It was midnight in Dream City; a silent, gloomy midnight. After leaving the Kirisawas, I went to live with my distant Uncle Ananse. I couldn't tell him what had happened and what I had learnt since I knew Ananse was bound to overreact if not over retaliate in one way or the other. I knew how cunning and conniving Ananse was and I knew by now, he already knew the whole truth himself…but no way in hell was he going to hear it from my lips! He'd insult me silly for living in the house of my enemies; then congratulate me later for the money in his possession. That sly devil had used the wages Mr Kirisawa was paying me to open APDSA (Ananse Palm-wine Drinkers Sponsorship Association) everywhere in our homeland, dear Ghana. When I found out, I wanted to slap the hell outta him but I hadn't become that depraved…yet.
I sat at a corner in my room, in the darkness, with the lights out and the windows open, weeping silently and angrily at how stupid I had been all the while.
Fifteen minutes later, a chilly wind began to blow and the white curtains fluttered eerily. It began to drizzle slowly, then with a sudden flash of lightning and a thunderclap that cracked the glass window of my room, it began to rain heavily. I recalled the morning after I had discovered that I was Zanfar reborn. It was the same day Ayumi kissed me. The present atmosphere was not so different. Thinking about it made me angrier.
"Would she go that far just to keep me within arm's length…in case I became a threat? Was I always on a leash without realizing it? How long has Ayumi known? How could she bear to look me in the eyes every single day knowing that…she was the one that…! UNNGHHH!!!" I growled and hit the wall with the side of my fist. "So you've also always believed that…I am an abomination that doesn't deserve to live, haven't you…Ayu?" I muttered sadly and buried my face in my knees.
Even if my head told me I despised Ayumi Kirisawa and my heart burned with rage, everything else told me that I was still in love with her.
MEANWHILE…IN THE KIRISAWA RESIDENCE…
The feeling was mutual. Ayumi was bedridden, almost paralyzed (don't worry, I ain't looping any crazy plots. Just consider it a coincidence).
She was in fact feeling much worse than I was. Ai sat beside her to comfort her. Mr Kirisawa had arrived home to see Ayumi in a lot of pain. He wasted no time in travelling to the Dream World to seek answers from Bamané. Ai remained beside her sister to comfort her.
"He hates me. He really hates me. Zan hates me" Ayumi wept.
She had refused to eat anything and preferred to be alone since those two days ago I learnt the truth. It was presently the 29th of December 2011. Two days later, we'd face a Nightmare the likes of which all of humanity would almost never recover from.
Ai brought Ayumi some food to eat but she wasn't interested in eating anything.
"Ayu, you've got to eat something. At least try to recover some strength" Ai said.
"Maybe it would be better if I just died. I don't deserve to live. I…" Ayumi continued to cry.
"Don't say that! If you don't want to think about yourself, at least think about how dad and I would feel?! Think about Mom! Do you want her sacrifice to be in vain?! She died to protect us! If you die, you'll throw away her feelings! Think about Zan too! He may hate you now but I'm sure even he would not wish for your death!" Ai scolded Ayumi.
Ayumi covered her eyes with the back of her hand.
"How can I live knowing that Zan hates me?" she said.
"I never thought I'd hear those words escape your lips" Ai muttered with a bored expression on her face.
Ayumi ignored her.
"If you care that much about Zan, why do you just want to give up and die?! You think it'd satisfy him?! The fact that you're just trying to run away?! Why don't you try to earn his forgiveness?! No matter how slim it is, I'm sure Zan has a big enough heart to forgive you and I'm pretty sure he still loves you" Ai said.
Heh, good luck with that! Sorry to tell you girls but my heart is much smaller than a chickpea. What is a chickpea by the way? Whatever it is, I think it sounds small enough no?
"It's impossible. It's like asking us to forgive Zanfar for killing mum" Ayumi said with a trembling voice.
"Ayumi Kirisawa, I have not said this in a while but…get a grip before I smack you silly!" Ai threatened as she allowed her intimidating fighting spirit to emanate all around the house.
Ayumi stared at Ai in fear and took in a deep breath. For someone with enough power to move the moon at the age of thirteen, Ai was in a class of her own. It wasn't far-fetched to assume that it would not take Ai much effort to destroy the earth if she really wanted to.
Ayumi suddenly began to feel uncomfortable. She felt the pain in her body returning and in the next instant; she was forced to clutch her head in pain.
"What's wrong Ayumi?!" Ai called worriedly as her fighting spirit faded.
Ayumi could not reply. She screamed as silver-vein like structures began to extend to her neck. She struggled with the pain for a while and lost consciousness.
MEANWHILE…
In my room, I felt terrible. My chest was hurting as though my lungs were being squeezed. The chilly wind became unbearable despite the fact that I had now shut the windows. I couldn't help shivering.
"Why am I getting such bad vibes?" I wondered. "Nothing worse could possibly happen now?" I told myself but in the next moment…
CRRRRAAACCKKAAAABADABOOOOOOMMMMM!!!
A crack of thunder followed by a strong wind smashed a nearby tree branch into my window.
"TCH! Like I care!" I muttered and lay on my bed.
I pulled the blanket over my head.
AT THE BORDER BETWEEN DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES…
Mr Kirisawa stood before Bamané. She seemed irritated by his presence.
"You've finally appeared before me again, haven't you Ryuuji?! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't turn you whole Kirisawa lot into a swarm of frogs?! You were the ones that killed Wanye weren't you?! And that daughter of yours had the nerve to cast her charms on Ayzan as well! This is one situation I absolutely won't help you with!" Bamané denied Ryuuji before he could even bring forward his request.
"I have not even told you why I've come" Ryuuji said.
"And I don't want to hear it if it has to do with your daughter! Even from here, I can feel Ayzan's malice and it isn't so different from Zanviel's grudge! This is why I warned you in the first place!" Bamané yelled.
"Please listen to me Bamané! This is a situation of life and death! My daughter's life may depend on you now!" Ryuuji pleaded.
"Ryuuji, you still do not seem to understand why it is that evil forces have tried to preserve your daughter's life for this long and why it seems forces of good rather threaten her. The reason Ayumi's life is tied with the apocalypse is because two choices are what will unleash it. The first choice was the choice Ayumi made to take Wanye's life. By the laws of retribution and justice, Ayumi's life should be taken as atonement…however…" Bamané left the sentence hanging.
"Whatever the reason is doesn't matter to me! As a father, I will protect my daughter, even if it destroys the world! That is non-negotiable!" Ryuuji declared stubbornly.
Bamané sighed.
"Ayzan sure is a weird kid…if two months of living with him can make you this passionate about protecting something" Bamané said. "By all rights you deserve to be transformed into the wartiest of toads this instant" Bamane said.
"I know. You can just do that later" Ryuuji laughed.
"Well, I'm not so big on watching kids die either. Chaotic resonance; that is the bane inflicted on your daughter. It is a curse characteristic of the fourth soul of evil Chaos. It utilizes internal turmoil, self-hatred, guilt and identity crisis to cripple the one on whom it is inflicted. It is a curse that slowly eats away at the spirit. It is quite similar to what your wife endured but with one great difference" Bamané said.
"What is this difference?" Ryuuji asked.
"It's this. Zanfar's curse on your wife was inflicted on her soul and manifested in her body. Unlike Zanfar's curse which acts slowly and is almost undetectable until it's too late, Chaos' curse was cast on the soul and manifested in the girl's spirit. The curse is cast in two stages. The first stage is to make the victim aware of alternate realities. In other words, it's similar to what you humans would call 'hallucinations' or 'insanity'. After rooting the person's soul in an alternate reality and bringing the person to the point where one denies the reality of one's life, the second bane is cast. In other words, Ayumi is wishing for a reality that isn't the one she lives in and since she's already experienced another reality that freed her from the weight of her guilt, she longs for that reality and denies this one unconsciously. Unlike the body and soul that adjust to time and flow within it, the spirit transcends time thus it is possible for the spirit to perceive even if faintly, alternate realities, as well as the past and future, and that is the front on which the forces operate" Bamané explained.
"I don't think I understand it" Ryuuji explained.
"Let me make this simple for you. Body and soul can be confined to the space in which the person inhabits in the world currently but spirit acts where the soul longs for. In other words, when you're thinking of something, your spirit acts around that thing but this can have either positive or negative connotations. It means dwelling on evil draws evil and dwelling on good draws good but in this case, Ayumi is dwelling on her guilt and longing for another reality so her body and soul inhabit this plane but her spirit is acting in totally different planes. There is no way to save her if her spirit cannot be rooted to the existence she was born into but I do not know how to do this or if it is even possible however, there is one person who might have the answer you're seeking" Bamané said.
"The Nightmare King?" Ryuuji asked.
Bamané nodded.
"Thank you Bamané. You've been of great help to me. I will never forget this" Ryuuji said as he bowed respectfully and headed out.
IN LOWER EAST SIDE DREAM CITY…
It was morning. The previous night had been a really stormy one. I had finally woken up. I felt refreshed bodily but my heart felt bitter. My rage hadn't reduced in the least and my anguish was even more terrible. No matter how much I thought about it, I could not come to terms with Ayumi's terrible crime. I walked down Ananse's rickety stairs and finally reached the hall. Ananse lived in a wooden house which by all rights should have been luxurious had he not been so stingy with his money.
Ananse sat at table eating a basin of Ap)nkye Kakra(Goat Light Soup) with fufu. I was utterly shocked. Normally, I'd have made a sarcastic comment but I just didn't have it in me that morning.
"Good morning Uncle Ananse" I greeted glumly.
"Good morning Zan, how was your sleep?" he asked with filled cheeks.
"I survived" I muttered.
"Interesting" he said silently and picked up the basin to drink the soup.
I stared at him in astonishment, dumbfounded by this obvious and elaborate display of gluttony and stupidity. I mean…WHO DRINKS SOUP FROM A BASIN?! Shockingly enough, he did not choke. His belly was already protruding and he slid from his chair to lie down lazily beside the basin.
"Uncle Ananse, are you okay?" I asked, more out of suspicion than worry.
He belched loudly.
"I'm good, never better. This here belly is filled with enough nutrients to last me three days of hibernation" he laughed.
"And I'm just gonna pretend I didn't just hear that" I muttered with a slight chuckle and sat down to prepare some tea for myself.
I ate silently. After eating, I cleared the table and sent Ananse's basin to the kitchen for washing. He and I were the only ones currently living in that house. The rest of his family were in his hometown in Ghana.
Ananse's eyes were shut now so I assumed he was asleep till he spoke up.
"Are you okay Zan? You've been a little down lately. You seemed to be so excited about some girl whenever you came to visit but you hardly speak about her anymore" Ananse said.
I turned my back to him and bit my lower lip angrily.
"I don't want to talk about her" I said.
"Why? She got a new boyfriend or what?" Ananse asked.
"Hmmph! That would have been infinitely far more bearable than what she's done!" I declared and hurried out before he could press me further for answers.
THE KIRISAWA MANSION…
Face and Victoria had just arrived in the Kirisawa mansion. They had been invited by Ai. They were pretty shocked to see Ayumi in the condition she was in.
"What are those weird silver lines?" Face asked curiously as he attempted to touch the silver vein-like lines on Ayumi's neck.
Victoria caught his forefinger and twisted it hard enough to make him scream.
"What's with you Vikki?!" Face roared angrily.
"Don't even think of laying a finger on Ayumi Face!" she threatened angrily.
"Yeesh! What's your problem?! Stop acting like you know me well enough to make wild assumptions! I'm just curious about those vein-like structures on her neck, that's all!" Face yelled back.
"Whatever" Vikki did not seem to be paying attention.
"Yeesh Vikki! The day you'll ever say something nice to me, an unlikely miracle will occur!" Face grumbled.
"Like that will ever happen. That would be an unlikely miracle in itself" Victoria teased.
Ai giggled.
"Eh? What's that supposed to mean Ai?" Face glared at her suspiciously.
"You two really get along, don't you?" she asked.
"Eh?! Which part of this setting makes you think we get along?!" Face scoffed at Victoria.
"For once, I agree with this blockhead" Victoria retorted.
"Okay, so are you finally done with the married couple routine?" Ai teased.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING NOW?!" Face and Victoria roared in unison and then without warning, Victoria sucker punched Face to the ground.
"Don't start digging an early grave for me Ai" Face pleaded.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Victoria scoffed.
"TCH! It's none of your beeswax! Besides, we're not a couple so quit hitting me already!" Face yelled back.
"Fool!" Victoria sneered and lifted her nose high.
"You guys, I need your help" Ai suddenly said seriously.
Face and Victoria regained their composures. Ai turned to look at the unconscious Ayumi and Face and Victoria did the same.
"What's wrong with her?" Face asked.
"I don't really know. Zan finally discovered that it was Ayumi that killed his gramps. I believe this is all part of a greater plot. The timing was far too convenient for our enemies. We've already gathered four out of the seven elemental stones. Three remain. One of Zan's friends and classmate, my friend, Prince Asante was slain by the fifth soul of evil, Decay and…I believe even Zanfar has begun to move. In the midst of all this, I was somehow tricked into bringing Zan to the realization of Ayumi's crime. Everything was coordinated…and I believe this plot extends even further into the past than we'd originally imagined. We'll have to face the realization that…even Zanfar…may be a pawn" Ai said.
Victoria and Face opened their eyes in horror.
"What do we do now?" Face asked.
"Somehow, I believe Zan lies at the centre of all this. If the forces of evil manage to convert him to the darkness, they will awaken an evil even greater than Zanfar alone. We must make sure Zan does not lose hope in life…and in humanity. We must find a way to bring him to forgive Ayumi" Ai declared.
"How is that going to help? I find it hard to believe that one person's grudge can lead to the end of the world. I mean, think about it logically" Face said trying to deny the reality Ai was placing before them.
"Is it illogical for a mound of sand to become a mountain even after centuries? Is it illogical for tribes to war because of the grudge of two men…and is it impossible for that grudge to become an international conflict? Follow the traces of destruction and it becomes almost impossible to discover the spark that became an inferno. It appears we've been dealing with a force that doesn't mind waiting to destroy everything; a much more meticulous force than Zanfar alone; that has been acting in a seemingly random fashion. A few isolated random bushfires cannot cause much harm but…when the flames spread out enough…and start to converge…the inferno will become much hotter than the sum of the individual flames" Ai said.
Face couldn't deny what Ai was saying. She seemed to have thought about it for a while now.
"The only solution I can imagine is to put out the isolated flames we can before they become an inferno…though it's much harder to imagine how to do that, don't you think?" Ai said with a smile.
"So what are you up to Ai Kirisawa?" Victoria asked with a sly smile.
"I think we should find a way to help Ayumi recover and since Zan is the Dreamweaver and the son of the Nightmare King, I think he might be able to help" Ai said.
"Piece of cake, get Zan to get over the fact that Ayumi killed his gramps, no biggie" Face said.
"Can you help me with that?" Ai asked.
She looked much serious now than Ayumi had ever looked.
"You know Ai, if this evil you're referring to has been planning an apocalypse since time immemorial, then whatever we might do now might just advance its plans" Face sighed and said.
"I've considered that as well but if we do nothing…we're definitely helping it" Ai said.
"Haaah, there's no arguing with you, is there? You're just like Ayumi. Fine, I think I might be able to convince Zan, and if he doesn't…heh…" Face said as he cracked his knuckles threateningly.
"That vagueness is scary!" Victoria yelled at him.
Ai smiled.
"Thank you. I knew I could count on you. Take this, it might help. You remember it don't you?" Ai said as she handed my mom's diary to them.
"How can I forget? It nearly cost me my life" Face said as he snatched it.
"I don't want to remember" Victoria murmured.
MEANWHILE…
I was out in the field of the Lunar Flowers. I recalled the day Ayumi lost her memories and then a slight realization hit me. Ayumi might not have realized that she had killed my gramps until much later. The memory of an old man she had murdered might have remained in her mind but if everything about me was erased from her mind after I had freed Cowardice from her body…then…she might not have known that the man she murdered was my gramps until much later but it still didn't make a difference and it did not change anything. Whether she murdered my gramps or some random person…it didn't make me feel any better. But now I wondered, why did she forget about me in the first place?
"Why did she lose her memories of me, after I purged her body of Cowardice?" I asked myself.
"Do you really want to know?" a sinister voice spoke from within my mind.
I opened my eyes in shock as the sudden realization of an unconsidered truth hit me hard. I couldn't believe I had overlooked that possibility for so long. I had tried my best to doubt that I really could be Zanfar reborn…but now…there was no doubt.
The seven souls of evil are Zanfar's seven spirits; Cowardice, Enslavement, Despair, Chaos, Decay, Sloth…and finally Lies who coordinates them all. However, if Lies created from Zanviel, Zanfar and managed to fuse Zanviel, "the Beautiful Dream", with Zanfar, "the Evil Dream" to create Zanböngfar, "the Deplorable Dream"; and I had knowledge about them I was initially unaware of and purging Ayumi's body of Cowardice caused her to forget me…how could I not be Zanfar?!
You didn't get it the first time did you? Well, let me simplify it for you. If I truly am Zanfar, then the seven souls of evil are my very own. If I purged Ayumi's body of them, in essence I would be purging Ayumi of myself. It makes perfect sense she'd forget me. But now, I felt like I'd swallowed the sea, and the desert. What had I ever done for my life to become this messed up. All I ever wanted to become was a guardian like Ethan Waber! Looks like I took a totally wrong U turn somewhere down the road. How can I even begin to correct my life now? If my destiny was to become some twisted, "yanderic" creature that desires destruction…then why was I even created in the first place?!
Fear filled my heart. With that fear, came anger and the desire to close my senses off to feelings like love and concern. The more I was concerned about the people around me, the more I feared turning into Zanfar; and the more I feared turning into him, the more I isolated myself from others; and the more I isolated myself from them, the more I began to see all the reasons I didn't need to concern myself with them; and with that came a certain detest for humanity. And the more I detested humanity, the more I was suckered by Zanviel's grudge. In short, whether I showed concern for humans or despised them, it all seemed to somehow fit into Zanfar's agenda and I in essence began to sympathize with his grudge against humanity. The betrayals around me and the evil connotation that came with the word 'Dreamweaver' didn't make things much better.
Somehow, being around the Lunar Flowers brought to me a sensation of calmness. I breathed in the cool air and lay among the flowers.
"It was beautiful while it lasted" I said and shut my eyes.
IN THE CASTLE OF NIGHTMARES…
Ryuuji Kirisawa now stood before the Nightmare King.
"What is it you want now, Ryuuji Kirisawa?" the Nightmare King said seriously.
"Heh, though you say that…you already know why I'm here, don't you?" Ryuuji said with a humorous expression.
"You're finally learning" the Nightmare king said…with a straight face.
Uh…wait, his face is always covered in shadow so it would be much more appropriate to say he said that…in an expressionless tone.
"Besides, we just had breakfast together yesterday in my house San!" Ryuuji roared.
"Ryuuji…I don't need to remind you, do I? Do not confuse matters of a social nature with state affairs" the Nightmare King said with a slight sneer.
"And what state are we talking about now?" Ryuuji teased.
"You'll never grow up will you Ryuuji?" the Nightmare King asked.
"You can thank your son for that. And I tried so hard for ten years now until that boy entered my life. You Nightbane lot are an interesting bunch" Ryuuji said.
"You have something to say, don't you Ryuuji?" the Nightmare king pressed him.
"Yes…Sanziri Nightbane. You do know by now that…I am responsible for the death of one of your descendants, Zan's mortal guardian to be precise" Ryuuji said with a bit of fear in his voice.
"I do Ryuuji, and I also know that this deed was carried out by your daughter. Knowing you however…the man I knew would never ask his daughter to carry out such a despicable act. You became quite petty after the death of your wife didn't you, Ryuuji?" the Nightmare King said with an underlying tone of anger in his voice.
"I did. I will not deny it. Watching you mourn your wife and then take on a defensive stance against our forces infuriated me even more. How could you watch what your son had to endure for twenty years?" Ryuuji asked.
"I see. You believed I valued my duties above Ayzan's welfare. In a way, you might have deluded yourself into believing I might make a move if you attacked my son. But all you did was out of the petty rage you felt for me for the fact that I did not revive your wife, wasn't it? I wonder if Zanfar thinks same. If he does…then I truly feel sorry for him" the Nightmare King said with a smirk.
"What do you mean by that last statement?" Ryuuji asked.
"You have come a long way Ryuuji and endured much. You are a man of valour and great honour. I do not show as much respect for any Knight as I have for your family. But Zan has to grow up…and he must become much stronger. He must learn to face not only the pain of others…but his own. I did not cast Zan into the realm of humans because I could not protect him from you Dream Knights. I prove otherwise in the Battle Of Black Water Bridge. I did so to protect him from Zanfar's influence, from himself. The Dream World and the Human World aren't so different but for one distinct feature that characterizes them…the influences of good and evil are not felt as acutely in the Human World as it is in the Dream World. The lines of good and evil in the Dream World are as clear as black and white but in the Human World, there is much more to do to decipher them. In the world of Dreams, good manifests physically as forces of good, and evil as forces of evil but in the world of humanity, they are almost reduced to intentions and are invisible to most" the Nightmare King said.
"But following that logic…?! Sanziri Nightbane…you really are a demon!" Ryuuji exclaimed in shock.
"Do you finally understand why Zan is such a fearful force, Ryuuji?" the Nightmare King asked.
"He is not only part Dream and part Nightmare…he is completely human…" Ryuuji exclaimed in shock. "But following your logic Sanziri Nightbane…you cast Zan where the fighting was most fierce! If he has to worry about deciphering good and evil instead of knowing one from the other…in a world where good deeds are made evil by intentions and evil deeds are considered good…as long as they profit many; in essence…Sanziri Nightbane, you bastard…YOU CAST YOUR SON INTO ZANFAR'S BELLY!!!" Ryuuji roared as he summoned his sigils.
The Nightmare King finally stood up and walked to the window in his castle that faced the Eternal Mirror Gate.
"I cannot foresee your intentions San! Do you really want to save humanity?!" Ryuuji roared.
"Save humanity? Don't get me wrong. That has never been my intention. I've only tried to guide those who wished to do so but you all keep disappointing me" the Nightmare King said.
"What are your intentions Sanziri?!" Ryuuji asked.
The Nightmare King turned to face Ryuuji.
"My son turned out alright…didn't he Ryuuji?" the Nightmare King asked.
Ryuuji was taken aback by the sudden shift in the Nightmare King's tone. He actually sounded concerned. Ryuuji remained silent and observed.
"If he would not kill Ayumi even after discovering the truth…even a month after Wanye's death…then my son…really became the Lion I've always wanted him to be. He is my pride…and the pride of his clan. With the destiny placed on his shoulders by the love my wife and I share, we had to cast him into a world where he'd have to learn to discern good and evil with his soul…instead of through glancing at forms and labelling them…like you Dream Knights do. To protect my son…I risked casting him into the danger…instead of hiding him from it and believed in his strength to overcome it, and he turned out much better than I expected. From this moment Zan…as your father I swear…that you…are not alone…for I am with you!" the Nightmare King declared.
Ryuuji sighed and allowed his sigils to disappear.
"You always are melodramatic aren't you San. But this time I really have to call you insane!" Ryuuji scolded.
"But that isn't why you came. You wish to save your daughter from the Chaotic Resonance. But do not be disturbed. The one the curse was cast to harm…wasn't your daughter. She is in danger…but not mortal danger" the Nightmare King said.
"Explain" Ryuuji said.
"Your daughter's guilt…and Zan's rage; they are the forces that have kept her spirit trapped in a stasis. But not just hers...Zan's as well to an extent. Their spirits that should not be subject to time have been frozen by their fears and pain even while still dwelling beyond time. The curse will not manifest in a literal sense in Zan as it did in Ayumi but if nothing is done soon…Ayumi will be imprisoned within her own consciousness forever" the Nightmare King said.
"What?! Is there any way to save her?!" Ryuuji exclaimed in horror.
"Just one; and only one way. It's something Zanfar will definitely anticipate. Without any doubt…it will certainly advance his plans. The reason this curse is called Chaotic Resonance is not because it endangers your daughter…but because it endangers my son" the Nightmare King said.
THE FIELD OF LUNAR FLOWERS…
Sunset was approaching. I had fallen asleep in the field of Lunar Flowers. I just wanted to lie there forever, in the one place that reminded me the most that Ayumi and I had once shared something special…well at least, I thought we did. It might have been a bit one-sided on my part. Heh, if only I knew.
"Hey, wake up Zan" I heard a familiar voice calling to me.
I struggled to open my eyes. The orange rays of the sun had created shadows to shield the two faces staring down at me.
"Wake up, Team member Zan" I heard Victoria say.
Her voice didn't sound as rude as usual.
"Vikki, Face?" I muttered.
"Boy…you sure drool in your sleep" Face said.
I opened my eyes suddenly and sat up. I wiped the sides of my mouth with my sleeves and turned my face away from them.
"When were you ever this self-conscious?" Face joked.
"You have no idea" I muttered.
"It's been a while since we hung out. Let's go somewhere and talk" Face offered.
"No, I'm staying right here, where the world still makes tons of sense" I said and folded my arms and legs adamantly.
"Aren't you at least going to wash your face?" Victoria sighed.
"Says the ones who want me to walk around town with this face" I said glumly.
"Heh, at least we know, even depressed, you still retain your sense of humour" Victoria laughed.
"And you're being so nice it's weird" I retorted.
"Ggggrrrrhhh! Hey! Listen you!" Victoria yelled.
"You must admit, he really got you there" Face laughed.
"Don't even start with me!" Victoria growled.
I stood up and took in a breath of fresh air.
"Well, there's no reason for me to be a jerk to Face and Victoria my friends, but if it's Dream Knight Business, forget it. You have a much better chance at convincing Zanfar not to annihilate humanity" I said.
"Well, it's not Dream Knight Business" Face said.
"So…what's up guys?" I said with a goofy smile.
"Fast! That was a quick switch" Face seemed surprised.
"Ayumi is sick" Victoria said.
"Get lost" I turned away from them.
"Even quicker" Face said.
"Tell us what happened Zan. We want to hear it from you" Victoria said with concern in her voice.
"Well, nothing much, except Ayu killed my gramps, strategically got me indebted to her and then like some chicken heading to the slaughterhouse, I fell for her. Yep, that's about it, a nice Disney story. And here I am at the part where I'm supposed to be depressed…so get lost and let me mope alone" I muttered and sat down again, folding my arms and legs adamantly.
"Zan, if you don't do something, Ayumi's going to die" Victoria said.
"You almost sound like Nala" I retorted.
"Wait what? We're doing Lion King now?" Face seemed amused.
"Ayumi has been cursed" Victoria said.
"I'm not her prince" I retorted.
"So now it's Sleeping Beauty huh?" Face seemed bored.
"You don't have to be her prince! Help her survive this!" Victoria pleaded.
"No references" I retorted.
"This is not the time for jokes Zan!" Victoria yelled.
"Overrated cliché" I retorted.
"Victoria, you're handling this all wrong. Let me have a go at this" Face said.
"And now they tag team it up. Good luck" I said indifferently.
"Prince Ayzan Nightbane, you know the sort of trouble…" Face was saying when I cut him off.
"James Pleiades Hawkings! Sounds like something out of treasure planet" I retorted.
"Okay, let me re-strategize. Zan, if you don't overcome this…you will never master…!" Face was saying.
"Don't even dare make any anime references or so help me God, I'll bury you!" I threatened.
"Fine then, I guess there is only one way to resolve this" Face sighed.
"There is, leave and forget you ever had anything to do with me!" I ordered.
In the next instant, I felt a familiar feeling.
"Oh, I'm flying through the air again. Looks like I was hit…but this time it was not Ayumi" I said with a bored tone as I crashed to the ground.
Face cracked his knuckles.
"Face! This was not a part of our plan!" Victoria roared angrily.
"Oh, so we had plans now? Listen Zan, it's simple, if you're a man, let's settle this with our fists!" Face declared.
I stood up and spat out some blood. I wiped my lips and took in a deep breath. I smiled as a familiar sinister glow appeared in my eyes.
"You've got my attention. It's a death match Boniface Kenyah! We'll settle this today…in a fight to the death! I warned you that…if you dared to make any anime references…I would bury you alive!" I said.
My voice was darker now, more sinister…and even my accent had changed slightly.
"You never said that! Besides, how do you bury someone alive after a death match?!" Victoria roared.
"Oh, you're right. Then we'll just go with the usual requiem!" I roared.
"Interesting, then let's get this started Zan…Just Zan!" Face said with a sinister smile as well.
"Ugh! Boys! You all need to be re-educated on your communication skills!" Victoria complained.
IN THE KIRISAWA RESIDENCE…
Ayumi remained unconscious but she appeared to look more peaceful now.
"I'm rooting for you Zan…" she muttered.
(Wait what? Does that really happen in real life?! Don't tell me that's all that happens in the Kirisawa residence in this scene!)
Yup, that's it!
IN THE KENYAH RESIDENCE…TWO HOURS LATER!
"I reserve my comments. Boys are just morons" Victoria sighed. "I know they said death match…but…IN A GAME OF SOUL CALIBUR 2?! YOU GUYS ARE SICK IN YOUR ARCHIVES!" Victoria yelled.
"This is our fifty-first match. Don't think I will lose to you! It's twenty five scores each! This will settle it!" Face and I roared as our eyes flashed threateningly.
"Heheheh! I will warn you though Zan, I've been holding back on you. When I use the directional buttons, my fighting style is more acute but my movements are stiffer. When I use the analog, my movements are swifter but my fighting style is more random. Prepare yourself, I am going to use my ultimate technique now…A COMBINATION OF THE ANALOG AND DIRECTIONAL BUTTONS!" Face roared.
"Ppphh! Am I supposed to be scared?! You've been using the monstrous characters with greater attack power. I thought I'd go easy on you by picking characters I'm not familiar with. I guess now I'll bring out my strongest card, Heishiro Mitsurugi, it's time for you to make your appearance!" I declared.
"And how's that going to help you?!" Face roared.
"Hmm hmm hmm, looks like you haven't figured it out. Soul Calibur is not just a game…it's a battle simulation of many different battle styles. The mind to hand coordination and perfect execution of battle techniques…it's almost like the game executes directly from my nerve pulses and I don't even have to dreamweave! Besides, that ultimate move you're talking about…I've been using it since Soul Blade. I'm just an ordinary guy Face…no money in my pockets and I'm a hell of a lot shy…so who do you think taught me how to wield a sword…Heishiro Mitsurugi of course…or rather…I should say…Soul Calibur!" I roared as my eyes flashed.
"Soul Calibur is your weaponry master? That's sinister dude. You might not realize it but if…Soul Edge really did teach you…there's no doubt you're yanderic!" Face roared.
"Stop twisting my words! What are you, Emma Colette?! Let's settle this!" Face roared.
TWO MINUTES LATER…
"Wh-What happened? I lost…in my own house…to my own game…with my own gamepads…life is not fair! At least death is impartial! Take me now!" Face screamed.
"Oh, there is one more thing I forgot to mention. My ultimate move is neither the analog nor directional buttons. It's not even the fact that I combine the fastest reacting horizontal and vertical combos or the fact that I can read your moves and dodge them and hence do not need to concern myself with reading preset moves to master them…it's something much more fundamental. When you get excited Face, you pull on your gamepad. Why do you think my foot is resting right before the PS2 console?" I muttered with a smirk.
"CHEAT! YOU CHEATED ZAN!" Face roared.
"Naïve! This is a street fight not an official sports match! Anything goes in a street fight!"
"I'm shocked to the point of being impressed. He defeated you in a game by setting traps in reality. If the Dreamweaver's ultimate ability is to merge dreams with reality. I'm quite honoured to be the first to witness it first-hand. Indeed, this is a legend in the making. You were defeated Face, deal with it" Victoria said.
BTW, Face and Victoria do not get along so well.
MORAL LESSON (Subject to Change):
Never invite a heartbroken guy to a match to impress your girlfriend and show off your skills. When you win, he'll earn her pity. When you lose, you'll earn her smart-mouthed remarks and definitely reap in abundance, what you have sown with much more compound interest than even the World Bank can make provisions for.
"Finally, you appear to understand Face. My ultimate move is not limited to just one videogame…and its name is…THE STRATEGICALLY ANNOYING BUT EVER USEFUL…UNDETECTABLY STEALTHY…DISCONNECT WITH NO WARRANTIES!" I said with a smirk.
"I lost" Face collapsed to the ground.
I laughed like a villain that had just been released from Tartarus for about five minutes while Face sat on the ground with a depressed look in his eyes.
"Zan, have you finally calmed down?" Victoria asked with a concerned look.
I frowned.
I turned away from her.
"You happy now? We fought fifty death matches and it didn't end with a draw" Face said angrily.
I thought about it.
"Playing games with you with Victoria watching. It certainly doesn't happen every day. It might be more fun to have something more of an eight player team battle or two player elimination rounds. It's definitely more fun than playing alone" I said.
"Is there a "but" coming in somewhere?" Face asked suspiciously.
"Well, that amateurish fool there lost in his own house to his own game while using his own gamepads so he has no excuses" I said with a smirk.
"Except that you cheated!" Face roared.
"What kind of death match extends through fifty one rounds idiot! If we'd wanted a fair death match in Soul Calibur 2, we'd have fought with infinite Health Points until one of us was ringed out in a setting we both know if you fell out of the ring you'd most certainly die or one of us got tired and quit in reality!" I roared.
"He's certainly right" Victoria said with a smirk.
"In that case, it would have been almost impossible to use my ultimate jutsu" I chuckled sinisterly.
"So is there a "but" or not?!" Face roared.
"You certainly didn't want to lose did you? It was a nice match. I didn't give Ayumi a chance to defend herself. I want to hear, for myself, from her, what motivated her actions" I said with a slight look of anguish in my eyes.
"Will you help her?" Victoria asked.
"I don't know if I can. But regardless of whether she killed Wanye or not…or I forgive her or not, one thing I know is that I certainly do not want her to die. I'll help her if I can but…don't expect me to forgive her" I said.
"That is enough for now Zan. We can't expect that much from you" Victoria said.
"Heh, so did you really understand my feelings from the clashing of our blades?" Face joked.
"No, but I felt your desperation and fear of losing to your own game from the way you handled the gamepad" I teased.
Victoria laughed.
"Fair enough" Face finally gave up and we laughed.
THE KIRISAWA RESIDENCE…
When we finally arrived in the Kirisawa Residence, the place I'd sworn never to return to, we were met by Ai and Mr Kirisawa. Finally, I stood before the door to Ayumi's bedroom. I took in a deep breath. The feeling of standing before that door…it was strangely familiar. I raised my hand and held the handle. I exhaled and opened the door. A faint image of Ayumi lying in a dark corner, being sustained by life support equipment entered my mind as I opened the door. When the door was finally completely opened, I saw Ayumi there…lying in her bed, in a brighter room and surrounded by people who cared about her. Tears escaped my eyes as I hid my face from everyone.
I approached her slowly and noticed the silver markings on her body. Even bits of her hair had begun to turn silver.
I sat beside her and picked her hand. The image of the room temporarily overlapped in my mind with a darker setting, where Ayumi was unloved by everyone but one person, Victoria. I turned to Victoria. She seemed to have noticed the familiarity of the scene as well. One thing hadn't changed though; in both worlds…at that particular moment…I despised Ayumi with a passion! But seeing her look so fragile made my heart weak. Regardless of which world I lived in, I could not bring myself to wish harm upon Ayumi.
"A lion eats meat, a sheep eats grass, stars shine in the sky and dust covers the ground. Everything in nature yields to its true nature. A demon will always remain a demon! Hatred remains hatred! Love remains love! Evil will remain evil and good, good. No one can fight their natures Zan! Do you finally understand? Your feelings for Ayumi have also been in accordance with my plan. If you save her…" the sinister voice of Zanfar began to ring within my mind.
"Zan…the curse Ayumi is experiencing now. It's called…" Mr Kirisawa was about to say.
"Chaotic Resonance" I replied.
Mr Kirisawa seemed shocked.
"How do you know that?!" he exclaimed in shock.
"I hate to admit it…Mr Kirisawa but…at this point…I know almost everything Zanfar does. I know why he despises humanity and I know even the role I must fulfil in his grudge and how I will fulfil that role. I know so much that I even know that…there's no such thing as a Dreamweaver. It's a term Zanfar devised to give everyone a name of contempt with which they could refer to me. I even know that…it is my love for Ayumi that ends up destroying the world. See Mr Kirisawa…I am Zanfar so I can take back the curse but…" I paused as tears flowed down my eyes.
"If you do…you'll break the Seal Of Truth your Mother placed on you, won't you?" Mr Kirisawa said.
I hanged my head sorrowfully.
"The only reason I haven't been able to become Zanfar is because…I possess two hearts. My dark crimson heart filled with Zanviel's and Zanfar's grudges for humanity…and my mother's Golden Heart Of Love for me, my father and all life. When my mother cast me through the Mirror Gate, she broke six of Zanfar's seals, then transferred her heart to me, the Seal Of Truth. The Seal Of Truth is Love. Love is what coordinates the Seven Souls Of Virtue and it is what kept my evil heart at bay. My Love for Wanye, Ayumi, my parents, the Kirisawas and the Dream Knights whom I thought were my comrades. However, Zanfar took everything from me. My parents, Wanye, the Dream Knights, you all…and finally…even Ayumi by using the Soul Of Evil, Lies, who coordinates all evil through hatred but he cannot conquer the love my parents had for me. Zanfar's curse is a one way ticket for Ayumi. The only one that can take it away is me because I possess two hearts. Ayumi lost a great portion of her heart, her spirit when she was trapped by Chaos in an alternate timeline. She has been forced to carry feelings of fear and guilt from both timelines. More than any human can bear and thus her spirit is being slowly consumed. To save her, I need to supplement what she has lost by using my Mother's Golden Heart Of Love to root Ayumi's spirit to the reality she was born to experience" I said sadly.
"But if you do that…!" Face and Victoria screamed in horror.
"Yes, I will save Ayumi…but in time, I will become Zanfar, and then…I will become an even greater force than Zanfar alone; The Deplorable Dream, Zanböngfar. The true legacy of the one who bears the title "Dreamweaver". Dreamweaver was the title given to The Beautiful Dream Zanviel, but he succumbed to Zanfar's grudge and became Zanböngfar. What finally turns us into Zanböngfar is when we decide to forsake our title Dreamweaver…and to save Ayumi…I must turn her into a Demi-Dreamweaver!" I declared.
"What?! Is that even possible?!" Ai exclaimed in shock.
"It is. All I need to do is surrender the love my mother had for me…to her" I said.
"In essence, I'd be 'giving her my heart', in a more literal sense than you might have imagined" I said.
"I'm sorry Zan" Mr Kirisawa said.
"You don't need to be" I said.
"I truly am sorry for everything. You brought happiness back to our lives, and especially to Ayumi's. And in the end, the only way I can repay you is to ask you to sacrifice your humanity for her life" Mr Kirisawa said.
Tears were beginning to build up in his eyes.
"So what will you do Dreamweaver Zan? Will you yield to your nature and save the life of the one you love…or will you defy it and let her die? What is your answer…Dreamweaver?" Zanfar's voice sounded within my mind.
"I will make the third choice and save Ayumi of my own volition…not because I have to! And I have no intention of losing to you. I may follow your plans and I may be predictable to a being of greater intelligence as yourself. I will do what you want and save Ayumi…but don't expect things to turn out the way you've planned out! Your centuries of planning, your millennia of strategizing…will all be ruined because…I forgive Ayumi. I still love her, and I'll save her because I'm a human…and the Dreamweaver!" I roared as I placed my forehead on Ayumi's. I held both of her hands. I gently raised her left hand and placed our left hands on my chest with the back of hers touching mine and the back of my right hand touching her chest with our hands clasped.
"Ayumi, to save you from the curse of the Nightmare, I bless you with my curse of a Dream. I impart to you my Courage and accept your Cowardice. Take my Freedom and trade me your Enslavement. I present you with Hope. All I ask for in return is your Despair. Accept my Forgiveness and hand to me the Chaos within yourself. To save you from Decay, I hand to you my Conscience. To prevent you from falling to the evil of a false sense of security and laxity, I offer to you all my goodness. I see the Light within you and give you mine. You've known my darkness, now I'll take that burden from you. Finally Ayumi, to save you from the curse of the Seven Souls of Ultimate Evil, I bless you with the curses of the Seven Souls Of Virtue. They are curses for they are harder to cling to than the souls of evil. Dreamweaver Zan Nightbane the Human's most sacred art…BETTER HALF IS NOW INVOKED!!!" I called out as a bright golden light enveloped Ayumi and I. The silver markings on Ayumi's body turned crimson as she opened her eyes. They were now glowing a bright golden color!