Cortes was surprised when he found his front door open. He had closed it, he was sure. Who could it be?

Cautiously, he walked into the living room, peering around the door to see who it was.

'Jade?'

Cheng's mother sat on the sofa, looking up at him.

'Aran...Cheng…'

Cortes sighed and slumped down next to her. 'Dahlia told you, didn't she.'

The beautiful Asian with the green eyes nodded. 'She felt like she couldn't keep this from me.'

Cortes suddenly found his fingernails very interesting.

'Aran…' she sighed. 'It's not…'

'My fault? Sorry Jade, had that from Dahlia and Mila already.'

'Well, a third time won't hurt.'

'Jade...Please...Not now. Any day, any time. Just not now. What happened to those crazed Christians anyway?'

'Mom took care of them and don't change the subject.'

Cortes turned away from her.

She wrapped her arms around him and put her head on his shoulder.

'Look, I know what you're doing. The won't harm Cheng. They're not stupid. If they do, it'll bring a major rebel attack on the move, not to mention the youngest in the Guardian school are his age.'

'Do you honestly believe that they will care?'

'Well, that, and they started to figure out that the murders that are all over the news by now are linked to his kidnapping so…'

He turned towards her and hugged her tightly. She crawled onto his lip and pressed her lips in his neck. He let out a soft groan, sounding like a wounded animal, and then their lips melted together in a kiss.

XxX

Dahlia groaned in her sleep, wearing only the necklace her mother send her not that long ago. Mahad smiled lightly as he watched her sleep beside him, the strong back turned towards him.

It was only then that he noticed she was having a nightmare.

'Dahlia?'

'Mmm! No! No! Stop! He's just a kid!'

'Dahlia?' he shook her body slightly to wake her up.

'Mmm...Wha?'

In one swift move she sat up, sweat pouring down her forehead. Then two arms wrapped around her.

'Dahlia? What's wrong?'

'Cheng...The Sphere...They were giving him electric shocks...It was horrible…'

He pulled her closer towards him. 'Shhh...it's over now, Dahlia. It's over now…'

XxX

In reality, what the Sphere was torturing Cheng with wasn't anything physical. They chose an easier option. They lied to him.

Commander "Oslo" sat on a chair opposite to the tied-down boy, looking harshly in his eyes.

'You know, your parents are still alive.' he said.

Cheng blinked. What?

'They're working for us. They betrayed the Rebellion. They made it possible for us to kill Marcus Farrell.'

"NO!" Cheng thought. That couldn't be true. Cortes had always spoken about his mother as a loyal and lovely person and cheng would've loved to have known her. But the Sphere took that away from him.

Or did they? Were they really still alive.

'Where are they then? I wanna see them.' His throat was dry and he could barely speak, but Cheng somehow managed to get the words out of his throat.

'Well, they don't want to see you. They hate you, little boy. That's why they left you.'

Cheng clenched his fists. Not true! Not true!

'Cortes doesn't love you either.' the Commander continued. 'He just took you in because no one else wanted to.'

After that, he stood up and left, leaving Cheng alone to cry silently.

XxX

Jelola nearly died of fright when she saw the two monsters appearing before her, a zombie and some sort of ghost thing. Both seemed not too nice.

After they got the info they wanted from her, they mercilessly tore her heart out.

Can you hear how the children weep?

Chills of fear like a sawblade cutting deep...

Once again there is pain,

I bring flames I bring cold

I'm the Blood Red Sandman coming home

On this unholy night I will make you my own

Blood Red Sandman coming home again

I'm coming home again!

Scream all you want you won't wake up when you scream

No-one leaves... The Monsterican Dream

Can you hear how the children weep?

Chills of fear like a sawblade cutting deep...

Once again there is pain,

I bring flames I bring cold

I'm the Blood Red Sandman coming home

On this unholy night I will make you my own

Blood Red Sandman coming home again

I'm coming home again!

They smiled at each other. The last one was done, they had every info they wanted.

Now, to liberate Cheng…

XxX

Cheng nearly screamed when the ghost flew through his wall.

Odd. She seemed to have something vaguely familiar. Had he seen her before?

She cut the ropes that tied him to the chair with her long nails. He felt one scrape past his hand, causing a deep, bleeding wound.

Then the lock of the door melted and the door was violently pushed open to reveal a zombie.

Strange. He too had something familiar.

They carried him out, not responding to his questions.

They walked for a long time until the reached a block Cheng was familiar with. It was near Puerto Angel.

Then, everything became black.

XxX

Cortes gently placed his son on the ground. He couldn't risk taking the boy with him already.

Jade, still in her scary half-ghost form knelt down next to him; placing her hand on his head.

After ten seconds, she stood up again.

'I erased his memory. He won't remember a thing.' she told Cortes.

The half-zombie nodded.

'It's better for him that way.'

'I have to leave now, Aran. Take care of him.' she whispered, casting a last look on her soon. 'And of yourself.'

Cortes wrapped his arms around her waist, not bothered by the rotting bits of flesh.

'You too.' he whispered, before gently pressing his lips on her again.

'Goodbye.'

And with that, Jade once again vanished.

It was Dahlia who found Cheng the next morning. Thinking he must've somehow escaped, the Pirates treated him as a hero.

But what was most important to Cheng was that Cortes held him in his arms the first night he was back, whispering comforting words in his ear until he drifted away in a deep sleep.

XxX

A/N This ending came...Faster than I expected.

I don't know if I'll make another sequel to this, but I might. If I want to.

Hope you liked it!

I sure did.