Moonlight Sonata

[Dianne]

Moonlight Sonata played through the living room of Chloe's home in Moon Valley. The piano was seated right in front of a window giving Dianne a clear view of the moon outside as it cast its rays of moonlight onto the quiet Victorian era city. Dianne would never get over just how diverse this very continent was. One part future-setting, one part modern with some medieval elements and one part Victorian era. It made no logical sense to her but she was a foreigner to this world and it could very well work outside the bounds of what she knew as logic.

The call of the night was pulling hard on the strings of her unbeating heart. Like a lover calling out for their soulmate they both longed to be with each other but both knew it couldn't be. The night, once her favorite part of the day, something she longed for as soon as the sun came up, had quickly became her most dreaded hour. The urge to step outside and stand beneath the moon and get lost in all its wonders was as tempting as the various men and women in Hallowton who Dianne wanted to drink from. Chloe had given her a means to fight the blood lust but for this once proud vampire, it was not enough. She yearned for the hunt. She yearned for the sound of a beating heart to cease as the last drops of blood touched her lips and gave her an ungodly strength man could not hope to match.

On top of all that pain and yearning came the nightmare. Dianne watched as the skin on the back of her hand began to unravel from meat and bone. She watched helplessly as everything around her started to rot away and the wailing hit her eardrum making them ring inside of her head. Unlike the visions, which had only caused a minor inconvenience for the vampire in the past, reality itself was changing all around her and threatening to shatter the very little sanity Dianne had remaining. The pain was unimaginable. Something Dianne would not wish upon her worst enemy. She cried out, "Chloe! Chloe! CHLOE!" as she tilted over the piano and fell off the bench hitting the floor. Hands clamped to her head as she screamed out in pain. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Her shouts threatened to wake up the dead, echoing across all of Hallowton before they dived down, her voice now calling out for Chloe. Wanting the last thing she see to be a friendly face even if it was rotted away, but just as she was led to believe she would die everything reformed itself. For now it was over.

For now.

[Chloe/Kat]

Chloe had contacted the others concerning Dianne, her situation and how she was solely responsible for it due to her disability to act. The vampiress hoped that either Amoura or Argus would be able to come over to take a good look at her but would understand if neither could make it. Chloe was enjoying the music being played by Dianne down below until the screams soon replaced it. It only took less than a second for Chloe to get out of her bed and run down to the living room where Dianne was screaming and calling out for her name. Running over to her Chloe proceeded to wrap her arms around her tightly, not knowing any other method to comfort her when these episodes occurred. "It's ok, sweetie. I'm here." Chloe stroked her long raven black hair while holding her close, like a mother holding their child after having a really bad dream. All the blood in the world wouldn't help Dianne now, she needed professional help.

[Silver Eyes]

"Interesting." Argus's silver eyes were illuminated by the moonlight that bathed the room. He chose to not wear his armor this night, aside from the gauntlet that was practically attached to his flesh, and was in jeans and a brown, turtleneck sweater. The hybrid knelt before Dianne and Chloe to get a closer look. "Even from being passed from a second, it's still going strong. I guess there's more to the Nightmare than I thought." He frowned, "It always is mind over the illusions. While the curse is powerful, if the mind is strong enough, it can overcome it but it's a constant battle. Given time it will weaken and vision will eventually return to normal for the most part." Argus was at a loss. He hadn't encountered anyone who became a third victim in the line.

[Dianne]

Dianne held onto Chloe tightly when she finally came into the room, finding comfort in her warm embrace as she stroked her hair. For a time the vampire honestly believed that everything would be all right simply because it was Chloe that said it. She cursed herself in her mind for abandoning such a caring soul, though she wondered if Chloe would be this way had it not been for her abandonment. The scent of a third vampire, male, and some mix of demon entered their building and Dianne could only assume this was the infamous Argus that Chloe had told her so much about. The man that leaned heavily on Chloe's heart even now. Someone she would kill or die to be with. Jealously burnt in her eyes for half of a nanosecond as she looked over to the male as he spoke. Anger suddenly dictating the body as Dianne left Chloe's comforting hold to stand up and look down towards the hybrid.

"For the most part?" Dianne repeated with a questionable tone. "For the most part!?" Dianne hiss while extending her fangs, looking like she was going to attack the man but in all reality she was too weak for any kind of battle. All she could do was just stand there like a wounded animal trying to scare away all that came near it out of fear. "I am glad this is all so fascinating for you, hybrid. It's your sort fault this hell has been given the opportunity to pass on! You and that bitch!" Dianne soon fell off her feet, falling backwards and away from the two as now she lied on her knees talking to herself more than anything. "They taunt me. They laugh. You think it funny, do you? HUH! I'll rip out your throat and feast on your entrails!"

[Chloe/Kat]

"Dianne!" Chloe stood up from the ground and quickly stepped between Dianne and Argus in case Dianne would try something stupid but she would end up falling back down to the ground and continue to submit to the madness attacking her mind. Chloe knelt down beside her to check on her before turning her head back up to Argus. "Forgive her, Argus," Chloe began while standing up, "As you can imagine she's not herself. I've been at a lost on what to do. It's...it's my fault that she's like this."

[Silver Eyes]

"Blame ignorance on my other self. Amoura had forgotten that the Nightmare can be passed through blood until Chloe made the fatal mistake." Argus' visage hardened at Dianne's violent reaction and he, in turn, added a sharper edge to his tone, "Make no mistake. None of us are happy that the curse has passed on. You should consider yourself lucky because you're third in line. Imagine how it is for the first." The hybrid turned to face Chloe after she shouted the troublesome vampire's name. While she spoke, he kept his eyes on the unstable girl; his talons were flexed and ready to slice into flesh should she spring an attack.

"I can see that. The best I can do for her is to help her confront her fears head on, like what I did with you. If she gains some control over the Nightmares then it won't affect her as much as it is now." Argus took his eyes of Dianne to address Chloe fully without his attention being divided, "However she's too unstable right now to even attempt it. One change in the environment can make her sink further into this madness."

[Dianne]

"The gate is prepared, he says. He shall walk amongst the innocent, he says." Began Dianne, speaking through tears as she remained on her knees against the floor with a hand on her head. "Shut up! Shut up! I heard you the first time!" What Argus and Chloe was saying fell on deaf ears when it came to Dianne. She was too far gone in a world void of life and happiness. Nothing but dread and terror tearing away at her soul as she let out another scream and scooted over to a corner hugging herself. "Please. Please. Don't come any closer!" Dianne closed her eyes trying to wish it away while singing to herself quietly before she started screaming again. "NO! NO! PLEASE GOD NO!"

[Chloe/Kat]

Chloe's eyes softened as they look down on Dianne. Despite all the pain she had given her the vampiress still cared for her deeply, Dianne being her first love. Before Chloe didn't know if she wanted to love or hate Dianne but seeing her like this? Chloe couldn't bring herself to hate the vampire. Going over to Dianne's side Chloe knelt down beside her again and placed her hands on her cheeks, forcing the vampire to look into her eyes while trying her best to assure her she was safe with them. "Dianne, focus on me. Don't focus on him, focus on me. You're with friends and we're going to do everything we can to help you but you have to fight it." In their last conversation Dianne had boasted about being above the nightmares' influence but now she was subdued by them and there was only so much she and Argus could do to help her.

[Silver Eyes]

"And fighting it is the best she can do,"

It was familiar. The Son of Mundus was once in Dianne's shoes with only one true friend in the world to help him break free from the Nightmare's chains. Chloe was so much like Raiza in this particular moment. It was too bittersweet for his liking.

"Chloe, I'm afraid it's up to you for now. There really isn't much I can provide to help ease everything for her. If you can get her mentally strong enough to face the Nightmares head on I can work from there." The left corner of his mouth curled into a half smile, "I have confidence in you, Chloe."

[Dianne]

Dianne's eyes settled in on Chloe but it only served to make matters worse as Chloe's face appeared to be horribly disfigured in her mind, causing her to cry even louder as she tried to get away, tried to escape the clenches of those so trapped in-between decay. Dianne finally did slip from the corner and continued to scoot back until she had nowhere else to scoot. She was trapped if that horrible creature decided to come any closer. "Please!" Dianne begged. "Have mercy on me!"

[Chloe/Kat]

Chloe recognized that look, it was the same one she gave while everything was rotting away all around her. Waiting, Chloe predicted the correct amount of time she would be renewed in Dianne's eyes before approaching her again. "It's only me, Dianne." Taking her by the hand, Chloe helped Dianne up to her feet and led her back to the fallen piano. "Would you like to play some more on the piano? It was calming you down before." Chloe picked up the piano and the bench in front of it, guiding Dianne down onto the bench so she could relax herself by playing. Meanwhile Chloe turned back to Argus, a weak smile present on her lips from the compliment. "Thank you. I've been meaning to ask you for the longest time now about how the nightmares pass on. You and Amoura keep saying that it's through the blood. Does this mean if a victim was to donate his or her blood the receiver will be getting the nightmares in the process? Or is it only because of our ability to see memories that allows the nightmares to pass on from one person to the next?"

[Silver Eyes]

"Yes. If either of us were to give someone blood then they will 'inherit' the Nightmare. There's only one being who can infect you if you were to become trapped in his reality." Argus looked grim and Chloe and Dianne will know of whom he spoke of: The First Aspect. The white mask, the ebony eyes and the chilled hands could never leave one who had been marked--in one way or another, Veran was always watching from the corner of their eye.

"'A sacrifice of blood is what it demands for the cleansing of its world.'" It was repeated so many times and it held a key of knowledge about blood. Blood is a powerful thing and with the Nightmare being accessed via life...

"You'll have to be her savior much like Raiza was to me, Chloe. I know you will make progress with her."

[Dianne]

"Chloe!" Dianne brought her hands up to Chloe's cheeks to make sure it was really her. When she felt the pale yet smooth skin of the blonde's cheeks beneath her fingertips the vampire finally started to calm down and allowed Chloe to lead her back over to the piano. Not making a fuss, as it appeared the nightmares has gone away for the time being, Dianne started to play Moonlight Sonata again while Chloe and Argus talked amongst themselves. Until however, Dianne heard something come out of Argus' lips that caused her to stop playing altogether. "You'll have to be her savior much like Raiza was to me...." Dianne turned her head slightly to the left to look over at Argus. "It's just one big vicious cycle, isn't it?"

[Chloe/Kat]

"I'll try not to bleed on anybody." Dry humor. It was better than nothing. Chloe pretty much cringed when Argus cited the first aspect, having heard those words from the monster's mouth himself so many times in the past couple of months has left a mark on the vampiress that every time his words are quoted it stops whatever it was she was doing. The more Argus said he had faith in her ability to help Dianne the more Chloe began to blush, something she thought she would never do again with how pale she was. "I...I really don't know what to say." Chloe turned her attention back to Dianne when she spoke and just looked at her for a moment. "I'm determined to break the cycle." Without taking her eyes off of Dianne, Chloe approached her and crouch down beside her. "Are you?"

[Silver Eyes]

"Yes. It keeps repeating and unless the source is stopped, it never will." These series of events felt more than vicious when he put more pieces of the puzzle together. The Second Aspect caused the Nightmare to flare, Aircano and numerous galaxies were destroyed and now The End was well on her way through his alter self: Amoura. With her sister now having her own doomsday prophecy, tension was high and everyone was watching their backs. "You don't have to say anything. Just do what you must. Dianne needs to regain her strength."

To break the cycle was an impossible goal but Argus wouldn't put a damper in her determination. Her friend needed that spark of hope to begin the long climb out of the hell she had fallen into. The hybrid gave her a crooked smirk, "One way or another there will be a way for her as long as she has you. I have to return to the others to check on Zira. Some twins showed up and foretold her death at the hands of a 'betrayer'. Keep your eyes open. Both of you."