~AN~ In a recent review, Fang Lirui did say, and I do quote: "I miss your rantings at the beginning! *sniffle*." And now I do say unto you: BWAHAHAHAHAAA!! I've been waiting for a chance like this! Now I have an excuse to rant pointlessly again!!

*ahem* I really do enjoy ranting, you know. I'm a hopeless chatterbox. Recently I've been thinking about explaining a bit along the whole 'Nightmaren Theory' thread, and this gives me an excuse. Don't worry, it won't be long---just a tidbit at the beginning of a few chapters.

Collective Audience: *sigh of relief*

Ahem…yes. So let's see how it goes. And now…I present to you…

NIGHTMAREN THEORY,

Or

The Insane Rookie's Guide To Her Literary World

Oh boy---Nightmaren Theory. I do believe those two words have probably been the main reason for almost any argument ever defended among the NiGHTS fandom. And here be I, the girl who can't stand conflict, addressing it! Pat me on the back.

You see, there are approximately two holjillion different ways of viewing the Dream World and all connected to it; some nightmaren have hair, some don't, some have gender, some don't, some need to eat, some don't, some feel like a nut, some don't. Therefore to make things a bit easier to understand, and to avoid those really long rogue explanatory passages that tend to break into my writing and terrorize innocent readers without warning, I've created this section which you are now staring at in dread. Here you'll find the basic traveler's guide to Avis' Universe, also known as Insanity With Nicely-Written Packaging.

Please, please take note that this is only a guide for how things are in my stories, so people jumping in the middle won't be wondering 'do these nightmaren have hair', etc. I do not claim for this to be 'canon', 'correct', or any of those strange words that I do not seem to know the meaning of; these explanations and elaborations came to be because that's just how things fell in the story, so I guess I'd better follow my own lines. I started out writing with pretty much no clue what was what, and I still write like that, in a way. I like going off on my own little side trails…despite the fact that I often get lost as a result and then have to explain my way out of the woods again.

Therefore…I present to you…three more dots…and…

Nightmaren Theory Num. 1: The Gender Issue

In my universe, all nightmaren have gender. However, unlike many of the universes created by other Genderites, reproduction is not the main source of growing numbers. Rather, Wizeman creates each maren himself; he might make a batch all at once, but he created them. The only explanation for this slightly odd behavior on his part that I could come up with was: "Well, he's got to get bored just sitting in that big ol' room of his! His creations are his amusement!" Or perhaps he's just a fashion designer and likes designing their outfits, I don't know.

A side effect of the decision that maren don't reproduce often was a welcome one: namely, because of reproduction itself being mostly unheard of, nightmaren love is a very Platonic thing. The personality and being are what a maren will fall in love with; a maren can be a cruel lover, but lust is, thankfully, an unused emotion. Good riddance, in my opinion.

…gee, I just managed to break both of my resolutions for this story---I ranted for an inane amount of time, and I put up a chapter before I got two reviews. Go me.

Okay, I'm done ranting. For now.

AC: Cue Evil Overlord laugh that echoes into the background.

Disclaimer: "If there's one thing I hate, it's when Avis rants."---Bass

This chapter is most humbly dedicated to Fang Lirui and Nix Entente, two reasons that I keep on writing. Some of the best reviewers there are, I can always count on them to write an amusing, helpful, honest, and encouraging review. I hope you two enjoy this chapter, and the many more that are to follow. *evil author's grin* Enjoy the show.

You have spoken the answer.

A child searches far sometimes

Into the red dust

On a dark rose leaf

And so you have gone far

For the answer is:

Silence.

The Answer, by Carl Sandburg

Chapter Four:

It Begins To Show

Reala knocked at the great metal doors, the sound echoing dully down the hallway. A voice that echoed with power answered. "Enter."

He obeyed, striding up to the throne of his creator and kneeling respectfully. "Lord Wizeman."

Wizeman bent slightly to face him, all six eyes on the Seeker General. "Why have you come so soon, Reala?"

"I wish to know what you would have me do concerning the mission to conquer the Waking World," replied Reala, facing the floor to show his respect.

"Wizeman's eyes lit with a surprised satisfaction. Reala had shaped up even quicker than he'd expected. "Begin sorting the forces. They must all have an official profession; the younger maren must know what they are. There must be no indefinite or uncertain duties. Is that understood?"

"Yes, master."

"Very well. Now go and do your duty."

Reala stood, bowing before he turned and marched out, footsteps ringing proudly on the shir-coated floor. Behind him, Wizeman smiled. Things were going wonderfully with Reala. Now to see to his brother…

Luna sat down at the nearest table, thanking Corbeau as the scout passed her some stew. She began eating, but she had more than refreshment in mind for the lunch hour.

"Anyone know anything about golems?" she addressed to the table in general.

Corbeau eyed her. "Why?"

"Just wondering if anyone knew anything about golems. Golems in the near vicinity, in particular."

One of the scouts in training, who happened to be sitting across from her, blinked. "Golems in the near vicinity? As in, golems around here?"

"That's right, Aniline." Luna stopped eating to scan the table. "Well, anyone know anything?"

"I do," offered Corbeau when no other help was forthcoming. The sparring instructor eyed him expectantly, and he smiled. "Well, not much. But I do know that one was supposedly sighted in Mystic Forest."

"There's no supposedly about it," said Dysdane, seating herself next to Luna. She ignored the food offered to her and began serving herself.

Corbeau cocked his head slightly. "Oh, so you know about this mysterious creature? May I ask what, exactly, you know?"

"I know that it attacked Hadrian," replied Dysdane, not taking her focus off her food. "And I know that I was there when it happened. Is that good enough for you?"

There was some low murmuring among the gathered maren. Corbeau smiled. "Yes, I believe that certainly qualifies you for the title of 'Golem Expert'."

Dysdane snorted in his general direction and continued eating. Luna looked around the table once more. Anyone else know something?"

Various maren offered bits of knowledge or rumor, and all of it was discussed and then either kept as important or discarded. Lunch wasn't just about eating at Nightmare Castle; it was time for the daily forum.

"What bothers me," announced Luna, sipping from a cup of tea now that she was finished with her stew, is that this one actually attacked the group for no reason, and then ran off at the slightest show of violence. That isn't right. Golems don't act that way---they refuse to fight until the circumstances won't allow it any other way, and then they go all out and refuse to budge. This one was different."

"All I know is that it was a golem, and it attacked us," said Dysdane, standing as she spoke.

"Leaving already?" questioned Corbeau.

Her reply was cold. "I'm finished, scout."

Corbeau's bright brown eyes twinkled, and he rose to bow gracefully. "Farewell, then, until we meet again."

Dysdane snorted, the sound only slightly more gentle than it had been before, and turned to leave. She nearly bumped into Gillwing.

"Sorry," apologized Gillwing.

Dysdane refrained from answering, due to his rank; she certainly wasn't going to butter up to him, and answering rudely would be stupid. She merely nodded and tried once more to leave.

"Uh, have you seen Jackle?" asked Gillwing, making her halt once more. This time she actually made eye contact with him and spoke.

"No."

"I have." Corbeau stood to be at eye-level with the giant High Seeker. He was headed down the stairs with Reala, last I saw him---he went towards the Great Hall, I think. That was just this morning."

"He's back!" Gillwing smiled. "Thanks."

Corbeau smiled as well as the dragon-looking creature ambled off. It was hard to believe this slow, kindly beast was a leader of the nightmaren army.

Luna stood up, returning back to the original point of conversation as she did. "As to the golem---I have to speak to Reala about this. I still can't believe he wasn't informed…"

"You hadn't informed him yet," reminded Corbeau.

"That's because I didn't know he was back until you mentioned him. What's absurd is the fact that this happened days ago, and no one knew."

"The leaders don't have as great a relationship with us lower life forms as they used to," replied a nightmaren wearing sage green. "Ever since Wizeman announced we'd be going after the Waking World, they've been so hard on us that we haven't really been interested in speaking to them unless we absolutely have to."

Luna halted long enough to throw him a glance. "I'm a leader, Lunatic."

Lunatic grinned. "Yeah, but you were always tough. We didn't notice any difference with you. See ya."

Jackle closed his eyes and saw spots dance across his vision for a moment, a result of watching the flames for so long. Clawz was still grooming himself and Puffy was still reading. Every now and then he would feel their eyes upon him, but he gave no sign of noticing. Perhaps if he just ignored them…

"You know, you look really strange sitting that way," commented Clawz. "But then, you would look strange sitting any way now…"

Drat.

He winced, not wanting to open his eyes; once more he felt the cold shiver of a stare on his back. Jackle had an uncanny ability to sense when he was being watched, and right now that sense was going into overdrive. They were both staring at him.

'Staring at me. Why won't they stop staring at me? Stupid maren, can't accept me---stop staring! I'm no different…well, so I am. Just because I'm really different doesn't mean you have to stare at me! Stop staring! STOPPIT! GO AWAY!!'

With a hoarse sob, he shoved himself to his feet and fled the room.

The other High Seekers jumped as the demi-maren slammed the door behind him. Puffy looked at Clawz, bewildered. "What was that all about?"

Clawz shrugged. "Don't look at me."

Puffy glanced back the way Jackle had left. "This may be just a stupid hunch, but I have the feeling Jackle doesn't like his 'improvements' very much."

Clawz shrugged again and settled further into his chair. "No wonder. Neither do I."

Jackle pounded up the stairs, shoving past a startled maid and several archers as he made his way up the spiral staircase. The flight of stairs was gigantic, running all the way from the lowest dungeon to the highest tower, and getting from one floor to the next was usually accomplished by following this flight of stairs. Jackle took them by habit, moving as fast as he could, partially flying, until he reached the third level.

He passed the Fire Hall and the Infirmary, skidding into the next room and coming to a complete and rather clumsy halt. No one was there.

He sighed in relied and collapsed into the nearest chair, head lolled back and eyes closed, his breath coming in heavy gasps from the sudden spurt of running. Slowly he felt himself relax; a physical reaction to the psychological connection of this room and safety.

This was the Library. Jackle spent much time here, wandering among the giant shelves and poring through the endless books. It was a massive collection, filled to the brim with scrolls, tomes, pamphlets and diaries, their subjects ranging from poetry to history to science to medicine. He loved it here.

The atmosphere was very nice: a small fireplace was always kept tended, surrounded by plush chairs for readers to take their ease; many more of these chairs were scattered throughout the halls of shelves, along with several tiny desks for maren to spread out their books and work in peace. Candles were in abundant supply, and writing utensils were also kept handy. Jackle's own small study within his bedroom had been modeled off the library.

Why it was kept so neat and well-stocked was, quite truthfully, somewhat indistinct; not many people came here for the actual books. However it was known for being a place to relax, and therefore the more mild-mannered nightmaren found it to be a sanctuary from the rowdiness of the barracks and the loud gatherings in the Fire Hall. It was a place of peace.

Jackle sighed, feeling the adrenaline pumping through his body slowly begin to decrease; silently, he pondered his recent flight. 'What did I do that for?'

What did you do that for?

He jumped, falling back into the chair with a quiet "oof". 'Don't DO that!' he begged.

Sorry.

'You really need to work on your entrances,' he murmured mentally, settling himself down once more. 'That scared the living bajeebers out of me. And I was already in a jumpy mood.'

We're very sorry. But why are you so upset?

'Clawz. He's being a jerk.'

Yes, we noticed that. But there's no reason for you to become so annoyed with someone below you.

'Below me? Wait up, what do you mean below me?'

You're far more like NiGHTS and Reala than he is. And now that you've been perfected, isn't it obvious you're above him?

'I don't know. We're on the same level, really.'

You certainly need to help yourself out of this net you've become entangled in, said the voices smilingly. Thank goodness we came along.

'Net I've become entangled in?' repeated Jackle, blinking as a young girl came out from the isles of books. She jumped when she saw him, and promptly hurried to the door, trying not to appear afraid. He watched her go, uninterested. Perhaps he could get used to peoples' reactions. 'What do you mean?'

You're been called unimportant or different so many times you've accepted the thought that you're not as good as the others, when in reality you're better. You're unique.

'I see…I guess.'

He stood. The voices gave a mental blink. Where are you going?

'To the back room.'

Ah. The nodded, or it felt like they nodded. We will see you soon. And they were gone.

Jackle ignored their departure and began weaving through the shelves of books, his destination one that his pulse begin to beat faster again. He was heading for forbidden ground.

Behind the main library, in a smaller room, was what the younger generation half-joking, half-seriously called The Forbidden Library. It was Wizeman's own room of books, and he made it very clear that the place was not to be entered. Rumors as to what was actually in the room abounded; some said it was filled with treasure, some said the books inside were too precious to be imagined, some said monsters of incalculable strength were kept within, some said he just wanted a place to have some peace and quiet. (The last was Tessa's view.)

Jackle was the only one, to his knowledge, that had dared set foot in the forbidden territory. The temptation of secret books had proved too much, and so one night he slipped into the room, pulse racing and heart pounding. What he found amazed him.

The room, although it took up only a small portion of the castle, was gigantic once entered. The shelves were enormous, reaching up towards the ceiling until they faded into the shadows above. A giant desk stood in the center, a gargantuan candle placed upon it; the flame always burned as if kept alive by some magic spell. All in all it was an awe-inspiring place.

Jackle had, after getting over his shock, begun the quest of reading every book in the hidden library, starting from the bottom shelves and working his way up. It was a very risky game, as he never knew when Wizeman might enter and find him there, but one that he was willing to play. The books were filled with facts and tales about the Dream World and all within, and he learned more by reading these forbidden tomes than everything he'd ever learned from all other books combined. The risk was worth the gain.

Slowly the journeys into forbidden territory became more than risks; they became his sanctuary. Whenever he wanted to forget the world around him, he went to the hidden library and buried himself in the refreshing feeling of adrenaline singing along his veins and secret knowledge coming to light. This was his fix.

Right now he needed that fix, and he was going to get it. He was careful to walk the entire floor of the main library first, however, to make sure there were no more young girls hiding behind the shelves. If someone saw him go into the back room…

Shrugging off the unpleasant thought of what would happen were he discovered, Jackle finished his route through the halls of shelves and came to the back wall, where a giant wooden door awaited him.

It opened silently, admitting him into a world of secret knowledge and shadowed space. He slipped through the giant shelves, going straight to a large, red leather-bound book with delicate gold tracing along its binding. This was a diary authored ages ago, when even he was still young and inexperience. It was written by one of the first nightmaren ever created, as far as he could tell, and it was filled with things that this nightmaren had learned.

Jackle pulled the book from its spot carefully, knowing that it was feeble with age; sitting down with his back against the shelf, he opened the diary.

Soon he was deep in a world of knowledge. He read quickly, some small part of his mind always remembering the threat of being found, but a far larger part focused firmly upon understanding and remembering what he read. After some time he came upon a strange entry.

I studied the Ideya Lore for a long time today. It is strange that Wizeman knows nothing about it…I must show it to him. Once I am done. He may take it away, seeing that it was written before even he was here, apparently…

That was all. For a moment Jackle pondered the strangely short inscription; the Ideya Lore? What was this?

He went on, now hoping to find some clue as to what the 'Ideya Lore' was. His patience was soon rewarded.

I am still unsure as to the authorship of the Lore, but I am very glad for whoever it was that wrote it. There is so much information about the Ideya within---and not only the Ideya, but all that is around us. I have learned so much just by reading it.

The next entry was, Jackle realized with surprise, the last. The rest of the book was empty. He began reading, interest sharpened into the need to know. The entry was long, but hurried, written in a slightly more wobbly hand as if the person writing was nervous.

Curse my thirst for knowledge. I longed for secrets, and secrets I found---more than anyone should ever know!

Today, as always, I read in the Lore. I found an entry upon the Courage Ideya, and how only two are available for gathering at one time, only once every century. I also found that a person could, with enough dream energy at their control, open a bridge to the Waking World. It can only be done once every hundred years, upon the night of the convergence. I was just finishing the page when Clawz entered the room.

He saw that I was reading something, and tried to take the Lore from me. I jerked it away, and then I, stupid as I am, let something slip about not letting Wizeman see it. Now Wizeman knows that I have been hiding something from him, and he is now deciding my fate. I am held prisoner here in my room until he has chosen it.

The Lore I have hidden, wedged between a crack in the wallstones with dirt sealing the opening. No one else must read it; it has brought about my own destruction, most likely, and would be a curse to anyone else who read within. I pray no one will ever find it.

Jackle closed the book slowly, leaning against the shelf to stare unseeing at the shadows that hid the ceiling. Only on the night of the convergence. Once every hundred years. They were searching for something that would not do anything for them, perhaps wouldn't even be there until the hundred years' convergence, whenever that was. Wizeman had to know!

He leapt up, beginning to put the book back in its spot---and stopped dead. If he told, it would become known that he had entered the forbidden room. He'd gone against Wizeman's order.

He knelt, staring blankly at the books lined in front of him. 'What do I do?'

Run.

He started. 'Run? No, I can't! Wizeman must know---but then he'll find out about my trespassing here!'

Wizeman will not find out, the voices insisted. Just run. Leave. No one will ever know.

'But I---'

Run!

He ran.