Author's Note: I have plans for a sequel, but hopefully it won't be this long.

--

I opened my eyes, and thought I was awake.

"Uh. . . huh?"

I saw myself slap Ronan in the face, then walk over to Ryan, kicking him in a tender spot. I flinched.

"I remember this. . ." I murmured. "Seeing it now. . . It still brings back the anger and sadness I felt back then. . ."

"I don't even know why you even like her. . ."

"I'm never going to forgive you!" "I" ran off.

Everything blurred for a second or two, before it sharpened again, to the Temple of Cuatal. I saw Ryan, looking for. . . For what?

"R-Ryan?" I called.

He turned around, surprised to see me. "Lire?! I-I'm sorry, I really am. I did love you. . . B-But I mean. . ."

"R-Ryan?" I was confused. What was this? "What are you saying?"

Ryan just shook his head. "Why are you here?" he asked me.

"I-I don't know," I answered. "At first, I was somewhere else."

"It's late, you should get going," he said. "I dropped something, I'll be back in a bit."

"Where are you going, Ryan?" I asked, suddenly worried.

"I dropped something," was all he said, and pointed to the Temple. "Don't worry, I'll be okay."

"Do you want me to help you find it?" I offered.

"N-No, I'm fine," Ryan said nervously. What was wrong? He turned into a wolf, and ran off.

"R-Ryan, wait!" I called out, and ran after him. It almost seemed as if. . . Ryan was hiding something. . . He ran into the Temple.

It seemed as if time moved quickly, literally. Suddenly, I was inside the Temple, and there was Ryan, looking around.

"Vanessa?" he called out.

I felt a sharp stab of pain in my chest. N-No. . . Why?

"Who's there?"

"S-Samsara?!"

"I can't defeat him by myself. . ."

"Filth. . ."

A bright flare of fire.

"Eeeyaaaaack!"

Ryan was still standing. But he was struck again, and turned into nothing more than a pile of cinders. . .

"No, Ryan!" I cried out. Even if he loved Vanessa. . . I still loved him. . . But. . . What was going on? I fell to my knees, crying, as the scenery seemed to change.

An explosion, and then a cave entrance crumbling, blocking the way.

I screamed.

"Nice. . ." Sieghart muttered, sarcastically. I found myself with Lass, Jin, Amy, and Sieghart.

"I didn't think my arrow would drop. . ." "I" said.

"W-What is this?" I asked myself.

There was Ronan, in the distance, in a nightmare, and Ryan. . . was next to him, squirming, holding his eyes. . .

Walking over, Sieghart called out Ryan's name.

"Y-You're b-back?" Ryan exclaimed, voice shaking.

"I" walked over to Ryan. "R-Ryan. . ." Ryan didn't look up, but he stopped squirming, and started shaking.

"Ryan, are you okay?"

"Oh, Lire. . ."

"W-What's going on?!" I cried out, holding my head. Why. . . Why was I reliving all this? I. . . I didn't like this, not one bit. . .

"I-I can't see. . ." Ryan whispered. "I'm blind. . . My eyes, they're gone. . ."

"What's happening?" Sieghart asked.

"Ryan, he's blind. . ." Arme answered.

"What?" Sieghart looked at Ryan. "Open your eyes, boy!"

"I don't have eyes!" Ryan cried out. "I don't know, they're gone!" Sieghart flinched.

Gone?

"H-How did this happen?" Arme asked shakily.

"I-I don't know what happened," Ryan answered. "Something came out of the cave and it passed by me, or though me. I closed my eyes, but when I opened them, it was all black. . . I realized that my eyes were gone when I tried to rub them. . . I'm going to be blind forever!" No, why?! This wasn't what happened!

"Do you think it. . . took your eyes? I think I'll go and see if I can find the thing that took your eyes!" Arme said.

Ryan slumped against me. How did I suddenly get next to him?

"R-R-Ryan. . ." I said softly, crying.

"It's okay. . ." Ryan said, as if I weren't there, and stood up. "S-Sieghart, sir, could you help me to the river?"

"N-No, it's not okay!" I cried out.

"Huh?" Ryan asked.

"Y-You're blind, it's not okay!" I told him.

"I never knew you cared. . ." Ryan muttered. What?

"O-Of course I cared!" I told him. "I love you, Ryan! But. . . it seems you like. . . Vanessa. . . more. . ." I wanted to die.

Sieghart rested a hand on Ryan's shoulder. "C'mon, kid. I'm taking him to the river." Sieghart gave me a questioning look, and it hurt me. . .

"It hurts so much. . ." I whispered. "B-But this. . . It can't be real, can it?"

Sieghart and Ryan disappeared.

"W-Why is this happening?" I asked to no one. Then the scene changed.

Ronan was trying to reach the river, desperately trying to get in, but was held back by Sieghart. Lass was in the water, but he couldn't reach something that was on the bottom. Ryan had drowned himself.

"No!" I screamed. "Ryan!"

Lass finally pulled Ryan out of the water, and said, "Arme, can't you do something?!"

"I'm sorry," Arme answered, "but I can't bring back the dead. . ."

"No!" Ronan cried out.

"The kid could have been something of a legend too," Sieghart said softly. "I'm sorry. . . I didn't know he'd do that. . ."

"Why. . ." I whispered. "Why. . .? Why Ryan?!"

Lass touched Ryan's face gently, fear spreading to his own. "Man, having no eyes. . . It's sort of scary. . ."

I closed my eyes tightly. "Whywhywhywhywhy. . ." I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. "It's okay. . ." No, it wasn't okay!

I screamed. "Please, this h-has to be a dream. . ."

"It's okay, Lire. . ." I heard Lass say. "Don't worry about it. . ."

"No, it's not okay. . ." I replied.

There was a change of light.

I opened my eyes to infinite white.

"W-What's going on?" Then I realized someone was behind me, and turned around to. . . Ryan. He was blind. . .

"R-Ryan?" I called out. He stayed silent.

"Why, Ryan. . ." I asked. "Why did you have to die?!"

"I. . ." Ryan's eyes drifted to the floor. "I can't be with you, Lire, ever. . . I'm sorry it came down to this, but. . ." But what? Why, Ryan? My heart felt like it was being ripped to shreds. . .

"Why?" I whispered so softly, I thought he wouldn't have been able to hear it, but he did.

"Well never be, ever, what you hoped we could be. . ." he told me.

"Why did this have to happen. . ." I whispered to myself, and began to cry again. I was so pathetic. . .

"The truth is that. . ." Ryan continued. "You're too weak. . . I'm sorry. . ." He kicked the "floor" of the white. I looked up in confusion. Wait, what?

The surroundings changed again, and so did Ryan's colors. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they were full of color. What was going on? Who. . . was this, that replaced Ryan? He looked like him, but. . .

"W-What?" I said.

He crossed his arms and frowned.

"R-Ryan?"

"What do you want?" he asked coldly.

"Who. . . are you?" I asked.

"Who am I. . .? Isn't it obvious?"

"It's obvious. . . that you aren't Ryan," I said.

He grabbed my hand and held me in the air, so I could see his eyes. They were. . . not Ryan's.

"Look again," he sneered.

"No, you're not the Ryan I know and love," I told him. This couldn't be Ryan. Ryan didn't have sandy-colored hair, he didn't have those markings on his face, and his voice. . . Ryan would never sound so icy like this. . .

He transformed into a wolf of darkness and let loose a roar, squeezing my wrist so tightly. . . I cried out in pain.

The wolf grit his teeth. "Don't you get it?" he growled. "I don't want anything to do with you."

"Because you aren't Ryan," I said, through the pain. Ryan never turned into this. . . this. . . ugly wolf!

"Of course I am. Did you know I did love you once? Did you?" he asked. "Yes. Of course, it's different now." Who was this pretender?

"Of course," I said, "but you aren't Ryan! Who the hell are you?!"

"That's right, I guess I'm not Ryan anymore. . ." he snared. "I'm your worst nightmare. . ." That was it. . . I should've known.

"If you are my worst nightmare," I said, after a small cry of pain, "then this is only a dream. . ."

"A dream you can't escape," the wolf said tauntingly.

"If it's a dream, then I can wake up," I told him.

"No, I won't let you." He grinned a tooth grin, and held me up higher, squeezing me tightly. I held back a cry. "Does this feel like a dream? Does it?!"

"Then. . . I'll make you. . ." I took out an arrow with my free hand and rammed it between the wolf's eyes. "Go away!" His eyes widened and dropped me.

"Wh. . . What the. . . hell. . .?" he choked out, then dropped down, changing back to. . . Ryan. . . No, t-that wasn't really Ryan. . . was he?

"Rgh. . . Damn you. . ." he snarled, "Grand Chase girls. . . How dare you. . . ruin my plans. . ." His voice changed, growing mangled and warped. So. . . was this Kaze'aze? Did she invade even my dreaming world?

"Ryan" began to dematerialize.

"Lire, Arme, Elesis. . . You have to wake up before it's too late. . ." Sieghart?

I closed my eyes. "Please, someone, help me out of this. . . this nightmare. . ."

"Ugh, where am I?" Arme?

The sounds began to come clearer, and I opened my eyes.

"W-Where am I?" I asked. Then I recognized the place, this dreaded castle.

The large, double doors flung open and Kaze'doggeh came out, leading two figures, one of them leaning against the other. I heard Lass say something, but then one spoke.

"Good dog!" Ryan. . .?

"R-Ryan?" I called out weakly.

"Lire!" Ryan cried out happily.

I was back to the waking world again.