Now the Dream Knights were nowhere near him, Zanbӧngfar returned his attention to destroying Dream City. His actions inevitably forced the Dream Knights to rethink their retreat and confront him again. They began to realize that every retreat only gave Zanbӧngfar a greater advantage than it gave them since he regenerated both in and out of battle due to the fact that evil is a consistently generated force.
"As long as humans still think evil, I will remain strong! Look at me you filthy humans! At the work your own hands have made! At the results your every evil action has created! Every wrong you have committed is embodied within the very fibre of my being. I am your very own self! Every moment you have hurt another person! Every moment you have thought ill about another person! Can you look upon me and still deny your ill?!" Zanbӧngfar challenged all life on earth.
Everyone on the earth raised their eyes to look at Zanbӧngfar and realized what he was talking about. Their sin was reflected in his form. Every time they had sinned against another was a cell. Every time they had thought ill about another person was his nature. His mannerisms reflected theirs. His actions were like theirs. The guilt they felt was unbearable. They could not deny what they were seeing but this caused something unforeseeable to happen.
The people began to feel regret. They began to wish they had not done what they had done so that the monster before them would never have been born then the more they stared at the monster before them, the more they wished they had never done what they had done. Then some people began to make reparations for the evil they had done. It started small, like a seed, so small it was unnoticeable. One person would apologize. The wronged party could not refuse to forgive because they in turn saw their own sin and then these actions became syndicated like chains. It went so far that governments began to apologize to their citizens for the mismanagement of resources.
Then Jesus saw everything going on on earth and smiled.
"People have begun to see the evil of their ways Zan and they have begun to repent of the ill they have done. I believe they deserve a miracle Zan and that miracle is going to be you Zan; their Dreamweaver. Go back Zan and reveal to them the meaning behind your name; your identity and tell them who they are in me" Jesus said.
Zan nodded.
"Zanfar, please end this. You don't need to prove anything. We already know how wrong we are. We are aware of our sin" Ayumi pleaded.
"But it is not enough that you should be aware of your sin Ayumi Kirisawa. I desire that you should be crushed by the weight of your sins but unfortunately, you Dream Knight lot have accepted the weight of your sins. If you have done so, I will crush you instead!" Zanbӧngfar declared as he breathed in deeply.
His chest area began to glow brightly.
The Dream Knights were already beginning to feel strained but they prepared to evade nonetheless.
The children Ayumi and Zan had played with earlier on witnessed this from afar. They were the children that had mistaken them for Christmas Angels.
"Zan…please…save Ayumi!" they pleaded.
Suddenly a shooting star streaked across the sky and landed between Zanbӧngfar and the Dream Knights just as Zanbӧngfar released his attack. Zanbӧngfar's attack was reflected. The attack hit Zanbӧngfar and sent him flying quite a distance.
"What was that?!" he screamed in shock.
Silvery white light surrounded the star and as Ayumi stared at the star, the Pyrogeysers in her hand disappeared and was replaced by the Pyrostellis. She opened her eyes and covered her mouth in shock.
"Could it be…Zan?" she wondered.
When the light disappeared, Zan was seen. Ayumi ran to him and hugged him.
"Zan you idiot! I thought I had lost you!" she cried.
"Haha! Idiots die hard don't you know Ayu?" Zan teased her.
"Zanviel! Won't you just die?!" Zanbӧngfar roared angrily.
"I don't know how the name Zanviel became associated with me but it is not my name. I may be associated with the Beautiful Dream but I am not the Beautiful Dream. I am Just Zan Nightbane; Simply the Dream that Curses the Darkness. Ironically, Just is also a part of my name but unfortunately for you Zanbӧngfar, the English word Just which means Simply also has its meaning in Justice so that part of my name has two identities. You are finished!" Zan declared as he ripped off the rhino horn chain that once belonged to his father, handed to him by Wanye.
He held it tightly in his right hand.
"I AM JUST ZAN NIGHTBANE! THE HUMAN DREAMWEAVER AND COORDINATOR OF THE SEVEN SOULS OF VIRTUE, REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SOUL OF VIRTUE TRUTH; IN RARE TIMES WHEN THE FATE OF MY KIN; MY FAMILY IS THREATENED, I CALL ON THE SWORD THAT BEARS MY OWN NAME; MY FAMILY HEIRLOOM; THE NIGHTBANE, ALSO CALLED LIGHT'S REVENGE!!!" Zan called.
The Pyrostellis Luminares disappeared. Zan felt a strong flame begin to build around him and his heart began to pulsate strongly. The silvery white light around him began to turn warm until it became golden. His silvery white armour became golden in colour and so did his hair. His eyes also reassumed their original golden colour and his hair grew long. He roared in fury and shut his eyes. He could see all the people Zanfar had hurt.
"Zan, I hope we get to draw stikomiks again soon" he heard Prince.
"Let's go chase down more nightmares and keep the Dream World safe" he heard the wishes of Face and Victoria.
"Zan, I hope you'll stick around with us for a while longer" he could hear the wishes of the Kirisawas.
"You are the boy who shattered our windows. If you defeat that monster, you can shatter our windows whenever you want" he could hear the wishes of the people of Lower East Side Dream City.
"You are the brightest student in our institution. You still have your exams to write" Zan could hear the wishes of some teachers.
Sparks were flying around him when he opened his eyes. He could see Wanye faintly. Wanye smiled and turned to walk away.
Zan saw many dreams of many people and they all wanted one thing; the destruction of Zanbӧngfar and the preservation of their dreams. The dreams began to form links with one another and lo and behold a new constellation was formed in the world of dreams.
"YOU BETRAYED THE PATH OF HUMANITY AND DESTROYED COUNTLESS DREAMS! YOUR REIGN OF TERROR IS AT AN END!" Zan declared as white wings spread out behind him.
Zan flew towards Zanbӧngfar at amazing speed and sliced off his wings. He fell to the ground. His tails were the next to go. Since people were repenting quickly and humankind were quick learners, Zanbӧngfar being the arrogant creature and slow learner that he was, was the last to notice what was happening. The power of syndicated repentance was quickly tipping the balance in the favour of good. Zanbӧngfar's recovery was slowing down rapidly.
Zanbӧngfar was forced to look into the sky and then he noticed the constellation.
"What is that?!" he exclaimed in shock.
For the constellation was that of the risen Christ, made of millions of stars. Each cell of his body was made of a person. His thoughts were of the nature of a good person's thoughts and his form was of the semblance of the good actions of the people. His form immediately washed away the guilt of the people.
"Do you finally understand Zanbӧngfar?! Human beings are living parts of God Himself! We are His Kin! His Family!" Zan declared.
"That will make your defeat even more enjoyable Just Zan Nightbane!" Zanbӧngfar declared.
"You will not harm my son! Zan, deal the final blow now! I will immobilize Zanbӧngfar!" the Nightmare King's voice declared.
"Thank you pops!" Zan declared and charged towards Zanbӧngfar.
"AAAACK! He won't even show concern!" everyone around stared in shock.
Zanbӧngfar tried to break free of Zan's father's hold as Zan channelled his power into the Nightbane and plunged it deep into Zanbӧngfar. He screamed in terror as the seven elemental stones fell from his body and Zan's mother and father were released from within him. Then in a sudden explosion, the beast was gone leaving an immaterial ball of negativity.
"I will not forget this Zan Nightbane! I curse you Zan Nightbane! By everything I am! I will return!" Zanfar declared.
"I don't think so! Do you really believe I will allow you to go around the world of dreams causing trouble with my face! After what you did to Ayumi I made my decision, I had to take responsibility for your actions! I decided to never allow you to go on a rampage again so I will seal you within the one place you can never escape! I will take you within myself for originally you were once a part of me but you will never escape!" Zan declared as he charged into the ball and channelled all his positive energy into it and neutralized it.
Then he absorbed it into himself. Then he descended to meet the others.
Ayumi came to meet him.
Zan hugged her.
"It's finally over" she said.
But Zan remained silent. Zan's father and mother came and hugged him too. Victoria and Face drew closer as the Dream Knights began to cheer loudly. All that was left now was to send the remaining nightmares back to the Nightmare Realm. Zan's dad would handle that soon enough without much effort.
"It is finally over isn't it Zan?" Ayumi asked Zan again.
"Not just yet Ayumi. I'm sorry. When Zanfar went on a rampage, he destroyed so many dreams. Since I am the Dreamweaver, it is my duty to weave those dreams again. For a while, people are not going to dream. I will return to the world of dreams and symbols with my parents and rebuild the world of dreams and work to unite the Dream and Nightmare Realms for both belong to me" Zan said.
Ayumi looked disappointed but she knew the weight of Zan's duty.
"Will you return?" she asked Zan.
"I will return" Zan answered her.
"When will you return?" she asked Zan.
"When you begin to dream again, know that the time for my return has come" Zan answered her.
Having said this, they took final pictures, wished each other Happy New Year and then, Zan departed with his parents. Ayumi, Ai and Mr Kirisawa returned home to a surprise as well. Saito Kusanagi had finally returned home. Regarding her, there had never been a burial. Her ultimate unconsciousness was quite similar to being brain dead and Mr Kirisawa could never find the courage to pull the plug so he had her taken care of secretly while he sought a cure and then, he left everyone to assume she was dead. He did not want to burden the young Ayumi and Ai and seeing how Ayu was the one who began to put two and two together, he pretty much used her smartassedness to his advantage. But now, the entire family was united and Prince was finally able to thank the woman who saved his life and as promised, Mr Kirisawa was so moved, he actually became a Christian. Heheh, leave it to Jesus to work a New Year miracle after many years.
FROM THEN ON…
Days passed for Ayumi Kirisawa, then the days turned into months and then the year passed. All through the year, there was no dream. Ayumi graduated from High School and made it into the University. At that time, she began to take over a bit of her duties as the heiress of the Kirisawa Conglomerate along with her sister Ai Kirisawa, then two years passed, and then two years more and she graduated from University with no sign of a Dream. But Dream City was rebuilding itself quickly. The damages from the last battle were quickly being erased. Soon, the only evidence of Zan's existence would be in the memories of his friends and in the pictures they had. Ayumi hated that. She did not want to be left with just a memory. No dreams meant no Dream Knight business. So for the past five years, there was no guarantee that Zan would ever return. All she had to hold on to was hope.
Then one day, Ayumi was sitting in the Kirisawa Gardens feeling miserable and hoping Zan would return soon and then she fell asleep. Then she dreamt.
In her dream she saw Zan in a castle, with his parents and grandfather standing with his citizens. The Dream world and Nightmare worlds were united and both were beautiful. The people were cheering,
"LONG LIVE KING KIERAN DAYMARE! LONG LIVE KING SANZIRI NIGHTBANE! LONG LIVE QUEEN ARIEL NIGHTBANE! LONG LIVE PRINCE JUST ZAN NIGHTBANE!" the people cheered.
"It won't be long now Ayumi" she heard Zan say.
Ayumi opened her eyes.
"I-I dreamt!" she exclaimed in awe.
She returned to the scene of the battle hoping to find Zan. All she found were scars. She was disappointed. She stared at the area sadly.
"Why are you looking for memories when the person you seek is right behind you?" a voice asked her.
She turned to find Zan.
"Zan!" she burst into tears and ran into his arms.
Zan was happy to learn that Prince Asante and Ai were happily wed and so were Face and Victoria. Zan reacquainted himself with his friends and after their long wait he finally proposed to Ayumi and she accepted. They were wed both in dreams and in reality. Finally, they wielded the Pyrostellis Luminares in earnest and they knew that it would never be replaced by another sigil.
Zan was happy as he professed his vows in his father's castle. The Nightbane was laid on both their shoulders and Ayumi was named the new Princess Of Dreams since Zan's mother now had the title Queen Of Nightmares. How funny huh? Something about confusion and conflicting titles.
In time, Ayumi and Zan had kids. Two sons and two daughters. They named their first son Sanziri Nightbane, their second son Kieran Ryuuji Nightbane, their first daughter Saito Nightbane and their second daughter Ariel Nightbane. Face and Victoria had a daughter and Prince and Ai had a daughter as well.
However, they lived their lives in the real world. You may ask why? It wasn't the Dream World that needed work, it was the real world. They worked in the Dream World but their success was measured in the Real World. As long as mankind retain the lessons they learnt from that day, Zanfar will never return. So just in case you've been having this Nightmare that keeps recurring and you haven't been able to beat it. If you think you need help, just give us a call. We Dream Knights are just a step away, ready to help ya!
Josec, Buern and Harry found themselves back in Benedict's Ark. They were happy to see how Master Ayumi's history concluded.
"This is the history of the second world which's history has aligned with my homeworld's history and your world. In a week, I will summon you back into the Ark to witness the history of the third world with which this world, my homeworld and your homeworld's histories have begun to align" Ryu said to the three students.