Back again! :D

Same disclaimer in the previous chapters apply to this one!

His breaths were ragged, and his body was covered in sweat. He shook uncontrollably on the bed, and he thrashed around, hitting anything and everything that surrounded him. Scratches and cuts began to appear on his arms and legs, but he was oblivious to the pain, still caught in the nightmare and the fear that had consumed him.

"My boy, you were born to die." He was looking into his father's dark green eyes, his own wide with terror.The other man's mouth curved upwards, as if he was smiling,but the malicious look in his eyes twisted the smile into something else, something sinister.

"N-no. I-d-don't want t-to d-die." The boy stuttered, taking a step back. His father's gaze was directed downwards, and the boy looked down, a soundless scream erupting from his open mouth. He was falling towards the ground, stuck in a never ending fall. The face of his father fell away, but he could still hear the voices. His mother, sister, father, grandmother…

"Come to me." A powerful voice called. A face appeared in the blackness below him. He gazed upon the face of one of the true Gods, one of the Gods that had existed before his own had come to exist. "Come to me, restless soul. Have no fear."

He could not close his eyes, could not stop the endless fall…he did not want to go towards the figure. Something evil lay within it, something cruel, twisted and dark. It was a liar, a deceiver. He did not want to fall. Even as he began to realize this, the image of the God twisted itself into the face of his own God. Alessandros Mornhavon stood beneath him, but his presence did not give the boy any comfort. He wanted to reach for the light above him, but he was falling towards Mornhavon. The boy closed his eyes, and let his tears leak from his eyes. He was going to rot in the hell that his God had created for him. He was a non-believer, unfaithful, and a traitor. He did not want to accept his fate that was nearing with each second.

Hoofbeats pounded in his ears, and suddenly, he was no longer falling. Fear still rushed through every part of his body, but he was forced to open his eyes. He was sitting upon a magnificent steed, that could only be Salvistar, and was rising. They passed the figures of his ancestors, his relatives, his family… they were rising away from the darkness and towards the light up above.

"Have I died?" He asked Salvistar, but as expected, he received no answer. He glanced sorrowfully at all that was around him. If this was what death was like, he did not want to ever have to die a second time. Closing his eyes, he wrapped his arms around Salvistar and let himself slip away, the light the last thing he saw before he became unconscious.

A scream bounced off the stone walls and filled the room, startling Dai awake. He stared dumbly at the ceiling above him for a few moments before realizing that the scream was his own. He closed his mouth and took in his surroundings. The stone walls that were once comforting were now anything but calming. He scrambled to get out of bed and eyed his surroundings nervously. He could feel his heart pounding, and could hear his breaths loud and clear. Finding no one and nothing in his room, he breathed a sigh of relief and sank to his knees.

His dream terrified him. He was unused to nightmares, as he hadn't had one since his parent's had died. He was puzzled, and wondered why he was dreaming like this now. His parents? Mornhavon? Salvistar? What did it all mean? He knew that it wasn't real… his parents were dead. It must have been the stress of the Second Empire meeting that caused his nightmare, he decided, not wanting to dwell on it for too long. He didn't want to know what his dream meant. Something told him that he would make a wrong move and face the wrath of the Second Empire if he did.

His eyes bored into hers and she unconsciously pressed herself back further into the chair. She knew what he wanted, and she really did not want to tell him. Hours had passed since their little encounter in the corridors in the early morning, and Karigan had gotten enough sleep to let her function properly for the rest of the day. Of course, she knew that he wouldn't let that incident there slide. She had hoped that he would, but knowing him, she was sure that he wouldn't.

Now, she was in his study, being subjected to his questions. Even though she had expected this, he still made her nervous. There was an intense look in his eyes that she had seen once before, when she had returned from Blackveil. When he looked at her that way, she felt very unsettled, and all she wanted to do was hide. Karigan could feel her face heating up and looked away before he could notice. They remained in silence for minutes, each waiting for the other to speak. Finally, Zachary decided to speak.

"What happened?" He asked quietly. She looked at her hands that were folded in her lap and wished that she could disappear. Why was it always her misfortune that he was there when she was injured? She wouldn't have minded if it were even a Weapon, patrolling the corridors or something like that, but she always injured herself in front ofhim. It always led to these uncomfortable questions. She feared that he would get caught up in his concern for her and do something without thinking. Looking up, Karigan kept her eyes an inch above his head, avoiding his gaze completely.

"I heard a voice. I…it must have been the lack sleep." The words rushed out of her mouth. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the complete truth either. Yes, she had heard a voice, and yes, it could have been the lack of sleep getting to her. But she did not want to tell him that it was Mornhavon's voice that had affected her like that. He didn't need to know that.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. She had gone back to the old game they had played before the marriage. He would try to get her to let him in, she would push him out. He would chase after her, she would run away. All he wanted right now was for her to trust him, but even that was too much to ask for. She wouldn't let him inside, or let him help her. She wasn't lying to him, he knew, but she was not letting him understand the complete truth. There was something wrong, and it was affecting her. He didn't want to see her hurt.

"Karigan, please." He pleaded, his voice strained. He was tired of this. Tired of chasing after something so out of reach. Tired of playing this game, tired of everything… all he wanted to do was break down and cry, lead the life that he had so desperately wanted before he became a king, leave all the decisions to someone else. He didn't care if he had let down all his barriers now, if he was vulnerable to anyone and everyone. He didn't care if she would only hurt him again with her rejection. Glancing at her, he could see her shocked expression.

"Z-Zachary?" she whispered softly in shock, as she watched him fall apart in front of her. A part of her wanted to reach out towards him, and let herself be lost in his embrace. But her mind knew that it would only end in pain for both of them if she did. Still she found herself walking towards him, ignoring the voices warning her in her head. She reached out a hand to touch his shoulder.

"Please," he whispered, his voice shaking. "Please, don't…"

Her hand paused in midair, and she watched as a single tear fell from his eyes. Karigan was instantly filled with guilt. She knew that it was her fault that he was this way. She had never stopped once to think about how this might be affecting him. She loved him, and that was why she tried to move on. She never meant to hurt him…she had been so selfish, thinking only of her pain. She let her hand fall back to her side, and took a step back.

"I love you so much." He spoke quietly, his voice filled with passion.

"I know." She responded, her voice breaking.

"I'm not going to give up on you, Karigan." His face was set with determination, and she no longer saw the broken man she had seen a couple of minutes ago. He looked into her eyes and waited for her to respond.

"I know." She started to back towards the door and he let her, knowing that he would see her again soon. Right now, he needed to be alone, to think.

"I will find a way." Her hand gripped the doorknob so tightly that her knuckles turned white. He waited for her response, but she twisted open the door and fled, fearing what she might have said. Inside, a small voice taunted her with two, short words.

"I know."

I'm so glad that I've had the time lately to write this! :D This chapter, especially the last part makes me feel so happy! I wish that Blackveil could have had more KZ interaction. I mean, he barely spoke two sentences to her! (Well, maybe just a little bit more, but still! Not enough!) But we all know that he still loves her, right?

So, if you would do me a favor and review! I don't bite, I promise! (Yeah, now you officially think that I'm crazy, right? :D )

GreenCondor1