EPISODE 7; THE TOWER OF TRIALS

Before I start to narrate the events that took place on this day, I ask all of you smartasses who think they know it all not to question any of the events I will be narrating. That‟s because, although I‟m narrating this story from my point of view, I‟m also acting as an omniscient narrator plus I‟m the Dreamweaver so I‟ve had time to recall and analyse every event in detail. Now we are clear on that, let the story begin!

Ayumi found herself lying among the lunar flowers. I lay beside her.

"I love you Ayumi" I confessed.

Ayumi stared into my eyes and took my hand in hers.

"I wish we could always be together. You and I…just like this…forever" she said.

"As long as I‟m here, you don‟t have to worry about anything Ayumi" I assured her.

"I love you Zan" Ayumi confessed.

Then she kissed me. I felt like I was in Heaven. That was until everything started turning dark. Suddenly, the Nightmare King appeared and grabbed me.

"You two are a nice couple but such a romance cannot be allowed to exist because it stands in the way of my plans! Say goodbye to your precious dream boy, Ayumi Kirisawa!" the Nightmare King laughed as he took me away in a cloud of black smoke.

"ZAN NOOO!!!" Ayumi screamed as she sprang up from her bed.

She was sweating profusely and shivering all over.

"It was a dream, it was just a dream! Thank goodness" she sighed in relief as she got up and rushed out of her bedroom towards mine, but when she opened the door, I was nowhere to be found.

"What? Zan‟s not here?!" she exclaimed in fear and charged down the stairs.

She met Ai in the hall, reading a book.

"Ai? Where is Zan? I can‟t find him anywhere" Ayumi said worriedly.

"He‟s outside with dad. Today is the initiation ceremony so dad is training him for what he‟s going to face" Ai said nonchalantly.

Ayumi rushed outside.

"Zan!" she called out.

I was engrossed in my duel with Mr Kirisawa. We were using wooden swords since Mr Kirisawa thought fighting with our sigils would be dangerous. I just managed to block one of Mr Kirisawa‟s attacks when I heard Ayumi calling. I looked towards the direction of her voice and saw her coming out of the house.

"Oh hi there Ayu, can‟t talk now or your dad will pulverise me" I said as I blocked another strike.

Ayumi sighed gratefully.

"I‟m glad Zan is safe" Ayumi said with a happy smile.

Mr Kirisawa and I duelled till my wooden sword suddenly snapped.

"Crap" I muttered in defeat.

"You‟ve really improved Zan. You‟re really amazing. No one has ever improved so much in a single morning" Mr Kirisawa praised me.

"Thank you very much sir but I think Ayumi deserves the credit for that, and Ai too" I said happily.

"I think I‟ll take a shower and continue with Phantasy Star Universe. I‟ve still got this Adahna de Gahna thing to defeat" I said as I walked into the house.

Ayumi followed me.

"Zan, I don‟t like the idea of you becoming a Dream Knight, especially in these dangerous times" she said.

"And you didn‟t like it before you lost your memories of me but we discussed it and you said you‟d like working with me" I said.

"I-I did?" Ayumi asked.

"Yep! Don‟t worry about me. I‟m not as defenceless as you think" I said with a laugh.

Ayumi frowned and climbed the stairs. She stopped halfway and turned to face me.

"Don‟t get any ideas because of the fun we had yesterday. From now on, I‟m going to be tough on you!" she threatened.

"Ooooh? And she‟s still got the attitude. That‟s what I like about you Ayu!" I placed emphasis on her name.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that!" Ayumi roared and let out an exasperated sigh.

Then she walked up the stairs angrily. I followed her till I reached my bedroom and then I entered and shut the door behind me. I took off my shirt, threw it on the bed and entered the bathroom. As I tried to empty my pockets, something fell out. I looked down and saw a necklace with a horn in it. I picked it up and smiled. It was a necklace Wanye had given me on my eighteenth birthday.

"Listen Zan, you are now a man and though you are not in your homeland, you must carry the honour and pride of your tribe. This necklace is a symbol of the courage of your ancestors, my forefathers. It was won by my ancestor, the great Sanziri when he defeated Nimfar, an evil demon that took the form of a giant rhinoceros to terrorize our village. It is now yours. Let it give you the courage you need to fight and conquer your fears. Always remember that the strength of our ancestors lives in you now" I recalled Wanye‟s words to me on my eighteenth birthday.

I took my bath and wore the necklace around my neck. It felt warm, and though the horn was small, the necklace felt strangely heavy. After dressing up, I picked up the bag containing the videogames and walked downstairs. I walked to the hall and placed the bag on the ground. Ayumi was lying on the couch, reading a book as usual. After connecting the console to the television set, I placed the PSU disc into the game console but Ayumi glared at me.

"Go and take breakfast before you start playing any games!" she scolded me. "Yes mother" I sneered and walked to the dining table.

My back was turned towards Ayumi so I didn‟t see her smile. I ate as quickly as I could and rushed back to the hall.

"Nyeah!" I made a face at Ayumi and switched on the console.

Soon I was engrossed in the game but it took quite a while to reach the part where I would battle the Adahna de Gahna because my last save point was quite a ways away. When the time finally came for my face off with the Adahna de Gahna, I was so infuriated by Dohgi Mikuna‟s foolishness (PSU fans will probably relate) that I defeated it quite easily and gained an Srank. But then, I began to have doubts. This was just a game. If I were in Ethan‟s shoes, would I have the courage to face that monster?

After completing Chapter 8 of Phantasy Star Universe, I decided to try out Kingdom Hearts II and after watching the opening video, which was really cool by the way, I was impressed. I played and played and didn‟t even notice how sleepy I was becoming. I eventually lost myself to sleep in the process. I wasn‟t sure of how long I had slept. All I knew was that, in my dreams, I longed to be united with my parents. Ayumi noticed the tears streaming down my eyes.

"Rest well Zan, I hope that your dreams are happy ones" she said as she removed the PS2 controller from my hand and placed it a distance away from me, then she switched off the T.V.

"Yes mom, I‟m happy with Ayumi" I murmured much to Ayumi‟s surprise.

I was sleep talking. Ayumi smiled and returned to reading her book. Many hours passed with me deep in my sleep. I soon felt a light tap on my shoulder.

"Zan, Zan, wake up. It‟s sunset. Your initiation will begin soon" I heard Ayumi‟s gentle voice.

It was so gentle that when I woke up, I couldn‟t tell at first whether I was looking at Ayumi or Ai.

"How long was I sleeping?" I asked Ayumi.

"Almost the whole day. Hopefully, you are feeling refreshed" Ayumi said.

I yawned. Soon Mr Kirisawa and Ai appeared before me in their knight armour.

"It‟s time Zan" Mr Kirisawa said as he stretched his hand.

I held his hand and he helped me to my feet.

"How are we going to travel into the Dream World?" I asked curiously.

"If you hadn‟t already conquered your fear, we would have knocked you unconscious but since you‟ve already awakened your sigil, you can travel like us. The sigil normally acts as a weapon to fight against Nightmares, but it has other functions which you will discover with time. Its basic function is to act like a key that opens the Mirror Gate‟s through and through function. You will need a real knight to lead you through but you‟ve got us so no worries. Your sigil will have to be in direct contact with at least one of ours for you to be able to travel through the Mirror Gate" Mr Kirisawa explained. "I AM PRINCE AYZAN NIGHTBANE! IN MY TIME OF NEED I SUMMON THEE SIGILS OF LIGHT! HEED MY CALL!!!" I commanded and Ai no Hikari appeared in a flash of bright light.

My armour too had changed. It was silvery-white, just like my sword.

"What is that sword? It is not the Nightbane" Mr Kirisawa asked me.

"Ai no Hikari. It‟s the light of love, but how do I know this?" Ayumi said in a puzzled tone.

I smiled.

"It‟s because though your mind doesn‟t remember, your heart does. You are specially connected to this sword. This sword is my will to protect you" I said.

"So I guess it can‟t be called the Nightbane anymore" Ai said.

"What are you going to call it?" Ayumi asked me.

"I want its name to match its appearance and symbolize hope. I‟ve got it! I‟ll call it Silver Dream!" I exclaimed happily.

"It sounds a bit odd but I actually like it" Ayumi said with a teasing smile.

"Zan, since you‟re not yet a knight, you‟ll be the point of contact" Mr Kirisawa said.

"What‟s that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"It means stand in the middle silly! We‟ll form a circle around you. You must raise your sigil in front of you so that we can all touch your sigil with ours, got it?" Ayumi said harshly.

"Take it easy on him Ayu, he doesn‟t really understand these things yet" Ai advised.

I raised my sigil up vertically. Ai, Ayumi and Mr Kirisawa touched it with the tips of their sigils.

"As faithful knights of the Dream King, we call to thee Eternal Mirror Gate.

Let us through into thine kingdom of Dreams" the three Dream Knights chanted and in a flash of brilliant white light, we were carried through what seemed like a passage of elements.

I shut my eyes tightly, and when I opened them, I found myself in a huge, dark hall. The torches on the walls suddenly lit up and a bright light filled the hall. I looked around. There were many people about my age, in that hall.

"Are all these people going to be initiated?" I asked Mr Kirisawa.

"Only if they can pass the trials in this tower" Mr Kirisawa said.

"Trials? What trials?" I asked worriedly.

"I cannot tell you because even I do not know. There is a different set of trials for each team of aspiring Dream Knights" Mr Kirisawa explained.

"Hmmph! You didn‟t think becoming a Dream Knight would be easy, did you?" Ayumi said proudly.

"Ayumi, Ai, let‟s go and greet the Chancellor. Zan, stay here and try not to make enemies" Ai advised and they left me alone.

I wandered aimlessly, not sure of what I wanted to do. I was trying to get used to the hall when all of a sudden I bumped into someone.

"Hey! Watch where you‟re going you clumsy fool!" a feminine voice insulted me.

"I-I‟m so sorry. It‟s just that I‟ve never been to the Dream World before so I‟m still getting used to it" I said apologetically.

"Apology accepted but watch yourself. Jeez I hope I do not have a clumsy guy like you for a partner" she sighed and walked away.

I stood there for a while, feeling insulted and very hurt.

"Don‟t mind her. It‟s just typical of a girl. They‟re all the same. They think we guys are burdens. Jeez, if I‟m paired with such a pain as that Victoria Arthur, I‟ll hang myself upside down for seven years, perform two hundred press ups on sharp sigils and become a henchman for the Nightmare King" a boy my age complained to me.

He was partly fair and partly dark in complexion.

"Sounds painful" I said with a laugh.

"Nothing is as painful as being near that proud Vikki Arthur. She is the definition of pain!" the boy said.

"More like the avatar of pain" I joked and we laughed.

"Hey, my name is Boniface Kenyah. I‟m half Ghanaian, half English. You can call me Face for short" he introduced himself.

"You‟re a Ghanaian?! Me too! My name is Zan! It means Dream!" I said happily.

"Cool! Guess we‟re homeboys. I hope we end up on the same team though I‟m not sure of my skills" Face said.

"You‟re one to talk. I feel like I just ate a pot of flames" I said worriedly.

Meanwhile, Ayumi and Ai were speaking with the Chancellor.

"Did you bring the boy?" the Chancellor asked.

"Yes, and there‟s something else. You must know that the first soul of evil…"

"Has already been defeated" the Chancellor interrupted Mr Kirisawa. "We already know that. I‟m sure even the aspiring Dream Knights may have heard about it by now. A boy wielding the Nightbane, who is not a Dream Knight yet, defeated the first soul of evil and recovered the gem of fire. Rumour spreads fast. Even the Nightmare King knows this" he said.

"Then I need not say more, here is the gem of fire" Mr Kirisawa said as he handed the gem to the Chancellor.

"The boy did well. I‟m sure he will pass the test" the Chancellor said.

As I was talking with Face, I heard the sound of a huge bell being tolled.

"It‟s time" Face said.

I looked ahead. All the aspiring Dream Knights were gathering around a stage where the Dream Knights had assembled with the Chancellor. The Chancellor walked forward till he stood at the edge of the stage. There were murmurs among the aspiring Dream Knights.

"The time for your trial is here. I am glad to see that there are many of you who wish to defend the Dream World but know this, for those of you who pass the test, your journey will be a hard one wrought with countless dangers. There will be times you will be forced to make tough decisions that will decide the ultimate fate of the Dream World. However, I believe in you. The Dream King and the Dream Knights believe in you but it is now a question of whether you believe in yourselves or not. You must face the Nightmare king‟s treachery. You might even lose allies and close friends but you must never lose sight of the ultimate goal, to restore the Dream World to its former glory" the chancellor said.

There were loud cheers and applause.

"I leave it now to the Flame Knight Ayumi Kirisawa to explain the stages of your trial" the Chancellor said.

Ayumi walked to where the Chancellor stood. There were loud cheers from the aspiring Dream Knights.

"Face? Why are they cheering Ayumi?" I asked.

"You‟ve got to be kidding me right? Ayumi Kirisawa, the Flame Knight! She‟s a living legend. She is the only person who became a Dream Knight at the age of seven. She single-handedly defended a Dream Village from invasion by Nightmares. Haven‟t you heard of the battle of Black Water Bridge?" Face asked me.

"Nah, I guess I‟m the most ignorant there is" I joked.

"Silence!" Ayumi commanded and the uproar died down.

"To get straight to the point, there are two main stages to your trial. First, you will be grouped into teams of three by the oracle of dreams, Lightgazer.

Next, you must enter the Tower Of Trials and fight your way to the top.

Each member of every team will face his weakness in a single level and there are three levels. Only by defeating your weakness can the team proceed to the next level. Once you enter the Tower, there is no turning back. The only way you can get out is by completing the set trials or if one member of a team gives up completely, or loses consciousness…or dies" Ayumi said.

There was a collective gulp by the aspiring Dream Knights.

"I must also warn you of another danger. Not every obstacle you face will be placed there by us. Some obstacles have been placed there by the Nightmare King that even we do not know about. Likewise, not all the creatures you face will be non-lethal. Remember, the trials you will face are the equivalent of an average Dream knight‟s and I don‟t need to tell you that the risk will be high. You must be strategic. Avoid displaying your weaknesses constantly and remember to keep a level head in all situations. A nightmare is simply the manifestation of your fears. It cannot defeat you as long as you have courage. Take care and…good luck. Oh, and one more thing. Some of you can already summon sigils. It doesn‟t in any way make your trials less difficult" Ayumi said, then she turned and walked to the other Dream Knights.

Almost immediately after Ayumi had spoken, there was a brilliant flash of light and we, the aspiring Dream Knights, disappeared. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a very bright room.

"Oh no! Don‟t tell me I‟m stuck with you two!" I heard an annoyingly familiar voice.

"You are one to talk Vikki! I‟m totally disgusted to be in the same team as you!" I heard Face‟s voice.

I looked around and saw Victoria and Face.

"How did we end up here?" I asked Face.

"Great! I just had to end up with an ignoramus as well" Victoria complained. "Do you mean…?" I asked.

"Yes Zan, unfortunately for us, we‟re stuck with Victoria Arthur. Lightgazer chose us to be a team" Face said regretfully.

"Don‟t think I like being stuck with you. I‟d very much prefer to be partners with the guy who defeated Cowardice. He must be really strong and handsome" Victoria said dreamily.

"Yeah, but I‟m not sure he can cope with an extra romance" I thought to myself.

"So what are we supposed to do?" I asked.

"Ayumi did say we must enter some Tower Of Trials but first, I think we must get out of here" Face said.

"HAHAHA! You must indeed find your way out of here but it is not going to be as easy as you think!" a sinister voice suddenly said.

A moment later, the entire room became darker than night. I suddenly felt an evil presence around us.

"Face! Victoria! Do you feel that?!" I asked.

"Feel what?" Face asked me.

"Well, you‟re not a total loser after all. You have sharp senses" Victoria said.

"What are you guys talking about?" Face asked.

"This one‟s still as clueless as ever. Your name is Zan, right? Can you summon a sigil already?" Victoria asked me.

"No, I can‟t" I lied because I did not want her to know that I was the one who defeated Cowardice.

"But I can. I BONIFACE KENYAH CALL ON THEE SIGILS OF EARTH TO AID ME IN MY TIME OF NEED!" Boniface roared and I could feel a strong sigil appear in his hand though I could not see it.

"You summoning your sigil will not help since you cannot sense the position of the Nightmares!" Victoria scolded.

"DUCK!" I ordered and we all fell to the ground and felt a sharp wind pass over us.

"Gimme your sigil Face!" I ordered as I snatched Face‟s sigil.

It wasn‟t a sword and it was very heavy.

"A double Tomahawk? Cool! Now I‟ll show „em! EARTH CRUSHER!" I roared as I struck the ground with all the strength I could muster.

There were shrieks and howls as an earthquake rocked the area. When the quake stopped, the evil presence on the ground could be felt no more, but there was still an evil presence hanging in the air.

"Let me deal with this! I VICTORIA ARTHUR DO SUMMON THEE SIGILS OF WIND TO AID ME IN MY TIME OF NEED!" Victoria called and I saw a faint white light that took the form of a crossbow.

I heard three quick shots, a blood-curdling shriek and then, there was silence. I could no longer feel the evil presence.

"Face, did you actually get rid of the evil creatures on the ground?" Victoria asked as though she couldn‟t believe Face was capable of such a feat.

"No, that was Zan" Face said.

"But I didn‟t hear Zan summon his sigil" Victoria said.

"That‟s because he took them out with my sigil! He just grabbed my sigil and SMACK!" Face said.

"WHAT?! You are lying Face! You know that‟s impossible! It‟s like saying Zan held your soul in his hands!" Victoria scolded Face.

"It‟s true! In fact, Zan is still holding my sigil!" Face argued.

Victoria focused and the light surrounding her sigil became stronger, and truly enough, Face‟s Tomahawk was in my hands. I saw the surprised look on their faces and wondered what the big deal was.

"You can have it back Face. I‟m sorry I snatched it without asking" I said as I handed the Double Tomahawk to Face.

"Look! Zan‟s attack created an opening. Let‟s get out and find the Tower Of Trials!" Victoria suddenly said.

She arrogantly took the lead and we humbly followed. When we were outside, we looked back to see where we had been but the building had disappeared.

"That‟s weird" I said.

"Well, it‟s the Dream World. That Dream has passed. Now look ahead" Victoria pointed.

We looked ahead of us and saw a dense forest stretching far out and wide.

"Jeez! They didn‟t tell us we‟d have to find our way to the tower!" Face complained.

"If you can‟t come along, just quit for all I care! You are just holding the team back!" Victoria yelled.

"If Face quits, we all lose. It would mean we failed. We‟ll just have to do this together" I reminded them.

I could see that Victoria was feeling foolish for saying what she just said. Face on the other hand looked like he could strangle Victoria at any moment.

"Come on, we need each other. There‟s a reason Lightgazer put us in the same team. Let‟s work together as a team" I suggested.

"Hmmph!" Victoria and Face scoffed at each other.

I decided to take the lead. I walked towards the forest and soon, Face and Victoria were walking beside me. We entered the forest and kept walking. We heard a lot of spooky sounds but I did my best to heed Ayumi‟s advice to keep a level head at all times. We had only walked for five minutes when we heard an unearthly howl. I motioned to Face and Victoria to stop moving.

"What‟s wrong Zan?" Victoria asked me.

I glanced to my left and right. I could see a lot of shadowy figures behind the trees.

"We‟re surrounded" I said.

"Huh?" Face and Victoria glanced at me and sighed.

"When I give the command, summon your sigils simultaneously. Face, your sigil‟s strength lies in its weight but it might have an adverse effect on your centre of gravity. Try to take the monsters on the ground. Victoria…" I instructed but Victoria interrupted me.

"Yeah yeah, my sigil is more effective against flying nightmares. I figured that out for myself long ago so don‟t order me around!" Victoria said angrily as she summoned her crossbow.

Face summoned his Double Tomahawk as well.

"ARRROOOOHHHH!!!" the terrifying howl sounded again and before we could say „Jack where are you?‟, we found ourselves surrounded by about fifty wolfbanes. Wolfbane is the dream equivalent of a werewolf, except for one thing. Actually, it‟s three things;

1. Their fangs are longer, sort of like sabre-teeth.

2. Their claws are as long as Ayumi‟s scimitars.

3. Their entire body except for the head is covered in silver armour, which by the way is part of their skin.

I had to learn the hard way. Face charged to attack the wolfbanes and I tell you, his sigil was very strong! Victoria was dealing with the crowbats that were attacking from the sky and I was shouting orders and evading the attacks of the monsters at the same time. Face managed to eliminate about twenty of the wolfbanes and Victoria was doing well with the crowbats but her arrows were not hurting the wolfbanes. Face was pinned to the ground by two wolfbanes and he was barely managing to prevent them from taking a fatal bite from his neck.

"Zan! Help!" I heard Victoria scream and when I turned to see why, I was frozen with terror.

A crowbat had snatched Victoria from the ground and was carrying her towards the tower.

"VICTORIA!!!" I called.

"Z-Zan, help Victoria" I heard Face struggle to say.

"Face, I‟m sorry" I apologized.

Face was still trying to ford off the two wolfbanes and the others were surrounding us and constantly tightening the circle.

"Why are you apologizing? It‟s not your fault. You can‟t summon your sigil yet" Face said.

"About that, I‟ve got a confession to make. When I said I couldn‟t summon my sigil…I lied. I AM PRINCE AYZAN NIGHTBANE! IN MY TIME OF NEED I SUMMON THEE SIGILS OF LIGHT! HEED MY CALL!" I

roared and in a brilliant flash of silvery-white light, I was clothed in silverywhite armour with ancient symbols engraved on it.

In my hand, the worst Nightmare of all Nightmares was resting, and that

was…THE SILVER DREAM! LET HIM GO IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!" I threatened the wolfbanes.

They growled in anger.

"You do not scare us Prince Nightbane!" they growled with hatred.

"Then, I will not spare you!" I roared as I crouched focusing all my power to my feet.

I suddenly charged, cracking the ground in the process. I raced with amazing speed. All Face could see was a silvery wind. I attacked the wolfbanes and defeated them, all except for the ones holding Face down. I looked at Face and smiled teasingly.

"Need any help Face?" I asked.

"Nah! Leave these ones to me!" Face said as he gained new strength and pushed back with his Double Tomahawk.

I was amazed at how easily Face was fording the wolfbanes off. In a matter of seconds, he had defeated them both.

"Great! So now, let‟s go rescue Victoria!" I declared.

"It just had to turn into your typical save the princess story. Jeez! That Victoria is always complicating everything!" Face complained.

We ran through the forest battling all forms of Nightmares that crossed our paths. When we finally arrived at the foot of the tower, we were totally exhausted.

"Haaahh! And to think our trials are yet to begin!" Face complained.

"Heh! We can‟t stop now. We‟ve got to rescue Victoria!" I declared and almost immediately, the huge doors leading into the tower opened.

There was a scary flash of lightning, and in that flash, I saw the true form of the tower. It wasn‟t just a tower of trials, it was a tower of horrors.

Face gulped.

"Did you see what I just saw?" Face asked me.

"Yeah, but there‟s no turning back now, we‟re going in there!" I declared.