Chereads / Legend Of The Jo-lan / Chapter 52 - EPISODE 51; THE HISTORY OF DREAMS AND REALITY PART V: THE SEVEN STONES OF VIRTUE VS THE SEVEN SOULS OF EVIL PART III: THE STONE OF HOPE VS THE SOUL OF DESPAIR

Chapter 52 - EPISODE 51; THE HISTORY OF DREAMS AND REALITY PART V: THE SEVEN STONES OF VIRTUE VS THE SEVEN SOULS OF EVIL PART III: THE STONE OF HOPE VS THE SOUL OF DESPAIR

THE STONE OF HOPE VS THE SOUL OF DESPAIR

The scene that appeared next was of Zan seated at table with the Kirisawas. It appeared to be dawn.

"How was your sleep Zan?" Mr. Kirisawa asked.

"Fine" Zan said plainly.

"Cheer up Zan, exams won't be so bad" Ayumi tried to cheer Zan up.

"It's not the exams I'm worried about" Zan said and prepared a cup of tea for himself.

"What's wrong?" Ai asked.

"Well, let's just say my fears have been upgraded and leave it at that" Zan said.

"Can't you be more specific?" Ayumi asked.

"I don't want to talk about it!" Zan said sharply.

After eating, he hurried out of the house.

"What's his problem?" Ai asked in concern.

"It must have something to do with Enslavement" Ayumi said.

In the scene that followed, Zan and Ayumi were in class.

"Zan, you know you can trust me right?" Ayumi asked.

Zan ignored her.

Eventually, invigilators arrived and began to distribute papers to the students. There was utter silence. Zan filled in his details and began to answer the questions as soon as he was given permission. He eventually froze and began to rub his arms as he stared out of the window. It looked as though there was a storm approaching. The rainfall began with a loud thunderclap.

"Huh, this is nothing if I'm the King Of Nightmares. This is the perfect atmosphere for someone like me" Zan said as tears began to flow down his face.

Ayumi glanced at him noticing his distress. Eventually, he stood up and left despite the invigilators stern warnings.

"Wanye, I wish you were around. You always seemed to know the answer to everything. I feel so lost right now" Zan said sadly.

Ayumi approached him.

"Zan, why are you not trying to answer the questions? If you want me to help I'll…" Ayumi was saying when Zan interrupted her.

"I could never ask you to cheat Ayumi. It's not that I can't answer the questions. I just don't feel like answering them" Zan said.

"What?! This is an exam! Are you trying to play with your future?!" Ayumi asked.

Zan chuckled slightly.

"What's so funny?!" Ayumi yelled angrily.

"I wish right now that…I had a mother to lecture me the way you're doing right now. I have nobody and…I'm nothing but a walking disaster" Zan said.

"You have Ai and my dad and…well…you have…me" Ayumi admitted with great difficulty.

"I'll be leaving the house today" Zan said.

"What?!" Ayumi exclaimed in shock.

"And I don't think I deserve to be a Dream Knight. I'm leaving Ayu. Please don't look for me" Zan said and started to walk away.

"Zan!" Ayumi called.

"Just go back to class and write your exam. I was nothing before I met you and now I shall return to nothing. It's better than being a harbinger of disaster" Zan said and walked away.

"But Zan, you're a Dream Knight now. You are not a disaster. You saved me from Cowardice and once again from Enslavement! You defeated Enslavement!" Ayumi argued.

"Yeah, but you didn't see how I did it. I turned into something else and what I did to Enslavement, I realized that I could have just as easily done that to you" Zan said.

Ayumi stared at Zan imploringly but she couldn't seem to find the right words to say. Zan turned and walked away.

"I'm sorry Ayumi but this is the only way to protect you from myself" Zan muttered and walked away.

Ayumi didn't seem to hear him though.

The rain mingled with Ayumi's tears so that one could not tell whether she was weeping or the rain was running down her face.

"I've lost another friend and there was nothing I could say to stop him from leaving" Ayumi said in a foreign language (which of course was Japanese) and returned slowly to class.

In the next scene, Zan was walking in a part of the city filled with buildings that looked sacred (they were actually Churches and Mosques). Eventually, he found himself sitting in a Church that had stained glasses with portraits of the Saints. Zan sat at the farthest seat from the altar. A boy came and sat beside him. He looked quite unassuming.

"At least he turned out right, didn't he dad?" the boy said.

Zan tried to see who the boy was speaking to but saw no one.

"Hey boy, don't look so serious. It doesn't suit you" he said.

Zan appeared very irritated.

"Mind your own beeswax! Do you know what I'm going through?!" Zan yelled angrily.

"Don't you believe in God?" the boy asked.

"Right now I'm having a particularly hard time believing in Him considering the fact that I'm a walking disaster!" Zan yelled angrily.

"You…a walking disaster? Then I guess you don't know Victoria Arthur!" the boy laughed loudly.

He laughed warmly, without sarcasm or mockery.

"You know Victoria?" Zan asked.

"Why won't I know her when she is always saying I've taken an extended vacation!" the boy laughed.

"Well that is nothing. I apparently nearly destroyed the world two thousand years ago!" Zan said as though he thought sounding weird on purpose would scare the boy off.

"That's silly, you are only about eighteen years old" the boy said.

"Well I've been fighting nightmares and evil souls" Zan added more fuel.

"I see. If you've been fighting so much evil, then you must be really naïve to believe in the words of pure evil" the boy said.

"If it was just as simple as that. I felt the rage within me and struck Enslavement in fury. I'm scared that I could do the same to Ayumi" Zan said.

"Don't be silly. You are too worried about the future. Leave the future to God and enjoy the present besides…nothing is predestined. You are not predestined to turn evil. Evil is a choice so no one can be born evil" the boy said.

"Even if you say that I don't want to risk Ayumi's life" Zan said.

"Tell me Zan. What do you think is more important to Ayumi? Losing another precious friend or losing her life?" the boy asked.

"Only Ayumi can answer that" Zan said.

"I think you also know the answer. You can't sit here seeking answers to things that have not yet happened. Answers come with time but you must trust in your heart or Ai no Hikari will do you no good" the boy said.

"Ai no…how did you know?" Zan asked.

"That's because…I was the one that defeated you two thousand years ago" the boy said seriously.

"WHAT?!" Zan exclaimed in shock.

"Maybe one day you will remember our promise. My friends call me…wait a sec, my dad is calling" the boy said and picked up his cell phone.

"Yes dad, I should find his smile? Hey dad, isn't it a bit pushy to force someone's memories? Well, he's a hard case but he's really interesting. Right now? Okay, gotcha dad!" the boy conversed with his father on his phone.

"Zan, I'm sorry. I've got to leave now, Dad's orders. But I'm sure we'll meet again. Hey, my birthday's this Sunday. And it's Christmas too. Hehe! I'll get a lot of presents this year!" he laughed happily.

"Well, my birthday's one day before yours so I'm older than you whether you like it or not so don't forget it! Well happy birthday in advance. What's your name?" Zan asked.

"It's Jesus. Same as the one you call Nana Nyankopon Jesus Christ" the boy laughed happily.

"Well, that's nice. You already know my name right? Have this for your birthday" Zan said and gave him the rhino horn chain.

"No, I can't take this! It's too important to you" he said considerately.

"I insist" Zan said and forced it into his hand.

"Thank you, I don't have anything on me right now so I'll think of a suitable present to give you later. Now I've got to carry out Dad's errand quickly and get home before supper or mom will kill me. Uncle Abraham and Uncle Elijah also have a lot of jokes to tell me so I'd better not miss any of them" the boy said and hurried away.

In the scene that followed, Ayumi sat on the school's wall. She looked miserable. When the Kirisawas arrived in a jeep to pick her up, she leapt down the wall and approached them. Ai got down and greeted her. Ai noticed Zan's absence.

"Where is Zan?" Ai asked.

Ayumi shook her head sadly.

"He left and he's not coming back. He left…and I couldn't even stop him" Ayumi said.

"Why that jerk!" Ai yelled angrily.

"It definitely has something to do with Enslavement" Ayumi said and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

Two other cars pulled up beside the jeep.

Face and Victoria descended from each of them.

"Hey Ayumi. Hi Ai. Where's Zan? We came to invite him to celebrate our knighthood" Face laughed happily.

"We were at your house but we were informed that you guys were at school so here we are" Victoria said.

"Where is Zan?" Face asked.

"He left and he's never coming back" Ayumi said.

"Poor guy. It's understandable after what Enslavement revealed to him" Face said.

"So it was Enslavement after all! What did she say?!" Ayumi roared.

"I don't think it's right for me to tell you" Face said.

"Spill it Face!" everyone demanded.

"I don't think it's right for you to force Face to reveal something personal about Zan" the boy who had spoken to Zan earlier (in Church) said.

"Who are you?!" Ayumi asked.

"My name is Jesus" the boy said.

Everyone seemed surprised by the boy's introduction.

"I don't think it's your right to interfere!" Ayumi said rudely.

"Well Zan ran away for the right reasons. Why didn't you stop him Ayumi? I could tell that he really wanted you to stop him but you didn't. Why didn't you?" Jesus asked her.

"What's it to you?!" Ayumi yelled angrily.

"Wow, you're really hot-tempered. You could turn into a dragon at any moment and scorch me with your fiery breath…or something like that" the boy said and burst into laughter.

"I asked you a question!" Ayumi demanded an answer.

"Zan is trying with all his might to reach into your heart but you've shut him out. It's probably why you couldn't stop him. You are not even trying to recall the past you shared with him" Jesus said.

"How do I remember something I've forgotten?! How do I remember something that was never in my memories?! Tell me!" Ayumi demanded.

Jesus smiled.

"By remembering the first time you laughed and then going a step further to remember why you laughed" Jesus said and walked away.

"Hey! Is that supposed to be some kind of riddle?!" Ayumi roared angrily.

"Nope, that's nothing. The real riddle is… 'have you ever hugged Zan before? Have you ever assured him that everything is going to be alright?'" Jesus said and turned to walk away.

He began to kick a stone as though it was a ball.

"Hey, wait a minute, am I forgetting something? Oh yes! I've gotta hurry home before supper or Mom's gonna kill me!" he said worriedly as he took to his heels.

"What a strange kid" Mr. Kirisawa said.

"What did he mean by I should remember the first time I laughed? The first time I laughed since Mom died was…" Ayumi tried to think.

Some students were walking past and talking cheerfully.

"I still can't imagine how Zan could draw something so funny. I just can't stop laughing anytime I see it" one girl said.

"Well the drawing is really funny. It even made Ayumi laugh" another girl said.

"I-I did?" Ayumi wondered.

"And Ayumi never laughed since she came to this school. In fact, she never talked. Zan did everything to make her laugh. Do you remember he even serenaded Ayumi?" another girl asked.

"Zan did?" Ayumi wondered.

"Poor guy, Ayumi totally ignored him and he became the laughing stock of the class. The only thing he ever did that succeeded in making Ayumi laugh was to draw stikomiks and you remember the one that first made Ayumi laugh don't you?" the first girl asked.

Then they walked out of range and their voices could no longer be heard.

"Why can't I remember?" Ayumi said worriedly.

Suddenly two boys walked past.

"Hey, so any updates on your progress in Seiken Densetsu 3? I love how you narrate it but it appears you are now stuck" one boy asked.

"Yeah! I finally managed to defeat Xan Bie! It's a great achievement considering my bad luck in videogames" the other boy said.

"Xan Bie? That name sounds so familiar but why?" Ayumi wondered as she thought deeply.

"I remembered!" she suddenly exclaimed. "The first time I laughed was when Zan showed me a stikomik. How could I forget? I now understand why Zan was so hurt when I could not remember him" Ayumi said sadly.

"Let's split up and search for Zan. Victoria and Face, you can search Lower East Side Dream City. Dad, search Lower West Side Dream City. There is no need to search Upper West Dream City since Zan said he was not coming back so Ai, you take Upper East Side Dream City" Ayumi said.

"What of you Ayu? Where will you be searching?" Ai asked.

"I'll be searching Northern Dream City" Ayumi said determinedly.

In the next scene, Zan was walking around Northern Dream City. There were a few kids playing around a construction site and the workers were warning them to stay away. Suddenly, a large construction bar began to fall towards the children.

"Watch out!" one of the workers screamed.

In a split second, Zan was clothed in his sigils and leapt over the kids slicing the bar into insignificant pieces. The children stared at him in awe for he was glowing with the light from Ai no Hikari. The children appeared to mistake Zan for the Christmas Angel. They touched his sword, their hands passing right through the blade since it was made of pure light and eventually Zan began to play a game called 'Jack where are you?' with them.

Ayumi meanwhile found herself in the Church Zan had been in and after overhearing a man speak of an angel that saved some children from a falling construction bar, she rushed to the site after asking the man for details. Ayumi arrived at the scene where Zan and the children were playing. She still wasn't sure of whether to speak to Zan or not so she hid behind a short wall. Zan was blindfolded and was trying to locate the children since that was the goal of the game they were playing. The children on the other hand had to ensure that Zan did not find them. Zan eventually requested a breather.

"Sure Angel Zan" a girl said.

"So what's Heaven like?" one boy asked.

"Heaven?" Zan asked.

"Where you come from" they said.

"I haven't had much time to explore the world I come from but Heaven for me is every time I'm with Ayumi" Zan confessed.

"Ayumi? Is she an angel too?" the children asked.

"The most beautiful angel I've ever seen" Zan said dreamily.

"So is she around here somewhere? Tell her to show herself" the kids pleaded.

"I…I can't. I left her" Zan said sadly.

"Why did you do that?! You probably hurt her feelings!" one of the girls scolded him.

"It's better that way. Now I can't hurt her. One day, I know she will have to raise her sword against me because…I'm the abomination she wants to kill" Zan said sadly.

Ayumi clasped her hand around her mouth. She appeared to be in shock and trying to prevent herself from screaming.

"So Zan really is…the Dreamweaver. If that's the truth…the one that killed his grandfather…is me" Ayumi said tearfully.

"But Zan, you can't hurt Ayumi because you like her" the girl said.

"Yes, I don't want to hurt her but there's something within me that wants to destroy everything. That is why I want to be as far away from her as I possibly can. I want to protect her from myself" Zan explained.

"Zan, we're kids so we don't really understand much of what we're saying but we understand one thing. You need to trust yourself more!" the kids declared.

"Zan!" Ayumi suddenly called.

Zan turned to look at her. There were tears in her eyes. Ayumi ran towards him and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry Zan! I'm so sorry Zan. I didn't even try to stop you from leaving and I didn't understand how much it hurt you to leave! Don't worry Zan, everything is going to be alright, I promise!" Ayumi said as she hugged him even tighter.

Zan was stunned at first but eventually found the courage to wrap his arms around her.

"Isn't that sweet? They've been reunited" the kids cheered.

"Zan, please come back home with me" Ayumi pleaded.

"I can't Ayumi. See, I'm the Dreamweaver and…I'm also the reincarnation of the evil that lies within the Eternal Mirror Gate. Now you know the truth Ayumi. Can you still care about me?" Zan asked.

"Idiot, how can I not care about the only person who made me laugh after so many years?" Ayumi said with a reassuring smile.

"You're kidding right?" Zan asked.

He looked very confused by her reaction.

"I don't care about any of that. The only thing…the only person I care about…is you" Ayumi said and kissed Zan.

The kids made all sorts of disgusted expressions.

"Do angels really kiss?" one kid asked.

"We're not angels. We're Dream Knights! Why don't you show them your sigils Ayu?" Zan suggested.

Ayumi nodded with a smile and slowly transformed, first into her dormant state, then into her active state.

"Whoa! She's a flaming angel!" they exclaimed in joy.

"Hey Ayumi! Will you play with us? You and Zan can be seekers. We'll be Jack" the kids said.

"First, I need to tell Zan something. Guess what Zan?" Ayumi asked.

"What?" Zan asked.

"Zan, I remembered the first time you made me laugh. You drew a stikomik of the Dream and Nightmare Kings fighting and the Nightmare King won. Before that…you serenaded me!" Ayumi said with a smile.

"Y-You remembered? You remembered!" Zan exclaimed in joy as he lifted her into the air.

She laughed happily and soon after, they played with the kids. Eventually, Face, Victoria, Ai and Mr. Kirisawa found them. The Nightmare King who was watching them sent more Nightmares through the Mirror Gate and everyone fought them off. When Zan and the Kirisawas finally arrived at the Kirisawa mansion, Zan headed straight to his room and dived into his bed.

Ayumi walked in.

"What's wrong Zan?" she asked him for he was lying down with his hands behind his head and staring at the ceiling as though in contemplation.

"Are you still worried about Enslavement's words? Let it go" Ayumi advised Zan.

"Nah, I'm not worried. Why should I be…when I have you?" Zan said with a smile.

"You shouldn't trust me so much. I'm a Dream Knight and you're the Dreamweaver" Ayumi said as she tried to avoid Zan's eyes.

Zan sat up.

"Something is bothering you. What is it?" Zan asked her.

"Nothing much, don't worry about me" Ayumi replied.

"Ayumi, I'm grateful for the things you said to me today. Even if you didn't mean them, they mean a lot to me" Zan said gratefully.

"Of course I meant them. When you left…it hurt me so much" Ayumi said.

"It's pointless for me to try and find answers to things that have not yet happened. I don't want to miss the precious moments the present has to offer" Zan said.

"I take it that you're not going to leave again" Ayumi said worriedly.

"Do I really have to repeat myself? I'm never leaving so don't worry. Now why don't you tell me a bedtime story?" Zan requested.

"Aren't you a bit too old for that?" Ayumi teased.

"No one is too old for stories" Zan argued.

"Fine, I'll tell you one but it isn't really a bedtime story" Ayumi said.

"I'm listening" Zan said.

Ayumi began to narrate but Zan drifted off to sleep before the story began. Ayumi smiled and got up to leave. As she walked away, her eyes fell on the calendar hanging on Zan's bedroom wall. Christmas Eve was marked as Zan's birthday.

"Tomorrow is Zan's birthday? Why didn't he tell me?" Ayumi wondered.

"I will have to think of a suitable present then" Ayumi said and walked to a switch.

"Sweet Zan Dream" Ayumi played with the words, turned off the lights and left the room.

In the scene that followed, it was morning. Zan was running up the stairs and Ai and Ayumi were whispering to each other.

"Ayu, don't tell him that we know about his birthday" Ai whispered to Ayumi.

"Sssshhhh! If you keep saying it he'll find out!" Ayumi whispered sharply.

At that moment, Mr. Kirisawa entered the house.

"So have you girls come up with any plan to surprise Zan?" he asked.

"Sshh! Don't say it so freely Dad!" Ayumi scolded her father. "I'll try to find out what Zan wants for a birthday present without letting him know that we are aware of his birthday" Ayumi volunteered.

Zan meanwhile was toweling his hair which he had just washed clean of soap.

"Nineteen years from now was when I was born and cast into the human world. How can I tell Ayumi that today is my birthday without making it sound like I'm expecting something from her? Right now, I'm wishing I were as confident and mischievous as Dad. That would have made things much easier" Zan thought aloud.

Then he laughed as though he had just imagined something hilarious.

"If only Dad were not as bad as I hear he is, I'd have a chance to be reunited with my real family" Zan said sadly and opened his bedroom door.

Ayumi was standing at the other side.

"AAAAAAHHHHH! Hey! Don't scare me like that Ayu!" Zan screamed as he attempted to catch his breath.

"Can we talk?" Ayumi asked robotically.

"Fine but don't make this a habit!" Zan yelled.

In the scene that followed, Zan and Ayumi were in a field within the Kirisawa Residence. Ayumi remained silent.

"Earth to Ayu!" Zan called.

"Huh?" Ayumi seemed startled by his sudden call.

"I thought you said you wanted to tell me something but you've been silent for about ten minutes straight. Spill it!" Zan demanded.

"W-Well…a…a…actually…I wanted to ask you a question" Ayumi stammered.

"A question?" Zan asked her.

"Y-Yes, it's actually a hypothetical question" Ayumi said nervously.

"Hypothetical question? Okay, ask your hypothetical question" Zan said with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, so hypothetically speaking, what would you prefer for your birthday…I mean if your birthday were today, would you prefer a party or small get-together and what gift would you like, a new videogame or a laptop…" Ayumi was saying when Zan interrupted.

"And you are hypothetically asking?" Zan asked.

Ayumi nodded with a nervous look on her face.

"Well, hypothetically answering your hypothetical question, anything would be fine with me but…what I really want…I'm not sure you can give it to me because what I would want more than anything on my birthday is for all the people I love to share that day with me including Wanye and my parents…especially…my mother" Zan said.

"You're not happy here are you?" Ayumi asked him.

She looked very upset.

"Hey! What do you mean?! I've never been happier in my life! What I meant was, if it was possible for me to be happier than I am with you, that would be the only thing that could possibly make me happier so don't get upset. Hey, if you cry, I'll cry too and you know I cry like a sissy" Zan tried to cheer Ayumi up and it worked.

She burst into laughter.

"You're a good person Zan, I really mean it" she said and walked away.

Ai stood with Ayumi in the Kirisawa mansion.

"So what gift does he want?" Ai asked.

"He wants his parents" Ayumi answered.

"But that's impossible. His father is the Nightmare King and his mother died giving birth to him" Mr Kirisawa said.

"Maybe we can't bring his real parents but I'm sure a picture of his parents would cheer him up. After all, he's never seen their faces before" Ayumi suggested.

"And how do you propose we do that? The only person who can provide us with something like that is the Nightmare King and we can't exactly waltz in there and say 'Hi there Nightmare King. We'd like a family picture now can we?'" Ai said sarcastically.

"What Ayumi is suggesting sounds crazy but there is an iota of truth in what she is suggesting. So far, the Nightmare King hasn't posed a lethal threat to Zan. It could be because he actually cares for his son" Mr. Kirisawa said thoughtfully.

"So what do you plan to do Ayu?" Ai asked worriedly.

"What else?! I'm going to pay the Nightmare King a little visit" Ayumi said confidently.

In fact, she had a mischievous grin on her face.

"If that's your plan, I'm not going to stop you. However, I will warn you. The Nightmare King is well aware that you are a possible threat to his plans and to Zan plus you will become an easy target once you're in his realm so be careful" Mr. Kirisawa warned Ayumi.

"Are you going alone?" Ai asked worriedly.

"Yeah, but don't worry, I'm more capable today than I was during the Battle Of Black Water Bridge" Ayumi said.

"You've never done such a thing before so why are you risking so much for Zan?" Ai asked Ayumi.

"That's because…I'm the one who stole his life" Ayumi said sadly.

"What do you mean by that?" Ai asked.

"The one who killed Zan's grandfather was me. I know I can't make up for something like that but…the best I can do now is to make sure that Zan is happy" Ayumi confessed.

Ai looked surprised initially and then she frowned.

"Don't tell me all your actions so far have been governed by guilt and pity" Ai said angrily.

"I do feel guilty but I really do care for Zan" Ayumi said.

"I'm glad to hear that" Ai said with a smile.

"But I can't leave with Zan around. I need him out of the house for at least half a day because he won't agree with what I'm about to do" Ayumi said.

"Don't worry about that. I'll take him out for a while, maybe to the barber's first for a haircut" Mr. Kirisawa said.

"That's good. I'll get Victoria and Face to help with decorations and maybe we'll think of some presents for Zan. We'll also invite some of the new Dream Knights and your classmates" Ai suggested.

"Great" Ayumi said with a sigh of relief.

In the next scene, Ayumi stood at the border between the Realms Of Dreams and Nightmares. She confronted six Wolfbanes and headed deep into Nightmare territory. Eventually, she found herself in a dark forest of dead trees. The further she trod, the more densely she began to find herself and her surroundings enveloped by a thick mist. Soon, she found herself pursued by a pack of Bloodhounds. Buern who was the most experienced in the art of Jo-lan amongst the three students could tell that Ayumi was relying on her spiritual awareness to make it through the forest.

"The creatures that are pursuing her do not seem to know exactly where she is however judging from Ayumi's attempts to maintain a regular breathing rhythm while running at top speed, I'm willing to bet that they're tracking her by the rate of her heart beats" Buern noted.

"I see. It is possible to control the rate of heart beats through breathing techniques so…these creatures must be attempting to smell her fear. They're tracking her through her fears" Harry said.

"However, Ayumi is doing a good job of distorting their senses" Josec noted.

Eventually, Ayumi made it through the forest which was named 'The Forest Of Confusion'. The Bloodhounds lost her trail as well.

"That forest distorts the sense of sight. I was only able to make it through by depending on my other senses" Ayumi walked on.

Eventually, she reached the edge of a river that glistened like blood as a result of the infernal looking sky in Nightmare territory. A boat approached eerily. The boatman was shrouded in garments that appeared to be neither material nor immaterial.

"Don't tell me that this border is the Dream equivalent of the River Styx! I have no coins on me!" Ayumi exclaimed in horror.

"Then…I'll take your soul" the boatman said dryly and grabbed Ayumi by the neck lifting her off the ground.

Ayumi felt her strength draining quickly from her body and her sigils began to fade.

"Let her go boatman! I've got all the coins you'll ever need!" Face said and threw six coins into the boat.

The boatman dropped Ayumi who was struggling to breathe.

"Face! Victoria! What are you doing here?!" Ayumi asked sternly.

"So much for a simple 'thank you'" Face said and stepped into the boat.

The others followed. When Ayumi was in the boat, the boatman laid a hand on her shoulder and her energy returned.

"But how did you know we'll need coins?" Victoria asked Face.

"The evil souls are the Dream equivalent of demons and titans we know in mythology so I figured they'd create something like this" Face said.

"You're very resourceful every once in a while" Victoria teased.

The next scene showed Face, Victoria and Ayumi in a valley.

"So which valley is this wise guy?" Victoria asked Face.

"I don't know" Face said but then he suddenly tripped and fell down.

"Ouch! What the heck tripped me?!" Face complained as he found himself face to face with a dry skull.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH! L-L-L-Look at that!" Face pointed at the skull.

The trio found themselves in a valley littered with bones.

"AAAAAAIIIIIIEEEEEE! WETIN KIND THING BE THIS?!" Face screamed.

"What did he just say?" Ayumi asked.

"It's West African slang for 'what the heck is this?'" Victoria explained.

"Could this be the Valley Of Dry Bones from the Bible?" Ayumi asked.

"N-N-Nuh-uh! I think I know what Valley this is" Face shivered uncontrollably.

"What's wrong Face?" Ayumi asked.

"A-Ayumi, V-Victoria, you are familiar with the voyages of Sinbad right?" Face asked.

"Yeah" Ayumi said.

"You remember on one of his voyages, he got stuck in a certain valley and he had to hide to avoid being eaten by giant serpents? I think th-this is the Dream equivalent of that valley!" Face stammered uncontrollably.

"DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE SERIOUS!" Ayumi exclaimed in horror.

"DON'T JOKE LIKE THAT FACE!" Victoria roared.

Suddenly, loud slithering sounds coupled with hisses were heard.

"If I'm joking…DOES THAT SOUND LIKE A HARRY POTTER MOVIE TO YOU?!" Face screamed.

The three Dream Knights prepared to confront the serpents, a confrontation that began with a face off against nine cobras and eventually evolved into a confrontation with about ten different species of poisonous mythological serpents.

"Whoever the architect of this realm border is, he sure knows his mythology" Face commented.

"What do we do now?! They keep increasing in number!" Victoria complained.

A few moments later, a terrifying shriek could be heard. A shriek so loud that the three combatants had to cover their ears. The serpents slithered into hiding.

"Why are they retreating?" Victoria asked.

"That! It's the Roc! It's the most feared foe of these serpents!" Face exclaimed as he pointed towards the sky.

A huge bird resembling an eagle spotted them and swooped down to carry them off. It snatched them in its massive claws which were at least the size of bird cages.

"Why is it helping us?" Victoria asked.

"It's not helping us. It's probably going to feed us to its chicks!" Face said.

"No, I'm going to eat you all by myself, tearing you, tearing you limb from limb until you're all digested" the bird said.

"You're a really bad natured bird!" Face scolded it.

"Are you feeling desperate now? Can you now feel the sting of despair?" the bird asked.

"Face, how did Sinbad escape the Roc?" Victoria whispered.

Face had a funny expression on his face.

"Heheh! That's the problem, what I read was only an excerpt so I don't know! Damn High School!" Face roared.

"WHAAAT?! YOU KNOW ALL THE DANGERS BUT HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO ESCAPE FROM EVEN A SINGLE ONE?! TALK ABOUT A USELESS BOOKWORM!" Victoria yelled.

"Give me a break, I did help out with the boatman after all" Face defended himself.

"You dare to talk about escape plans right in my presence?! I've never seen such a foolhardy handful of children" the Roc said.

"Well, if we're going to be eaten, why don't we just enjoy the breeze, after all, we get to choose what flavours we will be" Face said.

"Don't get smart-mouthed here Face or so help me God I'll slap you into next week!" Victoria yelled.

"You are a lively bunch. Fine then, I've decided, I will give you a chance to save yourselves. Answer these three riddles correctly. If you do, I'll take you across the other borders, however fail and you will wish I had cutlery!" the Roc threatened.

"Fine, ask whatever you want" Face said indifferently.

"You only get one chance to answer each riddle" the Roc cautioned.

Face reached into his pocket and pulled out a strange device (which actually was a PSP).

"Well, if I'm dying, let me at least get as far as I can in Kingdom Hearts II" Face said and began to play but Victoria snatched the PSP, slammed it into his face thus shattering the screen and tossed it away.

"NOOOO!!! Goodbye, my most precious memories" Face shed tears.

Then he glared at Victoria.

"YOU OWE ME MY MEMORIES FOR THAT YOU DUMB GIRL! DON'T YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO TOUCH A BOY'S VIDEOGAMES?! THAT'S LIKE SATAN DANCING ON THE ALTAR AT MASS! IT'S SACRILEGE!" Face screamed.

"Be serious! Our lives are in danger!" Victoria screamed.

"An exact carbon copy of Zan in terms of foolery, this is going to be a hassle" Ayumi sighed.

"Ask your questions but if I get them right, Victoria, you will pay me back with compound interest!" Face declared.

"Fine, first of all, there were two brothers, very inseparable were they. When they are thrown, one proceeds first and blesses the earth, the other sings a song and terrifies it yet though one leaves first, they are never separated. Who are these…" the Roc was asking when Face interrupted.

"Thunder and Lightning!" Face declared.

"You didn't even listen to the whole riddle dumbass!" Victoria yelled.

"Let him be, he is right" the Roc said.

Victoria and Ayumi were shocked.

"Next, I was born in light, yet through external forces, I became divided like a mirror. Part of me was real, part was an illusion yet to the people who wield me, the illusion is more real than the real" the Roc asked.

"A woman's heart…eh I mean a human's heart!" Face said.

The Roc glared at him.

"You are correct" it said.

"Seriously?!" Victoria exclaimed in awe.

"Third riddle…What am I thinking right now?!" the Roc asked.

"WHAAAT?! HOW IS HE SUPPOSED TO ANSWER SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!" Victoria and Ayumi roared in anger.

"That's easy…" Face said.

"Really?" the Roc asked.

"Right now, you are confused. You cannot understand why we would risk so much for something so little because you know what it is we want to do. You are also thinking even if we get all your riddles right, the next challenge will overwhelm us but let me tell you this…that is just how far we would go to protect our bonds! No matter how small the results may be, if the effort we put into it is great enough, things will definitely turn towards our favour because that is what hope is like, it is something small, so small it's size cannot be compared to adversity but it's power is strong enough to part darkness itself. What you are thinking right now is in fact the question to what we're thinking. You want to know what we're thinking!" Face declared.

"Hmm, you are an interesting brat. It's almost as though you don't fear death. No, it's not that you don't fear death, you see what is beyond it. In that case, Despair can never possess you. Brace yourselves for I am taking you past all the borders to the border of this life itself, where you will encounter the father of hopelessness…DESPAIR!" the Roc declared and increased speed.

"Brace yourself Victoria, for what I will ask for in return will give you nightmares beyond your wildest imaginings. I will take you to the very border of the Nightmare Realm…to the King Of All Nightmares!" Face said eerily.

In that instant, lightning flashed across the sky and Victoria couldn't help screaming but after that, she made sure Face regretted those words.

The Roc took them to a great wall running endlessly.

"Looks like it's the Dream equivalent of the Great Wall Of China" Face said.

"No, this wall is completely different. The Wall Of China in your world symbolizes hope and protection. This wall is a symbol of Despair and entrapment. Once you get through the gate, there is no turning back. You will only be able to proceed after Despair is defeated and I'll tell you personally that that Despair is not so easily defeated by human weapons. When fighting him, you must rely on your true emotions or you will fail. I cannot proceed any further. Farewell and…good luck" the Roc said and flew away.

Ayumi, Face and Victoria stood before a massive gate.

"Before we go, you must all be careful, especially you Face" Ayumi warned.

"Why me?" Face asked.

"Cowardice who was trapped by the stone of fire possessed me, a Flame Knight. Enslavement who was trapped by the stone of wind possessed Victoria so I don't need to tell you who is more likely to be possessed by the evil soul of earth" Ayumi explained.

"Fine, I'll be careful" Face said and pushed the gate open with all his strength. When the gate opened, they found themselves in what looked like a temple the colour of earth with huge statues lining either side of the passageway. They walked until they arrived at an altar on which sat a giant throne. On the throne sat a giant statue of a massive warrior wielding a battle axe.

"Do you think that statue is Despair?" Victoria asked.

"I think so" Face said.

"By the way Face, how did you know the answers to all the Roc's questions?" Victoria asked.

"I don't look like it but I'm a novelist. My family is a line of deep thinkers and I read a lot of stuff from mythology to cosmology, angelology, demonology, philosophy and of course theology" Face said.

Ayumi and Victoria were amazed. Victoria had a look of admiration on her face for a few seconds till she noticed how much she was admiring Face.

"Now back to this statue, it definitely has to be Despair. It is the only statue on the altar and on top of that, it's seated on the throne like some kind of god" Ayumi said.

As they were speaking, the statue opened up its mouth and spat a mud ball towards Face.

"Face look out!" Ayumi warned but it was too late.

The mud splashed all over him however a strong light from Face's body evaporated the mud.

"Your spirit is strong Boniface Kenyah! Apparently, I cannot possess you but now…you will know Despair by facing my brute strength!" the statue roared and stood up.

It was massive. There was a terrible earthquake.

"Are you feeling desperate?" it said and took a wild swing with its axe.

Ayumi, Face and Victoria dived out of the way. Its axe hit the ground with such terrible force that great cracks spread all over the temple and a terrible earthquake even greater than the first rocked the temple.

"How are we supposed to face something like this?!" Victoria exclaimed in fear.

Face just stared at Despair with a look of anger and determination on his face. The time had finally arrived to confront the enemy of his element!

"His strength is insane!" Ayumi exclaimed.

"That doesn't matter! What matters is that we're going to defeat him and get to the Nightmare King!" Face declared and charged to attack Despair.

"How amusing, a puny human like you believes that he can stand up to my power? The insolence of the very thought! Fine, I will answer back!" Despair roared.

Face attacked Despair on the shoulder however his sigil had no effect. With a smirk, Despair sent him flying with a backhanded strike. Victoria attempted breaking his fall but found herself knocked off her feet by the force of Face's fall. This made her infuriated at Face's recklessness and Face in turn was infuriated to find himself in her debt. Ayumi attacked Despair continuously and rapidly in hopes of finding a weakness but she was making no progress. Despair taunted their efforts and Face and Victoria got into an argument over ideas to take Despair down leaving Ayumi infuriated with them both.

"To think a bunch of unsavoury kids would challenge me like this. To make matters worse, you can even dare to make friendly conversation in my presence! You preposterously naïve bunch of senseless morons, you have no hope, just give up and die!" Despair roared.

"Ayumi! Are you sure this is worth it? Is a birthday present for Zan worth more than our lives?" Victoria asked worriedly.

"Don't despair Victoria or you will give Despair an edge in this battle. I know in your heart, you understand the significance of this mission" Ayumi said.

"I know" Victoria muttered with a sigh.

"But why are we going to see the Nightmare King? How is he related to Zan's present?" she asked.

"You damn kids…you actually forgot something didn't you?" Despair growled with a look of great anger on his face.

"Oh really? What did we forget? I don't think we forgot anything did we?" Ayumi asked.

Face and Victoria nodded.

"At first I thought you were merely misguided fools but now I see that…YOU ARE SENSELESSLY MORONIC AND OBLIVIOUS NINCOMPOOPS! I STAND BEFORE YOU NOW WITH THE VERY PURPOSE OF ENDING YOUR LIVES AND YOU EVEN FORGOT THAT I WAS AROUND DIDN'T YOU?! I ASSURE YOU…NO…I SWEAR ON MY PSYCHOTIC NATURE AS AN EVIL SOUL THAT NONE OF YOU WILL LEAVE HERE ALIVE! THAT IS A PROMISE!" Despair roared as his eyes began to glow with anger.

His muscle mass extended.

"WHAT?! A STATUE WITH MUSCLE MASS?! NOW THIS IS JUST GETTING RIDICULOUS!" the three companions screamed in shock.

Despair's height increased as well and his axe suddenly expanded to almost twice its original size. The three companions gulped.

"That can't be good! What the heck is this, a Bleach manga?!" Face screamed.

"HEH! NOW LET THE DREAM KILLING CEREMONY BEGIN!" Despair declared with a scary smirk.

His axe sparkled sinisterly. Face charged in to attack Despair in spite of Victoria's warnings. Face slid through the space in Despair's legs, somersaulting as Despair's attack hit the ground to evade the impact of his strike and running up the opposite wall. When he was high enough, he performed a reverse somersault over Despair's head, channeling all his strength into the Tomahawk and hacking at Despair with all his might causing an impact so great it created sonic waves that vibrated throughout the temple. Ayumi and Victoria had to cover their ears.

Despair smirked.

"What?! There is still no effect!" Face exclaimed in shock.

"Of course there isn't! I'm an evil soul, not your average Nightmare! Now prepare to die you hopeless human!" Despair roared.

"FAAAACE!!!" Victoria screamed with all her might as Despair raised his axe and prepared for another strike.

"He has recovered from the first strike! Oh no! I thought I had more time…at this rate…" Face exclaimed in horror.

"Are you feeling desperate now?" Despair laughed.

A number of scenes began to mix in with the current scene. Scenes of an elderly man speaking to a younger Boniface about 'The Blade Of Hope'. Scenes of a younger Boniface fighting off bullies who were attempting to bully a younger Victoria and scenes of the earth aiding a growing Boniface in many ways and in many forms, as a pillar, as a ship, as food and water and as an obstacle to be overcome.

"The earth supported me when I was weak, when I became strong, she became my opponent to make me even stronger…" Face muttered.

"FAAAACE!!!" Victoria screamed.

Face heard her scream and opened his eyes. His eyes were overflowing with strength and utter hatred for Despair.

"SO DON'T YOU DARE INSULT THE EARTH BY CALLING YOURSELF AN EVIL SOUL OF EARTH! THE EARTH IS HOPE AND YOU ARE THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT SHE STANDS FOR SO I WILL OBEY THE WILL OF THE EARTH AND TAKE YOU DOWN THIS INSTANT!" Face roared and parried Despair's blow with his Double Tomahawk.

His Tomahawk began to overflow with pure golden light! There was a tremendous surge of power as the blades of his Tomahawk extended and two more blades parallel to the first two grew out.

"Throughout my life, I have been weak, unable to do anything for myself but people supported me. People like Zan, Vikki and Ayumi and the one that supported me the most was the earth! She gave me the strength to keep RUNNING! She supported me through blood, sweat and tears...SO I WON'T FORGIVE ANYONE WHO SLANDERS THE EARTH YOU BASTARD!!!" Face roared and pushed back Despair's attack. "Compared to the obstacles the earth placed in my path to strengthen me…YOU ARE BUT A SPECK OF DUST! TAKE THIS!" Face roared as a tremendous image of the earth appeared behind him.

Despair had a look of terror on his face. Ayumi and Victoria on the other hand had looks of admiration on their faces.

"TERRANEAN INDIGNATION!" Face declared and unleashed a barrage of earth shattering blows that blew Despair off his feet.

"Damn you! To think a brat like you could push me back! SACRILEGE!" Despair roared and punched Face with all his might.

Face was blown backwards. He crashed into the wall and fell to the ground.

"FAAAACE!" Victoria screamed and ran to his side.

Ayumi parried the remainder of Despair's attacks.

"Face! Face! Face! Speak to me!" Victoria screamed desperately.

Face opened his eyes. He had severe wounds.

"Face you idiot! You didn't have to do that!" Victoria wept.

"I wanted to protect you…just like I did…that time…you remember don't you Vikki?" Face muttered weakly.

"Of course, how could I forget the day you saved me from those bullies? I had to take you to the hospital myself. You were always so reckless, challenging people stronger than you, making a fool of yourself over and over again. I tried to avoid you because…I was scared of seeing you in that state, like you were then…like you are now. But you know, to me, you were always the coolest" Victoria admitted.

Face chuckled.

"Looks like this time I overdid it, I'm sorry Viki. Now listen, I don't have much time. I will soon be lost to the Ultimate Unconsciousness but I've found a way to defeat Despair" Face said.

"Don't say that Face! You will live! I won't let you die!" Victoria cried as she held Face's hand.

"I'm sorry Vikki, I wish I could live longer, then maybe I'd get the chance to steal your first kiss and make you madder that I have ever made you in your entire life!" Face said with a laugh.

He didn't get the chance to finish speaking before Victoria kissed him. He was shocked at first but he regained his senses soon and smiled.

"That is payback for your PSP you idiot" Victoria said with an embarrassed look on her face.

"Wow, I should let you smash my videogames more often, if only I knew. Now listen Vikki, a sigil slays whatever its wielder wishes for it to slay but that rule does not apply to the evil souls until the sigil transforms into the Blade Of Hope" Face said.

Ayumi rushed to Face's side.

"How is he?" she asked.

Victoria shook her head sorrowfully. Ayumi frowned.

"What is the Blade Of Hope? How can our sigils transform into this Blade Of Hope?" Ayumi asked.

"The sigils are created from the Blade Of Hope" Face said.

"Wait a minute! Are you saying?!" Ayumi exclaimed.

"Yes, the Blade Of Hope, how ironic, it has been with us all this while. The weapon the earth uses to battle evil on our behalf. The Blade Of Hope is…The Human Heart" Face said as he shut his eyes and smiled. "Tell Zan 'Happy Birthday' for me" Face said as he slowly turned into sparks and faded away.

"Face!" Victoria wept.

"Victoria, we still have to defeat Despair. Now is not the time to mourn!" Ayumi said.

"Would you have said that if Zan were in Face's shoes?!" Victoria yelled.

"I'd probably be doing the same thing you're doing now however…if the one that killed Zan were an evil soul…I wouldn't spare him for a second!" Ayumi declared.

Victoria stood up and picked up her crossbow. Face's Tomahawk still lay on the ground.

"It's time to focus all our hope into our sigils" Ayumi said.

"How do we do that?" Victoria asked.

"By believing in Face's resolve and his sacrifice!" Ayumi declared as she bared her sigils.

"I believe in you Face" Victoria muttered.

At that moment, her quiver began to glow.

"What?" she muttered in surprise and pulled out some of her arrows.

They had completely changed in appearance. They were now golden and each one had an inscription on it,

"I believe in you Victoria, you can do it".

Victoria read the words and would have burst into tears if Ayumi had not laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't despair Vikki, remember what Face said?" Ayumi asked Victoria.

Victoria recalled Face's words as he assaulted Despair with the Terranean Indignation.

"That's right, Face believed in the earth and what it stands for more than any of us and I believe in Face. I'll do it Ayumi" Victoria said.

"I'll create an opening for you. When you see your chance, don't hesitate" Ayumi said.

Victoria nodded.

"We'll take you on Despair!" Ayumi challenged and charged to attack Despair.

"Interesting, you just won't give up no matter what I say will you? Well then, I take back my words, you are not moronic humans…you are moronic flies!" Despair said with a look of great irritation.

"Say what you will but in the end, you are the one going down!" Ayumi declared.

"Well then! Show me what you can do!" Despair declared.

Ayumi imitated Face's technique realizing that in comparison to Face's sigil, her sigil granted her the advantage of rapid attacks. She slid between the space in Despair's legs, somersaulted to evade the impact of Despair's strike then ran up the opposite wall like Face did. When she was high enough, she crouched and leapt towards Despair. Despair raised his axe in retaliation.

"I saw that coming, you sure don't learn do you!" Despair roared and attempted to strike Ayumi however Face's Tomahawk suddenly flew into the air and parried Victoria's strike.

Victoria and Ayumi stared at Face's Tomahawk in shock. Despair was even more shocked.

"DAMN YOU BRAT! EVEN DEAD YOU TRY TO INTERFERE!" Despair roared.

"I've created some hope for you, Ayumi, Victoria, don't hesitate. Hit him with all you've got!" Face's voice sounded as a bright flash of light from his sigil blinded Despair.

"I AM THE DAUGHTER OF LORD RYUUJI KIRISAWA! TRUE SUCCESSOR TO THE PATH OF FLAMES! THERE IS NO WAY I WILL LOSE TO A CONCEITED STATUE! TAKE THIS! THE KIRISAWA BLOODLINE'S ULTIMATE FLAME TECHNIQUE…A THOUSAND FIERY SLICES!!!" Ayumi roared as she began to unleash a barrage of flaming attacks against Despair.

Despair screamed from pain as the heat from Ayumi's technique began to melt him into lava. Soon, Despair's view was blinded by smoke and flames.

"DO IT NOW VICTORIA!!!" Ayumi ordered.

"You don't have to say it twice!" Victoria roared and released two arrows simultaneously.

The arrows pierced Despair in the chest. With a loud cry of pain, Despair exploded into hot ashes. The evil temple disappeared and the Wall Of Despair collapsed.

"We did it" Ayumi said.

"Face" Victoria said sadly.

"Don't worry Victoria, it is said that the King Of Nightmares has the power to reverse the effects of the Ultimate Unconsciousness" Ayumi assured Victoria.

"Really? So there is still hope?" Victoria asked.

"Victoria, if there is one thing we've learnt from this battle, it is that there is always hope" Ayumi said with a smile.

"Look, the Nightmare King's Castle is just ahead" Ayumi pointed.

"We'd better hurry then" Victoria said and they walked on.

The scene that followed showed Ayumi and Victoria in the presence of the Nightmare King. He wore black armour and had a black crown on his head. His hair had the form of heavy dreadlocks and his skin was dark. His face was covered in shadow. Only his glowing red eyes could be seen.

"I know why you have come but I have nothing to give to you Ayumi Kirisawa" the Nightmare King said.

"Please listen to me. We've come a really long way and we've even lost one of our comrades. Today is Zan's birthday but he seems so depressed lately, I thought a picture of his parents would give him hope" Ayumi pleaded.

"A picture of…his parents…no way! Ayumi, do you mean that Zan is the Dreamweaver?!" Victoria exclaimed in shock.

Ayumi nodded sadly.

"Why didn't you tell us?! We risked our lives for you and Zan and we didn't even know what or who we were fighting for?! Face even died!" Victoria yelled.

Ayumi ignored her.

"I have nothing to give to one who thinks of my son as an abomination. Leave now" the Nightmare King said coldly.

"I was wrong about the Dreamweaver and I'm sorry. I believed in the legends that said a Dreamweaver would guide the world to destruction" Ayumi said regretfully.

"It is true that Zan's destiny is to bring destruction" the Nightmare King said.

"I don't believe that! Zan is…Zan is the kindest person I know. I refuse to believe that his destiny is to bring destruction!" Ayumi declared.

"And tell me why I would care what a pitiful human like you believes? I do not need to answer to one who does not even know the essence of fear and Nightmares and why they are important for all living creatures" the Nightmare King said.

Ayumi remained silent.

"To add to that, you do not even know what you believe in anymore. You are not even sure of whether to kill Zan or not. Tell me, what gives you Dream Knights the right to decide whether a person deserves to live or not?" the Nightmare King asked.

"Hey! You're not being fair to Ayumi! She came all this way just to make your son happy!" Victoria yelled angrily.

"Listen to the contempt in your voice when you call Zan my son. Yes, he is my son. The product of my love and I do care for him but I do not need to explain myself to children such as yourselves" the Nightmare King said disdainfully.

"If you do care about Zan, then why don't you give us a simple family picture to give to him as a birthday present? I'm sure it will make him happy" Victoria pleaded.

"So you want to gain his trust and friendship now and exterminate him when he is of no more use to you is that it? What a great show of friendship" the Nightmare King said.

Ayumi looked worried and confused by his words.

"I do not want to hurt Zan, I just want him to be happy" Ayumi said as she broke down into tears.

"Ayumi Kirisawa, let me as you this question then. Actually, it is more of a riddle. If there was an expectant mother and through prophecy it was revealed that the child she was carrying would bring disaster, would it be wise to exterminate the child or preserve its life?" the Nightmare King asked.

"How do you expect me to answer such a question?" Ayumi asked.

"Think carefully, Boniface's life as well as Zan's future and the future of Dreams and Reality depend on your answer" the Nightmare King said.

Ayumi thought deeply.

"Please be careful Ayumi, it may be a trick question and if you get it wrong, Face will be lost forever" Victoria pleaded.

"How can I answer such a question?!" Ayumi exclaimed.

"Search your heart deeply" the Nightmare King said.

Ayumi shut her eyes and thought deeply.

"All my life, I've been brought up to believe that the Dreamweaver was an abomination. If I say the child should die, it would affirm my beliefs but my heart will be lying. If I say the child should live, my heart will be at rest but that would mean all my beliefs are wrong? Which should I choose?! Should I listen to my heart or defend my beliefs?!" Ayumi seemed to be struggling with herself.

Then she suddenly smiled. It appeared her mind was made up.

"Before I met Zan, I would not have hesitated to say that the child must be exterminated but now…I see things differently. The fact that the child has been given life means that he has been given a chance, a choice and a destiny. Life is a precious gift that should not be taken away because of mere beliefs. I believe that every living being must be given a choice, a chance to live and forge their destinies with their own hands because…no one has been created by a loving God for the sole purpose of bringing destruction" Ayumi declared.

"You have said a lot of things but I hate to inform you that your answer is…correct. I have restored Face's consciousness. Take this, you deserve it but my picture is way off. You can have the diary of my wife as well. Tell Zan to let it guide his path" the Nightmare King motioned to a Wolfbane to present the items to Ayumi.

"Thank you very much!" Ayumi and Victoria bowed respectfully.

At that moment, Face's Tomahawk disappeared.

"But there is one thing I must warn you about. Zanfar has a lot of allies and not all of them are Nightmares and evil souls. There is one among your ranks that seeks to unseal Zanfar. Your path will be difficult and a lot of tough choices await you. I know the nature of evil and I will tell you that as relentless as evil is, Zanfar will inevitably be unsealed. It is what you will do then that will decide the fate of Dreams and Reality" the Nightmare King said.

"I promise you that I will protect Zan. You have my word as a Dream Knight" Ayumi said.

"That means nothing to me, I prefer your word as a Lady of the Kirisawa House for I know your family is honourable" the Nightmare King said.

"You have my word" Ayumi promised.

"Now begone, you're becoming an eyesore" the Nightmare King said.

Meanwhile, Zan was done with his haircut and Mr. Kirisawa was communicating with Ai through a strange device (which of course was a cellphone however it was foreign to the three students who were observing the events).

"Hello Ai, is Ayumi back yet?" he asked Ai. "Really? She must get home soon because I've exhausted all my ideas and Zan really wants to come home. According to him, a day without Ayumi can be equated to an inferno. I don't even want to know what that means. I'll try to delay the trip home but Ayumi had better be back by the time we reach home" Mr. Kirisawa said and cut the line.

Mr. Kirisawa did everything possible to feign ignorance concerning Zan's birthday and to delay the trip home even going so far as to drive in circles but Zan was aware of his attempts to delay the trip home though he was unaware of the fact that the Kirisawas knew about his birthday. When they finally arrived at the Kirisawa Residence, it was dark as though all the lights had been turned off. Zan found this suspicious for he was aware of the fact that all the surrounding houses had lights so he knew it couldn't be a blackout. Once more, Mr. Kirisawa feigned ignorance.

When they were in the Kirisawa mansion, Zan groped for the lights and switched them on.

"SURPRISE!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZAN!!!" everyone exclaimed.

Horns, whistles and vuvuzelas were being blown by everyone present.

"What's going on? I didn't tell anyone. Hey, wait a minute, you knew about this didn't you Mr. Kirisawa?" Zan asked.

"Happy Birthday Zan" he said and patted Zan on the head.

Ai ran to Zan and put a birthday hat on his head.

"Hey Zan! Any more ideas?" Zan turned to meet a friend.

"Prince!" Zan exclaimed in joy and gave him a high five.

"Thanks guys! This means a lot to me" Zan said.

"And don't forget me" Zan heard another familiar voice as someone he knew walked to him and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder.

Ayumi and Victoria appeared outside the gate of the mansion and released their sigils thus transforming into regular clothes.

"Do you think Face is really alive?" Victoria asked worriedly.

"Have faith Victoria" Ayumi assured her.

They walked through the gate.

"I prepared some clothes beforehand. They are in the servants' quarters. Let's go get changed before we enter the house" Ayumi suggested.

Victoria agreed.

Eventually, they arrived in the house wearing dazzling clothes. Victoria was doing most of the dazzling. Ayumi was clothed in something that resembled an ancient ceremonial women's warrior clothing. Zan saw her and sighed.

"She'll never change will she?" Zan said.

"Go and meet her" Ai encouraged Zan.

Zan nodded and ran towards Ayumi and Victoria.

"You guys were in on this too weren't you?" Zan ran to them and gave them a big hug.

"Ouch! Zan be careful! We're really injured" Ayumi complained.

"Where were you?" Zan asked.

"Here is your birthday present. It's from all of us" Zan received them and stared at the picture.

It was a picture of the Princess Of Dreams holding an infant Zan in her arms with a joyful look on her face. The Nightmare King's arm was wrapped around her waist and he appeared to have a smirk on his face.

"My parents" Zan said with a happy smile.

"Thanks a lot everyone" he said gratefully.

"But where did you get this from? Don't tell me you…?! Why were you so reckless?!" Zan yelled angrily.

"Don't scold them Zan, I was a part of it too. Ayumi just wanted to make you happy. It was all her idea" Face said.

Victoria opened her eyes in surprise and stared at Face. There were tears in her eyes.

"Face! You're really alive!" she exclaimed as she ran to Face and gave him a…SLAP!

"Don't ever do such a thing to me again! If you had died, what would have become of me?!" Victoria scolded him, then she hugged him.

"I'm sorry" Face apologized.

Then he realized that Victoria was giving him a bear hug.

"V-Vikki! You're strangling me!" Face struggled to say.

"That's the intention now…GIVE ME BACK MY FIRST KISS!!!" Victoria ordered.

Face managed to break free of her hold.

"Gladly" Face said as he puckered up his lips in an attempt to kiss Victoria.

"That's not what I meant you dumbass!" Victoria roared and pulled a lariat on Face.

"Um…uh…am I missing something?" Zan said with a puzzled look on his face.

"Just leave it at that" Ayumi cautioned him.

Zan smiled at her.

"Ayumi, did you really do this…for me?" Zan asked.

"Actually, I was just uh…um…yes…Zan, I did it for you" Ayumi said nervously as she attempted to avoid looking into his eyes.

"It's the best present anyone has ever given me and it means more to me because it's coming from you" Zan said and gave her a peck on the cheek.

There were loud cheers. Ayumi had a look of utter surprise and embarrassment on her face.

"OKAY! LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!" Face roared.

While the party was blazing, Zan snuck out of the house and sat close to the fountain in front of the mansion. He read the first part of his mother's diary. His mother's first words were…

"My dear son, my dear Zan, always know that I'm proud of you no matter what happens".

Ayumi discovered his absence and came outside. She found him sitting beside the fountain,

"Zan, isn't it a bit rude just to disappear without saying anything?" she asked with a playful smile.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist" Zan said and rubbed the back of his head.

"Hold still" Ayumi said and picked pieces of grass from his hair and showed them to him.

"I guess lying on the grass with your dad and staring into the sky was not such a good idea" Zan said.

"Well, there's not much hair to talk about. You're almost bald. Have you forgotten you had a haircut?" Ayumi teased.

"Hey Ayu, that's not funny!" Zan said angrily.

"I'm sorry. It's actually a good look for you. It makes you look cute" Ayumi said.

"Really?! I guess I must have haircuts as often as possible and to think I nearly went for a Mohawk" Zan laughed.

"Ppphhh! Y-You?! In a Mohawk?! HAHAHA! What a crazy idea" Ayumi laughed.

"I think I'd actually look cool in a Mohawk" Zan argued.

"I'm not saying you wouldn't look cute. That's if we were on a different planet of course. Your weak link is, this is earth" Ayumi teased some more.

Zan smiled.

"It's really good to see you happy Ayu" Zan said.

"I remember a wise lady once saying that being near you brings happiness. I guess it's just impossible to be moody around you" Ayumi said.

"Thanks" Zan said with a nervous smile.

"So what were you doing Zan?" Ayumi suddenly asked.

Zan raised the diary.

"I was just trying to read this. Hey, now that you're here, would you like to hear what my mom has written in her diary?" Zan asked.

"Why not? I'd love to…that's if it doesn't bother you" Ayumi said worriedly.

"It doesn't" Zan said and turned to the second page.

"Zan, I'm sure you've got a lot of questions about your father and I've written everything in prose form after all I know you really love stories" Zan read his mother's words and smiled.

"I feel close to her already" Zan said.

"I'm glad" Ayumi said.

Zan began to recount his parents' tale to Ayumi who was beside him. Ayumi was surprised to discover the involvement of her parents and their roles in the tale.

"That's it" Zan said after reading the tale.

"So my Dad and Mom actually saved the Nightmare King's life and worked for him" Ayumi said in surprise.

"Are you disappointed?" Zan asked her.

"No, on the contrary, I just don't understand why they didn't tell me and why the Nightmare King later cursed my Mom and Ai" Ayumi said worriedly.

"Even I can't understand my father's actions but there seems to be a purpose to everything he does" Zan said.

At that moment, Mr. Kirisawa came out with Ai, Face and Victoria.

"Ditching the party?! That's rude of you two!" Victoria accused.

"Yeah! It took us a lot of time to set this all up and we're waiting for you to blow out the candles on your birthday cake and make a wish!" Ai complained.

"I'm sorry guys, let's go" Zan said and went back in with Ai, Face and Victoria.

Ayumi and Mr. Kirisawa remained alone outside. Ayumi was finding it difficult to face her father since she had always blamed him for her mother's death.

"Ayumi? Is anything the matter?" Mr. Kirisawa asked her.

Ayumi broke down in tears.

"I'm sorry Dad. All this time, I blamed you for everything. I'm really sorry" she said and ran into his arms.

"Sorry for what Ayu?" he asked.

"I always blamed you for Mom's death. I never realized what a great father you are. I'm proud of you" Ayumi said happily.

Mr. Kirisawa was surprised at first but then he smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that" Mr. Kirisawa said.

"It seems that Zan did not only heal Ai, he also healed this family" Ayumi said silently. "Dad, did the Nightmare King really curse Mom?" Ayumi asked.

"What made you think that?" Mr. Kirisawa asked.

"Mom's sickness was similar to Ai's" Ayumi said.

"Your mother was indeed cursed in the Dream World however, she was not cursed by the Nightmare King. She was cursed by Zanfar at the moment the seven souls of evil were released. The Nightmare King suppressed the curse and that is why your mom lived a little longer" Mr. Kirisawa explained.

"Then why did you say after Mom's death that it was the Nightmare King's fault?" Ayumi asked.

"You must have overheard me when I was angry. I said that because the Nightmare King had the power to restore your mother's life but he didn't. He said that life was a gift from God and should not be toyed with by mortals even if they did have power over it" Mr. Kirisawa explained.

"That is strange because he restored Face's life" Ayumi said.

"Let's go inside before Zan gets offended" Ayumi said with a laugh.

They entered the mansion.

"You guys sure took your time" Zan pretended to be offended.

"You're one to talk!" everyone retorted and began to laugh.

"Go ahead and make a wish" Ayumi said.

"Okay" Zan said and shut his eyes.

He made a silent wish and blew out the candles.

Everyone cheered and teased him.

"It's obvious what you wished for" they said.

Ayumi seemed clueless though.

Zan looked around and for a moment, he saw the boy Jesus standing outside with a soccer ball. Jesus saluted and when Zan blinked, he was gone.