NOTES: Hi there, this is my first ever Klonoa fanfic as well as my first fanfic ever. I wanted to try and write a bridge between the events of Door to Phantomile and Empire of Dreams, hopefully to come up with a hypothetical answer to 'Why is Huepow in Empire of Dreams?' as well as 'Why are Huepow and Klonoa friends again?'
Shoutouts to benjistring and Candi_Cindy on Twitter for helping me with proof-reading and feedback. If this goes well I hope to eventually work on more Klonoa fanfics in the future cuz I have a LOT of ideas and characters I wanna explore/introduce.
So I hope you enjoy the story, cuz I enjoyed putting it together!
(Also Spoilers for both Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and Klonoa: Empire of Dreams btw)
CHAPTER 1: The Sacred Law
He laid in his bed, gazing at the ceiling that had been decorated with stars and planets. It was as if he was lying on a grassy hill, looking at the night sky. His bedroom was fit for a king, a large, soft bed, plenty of space and a beautiful view of the world below him from the balcony. He liked his room, but it served as a constant reminder of his future.
The boy's name was Huepow, and he was the prince of Cress, a mystical kingdom high above the world of Phantomile that was formerly only spoken in legends. Ever since the legendary Dream Traveller, alongside Huepow, defeated the nightmare that plagued their world, the "Moon Kingdom", as many Phantomilians often called it, has drifted a lot more closely to the ground below. Before it was only visible by telescope, now it can be seen at night, spreading good dreams across the land, illuminated like a full moon in a clear sky.
Huepow knew that his mother, the Moon Queen, was getting older. Pretty soon she'd have to step down as ruler of Cress, which means that Huepow will eventually have to take over as the new King of Cress. He was excited yet at the same time, insecurities and doubt plagued his mind.
"Will I be a good ruler? Will I be respected? Will I be able to handle the responsibility? Will I make mistakes like I did with…him?"
He trailed off as he remembered something from his past, something he wished he could forget. He made a mistake. He did what he thought was the right thing to do, but he shattered both his best friend's heart and his perception of reality in the process. It had been roughly 4 years since the Dream Traveller, Klonoa, left their world. At the time they were only kids. Huepow was 10 and Klonoa was 8. Huepow was tasked by his mother to recruit Klonoa in order to help them defeat the looming threat of the Dark Spirit Ghadius and his mischievous henchman Joka. Huepow knew he had to gain Klonoa's trust fast, so he implanted fake memories of the two being best friends for years, him having a caring grandpa as well as living in Breezegale, the Phantomilian Wind Village, his whole life. He knew it was wrong, but he was desperate and young. He thought it was what he should've done to guarantee that the Dream Traveller would help him on his quest. He could still hear Klonoa's distraught and pained screams of denial and betrayal as the young cabbit was forcefully dragged back to his own world, his "Phantomile" as the prince put it. The home that Klonoa couldn't remember or even knew existed thanks to Huepow's fake memories overwriting his real ones.
Once it was all over, Huepow returned to his mother in tears, devastated by Klonoa's departure. Although the Moon Queen assured him that he did the right thing and that thanks to him and Klonoa, Cress and Phantomile are saved and will continue to prosper, the young Prince struggled to come to terms with that to this day. Most nights, he'd lie in bed, wishing he could have at least one last talk with Klonoa, one last chance to make things right. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice himself slowly drifting off to sleep.
Huepow found himself in a pitch black void. With nothing else to do aside from walk onwards into the unknown, his footsteps leaving water-like ripples beneath him. It was eerie, yet oddly serene. That was until the nothingness of his location was interrupted by a silhouette in the distance. It was short, with long ears and what appeared to be a cap on its head. Huepow felt a lump in his throat once he realised who the silhouette was. It was Klonoa, he looked older and wore different clothes, but it was definitely him.
"Klonoa? KLONOA!"
Huepow called out, but Klonoa didn't move an inch. Huepow kept calling out to him as he started advancing towards the cabbit boy. His walk became a run as he desperately cried out to his friend, only for them to fall on deaf ears. Eventually Huepow reached Klonoa, but as he put his hand on his shoulder in the hopes of getting his attention, Klonoa jolted round and knocked Huepow back with his hand, causing the Prince to lose his footing and fall back.
"I never forgot Huepow…" Klonoa said quietly. Huepow looked into his eyes and saw only darkness and contempt as he stared down at the Prince. The tone of his voice was cold, bitter and dripping with hatred.
"I never forgot what you did to me. You took EVERYTHING from me Huepow! I TRUSTED YOU"
"K-Klonoa, please listen to me! I-I just want to-" Huepow stammered, only to be interrupted by Klonoa.
"I don't want to hear your pathetic apologies, I don't want to see your face ever again. I HATE YOU"
Huepow felt sick to his stomach. Although he was prepared for Klonoa to say something like this when they met again, but it still felt like a dagger to the heart. Huepow tried to speak but he could not get the words out without his eyes filling with tears and his throat seizing up.
Klonoa started to walk away after shooting one final, hateful glare at Huepow, who tried to stop him, only to fall to his knees as if his body accepted defeat.
"Klonoa…please…I'm sorry…" Huepow whispered, his face pale and his eyes watering. Klonoa's silhouette slowly disappeared as he was engulfed by the darkness surrounding the duo, leaving Huepow all alone once again.
All of a sudden, Huepow felt the ground beneath him shake as if there was a sudden earthquake. Huepow tried to get back on his feet and regain his balance. He looked up and saw what appeared to be a ginormous, winged monster with eyes that pierced the darkness with how brightly they shined. It was far away, yet Huepow could tell that it was aware of his presence. With an ear splitting roar, the beast charged towards the Prince at full speed. Huepow was helpless to stop it as all he could do was run as fast as he could. Despite Huepow's speed, the beast was gaining on him, quickly. Huepow tripped up and fell to the floor hard, all he could do was wait as the monster dawned closer by the second. He braced for impact as his impending doom approached him…
Huepow woke up in a cold sweat, breathless, with tears running down his face as he clutched his chest in fear. He was back in his room, in his own bed. He looked at the window, it was early in the morning.
"What just happened?" He thought to himself.
"Was that all just a nightmare? Was that really Klonoa? And what the heck was that monster!? I've never seen anything like it!"
He had so many questions and yet he felt like the answers to all of them were out of reach. Huepow got dressed into his usual attire, a light blue hooded onesie with a red cape and round, crystalline shoulder pads, and got ready to head downstairs and greet his servants.
However, the moment he opened his door, a group of guards halted him by pointing long, sharp spears in the boy's face.
"FREEZE! HANDS IN THE AIR NOW!" One of the guards shouted out at Huepow, their spear inches away from his throat. Although he wanted to try and resolve things peacefully, Huepow had no idea what was going on, plus the multitude of pointy objects aimed directly at his throat probably wasn't going to help things much. He agreed to go with them in the hopes of finding out more about why he's being arrested. As Huepow was taken out of his room, he quickly noticed that he was no longer in the palace. He was outside, as if the door to his room was the front door of a house. Confused and still a little frazzled from his 'nightmare', Huepow was escorted to an extremely large castle-like structure. It made the palace in Cress look like a cosy cottage. As they entered the palace walls, Huepow looked around at the decor and interior design. It looks like nothing he's ever seen before. He was definitely not in Phantomile anymore.
"Hey, uuuh where am I exactly?" Huepow asked one of the guards.
"Silence dreamer, you will only speak when permitted to!" The guard snapped back at him.
"Dreamer?" Huepow thought to himself, confused. He had been called a dreamer before by his mother as he would often be caught spacing out when in deep thought, but he had never seen anyone use the word the way the guard did so.
Eventually they reached what appeared to be the throne-room. Sat on the throne was a tall, purple cat-like man dressed in dark purple robes and a hat. Next to him was a much shorter, yellow skinned man dressed in green robes. He appeared to be holding what looked like a large eyeball. On closer inspection, Huepow noticed that the eyeball was actually hovering over the man's hand.
"Emperor Jillius, we have brought you the criminal, as you ordered." One of the guards declared
"Very good. You are dismissed." Jillius replied in a tired and drained, yet authoritative voice. Huepow saw that the Emperor looked exhausted: heavy bags under the eyes, a slouched posture, he looked like he hadn't slept in days. The guards quickly exited the throne-room, leaving Huepow alone with the Emperor and his right-hand man.
"You have a lot of nerve young one, dreaming in my empire." Jillius said to Huepow.
"I….I beg your pardon sir?" Huepow said in confusion to what the Emperor accused him of.
"You dare speak to our glorious Emperor that way boy!?" The green-robed man said in retort. "Someone better treat you with some manners, lest you wish to end up in the guillotine!"
"Calm yourself Bagoo," Jillius said to the man. "It appears that this one is not aware of the crime he commited."
"A-Apologies, your highness." Huepow said as he bowed to show respect for the Emperor. "It's just that I'm not sure of what I did wrong. I don't even know where I am. I am Huepow, Prince of the Moon Kingdom, Cress, and a citizen of Phantomile."
Bagoo snickered at the young Prince. "Trust me, I know who you are, child. I know about your world. And I also know that your kingdom harvests dream energy, which, if we're being honest here, incriminates you even further in our eyes"
"But I-" Huepow sputtered out in defence.
"ENOUGH!" Jillius shouted, silencing both the Prince and the Minister. "Huepow of Cress, you are guilty of dreaming within my empire. Dreaming is forbidden from my kingdom, they are nothing but a pointless illusion and serve no place in my Empire. It is a sacred law that you have now broken, and now you must be punished for your crimes."
"With all due respect, your highness," Huepow responded. "I would apologise for what I did, but you must understand that I did not intend to dream in your kingdom. All I remember was having a nightmare, when suddenly a large monster with giant wings attacked me. The next thing you know, I found myself here."
Jillius glared at him. "Do you not hear yourself child? These delusions are one of the many reasons I have forbidden dreams from my sanctuary. You are blinded by false memories from these silly little dreams and mistaking them for reality. I will not have you poisoning my people with your fantasies"
Bagoo snickered. "Heh heh heh…I bet you know how that feels boy"
Huepow looked at Bagoo with bitterness. He would rather not be reminded of his mistakes, especially by a complete stranger. Huepow turned back to Jillius in an attempt to reason with the Emperor.
"But your highness I-"
"Silence boy! I am done with your excuses!" Jillius intercepted. He snapped his fingers and Huepow heard the doors open from behind him. "GUARDS! Take the Prince to the dungeons and lock him up. You shall be kept there until we have decided on your sentence. Begone!"
Huepow was helpless to stop the guards as they escorted him to his cell. He couldn't show it, but he was scared. Not just from himself, but for his kingdom, his world and his mother. As the cell doors slammed shut and locked with a key, all he could do now was wait. Wait for an opportunity to present itself, whether it be a chance to reason or a glimpse of freedom. He laid on his bed, gazing at the ceiling, but he saw only dirt and darkness above him.
"I will get out of here." He thought to himself. "I don't know how, but I will."
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 2: DESPAIR
