At that point, he could barely even remember how long he'd been stuck in that castle. The hours were meshed together, the days felt like they never came and went. There were times when he wondered if it was all a trap, if he was doomed to an eternity of empty hallways and corridors for the end of his life. But now, in what felt like a miracle, he finally found her. Side by side, hand in hand, the young cabbit and his simian friend sped through the castle hallways with fervor and fear. The labyrinth-like building was just as disorienting as it always was, and being chased by a rabid witch-to-be certainly didn't help matters.

The duo zoomed past a hallway corner, just narrowly avoiding a nasty pink ball of energy that slammed straight to the wall. Charred marks were left to gnaw on the paint as glints of pink smoke fizzled off in the air.

"Get back here, you little FREAKS," Heather shouted off in frustration.

The simian girl in pink glanced nervously behind them before turning back to her companion. "Are…are you sure we're heading the right way?"

"Yeah, it's here, I know it! It's…

"...Right here!"

The two animal-esque friends made one final mad dash to an open balcony. The loud strumming of the endless walls of waterfalls erupted into their ears the moment they met the warm hued sky. Now that the chase was over, it was time to stand and wait.

And wait.

And wait as Heather's looming threat grew more near with each second.

"Klonoa," the girl blurted out. "I really think we need to—"

"Hold on, Lolo!" Klonoa calmed her as he continued to search for something that wasn't yet there.

Perhaps "search" wasn't the best word.

He was feeling, sensing.

Searching for the wind.

…!

There it was. His faithful ride that never failed to send him far and away time and time again.

By the time Heather had finally caught up to them at the balcony, both Klonoa and Lolo were already up in the air like leaves. She shot and shot, but it was almost like the wind was an ally of theirs that was determined to work against her. Soon enough, the two of them were nowhere to be seen, out of reach and out of the world.

…

…

…

By the time the two finally came to, they were worlds away from the castle they fled. They groggily lifted themselves off the hard wooden ground. They looked all around them to see gleaming stars amongst a dark and desolate sky decorated in hues of blood red, purple, and slimy green. And right below their feet were the crooked planks of a ship cruising around this dreamlike galaxy,

"Where are we?" Lolo softly mouthed. She was met in response with a hand a few inches off from her mouth and a quick hush. Klonoa peered past a massive crate and urged her to hide with him lest the two figures nearby spotted them. He ran into both constantly during his trek through the castle, and it was all too clear they weren't safe from the clutches of Lolo's kidnappers just yet. He gently lifted up his long cabbit ears to hear more.

"What do you mean we don't need her?" The first figure, a thin and ominous pierrot with red ram-like horns named Reala, let out a gravely snarl.

"She said it's specific princesses we need," the second figure, a disinterested looking teen clad in green, Trent, responded. His eyes barely even met his peer's.

"After all the trouble I went through finding her?"

"Well, that's your own problem, ain't it?" Trent mumbled to himself. Not soft enough to not be heard apparently.

"What was that?" The blood red jester's voice heightened ever so slightly. His face visibly narrowed beyond his masquerade mask.

"Look, man, I don't make the rules," Trent shrugged it off. "A certain someone just got in massive trouble for a botched rando princess nabbing attempt, so don't say I didn't warn you."

Reala shook his head. "Ridiculous."

Klonoa turned back towards his friend. Without uttering a word, the two nodded in agreement to make their silent escape. They tiptoed off towards the ship's edge…

And were greeted by the sudden appearance of a pirate attire clad Heartless.

All it took was two squeaks from Klonoa and Lolo for everything to go south. It didn't matter how instantaneously they beat down the Pirate as soon as it showed up. Reala grabbed the two by the napes of their shirt and dress just as soon. "Now what do we have here?" His sharp, angular lips cornered into a sadistic smirk.

"Let me go!" Lolo cried out as she fruitlessly attempted to scrape off his claws.

"One of the 'actual' princesses slipped off I see?" The jester chuckled. "That witch can't complain now."

"Lolo!" Klonoa called out. Like a mutually accepted signal, the two reached out their hands; Klonoa with his oversized ring and Lolo with a newly summoned staff. It would've been a perfect escape if it weren't so predictable. They barely even had a chance to wave their weapons before their captor flung Lolo towards Trent, violent enough that her staff slid past the floor, and grasped Klonoa's wrist into a suffocating grip.

"Be useful while you're here and keep an eye on her," Reala ordered the sullen boy who sighed in response. "And you," he looked at Klonoa with an evil eye. "You were looking to leave, were you not?"

With his arm that trapped the cabbit reached out, he edged further and further towards the ship's railings. Klonoa could do nothing but helplessly cry out to Lolo as his body left the perimeter of the wooden planks. And both he and Lolo could do nothing but cry out to each other as he was dropped down to the air and to the unknown below.

oOo

NIGHTOPIA

oOo

"Hello?... Gwen?... Are you there?"

It was another dream. He was back in the castle, it had to be. Only this time, his frequent companion was no longer with him, and the hallways he was used to roaming were in the past. He had advanced to the library, riddled with piles of both books and potted plants alike. And in the center of it all was the shining light of the garden atrium that spilled warmth all throughout the musty room.

"Where did she go?" Cody sighed, his palm over his forehead. "I mean, I guess it wasn't normal she was in literally every dream I had, but still…"

He studied his surroundings and searched for clues. He went straight for the nearest shelf and grabbed out book after book after book, but through each and every page he turned, every word he scanned, it was the same exact tale within each and every one of them.

"Once upon a time, there existed but one world…"

"You've got a really weird aura."

He jumped and yelped in fright. With the small pile of books he had balanced in his arms, he found himself in a fleeting juggling act right before the corners of each chronicle proceeded to stab his feet. He yelped even louder, and the voice that caused it all simply giggled along.

"A weird aura, but a nice one."

Cody blinked. He had to put his typical comic relief pain aside to figure out what was going on. Who was that? It certainly couldn't have been the snarky goth girl he was searching for. It was younger. Much more high pitched and full of whimsy.

It was that girl.

It was that little girl he and Gwen had both seen that one time. The intruder. Eyes wide as a doe and blue as a river, hair as blonde as the sun, and a green sweater twice her size.

Cody stared at her as if he were face-to-face with a horror movie child. "Uh," he gulped. "And you are…?"

"Well," she hid her arms behind her and bent ever so slightly into a mischievous pose. "Who do you think I am?"

"Um…well…" How the heck was he supposed to know? "Change of subject… Do you, uh, live here or something?" Why else would she be here to begin with?

"I live there." She pointed confidently towards the mysterious atrium.

"…Huh?"

She had already begun to skip along to her own beat without another word or explanation. She ran along to the atrium doorway with her arms out like an airplane. It was like Cody's presence had faded away from her the moment she turned from him. No matter how much he called out to her, it was all drowned out by her cheery laughter.

"Wait!" He ran and entered the doorway right behind her. "I said, wait!"

Something was wrong. He had entered the garden, yet he couldn't feel the cobblestones under his feet. In fact, there was nothing. The near blinding light had faded into a daintily lit night sky, and the plants that filled the space to the brim drifted upwards in a slow glaze, like they were making their ascent to the heavens. And as they made their way off, more plants continued to replace them from below, and more, and even more. Could he be falling at the moment? If he did, he oddly didn't mind. It was a blissful sight, just lying in the air watching the stars above be populated by entire bouquets of flowers and branches. He was at peace. He could feel every ounce of his worries drift away. It didn't matter that he had long lost sight and sound of that girl. It didn't matter that he never found sight or sound of Gwen. In that very moment, he could finally drift off and relax.

"Hello there!" An androgynous voice with a soothing British accent called out to him.

Cody nudged his head slightly to his left. At that point, it had to have been a while since he'd heard or seen anyone else, but he was so lost in cloud nine, he remained unphased.

"Having a nice time there, aren't you?" A tall and lanky jester figure with purple ram-like horns circled around him like a curious fairy. They gave off a friendly and welcoming smile as they looked unto him in amusement.

"Oh, yeah," Cody drunkenly waved his arm in response. "Nice and cozy."

"Enjoying your dream, I see?"

"Yup," Cody replied with a strange sense of triumph. "You wouldn't believe it, but it's been so long since I've had a dream that wasn't work related."

"Yes, I hear that a lot," the jester nodded along. "Well, I hate to be a bearer of bad news here, but…" They lightly tapped on to the boy's shoulder and pointed below. "You're headed straight for a thorn patch."

It was like the idea of imminent danger ceased to register to him. He nudged his head further with barely even a thought put into his new acquaintance's words. His fall had been so soft and gentle, he never really put into consideration what the end would be like. "Oh, yeah, I guess I am."

…Wait.

It was back to business. Cody had quickly entered panic mode and did everything he could to possibly move himself from harm's way. He flailed around like a flopping fish and recited every single swimming formation he could remember. Amidst his terror, his one onlooker let out a hearty laugh. "Oh, no need for the fright, friend," they smiled. "Let me just help you out right there.""

With one quick and graceful sweep, the figure grabbed Cody's hands and strung him along on their flight as if they were a paraglider. Cody's wails followed the two all the way out of the night sky and into the bright sunlit fields and beyond. With the almost exasperatingly sudden change in scenery, he finally had it in him to calm down. The stars were no more, and the quaint yet eerie levitating plants were replaced by glistening waterfalls and lakes that twisted and turned into impossible shapes and paths. He watched in awe as a school of fish swam through a floating tunnel of water that looped like a coaster right beside him.

"Want to try?" The jester asked in glee.

"Uh, wh—"

Before he could even answer, the jester had transformed into a purple dolphin, and his hands, that were linked to theirs right before, now held on to the creature's dorsal fin. The dolphin dove head first into the waterway coaster. Cody, of course, was quick to return to his terror only to realize that it felt no different than when they were in the air. He could breathe just fine, and the fishes they swam besides may as well have been birds. He knew what he was experiencing was unbelievable, even by the standards of all the worlds he'd been through. And with that in mind, he relished every second of it like a free thrill ride all the way to their exit back into the air.

"Woooooo!" Cody shouted and waved his arms around as the two burst out of the waterway in a brilliant splash. "That was awe—wh, whoa!"

In an instant, the jester's form had returned, and Cody scrambled to return to his paragliding position from before. "Sorry about that, mate," the being said as they too hastily fiddled around with their arms lest their newfound friend fell to his doom. "There we go," they returned to a smile. "So, visitor, what's your name?"

"Me?" He looked up. "Name's Cody. You?"

"NiGHTS at your service," they nodded.

"Where are we?" He shook his head and stammered. "...Uh, I mean—"

"Don't worry," NiGHTS laughed at Cody's sudden fit of fear. "I know you're not from this world. It would be strange if you were to be quite honest."

"...Huh?"

As if on cue for the Q&A session that was soon to occur, NiGHTS and Cody finally made a safe landing atop an emerald green hilltop below a pair of arching rainbows. Cody was back on the ground, but the jester remained floating and circled him about. They finished their descent with one gracious bow as a flourish before continuing.

"I told you where we were much, much earlier, and you seemed like you already knew back then."

He scratched his head in thought. "I'm seriously in a dream right now?"

"Right you are," NiGHTS shifted themselves into an airborne criss-cross sitting position. "More specifically, you're in Nightopia; a world every living being enters when their minds are adrift, but few seldom truly explore." They snapped and pointed their finger towards Cody alongside an enthusiastic wink. "Those who take physical form while they're here, like you and your friends, we call them 'visitors'. And it's my job to make sure your visit is a safe and memorable one."

"My 'friends'?"

"Yes, three rowdy ones," NiGHTS answered. "Loudred, Alakazam, and Mokona I believe were their names. I ran into them earlier and promised I'd come find you." They tapped their chin in curiosity. "You know, visitors usually arrive at the park gates like those three did. It's very unusual that you were separated from the bunch." They placed their hands on their hips. "Not to mention this is a lot more visitors than I'm used to attending to at once. Why, I've even got one of my regulars on top of your lot. And I believe there may be three more I'm not fully aware of."

Cody bit his lip. Come to think of it, they all fell asleep back at the Gummi Ship, right? It was kind of strange how they all seemed to conk out at once. Not to mention, he felt like he saw something right before everything had blacked out, but he couldn't place what. Before he could properly piece things together however, a distinct and familiar voice blasted off in the near distance.

"HEY, CODY, WE'RE OVER HERE!"

That stereo megaphone-like voice couldn't be anyone else. He turned around, and just a few hills away, Loudred and Mokona waved to him excitedly while Alakazam rested on the ground.

"Well then," NiGHTS clamped on to Cody's palms as the two floated off once more. "Can't leave them hanging there, now can we?"

The two crossed patterns of river banks on their way over, and the short stretch of time they spent flying about this time was almost quicker than Cody would've like to admit. This Nightopia world was like a living painting, children's coloring book, and over designed 2000s stationary set all wrapped into one. This was supposedly the land of all dreams, and he certainly believed it. By the time the two had landed, he was almost disappointed he had an actual mission at hand and couldn't enjoy this dream properly.

"There you are, buddy," Loudred loudly slapped the boy's back. "We were freaking out when you weren't with us back at the park plaza."

"Isn't this place great?" Mokona hopped up and down like he was on a sugar high.

"Heck yeah," Cody grinned. "It sure is…"

His good vibes were interrupted by the low volume mantra of "Please wake up"s down below. He glanced down on the grass where Alakazam laid. From afar, it looked like he was merely sitting, but upon closer inspection, he was unmistakably teetering back and forth in a tight fetal position.

"What's up with him?" Cody pointed.

"NiGHTS took us on a joy ride earlier," Loudred chuckled heartily. "Poor guy was having a rough time being up in the air for so long."

"It was so cool!" Mokona made one particularly triumphant leap atop Loudred's head. "We were like, WHOOSH and ZOOM and FWOOOOOOP!"

"It wasn't cool at all," the pitiful Pokemon sobbed.

"Oh, come on," Cody rolled his eyes in a teasing manner. "You've been with us on the Gummi Ship this entire time. How are you still this scared of heights?"

"There are no heights in space! You just float!"

"I see the four of you are having a grand old time," NiGHTS flew right into the middle of the fray. "So, what's the plan here, lads?"

"I mean," Cody shrugged. "We're just sleeping, right? Is there a plan?"

"We were headed to the 'nest' though," Loudred added. "Not really the best time to be sleeping on the job."

"True," the Keybearer sighed. "And I've got a sneaking suspicion it's no coincidence we were all suddenly in dreamland the moment we took off."

"Hm," NiGHTS startled the boy by edging into his personal space, their faces separated by only mere inches of air. A few awkward seconds stretched on by with Cody in a near fight or flight mode and the jester deep in thought before the being suddenly twirled into a heroic pose. "You know what? I was actually on the lookout for one other visitor, my regular. Might do us good to stick with each other, yes? Nightopia's a world of mysteries. I don't doubt you'll be able to figure things out if you look around. As long as you know where you're going, of course."

"Yeah, yeah," Mokona squealed eagerly. "Let's fly again. Let's fly again!"

"Let's not," Al grumpily whined.

"Would you prefer a dive then?" Before their eyes, NiGHTS backflipped through the air and morphed once more into their dolphin form. Their shadow gleamed against the light of the sun, and they landed into the stream below with an enormous splash. The water sprayed all over the group, especially Al who, at the lowest ground level, had a small wave slap on to his face.

"We're not actually following them, are we?" Al asked in a monotone tone. He did not seem to be having a good time.

"Why wouldn't we?" Asked Cody.

"Things seem awfully convenient is what I'm saying. We all fell asleep right when we're getting ready to get to the nest, and we haven't run into anyone but them."

"Come on, man," Cody rolled his eyes. "I thought you were over your whole hardass act."

"He kinda has a point though," Loudred scratched the side of his mouth.

"Wh-what?" Cody was taken aback. "You too?"

"They seem nice, but it doesn't hurt to be careful."

"Come on. Don't tell me you agree with them too, Mokona."

Mokona shrugged. "Iunno."

"Listen, kid." Loudred patted Cody's shoulder as a form of reassurance, but the hinges of Everstones around his wrist forced his friend to wince to the side in pain instead. "We're really late in the game here. It'd be bad if we made even one mistake. I'm not saying 'don't trust them'. Just keep you eyes open is all."

"I guess…"

"Wait a minute," Al straightened his back sternly. "You're making it sound like we're still going with them." He shook his arms vigorously back and forth. "No, no, NO! If I have to hang on to them up in the air one more time—"

"'Ello there." NiGHTS had reemerged right beside them, forcing Al into a blood curdling scream. "Still holding your meeting here? Didn't catch any sign of you four, so I figured I'd see if there were any issues."

"Oh, nope, nothing going on here," Loudred laughed in response. Cody couldn't help but give a quick disapproving glance over how obviously his laughter was meant to shield his lie.

"Well, that's good," NiGHTS nodded. "In that case…" They leaned, glided their body forward, and pointed their long and stick-like arm towards a foresty hill in the near distance. "What's say we head over there first then?"

Cody squinted. It was hard to understand what was so special about the spot, but once he could make it all out, he could almost feel every fiber of his being collectively groan within. Even in a dream, they had to be out and about. A miniature pirate ship floated on with what seemed like a small fray of Pirate Heartless on board. Even more flew around the craft while adorned with patchwork wings and aviator caps; Air Soldiers. And then there was the case of strange seahorse and sheep creatures with gaudy palettes that awkwardly mingled in between their dark and sinister companions.

"You see those colorful little chaps there?" NiGHTS noted. "Those are Nightmaren."

"With 'nightmare' in their name?" Mokona pondered quizzically.

"Correct," NiGHTS wagged their fingers in approval. "As lovely as they look, those things are what nightmares are made of. Normally, a lot of the lesser variety aren't terribly hostile unless provoked, but they've been keeping bad company with those shadowy things lately, and Nightopia's been a bit of a mess."

"The Heartless," the other four all said at once.

"Ah, so that's what they're called," NiGHTS smiled at the intel. "Well, what I'm saying is, it's best to nip groups like this in the bud when you see them." They turned back towards the others and laid their hand out in a gentlemanly bow. "Shall we?"

"This is…" Cody looked around. "A lot of people for you to be holding onto. Can you make us fly or something?"

For as clueless as the teen was, the creature trio knew exactly what was coming next. Alakazam instantly launched into a fit of headshakes, squeaking out "no" over and over again while his pupils shrunk and shrunk. Loudred and Mokona looked at their freaked out friend expectantly, and in the end, they were the first to burst out in excitement when the jester elongated their body to the shape of a dragon and forced the four to hop aboard. Al suffered all the way through.

They could feel their bodies splay past the waters as NiGHTS rushed to the scene. To three fourths of them, it was all fun and games until NiGHTS actually came face-to-face with one of the creatures. Suddenly, their visions swirled. They vertically circled around in the sky like a roller coaster as NiGHTS performed their signature Paraloop maneuver. The Nightmaren and Heartless caught into the trap evaporated into nothing, and the gang, sans Al, who held on for his dear life, lost their grips and came crashing to the ground, taking down a small gathering of Heartless on impact.

"Whoops," they could hear NiGHTS shout down from above amidst the ambiance of Al's endless cries for help. "Sorry about that!"

"N-no worries," Cody raised a weak thumbs up as he struggled to regain his footing.

"We'll take care of the ones down here," Loudred yelled back.

It was a literal blink-and-you-miss it moment as NiGHTS took a split second to revert back to their default jester form to respond with their own thumbs up gesture…much to the horror of Alakazam who was met with the disorienting vertigo of freefalling only to instantly be back gripping onto NiGHTS's dragon scales the instant they switched back. To Al, it was the most terrifying moment of his life. But to Mokona, it was the funniest goddamn thing he'd ever seen.

"Mokona!" Cody gasped. He was in the middle of taking down a grounded Air Soldier when he noticed the little guy had left himself wide open while he blissfully enjoyed his aerial show. Cody rushed over to his childlike friend and quickly went to work brushing off the loose Heartless and Nightmaren that dared to attempt to get their grubby claws and paws on to the smaller creature.

Things went well at first, up until Mokona decided he needed to get a better view of the action. He hopped atop a bulbous sheep Nightmaren like a platform and propelled himself to a nearby hill bluff. The sudden pressure forced the sheep to flounder about in a dizzying fit. With its bulky form, it bumped back and forth between both foe and friend before the entire perimeter was a dizzying mess of enemies constantly bumping into each other.

"Hey, uh, ah!" Each Heartless and Nightmaren was much too disoriented to put up a real fight in their current state, and that left Cody in an embarrassing mess of slinking around in between all their spinning top routines. He'd whack his Keyblade on to one enemy only for them to bump right back in greater force with their dizziness intensified. It was an annoying road to take the battle, but one that was ultimately manageable. Up until one especially forceful collision.

"Incoming!"

Loudred, being fairly large himself, had a much easier time fending off from the constant pinballing. He too had been knocking the enemies around, with his fists in his case, and he too had unintentionally caused their momentum to pick up with each swing. With one hefty punt, another large sheep Nightmaren hurtled by with barely a moment for the Keyblade boy to register the absolute boulder headed his way. He performed one small smack before falling to the ball of fluff like cartoon roadkill and joining its max speed roll towards the nearby thicket. The floof tripped over a small mound of grass and launched right stab into the bark of a tree. With its drive at its end, the sheep faltered to the side, and Cody plopped painfully down to the bush situated below.

'YEEEAAAGGGH!"

All of a sudden, a scream sounded out within the leaves. With how much he himself had been screaming in agony, Cody could barely register that another voice had mixed in at first. It all became clear however when a sudden blur flew out from the bushes. Adorned in an all blue outfit, the black and white cat-rabbit thing tumbled around in confusion. He had just been rudely woken up from the nap he'd been taking in the bushes for whatever reason. Still a bit achy and still resting in the shrub himself, Cody tried to reach out his arm in a misguided attempt to get them both back on their feet. Unfortunately, in the time it took for the two to make their first contact, Loudred had gone to town pounding around the rest of the twirling horde. And would you know it, they were all headed in the same direction.

"Watch out!"

Both Cody and the cabbit snapped awake at the sight of the enemies that made their way over like an incoming tsunami. They both jumped into action, one with his oversized key and the other with his oversized ring. It was simple on Cody's end. All he had to do was whack and prod them. The other guy though? With just a bit of concentration, each enemy he faced grappled towards his ring like a magnet, and each enemy was just as soon sent back whizzing on towards one of its allies where they both met their ends. And with only one left standing, he performed his big finale: He slammed the final Heartless to the ground and in exchange, shot himself high in the sky where he bellowed out a triumphant "Wahoo!" before safely parachuting back to the grassy fields below with his floppy ears.

The moment it all ended, NiGHTS snapped back into their default jester persona to meet the others below. This came alongside one final scream of terror from Alakazam who was left to plummet down the height of a playground slide after all his efforts hanging tight the whole way through.

'This," he gripped his head on the brink of insanity. "This isn't a dream world. This world is a nightmare." Right in front of everyone's eyes, he proceeded to beat himself silly across his face over and over again.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Cody scolded his friend as he and Loudred cuffed up his arms. "I really don't think this place works like that."

"Yeah, try kicking yourself too," Mokona goaded on.

"You're not helping!" That was probably the point.

"Oh my word, it's you!"

The four paused and glanced further near the thicket. Alakazam had put on quite a ruckus, everyone had nearly forgotten about their sudden ally who had swooped in out of nowhere. Everyone but NiGHTS that was. The being stood on the air at the very tip of their feet, leaning in as far as possible to stare in awe at their unexpected guest. And said guest in turn met their curiosity with complete apprehension. His arms were outstretched with his oversized ring held out in a defensive position. Just as badly as NiGHTS wanted to closely observe, the shorter fellow wanted them to stay away from him as far as possible.

"Do you know him?" Cody awkwardly assessed the situation.

"Know him?" NiGHTS laughed and suddenly startled the cabbit as they quickly flipped over to an in-air sitting position. "I'd say he's practically a celebrity in these parts." They let out a cheeky wink. "A celebrity to me at least."

The cabbit tightened up his grip around his ring. "How do you know about me?" He asked wearily.

"How wouldn't I?" NiGHTS made a sudden midair jump and startled their reluctant conversational partner once more. "You pop in and out so much, it's hard not to notice. I catch wind of every visitor who steps foot here, yet every now and then, I get the feeling of a not-quit- visitor running around. Not visiting like a dreamer, but visiting as if…" They grinned and held their chin like they had just solved a difficult puzzle. "...They were in transit between worlds."

The cabbit stood stunned. "I," he stammered. "I'm not doing it on purpose most of the time, I swear!"

"I'm NiGHTS," the jester said, completely ignoring the poor guy's freak out in favor of laying out a fervent hand just inches from his face; an act that seemed friendly but all the more threatening from his mindset. 'What's your name?"

"..." He reluctantly took their hand. "I'm Klonoa. And…" He tilted his head towards the others. "...You guys are…?"

"I'm Cody."

"Loudred!"

Al was too busy being traumatized and Mokona too busy poking him with a stick to introduce themselves.

"Er, those are Alakazam and Mokona," Cody answered in their stead. "So, wait. You use this place to travel?"

"Think that might explain why we're here?" Loudred pondered.

"Why would we be dragged here though?"

"Did you get carried away by a gust of wind?" Klonoa asked, seemingly more comfortable engaging with the two over NiGHTS.

"No. Just got really, really sleepy."

"That's weird," Klonoa scratched his head. "I get sent here by random most of the time, and then I gotta figure out where to go, and I end up somewhere else." He tilted his head and let out a weak laugh. "I guess that's not really the case this time though."

NiGHTS flew in right between them as if they were worried they'd be left out of the conversation permanently. "What makes this time different, hm?"

Klonoa made another uncertain look at them before continuing on. "My friend was kidnapped. I didn't know what else to do, so I just waited for the wind and hoped for the best. Got reeaally lucky I tell ya," he let out a light chuckle over his small triumph. "So I found her and pushed my luck again and we ended up here like I was hoping we would." He hunched over in defeat. "But we just had to end up on this ship where two of her kidnappers were. Next thing I knew, she's gone again and I'm thrown all the way down here."

"I see, I see," NiGHTS nodded. "May I ask who these two were?"

Another nervous glance.

"One of them was like me but red I take it?"

A quiet nod.

NiGHTS sighed and threw their arms to the side. "Well, no wonder you're all mum around me. That must've been Reala. He's a pesky little Nightmaren, that one."

"Y-you know him?" Klonoa raised his brow suspiciously.

"Come now, no need to act all nippy," NiGHTS brushed his reaction aside. "And the other one?"

"Well…" Klonoa turned to Cody. "Same species as Cody I think. Except he had black hair and was in mostly green."

…You're kidding me.

Cody and Loudred both exchanged strained looks with each other. They might've found the answer to their own question right then.

But then that also meant.

"A princess…" Cody said to himself.

"Huh?" Klonoa raised an ear in curiosity.

"We'll help!"

"What?!" Klonoa shouted in confusion.

"Ah, don't sweat the details, kid," Loudred let off one of signature back pats on to Klonoa who winced in response. "We'll find your friend in no time."

"Aha, you know, I really like your group's spunk," NiGHTS cooed in admiration with hands on their hips. "Well, I think I've got a good feeling where Reala might be holed up. What's say we all head on off then?"

They didn't even need to elaborate further. Alakazam knew what was coming.

"No," he spoke up adamantly while he pushed Mokona aside. "Absolutely not. You can't make me. I wo—"

With one graceful twirl, NiGHTS had spun themselves into the body of a rocket. They made a few light rams on everyone's sides and had all five of them whisked on board as they flew off and torpedoed up and above. All their ears were full of Al's screaming with this new adventure, but as they made their ascent, his suffering was almost a silent ambience to the beauty before them all. The bright sunny skies had faded off into brilliant shades of amber and gold, but rather than the night sky, they were met with thralls of bountiful palettes; colors that they swore were once unknown to them. That feeling Cody had when he fell back then was back. All his worries faded into bliss. All the pressures that plagued him were now behind. Now, it was just him, the others, and this dreamy sky.

And then, it all turned to black.

Darker than the night. Darker than dark itself.

All those anxieties came crashing back. Everything that had ever haunted each and every one of them dwelled in their minds. The peace that enveloped them was all but gone. Now, it was just them and the path to the massive floating vessel beyond. They kept prodding NiGHTS to speak up, to let them all know what this feeling was.

NiGHTS didn't say a word.

Where exactly had NiGHTS taken them?