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Chapter 12: The History of Dream World
Nodoff woke up the next morning to the sound of singing in the room. It was coming from Yutopia, who had finished sweeping in the attic bedroom. Normally, the ghoul would've been annoyed and cranky at being woken up by anyone or anything. Of course, how often Nodoff slept in Dream World was very rare. In Dream World, time ran differently from the Real World. For one thing, it was always dark, so there was no day and night cycle. And the concept of the clock in Dream World was a fancy looking object with numbers and springs, which could go forward or backward according to Nodoff's choosing. But here in the Real World, everything was time sensitive. Everyone was always stressed out about something, one had to keep up with the pace of the environment (otherwise the person would be left behind), and everyone had to have a job to keep themselves out of trouble (if not, then they get in trouble with the law because they have too much time on their hands). Because of this, Nodoff found himself lacking the energy he once had while he was in Dream World. Before his injury, he detested being made to do chores, not because they were hard to do, but because they were grueling and felt long. Ever since his injury, when Nodoff finally practiced taking initiative on his own to help out, he had been told to take it easy, which was starting to annoy him. Morgana did allow him to walk around the house, but whenever Nodoff asked which chores she or her friends needed help with, he was limited to wiping the tables, light dusting, and laundry (if a second person was around to pass the dirty clothes to him). Even though the ghoul wanted to do more, everything else involved the use of both hands and heavy duty climbing, which he was in no condition to do so.
As for waking up to the sound of Yutopia's voice, Nodoff found it very comforting. He didn't know what song she was singing ... then again, he didn't know any songs at all. What the ruler of Dream World knew about music was mere observation from spying into other people's dreams. But upon hearing Yutopia's voice, it felt as if he were waking up to a beautiful garden. And he had smelled something familiar. It was the scent of lavender ... and it came from Yutopia.
"What song is that?" Nodoff asked inquisitively.
Yutopia stopped what she was doing momentarily to look up at Nodoff. "Something my mother used to sing to me. Does it bother you?"
Nodoff shook his head. "I'm just curious."
"You get curious about a lot of things, don't you?" Yutopia pointed out.
That caught Nodoff by surprise. He was not expecting a response like that. "Is that bad?"
Yutopia didn't respond, but finished up her sweeping. She avoided the ghoul's eye contact, pondering on how to approach this ruler of Dream World. Before she arrived in the Real World, Yutopia had only heard of Nodoff through stories her mother told her ... and most of those stories were unfavorable. According to her mother, the original ruler of Dream World (Nodoff's father) would threaten to take her child away if she did not become his queen. Her mother defied the monarch, and since then the demon gave them no peace. As for the ruler's son, Nodoff, Yutopia's mother used to tell her that she saw the boy change shape into a giant-sized ghoul and would bully the other slave ghouls. Yutopia was little, but she did recall seeing a giant-sized ghoul with blue hair and blue-green skin wearing an orange shirt, black vest, and brown pants. And based on that description alone, she knew that the ghoul in the bedroom right now was the exact same one.
"What songs do you like, Nodoff?"
Nodoff gulped nervously. "I ... hardly know any songs."
"Oh?" Yutopia cocked her head sideways.
"It angered my father when he caught me listening to any kind of song or music," Nodoff told her.
"I see," Yutopia replied and continued her sweeping. "Oh, this is off the subject, Nodoff, but what do you know about the ruler of Dream World?"
Nodoff could scarcely believe what he had just heard. Hasn't this girl figured out yet that he was the ruler of Dream World? But he remembered that he had to keep something like that a secret here in St. Canard. "Well ..." the ghoul began, "... I heard he likes to keep himself occupied."
Yutopia tilted her head back and laughed. "If by occupied you mean being intrusive to other people's dreams and exploiting other people's fears, then you're right!"
A stunned expression appeared on Nodoff's face. Had he overlooked something? Somehow, this Yutopia girl was starting to sound like Morgana. And Yutopia wasn't finished.
"I don't know what your opinion is, but I think the ruler of Dream World is a spoiled brat! He thinks he's so much better than everyone else and treats others as if they're expendable!"
Nodoff's ears drooped guiltily. Yutopia was starting to sound like Morgana. But he had never seen or heard of this girl before, so how did she know about him? "Well ... maybe he doesn't know that he's doing it."
"Oh, but I think he does," Yutopia replied with an undertone of warning. "I think he knew exactly what he's doing. He even bullied my own mother!"
Nodoff's orange eyes shrunk. Wait a minute! There was a pink-skinned ghoul he did see a long time ago, with hair just like Yutopia's, only thrice as long. The lady also wore a gray dress, which was shredded at the hem, and she always held something tightly to her body. Was it her ...? Yes, it was! The woman had a child ... that child was Yutopia! A nervous giggle escaped Nodoff's throat as he looked at the very spitting image of that pink-skinned, pink-haired ghoul standing right before his presence. "Eheheheh, wow! This ruler of Dream World has been bad, hasn't he?"
Yutopia chuckled at the ghoul's response. "Bad?! Bad's an understatement. Our monarch can't even mind his own business! Sometimes I think he needs a spanking."
Nodoff's nervous giggle turned into uncontrollable laughter as Yutopia's last comment hit a nerve that the ghoul never knew existed. It may have been because Yutopia spoke the truth and Nodoff knew it. At first, being told simple facts by someone else would've irritated him beyond reason, but something about Yutopia's direct and to the point approach he found hilarious. The female ghoul gave him a strange look as he laughed so hard that his face turned red and tears rolled down his cheeks. "What's so funny?!" she asked with a hint of seriousness in her tone.
Nodoff dried his eyes with the back of his hand as he slowly regained his composure. "So sorry ... I couldn't help it. It just slipped."
"But seriously, why would the ruler of Dream World do these things?!"
Nodoff didn't respond but became lost in thought. Obviously this Yutopia girl was angry with the ruler of Dream World (which was him of course), but his memory of her and her mother were in fragments. Clearly, he must've hurt this girl in a really bad way, just as he did with Morgana. But Nodoff had been so focused on Morgana that he completely forgotten any other girl student he encountered. He decided to change the subject. "Forgive my curiousness, Yutopia, but would you come with me for a walk?"
Yutopia's yellow eyes blinked in surprise. Why would this ghoul monarch want to walk with a low-level ghoul like herself?! As if to read her mind, Nodoff added another statement. "Why I'm asking is because ... I've been missing my home too much. Hearing the sound of your voice and having you around has been the best thing that has ever happened to me."
A slight blush appeared on Yutopia's pink face, making her appear more pink than ever. She never would've imagined that Nodoff, a spoiled and selfish creature, woukd ever say something like that. Although she knew very little of Nodoff, she did remember that Nodoff used to have a maniacal laughter that would scare her very badly (she often hid within her mother's arms when it happened). But now as she had saw him and heard his laughter, something about it was different. Nodoff's laughter sounded as if it was some hearty, cheerful laughter that he had been suppressing it for a long time. It made Yutopia think that maybe this ruler of Dream World just needed a friend. Still, she had to keep on her guard and be very attentive. After all, Nodoff did have a reputation of being conniving and condescending ... especially with the girls. "Where would we be walking to?"
Nodoff hoisted himself to a standing position with his crutches. "There's a park just three blocks away from the manor. I noticed it before I went with Darkwing to the grocery store. It looks pretty quiet there, and no one would bother us."
"Why do you want to go there?"
"It's the only place where we don't have to move too fast just to be out of someone's way," Nodoff replied. "Plus, we get the benefit of fresh air."
Yutopia's yellow eyes narrowed slightly with an impressed disposition. If this was one of the ghoul's scams, it was a really damn good one. It sounded as if Nodoff was really being sincere, especially since he was going though all the trouble with his injured foot. And she herself didn't forecast any dangers of going to a park outside only three blocks away from the manor. So maybe going there was a good idea. "When we get there, what do you plan to do?"
Nodoff's orange eyes blinked curiously. That was a good question, he thought. "To be honest with you, I don't have a plan. It's so hard to make plans here without some event derailing them. So, I was just going to play it by ear. I'm sorry if it bothers you."
Yutopia blinked in a surprised demeanor at the ghoul's response. "Oh, not at all. I think going to the park is a wonderful idea. But we should bring some snacks with us in case we get hungry, even if it is only three blocks."
"Fair enough," Nodoff replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Let's go!"
Before the two ghouls had left MacCawber Manor, Nodoff had told Morgana where they both would be. He anticipated some questioning by Morgana as to why he wanted to go there, surprisingly she didn't ask much, only told them both to be cautious. Yutopia grabbed a handful of snacks and placed them in a small black bag, which matched her black outfit and police cap. And Nodoff took another dosage of the pain medication Dr. Bellum prescribed him. Maybe that was what made him feel so tired. He had come to the realization that he hated taking pills! But the pain in his foot was a lot less worse since he had taken the pills, which was a sign to him that it was working.
Upon arriving at the park, Yutopia darted forward at the sight of many wildflowers that bloomed there. Since Nodoff was on crutches, he was a bit slow at catching up, but seeing Yutopia get excited by flowers gave him a short burst of energy to hobble faster. A blush appeared on the ghoul's face, he thought Yutopia looked too cute right now. Not to mention that the many different bright colors of wildflowers was quite captivating compared to the gray-blue bleakness of Dream World. It was as if Yutopia's fascination matched his.
"It's beautiful!" Yutopia cried in delight. "There's every color imaginable!"
"Yes, it is lovely," Nodoff agreed. He never thought that he, the master of creating nightmares, would ever say something like that.
"I just wish our Dream World would look more like this," Yutopia replied, suddenly heaving a depressed sigh that quickly changed her previously cheerful attitude. "My mother used to tell me that Dream World looked like this once ... before the current ruler of Dream World rose to power. Now it's an eerie graveyard."
What Yutopia had just said took Nodoff by surprise. Wasn't Dream World always an eerie graveyard?! That was the Dream World that he was familiar with. "What do you mean?" the ghoul monarch asked.
Yutopia noticed the confused look on the ghoul's face. "A long time ago, Dream World was a place similar to St. Canard in that it was filled with inhabitants of different species living in houses. The only main difference between the two is St. Canard is dominated by technology and the advancement of it, while Dream World was a place away from technology and filled with magic."
Nodoff was still confused. That didn't sound like a Dream World any different than he always knew, except the part about it being filled by inhabitants. Nevertheless, Yutopia continued with her narrative.
"Well, there were four monarchs of the past that always kept the powers of Dream World in balance. Their names were Dorma, Daze, Dawn, and Alarmos. Dorma, the eldest of the four, made sure that the inhabitants of Dream World were asleep by a certain hour to prevent chaos. Daze was in charge of catching dreamers who have allowd their dreams to lead them astray, in case Dorma had overlooked something. Dawn saw to it that those who woke from sleep were awake with a positive attitude before starting their day. And Alarmos, the youngest and most important of them all, was in charge of warning all inhabitants of Dream World when our World was in peril."
The ghoul pondered over the four names ... Dorma, Daze, Dawn, and Alarmos. The one that stood out the most was Alarmosbecause he would overhear his father mention the name a lot whenever he gloated over his son's victories, claiming that Nodoff was Alarmos reincarnated, most likely as a joke. But while Nodoff tried so hard to please his father, he would often ask himself, Who the HELL is Alarmos?! "Tell me more about Alarmos," Nodoff requested.
Yutopia gave Nodoff a curious stare. Why was the ruler of Dream World so particularly interested in Alarmos over the other three monarchs? The female ghoul decided to entertain Nodoff a little. "Alarmos had the most difficult job out of all four monarchs. Do you know why that is?"
"Why?"
"Because Alarmos dealt with nightmares."
Nodoff suddenly felt something dark inside the pit of his stomach. He couldn't understand why, but a nauseous feeling overwhelmed him. Despite this, Yutopia continued.
"Alarmos used nightmares on sleeping servants as a way to warn them if they had some unfinished business that could ruin them if they don't attend to it. He would also use nightmares to keep inhabitants in line if any of them were to cause trouble in Dream World."
"But ... I don't understand," Nodoff told her, becoming more puzzled by the story than ever before. "You said that Dream World used to look like this place before the current ruler of Dream World rose to power. What do Alarmos or any of the other monarchs have to do with the current ruler?"
Yutopia's yellow eyes narrowed ... and they looked displeased. "You don't like it when others tell you facts, do you ... Mr. Ruler of Dream World?"
Nodoff backed away from Yutopia as if her words threw daggers at him, and his face went pale. The female ghoul approached him, her yellow eyes looked straight into his orange eyes. The poor monarch of Dream World found himself cornered against a bench. A nervous giggle escaped his throat. "Eheheheh, so you knew all along?"
Yutopia crossed her arms. "I'm no fool, Nodoff. Your mischief-making is all others ever talk about. Did you think I couldn't see through your ruse?"
"Ruse?! What ruse?"
Yutopia gave him a curious smile. "When you and I talked back at the manor about the ruler of Dream World, you addressed yourself in third person. And you laughed whenever I spoke unfavorably of you. How is that not a ruse?"
Nodoff gulped nervously as he pulled on the collar of his shirt with his finger to breathe. Beads of sweat trickled down his face as his body trembled. "I-I-if y-y-you're s-s-s-still m-m-m-mad at m-me about s-scaring you and your Mother-"
"Breathe, Nodoff," Yutopia commanded, motioning to the ghoul with a gesture of her hand. Oddly enough, Nodoff found himself submitting to her order. Boy, for a monarch who didn't like being bossed around, he realized that he had been submissive as a boy servant whenever someone told him what to do. When she saw that his breathing returned to normal, Yutopia rubbed Nodoff's right shoulder in an affectionate manner.
"I'm not in the habit of harming someone who is helpless to defend himself," Yutopia assured him, her tone softened. "So you really have nothing to worry about. I know you can't use your powers here."
Nodoff's ears slightly dropped. "Then ... you're not mad at me for what I did to you and your Mother a long time ago?"
"Nodoff, if you think I've come here as your executioner, you're wrong," Yutopia assured the ghoul. "I've come here to help you get home." Shortly after she had said so, Yutopia lowered her head. A hint of shame appeared on her face which caused Nodoff some concern. Yutopia did her best to look him in the eyes. "And there's something else ... Dream World has been in chaos ever since you've disappeared."
Nodoff tilted his head curiously. "What has happened to Dream World?"
"It has become a fiery inferno of demons," Yutopia answered. "I've been trying to hold them back, but my powers aren't strong enough. That's why I-"
"Hey, why are two kids dressed up weird when it's not Halloween yet?!"
The two ghouls' conversation was interrupted by a couple passerbys who spotted them within the fenced park. Nodoff was the first to turn around to see who it was. He recognized the face of one of them. It was the same one that intimidated Nodoff when he went to the grocery store with Darkwing. And that guy was no more than three feet away from him. The ghoul's orange eyes narrowed and his large ears lowered in aggression. What did that idiot want?!
"Hey, I've seen you before!" the passerby pointed at Nodoff. "And you're on crutches now. Is that part of the get-up?"
Now that was a very stupid question! Were the crutches part of the get-up?! This guy was beginning to get on Nodoff's nerves. The ghoul tried to suppress his anger and turned his head away, though the trembling in his body betrayed him.
"Didn't anyone tell you that it's rude not to answer the question?" the passerby said with great displeasure. Nodoff still averted the guy's eyes. Didn't anyone ever tell the guy that it was rude to interrupt a conversation or enter a domain uninvited?! The ghoul made an effort to breathe deeply to calm his nerves ... until he felt something grab him by the collar. The rude passerby, who was obviously disgruntled at Nodoff for not engaging him, was about ready to clobber the small ghoul. Luckily for Nodoff, he still had one of his crutches in his hands, which he managed to strike the man the face with. After Nodoff fell to the ground on his bum, he quickly gathered both crutches and rose himself to a standing position, ready to fend for himself if necessary.
After the rude man regained his bearings, he engaged the ghoul and was ready to charge at him. Nodoff held tightly to his crutches and was prepared to fight back. But before Nodoff could strike, something rather odd had befallen the passerby. The ghoul noticed the man's eyes looked dazed, as if he were drugged. Then Nodoff noticed something else ... He saw an array of magical gold dust emitting from Yutopia's fingertips. The female ghoul's yellow eyes were focused not only on the passerby who wanted to hurt Nodoff, but the other passerby as well.
"Don't either one of you have any thing better to do?!" Yutopia spoke in an authoritative manner. The two passerbys both shook their heads blankly. "Then find other means of sport somewhere else!" The two guys nodded, turned the other way, and left the park still in their blank states.
Nodoff fixed his orange eyes on Yutopia. "Did you just use magic?!" Yutopia swept both her arms, as if to wipe the dust off her before she looked back at Nodoff and nodded. This began to intimidate him. "Hey, that makes no sense! How come you can use your magic outside Dream World and not I?! I'm the ruler!"
Yutopia giggled. "Exactly! Because as ruler, you have it all. Why would you need anything extra?" Nodoff gave her a puzzled look. "You see, Nodoff, this is how it works. As ruler of Dream World, you are entitled to the protection of the perimeters of Dream World. You are untouchable and all-powerful while in your domain, but once you step outside those perimeters, you lose that protection. As for someone like me, my only means of protection in life was my mother. But after she was stolen and gone from my life, I was prone to the beasts of nightmares. How I harness my magical powers is by other means. I have to really concentrate hard and take my time, otherwise the spells are too weak."
A flustered sigh escaped Nodoff's throat. He could not believe it! He was supposed to be the omnipotent one in the magic department! Why wasn't he allowed to use powers outside Dream World?! It just wasn't fair! But the ghoul's frustration was short-lived when he felt Yutopia's hand rub his shoulders. "Oh, and don't worry. I'm not going to use any of my spells to harm you. I don't have the power to conjure up nightmares like you do. So, you're safe." Nodoff was silent. He didn't know what to say to that. Yutopia turned her head sideways to check for other passerbys. She wanted to make sure there were no more interruptions between them. "Ok, we have two options. We can stay out here for a while to talk more about Alarmos and the monarchs of the past, since you wanted some fresh air. Or, we can take our conversation back to MacCawber Manor so we won't be bothered anymore. Which will it be?"
Nodoff pondered over it. Technically, going back to the manor was a much safer bet since that last passerby tried to clobber him for no reason. It practically made Nodoff crawl out of his own skin, he thought he was going to have a nervous breakdown. But having Yutopia close by him made him forget his fear of the citizens here in St. Canard. If she had arrived sooner before he had injured himself, it would've made his stay a hell of a lot easier. But what was in the past was in the past, there was nothing Nodoff could do about it. And ironically, he had become accustomed to these trials and tribulations he had to endure. It seemed like the better choice was to tough it out and stay outdoors. After all, the sun outside and the breeze made the ghoul monarch feel more alive and alert after being cooped up in the manor. "I would like us to stay out here a little longer," Nodoff finally answered. "It's too nice outdoors."
A beaming smiled graced Yutopia's face and her yellow eyes widened with glee, as if she were saying I'm so proud of you, Nodoff!"A wise decision, Mr. Ruler of Dream World," she replied. "How about we help ourselves to one of our snacks that we brought? You look as if you need one right now."
A blush appeared on Nodoff's face. He still wasn't used to others inquiring about his well being. Most folks only came to him whenever they wanted something, like the Sleep Sand that Morgana used to request or whenever he was asked to plague someone with nightmares for whatever reason. Then again, Nodoff did enslave everyone around him as Morgana had pointed out. He had even enslaved a creature like Yutopia and her mother ... and somehow she chose not to take vengeance on him, quite the opposite of what Nodoff would've done if someone even so much as lay a finger on him. "Yes, I will have one," Nodoff replied. "And I want to hear more about Alarmos and the others. Would you tell me more?"
Yutopia nodded, and preceded to tell Nodoff more about Alarmos and the history of Dream World.

Description

Chapter 12: The History of Dream World
Nodoff woke up the next morning to the sound of singing in the room. It was coming from Yutopia, who had finished sweeping in the attic bedroom. Normally, the ghoul would've been annoyed and cranky at being woken up by anyone or anything. Of course, how often Nodoff slept in Dream World was very rare. In Dream World, time ran differently from the Real World. For one thing, it was always dark, so there was no day and night cycle. And the concept of the clock in Dream World was a fancy looking object with numbers and springs, which could go forward or backward according to Nodoff's choosing. But here in the Real World, everything was time sensitive. Everyone was always stressed out about something, one had to keep up with the pace of the environment (otherwise the person would be left behind), and everyone had to have a job to keep themselves out of trouble (if not, then they get in trouble with the law because they have too much time on their hands). Because of this, Nodoff found himself lacking the energy he once had while he was in Dream World. Before his injury, he detested being made to do chores, not because they were hard to do, but because they were grueling and felt long. Ever since his injury, when Nodoff finally practiced taking initiative on his own to help out, he had been told to take it easy, which was starting to annoy him. Morgana did allow him to walk around the house, but whenever Nodoff asked which chores she or her friends needed help with, he was limited to wiping the tables, light dusting, and laundry (if a second person was around to pass the dirty clothes to him). Even though the ghoul wanted to do more, everything else involved the use of both hands and heavy duty climbing, which he was in no condition to do so.
As for waking up to the sound of Yutopia's voice, Nodoff found it very comforting. He didn't know what song she was singing ... then again, he didn't know any songs at all. What the ruler of Dream World knew about music was mere observation from spying into other people's dreams. But upon hearing Yutopia's voice, it felt as if he were waking up to a beautiful garden. And he had smelled something familiar. It was the scent of lavender ... and it came from Yutopia.
"What song is that?" Nodoff asked inquisitively.
Yutopia stopped what she was doing momentarily to look up at Nodoff. "Something my mother used to sing to me. Does it bother you?"
Nodoff shook his head. "I'm just curious."
"You get curious about a lot of things, don't you?" Yutopia pointed out.
That caught Nodoff by surprise. He was not expecting a response like that. "Is that bad?"
Yutopia didn't respond, but finished up her sweeping. She avoided the ghoul's eye contact, pondering on how to approach this ruler of Dream World. Before she arrived in the Real World, Yutopia had only heard of Nodoff through stories her mother told her ... and most of those stories were unfavorable. According to her mother, the original ruler of Dream World (Nodoff's father) would threaten to take her child away if she did not become his queen. Her mother defied the monarch, and since then the demon gave them no peace. As for the ruler's son, Nodoff, Yutopia's mother used to tell her that she saw the boy change shape into a giant-sized ghoul and would bully the other slave ghouls. Yutopia was little, but she did recall seeing a giant-sized ghoul with blue hair and blue-green skin wearing an orange shirt, black vest, and brown pants. And based on that description alone, she knew that the ghoul in the bedroom right now was the exact same one.
"What songs do you like, Nodoff?"
Nodoff gulped nervously. "I ... hardly know any songs."
"Oh?" Yutopia cocked her head sideways.
"It angered my father when he caught me listening to any kind of song or music," Nodoff told her.
"I see," Yutopia replied and continued her sweeping. "Oh, this is off the subject, Nodoff, but what do you know about the ruler of Dream World?"
Nodoff could scarcely believe what he had just heard. Hasn't this girl figured out yet that he was the ruler of Dream World? But he remembered that he had to keep something like that a secret here in St. Canard. "Well ..." the ghoul began, "... I heard he likes to keep himself occupied."
Yutopia tilted her head back and laughed. "If by occupied you mean being intrusive to other people's dreams and exploiting other people's fears, then you're right!"
A stunned expression appeared on Nodoff's face. Had he overlooked something? Somehow, this Yutopia girl was starting to sound like Morgana. And Yutopia wasn't finished.
"I don't know what your opinion is, but I think the ruler of Dream World is a spoiled brat! He thinks he's so much better than everyone else and treats others as if they're expendable!"
Nodoff's ears drooped guiltily. Yutopia was starting to sound like Morgana. But he had never seen or heard of this girl before, so how did she know about him? "Well ... maybe he doesn't know that he's doing it."
"Oh, but I think he does," Yutopia replied with an undertone of warning. "I think he knew exactly what he's doing. He even bullied my own mother!"
Nodoff's orange eyes shrunk. Wait a minute! There was a pink-skinned ghoul he did see a long time ago, with hair just like Yutopia's, only thrice as long. The lady also wore a gray dress, which was shredded at the hem, and she always held something tightly to her body. Was it her ...? Yes, it was! The woman had a child ... that child was Yutopia! A nervous giggle escaped Nodoff's throat as he looked at the very spitting image of that pink-skinned, pink-haired ghoul standing right before his presence. "Eheheheh, wow! This ruler of Dream World has been bad, hasn't he?"
Yutopia chuckled at the ghoul's response. "Bad?! Bad's an understatement. Our monarch can't even mind his own business! Sometimes I think he needs a spanking."
Nodoff's nervous giggle turned into uncontrollable laughter as Yutopia's last comment hit a nerve that the ghoul never knew existed. It may have been because Yutopia spoke the truth and Nodoff knew it. At first, being told simple facts by someone else would've irritated him beyond reason, but something about Yutopia's direct and to the point approach he found hilarious. The female ghoul gave him a strange look as he laughed so hard that his face turned red and tears rolled down his cheeks. "What's so funny?!" she asked with a hint of seriousness in her tone.
Nodoff dried his eyes with the back of his hand as he slowly regained his composure. "So sorry ... I couldn't help it. It just slipped."
"But seriously, why would the ruler of Dream World do these things?!"
Nodoff didn't respond but became lost in thought. Obviously this Yutopia girl was angry with the ruler of Dream World (which was him of course), but his memory of her and her mother were in fragments. Clearly, he must've hurt this girl in a really bad way, just as he did with Morgana. But Nodoff had been so focused on Morgana that he completely forgotten any other girl student he encountered. He decided to change the subject. "Forgive my curiousness, Yutopia, but would you come with me for a walk?"
Yutopia's yellow eyes blinked in surprise. Why would this ghoul monarch want to walk with a low-level ghoul like herself?! As if to read her mind, Nodoff added another statement. "Why I'm asking is because ... I've been missing my home too much. Hearing the sound of your voice and having you around has been the best thing that has ever happened to me."
A slight blush appeared on Yutopia's pink face, making her appear more pink than ever. She never would've imagined that Nodoff, a spoiled and selfish creature, woukd ever say something like that. Although she knew very little of Nodoff, she did remember that Nodoff used to have a maniacal laughter that would scare her very badly (she often hid within her mother's arms when it happened). But now as she had saw him and heard his laughter, something about it was different. Nodoff's laughter sounded as if it was some hearty, cheerful laughter that he had been suppressing it for a long time. It made Yutopia think that maybe this ruler of Dream World just needed a friend. Still, she had to keep on her guard and be very attentive. After all, Nodoff did have a reputation of being conniving and condescending ... especially with the girls. "Where would we be walking to?"
Nodoff hoisted himself to a standing position with his crutches. "There's a park just three blocks away from the manor. I noticed it before I went with Darkwing to the grocery store. It looks pretty quiet there, and no one would bother us."
"Why do you want to go there?"
"It's the only place where we don't have to move too fast just to be out of someone's way," Nodoff replied. "Plus, we get the benefit of fresh air."
Yutopia's yellow eyes narrowed slightly with an impressed disposition. If this was one of the ghoul's scams, it was a really damn good one. It sounded as if Nodoff was really being sincere, especially since he was going though all the trouble with his injured foot. And she herself didn't forecast any dangers of going to a park outside only three blocks away from the manor. So maybe going there was a good idea. "When we get there, what do you plan to do?"
Nodoff's orange eyes blinked curiously. That was a good question, he thought. "To be honest with you, I don't have a plan. It's so hard to make plans here without some event derailing them. So, I was just going to play it by ear. I'm sorry if it bothers you."
Yutopia blinked in a surprised demeanor at the ghoul's response. "Oh, not at all. I think going to the park is a wonderful idea. But we should bring some snacks with us in case we get hungry, even if it is only three blocks."
"Fair enough," Nodoff replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Let's go!"
Before the two ghouls had left MacCawber Manor, Nodoff had told Morgana where they both would be. He anticipated some questioning by Morgana as to why he wanted to go there, surprisingly she didn't ask much, only told them both to be cautious. Yutopia grabbed a handful of snacks and placed them in a small black bag, which matched her black outfit and police cap. And Nodoff took another dosage of the pain medication Dr. Bellum prescribed him. Maybe that was what made him feel so tired. He had come to the realization that he hated taking pills! But the pain in his foot was a lot less worse since he had taken the pills, which was a sign to him that it was working.
Upon arriving at the park, Yutopia darted forward at the sight of many wildflowers that bloomed there. Since Nodoff was on crutches, he was a bit slow at catching up, but seeing Yutopia get excited by flowers gave him a short burst of energy to hobble faster. A blush appeared on the ghoul's face, he thought Yutopia looked too cute right now. Not to mention that the many different bright colors of wildflowers was quite captivating compared to the gray-blue bleakness of Dream World. It was as if Yutopia's fascination matched his.
"It's beautiful!" Yutopia cried in delight. "There's every color imaginable!"
"Yes, it is lovely," Nodoff agreed. He never thought that he, the master of creating nightmares, would ever say something like that.
"I just wish our Dream World would look more like this," Yutopia replied, suddenly heaving a depressed sigh that quickly changed her previously cheerful attitude. "My mother used to tell me that Dream World looked like this once ... before the current ruler of Dream World rose to power. Now it's an eerie graveyard."
What Yutopia had just said took Nodoff by surprise. Wasn't Dream World always an eerie graveyard?! That was the Dream World that he was familiar with. "What do you mean?" the ghoul monarch asked.
Yutopia noticed the confused look on the ghoul's face. "A long time ago, Dream World was a place similar to St. Canard in that it was filled with inhabitants of different species living in houses. The only main difference between the two is St. Canard is dominated by technology and the advancement of it, while Dream World was a place away from technology and filled with magic."
Nodoff was still confused. That didn't sound like a Dream World any different than he always knew, except the part about it being filled by inhabitants. Nevertheless, Yutopia continued with her narrative.
"Well, there were four monarchs of the past that always kept the powers of Dream World in balance. Their names were Dorma, Daze, Dawn, and Alarmos. Dorma, the eldest of the four, made sure that the inhabitants of Dream World were asleep by a certain hour to prevent chaos. Daze was in charge of catching dreamers who have allowd their dreams to lead them astray, in case Dorma had overlooked something. Dawn saw to it that those who woke from sleep were awake with a positive attitude before starting their day. And Alarmos, the youngest and most important of them all, was in charge of warning all inhabitants of Dream World when our World was in peril."
The ghoul pondered over the four names ... Dorma, Daze, Dawn, and Alarmos. The one that stood out the most was Alarmosbecause he would overhear his father mention the name a lot whenever he gloated over his son's victories, claiming that Nodoff was Alarmos reincarnated, most likely as a joke. But while Nodoff tried so hard to please his father, he would often ask himself, Who the HELL is Alarmos?! "Tell me more about Alarmos," Nodoff requested.
Yutopia gave Nodoff a curious stare. Why was the ruler of Dream World so particularly interested in Alarmos over the other three monarchs? The female ghoul decided to entertain Nodoff a little. "Alarmos had the most difficult job out of all four monarchs. Do you know why that is?"
"Why?"
"Because Alarmos dealt with nightmares."
Nodoff suddenly felt something dark inside the pit of his stomach. He couldn't understand why, but a nauseous feeling overwhelmed him. Despite this, Yutopia continued.
"Alarmos used nightmares on sleeping servants as a way to warn them if they had some unfinished business that could ruin them if they don't attend to it. He would also use nightmares to keep inhabitants in line if any of them were to cause trouble in Dream World."
"But ... I don't understand," Nodoff told her, becoming more puzzled by the story than ever before. "You said that Dream World used to look like this place before the current ruler of Dream World rose to power. What do Alarmos or any of the other monarchs have to do with the current ruler?"
Yutopia's yellow eyes narrowed ... and they looked displeased. "You don't like it when others tell you facts, do you ... Mr. Ruler of Dream World?"
Nodoff backed away from Yutopia as if her words threw daggers at him, and his face went pale. The female ghoul approached him, her yellow eyes looked straight into his orange eyes. The poor monarch of Dream World found himself cornered against a bench. A nervous giggle escaped his throat. "Eheheheh, so you knew all along?"
Yutopia crossed her arms. "I'm no fool, Nodoff. Your mischief-making is all others ever talk about. Did you think I couldn't see through your ruse?"
"Ruse?! What ruse?"
Yutopia gave him a curious smile. "When you and I talked back at the manor about the ruler of Dream World, you addressed yourself in third person. And you laughed whenever I spoke unfavorably of you. How is that not a ruse?"
Nodoff gulped nervously as he pulled on the collar of his shirt with his finger to breathe. Beads of sweat trickled down his face as his body trembled. "I-I-if y-y-you're s-s-s-still m-m-m-mad at m-me about s-scaring you and your Mother-"
"Breathe, Nodoff," Yutopia commanded, motioning to the ghoul with a gesture of her hand. Oddly enough, Nodoff found himself submitting to her order. Boy, for a monarch who didn't like being bossed around, he realized that he had been submissive as a boy servant whenever someone told him what to do. When she saw that his breathing returned to normal, Yutopia rubbed Nodoff's right shoulder in an affectionate manner.
"I'm not in the habit of harming someone who is helpless to defend himself," Yutopia assured him, her tone softened. "So you really have nothing to worry about. I know you can't use your powers here."
Nodoff's ears slightly dropped. "Then ... you're not mad at me for what I did to you and your Mother a long time ago?"
"Nodoff, if you think I've come here as your executioner, you're wrong," Yutopia assured the ghoul. "I've come here to help you get home." Shortly after she had said so, Yutopia lowered her head. A hint of shame appeared on her face which caused Nodoff some concern. Yutopia did her best to look him in the eyes. "And there's something else ... Dream World has been in chaos ever since you've disappeared."
Nodoff tilted his head curiously. "What has happened to Dream World?"
"It has become a fiery inferno of demons," Yutopia answered. "I've been trying to hold them back, but my powers aren't strong enough. That's why I-"
"Hey, why are two kids dressed up weird when it's not Halloween yet?!"
The two ghouls' conversation was interrupted by a couple passerbys who spotted them within the fenced park. Nodoff was the first to turn around to see who it was. He recognized the face of one of them. It was the same one that intimidated Nodoff when he went to the grocery store with Darkwing. And that guy was no more than three feet away from him. The ghoul's orange eyes narrowed and his large ears lowered in aggression. What did that idiot want?!
"Hey, I've seen you before!" the passerby pointed at Nodoff. "And you're on crutches now. Is that part of the get-up?"
Now that was a very stupid question! Were the crutches part of the get-up?! This guy was beginning to get on Nodoff's nerves. The ghoul tried to suppress his anger and turned his head away, though the trembling in his body betrayed him.
"Didn't anyone tell you that it's rude not to answer the question?" the passerby said with great displeasure. Nodoff still averted the guy's eyes. Didn't anyone ever tell the guy that it was rude to interrupt a conversation or enter a domain uninvited?! The ghoul made an effort to breathe deeply to calm his nerves ... until he felt something grab him by the collar. The rude passerby, who was obviously disgruntled at Nodoff for not engaging him, was about ready to clobber the small ghoul. Luckily for Nodoff, he still had one of his crutches in his hands, which he managed to strike the man the face with. After Nodoff fell to the ground on his bum, he quickly gathered both crutches and rose himself to a standing position, ready to fend for himself if necessary.
After the rude man regained his bearings, he engaged the ghoul and was ready to charge at him. Nodoff held tightly to his crutches and was prepared to fight back. But before Nodoff could strike, something rather odd had befallen the passerby. The ghoul noticed the man's eyes looked dazed, as if he were drugged. Then Nodoff noticed something else ... He saw an array of magical gold dust emitting from Yutopia's fingertips. The female ghoul's yellow eyes were focused not only on the passerby who wanted to hurt Nodoff, but the other passerby as well.
"Don't either one of you have any thing better to do?!" Yutopia spoke in an authoritative manner. The two passerbys both shook their heads blankly. "Then find other means of sport somewhere else!" The two guys nodded, turned the other way, and left the park still in their blank states.
Nodoff fixed his orange eyes on Yutopia. "Did you just use magic?!" Yutopia swept both her arms, as if to wipe the dust off her before she looked back at Nodoff and nodded. This began to intimidate him. "Hey, that makes no sense! How come you can use your magic outside Dream World and not I?! I'm the ruler!"
Yutopia giggled. "Exactly! Because as ruler, you have it all. Why would you need anything extra?" Nodoff gave her a puzzled look. "You see, Nodoff, this is how it works. As ruler of Dream World, you are entitled to the protection of the perimeters of Dream World. You are untouchable and all-powerful while in your domain, but once you step outside those perimeters, you lose that protection. As for someone like me, my only means of protection in life was my mother. But after she was stolen and gone from my life, I was prone to the beasts of nightmares. How I harness my magical powers is by other means. I have to really concentrate hard and take my time, otherwise the spells are too weak."
A flustered sigh escaped Nodoff's throat. He could not believe it! He was supposed to be the omnipotent one in the magic department! Why wasn't he allowed to use powers outside Dream World?! It just wasn't fair! But the ghoul's frustration was short-lived when he felt Yutopia's hand rub his shoulders. "Oh, and don't worry. I'm not going to use any of my spells to harm you. I don't have the power to conjure up nightmares like you do. So, you're safe." Nodoff was silent. He didn't know what to say to that. Yutopia turned her head sideways to check for other passerbys. She wanted to make sure there were no more interruptions between them. "Ok, we have two options. We can stay out here for a while to talk more about Alarmos and the monarchs of the past, since you wanted some fresh air. Or, we can take our conversation back to MacCawber Manor so we won't be bothered anymore. Which will it be?"
Nodoff pondered over it. Technically, going back to the manor was a much safer bet since that last passerby tried to clobber him for no reason. It practically made Nodoff crawl out of his own skin, he thought he was going to have a nervous breakdown. But having Yutopia close by him made him forget his fear of the citizens here in St. Canard. If she had arrived sooner before he had injured himself, it would've made his stay a hell of a lot easier. But what was in the past was in the past, there was nothing Nodoff could do about it. And ironically, he had become accustomed to these trials and tribulations he had to endure. It seemed like the better choice was to tough it out and stay outdoors. After all, the sun outside and the breeze made the ghoul monarch feel more alive and alert after being cooped up in the manor. "I would like us to stay out here a little longer," Nodoff finally answered. "It's too nice outdoors."
A beaming smiled graced Yutopia's face and her yellow eyes widened with glee, as if she were saying I'm so proud of you, Nodoff!"A wise decision, Mr. Ruler of Dream World," she replied. "How about we help ourselves to one of our snacks that we brought? You look as if you need one right now."
A blush appeared on Nodoff's face. He still wasn't used to others inquiring about his well being. Most folks only came to him whenever they wanted something, like the Sleep Sand that Morgana used to request or whenever he was asked to plague someone with nightmares for whatever reason. Then again, Nodoff did enslave everyone around him as Morgana had pointed out. He had even enslaved a creature like Yutopia and her mother ... and somehow she chose not to take vengeance on him, quite the opposite of what Nodoff would've done if someone even so much as lay a finger on him. "Yes, I will have one," Nodoff replied. "And I want to hear more about Alarmos and the others. Would you tell me more?"
Yutopia nodded, and preceded to tell Nodoff more about Alarmos and the history of Dream World.