NiGHTS Into Dreams

Video Game Adaptation

Chapter 1

~The Visionary~

This is the realm of dreams.

On the plain of dreams exists a place called Nightopia. This was once a beautiful, peaceful world, where dreamers were safe. But to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction-- the opposite of Nightopia is Nightmare. This is a dark and dangerous place, ruled by a skilled sorcerer known as Wizeman the Wicked. The result of this- Wizeman's minions, Nightmaren, started to overrun Nightopia, and in doing so initiated a chain of events that could possibly have brought destruction to the real world.

Fortunately, there is some hope. All five dream energy types are required to break through the barriers separating dreams and reality, and one type in particular is very uncommon. This is the only thing standing between Wizeman and total domination of our world.

So far-

--

The cat-like eyes scanned the dream, fading from a deep, swirling purple, the color of sunset, to a wild ocean blue as he flew into the light. There were no dreamers in sight today. A few Nightopians, those little conehead angels that occupied the dreams, and some birds were around, but that was all. This was unusual; many humans visited the Spring Valley dream at night. The Nightmaren wondered if it was because all the Ideya were taken.

It would make sense. After all, he had been at this post for awhile, and he was a first-level Nightmaren, the most intelligent of the species. In fact, he was the best out of the first-levels, too. Everyone knew who he was. He always wore the same uniform, the purple, pink and yellow one with the white sleeves and jester hat. The sharpness in his eyes, the strength in his expression, the demeanor of a person who knew how to handle everything that came his way. This guy was in charge. But he was more often recognized by that ruby-like gem embedded in his chest. It seemed to stand out, and not just in sight. The material was unbreakable as far as anyone could tell, and it had a strange aura. Some kind of mysterious but somewhat familiar energy. Anyone who saw it saw power beyond the farthest reaches of their imagination (besides the fact that there wasn't much space for one in their days), although it never actually did anything except glimmer unusually bright.

"NiGHTS" a low, distorted voice called from behind him.

Another first-level Nightmaren hovered there. His pale face was shadowed by his red and black striped hat, but NiGHTS could still see his eyes. They were an icy blue, rivaling the coldest snowstorms of Frozen Bell. Those eyes always sent a slashing chill through even the calmest and impassive Nightmaren. The eyes weren't the only thing that made him seem so threatening. Matching them was an unmoving, clay-like face, a sinister smile painted across it. He was strongly built, wearing mostly gray and black, with patches of red and purple breaking the stony pattern. Black wristbands and gloves with no fingers covered his hands, as if to restrain his sharp golden claws.

"What, Reala?" NiGHTS replied, slightly annoyed. Spring Valley was his sector, and he never hesitated to point that out. Reala, his counterpart, was assigned to Stick Canyon. They were often paired together on missions, but it was somewhat strange, considering they were almost exact opposites. Reala often made fun of NiGHTS because he had "personality", to which NiGHTS would quickly respond by calling him a checkerboard. Reala had a personality of his own, but it was chilly and heartless, just like Wizeman. He was always trying to get Wizeman's favor. However, NiGHTS had proven himself to be the better fighter. Out of the group of five top fighters- NiGHTS, Sunset, Dusk, Daye, and Reala- they were the only two to survive the tests in the first place. Now Reala was always trying to show him up. Of course, out of those five he had been considered the oddball, and he didn't want to be known like that.

"Have you found anything yet?"

NiGHTS shook his head. He had never seen this priority-one red Ideya before. To any outsider's eyes, these light spheres would be nothing more than nicely-colored lanterns, even to the dreamers that they belonged to. Only the Nightmaren knew the potential these things had, and only Wizeman knew the absolute power of the courage Ideya. This was what they were searching for. NiGHTS himself didn't like it that much, it was almost as if Wizeman was obsessed over it. He sometimes wondered if it even existed, or if Wizeman was just believing in some ancient Nightopian legend. This was most likely it, he decided. No human he'd ever seen would have dream energy labeled as "courage", and he still didn't understand why it was the most powerful. He had gone over it several times in his mind. White was purity and innocence, a sign of a clear and untainted mind and was usually found in small children. Green was maturity and wisdom gained from experience, lessons that could only be learned from time. Yellow, or hope, was with those who kept a good outlook and believed the best would come out eventually. Blue was knowledge, and being able to retain and bring up facts. Courage didn't seem any better than knowledge to him.

"Keep looking. I know you and your mistrust about this unseen Ideya theory or whatever, but we've really got nothing better to do."

Nothing better to do? NiGHTS stared at him blankly. He could find tons of better things to occupy their time. Just plain flying would be better.

But it wasn't just plain flying to him. Even though the Nightopian sky had its limits, it still was the only place he wanted to be. Just soaring through the open air, a fresh breeze carrying him higher over mountains into a perfect indigo atmosphere-

Reala smiled as he noticed NiGHTS slipping into a daydream again. "You should just leave it to me. I'm going to find one before you do."

NiGHTS smirked back at him. "You just wait" he replied, flying off.

He landed on a grassy foothill and surveyed the area. He saw leaves moving in the trees nearby, each and every one moving in the breeze, every single blade of grass captured in his sight. Every color and movement was recorded in his memory. Those keen eyes never missed anything, especially out in the sunlight. All his time in nightmares had left his eyes adjusted to the dark.

And yet, there was something missing. He couldn't help but think that there may be something he didn't see. It was only a small, fading thought in his mind.

More Nightopians speeded by, chasing each other in what looked like a race. He wondered if they reached a finish line how they could tell each other apart. They all looked identical to him, even their uniforms were the same- blue, with red sleeves, a puffy white collar and little white boots. It was hard to tell if their wings were feathered or bug-like, but they were always sugar pink.

He finally caught sight of someone. A small girl was wandering into a valley, the sun reflecting brightly off her sunshine-colored hair. Her eyes held that child-like innocence, that NiGHTS always found so strange. A white and yellow Ideya encircled her, and she watched with fascination as she skipped along. That was, until two third-levels swooped down and plucked the Ideya from their paths. The girl instantly disappeared, as did everyone else when their Ideya was taken. No matter how powerful or what type of Ideya it was, it was the way to get into Nightopia, even to dream in the first place. Once it was gone, there was no return.

A voice echoed through NiGHTS' head. It was Wizeman- no one else in the nightmares knew any kind of telepathy, or had that unsettling tone that silenced any other thought in a person's head. "Report back to the main nightmare at once" he commanded.

-------

All of the level one Nightmaren were soon grouped together and listening to Wizeman's instructions. NiGHTS glanced around nervously, several times. Though he was the best fighter, he was also the smallest. Reala was the closest one to his height, a few inches taller. The rest of them were huge monsters that overshadowed him like thunderclouds. Even though the first-level Nightmaren were little in numbers, and he knew they never go after him first, he felt closed in. He hated that feeling more than anything else in the world.

Of course, all of the Nightmaren felt the same way about Wizeman. He was a towering figure, and his wavy blue cloak added to his size greatly. Silver armor and a spiked helmet gave him somewhat of a powerful air, and just the sound of his voice could terrify one so much they would turn to ice, even one that lived entirely without fear. This was just his outer appearance. They all knew his magical capabilities and mental capacity was almost limitless, and the Nightmaren would rather see them as little as possible.

"There are currently two dreamers visiting Nightopia that have the courage Ideya. I can sense their energy- they have been here several times in the past few days, and it is likely they will appear again."

Each of Wizeman's amethyst-like eyes, one placed in each of his six free-floating, blocky hands, were focused on one Nightmaren. "Those Ideya are vital to our ultimate goal. Each of you will cover your normal main dream. You are dismissed."

NiGHTS floated out of the nightmare, towards his usual post. He was becoming irritated with this same old boring agenda, with no results. Maybe this was that missing thing that crossed his mind before. His thoughts were beginning to stray, pushing out the orders that he was just given and making way for a lazy haze that matched the atmosphere of the dream he was headed for.

Spring Valley was no different than when he left. Upon his arrival, he followed a creek that ran alongside the edge of the dream. His mind was completely wandering off now, and he wove a path in the air, flying over and under stone bridges, looked down at his reflection in the crystal-clear stream. His face always seemed so gloomy to the rest of the dream, even on those rare occasions when he actually felt content. He decided not to spoil the moment by following that train of thought, and spiraled higher into the sky. The sparkling stars that fell from his hands hovered in that corkscrew pattern for a moment, then dropped out of sight.

His next course took him along the creek again. This stream winded through the valley, starting as a trickle at the top of the mountains and ending in a roaring waterfall in the lowest part of the dream. He tried not to look down this time. He passed that giant tree, the one that grew on a tiny island right in the middle of the creek, it's roots closing down on the island like a giant brown claw. Something caught his eye, stopping him still in the air.

Another girl wandered through the hills, gazing at the landscape. This one appeared to be in her mid-teens, wearing a t-shirt and shorts with a pinkish-red theme. Her hair was tied up at the top of her head with a golden clasp, and her carnation-pink eyes darted from area to area with a peculiar brightness. NiGHTS counted her Ideya.

The total came to four. That was pretty impressive, considering the strength of each one was almost blinding him with its light.

But as he tried to approach her, the gem in his chest suddenly grew very warm, startling him so that he let out a small yelp. He still kept a watchful eye on the girl.

A new Ideya started to form. It took the shape of a sphere, and a white spark grew inside of it. It was very faint, he could barely make it out against the bright backdrop of the dream.

A shock ran through his mind as he realized the color of the energy.

At first he could only hover in place, stunned. He hadn't realized how much he had doubted this Ideya's existence until he actually found out it was real. So Wizeman's not nuts after all-

Then his face lit up. He couldn't believe how lucky he was! Just to run into this powerful dreamer, with the red Ideya attached, without even trying! He glided down and descended in front of her, surprising her a bit.

But a tiny voice was speaking up in the back of his mind. One that before had been lying dormant, trapped in a apathetic fog that just left NiGHTS to ignore Wizeman's orders. It had now broken free, practically screaming at him to to get away from this girl and pretend he whole thing never happened.

He knew he couldn't go back, though. Wizeman was probably watching him from an unseen place. Even if one dreamer escaped, that was enough to lose everything.

The girl's eyes widened slightly as NiGHTS stepped closer to her. She spoke to him. Her voice was sweet, and kind, even though it was shaking. But the words made no sense. This human language- NiGHTS shook his head.

Suddenly, when he was no more than two feet away, a surge of emotions came, feelings of confusion and fear. A terrible blow ran through him as if the girl had thrown a boulder right into him, and he involuntarily stepped back a pace. These feelings flooded his mind like a rushing river, much stronger than anything NiGHTS had ever felt before. The flooding sensation in his mind began to show on the surface, controlling his movements. He stumbled backwards and into the creek.

The feelings subsided as quickly as they came, and as NiGHTS rose up from the creek and squeezed the water from his hat, a different confusion came. Then he realized that the first wave was not his own thinking. He had somehow sensed what was happening in the girl's mind. He stared at her incredulously. How can one little helpless creature be capable of such powerful things?

She had her hand over her mouth, trying to hide a smile. NiGHTS calmed a little, but he still wasn't in a laughing mood. He climbed up the bank and walked to her again. "It's not safe" he warned quietly. "You must run."

She showed a hand signal that made it clear she did not understand him. He tried hand signals of his own, but the girl only shook her head. It was useless. He didn't know what else to do except just fly away.

---------

Unfortunately, NiGHTS had been right about Wizeman. He had been monitoring the Nightmaren and had seen the whole thing. Naturally, he wasn't happy about it. "I am losing patience with you" he growled, his not-so-contained anger shaking the walls. "You are well-known and respected around here-"

"Says you" a shrill voice snickered.

The both turned to the corner. A tall first-level Nightmaren was leaning against the wall. Most newbies that saw him would have a hard time trying to tell what position he was in, due to the fact that anything besides his boots and gloves were invisible. The majority of his face was shaded by his red striped hat, but by the devilish glint in his sparkling blue eyes, they could tell he was the one who called out. "Jackle, what are you doing here?" Wizeman demanded.

Jackle's confident and cool appearance disappeared in a cringe. He laughed nervously and pushed his flower-like cape aside. "Uh, nothing-- just came to report" he answered, shuffling his favorite deck of cards in his hands.

NiGHTS eyed him in disbelief. Wizeman had made it clear that he didn't want to see Jackle playing with those cards anywhere near him. Fortunately for Jackle, he had been too focused on NiGHTS to notice. "Not now, finish your other duties."

The enraged eyes turned back to NiGHTS. "Instead, recently, you have been constantly disobeying my orders. You have one more chance to prove yourself. Now get out of my sight!"

He's going to be watching me anyway-

NiGHTS flew away silently, lost in his thoughts. Puzzlement clouded his mind. He couldn't figure out what was going wrong. He knew he was bored, but he had been bored with his training too, and he still followed it. There seemed to be a rising new purpose for all of this-

Reala was returning from his own search when he saw NiGHTS leaving. "Heard you're in trouble" he called. "You screwed up and left without the Ideya again, didn't you?"

NiGHTS stopped and hovered in front of him. Reala half-grinned, expecting to hear one of NiGHTS usual quips about his hat. But he caught the stony expression and found himself lost in NiGHTS' eyes. Lost in a world of frustration and bewilderment, and some kind of sorrow that was buried far down inside, as if the maren himself didn't even know it. NiGHTS whooshed by without saying a word, his silence trailing behind him like a cold wind.

Reala decided to follow him. There was suspicion growing inside of him- he hadn't seen anything like that from anyone here. He trailed NiGHTS all the way to Spring Valley.

That girl was still wandering around, looking carefully at everything as if she was expecting someone. Reala took his mind off what he was doing and for a second and watched her. Four Ideya? There's something you don't see every day-

Then he saw it. That faded crimson floating around slowly, trying to keep up with the other Ideya. Reala grinned, forgetting why he came out in the first place.

Just then NiGHTS landed in front of the girl. Reala's face fell. Ahh, it's his post anyway. But then again, I could wait for him-hehe

NiGHTS placed one finger on her forehead. This wasn't in the normal routine for retrieving Ideya. Maybe it's a special technique for the courage Ideya, Reala reasoned.

To his surprise, the girl and the Ideya both faded away. Reala's eyes widened. He chose that moment to make his presence known. "What's going on?"

NiGHTS was the startled one now. He had thought he was alone, but judging by the shocked expression, he could tell Reala saw everything. "Nothing" was the only reply he could come up with before flying off.

Reala didn't bother following this time. His mind was working faster than it ever did before. Two sides of his mind were clashing, one side with a distant, almost impossible theory, and the other trying desperately to come up with some kind of other logic for his actions. But the theory overtook his mind like a ton of bricks crushing a tiny glass.

He's protecting the dreamers- he doesn't want the mission completed!

----------

The leaves of the tree rustled slightly in the breeze, drawing NiGHTS' eyes to them. He caught one as it drifted down towards the creek. This huge tree he rested under was the only place in the valley that had adequate shade and good ground. He liked the nice weather in Nightopia, but in the mid-"day" the sunlight was too intense for his eyes. The sun didn't find its way into Nightmare too often. The other trees were too short, and the mountains only had a shadow when the sun wasn't right over head. Plus it was a bit too windy.

Wizeman's orders sliced through his thoughts again. He put a mental block against it and crawled to the other side of the tree. These commands had been coming to him for the past hour. If he knew Reala at all, Wizeman already heard about the red Ideya.

A spray of water rained down on him. Three Nightopians were playing in the creek. He gave them an irritated growl, but as he watched, curiosity grew inside. They all looked so cheerful, without a care in the world. However, because they didn't know about the dangers around, they were practically defenseless. He wondered if it was better to be prepared and be worried, or to be happy like this, and not know that you could disappear from the dream any second. To not know of anything called a purpose--

These thoughts took him in another direction. He wasn't going back to Wizeman, it was too late. Who knew what kind of consequences awaited him if he went back, even voluntarily?

But if second in command of Nightmare wasn't for him, what was his purpose? Why was he thinking about these things he would have never dared to dream about before? Was someone trying to tell him something? Or was it a part of his mind, previously unexplored, trying to contact him after being pushed away by everything else he had been told?

Then a new idea formed. Maybe these Nightopians did have a purpose. Maybe they weren't just dumb animals, stuck in an endless circle of mindless games and an unknown terror just before everything started all over again. He wanted to know what they were thinking.

He landed in the water with a small splash. They noticed him, and were a little startled, but they continued with their game. NiGHTS figured these Nightopians were probably younger, they didn't know of Nightmaren yet. "Hello?" he ventured.

They didn't fly away, but they didn't respond, either. NiGHTS sighed and gave up on them. "I should look for the other dreamer, anyway."

Another dream could have what he was looking for. NiGHTS was searching for a quick path when he felt he was being watched. Glancing back, he saw Reala a few feet behind. He slowed and faced his baffled counterpart.

Reala spoke first. "Why haven't you come back? It's been an hour since you were first called."

"I'm not coming back."

"What?!"

"You heard me."

He stared at NiGHTS in shock. His theory was correct, and he couldn't believe it. NiGHTS was smarter than that-- why would he do this? He was the highest ranked Nightmaren, he had almost succeeded in finishing up their most important task. But he was just throwing it all away now. Normally Reala would have just taken advantage of this situation, but for some reason he couldn't accept it. "I'm going to have to report back, you know."

NiGHTS crossed his arms and turned away. "Go ahead."

"Last chance. You know, you could be charged for treason for these acts. And then what? You'll be hunted down for all your life, day and night, until we do find you. You'll have no place to go, nothing to do-"

"I SAID I DON'T CARE!"

A startled expression came from this outburst, but soon it turned to an angry glare. Reala's shock and disapproval made way for plain old rage. NiGHTS could be stupid if he wanted to, and what would Reala care? "Whatever" he snarled, flying away.

After Reala left, NiGHTS began his search again. He now had limited time to find the other dreamer. But until Reala had come up and warned him, he had not realized the seriousness of the situation. And Reala did have a good question, the same one he was thinking of before- why?

He still could not think of a complete answer.

But he soon lost the question when an unfamiliar voice spoke from behind him. A teenage boy, with blue hair and t-shirt, and green shorts had crept up behind him, his deep blue eyes bright and alive with question. NiGHTS watched the Ideya, and like a faded rainbow, the red one came out from its hiding place.

"You are the other one-"

The boy appeared puzzled. NiGHTS remembered that humans didn't understand Nightmaren language.

As he drew closer, he was overwhelmed by that rush of emotions again, mostly fear, the same with the other dreamer. He stepped out of range, trying to convince himself that those weren't his feelings, but his thought alone wasn't enough to get the feelings out of the way. It finally vanished along with the boy.

Then he realized what was going on. It was a simple answer, just hidden under years of dust in his mind that was blown away by the whirlwind of emotion. These missions, they just aren't right. Stealing dreams, bringing these harmful senses, trying to break into where we don't belong? They can count me out.

Another warm feeling, different from the gem's, swept through him. He noticed his hand was outlined with a golden glow. This strange light somehow put his mind at ease, telling him not to worry about Wizeman and that he was following the right path. As it faded, he decided to continue that path.

Not long after, he ran into Reala again. "You are--" he took a good look at NiGHTS, and shook his head and continued. "You are to report back immediately."

NiGHTS wondered about that confused stare, but only for a second. "Forget it" he snapped.

"You're coming back, and I suggest you cooperate. We have orders to stop you at all costs. Do you realize what kind of consequences you're facing? If you come quietly, maybe you'll make it through the day in one piece!"

NiGHTS didn't want a fight, but he knew reasoning with Reala was useless. He took a fighting stance.

Reala's face turned to an unexpected evil grin. "Your loss-"

-----

Word of the current events spread through Nightmare quickly. The first-levels, who had been told first, were talking quietly among themselves. Like Reala had thought before, it was impossible. Everyone in Nightmare wanted to be where NiGHTS was, and now he didn't. They all knew there was nothing else for them.

Rapid clicks of nails on stone gradually grew louder, and a large black cat with red stripes skidded into the room. His eyes sparked with an excited red flame. "I just saw them! It's like a firework show-- I've never seen so many paraloops at one time!"

"Nice timing, Clawz" one of them called.

"Hey, I can be late just once" Clawz sat down and folded his spike-like wings upward in their usual position. "Looks like Reala was right after all. I never would have seen this coming."

"I'm not surprised" Jackle muttered.

An arctic breeze blew through the room, followed by a dark, swirling fog. The Nightmaren moved aside to let the clouds through. With a burst of purple smoke, Wizeman appeared. They gathered around. "What's happening?"

"It's over" he replied.

His voice was calmer than it should have been. The Nightmaren exchanged uneasy glances.

The tenseness faded as NiGHTS and Reala stumbled into the room. Both were in terrible condition, their clothes torn and neither one able to walk straight. NiGHTS was aware that the others were giving him that odd stare Reala did before, but he could barely see them through his half-closed eyes.

Wizeman advanced towards them. Reala backed up, but NiGHTS stayed where he was. A feeling of dread weighted his eyes towards the ground, and even then he could still feel Wizeman's accusing stare. Like before, with the dreamers, he tried to fight it. Somewhere inside of him, there was a spark. Something that told him he wasn't going to let Wizeman place this on him and he would stand up for what he was thinking. No one was going to push him around.

But he still couldn't fight it. Not now, when he felt the weakest he had even been, even more than those times after training, and he knew there was no way he could take on all the others.

"Not only have you refused to follow my orders again, and failed to retrieve the courage Ideya, but what is this I hear about helping the dreamer escape?"

NiGHTS kept quiet and avoided the impatient purple eyes in front of him. Silence settled over the room. "I don't even know how and why you've regressed-"

Regressed?, NiGHTS wondered.

"I don't see any reason why I shouldn't take whatever little life you have left and put it into something useful-- do you have anything to say in your defense?"

These words stung him like a hot iron, feeding to the spark. As they echoed in his mind, he could sense it growing stronger. His physical strength had stayed exactly the same. But his spirit, ignited by that spark, suddenly rose up from the depths of his once-frozen heart and brought everything back into perspective. No one was going to be threatened anymore.

He raised his head sharply. Wizeman was startled at the traces of anger in NiGHTS' eyes.

"Who do you think you are, anyway?"

Everyone in the room was taken aback by the question. No one ever said things like that to Wizeman.

"You can't take over the real world. What right do you have to break in there? I'll admit, I thought you were crazy about the red Ideya thing, but not only have I found that it exists, I found that you need a serious reality check! They're the ones that are responsible for us being here in the first place!"

Now Wizeman was the angry one. "Do not forget your place" he thundered. "I am responsible for your existence! Though now I believe I may have made a mistake, an erasible one. You have helped these humans, so you are considered a threat to this operation, and therefore we must be sure you don't interfere again. In light of your recent services, I will spare your life. I have something else just for you-"

A nearly invisible force field swallowed NiGHTS up and carried him through the ceiling. "He will remain in Spring Valley to serve as a reminder for the rest of you" Wizeman told them. "But the next one who follows NiGHTS' example will not be so lucky. Is that clear?"

The Nightmaren nodded quickly. "Continue the search, then."

Wizeman stopped Reala on his way out. "Are you interested in a new position?"