeman floated over and lifted his hand to bring Reala's face square with his own. "You listen to me, my son, you are not powerful enough to seize my throne yet. Do you think you are so indispensable to me as to assert yourself in my very presence? You have no comprehension what it means to be Lord of Nightmares." Wizeman started to close his hand slowly, the force surrounding Reala starting to crush the Nightmaren. "This is but a small taste of my power, my son, and yet you cannot escape from even this. Did you really believe that I would not discover your little scheme?" He continued to close his hand, crushing the Nightmaren even further. "You are pathetic, my son, I wish it had been you that had turned to the side of good instead of Nights. Then I know the future would not be hazy."

Reala screamed in pain, unable to open his eyes. Wizeman opened his hand and in an instant, the force surrounding Reala was gone and he fell to the floor exhausted. Wizeman said nothing further, only turned and floated out the door. Reala watched him go, coughing up blood onto the floor. His eyes narrowed, and the evil and hatred in his heart grew even further. "First, dear father, I eliminate your eyes, and when you are blind and cannot see the world about you, then we shall see how powerful you are."

Elliot walked by the ambulance bays at the hospital, looking around for his friend. He spotted a couple of other paramedics and asked them about Geoff. "Yeah," said one of them, "he usually hangs out under the trees when he's eating his lunch." They pointed him to a small picnic area, and Elliot thanked them and walked over that way. As he walked around a wall, he spied Geoff eating lunch and reading a book at a picnic table under the shade of some trees.

"Hi, Geoff, mind if I join?" Elliot asked.

Geoff looked up from his book and smiled, "Not at all, please, have a seat. I was getting full anyway and wondering what I was going to do with the other half of this sandwich. You want it?"

"What kind?"

"Ham and Swiss cheese with Dijon mustard on French bread." He took it out of his bag and handed it over. Elliot didn't realize just how hungry he was as he started to bite into it ravenously. Geoff only smiled once again, watching him. "What's going on Elliot? Bad dream?"

"No dream is the problem. I got to the Dreamworld again, last night, and wasn't there for more than ten minutes when the Alarm Guardian got me."

"The Alarm Guardian causing you trouble, huh? Why didn't you just go to an Ideya Temple? You can usually find one about."

"That's just it," said Elliot as he swallowed some of the sandwich. "I tried, but I couldn't sense where they were. It was like all my abilities didn't exist anymore."

Geoff nodded his head, taking out a soda from his bag and handing it over to Elliot. "I see. That is a problem. You're not going to be able to see Claris as long as the Alarm Guardian is hovering on your tail all the time. You want some advice?"

Elliot nodded emphatically as he opened the can of soda. "You bet. Anyway I can beat the guardian and stay for as long as I need to?"

Geoff shook his head, "Unfortunately no, the Guardian cannot be stopped. You can, however, slow it down enough so that you can get so far ahead of it that it wouldn't be able to catch you for a long time."

"How do I do that? I just need enough time to find Claris and see why she isn't waking up."

Geoff nodded his head this time, turning around the bag of chips he had to face Elliot. The boy didn't realize that his friend was giving up his entire lunch, his interest was peaked on the idea of stopping the Alarm Guardian. He continued eating as Geoff explained. "The Alarm Guardian wakes up dreamers from their sleep, that's its job. If it doesn't, then Dreamworld becomes crowded and dreamers start bumping into one another and wreaking havoc. It gets confused by rapid movement, however, so if you lead it to a river or a fast flowing stream of water, the spotlight can't get a fix on you because of all the other movement in the area. That is how you make your initial escape."

"Initial escape? How long will that slow him down?"

"About twenty minutes or so. After that, there will be more dreamers in the area besides you. It'll stop looking in the water, back out, and then pick up the closest dreamer and head towards it. If you're far enough ahead, you should be fine. Try to lead the Alarm Guardian to water near an Ideya Temple. Get that spotlight to flash on the water, run into the Temple and wait. The Guardian should eventually leave."

"How do you know all of this?"

"I wanted to spend a little more time in the Dream World once, so I spent a lot of time studying the Alarm Guardian. I tried everything I could to get away from it, and finally I crossed a river and the spotlight fell on the water. It stopped, almost as though the water confused it. I used that opportunity to escape from it. It gave me some more time to explore."

"Do you think it will still work? I mean, you said that you hadn't been to the Dream World in a long time. Have the Alarm Guardians gotten smarter since then?" Elliot took another bite of the sandwich, his hands seeking out some chips.

"I don't know, it is possible that they've gotten smarter. I think you should try it out, it couldn't hurt. Now, eat your sandwich, you need your strength."

Elliot ate some of the chips in his hand, and before he knew it, he had eaten all of Geoff's lunch. His friend didn't seem to mind so much, however, and they spent the afternoon talking about many things.

Claris slept soundly. Nights and Umbrae still awake and watching the trees of Mystic Forest sway back and forth in the wind. The silence of the night was ushered away by the sounds of the forest, and the swishing of the pine needles in the trees. Every so often a figure would fly above them, carrying something in its arms. Nights sighed and shook his head sadly, continuing to watch the sky. "Idia has fallen."

Umbrae looked at Nights, curiosity in her eyes now. "As if you had any doubt. The Nightopians didn't stand a chance against the Nightmaren army."

Nights shrugged his shoulders, taking another deep breath. "I know, it's just sometimes you have to say it out loud to make it real in your mind. Idia was a beautiful city and its loss is a great one."

Umbrae looked back up into the sky to see another group of Nightmaren flying overhead. "I know, I've seen it before. This was a part of the job that I didn't like. Sometimes the Nightopians can create things of such beauty and we know nothing but destruction. When I attacked a small village in the Arctic Bell, I was sad when Reala ordered me to destroy it. The ice sculptures were some of the most beautiful that I've ever seen."

Nights took his eyes off the sky this time and looked at Umbrae, amazement filling his purple eyes. "The Night Terror has a heart?"

Umbrae looked a little shocked and turned her eyes back to Nights, only to find his staring directly back at her. She swallowed hard, unable to speak for a moment. Her heart gave a little lurch and then her eyes narrowed dangerously once more as she turned back towards the fire, "Just because I'm an assassin and a thief doesn't mean I don't appreciate beauty. I'm a soldier, not a monster. I was hoping that you of all people would understand that." She sat on a log with her back facing Nights, watching the fire crackle in front of her. She brushed a tear away forcefully with her sleeve, hoping the other Nightmaren didn't notice. "I'm going to get some sleep. Wake me in four hours and I'll stand watch."

Nights had never taken his eyes off of Umbrae, and his expression was filled with remorse. He had hurt her, and this told him that young Umbrae had more heart than he had believed at first. "Alright, Umbrae. Sleep well."

Silent eyes watched the campers from the branches of a nearby tree. They stared intensely at the two that were still awake, taking in their conversation and watching as the one in all black laid down to rest. The emerald green orbs turned towards the other sleepers, watching them for a moment. They were peaceful in their sleep, comfortable and safe in the care of the other two. The eyes didn't know what to make of this group. They weren't like the others, afraid of the forest and the spirits resting inside.

The eyes moved once more to settle themselves on the lone Nightmaren that was awake. They went wide for a moment as they noticed that the Nightmaren seemed to be staring straight back. His eyes were unwavering as well as unnerving. The eyes continued to stare right back at the Nightmaren in purple and white, and they were amazed that the purple Nightmaren didn't back down or make a threat. They simply acknowledged that she was there, and that he would not be leaving anytime soon, and that he was unafraid of what lay ahead.

The emerald eyes closed and a moment later, all that was left was shadow and a sense of wonder.

Elliot rested in his bed, his eyes slowly closing and his mind drifting off to sleep. His last waking thought was a wish to end up in Dreamworld.

His wish came true.

Elliot's eyes opened to gaze once more upon the beauty of Spring Valley. This time, however, he didn't take in the deep breaths, nor did he listen to the sounds of the windmills. This time he hoped up on his feet and looked about for the nearest stream or river flowing by. Already his ears were picking up the sounds of the Alarm Guardian in the distance. He saw a crevice to his right and immediately started for it, hoping that the river had formed it. He looked behind him and saw the Alarm Guardian already coming over the next hill, the spotlight looking swiveling left and right in search of the dreamer that it had sensed. Elliot looked forward once more and saw the crevice looming closer and when he reached the edge, he looked down about four feet and saw water flowing swiftly by. He could not, however, sense an Ideya temple anywhere and that troubled him once again. He looked all around for the high hilltop that normally held the temple. It wasn't anywhere in sight and Elliot realized that he was going to have to run as fast and as hard as he could in order to get away.

The Alarm Guardian approached even closer now and Elliot made his move. He jumped down into the crevice and looked up just as the spotlight peered over the edge and shined down. Elliot jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the shining light and when he looked back, he saw that the Alarm Guardian seemed to be stuck in one spot. It wasn't moving towards him as it should be and a slow smile spread across the boys face and he immediately got to his feet and started running as swiftly as he could away from the dangerous spotlight.

The party was stirred awake early that morning by Umbrae who had a desire to get moving into the forest so that they could all leave just as quickly. Nights let out a loud yawn and went over to the fire, trying to stoke the flame back up. Pirdy opened her eyes and smiled as she saw the sun peek its way through the trees and onto the forest floor. Claris was the last to awaken, stretching languorously and shaking out her red hair. She looked all about her, peering as deep as she could into the forest and trying to peer through the dark shadows that lay beyond. Without a thought Nights leapt up into the air, heading towards the nearest tree and coming back down a moment later with his arms bearing some fruit and berries.

"We'll need our strength and the book says that these are pretty good." He held out what appeared to be a yellow pear with red spots all over it. He handed the fruit and then took a large bite out of his own, smiling happily as he chewed. "Tastes like apples." That was all the rest of them needed, they bit into their own fruit and just as quickly all three spit it out.

"Mine tastes like black licorice." complained Claris.

"That's not so bad, mine tasted like boiled spinach." piped up Pirdy.

"I'm not even going to try and tell you what mine tasted like." finally came Umbrae.

Nights only blinked and took another bite of his fruit, shrugging his shoulders and saying, "It still tastes like an apple to me." He continued eating his own fruit, passing out some berries and nuts to the girls who found these far tastier. As they ate, Nights once more peered back up into the trees, concentrating on one spot for a moment, tilting his head left and right. Only Claris found this behavior peculiar and she walked over to Umbrae quietly, whispering to her, "What's he doing?"

"He spies something up in the trees and he's trying to figure out what it is and whether or not it's a threat. He doesn't want to go up there and attack it, which might invoke the spirits of the forest. We don't need them angry at us right before we go into the center."

Claris nodded and turned once more, kneeling beside the fire and holding out her hands to ward off the early morning chills. She didn't really want to head into the center of the forest, the ominous shadows that she saw all around her frightened her beyond belief. It seemed as though they were waiting to consume her and her friends at any moment. She desperately wished that Elliot was here right now, he would have put his arm around her, told her everything was going to be alright and that Nights and he would be there to make sure she was alright. She spoke in a quiet voice, saying, "Blast it Elliot, where are you?"

Elliot peered out from around one of the columns of the Ideya temple that he had finally found, quite by accident. The Alarm Guardian had broken loose from the waters entrancing grip and immediately set about trying to find the Dreamer once more. When Elliot had entered the temple, it lost all traces and had moved off in an easterly direction, the eerie spotlight searching left and right once more. The boy waited until the object had moved off behind some hills before he looked towards the west and at the long shadows made by the rising sun. He had beaten the Alarm Guardian, and now the thought was starting to creep into his head, "Where do I even begin looking?" He looked up into the sky as though Nights would automatically fly by at any moment, and when he didn't, it made Elliot even more worried. "Nights always told me that he would never leave Spring Valley if he could help it. He's not here, so that means that something is wrong. If something is wrong, that means he would be heading towards Nightmare Tower, and Nightmare Tower is west. So, it looks like we're heading west." He went over his logic two more times before nodding his head and stepping out from the Ideya temple, his shadow stretching out before him.

The party flew through the forest, at a steady pace. The sun dappled the ground below them, pointing out the myriad of road signs that seemed strewn about all over the place. The ground had not changed from the usual hilly terrain that seemed to be the norm in Dreamworld, but the trees had become a lot thicker at their base and seemed to rise ever higher towards the sky. As they drew closer to the forest, flocks of Shleep would rise out of nowhere and move to attack them, using their horns to try and drive the party back the way they came. Nights quickly dealt with the threat, raising his sword and driving the monsters off with the flame that he caused to erupt from it. Soon after that, they were attacked by what appeared to be large, hairy spiders with legs. Pirdy fainted. Umbrae was quick to react, using her daggers deftly and dispatching the monsters easily. After waking Pirdy with some water and some shaking, they took off once more towards the center of the forest. Every so often Nights would land, look at one of the road signs, then at the book, and then would take off in a completely direction. He had warned the others to stay close to him and to not deviate from their course no matter what. One wrong move would get them lost in the forest with almost no hope of getting out. Umbrae didn't seem to buy into this theory as she pointed out to Nights that they could fly straight up into the air and be out of the forest in moments. Nights stopped and smirked, marking the page he was at and snapping the book shut. "Try it." was all he said.

Umbrae took the challenge with her own smirk hidden beneath her mask and flew straight up into the air, going faster and faster as she did so. She looked back down at the ground, expecting to see the others way below her and was surprised to see that they were only a few feet away. She blinked once and then turned back, this time flying harder and faster than she had before. After a few moments, she turned back and saw that she had gone only a little further away from the others, their expressions still clear on their faces. She growled and this time flew faster, spinning herself into a Drill Attack and giving her the greatest amount of speed possible. She turned back around once more and saw the she hadn't gotten any further than before. She only blinked her surprise, heading back towards the group and looking at Nights with a question in her eyes.

"Mystic Forest is protected by some very powerful magic that hasn't been seen in centuries, we're talking ancient magic that not even Wizeman could hope to possess. That same magic protects the forest from people coming from above the trees and hoping to enter the center, and it also keeps those that are trying to find their way deeper into the forest from getting out whenever they can. You could spend your entire existence flying straight up and still only make it about halfway."

Umbrae looked up once more and nodded her head before peering at Nights again. "So, we continue on?" With that, Nights proceeded to open the book again and look in a couple of directions. He pointed and said, "That way." and he took off once more into the forest.

A pair of emerald eyes watched the entire scene, amusement sparkling in them as she watched the Nightmaren try and fly straight out. When the group sped off into the forest once more, they were quick to follow, always in the shadows, and never wavering from their target. They weaved around the trees almost as though they knew exactly where each of them stood, the eyes never wavering from their target. When Nights sped off in a different direction without warning, the eyes never wavered. They knew that the group below was trying to find the center and it was time to stop them from reaching it, no matter how curious they found the group to be.

"We're being followed." Umbrae spoke as she flew closer to Nights and Claris. "The creature is trying to keep to the shadows, but I can sense the presence. It's good, whatever it is."

"Good?" asked Claris.

"It took all the way until just now for me to detect it, and usually I can sense a presence from quite a distance away."

Nights continued to fly on, not wanting to let the creature know that they were on to its presence. Instead, he spoke to Umbrae and said, "Where is it?"

"Above us, about twenty yards back. It's trying to use the sunlight to blind us to its presence as well."

"Impossible," said Nights as he continued to fly. "According to the book, we're on the only path that's allowed. Any deviation from this path would get us lost in Mystic Forest forever. It shouldn't be able to keep up with us if it's twenty yards off."

"I'm only telling you what I'm sensing and what I've confirmed with my eyes. It's back there, and it's still following us with ease."

Nights ordered the other Nightmaren to stop and turned, taking out the sword and looking up towards the sky to try and find this creature following them. "Show yourself!" he shouted, and braced himself for attack. He lowered himself to the ground and allowed Claris to slide off his back. "Hide behind that tree, try not to show yourself. Pirdy, you too." Both of them nodded and made their way to a large tree and hid behind it, waiting. Umbrae already had her daggers out and was peering all about her when Nights darted back into the sky and took a position behind her back.

The emerald green eyes stopped and blinked once, trying to figure out how she had been spotted. The one in black was looking all about, and Nights seemed calm with his eyes closed trying to pick up the faintest sound. It was now or never, and the eyes descended slowly.

"Nights, there it is." Umbrae pointed towards the slender figure descending out of the shadows and right into their vision. Nights spun about, his sword at the ready as he watched. What met his eyes caused them to open wide and his breath to come to him sharply. It was the most beautiful Nightmaren he had ever seen and she had eyes of the purest emerald green.

Wizeman sighed as he saw Idia fall. He turned away from his mirror, which let him see many things without leaving his tower. He knew that he needed the food supplies that Idia had, he had only wished that Reala had not let loose his anger on the place. The city was truly a beautiful one, and that beauty would never be recaptured now that it had been utterly destroyed. As he turned, his eyes settled on a frightening sight.

A figure dressed in what appeared to be a large cloak was kneeling behind him. Its face was covered with a make-up that gave the appearance of a menacing grin. A jesters cap had been placed atop his head, tiny bells dangling from the ends of the three points. Jackal was truly a frightful figure, an image he did nothing to discount. When he spoke, it was with a low, gruff voice that belied his slender figure. "What is the service you wish of me, Lord Wizeman."

"Your loss to Nights was a bitter one, was it not Jackal?"

"It still haunts my thoughts, my lord, but I shall one day have my vengeance on that plum colored freak."

"Your vengeance may come sooner than you think, for Nights is in a weakened state right now and I need you to kill him."

Jackal only smiled, making his face only more frightening. His eyes narrowing slightly at the thought of terrible pains that he could inflict upon Nights when he fell to his magic cards. "You would give me the pleasure of killing him, my lord, instead of Reala or Clawz? What did I do to deserve such generosity?"

"Do not mistake this for generosity. If you defeat Nights, all the better. If you do not, then I will know exactly where Nights stands and I may send Reala in afterwards to deal with him. It is merely a test of my former son, to see where his abilities lay. I will not have him ruining my plans this time. I will capture the red ideya that I need this time, and I will bring the two worlds together and rule them both."

Jackals smile faded as he realized that he was merely a test subject, but quickly reappeared as he realized that Wizeman expected him to win hands down. Reala was busy fighting the war to take time off to go and find and fight Nights. Wizeman, for all of his power, was not a general and didn't know how to properly control and use troops on the battlefield. Jackal cackled, which came out almost as a growl. "Consider it done, Lord Wizeman. I will bring you the head of Nights on a platinum platter."

"Go then, Demi-Maren, and do not fail me again. This time, it will cost you more than you know if you do not succeed." Wizeman turned back towards the mirror, once again turning his attention to the destroyed city if Idia and watching his Nightmaren pillage all that was left of it. Jackal merely stood and walked out of the room, a thin trickle of sweat running down his forehead. He did not intend to fail, but he knew the hell that Wizeman could put him through if he discovered that Nights was still alive.

She was dressed in dark green with black that ran down the side of her body, legs and boots. Her floppies were black with a golden leaf on the forehead. The jewel on her chest was the same pattern as the leaf, but was red in color, glowing slightly in the sunlight, which glinted off of it. Her entire suit hugged her hourglass figure tightly with only the sleeves being wide and hanging off her delicate wrists. Her skin was a cream color but seemed to contain a slight green shine to it and her lips were a deep crimson red. She hovered in front of the two Nightmaren, her arms hanging to the side, her hand lightly clutching a long spear. She only sat there, watching them with an intensity that made Nights shiver slightly. This was a woman who was in complete control of her environment.

Umbrae, however, was not impressed. She took one look at the green Nightmaren and she narrowed her eyes immediately in hostility. "Who are you, and why are you following us."

"I am Iona, Commander of the Mystic Rangers. It is my duty to ensure that you do not reach the center. I am most sorry, but I must stop you here." She still made no move with her weapon.

Umbrae snorted in response, "Mystic Rangers? Is it you that has prevented Reala and his armies from taking the forest?"

Iona only nodded her head, "It has been us, yes. Please, turn back from your present course. What you seek is forbidden to you and will only cause you harm. I do not wish to harm you, for you have not harmed the forest."

"Are you threatening us, you overdressed tart?" Umbrae twirled the daggers in her hand and dashed towards Iona in a rage. The Ranger lifted her hand and pointed the palm at Umbrae. Vines flashed from the trees and surrounded the attacking Nightmaren, capturing her in midair and binding her tightly. The Night Terror struggled in the bonds, trying to use her daggers to cut her way out, but it was no use, the vines had her wrapped up tightly. Iona started to close her hand and Umbrae screamed as the vines started to squeeze.

"No!" shouted Nights who used his Drill Dash to try and distract the Ranger. Iona turned her eyes towards Nights and dropped her spear to the ground, raising her other hand, her palm pointed upwards. From the ground a whirlwind of leaves and branches swirled upwards and surrounded Nights, sending splinters and gravel at his face and eyes. Nights had to stop his dash and cover his face as the stinging debris battered him. In the next moment, Iona turned her hand so that the palm faced Nights, causing more vines to shoot out and entangle the hero. Nights tried in vain to use his weapon to free himself, just as Umbrae had. It was no use, however, as the vines had him tightly. His eyes looked at Iona and went wide in fear as she started to close her hand, causing the vines to constrict around him. He screamed in pain as he his breath being squeezed out of him.

Claris looked up from behind the tree she was hiding behind and saw Nights and Umbrae both being suffocated to death. She looked at Pirdy and shouted, "Do something!" Pirdy took out one of her bandages and picked up a stone from the ground. She placed the stone on the bandage and swirled it around, slinging the rock directly towards Iona's head. It only took a moment for the Ranger to react to the danger, she moved Umbrae's body directly in the path of the stone and it ricocheted off of the vines in a different direction. Iona's eyes flashed green for a moment and the grass on the ground sprang up around Pirdy's ankles and started to surround her legs. Claris kneeled down and tried to rip the grass off, but it was coming too fast. She looked down at her own feet and saw that the grass was now surrounding her and she reached down to try and rip it off. Pirdy picked up another stone, placing it in her makeshift sling and twirling it about her head, aiming for Iona's head once more. The grass was too quick, however, and after a brief moment, it had finally consumed and surrounded her. She fell to the ground right next to Claris who was also cocooned by the grass.

Iona landed lightly on the ground, the two Nightmaren in the twisted vines landed with a small thud on the ground. She opened her hands and her eyes returned to their normal state. The vines whipped away, and the grass slithered off of Claris and Pirdy. She picked up her spear and once more peered at the group. Nights and Umbrae seemed to fall to their knees simultaneously, trying to catch their breath. Claris was the first to speak as she said, "Wh..who or what are you?" Iona didn't answer, she only continued to watch them catch their breaths. Umbrae was furious, the rage inside of her building up, and her breath coming between clenched teeth. Nights finally stood up and returned the steady gaze, his voice quiet as he said, "You control the trees and the plants of the forest. That is how you keep everyone away. Bend some branches this way, grow some grass that way and pretty soon you have an entirely different forest. If they continue to find their way into the center, you just strangle them with the vines until they are unconcious and then you toss them outside the forest."

Iona nodded her head slowly, "It has been this way since the Ancients created Dreamworld. None may see the temple save for those that are worthy of its secrets. I am told that you are worthy, Nights." She looked up into the trees and said, "Safaia..Kumori..to me." A moment later, two more female Nightmaren arrived, each dressed the same way as Iona, and each carrying a long spear.

Safaia stepped forward, her sapphire blue eyes narrowing as they settled on Umbrae, "This one is a Night Terror, Commander. She must be sent out of the Forest. I have seen her attack some villages on the southern borders of the forest."

Kumori stepped forward as well, lowering her spear and pointing it at Pirdy. "This one is a Nightmaren healer, capture her and the enemy cannot heal their own." Her grey eyes glinted in the sunlight. Pirdy took a step back, hiding behind Claris as her eyes took in the tip of the spear that was hovering nearer and nearer. Claris held up her hand and said, "You can't hurt her, she's my friend, and she saved Nights from Nightmare Tower."

Kumori only nodded her head and then turned the spear towards Umbrae, even as Safaia was raising her own. "This one doesn't deserve to live, Iona. This one is dangerous, and a murderer."

Nights stood over Umbrae and raised his sword, even as the Night Terror started to growl lowly. "She's changed," Nights spoke, "she's no longer on the enemies side."

"Enough!" said Iona harshly. Her eyes looked at Nights and then at Umbrae and then took a deep breath into her lungs. Her face turned upwards, becoming bathed in one of the beams of light that poked it's way through the huge trees.

"We can take them," whispered Umbrae as she continued to keep her eyes on the two Rangers. "They are not strong."

"If they all have powers like Iona, then we wouldn't stand a chance. Their abilities to control the trees is impressive. The way they're holding those spears, they look as though they are well trained in their use as well. No, the Commander says I'm worthy of some kind of wisdom. Let's find out what that is first."

"You promised me fights, Nights." Umbrae whispered, although clearly behind a smirk. "I can take my first part of that promise out on these two."

Nights chuckled a little and put his hand under Umbrae's arm, helping her off the ground. "Patience, Umbrae, patience. We'll see action soon enough. These Nightmaren are not our enemies, no. They are doing what they have been told to do, and that is protect Mystic Forest."

A few moments later, Iona turned her face back to the others and said, "They are to all come with us. I have spoken to Weisheit and he wants them all to come." Safaia and Kumori both bowed their heads, almost reverently Nights noted, and stepped back. "Nights, please follow us."

The three Rangers lifted off in unison and waited. Nights turned to the others and said, "Let's follow and see where they take us. I want to know what this wisdom is, and I have a feeling that whoever is truly in charge is willing to talk to us." He kneeled down and let Claris hop onto his back and lifted off, followed closely by the others. After a moment, the entire group flew off, straight for the center and ignoring all the signs along the way.

Nights flew to catch up with Iona, his eyes staring intensely at her as they sped along through the trees. She turned her head to look back at him, raising an eyebrow as she did so. "What are you looking at?" she finally asked.

"You're Nightmaren, that much I can obviously figure out. If you're Nightmaren, that means you were created by Wizeman. How does a Nightmaren from Wizeman's army turn into a Mystic Ranger?"

She only smiled and turned her eyes forward once more, flying around a tree. "Weisheit shall answer all your questions, curious one. I am merely a protector, as are the others. My master is the one who shall grant you the wisdom and knowledge that you seek." There was a finality to the answer, and Nights did not pursue the subject further. As they continued to weave through the trees, Nights noticed a series of bright orange lights straight ahead of them. As they got closer, the orange lights became more noticeable and revealed themselves to be torches, and they were lighting what appeared to be the streets of a small village where there were more Nightmaren, all of them dressed differently, and all of their eyes staring straight at the arriving party.

Iona turned to the others and her smile grew wider, "Welcome everyone, welcome to Egodo. You have reached the center of Mystic Forest."