"I was the first born of Hypnos and Nyx. A few human decades later, Phobetor came along. He was always a mischievous child. But he was as powerful as he is now. Together, the two of us had often scared our parents with images and creatures no human could ever come up with. I was the one to create them and Phobetor made them look real."

Charlie took another bite of her apple, but still listened closely.

"I suppose Hypnos felt as if he could not tame Phobetor. I was harmless, only making up things. But Phobetor was good at what he was born to do and Hypnos didn't like it. He would often fight with our mother about him and threatened to take us away. But he couldn't do that. As born Uvalions, we are tied to our parents until we reach a certain age. Not like you humans, we have no choice but to stay with one or the other."

Another bite of Charlie's apple accompanied his story.

"Obviously, knowing Hypnos' intentions, Phobetor and I chose our mother. But he didn't accept it. One day  when mother and Phobetor were sleeping, he abducted me. Well, my human body. As soon as we left the house, I could feel myself separating. You must know that if a born Uvalion decides to stay with one of his parents, he cannot leave without said parent's permission."

"What?" Charlie asked in disbelief, her apple momentarily forgotten.

"Of course, it is not the same with half Uvalions. If his other half is human, he can go wherever he wants on this earth without his parents' permission. It is his birth right after all." His voice sounded jealous, but not in an aggressive way. Charlie thought that he genuinely wished he was free.
"And what happened to your body? Why hasn't your mother gotten it back for you?" She asked.

"It wouldn't matter. Our rules are very strict. One mess up and you shall receive appropriate punishment. It does not matter if it was my fault or not. It is why my mother and my brother are still here. Hypnos and Nyx have wandered this earth long before your ancestors were even born. They both had connections worldwide. New Habbershire, previously called Habbero is a place Uvalions go to shed their bodies. It is a graveyard, build by Thanatos himself. Hypnos knew he would have to bury my body as soon as he crossed the threshold. And I suppose he stayed there, because he knew he would be protected by his brother Thanatos."

"The God of death." Charlie muttered.

"Indeed." Phantasos responded. Charlie shook her head at the information she just received.
"Why didn't he take Phobetor if he thought of him as too powerful? And why didn't the senate step in?" She was confused. All this talk about Hypnos made her really anxious.

"Because Phobetor would've not been as easy to catch. I could yell at him and show him as many apples as I wanted. I cannot bring something to life if it isn't already. Like the apple- they exist and I can make you as many as you want. But no monsters. Only Phobetor made my models real. I can would draw monsters, my brother hosted them. And the senate did not step in, because they don't settle Uvalion family issues. They are the oldest of Uvalions." She was confused yet again.
"But why do they exist if they don't help?" That senate sounded like the politicians in her country. There, but useless.

"Oh right, I have listened to you telling my brother what Hypnos told you about Uvalions. It is only half true. May I enlighten you?" He asked.
"Please." Charlie nodded eagerly.

"Well, Uvalions were first sent here to create a liveable planet. When humans arrived, some stayed to assure its balance. Some were called back by the stars. The more people were born here, the more Uvalions were needed and the harder our job got. Uvalions on earth now serve to keep up balance as much as possible. Between light and dark, good and bad. We may carry mythical names, but only so you can understand. But we are not Gods. Gods are a product made up by humans in order to look up to something, believe in something. But the main difference between Uvalions and Gods is the fact that we are here to protect earth. To keep universal balance. Gods are often described as above humans, heroes or something of that kind. We assure sustainability and we help humans in order to succeed in our common goal."

"You are like guardians." Charlie told Phantasos.
"I suppose. We are here to protect."
"And who does Phobetor protect?" Charlie had to ask.
"Those that are guilty are assured a life of nightmares. Those that still have time to make amends, simply need one visit from him. He protects those that cannot do it themselves. Just like Morpheus makes sure you have a good life, when he gives you good dreams." He responded.

"But what does my well-being have to do with the balance of the earth?" Charlie wondered aloud.
"Well, you should ask yourself what does everyone's well-being have to do with the balance of the earth. Not just you." That only confused her further. Phantasos needed no vocal question, he could see it in her face. So he sighed.

"Ever seen what happens to people whose needs are completely neglected and ignored? Say, in a relationship. If your partner completely ignores you, how would that make you feel?" He simply asked.
"Unhappy, I guess. Not wanted or cared about." Charlie answered.
"Well, now think further. If every partner did that to you, how long would you take until going a little mad? Asking yourself why you're so unlucky?" Phantasos waited a minute for her answer.

"Pretty quickly I guess." She still didn't see where the Uvalion was getting at.
"Now depending on your type, you either start hating yourself or you start hating others. There's no other way. It's that black and white. And now imagine there are almost eight billion people on this planet. Many are already mad and hurt others for seemingly no reason. But most are kept sane by the impact that Uvalions have on this earth. The human kind is most peculiar, I must admit. You are like a plant we have to water daily. And not just the handful of Uvalions you have met so far do the job. We are everywhere, always ready to help out a little. Ultimately, we will pass your time on this earth, so long it stays." Eventually, Charlie understood. It took her a few minutes, but she did.

"But Phobetor said I was innocent. Yet he kidnapped me." Charlie reminded him, realizing Phantasos was technically also her enemy.
"He does this with the right intention. Justice for what Hypnos had done. But he knows the senate will soon hear of this. I fear he does not care about it anymore. He is very hurt." She frowned.
"Isn't he supposed to stay above human emotions? Revenge and the sense of betrayal are pretty human." Charlie asked.
"I suppose being with me, but not actually, physically being with me every day did something to him. Each year he would gain more and more dark lights." Another look of confusion appeared on Charlie's face.

"Dark lights?" She had to ask.
"Yes. Uvalions see colours around every living object on this planet. We call them lights. One of many indicators of how someone or something feels. They change every second, always moving. But Phantasos' have been black for centuries now. Showing maybe one or two specks of colour every once in a while. But mostly black, meaning dark thoughts wander his mind. Bad feelings settling into his heart." He let out a sad sigh.

"Oh." Charlie blinked and then shook her head.
"But that doesn't give him the right to scare Morpheus like this. There are other ways. There has to be another way to get to Hypnos that we can come up with." Charlie tried.

"I have no say in it, I'm afraid. But I have a feeling this will soon be over." Phantasos said.
"I hope so." Charlie agreed.

It was quiet after that. Charlie was lost in her own thoughts. But they were not enough to distract her from the current situation. She wondered what Nathaniel was feeling in that moment. Oh, how much she wished she could be there and tell him about everything she found out the past few hours. Heck, she didn't even know if it was hours or minutes. 

"Phantasos?" She called out for him, sitting up straight.
"Yes?"
"Can you make me a clock? Just so I know what time it is and-" Before Charlie could begin to explain, a wooden standing clock appeared in front of her. She looked at it and smiled.
"Thank you." She said.

"May I suggest a simple modification of your current habitation." His voice sounded unsure.
"You mean my prison?" Charlie almost scoffed, but then she thought about it.
"Yes, your prison." He responded.
"You may." Charlie said and watched just how the Uvalion of fantasy worked.

Before her eyes, the cold iron bars were transformed into glass. The stone floor turned into a carpet as soft as a cloud. When Charlie took a step back in admiration, her shins hit something. Turning around and looking down, she saw a fluffy bed, just big enough for her with pink pillows that looked even softer than the carpet beneath her feet. The clock now stood at one corner of her new cell and in the other, there was a table with food and drinks on it. 

"Wow." Looking at the glass surrounding her, Charlie realized it served as a display. It looked like she was in a glass room and around her was an endlessly beautiful field of flowers. Lilacs and snowdrops, as well as dandelions and sunflowers all around her. 

"Is it to your liking?" Phantasos asked, his young voice sounding as excited for Charlie as she was.
"I love it, thank you." She admitted, walking towards the glass and touching it, momentarily forgetting about her situation. Yes, this was a distraction and for now, Charlie would take it.

"You are very welcome."