EPISODE 12: WHAT GIFT TO BRING THEE II-THE BLADE OF HOPE

Ayumi, Face and Victoria stared at Despair in shock. The giant statue towered above them, brandishing his monstrous axe with a monstrous snarl on his face. The three companions could easily tell that this particular soul of evil meant serious business.

"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 as he 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 then, I will answer back!" Despair roared as he raised his battle axe!

"FACE! WATCH OUT!" Victoria screamed.

"I know!" Face roared as he leapt into the air to avoid Despair's strike.

With a loud cry, Face hacked at Despair's shoulder with all his might however, Face's sigil had no effect on Despair.

"What?!" Face exclaimed in shock.

Despair smirked and gave Face a backhanded strike that sent him flying.

"FACE!" Victoria exclaimed in horror as she attempted to break Face's fall by catching him but she ended up being knocked off her feet and both she and Face fell to the ground.

"Ouch! Jeez! Why do you have to be so reckless?!" Victoria yelled.

"Thanks for breaking my fall. You saved my life…but now I'm really angry…THAT STUPID DESPAIR HAS LEFT ME IN YOUR DEBT! I'LL KILL IT!" Face roared as he stood up and charged in.

Ayumi was also trying to figure out Despair's weakness by attacking him continuously and rapidly. She slashed at him at every opportunity she got but she was still getting nowhere to finding his weakness.

"It's pointless! Puny humans like you can never defeat me!" Despair declared. "I'm really beginning to hate this evil soul!" Ayumi muttered.

Victoria summoned her crossbow and fired as many arrows as she could at Despair. She even aimed for its eyes but nothing worked.

"Damn! Why does this have to be so difficult?! Hey wise guy, any ideas?!" she called to Face.

"How about trying not to get ourselves killed till we discover his weakness?" Face said.

"That's not an idea dumbass! It's a plain fact!" Victoria yelled.

"Well, if you have a better idea, why don't you share it Miss Smarty pants!" Face wasted no time in paying Victoria back.

"SHUT UP YOU TWO! SHEESH! YOU'RE BEGINNING TO GET ON MY NERVES! WE

ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A LIFE THREATENING BATTLE OR HAVEN'T YOU

NOTICED SO YOU BETTER COOPERATE OR SO HELP ME GOD I'LL KILL YOU BEFORE DESPAIR EVEN HAS THE CHANCE TO DO SO!" Ayumi yelled with a sinister glare.

"Eeeeekkkk! Looks like we made her mad" Face began to shiver.

"As expected from a knight of the highest order" Victoria shivered as well. Despair stared at them in amusement.

"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 Ayumi.

"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 totally 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 began to expand.

"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 with that sinister sparkle only anime fans would understand.

"Now I see why this soul of evil is called Despair" Ayumi muttered with a slight look of terror on her face.

Everyone stared at Despair in shock and horror, then suddenly, without warning, Face charged in to attack Despair.

"I'll attack!" He declared as he ran towards Despair.

"Face! You idiot! Stop being so reckless!" Victoria yelled but Face ignored her. "Despair will surely attack me. My only chance will be after he attacks. With that body mass, it will take him a while to recover from his strike plus that heavy sigil of his is a bonus for me. I've gotta time my attack!" Face thought as he approached Despair from the front.

Despair raised his Battle axe.

"Here it comes, the bisecting chop!" Face thought as Despair swung his sigil vertically.

"Now!" Face declared as he slid through the space between Despair's legs, somersaulted just as Despair's attack hit the ground to evade the impact of the strike, then ran up the opposite wall.

When he was high enough, he leapt off the wall, performing a reverse somersault over Despair's head, then he channelled all his strength into his Tomahawk and hacked at Despair with all his might. The impact of the strike was so great that it created sonic waves that vibrated throughout the Temple.

Ayumi and Victoria had to shield 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.

When Face heard those words, everything went silent in his mind, sound ceased to exist, sight vanished, smell gone, touch…feeling…pain…non-existent.

All Face seemed to hear now was the sound of his grandfather's voice. He could see his grandfather now, in the warmth of the Kenyah manor on that cold Christmas night when his desire to become a Dream Knight was kindled.

He could see his grandfather talking to a young boy. He realized that the boy was himself.

"Boniface, I feel that you have a strong spirit. One filled with hope. I can tell that you have the Blade of Hope within you" the old man's words rang clearly in his mind as though it was some form of telepathy.

"What is the Blade Of Hope gramps?" the young Face in the memory asked the old man.

"It's the ultimate weapon against evil. It can only be found by one with a strong will. One who never gives up even in the face of overwhelming odds" he recalled his grandfather's words.

"How can I find it gramps?" the young boy asked, then suddenly, the memory vanished and Face found himself falling into endless darkness.

He shut his eyes, not from fear but to meditate. Suddenly it seemed like he had fallen on the hard ground and his body exploded with pain.

He opened his eyes as another memory flooded his mind. He was a kid in school always being picked on by the bullies because he was weak but never once did he surrender to them. Even if it meant he had to be beaten.

He remembered the day that everything began to change.

That day, a young girl was being bullied. She was from a wealthy family like he was. They were the people who were being misunderstood by those who thought wealthy people cared about no one. Without thinking twice, he grabbed a branch from the ground and struck the leader of the bullies on the head. Unfortunately for him, that bully leader was a rogue martial artist and he began to get the beating of his life.

"Apologize to us or we will beat you up till you cannot move a muscle. You rich people think you can do whatever you want just because you have money!" the leader of the bullies yelled.

"What is that? Some pathetic byline you guys picked up just to make yourselves feel better? Don't screw with me. Judging every person from a wealthy family because of your own problems, that isn't just pathetic, it's incomprehensibly idiotic not to mention extremely biased. Come, I'll defeat you with my own fists, not my money" Face taunted the bullies.

That day he fought the bullies the whole day. By the end of the day, he was covered in blood but the bullies were the ones who had to surrender.

"I remember now, the voice I heard that day. The voice that summoned the Dream Knight within me" Face thought as a path of light earth appeared before him.

"Hope is earth, earth is hope, Choose your path and start running.

Run, run, run!

Never look back!"

The voice began to ring in his mind like a whisper.

"I remember" Face muttered as he began to ran along the path.

"Do you know who you are?" the voice asked him. "Do you know what earth is? Of all the elements, it supports humans the most.

"I know! When the ground gets slippery…" Face declared as the ground turned to mud and he began to slip, "the earth supports me!" Face declared as a pillar of earth arose and supported him.

"When I stand before seas that are almost impossible to cross…" Face said as the path ended before a great sea. "...the earth becomes my ship!" Face declared as the path bended itself, then purified itself into metal to form a magnificent ship.

Face leapt unto the ship and crossed the sea. When he reached dry land, the ship became a path and he continued to run along it.

"When I get hungry or thirsty, the earth provides me with food…" Face declared as he ate the fruits and water that the path offered him.

"Then at times, to test my resolve, the earth becomes an obstacle!" Face declared as a huge mountain arose in front of him.

Face summoned his Tomahawk. "At times like this, my will becomes my strength and I will just break through with brute strength!" Face declared as he smashed through the mountain!

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

"FAAAAAACE!!!" he heard Victoria's voice 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 as he 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. The part of his Tomahawk that held the blades together increased in mass and two more blades grew out of it, parallel to the first two blades.

"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 as he 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 had looks of awe and admiration on their faces.

"TERRANEAN INDIGNATION!!!" Face declared as he unleashed a barrage of earth shattering blows on Despair.

Despair was blown off his feet.

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

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

"FAAAAACE!" Victoria screamed as she rushed 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 was bleeding profusely from all over his body.

"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 Vikki. 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 than 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 as she 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 more tears if Ayumi had not laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

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

"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!!!" Victoria recalled Face's words.

"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 declared as she 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 serious expression.

"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.

"Face's idea was a really good one, the problem with it was that his sigil was too heavy to grant him rapid attacks but mine will!" Ayumi thought as she watched Despair raise his axe. When Despair began to swing downwards, Ayumi quickly slid through his legs , somersaulted to evade the impact of the sigil's strike, then she ran up the wall like Face did. When she was high enough, she crouched and leapt towards Despair with all her might. Despair smiled and raised his axe to attack!

"I saw that coming, you sure don't learn do you!" Despair roared as he attempted to strike Ayumi but Face's Tomahawk suddenly flew into the air and parried Despair'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 the pain as the heat of Ayumi's technique began to melt him into lava. Soon, Despair's view was clouded by smoke and flames. "DO IT NOW VICTORIA!!!" Ayumi ordered.

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

The arrows pierced Despair right in the chest. With a loud cry of pain, Despair exploded into hot ashes.

In the next moment, the evil Temple disappeared and the Wall Of Despair collapsed.

"We did it" Ayumi said.

"Face" Victoria said sadly.

Face's Tomahawk lay on the ground. Victoria picked it up.

"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.

Victoria stared at the Black Castle looming above a giant hill.

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

Soon, they were at the Castle gates. The Gates opened almost immediately. Two Wolfbanes stood at either side of the gates.

"Come in, the Nightmare King has been expecting you" one of the Wolfbanes said.

Ayumi and Victoria followed them cautiously, never dropping their guard even once. They entered the Castle and walked along a long corridor before finally arriving in the throne room. At the farthest end of the room stood a throne, and on the throne sat 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 could not be seen. It was as though his face was covered in shadow. All that could be seen of his face were his glowing red eyes.

"I know why you have come but I have nothing to give 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!" Ayumi declared. "Zan is…Zan is the kindest person I know. I refuse to accept that his destiny is to bring destruction!"

"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 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 was 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 ask 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? What should I choose?! Should I listen to my heart or defend my beliefs?!" she thought.

"Hey Ayu!" she recalled my joyful face and my smile and her decision was made.

"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 said as he 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.

**** **** **** **** **** ****

By that time, I was done with everything. Mr Kirisawa excused himself for a minute and called Ai.

"Hello Ai, is Ayumi back yet?" he asked but I could not hear his words.

"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 then he cut the line.

"Why? Has Ayumi gone somewhere?" I asked.

"Yeah, she's gone out with some friends" Mr Kirisawa lied.

"Okay" I shrugged my shoulders and walked to the car.

"Sheesh, I should be teaching kids not to lie instead of lying to them myself" Mr Kirisawa sighed.

Soon we were on our way home.

"Did you enjoy your day?" Mr Kirisawa asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, I didn't know you were so good at videogames though! It's the best birthday I've ever had. I wish Ayumi and Ai…"

"What?! Today is your birthday? Why didn't you tell us?!" Mr Kirisawa accused me but in his mind he was saying, "Jeez, how many more lies do I have to tell? I hope I do not turn into a pathological liar."

Soon enough, it became obvious to me that Mr Kirisawa was attempting to delay the trip home.

"Sir? Is it just me or are you just driving in circles?" I pretended to feign ignorance so that he would not notice that I was becoming suspicious of him.

"Aah! He caught me! I can't delay anymore!" Mr Kirisawa thought.

"Look ahead Zan, that's the house" Mr Kirisawa said.

I looked ahead. It was night but none of the lights in the house or the compound were on. I became even more suspicious.

"It can't be a blackout because all the other houses have lights" I said.

"Maybe a fuse is blown or the generators are down" Mr Kirisawa lied again.

"Oh no! Lying is beginning to come naturally to me!" he thought worriedly.

"What's your eldest daughter's name?" I asked suddenly with a raised eyebrow.

"Ayame Kirisawa!" he quickly replied.

"Ayame?! Gotcha! You've been lying to me all this time! What's going on?!" I said with an evil laugh.

"Aiiee! I blew it! You're a really smart kid Zan but nothing is going on really. I honestly don't know why the lights are off. I'll call the electric company right now!" Mr Kirisawa said.

Great! So there you have it, Mr Kirisawa had suddenly graduated from liar to charading liar, which was much worse.

"Nah, you don't need to" I said as we climbed the wall and entered the house.

You can add thieving to the list of things Mr Kirisawa did today. Mr Kirisawa opened the gates, then we sat in the car and he drove us to the house. Once there, we got down, walked to the door and knocked. There was silence.

"Now I'm getting a little worried" I said.

Mr Kirisawa took out his key and opened the door. The interior of the house was even darker. I had to walk while holding onto the wall to ensure that I didn't trip.

"I'll find the switch!" I said as I groped the wall blindly for the switch.

Soon, I found it. I turned the lights on and…

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

Horns, whistles and vuvuzelas were being blown simultaneously. The noise was almost deafening.

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

"Happy Birthday Zan" he said as he patted me on the head.

Ai ran to me and put a birthday hat on my head.

"Hey Zan! Any more crazy ideas?" I heard a familiar voice.

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

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

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

Meanwhile, Ayumi, and Victoria had appeared outside the gate. They released their sigils and transformed into their normal 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 the one doing all the dazzling though. Ayumi was clothed in something that resembled an ancient ceremonial women's warrior clothing. When I saw her I sighed,

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

"Go and meet her" Ai encouraged me.

I nodded and ran towards Ayumi and Victoria.

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

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

"Where were you?" I asked.

"Here is your birthday present. It's from all of us" Ayumi said as she handed me a picture and the diary.

I received them and stared at the picture.

"San Nightbane, Ariel Nightbane and their son, Ayzan Nightbane" was what was written on the picture. It was a picture of my mom holding an infant me in her arms with a joyful look on her face. My father's arm was wrapped around her waist and it looked as though he had a smirk on his face.

"My parents" I said with a happy smile. "Thanks a lot everyone!" I said gratefully.

"But where did you get this from? Don't tell me you…?! Why were you so reckless?!" I 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 him and gave him a…SLAP! What? Did you expect me to say hug? It wasn't a hug; it was a damn slap that could have knocked him right into the next millennium!

"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 something. Victoria wasn't just hugging him, she was giving him a bear hug and I don't mean that as a good thing.

"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 from her hold.

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

"That's not what I meant you dumbass!" Victoria roared as she pulled a lariat on him.

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

"Just leave it at that" Ayumi cautioned me.

I smiled at her.

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

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

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

There were loud cheers. Ayumi had a look of utter surprise and embarrassment on her face. I had never seen her look so dumbstruck and I've got to admit that for the first time, I liked seeing cute Ayumi instead of Xena Ayumi.

"OKAY! LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!" Face roared and I can assure you that the Ghetto blasters suffered that night.

While the party was blazing, I snuck out of the house and sat close to the fountain in front of the mansion and read the first part of my mom's diary. Her first words were…

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

I smiled and read on.