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[Weirdo]

You charge the Nightmare, holding the staff above your head like a sword. You aim to bring it down on its evil head, but it dodges. You then slam the floor where it now stands, which produces a small shatter. When it tries to counter by jumping and clawing your face off, you block its claws with your staff. This produces an interesting result. The staff seems to burn the Nightmare, and it releases a painful roar to let you know that, followed by a slight melting of its hands, and dripping black matter accompanied by steam.

You don't waste any more time and deliver a flurry of slashes and swipes. You don't connect, the Nightmare dodges. You both lunge at each other in an airborne fashion until you meet. When you land, you find that you have a wound on your stomach, but that the Nightmare has been slain. It collapses into a puddle of thick fluid before disappearing. You can feel your heart rate slow but the adrenaline is still coursing through your veins. This place feels real, but you swear it can't be.

You have proven to have will.

"Who are you? Where are you?"

Test your will against a horde. The armies of darkness yield high in number, in silence from the shadows.

Before you can protest -- again -- more Nightmares appear. Instead of one, you see tens. You'd guess somewhere in the fifties. Their beady eyes and moving figures don't surprise you anymore, nor do they scare you. They're easily killable. Or whatever-able.

When your staff turns into a wand, you try calling out to the mind-voice for answers. "Hello?"

Now you must use your will directly.

The staff seems to be easier to hold in this form. As if it were meant to cast spells. You don't have time to eye the object because several Nightmares are charging towards you. They don't seem to learn very well. Time is of the essence, however. Your adrenaline isn't thinning out, but it is stabilising, making the wound's pain more prevalent. You aren't bleeding but this isn't an ideal situation for combat.

> What do?

Spoiler: Inventory (click to show/hide)

- Soma Necklace
- Wandstaff

[NJW2000]

Use will to slow and trip them, in some manner involving the ground, their feet, and a great deal of pain. Then stamp on their heads if possible.

[TheBiggerFish]

Fireballs.

[Weirdo]

With an effortless flick of your wand you release a series of fireballs. The fire here seems more 'polished' than in the real world, but it does the trick. The first series of Nightmares all go down quickly, some melting and others turning into black dust and vanishing. Those remaining watch and wait, as if to formulate a new plan. Not a bad idea, you think to yourself. Their new plan? To join and create a single entity. This one appears to be human, or would be if not for the ebony formless skin and those trademark yellow eyes. Rather than a round shape, the eyes are almond-like in their form, making it seem even more alarmingly human.

"That staff."

You're almost too surprised to reply when you hear it give you a command. "H-huh? The staff? Why do you want it?"

"Relinquish the staff and you may go free."

"You mean, leave this place?"

"The staff!" Its hand is outstretched as if expecting you to simply give it up without issue. It's not keen on answering further questions.

A rare Nightmare indeed. Darkness can evolve, as it is the source of uncertainty¹. Uncertainty can seduce you, use your mind against you. A citadel of resolve is required to repel the Nightmares, lest you fall victim to your own ego.

You eye the staff -- now a staff once again -- before clutching it tightly. "No", you begin firmly, conviction dripping from your voice. "I know what you are. Nothing good will come from you having the staff. I-I won't give it to you!"

The Nightmare cocks its head to the side and scoffs. "Then I shall take it!" It glides over to you and reaches for the staff, you reflexively recoil. This Nightmare can touch the staff. Though it is burned, the burning is slow and less intense.

"Release it!"

You yell and let loose a wall of fire that pushes the creature away from you a few feet. Unfazed, it simply idles with its head cocked again. The thing is just eerie to behold. The hand that touched the staff bubbles with heat, but fixes itself in moments.

"No ordinary Nightmare", it mumbles.

Indeed.

> What do this time?

Spoiler: Inventory (click to show/hide)

- Soma Necklace
- Wandstaff (Staff Mode)

¹ I always philosophize that the only fear humans have is uncertainty. Example? Darkness. You don't know what is in a dark room. If you have night vision goggles on, you no longer fear the room even though, by definition, it's still dark. If it wasn't, you wouldn't be able to use the goggles! Fear travel? Why? Because you likely heard bad things about a particular nation and it being 100% foreign to you, is a mystery. Is full of, wait for it, uncertainty.

[NRDL]

Light a fire within the Nightmare, whilst beating it with the Staff.

[NJW2000]

Light a fire within the Nightmare, whilst beating it with the Staff.

+1

[Weirdo]

"Ordinary or not, go to Hell!" With a flick of your wand, the Nightmare is set ablaze until its form is a mere puddle of goop. You feel a sense of relief and accomplishment until you see what replaces it.

But most of all, an indomitable will is imperative for all Dreamers. The will to remain strong in the face of unspeakable adversity. For often times, one's worst enemy is...himself.

It's you. "You"? Something. A Nightmare, but in your likeness, with grey skin and bright yellow irises. A black aura escapes it body, and it eyes you menacingly.

". . . What? What is this?"

"Hahaha. I'm you, idiot." It even sounds like you, with a demonic reverb in 'your' voice.

You look around in confusion for a moment until the mind-voice fills you in.

It speaks truth. It is your Ego, a manifestation of your true self. The self you hide from the world. It is a special kind of Nightmare known as a Shade.

You eye the...Shade cautiously. All it does is smile, waiting for you to break the silence.

- Reject the Shade. It is NOT who you are.
- Accept the Shade. The voice seems to know what its talking about.
- Use the necklace.
- Something else.

Spoiler: Inventory (click to show/hide)

- Soma Necklace
- Wandstaff

[NRDL]

Accept the shade.  From an IRL perspective, denying and repressing aspects of your personality is always a bad idea, imagine how self-destructive that could get in a fantasy setting.

[TheBiggerFish]

"If you're me, how come you're not me?  If you are not me, then why use my form?"

[S34N1C]

Accept the shade. Might lead to cool shadow powers.

[Weirdo]

The Shade nods and disappears. It becomes a stream of black and purple energy which forces its way into your heart. You gasp, but it's not overwhelming. Just a quick shock.

"What...happened?", you demand between breaths.

Your wilful acceptance of your true self has created a bond. The Shade has been purified, and is now an Avatar. Rather than your unabridged essence, your Avatar is your projection. How you're seen to others. How others see you. You are not ready yet, but nurture the bond between it and yourself. You will surely come to appreciate the power you both have.

"Thou art I. I am thou. Blessed are we, for we are one. A Shade I am no longer. I am your Avatar. You have accepted me without incident, and so our bond is ours and it is sealed." This voice comes from your mind, but you hear it rather than 'feel' it like the other one. You nod confidently.

Your time here is finished. Your Guidance is complete. Now, you leave the station.

"What? I still have questions to ask! What is all this anyway?"

Only when you are in dire need can you seek Guidance. Slay the Nightmares, save the world. Good luck, Dreamer.

Before you can protest, you're in another new location. It's some kind of train terminal, only it's eerily empty. The sky looks almost unreal with its blue-green shimmer and red sun. You approach the terminal steps and stare up at the entrance. You get the feeling this is a possible exit from this dream.

- Stay in the dream. You still have work to do. Questions to answer.
- Stay in the dream. What's a train station doing here?
- Wake up. You need to take a break from all this.

Spoiler: Inventory (click to show/hide)

- Soma Necklace
- Wandstaff
- Avatar [LOCKED]

[NJW2000]

Stay in the dream. What's a train station doing here?

[NRDL]

Stay in the dream. What's a train station doing here?

+1

[Weirdo]

"A train station?" You approach it cautiously. Nothing is what it seems here. This place is full of surprises. You're not ready to leave just yet, but you grow tired of all the drama. That last ordeal felt like something out of an anime. Or something from a critically-acclaimed video game series. Whatever. It's not even that serious.

You reach the platform and find no one. Just two trains that look pretty strange. The carriages resemble caterpillars, and the 'glass' isn't glass at all, but a weird bio-film. It's kind of disgusting, and your stomach agrees as it bubbles a bit. Just the though of sitting down inside of a living thing does you in. Almost.

You elect to read the route sign.

< ------ TO: LUMEN FOREST
<--- TO: NIGHTOPIA
--> TO: CASTLE OF DREAMS
------------> TO: MNEMOS - CITY OF MEMORIES
---------> TO: EXIT DREAM

You don't want to leave the dream just yet, but you have a few destinations to choose from. None of them in particular speak to you, so you eventually say "toss it" and decide to head to ...

Spoiler: Inventory (click to show/hide)

- Soma Necklace
- Wandstaff
- Avatar [LOCKED]

[NRDL]

Let's head to Nightopia.