EPISODE 20:-THE ONE WHO MOVES FORCES

Ai stared at the figure before her, and then at Prince. Both seemed like possible enemies now but regardless of that fact, Prince was still human. Ai knew she couldn't bring herself to slay an enemy for as long as the enemy was human. With regards to the replica of herself, she had no qualms about dealing a fatal blow but Prince had a family and a circle of friends who would ask questions…or so she thought. She couldn't be sure about that.

The figure standing before her stretched out an arm.

"I need thee to stand aside whilst I deal with the trash" the figure said as the mist surrounding Ai solidified to form a cloudy orb.

The orb was solid in nature and couldn't be destroyed so easily.

Ai had made a mental calculation of its density when she touched it. It would be tough to break but not impossible with her degree of strength but there was something wrong. The orb was far weaker than those put up by past enemies she had fought. It was almost as though this evil soul had purposely done this to mock her. The orb wasn't so dense that Prince couldn't see through and Ai couldn't risk exposing the Dream World's Realities to Prince. The panic arising from such a discovery would be enough to serve as a catalyst for Zanfar's awakening since a lot of bitter feelings could be born from it.

Ai decided to let things progress naturally till she found a chance to act.

The Evil Soul approached Prince and as it approached him, its form slowly changed till it became an exact replica of Prince.

Ai wondered why the evil soul would expose its process of transformation to its victims.

The evil soul glanced at her and smiled.

"I knoweth that which troubleth thee Ai Kirisawa. Humans art not the brightest of creation. Even beasts wouldst grasp the danger instinctively however…humans weigh truth against their own logic and discardeth that which they canst not comprehend. That serveth as their greatest weakness and it is thus…our greatest fort. Even after revealing all of this to a human, he wouldst still be deceived by anything I speaketh. Yes…for as long as there liveth a concept of "logic" and "intelligence" as defined by thine human standards… "lying to a human would always be possible even after revealing to thee…the complete truth…from Alpha to Omega" Decay said.

His lips didn't seem to move and it was as though he were speaking directly within Ai's mind.

"Hmmph! The naivety of humans confounds even a being of great pride as mineself" Decay said.

Then he turned to Prince.

"Prince Asante…thou didst not hesitate to speak of humans, time…and reflection as though thine limited human mind couldst grasp such powerful abstract concepts as those. Therefore, I take it upon mineself to instruct thee in the errors of thine limited and fragile understanding" Decay said.

Prince stared at him in horror.

"I wilt now explain to thee…mine preferred mode of operation. I wilt reveal to thee thine experiences without which thou couldst not have become the despicable being thou art today. For every action thou attempteth to justify, mine likeness wilt become more and more like thine. If by the time I am done with thee, thou hath not learnt the errors of thine ways, I wilt assimilate thee completely and thine existence wilt completely and instantaneously be erased. Well then…hast thou the resolve…to face mine judgement?"

Ai opened her eyes in shock.

"What is he saying?!" she exclaimed in horror.

The figure turned to her and smirked.

"This is what distinguishes the fourth through the seventh souls of evil from the very first three. Engaging us in combat is engaging thine very own self. Thou canst not win against us by relying solely on the power of thine sigils. Hast not thou ever wondered why the Messiah of the citizens of that abominable Kingdom is most renowned for Self-Denial? He couldst not be chained by mine words precisely because he retained no sense of individuality but always acted on His Father's command…for the good of all. But then again…it is not as though a lot of people actually seek Truth…nowadays…and when they do…it is not for a genuine desire to learn but simply for a base desire to make themselves look grander by debating against the Ultimate Soul Of Virtue Himself…" Decay said as his smile widened.

Then he turned to face Prince.

"Now to get down to business" Decay said as his smile suddenly became a serious frown.

He reached out to Prince. Prince seemed to be on guard. He even tried to prevent Decay's hand from reaching him but Decay glared at him…

"After everything I've revealed to thee about mineself…dost thou really not understand anything I've said? Then let me rephrase everything I've said in a way even the most unintelligent of humans would understand. Give up on trying to shield thineself from me…"

Decay said as his hand phased right through Prince's.

"…for I am thine very own self!" he said as he laid his hand on Prince's head.

Prince and Ai opened their eyes in horror as Decay smirked. Memories began to flash though Prince's mind quickly, feelings began to mix up and Prince's body began to blur.

"Hast thou already begun to fade away? I haven't even begun to judge thee. All I did was reveal to thee thine very own memories and feelings" Decay said.

Ai frowned.

"Exposing the Dream World can't possibly matter more than what is happening now. I am sworn to protect the dreams of humans. It is contradictory to let humans die…in order to defend their dreams" Ai thought.

Decay stared at her.

"Hast thou finally decided to act…Ai Kirisawa? Go ahead. I dare thee to make a false move!" Decay threatened.

Ai stared at him in shock.

"How did he know that?! Can he read minds?!" Ai exclaimed.

"Hmmph! See mine point? This is exactly what I meant to reveal…by telling thee everything concerning mineself…revealing my very nature to thee. I saith to thee…I am thine very own self. That should have been plain to understand but thou wast quick in assuming that…what I meant was that…I couldst readeth minds. Even if thou knoweth every single thing about me…mine nature, mine power, mine strengths…and mine weaknesses…thou couldst never hope to beat me for thou and thine pitiful human brethren wilt always weigh me according to thine own logical standards and that is why we evil souls have a saying… 'humans art intelligent; intelligent humans art rigid in understanding…and intelligent humans that call themselves… 'realists' and 'practical' art not even worthy to be called 'prey' for their own intelligence… is their 'predator'." Decay said.

Ai looked puzzled. There was a lot of fear in her eyes.

The creature that stood before her was a being of immense knowledge and understanding. In her combat training in the Dream World, one of the most basic lessons she was taught was that…unlike in the human world where enemies were weighed according to strength, in the Dream World and other spiritual realms, they were weighed according to the knowledge and understanding they possessed. You could only triumph over a foe if you contained a unique knowledge of something the foe was ignorant of…but if the foe knew everything about you…in addition to all of his knowledge…defeat was a certainty and the probability of gaining victory would instantly be zero. That is precisely why 'the religious' entrusted themselves to a superior being, be it for good or for evil, for the greater forces serve as a library of inexhaustible knowledge and wisdom from which power could be drawn from.

But Ai's family was not religious, the Kirisawas were atheists. They were strong on their own…true, but Despair was the limit for them. Any evil worse than Despair could never be defeated by them. In the end, it was I that drove Cowardice from Ayumi's soul. It was I that destroyed Enslavement and broke Ai's curse. By placing their hopes in celebrating with me, they defeated Despair and that was done mostly because they relied on Face's faith. Ayumi's love for me gave her hope when she fought against Chaos…and through her love for me, she drew from me a great portion of spiritual support. In the end, it was my efforts that changed Chaos' heart so everything they thought they'd achieved on their own with regard to the evil souls…was achieved from the fact that they drew spiritual support from spiritual people like Face and I…but now…they were faced with a foe that could sever that spiritual support.

"If it is thine wish Ai Kirisawa…I wilt judge both thee and this fool simultaneously!" Decay roared angrily and shattered the orb around Ai.

In an instant, he had grabbed Ai by the head as well. Then he split into two, the one holding Prince, bearing the likeness of Prince, and the one holding Ai, bearing the likeness of Ai.

Memories began to flash quickly through Ai's mind as well. Many feelings flowed through her heart but her image didn't blur and she didn't fade in the slightest. The only things that showed the turmoil within her heart were the tears flowing down her face.

"Now…let us begin…!" Decay roared in unison

PART ONE: PRINCE'S ORDEAL

Memories flashed through Prince's mind; many images…images of reflection, of glass, of mirrors, of a cup of water, of the eyes of his friends, of Shining River…and of the Moon and the Ocean.

"Stop this…stop this…stop showing me…THE THINGS I DESPISE!!!" Prince screamed.

"Thou despiseth these things? How selfish thou art! If thou despiseth these things…then rid thineself of them all…if thou canst" Decay spoke in Prince's own voice.

"If I had the power to rid myself of all these things, I wouldn't hesitate to!" Prince yelled.

"Thou speaketh falsely Prince. Wherefore hath thou ever lacked the power to rid thineself of these things? Thou lacked only, the resolve to carry out thine machinations to do so. Not only art thou forked in tongue but also very selfish at heart. Take a look at these people you meet every single day on your way to school" Decay said as he pointed to one of Prince's memories.

Decay and Prince stood in Prince's mind as…two Princes.

Prince's memories flashed around in the form of screens with feelings attached to them as well as sensory experiences. Prince stared at the image Decay was showing him. It was an image that repeated in his life every single day. As he stared at the image, he felt drawn to it till he was pulled into the image. Now he was seeing things from a first person perspective…however, he was not allowed to control the events, but to merely experience them.

Within this memory, he saw a boy walking past with headphones in his ears and a mobile device in his hands. The boy was fixated on the device. It seemed as though he was listening to music because he'd punch things on his phone quite elaborately, then start walking while staring at the sky with a dreamy look on his face. Prince felt moved whenever he saw the boy's smile. He looked up to the sky trying to see what the boy was staring at but he saw nothing, however the boy was smiling as though he was witnessing an image of great beauty.

"Is the sky beautiful…Prince? In your eyes, do you think the sky is beautiful?" Decay asked him.

Prince stared at the boy.

"I don't know" Prince said.

"Then today, I will let you see…what that boy witnesses…every single day" Decay said as Prince felt himself being pushed out of his own memory's body and forced into the boy's past body.

When Prince was in the boy's body, he felt nothing like he usually felt.

The boy was an orphan and was raised by his grandfather. The device he held in his hand was a present from his uncle. Prince could see all the boy's memories as though they were his own. Years earlier, the boy had nearly drowned in Shining River but was rescued by an unknown woman. He searched for her to show his gratitude only to witness her funeral a few months later. He thus had a great aversion for water…and Shining River now, even though it was beautiful. Whenever he saw its beauty, he told himself it was a deception. He was considered a weirdo by his friends because of his fanatical love for fantasy based novels; crazy huh? When everyone else grew out of hero worship and the love for mythology and legends, he retained his love for such things and thus had to draw away from others. He was called a 'cartoon' so much he renounced his humanity. However, when Prince stared at the device the boy held in his hands, regardless of how much he detested reflection, he couldn't help loving the device. Then the boy raised his head and stared at Prince as he walked by. He smiled and saluted. When Prince saw himself through the boy's eyes, he felt bitter and remorseful now because he realized now that the boy was trying to reach out to him in his own small way. And in the boy's eyes…Prince didn't look like a repulsive creature. Prince felt a heaviness build in his heart as he watched himself turn his head away in a snobbish manner. The boy felt hurt but just walked away, shrugged it off and continued to stare at the sky.

"Maybe one day, I'll see you again won't I…my rescuer?" the boy thought with a smile.

Prince was shown images of the boy standing at the banks of Shining River and staring into its depths.

"Maybe Shining River isn't a deception. Maybe…your beautiful heart was so strong it overshadowed and cleansed the river of its murkiness" the boy thought as Prince felt emptiness build inside his heart.

"To this boy, Shining River is a reflection of a selfless woman's sacrifice. The sky reflects his hope to see her again…and his eyes reflected you. Have you begun to realize the depths of your selfishness? If you hated reflection that much…all you needed to do was gouge out your own eyes…so…why haven't you?" Decay asked.

"You're using reflection here as an abstract concept! What I hate is reflective surfaces! Not reflection itself! You don't know anything about me!" Prince yelled.

"Deceive yourself all you want Prince, see? I have already began to speak like you…if you haven't noticed" Decay laughed. "So let's take it that I really don't know anything about you. Do you know what happens now that you've attempted to justify yourself knowing fully well that your truth is true only to you and a lie to everyone else? First off…the boy's device is going to…" Decay was saying when the boy's device fell to the ground.

When the boy picked it up, the screen was cracked. He stared at it with a look of sorrow in his eyes and walked away sorrowfully.

"Your truth will remind this boy of precisely why he hated Shining River in the first place…and then in time…he will begin to wish he had drowned and the woman he once admired…will become an object of hatred in his heart. He will come to hate selfless people and draw closer and closer to the realm of Solitude till he dies a depressing lonely death. Your truth…will murder a fellow human" Decay said.

"How can you be so sure of that?! You're lying! I am not so naïve I'd believe the words of an entity I've never known!" Prince yelled.

"Really? Well then, let me tell you something interesting. I am the very same person that will lead that boy to his own demise. And the only reason I can do that…is because…you gave me that idea in the first place. You said you hated reflective surfaces and that boy's most important ray of hope at that moment…lay in a device with a reflective surface. So how would you like the boy to die Prince? Should he get stabbed with a broken bottle…or fall from a height and gouge out his own eyes, dying a painful death in the process?" Decay taunted.

"Shut up!" Prince yelled.

"But I'm not speaking. Look Prince, my lips are no longer moving. You're saying all this to yourself" Decay said.

Prince stared at Decay. His lips were really not moving. In fact, he was not even looking at Prince anymore. He was just looking through Prince's memories.

"And that's not all Prince, you're not only saying those things…but you're seeing them…and becoming the force that makes them happen" Decay said.

Decay's intentions flashed through Prince's mind in overwhelming images of terror as he witnessed the tragedies that befell the boy from then on.

"You devil! Stop this!" Prince screamed.

"Beginning to feel helpless are we? I just showed you one scene. Well then, let's move on to the next. There's no point in dwelling on one person's tragedy. You need to see how harmful your truth is…to all those around you" Decay said.

Prince was pulled out of that memory and landed in another memory.

It was another memory he had of walking to school but this time, the boy wasn't there. Prince recalled clearly that the boy was supposed to pass by at that moment but the boy never appeared.

"Hey…Hey! What's going on?! What are you doing?! Where…Where is the boy. He was supposed to pass by with his cell phone" Prince exclaimed worriedly.

"Hmm…he was…but how would he…when in your mind…YOU'VE ALREADY MURDERED HIM?!!!" Decay roared.

"Hey…you…'ve got to be…no way" Prince muttered in shock.

"Don't mind that now. The objects of your truth's destructive intentions are…right there" Decay said with a slight smile.

He wasn't speaking anymore. He'd just show facial expressions but his words echoed in Prince's mind as though they were Prince's own words.

"Now Prince…for what's about to happen next…tsk tsk tsk…no touching" Decay said as Prince found his mind sucked into the consciousness of one of the women present.

The two women were talking of their boyfriends and as usual, the discussion turned out to be competitive with each trying to make their boyfriends sound better than the other…but there was one thing they both agreed on. No matter how heated the discussion became…the agreement they came to was that…they loved to see themselves through the eyes of their beloved.

"N-No…not them Prince. Don't…do it!" Prince exclaimed to himself.

"Do you still hate reflection?" Decay asked him.

"N-no…I-I can't s-say…I-I-I d-d-d-do. If my beliefs can k-k-kill another p-person…th-then…I'd r-rather renounce them" Prince said.

"Prince?" Decay said with a kind smile as he approached Prince and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Prince stared at Decay and it felt as though he had made the right choice. It seemed as though the ordeal would be over, until Decay's gentle hold suddenly became a firm grasp!

"Damn you human vermin! Are you now trying to play soccer with your mouth?! Renouncing your belief just because I made you do so doesn't mean you've stopped believing in it and as long as a shred of that belief exists in your heart…someone will always be hurt by it. And as long as you rely only on your mind…your own soul…you'll never be rid of it. It's just like any filthy habit. You can't rid yourself of the habit by trying to abstain from the habit itself…the hole in your heart that drives you to that habit…will always lead you back to it" Decay roared angrily.

"But I'm telling you! I hate neither reflection nor reflective surfaces! Those were just excuses! The thing I despise is myself! I just didn't want to deal with the pain of hating myself and I didn't want to hate anyone else so I decided to hate reflection…an inanimate object without feelings!" Prince yelled.

"Damn you for your ignorance you selfish spoiled brat! I'm sure Reflection would be very happy to hear that you chose to hate her instead of hating a human! Reflection isn't an inanimate object you insolent moron! Reflection is very much alive and she has her own set of beliefs. Reflection relentlessly tries to show you the truth for what it is even when the truth is sometimes farther than reflection makes it seem! Reflection manifests as something physical…an inanimate object if she has to…so that you can look at your pitiful self and try to improve your condition! So that you can look within yourself and improve, she manifests as an intangible force! I can assure you that Reflection is weeping right now as she listens to your moronic and utterly ignorant ranting! Everything else may turn away from you but…Reflection's gaze is always fixed upon you! You're so cruel Prince!" Decay said as tears began to flow down his face.

"Are you really that sad?" Prince asked.

"Of course not fool! Haven't you noticed how bold your words have become? You even called me Prince! We've become so synchronized that I am now empathic to your feelings but I cannot say I understand the significance of your feelings. It looks like after everything I've said and done…you still understand nothing. Well then…a few months from this event, the boyfriends of the two ladies you just saw will be struck on their heads by a falling construction bar. Miraculously, they will both survive…but they will both be blinded in both eyes…unable to see their loved ones for as long as they live. The relationships of those two ladies will turn sour and eventually, the two men will be left all alone" Decay said.

"STOP IT!!!" Prince roared.

"Prince, do you know what stikomiks are any longer?" Decay asked.

"Stikomiks? Yeah, Of course I know. My best friend and I drew them very often" Prince said solemnly as he fell on his knees.

He was now out of the second memory. He watched other memories float around him. They were much fewer than they were before.

"My memories…why are there fewer of them than…before?" Prince asked.

"What is the name of your best friend?" Decay asked.

"That's easy! His name's so simple. His name is Z-…His name is Z…His name…why can't I remember his name?" Prince opened his eyes in horror.

"Now do you understand what I meant by… 'your truth is true only for you and a lie for everyone else?' You hated yourself…detested Reflection in all her forms. In hating Reflection…you despised Wisdom…in despising Wisdom…you despised Truth Himself…and in despising truth…you despised…the God you were made to serve. Finally…in despising him…you wrote your own existence off as trivial and unnecessary…and that 'triviality and unnecessary 'chance'… 'randomness'…you called your 'life' has now become complete truth for you…and with that I judge you unworthy of your own life. Prince Kwadwo Asante…your life was a short one…lived only for your sake and for no one else's. You lived like a bird, free to believe whatever you wished to believe, but in so doing…you told yourself you could fly without the aid of the wind…and now…your life…is over!" Decay said as the remainder of Prince's memories vanished…and he completely disappeared from existence!

PART TWO: AI'S ORDEAL

Many memories flashed in Ai's mind. Many images…of fire, and water, of volcanoes and oceans, of candles, lanterns, of the Shining River, the sky and of an inferno and a paradise. Memories of her parents, of Ryuuji Kirisawa Of The Trailblazer, and Saito Kusanagi Of The Trident Of Triton and of her sister Ayumi Kirisawa Of The Pyrogeysers and herself…Ai Kirisawa Of The Mysterious Oceanic Blades played through her mind.

Her memories predominantly centred mostly on her mother and Ayumi.

"I'm…within my mind…and these are my memories?" Ai wondered.

"'Tis so Ai Kirisawa of the Trident Of Undine. These are thine memories. The memories of thine past, the memories thou despiseth and those thou cherisheth" Decay said.

"Why are you showing me my memories Decay? How do my memories serve your purposes?" Ai asked, trying as best as she could to remain calm.

"Hmm, she is much more composed than the brat I'm dealing with presently" Decay thought to himself.

"Ai Kirisawa, mine agenda lies not with humanity as a collection. I battle not humanity in its entirety as Zanfar does. Mine agenda…is to deal with every human personally and I mean…every single one of them. Hast thou ever played the human game Kingdom Hearts?" Decay asked.

What the heck is it with all these evil souls and Kingdom Hearts?! Stop trying to degrade that awesome game temae-tachi!

"The principle of memories…and existence as portrayed through Kingdom Hearts is not an invention of imagination. It is so close to the truth it actually impresses me and many other forces like mineself, though I must say, it is also far too truthful that it is especially bothersome for us forces on Zanfar's side" Decay said.

"Most of the souls that have attacked us did so to serve as a catalyst to Zanfar's awakening. I can understand why they'd attack Ayumi…and Zan…but why go to the extent of attacking me or Prince? Zan didn't awaken even after his grandfather was murdered so what makes you think attacking Prince or I would affect him to that extent?" Ai asked.

"Dost thou remaineth naïve even after everything I hath revealed to thee? Thou comprehendeth not the nature of Zanfar's awakening. Zanfar was held at bay by the seven seals of virtue…however…to save her son…the Dreamweaver…Zanviel, the Princess Of Dreams purposely broke six out of the seven seals of virtue and focused all her power into enforcing the seventh seal. Yes, that seal was the Seal of Light…Truth itself! The Nightmare King, Sanziri Nightbane defeated Ziri, the Seventh Soul Of Evil, Lies…who is Diablo himself. However, Diablo remains sealed within the Eternal Mirror Gate…within Zanfar. You might consider Zanfar the Ultimate threat to your race but the real threat is not Zanfar. Zanfar is just one part of the real threat, one nature so to speak. Zanfar is merely a tool for that final form of Evil, a tool forged out of the negative emotions of humans…" Decay explained.

"You can't be…serious! Zanfar…isn't the ultimate threat?!" Ai exclaimed in shock.

"And thou and thine brethren are mistaken about one other thing. Zanfar is about to be awakened…not. Zanfar hast been very much awake and active…for twenty human years. The very night the Dreamweaver was cast through the Mirror Gate…was the very night…Zanfar's consciousness was fully restored. Zanfar hast been acting since as an observer…but every path you took to defy him…was very much…his original plan. Thou believeth that thou and thine brethren wouldst be saving humanity by returning the seals of virtue to the gate…but to retrieve the seals…thou must destroy the material bodies of the Seven Souls Of Evil. Without our material bodies to define our distinct natures, we return to Zanfar from whence we came and add to his strength. Zanfar couldst very easily shatter the Eternal Mirror Gate at his current level of strength…but Zanfar is just one part of Diablo's true body…and Diablo is the spirit that animates the complete body. The Seven Souls Of Evil are Seven Fragments Of Diablo's spirit. The final body Zanfar wishes to acquire…was originally known as Zanböngfar. I wilt speaketh no further than this on the matter but know this…the reason I revealed to thee this much…is because…thou and thine human brethren are powerless to stop the Armageddon that is about to burst forth. Zanfar…was the very first Living Sigil. Yes…it is as thou imagineth, Zanfar is Diablo's Ultimate Living Sigil!" Decay declared.

"N-No way!" Ai exclaimed in shock.

"What I am about to reveal to thee…is the very role thou hath played in all of this. Indeed…it is as thou imagineth…thine family, everyone in Zanfar's life…as well as the entire human race…are but pawns in the accomplishment of Diablo's objective…the eradication of humanity!" Decay declared.

"No…Zan is nothing like you've described!" Ai screamed.

"Of course, thou art very much right. Zan is nothing like I hath described. He is as he is now…the very reason Zanböngfar's objective wilt be accomplished" Decay said with a smirk.

"What do you mean?! And why…did you just call him Zan? You just acknowledged that he is a different entity from Zanfar!" Ai exclaimed trying to deny what she was hearing.

"He is indeed a different entity from Zanfar…but that is precisely why his role is the greatest in all of this" Decay confessed.

MEANWHILE…IN THE KIRISAWA RESIDENCE…

Mr Kirisawa and the Nightmare King sat in the hall of the Kirisawa mansion. After Ai, Ayu and I had left their presence, the tone of their discussion suddenly changed.

"It is very rare for you to visit the human realm Nightmare King. You must have a very grave reason for doing so…and I hope to God it is not bad news you bring" Mr Kirisawa said.

"Unfortunately Ryuuji…it is grave news for every living thing in existence. Something far graver than we originally anticipated…and judging from the way things are currently…even with all the knowledge I've unearthed…it might be far-fetched to assume that humanity is going to survive the impending disaster…and even if we do…it will most definitely come at a great cost" the Nightmare King said.

"I don't like the sound of things from the way you're putting them. You defeated Ziri, the most terrifying of the Seven Souls Of Evil. That makes you a being of immense power…so it is even more frightening to hear this come from you than hearing it come from the Chancellor…or even the Dream King" Mr Kirisawa said.

"The situation is just that dire and I must say…even having said that…there is no human word in existence that can describe how dire it is Ryuuji. Have you heard of The Human-Forces Feud?" the Nightmare King asked.

"I can't say I have" Mr Kirisawa said.

"I can understand why. You've never really been religious or superstitious even after everything you've seen and experienced. You've tried your best to be upright…but…there's a limit to how far you can go in that state and it's all part of the conspiracy of the forces" the Nightmare King said.

"Tell me more…" Mr Kirisawa said.

"The forces have had a grudge against humanity for a long time now for one reason only… 'Humanity bears a special place in all of creation as God's greatest paradox'. Haven't you wondered why all of creation that bears life possesses some form of 'fangs or claws' to fight with? Plants also bear defence mechanisms in the form of docile poisons that cause itches and other things of the sort…but humans possess no fangs to fight with because of the structure of their mouths and their 'nails' are fragile enough to be broken…which needless to say results in great pain if broken violently. Yet…why does humanity bear such a high rank in the hierarchy of existence?" the Nightmare King said.

"That has been dealt with quite well through science" Mr Kirisawa said.

"True…I haven't studied much of human science however…the comparison of humanity to apes is quite a wrong analogy. Using anatomy and intelligence as a reference works but…it is still quite far-fetched. Humanity's nature is less like that of apes and more like that of ants. Of all of creation…ants and bees possess a clearly defined organizational hierarchy. Ants are small in size, yet they find strength in numbers. When one of them is killed, the others gather for a while around it…as though showing a sense of compassion, then they go by a different route. Ants try to avoid obstacles in their paths by taking alternate routes thus it can be said that ants have great intelligence when it comes to strategy and perceiving danger. They live by the standards of the classes they've been born into, a worker as a worker, a warrior as a warrior…with one queen…obeying her instructions obediently and trying not to defy the purposes for which they were made. Like humans…though it may be limited in ants…they can also perceive the future and read signs in nature and thus they store food to prepare for winter. Ants are an embodiment of true wisdom which humans can learn from and they live in harmony with the things around them…finding strength in one another and making up for their individual weaknesses. It takes a few ants to slay an elephant and an ant doesn't have to engage the elephant in direct combat. All it needs to do is crawl into the openings in the elephant's head, cause pain that turns the elephant into its own worst enemy…inducing it to commit suicide" the Nightmare king said.

"That's a very good point" Mr Kirisawa said.

"Humans possess all these qualities as well but the difference here lies in one thing a human possesses that an ant does not. Humans possess a trait distinct from all of creation…both material and spiritual…and that trait is…the human soul. Animals possess spirits and bodies, spiritual beings are beings of pure spirit and great intelligence but none other than humans possess all three Godly attributes…body, soul and spirit. Spirits cannot know the secrets of their creator unless spoken directly to them from which the information moves from a source to a destination…however…with humans…the source Himself lives within them, the Ultimate Soul Of Virtue…He that Is. Humans thus do not need to seek knowledge from external sources like everything else in existence for Ultimate Knowledge and Wisdom lives within them. Humans were created in the image and likeness of God Himself and though on the outside they have weak and fragile bodies that do not possess 'fangs and claws', their ultimate weapon is within them and that is why humans alone are gifted with the 'need for speech as a medium of communication' for they do not wrestle against material things. Humanity's ultimate weapon is the very same weapon God possesses, the power to crush all adversity, forces or otherwise simply by the utilization 'OF THE WORD'. They are weak physically true… but within them lies a power which though far from God's is closest to his than any other created thing in existence. Humanity's role is thus to serve both as students and tutors of the forces by unravelling the mysteries of God within them. For this very reason, a being known as Lucifer rebelled against God and swore to threaten all of His creation. Lucifer was cast down from the Heavens, true home of forces… then he forsook his name and nature as "Bearer Of The Light" and took on the name and nature of "Enemy", the name "Devil, Satan, Diablo". Diablo incited in humans the very same nature of rebellion he had himself come to possess and that is where the 'conspiracy of the forces' begins. It is not as simple a plan as we often believe it to be. In fact…it is so complex in nature it's impressive. The grudge of the forces against humanity for humanity's unique nature in being similar to God was expressed in the words;

"There are two kinds of creatures that exist within time…

Forces and Humans…

Forces are born as a result of the whim of the gods…

Humans are born as a result of the whim of the gods…

Forces obey the divine will of the gods…

Humans rebel against the divine will of the gods…

Forces have power…

Humans have free will…

Needless to say, the two are very alike…

But at least humans have a choice…

You call yourself the Dreamweaver but that choice was made for you…

Even before you were born…

It was your destiny to defeat Zanfar…so that I would be reborn…

That was not your choice…

SO DREAMWEAVER, WEAVER OF DREAMS…

DO YOU HAVE THE POWER TO FACE…

THE WEAVER OF CALAMITY?!"

"But the words of this grudge speak as though Zanfar has already been defeated by Zan" Mr Kirisawa said.

"I will get to that but the conspiracy comes in parts. The first was simply to incite a rebellious nature in man in the Garden Of Eden.

The second was to create a bold spirit of defiance within man that would lead him to justify his actions and thus seek to prove God's actions unjust;

Around that time, man had not yet began to "have dreams" and you know that man had a terrible nature God would find deplorable and try to stay as far as possible away from. But God did not forsake man. God created the force… "Zanviel" as Jacob slept on the Holy Ground. In Dagaare, Zanviel means "the beautiful dream". Through Zanviel, God could show man the beauty of spirituality and a world beyond anything man could imagine. Through Zanviel, other forces like "Literature" which interprets spirituality and "Science" which interprets materiality were born out of "fantasy". But just as Diablo perverted man, man's perverse nature and imaginings created another entity from darkness and that entity was "Zanfar" which is the Dagaare word for "Nightmare." However…it is not the same kind of Nightmare you've come to know. "Zanfar" literally means "the Evil Dream". Zanviel sought to advance human wisdom by protecting the Dreams hidden within the Alpha Gate, which houses the core nature of humanity's dreams. Zanfar sought to dominate humanity by corrupting dreams within the Alpha Gate and hiding them within the Gate Of The End, "The Omega Gate". These dreams would then become a force of terror for their owners. That was the third scheme in all of this.

The fourth scheme was an important event hidden within the Origins Of Babylon. Yes, it was hidden in the Story Of The Evil Tower, the Tower Of Babel, mankind's ultimate symbol of defiance. That was the Tower with which man prove himself a worthy adversary to God by means of a perverse unity. To break apart this perverse alliance, God mixed up human language. No one knows what the root language was but if I were to take a guess, I'd say it was the language of Spirit. God took away the "Spirit" within words that serve as a universal medium of communication. For instance, humanity is now separated into nations however every human can tell when another is sad or happy so things like "a smile," "a frown" are universal symbols of communication…and therein lies the problem. Humanity came together and agreed on a set code of communication in their various groups. The reason they did this was to "avoid confusion in communication." They agreed that a set of symbols would represent an existing object in nature. Diablo saw a chance here. Since "Spirit" had been removed from communication thus transforming communication into mere codes, the forces conspired and deceived humanity into believing that the symbols were the very thing itself instead of being a means to differentiate one thing from another and through this…a false wisdom was imposed on mankind by name "Reality, Practicality, Materialism, Logic". These in themselves are not evil but "Spirit" was gradually isolated from these concepts making them "Absolute Truth" independent of "The Ultimate Soul Of Virtue, Truth Himself" the Nightmare King explained.

"That is quite deep. I find it quite difficult to understand" Mr Kirisawa said.

"Try to understand it Ryuuji because this knowledge will be required in our final showdown with Zanfar…which is very soon…to come. This was just the beginning; Diablo was very much active for a long time making it extremely difficult to deny his existence. Zanviel noticed how things were progressing too much in Zanfar's favour and sought to warn humanity, however…humanity's reply was always "what you're saying is impractical! It's not possible! It's not logical! Stop fantasizing!" Even a being as pure and strong as Zanviel had emotions. It is irritating to defend people who do not wish to be defended. No matter how much you wound yourself for their sakes, they'll never listen to you and always stay within firing range of the archers even after seeing you get wounded for their sake…thus a grudge was born in Zanviel's heart, for Zanfar had made humanity forsake the beauty of the knowledge he had tried to teach them. So Zanviel who drew strength from humanity's pure dreams had his power diminished while Zanfar's increased. Regardless, Zanviel took a stand against Zanfar by teaming up with a human and the Seven Souls Of Virtue. It was a tough battle and Zanviel knew there'd be no clear winner. To avoid sacrificing humanity's dreams to win this battle…Zanviel allowed himself to be absorbed by Zanfar as a sacrifice but through sheer will, Zanviel suppressed Zanfar's evil nature by setting the limiters called "Emotion". Zanviel managed to prolong the battle and disappeared into the world of symbols…the world of Dreams, of fantasy. However, Zanviel was unaware that this was also a part of Diablo's scheme…and this is where the fifth scheme sets in. Zanfar despised humanity and Zanviel was made to sympathize with that grudge by watching humanity become more and more corrupted in nature. When Zanviel finally succumbed to his grudge and Zanfar's; the wills of the two completely coalesced to create an even more terrifying entity called Zanböngfar, from the Dagaare words "Zan" which means "Dreams" and "Böngfar," which means "A Deplorable Object". Zanböngfar represents the ultimate extension of Zanfar and is a symbolic connotation of "The Deplorable Dream". Zanböngfar was the fifth scheme.

By unleashing Zanböngfar and using him as His Ultimate Living Sigil made from the compressed evil of humanity's desires, Diablo terrified humankind through dreams and manifestations that resulted from the combination of the symbolic nature of spirituality and the material nature of material existence. Yes, the force through which this was accomplished was by merging spirituality with materiality to create… "mythology, otherwise known as superstition". Through the creation of mythological events that could not be proven through scientific knowledge, like the existence of the "Loch Ness Monster Of Scottish Legends, and the existence of demigods, it became more and more difficult for mankind to distinguish "spirituality" from "mythology". Mankind was thus deceived into believing that the power he possessed was not enough to stand up to the threat of Diablo's perverse ambitions.

To give mankind…a firm foothold of his stand in God's creation, the Seventh Soul Of Virtue, Truth, God Himself decided to manifest within materiality as the force most other forces know now as "Zion, the King and Kingdom that was not built by Human Hands, the terrifying pacifistic lion who is so pacifistic, he is known as the Ultimate War God by all forces. Yes, that person is the one you know as Jesus The Christ!!! The one known to look down on all creation so much it is almost as though he is looking up!"

The Nightmare king explained.

BADASS! WHAT A BADASS INTRO OF JESUS CHRIST!!!

"Even in human form, Zion was not a violent man in nature and seldom raised a hand against another…but there was a point he was so irritated by mankind's disrespect for its creator that he unleashed his rage in a form so powerful no one could suppress it. If not for anything else, that proved that even Zion had a limit on his anger that could be breached by humans. At the time Of Zion's death, an event occurred that severely halted Diablo's plans for a long time. The first was what has come to be known by forces as "The Hellwide Rampage That Tore Time Apart!" It is no coincidence that prior to Zion's death, time flows backwards…when counted in BC. It is only after Zion's death that time began to progress normally…forward again into a future of hope. At the same time, Zanböngfar was torn apart, separated from Zanviel and Zanfar. Zanfar being the entity of Destruction was Bound with Zion's Seven Souls Of Virtue; Fortitude, Freedom, Forgiveness(which halts Chaos' progression), Hope, Conscience, also known as Spirit, Purity, Kindness(which impedes Sloth's progression and had come to be replaced by humanity's perverse nature by wit and cunning) and finally Truth…which had now been made manifest as Zion!

Zion had now restored to humanity the knowledge of the true power within humanity's nature but due to the limit imposed on mankind by vanity and vain knowledge; vain intelligence imposed on mankind by Diablo, mankind could not completely grasp the truth of Zion's words since he had been deceived into viewing materiality as "existence" and spirituality, as merely "symbolism". You should ask yourself what makes this material existence "real" and that of dreams "illusion" if the number of hours mankind spends in sleep is approximately equal to the number of hours mankind spends awake. The younger humans are…the more hours they spend in dreams…for humans dream even when they are awake. Why then are dreams called "fantasies and illusions?" That is where the sixth conspiracy begins. It begins because even God's word called Dreams worthless and that seemed like a contradiction to Truth's own words but think deeply;

Zan in himself is not worthless…and he is not an illusion. The reason dreams are called illusions and worthless is because of mankind's creative abilities. Mankind's creative powers drawn from Truth Himself…the power of "imagination". The threat now lies here; because mankind can create…he can create and deceive himself into believing his creation is 'absolute truth', even when it is false truth, wicked imaginings, perverse ambitions…the power of imagination has been reduced to just this. It was shortly around this time that Diablo performed a second self-defying act no one could see coming. The words Of Truth…

'And the Dragon Stood On the Seashore'.

After hunting Zion and his people for so long…had humanity been deceived into thinking that Diablo decided to take a rest and stop fighting? No, it is rather at that point when it seemed as though he was resting that…he actually implemented the scheme that endangered all of God's creation even more by handing more power to the force called Ignorance. The most deceptive form of ignorance…and the most dangerous was ignorance that posed as knowledge…and intelligence.

In the realm of spirituality, the land is defined as the boundary of man's familiarity, reality as man had come to call it…and the sea defined as the realm of man's mystery… "spirituality". By standing on the seashore, Diablo stood between the realms of reality and fantasy…he allowed himself to be known now as a myth…and this was the sixth and most deadly scheme…deceiving mankind into…a false sense of security. Turning spirits like "Deception", "Love", "Truth", "Hatred", "Wisdom", "Heaven", and "Hell" "God" and "Devil"…into purely abstract concepts called "Emotions," "Ideas", "Ideals" and "Imaginings" and it was this deception Chaos despised about humanity and sought to reveal to Ayumi. I am even shocked to have only discovered this now. The only reason the forces don't mind revealing this now…is because they are absolutely sure…they have completely taken away mankind's "fangs and claws" to fight back. Zanfar will awaken soon and when he does…it won't take a few powerful Dream Knights and Nightmares to defeat him even if we decided to ally our forces. It is a fight that all of humanity will have to face…but the question is no longer about whether humanity will or will not stand when that "Evil Day" comes. The question is… "Can humanity stand against the wrath of the forces…and even if they do…for how long can they hold their stance?" The forces do not wish to rule over mankind…they seek to destroy mankind…and the one that has been moving the forces from the shadows…is Diablo, the Spirit Of Zanböngfar!" the Nightmare King declared to the utter shock of Mr Kirisawa.

MEANWHILE…IN AI'S MIND…

Ai was trembling in fear.

"Dost thou finally perceive the truth as it is…or wilt thou continue to deny it? Though I decided to hold back a bit of this information for my own devices…I despiseth thee enough to revealeth all this to thee. Wilt thou still stand as a force in opposition to the one that moveth forces or wilt thou surrender and ally thineself to him that cannot be beaten?" Decay asked.

"I-I-I…can't believe this. It can't be true…all this time…we thought the Nightmare king was a diversion…and discovered that Zanfar was the true threat. We worked so hard to be able to withstand him? We believed we could face him…yet even Zanfar…is merely a diversion. Will Zan truly become…the Devil Himself?

"But that is not all…Ai Kirisawa…for I have not yet revealed to thee…the final scheme…the final conspiracy…the conspiracy in which Zan's humanity plays…a very vital role…ah…too bad…it looks like Prince Asante…is already dead" Decay said.

Ai's heart began to beat quickly and harder than ever before…so much her body began to hyperventilate till she eventually collapsed.

"Slumber well Ai Kirisawa…when thou awakeneth…I wilt finally shew unto thee the true meaning of the terror all of humanity…wilt be forced to face…" Decay said.