Chapter 23

The Nightmare Rock

Ness was sitting in old Minch house deep in thought with Mike’s family, his sister Tracy, and his mother all waiting for Tom to come and say something extremely important, two days after the incident. “Ness, that Tom guy said that this had to deal with us as well right?” Tracy questioned Ness as she was wondering what this had to do with everyone in the room as well.

“Yeah, he did. I’m just as clueless as everyone else here as to why Tom wants to speak with all of us” said Ness as he started to grow slightly impatient even though Paula had just come through the door.

“How long has everyone been waiting here for?” said Paula curious to know how long they had been sitting there noticing the impatient looks on all the faces in the room.

“About two hours, and to be honest I’m getting sick of waiting. I just wanted to go out today but this is just so much more fun” Rachel said sarcastically as she was really getting fed up with all the waiting.

“I can understand where you are coming from, its Rachel right, we talked about what involvement you had in the incident with Mike and Dave yesterday.”

“Yeah, I still can’t believe the outcome of that. When is Tom gonna get here?! I’m tired of waiting here especially as something like this shouldn’t concern me” complained Rachel.

“I know. I just want to find out what Tom so eagerly needs to talk about so we can get on with it” said Paula as she sat herself right next to Ness, placing her head on his shoulder.

“We’ll just have to wait and see then, Paula. I think that boy has a good reason” said Ness’s mom.

“I hope your right” said Paula with a slight sigh. As the next hour went along Jeff and Poo came to the old Minch house as well and found a seat. This at least kept up conversation until Tom arrived, about two hours after Paula came in.

“Sorry for the wait everyone, but I have had to try and figure out how to put some of this for a while now. Some of this might be a little shocking. First off, I guess everyone here wants to know why Mike is still alive, Ness did Mike ever mention something about him having seven Sanctuaries when you first met” said Tom.

“He did actually. He threw it off to the side when he was getting into what was going on after we fought beforehand. Paula was there too. Mike said he would explain everything about that later” said Ness remembering that little piece of the conversation they had with Mike over a week ago.

“I’m glad you remember that little piece of the conversation. I’ll get into more detail about that now and what it means. You see on our journey to defeat Godan we had something else we were doing on the side. Ness, I’m familiar from your news interviews that you said you were on a quest to collect eight ‘Sanctuaries’ to increase your power so you might have a chance to defeat Giygas. Well, we were doing the same thing for the most part as well. What Mike used wasn’t another sound stone like you used Ness, but the sound crystal. It was a different looking item from what I think the stone would have looked like. I don’t know what the prevalence of to different items with the same purpose is but that’s life. Anyways, we were collecting Sanctuaries as well throughout our adventure. They were some of the toughest battles we ever fought since Godan was trying to claim the ancient spots of power as I’m sure Giygas was trying to do as well. We grew stronger as time went on, each spot seeming to endow us with more power and greater potential with each passing one. Everything was going great until Casie collapsed after the seventh Sanctuary was claimed.”

“What does this have to do with Mike though?” said Ness.

“This is getting to much more than to why I know Mike is still alive so, just play along with me until you find out where all of this is going Ness. Casie said she went to a land called Magicant while she was out. We doubted her until she showed us her new found power she somehow obtained while she was there, not to weapons she didn’t have before. She said it was the realm of her mind. After she stated that Mike said not to collect the last Sanctuary and head straight for Godan. He never did state a reason why we had to do that but we did anyway and almost got ourselves killed in the process. I have a feeling of some other intervention because it seemed strange that he would stop right before claiming the last Sanctuary.”

“You’re right Tom that does seem weird. Ness was told he had to collect his Sanctuaries no matter what” said Poo with a slightly mystified face.

“This is how I know that Mike is still alive. My master told me something about those sound items long ago. ‘If the person collecting those powers in a sound item dies, the powers will return to the earth because they can no longer be claimed by the one who was collecting them. It is a safeguard to keep the powers out of evil hands’. The thing is, we would have felt such a tremendous amount of energy being released back to the earth if Mike had died. They must have only captured him. They are probably subduing him to extreme torture right now. That and find his sound crystal so the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse can use the seven Sanctuaries we already helped Mike collect.”

“I guess we have to find the sound crystal first. Then find out where Mike is. It won’t do us much good if those four get a hold of such a tremendous power” said a concerned Jeff.

“I agree. We won’t have to search for the sound crystal for long though. Mike told me that a family member would carry that crystal after he met you before this all started. Rachel, could you show them what I mean?” Tom said with a stern look on his face.

“How did you know he let me have it?”

“Because, Mike always had that thing around his neck for safe keeping, and when I saw him I noticed that it wasn’t there and I figured you would be the perfect choice. Meaning he kept his word” Tom explained very quickly.

“Alright then” Rachel slowly slipped off her necklace to reveal what it true was. “Mike put it around this gold necklace I already had to hide it the morning before I left so if I ever came into danger, no one would suspect a thing. When I was held hostage by Gorin, I thought both the crystal and myself were goners. Along with any chance you guys would have had going straight out the window. What should I do with it now Tom?”

“I’ll get to that in a bit.”

“So you mean to say that this sound crystal was allowing Mike to collect the remaining eight power spots on this Earth and was succeeding until he all of a sudden decided it was time huh” said Poo.

“I guess he does Poo. We now know the location of the sound crystal is safely secure with Mike’s sister. Why is everyone else like Ness’s family and Mike’s mom and little brother here, Tom?” Paula inquired.

“I’ll get to that at the end of this conversation. Ness, I’m taking a shot in the dark here, but does that meteorite on the hill have to do anything with your last adventure?”

“Yeah, it’s actually why it all started” Ness answered. Tom was very curious to know what happened with that meteorite and Ness. It took Ness about an hour, but he explained everything.

“You mean to say that this being Buzz-Buzz came from ten years in the future, saved your life against a Starman Jr., gave you the sound stone with details on what to do with the sound stone, and told you about Giygas for the first time.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying Tom” Ness firmly stated after his long-winded story.

“That would explain a lot, with the exception of Mike’s knowledge of when to face Godan, since Buzz-Buzz was dead after that night when you met him. It would even explain this” Tom pulled something out of his pocket in a jewelry case, about three cubic centimeters, and threw it to Ness. “Open it and you’ll see what I mean.”

“What the #$%^ is this?! This can’t be what I think it is!” Ness screamed out of pure surprise right after he opened the box.

“Yeah, I thought it was that. If Buzz-Buzz came from the future that would explain how my master had that when you were on your adventure as well. I mean it is shattered, but judging from your reaction all skepticism I had about if that was it or not just went away” Tom said in a confirming voice.

“That’s the sound stone though Tom. I always thought Buzz-Buzz had found that somewhere else and given it to Ness. At least I thought that somewhere else was in the same time frame as what we are in” said a completely astonished Jeff.

“Does anyone else know you had this Tom?” said Paula.

“Absolutely not, only me, my master, and now you guys know that I had that thing all along. Look, I want everyone in this room to keep their mouths shut about the sound stone. Ness, I would find a way to make that thing whole again if I were you. You might be able to use that thing later. Everyone else must keep their mouth shut about this. I have no clue of the consequences if the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse were to get their hands on that thing” said Tom.

“I’ll guard it with my life Tom. You don’t need to worry about this falling into the wrong hands” said Ness as he slipped the box with the shattered sound stone into his backpack.

“Now for the last part, everyone has heard the expression ‘where all things start is where they shall end’ right?”

“Yeah, what does that have to do with anything Tom?” Ness’s mom said slightly confused.

“Well, everything for all of us seems to have started here in Onett right on that hill behind us. It might all end here as well. I want all of you to leave Onett now. What this means anyone not a Destined or Chosen One should pack their things and go” said Tom with a concerned look on his face.

“What, what do you mean you want us to leave here now?!” said Zach, Mike’s little brother, and Tracy simultaneously while rising out of their chairs at the same time.

“Look, it is just a precautionary measure, but I don’t want to risk anymore lives here and I’m sure Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo all feel the same way right guys” said Tom.

“Everyone Tom’s right, things in history have had the strange happening of ending close to or at where everything started, and for us that’s where the meteorite lies” Paula said with a concerned look on her face as well.

“Alright, everyone in this room who isn’t a Chosen or Destined one will leave town at once. I don’t want to be caught in the middle of your final battle with them. Everyone here have that, we pack up our things and leave, I would suggest we go to Scarab, as quickly as possible” said Ness’s mom. Everyone else shook their heads knowing that they couldn’t take the risk of staying for long, and that Ness and Poo could teleport them somewhere safe.

“Thank you, Mrs. Rowen” said Tom, thanking Ness’s mom.

Chapter 24

Inner Demons

It has been almost three days since Dave first entered Magicant. Dave has had to fight in places that he wishes he didn’t have to remember. <I’ve seen my parents’ graves, monsters so evil that I didn’t think my subconscious was capable of imagining such things. Everything in this darkness is nothing but evil. I thought I was pure but I guess that was I was wrong. Every human must have this essence and potential for great evil as much as they have the essence and potential to do good. I just wonder how much longer I will have to wander these plains of Magicant until I reach my final goal> these thoughts were going through his mind as he just kept walking along.

Dave hadn’t encountered a monster in a while, so he figured he must be reaching the end soon. He needed to reach the end soon. Dave hadn’t had much rest in the last three days and his food was running low. Dave was being beaten dry by his own mind and the constant battles he was during were not helping him the slightest bit.

After about one more hour of walking, Dave walked towards what looked like a gray castle that sparkled and glistened like no other. “I see you have finally made it to the final trail Dave” said the man with the white beard that Dave saw at the beginning of this journey.

“This is the final leg of my journey. Thank God, I’m absolutely beat” said Dave out of utter exasperation.

“I will give you this to heal your mind and body. What you will find in this part of your mind is the source of all of this evil. Good-bye, o’ Horseman of Power” with that he vanished once again give Dave brain food lunch with delisauce smothering the entire thing. Dave ate the entire thing in about ten minutes, savoring every bite.

“Wow, I feel stronger than ever now! For the future of Earth, I must conquer this realm of Magicant and strike down the evil that resides in my mind!” Dave said triumphantly as he walked towards the castle. The second he touched the castle’s wall he was transport to another part of the realm. “This must be the inside of the castle. This must be where the source of my evil lies.”

Dave wandered through the castle to find five knight statues in a gray armor guarding a tremendously large door. <This must be it> Dave thought to himself as he walked toward the door. One of the swords of the knights dropped in front of Dave to prevent his passage. Soon the other four followed suit. “What is this, are these knights actually alive?” once Dave said those words the statue closest to Dave took a swipe at him with its sword. “I guess so. Anything is possible here” Dave drew his Magicant bow and fired an arrow but it just bounced right off the armor of the knight, not even making a dent. <Crap! The other knights are starting to move as well. Don’t tell me I have to defeat these things without a viable weapon!> Dave thought to himself in an anxious thought to himself. His best weapon was just rendered useless and he had to defeat all five of these things. Each knight was the same though so if Dave could defeat one, he could use the same tactic to defeat them all.

<What to do, what to do? I can’t hurt them with my bow so what am I to do. Mom, Dad, please be by my side in the fight> with that thought Dave had just remembered something. If he had his Avalon bow and arrows with him then why not his Soul Blade, he reached for one of the sheaths on his back and tried to remember which one had the Soul Blade. The one over his left shoulder had it and the very second he realized that he unsheathed the blade to reveal its glorious light. “Okay you knights, come and get me!” Dave charged at the knights head on and after slashing the first one with his blade it immediately crumbled to pieces. “I guess this is the legendary Avalonian sword of evil’s bane” Dave then went up to the other four knights and took them all down with one slash, crushing the evil in one mighty blow. The door then swung open to reveal a hall of mirrors with a really well made one in the center of the room just standing there.

Dave couldn’t refuse going into the room. He knew that it had to be where the source of all of this evil lied. As Dave walked towards the mirror in the center of the room he could see his reflection from afar. As he got closer and closer he could see more and more detail until he got right next to it. <This isn’t my reflection but the reflection of someone like me. His eyes are that of pure evil and the aura I’m feeling from him is the opposite of mine> Dave thought to himself as got a really good look at his “reflection”.

“That’s right” said the reflection to Dave as it jumped right out of the mirror to the other side of the room. “I am you and I am not you. I just have the form of your body but, I am not you. I am your exact opposite, the source of all evil in this realm of Magicant! Say hello to me Dave, your other half!” said the other Dave with and evil laugh.

“So you’re the one responsible for all of those monsters and the evil in my mind and this realm. I’ll give you one chance to surrender or else!”

“How can you possibly expect me to surrender? You can’t win this battle anyway. I am your mind Dave. You cannot destroy your own mind and yourself and expect to escape this realm. If I die, you die with me as well. After all good and evil cannot be separated because one cannot exist without the other.”

“You aren’t very wise then. Good and evil can be separate or otherwise neither could even exist. They are two separate forces that should balance each other out and do nothing else. When one side is imbalanced, the other must balance it out. That is what I came here to do, not to eliminate you but to balance you out. This Soul Blade in my hand will prove that I can defeat you without destroying you. Even if I do destroy you, I will only conquer you not destroy my mind or my evil side completely. You just represent what evil that is in my heart and mind. I can destroy a representation but not the essence, and you aren’t the essence!”

“Find then, if that’s what you think, go ahead and try and destroy me but I won’t let you!” said Dave’s Nightmare.

Dave and his nightmare immediately charged at one another with swords drawn, Dave using the Soul Blade and the Nightmare using the Avalon Sword. They were going to shoot arrows at one another. These two were fighting to the death.

Dave made the first slash but missed as the Nightmare quickly dodged and tried to hit Dave but Dave dodged as well. The two were equally matched in speed, strength, pride, ability, and everything else anyone could imagine. The Nightmare finally got the first strike on Dave when Dave slipped while dodging. Dave quickly retaliated with a hit of his own. The odd thing is that the nightmare drew no blood. “I knew you were only a representation” Dave smirked as he saw that his Nightmare wasn’t human and only the final obstacle in front him to escape Magicant.

“You’ve hit another with that sword and stained its image. You said yourself that you would never use that Blade to hurt another human didn’t you! How would mother and father react to your dishonoring of them. Do you think they would proud of you?!”

“Never doubt my honor for my Mom and Dad! I uphold everything they taught me and left me with extreme devotion! You aren’t human anyways because you don’t bleed. I said I would never spill blood with this sword or kill another human with this blade so don’t insult me! You may have wounded me and spilled my blood but I’m not done just yet!” Dave power all of a sudden climbed of the charts and started crushing his Nightmare with everything he had. The Nightmare had wounded Dave right leg but Dave was still moving incredibly well.

As Dave’s power started to increase, so did the Nightmare’s. Soon they were equally matched once again. This lasted for about an hour with neither side landing even one blow. The Nightmare once again struck Dave with his sword and broke Dave’s right arm.

“You can’t even wield your weapon now! You can’t move that broken arm, or if you can it will be extremely painful!” said the Nightmare laughing as if he had defeated Dave.

“I don’t need my weapon anymore. I can’t defeat you with malice in my heart so I will no longer use that malice. I will use the technique that requires a pure heart to use. You know it well, since I have used it once before when I was ten and you know it can’t be used with malice inside a heart. Since you represent that I don’t have to worry about you using this technique. I’ll refresh you really fast on what it does because I like to see that look of panic on your face that you have right now. It’s called Will of the Hunter and it aligns my spirit with that of the ancient god Artemis, or I should say guardian. With it I can do things with my magic that I never could before and use much more of it! Ness said it was called a Fate so I shall use that name. Fate, Will of the Hunter!”

Dave’s power all of a sudden took a huge jump. He sheathed his Soul Blade and his right arm healed completely. The Nightmare was stepping back from his opponent out of pure fear for he knew what this technique meant. Dave immediately started casting some very powerful magic to first paralyze his nightmare then started to blast it with every form of magic he could muster since he now had a steady target. The Nightmare was reeling but not yet defeated. It tried to move but Dave’s paralyzing spell was still effect. Dave then unsheathed his Soul Blade and took sight of his target making sure he didn’t miss. With one final slash he cut the Nightmare right in half with his Soul Blade.

The Nightmare evaporated from the room of mirrors and when Dave walked up to the mirror in the room he saw his true reflection. It was him, his true reflection. Now he just had to leave Magicant.

“Well done Dave, this voice is the one of your guide. You have done well and have earned the right to tap into your true power, your heart. May it guide you well at all times, both good and bad. It is time for you to return to your world and do what needs to be done. You are the Horseman of Power. May you carry that title with honor and finish those Four Horsemen of Apocalypse with extreme prejudice! Farewell Dave.” As the guide voice faded away, the realm of Magicant also started to fade away. Dave was now going to be able to go home and enjoy his greatest reward, to be reunited with his friends.

At the hospital, Ness and Paula were sitting in Dave room in Onett hospital waiting for him to wake up. “Paula, when did the docs say he would wake up” said Ness out of concern for Dave. It had been slightly over three full days since the incident, and everyone was worried if Dave would ever wake up but they swore to be by his side, at least until they found out where Mike was and had to go save him.

“They say he might not. He might be permanently comatose at this point and may have to pull the plug on him if he doesn’t show any improvement” Paula said with a slight tear in her eyes just hearing the news herself recently.

“Well, I’m sure he’ll wake up soon. He’s not the Horseman of Power for noth…what the Hell!” Ness jumped right out of his seat in pure shock and surprise. Dave had all of a sudden risen up and was wide awake. He was completely healed now and was holding a strange looking longbow in his hands.

“Ness, Paula, two things. I need to talk to everyone with why I was out and explain everything. Second, I know exactly what happened to Mike so get everyone quick” Dave said very quickly with a look of urgency on his face.

“Dave, you got it. Paula stay with him while I go get the others” said Ness as he ran out of the room as fast as he could.

“Welcome back Dave, how was Magicant?” said Paula.