EPISODE 14; CHRISTMAS CRISIS

"Do not forget Zan…you are me. I am you. No matter how much you deny it, a lion eats meat, a sheep eats grass, stars shine in the sky and dust covers the ground. A demon will always be…a demon! No matter how much you deny it…you will one day yield to me…after all…the very thing you fight to protect is that which gives me life"

-Zanfar

The next Dreamweaver born nine hundred and ninety three

And a thousand revolutions from the time of Zanfar's sealing

Will bear the will of the Dark Lord

And by his hand will endless darkness envelope

Both the Human World and the World Of Dreams

However, though the union of Light and Darkness

Will bring forth an incarnation of Disaster,

The Tears Of True Love shed by the Princess Of Dreams

Will give the incarnation a choice,

To bend to the Path Of Light and Love

Or fall to the path of Darkness and Hate

Ø Prophecy Of Dreams

Prophesied 2000yrs ago

AND SO THE STORY CONTINUES…

EPISODE 14; CHRISTMAS CRISIS

It was the evening of Christmas day. There was a party going on in the Kirisawa residence. Most of the invited guests were Dream Knights from the Realm of Dreams. Some of the guests included Mr Kirisawa's colleagues as well as mine and Ayumi's classmates as well as newly initiated Dream Knights from the Human Realm. The Kirisawa residence was brightly lit and well decorated. It seemed to sparkle with a divine radiance and all the guests were elegantly dressed for the event.

The party was organized partly because most Dream Knights were curious as to how Christmas was celebrated in the Human World. But the main reason was to celebrate the discovery of three out of the seven elemental stones. We were almost halfway to sealing the evil souls forever and ending the Dream War.

Ayumi was trying to convince me to come downstairs in the Tux she had sewn specially for me but I was reluctant.

"I look ridiculous in this suit!" I argued.

"You look great Zan. Besides, the other Dream Knights want to meet you and I personally sewed that Tux for you. You wouldn't refuse to wear it after I went through all that trouble would you? That would be very insulting" Ayumi argued convincingly.

"Hey hey, you've become pretty manipulative these past few days haven't you?" I said with an irritated look on my face.

Ayumi smirked.

"Let me think about it. O-kay…I don't think so! Let me at least get rid of the flying tie! Please Ayu, formal occasions and formal dressing just isn't my thing" I pleaded.

Suddenly, all the lights in the house went out and a terrible wind blew the windows open. The curtains began to flutter eerily.

"What just happened?" Ayumi asked me.

"I don't know why but I'm getting really bad vibes" I said.

Almost immediately after I had said that, there was a loud sound like the shattering of many glasses at the same time and loud screams filled the air.

"Something's happening! I've got to protect everyone!" Ayumi exclaimed as she ran out of my room and down the stairs.

"Ayu! Wait for me!" I called but she was already downstairs.

When she was downstairs, she looked around but something weird had happened. All the people in the Kirisawa residence looked alive but they were frozen like statues. All were in the position they were in before the eeriness began.

"What's this?! Dad! Ai!" Ayumi called and searched around for her family.

She found them but they were frozen as well.

"Just what is going on?!" she exclaimed as she ran outside to search for clues but everyone outside had been frozen as well.

"You are Ayumi Kirisawa aren't you?" a strange sinister voice asked.

Ayumi looked around and saw a shadow standing before her. It was a hooded figure all dressed in black.

"Are you responsible for this?!" Ayumi yelled angrily.

"Strange, I thought the one Zanfar draws his strength from would be as pure hearted as the Princess Of Dreams but your heart is tainted. I see you have your own dark secrets" the stranger said.

"I don't know who you are but you are really beginning to get on my nerves" Ayumi growled.

"Oh forgive me, where are my manners. I am…Chaos, the evil soul once sealed by the stone of Time" the figure said as he removed his hood to unveil his face.

Beneath the hood was a really handsome man with silvery hair who of course could never be referred to as evil in the dictionary of the classification of people by girls.

"Chaos? What are you doing here?!" Ayumi yelled.

"Strange, does Chaos need an invitation to be anywhere? I thought you'd be happy to see me since I am a walking elemental stone" Chaos said.

"But you don't look anything like an evil soul" Ayumi said.

Told ya! A handsome guy could never be evil in a girl's dictionary until she suffered heartbreak and Ayumi's was coming really soon, headlights and all.

"Strange, can you tell me what Chaos is supposed to look like?" he asked.

"Well you tell me!" Ayumi roared.

"Strange, you should perhaps ask Zanfar whether or not he found Enslavement attractive" Chaos said.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Ayumi yelled.

"Very strange, I was under the impression that the human species was supposed to be the most intelligent. I guess all humans are good for is oppressing people and creatures weaker than themselves, not that I don't find that very entertaining" Chaos said as he narrowed his eyes and smiled a mischievous smile.

"Hah! That's really funny to hear coming from an evil soul! Why are we even having this childish conversation?! You are an evil soul and I am a Dream Knight! I AM AYUMI KIRISAWA OF THE KIRISAWA CLAN OF DREAM KNIGHTS! OBEY ME SIGILS OF FLAME!" Ayumi called as the Pyrogeysers appeared in her hand. "All I know is that you are an evil soul and must be vanquished!" Ayumi roared as she charged to attack.

"Strange, a human challenging an evil soul, it is something interesting in its own right. And it is the nature of humans to challenge things they do not understand but I'll tell you beforehand, your efforts will prove to be futile because unlike any of the evil souls you have encountered thus far, I am unlike anything you have ever faced" Chaos said.

"That's what they all say and it's exactly why I think you're weak!" Ayumi roared as she attacked Chaos but her sigil simply passed through him.

"What's wrong? You are too slow…or could it probably be that I am too fast for you?" Chaos said with a mocking smile.

"It must have been a fluke! HYAAH!" Ayumi roared as she slashed again and again but though Chaos wasn't moving or evading, her sigils weren't having any effect on him. It was as though she was fighting air.

"Why can't I hit him?!" Ayumi thought desperately.

"Strange isn't it? Why don't you just give up? Like I said, it's pointless" Chaos said calmly.

"Why is that?!" Ayumi demanded an answer.

"Because I haven't yet told you my reason for coming here and I haven't yet declared battle" Chaos said.

"Why are you here then?" Ayumi asked.

"To avenge my fallen brethren. I must also help Zanfar awaken. I can only do that by taking away the one thing he values even more than his life and that one thing…is you" Chaos said.

Ayumi seemed surprised.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Ayumi Kirisawa…just how much do you think Zanfar loves you? Do you think you can love him enough even…after you have already betrayed him?" Chaos asked.

"What are you talking about?!" Ayumi asked again.

"Don't play dumb with me. I know that the one who took the life of Zanfar's mortal guardian was…you. Do you think your love for him based on your guilt and fear will be enough to protect him from his true nature?" Chaos asked.

Ayumi frowned but her hands were trembling. She knew in her heart what Chaos was trying to say.

"Do you love Zanfar…as much as he loves you?" Chaos asked.

"I care about Zan!" Ayumi declared.

"That is not enough! Even I care about not being trapped within that terrible gate! Even evil cares about certain things! The question isn't about whether you care or not! I asked whether you loved him or not!" Chaos roared angrily.

Ayumi was surprised.

"Why were her feelings for Zan so important to this evil soul? Why was it so concerned about her feelings?" She wondered.

Ayumi frowned.

"I can't answer that…not yet anyway" she admitted sorrowfully.

"Fine, then let's play a little game. Humans have no hesitation professing their love yet they do not even seem to understand what love means. Humans can only understand love according to how they define it. However, that short word is heavy with meaning. It cannot be defined, it can only be felt. And sometimes, the price that comes with realizing that feeling is heavy. Enslavement told Zanfar not to give up hope. Now I will tell you that…nothing can stop Zanfar from bringing destruction to this world…not even you. In fact, if there is anything that quickens Zanfar's path to destruction…it is you" Chaos said.

"Shut up!" Ayumi roared angrily.

"I don't need to take orders from a human who is afraid to admit her own feelings. I will crush every ray of love Zanfar has for you…that…is a promise! Humans say, 'love is timeless' but I don't believe you! Humans only love when it benefits them! They are quick in abandoning their feelings in times of tribulation! I am time itself and I have seen it all! How will you prove to me that this saying is true! No, I won't even listen to your answer, I will crush every ray of love in this world now!" Chaos declared.

"I won't listen to you! Even if I'm not sure of my feelings, one thing I know is that…Zan is important to me! I won't let him go just because you say so!" Ayumi roared as she charged to attack Chaos.

"Now, I declare the start of our battle! A battle to prove the timelessness of love…or rather…its perishability!" Chaos roared as he caught Ayumi's Pyrogeysers with just one hand. He wasn't harmed at all. "27th August, 2000 in the timeline of the Human World, Dawn of the Flame Sigil, Pyrogeysers in the timeline of Dreams" Chaos said.

"Huh? That was the day…!" Ayumi exclaimed in shock.

"Yes, the day you were first able to summon your sigils. What if…that day never happened?" Chaos said with a cunning smile.

"Don't tell me…?! Are you really capable of erasing days?!" Ayumi exclaimed.

"Judge with your own eyes! I AM CHAOS! THE EVIL SOUL THAT WAS ONCE SEALED BY THE STONE OF TIME!" Chaos began his summon.

"Zan! Help me!" Ayumi screamed.

Meanwhile, I was trying to get rid of my tie, which by the way was attempting to take my life through strangulation. When I heard Ayumi's cry for help, I ran towards the window on the second floor, in my room and somersaulted through it while transforming into my sigils. I landed smoothly on the ground. Ayumi was staring at a strange man with silvery hair. She had a horrified expression on her face as though there was something there that only she could see.

"Ayumi! What's going on?!" I called but it was as though she couldn't hear me.

What was really happening to Ayumi was that she was beholding the sight of Chaos' sigil.

"Behold the power of my sigil, The Internal Titanium G-Shock!" Chaos called.

Chaos' sigil wasn't a normal sigil that could be wielded. It was in fact a whole dimension composed of a giant clock surrounded by millions of small clocks. Some of the clocks moved clockwise and others moved counter clockwise.

"What is this?!" Ayumi stared in awe and horror all at the same time.

"The giant clock you see represents the entire history of existence. The small clocks represent a day in the lives of humans. The clocks that move clockwise represent good days, days of peace. The clocks moving counter clockwise represent the days in which an irreparable harm was done by humans and as you can see, we have more of those than the clocks moving clockwise. Regardless of which direction they move, every time a clock performs a revolution, a second in the life of the history of existence is achieved. And this one, come and take a look…" Chaos directed.

Ayumi walked to where he stood and saw a fiery clock. Within its face, she could see herself perfecting her swordsmanship skills with a wooden sword.

"Now I'll try once more to summon my sigil!" she heard her image say with determination.

"This was the day I…" she muttered in shock.

"Precisely, however, without this day, an entire timeline will be affected adversely. Like say…the Battle Of Black Water Bridge. During that time, for three straight days, you fought to protect the Dreams Of Mankind, without food or water. However…without your flame powers, countless dreams will perish. Now…I will make that day disappear forever. Do you think your love is strong enough to withstand that?" Chaos said as his eyes glowed with a cold silver light.

The clock shattered into pieces. Many other clocks began to shatter as well as though they were connected to the clock holding the Dawn of the Flame Sigil, Pyrogeysers.

"NO!" Ayumi screamed but it was too late.

She could feel the dying heart of her Pyrogeysers beat as they began to lose their flame.

"Pyrogeysers!" she called sorrowfully.

For a long time, the Pyrogeysers had been the only true friends she had had since Ai's curse and the death of her mother. And now, the companions with which she had shared so many memories and battles with had been forever shattered. The Pyrogeysers lost their flame and completely disappeared.

"Ayumi!" I called to her as her sigils disappeared though I could not see Chaos' sigil.

I saw tears in her eyes as she turned to face me.

"Ayumi…what's wrong?" I asked her.

"If the day I first summoned my sigils ceases to exist…then what happens to the day I first met Zan?" Ayumi asked with a trembling voice.

Chaos smiled.

"That day too will be altered" he said.

Almost immediately after he had said that, a powerful force of wind began to carry me away.

"ZAN!" Ayumi screamed as she caught my hand and held on to me tightly.

"What's going on?" I struggled to say.

"I'll never let go Zan! Hang on! No matter what happens…there's no way I'll ever let go of your hand!" Ayumi screamed as she held my hand with both hands and pulled as hard as she could.

"It's pointless! The historical timeline has already been altered. You cannot stop it" Chaos said.

Suddenly, the wind tore me from Ayumi's grasp and carried me into the sky.

"ZAN! NO MATTER WHERE THE WIND TAKES YOU, I WILL FIND YOU! I PROMISE!!!" Ayumi swore.

I smiled.

"I TRUST YOU AYU! I ALWAYS HAVE…AND I ALWAYS WILL!" I shouted back.

"Let's see now if love can literally stand the test of time!" Chaos said as he grabbed Ayumi, knocked her out and disappeared with her.

I floated through the skies and slowly but surely, no matter how hard I tried to resist it, my memories of Ayumi, the Kirisawas, and the Dream Knights grew distant till they felt like a far off dream. I shut my eyes and lost consciousness for a while.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in my cramped apartment in Lower East Side Dream City. I yawned and opened my eyes.

"Wow, what a long dream. Who was that strange girl? It's weird but…I felt like I actually loved her. TCH! That's crazy! Falling in love with a dream girl brings nothing but heartache, everyone knows that!" I scolded myself.

I got up and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. As I was brushing, a familiar voice called me.

"Zan! Are you up yet?!" the voice was stern.

My heart nearly skipped a beat. I took in a deep breath.

"Could my ears possibly be deceiving me?!" I exclaimed as I ran out of the bathroom.

Before me, in the main room, I found…Wanye.

"WANYE!" I exclaimed as I ran out of the bathroom to give my gramps a great big hug.

"What's up with you all of a sudden? Hey! Don't tell me you're high or so help me God, I'm gonna slap the taste out of your mouth!" Wanye threatened.

"No gramps! I'm just glad you're alive!" I said happily.

"Alive?! I have no intention of dying soon so you best not be saying unlucky things!" Wanye scolded me.

"What's today's date?" I suddenly asked.

It's 14th November, 2011 and you should prepare for school" Wanye said.

"On it gramps! Weird but I dreamt it was Christmas" I said as I hurried to prepare myself for school.

Twenty minutes later, Wanye was walking me to school.

"So how are studies going?" Wanye asked me.

"Maths is killing me" I confessed.

"I see, we'll just have to work on that now won't we? Why don't you think of Maths as that Dragon you've got to slay to win the hand of the beautiful princess?" Wanye suddenly said.

"What weird nonsensical nonsense is he talking now?" I wondered with a weird look on my face.

"Don't give me that look! I just thought I'd give you more motivation is all. I guess princesses and dragons isn't your thing" Wanye said.

"Actually…I dreamt of this girl" I muttered.

"Really?! Looks like my little boy is growing up. A girl eh?!" Wanye laughed.

"Hey, don't laugh at me. She was really pretty but…it seemed like she hardly reciprocated my feelings for her and just when she began to…I woke up" I muttered sadly.

"Mm-hmm! Dreams are pretty cruel that way. They're as though they were written by an author with a sinister sense of humour such that you can never obtain what it is you're looking for but…if you hold on to them with all your heart, you might find what you're looking for in the Real World" Wanye said.

"Wow, you seem to have a lot of experience. So what was it that came true for you in the end?" I asked.

"Heh! You're a few couple years too early to ask me that!" Wanye said with a weird laugh.

"Hah! So it's that perverted huh?!" I mocked him.

That was a bad move for in the next instant, there was a terrible knock on my head that made my brains consider locking the doors to my twisted sense of humour.

"I haven't raised you to think that way Zan! Why be perverted when you can just be straightforward and confess your feelings. Perversion is for cowards!" Wanye declared.

"I don't understand what you're saying!" I yelled.

"I guess it can't be helped, that is after all the difference between a boy and a man. When you're ready to risk your life for your feelings instead of hiding behind a bathroom door, then you will know the meaning of manliness!" Wanye declared.

"Hmm, it's weird. This isn't how I remember Wanye! Wanye was more of the 'if you want her heart, conquer it with strategic analysis till you find the Achilles heel in her heart, and then exploit it' kind of guy" I thought deeply.

Wanye glared at me.

"Have something you want to say to my face?" he asked.

"No gramps. I was only reflecting on the depth of your words" I said quickly.

In school, I sat alone, minding my own business as usual since I had no friends. I glanced at the desk beside me. For a moment, I thought I saw the image of a girl sitting there beside me. I shook my head and looked again but there was no one there.

"Ayumi Kirisawa?" a name suddenly rang in my head but I ignored it.

At that moment, Sir Showboybydafineshoe entered the class with a pretty girl beside him. Just by looking at her once I could tell she was Japanese…with a bad attitude!

"Okay, listen here you bunch of unsavoury brats! From today, we will have a new student participating in class activities!" Sir Showboy said.

Leave it to sir Showboy to introduce a new student with such a pretty damn foul attitude. I guess that's why he was called Showboy.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to…" he was saying when the girl cut him off.

"I have no intention of introducing myself to irrelevant people" the girl snapped at Sir Showboy.

"Well, if that is your decision, fine. Class, why don't you introduce yourselves?" Sir Showboy asked.

"TCH! What makes you think we'd like to introduce ourselves to a conceited jerk like her!" the class complained.

Sir Showboy shook his head sadly.

"This school was badly named. It should have been called 'The Great Nightmarish Academy!' All the students here are Grade A delinquents!" Sir Showboy thought to himself.

"I'd prefer it that way. I don't intend to know any of you and you don't need to know me" the girl said.

"What sad eyes. They seem devoid of any kind of light…of any kind of hope" I thought as I felt tears flow down my face.

The girl noticed me. The only empty seat in the class was the one beside me. I lowered my head and wiped my tears. When I raised my head, she was seated beside me.

"You didn't need to be that rude Ayumi Kirisawa!" I suddenly scolded her.

She glared at me.

"I don't recall ever telling you my name!" she growled threateningly.

"Crap! So she really is Ayumi Kirisawa! How can I explain to her that I've met her in my dreams without making it sound perverted?!" I thought worriedly.

"Well?! Who are you?!" she demanded an explanation.

"Huh? I thought you just said you didn't want to know any of us" I smart mouthed her as innocently as I could.

"I'm not interested in knowing who you are! I just want to know how you know my name!" she demanded.

"What?! Zan knows her name?! Have you met her before Zan?" the entire class suddenly became interested.

"I've never met this boy in my life!" Ayumi yelled.

"Fine, if you really want to know, it came to me in a dream okay?!" I yelled back.

Ayumi seemed surprised, then she remained silent.

The school's structured midterm test was taking place soon. Ayumi asked for my notes since according to her, I seemed to be the brightest student in the class. I was reluctant to give them to her at first but she was so demanding that I just gave in and handed all my notes to her and that…my friends was the last time I ever saw my notes again. After the midterm test, I realized that she didn't really need my notes. She had all the textbooks she needed. She had just taken my notes to spite me. I confronted her during lunch break one day but she just acted as though I didn't exist.

"What's your problem?! Was it your intention to punish me or something?! What have I ever done to you?! You're not even trying to make friends. That alone is fine but it seems to me like you're hell bent on making everyone here your enemy!" I scolded her.

"That's none of your business!" she said.

"You're damn right it's part of my beeswax! Give me my notes or else…!" I threatened.

"Or else what?!" she challenged.

"Or else I'll…I…I'll kiss you!" I yelled angrily.

It wasn't what I wanted to say but it had the intended effect.

"You wouldn't dare!" she threatened.

"Try me!" I challenged her as I puckered up my lips.

Everyone around started cheering me on, some of them even laughed at what I was trying to do.

"Fine, I'll give you your notes" she said but two days later, she presented me with the ashes of my notebooks.

"How do you like your notes?" she asked with an unpleasant smirk.

"AH! Listen! If only you were a boy, if only you were a boy, how I would not hesitate to smack that pretty face of yours across the dimensions!" I yelled angrily.

"I'd like to see you try" she said as she blew the ashes in my face.

I sneezed as she threw the rest of the ashes over me and walked away.

"Jeez, that Ayumi gets more and more annoying each day! I guess I'll just stay out of her way otherwise I'd end up in prison for murder!" I grumbled.

Ayumi hadn't realized it then but many other students were hell bent on deflating her pride. During soccer practice, every player irrespective of ally or foe kept hitting her with powerful shots. During Tennis, they aimed for her head. During Tae-kwon do practice, everyone wanted to be her opponent just so they could beat her up but it always ended up in reverse order. She was rather the one beating them all up. It wasn't long though before her pride began to turn into sadness. I was always watching her from a distance but she always ignored me and carried out her activities just to spite me. One day, she got into trouble for beating up a boy very badly. As punishment, she had to serve the entire school with lunch for two whole weeks. You can imagine what happened then. At first, no one retaliated but after two days, they started throwing food in her face, pouring it in her bag and all sorts of stuff. By the time four days had passed, the only reason anyone ordered food had become just so they could dump it in Ayumi's face.

At first, it seemed like amusing payback though I was only a spectator but it started to get out of hand. I was slowly becoming enraged with what the students were doing though I didn't understand where all that rage was coming from. After all, I didn't think I cared about Ayumi in anyway. One boy in particular was fond of ordering spicy food. He was the boy Ayumi had beaten. One day, he ordered particularly spicy food, something only a dragon could eat. I realized what he was about to do and before he could make a move, I rushed to the scene. Without saying a word, I picked up a metal tray and smacked it in his face. I tell you on that day, the boy saw eternity with his very eyes.

"Zan?" Ayumi stared at me in surprise but I ignored her.

"Don't you guys think it's enough?! You've already gotten back at Ayumi for her foolish pride but if you continue the way you're going about things…you'll end up even worse than she was! Come on Ayumi!" I said with a disgusted look in my eyes as I grabbed her by the hand and pulled her straight to the headmaster's office. She cried all the way there and I was particularly shocked to see her looking so weak. I reported the entire incident to the headmaster. He advised her. Then he proceeded to bill every student excluding Ayumi and I for the food they had wasted.

Back in class, everyone was mad at me but you know me, like I care what anyone thinks! Ayumi did not talk to me for a while but I knew it was out of guilt and not anger. She began to notice how my school life was. I was always eating at a table far from everyone else, watching sports practice from a corner no one else was.

One day, as I sat eating lunch on the school roof, Ayumi came and sat beside me.

I ate in silence while staring at the horizon.

"You're not very popular amongst the others are you?" she asked me.

"Hmmph! Such trivial things don't bother me. You know, there are certain things you can learn when no one else pays attention to you" I said.

"Like what?" Ayumi asked me.

"Well…like…uh, it might seem absurd but you can sometimes learn nature's voices. You know, when I hear the sound of the wind on a bright sunny day like this…it makes me wonder just how much the wind has seen. It's been to many places. Sometimes, I just shut my eyes and try to think of all the places the wind has been. At times, it's like I can see the dreams of the wind but…most of the time it's like the wind is crying…" I said sadly.

"Why do you say that?" Ayumi asked me.

"The wind cries because of us humans. We are the only creatures in existence that try to live completely isolated from nature. We try to change nature instead of learning from it. At times, I can hear a voice cursing humans, accusing humans of evil and threatening to destroy everything. Sometimes…it seems like the voice is seeping into my soul, trying to corrupt it but when I try to give in to it, a woman appears, whose hair sparkles like the sun and…she protects me" I said.

Ayumi stared at me in surprise.

"You're really strange you know that?" she asked me.

"Hmmph, I've heard that so many times it no longer shakes me. At times I find myself wondering why I'm so different from humans. Perhaps I'm not even human to begin with" I said.

"He seems completely different from the Zan I know" Ayumi thought to herself.

"So what's your beef with humanity?" I asked her.

"It's similar to yours. I'm sick of people judging me just because they think I'm not worthy of their time" Ayumi said.

"You know, in a way, it's also our fault. We are always looking at the depths of every situation, we sometimes fail to see the surface that's so painfully clear" I said.

"Why did you help me?" she asked me.

"I didn't want to at first but I realized that two wrongs don't make a right and everyone else was becoming worse than you had ever been. I guess I just wanted to protect them from giving in to that sinister voice that keeps trying to seep into their souls" I said.

"Thank you Zan" Ayumi said.

"What? Did you just…thank me?" I blinked in surprise.

"I know I'm really proud and I come off as arrogant but I'm not so blind that I can't even realize my own mistakes" Ayumi said.

"Look, I don't know why you hate people so much but you shouldn't let yourself live in resentment. You'll regret it. If you want, I'll become your friend but please just stop trying to suffer on your own" I offered.

I noticed a surprised look in Ayumi's eyes. As I watched her, tears began to stream down her eyes. She turned away from me.

"No one has ever said that to me before. You're really naïve, offering your friendship to someone you hardly know" Ayumi said.

"Yep, I know that I'm naïve, it's true…but it's better than being hateful and overly suspicious of everyone, don't you think?" I said with a smile.

Ayumi nodded and smiled at me.

From then on, Ayumi and I became good friends. I liked listening to her stories of her time in Japan. I on the other hand told her of my experiences with Wanye. I didn't know then that Ayumi belonged to a clan of Dream Knights who were hell bent on killing me.

"I'd like to meet Wanye, your gramps, if that's okay with you" Ayumi said one day.

"Of course it's okay with me. You can come home with me after class" I invited her.

After classes, I led her to Lower East Side Dream City. She seemed uncomfortable with the disorderliness and dirt of the slum but I assured her not to worry herself with such trivial things, after all, one can get used to them. The thought of getting used to the slum frightened her more. Soon, we reached my apartment. The door was open. I found that suspicious so I told her to wait outside while I investigate. I entered the apartment and noticed a trail of blood.

"Wanye!" I called as I searched around for him.

I found Wanye in the kitchen lying in a pool of blood. (Again?!).

"Zan! Run! It's a trap!" Wanye warned me.

I heard the door shut behind me. I turned around and saw Ayumi holding a sword made of ice crystals and clothed in icy looking armour. At least, I thought it was Ayumi. I heard someone rushing into the apartment and the door to the kitchen suddenly burst open. Now I was confused, there were two Ayumis standing before me.

"A-Ayumi? How can there be two of you?" I asked in shock.

"Ai! What are you doing here?!" Ayumi yelled angrily.

"Hmmph! Dad sent me to find and eliminate the Dreamweaver but instead, I find that you've befriended him!" Ai said disdainfully.

"D-Dreamweaver? Ayumi, what is she talking about?" I asked in fear.

"Run Zan!" Ayumi ordered.

"You can't escape!" Ai roared as she slashed at me.

Her sword slashed across my face! I screamed in pain as my blood sprayed on the wall. I touched my face, I was bleeding heavily from a terrible scar

"ZAN RUN!" Ayumi screamed desperately.

I ran outside. Ayumi followed close behind.

"What's going on Ayumi?!" I asked her worriedly.

"They are trying to kill you! You've got to escape!" Ayumi ordered desperately.

I turned to look at her and saw in her eyes the look of one trying desperately to protect the last meaningful thing in her life.

"Who is trying to kill me?!" I asked.

Ayumi remained silent for a while.

"My family" she said.

"Why?!" I asked her.

I could not understand why her family would want to take my life. How had I ever wronged them? Those thoughts ran through my mind as I tried desperately to run for my life. A few moments later, we found ourselves surrounded by horrible werewolf-like creatures.

"What are those?!" I asked Ayumi.

I kept trying to tell myself that this was all a terrible nightmare. Wanye dying, Ayumi's family hunting me, werewolves chasing me! The only explanation for this was that I was still sleeping at home and having this terrible nightmare! None of this was real but…the pain was real! That much I could tell.

Suddenly, we heard a firm manly voice.

"Ayumi! You've done enough! Do not tarnish our family's honour anymore by helping the Dreamweaver!" the voice commanded.

"Father?!" Ayumi stared at the stranger with a frightened look on her face.

I turned to look at the stranger. The other girl who resembled Ayumi stood beside him. I saw how they looked at Ayumi, as though she was the greatest disappointment in their lives. In a moment, I could understand why Ayumi acted the way she did.

"Ayumi! What is going on?!" I asked again.

"Seriously Ayumi, you're such a disappointment to this family. All you had to do was identify the Dreamweaver, but rather, you befriended him. You can't even do something so simple right. How pathetic! You do not deserve the Kirisawa name!" the other girl insulted Ayumi.

Ayumi was trembling in rage and sorrow but I could also tell that she was afraid to express her true feelings in front of her family.

"This is what humanity is…this is the true nature of humanity. Those who love are forsaken. The world of humanity is ruled by hatred! That is what I am…that is who you are" the sinister voice rang in my mind.

"Shut up!" I yelled angrily.

Ayumi stared at me in surprise.

"Stop talking as though Ayumi is some kind of trophy to raise your reputation with! Ayumi is a person! She has feelings!" I yelled at the man and the girl.

"Ayumi…will you side with your family…or with the Dreamweaver?" the man asked.

Ayumi bowed her head in shame.

"Humanity is a circus of misplaced loyalties" the voice said again.

"Shut up!" I scolded the voice.

Ayumi walked to me and slapped me!

I was shocked!

She was trembling. She held me by the collar and pulled me close to herself, and then she whispered some words to me.

I opened my eyes in surprise!

"What are you saying Ayumi?!" I asked in shock.

Ayumi backed away from me.

"It's okay Zan. I am really sorry…family comes first. I really am sorry Zan…I really did have fun with you" Ayumi said as she ran away.

"AYUMI!!!" I called but she ignored me.

"Humanity is cruel…humanity is…sheer weakness…" the voice rang again.

Ai and the man pounced on me, slashing me mercilessly with their sigils. I felt an unbearable pain and fell on my knees.

"There is no love in this world. Everyone just uses everyone else. Ayumi betrayed me. There is no merit in being good. Kindness…is weakness" my voice overlapped with the voice of the sinister voice.

I collapsed to the ground. The werewolves carried me and disappeared into the Dream World.

Chaos showed the captured Ayumi all these things, the things that were happening to me…the pain she was causing me.

"How do you like this timeline? It shows who you truly are without your sigils. You may seem tough but you have always valued your duties above your personal feelings and the feelings of others, particularly Zanfar. That is just how shallow your love for him is. Isn't it strange?" Chaos said seriously.

"Stop this! Stop using me to hurt Zan!" Ayumi pleaded.

"You're wrong. I am not the one hurting Zan. All I did was take away your sigils. Everything you see from then on are the choices you decided to make. Hmmph! To think you were actually so pathetic you let your sigils choose your path for you. Every good decision you have ever made was made by your confidence in Pyrogeysers. Pyrogeysers lived your life for you. When was the last time you made a choice that came from your heart? I guess humans are only as strong as the possessions they have" Chaos said.

"It's not true! None of this is true!" Ayumi declared.

"Well then, perhaps you want me to remind you of the words you once said to Zanfar even when you had Pyrogeysers. That should clear your doubts. Do you remember the words…'weak people like you don't deserve to live?'" Chaos said.

Ayumi opened her eyes in horror. Chaos wasn't lying. Those were truly her words on the day I was besieged by an army of evil bunnies and Bunnyos Extremos.

"How does it feel to be weak? Your own family despises you and now, Zanfar will despise you too" Chaos said.

"You're lying! Zan won't change! He promised to protect me. He loves me!" Ayumi declared.

"Wow, this is as strange as it gets! I could almost laugh at how immature you sound right now. That's a pretty bold assumption you're making right now. I will tell you something from my observations of human love throughout the ages. There is a thin line between love and hate, so thin it's almost imaginary. It is just like time. One small act can alter an entire destiny. Love is just like that. Without your sigil, you betrayed Zan, with your sigil you still betrayed him. It would have been better for you if he had just died but Zanfar is far more resilient than you can imagine. Now you are going to find out just how much he despises you!" Chaos said with an evil laugh.

"Of all the evil souls we have encountered, you are by far the worst!" Ayumi insulted.

"Thank you for the compliment" Chaos said happily.

When I awakened, I found myself in a dark room. A strange man clothed in black terrifying armour and wearing a black crown towered above me.

"You are finally awake Zan. I am the Nightmare king, your father" the man introduced himself.

Pretty cool how the Star Wars cliché always makes it into fantasy huh?

"Then make me into a Nightmare!" I demanded.

"Why Zan?" the Nightmare king asked.

"So that I can have my revenge on Ayumi Kirisawa! And from now on, I forsake the name Zan, I shall be known only as…Zanfar!" I declared as lightning illuminated the room.

My once golden eyes took on a sinister crimson glow.

"NO!!!" Ayumi screamed as tears ran down her eyes.