The moonlight was enough to see the ruins, graves, burnt-down buildings, and piles of rubble.  A horrid revelation came upon the long black-haired white-robed girl as she stumbled across the landmark.  As she gazed at the
piles of what was once a peaceful village, now long destroyed, her mind realized the awful truth. She looked at the graves of the many people who probably used to live there, and realized how horrible the sight she was seeing was.  Because this...

This was not Toto Village.

Viki took out her Greenhill brochure and gazed at the map on it.  "Huh?!  Not again!  I thought that I was finally going in the right direction.  But according to the map, if I were going in the right direction, I'd be at Toto Village right now!  And don't villages generally have people and the houses actually exist as houses and not as piles of rubble?  I... I'm lost, again."

The girl turned the brochure upside down, looked at the map with her head turned, pulled the map away, and held the map up to her face to no avail.  "It wouldn't be so bad if I knew where 'Up' on this map was.  But this compass on the map must be broken or something.  It says 'North' but when I walked in that direction I ended up walking in a circle.  What's the point of drawing a compass on a map if it doesn't work?"

"It's probably my fault... again."  Viki put the brochure away and sat down against one of the now-decrepit buildings.  She put her hand into her pouch to get some salty tempura for a meal, and noticed that the bag was almost empty.  "Oh no.  I should have taken even more tempura from the Merc Fort.  Now I'm going to starve, too..."

Helping herself to a little of the few fish meal left, Viki gazed up at the stars then bowed her head down.  "Useless... worthless... can't get anything right... And I guess that's why I always have to leave everyone before they notice.  My father, my mother, Sir Viktor and Flik, even McDohl would probably have finally had to tell me the truth some time or the other.  I miss my real mother... my real father... my real past..." Viki closed her eyes and fell asleep...

"You are dead to your father and you are dead to me, too.  Her constant drinking of champagne is probably why you are so worthless now."

"But father will let me back in, won't he?  He always does..."

"That was the magic defense?!?  You are useless, brain dead, good-for-nothing..."

"I... I'm so sorry, Sir Viktor..."

"It has come to my attention that you are nothing but dead weight.  Get... out.  GET OUT!!!  YOU INCOMPETANT STUPID IDIOT!!!!!!  OUT!!!"

"S... stupid idiot?  I... I'm not a stupid idiot..."  Viki looked at the
floor and blinked.  "Am... I?"

"This can't be my life.  What am I?  Cursed?"

"Lord McDohl, you don't look so good..."

"No... this is just a dream, isn't it?  My father always let me back in.  My mother, even though she was distant, was always encouraging to me.  Sir Viktor, Flik, and Lepant... poor Lord McDohl... I would rather have faced
Emperor Barbaruka than this..." Even though she was asleep, a tear fell from Viki's eye.  Because she had
come to realize that none of it was a dream.  Unlike her triumphant victory over the mad emperor, this dream... no, this nightmare, was fully real...

***

Cold.  The world itself was but a manifestation of man's own nature. Haunting, self-serving, evil.  The world was but a gathering for such souls as his.  For Pesmerga was broken, not only in spirit, but in faith.  In his travels, he had lay witness to countless evils upon which mankind had favored one another with.  Yet, his understanding itself had been torn from
his soul.  For his existence was but a means to satisfy the thirst, the hunger for destruction of death and war itself.  He understood, that the self appointed Father, Zohar, had subjected his mind to, hypnosis of some sort, and instructed him to believe in a past not wholly his own.  Thus, he was but a lost child, seeking for his own passage within the world, yet it was understood, no one wanted him. As he stalked through the marshy, early morning fields, the soft moisture of the evening dew had worked its way beyond his thick plate armor, and found refuge against his legs.  A symbol, perhaps, that even through the thickest armor, there is always gaps to be had.

In his arms, wrapped in his golden cape rested the frail form of the child, Hope, whom he rescued from the fate met in Ryube.  She had insisted, again upon her naive ideas of happiness, to view the sunrise that greeted the morning.  Pesmerga could not have understood her childish dreams of peace. The world was not as pleasant when one is old.  And his newly claimed
protectorate was but a child, naive and simple-minded to believe any happiness could ever breath in this world.

They had left the Mercenary Fortress early, for Muse was a great distance away, and yet it would be a long journey, carrying this child the path of which they came, would only work to slow the mammoth warrior.  Thus, their trek led them through to the village of Toto, the burnt, skeletal remains of the haunted symbol of humankind.  A grim reminder that what mankind feasted
upon most in this wretched world; was destruction.  How many victims had it claimed?  Countless victims, unimaginable destruction beyond that of human understanding besieged his eyes as he tempered his way into the maul of death.

Pesmerga lowered Hope to the hard, charred earth, allowing her to stretch her legs as he surveyed the land.  There was no fear here of her seeing, or understanding life's dismal nature, for the families, the citizens of this ash haven, were buried, saved from the disgrace of scavengers in their death.  Thus, Hope was given her chance to explore, and see what man's true identity held.  Despite her childish fantasies, she would need to learn.

Hope wandered among the ruins of Toto, her guardian keeping within viewing distance.  She didn't understand.  Why were there no people here?  Why were all the houses all broken up?  Hope began to wonder if this was what her hometown of Ryube was now like.  But there were no people here.  Did they escape?  Could they be with her father? She thought she heard a voice.  "Uh...Mis'er Pes'erga...did you hear something?"

Pesmerga simply replied, "It is only the idea that you thought you heard something that creates it to be real in your mind."

The noise seemed real enough.  Hope heard another sob, followed by the mumbling incoherence of the same voice.  "Uh... I'm terribly sorry officer... I really had no idea my dog wasn't allowed to drive the carriage. My father will make things better.  You should talk to him..."

Looking around the corner for the source of the voice, Hope soon discovered that there was another person in Toto after all.  But this person was still asleep, or at least looked like it.  The sleeping lady continued to talk to no one in particular about how no one loved her and how she was worthless. How sad.  It was too bad that she must have been asleep when the wonderful sunset came.

Hope wandered over to the sleeping lady, and began to peer over her slumbering form.  She was pretty, just like Hope remembered her mother, peaceful and kind.  The lady snored and mumbled more noises that Hope couldn't quite understand, but Hope leaned over further, looking at the sleeping lady as closely, yet as cautiously as possible as not to wake her. Though her efforts of caution failed as Hope lost her balance, and tumbled on top of the resting form.

"Huh?  Who What When Where Why Huh?  Huh!?"  Viki shouted as she sat up with a shot, her eyes wide and alert, expecting another attack.  After all, when one doesn't have a damage sponge, one is often open to attack.

The little girl was quite startled herself.  Viki quickly looked around then glanced at Hope and blinked.  The two stared at each other for a few moments until she finally said, "Um... Hello?"

Hope hesitated for a moment trying to figure out what to say to the strange lady.  "Um... hi there, Mis'y.  I'm sorry for waking you up."

Viki and Hope stared at each other for a few more moments, before Viki finally realized what was going on.  "Oh!  Oh, don't worry about that. That's okay, I think.  I would have woken up eventually, anyway."

She kneeled down and looked at Hope.  "So... um... hello!  What's your name? My name's Viki."

Hope slowly smiled.  "Hello, Mis' Viki.  My name's Hope."

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Hope."  Viki looked around at all of the ruined houses.  "Um... are you from around here?"

"Well, sorta..."  Hope stated, yet her words trailed off.  She looked around at the burned village, and thus recalled her own home, her family, and the people she knew, and her eyes began to tear up.  But Hope tightened her lip. The people were alive.  A home was security, but a family was love, and she still had her love because she knew, her father was still alive.

Viki looked at the young child before her and wondered what caused her sudden shift of mood.  Her mind slowly cycled through all the possible reasons.  Maybe the girl had split personalities, or maybe she just didn't like admitting she came from a town as beat up as this one.  The third possibility surfaced in Viki's mind when she remembered Viktor mentioning that there was nothing in the area but charbroiled villages to teleport to. Viki looked at her map and realized that her pins at each of the landmarks meant that she most likely WAS in Toto Village after all.

"Oh no, I screwed up again.  I'd better think of something.  I should change the subject... that always works."  Viki quickly looked around, then looked at Hope.  "So, umm...Hope, what do you think of the color green?"

Hope looked at Viki for a moment, almost confused by the ramblings of this lady before her, before smiling, her innocent, happy smile that always seemed to adorn her face.  She looked at Viki with a friendly grin.  "Your funny."  Hope laughed, enjoying being in the presence of this somewhat odd, but very kind person.

"Huh?  Funny?  I don't think I ever got that reply before.  Most people just look at me like... I'm an idiot or something."  Viki frowned.

"Mis' Viki, I don't think you're an id'it."  Hope laughed again.  "It was funny."

"Hmm... funny."  Viki sighed and looked up at the sky.  "Well, I suppose it beats being called a screw-up.  Though I don't remember being taught how to be funny, except for some funny faces that I learned a long time ago."

"Oh!"  Hope looked at Viki pleadingly.  "May I see?"

"Huh?  I..." Viki looked back at the young child.  "Well, sure, I wonder if I still remember them.  Haha, I think I remember, now."

Viki put each hand on either side of her mouth and pulled her lips apart, making a strange clown-like smile, sticking out her tongue and rocking her head back and forth as she did so.  This caused an even greater reaction from Hope, who laughed lively at Viki's strange antics.

Pesmerga, walking from behind the corner, was greeted by a loudly laughing Hope, and Viki, making a face at no one in particular, until Pesmerga caught her attention, and she stared at him with the same, funny face.

"Eeep!"  Viki quickly stopped with the face and got up.  "Er... Good Morning, Sir... um..."  Viki paused.  She vaguely knew that dark knight from before, but not very well.  He was one of the one hundred and eight stars during the Gate Rune War.  A name suddenly popped into Viki's head.  "Um... oh yes!  Good morning, Sir Yuber!  I was just showing this nice girl here some of the funny faces that my dad used to show me when I was depressed."

Viki glanced at Yuber, then at Hope.  The hardened knight (at least she remembered him being hardened.  He certainly looked hard with all that black armour on) actually seemed to show a small amount of discomfort, and Hope suddenly looked depressed again.  Whatever Viki said, she knew that it wasn't good.  "I'm so sorry!"  Viki paused for a moment to think of what she said that was wrong.  She must have messed up the name.  "Sir... You're Sir Yubermerga, right?  Yes!  That's it!  I won't make that mistake again."

Yubermerga's expression didn't change but at least Hope liked the name, because she started laughing again.

Viki stared at Pesmerga, then sighed.  "Your... name wasn't Yubermerga, was it?  I could have sworn it was."

How long has it been since Pesmerga last heard his name uttered by someone who knew it?  This girl had brought up a good point.  His past had proven to be nothing but a lie.  Could his name have been one, too?  Or, perhaps his own past, his own intentions to destroy Yuber, were but for him to understand, that he himself was capable of possessing such evil as the dark warrior.  If that be the case, could he not therefore seek to destroy the evil he himself possessed? "I'm... not sure."

"Oh...kay..."  Viki blinked.  This was unexpected.  She thought she was the only one who was never sure of things.  Especially things like a person's name.

"Uh...Mis'er Uber?  I thought you were Mis'er Pes'erga?  Oh, I'm sorry if I called you the wrong name."  Hope replied, sincerity speaking through her words, but a smile danced across her eyes.  She seemed to enjoy Viki's company as much as Pesmerga's.

"Oh...um...okay, we could always make it easier to remember...yeah, how about Mister Yubermerga?"  Viki smiled.  Viki looked at Pesmerga, who seemed at a lost for a response.

The truth was, Pesmerga was even more confused than before. And Viki wasn't helping.  "Oh, Mister Yubermerga, didn't you used to have white armour?  At least I think it was white armour.  I believe I remember that."

"I... I'm really not sure."  Pesmerga glanced over at his arm and scanned the rest of his body.  His life made little sense anymore, and the new revelations provided by this girl only caused his confusion to swell.

Viki held Pesmerga's other arm and observed it for a moment.  "I think white armour looked really good on you... assuming you had it.  This black armour is so black and um... evilly looking and stuff."

Pesmerga looked more closely at the black mail on his arm.  "Is it really? I haven't noticed."

Viki let go of Pesmerga's arm and looked at him from head to toe.  "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter.  It's how nice a person you are that counts, not how you look.  I think you were a nice person, Sir Yubermerga, from little of what I knew of you in the Gate Rune War.  So, um...anyway, white armor aside and everything, how have you been Mister Yubermerga?"

Pesmerga paused a moment and reflected on all that had happened in the past month, his battle with Yuber, his understanding that his life were a lie. All of these factors shaped him for who he was, and now he was unsure of whom that person had been.  "I have discovered that my past, and my life was but a fabrication of some being’s experiment, and as such, my past does not exist, nor did the Gate Rune War.  Therefore, you do not exist..." Pesmerga unemotionally replied. It was the only, the simplest response to make sense to him, and in a twisted way, he found comfort in that.

Viki blinked.  She stared for a moment at Pesmerga.  After a while, she finally slowly replied, "So.... ah... I guess you've been doing pretty good, huh?"  There was an awkward silence for a few moments as Viki tried to analyze what Pesmerga just said.  Something about her not existing.  Maybe he just didn't remember her like she didn't remember him.  "Oh, I'm pretty
sure I exist, though.  Otherwise I wouldn't be here.  I think.  I'm the castle teleporter, Viki, remember?"  Viki looked around then decided to see if there was anything else she could say to spark Pesmerga's memory.  "Oh yea, did I tell you the strangest thing happened to me?  Sir Viktor and Sir Flik are leading a mercenary fort, which is really odd since they're dead."

Pesmerga stared at the rambling Viki, his mind perplexed by her incoherence. "They don't exist either.  They only exist, because you believe them to exist.  There is always the rationale behind understanding and shaping one's environment, as you see by this town."

"Oh...um...so then...this town doesn't exist, or didn't exist, so then I shouldn't be worried by all this dirt then, huh?"  Viki said, looking at her ash-laden robe caused by her period of sleep in the soot of destruction.

"If you believe this destruction before you to exist, then it does.  In truth, I have learned, that though my past was a lie, the present is taking place as we see it.  For an illusion can no longer exist if you cease to believe."  Pesmerga answered, turning away from Viki, and scooping Hope up into his arms as he stalked toward the ruined gates of the village.

"Past was a lie?  No longer exist if you cease to believe?"  Viki stared at Pesmerga for a few moments as he walked away.  She quickly ran to catch up with the dark knight until she was walking by his side.  "Sir Yubermerga, my past was..."  Viki thought for a moment as she walked alongside Pesmerga. "N...nevermind.  But I was wondering, are you going to Greenhill? Although... the monsters around here aren't very dangerous, it's been pretty lonely lately and I could use the company."

Pesmerga stood a moment, staring into the distant fields of Muse.  Though the city was far from view, this land was still governed by its presence. It took a moment of reflection before Pesmerga again turned to face Viki, her eyes wide and pleading, in her customary stare when she sought assistance.  Pesmerga though, was not effected by Viki's attempt to seek companionship, and thus, turned away from her eager stare.  However, a small, childish hand, slapping Pesmerga on the cheek brought his disrupted attention to the small child in his arms.  Hope stared at Pesmerga, doing her best, yet not fully succeeding in copying Viki's look.  "Please Mis'er Pes'erga...she's really nice, and I like her alot."  Hope pleaded, believing what little influence she held toward the dark warrior might sway him to soften his opinion.

Pesmerga again stared down at Viki, her eyes still pleading with the black knight.  Pesmerga heaved a weary sigh, before addressing the blue robed sorceress.

"Very well,"  Pesmerga answered, his secretive nature allowing no more than he permitted to be known.  "It is a free world, you may travel wherever you choose.  If that be with me, then so be it."

Viki looked at the dark knight and smiled.  "Thank you, Sir... Pesuber.  I really appreciate it."

The three continued to walk away from Toto, leaving the burnt out ruins behind, the rest of the day still ahead of them.