The Boogie Man's Secret

The thirty-second of the Crusaders of the Constellations Novel, it is about the Boogieman revealing a secret that shakes his opponent to the core.

## Story

"I bet that under the creepy mask is an ugly face," Argus the elf whispered to Anahita as Ranald put on the clawed gauntlets and faced off against the Boogie-Man. "He's the Boogie-man, I mean, what do you expect, a pretty face from a being that inspires fear?" she asked. The Boogie-man formed a Field of Nightmares, an energy barrier, for only him and his opponent. Everyone watching them fight can only see them and even talk to them, but they cannot interfere, otherwise, they would see visions of their fears. Ranald used Lion Claw against the Boogie-man, but the Boogie-man teleported away from him. He did it a lot of times until he tired out the golden-haired hero.

"Both of them are equal in power and strength. I sense that there must be some connection between them," Ichiguen told Tula. Tula the lawyer nodded and pointed out that by training under them, Ranald might be able to overpower and defeat the Boogie-Man. Husdent sniffed the air and commented on how similar Ranald and the Boogieman smelled, which made two of Ranald's guides look at him quizzically.

Despite being tired, Ranald is facing the Boogie Man and he's going to make him talk but it looks like the Boogieman is not moving at all, and in deep thought, though as Baby Little advised him, 'Don't be fooled by how lazy he is or looks, he has a plan behind his cloth.' The angel used his heavenly powers to heal Ranald again, and the boy thanked him and went to fight the Boogie-man again. Every time Baby Little heals Ranald, as King Athos noticed, and then wrote in his stone tablet, he is transferring some energy from Heaven into him. What this means, he would observe later. Athos advised Ranald to be careful when fighting the Boogie-Man, and Ranald his student nodded at him and went to fight the Boogie-man after resting and drinking water for a while.

Ranald used the moves of the twelve martial arts against the Boogie-man, but he refused to budge. Sometimes, he teleported away from Ranald, causing him to slam himself against the barrier wall. Baby Little would heal him when that happened until he got exhausted.

Many dark fights later, Ranald, bruised, and sweaty from it, can't stand this anymore. He kept shouting at the Boogieman, asking him why he tried to kill him and how does he know about his dimensional mate and where he kept him. That's when the Boogieman finally talked and revealed a secret. "You and I...we're on the same boat when it comes to being left out by those better off than you," he spoke softly. "I will show you what actually happened to the spirit of your Dimensional Mate from Earth. Hope you won't get upset, for the truth hurts."

That's when he removed his mask, revealing a face that looked exactly like his opponent. Ranald was shocked and said "IT'S YOU!!!!!" and the Boogieman laughed madly and said, "That's right it's you! I MEAN I AM YOU! " Everyone was shocked with terror, from King Athos to the last student. "What rubbish is this!" Phrixus yelled. "Maybe you're lying!" Bai Tu yelled at the Boogie-man. "The albino's right. After all, a trickster can recognize a trickster," Kibahime spoke, prompting Bai Tu to thump his feet and kick the fox spirit's sides. The Field of Nightmares disappeared, revealing the truth to all. "Okay, I'll eat my words," Argus spoke and hid behind Anahita. "Argh, we did not see it coming," Delmare muttered, looking at Ranald and the Boogie-man. Mayari agreed with the water fairy, after all, they expected a fearsome face behind that mask. King Athos urged his students to stay calm and let the Boogieman talk. "Allow me to explain myself," the spirit possessing the Boogieman said.

It turns out the Boogie-man is none other than his late dimensional mate from Earth and he's possessing the Boogie Man's body just like how Ranald has possessed his human dimensional mate's body. Turns out, his own dimensional mate from Earth was so mad at him for stealing the life he's been waiting for as an about-to-be-born baby ever since he died. What's more he, a griffin with dragon's crown and scales on his tail in his Earth Dimensional Mate's body, gets to enjoy the rest of his life being loved by his own parents, with children looking up to him while he's nothing but an invisible ghost with no feelings and all he did his watch and let his other self take all the credit, it's like he's being replaced from his perspective.

So out of revenge, he travelled to Dreamland and then to the Nightmare Realm, and noticed the Boogie-man, and how powerful he really is, always hunting children, always using his evil spirits to catch them. He felt that the Boogieman, as mayor of the Nightmare Realm, should've used them to get Ra and that's when he realized that he was able to do to the Boogie-man what Ra can do when he first hatched in his dead body on Earth. So he waited until he has the strength to take over the Boogie man's body and when he did, he was able to have his powers thanks to his strong will of revenge or as he calls his revenge a dream to fulfil.

Back then when he was still in the Nightmare Realm in the Boogie-man's body, he then was about to haunt a child's dreams, when he realized that he can put his possessing powers to good use on the Boogie man's minions, and for a reason: He's prepared to get Ranald, and he even ordered his own minions to forget the children and get Ranald. But as for Ranald (or Ra), he thought those evil spirits are after the children but they're after Ranald, so no matter what power he uses he's still not close enough to kill him, and it frustrated him to no end.

That's when he went on a journey to meet the Devourer of Worlds, and make a deal with him: If he works for him he'll do anything to wipe out the world that turned against him and make Ranald suffer, dying from a broken heart and that he'll never be surrounded by the people he loved again. So he told Ranald, let's see how he likes it when he doesn't feel anything like how his Earth dimensional mate had been through.

The Boogieman subjected Ranald to Your Worst Nightmare, a special move trapping the victim into an illusion of the user's bad memories and fears. Ranald saw his Earth Dimensional Mate's memories but from his perspective. His death as a baby, watching Ra possess his dead body and revive it, Ra as Ranald getting the love from his parents and children and watching as Ranald was made fun of by the supers and normal people for telling stories to children. From going to Dreamland and the Nightmare Realm to cultivate his powers and possessing the Boogieman, to sending nightmare monsters and spirits to chase Ranald as the Golden Griffin Warrior, and the children thanking him and his Dreamland parents.

Through his Earth Dimensional Mate's eyes, Ranald saw his dimensional mate in the Boogieman's body fly to the Devourer of World's fortress and make a deal with the serpent to destroy Earth and Ranald, and recruiting Malvor, Bia and the other villains through entering their dreams and making deals with them, even teaching Malvor magic. After seeing through his Mate's eyes, Ranald was then tormented by visions of the Devourer of Worlds destroying cities, eating Earth, the planets of the Solar System, Dreamland, Aether World, and his friend's worlds. He saw his parents in Earth and Dreamland die, Ra in his Earth body being corrupted into killing his friends, and all people and beings with powers, and lots of things too horrible to talk about. Then, Ranald's anger boiled. A white and gold light covered his body. Some of it flowed into his golden locket. He became so angry that he let out a roar that is combined from that of a human and lion. The glow around him became a flash that ended up destroying Your Worst Nightmare's illusions. Ranald, renewed in strength, stood up and looked the Boogieman in the eyes. "I will not let my past define me. I will not let what you showed me to become the future, therefore, I will defeat you in the present," he said with determination. He then rushed towards the Boogieman, schoolbag in one hand, Baby Little under the other, and the gauntlets on his hands. The Boogieman raised his hands in front of himself, hoping to push back Ranald. But he punched the Boogieman in the gut, causing him to keel over and fall down to the floor.

A ball of light emerged from the Boogieman's limp body, turning into a replica of his Earth Dimensional Mate's body that looked at his opponent with hate and envy. After the Boogieman is defeated and freed from the possession of his evil dimensional mate, he got up and looked at the ghost of Ra's dimensional mate, and then Ranald. "You...defeated me and freed me from your spirit? Well done...I suppose that you had help from Heaven or such," he said. He put on his mask and tipped his head once and then thanked his nemesis for setting him free but he also told Ranald that he may have saved him but he's still the Boogieman. Even so, he'll never forget what Ranald did for him and though they may be going back as enemies, Ranald is always ready for him. "After all, when the Earth is destroyed and eaten by that serpent, there will be no children to scare. And it would be boring. I wouldn't stand for that meaningless destruction," the Boogieman said. He gave Ranald and his classmates his best wishes in defeating the Devourer of Worlds and returned to the Nightmare Realm by teleporting.

After that, Ranald convinced his Dimensional mate that his quest for revenge has to stop and he knew that the reason why his dimensional mate did all that 'cause he just wanted to have love and feelings just like he and his friends from other dimensions have. Ranald told him if he wants some love and everything he has to join him and become one with him so that way his dimensional mate can feel the warmness, the taste, pain, and everything else he can and will experience if he were still alive. "Really?" the spirit of his Earth Dimensional Mate asked, tears of regret streaming from his eyes. "Yes," Ranald said. So his Dimensional mate in spirit form made his decision while in tears, apologizing. Then, he grabbed his hand and they suddenly merged together while being covered by white and golden light. And they became one whole person, and now Ranald's Earth dimensional mate will take over for him for now on while Ra the golden griffin is now the inner voice or conscience inside him that tells him what to do that is right. Which means that Ra is going to be with his Earth Dimensional Mate every step in the way. Better still, he gets to be with his Dreamland Parents by visiting them whenever he feels like getting out from his dimensional mate's body or when he's asleep.

Ranald's Dreamland Dimensional Mate Ra then emerged from his body to speak to him. "It's a griffin with dragon features! What an amazing creature!" Delmare squealed. Hayyah's heads nodded in agreement. Ra's body now has an appearance of his true self as a Golden Griffin with a dragon's crown (a dragon's crown only appears on elder dragons, and it is made of metals such as gold, silver and bronze, with bronze being the lowest, and gold being the highest. When it appears on horned dragons, the horns grow to 'frame' the crown to prevent it from falling. Hydara's crown is currently bronze) and scales on his lion tail just like his parents. He told Ranald that from this day onward, his Earth dimensional mate will get to be with his earth parents and the whole family to receive all the love he deserves and when there's trouble, both him and Ra have to transform into Ra Form by holding hands and say "I am you and you are me, together we're the Warriors of Gold". So now Human and Dreamland Dimensional Mate are going to fight together as one and their Ra Form will be the same Ra form as before. Oh and Baby Little then came out from his Griffin Stuff toy now that his powers are fully developed but since it's great for him to be with Ranald, he likes to stick around for a while.

"That means that I can now transform into Ra the Golden Griffin Warrior without collecting heart gem pieces," Ranald told Ra as the golden griffin bowed his head in respect. He then entered his body again. "Yes," Ra said inside his Dimensional Mate's mind, "Which means, as in aside from you and me merging together when we say the magic words when awake, we can still merge and become Ra together and still leap to cloudscapes and use the Crystallized Right Arm when we are both passed out or sleeping. That means we can still be in our Ra form together whether we're asleep and awake, and when we're awake, anytime we want." Ra paused, and continued, "Though we must not be careful not to abuse that new power." Baby Little thanked Ra for sticking with his Earth Dimensional Mate until his spirit returns to the body. "No problem," Ra said telepathically to the angel as Ranald's golden locket glowed golden, red, and white. Ranald attached the baby griffin stuffed back to his schoolbag, and hugged it, walking up to his friends.

"That's beautiful! But how do we get out of here?" Argus asked. "We can exit this fortress and go back to the Dimensional Shuttle and the Dimensional Wayfarer. And what does this all mean?" Shani asked King Athos. The king told Bai Tu, Kibahime, and Delmare to tell their classmates about the prophecy. When they did, Odin and the Hall Leaders spoke, "We understand now. The Golden Griffin and Silver Deer are with us right now," as they looked at Ranald and Mayari. At once, Ranald and Mayari understood the prophecy as foretelling their arrival.