"N-" Yumi slaps her hand over my mouth. "Mmph! MMPH!" I grunt, enthralled. People look at me weird as Xana shouts, "DAMMIT." "Eh?" I mumble, as my eyes catch a white bubble. It floats over us, and a loud roaring sound echoes in my ears. "Gah! GYAH!!!" I scream, unable to see again.

I open my eyes to see myself back at the wheat field. Ulrich's right next to me, pale. His eyes are glassy, and he's all floppy. "Uh, Ulrich? Are...are you ok?" No sound. "Ulrich?!" Still no sound. He isn't moving...isn't breathing...His eyes stare blankly at me.

"Ulrich! Answer me!" He refuses to answer. I grab his hand. "WAKE UP! STOP FOOLING WITH ME!!!" Nothing. His hand is icy cold, as is my heart. Water streams from my eyes as I shake him. "Please! Wake up! Wake up!" Nothing. The agonizing silence pierces me like the pointy object which skewered me earlier.

A hand takes my shoulder. "Jeremie...it wasn't your fault." I look up to see a blonde-haired kid who seems to like purple. "Yes! Yes, it was! I could've prevented this but I didn't!" "Jeremie! Listen to me!" he yells. I fall back, startled.

"It was NOT your fault! You did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! It was Xana; he's in your mind! He can CONTROL your BODY at WILL!! IT WAS XANA THAT SO BRUTALLY MURDERED OUR BEST FRIEND!!!!" He also has water running down his face. "Listen, Jeremie. We can stop Xana, but only if you cooperate while he's asleep."

"Xana sleeps?" I question, curious. "Yeah, he sleeps. So...come with me, and...we'll...Hey! Are you coming?" I have a determined frown on my face. "No. I...I don't want to hurt you. See how he ended up?" I scowl at him. "I don't care. You may not remember me, Jeremie, but it's your friend, Odd."

I fall back, reeling from a memory flash. He places a hand on my shoulder as I relive a moment of the past. Me...and Odd...we were in a lab...and there was this lady...an aura of evil radiated from her...we were frightened, afraid we were going to die, but since we're still here, we mustn't have.

I come back to the present, scrunched over in hot pain. Odd looks at me. "See? We've faced danger before, and we came out of it." Another twinge of pain flows through me like the waves of a wind over the wheat field. Another memory.

Me...I was attacking Odd...I was helpless in my own stead, someone else controlling my body, controlling my movements, my thoughts...it was a terrible feeling to have. It was as if I wasn't even me anymore...as if I didn't exist. I was trapped within my own body. I murmur the name...Xana...

"Hey, a...are you ok?" I snap out of my trance and look around, startled. "Uh...I...I think I'll be." "See?" His eyes are kind. "We've been through something like this before. We can handle it. I swear to the heavens above, to the hell below, that we will find a cure for you. I promise." A weak smile crosses my face, but it fades as I look at Ulrich.

"Is...is he...gone?" Odd sighs. "Yes. He's gone...but not completely gone." Odd's face goes blank for a few seconds. "Jeremie, is that...is that you?" asks another voice. "U...ULRICH?!" I yell, startled.

Odd makes a face. "Ewwwww…you're scaring me!" I yell at him. "Gah…Being in Odd's body makes me feel SO weird." "But why are you there?!" I demand, shocked. The boy heaves a sigh. "I…At the time of my death, Odd was next to me. I…melded with him…I entered his body, and now his situation and yours are much alike.

"But me, I am not trying to bring harm to you. You shouldn't trust Xana, he's evil. He'll say and do anything to get you to believe him. You've got to fight, Jeremie, you've got to fight him!"