EPISODE 31: TRIALS OF THE HUMAN DREAMWEAVER

"Find your identity; don't let it go;

The Seal is there; within you know

Your Origins; then let tears flow;

Then find yourself; make sure you're free…!"

Ayumi slowly came to herself. Meanwhile, Face and Victoria had heard the terrifying voice. They watched as the Nightmares that had invaded Dream City bowed before this new menace. They watched in silence as it spoke; and when it had finished speaking; they raised a loud cry.

"Wh-What is…that thing?" Victoria stared in horror.

There was no sky anymore. Just the Dream World reflected above as a burning blaze.

"That must be Zanfar" Face muttered.

He was trembling.

The beast spread out its wings and rose to the air wreaking destruction on the Dreams Of Mankind and leaving fear in its wake. The only Dream spared was the Castle Of Nightmares which I had a lingering attachment to.

In Second Chance Hospital, people were losing their lives to the Ultimate Unconsciousness but as they did; one woman was regaining her life.

When the beast was satisfied with the damage it had caused in Dreams; it proceeded to travel to the world of Reality. Nations were in confusion, some on the verge of waging war with others until at last they found a common enemy in this creature. They set aside their differences and would have been well equipped to begin a war with this creature only if they had been prepared for this in the first place but it had taken them by surprise. The creature attacked the great continents causing destruction in its wake and with each attack, panic spread worldwide and as the panic began to converge, the creature made sure to partake in its meal, the fear and evil of mankind created from its attacks. When the creature was sure it had caused enough damage, it returned to Dream City to start a new one. This was the central home of the Dream Knights and filled with the realization that there was no escape, the Dream Knights united to confront the creature.

Face turned to Victoria.

"Vicky, you remember the time I said 'the day you ever said something nice to me, something unlikely would happen? Well I'll say something nice to you instead. Just in case I perish, I want you to know that I love you" Face confessed.

Victoria was surprised. She didn't expect this and she almost didn't hear it but she wasn't going to ask Face to repeat himself because she knew that he wouldn't so she replied;

"I already told you how I felt once, don't make me repeat myself".

Then Zanbӧngfar landed right before them; the Deplorable Dream was about to commence its conquest of Dream City.

"I am Victoria Arthur…"

"And I am Boniface Kenyah…"

"In my time of need do I summon thee…sigils of…!"

"Wind!"

"Earth!" they called together.

"Let the trial of Earth and Wind commence!"

Ayumi came to her senses and looked around herself. She could hear screams coming from outside. She couldn't block them out no matter how hard she tried. They were almost as though they were sounding directly within her mind. She felt guilty. The people she swore to protect were struggling to endure what she was trying to escape from. She found her resolve and attempted summoning the Pyrostellis Luminares to reach me but when she did, an image of my anguish permeated her mind and then the Pyrostellis Luminares shattered to reveal the Pyrogeysers. She knew that she and I were no longer connected by our sigils. She ran outside and saw how the Nightmares were destroying everything.

Then she suddenly heard a terrifying roar and knew what sort of creature could have made it. She followed the sounds.

Within my mind, I found myself trapped. Zanfar had taken control of my body. Our spirits were coalescing but he had not yet completely assimilated me. I was forced to watch the destruction he was causing and powerless to stop him. I tried to fight against his mind domination but that did not change the fact that in spite of my hatred for him; I was also beginning to sympathize with his cause as he showed me the history of mankind. There was not as much proof of kindness as there was of selfishness. I who grew up on the streets knew that. When Wanye was killed, people around cared more about their car than human life and no matter how hard I tried to let it go, I still couldn't forget.

But then, I recalled my mother and father and my grandfather. Zanfar was the one that dragged everyone into his mess. My mother's hands reached for me and pulled me out of Zanfar, separating the two consciousnesses.

"Zanböngfar; even you know the law. You cannot consume the Human Dreamweaver until he wills it but he does not will it yet. Within you, I will act as arbiter to settle this cause. You must pit your seven souls of evil against the Dreamweaver's seven souls of virtue. The victor will decide the fate of mankind" my mother said as she shattered the chains binding herself. "I shall sing my song and with my song, the souls of evil shall be called in to testify against the souls of virtue and the souls of virtue shall be called in to defend themselves. If they triumph as they did before; the Human Dreamweaver shall regain his identity. If they fail; the Deplorable Dream shall be born anew".

As we watched, my mind was split in two and each part of my mind was given equal dominion. To the Light, half of my mind; to the Darkness, half of my mind.

Meanwhile, Face and Victoria were doing their utmost best to ward off Zanböngfar, the Deplorable Dream. Mr Kirisawa and Lightning Knight Fenrir had arrived to back them up just in time.

"We can't let Zanfar consume anymore dreams. We must ford him off and if possible; push him back to the world of dreams" Fenrir said.

"Is it possible to reseal him?" Mr Kirisawa asked.

"Yes, it is but I am unsure of whether we have the power to do so. To make matters worse, I believe the Dreamweaver has been consumed. Whatever that creature is, it is a fusion of the Dreamweaver's spirit with Zanfar's spirit. Just what exactly happened?!" Fenrir exclaimed in horror.

Zanbӧngfar stared at them for a while.

"Wouldst thou dare to stand in mine way? If thou wouldst, then perish this moment!" it roared as it opened its mouths and shot out darkfire.

All the Dream Knights present leapt out of the way. Some of them stood on buildings whilst the others stood on the ground.

"So this may very well be our final battle won't it? Then as Dream Knights, let us wage a battle worthy of our station! Let us not shame the Dream King with our weakness!" Mr Kirisawa declared as he pulled out the trailblazers; larger scimitars than Ayumi's Pyrogeysers.

Fenrir took in a deep breath and summoned his sigil; a rapier.

You two kids should keep watch; we'll engage Zanböngfar!" Mr Kirisawa declared as he charged to attack the creature. Fenrir followed close behind.

The two men kept close to each other and only separated when Zanbӧngfar prepared a breath attack. Whenever Zanbӧngfar would attack with his tails, they would defend themselves and then aim to slice off as many of the serpents' heads as possible. However, they noticed that regardless of the wounds they dealt Zanbӧngfar; the Deplorable Dream was almost practically a self-sustaining entity. It would recover almost immediately due to the evil emanating from the hearts of men and since it would be pointless to eradicate man to defeat Zanbӧngfar, the creature was practically immortal.

Still knowing how pointless the venture would be, Fenrir and Mr Kirisawa fought on. Perhaps the creature had another weakness. If it didn't, sealing would be the only other option. But this was a creature that had bided its time carefully to build up strength and now, it had spread enough terror to attempt shattering the Mirror Gate.

"I am Ryuuji Kirisawa; Head Of The Kirisawa Order Of Dream Knights; in acknowledgement of my pact, I summon thee Ryuenjinn!" Mr Kirisawa called to the guardian deity of his clan.

A great crimson dragon of flame descended from the sun and bound itself to Ryuuji's shadow manifesting itself as a part of him and bearing similar weapons as he. Ryuuji charged on Zanbӧngfar. Zanbӧngfar fought back and grabbed the scimitars; then it pushed Ryuenjinn down and completely sealed its attack. Ryuenjinn opened its mouth and spouted flames. Zanbӧngfar seemed unharmed until Fenrir summoned his guardian deity; a wolf named Sabrefang. Fenrir charged on Zanbӧngfar and plunged his fangs into the Dragon's jugular. Poison permeated Zanböngfar but Zanböngfar was himself poison itself so it had no effect whatsoever. Zanböngfar raised an arm and knocked Sabrefang to the ground.

Face and Victoria watched the battle in awe.

Ryuuji immediately seized his chance and grabbed Zanböngfar by the neck and repelled it.

"Take this! A thousand fiery slices!" Ryuuji roared as he unleashed a flurry of attacks.

Ryuenjinn responded by copying Ryuuji's ability and unleashing the same flurry of attacks.

"The Kirisawas Great Shadowflame ability; Ryuenjinn no soutensoryu!" Ryuuji roared as Zanbӧngfar was pushed back.

"Great! We're making steady progress!" Fenrir congratulated Ryuuji.

"I don't think so. Something's wrong. That creature. It seems to be barely conscious. The real creature should be much more threatening than this. You saw its power as it attacked the Dream World. Compared to that it seems to me as though it is currently in slumber" Ryuuji said.

Ayumi slowly approached them from behind. When she saw Zanböngfar, she opened her eyes in fear.

"Ayumi Kirisawa; hath thou finally come to interfere with me?" the creature asked her and then remained silent.

"I-Is th-that…?" Ayumi murmured in shock.

Her father turned to look at her solemnly and nodded.

Ayumi started to approach the creature slowly.

"Zan, I'm sorry. I'm better now. Let's go back to the way things were before" Ayumi declared.

We had just resolved one problem only to jump into another.

"Perhaps, I may need to use my blade of hope Ayumi" Face offered.

Ayumi shook her head.

"Your turn will come Face. Very soon. He knows what needs to be done and he has been preparing himself. I'm ready Zan. We all are. Please commence your trials for I know that though I cannot see it, the Pyrostellis Luminares still lives. I know this for I can feel your thoughts. Of anguish and of calm" Ayumi said.

Ai arrived on the scene too and so did Arlene. We had finally assembled.

"In the face of overwhelming spiritual danger, you shall also be granted overwhelming spiritual assistance" my voice rang within Ayumi's mind and the minds of the others. "I may have succumbed to Zanfar's grudge but I haven't lost to him yet. Could you bring to me the tools of my assistance, friends of my father?" I called.

Arӓlpheisl and Ananse and also Emma Colette appeared before us.

"We have been watching your strife and expected things to turn out much worse but we are surprised ourselves. Your father's measures were tremendous. Zanbӧngfar is alive, yet he is still immobilized?" Ananse asked.

"Sanziri; the Destroyer Of Lies. He shattered the fang of Ziri, purified it and transformed it into a stone of virtue; then having a Dreamweaver for a son, endured his wife's voluntary exile into the bowels of Zanbӧngfar and now we see why. A force as pure as the Princess Of Dreams can neither be corrupted nor consumed. And now, she serves as a scourge within Zanbӧngfar and an arbiter to administer justice between the Souls Of Evil and the Souls Of Virtue; the Ones that opposed the Souls Of Evil; His Kin; His Family" Arӓlpheisl said.

As they spoke, two others arrived. Their arrival sparked an interesting conversation only they and the other two seemed to understand.

"That Nightmare King, so this is what he has been scheming all this while; an internal confrontation and a diplomatic way to settle this mess" Ananse said.

"I must say I am impressed. To think he could project this far into the future" Aralpheisl said.

The two that appeared were a lady and a man. The lady had long dark hair and striking features. The man had long silver straight hair and wore sunshades.

"Projected you say? Don't make light of what he has done. It's more like directing things. If Zanbӧngfar was directing things like the yolk and white of an egg; then San was the shell that encased his plans. How long has it been since their last duel?" the man with silver hair said.

"It feels like only yesterday, when San and his souls of virtue fought and sealed Ziri away. Ziri; the nature and identity of Zanbӧngfar. He has fought well. We cannot allow his efforts to go to waste" Ananse said.

"Has fought well? Would I be right to assume that you perchance have presumed San dead already? Do not jest; that would be unbecoming of the man we once rallied behind" the man with long silver hair said.

"What are you talking about?" Ayumi asked.

"Do you have the blade we once gave you," another man said as he approached the party from behind.

"You finally arrived too Darag Arokna" Aralpheisl said.

"Yes, I do" Ayumi responded.

"The time is coming soon when you will have to thrust it into the heart of the Human Dreamweaver and rekindle the humanity within him" Aralpheisl said.

"LET THE TRIAL OF THE SEVEN ELEMENTS COMMENCE!" a loud voice sounded all over the world.

THE FIRST TRIAL:

OF WIND AND EARTH

Where does the wind…blow from?

In which direction does it move?

Does it blow from the Earth to the Heavens?

Or does it blow from the Heavens to the Earth

Where does the blowing wind start from?

From whence does it start its journey?

Does it blow from the West to the East?

Or does it blow from the East to the West

From whence did the Earth attain its form?

Whose hands modelled it intricately so?

Who made the Earth a symbol of Hope?

And why does it carry so much pain?

The Earth and Wind sing to me,

They whisper a melody in my ears,

When the wind courts the Earth I hear a rustling

When the wind courts the Earth I hear a whistle.

The voice sang loudly. In an instant, Victoria and Face were carried into the mind of the beast.

"Within the beast were two Dreams. One of them was the Dream we knew, his name was Zan and he is the one called the Human Dreamweaver. There was another Dream though. As it stood, they were both bound by a cord of light and darkness as though battling for dominion of the body they were currently within. The other Dream was filled with malice. That is the dream called The Evil Dream; a dream that preys on the dreams of humans and crushes them; creating grudges within their hearts that awaken the ever malevolent Deplorable Dream. Our mode of thinking seemed to have been changed once we entered the body of this beast. We knew everything the Beautiful Dream was and all that it was not also stood right before us; but I know deep within me that Zan does not wish to write a tale of terror. There was also a woman before us seated on a throne. Her son was to judge the quality of humanity's dreams, and she in turn was to judge the quality of her son's dream. The woman sang this song continuously for as long as we stood in her presence".

"Victoria Arthur, representative of the Second Soul Of Virtue, Freedom; you will confront once more, Enslavement; representative of the Soul Of Evil Enslavement and prove the value of the Dreamweaver's second tale; The Book Of Enslavement. Likewise, you Boniface Kenyah; representative of the Third Soul Of Virtue, Hope; shall confront the Soul Of Evil Despair and reprove the value of the Dreamweaver's third book; the Book Of Despair. If you lose, Zan shall lose a portion of his dreams to the Deplorable Dream but if you triumph; he shall win more of his dreams and eventually triumph over the Deplorable Dream; Zanbӧngfar" the woman said.

"We knew within the depths of our hearts that the woman that stood before us was the purest of all dreams; The Princess Of Dreams. Zan and the other Dream seemed unconscious and trapped by the bond of Light and Darkness that connected them. We knew; the turn of Light and Darkness to battle would also soon come but it had not come just yet."

"Victoria; in Zan's second tale your first meeting with him was one where you exhibited great hubris and a rude nature. You only valued the strong. You had heard of Zan who had defeated The First Soul Of Evil; Cowardice but this then would have been the only reason for which you would have been willing to form a bond with him. Your own hubris led to your capture and it was your hubris that enslaved you within a dimension no one could reach into. Zan had to go so far as to question an ancient witch to free you and you were even so weak in spirit that he had to rely on Zanfar's strength to free you. Without your carelessness, he would never have learnt of his connection to me; the True King and Origin Of Nightmares. Would you dare plead innocent of these charges?" the voice of Zanfar roared.

I, the representative of the Soul Of Freedom heard this. I realized I was undeserving of the title. All Zanfar had said had done nothing but prove that I was the greatest of prisoners. It was indeed my pride that made me unwilling to work with Zan and Face. It was also my pride that got me captured. Zan hadn't told me what he had had to face and I was forced to experience it as though I had never missed a moment of it. I could see my involvement like a trail of triggers. I had no choice but to plead guilty.

"I plead guilty of these charges" I said.

"But it is a lie Victoria! Your tale was written by my actions too and though I named it a Tale Of Enslavement; it was about Freedom. It was freely written by my actions and Face's too. Ayumi was also involved. It was not a tale about just you. It was a tale about friends who fought together to defeat an evil that tried to imprison them with their past backgrounds. It wasn't about whether you won against Enslavement or not. The true value of the tale was in the fact that though we had only just met, we risked our lives for each other out of our own choice. That is why Dreamweaver Book two is wrongly titled. It's real title is Dreamweaver Book Two: Freedom; A Tale Of Victory!" the Dreamweaver's voice sounded.

The woman looked at me and smiled.

"My son values his relationship with you. True, you were captured but he better than anyone knows why that was. He naively tried to hide the fact that he was the one that defeated Cowardice to avoid a love triangle among him, yourself and Ayumi. He didn't want that unnecessary hassle. As ridiculous as it sounds, he could have prevented your capture but held back" the woman laughed.

"I guess that makes you innocent. I hope we can still be friends Victoria and please forgive me" the Dreamweaver laughed.

"Za-a-a-an! Once this is over, I'm going to teach you a lesson!" I yelled.

I was relieved to discover that even within the mind of the terrible beast, one of my best friends still retained his personality.

"Thus, the Dreamweaver retains dominion over the Soul Of Virtue; Freedom! He is free from your attempt to force him into any kind of evil. The rest of the trials shall be determined by his choices!" the Princess Of Dreams declared.

"Now let the trial commence between the representatives of Earth!" the woman declared. "Boniface Kenyah…your tale was obviously wrongly named. Of all Zan's friends, you withstood Despair".

"But he was a brute in life, reckless and always dragging those around him into danger. He might be a living representation of the Earth's Virtue; Hope. However, you cannot deny the fact that he never gets along with Victoria. If he cannot get along with Freedom, then Hope is Imprisonment!" the voice of Zanfar declared.

"But that renders your argument invalid Zanfar. You argued earlier that Victoria symbolized Imprisonment and that she was a prisoner; and she truly was. It is because Victoria's freedom often means imprisonment for those around her that Face cannot get along with her. But once, Face gave Victoria hope; even before we met; and she in turn gave Face a life free from senseless fighting with bullies. Their attributes proved to be true and they were both liberated and freed. Thus the third book I wrote was also wrongly named. It was a tale about the trends society has that serve to create Despair for others. Not all poor people are heroes and not all wealthy people are villains. In everything related to people; there are those that are good and those that are evil. One trait does not necessarily define the entirety of a person. That was the Hope in the third book. A freedom from imprisoning thoughts. That was why Face was killed and it was Victoria that freed him with her persistence" I argued.

Zanfar was silenced. Within my mind, I was proving to be the boss of my feelings and he knew I was gaining dominion over everything a Dreamweaver was entitled to have; and that included the Dreams Of Humans."

"I agree with Zan. Your actions in the Second Book triggered a chain of events that brought many unfortunate things into Zan's life. But those unfortunate events only served to strengthen the fortunate ones. Victoria and Face, you have won for my son his freedom and his hope for it was in the third book he learnt the value of the present and in hoping on God. Now, when you return to the world outside Zan, you will find that Zanfar isn't the only threat. Many humans are panicking. No one knows where the world is headed. This ignorance within them is causing more anguish, fear and hatred. Liberate as many as you can from this Nightmare with the truths you have learned and study to show yourself approved by the King Of All Creation" the woman said.

And in an instant, we were carried out of Zan's body.

OF FIRE AND WATER…

Fire and Water; elements two

Born from both they are elements true

Trapped in darkness, Light would lose

Together with darkness Light would fuse

Fire then turned into Flame

And revealed to Light His Holy Name

Purified by Fire the sun would rise

And cleansed by Water they'd reach the skies.

Water and Fire two entities

These two entities gave birth to truth

Truth was cloaked in darkness

Light and Darkness fused,

Fire then enraged, became a burning blaze

And burnt all the darkness encaging wondrous light

Water cleansed the pain held in Light's sorrowful heart

And fire fused with Light to become the world's burning sun.

The voice of the woman sang aloud. All the strangers that appeared among the Dream Knights smiled.

"Ayumi Kirisawa, your time has now come. Remember to use the Kommeno Syndesmo. It could free Zan" Aralpheisl said as he walked to Ayumi and lay a hand on her head. "You have always been one to lay your own path. Trust your heart and the powers of both the Silver Dream and the Pyrostellis Luminares" he said.

Ayumi nodded as she vanished from the battlefield.

"Within the beast, I met the one I loved whose name means Dream. I also met the worst side of himself, the one named Nightmare. I had ran once and broken my promise to him but this time, I would not run. There was a woman present also who glowed like the sun. I knew immediately that she was the Princess Of Dreams. I felt the love she had for her son even when he was trapped in this deep darkness. The trust that she had that he would overcome this. Her trust was so strong that I now understood what she did those nineteen years ago. She had set the stage. She had purposely allowed herself to be entrapped within the darkness of her son's heart so that she could reach him whenever he was close to his deepest darkness. Her act saved my life and my soul for I felt now that she was close to the darkness in my own heart; acting as a breaking point for its influence. I loved the woman I saw deeply because I felt she had accepted everything I was too. I also saw within the mind of this beast my sister who had once taken a curse in my place and had lost five years of her life to pain. Dream had also saved her."

"We meet again Ayumi Kirisawa. You know your identity in this trial do you not?" the woman asked me.

"I do. I am the representative of the Soul Of Virtue, Courage" Ayumi said.

"Find your identity; don't let it go;

The Seal is there; within you know;

Your Origins; Then let tears flow;

And find yourself; make sure you're free.

I heard my voice sing and harmonize with the woman's song. I smiled and opened my voice to utter the next part of the song. It was my gift to Zan in case he ever lost his humanity. I also understood what Aralpheisl had just said to me. Aralpheisl was saying that the Kommeno Syndesmo was a dead sword and that I don't need it. He told me to pierce Zan through the heart with it; then said, I should trust instead in the power of the Silver Dream which is Zan's will to protect me; and in the Pyrostellis Luminares which represents our oneness. Why would I pierce Zan through the heart if I already had his heart and if I could directly communicate to his heart through the Pyrostellis Luminares.

"You are my kin; my family

So find your truth, set yourself free

Now learn to breathe, open your eyes

And tear away, the empty lies".

Zan had forgotten; he had forgotten how to be a human being. He didn't even know what a human being was anymore. He was trapped in a stasis and though he had more dominion over his mind, he was trapping himself purposely to avoid facing his own nightmare which was not any external force but the worst side of himself. And I was going to teach him what a human being was. All along, he was the one singing to me. Teaching me that I was a good person but now, I was going to teach him in turn.

"You seem to forget Ayumi Kirisawa that you are the greatest of cowards! You are not only a coward but a murderer as well! You murdered Zan's parental guardian and used your power to harm your classmates! Thanks to you, your own sister was cursed! How dare you speak of humanity?!" Zanfar's voice thundered.

"I can speak of humanity because…I am forgiven!" Ayumi declared.

Now learn to cry; now learn to breathe;

Now learn to hear; now learn to eat;

Now learn to smell; stand on your feet;

Become dear friend; a human being

Now learn to feel, now learn to reach;

Now learn to call; now learn to speak;

Now learn to crawl, now learn to walk;

Become dear friend; a human being.

Now learn to reach, now learn to play;

Now learn to laugh; now learn to pray;

Now learn to listen and talk and feel;

Become dear friend; a human being.

Now learn to learn; now learn to teach;

Now learn to write; now learn to read;

And sing and draw, and paint yourself;

With all of us; as human beings.

You are My Kin, My Family;

So find your truth; set yourself free;

Now learn to breathe open your eyes;

And tear away the empty lies.

Find your identity; don't let it go;

He did entrust to you; I know you know

Your Origins; now heart tears flow;

You are My Kin; My Family.

I sang this song; my gift to Zan. I felt my memories flow through him. I had shared so many moments with him his own memories were mine and thanks to the Pyrostellis Luminares, I could recycle his memories and send them back to him with mine.

"All I will say to you Ayumi Kirisawa is that my son loves you. And he loves your family dearly. For this love, he will not allow any evil to be said about your family in his presence. Your family is free" the woman said.

Ai and I were carried out of the beast's mind.

"The music is starting to sound a bit more melodious now isn't it?" Aralpheisl asked.

Originally, Ayumi thought that he was trying to be humorous but indeed, Ayumi's voice continued to harmonize with the woman's voice as she began to progress into the next part of her song. Ayumi turned to look at Ai, and the two began to laugh. It felt like Zanbӧngfar had already been defeated.

OF LIGHTNING AND TIME…

Where does the raging Lightning strike from?

Is it a wondrous vision or frightful sound?

Are Thunder and Lightning two inseparable brothers?

Are they sight and sound, different entities or the same?

Thunder and Lightning are separated by time

As Lightning flies Thunder desperately tries to catch him.

Lightning and Thunder may have the very same Mother,

But if their mother is Cloud, then isn't their mother Water?

Oh time, Oh time, just how many things have you seen?

Were you there when God laid the foundations of existence?

How long Oh time, have you been in wondrous existence?

Were you made before, or after or are you existence?

How many wars Oh dear Time have you seen?

How many tears have you shed for us lowly humans?

How much of suffering have you Oh Time endured?

How many afflictions lay heavy on your heart?

Do you bear a grudge for us, we weak suffering humans?

Do you question our love, our purpose and very existence?

Oh time but how then will you explain to God?

That you bear a grudge for us so immature?

Time your suffering is to see us suffer,

Oh time, your tragedy is your immortal existence,

If the ease of your wounds come from the relief of ours,

Then hate us not but teach us how to grow!"

The voice of the woman sang loudly and as it did, the summons was sent forth to Prince Asante and Fenrir Sabrefang.

"We found ourselves within the mind of the beast. Before us, bound together were the Beautiful Dream, Zanviel and the Evil Dream, Zanfar. Zanviel had begun to move again. Very slowly as though time itself had slowed down but he moved nonetheless."

"I have called you to witness for yourselves and for my son, Zan; but also to witness against the Evil Dream Zanfar as the representatives of the souls of virtue; Forgiveness and Goodness but your trials might be slightly harsher than the previous representatives as you have directly influenced the pain in the lives of many within this book" the woman said.

"You have uttered it yourself O Princess Of Dreams. As kind as you are, even you see that Prince Asante is the embodiment of the Evil Soul Of Time; Chaos and Fenrir Sabrefang was a part of those that hunted your son from his birth. Prince Asante, you erased your own existence due to your refusal to truly accept yourself. You thought of no one but yourself and hated the element of the one that saved your life; the Dream Knight, Saito Kusanagi. You hated to reflect on your life; you hated to see the good in people because you would barely even look at them! You hated the virtue of reflection. How dare you stand before me and proclaim yourself a representative of the Soul Of Virtue; Forgiveness when you could barely even forgive yourself!" Zanfar attacked Prince.

Prince took in a deep breath and made his stand.

"Yet I was interested to test the mettle of human love. I do not call myself the representative of the Soul Of Virtue; Forgiveness. Everyone, even you Zanfar know me as the Soul Of Evil; Chaos" Prince said.

"But there is something unique about you Prince. My son tells me that you never did fulfil both roles completely. You refused to act according to the designs of evil and pursued your own interests, yet at the same time, your testing the love he had for Ayumi is the reason he stands today. Still, you didn't associate yourself with the other souls of virtue and thus were never the full embodiment of Chaos or Forgiveness. It is ironic that the Soul Of Evil that represents time was rescued by another representative of the Soul Of Virtue; Kindness. In hindsight, it could be said that your attempt to lure Saito Kusanagi to her demise and her willing act to rescue you even though she was walking into darkness awakened something that hasn't existed within time. The coalescence of Chaos with Forgiveness transforming you, Chaos into a curious being. This was the reason you sought to understand love. The first of its kind shown to you by Zion and now replicated by His Soul Of Virtue; kindness. You willingly chose to defy your nature and place in existence to serve a higher path after meeting my son" the woman said.

"What?! Prince is Chaos?!" Zan's voice sounded within the beast's mind.

"Does it irritate you son?" the woman asked.

"No! That's great! He's not only my stikomik drawing pal but a gamer and an otaku too! For a soul of evil, he's pretty human to me!" Zan's voice exclaimed joyfully. "But you're too clingy Prince. You need to learn to let go of stuff".

"You're one to talk!" I screamed at Zan.

He laughed at me.

"So in the end Prince, you have been rescued by virtue of my son's friendship with you. I would be interested to see how this friendship progresses into the future. You really are worthy of the title Forgiveness because you have been forgiven" the woman said.

Zanfar was furious! Turbulence began to occur within the mind of the beast and the Beautiful Dream began to move slightly faster but now, the Evil Dream was moving too as the bond between both grew weaker.

"Now Fenrir Sabrefang! You have been known to be an impulsive man! Always giving heed only to orders, never thinking for yourself; never weighing the consequences of your actions in light of an eternal scale. Your blind devotion to the Dream King and your foolish zeal led you to attempt murdering his grandson, not once but multiple times. If the Breaker also known as The Old Living Everlasting Entity had not intervened, you would have murdered royal blood! You are a murderer by intention and as many sins are associated with you as you are willing to commit in this blind devotion of yours!" Zanfar accused Fenrir.

"The next Dreamweaver born nine hundred and ninety three

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

Will bear the seal of the Dark Lord;

And by his hand shall endless darkness envelope

Both the world of dreams and of reality;

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

Shall give to the incarnation a choice;

To yield to the path of Light and Love;

Or fall to the path of darkness and hatred;

The choice shall be his to make…

I admit my faults. I would do anything, even become a monster to remain faithful to the path I dedicated myself to; my loyalty to the Dream King remains the same; nothing has changed. If he ordered me to hunt Zan again, I probably would however, I took a chance on the boy's ability to choose for himself the path he would follow and even now, I still believe in him; no, I believe in the words of the Princess Of Dreams whom I once served loyally. I entreat you to recall the day of battle nineteen years ago" Fenrir said firmly.

"Zan now has the memories of Zanfar so he knows. He saw that you spared his life that day and would have moved to protect him from Zanfar" the Princess Of Dreams said. "And if it were up to Fenrir, Zan would be dead before Zanfar ever had the chance to absorb him but the fact that Zanfar has taken control of him and both are still alive is proof that you took another chance on my son. Thank you Fenrir. We have always been good friends" the Princess Of Dreams said.

"He is a true knight. Like the lightning that can pierce through the hardest substance. Like an arrow shot from the hand of God, he is firm in his resolve and straight in his path" Zan said.

"Fenrir, since you are a knight, I will tell you this. Where there are nightmares, there are problems. And where there are problems, there are fearful humans. Where fearful humans dwell, there lies battle and where they congregate to take advantage of fear, there is death. You need to spread your forces wide and break their ability to intentionally take advantage of the troubles around them. Starving them of their ability to coordinate will be like starving vengeful flames of air. Eventually, instead of converging and burning strongly, they will burn out. You must first deal with the nightmares. The lesser they are in a location, the lesser the fearful influence they will have. You just need to hold them back until my husband wakes up. He is currently enjoying a bit of rest and I assure you, it will not be a pleasant sight when he sees the nightmares that are taking advantage of the Chaos" the woman said.

"Pardon me if I may ask. Is he really that strong?" Fenrir asked.

"Strong? My husband made a single move and things fell into place as a result. He knew all he had to do was marry me. Everything else you see around you are simply the symptoms of our marriage. Zan is yet to fully manifest and that is what he awaits" the woman said. "My husband's defeat was also an intentional matter but we both know that this is not his fight. You could consider this…Zan's training".

The woman said as both representatives were carried out of the beast's mind.

"Prepare yourselves all you living creatures dwelling within time! For now, Light and Darkness shall confront one another!" the voice of the woman called.

Suddenly, there were loud sounds of chorus! No one could see where the song came from. All they could hear where loud choruses. The world trembled at this sound. Then the voices sang as though ushering this confrontation in.

OF NATURE, MAN AND FORCES

"A wounded bird flies high, searching for a lonely place,

Not knowing where or why this world is such a really messy maze

The wounded bird flies high, seeking out a Holy Place,

Not knowing where or why this world is such a messy maze.

Searching, seeking, for the way back home…

Flying(Flying), Trying(Trying) not to give up hope…

Searching, seeking, for the way back home,

Flying(Flying), Trying(Trying) not to give up hope.

Timeless, windless, wordless, endless

Something from my past seems worthless

Memories I can't define,

Of things I just can't seem to find.

A star, a storm, a great starship,

That blazes on a timeless trip

A black hole comes and wakes my fears,

The silent stars shed endless tears.

Bended, ended, winded, worded,

Silent the crew disappear,

I awaken the next day on my bed

To find that all my memories are dead,

Growing, hiding, rising, finding

I can't fit in this strange setting

My past is lost but I am here

And the silent stars keep shedding timeless tears…

The wounded bird grows wings,

Soaring higher, breaking strings,

Wounded wings stretch further

Breaking burdens, hardened yes…but tender

The toothless beak grows fangs so stronger,

Tearful eyes, now fearful and wiser

Wounds of the past become a shield

Impenetrable and light to wield…

A star a storm a great starship,

That blazes on a timeless trip,

Formerly I was lost; yes a stray but I'm here,

And the stars guard his tears eternally!"

The voices paused as another song began to intertwine with their chorus.

THE OUTCRY OF DARKNESS

How can you stand there before me?

How can you speak so highly of humans?

Light you say humans are worth the life they have!

Light you say humans are worth your very life!

How will you justify the suffering?!

The suffering these pathetic creatures cause?!

Their very existence is the source of pain!

Yet you love them even more despite their faults!

Light, how naïve you have become!

To give them free will just so they can choose you of their will!

Wouldn't it be better to bind them hand and foot to stone?

And force them as lowly servants to hearken to your voice!

Light how naïve you have become!

To bless those stupid creatures with your very will!

To live within them as though they are your very Temple!

To teach them everything about your very self!

How can you stand right there before me?!

And look into these painful eyes of mine?!

When you tore my very existence from existence?!

Was it just so creatures so impure like these can live?!

Tell me now! Tell me now O Light!

I stand in constant adversity to you!

Tell me why I must die so they can live!

Tell me why you found no place for me in existence?!

The voice of the Evil Dream sang loudly. An ominous chorus followed his song. Hatred emanated from his voice as he began to realize that he was quickly losing ground. After he had sang, the ominous choruses became less and less loud as a brighter chorus followed. Then Zion gave his answer.

THE ANSWER OF LIGHT

Tell me my dear friend, Darkness tell me,

Why do you call to me with Hatred?

When did your nature change so sadly?

Tell me how did I wrong you, Darkness?

Tell me now why do you hate me so much,

Tell me, Oh tell me, tell me, tell me,

I want to know your reason Darkness,

Tell me where all this hatred came from…

THIS IS MY ANSWER TO YOU DARKNESS…

Who was there before I called to light?

Wasn't it you, dear darkness?

In who was my glorious nature concealed?

Wasn't it in you darkness?

Who hid my face from all of existence?

Wasn't it you Oh darkness?

And who saw all of my glorious form?

Wasn't it you, Oh darkness?

Before I gave Light any form,

Where was my own face hidden?

Before I called out to Dear Light,

Who reigned over all of pre-existence?

Yet why did your tragedy have to begin?

When I called out to Dear Light My Son?

Why did your envy lead you to sin?

Tell me my Dear Friend Darkness,

When Light stood before my glorious presence,

Before your face too Darkness, remember,

Why did your darkness turn to hate?

Tell me my Dear Friend Darkness, tell me?

The beauty you had before all of this

Was in your precious nature to conceal

But now all you do is hate and hate

And hate has turned you into hate

You and Light were meant to be closest of friends

And at the same time precious rivals as well,

You could have played hide and seek with him

For all of eternity in my Garden of Eden,

I would have smiled to see you with him

To see you become his very first friend

But the very first thing you showed to him

Was a sign of total and utter contempt

Even then O darkness when Light and You,

Fused and battled it out for almost a day

Till I lay my hand between both of you,

And separated you for all of Time

Tell me then darkness, who had more space?

In my creation, wasn't it you?

You were proud and happy with all your power

But Light had to suffer utter rejection.

Light had no place in my creation

Even though he came from my very own self

Yes, Light Is Me, I say it clearly

But for your sake, I chose rejection

I didn't want you to feel totally lost

Or abandoned then, yet the One you hate

Was the very same one who came to me,

And said he'd choose rejection

So you can live.

Yet what did you do darkness?!

You rubbed it in his face!

Rejected his kindness!

And insulted his grace!

Tell me darkness now, for how many millennia?

Have you ruled supreme, over all of man?

How many scars have you caused dear man?

And who has my dear man, chosen as God?

Isn't it you O Darkness, and all your pride?

Your vain intelligence and empty knowledge?!

Still you stand in my presence and accuse Dear Light,

Whose suffering was not only for Man,

But you!

Well then Darkness, to you here is my verdict

An Edict I decree, on my very Own Name,

Since you've chosen to despise Light

In Spite of all his suffering,

And stand in opposition

To the graces poured out for you?

I will take from you all graces,

Dear Light, My Son, won for you,

And pour it on creatures

Of much more worth than yourself,

Be they of a much more grander,

Or lowlier nature than you,

They will come to possess wisdom,

Surpassing even yours!

Listen to me Darkness, you who despiseth Light!

Today I decree, Light will flee from you!

Since thou prefereth blindness, thou shalt so possess,

Since thou prefereth not to hear, thou wilt be filled with deafness!

Light wilt lose his place of rejection,

Light wilt inherit all the grandeur you so now possess,

Thou wilt walk in the path Light once walked,

A pain in the sight of others, and a thorn in their flesh!

Since thou despiseth the sacrifice and pain,

Dear Light endureth for thine sake,

Affliction wilt followeth thee like a shadow

And thou wilt learn of the pain in Light's heart!

Thou wilt come to realize, that thou possesseth no right,

To bear any kind of grudge against my Dear Son, the Light!

Thou wilt be filled with resentment, for thine very own self!

As thou realizeth that thine unquenchable fury, tis unjustified!"

When Zion had finished singing, the bond between Zan and Zanfar broke apart.

"Finally, we're apart! I will not allow you to dominate my mind Zanfar!" I declared.

"As long as I have this body; just this body; I still have the advantage!" Zanfar roared as he charged towards me; and then he blasted me through my chest with a fistful of the Raging Ultraviolet barrage.

I was pulled out of Zanbӧngfar's body and fell to the ground.

"ZAN!" Ayumi called to me.

I was bleeding severely.

"Zan! Hang on!" she called.

"I'm tired…so very tired" I said and shut my eyes.

Ayumi frowned and stood up. She called to her sigil and the Pyrogeysers appeared instead. Ayumi stared at them and realized their significance.

"ZAAAAN!!!" she called.