Okay, so that cliffhanger probably pissed a lot of you off. The good news is that by the end of this arc, I intend on revealing quite a bit about Leon to satiate your curiousity, including what he is, since you probably know now that he's not human. The bad news is that you're going to be left with one hell of a cliffhanger. For now, enjoy.

Chapter 34:Reflections of Darkness

"They are finally completed..."Wizeman spoke ominously, looking at three figures who looked strikingly similar to Leon, NiGHTS, and G&W, the only difference being the dark purple auras they emitted. Wizeman waved a hand and created a portal to the Nightopia the trio was in."Go."Silently, they nodded, walking through the portal and their auras dissipating.

XXXX

"It's official. We're lost,"G&W said, exasperated. The three had been wandering around the strange world for a while, and were having hard time finding the first room they had arrived in.

"I still don't understand why that door that led us from Library didn't lead back there,"NiGHTS said, resting her head on her fist as she floated along the room they were in.

"I still don't understand why I don't have a third nostril,"Leon remarked. G&W groaned while NiGHTS bursted into a laughing fit.

"D...Do you hear yourself when you talk?"G&W asked. Leon looked at him from over his shoulder, then shrugged.

"Eh, I drift in and out,"he said calmly, tilting his hand a bit for emphasis. Suddenly, the entire room started to shake violently.

"OH, NOW WHAT?"G&W shouted over the rumbling. Before they could react, a large hole opened in the floor, and Leon fell in with a shout of "Cheese n' rice!"

"LEON!"NiGHTS shouted, then another hole opened in the ceiling and pulled her in like a vacuum, leaving G&W in the room by himself. When the rumbling stopped and the holes closed, he looked around cautiously.

"Ohhhh, crap,"he muttered, then saw a door in front of him open, as if daring him to enter. His invisible mouth curved into a scowl, then he pulled out his key and swiftly moved towards the doorway, looking in as if he was a member of a SWAT team. He saw nothing but a few chairs around a table. He slowly advanced into the room, looking around for anything suspicious.

"Hey, GW!"a voice shouted, making the flat man jump. He looked to the side and saw Leon standing near another door way, waving his arm. Putting his key away, he walked over to him, confused.

"How did you get in here?"G&W asked."I saw you fall down that hole."Leon shrugged.

"I dunno,"he said."That hole just dropped me into this room. Why are you here? You fall, too?"G&W shook his head in response.

"No, I just went through a door,"G&W muttered."How can a hole drop someone into a room on the same floor?"

"Yeah, pretty weird,"Leon muttered. That caught G&W by surprise. Leon says something is weird? He was the king of weird!

"Well, we should probably try to find NiGHTS for now,"G&W said.

"Why?"Leon almost spat out the question, as if disgusted by the jester's name. G&W said nothing.

'Something's wrong here...'he thought to himself.

Leon rolled his eyes."Fine, let's go find her,"he said in an annoyed tone.

"Yeeaaah,"G&W mumbled. Leon made a motion towards the door with his arms.

"After you,"he said politely, and G&W walked past him silently, Leon following with a strange, almost evil smile on his face. Being behind him, he didn't think G&W could see his smile. But what nobody knew was that G&W could see and hear with his entire body; and was rather focused on the twisted smirk...

XXXX

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"Leon screamed as he fell, then crashed to the floor face first. He slowly, and painfully, rolled onto his back, eyes spinning."Pretty starries..."he mumbled, pointing to actual stars floating in a circle around his head.

"Leon, are you alright?"a familiar voice asked. Leon immediately shook his head and looked forward, seeing NiGHTS floating just in front of him, a very sweet smile on her face. Leon grinned widely and swung himself to his feet.

"How'd you get here?"he asked.

"I flew down after you when you fell,"NiGHTS said."Are you feeling alright?"Leon nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure, the floor broke my fall,"he joked. NiGHTS giggled at his response.

"What do you want to do?"she asked, her voice in a much sweeter tone than usual. Leon raised an eyebrow as he looked at her intensely.

"NiGHTS, are you okay?"he asked.

"Of course, why do you ask?"the purple jester asked.

"Something seems...different about you,"he mumbled, scratching his head."Something about your eyes..."NiGHTS tilted her head innocently, still smiling.

"Your silly, Leon,"she said with a giggle."Maybe you hit your head when you fell?"Leon rubbed the back of his head, but he didn't feel any kind of bump or anything.

"Maybe..."he muttered, still thinking something was off about her. He looked around, noticing G&W was nowhere to be seen."Where's Mr. Game and Watch?"

NiGHTS shrugged."I'm not sure. He's probably still on the floor above us. Would like to go find him?"Leon nodded again, a bit less enthusiastic this time. They both went through door, the strange smile never leaving NiGHTS face. This fact only made Leon's suspicion grow.

XXXX

"Whoa!"NiGHTS shouted as she was practically spat out of the floor. She spun in midair for a moment, then managed to float upright. The nightmaren rubbed her head, trying to regain her senses.

"NiGHTS, down here,"a strange voice spoke. She looked down to see G&W staring up at her, then she flew down to him, eyes wide.

"How did you get up here?"she asked.

"Another hole opened and pulled me up as well,"G&W said, his voice monotone, which NiGHTS took note of.

"Is something bothering you again, Game and Watch?"she asked.

"No. I am perfectly fine,"he said, voice still sounding rather dull.

"Well, okay then,"NiGHTS said, still unsure about him. She looked around the room, noticing two doors in front and behind her."Which one should we go through?"G&W seemed to hesitate, looking back and forth between the doors. Eventually, he pointed to the door behind the jester, prompting her to turn around."Hmm, why that door?"

"Do you want to go through the other?"he asked.

NiGHTS shrugged."No, this one's fine. Just wondering why you would pick it,"she said calmly, floating towards the door. The flat man hesitated again, then followed her through it, his feet making a deeper ticking noise than before. Normally, she wouldn't have taken note of it. But after "travelling" with him for a while, she knew something wasn't right.

XXXX

"Leon, you've been leading me in circles for half an hour!"G&W stated angrily. As he said, the two had been wandering around aimlessly, not really going anywhere. All the while, Leon was keeping rather silent, until now.

"Well, the rooms keep moving around! How am I supposed to navigate this stupid place?"the teen asked irritably. That tore it for the flat man. G&W stopped in his tracks and pulled out his key, pointing it at "Leon's" head.

"You're not Leon,"he said, as if speaking through gritted teeth. The teen stopped for a moment, then spun around, a mad grin on his face. But it wasn't a happy smile. It seemed to be a grin of sheer malice.

"Well, well, for a simple-looking thing, you're pretty smart,"he said, voice now dripping with venom. G&W took a step back as the imposter stepped forward, creating a blackened sphere of distorted energy."I would advise running..."And run he did, tearing through the hallways as the demon-like imposter ran after him, laughing maniacally.

XXXX

Leon was rapidly growing bored as he followed NiGHTS around. Every time he suggested going a certain way, she would go in the opposite direction.

"Uh, NiGHTS? Are you sure we're going the right way?"he asked, becoming even more suspicious after her rather chipper response.

"Aw, c'mon, Leon!"she said happily, then looked into his eyes."Don't you trust me?"He let out a heavy sigh.

"Well, sure I do, but..."he cut himself, looking deeply into the jester's eyes with a confused expression. He didn't get a good chance to look before, but now, his suspicions had reached their peak."...Who are you?"NiGHTS blinked, seemingly confused.

"What do you mean? I'm NiGHTS!"she said. Leon stared at her eyes with a blank expression, then slowly shook his head.

"No, you're not..."he muttered, eyes narrowing. After a moment, her smile was replaced with a disapppointed frown. She crossed her arms and shook her head.

"Aww, I was hoping we could do this the easy way,"she muttered, eyes closed as she spoke. Leon took a step back, scowling as he created a distortion sphere. "NiGHTS" rolled her eyes at this, then held her hands towards him, fingers morphing into claws. Leon's eyes bugged out of his head.

"AAH!"he screamed quickly as a dark purple aura appeared around the evil NiGHTS. He then turned on his heel and ran as fast as he could from the dark jester, who flew after him with her claws outstretched.

"Come back! I just want to give you something!"she shouted in a still cheery voice.

"Does it involve those claws?"Leon shouted back as he ran.

"Why, yes, as a matter of fact!"the evil jester replied.

"Then NO!"Leon shouted, running even faster.

XXXX

NiGHTS was rather confused right now. She and G&W had been wandering around for a while now, and she was becoming rather impatient by his strange attitude. Whenever they would reach two doorways, he would look between them for at least a minute before deciding on one.

"Game and Watch, what is wrong with you?"she asked, exasperated by his strange behavior. The flat man turned to look at her, tilting his head.

"Are you tired?"he asked with the tiniest hint of anxiety, though NiGHTS didn't quite notice it.

"Yes, I am,"she said, crossing her arms. He took a step towards her, pulling out his key. NiGHTS blinked in surprise.

"Um, what are you doing...?"she asked, floating back. Wordlessly, the flat man lunged at her, swinging his key wildly. NiGHTS immediately dived out of the way."What are you doing?"The flat man held his key forward, a dark purple aura appearing around him. NiGHTS gasped in shock."You're not Mr. Game and Watch!"

"Destroy...destroy...destroy..."he said robotically, walking towards her menacingly.

"Uh oh,"NiGHTS muttered, then quickly flew off."I've got to find the others!"With a screech like a race tire, the imposter ran after her.

XXXX

All three groups were now on the same floor, unknowingly running/flying towards the same room. They burst through the doors of the room at the same time, their pursuers right behind them. It was too late for any of them to realize what was about to happen; and they all ended up crashing into each other in one jumbled up pile, the auras of the imposters disappearing on impact. When they all managed to get untangled, they looked amongst themselves with confused expressions.

"What the-?"the Leons muttered, looking at each other with confused expressions. The G&Ws and NiGHTS looked at each other as well.

"Wow. This is confusing,"one of the G&W's muttered. One of the NiGHTS glared at the other, who just stared back with a raised eyebrow.

"Alright, I know how we can figure this out,"one NiGHTS said, gaining everyone's attention. She looked at the two flat men."First off, how old is Mr. Game and Watch?"One of them tilted his head while the other smirked invisibly.

"14,378,591,"the smirking G&W said without hesitation."Brilliant idea, by the way."

"Thank you!"she said with a smile, then glared at the other. The imposter hesitated a moment longer, then pulled out his key and screeched again. Before he could make a move, the real G&W bonked him hard on the head with his bell, making a loud ring and knocking his doppelganger unconcious. Crossing his arms, he looked at the remaining two pairs. He held a hand to his chin, thinking deeply on how to continue. He snapped his fingers as he remembered something he had overheard from when Leon first showed up.

"Alright, you two,"he said, looking at the Leons."First, you."He pointed to the Leon on the left, who we'll call Leon A."Look into their eyes."He then pointed to the two NiGHTS'."Both of you say who you are when he does. You first."Leon A then walked up to the NiGHTS' G&W indicated, looking at her eyes.

"I'm NiGHTS,"she said. Leon A stared for a moment longer before continuing to the other on the right.

"I'm NiGHTS,"she said. Leon A just shrugged before looking at G&W.

"I say it's her,"he said, pointing to the one on the left.

"Alright, now you,"he said, looking at Leon B. He walked over to the NiGHTS on the right first. They looked into each others eyes deeply, and Leon blinked a few times, as if stunned by something, and the NiGHTS was also in a sort of trance as she stared back. G&W took note of their staring, then smirked as he came to two realizations, but didn't say anything yet. Eventually, she managed to regain her composure and speak.

"Leon...I'm the real NiGHTS..."she said softly. He grinned and hugged her tightly, and the jester happily returned the hug as G&W chuckled a bit at their exchange, knowing both were the real ones. He then looked at the other NiGHTS and Leon, who were staring at the scene with intrigue and confusion, respectively. The pair then pulled away from each other smiling, then looked at their doubles. Before either duo could react, G&W slammed his frying pan into the back of the fake NiGHTS head, knocking her out, leaving only the fake Leon, who they quickly surrounded. He cracked his jaw, looking around carefully. Then, much to the trio's surprise, he grabbed the real Leon and spun them both around at high speed, effectively confusing NiGHTS and G&W. When they stopped spinning, they stumbled for a moment, then looked at each other.

"HEY!"they shouted in unison, glaring at each other in perfect symmetry.

"Ummm..."G&W mumbled, unable to see a difference between them. NiGHTS looked betweem them worriedly, not knowing which was her good friend. The Leons looked at the two staring at them.

"I'm the real one!"they said in unison, then glared at each other again.

"It's me!"

"O rly?"

"Ya rly!"

"No wai!"

"Ya wai!"

"No U!"

"O mai!"

"WILL YOU BOTH SHUT UP?"G&W shouted angrily, stopping their argument. One Leon stood up straight and sighed.

"Alright, that's it,"he said, walking up to NiGHTS. He closed his eyes and slowly moved his head close to hers. NiGHTS blinked in surprise, realizing what he was about to do, and the other two males could only stare. Just before he made contact, NiGHTS reared her foot back and kicked him right below the belt, causing him to squeak in pain and fall over. The other Leon then fell over himself, not out of pain, but laugter. NiGHTS smirked at the fake writhing on the ground.

"Hmph, you're nothing like the original,"she said, then spoke quietly so Leon couldn't hear over his own laughter."The Leon I know is too timid to even try such a thing."The writhing clone growled as he tried to stand up, but G&W grabbed him and threw him over to the other clones. The real Leon eventually stood up when his laughter subsided. The trio prepared their attacks to finish them fakes, but then streams of light started coming from their bodies, becoming brighter and brighter, until eventually, they exploded in a flash that engulfed the three.

XXXX

Again, they were floating in an empty whiteness, a glowing Ideya between them, the difference from the last being that the Ideya was blue.

"The Blue Ideya of Intelligence,"NiGHTS said, staring at the orb with awe.

"Again, this makes sense,"G&W remarked."That strange world was a representation of Leon's mind. Ever-shifting, complex, and all around chaotic."Leon took a deep breath, then absorbed the blue orb into himself. Just as before, a surge of energy coursed through his body, and he closed his eyes instinctively. He felt his two friends disappear and voices filled his head again.

"Are you...ta...im...alo...can he...alr...be careful...he's still your brother..."

This confused him greatly. I...I have a brother?

XXXX

Leon found himself at the entrance to the Dream Gate again. Looking around, he walked up to the fountian, seeing G&W and NiGHTS waiting for him just like last time.

"Well?"G&W asked expectantly.

"What?"

"Have you've recovered another one of your abilities?"NiGHTS asked. Leon scratched his head, then closed his eyes and concentrated. Suddenly, space distorted around his entire body for a moment before he disappeared.

"Whoa!"they both shouted.

"Leon! Where'd you go?"NiGHTS asked as they looked around. They heard a whistle behind them, then spun around to see Leon sitting on the edge of the fountain with a grin on his face.

"You can teleport now?"G&W asked, astounded.

"Uh, not really,"Leon said, scratching his head."Actually, I created a rip in space that lead from where I was standing to this spot. Teleporting is more like moving through space without actually disrupting it."The two of them stared at the teen for different reasons. NiGHTS because she didn't completely understand what he said, and G&W because he was completely shocked by Leon's incredible understanding and logic of spatial conception.

"...How do you know that...?"G&W asked, stunned. Leon just picked his ear with his pinky, glancing to the side.

"Ooh, lookit. Another door!"he said, pointing beyond the fountain as he stood up. They both turned their heads and saw the door he spoke of, then they walked/floated over to it, seeing Owl perched near it.

"Hoo, it's the final Nightopia,"he said, adjusting his glasses."Though I must tell you, something about this place is incredibly strange. I've no idea what, though."

"Who cares? Let's go!"Leon said, then proceded to push the door open, but it didn't budge."What the-?"He started to push even harder, putting alot of exertion on the it."Hrrrgh! Open, darn it!"G&W's jaw dropped as NiGHTS pulled Leon away. She then grabbed the door handle and gently pulled it open."...Oh."

'How can he be so smart and so stupid in under a minute?'G&W thought as they were engulfed in blinding light.

XXXX

End of Chapter

Wow, that was the longest chapter I've ever written, and it only took me two days.