Little Dreams and Hollow Nightmares

Ph2 Ch16: Upcoming Nightmares

Seven pinpointed the location of the last flame he needed, and the two of them set of. They climbed back up the cliff of Kingdoms edge, and made their way to the stag station. He felt rather excited. He had come so far from the scared runaway child he used to be, and was about to help the Grimmchild grow as well. Both of them had greatly changed. For once, his mind wasn't pondering with questions, and was focused and free.

They arrived at the stag station, and chose to go to a place called the resting grounds. They rode the stag through the tunnel, and got off, even closer to their destination. Once they were ready, Seven decided to encourage the Grimmchild a little bit.

"You excited? You just need this flame, and you'll grow even stronger!" He said.

The Grimmchild nodded and chirped with excitement, and flew around, ready to fight. Seven chuckled. He started walking towards the location of the flame, and his friend followed close behind. As they walked, they noticed several gravestones around the area, and a podium with three masks in the center of the area. He continued ahead, until he realized he was standing right above the flame's location. He headed down an opening he saw, and ended up in a mostly open area. He looked ahead, and saw the torch holding the blazing scarlet flame.

Filled with confidence, Seven stepped forward, and ignited the battle with the Grimmkin. It put up quite a fight like usual, but Seven had learned the patterns of the Grimmkin masters, and had a counter for every move they had. The enemy flung its fireballs from the torch, and Seven simply jumped through the gaps. He wasn't an expert fighter, yet he did know all three nail arts, making what blows he landed be very strong and critical.

He focused his energy, waiting for a certain attack from the Grimmkin. It appeared in the air above him, and leaned back, ready to charge. Perfect. Seven used the great slash, right as the Grimmkin charged, dealing a heavy blow to his opponent. The Grimmchild fought back as well, and while its fireballs were not as strong as its bearer's nail arts, they were much more consistent. The Grimmkin unleashed a wheel of flames on the two, but Seven was already prepared. He already had his energy focused, so once he was in the air, he used the dash slash to deliver a critical blow to the Grimmkin right away.

After a while of a repeated circus act, the Grimmkin was defeated, and the Grimmchild consumed the last flame it needed. Feeling proud, Seven started to walk back to the stag station, ready to go back to Dirtmouth and let the Grimmchild evolve. He was on his way, but then he heard a familiar sound make its way into his ears. A small skiddering sound. The sound of a Nome running.

He felt his curiosity spike, and followed the noise. He walked deeper into the cave his was in, and began hearing the noise more frequently. As he got deeper, he saw a clear image of a Nome running. He knew the Nomes well. You had to be silent when you approached them, to show them that you were no threat, and once you found one, you had to give it a hug to let it know you were a friend. Nomes knew the places they were in better than anyone else, and contained many mysteries that could possibly help.

Seven kept following the Nomes, wondering what they could've been hiding. The Grimmchild followed, sharing the curiosity of its bearer. They both followed the Nomes, and soon they came to a very particular place. The walls were polished, and had features and textures that looked like they were from somewhere on the sea. There were piles of luggage, and scattered shoes everywhere. And there was a smell that filled the room that seemed to be reminiscent of raw meat. Upon further exploration, bits and pieces of food, raw and decomposing scattered the floor.

At any point Seven could've turned back, but he felt like he was pulled towards something, as if someone was calling for help. So he kept proceeding into the darkness, unsure why, but curious to find out. Eventually, the room became much to dark, and Seven could hardly see a thing. He studied his surroundings to try and find something that could be used as a light source. He picked up the scent of candle wax nearby, and got an idea.

"Hey, do you think you could light the area for a bit?" He asked the Grimmchild. It gave off a small spark of light, and Seven was able to make out a candle up ahead. "Think you could light that candle up ahead?" He asked.

The Grimmchild nodded, and spit a fireball right at the candle. It lit up, but suddenly a flash of dream catcher particles filled up the room, causing Seven to black out.

When he finally came to his senses, he looked around, noticing that the area around him had changed. It was lit up with several candles, the walls looked less decayed, and there was a series of large dream catcher particles floating around. He got onto his feet, and his first concern was the Grimmchild. Luckily they were right by him, and not harmed at all. He felt a small wave of relief, and his attention was drawn back to the room they were in. He walked around, looking for a way out of this place, and noticed that the place was much more organized. The shoes that were previously scattered, were now stacked on shelves to high for him to reach, and the bits of food had disappeared.

As he ventured further, he arrived in a room where there were suitcases piled in tall, unbalanced stacks, but that wasn't what caught his attention. The way he and the Grimmchild entered wasn't there. There was only a door that didn't exist before, that lead somewhere new. Seven noticed a lever, and began to move one of the suitcases to serve as a boost. As he pulled, he suddenly tripped, and fell down. Next thing he knew, he was crushed by hundreds of suitcases falling on top of him, and he blacked out.

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Before this chapter ends, I wanted to celebrate this stories 50th chapter, by honoring these readers below.

TheChosenOne6969. You were the first one who commented on this story, and showed me that it had potential. It wasn't much, but to me, it was huge.

Skulker_. You were the first reader that actively showed your support to this story. Your comments motivated me, and you even went as far to help me with my writer's block. I can't thank you enough.

deidad22. You started reading this story since the early stages of Phase 1, and you have continued to read this story, and show your support. It amazes me how you have stayed with this story for so long.

CoCoDragon2. You are always the first reader to show that you are there when a new chapter is published. Every time I check, you are always the first person to vote, and show your support.

sallyface_equality. Despite starting this story more recently than the others, you are one of the most motivational readers to me. Your comments just bring me pure joy. I do not deserve to be your writing idol, but I will continue to be, so you can write something as cool as this yourself.

If the people mentioned above are reading this, thank you for your support, and I'll see all of you in the next chapter! <D