Act 13 - Nyx's Story
The king sat in his throne, a rare smile upon his face. The news about the attack on Fort Crystal greatly pleased him, and he had never been more proud of his beloved daughter than at this moment.
"So, General Phoenix is dead, is he?" he asked Midnight.
"As a doornail," she quipped. "And so are about two-fifths of the army of Earth. It should be no problem to take over Elysion now, and then Silver Millennium will finally be yours."
Looking over at his lovely wife, whose eyes refused to meet his, King Scorpio laughed evilly. "Did you hear that, Nyx? After all these years, it is at last happening. I will finally get the revenge I so greatly deserved."
A knot formed in the back of Nyx's throat at the news, and her violet eyes welled with tears that threatened to fall at any minute, but she would not give her husband the satisfaction of seeing her cry. That was exactly what Scorpio wanted, to see his wife weep over the impending death of her "lover". Nyx knew he wanted some reaction from her, but she refused to say anything, her eyes staring blank ahead.
Turning back to Midnight, Scorpio's eyes suddenly became dark again. "What about Shadow? Have the police managed to capture that traitor yet?"
"I'm afraid not, Your Majesty. He did show up at the battle, trying to get me to stop, but we weren't able to catch him. However, rest assured that we will find him and bring him to justice. Shadow must pay for his crimes against the kingdom!"
A melancholy Phantom, who was sitting on the queen's lap, perked his ears up, not believing what he had just heard. Did his mistress just say that Master Shadow managed to escape from the fort without getting caught by the military police? Shadow was safe? The black cat's heart jumped for joy at the news. He couldn't believe it. Shadow was still free!
However, his happiness was short-lived, for his master orbed into the room a few seconds later, completely unarmed and his dark eyes filled with sadness. There was silence in the room as Shadow slowly approached his parents and simply stood there, ignoring royal protocol. At that moment, Phantom knew it was over.
"What the hell are you doing here, Shadow?" Midnight said contemptuously, breaking the quiet. "You have some nerve --"
The king held up his hand to his daughter, signaling her to stop talking. Midnight quickly shut her mouth, but continued to glare at her older brother. Then, Scorpio turned his gaze onto his only son, the one he had groomed to someday rule the Delian Nightmare Alliance, who did not even bother to defend himself from his sister's verbal attack.
"Shadow, you show great stupidity in returning here," Scorpio growled, none too happy to see his treacherous son. "Are you aware of the fact that there is a warrant for your arrest?"
"Yes, sir."
"And yet you willingly come back, knowing that you face almost certain death for your crime against us?"
Shadow threw back his shoulders and stared his father right in the eye. "Death holds no fear for me, for I have nothing left to live for. Do what you like with me. End this living nightmare that dwells inside my heart."
"I don't want to kill you, Shadow," the king replied, much to Shadow's surprise and Midnight's infuriation.
"But, Your Majesty…" Midnight stuttered. "He allowed himself to be seduced by that slut, Princess Dreama Aurora, the daughter of your worst enemy, as well as ignored your direct order to find the crystal. Shadow must be punished."
"I am aware of your brother's many sins against the kingdom, Midnight, and for that, he will be punished. However, I am willing drop the charge of high treason on one condition."
The king stood up and walked over to the spot where Shadow was standing, taking his son's chin in his hand.
"If you renounce your love for Dreama Aurora, I will spare your life."
There was silence on the part of the young man as he quietly contemplated his father's offer. Looking over the king's shoulder, Shadow could see Phantom mouthing the words, "Do it," as his mother stared at him, her violet silently eyes begging him to go through with Scorpio's request.
Slowly, Shadow shook his head. He was tired of all the deception, the lies, the pain… While it would be so easy to lie to Scorpio and say that his fling with Yumeko was just a careless mistake, his heart would not allow him to say those words aloud. She had meant everything to him, and though he knew that he would never see her again, he was still madly in love with her. Nothing, not even death, could make him deny his true feelings anymore.
"I cannot, sir," Shadow whispered, causing Midnight's mouth to spread into a large smile.
At those words, Scorpio's eyes suddenly began to burn with hatred. After all he had done for that boy, and this was how he repaid him, by sleeping with the daughter of his enemy? Shadow had knowingly and willingly betrayed his people, and for that, he must be severely punished.
"So you confess to the crimes you are accused?" he asked, sitting back down on his throne and signaling two guards to come forward.
"Yes, sir."
"Then I have no choice but to sentence you to death."
Nyx gasped as the guards walked up to the traitor and roughly handcuffed his hands behind back. How could he do this to their son, his own flesh and blood? Not even in her worst nightmares did she ever imagine that it would come to this. Scorpio had gone way too far. It was one thing to treat her like as if she was his own personal sex slave, but to sentence his own son to death was inexcusable. And Shadow's only crime? Love. The queen choked back a sob. He was a monster, an absolute monster!
Before he was lead away, Shadow took one last glance at his faithful guardian cat, and smiled softly. Phantom's eyes were filled with saddness as his master was pushed down the long hallway which he knew lead to the dungeon. Why had he done this? Shadow had been so close to freedom. How could he just throw it all away?
The cat could feel Nyx's soft hands upon his fur, gently stroking his back, almost as if she understood exactly how he felt. Despite her emotionless face, Phantom knew that the queen's heart was breaking inside as well. The two comforted each other in their common grief.
In the silence of the dark night, Nyx concentrated on the sound of her husband's heavy breathing. His snores were loud enough to wake the dead from their eternal slumber, as usual. It was a wonder how she ever got any rest. Once again, she closed her eyes, trying to sleep, but it was no use.
How could she sleep, knowing that her only son was to be executed tomorrow morning, and there was nothing she could do about it? A tear ran down her cheek and fell onto her pillow. "Shadow…" she whispered.
Glancing over at the snoring Scorpio, Nyx slowly climbed out of the large bed, careful not to wake her husband. The cold air bit at her naked body like a thousand knives piecing her skin. She put on her long, black robe and tightened the belt around her waist. A thin, white hand clutched the silken fabric together, concealing the bruises and cuts that dotted her chest.
She had to see her son one more time before he died. Even though she knew Scorpio would be furious if he ever found out, Nyx grabbed the set of golden keys from the nightstand and headed toward the door. Her heart was pounding as she slowly turned the knob. She had never openly defied Scorpio before, and she feared her punishment, but in her heart she knew that the pain of her husband's hands would be dulled by the agony of Shadow's death. She knew what she had to do.
In a cold, dark cell located in the dungeon of the palace, commonly called the Chamber of Nightmares for obvious reasons, Shadow stared up at the ceiling with his dark eyes, tracing over the cracks that spread across the otherwise smooth surface. He couldn't sleep, nor did he have any desire to. He knew what would happen if he did. The nightmares would come.
Pulling a thin blanket over his body, Shadow sighed. His breath was clearly visible, cutting through the freezing air like a sharp knife. The cold enveloped him, and he could feel his eyelids starting to fall, but he fought to stay awake.
"Why did I have to fall in love with her?" he asked himself aloud, the sound of his voice echoing off the barren walls.
Of course, nobody answered him. His only company was a family of gray mice that darted across the floor of the cell, looking for food. Feeling sorry for the tiny rodents, Shadow reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of bread he had saved from his last supper, which he placed on the ground. The mice quickly gathered around the scrap of food, biting into the hard roll, and the smallest mouse glanced up at the prisoner and squeaked, almost as if he were thanking him. This caused a soft smile to spread across Shadow's face.
"You're welcome, little Mickey," he said, deciding to name the little rodent after a 20th century cartoon character. "At least someone here is happy."
Wrapping the blanket around his shoulders, Shadow walked over to the small window, looking out at the gorgeous night sky. He wondered where the Earth was, that beautiful blue star that protected the mystical land of Elysion, and for once, he wished he had paid more attention during his astrogeography class.
His thoughts then turned back to what had happened earlier that day at the cemetery in Crystal Tokyo. Shadow would never forget the look in Yumeko's tearful golden eyes as she told him to leave. They had been full of hate, grief, and sadness, but still she had let him go. Why hadn't she killed him? He didn't understand.
The sound of footsteps echoing down the long hall caused Shadow's body to involuntarily tense. Who in the world could that be? It was not yet daybreak, so it couldn't be the guards that would take him to the guillotine. The family of mice quickly scattered to the various holes in the walls as the rusted gold doorknob began to turn.
Shadow turned toward the door, fearing the worst. Midnight probably convinced their father that there was no need to wait until morning and that they should just execute him now. He wouldn't be surprised if she did. His little sister just couldn't wait until she could mount his head over the fireplace, joining the rest of the unfortunate souls (mostly old boyfriends and disobedient servants) who had displeased her. She probably even already had a spot, located right in the center of her collection, for his plaque.
However, when the door finally opened, he was surprised to see the regal form of the beautiful queen of the Delian Nightmare Alliance, his mother. Shadow quickly kneeled on the cement floor and bowed his head.
"Your Highness…"
Her soft lavender eyes saddened at his choice of greeting. When was the last time he had called her "Mommy"? Suddenly remembering, her eyes filled with tears. It had been fifteen years ago at her trial for treason. Five-year-old Apollo, scared that he would never see his mother again, had run over to Eos just as she was being led away by the guards and wrapped his arms around her leg, screaming "Mommy! Mommy! Don't leave me!" Although she begged her husband to let her have a few minutes alone with her son to explain what was happening, Magic had roughly grabbed the little boy's hand and pulled him away from his mother, who was then taken back to the dungeon, the first prisoner of the Chamber of Nightmares.
The next time she saw her son was one month later, when Scorpio finally released her and she began her life as his concubine. But the small boy who greeted her was not the same Apollo. His name was now Shadow, and though he knew that she was his mother, he called her "Your Highness," just as his father instructed him. The sight of him kneeling in front of her as if he was nothing better but a servant broke her heart. It was then that Nyx realized that Apollo and little baby Circe had been brainwashed by the king and had no memory of their former happiness. Delos had been taken over by the nightmares.
"Enough of that, Shadow," she said in a kind, yet stern voice. "I am your mother, not your queen."
"Yes…Mother," he replied, finding the sound of the word strange to his ears.
He finally stood back up, causing a small, yet sad, smile to grace her lips. Shadow had called her "Mother". What a wonderful word!
Nyx took a seat on the hard bench that served as the only bed in the room and signaled her son to sit on the floor in front of her, which he willingly did. There was something different about this woman, which until now, he considered to be just his queen. Her normally expressionless eyes were filled with a mother's love, the love that was rarely expressed but was always there. Feeling like a scared little boy again, Shadow placed his head on her lap, letting Nyx run her gentle hands through his dark, wavy hair.
"Shadow, what have you done?" she asked softly, trying to hold back her tears. "You were so full of promise, the Alliance's most powerful warrior. You could have been king. Why did you throw it all away?"
"I would rather have nothing at all than to live a life with everything except the one person I love more than anything else in the world," he replied, somewhat bitterly. "Even if I never met her, I know I would be unhappy. Life without Yumeko just isn't worth living."
"You really do love her, don't you?"
Shadow nodded his head. "Yumeko is the dream I never knew I had. I don't know how to explain it, but every time I look at her, I get this feeling that I'm in another world, a world of eternal light where nightmares are scared away. In her bed, for the first time in my life, I truly dreamed, and it was beautiful."
After a moment of silence, Nyx sighed. "It wasn't always like this, Shadow," she whispered, causing him to lift his head and stare straight into her purple eyes.
"What?"
"Delos wasn't always known as the planet of nightmares," she began, her eyes watering as she remembered the happiness they once shared. "It was called the planet of the supernatural, a mystical, beautiful place where dreams were plentiful and darkness was a foreign word. Its beauty could even rival that of Elysion, my childhood home."
"Mother, you're Elysionian?" he asked, shocked beyond words.
"Yes, I am. In fact, I served under Priest Helios as a Maenad in the Shrine of Elysion until I married your father, then known as King Magic of Delos. We were very much in love back then. He was so kind, and sweet, and gentle…"
Overcome with emotion, her voice trailed off. It was always difficult for her to remember what her life with Magic was like before he transformed into Scorpio. Magic had been her one true love.
Sensing her pain, Shadow reached for her pale, white hand. "Go on, Mother."
"During our first years of marriage, your father and I were blissfully happy. I gave birth to two children, Apollo and Circe, completing our perfect little family. But soon after your sister's birth, Magic changed. It wasn't a sudden transformation, but he gradually became very possessive and demanding. I didn't know what had happened to him. Scared for my own safety, as well as yours and your sister's, I began spending much of my time in Elysion, bringing you two along as well. Of course, that just made Magic even more angry, but I just didn't know what to do. The new king and queen of Silver Millennium were very kind to allow us to stay at their palace whenever Magic and I had a fight, and Helios comforted me in my pain. Unfortunately, a snoopy reporter from one of the tabloid magazines discovered our arrangement and decided to cause trouble by doctoring a photo so that it looked like Helios and I were kissing and writing a story that suggested that we were having an affair, which was completely untrue. When Magic found out, he was livid. I tried to explain, but he had already made up his mind. He had me arrested for treason and vowed to someday get revenge on King Helios."
"So, that is why Scorpio hates him so much."
Nyx nodded. "After my trial, I was sentenced to a month in the Chamber of Nightmares, then I was to be executed. However, the day of my execution, Scorpio, as he was now called, suddenly decided to let me live, preferring to keep me as his prisoner instead. Though the rest of the kingdom was informed of my death, I remained alive, only to be seen by my family and a few trusted guards. I also discovered that during the month I was in prison, he had managed to brainwash the entire planet, including you and Midnight. I was the only one left who remembered…"
Tears streamed down Nyx's face as she recalled how her own children hadn't even recognized her. The pain she felt that day was worse than anything she had ever known.
Shadow reached up and wiped away the tears from her soft, pale cheek. "It's okay, Mother. Don't cry."
"Shadow…"
She brushed back a lock of ebony hair from his face, using the hand which had held the top of her robe together. The material separated, revealing her bruised skin. Though she quickly realized her mistake and tried to hide her injuries, Shadow already noticed.
"Mother, what happened?"
"It's nothing," she insisted, clutching the fabric close. "I just fell down the stairs."
Not believing her, Shadow gently pulled her fingers away from the material and pushed the robe back, revealing her slender shoulder, which was covered with large blue bruises and several scratches that appeared to be the work of a person's fingernail. Nyx groaned as he tenderly touched one of the bruises.
"He did this to you, didn't he?" Shadow asked, anger burning in his dark eyes when he realized what those injuries must have meant. "I am going to kill that bastard!"
"No, Shadow."
"But he raped you, Mother!"
She raised a thin finger to her son's lip, silently signaling him to stop. "I love that you want to defend my honor, but I can fight my own battles. You have your own war to fight. Shadow, I want you to get away from here. Midnight is planning to attack Elysion tomorrow morning, and you must protect the one you love."
"I can't leave without you," he said, tears clouding his eyes. "Not when I know the truth. Come with me."
"I'll be fine."
"Mother…"
Nyx softly kissed her son's forehead, then placed the set of golden keys in his hand. "Go, Shadow."
Her soft voice was stern and unwavering in her reserve. It was the type of tone which one simply could not say "no" to. Although Shadow was reluctant to leave his mother behind, he gave Nyx a loose hug, as not to hurt her, then turned toward the door.
"Goodbye, Mother."
The woman with the beautiful violet eyes merely gave her son a small smile, afraid she would completely lose it if she said goodbye. Shadow then walked out of the cell, his heavy footsteps echoing through the quiet hall.
Goodbye, my precious light…
And in the Chamber of Nightmares, a woman wept.
