Author's Note: I hope I didn't make it too long. I tried to fit in everything that happened that had to do with this Nightopia in this one chapter, so there is some strange jumping around. Most of the chapters from now on will look like this until we near the end, so please, bear with me.

Chapter 5: Aqua Garden

Upon NiGHTS' return, Helen greeted her friend cheerfully, urging her to come look at a mysterious thing she had found.

"Hoo hoo! How curious! The door to Nightopia seems to have appeared." Owl huffed.

It was true; one of the doorframes was now completed along with the original, having a circular picture of a bright blue fish swimming in pink scenery filling the hole at the top of the frame. The door was carved with beautiful, flowing designs, resembling bubbles, water, and sea-life.

"But then that must mean… you must have an ideya!" Owl said, surprised by this discovery.

"Wha…What's an ideya? And what's Nightopia?"Helen asked.

"Ideya are sparks of light that dwell within the hearts of Visitors." Owl explained, while NiGHTS was on look out duty. She had this strangest feeling she was being watched since she left Will's dream. "Here in the Night Dimension, those ideya can give access to a paradise known as Nightopia."

"Paradise?" Helen asked excitedly.

"Oh, come on!" NiGHTS interrupted, letting her guard down. "Enough with the explinations! Let's go check it out!"

The pair of pure red, cat-like, eyes watching had seen his chance and prepared for attack.

"Hey, what's your name, anyway, young lady?" NiGHTS asked.

"My name is Helen. Pleasure to meet you, NiGHTS!"

"The pleasure's all mine. Let's go then, Helen!" NiGHTS started towards the door.

This was his chance; a clear target. He started his attack…

It was all one big flash to all three. First a whoosh of air, much unlike NiGHTS', then someone red, white, and black slammed towards NiGHTS, and a thud was heard as she was pinned to the door, now with a clear view of her attacker.

"Ah, NiGHTS." She didn't need to see him to know who that calm, sinister, voice belonged to. "Long time, no see. Out for a little walk with your little visitor friend, are we?"

Helen stared at the new creature in front of her. This one was even more confusing than NiGHTS. It was certainly male, judging by the voice, yet he was about half an inch shorter than NiGHTS. His hat was a bit different than NiGHTS', in the way that it was curved inwards and was red with black stripes instead of purple. His skin was surprisingly unlike NiGHTS', as if all the color was totally drained from it. He wore a red vest, resembling NiGHTS', and boots that matched his hat. The rest of his outfit was white, accept for a long golden-chain necklace with a dull blue pendant that rested on black bandage-wrap around his chest. Placed around his eyes was a golden mask, with black crow feathers decoration the sides. His eyelashes were smaller than NiGHTS', but still quite long, and Helen could bet money that he was wearing pink nail polish and black lipstick. She also saw two long, black, scars peeking out from under his mask, obviously one over each eye. He also lacked everything NiGHTS had lacked, but had claws and fangs extended, which NiGHTS had not.

"R-Reala." NiGHTS managed to choke out from the strong grip he had around her neck. She struggled to lessen the burden on the neck by attempting to push Reala's arm away, but to no avail.

"Sorry, NiGHTS, I'm under orders to put you away for a bit. Nothing personal." Reala said, obviously lying about the 'nothing personal' part.

"Hey! Leave NiGHTS alone!" Helen said defensively, drawing attention to herself. She started to go towards the two, but Owl quickly flew into her path.

"No! You mustn't go near that monster!" Owl said in a loud tone.

"Yes, yes, listen to your elders." Reala mocked. "You're just a helpless little girl, after all." On that note, Reala laughed. This was no ordinary laugh. In a crowd of laughing people, you could pick out Reala's from a mile away. Helen imagined that this was probably the most annoying and embarrassing laugh of all time. It sounded like a little, giggling, five year old girl.

That note aside, he quickly got over his giggle fit, turned back to NiGHTS, and pushed her right through the door, along with himself.

After a moment of silence for getting over the shock, Helen sunk to her knees. She couldn't believe she just sat there and watched while her new friend got into trouble. Owl flew over to her to comfort her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. That was terribly frightening, wasn't it? Hoo! That was a nightmaren, from the dark realm of Nightmare. Their aim is to take ideya from visitors in order to destroy Nightopia. When visitors come to this world, they ambush them and steal their ideya from them. In all likely-hood, they must have taken your ideya as well." Owl paused before seeing the glowing red light around Helen's hands. "Oh hoo! That red light! Could it be the red ideya of courage?"

Helen got up to give Owl a better view.

"Ah, yes, I see! That ideya must be what called forth this door. You hold the ideya of courage. With that, you might just be able to rescue NiGHTS! But…" Owl said solemnly. "That is your decision. I'll wait inside the door if you decide to come." And with that, he teleported away, leaving Helen alone to decide.

---

She didn't need all that long. In a matter of seconds, she was in through the door and had found Owl.

"So this is Nightopia!" Helen exclaimed excitedly, for a moment forgetting the situation at hand. Surrounding her was a marvelous, underwater paradise, with beautiful structures, lush grass, and fish that swam in the air, all mixed together with structures of coral and watershoots and sunken ships, giving it that certain feeling of a whimsical undersea adventure.

"Ah, I knew you would come." Owl said, satisfied by the girl's decision. He seemed to be surrounded by small, chubby, cone-headed, angel/elves. They all looked sad as they started at the capture that contained their friend, NiGHTS.

"Um…Owl?" Helen said, noticing these creatures. "Who are those little people?"

"Why, those are Nightopians. They're the inhabitants of this place. Normally, they act bright and cheerful, but they must be scared of the nightmare at this moment."

"The poor things…"

"According to them, NiGHTS is being held in that prison over there."

Helen noticed for the first time that NiGHTS was being rather moody inside a cage suspended by a chain from both below it and over it. It was guarded by a giant pink bird with a key in its beak. On another cage much further off was a green version of the same guard, and even further off was the same with a blue version.

"A rescue attempt will not be simple." Owl forewarned. The key required is guarded by the nightmaren. So, the problem is-" Owl tried to explain, but Helen was already far ahead and climbing the chain to the cage. "Wait! You must not rush!"

Quickly, the two dualized and the bird flew off. They quickly darted after a bird until they caught up to it. They snatched the key from its mouth and made a quick U-turn back to the cage. They hadn't time to congratulate each other, seeing as the green guard already had begun to soar off, through the whimsical waterways and beautiful scenery of Aqua Garden.

"Come on, Helen! We've got to go after it!" NiGHTS instructed, hastily.

Helen obliged without haste, and together they worked their way through spouts and over and under various coral and pools, right up to the great bird, seizing it, and capturing the key for itself. The bird flew off, back to where it belonged; in the dark depths of Nightmare.

NiGHTS and Helen could see the cage in the non-to-far distance, and quickly flew threw it, corrupting the cage with the lock broken. They looked around, just to find the third and final guard, the blue Goodle, already heading into a dank, windy cave. NiGHTS growled as the dualized duo set off after the final captor.

They flew into the dark cave following the Goodle's every move, occasionally running into a third-level nightmaren or two, and easily paralooping it, casting it away to Nightmare. The wind helped them along, and soon they snatched the key just as they shot out of the cave, and ran right into the last cage, the collision causing them to un-dualize, and fall to the ground.

NiGHTS was free, but their troubles were not over yet.

---

After some congratulations, Helen and NiGHTS re-continued their dualization. They were lounging above a peaceful little underwater pond, unaware of the danger lurking in it.

"You know, Helen," NiGHTS brought up something. "At this rate, we'll have the white ideya of purity back in no time. There must be a nightmaren holding it somewhere."

As if on cue, a huge fish-like nightmaren emerged, trapping the two inside its mouth, behind a row of dagger-sharp teeth.

Both screamed at the surprise. It was Girania.

After about thirty seconds of being inside the nightmaren, NiGHTS bashed into the roof of its mouth, causing him to spit the two out. Still dualized, the two friends fought the giant, regal-looking, fish.

The fish dived back into the water, the atmosphere changing into a stingy green, circular pool. He lurked under the dark water, his outfit camouflaging his position. NiGHTS and Helen searched the water, going in circles, till the fish leaped up and tried to catch them in his jaw one more. However, this time, Helen was smarter than that, and grabbed the fish by the forehead, and pushed it backwards. Instead of perishing like most smaller nightmaren do, it burst into many colourful bubbles, in the shape of a goldfish cracker.

The two nodded at each other, and paralooped the bubbles in groups. The shape then glowed green and shrunk down, regaining its piranha-like structure. Only now, it was actually the size of a piranha. The fish dived into the water once again, then jumped out a moment or two later behind NiGHTS and Helen. NiGHTS suddenly turned around, alerting Helen, and together the Drill-Dashed the small fish, causing it to burst in a green flame.

The battle was ended, and Girania sunk back into the depths of the pond. Up from the spot of where he sank emerged a white sphere; the ideya of purity.

---Elsewhere in Nightmare---

"Reala! Girania!"

Both nightmaren flinched, and reluctantly headed towards their master's chamber in the Nightmare Castle from their own respective chambers.

Both nightmaren met at the doors to the chamber and knocked just once before the door shot open before them.

Wizeman was certainly displeased.

The nightmaren floated inside slowly, the door slamming shut behind them. Their six handed master and creator stood angrily before them, towering over the two like a skyscraper. It was easy to tell when Wizeman was angry with a maren; which was almost always if they were just called to his chambers. He rarely ever requested to see one of his creations unless they were to be punished. The eye in each floating-armless-hand's palm stared angrily down at the seemingly helpless nightmaren.

"You wished to see us, Master Wizeman?" Reala got on one knee and bowed his head, not wanting to stare into those terrible eyes.

"You two have failed me…" Wizeman said. "It makes me wonder why I spare you so greatly."

"Master, I-" Girania tried to plea for mercy. Wizeman cringed, while Reala, however, stayed silent, knowing speaking out of turn like this often lead to pain and harm.

"You, Girania, will be silenced!" Wizeman yelled, shaking most of the castle, his cloak blowing like curtains, revealing his bodiless figure. His steel-like face was emotionless, lacking eyes, and any other facial feature. It was as if his entire head was made of steel. All emotion was shown through his hands, which he used to bat Girania away in a powerful state of anger.

Ignoring Girania's whimpers of pain, he continued. "Reala, this news that the traitor has escaped, is it true?" A single hand came forward to Reala in a menacing way, it being bigger than Reala himself, causing him to stumble backwards, but catching himself. He still didn't dare look his master in the giant eye before him.

"My apologies, Master." His breathing got quicker and louder, for he could sense the hand's presence getting closer to him. "I am afraid it is." Reala expected a hit just as Girania had received, but when none came, he relaxed a small bit.

"Hmmm…" Wizeman drew his hand away, deep in thought.

"Er, worry not, Master." Reala said, gaining enough courage to look up. "The next of your servants is already on his way to another foolish child's dream…"

"I see. I will expect good news in the future, then."

"Leave it to me, Master Wizeman."