[b]Title:[/b] Ghost River

[b]Characters:[/b] Levins, Ignis Fatuus, and a Spirit

[b]Summary:[/b] During 'Sulfur' and 'An Unexpected Encounter', an intruder invades the [i]White Night.[/i] Through its manipulation, Levins has had it up to here with his so-called teammates.


Things were uneventful on the mansion-ship that was the base of the Collective. Dani had left for the world called Sera in order to obtain bodyguards of their own. Rikka took Azumi to Disney Castle for a reason she didn't bother to say; most likely just to humiliate her maid for her own amusement. On the ship proper, though, everything was quiet. No attacks by Heartless ships or Interferences that just happened to discover them for whatever reason, no technicalities...well, there was the screaming, but those were only the test subjects to Dr. Crane's experiments. Other than that, everything seemed perfectly fine aboard the [i]White Night.[/i]

In one of the many rooms aboard the mansion, one of the personally-made for the other members of the villainous group, Levins, the ex-conman and power copyist, had drifted off to sleep for the evening, having spent the whole day plotting to himself. He made it very clear that he trusted none of these allies of his, and that none of them took him seriously. It was the perfect opportunity for him to plan out a proper betrayal against them, possibly take over as the leader. That bastard of an illusionist didn't deserve it; none of them did. Not his "allies", not those pathetic children that call themselves Interferences...what they had should belong to him, and only him. But, it wouldn't do him good to rush into things. It needed to be perfect, well-thought out to fool those freaks of nature. He had some ideas in mind, but he would have to think them out tomorrow.

Unfortunately, in his moment of lowered defenses, one wandering the ships' vents had found him the perfect prey. One that had gone completely undetected by the ship's security. A wisp of white smoke snaked its way into the room, seeming to breathe out a hissing sound like a snake. It slowly twisted into shape, spiraling about. It then took on a humanoid form, almost inhumanly thin, a familiar symbol taking form of a discoloration of smoke for its 'face'. The symbol of the Ghost.

For a while, the wisp just hovered, seeming to study the sleeping man. It could feel the hatred and contempt almost radiating off of him, hate for all the beings of the universe, no different from its brethren. He was planning to betray his comrades, of whom did not trust him in return, a slow process that would almost never take place. With these dark thoughts, he was perfect to control, throw away everything to bring chaos among his fellow Interferences. This man would be the perfect pet for this wisp.

As to its appearance, it moved like smoke until it was just over the power copyist, lowering itself so it was right next to him. It moved its 'hand' to stroke his forest green hair, and leaned in until its 'mouth' was right next to his ear. That was when it spoke for the first time.

[font=Lucida Console][color=blue]"Why do you continue to work for these fools? You should take the chance before it is too late..."[/color][/font]


[i]Levins found himself in a black empty void, standing over nothing. He searched all over, not to see where he was. This being a dream, it all felt natural to him, leaving him without the need to question where he was. What he did have to question, however, was the sudden voice that whispered to him out of nowhere. He tried to find the source, to no avail. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

[font=Lucida Console][color=blue]"I do not need to reveal myself to you. A being of your worth should already tell what I am."[/color][/font] The way the voice spoke had to bring a frown to the man's face. There was something...eerie about that echoing hiss that almost made his skin crawl. [font=Lucida Console][color=blue]"But, if you must really know...I am the Spirit, the Ghost who preys upon the dark shadows of the heart. I will make you see what you have blinded yourself from..."[/color][/font]

Levins scowled at the introduction. Another of the damned Ghosts, this time one who dares to hide like a coward. He gave a scoff and retorted back, "Then you are wasting your time with me. I have nothing to hide."

[font=Lucida Console][color=blue]"That is what you tell yourself...but is it true? Your kind always have insecurities that they hide from the rest of the world."[/font][/color]

Now the man had to frown at this. 'His kind'? What on earth... "What do you mean by that?"

[font=Lucida Console][color=blue]"You should know by now, Interference..."[/color][/font]

That very word struck a nerve. How [/i]dare[i] this freak compare him to the children that plague the worlds like vermin!? Provoked, he whipped out his jian, pointing it out to wherever the Spirit was speaking from. "I am not an Interference! I am nothing like those children who run about abusing their power like--"

[font=Lucida Console][color=blue]"You continue to say that...we Ghosts watch these naive children day and night. You claim that they have the power to control the worlds themselves...but can you claim any different?"[/color][/font]

"Silence yourself now! I have no patience to listen to you further!"

It still continued, in spite of his demand. [font=Lucida Console][color=blue]"Wandering the worlds, bringing chaos along with it. You have become the very thing you have always hated; you are simply too ashamed to admit it..."[/color][/font]

"No! You are wrong!" Despite his continuing refusal to accept the Spirit's prodding, Levins was already beginning to falter. He...he was nothing like them...he can’t be like them...they were not...

[font=Lucida Console][color=blue]"You cannot lie any further. Those children can see it, the very civilians can see it...but most of all, your comrades can see it..."[/color][/font]

"Don’t you dare bring those freaks into this!"

[color=red]"Oh my, is the poor fool getting all worked up now?"[/color] Levins whipped around, and felt his blood boil right then. There stood that damned Nightmare Illusionist, with that smug grin he wanted to wipe off so badly. How dare he invade his privacy to mock him now... [color=red]"You’re never of any use when you are blindly angered. Why not just accept your role, like the rest of us have?"[/color]

"I am not like you!" The power copyist slashed his blade at the man, only for him to disappear. Appearing right next to him was that silver-haired woman who was attached to that bastard.

[color=navy]"What a pity. I really thought you'd be an interesting man, but you are simply a bumbling idiot who doesn't even understand what he is really saying."[/color]

"Shut up, harlot!" Another slash, only for her to disappear as well. Now that little brat who dared to call herself a 'goddess'.

[color=white]"How boring. You can't even kill someone yourself."[/color]

"As if you have any say in the matter!" Yet another missed attack from a disappearance. Now, finally, that masked freak.

[color=yellow]"I really do wonder why we let you flaunt about around us. You're nothing more than the level of a henchman."[/color]

"You know nothing about me!"

He continued to slash out, continued to miss, and they continued to mock him. How he is just kept around for entertainment, how he should be dead instead of working for them, how he should join the flock of those pathetic children...things that he didn't want to hear about. But, slowly but surely, these words had crept into his cold heart. He had let himself fall apart, become what he was now. A pathetic, hypocritical fool that no one took seriously. And no matter what he tried, they would continue to view him as such, constantly outthink any plans of betrayal he would bring upon them...

The realization hit him hard. He let out an angered yell that echoed out into the abyss, falling to his knees and clutching his head tight. How could he let this happen to him? How could he fall apart so easily? Why couldn't he see this sooner...?

[font=Lucida Console][color=blue]"You realize the truth...but don't let it overcome you."[/color][/font] The Spirit spoke to him once more, now able to get through with his defenses down. [font=Lucida Console][color=blue]"Accept your role, and do what you should have done before. Kill them all...starting with those traitors..."[/color][/font]

Kill them...yes, he never wanted to work with them in the first place, only joining to kill those Interferences. But he didn't need them...he didn't need any of them. Yes...he will kill them all, take over this ship, and have everything. It will all be his...like it should have been...[/i]


As Levins awoke, there was no questioning on the dream he had, or the Spirit that whispered to him. All there was was a fire in his eyes, the anger already catching on. He grabbed the papers in which he wrote down his plans and tore them up. He needed none of these things now...

The power copyist had had enough of this...

~*~*~

As usual, Ignis Fatuus had been lounging about his personal throne in the entrance of the [i]White Night[/i], seeming quite bored at the moment. It was such an uneventful evening, what with most of the Collective members off to do their agendas for the moment. While the screams from the Scarecrow's experiments amused him from where he could hear them, even they have grown dull after a while. The Nightmare Illusionist thought to set out somewhere, perhaps to find more allies on his own. He doubted Dani would have much luck on Sera, especially on her own. As they say, if one wants something done right, they must do it themselves.

In the hallway just before the entrance room, Levins pressed against the wall before the frame, making sure he was well-hidden enough. Unless that bastard found him through his own supernatural powers, which was most likely. Just thinking about it heightened his boiling rage; that so-called "Nightmare Illusionist" thought he was [i]so[/i] important just because he was the leader of this ragtag bunch. He thought he'd simply be an annoyance, but it grew into a hatred that he could not fathom. He wanted to overthrow him in secret...but what would the point be if he could see it coming no matter what? No, he had to take him out now, starting with that damn eye of his.

With that, the power copyist pushed away from the wall, stepping out into the overly extravagant room that the illusionist would even bother to sit in. He knew he would have been seen with the mirrors; it didn't matter to him. All he needed was one touch, to take whatever magic he had. He knew he had more than the black fire that he would be resiliant against, and whatever else he had, it had to have an effect. Enough to kill him on the spot, then kill all the other bastards in the team, take everything from there. Just so long as he was kept in place long enough for him to--

"You're not even going to keep your presence a secret?"

Of course, he caught him without even bothering to look up, even without looking at the mirrors around them. Levins didn't bother to answer, walking around so he would face the Nightmare Illusionist directly. As always, he just lounged so lazily with that smug look on his face. Why he was even picked to be the leader was beyond him if he couldn't even take the position seriously. The man glared sharply at the ex-counterpart, who continued to smirk at him. Oh how we wished he could just rip that off his face...

"So this is where you come to betray me, is it?" Ignis feigned an overdramatic sigh, placing a hand over the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. "Honestly, I was hoping for an elaborate plan to overthrow me to fall apart right before your very eyes. But I suppose you are not so patient to let it all fall through, are you my friend?"

"We are not friends," Levins spat angrily. "And whatever plan I would conjure up would only blow up because you see through everything. You think you're so great because you use cheap tricks to get through anything thrown at you? You're no better than those damned children; you've had everything thrown to your lap while I had to work my way!"

Ignis just had to give a loud, cruel laugh in response. "Work? Why, of course, cheating civilians out of their money is surely 'work' for you! Who am I to judge a lying thief such as yourself?" A brief pause. "Oh wait, you must speak of your own powers. Then I suppose finding a pretty bauble in an underwater world was surely 'hard work' for you. Must have been quite a tire to navigate such a place."

The anger rose in the former conman as he was mocked. Normally he would have scoffed and said something equally cruel...but not with this man. No, he just wanted him dead, more than any of the other Interferences, even more than the two responsible for his previous death. Just everything about the illusionist grated on his nerves...

"Shut...up..." he growled, drawing his blade. "I have had enough of you, Fatuus. You, and all the other freaks you've dragged into this! You don't deserve any of this!"

"And you truly believe that you deserve what I've earned?" Ignis had to ask, his smirk now turning into a full blown grin. He could feel the power copyist's anger and hate towards him, and it just amused him further. He hadn't even done all that much in regards to him, and yet already he wanted him dead! It was almost akin to that idiotic redhead who disappeared off the face of the worlds, minus having almost everything ever on him.

As expected, the copyist just pointed the jian at him. "Enough of your childish rambling! Come and face me, you coward!"

Ignis sighed and shook his head, though the grin was still on his face. It seemed the man had already fallen off the deep end, as they say. Unfortunate; those insults were always fun to backfire. But...he might as well give him what he wanted...

Or, at least, most of what he wanted.

"How about this?" the Nightmare Illusionist asked, now straightening himself upright. "I give you the upperhand. After all, it wouldn't be much of a fair fight without any powers to draw from, would it?"

"Do you honestly believe that I'll fall for--"

Levins was interrupted as Ignis dropped his canesword onto the floor, the clattering echoing across the entrance hall. He was not done making his point across there, however; he looked up to the ceiling of mirrors and muttered, "Wraith," sending his black mist upwards...which then rebounded right back to him, the man giving a pained grunt as he ripped out his own magic power, nearly falling over his thrown in the sudden weakness. And if [i]that[/i] wasn't enough, he made a motion with one hand, a hypnotized servant coming right to his side. Not only had she helped him regain his balance, but also put a hand over his red eye, preventing him from casting any illusions.

"Is that...enough?" he asked weakly, though still keeping his villainous smile. "No weapons...no magic...and my eye is blocked...you now have free reign to do away with me as you please..."

...Levins couldn't help but to frown. The man couldn't throw himself away like this without any other trick up his sleeve. But...as he had shown, he had absolutely nothing on him now, aside from that servant, who he doubted would do anything. Normally he would have left it, figuring something would go down...but no...he was completely blinded by anger and hate to really consider this. He wanted the bastard dead, now.

So he walked up, bringing his weapon down for now. A simple stab through the heart (if he even had one) wouldn't be enough. No...he'll kill him by turning his powers against him, more than what he did to himself. Let him have a taste of his own medicine...soon, the others would follow, and this whole ship will be his. He stepped up the dais to the throne, holding back a growl as he saw the smug look up close. How could he smile like this in the face of death? Was he even [i]human?[/i] Whatever; it wasn't going to matter anymore.

And so, the power copyist grabbed the Nightmare Illusionist's arm, ready to take his powers as his own. Even with his MP taken away, he could still copy the traces left within. His eyes began to roll back as the powers prepared to imprint onto him...powers that could have been his from the start...

And they would have...had he not felt a sudden prick of a needle in his wrist, followed by something injecting into him. He pulled back instantly, unable to fully copy the Nightmare spellset into his own, and found the syringe stabbed into him. A grunt of realization; of course he'd be cheated out! He looked up, about to call the illusionist out on his cheap tricks once more.

"Ah, I had forgotten about that..." Ignis said, though his smirk clearly showed that he was lying through his teeth. "There [i]is[/i] a reason why we've formed an alliance with Dr. Crane, after all..."

It all kicked in right after those words. In just one short moment, Levins had fallen off the dais and onto the marble floor, screaming and flailing. He was in the river of souls of the Underworld, many of the deceased grabbing him and dragging him down. Every time he would try to escape their grasp, more would come, continue to drag him back into oblivion. "No! Don't take me back there! Please!"

Ignis laughed mockingly at this display, the fellow servant stepping away for now. He stood from his throne, pulling out another syringe and injecting it into himself. Unlike the now hysterical man before him, the toxin instead restored his magic. The Nightmare Illusionist then stepped down onto the floor, stopping right before the ex-conman, grinning down at him all the while.

"You see now, do you not?" he asked, leaning forward and staring into the terrified man's eyes. "What happens when you cross your betters, underestimate their abilities. You think yourself a master manipulator, but you've proven to be nothing more than a delusional fool."

For the first time since his return to the living, Levins had looked with outright fear, with his wide eyes, gritted teeth to keep from screaming again, and profuse sweat continuously dripping down his face. Before him, the Nightmare Illusionist certainly became a literal nightmare, with his body turned to smoke, many arms reaching out from him to grip him next, his black and red eyes constantly glowing as those hellish pupils stared into his soul, and sharp, ravenous teeth curved in a murderous grin. He tried so very hard to glare back at him, challenge him once more. Alas, the fear and panic had overtook him completely.

"You...you son of a bitch..." he wavered out, doing all he could to hold back his cries. "I...I'll kill you for--"

He stopped there as, all of a sudden, Ignis laughed his loud and cruel laugh once more. It brought the copyist to clench his eyes shut; to him, it sounded like the piercing, inhuman shrieks of some reptilian beast.

"Listen to you! Trying to bluff your way and failing miserably!" Even his voice as he mocked him sounded guttural to him. "Just look at yourself. Once a calm, collected thief, now reduced to the level of a mindless coward. I thought you would be an interesting ally, but the only thing entertaining about you is your meaningless hostility towards everything in the universe. Dr. Crane was right about you; you're nothing more than a brainless henchman. Of course, this was not completely your doing..."

And it was here that the ex-counterpart deeper into him, to the force that had been controlling the man up to this point. "After all, it is by the will of your current 'puppeteer' that you have come to loathe me so, destroy your own person just to be rid of me. But such a clumsy hold has allowed you to fall like this. A shame; I had been so hoping for a greater challenge from your kind. But, you may as well rot with this pathetic man."

With that, he gestured to the servant once more, with a simple order. "Take him out of my sight. He is not worth dying by any of our hands."

The woman bowed affirmatively, approaching the influenced man and grabbing him by the arm. No matter how much he tried to pry himself away, seemingly choking as he felt himself drowning under the death river, he had been dragged to the end of the hall, towards the platform that would beam him out. However, even with the toxin completely overtaking him, he finally managed up one final look to the Nightmare Illusionist. Though mixed with the fear, he allowed the rage to return to his eyes, teeth clenched to show for it.

"This isn't the end..." he growled, coughing out once. "One day, I'll throw that smug face of yours into the dirt. One day, I'll be laughing as I spit on your grave, knowing who really fell off their high horse! Who will be the pathetic one then?! It will be you, Ignis Fatuus! I swear it!"

Ignis' response? A yawn, a wave of his hand, and a disinterested, "Yes yes, I've heard it before. Off with you now."

And with that, the former conman was gone, beamed out to the nearest world.

Ignis sighed and shook his head. There went one distrustful ally. He should have known the minute he met that man that he would rather put his hate towards Interferences aside just to try, and fail, to throw dirt in his face for no reason. Oh well, it was of no matter now. That fool was gone, and he still had the others, even if their own supposed loyalty was only a front for their own gain. Not that that mattered; they were smart enough not to pull the same stunt on him. Of course, he did have to consider the fact that Levins may continue to try and overthrow him in secret outside of the Collective...

Immediately, the idea came to him right after that thought, his sinister grin reappearing on his face. Yes, he said to himself, this would certainly kill two birds with one stone. Looking to the servant once more, he said, "Report the man's apparent death to the others. Even if it no longer matters, it is best to let everyone know. Also..." The grin was wiped off right then, his expression stern, "let them know that they must be under heavy guard from now on. It is best to be on the lookout in case another Ghost finds their way in."

With one last bow, she had walked off, following through with her orders. And with that, Ignis Fatuus was gone in a fireburst, off to his new objective.

After about a year since their last confrontation, it was high time to meet with the Dream Mage once more...

~*~*~

Meanwhile, the wisp that was the Spirit waved through the Crystal Fissure of Radiant Garden, where Levins had been unceremoniously dropped off. The whispering Ghost had left the man not long after his forced exit, finding no more use in him. It had seen enough through his eyes, what the leader of this 'Collective' could really do. Though his dark heart held more shadows than the power copyist it left behind, it was not about to try its luck, for it knew that no matter how deep it would get, the illusionist would most likely see through it all like he had not too long ago. His pride seemed much too strong to really shatter through mere words.

It was no longer the Spirit's concern. It just flew off without a second thought, off to corrupt some other weak-willed soul.

[font=Lucida Console][color=blue]"He will see soon enough who the real 'Nightmare Illusionist' truly is in this universe..."[/font][/color]