EPISODE 23: BETTER HALF

I stood within Ayumi's mind. I saw her memories, all of them. Do you now understand why I can narrate her past with such detail and why I said I could because I was the Dreamweaver? Wait, wait, wait; don't tell me you actually thought the first two books I told you about my life were just full of meaningless jokes. You really did, didn't you?

It wasn't until I stood within Ayumi's memories after invoking Better Half that I finally understood how different, yet similar we were. I finally, truly understood Ayumi. I saw her memories of her parents and what she endured as a child. I saw her memories of the evil souls, of Cowardice and Chaos and her dreams and fears of watching me turn into Zanfar and slay her. I saw her murder Wanye and saw all the guilt that came from it…and I finally saw that Ayumi really did love me. It wasn't guilt that made her take me into her household. It was concern. I fell in love with her of my own will and she didn't know until after Enslavement's defeat that she was the one that killed Wanye. All this time I'd fought for Ayumi's love and felt it get farther and farther from my reach. The only thing that kept her from confessing her love for me was the fear she had of me believing what I did now, that she'd only manipulated me to protect herself. The only thing that kept her love from me was myself.

I sighed and fell on my knees as tears flowed down my eyes. And this is where I finally cried the cry I told you about in the Book Of Chaos.

"How could I not forgive you now Ayumi?" I wept.

I shut my eyes and tried to regain my composure. I took in a deep breath and calmed down.

By now, I don't need to tell you that I'm quite a crybaby.

"Ayumi!" I called.

I had to find her and break her free from the prison of her own feelings.

"Ayumi!" I called again.

I ran through her mind, through her memories, seeking her. I searched her good memories which were quite many but mostly suppressed and her bad memories which were much more and running amok in her mind.

"Ayumi!" I called over and over again.

I looked everywhere and finally found something. In a memory she had that appeared to be different from the others were four songs. Two appeared to be unique. They stretched in the form of musical notes into even deeper memories. One song appeared to be a song Ayumi liked but did not give much thought to and the fourth song appeared to be broken, yet transcendent. It might have been a song she knew in her past and forgot. The three songs were songs I had sang to Ayumi, "Possible", "Dawn Of God With Human Beings", and "Lunar Flower". The final song was a song I did not recognize but seemed strangely familiar. The melody was something I recalled but its lyrics were something I couldn't hear no matter how much I tried. It might have been a song her mother sang to her as a child, I thought.

The broken song lowered itself before me and became a flight of stairs. I climbed the notes of the broken song and followed its path. But when I reached the break in the song, it was like a wide chasm I couldn't cross.

"This is a song Ayumi deeply treasures. In fact, it is the song she treasures the most" I thought.

I smiled.

I don't know the lyrics but looking at the progression of the sounds, it appears the next notes would be…I said as I hummed the melodies I had stepped on so far and finally added in what I felt the song should be like.

As I did that, my own memories became mixed in with Ayumi's. I realized I had definitely heard that song before. The reason I couldn't recall its lyrics was because I was too young then to comprehend words. As my memories and Ayumi's began to mix together, the melody of the song in my memories fused with the words in Ayumi's and I finally understood the song.

"I finally see it. This song is not just a song, but a saga…a myth of elements and the trials of fire, water, light and darkness" I thought.

But the song in itself did not appear to be complete. It spoke only of three elements of virtue and the corresponding soul of evil to only one of the mentioned but to complete it and pacify the agitated souls, it might have to speak of seven. It was just a feeling I had at the time. Along the song's path, a new melody became interweaved with the original melody. It wasn't exactly as though they merged but the other song that mixed itself within the song was a song I had sang to Ayumi myself. I could not understand what I was feeling and I did not believe I would, so I treasured it within myself and walked on.

Eventually, the songs led me to a silver orb with runes of terror written all over them. The orb was thick as mist and I couldn't see anything within it.

"Ayumi! Are you in there?!" I called to her.

"Z-Zan?" I heard a sorrowful voice.

The songs made me feel that the person within the orb wished to disappear for good.

"Ayumi!" I called to her.

"Zan! Is that really you?" I heard her call sorrowfully.

"Yes, it's me, Zan. Are you okay?" I asked her.

"What are you doing here? You hate me. You have no reason to be here and I don't blame you" Ayumi said.

"I know" I said.

"I've come to get you out of here" I said.

"I don't think you can. I don't want to leave. I don't want to wake up in a world where you hate me" she said.

"You sound so childish when you say that. You're not really as merciless as you portray yourself to be. You know that, don't you?" I asked her.

"I was so selfish. Even after you told me in another timeline to tell you the truth…I couldn't. I even accepted help from Chaos…and look where it has landed me" Ayumi said.

I remained silent.

"I'm a foolish girl who remains naïve even after seeing so much. After my experiences with Cowardice, I fell for Chaos' lies as well" Ayumi said.

"Well…I'm not sure Chaos was lying. He said he'd help you with me. And I'm here even after knowing the truth…aren't I?" I asked Ayumi.

I heard Ayumi stand up and approach the part of the orb my voice was coming from.

"Where are you Zan? I can't see you" I heard her call to me.

"I'm right beside you" I reassured her.

"How do I know it's really you? It's impossible to forgive me for what I've done to you. I took away your only family! Can you truly forgive me? It's impossible Zan!" Ayumi said.

"Well…are you sorry?" I asked her.

I was doing quite a good job of hiding the anguish in my voice. It was a good thing Ayumi could not see my face then.

"I am" Ayumi said.

"Tell me, why did you do it Ayu?" I asked her.

"I thought at the time…I feel really foolish admitting it now Zan but I felt…it was justice. One life could not possibly be worth more than the lives of all of humanity. Since the day I became a Dream Knight Zan, I've always referred to you as an abomination. I almost never actually called you 'Dreamweaver'" I heard Ayumi say.

"You felt…it was justice" I muttered.

"Now I realize…it might have indeed been justice…but it still does not change the fact that it was murder" Ayumi said.

I heard her drop to the ground.

"Are you okay Ayu?!" I called worriedly.

"Ayu? I don't know why. After beating you and telling you not to call me that for so long…it sounds so reassuring" Ayumi said.

"Ayu, if I told you now that I've forgiven you, it would most likely be a spur of the moment thing. It might be a lie in the end you know?" I said.

"I know" Ayumi said with a sigh.

I slumped to the ground and sat with my back against the orb. Behind the orb, Ayumi was doing the same.

"Killing you would be justice you know? An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" I muttered.

"I know" Ayumi said.

"And if I decided to do it…you'd just accept it?" I asked her.

"It is justice…a life for a life" Ayumi said.

"You're insane" I said.

"If you don't want to hear stuff like that, try not to be so straightforward" I heard Ayumi say.

"I'm not going to lie to you Ayu. Right now, I want to kill you" I said.

"I know" Ayumi said.

"And stop saying you know and listen, it's starting to sound really creepy" I said.

"I'm sorry" Ayumi said.

"I want to kill you Ayu but…I just can't bring myself to picture your death" I said.

Ayumi remained silent.

"I can't bring myself to wish death upon you Ayu. I want you to live, even without me by your side…but I can't say that I forgive you just yet" I said.

Behind the orb, Ayumi was in tears.

"So Ayumi, if instead of killing you, I asked you to live…would you accept it?" I asked her.

"Y-You really want me…to live?" she asked me.

"I do" I said.

"And how do I do that. How can I live knowing I took your only family from you" Ayumi said.

"Don't be so dramatic Ayu. Heh, you're forgetting my dad's still alive" I laughed.

"It's impossible to believe. How can you just forgive me and let me go without any punishment" Ayumi asked.

"You're not getting off scot free Ayu. You said you're sorry. Now you're going to have to live the rest of your life with the weight of that sin on your conscience. You'll have to face it and the fear that comes from it Ayu. Besides, if it makes you feel better, think of it this way…I'm letting you live until I become Zanfar and destroy the world" I said with a forced laugh.

Somehow, Ayumi saw through my laughter.

"You're such a bad liar" she said.

"What's your problem?! I the one who's supposed to be depressed, say I want you the one who is supposed to be begging to live so why do you want to play the role of the depressed one instead?! Don't make me come in there and whack some sense into that head of yours Ayu cos I will!" I threatened her.

"How are you going to save me? Have you even thought about that?" Ayumi asked me.

"Heh…it's easy. I've been doing it all along. I just have to give you my heart…but it has always belonged to you Ayu" I laughed.

I could hear Ayumi sob.

"I give you my heart Ayu. Every part of me that loves you truly, will you accept my heart?" I asked her.

"Dumbass…my heart has always belonged to you. How could you even ask that?" I heard Ayumi say as the orb slowly began to turn crimson, then bright orange…then it melted away.

It was at this moment the other me was singing "possible" to the other Ayumi in the other timeline. This was the moment that Ayumi finally gained consciousness and the will to live.

When the orb had finally vanished, Ayumi and I sat back to back.

I turned around to face her as she turned to face me.

"Ayu" I called to her gently.

"Zan!" she cried as she hugged me tightly and burst into tears.

A bright golden light began to flow from my heart into hers and the light from my eyes flowed into hers. The bright light flashed through both our minds and then we both began to feel an excruciating pain. I clenched my jaw to deal with the pain. Ayumi shut her eyes and clenched her jaw as well.

"What's happening" she said in concern.

"Our hearts are binding. It's definitely got to be painful. It means you understand the pain I feel…as much as I understand yours. Oh…and one more thing, from now on…you're no longer just Ayumi the Flame Knight. You're a Dreamweaver as well so there, I suckered you into becoming the abomination you always thought I was" I laughed.

Ayumi laughed as well.

On the outside, there was a sudden release of energy and I was thrown to the ground.

"Ouch!" I screamed in pain.

I shut my eyes. They were hurting.

I heard Ayumi's breath become stronger.

"She's starting to look much healthier!" Ai exclaimed happily.

"Those marks are completely gone too!" I heard Face say.

"But what happened to her hair? It's completely changed colour. Her dark hair is now golden brown in colour" Victoria said.

"Zan, are you alright?!" I heard Mr Kirisawa call to me with concern.

I opened my eyes. I couldn't see my surroundings clearly. Everything looked blurred.

"Zan, are you okay?!" Mr Kirisawa called to me.

"I'm fine" I said as I shook my head and tried to focus my vision.

In time, I began to see more clearly.

"Zan, what happened to you? Whoa…your eyes. They're no longer…golden. They now look dark brown" Face said.

At that moment, I heard Ayumi sit up and turned to face her.

She took in a deep breath. She also appeared to have a little difficulty seeing because she was rubbing her eyes. She attempted to open her eyes but it appeared the light from even the last sliver of sunlight was too much for her. I drew the curtains in her room facing outside.

"Th-Thank you…Zan" she said as she raised her eyes to look at her surroundings.

I gasped.

"A-Ayumi?" I exclaimed.

"Whoa! What happened?! Did those two switch eyes?! I hope they didn't switch Zanfar as well or we might be facing one mean lady in our final battle!" Face joked.

"Watch your mouth Face!" Victoria warned.

"Don't worry. Zanfar won't come after Ayumi. He's after much more than just the power of a Dreamweaver. Besides, Ayumi is a Demi-Dreamweaver now" I said.

"I thought you said Dreamweaver was just…" Victoria was about to say when…

"Whatever the case, it's not a title I intend to throw away just yet. Even if it is a term Zanfar coined, I am the Dreamweaver…on my own terms!" I declared.

"You have a really tenacious will Zan. I admire your courage" Mr Kirisawa said.

Ayumi picked up a mirror and stared at her reflection.

"Z-Zan? Wh-What just happened?" she asked me.

"Don't worry" I said as I faced her.

My own eyes were now not so different from the usual colors human eyes normally possessed. (Just say they were brown for crying out loud!)

Ayumi exclaimed in horror.

"What have I done to you Zan?" she asked worriedly.

"I chose to hand all the feelings my Mom gave me to you to preserve your life. I handed the love that preserved my own heart to you. But don't worry, I'll survive" I laughed just before I collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness.

"Zan!" Ayumi called worriedly.

When I finally opened my eyes, it was night. I was back in my old room, where my life with the Kirisawas began. Ayumi sat beside me. I looked around. The room brought to me a strange feeling of nostalgia even though I had only left it a few days ago. But don't be deceived. In that moment, nostalgia to me was more like;

"Oh I see, my life is finally flashing before my eyes" I thought to myself.

"Zan, you're finally awake" Ayumi said.

I turned to look at her. Her eyes were lowered and she was trying as hard as possible to avoid looking into mine.

"How are you feeling Ayu?" I asked her.

"I should be the one asking! I didn't understand what you meant by, you were giving me your heart! I finally learnt what you meant from my dad. If I had known…I really wouldn't have…" Ayumi was saying when I interrupted her.

"Ayu, why do you think I phrased it in more romantic terms than saying, 'Hey Ayu, if I give you my heart, I'll turn into Zanfar and destroy the world while screaming out the usual final boss sentiments'" I said with a laugh.

"You're really cruel, you know?" Ayumi said.

She looked like she was going to cry again.

"I don't intend to die Ayu. I'm not a fan of tragedies, especially when they are directly tied to my life. If you think I'm trying to throw my life away, you're wrong. I've got a lot of reasons to keep living, and you are one of them" I said with a smile.

Ayumi stared at me in surprise.

"By the way Ayu, you have one messed up mind. Finding you in all of that was enough trouble" I teased her.

Ayumi began to growl angrily.

"And as usual, you always know how to make people angry" she said while clenching a fist.

"That's cruel Ayu. You can't solve every problem by hitting people you know?" I smart mouthed her.

"Heh, luckily, every problem concerning you can be solved by hitting you!" Ayumi roared.

"Aah! Dreamweaver smart-mouthed reversal?! I really shouldn't have handed you that part of myself. Give me back my heart Ayumi!" I declared.

"It's too late for that Zan, it's exclusively mine and I'm not sharing it, not even with you. You can have the fraction of mine I've given you" Ayumi teased.

"But there is one last thing we need to do Ayumi. I still cannot forgive you. Not until…WE HAVE A SHOWDOWN!" I challenged.

Ayumi looked surprised, then sad. The room remained silent for a while.

"Is…that what you really want Zan? You want to fight me?" she looked depressed.

At that moment, Victoria walked in. She noticed the awkward atmosphere.

"What's going on? You guys were laughing just moments before. I just came to check whether you guys were alright or not?" Victoria said.

"Zan wants to fight me" Ayumi said.

"That so huh? I hope you have a field day. I know I certainly did" Victoria said and walked out of the room while banging the door so hard we thought it was going to break.

THIRTY MINUTES LATER…

SOUL CALIBUR 2!!!

"Aah, I figured as much" Victoria muttered.

"When you said we were going to fight, I didn't think it'd be in a game of Soul Calibur" Ayumi said.

"Let's play!" I declared.

"How did the Soul Calibur disc get here Face?!" Victoria looked really annoyed.

"Umm, you know…I thought it would be productive to get some more practice since Zan beat me" Face said nervously.

"You finally admit it huh?" I chuckled sinisterly.

Ayu and I had finally decided on players. Mitsurugi vs Taki and I being as kind as I thought I was selected Shamshir, the longest blade for Mitsurugi I had garnered so far.

"And he wastes no time in gloating about it!" Face roared.

"Ayu, we'll finish this with a single hit deathmatch" I declared.

"Hmm, if you say so" Ayumi said.

"Don't listen to him Ayu! Go for an infinite life battle with the only possible win being a ring out! There is a reason that jerk is called the Dreamweaver! He can cause miracles in the game by using reality as a weapon and he doesn't even need to modify the game's code!" Face declared.

"Temae Face, what stunt are you trying to pull here moron!" I growled angrily.

"Looks like that's useful advice then. An infinite life showdown with no excuses" Ayumi said.

TWO MINUTES LATER…

Player 2 wins!

"I let go of the controller. I know we said infinite life…but that's just ridiculous. I couldn't even land a hit. It's inhumanly unfair!" I said.

I fell to the ground.

"How could I lose?! My world! My thirty hours spent on edge master mode. My experience! It hath all been for naught. This world…it must be erased! I WILL RECREATE THE RULING STRUCTURE OF THE…" I was saying when.

"MORON!" I received a blow from Face that sent me flying. "Even if you're joking, saying something like that sounds a hell of a lot too scary! Let's accept our losses like good men and move on. We'll become stronger!" Face declared.

"By the way Face, tomorrow I'm confiscating your memory card" Victoria said nonchalantly.

"So cruel! Just what limit is there to your cruelty Victoria! Wait a sec…I didn't realize it Zan but doesn't she act just like her name?" Face roared.

"She acts just like Xena. Victori-a will be ours!" I screamed.

"It's more like… "Everyone! Charge into battle! It is our destiny to win! Our destiny to be Victori-aus!" Face added.

"Grant us Victo-ri-a in this battle Zeus!" I added.

"Give me Victo-ri-a or give me death!" Face screamed.

"Y-O-O-O-U-U-U GU-U-U-UUYS!" Victoria growled. "I'VE NEVER BEEN SO MAD IN MY LIFE!"

"What did you hear Zan?" Face asked.

"T-E-E-E-MAE DA!!! SHINEEEE!!! (Bastards! Die!)" I said.

"I must definitely watch them anime in subs. Sometimes the subs are even more brutal than the actual words" Face said.

"I completely agree" I said while cleaning out my ear with my little finger.

"Ayu, let's have a real tag showdown with Face and Vikki" I suggested.

"A rematch in reality huh? That sounds quite interesting. Let's end this, my old nemesis" Face said with a sinister smile.

"Has our sense of friendship become that warped?" I asked expressionlessly. "I offer you my condolences then. I was thinking of tag teaming it up with you but if you're okay with teaming up with the Avatar Of Pain, good luck my good friend."

Face turned to look at Victoria. Somehow, the only scenario I could imagine then was…

"NO! NOT THE AVATAR OF PAIN!" Face screamed.

SHINRA TENSEI! (ALMIGHTY PUSH!) Sorry, couldn't help it.

It was probably 9:00pm by then when we all stood in the Kirisawa gardens.

"Wait what? We're going to fight in the garden? HOW INSENSITIVE COULD YOU GUYS POSSIBLY BE?!" Victoria screamed angrily.

Sorry, Vikki. She scolded Face and I so much we had to move it to the fields.

Face and I sighed.

"The Avatar Of Pain strikes again" we muttered.

"Let's call forth our sigils then. You guys got me involved in something bothersome" Victoria said.

She was already fed up.

"I'm really sorry about that Victoria. I'd be grateful if you could just bear with us for a few minutes" Ayumi apologized.

"Haaah?! Did she just say…?!" I exclaimed.

"I think she did" Face frowned.

"Huh?" Ayumi seemed surprised.

"Kirisawa Ayumi, are you trying to insinuate that you'll beat us in a few minutes?! In other words…!" I declared.

"You're saying we're that weak. Don't blame us…if someone doesn't come out of this alive!" Face declared and his Double Tomahawk was out in an instant.

"We'll see about that Face, Zan. You'll be lucky to be able to land within striking range of Ayumi's sigil" Victoria said as she summoned her crossbow.

"And I forgot she had a bothersome weapon as well" Face said with a smirk.

"What are you guys waiting for?!" Face yelled.

"Let's get this over with! Get your sigils out already, Zan! Ayumi!" Victoria agreed.

"Uh-um…how do I say this…I've forgotten what my sigil looks like. I can't even remember what it was called or the words used to summon it" I said with a nervous look on my face.

"Ayumi, could you please teach him how? I don't want to waste time teaching him the basics" Victoria said.

"Actually…I also forgot" Ayumi looked surprised.

"What?! What's going on here?!" Victoria roared angrily.

"Are you two for real?" Face agreed.

"Wait…I think it's coming back to me.

"I AM ZAN NIGHTBANE!" I called.

"I AYUMI KIRISAWA…SUCCESSOR TO THE PATH OF THE CLEANSING BLAZE" Ayumi called.

"Aren't their words all messed up?" Face asked.

"IN MY TIME OF NEED DO I CALL ON THEE" I called.

"DO CALL UPON THEE, SYMBOL OF THE BURNING STARLIGHT!" Ayumi called.

"Now I know they're definitely messing the words up" Face said.

"PYROSTELLIS LUMINARES!!!" Ayumi and I called out together.

"Wait! They just called out the same name!" Victoria seemed surprised.

There was a loud explosion in the sky as the clouds suddenly disappeared. The moon appeared brightly. Surrounding the moon was a host of uncountable stars. As we raised our eyes to the sky, the world we stood on appeared to grow smaller and smaller, until we felt as though we were among the stars themselves. The universe flowed around us in harmony. As we watched, twin blades of unimaginable power fell to the earth. Ayumi and I stared at one another.

"Finally…our sigils are one. We are now completely a part of one another" Ayumi said as she grabbed hold of one of the blades.

It was a blade with the colour of the day and surrounded by an intense golden flame. I grabbed hold of the other blade. It was a blade, the colour of night with a host of stars floating all about it like sparks, fireflies…well, you can get the picture now. When both blades were in our hands, a cord appeared on their hilts binding my arm and blade to Ayumi's. The cord appeared to be capable of stretching almost endlessly, binding us, yet without imprisoning us.

"PYROSTELLIS LUMINARES! FULLY UNLEASHED!" we declared as the two blades resonated with one another.

"I don't know how you guys did that…but that's cheating! We don't even know the properties of your blade and we've never seen anything like that! How are we supposed to fight that?!" Face roared.

"I suppose since the blades bind us together. It would be unreasonable for us to try and fight one another. It would almost be like attempting to commit suicide" Ayumi said.

"But I still can't quite imagine how to fight with…this" I said.

"Heheh! Chance!" Victoria roared as she aimed her bow at us.

"H-Hey! Wait a minute Vikki! You could kill us!" I screamed worriedly but she wouldn't listen.

"An arrow is a versatile weapon but inexperienced as Victoria is, she only knows how to aim at something within a fixed trajectory. A weapon wielded without skill is about as useless as a stone being thrown by a child" Ayumi's voice rang within my head.

"Wait! Am I hearing your thoughts Ayu?" I exclaimed silently.

"I see, so this new sigil of ours allows us to share our thoughts" Ayumi said.

"And we're not even married yet" I said sarcastically.

"Here it comes, try not to die" Victoria declared as she shot two arrows simultaneously.

Her arrows headed for both of us.

"She's actually really good. It's not so easy to shoot two arrows at multiple targets. I can't even begin to picture how it's done since I haven't had much interest in archery" Ayumi thought to me.

Well, I think that would be the appropriate way to put it since we were not actually speaking to one another.

"Are we actually just standing here talking about it while two deadly arrows are heading our way?" I laughed nervously.

"You're right. Maybe…it's about time we dodge" Ayumi said.

"ABOUT TIME?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" I screamed out loud.

In an instant, I was out of the path of the arrows just as the other one missed Ayumi.

"What just happened?" I asked in surprise.

"Listen Zan. I think I'm beginning to figure Pyrostellis out" Ayumi thought.

"That was quick!" I thought back.

Face charged to attack us now. We stood our ground observing them.

"Ayu, isn't Face a bit slower than usual?" I asked her.

"He looks pretty normal to me" Ayumi replied.

"I see" I muttered.

Victoria aimed an arrow at me while Face charged for Ayumi.

"They won't be able to react if we attack them simultaneously!" Victoria ordered.

"Thoughts travel faster than words spoken. We only believe we are as fast as our thoughts because our thoughts have to infinitely slow themselves down for the body to process. In reality, we process a large number of thoughts every moment but our body can't keep up with all those thoughts so they are logically filtered and their speed is suppressed" Ayumi thought to me.

"That's why with Pyrostellis and Luminares acting as the linchpin, we are allowed to communicate our thoughts much faster than the body can process. It's not logical. That's precisely why Face and Victoria's movements seem slower" I understood what Ayumi was trying to say.

"And our thoughts do not always necessarily need to be expressed in words" Ayumi said as I instantly dodged Victoria's arrow.

Face's Tomahawk was raised. He was about to bring it down on Ayumi. I stepped back and observed Ayumi's body react instantaneously to Face's strike. His sigil hit the ground. I stepped forward and reached for his Tomahawk, my hand grabbed his. I used my own force to move Face towards the path he was headed while using his forward motion to propel my own effort to get behind him. As his body continued its motion forward, I placed my foot in his path breaking his stance. As he reeled forward, he was compelled to let go of his sigil. To ensure his safe fall, I caught him from behind and used the force of my weight to pull him back. Before he could fall, my foot was in his path again and he was thrown backwards while his sigil continued to roll forward in the air. Ayumi executed this perfectly.

"With the weight of his sigil, Face's centre of gravity is in complete chaos when he raises it" I thought to Ayumi.

"Thanks Zan. I might not have been able to react to that as well since there is a difference in our physical strength" Ayumi said.

"Wait, so Pyrostellis Luminares allows us not only to share our thoughts but everything from reflexes and experience, even strength" I thought in awe.

"It draws out and compares from the experiences of two linked souls, which is the best way to react to any given situation and implements it. Of course, that depends on how willing the other party is to disclose that information" Ayumi explained.

"But it also compensates for the strength the other party lacks to implement the solution by drawing the needed strength from the party doing the giving and balancing enough between both parties to ensure that their spiritual fortitude is always optimum. It is indeed the Dreamweaver's greatest weapon but I guess the only reason you've not been able to use it until now is that the only way to use it is to share it" Ayumi said with a smile.

"I guess so" I sighed.

"What's going on?! It's like you're not even paying attention to us yet you're reacting to everything we do!" Face declared.

In an instant, we stood before Victoria and him. Pyrostellis Luminares was close enough to their throats to send a clear message.

"You're wrong Face, we are paying attention" Ayumi said with a frightening look in her eyes.

"Haah, it's like you two are just playing. If we're not fighting for real, I give up" Face sighed.

"Victori-a is ours Face!" I said with a smirk. "That makes it my second win today".

"Whatever" Face muttered and walked away.

"Yeah, you were the ones that wanted to fight in the first place. Some of us need to get some rest you know. We've got to manage both our Dream Business and our human affairs" Victoria grumbled.

"Don't go firing anyone tomorrow morning" Face advised her as they walked to the park to get their cars.

"You guys" Ayumi laughed at them.

"Well, I've got to head back home as well. I'm with my Uncle Ananse now" I said.

Ayumi turned to look at me. She looked disappointed.

"Hey, a man's got to survive on his own you know or his pride will be crushed. Besides, with the crazy stunt your dad and mine pulled the other day, I won't be surprised if the next thing I sign will be adoption papers and out through the window goes my plans of wedding you in the future" I laughed. "Goodnight Ayu, and Merry Christmas" I said and started to walk away.

"Goodnight Zan" Ayumi said.

"Don't worry. If you need to say something, just think of me and your message will be conveyed through Pyrostellis Luminares" I waved.

"You're insane! We're going to have to set some rules now that something like Pyrostellis Luminares exists!" Ayumi declared.

Well, I wonder how long that will last.

And here we have the perfect example of a weapon that could fall into the wrong hands. A perfectly harmless, beautiful weapon. Can you imagine what someone like Zanfar could do with it?

"OBEY ME INSIGNIFICANT HUMANS!!!" or something like that.

FINALLY…

A painful day had ended wonderfully. As I lay on my bed on the verge of drifting into sleep, a familiar voice rang within me.

"You truly surprise me Zan. To think you'd actually forgive Ayumi. You are quite intriguing but this bliss of yours will not last for long" Zanfar's voice rang within me.

"Yeah well, do whatever you want to but don't think I'm going to let you go about destroying the world so easily with my face. It was quite a painful experience dealing with that in Chrono Cross. I have no intention of letting that become my reality. Now if you don't mind, I need to get some sleep" I muttered and shut my eyes.

"Well then, foolish misrepresentation of myself; naïve fraction of my being, innocent piece of my soul…let us continue our debates…IN YOUR DREAMS!" I heard Zanfar's voice echo.

Once more, like I had done countless times before, I stood before Zanfar. In my hands, I wielded now, the Pyrostellis Luminares.

In his hand, he wielded a blade that seemed quite familiar to me. I just couldn't quite fit a name to the weapon in his hands.

"You're just a fragmented dream Zan! And like all fragmented dreams, I will reap the dream of all humans…you, their Dreamweaver! Feel the power of my darkness and curse your own weakness!" Zanfar roared as he charged towards me.

"You may be right. I may be a fragmented dream. It just proves that I'm also human. But regardless of that…I STILL WANT TO LIVE!!!" I declared as I charged to attack him.

No more spoilers shalt be offered unto thee freely. If thou is set in thine insistence, I will reap malevolently…of thine dreams! Indeed, it is as thou imagineth! If this fool loses himself…his story…wilt finally…be mine to narrate! -Zanfar