Because Anne's condition had been worsening lately, filming had been ending earlier and earlier.
For most of the crew, this wasn't necessarily bad news.
This was a low-budget production.
There were no major stars here.
Most of the cast were newcomers, extras, and actors who rarely found regular work.
For them, staying on set a few extra days simply meant a few more paid meals and a place to linger.
Once filming ended, the director usually didn't care what anyone did.
People wandered off, chatted, or went out.
Normally, at least a few people would already be back by this hour.
But strangely, tonight almost everyone seemed to return together.
Inside the large lounge, only Lucien and Anne had been sitting there quietly.
Their conversation still revolved around Freddy.
Lucien's voice remained calm.
"A person's habits in life often influence what they become after death."
"In other words, Freddy is naturally more interested in younger people."
His gaze moved toward the window.
"There are plenty of young actors in this crew."
"They'll be the first priority when distributing the talismans."
Anne nodded thoughtfully.
"So we tell them the truth?"
Lucien looked at her.
"You're not planning to say there's a burned ghost murdering people in their dreams, are you?"
Anne gave him a sly smile.
"Of course not."
"If knowing the truth makes them afraid, that only helps Freddy."
She lifted one of the talismans.
"I'll tell them it's a lucky charm."
"A very expensive lucky charm."
Lucien raised a brow.
Anne's smile widened.
"Once it protects them inside the dream, they'll understand its value."
"Then you can explain everything."
She tilted her head.
"It's like a free trial."
"I'll cover the initial cost."
Lucien let out a quiet laugh.
"That's actually not a bad plan."
Anne looked pleased with herself.
The room fell silent again.
Lucien closed his eyes and meditated.
His breathing slowed.
His presence became still, almost monk-like.
Meanwhile, Anne absentmindedly played with a Rubik's Cube she had been using to calm her nerves.
About ten minutes later, Lucien suddenly opened his eyes.
Anne immediately stopped moving.
"Did I disturb you?"
Lucien shook his head.
"No."
His gaze shifted toward the door.
"They're back."
A moment later, footsteps and loud voices sounded outside.
Then the door opened.
A large group of actors and crew members filed into the room.
Anne was just about to stand when she froze.
The director had come as well.
And standing in the center of the group—
Elizabeth.
Anne's expression darkened.
"Dr. Elizabeth."
"I thought you had already left."
Elizabeth smiled in that overly polite, irritating way.
"I was concerned about your condition."
Then her eyes slid toward Lucien.
"Especially after learning about this young man."
Anne's voice sharpened.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
Elizabeth didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she turned dramatically toward the others.
"Anne, can't you see?"
"This man is a fraud."
Her finger pointed directly at Lucien.
The room instantly filled with murmurs.
Elizabeth continued.
"He told you evil spirits were haunting your dreams."
"He gave you yellow scraps of paper and called them protection."
Her voice rose.
"And now he plans to sell them to the rest of the crew."
The actors immediately began whispering.
"That's the same paper he used earlier."
"So he really is selling them?"
"Isn't that just a scam?"
"Who uses paper charms to cure illness?"
The atmosphere shifted.
The looks directed at Lucien turned cold.
Suspicious.
Hostile.
Anne suddenly stood.
"Enough!"
Her voice rang sharply through the room.
Her aura instantly suppressed the chatter.
"This is not what you think!"
She instinctively looked at Lucien, worried he might be angry.
But Lucien remained perfectly calm.
His expression didn't change.
Instead, his voice came low and steady.
"Anne."
"Take the talismans."
Her heart skipped.
The next words made the entire room freeze.
"Freddy is here."
The lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then violently.
The bright lounge suddenly darkened.
A suffocating chill spread through the room.
Several people gasped.
The air changed.
The walls blurred.
The room began to distort.
Bright reality and dim nightmare overlapped.
In the next instant, the lounge was no longer a lounge.
Rust-covered pipes lined the walls.
Steam hissed from the darkness.
A yellow, dying light flickered overhead.
A boiler room.
The smell of rust and burnt metal filled the air.
Then laughter echoed.
Low.
Crooked.
Terrifying.
"Hehehehehe…"
A shadow slowly emerged from the mist.
Burned face.
Striped sweater.
Blade glove.
Freddy.
The director's face turned white.
"What… what is this?!"
Nobody answered.
Because everyone was seeing it.
This wasn't hallucination.
This was terror made real.
Anne's voice trembled.
"Lucien… what do we do?"
Lucien rose slowly from the sofa.
Then cracked his knuckles.
The sound was crisp in the silence.
His figure blurred.
Like a shadow tearing through darkness, he moved.
But not toward Freddy.
Toward the crowd.
In an instant, Lucien appeared before the nearest actor.
Thud.
One precise strike to the neck.
The actor dropped unconscious.
A talisman was immediately placed on his forehead.
Then another.
And another.
Lucien moved like lightning.
One hit.
One seal.
One body dropping safely to the floor.
Within seconds, nearly everyone in the room had been knocked out and protected.
Only the director and Elizabeth remained standing.
Lucien appeared behind the director.
Crack.
A clean strike to the back of the neck.
The man collapsed instantly.
Talisman attached.
Done.
Now only Elizabeth remained.
She stared at him in shock.
"You—"
Lucien looked at her calmly.
Then smiled.
"This one is especially for you."
SMACK.
The sound echoed through the room.
Elizabeth's head snapped sideways.
Her dentures flew out.
Before she could recover—
SLAP.
The second hit landed even harder.
Her eyes rolled back.
She collapsed unconscious.
Lucien calmly placed a talisman over her face.
"There."
He dusted off his hands.
"All done."
Behind him, Freddy's laughter had stopped.
For the first time, the ghost was staring at Lucien in complete silence.
Because this man—
wasn't afraid at all.