NiGHTS: Dreams of Madness

Chapter 8: Night of NiGHTS

I feel something burning inside of me... Something that tells me to fight for what's right...

It's invigorating... It's just what I need as I progress to my true goal... Free Nightopia and set the balances even once more...

This isn't just my Nightopia I'm saving, it's EVERYONE'S!

In a flash of bright light, Jack's red ideya reaches it's full ability and he flies into the air! Reala emerges just behind him and fist bumps Jack.

"I knew you had it in you!" Reala cheers. "Now let's get NiGHTS back."

"Right!" Jack replies valiantly as he channels his green ideya and gains his armor before flying alongside the red and black jester. The dream that they have ended up in is much like the metropolis that Jack first entered, but on a much larger scale- the ground is pitch black as if there was no ground to start and the only thing that Jack can see are the tips of buildings and parts of skyscrapers. The one building that does stick out is a giant clock tower, and Jack trains his eyes on that as he and Reala fly towards it. Jack spins his way through buildings, boring holes through them with his armor and leaving holes for Reala to fly through as they make their way to the clock tower and that's when they spot birds off in the distance!

"Goodles? Here?" Reala asks. "Wait a second those aren't goodles!"

"Wait what?" Jack asks as a bird nearly divebombs him.

"They've been hijacked by... Things!" Reala shouts. "Helen and the others must have knocked the goodles off and sent these birds on us!"

"Let's deal with these aerial pests then!" Jack shouts back as he fires off blue lightning, zapping one of the birds and sending it careening to the ground. Reala then goes after another bird and spins into it, knocking it out of flight and leaving it to plummet to it's inevitable doom. The process repeats itself until the last of the birds are gone, and the way to the clock tower is clear. "Race you there!"

"You're on!" Reala shouts as they race to the clock tower. Reala's speed is fairly matched by Jack's and in less than a few minutes they reach the clock tower where they spot NiGHTS. His color has been drained, leaving him a sickly pink instead of purple, and his face is awfully pale.

"NiGHTS!" Jack shouts. "God what did they do to him?!"

"Just as I expected! They drained his energy!" Reala shouts. "How else were the visitors able to fly?!" And with that, Reala and Jack land next to the barely conscious NiGHTS, who just has enough energy to turn to them.

"Ugh... Reala?" NiGHTS asks. His voice is strained and he can barely move his head.

"It's alright. We're here to help." Reala replies. "Wizeman had to recruit a visitor, and this is him right here."

"...Wizeman? Recruiting a visitor?" NiGHTS asks.

"He's realized just what Helen and the others have done and had to fight fire with fire. We'll get you to Wizeman, for the better." Jack replies. Suddenly, Wizeman himself emerges and looks upon NiGHTS with disappointment and sorrow.

"His free will led him to rebel... Now it's landed him in this situation..." Wizeman says sadly.

"...Wizeman? What are you-"

"Easy NiGHTS. Don't strain your voice any further." Jack says, cutting off the tired jester. Wizeman sends one of his hands out and Jack gently deposits NiGHTS onto the hand as Wizeman returns it to his body.

"I wish I could have done more... My child..." Wizeman says. "You may have rebelled against me... Destroyed me... But I am still your father... And you are still my son... I hope that one day you will be able to understand..." And with that, Wizeman picks off the two green shards on his robes and forms them into a crystal. He then slowly presses it into NiGHTS, who absorbs the crystal, turning his red chest crystal a reddish-brown. Suddenly, NiGHTS' energy begins to return as he goes from pink to purple, and his reddish-brown crystal goes back to pure red.

"Wizeman..." NiGHTS says as he gets back up. "Did you just save me?"

"Those visitors did a number on you." Wizeman replies as the green shards reform on his robes.

"They kept telling me it was to spite you... I never thought they would do this to me..." NiGHTS says. "And everything I've done to you... You should have just disposed of me right there."

"Would I really spite my own son when he was in danger?" Wizeman asks, bewildered by NiGHTS' statement. "I look out for all of my nightmaren creations. To not do so would make me a bad ruler."

"Hey! It's Wizeman! And he's got NiGHTS!" An all too familiar voice shouts.