Kiyora felt the sensation of a paw batting against her face. She opened her eyes and warded off her assailant with one hand before rolling over.

"Kiyora!" said Morpheus' voice. "Kiyora, wake up quick!"

Kiyora sat up and pushed her hair away from her face. Looking at the winged cat, she felt awful. Kind of drained. "What is it, Morpheus!"

"Nightmares are gathering in the park!" said Morpheus. "You've got to come quick! Take up your rod!"

"Fine, fine," said Kiyora, "let me just get dressed. Which park?"

"The park!" said Morpheus.

Kiyora pulled on a pair of brown pants and a baggy white shirt. "There are a lot of parks, Morpheus."

"I don't know the name, okay," said Morpheus. "I'm not a GPS. Now come on!"

Kiyora snatched up her rod and followed Morpheus, who pushed up the window and leaped out of it. His wings fluttered as he scaled down the roof. Kiyora turned, opened the door to her room, and walked down the stairs and out the front door.

Morpheus looked at her in irritation. "Spoilsport."

"You were the one who said nightmares weren't a big threat," said Kiyora.

Morpheus turned and led her on without a word. As they rushed through the streets, Kiyora thought she heard him grumbling. Eventually, they came to the park, and Kiyora saw the nightmares. There were three of them. They were like the living shadows she had seen in Artarq. But unlike those, she could hear the distant sound of giggling from these.

Kiyora raised her rod and spoke the words. "'By the Power of Alchara, I will smite you.'"

Once again, she went through the whole transformation gig. And once again, she held her rainbow sword in hand. Lunging forward, she slashed through one of the nightmares. Another came toward her and hit her.

Kiyora felt as if everything was pointless. She also felt some fear. Even so, she'd felt far worse and easily slashed through it. The last one tried to flee, but Kiyora swung her sword. A wave of rainbow color spread outward and consumed it.

"What is so important that you had to wake me up?" asked Kiyora. "I thought you said nightmares weren't a big..." Something stepped down beside her. "Deal..."

She turned around and saw a living shadow. However, it seemed to stretch taller than her. It was taller than the roots of Actovosh, taller than the very sky. Two great violet eyes filled with horror stared down at her. Kiyora took a step back.

It still wasn't half as terrifying as Laughing Wraith.

"That," said Morpheus.

The nightmare slashed downward. Kiyora leaped away as its massive clawed hand hit the ground. It seemed to explode and send forth dozens of smaller claws that raked at her. She slashed several away with her sword, but still, more of them appeared to cut at her. One hit her skirt and was deflected.

Kiyora summoned her full power and swung her blade. With another rainbow wave, the hands were all destroyed. The nightmare drew back the stump and reeled in pain. Kiyora looked to Morpheus.

"Where the hell did that thing come from?" she asked.

"I don't know, but we've got to stop it," said Morpheus. "A nightmare of that level can kill people." Quick Kiyora, use your Rainbow Slash Attack!"

"I just did," said Kiyora.

"Calling the attack name enhances the power," said Morpheus.

"Why?!" roared Kiyora.

"I don't know; it just does," said Morpheus. "Now, do it before it's too late."

The now three-legged nightmare regained its footing. Its entire body sprouted thousands of tendrils, all rushing at her simultaneously. Kiyora raised her sword, and time seemed to slow to a crawl. Closing her eyes, she summoned the power of Alchara. That power had lain within her for her entire life.

She opened her eyes and shone with a many-colored light. "Rainbow Justice Slash!"

Alchara, above, that was a stupid attack name.

It did work, though. A wave of rainbow light larger than any she had summoned before was unleashed. There was a horrific screech, and the monster recoiled. For a moment, it was a blighting shadow upon a backdrop of many colors. Then it was burned away. However, the sky was still dark.

Kiyora tossed the sword into the air, triumphant, before reaching up to catch it. She missed the haft and barely managed to avoid cutting off her fingers. Fortunately, the blade turned in midair and plunged into the ground beneath her. She pulled it out.

"Got it," said Kiyora.

Then, around her, three more shadows began to form. They grew out of the park as if they were massive trees. Leering faces could be seen in them, only to disappear and be replaced with agonies. They were all around Kiyora, and the shadows soon grew upwards, even larger than the last one. Every light in the city dimmed and then went out. Every star in the sky was quenched. The grass beneath her feet seemed to claw at her.

Kiyora raised her sword and focused. A light emerged from it, brighter and brighter. The shadows all around her were driven back in a ring. Yet they were still there, tearing at the edges of her vision. "Where did these come from?"

"These are all greater nightmares," said Morpheus. "We should have detected these forming a long time ago. They must have been brought in from outside. We should wait for reinforcements from the Department of Spiritual Defense."

"Yeah, that's great!" said Kiyora. "Shut up so I can kill them!"

She didn't have enough power. Not from Alchara. However, Kiyora was also the Dreaming Goddess. That sensation of not being merely herself returned. She felt as though Kiyora was only a shell she inhabited. Even now, she felt as though she could see everything. "The DSD is already fighting throughout the city. They are defending people from the lesser nightmares. Other cities throughout the Dreamer Empire are fighting as well. But the worst of them are focused here."

"Are you sure?" asked Morpheus, eyeing her.

"Yes," said Kiyora. "I just know. I am the Dreaming Goddess, remember. Nightmares are cropping up all over the city. Lieutenant Escalus and the rest of the DSD are dealing with them. However, the worst of them are focused here. I'll take care of these quick-"

She began to summon her power. The nightmares drew back in fear. However, Morpheus put a paw on her foot. "Wait, Kiyora," he said. "These creatures only appeared to attack you. I think this is a trap."

"All right, smart guy," said Kiyora, "you kill them or get me some other help."

Morpheus paused. "As you wish." Then, the symbol of the sun on his brow shone. A beam of golden light shot out through the barrier. It struck one of the nightmares. The creature screamed and reeled backward before fading away into many shadows. Those shadows were absorbed by the other nightmares, which grew larger still.

"...That's all my power," said Morpheus. "I'm going to go get some help." And he leaped out of the barrier. The other nightmares lashed at him, but he flew high above their tendrils and away. The horrors broke off pursuit and continued to slam against Kiyora's circle.

"Freaking cat!" muttered Kiyora. "Backing out on me!"

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The others grew bolder. Kiyora saw them tearing at the light. Minutes dragged on, and she could do nothing. She wanted to use her powers as the Dreaming Goddess. But at the same time, something told her she should not be hasty. To conserve her energy as best she could.

Hadn't she been doing that all along?

As she watched the nightmares flail, she thought she heard something. Screams. Was that Laurus screaming? And Reya and Gisora. They were being torn apart. She had to go to help them. She found herself preparing to spring past the circle to attack the nightmares.

But something held her back.

What was she doing? Her friends were hurt. She needed to go to them.

Except there was no good reason for them to be out here, especially with all the nightmares. Once she realized this, Kiyora suddenly thought the screams changed to be more like the wind. Why had she ever mistaken it for her friends?

Sweat dripped down her brow. She could feel her power waning. At this rate, she'd have to just chance it and destroy the nightmares alone. It was better to fight an uphill battle than stall till she lost by default. She raised her sword and prepared to attack.

"Leave her alone!" cried a familiar voice.

Then, from the shadows above descended Reya. The shy girl landed before Kiyora, and as she did, the skies above opened just a bit to reveal a glimmer of starlight. In her hands was a long staff of oak.

Morpheus landed next to her.

"Reya?" asked Kiyora. "What are you doing here?"

"I made emergency recruitment," said Morpheus.

"I heard you were in trouble," said Reya. "And there were all these terrible things going on. So I wanted to help." Then she raised her staff and suddenly looked more assertive than Kiyora had ever seen her. "'In the name of Alchara, I will smite you!'"

Instantly, spectral vines grew from the ground. They twisted around Reya, intertwining around her. Soon, she was wholly obscured from view. Then, a bud appeared, which transformed into a brilliant violet flower. From that flower emerged Reya.

She wore a silver tiara with a violet gem. Her outfit was much like Kiyora's but had a longer skirt and fingerless gloves. In one hand was a bow, and by her side was a quiver. Setting an arrow to it, she drew back the bow and summoned green energy around it.

"Growth Shot!" cried Reya.

Firing it skyward, it exploded. The glimmer of starlight expanded, and the sky was visible again. And down from it descended green rain. Vines grew up all around them, glowing as they wrapped up the nightmares. They dragged them downwards toward the ground and forced them into place. The nightmares grew new limbs to tear at the vines, but these two were dragged down.

"Now, Kiyora!" cried Morpheus. "Use your-"

"I know, I know," said Kiyora. Then she leaped into the air so she had a clear view of both nightmares. Swinging her sword, she unleashed her power. "Rainbow Justice Slash!"

Down went the colors of the rainbow. They struck the nightmares, and both were helpless to act against it. They screeched in agony and were obliterated. Kiyora landed on one knee.

It hurt—a lot.

"Thanks, Reya," said Kiyora, forcing herself to stand. "But how did you do that? I thought you needed practice." Her knee still ached.

"In emergencies, Alchara grants rookie Dream Sages extra power," said Morpheus. "Also, a Dream Sage's power results from their personality. Reya is a gardener and has a green thumb, so her powers are associated with plants."

"I um..." Reya paused. "I know it wasn't as cool as you, but..."

"Reya, that was awesome," said Kiyora. "Anyway, let's see if we can help around the city-"

"This is bad," said Morpheus.

"What?" said Kiyora.

Then she saw he was looking behind her. Following his gaze, she saw many specters. The dead were rising out of the ground in great numbers. They were moaning and screeching at the agony of their existence. There were humans, satyrs, giants, and all.

Reya set another arrow to her bow. "Growth Shot!"

Once again, the vines whipped up and bound them. But more and more specters came after them. Kiyora swung her sword and slew more of them with each swing. Yet two more appeared for each one she defeated. Arrow after arrow was fired to keep them back. Finally, enough vines were springing up to keep them in place.

"How many more of these things are there?" asked Reya, panting and sweating. "How did you last this long, Kiyora?"

"I'm the Dreaming Goddess," panted Kiyora as she swung again. "This stuff is nothing."

"You didn't look like it's nothing," said Reya.

"Look, Reya, I got woken up in the middle of the night to deal with this," said Kiyora. "I destroy one nightmare, and the next thing I know, I'm facing an infinite number of them." She slew more of the specters. "How did you become a Dream Sage?"

"Morpheus told me it was an emergency, and you needed my help," said Reya. "Then, he unlocked my powers."

Kiyora swung again, and more of them died. At that moment, the vines broke, and the specters rushed at them. Summoning what little power remained, Kiyora plunged her sword into the ground. Another circle of light radiated outward. She felt lightheaded as the specters pressed up against it.

"This is horrible..." said Reya.

"Don't worry," said Morpheus. "Alchara doesn't expect you to keep being a Dream Sage after this, Reya. This can be a one-time thing if you want."

"Assuming we get past the one time," said Kiyora. "I need to talk about something, Morpheus. It'll distract me from how hard this is." Her head was aching.

"Well, why don't you ask me some questions," said Morpheus. "I'll answer as best I can."

"Where exactly were you when Laughing Wraith invaded anyway?" asked Kiyora.

"To be honest, we've seen a rising of darkness through the Dreamer Empire," said Morpheus. "Actovosh is under the direct protection of Emperor Ictargo. So, we moved most of our Dream Sages to other cities.

"Also, Wraith outwitted us. He was very clever, you know. The good news is that I now know where these nightmares came from," He stopped.

"Well?" asked Kiyora.

"They come from the Dark Elven realm," said Morpheus. "The world of Narvan. Or possibly Nishmar, another planet in the system. But probably Narvan. You can tell because these nightmares emphasize torture and pain. Rioletta has a fetish for that kind of thing."

"Way too much information," said Kiyora. "And torture and pain as opposed to what?"

"Nightmares come in all shapes and sizes," said Morpheus. "Sometimes, they make you think you are being chased by something too horrible to imagine. Other times, they make you think others hate you. These are all about direct physical agony."

"Well then, how did they come from Narvan?" asked Kiyora. "That's a long way to travel."

"Narvan is more than another world," said Morpheus. "It exists in direct opposition to our own. If the barrier between the worlds is weakening, it is only natural that something might be able to let them in."

"But who?" asked Reya.

"Yes, who among all the universe would have such majesty and power?" asked a familiar voice.

The specters stopped. Violet flame licked up, and into view stepped Arraxia. She had the Axe of Fortenex in one hand and the Void Stone in the other. And she was smiling in a friendly fashion.

"Arraxia," said Kiyora. She wasn't even going to pretend she was surprised.

"The same. Oh, good job on fighting those nightmares," said Arraxia. "I must say I am most enjoying testing out the full might of the powers of the Void Stone. Our connection gave me the perfect place to use them without fear of reprisal."

"What are you talking about?" asked Kiyora.

"Oh, come now," said Arraxia. "Both of us put a piece of our essence into Baltoth's Retribution. Thus, we share an innate bond. One which I have used to follow you to this world."

"Who is this, Kiyora?" asked Reya.

Kiyora felt afraid. She'd never expected Arraxia to get here. Now, she'd given her the means without even meaning to. But she put on a boldface. "A narcissist with delusions of grandeur," Then she snatched up her sword. Then she summoned her power.

"Growth Saber!" cried Reya, firing an arrow.

Arrow and sword unleashed their power. Vines whipped up to bind Arraxia's legs together. Others grabbed her wrists and pulled them behind her back so that she was forced to stand upright. More and more vines went onto her. Despite herself, Kiyora liked how Arraxia looked tied up. What did that say about her?

Did it matter? She unleashed her power. "Rainbow Justice Slash!"

And a rainbow shot towards her. But the Axe of Fortenex blazed with a blood light. The vines burst into flames and fell away. The demoness swung the axe and struck the rainbow. In an instant, hundreds of specters were consumed in the blaze. Their spirits returned to the Void Stone.

"What are you doing?" asked Arraxia in bemusement.

"Calling my attacks," said Kiyora. "It's kind of silly."

"Well, to each their own," said Arraxia.

Then she surged forward. Her axe was swung round, and everything went in slow motion. Kiyora could see the Axe of Fortenex gleaming as it went closer and closer to Reya's throat. Leaping forward, Kiyora brought up her sword and blocked it.

The weight of the blow forced Kiyora to one knee. Even as she stopped it, Arraxia spun the haft around to strike Kiyora in the face. She reeled back and hit the ground.

"Oh, you stopped it," said Arraxia. "I was hoping to cut off her head. I've never actually killed anything with this axe, and you seemed like a good start."

"Get out of my world!" hissed Kiyora.

The command took form. Yet as it rushed toward Arraxia, the demoness stood where she was. For a moment, they stood there. And Kiyora felt Arraxia's mind, her smug confidence, her desire for power. She wrestled with her will, but Arraxia stood there. Kiyora was exhausted. She'd hardly had any rest for the past few months and could not defeat Arraxia here.

Not like this.

"You shouldn't make commands you can't back up," said Arraxia. "I rather like it here. I think I'll stay. But since you seem intent on opposing me, I think you'd better go."

Then she raised the Void Stone. It glowed, and the world began to shift. Kiyora suddenly found herself being drawn away from Actovosh. She was drawn away from this world. Darkness gripped her, and she was away from that world and into another.

She blacked out.