NIGHTS Awaking from Dreams

Chapter 1 - It begins

Chapter 1

It begins

NiGHTS could feel it...the darkness...it filled the land of Nightopia...Nightopians were scarce...Nightmarens attacked more frequently...

He could even feel it seeping into him...it ate into him like a poison that just would not go away...the dream world was slowly losing its luster and color...its life was draining away....

He was waiting now at the Dream Gate...waiting every night....waiting at the edge of it, hanging above the seemingly endless dark ocean.

He was waiting for some of the visitors he befriended over the years...Waiting for any of them.....Will...Helen...Claris...Elliot.....any of them, to return.

It seemed that even with their red ideya of courage, they were now unable to come to the Night Dimension...and there hadn't been any other visitors for a while...

NiGHTS leaned back in the air, resting his jester hat against his arms...

Of course he was worried for his friends, worried for Nightopia, but he wasn't sure what to do.

"Why hello, NiGHTS....Oh-who, isn't it a quiet one?" an old owl wearing a maroon jacket over a purple vest greeted, fluttering over to NiGHTS and landing on top of a nearby rock, "What are you doing out here? You know it not very well safe beyond the sanctuary gates."

NiGHTS sighed, dipping his head down, "I know, Owl, but I got to keep up hope that Will or Helen, maybe even Claris or Elliot, will come back."

"Unfortunately, visitors have not been coming for a while now," Owl said sadly, a fact they both knew very well.

"Yeah, Owl, but I can't just give up. I hate just sitting here, but it's something, right?" NiGHTS replies, looking up into the endless ocean of stars above them. At least their lights still shine in all the growing darkness, the jester observed bitterly. The two friends sat there for a while in silence, just staring at the faded black mingled with hints of deep blue and violet that swarmed with the faint glittering lights of those stars so far away.

"Why NiGHTS, there you are," cooed a venomously sweet voice suddenly from behind them. Both NiGHTS and Owl jerked around, the purple jester already poised for a fight, knowing exactly who had spoken.

"Reala!" he snapped, "What are you doing here?"

Reala sneered at his twin, then put a clawed hand to his chest in mock hurt, "Really, NiGHTS, is that any way to treat me after all we've been though?"

NiGHTS laughed sarcastically, "What we've been though? Let's see," the jester held up one gloved hand and started counting off on his fingers, "You imprisoned me, multiple times....attacked me, multiple times...you hurt my friends.....scared Helen, threatened Will, endangered Claris and Elliot....should I go on?" NiGHTS grinned as Reala glared at him.

"Fine, NiGHTS," the red jester growled, "If you had cooperated, I would have brought you back to Wizeman in one piece...But now...if that's how you want to act......" he suddenly charged at NiGHTS, claws extended to slash his face.

NiGHTS flew over him, placing his hands on Reala's shoulders and pushing him into the ground before launching off into the air as fast as he could.

Reala spat out a mouth full of dirt and looked up at the fleeing NiGHTS, fanged teeth bared in fury. He quickly got up and leapt into the air in swift pursuit. But NiGHTS kept ahead of him, still a ways off, and Reala could not seem to catch up.

A race ensued, with no ground given nd no ground gained as the two jesters raced through the ruins and floating landmasses of Nightopia. Reala tried all he could to get to NiGHTS, throwing blasts of red sparks at the purple jester and making shortcuts to gain on him, but the hero dodged each attempt.