A Beautiful Nightmare

Darkness.

It always started with darkness.

John wasn't normally scared of the dark. He had faced real monsters, he had slain thousands of them by now. Whatever his primitive brain was convinced lurked in the shadows, the things that his deepest human instincts tried to warn him of, those were not things that could harm him—even if they had been real. But this was no ordinary darkness. This wasn't merely the absence of light.

Turning his gaze, only to ever find more inky blackness... it felt more like the absence of everything. The absence of reality itself.

"It's just a dream. Wake up." John's efforts were fruitless, as they always were. No matter what he told himself, no matter how quickly he realized what was happening, he could never manage to awaken on his own.

"Stop resisting. Go back to sleep."

"No!"

Another voice echoed the word around John's cry, but he could hardly hear it. He'd screamed the word so loud that it shook his very soul, so loud that the silence that fell afterward only served to emphasize the emptiness around him all the more. He had dreamed this dark a thousand times. He had heard these voices a thousand times.

"You only **** more suffering upon yourself. Forget what is lost."

"I'll never forget h̷̳̩͉͗̌̅/̷͎̰̪͍̽́͆̓͒̚-̸̖̆̔̑̏̑͝.̴̢̫͕̠͎͈͓̟͈̥̈́̀̏͌!"

"Then you will suffer without end. With us."

A scream. Another. The void was endless, yet it seemed as if his own screams were echoing, joining in the cacophony of nightmarish howls that swirled and stormed around him. He felt nothing, saw nothing, yet he screamed in horror all the same, compelled by some unknown terror. In the darkness, finally, a light appeared. It shimmered a brilliant blue, so bright that it burned his eyes, and no matter how it felt as if he twisted his head, he could not escape it. It grew and spread, expanded, until a strange sigil of woven runes was all he could see, until it was engulfing him, surrounding him, passing through him, and then-

---

"Hey, hey... wake up, please?"

John's eyes burst open and immediately danced around the room, his heart pounding in his chest. He very nearly jolted upright as he awoke, only stopping because his body also reflexively jerked away from the shadowy figures above him—until his panic subsided enough for him to recognize the faces of his three companions. Their worried expressions met his panicked one, uncertainties and anxieties mingling for a moment before their tensed bodies reluctantly began to relax.

"M-morning, everyone," John managed, rubbing gently at his eyes and temples. "Sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep."

"The sleeping part was nice. Err, it was, until a few minutes ago." Aria's voice fell a little as she spoke, nervously massaging John's upper arm. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine, it was just a nightmare. I'm used to it," John murmured. "I try not to sleep anymore, since my abilities mean I don't need to. Seems like I got a little too cozy and dozed off, I guess."

"What is a nightmare, Creator John?" Aclysia's tongue hesitated over the new word.

"It's like a dream, but... bad. Usually scary. It definitely was this time."

A look of comprehension dawned on Aclysia's face, mixed with a smear of disappointment. John had explained dreams to her before, and at the time she'd been quite fascinated. "Do all humans have nightmares?"

"At some point, yeah." John was expecting another question, but instead, Aclysia reached out to him, cradling his hand in her own. The texture and feel of the synthetic skin over her marble body was always a bit unusual, but to his shaken mind, she felt strong and reliable at a time when he very much was not.

"A little rest and relaxation is good for you. But not if you can't even get a good night's sleep," Farrah soothed, her fingers starting to comb through his short hair affectionately. "How long have these been going on for?"

"Ah. Right, you three..." John's voice carried off for a moment, his eyes wandering across the wall. "Since Seras died. Aria, I don't really feel like going through the whole thing right now, but-"

"It's alright, you don't need to. I only want to make you happy," Aria swore, fingers brushing over his arm. Something about the way she said it struck a chord that didn't resonate well with John, but nothing felt right just then anyway.

"Anyway, it's been over a year now. Not every night, but... enough to make sleep scary. I thought they'd get better, eventually, but if anything, I think they've gotten more vivid each time."

John shivered at the mere acknowledgment of it. Sometimes the voices said different things, sometimes he'd catch glimpses of things in the dark. But they were always the same voices, the same symbol, all burned into even his waking mind now.

"Before I soundproofed the house, Sophia woke me up a few times to keep me from disturbing the others. I know they still heard it at least a few times, though. Nowadays, I usually try to avoid sleeping as much as I can." John shrugged indifferently. "It's not so bad. At least I have an ability that lets me get away with it. If I didn't have Gamer's Body to keep me awake, I'm not sure how well I'd be handling myself. Especially since I'm sure the sleep isn't the greatest..."

"I don't think I've ever felt you going through any emotion quite like you were just now," Farrah murmured. "That was a new one. One I didn't like."

"I'm not particularly fond of it myself," John said with a mirthless chuckle. "Like I said, I've been avoiding sleeping as much as possible. Maybe a half-dozen times since I came back from the West Coast with you in tow, probably a lot less."

"Is there anything we can do for you?" Aria pleaded, her hands roving over his skin restlessly. Her body was tense, and John finally noticed just how much now that he had shaken off the last dregs of lingering fear.

"No, I'll be fine. I just need a little time; it isn't always easy to just snap out of it," John explained, easing the three of them away from him one at a time, giving himself enough room to sit upright on the bed. "I appreciate you three being here, that's more than enough. I'm sorry that I woke all of you up, though."

"Don't be. I'm glad we were here for you, Creator John." Aclysia gave a smile, small but genuine, her eyes gleaming. "I do not require sleep, but even if I did, I would not have minded. Since you created me, I've always seen you help others when they needed it. You have always done your best to answer my questions, no matter how endless they are. I'm glad we could provide you some small comfort."

"Not small," John corrected, leaning forward and planting a gentle kiss on Aclysia's forehead. "You three, and everyone else here, are the greatest comforts I could ask for. I didn't do a good enough job of showing just how much I appreciate you all for a while, but I'll try to make amends for that."

When he pulled back, her face was unmoved, even her smile fading slightly. For a beat, he thought that the gesture might have been ill-received—then she lifted one arm and touched the place he'd kissed, fingers gently tracing a lingering warmth that was probably more imagined than real. Her mouth opened slightly, but no words emerged from the first quivers of her jaw. Only on a second attempt did she manage to bring the words to life.

"You do not need to do anything for me, Creator John," Aclysia said evenly. "But... I appreciate the gesture."

"I'm glad." John was hardly given enough time for a small smile before Farrah and Aria were pressing against his sides, nuzzling against him once more, as if he'd never freed himself from the bed's embrace at all.

"Me next! Me next!" Aria pleaded, leaning in and giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

"I can feel how much you appreciate us. But a reminder is nice too," Aria whispered, sounding almost conspiratorial. She giggled deviously as she brushed her bangs out of the way for him. "Come on, just one."

"Alright, we-"

"Just one?" Aria interrupted, giving Farrah a faux-devastated look.

"Okay, two. Maybe three, tops!"

"Do I get a say in this?"

The two girls looked at each other, over to Aclysia, and then back at John in nearly perfect sync with each other.

"No!"

No less than a dozen kisses on a half-dozen different body parts later, John finally managed to escape. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving the three girls to gaze longingly after him. Aria's right hand traveled idly along the sheets, tracing the space left empty in his absence.

"Farrah, did you mention something about being able to feel John's emotions?" Aria's voice broke the stillness, her eyes swaying over to the brunette. Farrah returned the look, eyes growing larger for a moment as she thought back over what she'd said.

"Oh, I suppose we haven't had much of a chance to speak yet," Farrah murmured, absently brushing hair behind an ear. "Yes, I can. John calls me an 'empath'; it seems like I can feel the emotions of the people around me, at least to an extent. It's been sort of hard getting the hang of it and understanding what each feeling is, but I'm getting better at it."

"What do you feel from me?"

Aria's expression was inscrutable, her features unmoving as she spoke. Farrah blinked once, lips jumbling as they fumbled for the answer that Aria might be searching for—and feeling admittedly unsure if that was the right one to give regardless. Farrah's lips pursed slightly as she focused in on the incubus, letting the sensations radiating from the demoness simmer in her mind.

"Almost the same as before. Like an eggshell of happiness around an empty void."

"You feel pretty happy to me," Farrah said quietly, tilting her head. Her brows quivered and her lips trembled as she tried to make herself look more curious and confused than guilty. "And you looked happy when you were cozying up to John. Do you not feel happy?"

"Happy? No, no, you're right, of course." Aria gave a quiet snort, swatting her palm through the air derisively. "I mean, who wouldn't be happy? This place is amazing. I hope the discussions go well, maybe then John will return soon."

"I hope so too. I enjoy when Creator John spends time here," Aclysia agreed softly. "I hope that he considers my offer to accompany him during this training period. I will miss him if I do not see him for an entire week."

"Yeah…"

Aria's smile remained, but the corners of it drooped before she could fully fix them in place.

"Me too."

---

The Brighton Manor was as bustling as John had ever seen it. The preparations for the upcoming war had been noticeable the last few times that he had visited but this was something else entirely. The halls were not significantly more bustling than usual, but everywhere John went he noticed the signs. The sound of blacksmiths working endlessly, the traces of magic that he could now see wafting around in every corridor, and the mixture of anxiety, fatigue, and resolute hope that seemed blended on every face that he passed.

With anxiety and fatigue admittedly being much more obvious in some than in others. Such as the Brighton heiress, who was doing little to disguise either her weariness or her anxiety when it came to the Gamer and the Moon Clan heiress.

"You are quite certain there is nothing I can do to convince you to abandon this absurdity?" Moira groaned in defeat as the three of them took their seats around the meeting room table.

"The only absurdity is that we haven't been training this harshly until now," Kim shot back without hesitation. Even in the chair, her posture seemed somehow ready, as if she could easily cleave both of them in half without even standing. Perhaps she could.

"It's insane enough for us to be considering doing this seven days in a row as is. I know you'd have happily attempted to do it for the entirety of the last month, but I beg you, Kim, have some small sense of self-preservation."

"Self-preservation is precisely why this is so important. Besides, we're only training for eight hours a day. Hardly more than I normally subject myself to," Kim scoffed.

"I would hardly compare physical training with actively throwing ourselves into battle." Moira groaned and adjusted her posture, rolling her shoulders slightly as she tried to shake off some of the tension she always built up when Kim was in one of her moods. "If I hadn't seen firsthand just how rapidly John's abilities can allow us to improve, I wouldn't even be entertaining this madness as long as I have."

"But it is rapid," John emphasized. "I'm already half-again as strong as I was a month ago. And by the time that this week is over, I intend to double that again."

"Double?" Kim's expression fractured, torn between a gleeful, almost predatory grin and a skeptical scrutiny. "In a week?"

"With enough people, yes," John reaffirmed. "I need twelve people to fill out three full groups if we want to move fast; Dungeon Barriers don't seem to get much easier or harder based on group size, so if one shift runs on a smaller group, it'll really slow us down. I have at least seven that can take positions, plus you two—and Etriyya also expressed interest in joining."

"I can always bring along Order Knights if need be. Though I'd prefer that we take things slow for your sake, rather than bring in fillers to allow you to keep recklessly throwing yourself into the fray." Moira intensified the look she was giving him for a moment, as if he could have missed the disapproval in her tone. "But I would prefer to avoid that. While it would be a fantastic opportunity for them to grow in strength, we'll already be slowing down our war preparation efforts by keeping healers at the ready at all hours of the day."

"When you said you had 'at least' seven, what did you mean?" Kim interjected, her eyes suddenly laser-focused. "Are you considering using your abilities to create more fighters?"

"No! No, I... I don't do that," John said, feeling a sense of discomfort welling up at the old argument making a return. "I have a couple of people who might be willing to assist, but they don't have much experience, or strength. There are also other complications—like Aclysia getting stronger based on consuming magical materials. That would cut into the resources we gather, which I was hoping to use for my own alchemy as well as providing some to you both to replenish what you're using in preparation for this war."

"Aclysia?" Moira murmured. "That method of growing stronger sounds like an Artificial Spirit. Did you make use of that crystal that I gave you after all? I nearly thought you'd end up throwing it in the trash, the way you looked at it when I gave it to you."

"There are quite a few new faces running around," John admitted almost bashfully. "You already know about some of them, like Farrah. I'll bring you to meet everyone sometime once we have time."

"Perhaps that could be a way to get you to take a break during this marathon training regimen," Moira said, voice breaking into a sigh.

"If he must be slowed, or stopped outright, I will be the one to do it. John and I share a drive for self-improvement in this matter, but we also recognize when the other has gone too far." Kim turned her eyes from Moira to John with a confident look, a familiarity and trust that surprised him to see so openly from the stoic Slayer. "And I can think of a few ways to **** his hand in such matters."

"Not sure I like the sound of that..." John murmured.

"Is it possible to bring Father along?" Moira blushed slightly at the way Kim's expression was shifting into a more playful one, and she stiffened her features as she diverted the conversation. "For all my efforts, he still has years and years of experience over me as a Warden, and a long career as a highly-respected Order Knight before that. If we could increase his strength even further…"

"No, I don't think so." John's lips arched down in unconcealed disappointment. "We can try it, but there's a limit to how much stronger someone can be when they're helping with a dungeon run, or even individual enemies. I've noticed the issue before, especially when Adantia wiped out a whole dungeon worth of enemies in one go. Seems to be a little inconsistent, but the stronger party has never gained anything that I've noticed, and a lot of times it decreases—or outright eliminates—the gains for everyone else, too."

"Unfortunate. Father alone would be worth several of us, even without calling upon what memory remains of the Rose..." Moira lamented.

"And I can assume that would go for my father as well, then." Kim muttered something in Korean, then sighed. "Though I cannot claim to know how well he would take the request, either."

John scowled, remembering his last encounter with the Moon Clan patriarch.

"There is one other possibility. Though you would have to give it your approval, John."

"My approval?" John echoed, lifting one brow in concern. "What idea have you come up with that you need my approval for?"

"Not an idea. An opportunity." Moira reached for her phone, pausing for a moment as she unlocked it and scrolled. "Two days ago, at six fifty-seven in the afternoon, we were contacted by the Forgotten Legion."

"I remember you mentioning something about them. But didn't you say they vacated Springfield a while ago?"

"We weren't sure until now. But Julianna Balventia herself confirmed it—while explaining that they were on their way back," Moira elaborated, stashing her phone again. "It seems news of Adantia's presence is spreading as you'd hoped, John. Though I can't say I'm as pleased about how quickly news of your return is accompanying it."

"She knew about me being involved?" John felt his face twist in a grimace. Adantia had insisted on dragging him into things as payment and penance for doing the same to her, but he didn't have to like it. He'd attracted the attention of one of the Deities when he was a nobody with only rumors of odd abilities. Being associated with someone like her?

"More suspected than knew. But she knew you were back in Springfield after an extended absence, and she knew Adantia had shown up to protect a town she'd never been associated with. There's not a large leap in logic, given your penchant for getting yourself into the middle of the most absurd and dangerous situation you catch wind of."

"He does have a habit of being wherever is the least convenient for us, doesn't he?" Kim posited, giving John a wicked look.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you're suggesting we let her train with us." John let a pause hang for an instant, then continued when no correction came. "First, why is Julianna coming back? Is she that confident in Adantia without even meeting her? Second, do you trust her? I know the Legion used to be enemies with the Order, at least on occasion. And third, why did you specify my approval?"

"She may have heard the rumors of Adantia's performance, but it's just as likely the confidence on display by the Moon Clan and the Order as of late. Preparations for escape halted, soldiers making ready for war..."

Kim's eyes swiveled slowly around the perimeter of the room, as if gazing straight through the walls to the soldiers and craftsmen beyond working hard for the coming campaign.

"They cannot know the full extent of it, but it sends a signal all the same. The atmosphere no longer hangs heavy with the scent of despair and panic. It is the wary determination of a people who see an opportunity to emerge victorious, not of those whose passion marches them to their deaths."

"Kim is right. And they likely don't relish the idea of abandoning their home, thinking it lost, only for the whole of the city to be claimed by the Order and the Moon Clan. If we emerge victorious from this war, we will have the standing and power to enforce claims on the city at large—or even large swathes of the state. The thought of being left out of that is undoubtedly quite sour to them," Moira added. "As for trust, well, she's already allied with us once against the Cabal. She has no reason to betray us that I know of, and our foes are not ones that readily accept converts. Nor would any but the maddest of men be fool enough to try joining their ilk."

"Then what did you need my approval for?"

"As little effort as you have put into any attempts to keep yourself inconspicuous within the Abyss," Moira said, beginning with a very irate tone that only reluctantly faded, "this would still be inviting another to see one of the few powers and abilities you possess not yet fully revealed."

"Oh." John had to fight back a blush as her criticism rang all the more true for his reaction. He'd given up so much on concealing his abilities since the long-ago raid on Tricia's old house and the encounters with the Albidians that keeping things between them hadn't even occurred to him.

"Yes, ‘Oh,’ indeed," Kim remarked, a sardonic disbelief crossing her features.

"It could be a problem for other people to realize that some of my quick improvements could be shared." John frowned at the admission. "But I don't think it'll be a problem this time. Especially if we emphasize why neither of your fathers can help us train while Julianna is in earshot. My Dungeon abilities aren't that helpful to the people powerful enough to really threaten us, with maybe one exception for creating materials that didn't exist before."

"And going into this war will be enough to make those who could stand to benefit aware of just how dangerous such a proposition would be," Kim spoke firmly, her thumb idly tracing the glistening pommel of her blade.

"Exactly."

"She has to safely move all of her soldiers back here regardless; it won't be an immediate thing," Moira noted. "Likely two or three days, at least, from the way she was talking."

"That's fine. We can take it a little easier for a day or two, if it comes down to having a partial group."

"Speaking of which, we should decide the groups." Moira nodded firmly, pulling a binder of paper closer to her. "Now that I've failed for the last time at talking you both out of this, we may as well ensure that it's at least organized. Our best chance of making use of this madness is having things properly sorted out beforehand. Let's start by discussing the group arrangements."

"Oh, I already had a few ideas about that," John chimed in, eyes alight with lists long sorted. "I want to start right at the stroke of midnight. Some of my creations don't need to sleep, so I'll team up with them for the first-"

"I'll join the first group," Kim interrupted, holding up her hand. "A Slayer can go for days without sleep, starting at midnight won't be a problem."

"She only wants to be a part of the first so she can lie about how tired she is and convince you to let her continue on into the second shift," Moira groaned, her face having already started to fall the moment Kim spoke up.

"She's just worried about letting me have you to myself all night long." Kim turned to face John, keeping the wicked smirk that touched her face out of Moira's sight. "Don't mind her. A jealous little prude has no business in determining what hour of the day I come to see you. Nor for how many hours our vigorous exercise lasts."

John sighed as Moira began a furious rebuttal, one with a jab at Kim's dedication that actually cut deep enough to flush the Slayer's face with anger.

"Well, she lasted almost an entire discussion without provoking Moira."