Mallomor, after answering several questions from the young witch, went back to the houseboat.

Niko greeted him with open arms.

"Sorry for causing you trouble today, Mallo. Can we move past this?"

Mallo nodded, but he wasn't entirely confident in Niko.

"Can we talk it out next time, please?"

"Yes, I'm just very impulsive."

Niko's dreams that night were less than pleasant.

It started in an empty street, very late at night. Niko was on edge, jumping when he heard footsteps.

He looked behind him to see a very large man.

"Seems like you're lost and alone..."

Niko smirked. "Maybe you should've disguised your voice, Donatello."

Donnatello pinned Niko to the ground.

"Stop squirming, you pathetic faery!"

"You can't tell me what to do! Piss off!"

Donnatello put his hoof on Niko's ribs.

"You're got balls, I'll give you that. Even if it'll cause you more pain."

Niko tried to summon a lightning strike, but he found his powers didn't work.

"Seems that you're weak in your own dreams. How unfortunate..."

Niko panicked. "Why are you here?! Go away!"

Donnatello pushed down on Niko's ribs. There was a crack, and then the pain.

What happened next is too awful to say, but it sent Niko sweating all over. He reached out to Mallomor and hugged him, tight.

Mallomor awoke from a light sleep. "Niko? Niko, what happened?"

Niko's response was a whimper.

"Shh...shh... It's OK, I am here...Was it a nightmare?"

Niko nodded, his head in Mallo's chest.

Mallomor ran his claws through his hair, soothing him back to sleep.

Mallo remembered the warning from Redir earlier. Donnatello was an incubus under Vivalda's employ, it wasn't much of a stretch to say they were behind this.

Niko's art that day was far gorier than usual. Even if he acted as if nothing had happened, Mallomor could tell it was effecting him.

"Do you know where Morgana is?"

"Yes, a day and a half's trip from here." He rose from his stool. "I don't need her help, I can protect myself against bad dreams easily."

Mallomor's tail swished. "Are you sure? Vivalda isn't one to give up."

"She's gonna have to, soon."

Niko when to his bedroom and began to draw a sigil to protect him from bad dreams. But he was rudely interrupted by an incoming curse of vertigo.

Fucking Seaspray, where'd this come from!!?

The floor shook, his head throbbed, and he saw Vivalda walking near him.

He blacked out, hearing the voice of Vivalda in his head.

I still can't understand why Malcontent ever chose you over me

You're a pathetic and overconfident excuse for an unseelie

Too useless to even be my pawn

Mallomor saw Niko lying on the ground, motionless, with Vivalda's sigil on top of him.

Mallo ran to find Tsarina, who was sunbathing on the deck.

"Tsarina! Get to me a map to Morgana's shop! Niko is being tormented by Vivalda!"

Tsarina followed his orders, and got him the quickest route there. She took over the wheel while Mallo checked up on Niko.

He tried to undo the sigil, but failed, getting smacked in the face with a thorny vine.

Of course, you can't undo the sigil, you idiot! You're nothing more than a weak shedim!

Morgana arrived at her shop early that morning to see Niko's boat, Ocean's Fury, pull into port. She made a note of that, but was startled to see Mallomor materialize in front of her.

"A much more powerful demon has Niko under her spell, and he's been unconscious ever since. Is there anything you can do to help?"

Morgana wasn't prepared to hear this so early in the morning.

"Bring him in. Who would this demon be?"

"Vivalda."

Morgana paused. "I'll ask for more later, just get Niko."

Mallomor slung Niko over his shoulder, and Tsarina followed him.

Morgana looked at Niko, and asked Mallomor some questions.

"How much power does Vivalda have?"

"She's a Baronessa, with a nice, big house and a handful of demons under her employ. She was like a mother to me for a while, but that was a long time ago..."

Morgana nodded. "I notice some fae-like energy around the sigil. Was she originally a faery?"

Mallomor nodded. "Yes, but I don't know why she became a demon. I don't think a lot of souls do."

Morgana looked at her former protégé's unconscious body and imagined the torment he must be suffering.

She entered the mind of Niko to see Vivalda harassing Niko.

"You deserve Donnatello more than Mallomor, admit it."

Niko was in a fetal position.

"Please, just leave me alone. Please!"

Vivalda laughed, but stopped when she heard Morgana clear her throat.

"A human?"

Morgana shook her head.

"Witch, then."

Morgana firmly denied that. "I am a master of the mystic arts. Seems like I'll have to fight you to get you out of Niko's head."

"Fight? Like you could ever put a scratch on me!"

Morgana took a defensive position and was silent.

"Not much for words I see. Have at it!"

Vivalda's magic was based in plants, while Morgana had a more cosmic theme to her magic.

They started on a level playing field, but Vivalda messed up Morgana's form with the constant vine sweeps. Morgana, due to age, was having some trouble keeping up with Vivalda's acrobatics.

Niko was able to make Vivalda stay still by pulling on her tail.

"You idiot, do you want to get killed!"

This second to insult Niko gave Morgana the time she needed to strike her with a meteor ray.

Vivalda didn't recover after that, and was defeated.

Niko was able to wake up after that, and found himself in Morgana's shop.

"How long was I out?"

Mallomor kneeled over him. "A day and a half, I think."

Niko turned to Morgana. "Thank you-"

She interrupted him. "No need, I just did what I had to. I don't think you'll be seeing her anytime soon."

Mallomor spoke next. "You look exhausted. How are you feeling?"

Niko sat up. "I look exhausted because I am exhausted." Mallo hugged him.

Morgana came back with a breakfast smoothie for Niko, since he hated coffee.

"You can stay here in town for a while."

Niko shook his head. "No, I have to be in Seabrook on Thursday. I was accepted a teaching job at Seabrook Art School...somehow..."

Mallo blinked. "It's Friday today, isn't it? You need to focus on gaining strength. Remember how long it took you to recover from my few seconds of possession?"

"Mallomor is right, and there's a possibility you might have to miss it."

Niko was silent, focusing on drinking the smoothie.

"I see your point. I'll stay."