Nightmare Butterfly

Description

Nightmare Butterflies are a species of Nightmare Creature that feeds on the "emanations of the innumerable Nightmares" of the Tomb of Ariel. They have only been seen so far have been Great Monsters, and are individually significant foes. These creatures are very rarely seen alone; however, as they are instead characterized mainly by the presence of their swarm, with it numbering easily in the millions.^[1][2]

Appearance

"Indeed, a butterfly was descending toward the island. From afar, it seemed like an ethereal and beautiful creature. But as it drew closer, Sunny couldn't help but shiver."

- Chapter 1261 ^[3]

Nightmare Butterflies are described to have a black underbelly and wings, while the rest of their body and underbelly are bone white. They have six fragile-looking black legs, each ending in sharp points, and two enormous faceted eyes, each described as 'orbs of pure darkness.' Between its eyes sits a long oily-black beak, able to twist and curl itself into a spiral. This creature's full wingspan reaches at least a hundred meters in size.^[4]

Notably, Nightmare Butterflies have a strange pattern on their wings; when gazed upon, it can induce feelings of distress. Upon seeing this pattern for the first time, Sunless noted that he was sure he should never look directly at it, even through his shadow sense.^[5]

Abilities

Nightmare Butterflies have displayed the capacity for limited sonic assaults, letting out 'indescribable sound(s)' able to disturb the waters of the Great River.^[6]

Nightmare Butterflies have been seen to primarily fight using their physical bodies, using their extreme numbers and status as Great Monsters in order to overwhelm their foes physically. They have been seen to use their scythe-like pointed limbs to attempt to skewer their enemies, alongside simply slamming themselves against their targets, hoping to succeed through brute force. While this dependence on physical strength may limit other Nightmare Creatures, because of their baseline strength and numbers, it does little to hold them back. ^[7]

"The horror hidden inside the Tomb of Ariel could wash and destroy not just any realm, but the Dream Realm itself... the Dream Realm, the waking world, and all of existence"

- Sunless describing the Nightmare Butterfly Swarm, Chapter 2913 ^[8]

Nightmare Butterflies have also been noted to have strange patterns upon their wings; it was speculated by Ascended Sunless that staring upon them for too long would lead to great negative consequences. ^[5]

Behavior

Nightmare Butterflies are known to exist within massive swarms. Without this trait they are still more than formidable opponents, being Great Monsters and each posing a significant threat to most of the inhabitants of the Dream World; however, it is only when grouped together as thousands, tens of thousands, or even more that they become truly powerful. ^[9]

While Nightmare Butterflies' primary source of sustenance is the "emanations of the innumerable Nightmares" within the Tomb of Ariel, they are also known to seek out sources of The Flame, such as human souls. While it is less common, they have also been seen feeding on other Nightmare Creatures. During Sunless' Third Nightmare, it was seen that they would fight other Nightmare Creatures over food, the example in question being the corpse of a Great Beast. ^[12]

This encounter was also an example of a one of these creatures straying far from the walls of the Tomb of Ariel. While this hasn't been seen to happen often, lone Nightmare Butterflies have been seen in multiple locations within the Tomb of Ariel, for both the purposes of feeding and laying eggs. ^[5][13]

Habitat

Nightmare Butterflies are only known to live within the Tomb of Ariel. These Nightmare Creatures nest along the inner wall of the pyramid, covering it and turning it into a living black wall. ^[16]

While there have been encounters with Nightmare Butterflies away from the walls of the Tomb of Ariel, they are exceedingly rare considering the vast population of them, with only two having been seen in the Great River. ^[3][17]

Notable Encounters

The first appearance of a Nightmare Butterfly was briefly after the beginning of the Sunless' Third Nightmare within the Tomb of Ariel. The creature descended towards the corpse of the great turtle, which Sunless and Nephis used to hide from the Great Beast Daeron. The butterfly fought with Daeron over the corpse of the great turtle. While this battle did not result in victory for either party, it is notable that the butterfly displayed the ability to battle underwater with Daeron with ease, despite the environmental disadvantage. ^[20][21]

A second Nightmare Butterfly was encountered by Sunless, Nephis, Cassie, and Jet on Windflower Island. The creature was not alive, however, at least not in the traditional sense, having been turned into a hollow after soul damage built up upon it throughout the loops it lived through on Windflower. This butterfly's wings concealed a collection of revolting eggs, each one at least twice the size of a human. These eggs were lifeless, though Sunless speculated they were laid when it first arrived on Windflower.^[17]

The first time multiple Nightmare Butterflies were seen together was during Sunless' 3rd Nightmare cohort's brief trip near the edge of the inside of the Tomb of Ariel. It was here that Sunless noticed the entire inner wall of the Tomb of Ariel was coated in millions of them, each sleeping, lying in wait to chase prey that may roam too close to their nest. ^[22][23]

Trivia

1. Nightmare Butterflies are noted to share a distinct similarity with the Spirit of Doubt.^[24]