//------------------------------// // Alive // Story: A Nightmare // by Moterius //------------------------------// …but it also found that it was not being destroyed. Maybe it just had insane luck and got turned into a dreamer at this very moment? No. That was impossible. As it still held his memories. A nightmare would lose its memories while turning into a dreamer. So, what was happening? The nightmare was getting stronger and stronger with every passing second. It could not help but wonder why. The flames that hit the nightmare, like its energy when it hit the flames, got absorbed, strengthening it. After a few more moments, the stream of flames vanished, and it could see the being in front of it again. It looked surprised and angry. Why are you not dead?! “Unknown,” the nightmare responded, now knowing that this being could not hurt it. Curious, it started to move towards the being, which retaliated by conjuring up another fireball and slamming it into the nightmare, sending it flying back. The fireball hurt. But it got absorbed by the nightmare, healing and strengthening it. And now it was the nightmare who was in control of the fight. Lifting up its mass, it found that it could still move quite fast, even though it had absorbed so much energy. Creating some tendrils, it launched them at its opponent, who tried to dodge and blast them aside but was not succeeding with it. “Death… prepared to kill, prepared to die…” the nightmare said, slamming another, quite heavy tendril in the being’s side, now in a quite good mood. It knew that it had changed, it knew it should not feel pleasure by torturing this being. But… it was like the Presence. Not quite, but similar. It tried to kill the nightmare, and the nightmare was fighting back. Now, for the first time, the roles were reversed – the nightmare was stronger. A massive, black beam of energy slammed into the flaming being, but instead of destroying it, it just emerged again, seemingly unscathed. When they clashed again, they soon enough realized they now were of equal strength, and their attacks when energy-based would only strengthen their opponent. This was a fight none of them could win. It seems we are at an impasse, the being said, causing the nightmare to nod, suspicious of the being’s intentions. “…true. Your… offer?” the nightmare asked, knowing someone like this would not say something like that without some sort of goal. A ceasefire. “…fine,” the nightmare responded, recompressing it to the same size as the being in front of it. Why did you attack me, though? “…Presence. You are… similar. Too similar,” the nightmare responded, causing the being to tilt its head. I have not heard that name before. The nightmare explained what the Presence was, but the being seemed to not understand it until the nightmare said that it phrased into existence just next to this dream but a few moments ago. Ah, you mean that existence. I have seen it before, and it takes a look at me from time to time, seemingly pleased that I cannot escape from this domain – neither to the world it resides in, nor to the dreamer that gave me my form. It hunts your kind. Maybe so that it can have the dream realm to itself? “Possible,” the nightmare responded, having lost spirit. Trapped with someone like the Presence, but it’s enemy nonetheless. “Trapped… forever, this… is.” Unfortunately. Maybe… maybe we can do something about it. “…truly?” I loathe accepting help or helping others, but it seems like we have no choice here. If we combine our strength, and I can tell that you have quite a lot, we might be able to break through the barrier separating us. It could be our only chance, as well. We would have to wait until someone frees us otherwise, and by then, we probably would have driven each other insane, the being commented, gesturing around it. So, yes. I would rather try something dangerous to try to break us free of this confinement my creator unknowingly subjected us to than to stare at this white void for any longer than necessary. Holding out an appendage, the being waited for the nightmare’s response. It took her a while. Could it trust this being? They could not hurt each other, so it was not too suspicious of the offer, but then, too, it was nearly reborn… But if it would be reborn, it would forget everything… and leave this being behind. It also seemed to stand against the Presence. Sighing, it formed into a black copy of the being, mirroring it’s pose, stretching out an appendage. “…try to break free.” Excellent. The nightmare felt itself flow into the being, but that being also flowed into her. A second later, and it found it could not move anymore. Their form looked up, and a shimmering barrier became visible. A jump and a stretched-out appendage was formed, hitting the shield. However, the shield held, and all the power they put in the attack slammed into them. Their eyes grew wide, but they could not react in time, and far faster than they launched themselves, they slammed into the white plain that made up the dream, which shattered under the impact. The nightmare found itself ripped away from the being, but a hot, burning piece of the being that asked for its help stayed behind. Looking, it could see the other being trying to reach out to it, seemingly pained by a black piece of energy on its middle section, like how it left a piece behind in the nightmare’s form. No! That is where I was supposed to be! it exclaimed, looking at the nightmare, before whisked away. The nightmare, in turn, found itself propelled downwards even further through its non-existent surroundings, eventually slamming into something, and losing consciousness. Before it faded, though, it saw something that made it smile. In the distance, it could see the being, breaking through the barrier to the dream realm. Both had escaped.