A.B.C... (Redux)(Open)

Alexander sat on his bed, gazing out his window. The rest of the castle had settled down leaving the sleepless Prince of Dreams to his own devices for yet another night. He sighed as he leered up at the stars jealously. He was happy that he got to travel to other worlds as he did, but it felt hollow. He wasn't explicitly doing it out of defiance- he had gone to at least one world prior as an ambassador. All the others he stumbled into, though.

In fact, seldom did those worlds ever come to him. He loved adventure and exploration, but after last time there was a worry- what if one night, he simply never came back to castle? Would people worry? Would they be afraid for him, or sad over him? Alexander didn't want that. But he hated being confined! It was constricting and abrasive, and his nightly romps were his only reprieve from the princely duties he constantly exercised and carried out during the day- not that he minded the doing, but he needed a break. His adventures were just that.

But worry constrained him from venturing out this night. At least, at the current hour he refused to go out since last time had ended with him being locked in a supposed life or death struggle. Something so off putting is not something one would care to repeat. He also worried over his bride-to-be. He still had yet to meet this young maiden- had something happened? It wasn't that he loved her. After all, they'd never met. But... still! One should be concerned for their fiance.

The thoughts swam in his head like fish in a bowl, moving in circles and without a clear resolution. Finally submitting he leaned back with a sigh, still in perfect position to see the moon out his window. Two more days. There would be a new moon in two days. He inhaled sharply, and held it for a minute before letting the breathe escape his lungs. That would be a very bad day for him. New Moons were always bad days. They were the only days he slept.

Raising up he looked back out his window and let his eyes falter to the ground. That moment was all it took- the red orbs in the darkness of the wood gazed up back at him and he felt a shiver travel down his spine. He was frozen by his fear and refused to look away, wanting to keep what had to be nothing other than eyes in plain sight. A few seconds passed. The red lights died out, and Alexander could hear a faint and soft thud of feet running into the Castle grounds.

Oh no. Alexander's heart sank into his stomach. Fear gripped him and squeezed his abdomen. He started to tremble as he lept out of bed, arms wrapped around himself. He grabbed the doorknob, and tried to twist it. The handle was locked from the outside, and his eyes opened wide. Somebody must have noticed his absences in the night and taken steps to constrain the young boy. He was not trapped in his room, and that thing, whatever it was, knew exactly where to find him.

From the other side, the doorknob rattled. Alexander leapt back in fear as he released it from his own grip and staggared to the floor, hitting the ground with a hard thump. The rattling continued with greater intensity. "Prince Alexander?" The voice came from Helga, one of the servants.

"Helga?" Alexander's panic was still evident but had mostly subsided to confusion.

"I was just coming by to make sure you didn't get out of your room tonight," she stated. "Melvin had a fit at us last time."

A surreal contradicting feeling of calmness bolstered by the stress of urgency washed over Alexander. "I- I'm sorry, Helga. Helga-"

"It's quite alright Prince Alexander," came her quiet voice from the other side of the door.

"Helga, listen! There's somebody in the Castle! We have to warn the guards!"

Silence.

"Helga!" Alexander shouted at her, but no sound came. Then, suddenly, he heard a thump outside of his door. Something vaguely familiar. Something that, somehow, he was able to immediately identify. The sound of a limp body hitting a marble floor. He stared underneath his door as blood trickled out from beneath it and into his room. He whimpered as he stood to his feet, scrambling towards the window as the thing dug a blade through his door. The sound of cracking wood made the young man yelp as he tried to summon his concentration.

"Make a gate," he commanded himself as he held out his hand. "You've done this before," he wheezed as another strike of the sword cracked the door even more. From the other side, Alexander could see a red orb glowing through the slivers and cracks. He exhaled, trying to calm himself, and with that a strange, light blue gate opened before him. He grinned. "Yes!" He shouted this quietly, nervously, withdrawing his outstretched hand into his ribs as he dashed through the gate.

He rolled out in front of the castle, somehow way undershooting his destination. His eyes looked up as he sat outside of the Castle of Dreams, and immediately his gaze fell upon the light in his room. There was a since of dread. He wanted to leave the world, but instead had only managed to travel a few hundred feet! The New Moon must have been affecting his powers. He was snapped back from that train of thought when he heard the door to his room splinter from all the way down on the castle. And then the light went out. In the room he could see the glowing red orbs moving excitedly about the area, scanning it fervently. It's eyes fell over him once. Twice. Three times, but it continued to search his room. It didn't see him outside! He had made it from the creature's sight, but he couldn't go back in the castle and wake up the guards.

He couldn't risk anybody else... could he? Nobody had been risked yet. Helga had made a run for it and been fine, right? Yeah, that's exactly what happened. But who was to say that Alexander would be so lucky? He stood up, looking between the castle and the road to town... and he chose the road, bolting down the path as quickly as he could. He cast a backwards glance at the window and saw those eyes boring into him. This time, it did see him. In the same second, they were gone.

Alexander put his head forward as he ran down the wooded road. He had to make it to the town. He could find help there. The thing wasn't in the Castle to hurt anybody else... it wanted Alexander. The revelation only made him run faster.

The Castle of Dreams. A very boorish world, but one with hearts that could be snuffed out without notice, thanks to the seclusion of the town from the castle. Yet, it was also thanks to this seclusion that the young Pseudo-Heartless discovered something interesting...a figure. It was moving towards the castle. Curious, he followed it from a safe distance. The thing looked dangerous, and had eyes that were bright red. Similar to the way his own eyes glowed. He followed it all the way into the castle. The thing killed a servant, and cut its way into the room, drowning it in darkness before Rience could do so himself. There was a boy..he made a corridor of light. Rience was curious.

Using his affinity for travelling through space, he followed the boy, moving instantaneously past the creature that he had followed, making his way out of the window, a corridor of darkness open just outside of it, placing Rience perfectly on the ground just outside of the young man's line of sight. He followed close behind, ducking into shadows when needed, thankful that he had chosen to lose the white cloak before coming here, leaving just the black shirt and dark pants that he wore, along with his orange mask, which was darkened to a muted brown in the darkness of the night. He sensed the second and third hearts before he heard the squeak. He ducked back a bit farther, removing his mask and sending it away to his home in  Radiant Garden. He then pushed his glasses up and walked into the clearing, clearing his throat as he did so, running after the young prince. He planned to find out what was going on. Hey! he yelled, waving as he ran in hopes of getting the boys attention.

She may very well have been less interested in this world, had it not hosted such a random disruption of peace. Typically, so quiet a place would have gone unnoticed by the only soul living in Castle Oblivion. There were other areas to better observe the nature of the worlds, she supposed. But this would be the first where she had ever encountered some kind of conflict...

Hm, yes. So far, she had found nothing worth measuring in terms of an imbalance. Everything seemed to have been in order up to this point. There was a shift in tone that suddenly caught her attention. It was a feeling, a sensation in the chest, running down the spine, that forced her to come looking for its source. And, here she was.

It was dark, this time of night. There were millions of stars dotting the empty canvas above them, though she knew there had once been so many more. The memories were fuzzy, but still there. They had merely faded with time, with her fate. She merely accepted it as part of her mission. There was no time to dwell on the past. There was too much work to be done.
Like a veil, she passed through the town in discreet noiselessness. Her bare feet made no mention to her presence as she moved along the cobblestones, blending into the background with careful grace.

There was some manner of disturbance here...though what and why, was beyond her knowledge, at least for the moment. To begin fighting to keep balance, she would first have to understand which of the two extremes was strongest. Thus far, she had found nothing to point to either side. Perhaps in this sudden calamity, there would be some defining point to which she could begin her mission.

It was, at that moment, that she found a glimpse of the aforementioned Psudeo-Heartless. She'd merely noticed his presence after banishing his mask, but there was a distinct difference in the manner of his dress compared to that of the others she had noted earlier from her search. While none of the locals had done much good for her purpose here tonight, this seemed like an ends to a rather mysterious means... Outsiders usually spelled trouble.
The Nobody quietly strode through the cobblestone streets, pausing every so often when her target flit into the shadows. A squirrelly one, no? And difficult, so it appeared, to keep track of -- Unknown hadn't glanced away but a mere moment before losing sight of him to the darkness. She almost questioned her choice in attire...the veil and cap made things difficult to see from time to time.

And then, a shout. It sounded well enough to belong to the young man she'd been following to convince her to continue her search. By the by, she did indeed find her blond, finding yet another male not too far along. The sensation she got from this other, however...was strangely similar to herself in some regard. How odd. Perhaps this night would make for some interest after all, save the sudden dystrophy of peace.

Patiently, keeping herself at a reasonable distance to listen and stay out of sight, she waited for more information. If there was some form of imbalance between light and dark, it was plausible she would learn best of what was going on from the people who resided within the worlds themselves, even if one were clearly an outsider. Information was crucial to forming a valid understanding. Thus far, there was no need to make any action. As far as she was concerned, these two were merely innocents -- insects to be observed and studied, never prodded or pestered -- and left well enough alone. To this Nobody, she did her duties best when none even knew she'd been there.

Alexander's legs were burning. he had been running for what seemed like endless minutes with something following behind him, lurking in the darkness. He knew it was there, knew it was watching, but dared not turn around lest the fat, salty tears that streamed down his face sting his eyes and blind him. He heard a voice but dismissed it, the outside world muffled by the restrictive grip of fear. His heart beat fast. His chest was low and sore. He felt a shiver in his spine as fear gripped him and squeezed.

He ran without acknowledging the boy who called out to him at all. In fact, he ran all the way into the center of the town, resting his hand on a building as he entered the village proper. He stumbled over his own feet, hitting the ground as his bare feet collided with a bucket. After running for so long, they were raw and bloody. He didn't feel the pain that burned at his heel until he saw the red bottoms of his feet, and the dirt between his toes. A twinge of disgust momentarily outweighed his fear, though it quickly conceded the throne back.

Reality came crashing at him in waves. Alexander knew there were guards in the village. That was his whole reason for running. He was afraid, and it was something to cling to. Now that he stood here surrounded by these houses and shops, a terrible realization dawned on him like a morning sun. "Oh my gosh," he panted in a quiet, defeated tone. "I-I don't know where to find the guards..." Resignation to his current situation dropped on his shoulders like bricks dumped from a wheelbarrow, and he slumped to the ground pathetically.

As the young prince finally stopped running, a resounding sigh that echoed in the silence of night would be heard as Rience's shadow fell over him. Around this time of night, wouldn't the guards be patrolling areas of importance, such as your castle? He asked as he quite gently picked the young man up as best he could by taking his arm and pulling. What he found most interesting is that the young prince of the world was-quite literally in fact-a nobody. Not only that, but the creature in the Castle was unlike anything he had ever faced. Why it was after the young prince was an enigma in and of itself. However, he saw the man's reaction to it. It had to have some connection. Before we go anywhere else, I want you to calm down. I saw that...creature. It moved with clear purpose. It sought you out. I'm curious as to why. He said simply and rather firmly. He wasn't one to dive into problems without understanding what he was getting into. He had sensed another presence, but he ignored it for now. The heart was another nobodies, and in a sense it wasn't as much sensing a presence as it was sensing a void. He didn't know why two nobodies that were stronger than the average citizen were on the world, but it was something he planned on piecing together.

The nameless Nobody cocked an eyebrow as she peered around the corner. The individual she'd followed had led her to a most peculiar thing indeed...the ruler of this world. How interesting. It wasn't every day that one got to see one of theirs face-to-face...particularly with the way things had gone in the past for those who held such positions. She pondered how one might...feel...taking up such a position, knowing there was the possibility of the void.

And the sensation of the presence similar to herself -- it came from him -- another such as she? Here she had thought herself to be one of a few. How perplexing. How delightful. Perhaps she'd have felt either of these things if she had some semblance of humanity left in her. Still, the nature of their existences were much too tantalizing for her to simply ignore. Perhaps it was worth investigating into this matter after all. Did that mean there were others still? The unnamed woman pondered such things in silence. Was it merely she who had the task of keeping order, or was it that those like herself were also given that burden? Such things she wished to have answers to, but no...she would wait for the proper moment.

Quite faintly, the female noted the mentioning of a creature. Odd. A monster hunted down this boy. For what purpose? What threat could one who looked and felt so weak and small pose upon a beast that caused such fear to others? Perhaps a connection to the masked one who'd taken the lives of the leaders so long ago? Or, something else entirely. The Nobody made a note of how it was addressed, too. Most knew of the nature of both Nobodies and Heartless, particularly travelers such as this blond...so it struck her as interesting that the taller of the two had not given a full identity to this...monstrous thing that caused such strife. She could only deduce that whatever this being was, it was not of any of the two aforementioned species.
Most interesting indeed...

She felt there was still no need for her presence to become noted. It may be that she could still learn more of this peculiar creature, and its nature. If it posed some manner of threat to the world, the Nobody elected that she would have her way with aiding in its death. Otherwise, she was merely here for observation. There was still no clear sign as to which end needed her attention...no real understanding whether or not Light or Darkness suffered in what was intended to be balance.

In his moment of darkness, a shadow bearing light descended over his form. A stranger with a helping hand took him by the arm, helping the hopeless and hapless Prince to his feet. Alexander listened to the young man speak to him on the guards, and the creature. The thing that stalked couldn't have been too far behind them. As Alexander fled the Castle he had seen its malicious red eyes piercing the blue-black of night. He knew. The young man was certain is was coming, if not already here and just hiding.

"I..." his voice trailed. As he got to his feet he looked the boy in the eyes, full of fear and realization. Alexander knew why it the creature felt so familiar. He knew why those eyes felt like they stared into his very being. He knew it, but he couldn't say it. He knew it, but the knowledge hide itself deep inside his head and far out of reach. It hid itself away in the realm of sleep, coalescing into the thing that now hunted him. He shivered as he wrapped his arms around his body, evidence of tears still on his puffy eyes.

"My nightmare," he said in a quite, hoarse voice. It was as though he feared admitting its nature loud enough would draw it closer and render escape all but impossible. Those earnest, scared eyes looked into the stranger's as the boy seemed to quiver and quake in place occasionally, biting his lower lip as a very small sob seemed to heave from his chest. "There are supposed to be some guards here," he continued with a shaky tone. "We put them here so they could protect the town. And a lot of our guards come here at night to be with their families. I... couldn't get to any of the ones in the castle."

As Alexander spoke, the boy before him seemed to absorb the knowledge that he was imparting upon him. He recognized the fear that was in his eyes, but when he simply said nothing, even though Rience felt that anomalous feeling of fear radiate through his own being. He knew not what caused it, only that it was rather common to find. However, this one proved to not be a problem. If he knew what Rience was, his mind didn't make the connection his heart-or whatever he had that passed for one-made.

Yet, as he spoke, a new term that Rience had never heard made itself known to him. Nightmare. Interesting. If that were the case, then this world was very aptly named. A nightmare given physical form. Was it one generated from the world itself, or did the young man before him have more of a hand in its creation than either of them knew? It was a strange problem.

Well, as much as I admire your willingness to seek out help when you know you need it..I doubt that the guards will be of much help. That nightmare-as you called it-simply radiates power. This is only conjecture at this point, but I believe that if you send guards after it, it will only slay them to get to you. It is seeking you out. If its named for what I think it is, then the only way to subdue it is to confront it, no? He asked, making a hypothesis by thinking back to the definition of the name of that creature's race. Most often, a nightmare was subdued by facing it. If it was named for the type of dream, then that would be the course of action that they needed to take.

Of course, it wouldn't be wise to confront it on your own. In the name of discovering just what this...thing is, I'll be coming with you should you choose to confront it/ He stated simply, crossing his arms as he calmly waited for the young prince to compose himself again.