Enlightenment or Deception? Pt. 2

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~(Y/N)'s POV~

"Can...can we talk?" Nightmare's features seemed conflicted, but he nodded nonetheless. I walked over to Cross and helped him up, making him shoot a smile. "Thanks, (Y/N). You know, even when you're crying, you're cute." I felt my cheeks heat up and I looked down, making Cross chuckle. Something touched my cheek and looking up, I saw Cross had...kissed it? The implications were flustering me, but I was also confused on how the hell a skeleton would kiss?? Like, they don't have lips??

Cross walked out past Nightmare. I could hear words coming from Cross, but I couldn't understand them. I walked over to Nightmare, who was glaring in Cross direction. "My room, come on." I followed behind him down the cold, twisting hallways. We entered a room, a dark one. "Close the door," he said, his voice angry. I did and watched as the room became pitch black. A light turned on and I saw it was to the on suite bathroom. Nightmare's tentacles gently pulled me over.

He grabbed a washcloth and wet it, turning to me. He gently scrubbed my cheek. "That stupid fucker...kissing you without asking. How disgusting," he said, tossing the cloth into a small basket on the side of the sink. I snickered a bit and wiped my cheek to dry it. "Yeah, but it was kinda nice, too. No one's ever done something like that to me before." Nightmare went quiet before walking out of the room. "Turn the light off," he said, grabbing something.

After I did, Nightmare lit some candles and sat on his bed, motioning for me to join him. "What...did Cross tell you? About me? I heard a bit of the conversation, but not all of it." I started telling Nightmare everything Cross said to me. A few parts made my eyes burn, but Nightmare's presence calmed me, strangely. "A-And he said you couldn't feel any positive emotions, that y-you said that to him," I said, the cold of the castle getting to me.

Nightmare started shifting a bit, and before I knew what it was, something warm was around me. I saw it was Nightmare's jacket, which I'd rarely seen him without. I slipped my arms through the holes and zipped it up, immediately feeling much warmer. "(Y/N), do you think I cannot feel positive emotions? That I'm getting closer to you just to hurt you in the end? Tell me, what do you think of me?" I winced at the question.

"Nightmare...you've treated me so kindly, ever since we met. Sure you can be a little bit of an ass, sometimes, but you always make up for it," I leaned onto his shoulder and relaxed a bit, "So, yeah. I think you have positive emotions. I just think it's hard for you to feel them unless you really feel them. Like, being around someone you care about or having someone tell you how much you mean to them..."

"You try, and I know you try, but other people think it's mocking, that it's you trying to trick them. I...I know it's not. I know you really care about me. About Horror, Dust, Killer...You're just not very good at showing emotions...As for the second question, no. You might hurt people sometimes, but no one's good all the time. No one's kind and loving 24/7. Everyone has bad days where they want the world to go away. You just...have more bad days than good."

"But I want to change that! I want to help you become happier! Not so other people can see that you're not evil, not even so everyone that believes in you is justified. No, I want to help you because you're a good person, and good people deserve to be happy. You deserve to be happy, Night." I sat straight and looked over. Nightmare wasn't facing me. He was actually looking in the wrong direction. "Do you wish to know about my world? About my past?"

I went to speak, but Nightmare must've guess I did. "I was born in late December along with my twin brother, Dream. We were identical twins, except for our eyes. Mine were light purple, while his were golden. Our father...he only wanted one heir, and named us accordingly. He favored Dream and spent any free time he could with him, to mold him into the future King. Mother was left to raise me."

"She was the only thing that ever mattered to me- the only person who treated me normally. She was the sole protector of the Tree of Feelings, where Dream and I draw our power from. The...nature of my brother and I...led to the villagers becoming hostile. Now towards him, towards me. They would invite him out, then come back and try to steal the Golden Apples- the fruit that gives positive energy to the consumer. I stayed back to protect the tree..,"

"Unfortunately, they saw me as an obstacle in their goal, causing them to...to do terrible things I do not wish to mention. I was thought of as clumsy by my family. I had to convince them I was breaking bones because I fell out of the tree frequently. It wasn't long before I snapped. I wanted to feel the effects of pure positivity, pure happiness. When I reached for one of the Golden Apples, however, it turned black. Black like the apples that gave pure negativity to the consumer."

"The tree became unstable and rotted, and I was to blame. I didn't...mean to do it. I just wanted to be happy, I...I was attacked by the villagers. Dream stood there and watched. I don't remember much of what happened, but I remember eat all the Black Apples, and the searing pain of my bones breaking, my SOUL warping and corrupting. And I remember Dream attacking me. He had gone from complacent to violent. Against me, his own brother."

"Needless to say, we hadn't spoken in 500 years. We made teams opposing one another. We fought constantly. Dream was convinced I was in the wrong. I may have been, but he wasn't exactly blameless. To this day, I only return to my world, to Dreamtale, when I go to visit my mother's grave. Never my father's. They died when we were young. I don't remember their faces anymore. My uncle...he sometimes try to talk to me. Tell me to return and rule the land."

I waited for him to continue, but he stopped. "I'm so sorry, I had no idea..," I said, gently putting my hand on his shoulder. "It doesn't matter, anyways. It was hundreds of years ago. If I held a grudge for that long, I would've killed everyone by now." I sighed and looked down. "Don't let it get to you, (Y/N)." "What do you mean?! Everyone says such terrible things about you, and yet- If they knew-" "If they knew, they would pity me. I hate pity."

I sighed and nodded. "Nightmare?" "Yes?" "Thank you. For telling me." Nightmare was quiet, and we simply sat in a comfortable silence.

Date: 10/02/22 01:23

Word Count: 1169

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