Firenze's little dream was nearing its end, as the farmer's stepdaughter Vera placed her head on the stone. The crows on the barren trees cawed, as the executioner's steel axe-head glinted in the sunset. The factory chimneys spewed billowing black smoke at a distance, making it rain soot on the already dead fields.

Silence marked the area as the weapon was raised to its peak. The executioner took in a lungful of air and the axe began moving forwards, submitting to gravity. The blade whizzed down through the air, and the ground behind the stone went dark. The farmer lifted up a bowl filled with fresh red blood, glanced at the corpse and asked the executioner in the black cloak to bury the body.

Firenze wasn't even fazed at the sight of the decapitation, he in fact felt nothing.

The executioner pulled the cloth covering his face off and wiped the sweat off his forehead and nose-bridge.

So this was Bill's father, huh?

Bill hadn't aged a day since that incident. He was a few hours too late to save her.

The corpse writhed as the doctor turned alchemist placed a hand on her back and stroked it. He placed a seed inside the cut and walked away.

"In five hours, my love," he promised, wiping a tear.

"Well?" Firenze asked when the memory faded to black.

The ghost levitating in front of him had a hand covering his mouth, as the nightmare faded into mist against the darkness of his mind. His mind felt more like a conference hall than a screen now, in which stood an intruder, clearly disturbed by the scene that had happened.

Barry's eyes had regained a bit of their lost shine, his cheeks were slightly redder than before.

[Now you know the truth.]

Firenze said, crossing his arms, "Do tell me something though. What did Ash ever do to you to slaughter him like a goat?"

The ghost blinked.

[That was not me.]

A non corporeal voice decided to pitch in.

He's not dead. Why would I ever do that?!

"Humans die when you slit their throats," said Firenze as he smiled to the ghost and pushed him aside.

That was a mere brush, not a deep cut. No one could possibly die from that.

[Careful, Firenze, it doesn't like this arrangement.]

"And the stab?" He asked ignoring the ghost.

If I hadn't done that, he would've choked on the walnut. I just allowed it to reach his stomach and opened a new point to help him breathe.

"He did choke on his blood anyway. On another note, what sort of a creature are you? A demon? "

Look, you were busy screaming at the top of your lungs for you to understand what was going on. You didn't see him breathe after the puncture. You didn't see him having a heart attack, you didn't see me trying to resuscitate him with electricity and neither did you notice that you're standing unharmed after everything!

[Careful, Firenze, it doesn't like this arrangement.]

"So? Just because you give a person an electric shock doesn't mean that he or she would live. For all I know, the man was electrocuted by you. Besides, you died way before defilibrators were even invented; there's no way that he would've lived."

The creature was livid in its reply. The voice seemed to shake the room.

I know what I'm doing!

YeS I kiLleD hiM, theRe, hApPy nOw?!

The faster we EAT and transform, the faster we'll be free and I CaN gO hOmE.

[Careful Firenze, it doesn't like this arra-]

The ghost merged into the grey mist that had rolled in out of nowhere. It enveloped him again as it had done on countless occasions.

"And what if I refuse to work with you?" He asked, determined to fight the creature.

It mAkeS no difFerEnCe. I could lock you away and still operate your body. I'm way stronger when it comes to neural control than you are.

"Yet, you haven't done that."

HuMan. . .

"Why do you act like Bill controls you; what's a creature of your power got to do with some cheap businessman? Why not break free and run away?"

I wiLl nOt.

The mists smelled like musty hay and sawdust kept for too long. Suffocating. Choking.

He ReVivEd mE, hE iS likE mY fAtHeR.

BaRaYiK wiLl nEvEr dIsObEy FaThEr!

BaRaYiK will earn his freedom like a ReAl, goOd BoY!

Firenze looked around him, panicked and trying to find the ghost.

BaRaYiK wiLl gO HoMe wItH hIs FaTheR aNd MoTher!

BaRaYiK wAs FrEeD fRoM BaRrY bY fAtHeR aNd mOtHer.

Barayik is my name, not AcCiDeNt! NoT AbOmiNaTion! You wanted a friend, BaRrY! You took the potion, BaRrY!

How do you know about home and FaTheR, Firenze?

The man shrugged, "Well, I sort of had a vision merging into a nightmare. I saw Barry's death and heard your father talking with him. What's the deal?"

BaRrY was aNGrY at his father for killing his sister.

BaRaYiK wAntEd to make BaRrY feel HaPpY.

BaRrY locked me away.

BaRaYiK felt unwanted.

So when BaRaYiK felt wanted by FaThEr and MoTheR, he agreed to help them.

BaRaYiK loves his family. You will help me escape from your body, turn me into a real boy and help me go HoMe. You have one hour to escape from this hotel filled with the fAiLuReS. Do something stupid and I'll–

"Yeah, I know, you'll murder me and steal my body, or die trying. I would like to help you with your plan of getting us separated. I'll need five hours as myself."

I don't have five hours to waste.

"I don't have a spare life to waste for you either. I could make myself get caught by a certain werewolf and be eaten in the next one hour."

Alright. But remember!

"I will."

You have five hours to escape from the fAiLuReS.

A horizontal line of light pierced through the mist and the mind space faded away. Firenze's mind was back to its usual form, a screen more than a room.

A bitterly cold wind made him shiver, and he felt blood rushing to his head.