Dreamweaver; The Seven Stones Of Virtue

Episode 16: Transformation

EPISODE 16: TRANSFORMATION

Victoria entered the room. I followed close behind.

"There...is Ayumi" she pointed to the farthest end of the room.

I looked in the direction she was pointing to. At the opposite end of the room, there was a bed. Beside the bed, there was a drip feed and other medical devices. I opened my eyes in horror and felt my heart race. I walked slowly...approaching the bed cautiously. When I was close enough, I looked at the bed. In the bed lay a girl. She looked lean and sick and she seemed to be on life support. I stared closely at her and recognized her almost immediately. It was Ayumi!

"WHAT IS THIS?!" I screamed in horror and felt my entire body begin to tremble.

My heart ached terribly and I felt dazed. My legs gave way and I fell to the ground.

"No! No! No! No! NO! It can't be!" I screamed and felt tears flow down my face.

"On the day you were attacked, she tried to escape the scene and got ran over by a hit and run truck driver. It is a miracle she survived. I happened to be at the scene with my father. We rushed her to the hospital. It was horrible. She was in so much pain. She kept repeating your name. 'Zan, Zan, Zan, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you'. She repeated that sentence over and over again till she lost consciousness. The doctors managed to save her life but her brain was extensively damaged. She has lost almost all her higher brain functions except those that keep her alive" Victoria explained.

I stood up and stared at the bed again trying to make sure it really was Ayumi. It really was her! Her eyes were open but it didn't look as though she was conscious of her surroundings.

"Ayumi, can you hear me?" I called but she had a lost look on her face, a painful look, a look of great inner pain.

"Ayumi!" I called again.

She didn't respond. She didn't even blink.

"How can this...be? How could this...?" I thought as I remembered the strong, arrogant girl I once knew.

"HOW CAN THIS BE?!" I screamed as I ran towards the window and leapt through it, shattering the glass in the process.

I landed smoothly on the ground. I heard Victoria calling to me but I ignored her and kept running.

"This can't be happening! All these months I've carefully planned my revenge! And for what?! I discover that...Ayumi is pretty much a vegetable! I can't even carry out my revenge now because it won't even hurt her!" I growled angrily and kept running.

I was in such a rage that I could have killed anyone who was foolish enough to cross my path. My senses were screaming, blinded. I was infuriated but I was also in pain. It almost felt like madness. I don't know how it happened but I somehow winded up in Northern Dream City, the most religious place in all of Dream City. I walked on and on till I reached a hill. I climbed it and came to a chapel. I smirked.

"It is said that this is the only place to find real answers right? Let's find out how true that saying is" I said as I entered the chapel.

No sooner had I walked into the chapel than I crashed into one of the altar boys.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" I yelled angrily.

"Oh, I'm really sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I didn't mean to" he offered profuse apologies.

I don't know why but this boy seemed different. I couldn't feel any animosity from him, not even the faintest. Somehow, it calmed me down.

"It's okay" I said.