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[Aura24]

Youko almost smiled cutely when she heard her master appointing her to be Scykle's companion until Scyhell recovers. She patted Scykle's head a few times rather hard, barking softly as her tails wagged.

[EZEKiAL]

"Yes, m'Lord..." Scykle said with a grumble, looking up at the fox. "Where shall we go, now?" he asked.

Eternal Starlight, the Imagination...I sense...a disturbance there. Go investigate it. Scykle nodded as Wizeman's hand opened up a portal that led into seemingly nothing. He stepped in, Youko still on his head, and looked around. He was in a field, the sky completely black, and lit up by hundreds of millions of stars. At the far end of the field floated a familiar figure. The purple jester hadn't noticed them yet, so Scykle quickly turned around, but the portal was gone; Wizeman must've closed it instantly.

NiGHTS looked up at the starry sky, tears filling his eyes. "Why...? Why must I fight my family like this...? I just want it to end. For me, for the ones in the Waking...I must defeat Father...but..." He clenched his fists and fell silent.

[Aura24]

Youko inched closer, stepping her left front paw onto Scykle's forehead as she spied on NiGHTS. Her fur bristled wildly again, as a low growl erupted from her throat at the mere sight of seeing the purple jester. Suddenly, she stopped growling and her fur laid flat as she noticed that she saw tears streaming down on NiGHTS' face.

[EZEKiAL]

Scykle stared on, ignoring Youko. NiGHTS turned around, suddenly. But his eyes were dark, almost like he'd lost all reason to care anymore.

"You two...from Spring Valley," he sighed, lifting higher into the air, "If you wish so much to fight me, then very well." Scykle held his hands out.

"N-No! Stop! I know I'm not as strong as you! I won't hurt you if you don't hurt me!" Scykle studdered, shakily.

[Aura24]

Youko growled aggressively, her fur standing on end, mostly out of fear of being destroyed by NiGHTS. She stood atop Scykle's head, glaring silently at NiGHTS.

[EZEKiAL]

NiGHTS closed his eyes. "Why do you fight for Wizeman?" he asked, simply. Scykle stood silently.

"He created me...he'll have no trouble destroying me," Scykle admitted, still shivering, "I fear him."

"And you, Fox? Why do you fight for him? Do you even know what a 'traitor' is?"

[Aura24]

Youko stood firm and quietly before she shook her head, "..No no. Master Wizeman father..."

[EZEKiAL]

NiGHTS sighed. "He's my father, too, Fox. But what he's doing...is...just...twisted! He's KILLING Dreamers! Without them, the Night Dimension will collapse! Then, Wizeman will move to the Waking World, and destroy that, too!" He growled angrily, "He will destroy everything! If you two refuse to understand, I'll show you the extent of his destruction!"

The purple jester did a quick paraloop and showed the pair a Nightopia, dark and grey. Trees were dying, grass was wilting. There was no music, no sound at all. Not even wind blowing. Just a gentle creaking noise.

A gate swung on one hinge. For some reason, this completely chilled Scykle to the bone. The sound, or something else about it just ruined him. He stepped back.

"Wh-what is that?! What is...happening?!" he asked, horrified.

"THAT is Father's doing!"

[Aura24]

Youko started shivering again, laying down against Scykle's head, almost terrified at the sound of the gate swinging open. Her ears laid flat against her head, looking about at the Nightopia that was drained of its life.

[EZEKiAL]

Scykle pulled Youko from his head and put her behind him; he felt something strange. NiGHTS sighed. "You still don't understand, so..." The window quickly turned into a portal; an insistant one at that. It sucked Scykle in, spitting him out into the dead Nightopia.

The air around him was cold. The sound of the creaking gate filled the air...what filled Scykle's eyes, however, was millions of times more horrifying.

Children. Hundreds of them. They had no faces, and their skin was grey and lifeless. Scykle covered his eyes, but their visage was burned into his brain. This is what happens to Dreamers who lose their Ideya. Scykle scuttled backwards on all fours, then bumped into something. He turned around, and to his horror, was face to flat-lack-of-face with one of the monstrous children. Its arm reached out with the same creaking of the gate, as if his bones were in dire need of oiling. The Nightmaren jumped back, then closed his eyes. He couldn't take this.

[Aura24]

Youko saw the world Scykle was in; she couldn't believe what she had seen. Faceless children and the Nightopia dead due to Wizeman's rule. She whimpered softly, covering her eyes with both of her front paws; the red kitsune couldn't bear to see anymore of what Nightopia will become if Wizemand succeeded.

[EZEKiAL]

Scykle was suddenly pulled from the world by a gloved hand; it was NiGHTS. He stared at the two of them coldly. "That's what used to be Iron Garden, the Spectacle. That's why I fight Wizeman. That's why you should, too."

Scykle was out of breath. His heart pounded heavily. "Gah...I...eh...kah...." his breathing was labored, then he simply passed out.

[Aura24]

Youko yelped when she saw Scykle collapse; she immediately dash to his side and began nudging him gently to try and wake him up. "Scykle...? Scykle?" She stopped nudging Scykle's unconscious form to see if he had stirred, before she resumed trying to wake him up, "Scykle, wake wake! Scykle, Scykle!"

[EZEKiAL]

Scykle's eyes opened slowly. NiGHTS frowned. "Think about everything, Nightmarens," he said, then took off with a scatter of dust.

Scykle managed to get up to his rear end and sit down. He sighed, skin still clammy from his horrid vision.

[Aura24]

"Scykle, Scykle, wake wake?" Youko asked, seeing Scykle rising up and noticing he was still groggy.

[EZEKiAL]

The silver-blue Nightmaren shook his head slowly, putting one hand to his forehead.

"Ugh...Youko...?"

[Aura24]

Youko's ear flicked forward, intently listening to Scykle's word. "...?"

[EZEKiAL]

"That's you." He stared blankly at her. "What happened?"

[Aura24]

"NiGHTS show you bad Nightopia... creepy looking no-face Dreamers." Youko replied, then shivered before finally curling up, trembling with her paws covering both of her eyes.

[EZEKiAL]

He picked her up and cradled her, looking up at the starry sky. "I feel...different...on the inside. I don't...feel the darkness anymore."

[Aura24]

Youko was shocked when Scykle cradled her in his arms instead of lecturing her to stop shaking like he did before. Her eyes gazed up to Scykle and she silently stared at him. "...."

[EZEKiAL]

"I can't go back to Wizeman, Youko," Scykle said with a frown. "Go. Run back to Nightmare. I don't want you getting into this." He put her down. "Go!"

[Aura24]

Youko whimpered softly, looking back to Scykle. She was a little hesitant to leave Scykle.

[EZEKiAL]

"Go, Youko! Run!" Scykle yelled, starting in the other direction. He had to get away. Far away, to figure out what was going on. This wasn't right. What Wizeman was doing was wrong in every way. He only hoped Youko would be alright with the Dark God of Nightmare.

[Aura24]

"Scykle! Scykle no go!" Youko was about to take off after Scykle, but suddenly lost sight of him. She looked about for any traces of him, but to no prevail. The red kitsune lowered her ears, before she took off in the direction of Nightmare to return there.

[EZEKiAL]

Scykhell waited impatiently in a dark corner of Nightmare. He turned around as Youko emerged from the portal without his little brother. He pounced on her angrily. "Where's my brother?! You let NiGHTS kill him, didn't you, you coward?!" He roared at her, claws ready to tear her to pieces.

[Aura24]

Youko yelped sharply in fright and quickly leapt out of harm's way, barely dodging Scykhell's angry lunges, "Scykle not dead! I no coward!"

[EZEKiAL]

Scykhell growled loudly, sounding like a large tiger or lion. "Where is he?! Where is my little brother?!" He roared, pounding the ground directly next to Youko. His megaton punch left a crater in the stone.

[Aura24]

Youko yelped again, narrowly dodging Scykhell's dangerous pound. She quickly flew up high out of the Nightmaren's reach, "Scykle fine fine! Scykle ran off!"

[EZEKiAL]

"He...he ran off..." Scykhell's heart sank. His brother was the coward...not Youko. But...he had survived. That's what was important. Scykhell roared at Youko again, to continue his intimidating appearance. "Take me to where he ran off. I need to find him. He's too weak to be out on his own."

[Aura24]

Youko's ear laid flat, feeling a bit nervous, "I no know where he went. I lost him in Eternal Starlight.."

[EZEKiAL]

"Eternal Starlight..." he growled, "Fine, I'm going to get him." He leaped through the portal and into the surreal plain of Eternal Starlight.

He looked around, his hat tail blowing in wind that was logically coming from nowhere. He hissed, unable to smell his brother. "Scykle..." The only thing he could smell was the fear that Scykle and Youko had felt. Being a Nightmaren, he was trained to smell fear. He growled.

"Something happened here...and I'm going to find out what."

[Aura24]

Youko whimpered softly as she watched Scykhell disappear through the portal to Eternal Starlight. She was partly worried what Scykhell might do to Scykle if he finds out Scykle can't return to Master Wizeman. Quietly, she slipped through the open portal back to Eternal Starlight just before it closes, and began following Scykhell.

[EZEKiAL]

Scykle stood, staring at the sky. He couldn't understand what had happened. He couldn't find the will to do Wizeman's bidding, or even return to his home. He couldn't stand it...the thought of going back to Nightmare made him sick. Such a dark place...even this plain was making him uneasy. The darkness...it reminded him of...children?

He shook his head, unable to remember the horrors NiGHTS had shown him.

-----

Scykhell plodded faster and faster, finally picking up a scent on his brother. His long, wolf-like stride made it easy to run for long distances at high speed, and turning was nearly no problem when he hit the ground. However, he wasn't as agile as his brother. Suddenly, he saw him in the distance; the skinny Nightmaren was staring straight up at the sky.

"Brother...you ran from NiGHTS?" Scykhell asked, disappointed. Scykle turned to look at his brother.

"No..." he said. "I...I ran from..."

[Aura24]

Youko soon caught up with Scykhell, only to discover that he and Scykle are conversing with one another. She hid behind the cover of the rocks nearby, listening to their every word.

[EZEKiAL]

Scykhell roared, "What is it?! What are you running from?" The Nightmaren was quickly losing his temper. Scykle growled.

"I'm running from Nightmare! I can't stand the darkness anymore! My heart...it's filled with..." he hesitated, "Light." Scykhell stepped back, stunned.

"You...you what...?" he stuttered, "You're...you're...like that...Traitor...!" He jumped on Scykle, ready to pop his head like a grape. "You were my brother! MY BROTHER! How could you turn on our Father?!"

Scykle hissed, "It's not Father! It's me! I'm the one with the problem! Leave me be!" he commanded. Scykhell roared again, tossing Scykle into a nearby tree trunk.

"Liar! You're a traitor! I'll kill you!"

[Aura24]

Youko's ears flicked up when she saw Scykhell attacking Scykle over his little brother's betrayal. As she whimpered softly again, she didn't know whether to help Scykle and risk helping a traitor to Master Wizeman or help Scykhell fight Scykle for betraying the Nightmarens.

[EZEKiAL]

Scykle pressed his feet against his brother's chest, then launched him off. He jumped to his feet, and lunged at his brother. "Listen to me! I can't go back to Nightmare! It's not going to happen! Just leave me alone, Scykhell! I promise I won't fight you. I won't join the fight at all...I just...can't stand the thought of going back there!" Scykhell snorted at his brother, brushing him off.

"You...you're not right. I'm going to let you live because you'd have to be insane...and I'm fairly sure you are," he hissed. "C'mon, Fox. We're going back." He turned his back to his brother and plodded off.

[Aura24]

Youko emerged from her hiding place and walked toward where Scykhell ran off to. She looked back at Scykle quietly, whimpering softly, before the red kitsune dashed after Scykhell back to Nightmare.

[EZEKiAL]

Scykle sighed sadly, looking after the half of the people he'd ever known. He'd probably never see them again.