Line #35 Literature/TheKingdomOfDreams


1	[[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/product_thumbnailphp11_0.jpg]]
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3	''The Kingdom of Dreams'' is the seventh volume of ''Literature/TheSpectralChronicles''.
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5	The year is 2152. Ten years have passed since [[Literature/ArsGoetia Astaroth]] [[Literature/BattleForTheAges and his demons attacked the Stone Cutters]], and in that time, there has been a great peace around the world. After all the victories over [[TheLegionsOfHell the demons]] and TheIlluminati by the Stone Cutters, the Champions of the Light and the Red Knights, the people of the Earth pretty much don’t even have much reason to have bad dreams anymore. However, [[TheDreaded a terrible]] [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils demon lord]], [[NightmareWeaver Mhithl’ithoth]], the ruler of nightmares, seeks to undo all of this and plunge the world into darkness and fear, paving the way for his [[{{Satan}} Dark Emperor]]. He invades the palace of [[BigGood Esheia]], the goddess of dreams, previously thought impenetrable thanks to the good thoughts of the Earth’s peoples the heroes’ efforts inspired. With her gone, the Dream World becomes horrifyingly corrupted, and thus nightmares start feeling more real than they should and waking up from them, while a relief, brings physical as well as spiritual pain. Some people are even trapped in sleep because of Mhithl’ithoth and his minions. And thanks to his machinations, some nightmare visions even [[WhenDimensionsCollide spill over into the real world]]. [[SaveBothWorlds Can the heroes defeat the demons in light and in sleep]], or will both worlds fall to [[TheEmpire the unholy empire of Pandemonium]]?
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8	!!Tropes:
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10	* AlienKudzu: More like Demonic Kudzu. [[TheHedgeOfThorns Black vines armed with razor sharp thorns]] start growing all over the Dream World and then the real world, choking out all other life as they do so, as Mhithl'ithoth and his demons continue to grow stronger.
11	* AlmightyMom: Heather tries this when she and Demetrios confront Rhagosct [[spoiler:[[OneWingedAngel in his true demonic form]]]]. She definitely gets credit for trying, but [[NegatedMomentOfAwesome it ends up not working]] no thanks to the SuperiorSpecies [[TheEmpire mindset a lot of demons have]]. So when Heather told him off, Rhaghosct [[EvilLaugh laughed it off]].
12	--> '''Heather''': How’s ''this'' for a sappy speech? You demons are ''not'' going to mess with my family again!\
13	'''Rhagosct''': What is this? [[LastOfHisKind The Last Prince of Atlantis]] and the great General of the Stone Cutters is having his ''mother'' fight alongside him? [[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe Oh, this is too rich]]. [[TheEmperor Lord Satan]] and the rest of demonkind shall be laughing about this for eons. Not that we don’t already.
14	* AmazonBrigade: Esheia has an army of fire elemental Amazons to protect her palace should it be attacked by Mhithl'ithoth and his demons.
15	* AnchoviesAreAbhorrent: Even with how tired he is from the lack of sleep and fighting with an ultra-powerful demon lord, Zephorius makes this joke while running to the portal back to the real world: "Last one in has to get the anchovy pizza!" To which Soecaia laughs and says "Hey, not before me!"
16	* AsTheGoodBookSays: During the battle with the Dark Stone Cutters in the corrupted Dream World, Frederick rebukes their blasphemous insults with a quotation from [[Literature/BookOfPsalms Psalms]]:
17	--> '''Dark Stone Cutter''': [[CallBack Even your precious]] [[BlasphemousBoast God will fear us!]]\
18	'''Frederick''': Never! The Lord is my protector; He is my strong fortress. My God is my protection, and with Him I am safe.
19	* AuthorAppeal: During the tree-planting on Arbor Day, Heather recalls Demetrios liking Arbor Day more than Earth Day when they were mortal.
20	* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Even though Alex [[VitriolicBestBuds likes to argue with her sisters]] about [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl their opposite approaches to life and world views]], she really does love them.
21	* BearsAreBadNews: Two different ones. Maebh has a nightmare about nearly being killed by a demonic bear. Her familiar Tioveius, on the other hand, is only bad news to his enemies.
22	* BigCreepyCrawlies: Some of [[WickedWasps the hornets]] in Max's nightmare, Elizabeth [[OneWingedAngel turning into a giant demonic butterfly]], and in Julian's last nightmare, he fights a giant monster that's [[MixAndMatchCritters a combination of a maggot and a leech]].
23	* BigGood: Esheia, the goddess of good dreams.
24	* BorrowedCatchPhrase: When Aislin sees the dragon terrorizing Caoimhe in her nightmare for herself, she says aloud "As Demetrios would say, that’s just prime."
25	* BreakingTheFourthWall: Max does it after killing one of the giant hornets from his nightmare [[{{Gorn}} in a spectacularly gruesome manner]].
26	* CasualDangerDialog: When [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Max]] and his friends arrive to help out the werewolves, he looks around the battlefield and smiles while saying "Well, looks like the party started without us." After Will kills one of the demons, he says in return "I'd say you and your friends are right on time."
27	* CentralTheme:
28	** HopeSpringsEternal: As Lily says, hope is stronger than evil.
29	** YouAreNotAlone: It happens when Queen Seldanna turns the tide of the demons invading her city, and later when Demetrios and Lily fight the demons of their nightmares.
30	* ComfortFood: Anne-Marie gives Tharelaer a big bowl of chocolate mousse to cheer her up after her nightmare.
31	* ContainTheKaboom: Combined with a MamaBear moment; Anne-Marie casts a Slow Time spell on the dying dark omen Tharelaer just killed to protect her from the demon's [[DeathActivatedSuperpower deadly]] [[TakingYouWithMe explosion]].
32	* CoolVersusAwesome: Aislin confronts the dragon from Caoimhe's nightmare by transforming into a [[GoodColorsEvilColors platinum-colored]] ''Tyrannosaurus rex''.
33	* CutenessProximity: Related to "Bears are Bad News" above. Even though he saved their lives, Maebh and Caoimhe are a bit intimated by Tioveius at first as he greets them while still in his fearsome short-faced bear form. When he tries again by reverting to his panda cub form, on the other hand, they happily fawn over him.
34	* DeathGlare: Mhithl’ithoth terrifies Maebh with [[NightmareFuel/SleepingBeauty a particularly well-known one]] after [[HopeSpot using a dream to trick her into thinking that the war was over]].
35	* TheDreaded: Mhithl’ithoth easily causes this, up to and including King Zasedis and Queen Sastiana. As a matter of fact, Zasedis describes him as so powerful that not even his old friend and mentor, the ArchangelMichael, has ever defeated him (though he did come close a lot of times).
36	* DreamsVsNightmares: The Champions of the Light and the Red Knights fight both to protect each other and Esheia, the noble and kindhearted goddess of good dreams, from being conquered and destroyed by Mhithl’ithoth, the demonic ruler of nightmares.
37	* EldritchAbomination: [[BigBad Mhithl’ithoth]] and [[TheDragon Rhagosct]] easily qualify. Mhithl’ithoth’s true form is said to be so horrifying that to glance at it is to risk death.
38	* EvilDetectingDog: Caoimhe's pet skunk Plume becomes visibly upset before Mhithl'ithoth's global GrayRainOfDepression storm starts, and later on, shortly before the plague of nightmares begins, Michael and Kayla's dog Brandy growls defensively at something outside their house, although at first glance it looks like there isn't anything to worry about.
39	* FantasticRacism: The demons' disdain for the races they conquer shows more strongly in this volume. They mockingly emphasize the word "high" in "high elf," and Mhithl'ithoth calls Anne-Marie and Lynessa's son Julian a "mistake of creation." Earlier, Amare and Tirzennoth have this exchange:
40	--> '''Amare''': That's enough out of you, you freak!\
41	'''Tirzennoth''': [[SuperiorSpecies You dare to call me a freak? That's rich!]]
42	* FisherKing: When Esheia rules the Dream World, it is [[SceneryPorn a supernaturally beautiful forest]]. When Mhithl’ithoth rules it, it turns into a soul-crushingly depressing and dying wasteland.
43	* FourIsDeath: The nightmares start up in the fourth chapter, and the human historians refer to the Infernomachy as "World War IV."
44	* GrayRainOfDepression: Mhithl’ithoth has caused this all across planet Earth, seeking to wear down people’s moods and energy so that they’ll sleep more often and thus become more vulnerable to his nightmare powers.
45	* GroinAttack: Thankfully one doesn't happen, but Cecil does very sinisterly allude to it:
46	--> Hmm, I think I’ll start with that part of your body you defiled Lily with
47	* HealthyInHeaven: Demetrios refers to this when he confronts the mysterious man in the lion costume.
48	--> Oh yeah? And what are you going to do? Trigger the allergies I no longer have since I became a ghost?
49	* HypocriticalHumor: Elizabeth gets mad when Maebh [[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne calls her a "bug,"]] even though she [[EvilGloating proudly]] described her [[OneWingedAngel demonic butterfly form]] to Michelle.
50	* {{Irony}}: A rather sad example. Shortly after Anne-Marie and Michelle cheer somebody up when they had bad dreams (Tharelaer and a terrified little vampire girl respectively), they have bad dreams of their own shortly thereafter.
51	* ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime: Although she believes in Anne-Marie’s magic lessons, Tharelaer tries to summon a {{familiar}} of her own beforehand. However, because of Mhithl’ithoth’s machinations, a band of demons interfere with the ritual and appear from the portal instead. Luckily, Tharelaer’s familiar, Soecaia, still comes through.
52	* KidHero: Mikey, Tharelaer, Julian, Maebh, Alex, and Caoimhe are eager and willing to join in the fight against the demons despite their young ages.
53	* KillItWithWater: Averted. When Maebh and Caoimhe encounter the Blood Knight in the Dream World, Maebh tries [[MakingASplash casting a large stream of water]] on him [[ShoutOut in the style of]] [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Elsa]]... but because she's mostly been using her magic for fun instead of combat (she is only eight, after all), [[NoSell the spell doesn't harm the Blood Knight at all.]] To which he laughs and says with arrogant sarcasm "Ah, that was refreshing, thank you."
54	* MamaBear & PapaWolf: Anne-Marie, Lynessa, Frederick, Jayden, and Aislin eagerly rush to their children’s defense when Mhithl’ithoth and his demons threaten them. [[TrueCompanions Anne-Marie is even just as protective of Jayden and Aislin’s daughters as they themselves are]].
55	--> If anything happens to them, I’ll be the first to end your miserable life.
56	* TheNightThatNeverEnds: Mhithl’ithoth’s storm causes eerie unending darkness; only rarely does the sky turn dull blue or grey.
57	* OlderHeroVsYoungerVillain: Michelle, a ladylike [[ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty 26-year-old]] woman, vs. Elizabeth, a [[TeensAreMonsters 16-year-old]] {{delinquent}}-[[DrunkOnTheDarkSide turned vengeful supervillain]].
58	* OneWingedAngel: Cecil and Elizabeth have them when they return. Elizabeth turns into a giant demonic butterfly (which Michelle makes fun of: “[[CallBack Honestly, what is it]] [[Literature/ANewBeginning with you and insects?]]”) and Cecil turns into a demonic scorpion, which ties into his StalkerWithACrush persona towards Lily; [[TruthInTelevision a scorpion’s mating ritual is said to resemble]] [[DanceOfRomance a waltz]]. Demetrios says this when he sees Cecil in his scorpion form:
59	--> Now hold on a minute; ''that’s'' Cecil? Whoa, [[EvilMakesYouMonstrous talk about the outside matching the inside.]]
60	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Demetrios immediately knows something is wrong when he hears Michael panicking while he speaks to him during the investigations in New York and Lemuria.
61	* PensieveFlashback: Tharelaer has a dream about the night the Illuminati attacked her village in ''Literature/TheHeraldsOfFalseLight'', but she can't interact with the other villagers, causing her to feel AloneInACrowd.
62	* QuestioningTitle: Chapter 13 has the title "Breaking of the Storm?"
63	* RealDreamsAreWeirder: The dream that Demetrios has as a sign that Mhithl'ithoth is starting his attack starts out more unusual before it becomes terrifying. He wakes up to find himself on a cold and rocky beach, and the only other person there is a mysterious man wearing a lion costume, who takes no notice of him ([[spoiler:it's actually Mhithl'ithoth's herald Rhagosct]]). Only when the stranger makes his speech does the dream become a nightmare.
64	* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Inverted. Clara, having pulled a HeelFaceTurn, chooses black and red for her wedding dress instead of white, as she is [[CastingAShadow a warlock]].
65	* RuleOfSymbolism:
66	** Just like how birds are descended from carnivorous dinosaurs, Anne-Marie's daughter Tharelaer gains a bird-themed familiar (Soecaia) to complement her dinosaur-themed one (Zephorius).
67	** When Michelle delivers her ''coup de grace'', Elizabeth can hear a dragon roaring, as if Michelle's god himself is punishing Elizabeth for her crimes against vampires.
68	* ShutUpHannibal: From an 11-year-old girl, no less.
69	--> '''Mhithl'ithoth''': ''Sael haerdh gae esaeu k’or qae miksq s’oq esaeu yorraeq xaoq? Esaeun gaon saeda oth gnaoz lizz moga oth gia oz ya hiksq mirozzes gizoddaon oth gontrazz mozz udaer esaeun laengh, bued hita esaeun doyaqiy hima!''[[note]]"How long do you intend to fight what you cannot defeat? Your precious hopes and dreams will wither and die as the light finally vanishes and darkness falls upon your world, just like your pathetic lives!" in Demonic[[/note]]\
70	'''Tharelaer''': You know, [[BlackSpeech that language]] is starting to get on my nerves.
71	* SmellySkunk: Averted. Caoimhe has [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunks_as_pets a pet skunk]] named Plume who is not smelly, as well as a [[ShoutOut nod]] to how the Franchise/{{Disney Princess}}es that Caoimhe admires, most notably [[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Snow White]] and [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Aurora]], [[FriendToAllLivingThings make friends with woodland critters]].
72	* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: During their first confrontation, Elizabeth uses the same insult on Michelle that Lilith said to Lily in ''Literature/BattleForTheAges''; she derisively refers to her as a “[[EvilCannotStandCuteness nauseatingly cute princess]].”
73	* TearsOfFear: A lot of them, thanks to Mhithl'ithoth's nightmares. Even the cool and confident Anne-Marie and Michael are pushed to tears.
74	* TheUnpronounceable: Mhithl’ithoth. Clara pokes fun at it by asking "Quite a mouthful. What do his friends call him?" and Max says he can’t even say it when he’s sober.
75	* WeakerInTheRealWorld: Esheia must remain in the Dream World because not only does she create good dreams, she is powered and enlivened by them. If she stays in the real world for too long, she'll [[TakenForGranite turn to stone]].
76	* WhamLine: Related to “O.O.C. is Serious Business” above:
77	--> '''Michael''' ''(informing Demetrios about the battalion of demons that suddenly appeared)'': I hate to spoil your picnic, but we’ve got big demon problems!\
78	'''Demetrios''': I hear ya, Michael. I’m looking at them ''(while seeing a battalion of demons charging into Lemuria at the same time)''
79	* WhatDoTheyFearEpisode: Mhithl’ithoth has this as a power, as he forces the characters to witness their worst fears and nightmares.
80	** Demetrios: Being separated from his family and friends.
81	** Princess Lily: Having another encounter with [[EntitledToHaveYou Cecil]].
82	** Max: [[WickedWasps Hornets]], both [[MunDanger the dangerous ordinary ones in real life]] and [[BigCreepyCrawlies the nightmarishly oversized ones from fiction]].
83	** Michael: [[TheAlcoholic His father’s drunken rages]] and that [[Literature/TheHeraldsOfFalseLight he kills Kayla while under the control of the Illuminati]].
84	** Anne-Marie: Since she is [[MsFanservice a fashion model who likes beauty and sexiness]], her nightmares involve the BodyHorror-having PainfulTransformation scenes from movies, especially [[SurprisinglyCreepyMoment the ones that were supposed to be fun family movies]].
85	** Ruby: Being made to witness the night the incubus killed her mother.
86	** Michelle: Having another encounter with Elizabeth and her fanatical desire to turn vampires into evil monsters.
87	** King Zasedis and Kalegar: An unstoppable attack from TheLegionsOfHell (which they have nightmares about on the same night).
88	** Jason: The Illuminati, especially when [[TheSocialDarwinist Ercole]] would beat him mercilessly and call him “[[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman Dorpha]].”
89	** Carter: He has a nightmare about being dragged into hell instead of being saved by the bronze dragon.
90	** Michelangelo: [[Literature/TheRiseOfAtlantisLightAndDarkness The Dark Stone Cutters and their vicious attack on Kingsport.]]
91	** Tharelaer: [[Literature/TheHeraldsOfFalseLight The night the Illuminati attacked and destroyed her home village.]]
92	** Julian: [[MessyMaggots Maggots.]]
93	** Maebh and Caoimhe: [[NightmareFuel/DisneyAnimatedCanon The (in)famously scary moments in the Disney movies]], with the two of them having a different nightmare.
94	** Alexandra: Being unable to save her sisters from being killed by the demons.
95	* WhenDimensionsCollide: When Mhithl’ithoth powers become strong enough as he continues to ruin the Dream World, people’s nightmares begin to spill over into the real world, and the demons launch a full-scale invasion.
96	* WorkingThroughTheCold: The Champions of the Light and the Red Knights continue to fight against TheLegionsOfHell despite suffering from severe sleep-deprived exhaustion no thanks to Mhithl'ithoth's nightmare powers. Some of them are understandably AsleepForDays when the war is finally over.
97	* WouldHurtAChild: Mhithl’ithoth has no compunction against terrifying and harming children as well as adults, and neither do the demons under his command. When Maebh and Caoimhe are found by one of the Blood Knights, he tells them he’ll make their deaths as painful as he can. Later on, Elizabeth [[EvilGloating announces that Maebh and Caoimhe will be the first to be made into her monstrous vampires]], and even says she'll outright ''kill'' Alex.
98	--> You’ll make a fine corpse.
99	* YouMonster: Of a sorts. Tioveius says so to the demonic bear in Maebh’s nightmare:
100	--> How dare you call yourself a bear!

Context Literature / TheKingdomOfDreams