Part V: Preparation

  I heard screaming. What's going on?" Dragona walked in on Kal, Raven, and Israel in the library. He looked down at Kallista and Raven who were still laughing on the floor, then looked at Israel. Israel wondered what screaming Dragona was talking about, then realized he was referring to Kallista outside his door... about an hour ago.

"Oh," he said, not in the mood for explaining things. "Various things, actually. I was about to go get you as a matter of fact. Kal and Raven have decided on having a library party. Want to join?" Israel's expression was serious, looking at Dragona. Kallista had finally stopped giggling and helped Raven to her feet to stare at Dragona. Her expression was slightly quizzical, trying to remember when she and Raven had decided on a library party. Raven's grin got a bit wider, but she didn't say anything.

"A... library party?"

"Yes," Israel replied calmly, "With little hats and silent reading sessions of romance novels."

Kallista cheered, "That's sounds fun!"

Israel went on, "They thought it would be a very enjoyable event for everyone of Elysium Asylum. They were actually especially ardent in making sure you got an invite. They tell me that romance novels are your favorite."

Dragona's eyes grew wide, "Romance novels?" He coughed, "No, uh, of course not... romance novels are for girls.... of course... Anyway, um, uh, I unfortunately have some business in, um... Bhutan... wherever that is...." he nodded slightly.

"Hey!" Kallista said, "Why are you blushing?" Dragona turned and walked off without saying goodbye. "Hm, rude," she said.

  Israel finally grinned, "Well, now that we got rid of him, I think we should get ready to go. We're heading to Ireland, girls." Raven nodded. Kallista saluted. Israel smiled, "I think I might actually enjoy kicking the Nightmare itself in the backside." and turned, heading for one of his big boxes of grenades.

  Kallista sat on her bed, anxious all of a sudden now that she had a moment to think about everything. Several kimonos were spread out on her bed, and she was supposed to be packing. But she was too lost in thought to figure out which one to bring. A man in elegant purple robes passed by her door and saw her. He realized she was worried about something, and his green eyes softened. He knocked on her doorframe, and Kallista looked up, surprised. "Oh!" she said, seeing the highly respected Octaboona Ambrosius in her doorway. His face was lined with the years and his silver hair was tied up in a ponytail, but his eyes sparkled when she looked at them. "Hello," she said hesitantly, not knowing what he was there for.

He smiled slightly, "May I come in?"

"Yes, of course... Can I... help you with something?"

"No, thank you, Kallista." he replied, stepping in. "I was just wondering if you were alright is all."

"I'm ok." she lied before looking into his eyes again and sighing. "I'm worried about a friend of mine."

"Ah..., friends are wonderful, aren't they? Is he a close friend of yours?"

"It's a she, and yes. She's in danger, though, and I really don't know how I can help or even if it's possible." Octaboona looked down for a minute, thinking. When he looked back up, he placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "I know it's hard to believe, but just the fact that you're thinking about her- worrying about her- that helps her more than you might think. Somewhere, your friend knows there's someone who worries for her and hopes she's alright. That encourages her, gives her strength to go on. You're helping her more than you can imagine just by being her friend. If you did nothing else, you would have helped already immeasurably."

  He let a moment pass silently and took a step back, about to leave. Kallista glanced up at him, "Thank you," she said. He smiled, "You're welcome." He turned, leaving, but looked back "By the way?"

"Yes?" Kallista asked, looking up. Octaboona nodded towards her kimonos

"I like the purple one."

  Raven drew her arm back, an arrow between her fingertips. She took a breath, looking at the target thirty feet away. Her blond hair was braided to keep any loose strands from getting in her way, and her dark brown eyes narrowed. She had shot a thousand arrows before, and knew she would shoot a thousand more. Generally, she would practice at lightening fast speeds, drawing, releasing, and leaping or rolling to one side or the other in twenty seconds or less, but sometimes, she liked to go through the fundamentals of it a few times, loosen up her joints and take her time to make it perfect. She exhaled and released at the same time. The arrow flew deftly through the air and struck half-way up the shaft in the very center of the target. She smiled, always loving those perfect shots. She retrieved her arrow and returned it to the canvas hung over her shoulder.

  Now she just had to sharpen her knives, and she'd be ready.

  Gepard Valk, having taken a vacation from Ireland to Australia and decided to board with a bunch of friends and mages, strolled down one of the many hallways in Elysium Asylum, utterly bored. How did he ever think up this whole "take a break from saving the world" thing. There was nothing to do otherwise. He had already caught up on Doctor Who and House, and then he decided he would read a book. That probably would have been entertaining if it was something besides The Mating Habits of the Reptile World. Yeah, didn't turn out too well. So he had now decided to take a walk and mutter to himself slightly about the dumb villains taking too long to try to destroy something.

  Passing a door, he heard a distinct thwack. He paused for a moment outside, shrugged and opened it. A young girl with blond, braided hair turned around, smiling, and put an arrow away. Gepard grimaced. Arrows were not his forte, especially when they chose to stab through his leg.

  He closed the door, starting to turn, when Israel Elysium, the owner of this mansion, ran past him at top speed yelling, "Ruuuuuuuuuuun!" Gepard grinned, and did just that.

A minute ago

  Israel laughed and grinned just a little madly as he pulled a metal box from under his bed, which was actually a surprisingly good hiding spot. He opened it, revealing several grenades inside. His gold-flecked green eyes seems to sparkle, just a bit more. He picked up some and started attaching them to his belt, under his trenchcoat, when his phone vibrated, alerting him of a text. His hands were unfortunately full of grenades so he gripped one between his teeth and picked up his phone with the other. At that very second, Dragona burst into the room, surprising Israel, as he half leaped and half turned around, the grenade slipping from his teeth and falling to the ground. "You lied!" Dragona shouted as Israel eyes grew wide, realizing he still had the pins in his teeth. "You moron!" shouted Israel back, "Run!"

  Dragona, taken off guard, faltered, "What?" But Israel ignored him, fell to the ground, grabbed the grenade, and ran out the door. "Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!" he yelled at Gepard Valk as he passed him. He turned around a corner, saw the door he was looking for- the explosion experiment room- threw the grenade inside and fell on the door, shutting it right before it exploded. Thank goodness he had that room built close to his own. Israel sighed, and muttered, "Yeah..., I'm awesome," as Gepard appeared around the corner with a grin on his face.

  "So what was that all about?" he asked.

"Oh, well, the pins in a grenade were pulled out..."

"Great!" Gepard grinned, "By whom?"

Israel coughed. "It's not important. The point is, no one exploded, and that's always a good thing." He nodded, starting to walk back towards his room. “By the way, you were supposed to run in the other direction, you know?”

“Oh, was I? Well, if I had done that then I wouldn’t have had this opportunity to ask you two very important things, would I?”

“What? What are you going to ask me?”

“First of all, I need some world saving business, and I want to talk with you about that, so conference?”

Israel grinned, “Sure.”

“And secondly, may I hit that guy?”

Israel glanced sideways at Gepard, realized he was serious, then looked in the direction he was indicating.  “You mean Dragona?”

“Is that his name? Yes, then, Dragona. Something about his face… bothers me. It may be the hair… I’m not sure.”

Israel grinned, remembering how Dragona had burst into his room, so very unwelcome. “Go ahead.”

“Really?” Gep said, somewhat surprised. Then he smiled too, “I knew it was a good idea to be friends with you.” He walked in front of Israel, and up to Dragona who was leaning against the door to Israel’s room, wearing a scowl and a vague, confused expression.

“Hey,” Gepard said, “What’s up?” Then he punched him, right in the nose, and walked past into Israel’s room as Dragona stumbled back, yelling, “What’s that for?”

  Israel laughed and followed Gepard Valk into his room. Dragona appeared in the doorway, finger raised, and about to shout something, but he didn’t get a chance as Israel muttered, “Not right now.” And slammed the door in his face.

***

  Skyril sat in the room she had confiscated, nervous. The howls had vanished, like the werewolves had just disappeared. What had happened? Were they just being really, really quiet or were they actually gone? She couldn’t really see either of those options happening normally, but on the other hand, she wasn’t exactly in a normal world at the moment.

  She stood from where she had sat on the bed, and shifted the curtain slightly, peering out into the darkness. There was nothing, nobody that she could see. The moon was way over head, and she figured it was about midnight.

  With a sigh, she sat back down, not yet ready to face the Nightmare’s games. She felt her broken arm throbbing again, and unwrapped it as gently as possible. At first she wished there was more light to see by, but grimaced at what she could see and counted her blessings instead. There was blood and dirt and grime, she could tell that much. “Ok,” she muttered to herself, “I need water. That’s what I need. And yes, I know the first step to insanity is talking to myself, thank you very much.”

  She stood shakily, and walked to the door. Cracking it open a touch, she glanced out and listened for a full minute. Nothing. She slipped out and walked down the hall, her boots quietly tapping on hardwood floors. When she came to a door, she peered inside until she found the bathroom. When she did, she parted the curtains a tiny bit to let in some moonlight and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Hair all a mess, face tear-streaked and smeared with dirt and blood, teeth marks on one side of her neck and tears all in her clothes, not to mention the broken arm she held next to her carefully. Skyril sighed, turned on the faucets, and got to work.

 After she had washed her face and gently soaked her arm, she went back to the room she had been in and rifled through the drawers, hoping what she got wouldn’t count as stealing. She found a long sash and pulling that out, making a new makeshift sling for her arm. She pulled back her black hair into a ponytail, and threw on a black t-shirt and pants. Then she curled up on the bed, ignoring the blankets, and fell fast asleep.

***

  "So." Gepard said, "I'm basically bored out of my mind. Do you happen to know of any world threats going on right now? Or perhaps just a minor annoying ax murderer? Or possibly some nice goblins to track down? A unicorn sighting? An assassin? A piece of kelp that has come to life and is now terrorizing the world with its green, slimy-"

"Gepard!"

"Yes?"

  Israel laughed, "I'm afraid there have been no terrible kelp attacks at the moment, but there is something going on. And I woudn't mind if you accompanied us either. As a matter of fact, I think that's a good idea. Of course, you're a guest here, and I shouldn't be asking you to fly off on a brash, rash, and possibly suicidal mission to stop a monster that is actually the reason for all bad dreams in the world, that can't be tracked as far as I know, and happens to have kidnapped a good friend of mine, tortured her, and might have already killed her or worse, and soon will either destroy the world, or make everybody in it insane. And yet I seem to be asking anyway. Want to come?"

Gepard paused for only five seconds before replying with a smile, "Absolutely."

Israel nodded cheerfully, "Good. Now get packed. You have about ten minutes before we leave to Ireland."

Ten minutes later

  Kallista, Raven, Gepard, and Israel stood in the grand entrance of Elysium Asylum., "Well," Israel said, "Everybody ready? Got your guns, swords, daggers, bows, grenades, and anything else you might need?"

Octaboona entered the room. "Ah, Kallista, I see you're leaving." She turned, and smiled,

"Yes, I am." 

He nodded. "Well, I hope you find the friend you were looking for."
"Thanks, I inten-"

Dragona stormed in yelling, "You're all a bunch of liars!" He glared at Octaboona, who frowned. Kallista bored holes in Dragona, and Israel sighed. Dragona stomped up to Israel, saying, "You're all going on some top-secret mission, aren't you? Well, then, I'm going to go too!"

  Raven's eyebrows rose, "Yeah, not likely." Dragona spun on her, but then Octaboona spoke up, "Dragona, perhaps they are, but it seems that if they didn't want us to know, it was for a reason. Perhaps it's even to protect us, who knows. So lets just stay here, alright?" Dragona walked towards Octaboona, his eye narrowed.

"You know what? I don't think so, and if you're so weak as to want to stay here while they," he gestured at the four of them, "are going, then I think you ought to man up and come along as well."

Kallista tapped Dragona's shoulder, and he turned around. She grabbed him by his collar and shoved him against the wall, "Hey!" She shouted, "There is no way you're getting Octa involved in this! So if you don't want to be on my bad side then you apologize to him." She glared into his startled eyes, "Now!"

"Y-yes, Ma'am!" he stuttered, "Sorry, Octaboona, sir." Israel's eyebrows rose, and Raven's mouth formed a small 'O' shape. Gepard, on the other hand, just grinned.

"Well, alright then," she said, letting him fall in a heap. "Here," she turned slightly, having produced a pink cupcake from seemingly no where, "have a cupcake." She handed it to him as he stared up in shock. "Now," Kallista turned back to everyone, "are you guys ready, or what?"

***

  Skyril was with her father. She was eight years old and playing in the park. She laughed as she slid down the slide, jumping up right away and wanting to slide again. "Now," Her father said, "we have to go back home, sweetheart." She looked up at him unhappily. He was tall with hair as black as hers. His eyes, though, were brown, so she must have gotten her green ones from her mother. "But, Daddy! Can't I slide some more?"

"I'm sorry," he frowned, glancing at his watch, "but we need to get you back home so I can get back to work." Skyril pouted, then had an idea.

  "Daddy! I could stay here, and walk back later!"

"No, hon, your mother would kill me, honestly!" He put his big hand on her shoulder and started to guide her towards the car. She struggled, pouting, and wanting to stay at the park longer. She imagined his eyes in her mind. They were always so determined. She wished she could just stop them from staring like that. "AH!" Her father yelled all of a sudden, falling on his knees. Skyril cried out, "What's wrong? Daddy! What's wrong, Daddy?"

  He clutched his face, yelling, "I can't see! I can't see! I'm blind! What's happening to me? What did you do? What’s happened to me?"

   Skyril screamed as she sat up in bed, shaking and shivering. At first she thought she was home, but realized too soon that she was still trapped. Remembering she was alone. Remembering she was terrified.

Part IV: Nightmares

Author's note

Hey guys! Yeah, took forever again, but it was fuuuuuuuuuunn :D

It might be a little confusing, though, so I thought I better tell y'all that it keeps jumping back and forth in time. Pay attention to what it says because that helps :P

I hope you like it! I'll try to be working on more soon xD

"Kallista! KAL! Listen to me! Listen to your dreams!"

Kallista shook, and she was soaked in sweat. She turned over in her bed, moaning. Her eyes were closed, but her brow furrowed and her eyes moved beneath the lids.

"I know it's hard, I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to use it like this, but just see me! You're my last chance." Kallista shook her head, growled in her sleep and focused. In her dreams, an image appeared, blurry, like she was looking through milky glass.

  It was Skyril, and she was looking back and forth like she was worried she would be discovered. There was blood on one side of her head, and strings of purple and black hair stuck to it. One of her arms was held in a makeshift sling made from some kind of sash. There was something clutched in the other, something at the end of a chain around her neck, but Kallista couldn't see what it was.

 "KAL! Thank you! Listen, you have to prepare!" Her green eyes were wide, serious and afraid. "Call everyone! Let them know someone- no something is coming! I can't say its name. Now that it knows it, everything here knows it, and they'll  find me if I utter it. But tell Israel that the legend of the silver bracelet is true! He has something about it in his library! I read it once, and that's how I know. And Kal, tell Israel first, ok? Find the book, read it, figure out what to do! You guys can do it, I know it!

  "Kal, I have to go. I don't know if I'll see you again." Tears appeared in her eyes. "Just make sure the world is safe, ok. You and everybody were always really good at that. Don't tell anyone, but you guys are much better at saving all of humanity than I am."

Kallista shook her head, barely finding the strength to speak in this dream state, "No..., Sky."

 "It's ok, Kal... Just, save the world once more, ok? Save it for me! I really have to go." She looked behind her quickly like she'd heard something. "I'll be fine, ok, just stay strong and be ready! ...Goodbye."

  Kallista sat up in bed, breathing hard. Her eyes were wide.

***

  "You're name," said she, "is Nightmare."

"Nightmare..." The little girl rolled the name around. She nodded slightly, "Fitting, I think." Her voice was sweet, childlike, and innocent again. Still, Skyril could detect a coldness in that voice that chilled her to the bones.

  "Yes, your name is Nightmare. How long have you been locked away, really? A thousand years, maybe? I read somewhere about you and your powers. Honestly, I wasn't so certain about the truth of what I was reading, but I think I believe it somewhat more now."

  The little girl's head turned to the side. "I don't know how long I was in the Purple World, but I was not 'locked'. Nothing can keep me trapped."

Skyril's eyebrow rose, but she decided against getting into an argument with the Nightmare him--her---itself.

"Well," she said, "I don't suppose since you've gotten the information you wanted, that you'd be willing to release me, huh?"

"Release? Nay, I wouldn't dream of it! I've so many little horrible adventures planned for you, you know. It's going to be so much fun!"

The child clapped her hands together, a grin playing at the sides of her mouth.

"Oh, yes," Skyril said under her breath, "I can only imagine how fun that will be..."

***

  There was a scream and suddenly a pounding on his door. Israel blinked, waking up. "What on earth?" His hand reached for his shotgun before he recognized Kallista's voice yelling on the other side of the door. He stood up, still picking up a knife out of precaution. Who knew why Kal was yelling. It might be a spider or it might be a pack of vampires trying to get in.

  He slid back the locks on his door, attempting to only crack it open a fraction to peak out at Kal. That didn't work out. She, rather determined, shoved it open, grabbed Israel's shirt, and yelled, "We have to read some books or the world will be destroyed! We have to go to your library now!" She started pulling him behind her while up and down the hall, lights started coming on as people awoke and poked their heads out of their doors.

  "Kal, Kal, Kal! What is going on?" Israel shouted, stopping in his tracks and making her stumble slightly. "Israel we have to go now! Come on!" She grabbed his arm, trying to pull him along again, but she didn't get more than a few feet.

"First, you have to tell me what's going on," he said.

  Kallista looked back and forth down the hallway as the viewers continued watching. "What?" Some of them blinked and went back into their rooms, but most stayed where they were. Kallista let go of Israel and looked around at everyone. Skyril had said to tell Israel first. She smiled and her eyelids dropped halfway as she looked back at him again. "Come on, my sweet! I was trying to get us in private without.. making it seem like we were... up to anything." Her eyebrows went up and down in quick succession, and she giggled.

  Israel's eyes widened, "What the-"

"I know it was a little extreme, but... I couldn't wait any longer, my little boo-goo-doobie-doo!" She reached up and pinched his cheeks.

  Snickers went up and down the hallway, and someone yelled, "How sweet, Israel! Or should we call you, 'boo-goo' now?"

More laughter ensued. Israel turned on them, his startling green eyes narrowed to slits.

  The doors shut immediately.

***

  Skyril was running. She was still in the city, but this was a different part. She wasn't really sure how she got here, for she had been talking to the Nightmare child a moment ago. She wasn't actually thinking about that much, though. For some reason, running seemed to make perfect sense to her at that moment. She leaped, landing on the next rooftop and kept going. She heard something behind her, jumped again over an alley twenty feet below, and craned her neck.

  There was something chasing her, but she couldn't see what it was. She knew it was catching up, though. She could feel it behind her. She screamed as something with claws grabbed her left arm and yanked, breaking the bone and tearing it backwards. She turned, tears in her eyes, to see some kind of enormous bird with a serrated beak and giant talons. She tried to use magic to take the monster's sight- at least to confuse it, but it didn't work.

  This was one of those creatures that fed on magic. The bird's crimson wings flapped harder, pulling Skyril from the ground by her broken arm. She screamed in agony, using her good arm to snatch a small dagger from her belt. It whipped back and forth, and sent the missile into the birds chest. The creature screeched, letting go, as purple blood dyed its feathers black.

***

  "Wait, what? You had a dream about Skyril?"

Israel and Kallista were in the library, having gotten there after Kal told Israel she would explain once they got there. The library was usually empty at this hour so they weren't particularly careful about being hushed.

"No! Skyril sent a message to me in my sleep! She's in danger! There's something... I don't know what- a villain of some sort- trapping her and hurting her. Her arm Isreal! It was broken! And there was blood and I couldn't talk and I couldn't do anything! But she told me to tell you that there was some myth about a bracelet with purple amethysts, and it's real! And there's a book somewhere in this library about it! She couldn't say what it was because there was something after her, but I don't know what that was either. So we need to read these books! Now! The fate of the world- and more importantly, Skyril- depend on it! She said to gather everyone! Where are those secret ninjas I heard you were hiding in the basement?"

  Israel spoke dryly as his hand went to his forehead in aggravation, "There are no secret ninjas. This is seventh time someone has asked about them! Who keeps spreading these rumors? When I get my hands around his neck, I'm just gonna shake it until he feels so discombobulated, he can't even stand without collapsing!"

In the corner, Nights Raven slid down in her seat, hiding behind her book.

"Wait," Kal said, "you mean the ninjas aren't real?" Her eyes were wide, shocked.

Raven coughed, drawing their attention to her for the first time. "Hey, so, book about purple amethysts? I know that one, and if Sky wasn't mistaken, than we're in big trouble."

***

  Skyril was standing in a dark forest. The trees were gnarled and dingy, reaching out with claws to catch and devour strays. It was night, and the sky could only be seen above due the enormous full moon glowing brightly, friendly. Skyril was breathing heavily, again, not knowing how she came to be here but not thinking strange of it. She was afraid. She could feel the terror worming around inside her, making her body shake and her bones brittle. Her left arm was hanging limply by her side, and the pain was fresh and pulsing. When adrenaline had been pouring through her, she didn't feel it as much. Now, it was terrible.

  She groaned, beads of sweat on her forehead. She reach down with her good hand as gently as she could and untied the knot of the purple sash around her waist. No matter how careful she was, every movement throbbed and sent another wave of pain through her. She looped the sash around her neck, turning it into a makeshift sling to keep her broken arm out of the way. She'd always hated having broken bones.

  She leaned for a moment against the nearest tree, trying to catch her breath. Her eyes fluttered for a moment, and she realized she was tired, really tired.

  But then she heard something that woke her up again. There was a howl, not like a cat or a bird, but much more like a dog. She looked up, the enormous moon stared down at her, and it wasn't so very friendly now. There were werewolves in this forest. Another howl, definitely closer. Skyril stared running, having no idea where she was going besides away. More howls, more than one monster was in this dreadful forest. They must smell the blood, and sweat.

And fear.

  She saw a stream through the trees and ran for it, splashing into the waters in hopes of covering her scent. She trudged through it, having a tough time trudging through waist-deep, murky water. Something nipped at her leg, but she ignored it, probably a fish. Then she saw something big in the waters ahead of her. It looked like a log, but she knew better. The crocodile was just waiting for his midnight snack to walk into his jaws. She froze, looking back, hearing tree limbs cracking and more howls. Still, she'd rather face that on land rather than the monster of the bog. She splashed out of the water, avoiding the snap of those terrible jaws and, dripping wet started running again.

  How was she going to escape werewolves in their own territory? She heard them behind her, galloping towards her. She screamed, jumping to the side as she sensed one leap and kept running. Skyril was out of breath, and tiring quickly. Then she saw an opening in the forest and a building rising above it in the distance.

  The city! She was close. She could make it. She prayed she could make it.

***

Israel and Kallista read from the middle of the book- Legends of Your Darkest Dreams- Raven had brought to them.

  "According to myth, the Nightmare could change forms with a thought. Sometimes the beast would be a male, female, a child, or the elderly, but that's not all. The Nightmare's adept magic included changing form to anything, even the wind, although it's favorite form was taken from the appearances of its victims, particularly children."

They turned the page, skimming down until they found something useful.

 

  "The Nightmare was trapped approximately A.D. 1100 by exactly as many mages. The legend says that its prison was made special and in secret over about one hundred years. The prison was in the form of something beautiful- a silver bracelet in-hewed with purple amethysts and powerful, yet unknown, magic to keep the bracelet from ever being destroyed or releasing the beast. They made this bracelet in this form because the Nightmare, especially fond of personal charms and trinkets, would keep them to taunt any remaining relations or friends of the victims.

  With this in mind, the mages asked for a volunteer to be the Nightmare's final adversary. Someone who would wear the bracelet until it became so important to her that the Nightmare would savor in taking it; however, no one stepped forward for three years until a young girl, who finally understood what the sorcerers were planning, agreed to be their sacrifice.

  The mages assembled and trapped the Nightmare and the child, according to plan. The Nightmare took her, devoured her humanity, stole the bracelet, and was trapped because of it. There are many myths that this child had done what she did out of love for the mages around her. She couldn't bare to see them suffer any longer by its torments, and with her last breath, she thanked the Nightmare for what it had done to her because she was so happy she could save her friends and family."

Another few pages flipped over as Israel ran his finger down them, scanning for useful information. He paused again on one section.

 "There was one fatal error the mages didn't see, however, and that was that one of the mages had been turned by the Nightmare. Fortunately, the bracelet had been taken and hidden and soon lost to those few who knew the whereabouts when the grand mage of the time had them executed before killing himself.

  It is said that the sorcerer with the secret to the Nightmare's release passed it down through the generations to his children and their children's children, and that somewhere today, there are still those- those few- who know how to release this terrible monster.

 Fortunately, despite many attempts at discovering the whereabouts of the purple amethyst bracelet, no one has found it. Well, that is to say, no one has found it and had both the power, and the knowledge to release it.

  At least not yet."

***

  Why must there always be fields between cities and forests? Skyril huffed in irritation, running as fast as she could through that empty space. The werewolves were pounding behind her, growling and woofing and generally having enormous fun hunting their delightfully fretful prey. If only the situations were reversed, Skyril thought.

  Something heavy hit her in the back, and she went down, rolling and getting up again before the second fastest werewolf caught her. She was almost there. So many buildings and alleys to get lost in and to lose the monsters behind. 

  With her last burst of energy she ran with everything she had, but it wasn't fast enough. Nothing was faster than a werewolf on the hunt, and she'd only lasted this long because she was so far ahead of them in the beginning. Claws raked across her jacket, and she sent thanks above to Ghastly for making her clothes so strong.

 Buildings! She turned down the first alley, losing the closest werewolves with the sudden change of direction. She went left, heading deeper into the heart of the city, but just when she thought she might survive after all, something landed on her from above.

 The werewolves knew how to climb stairs. Or maybe they just went up the side of the building. Fangs gnawed down on her shoulder. They didn't pierce the clothing, but the pain was still awful. She screamed when the heavy man-dog hybrid leaned on her broken arm and bit the side of her neck. She grabbed at her belt and swung the first thing she found. A finger knife that didn't get past the werewolf's hide. 

  Skyril squirmed, tearing herself from its grip, but losing her jacket in the process. She grabbed a hefty dagger from her belt with her good hand and stabbed twice then ran, leaving the weapon behind. The howls were terrible, especially when the other werewolves smelled the blood and found their fallen comrade.

  Tears sprang into Skyril's eyes as she kept running. They were tears of pain, fright, and disgust, all mixed into one. She shook her head, trying to keep herself from losing it. She needed to focus. What was she going to do? What could she do? She needed to catch her breath. She couldn't run any longer. She slammed against a door and got in, running upstairs and collapsing in a mass in the corner of a bedroom. Then she heaved and fell on the bed, curling up and taking breaths. She felt hot blood on the side of her face and almost started crying again.

 She needed to do something. What could she do? She had to warn everyone, had to tell them what was coming. She sat up, pulling out her phone and turning it on. Typical, she thought, no service in the world of the Nightmare.

  The werewolves howled in the distance. Skyril had to tell her friends now, or she might never get the chance. She sprung up and reached into her shirt, pulling out the chain with the charm on the end. It was simple, nothing elegant. A circle with a purple orb in the middle. She realized the Nightmare would take this from her when it was done with her. Skyril didn't want that to happen. With new determination, she decided it was time she used it for better or worse. 

  She would warn them what was coming.

***

  Israel fell back in a chair, his hand on his head. He was thinking, trying to figure out how to proceed. There was an actual person, or rather thing, that was the reason for all nightmares? How was that even possible? He almost laughed at the ridiculous thought that everyone in the world might have the same nightmare and just not know it.

  Raven nudged Kallista and whispered, "What's he doing?" They were standing a few feet away from where Israel was sitting. He was sprawled in an armchair, with one hand propping up his head and the other slapped upon his forehead. Raven and Kallista stood beside each other, arms crossed, and expressions serious.

"He's.., well, he's... thinking." 

"Ah," Raven nodded slightly and went back to her serious stance. Then she leaned back a moment later, "Does he do this often?" Kallista shrugged.

"Actually, yes."

"So he gets in that position whenever he thinks?"

"...Yeah..."

"I wonder if it helps. I tend to just think all the time." Kallista stifled a giggle. 

"Maybe it helps to sit like that. We should save all our thinking for later." Raven nodded again, serious.

"Yeah, then we can save all our energy for when we sit the right way." Kal slapped her hand over her mouth, really trying not to laugh as Israel continued sitting their, not moving in the slightest.

 How could you defeat a nightmare? Israel wondered about that. He doubted the whole, "realize your dreaming and start doing whatever you want," thing. He'd tried that. It didn't work. 

  Wait, the book had said something about the Nightmare's "adept" magic, which must mean it was a person some time in the past. So if it was a person, that must mean it could be killed. 

  Kallista, disguising it as a slight shift in position, poked Raven in the side. Raven looked at Kal, her expression saying everything, "So you want to get into battle with me, huh?" Kallista wiggled her eyebrows, which was her version of, "Come and have a go if you think your hard enough."

  So if the nightmare could be killed, then all you had to do was have a lot of guns, and hopefully, grenades. The only problem was finding it. How could he find some monster that could change form into anything? Even the wind? 

  The best thing to do, Israel decided, was to find out where it was most recently. Skyril was chasing after Ominous Ebony. He'd discovered that last night due to his contacts getting the information for him. Ominous was most recently seen in Dublin. So that's where Skyril would go.

  Raven and Kallista were having a dreadfully hard time not falling into full out laughter. They were poking each others. Secretly. Like ninjas. They were ninjas pokers. Raven couldn't contain her giggle when she thought about that. 

  Then Israel stood up, and immediately, Kallista and Raven went back to their arm-crossed-side-by-side-serious-expression stance. They looked at him, their expressions totally focused, determined.

"Alright," he said, "I've thought about it and-"

  Kallista and Raven burst out laughing hysterically before falling onto the floor in giddyness.

Israel stared at them for a moment, "I finally understand how Skulduggery thought of his companions as four years olds."

Part III: Nicknames and Pooky Lips

Author's note
Hey, this is kind of a short chapter, sorry, but I'll be working on the next bit. Uh, I'm not going to say it will go faster than last time... seeing as last time I said that, it went slower instead............ But let's not be pessimistic, you know? 



   "... Greetings! This is Skyril! I'm probably either doing something really clever or really stupid, but either way, I obviously couldn't get to the phone! So leave a message! No, seriously, don't hang up! Why'd you call? I'd really like to know! Is this about some debt I forgot to pay because if it is, well I'm likel- Beeeep!"
"SKY! Where ARE you? I'm hanging out with Israel at his mansion, and it's BORING! I've been trying to reach you for... like... hold on, what's the clock say? TEN minutes! What can you possibly be doing? This is my FIFTH message! *gasp* Wait! Are you being held captive by someone or... or... or.... Are there pirates? OR WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS? What's going on! DON'T DIE, SKY! I'll come rescue you! But wait, where ARE YOU? You have to call me to let me know so that I can come rescue you! Oh, wait, knowing YOU I bet you're being held up by some cute guy *giggle* Hey, does he have a friend? Don't forget to tell him about your besty Kallie-wallie! But you would never do that! I mean, you would never-"
Kallista Pendragon didn't notice the electronic voice that said, "End of message." So she kept chattering for about five minutes before she hung up, thoroughly convinced she was going to a ball next week with a hunk of a guy.
   She grinned and skipped into into the common room, humming "Buh-Rum-Pum-Pum" from some old movie called The Happiest Millionaire. When she got there, she saw Israel Elysium reclining on one of the couches reading And the Darkness Rained Upon Them, this being one of the few times he didn't have to save the world or all of humanity or anything. "Hiya, Israel! I just got an idea! Mind if I call ya Is? Is-rael is so loooong!"
   He glanced up at Kallista. "Um, I would prefer it if you called me 'Israel,' Kal." Kallista frowned, "But everyone has nicknames except for you! You need a nickname too, I think. It could be like your code name for when we go on some secret mission, see!"
Israel, figuring he wasn't going to get a whole lot more reading done today, stuck a bookmark depicting Hellboy in the book and glanced back up at Kal. "Oh, really? Well, what do you suggest... Besides 'Is...' that is."
   Kallista grinned, having the perfect idea. "HELLBOY!" We should call you Hellboy or HB for short! I mean, you have a bookmark of him and everything! Hellboy is perfect."
"'Hellboy', hm? Well, I guess I'd be ok with that... Although, you DO know it's not a whole lot shorter than 'Israel.'"
"Don't ruin the moment," she said with a frown. "Your nickname is now Hellboy!" She did a little spin- her midnight black hair whacking Israel in the nose- and sat down beside him.  He blinked, about to say something, before a girl's voice from off to the side said, "Hellboy, huh? I like it." She nodded, and Israel and Kal looked to see who it was.
   A strawberry blond walked into view from a side room, her hair bouncing slightly. "Raveeeeeeeeeeen!" shouted Kal, jumping out of her seat and hugging her. Raven laughed, "Hiya, Kallie! What's up? Oh, by the way, have you guys heard from Skyril?"
"Well, no..," Kallista grinned, "But if you ask my opinion, I think she's being held up by some cutey!"
Israel frowned slightly, "Well, last I heard, she was going to try to catch some... Ominous something-or-other. Have you called her?"
 "Oo, oo," said Kal "I've called her! Ominous, huh? Funny name, what does he do for a living? OH, is he some kind of Halloween man?" Her eyes, a mix between blue and green, grew large. "I've heard about these creepy dudes who jump out from under your bed and use your screams to power themselves! Isn't that horrifying? Or, wait... Maybe I'm thinking of a cartoon I watched..."
Israel coughed, deciding to re-ask his question to Raven.
"Yeah," Raven said, sitting down opposite from him. "I've actually called her a few times the past two days, and she hasn't answered or called back. It's strange for her not to call back." She shrugged slightly. "Do you know where this Ominous person was?" Israel ran his hand through his slightly shaggy brown hair.
"Well, I'm thinking he was in Dublin, but I'll have to make some phone calls to know for certain.... It will be kind of tricky to find out."
   He looked up. Nights Raven's big, dark, brown eyes were wide and sparkly. Her bottom lip poked out slightly. Israel arched his eyebrow, and Kallista looked back and forth between the two of them, and jumped up suddenly, bouncing on the couch Israel was on. "Hey, what are you waiting on? I want to see a picture of the guy Sky's hanging out with! ON THE DOUBLE! MARCH! MARCH! MARCH! Or, rather.." She said as Israel laughed, sighed, and pulled out his cell, "CALL! CALL! CALL!"

... Urrrrm.... Yellow Llama Poka Dots O_O

Hey, guys, SORRY!
I know I'm taking forEVER!
I just got sort o'... bogged down :P
I'm working on it, though.
I kinda threw out what I had already written... I mean, I used a few of the same IDEAS, but I'm changing it up a bit.
And yes, I know, this part isn't getting out any quicker than the last part, is it?
Oh..., really? It's taking even longer than the last part??
Heh.... heh.... ~cough cough~
~mutters something about having to find an invisible plane and disappears into the shadows~
~hopes everyone doesn't know I'm just sitting there, staring at them~
~sneezes~
~tries to pretend is was the tree~

Rant

So, Kal and I were talking about rants the other day, but I'm not really good at ranting and laying it all out there... So I wrote a rather terrible and vague poem instead xD
Despite what any reads this may think, I'm ok. I was just feeling depressed. And this poem is actually about more than one thing and more than one person in case you thought I was specifically... specifying someone....
Again, don't worry! It was night right before I fell asleep that I wrote this, and I almost always get depressed around that time xD


A snarl and huff and a puff
She breathes, but it's tough
Her body aches, but her mind is lost
So this is what her choice has cost
What a cruel pitch of fate
What a way to come by hate
How could it be for things like these
She wouldn't have guessed she'd be tossed to the seas
Shaking, swaying, going with the waves
So this is life outside the caves
At least she knows now
She knows it's futile to bow
Forgive? Oh, please
Just listen to the seas
Rocking, pitching, tossing about
How could you not be full of doubt?
Shut up! I beg you!
Everything I said was true!
Why would you ask?
I never wore a mask!
You know! You all know it all!
I won't lie down and bawl
Not anymore...
What did I say that for?
I know it's a lie
For weak is the Sky
The Sky you know,
She quickly falls low
And weak is the Sky that none have seen
She needs such strength to merely lean
And she's tired
Burning faster than fire
She's falling
And no one's calling
She's reaching a hand
But no one pulls her to land
And she just doesn't understand.
She's lost
But that's what her choices have cost.

Part II: Discovery

Author's note
Sorry for the delay, guys. Hopefully it will be quicker next time.

      Skyril was falling through the black. Tumbling and plummeting down. Or maybe she was floating. She couldn't tell, but it seemed she was going downwards at some particular rate in the blackness. She still couldn't speak. She would open her mouth and close it again, screaming off and on silently. She couldn't breathe, and life was fading from her, melting away like an ice cube over fire.

How much longer would she last? A minute? She didn't know, but then again, she really couldn't possibly tell how much time passed in this black world. It seemed to Skyril that she had been falling for an eternity, but on the other hand, it was only moments since she took her last breath.

Her last breath. Would that be the truth? Would she never breath again? She screamed mutely again, wondering how she felt about death. She wished she could see her friends again... Kallista, so fun and such a wonderful sister, Israel, humorous and kind, Bridget, the vampire on the good side, Thalia, Lego, Mar, Lydia, Phoenix, Rose, Raven... oh, she couldn't list them all... so many... so many... and... Gepard, her lovely Gepard.... Even if he hadn't spoken to her for days... she would miss him. Her green eyes closed, her mouth not having enough strength to scream again. Goodbye, my  love...

But then, the falling stopped, just stopped. She was frozen on the edge of death, but no longer drifting downwards. Her hair was splayed around her face, still, in the air and not limp. She was like that for a some time, but none could say how long. She was fixed in place in the midst of oblivion. Then Skyril gasped, sucking in a great breath of air, coughing, and breathing more, breathing sweet air. Breathing. She coughed a few times more and would kill for something to drink but was slowly feeling better.

Her boot shod feet touched ground, her eyes opening slowly with each ragged breath. The ground was paved with stones. It was a road. She looked up, hoping. There were people all around, everywhere, but something was wrong with them. She was standing in the middle of a giant crowd of people whose movements were suspended. Most of them were in the middle of taking a step, but some others were lifting a hand to wave to someone or else taking a bite of ham and cheese at a deli. Not only that, but the sky was shades of green with a great emerald sun giving off light. Skyril was fairly certain that the sun was yellow in her world.

She gazed at the closest person to her, not a foot away. She was a young girl, about seven years old with auburn hair, green eyes, and freckles. Tentatively, Skyril touched her cheek. The girl blinked, looking up at Skyril. Then everyone turned and looked at her. No one said a word. It was completely silent. Skyril looked at them all. Their eyes were vacant, dead, but at the same time, they were gazing definitively at her.

"Um, hullo.." she said, her voice a bit hoarse. They didn't reply, but only watched her. She stepped one way, then the other. Their eyes continued to follow her. Swallowing stiffly, she knelt down in front of the girl whom she had touched. Quietly and a bit nervously, Skyril said, "Hey, there, what's you're name?" The child blinked at her.

"I have no name."

Skyril tilted her head, replying gently, "Oh, but you must have a name! What do your parents call you?"

"I have no parents. I have no family. I killed them all a long time ago in their sleep." The child turned her head this time, looking at everyone in the crowd. "I only have ourselves." She looked back at Skyril, who was standing up again, hands on her belt where daggers hid beneath her coat. The child spoke again, "I have no name, for they that see me either go insane, die, or stay with me. The question is...," she paused, an eery grin curling her lips, "Will you be lucky and live in insanity? Or perhaps it would be more merciful to have death, for you don't want to stay with me."

"I've heard of you," Skyril butted in grimly before Freckles could continue. "I was afraid you would be whom I thought you were. The legends... there are a lot of gruesome tales- Common or magical, people of all ages walking on some silent road, disappearing and reappearing either within seconds or years. Some have aged, some look the same, but all..." Skyril paused, "All are insane. The others who don't make it are found far away, their bodies torn, barely recognizable as humans, while the rest... don't come back at all."

The child inclined her neck to one side, the rest of the crowd simultaneously repeating the action, listening as Skyril spoke.

"There are myths, that speak of your world," she continued. "It is said that the reason everyone has bad dreams is because of the ripple effect after you have your fun with someone. Your power is so strong it can't be contained within one being's mind. It spreads across the earth to everyone and lasts forever. The worst part is, you've been here from the beginning, and won't ever die so long as you have a body to inhabit, will you? 

The strange thing is, one of these occurrences hasn't happened for so very long. No one has disappeared and reappeared insane or mangled by your hands. You were bound, weren't you? I heard that story too. You were bound in a beautiful piece of jewelry. One of silver and purple amethysts.
I chose to dismiss Mrs. O'Leary's bracelet believing all this was a fable. I trusted nightmares were just ghosts from the past and the imagination lurking around to frighten, but now Ominous has this bracelet. He's let you loose, the fool. Loose on me. You're his backup plan. He's very clever, but he won't get away with it, he mustn't. Oh, by the way," Skyril blinked as if an idea had just occurred to her, "You do have a name. It's been there forever, for you are so very old." The child spoke commandingly, but her voice wasn't just the voice of a little girl, but the voice of all, "Tell me, what is my name?"

"Your name," said she, "is Nightmare."

Part I: Arresting Time

   Author's note

Hey, guys, so I know I haven't posted forever...., and this is a new story.. sorry about that :P, But I hope you like it! I intend to actually finish this one :P Hopefully that will work out properly. :] I'm going to try anyway! ~thumbs up~

  Ominous Ebony was a black man, exceptionally slender and fashionable. He wore a white shirt with puffy sleeves like a pirate's, black pants, boots, and a dark vest. At his throat spilled a lacy white cravat, and on his head was an ebony and ivory checkered fedora.

If there was nothing else to admire, Skyril could at least enjoy his sense of style. "Nice hat," she muttered, right before punching him. He stumbled back, flinching, "Oi, why did you hit me? I thought we were here to reach an... arrangement on a few items you want... confiscated." His voice was like dark chocolate, silky but bitter, and touched with the flavor of African descent. "Well..." Skyril paused, tilting her head a little, "I'm afraid I lied. I'm with the sanctuary and our meeting has been canceled do to... a lot of things, as a matter of fact, but let's just call it your unpuritanical deeds and leave it at that."

"Ooh," a mischievous grin spread across his lips, "you're referring to that small payment I got from Mrs. O'Leary, aren't you?

"Actually, yes, that's a good example." Skyril rolled her eyes, and Ominous laughed, "Why, that was irrisistible, and you would have done the same thing, darling. Truly, it is..." his grin got bigger, "I mean was a beautiful thing of deepest violet amethysts studded in a pure silver bracelet." He sighed as if remembering a day with a lover. "Besides," he continued, "I just saved the life of the owner so the bracelet was but a small payment for life, don't you agree? Truly, I believe I got less than what I deserved." He smirked.

"Ok," Skyril shook her head irritably, not in the mood for a smirking moron. She glanced to the side down the barren road, then back at him "First off, don't ever call me darling again. There's only one man who can call me that, and he's not you. Secondly, I would not have stolen from ancient Mrs. O'leary, bless her soul, and lastly, no, you have not yet gotten what you deserve. But you will." With that, Skyril blinked, and Ominous's eyes turned pure white with blindness.

"Hey!" he yelled angrily, fumbling with his face, trying to figure out why everything had gone black, then cursed, realizing what Skyril had done.

"Ominous Ebony," Skyril pulled out a pair of cuffs, "You're under arrest for the robbery of Mrs. O'Leary -thanks for bringing that one up, by the way, I may have forgotten otherwise-, attempted murder of John Gregory, robbery of Helena Pompous, and... what else? Breaking and entering perhaps?" Skyril shrugged, "Why not?" She pulled an arm behind his back to cuff him, but before she could, he said, "You know, they don't call me 'Ominous' for nothing." His grin was back.

"Yup, I wouldn't suspect so. Actually, I know why they do because, seeing as I'm here to arrest you for the Sanctuary, I've read your file. Is that surprising to you? Seems like it would be kind of obvious..." She shrugged again, peering at him.

Ominous's grin had turned from mischievous and clever to monstrous. His mouth was huge, and his teeth were jagged like broken glass. He was looming over Skyril, taller than he was before, and black, ragged bat's wings had sprouted from his back. His fingernails curved, sharp, and yellow while his blind eyes had sunk in to reveal black holes instead. His voice was raspy, and a slithering snake's tongue appeared when he whispered, "I'm getting... hungryyyy..."

Skyril looked frightened for a second then laughed as Ominous's grin grew wider. The she said degradingly, "Seriously? That's the best you can do? I have to admit, I was hoping for more... and no, by the way, your illusions won't work on me." The cuff clicked into place on his wrist, instantly returning Ominous to his previous appearance.

Skyril shoved him in the direction of her car on the desolate Dublin road, littered with trash and debris. This was one of those hotspots for the magical communities- a no no for the mortals. Still, it seemed awfully quiet for this time of day-between the light and dark-twilight. 

"Curious," Ominous muttered, "It seems to escape me how you knew my magic involves illusion and no actually physical change. I thought for certain I had switched the old files out for my -slightly changed- variation."

"Oh, you did, but see I have contacts who... well, who also have contacts, and the contacts informed the contacts who informed me that the Sanctuary files were inaccurate. At which point, I located the proper files. It wasn't all that hard, honestly."

"Ahh... contacts who have contacts.. nice idea... there's one small problem, though..." Skyril gave him another shove to get him walking towards her car again. "What's that, Ominous?"

His only reply was a quiet pause before, "Hm, sure is awfully quiet..."

Skyril blinked and stopped walking, staring at Ominous whose grin was there again. "You don't mean... no... it couldn't possibly... you're making this up, right? That's all just a myth... No one has actually been able to summon it..." She glanced back and forth. "It... it's not that quiet..." she shook her head, "You're just trying to unsteady me, and I'm being ridiculous. We've got to go. Come on, we're getting in the car." Skyril grabbed his arm with alarming strength, practically dragging him after her brisk pace. 

"Oh, I don't think we are, agent Skyril." Then he started laughing.

She took another two steps, then everything went black and silent, almost everything, anyway. She could look down and see herself, but all around was blackness. The sky was black, the ground was black, everything... black. Not only that, but Ominous was no where in sight. He had still been laughing then he was silenced like someone pressed mute.

Skyril looked back and forth and spun around. There was nothing, absolutely nothing but her and blackness. She called out, "Hello!" but no matter how loud she yelled, it seemed her voice was small, like a whisper or groan consumed by the black. The more she yelled, the quieter her voice. She started panicking, terrified that she'd never see anything but darkness. She touched the ground to see if it felt real, but it didn't. It felt mushy and dark.

She started running, running and running, no sense of time or direction. Nothing, no sound at all. not even the sound of her footsteps. She tried to speak again, but couldn't. There was nothing but her. Nothing at all.

Not even air.