The Forgotten Kingdom

Chapter 7

Fire. 

Lots of fire. And screams in the distance. A rhythmic beating sound surrounded her. She sat up, startled. Her surroundings were unfamiliar to her, not the small room or dusty cot she had fallen asleep on. The room she was in was lavishly decorated, the bed stuffed with something plush, the sheets made from fine spider silk. She blinked, standing  and walking over to the window, looking outside. The sky was a deep crimson, a town spread out before her, quiet and serene, a few bugs barely visible roaming the streets. In the center of the little town was a large tower, like one might put a meeting bell, but much larger. 

Inside the tower she could see a large beating mass. A heart. A chill ran down her spine and her mouth went dry, making her swallow. What was this place..? "The nightmare realm of course." She gasped and turned around, but her foot slipped on the long curtains that touched the floor, only catching a glimpse of the bug behind her before she fell out of the window. Her eyes widen and a single thought ran through her head. 'I don't want to die.' And she hit the ground.

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Carina sat up with a gasp, clutching at her chest. Her heart was racing and she felt suddenly sick, standing and darting out past Mato who looked up, startled as she ran outside, to the cliff, and emptied what little contents her stomach held. She was shaking still as Mato walked out, frowning and kneeling beside her, rubbing her back. "Carina? Are you alright?" She nods, standing and wiping her mouth. "Y-Yeah... I'm ok.. Just... Nightmares. This place has really been messing with my head. I just... Need to think. Thank you for checking on me." He nods, standing and heading back inside to allow her some time to think alone. He knew what he meant by nightmares. 

She sat down, leaning against the cold stone wall, closing her eyes, mind racing from adrenaline. Again she had a strange dream. And again, it had ended in her death. She shuddered, thinking, The same red flames had been there. But that heart. The heart was what had unsettled her the most. And that voice. The same voice that had laughed in her last nightmare. "The Nightmare Realm...? Why... Is that familiar...?" She stood, still a little shaky, heading inside and grabbing the journal from her satchel. 

"What is it?" She looks at Mato. "Something from my nightmare was familiar." She flipped through the journal, finding the writing in another hand, then finding what she was looking for. 

'The Nightmare Realm.

The nightmare realm is a part of the dream realm, and home of the Nightmare Heart, The Grimm Troupe, And The Nightmare King.'

She frowned. That didn't answer much. She flipped a few more pages and found a new handwriting. This one was elegant, written in red. It made her think of blood. She shuddered. 

'The Nightmare Heart.

The Nightmare Heart is the lifesource and protector of all who reside in the nightmare realm.'

Again, less information than she was hoping for. She looked over a few more pages in the same elegant hand, finding a page that had more to it thankfully. 

'The Grimm Troupe. 

The Grimm Troupe can be summoned by lighting the Nightmare Lantern. They go wherever there is a kingdom in ruin, or wherever bad blood boils over. Summoning them will cast the summoner into a crucial role in the subsequent ritual held by the troupe and its troupe master Grimm, in order to feed and restore the nightmare heart. They will be given a Grimmchild, which is born from the flames of the lanterns lighting. The summoner will have to travel the expanse of the land, collecting scarlet flames guarded by Grimmkin. These flames burn all the painful memories, and dark times in the land. These flames will nourish the child so it may grow and evolve. After the second set of flames is collected, the summoner will perform a dancelike battle with Grimm. The child will evolve again from the heat of the battle, and three more flames will be gathered. The troupe master will then make the ultimate sacrifice, dying in flames to feed the child, becoming a new incarnation of The Nightmare King in the nightmare realm. The child's growth will be complete and he will become the new Troupe master Grimm.' 

Carina blinked and reread the page a few times, frowning. "That's a little dark..." Mato looked at her, but left her alone as she looked for any other information. But she found nothing else that might explain her strange nightmares. She sighed, pulling out the fragile petal, turning it in her fingers, bringing it to her nose and sniffing. To her surprise, a delicate smell tickled her nose, making her smile, calming her. She returned the petal and journal to her satchel, nodding and returning to her small room, laying back down on the cot, closing her eyes and slipping into a dreamless sleep. 

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Grimm was rattled. Once again that girl. Only this time, she had been in his room. Her thoughts unspeakably lout to him. She had come here to The Nightmare Realm. She wanted to know where she was, and he had tried to answer, but only succeeded in scaring her, causing her to fall from his window and wake up, her body disappearing in a puff of smoke. He thinks, then looks up with a growl as there was a knock, Brumm's voice coming through the door. "Master? A girl from the waking world was just seen falling from your window. Are you alright?" 

He sighed. "Yes. I'm fine. Come in Brumm, we need to talk." He sat on his bed, trying to think. He was confused. Was the nightmare heart trying to tell him something? Brumm entered the room, closing the door, and with a snap of Grimm's fingers a magic seal surrounded the room. No one could come it or hear what they were saying. "I'm... Worried. Brumm. This is the second time ive seen that girl. The first time was this morning, in the dream I had." 

Brumm frowned. "I thought your dream was about the ritual?" He shook his head. "I lied. I wanted to think more on what the dream could possibly mean. But now I returned to my room to find her rising from my bed Brumm. I've never seen her before, and I'm unsure of what her presence in our realm means." He looks at his friend, his worry showing for once, surprising Brumm. Grimm never showed his emotions so strongly unless something truly felt wrong. And this strange girls presence in their realm was indeed unsettling. 

Only moths had been able to willingly cross between worlds, and none of them ever came to The Nightmare Realm. "Perhaps... If she returns... You can ask what she wants? Why she's coming here and how?" Grimm shook his head. A pit in his stomach. "She wouldn't know. She didn't even know where she was." Brumm perked. "So you spoke to her?" "NO!" Grimm stood with a huff, cloak opening as he walked to the window to look down. Several Grimmkin were surrounding the area the girl had hit the ground. "She didn't say a word. She thought it. Her thoughts were in my head Brumm! That doesn't happen!" He turned to him, eyes glowing scarlet. 

"Master..." Brumm frowned, at a loss for words. What was this girl. And why was his master hearing her thoughts so clearly.