EPISODE 15; CONFRONTATION

A month passed with me training with the Nightmare king. All that was left in my heart was the purest form of rage and hatred. Ayumi watched me from within Chaos' sigil. She watched as I led the Nightmare king's armies and crushed the Dream Knights. I showed no mercy. At that point in time, I couldn't differentiate between my own voice and the sinister voice. It was almost as though our wills had coalesced.

"How could Zan have changed so easily and so drastically" Ayumi wept as she stared at the monster I had become.

"It is precisely because he loved you so much. Strange isn't it, how so much love can instantly become intense hatred? He even accepted the name Zanfar without full knowledge of its significance" Chaos said with a satisfied smile.

"I must get out of here! I must save Zan!" Ayumi declared desperately.

"Save him? You keep surpassing your own strangeness. You don't seem to comprehend your current situation. The one thing that keeps drawing Zanfar to the darkness…is you or didn't you get that the first time I said it? Here is the proof! Even if you were to stop him now, which is impossible by the way and the two of you united to somehow defeat me and restore the original timeline, he would still become Zanfar after all you seem to keep forgetting that your worst act of betrayal was performed in the original timeline" Chaos said.

"I will take my chances! I can't watch him become something he is not!" Ayumi yelled desperately.

"He truly is Zanfar. Zan is just a defective part of him held hostage by the heart of the Princess Of Dreams. You cannot stop him from bending to his true nature. A lion eats meat, a sheep eats grass, the stars shine in the sky and dust covers the ground. Everything in nature yields to its true nature. That…is the law of nature, something no one can change, no matter how strong they may be…unless, you could tell me something as idealistic as a lion lying next to a sheep or a wolf next to a kid. I once knew a man who believed in such things. He was the only one in history, whose love was never tainted no matter how much he suffered. When I remember how much he suffered for people he wasn't even supposed to know and people he was meant to hate…it made human love seem insulting in my eyes. Anything else that calls itself love and cannot prove itself like this man proved his love…does not deserve to be called love! I will crush anything as pathetic as that!" Chaos declared. "Besides, there is another reason why I'm saying your efforts are futile. The only thing that keeps you from being affected by this timeline is my sigil. Once you leave this dimension, your memories and feelings will be altered and you will be assimilated by the other Ayumi as a part of her. There is nothing you can do but watch this timeline play itself out. You must wait for the day Zanfar comes…to confront you! Isn't the strangeness of it all sickening?" Chaos laughed.

"The only sickening thing here is you. You are by far the most twisted creature I've ever encountered. I cannot even begin to comprehend how it is you became so warped" Ayumi said.

"If you want to leave, I'll let you but I honestly believe this timeline is better for you. After all, you are not the one that killed Zanfar's guardian. You have nothing to feel guilty for" Chaos said.

"Dad, Ai…how could everyone have changed so much just because I was never able to summon my sigils?" Ayumi wondered.

Meanwhile, I was undergoing intense warrior training.

"Zan, do you know what Zanfar is?" the Nightmare king asked me.

"Zanfar means Nightmare" I said seriously.

"Hmm, let me try to explain to you in terms you can understand. Zan, imagine you lived in a country filled with people you love. Then one day, you left that country, and when you returned, every single person was murdered in the most brutal way imaginable" the Nightmare king said.

"Zanfar is that bad?!" I exclaimed in awe.

"Actually, I was describing heaven from Zanfar's perspective. Now we've set the measure by which we can weigh what Zanfar truly is. If that is heaven, can you imagine what hell looks like?" the Nightmare king asked me.

"Heh! The only heaven I can see is wiping Ayumi and her family off the face of this earth!" I declared.

"Zanfar is the ultimate Nightmare, the king and origin of all Nightmares! Zanfar is destruction incarnate and he himself is indestructible. No matter how evil a human or creature may be, no one wishes for an evil as terrible as Zanfar. Do you really want to become someone like that?" the Nightmare king asked me.

I smiled.

"What use is there in being good? People only use and betray you when you are kind. I don't see anything wrong in becoming Zanfar and destroying this evil world" I said.

"If that is the case, you must prepare yourself to face the seven souls of evil. Only by defeating them can you unite with them to become Zanfar. However, I don't think that is what you really want" the Nightmare king said.

"I'm ready father. I'll begin my journey now to unleash my true self" I said as I left the Nightmare king.

"Wait! You will not be able to defeat Chaos, the evil soul of Time without gaining experience as a Dreamweaver. Let me train you for two more months before you set off on your journey" the Nightmare king said with a cunning smile on his face.

"Very well" I said as I returned to him.

Meanwhile, Ayumi was in turmoil.

"How could one event alter so many people's destinies?" she wondered.

"It is human fate and that is how it is. The destiny of one human does not belong entirely to him. Destiny is woven together like a kente cloth. One person's destiny cuts across the destinies of so many other people. Every action or inaction of a human affects the lives of those around him, for good or evil. Remove that one thread and everything changes. Likewise, human lives are like keys that unlock events. An RPG would be a human way to put it. One action or inaction can cause the evolution or degeneration of an entire timeline no matter how insignificant the action may seem at the time. It is also like telling lies. You tell one lie and you have to tell another till you create a mountain of lies" Chaos explained.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Ayumi growled angrily.

"Of course I'm enjoying it. It is my handiwork after all and there is nothing I enjoy more than destroying that lie humans call love. Do you find that…strange?" Chaos said with a laugh.

"And I can't do anything but watch. If I leave Chaos' sigil, this warped timeline will alter my memories" Ayumi thought sadly.

After two months, I had gained great experience in being both a Dreamweaver and a warrior.

"It is time for me to leave father" I said.

"Where are you going from here?" the Nightmare king asked me.

"First, I will return to the Human Realm to see whether things have changed or not. Then I will deal with the Kirisawas. After that, I will defeat all the souls of evil and destroy all the Dream Knights. I don't need to tell you what comes next?" I said as I walked away.

"Yes, you will embrace your destiny as Zanfar" the Nightmare king said.

I nodded, and then I noticed a cunning smile on the Nightmare king's face.

"Why are you smiling?" I asked him.

"Zan, have you ever heard of the Keys Of The Heart?" he asked me.

"And where did you pick that one from, Kingdom Hearts or what?" I joked.

"It is said that every human or Dream Being has one. It is the ultimate source of power and it even surpasses Zanfar" the Nightmare king said but I noticed that his eyebrows were twitching as though he was telling the most ridiculous joke in the world and was trying to stifle his laughter. He turned away from me and folded his hands.

"I'm listening" I said.

"That is all I will tell you. You are not ready to wield such power" the Nightmare king said.

"I'm ready! More than ready! Besides, you said every human has one and so does every Dream Being. I am half human, half Dream Being so I must have two!" I said with a cunning smile.

"Foolish boy! It doesn't work that way! Every living creature with a soul has one and only one! It doesn't matter whether you're half Dream Being, half human or half Dagaare, half Fante! It is one for every being regardless!" the Nightmare king scolded me.

"But it's mine regardless! Tell me where and how I can find it!" I demanded.

"I'll only tell you…if you can defeat me in combat" the Nightmare king said.

"I accept your challenge! I AM ZANFAR NIGHTBANE! IN MY QUEST FOR VENGEANCE, I SUMMON THEE, SIGILS OF DARKNESS!!!" I roared and in a flash of black lightning, the worst enemy of all dreams appeared in my hands.

That sigil, that sword was…THE BLACK BANE!!!

Ayumi stared at my sigil in shock from within Chaos' sigil.

"Wh-What is this?! Why?! Even his sigil has changed form!" she exclaimed in horror.

"That sigil is the reflection of what is in his heart. It is the embodiment of hatred and his desire for vengeance!" Chaos said.

Ayumi felt sad.

"Why Zan?" she murmured sadly to herself.

I fought the Nightmare king with all the rage I could call upon and defeated him quite easily. I did not realize then that he intentionally lost to me and I was unaware of the charade he was setting up.

He smiled.

"You've grown strong, my son" he said with a sly smile.

"Tell me where to find the Key Of My Heart!" I demanded.

"You don't want to know where it is, trust me" he said.

"I do! That is why I'm asking!" I roared.

"Fine, I will tell you. It is being held hostage by Chaos, the evil soul of Time. You must hurry if you wish to save it" the Nightmare king said with a laugh.

"Fine then, Chaos will soon face my wrath!" I declared as I walked away.

The Nightmare king turned his back to me.

"Forgive me my son. I did indeed take that line from Kingdom Hearts. It is all for your own good" the Nightmare king said with an evil chuckle.

(Twi-i-i-i-isted!!!)

Meanwhile, Chaos wasn't so happy with how things were progressing.

"THAT STUPID NIGHTMARE KING! HE IS BEYOND TIME AFTER ALL! As I suspected, he was unaffected by the shift in the timeline"

(EPI-I-I-I-I-I-I-IC!!!)

"Now he has set Zanfar against me! That was unavoidable but there is no need to worry. Zanfar isn't strong enough to change the timeline and defeat me" Chaos said confidently.

(Well we'll see about that!)

I created an Omnicron with my Dreamweaver powers. It looked so sinister that I felt I was destined to be its rider. Then I journeyed to the Eternal Mirror Gate. When I arrived at the Mirror Gate, I got down and walked to it. I didn't know why but staring at the Gate gave me chills. I could feel an immense sinister force nested within it. I walked to the Gate and touched it. Then I smiled.

"Do not worry yourself, my true self. It is only a matter of time before we become one" I said.

"Only a matter of time…soon…very soon…" I heard the sinister voice say.

I grabbed the Mirror Gate and pulled it open with all my strength.

"Now to access the Mirror Gate's through and through function!" I said as I stretched my sigil into the darkness beyond the Mirror Gate, imbuing it with my dark Dreamweaver powers. The Mirror Gate's darkness cleared and I could see the Human World at the other side. I stepped into the Mirror Gate and disappeared from the Dream World.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself at the exact spot where Ayumi had abandoned me to die. I could still see traces of my blood on the ground. I shut my eyes and recalled my helpless self being stabbed and slashed by Ai and Mr Kirisawa. I frowned and felt the rage within me grow. I walked around. Nothing much had changed. Gangsters were still robbing shops and weaker people. Bullies were also picking on others weaker than themselves.

"Sickening! Everything is exactly as it was! Nothing has changed! I guess it's time to pay the Kirisawas a little visit" I said as I transformed into normal human clothes.

I took in a deep breath. That was one of my dark Dreamweaver abilities. I called it the Predator's Breath. I could smell my blood over quite a distance. I smiled.

"When a person's blood is on your hands, it remains regardless of how many times you wash or bathe. I'll find the Kirisawas with this" I said as I raced in the direction of Upper East Side Dream City.

Meanwhile, Ai and Mr Kirisawa were training as hard as they could in the Kirisawa Residence. Though they thought they had killed me, they still had the duty of dealing with the evil souls. Well that was if I'd let them live long enough! After training, Ai went inside to get a drink. She walked to the fridge and opened it, took out a bottle of water and drank it all. But when she closed the fridge…

"Well hello there…Ai Kirisawa" I stood behind the door of the fridge with a smirk on my face.

Ai leapt back in surprise.

"Why do you look so surprised? Did you really expect to kill me in such a cowardly way?" I asked with a sly smile.

In a flash, Ai's sigil was out.

"I don't know how you survived Dreamweaver but you'll die again!" Ai roared.

"Do you really expect to kill me with that little toy?" I said as I pointed to her sigil.

"Don't you dare underestimate me!" Ai roared as she slashed at me but I caught her sigil between my fingers.

"Like I said…do you really expect to kill me…WITH THIS LITTLE TOY?!" I roared as I snapped Ai's sigil in half.

"Impossible!" Ai exclaimed.

"It's not nearly as impossible as what I'll do to you!" I roared as I kicked her in the gut.

She broke through the walls of the house and fell outside. I approached her.

"Ai!" Mr Kirisawa called worriedly as he rushed to her aid.

Then he saw me.

"D-Dreamweaver!" he exclaimed in shock.

"The name…is ZANFAR!" I roared as I appeared beside him in a flash.

I punched him in the gut. Before he could react, I delivered an uppercut and crowned it with a roundhouse kick.

"FATHER! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!" Ai roared as she got up and attempted to hit me with a flying kick.

I simply phased to the left, caught her by the throat in midair and slammed her hard into the ground. She screamed in pain.

"How will you make me pay? I've paid more than enough just for being alive! This scar from your sigil, this scar that refuses to heal…is the only proof of my existence! Nothing you can do will matter to me!" I said as I glared at Ai.

She opened her eyes in horror. Staring at me, she could feel the enormous gap in our power levels. Besides that, she could feel my hatred for her, almost as though it were a tangible force.

"But that is not the only thing! I AM PRINCE ZANFAR NIGHTBANE! IN MY QUEST FOR VENGEANCE I SUMMON THEE, SIGILS OF DARKNESS!" I called as the Black Bane appeared in my hands and terrible black armour cloaked me.

"This sword is also the proof of the life of the boy you murdered. A poor boy, whose only dream was to help make the world a better place and to bring smiles to everyone's faces, a boy who was ignorant of the Dream War or of Zanfar. What would have been so wrong with giving that boy a chance to live his life…but no, you killed him and with him died all the light and love in his heart. If there is one thing I should thank you for, it's opening my eyes to the harsh reality of this world! Thank you so much! To repay the favour, I'll crush you…and this twisted existence you call life!" I declared.

"Kill me Dreamweaver…but please spare my daughters!" Mr Kirisawa pleaded.

"Did you spare me though I was defenceless?! No you didn't! At least you are armed! I will wipe the entire Kirisawa bloodline off the face of this earth and nothing will be left of you! Neither your name, your memories, nor your dreams will be spared! Anything related to you…I will destroy! That…is a promise!" I swore.

Mr Kirisawa stood up.

"Then I'll fight to protect my family! FACE ME DREAMWEAVER!" Mr Kirisawa roared as he charged to attack me.

I smiled.

"That was my intention….however…!" I said as I suddenly appeared before Mr Kirisawa. "…it's the end for you!" I whispered as I slashed.

Blood sprayed on my face and the ground.

"FATHER!!!" Ai screamed.

Ayumi watched the scene in horror.

"NO ZAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" she screamed desperately.

Chaos smirked.

"Like I told you, humans only love…when it benefits them. They do not hesitate to make all sorts of promises about love! Promising the world, promising to love for eternity however…when the time comes to prove it…they fall. Just how many times do you think I've seen that happen? At least for the first millennium after Zanfar's sealing, I did see a few people following in that man's example however…starting from the second millennium after Zanfar's sealing, humanity's concept of love was forever altered. People began to swear love when all I saw was lust! They promised love but in the end…I only saw obsession which resulted in tragedy. I will tell you a secret now. Do you know how Zanfar originally came into being?" Chaos asked.

"What are you trying to say?" Ayumi asked.

"Zanfar was originally created by humans…no, that is not quite right. It would be better to say…Zanfar was originally created from the feelings of humans. Zanfar is merely a reflection of their thoughts, and feelings. He is only as powerful as their negative emotions are. And if Zanfar is so powerful that it took God himself to seal him…can you imagine just how evil humanity is?" Chaos asked.

Ayumi opened her eyes in shock.

"You've got to be kidding me…you're lying!" Ayumi roared.

"Hmmph, another human flaw, you choose to believe what you want to. You only believe the truth whenever it is to your benefit. Even when the truth is obvious, as long as it is against your will, you deny it. Humans are so weak in mind and spirit. That is why you will never see the truth. It is precisely why amongst us evil souls, Ziri is the most powerful. All he has to do is twist the truth to the advantage of the human he is deceiving and it becomes complete truth for them" Chaos muttered in disgust.

"Amazing, to think that an evil soul could actually be this self-righteous, you are in a league of your own making. I actually do find that strange" Ayumi taunted Chaos.

"Say whatever you will but in the end, all you can do is watch the evolution of this timeline" Chaos said indifferently.

Ayumi watched the scene in horror. She saw the monster I had become. Her heart ached terribly.

"Why Zan? Why…can't you forgive me?" she wept silently.

"I find this very strangely entertaining. If Zanfar does manage to defeat me, I have no regrets whatsoever. He will remain a monster just as he was always meant to be" Chaos said.

"No, this cannot be Zan. This is not the Zan I know! Zan was the kindest, most compassionate, loving and funny guy in the world!" Ayumi declared.

"And you are realizing this just now? I don't understand humans at all. They love only what they have lost and have no value for what they do have. Humanity is a warped existence" Chaos said.

Ayumi glared at him.

"This is what Zan tried to protect me from when he decided to leave. Now, I must protect him. I will have to risk having my memories altered! I'm leaving this dimension!" Ayumi declared.

"Oh really? Tell me exactly how you plan to save him without knowledge of the truth of this entire situation. You are so naïve it's laughable. You seem to have forgotten what I told you earlier, try to recall what I told you before doing something utterly foolish!" Chaos warned her.

Ayumi bit her lip.

"He's right. There is nothing I can do to help Zan. I can't even summon my sigils" Ayumi thought.

By then, I was out of the Kirisawa residence which was now as silent as a graveyard. I wove a cloth out of dreams and wiped off the blood on my sigil. Then I allowed both to disappear.

"Now all that remains is…Ayumi Kirisawa!" I muttered in disdain. "There is no rush though. I'll take my time. Tomorrow is another day" I said as I headed to Lower East Side Dream City.

By evening time, I stood outside my former apartment. It had been sealed shut and all the windows were closed. I unlocked the door using my Dreamweaver abilities and entered the room. It was dark and smelled dusty. I wasted no time in fixing everything back to the way it was before I left. I even had to wipe Wanye's blood and mine from the ground because it looked like all this while, the room had not been cleaned even once. I was filled with rage as painful memories filled my mind. I switched on the lights and lay on the floor. As I sat there pondering over my plans for the future, the landlord walked in.

"What are you doing here?! If you want to rent this room, I'll allow you as long as you have money but I'm not going to allow you to freeload like you did with Wanye in the past! I learnt my lesson and Wanye owed me over three months of rent! Thank your stars I'm not suing you, now get out!" the landlord ordered.

"Please let me stay for the night?" I asked as nicely as I could.

"Aren't you listening to anything I'm saying or are you just deaf!" the landlord yelled.

"Hmm, of course I knew that approach wouldn't work. Humans only respond to violence after all" I said with a laugh and stood up.

"Now I'm going to ask you a question. What do you value most…money…or your life?" I threatened as the crimson glow appeared in my eyes.

My sigil slowly materialized. The landlord stared at me in horror and ran out screaming at the top of his lungs. No one paid any attention to him.

"Hmmph! I've got to love how this warped world works!" I laughed sinisterly.

Then I lay back down to rest. I fell asleep almost immediately after my head touched the ground. I had a dream about Ayumi and the Kirisawas. In my dream, they were kind and I was living with them. Ai was a very kind person in my dream. Ayumi wasn't very different from the person I knew, she was rough and very tomboyish but very kind as well. Mr Kirisawa was also very supportive. My dream felt like an entire lifetime.

When I awakened the next day, I felt strange.

"What does this dream mean?" I wondered. "It's been the same dream for more than four months now. It's the exact opposite of what is happening to me" I thought.

Then I frowned.

"No! There is no way I can allow myself to get distracted at a time like this. I must complete my revenge! I must deal with Ayumi Kirisawa!" I declared as I got up.

"I'm sure she's in school. It's finally about time to settle this!" I said as I washed my face and stared intently at my reflection in the mirror.

I smiled when I saw my scar.

Soon, I was on my way to my former school, Great Dreamers' Academy. As I headed towards the school, I couldn't help but wonder about the changes that had occurred there since I left. I wondered how my mates were doing and for a moment, I actually felt good but when I realized that thinking about school was making me good again, I resolved to remain evil.

Soon I stood before my school but I was surprised at how much it had changed. It was now painted black with a few red lines running along the wall. It also looked like the students had been damaging the walls and repainting the school to entertain themselves. What was even more shocking was the name of the school.

"The Great Nightmarish Academy!" was what the sign read.

"Hmm, I like that!" I smirked.

I wasted no time in heading to class. Soon, I stood before the door to my former classroom. I opened the door and walked in. The students had shocked expressions on their faces. I glanced at Ayumi's seat but it was empty just as my seat was. Nothing had changed. No student had left the school and no new student had been transferred to this class since I left.

"Hey Zan! Is that really you?!" Prince Asante, the closest person I had to a friend called cheerfully.

"Alive and kickin'!" I replied happily and everyone began to laugh.

"That's good. We're so glad you're alright. We heard that you had died" one girl said.

"No silly! He went missing for four whole months! It was his gramps that died!" a boy whom we called DJ Wobil said.

I frowned.

"Sorry Zan. You know Wobil talks without thinking of the consequences of his words" a boy said.

His name was Jude.

I frowned.

"What consequences?" Wobil asked.

A terrible blow from Jude was his answer. I laughed.

"You haven't changed one bit" I said.

"But you've changed a lot Zan. For one thing, I don't remember that scar on your face and for another; your dressing is totally off. You look like a cosplayer!" Wobil said.

In less than an instant, Jude had pounced on him.

"You little…! You little…! Think before you…!" the last part of Jude's sentences were blows.

"C'mon Jude. Take it easy on him" I said.

"So guys, anyone know where Ayumi is?" I asked curiously.

Their expressions suddenly became sad. They shook their heads sadly.

"Damn! I've got to find her!" I thought desperately.

"Hey Zan, I know someone who might be able to help you with that" Jude suddenly said.

"Really?! Tell me!" I demanded.

"Hey! That's not how to ask someone for something. I'm not going to make you beg either but I have one condition" Jude said.

I chuckled sinisterly.

"I admire your spirit Jude but you just bought yourself a one way ticket into my hit list" I said.

Jude laughed, unaware of the seriousness behind my words. Of course I laughed with him as well.

"Tell me your condition" I said.

"Our school has recently become one of the top three delinquent schools in Central Dream City. Recently, we received a challenge from the number one delinquent school, we didn't know much about the delinquent hierarchy but it seems the title of number one is owned by a school in Upper West Dream City, The Black Devils. To make matters worse, the number one delinquent is a monster who calls himself the Zanfar! He has already hospitalized the leaders of our school's delinquent gang and he taunts us on top of it! The bastard!" Jude growled angrily.

I frowned.

"Really? He calls himself Zanfar, is that so? Originally, I planned to turn down your offer and beat the hell out of you till you told me what I needed to know…" I said.

"E-e-e-e-e-e-v-i-i-l!" I heard the rest of the class mutter.

"But now, I'm going to teach that Zanfar a lesson. Let's head to their school now!" I declared.

Moments later, the students of our school roamed the streets of Dream City chanting.

"HEN ARA KOTOKO!" Jude would chant.

And the students would reply,

"YE WO BIRIBI KOTOKO!!!"

Basically, this was what they had adopted as their war cry. What Jude was saying meant, "We, the porcupines!"

And the students would reply,

"We've got some porcupine!"

They chanted this all the way to Black Devil High! When we arrived there, the noise we made called all their delinquents out. Some of their students went as far as jumping off the second floor to challenge us. Our gang had all the weapons we needed, from cutlasses, to machetes to pipelines, and even rakes!

However, the Black Devils came out wielding many different kinds of guns, most of the guns even looked customized. The morale of our gang members began to shatter.

"So you've answered our challenge, you've got guts!" we heard a sinister voice and looked around.

We heard someone approaching and the Black Devils began to part. A boy walked in their midst. He was partly fair and partly dark and spoke with authority. I walked towards him till we stood a few feet in front of each other.

"Are you the Zanfar?" I asked him seriously.

"I am Boniface Kenyah, Zanfar is a title I was given for being the most brutal delinquent. Who are you?" he asked me.

"Hmmph! You challenge my school, beat up my mates and you don't know who I am?! Well I'm from the Students' Representative Council!" I declared.

"HUH?!" my mates exclaimed in surprise.

"Where did that come from?" someone asked.

"What an obvious lie" I heard the voice of a girl say.

"Actually, I am what you would call Zanfar. I am the son of the Nightmare King and the Princess Of Dreams. My name is…" I began.

"ZANFAR!" the boy exclaimed as he suddenly lurched at me.

In a flash, I had blocked his attack. The boy held a double-bladed tomahawk in his hands. In my hands, I held the Black Bane.

The students watched us in horror. Where did those weapons come from?!" Jude exclaimed.

"Plus they're wearing armour now?" another voice from the Black Devils said.

"Then I guess we're battling for the title of Zanfar right?" the boy said.

"Hmmph, you are quite the joker aren't you? This was never meant to be a battle…it's like a rat challenging a lion, this…is going to be a massacre!" I declared as I pushed Face back and battled him fiercely.

We battled for a while, I purposely held back to give Face a false sense of hope just so I could crush it!

(E-e-e-e-e-v-i-i-i-i-i-l!!!)

When Face began to lose his stamina, he smiled at me.

"You are very good. I've never felt this good battling an opponent before. It's about time to end this!" he declared as he began to concentrate his power into his sigil.

His sigil grew in size and the blades expanded. Two blades suddenly came out, parallel to the first two blades making his tomahawk look like a four bladed weapon.

"Wow, that is so amazing" I said without enthusiasm. "You said we should end this right? Well then, I have no reservations about hospitalizing your entire school!" I declared as the earth began to tremble.

The wind began to blow terribly and it felt like reality was being torn apart.

Face and the Black Devils began to shiver.

"Who is he?! What is he?!" one of Face's mates asked.

"Now I know why Zanfar is so fearful!" Face declared as his mates began to collapse one by one.

Face stared in shock for a while before losing consciousness.

(DEFEATED BY INTIMIDATION! OOOH YEAH!)

My mates began to jubiliate.

We walked back to school chanting our war cry!

When we arrived in class, everyone was talking of it.

"One Zanfar to rule them all!" they cheered.

(Oh how I love Lord Of The Rings!)

"Foolish humans, if only you had knowledge of what Zanfar truly is, you wouldn't be using his name so arbitrarily!" I thought with a frown on my face.

Then I turned to Jude.

"Now, can I know where Ayumi is?" I asked him.

"I don't know" Jude said.

I grabbed him by the collar and glared at him angrily.

"So you just used me?! Do you want to die?" I threatened him.

"Calm down. I don't know where she is but there is someone I know of who does" Jude said.

"Really? And would you mind telling me who that is or do you want me to say 'Simon says?' Because that will definitely not end well" I said with a sinister smile.

I paused as a memory flashed in my mind.

"Zan, can I please have a look at it or do I need to say 'Simon says?'" I recalled Ayumi's words.

I held my head.

"What was that? A memory…a dream? A vision?" I wondered.

"Zan, you really want to know the person that has this information? It's going to be funny when I tell you because I forgot something really important you know?" Jude laughed.

"Oh really?" I asked.

"But I remembered just now. Her name is Victoria Arthur, you know what the killer part is? She is the fiancée of the guy whose butt you just kicked!" Jude laughed.

(T-w-i-i-i-s-ted!!!)

I opened my eyes in shock, then I punched Jude, slapped him a couple of times and threw him to the ground.

"You are one sick creature! You have me beat up the boyfriend of the person from whom I need precious information! You've just climbed my hit-list!" I threatened.

Jude laughed in spite of all this.

"Sorry about that. It completely slipped my mind. I think you should be able to find Victoria in Upper East Side Dream City. She owns a couple of malls there" Jude said.

"Hmmph! I'm not going to thank you" I sneered and walked out of the classroom.

Jude stared at me.

"Ah, that brings back memories" he said as he recalled me slamming the tray in his face. "I hope your spirit is not crushed when you find out about Ayumi" he said sadly.

I walked to Upper East Side Dream City. I asked around and found out where Victoria's malls were. I went to both of them but found out that she had left for the hospital after finding out that her boyfriend was injured. I laughed at the irony of the entire situation. In a weird sort of way, Boniface had already avenged himself. I decided to wait for Victoria to return.

I waited from noon till sunset and finally saw a jeep approaching.

The jeep stopped in front of the mall. A beautiful blonde girl descended from the jeep and walked towards me. She stared at me with anger in her eyes.

"Heh! Lemme guess, you already found out!" I teased her.

"You're Zan aren't you?" she asked me.

"Let me get straight to the point, where is Ayumi Kirisawa?" I demanded.

"To think you could be the Zan I've always wanted to meet" she muttered.

"I don't care about any of that. I asked you a question. Will you answer it with words, or with your life on the line?" I asked her.

She sighed.

"I'll take you to her" Victoria said.

Now she had a sad look on her face. I sat in her jeep and we were driven to her house which by the way was almost as huge as the Kirisawas, except with a more English style of architecture as compared to the Kirisawas' blend of Japanese with English. I wasn't really surprised and I easily came to the conclusion that Victoria was probably a Dream Knight as well.

"If she gets in my way, I'll have to take care of her as well" I thought as I got down from the jeep.

"Please follow me" Victoria said as she led me into the house.

I followed her.

"We'll have to cross some special barriers so please be patient. The walk to Ayumi's room will be quite long" she said.

I didn't understand what she was talking about and I really didn't care but when we reached the first barrier, I noticed the change in the atmosphere and quickly cast myself into the Dream World switching myself with a thought projection so quickly that Victoria didn't even notice what was going on. I knew in my heart that the moment to carry out my vengeance had arrived. I stared at Victoria and my thought form as they walked on. Soon, they reached a huge door that I could sense was generating a strange energy.

"What is this?" I asked through my thought projection.

"Don't be alarmed, it's one of the barriers, It blocks out anyone who has evil intentions directed towards Ayumi" Victoria said.

I was a bit annoyed. I used my Dreamweaver powers to suppress the power of the door. Victoria remained oblivious to my actions. We walked through the door and entered a long corridor. We walked through. The path seemed very long. I realized that none of Victoria's barriers were strong enough to hinder me so I quickly switched with my thought projection and she still didn't notice. The path seemed very long. We walked on and on.

"Is this house really this big?" I feigned ignorance.

"Yes" she replied but I could tell she was lying.

I knew we were walking in circles in an alternate dimension which was meant to throw off my sense of direction.

"She must be really naïve to think that this is enough to fool me" I thought.

Next, we climbed a flight of stairs which I knew was another illusion for the stairs felt like the ones inside a very tall tower.

"Now, she wants to exhaust me. I must admit that in a way, I find this girl to be both annoying and amusing" I thought.

Eventually, we reached a door and the house suddenly looked normal.

"Those are all the barriers we need to go through. Prepare yourself Zan. Ayumi is at the other side of this door" Victoria said with a sad look on her face.

"Prepare myself? Hmmph! I've been preparing myself for this moment for four months" I thought.

Victoria opened the door and walked into the room. I followed close behind.

"There…is Ayumi" Victoria pointed.

The room was painted white and brightly lit but my attention did not go to that part of the room till Victoria pointed. I looked towards the direction Victoria was pointing to and saw Ayumi…but…but…

"WHAT IS THIS?!" I screamed in horror!