A/N: This is another one i'm not sure where it came from but it does have a place here, even if it's more of a prologueish drabble. Also, i will say this; this was completely written by the seat of my pants. I knew i wanted to write Rays view on what happened but beyond that initial thought i didn't plan anything. I just sat down and started typing.


Zarc was braking… and Ray was the only one who could see it… but why? Why couldn't anyone else see it? Were they that blinded by their own selfish desire for blood and entertainment? Couldn't they see the cracks forming in his heart? The darkness eating his soul? Couldn't they see how much pressure he was under?

No… No one else could see it… No one wanted to see it…

No one could see the real Zarc…

The Zarc who was scared and lonely… The Zarc who feared losing… Who feared letting down the audience… Who feared rejection and abandonment… Who was filled with insecurities. No one would see it; they could only see what they wanted to see.

And so Ray watched as Zarc slowly broke, piece by piece… She watched as he'd chewed on his knuckles before a duel, as he whispered to his cards, and as his face grew more and more pale…

"I won't lose, I can't lose… I need to give them the duel they want… I won't lose, I can't lose…"

He'd speak the words over and over again.

"More violence, more blood… That's what they want… That's what I have to give them…"

He'd mumble to himself, leaning against the wall, trembling from anxiety… and she was the only one who could see it…

But she didn't do anything.

She could of tried to talk to him but she could never bring herself to do it and the one time she did try he smiled a ghost of a smile… A dead smile… And the announcer called for him and he was gone…

Everyone was surprised when he transformed, when he began his attack on the world. Everyone but Ray… she had watched him brake… had seen the moment he shattered with horrific clarity.

She would never forget the look on his face as he asked the audience if they were satisfied, if they wanted more… the look on his face when the cheered for more, when they weren't satisfied. The change in his expression was slight but she saw it… from the fake happy-go-lucky smile he wore for his audience to a crazed one.

His eyes widened, his pupils shrunk, his smile curled, and his body trembled…

His heart, mind, and soul had shattered… and whatever amount of sanity he had left was gone…

In that moment she knew something bad was going to happen… And when it did all she could do was watch in horror as the man who was once a kind, innocent, and happy…

Became a monster…

They all blamed him… said he was evil and crazy… but, even though he made the choice, she knew it wasn't completely his fault… after all…

He gave everyone exactly what they wanted…

More violence and more blood.

Humanity had driven him to this… Even if they refused to acknowledge it…

Humanity had taken a kind and promising young man and turned him into an ax-crazy monster… Who was still trying to give them what they wanted… More violence, more blood…

But now that they were the ones getting hurt, it wasn't fun anymore. To humanity, it was only fun if it was someone else getting hurt but as soon as it was them? Oh no, now violent duels are bad and evil…

Humanity was hypocritical and Zarc and his dragons were suffering for it…

But…

She knew what she had to do.

In order to save her Father, in order to save her friends, in order to save humanity, and in order to save Zarc… She knew what she had to do.

And she did it.

She wasn't expecting them and the world to be split in four but… she realized that it was for the best and maybe…

As she saw him place his reincarnations, and as she placed her, she hoped and she prayed that maybe this time around he would be free from his anxieties, free from his pain…

And maybe this time, he could truly be happy…

And maybe,

They could be friends.


A/N: Ray's an interesting one, since we don't get to see her view of what happened but i get the feeling she was the kind of person who noticed things other didn't.

As always, please let me know what you thought or if you saw any spelling and grammar mistakes!