Chapter Nine
Joy and Pain
It was a desire to get underway that caused Nights to let out a long breath. His thumb absently rubbed the blue jewel back and forth as his mind raced elsewhere. Safaia and Kumori had come to visit earlier in the day, and had told him of the furious battle raging outside of Soft Museum. Reala had started his vicious campaign against the place of knowledge and would not cease until he claimed it as his own. What had Nights even more worried, however, was why Reala was attacking that particular place. Soft Museum held no real strategic significance, and held nothing more than books and artifacts from Dreamworld's past. As the question continued to fester in Nights' mind, he looked down at the solemn village below, watching the children laugh and run through the paths between the homes. The quiet footsteps behind him caused him to wake up from both thoughts. "Hello, Umbrae. How are you this fine day?" Those eyes of hers were intoxicating, although Nights would never admit that. She still wore the black mask and outfit of the Night Terrors, but the eyes were no longer tinged with the hatred and evil that they once possessed. There were now two ruby red orbs in a sea of white and they always seemed to be staring straight back at him.
"I'm wondering why you're not down in the village below, enjoying the day with the rest of us. It's warm and a little breezy, a perfect day to relax and talk."
Nights sighed and looked back down below, shaking his head as his eyes caught the children once more. "I want Weisheit to get here, he is the only one right now that my mind will let me talk to. I'm afraid I'd be poor company to everyone else."
She came up and stood right next to him, her eyes catching the children as well and watching them just as Nights did. "Claris went off into the forest to teach herself how to control that magic of hers, she's probably getting herself in quite a bit of trouble even as we speak."
"She'll be fine. Pirdy is watching over her in case anything serious happens. In the meantime, it's best that she's out of the village and practicing elsewhere. Who knows what kind of accidents she could cause to these people." Nights began to notice that she was standing very close to him, almost touching shoulders as she leaned against the railing.
"I suggested she try to use her magic to teach herself how to fly. You can't have her on your back the entire time we're travelling. That'll just wear you out." Her voice was much quieter now; the kind of voice one uses at sunset when you didn't want to disturb the quiet beauty around you.
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." He sighed once more, watching the bright orange sun dip behind the treetops of Mystic Forest. "You know, Umbrae, now that you have new eyes and all, I think we need to take the next step and get you a new Nightmaren suit to match. The black just doesn't suit you anymore."
"I like the black, it's very slimming. Besides the fact, I have no idea what I'd change to." She took off her floppy hat and shook out her long, curly silver hair. It fell all the way to her waist, and Nights caught himself staring in awe. She turned her eyes to him and blinked, "What? Something wrong? I have something in my hair?"
"Nno. Nothing is wrong with it at all. I just didn't know it was solovely." He cleared his throat, tearing his eyes away and trying to hide the blush that burned his cheeks. "I mean, I thought it would suit you to have a new outfit is all. We could take off that mask as well, I wouldn't think you'd need that anymore either."
Umbrae placed a hand on the side of her mask, her eyes suddenly looking sad as she stroked the delicate cloth. "No, this stays on. I don't mind changing color, but the costume has to have a mask. I don't want to show my face."
Nights just stared for a moment, his imagination running loose on what could possibly want to make this beautiful Nightmaren want to cover her face. "Come on, let's go down to the village. There's a tailor who used to make uniforms for the army. Let's see if we can find you something with a little more color in it. I think you'll find that a costume with a little color will make all the difference in the world." He took Umbrae's hand and launched off the balcony, laughing as he dove down and pulled up at the last moment, the other Nightmaren in tow.
Claris never thought that she would know the feeling of flight. She zipped around the tree branches and above the sun dappled ground, all the while laughing merrily as though she didn't have a care in the world. It had been the easiest bit of magic that she had pulled off yet, and one of the things that she had always wanted to do. Pirdy watched her from down below, laughing as well. "Come on Claris, you can't be up there all day. We need to get back to the village, it's starting to get dark."
Claris landed on the ground, stumbling a little bit in her inexperience. "Alright, alright." She walked down the path looking up at the trees that swayed gently in the breeze. "Hey Pirdy, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure." replied Pirdy.
"Have you, I don't know, had a weird dream lately? About a little old man with a long white beard?"
"Sure, I had one last night. Come to think about it, I had one the night before too. He was an older man, with a long white beard, but that's all I saw of him. Well, his head and two hands as well. The rest of him was like a bright ball of light, just bouncing all over the place."
Claris looked at Pirdy, her eyes going a little wider. "Two nights? What did he say to you?"
Pirdy thought for a moment, and then shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing, really, we just ended up playing a lot. I think the deepest discussion we had was what color blue the ocean is. Other than that, and telling me he's going to be here soon, we just ended up having a lot of fun together."
"Nothing else? Nothing profound or deep, he just came both nights to play with you?"
"Nope, nothing else. Who wants anything else? I mean, what we're doing now is complicated enough, why would I want something deep and profound to add even more stress? Nah, I just wanted to have fun. It's not everyday you get to play jacks with a sage."
Claris couldn't argue with that point. She decided to follow the advice, "I'll race you back to the village, bet I beat you." With that she started running as fast as she could. Pirdy smiled and started chasing after, flying every so often to catch up.
As the party sat down to eat that night, Claris told them about her first flight and how magnificent it was. The others questioned her, happily asking if she had done loops or barrel rolls to which Claris would reply with a resounding yes, and then go into detail about how it made her feel. Eventually the conversation turned towards Umbrae and her new costume. While she had kept the basic black, she had added dark blue and green diamonds all around her torso and wrists. Her black mask remained, and the forehead portion of her headdress was still black as well. The floppies, however, were the same dark blue and green as the diamonds. Her Ideya jewel stood out brightly once more on her chest, and it seemed to sparkle a little brighter now that the extra color had been added. Umbrae seemed satisfied with the dark colors, allowing her to retain the shadowy image she had become used to, but to also set herself apart from the Night Terrors, which she agreed she was no longer a part of.
The evening seemed to pass along quite nicely as dinner turned into dessert and eventually turned into sitting by the fire and playing a game that Claris had learned a long time ago. Deep down inside Nights knew that this would be the last quiet evening they would be sharing for a long time to come. He didn't want to tell the others, didn't want to tell them that they wouldn't be safe as soon as they left the comfort of the forest. Nights had exaggerated to Umbrae when he told her that new colors would make her feel different. He knew that they would meet up with the Night Terrors again, and he didn't want to get her mixed up with them when the time came. She had become angry with him when he pressed about the facemask, once again believing that she would look better without it. She had only turned away and refused to speak of it once again, telling Nights to do the same.
Nights and the others had become so lost in thought or conversation, that none of them heard the birds and other animals stop making noise in the forest. They didn't notice the bright ball of light that seemed to be wafting through the streets, passing by other Nightmaren who only knelt or bowed their heads reverently. The light whisked through the area, bouncing about a bit as children ran after it, laughing and trying to catch the elusive ball. A moment before it was caught, it whisked off once again, this time straight towards the house where the party was still speaking. It landed on the balcony and watched them for a while, bouncing a little when they laughed at some joke that Claris made. It wasn't long before the light was spotted, however, and Umbrae was the first to leap forward, daggers drawn, and feet spread in a defensive posture. The light stood stock still for a moment before bouncing forward once again and moving straight through the glass before landing on the floor at Umbrae's feet. In the next instant, it grew. Steadily it rose up, the light forming clothes and hands, then arms and shoulders. Finally a face appeared, old and weather beaten. The face was dark brown in color, and was hidden behind a long, bushy mustache and beard. Large eyebrows framed eyes of deep brown, eyes that seemed to take in everything in an instant. He stood a colossal seven feet tall, his large body and frame hidden underneath robes of flowing black. The edges of the robe were bordered in gold and all along the front where symbols in the same language that Nights had trouble reading in the book at Soft Museum. He held a large staff in his hands, reaching from his head to the floor. The tip held a circle that seemed to once support some kind of object, but which held nothing now. "I am Weisheit, I apologize for being late." His voice was a deep, rich baritone.
The only thing Pirdy could squeak out was "No kidding."
"No, I am not kidding." A warm smile formed on Weisheit's lips as he walked over to Pirdy. He knelt down to bring his face even with the Nightmaren. "I look a lot different, don't I? I told you I would."
"Yeah, but I didn't think it was this big of a difference. Wow"
Weisheit only laughed and stood up once more. He surveyed the room and then walked over to the table, making himself comfortable. The others eventually followed him over; taking their own seats and never letting their eyes leave the huge man.
"Again, I apologize for being late. When dealing with the Ancients, one must sometimes go through laborious explanations in order to assure them that we are not further hindering this world they created. They have been most generous in allowing me to come out of the Temple in order to try and save this world. It took quite an argument, let me tell you."
"They created this world, why are they so eager to destroy it?" asked Nights. "I mean, I would think they would be eager for you to try and save it."
"The Ancients have apparently run into this problem before. They tried saving that world, and they only made the situation worse. It caused quite a panic in their realm, and in the end, the world had to be destroyed. I believe the Ancients would rather just eliminate the problem rather than try and fix it. If this problem becomes too much worse, Nights, they will destroy the Dreamworld, without hesitation. They have placed a lot of faith in you, my friend."
"Wonderful." Nights stood up and walked towards the balcony once more, staring outside at the dark and starry sky.
Umbrae stood up to follow and Weisheit raised his hand, holding her back. "No, he has a lot on his mind right now. Let's not disturb him." She hesitated for a moment and then sat back down at the table, looking at Weisheit with apprehension.
Claris was looking at Nights as well, her voice quiet as she said, "I didn't realize that what we had to do meant so much. I'm sure that the Ancients weren't thrilled with your idea, having failed at it before."
"No, they were not. They were ready to cast me out of the Temple because my arguments were so adamant. They have relented and have given me a small opportunity to make this succeed." He turned his deep eyes to the three ladies, "If Wizeman possesses even one of the Mother Ideyas, even one, the Ancients will destroy Dreamworld, taking everyone with it in the process. The Ancients will then be asked to leave forever, and be replaced with others who may be able to do the job better."
"How many of them are there?"
Weisheit only laughed, shaking his head. "There are some secrets that even I do not know. I have heard the Ancients speak, however, and I believe there are many of them."
Pirdy looked around and then slapped her hands on the table, standing up and saying, "What are we waiting for then? Let's get going. We need to find the Mother Ideyas and get about defeating Wizeman."
"Now, now Pirdy. We must wait for just a while more. Your party is not yet complete, I am waiting for two other members to arrive. In the meantime, let us have a little fun, shall we?" Weisheit took out a small bag and poured the jacks onto the table. "I must warn you, however, Pirdy is very good."
Wizeman felt the shudder of the ground and the immense power that seemed to have suddenly come from nowhere. It was an incredible surge of magic that seemed to flow all around him, and it had the sweet taste of good in it. He grumbled under his breath and knew that the Ancients had started to make their move against him.
It had only been a matter of time before they sent their emissary out to arm the forces of light, he just didn't know how it was going to be done. He also knew that they were all hiding deep within Mystic Forest, and they would never be found until they decided to come out. The Forest had been a constant thorn in his side, made worse by the sudden appearance of the Mystic Rangers. The Forest had once again devised a way to keep its secrets safe from prying eyes. It would always be impossible to get into there as long as the Ancients still watched over this world. His eyes turned towards a long, wide mirror hanging on the wall. He waved three hands over it and a scene from the attack on Soft Museum appeared before him. Reala was making a final push towards the doors and the Museum canons were once again trying to drive him back. This would be one of the final attacks, the Museum's defenses could not hold out much longer against such an onslaught. At least Reala still had one or two good uses left.
Another hand waved itself across the screen and Mystic Forest appeared before him. He tried to make the scene move further into the trees, but it seemed to run into an almost invisible barrier. It wasn't able to go inside any further. A bright flash of light appeared from deep within the shadows and a bolt of lightning slammed into the image, causing it to go black. Wizeman's mirror was no longer able to look into Mystic Forest. This did not anger the wizard, it was simply the latest in a long line of protective defenses placed up to keep people exactly like him from prying too far where they were not wanted.
A final wave of his hand turned off the mirror, and he moved away from its sight, heading back towards his private balcony. He took a deep breath of the night air, looking up towards the perpetual moon. "What do you have planned, Ancients? Why do you keep my sight out of Mystic Forest?" He took another deep breath and looked down at the camps below, "What do you know about Reala and Nights that you are not telling me?"
He heard the laughter behind him and still had no desire to join in. They were playing a game and had decided to leave him alone for a while, a gesture that Nights was grateful for. The whole worlds outcome had been placed squarely on his shoulders, and he felt the weight. How had it all come to this? He was a simple Nightmaren, not one given to these long and tedious adventures. Defeating Wizeman last time had seemed such a simple thing, confrontation and that was it. Now, he was going to go on a long adventure, the likes of which he felt he was not prepared for in some way. Weisheit was right, there was still something missing to this whole thing. He sighed and looked into the blue jewel that he still held in his hands and shook his head, "What are you for my friend? What purpose do you have?"
The sound of a Nightmaren flying brought him out of his revelry a few minutes later. He looked up into the sky and turned his head left and right trying to find the source. "Umbrae, come out here for a moment, won't you?"
He was joined a second later by the Night Terror, who saw him looking up into the sky and turned her face up there as well. "What's going on?"
"Do you hear that, it's the sound of a Nightmaren flying. Can you find whoever it is? I can't seem to pinpoint them."
"Hold on a second, let me take a look." She started scanning the forest, her special eyes searching the trees while trying to avoid the massive heat signatures coming from the fires in the village below. Finally she spotted it and pointed right away. "There it is. A Nightmaren is flying through the forest, and it looks like there is something on its back."
"Something on its back? What do you mean?"
"It looks like the Nightmaren is carrying someone on its back. Probably a wounded Ranger or another Nightmaren from the village got lost in the forest. Might want to get Pirdy down there in any case."
"Right." He turned back towards the game and said, "Pirdy, I think they're going to need you in the village, I think they're bringing in a wounded Ranger."
"I'm expecting them, actually." The voice was Weisheit's and it caused Nights to blink. "They should be turning this way any moment now."
"He's right, Nights." said Umbrae, "The Nightmaren is heading right for the house. Should we take up arms?"
"No, hold up a moment. If Weisheit is expecting them, it might not be necessary. Besides, Claris has her magic, we'll be alright if something happens." He placed his hand on Umbrae's shoulder to lead her back inside. She moved a little closer to him so that his hand ended up on her back instead. This caused Nights to blink once more, and a slight blush crossed his face again.
So they sat and waited for the Nightmaren to come. Weisheit went back to playing his game with Pirdy and Claris while Nights and Umbrae watched the balcony carefully. The darkness outside brought the voices first, "Watch out for that branch! You're going to hit the branch!" The voice was deep, a boy's voice for sure. Claris perked up in a moment, her eyes watching the balcony intently as her heart skipped a beat.
"Have I hit a branch since I entered the forest? Stop being a backseat flier. Trust me, I know this forest like the back of my hand. Wait a minute, what's that?" This voice was definitely a woman's, and it sounded familiar as well.
"That's not funny! Watch out!"
"Stop being a sissy. We're alright now, there's the house."
Nights and Claris stood up, their eyes not blinking as a figure in green and black landed on the balcony and dropped off her cargo. The blue-haired boy stood up and rubbed the back of his neck, looking inside the home. "Whose house is this?"
"It's mine." she said.
Claris walked forward, her eyes welling up in tears as she spied the boy. "Elliot?"
"Claris? Is that Claris?" The boy ran inside, his eyes wide. Elliot had finally found her. "Claris..."
Tears fell down her cheeks as she sniffed loudly. Her lower lip trembled slightly as she took another step forward, reaching out her hand to see if he was really there before her. He looked so handsome, and his smile was wide as his eyes sparkled in the lamplight.
"No! Don't touch him." Weisheit stood up quickly. "If you touch him, he'll instantly disappear and wake up in the real world."
Her hand hovered there for a moment, her fingers inches away from his face. Her desire to touch him, to kiss him and hug him was overwhelming. She clenched her fingers into fists and turned to Weisheit, "You mean he's finally here and I can never even hold him?"
Weisheit walked over, a warm smile on his face. "Nay child, you'll be able to hold him." He turned to Nights and pointed to the jewel, "Put that around his neck." Nights nodded his head and walked over, a wide grin on his face as he looped the jewel necklace around Elliot. The jewel tapped the boys chest and immediately started glowing. Somewhere off in the distance a gong sounded, low but powerful as it rang across the landscape. Weisheit nodded his head and turned to Claris, "It's alright now."
That was all the incentive Claris needed. She immediately wrapped her arms around Elliot, embracing him tightly and allowing her tears to flow freely. "Where have you been? I missed you so much."
Elliot folded his arms gently around her, bringing his head close to hers. His words were only whispers, "I missed you too, and I'm never going to leave you again." They stayed that way far into the night.
The sound of the gong did not escape the notice of Wizeman. The taint in the air was even stronger now, and he realized that his enemies had all been brought together. His hope of finding Nights and the others was vanquished now, he would have to move on and devise some other way to stop them. He waved his hand in front of the mirror once more and spied Reala, his troops moving into the Soft Museum even now. That part of the battle was over, and his army had won. There would be no Nightopians walking out as slaves in this one. They would all resist to the end of their lives to protect the precious books inside.
Reala had not noticed the sound of the gong over the noise of the canons or the cheers of his soldiers. He had finally taken the museum, and it had been a fierce fight. He wiped his forehead as he walked into the library portion of the museum and looked about. He had not been here in a long time and was happy to see that very little had changed anywhere. The books were still stacked all the way up to the ceiling, and the artifacts from the history of Dreamworld were secured under their cases. The ground gave way under his feet as he moved deeper into the quiet halls. His troops moved quickly through the entire area, sweeping everything to find the hidden Archivists. So far they had not caught a single one, but Reala knew that would not last long. He was sure they had a hidden room somewhere, a place to lay low in case something like an invasion occurred. Being so close to the Nightmare Zone would warrant such a precaution, Reala just had to locate it, and that would be the tough part. He turned to one of his lieutenants, "We'll start in the first room and move back. See if the soldiers can locate anything that might be a switch. Tip every book, twist and move every statue. It's got to be somewhere."
Jackal was not privvy to hear the magical gong, being only a Demi-maren, his magic was not powerful enough. He wandered the streets of the destroyed village, stepping over or on the bodies of dead Nightopians as the mood suited him. He took a deep whiff of the air and savored the smell of ash and smoke that came with the fires on the other end of town. He continued to walk through the streets and came to the path that lead out of town towards the west, and that's where he spied the footprints. They were large, and they left an unusual pattern of circles and lines. In one area, he noticed an unusual swoosh mark, something he thought to be a signature, but not one he recognized. He decided it might be worth investigating and started following them towards the hills of Spring Valley.
Clawz didn't hear the gong either, but he kept following the fast-moving Night Terrors as they flew off towards another village in Stick Canyon. It was harder to stick to the shadows here, but they had not noticed him yet. Why Reala was not using his best infilitration troops at Soft Museum had been a curiousity for the Catmaren and so he had decided it best to follow these dark clothed figures and see what they were up to.
Nights watched his two friends speak quietly with one another as they walked through the village hand-in-hand. A large grin was spread across his face as he realized that the part he was missing had been returned. Elliot had been one of the keys to the defeat of Wizeman, and he would be the key once more. In what way was still a mystery to Nights, as Elliot would often be away in the Real World. Weisheit had explained that the blue jewel would allow Elliot to return directly to Claris, no matter where they were. The jewel would allow him to fly as Nightmaren do, and finally protect him against Claris' magic, which acted as an Alarm Guardian and would instantly cause him to wake up.
"One other thing, Nights. I want you to take Iona along with you."
"Why? Our team is rather large as it is, right now. If I add on one more, it's only going to make us that much more conspicuous."
"It's important. Iona has a telepathic link directly with me. She'll be able to contact me when necessary so I can help whenever I can."
"Wait a minute, you're not going with us?" asked Nights. He look truly startled and made to stand and protest even before Weisheit could answer.
"I cannot leave Mystic Forest, I am forbidden to do so by the Ancients."
"Well then you need to talk to them. We need you out there, you and your knowledge."
"Nights, I serve the Ancients directly. The forest is the limit of their defense zone. If I were to leave, I would not survive for very long. Iona will be able to contact me directly, everything will be fine."
Nights sighed and sat down again, looking troubled once more. "Wonderful. So how am I supposed to find these jewels? I have no idea where to even begin looking."
Weisheit produced a green ideya jewel. It was smaller than the jewel that he wore on his chest, but it was very long and narrow. It glowed brighter than any other Ideya that he had seen before and there seemed to be some kind of energy moving inside of the jewel, back and forth from one side to another. "This," said Weisheit, "is a Mother Ideya. It is what created all the Minor Ideya out there in Dreamworld. While its size might not be all that much, it is what is on the inside that is important." A moment later he pulled out a rectangular piece of cloth and laid it on the ground. On it was the whole of Dreamland drawn in intricate detail. Weisheit put the green jewel over the portion of the map that represented Mystic Forest and waited.
It was only a moment before the jewel leaped up and started dragging itself across the map. It seemed lost for a second, before it turned towards the top of the map and stopped on a large white portion with no name. Nights sighed and knew why the area didn't have a name on the map, nobody was stupid enough to travel there if they could help it. Weisheit nodded his head slowly as he read Nights thoughts. "Yes, Arctic Bell. I figured that would be where the white jewel would be located."
Nights sat back and looked at the jewel, standing upright on the spot where the next jewel was located. "I traveled through Arctic Bell, I remember it as being a cold and uncaring place. The beasts up there dig these sliding trenches to allow them to get to the ocean where the fish are, I got caught up in one or two of those. That's not what I'm afraid of though."
Weisheit looked at Nights who was staring at the map. He turned and picked up the green jewel and the map, placing them in a round container. "What is it that you are afraid of?"
"On our last adventure, I fought and defeated Gillwing. He's this half-fish, half-dragon, and all too bigthing that could eat me in one bite. Well, Wizeman sent him up north to guard his northern border against any kind of invasion. As far as I know, he's still up there and still furious."
"You defeated him once, I have faith that you can do it again."
"Easy for you to say, you're not going to be the one to have to look straight down his mouth with all of those sharp, pointy teeth staring back at you."
Weisheit walked over to the balcony, stepping outside and waving Nights over. The Nightmaren stood next to him and the old man pointed down to the village with one hand. "Nights, look down there." Nights peered over the edge of the railing and saw the peaceful village below. There was Umbrae and Pirdy running away from a group of kids, laughing the entire time. Iona was talking quietly with Safaia and Kumori, pointing in various directions of the forest as she did so. Most importantly, however, Nights saw Elliot and Claris, walking hand in hand through the square. Again the Nightmaren was reminded how perfect this place seemed to be. Weisheit spoke quietly, "All of Dreamworld used to be like this. Although there were no Nightmaren, there was a peace and serenity to this world that seemed to belie imagination. Nightopians would do what they were supposed to do and the entire time they would be at peace. You, Nights, you and your friends have an opportunity to return the world to its truthful nature."
Nights only nodded his head, sighing once more as he tore his eyes away from Claris and Elliot. "I want to thank you for bringing them together. Claris will be able to focus a little more now that she knows that Elliot is safe."
"It gets better than that, Nights. That blue jewel he wears will always allow him to appear next to you when he enters Dreamworld. This way he won't always wake up in Spring Valley and have to catch up to you. Likewise, with the jewel he'll be able to fly. Elliot will play a pivotal role, I can feel it underneath my skin. It's best to give you the tools which will allow both of you to benefit from this future event." Weisheit looked up into the sky and nodded his head, "It's time for me to go. It's also time for you to go as well. Arctic Bell awaits you with it's arms open and breath freezing."
Nights stood straight up and turned to Weisheit, holding out his delicate hand. "Thank you, for all of your help. I appreciate everything you've told us."
Weisheit shook the hand firmly, nodding his head once. "Have faith in your team, Nights, but most of all have faith in yourself. Stay the course, and don't let anything deter you from the final prize. If you succeed, you will have your peace and quiet for as long as you want. If you fail, this world will be plunged into nothingness, and the Ancients will remold it anew. In the process, thousands of Nightopians, Nightmaren, and animals will perish." The old man walked to the door and stepped out into thin air, turning back and looking at the Nightmaren with a warm smile on his face. "Good luck, my friend. I daresay that you'll need it." He chuckled and vanished from sight.
Nights stepped off the balcony himself and looked at Mystic Forest one more time. The sunlight was spilling through the branches of the trees and spotting up the ground. A calm wind blew through the village and caused the flowers and grass to bend slightly. The quiet hushing sound that it made caused Nights to close his eyes and take a deep breath. The smell of the pine and pollen filled his lungs and he savored it. It was clean, it was pure, and it was something he wouldn't know for a long time. He was flying back out into the real world, a world now controlled by evil. With the taking of Soft Museum, only Mystic Forest stood in Wizeman's path for complete Dreamland domination. Nights opened his eyes and waved his hand, giving a shrill whistle into the air. Umbrae and Pirdy launched off the ground and flew to where Nights stood. A moment later, Claris and Elliot strode down the path with Iona hovering behind them.
A Nightmaren nearby would be the last to see them leave the small village of Egoda. He saw the group come together and speak quietly with one another. After a brief moment, there was a nod of heads and then Nights lifted off the ground, followed closely by Pirdy and Claris. Elliot and Iona took up flanking positions on either side. Elliot only vanished into thin air, although the blue gem around his neck automatically went to Claris' hand, a gem she held onto with for dear life. The group headed north into the forest, leaving behind the tranquility that each had benefited from in some way. Umbrae had gained her sight and a new group of friends, and new sense of purpose. Pirdy had gained the self-confidence that comes with people truly needing you and loving you for who you were. Claris had gained the love of her life back, and an understanding of that which had made a home inside of her. Iona, well, she had gained very little other than a chance to redeem her own soul. Deep inside she believed that she would never have a clean spirit, the things she had done in her previous life with Reala had not been pleasant. The children of the village ran behind them, and the Nightmaren who was watching them only stood up and saluted. "Good luck, and come back soon." The shadows of Mystic Forest swallowed them up, and they disappeared into the darkness.
