Freddy's burned face twisted in disbelief.
"You… weren't already—"
Before he could finish, Lucien pulled the trigger.
WHOOSH!
A torrent of fire erupted from the flamethrower's nozzle.
The roaring flames swallowed Freddy's face whole.
"AAAAARGH!!"
A scream so sharp and agonizing that it seemed to tear through the hospital walls burst from Freddy's throat.
His clawed hands shot to his face as he stumbled backward, writhing in pain.
Lucien gave him no chance to recover.
He stepped forward without hesitation.
The flamethrower roared again.
Another wave of fire crashed into Freddy like a blazing tide.
The nightmare demon was forced backward again and again, his charred body engulfed in flames until nothing remained except black ash scattered across the floor.
The room fell silent.
Annie stared in shock.
Then joy flooded her face.
"Lucien… you're alright!"
Her voice trembled with relief.
Only then did she realize something else.
Her voice had returned.
The suffocating pressure that had locked her throat moments ago had vanished.
Lucien casually lowered the flamethrower.
"Of course I'm alright."
The weapon dissolved into thin air, vanishing like smoke.
He reached out and helped Annie to her feet.
The moment his hand touched hers, the hospital gown and bloodstains on her body faded away, returning her clothes to normal.
Annie looked from Lucien to the blood-soaked hospital bed in utter disbelief.
"How… how did you…"
Lucien gave a faint smile.
"Just a little trick."
His tone was calm, but his eyes were sharp.
The white light from earlier had not been a simple illusion.
Its true purpose was to blur memory, weaken willpower, and make the victim question reality itself.
The moment Lucien had been struck by it, he sensed something was wrong.
But instead of resisting immediately—
he played along.
At the same time, he secretly used his own ability.
Nightmare Prayer.
A perfect illusion layered within Freddy's illusion.
It deceived Freddy into believing Lucien had truly fallen into the trap.
That single moment of arrogance had created the opening for the ambush.
Inside Lucien's mind, the familiar system notifications rang out.
[Nightmare Prayer used successfully.]
[You deceived everyone present, including Freddy.]
[Skill Proficiency +3]
[Dream Control used: Flamethrower created.]
[Dream Control +3]
[Soul Strength +3]
A warm force spread through Lucien's consciousness.
He could feel it.
Inside the dream world, his control had become even stronger.
His thoughts moved faster.
His senses sharper.
Reality within the nightmare bent more naturally beneath his will.
Annie looked nervously at the ashes on the floor.
"Did you destroy him completely?"
Lucien shook his head.
"No."
His gaze slowly swept the room.
"If he was truly dead, the dream would have collapsed already."
Annie's face turned pale.
Only then did she notice—
they were still inside the hospital room.
Nothing had changed.
Lucien continued calmly,
"In dreams, Freddy is difficult to kill permanently."
"Destroying his body only weakens him temporarily."
Annie swallowed hard.
"Then… does that mean he can keep tormenting us forever?"
Lucien's lips curved slightly.
"Don't be so pessimistic."
"We'll just kill him a few more times."
His tone was light.
Almost casual.
But the words themselves were terrifying.
The moment his sentence ended—
the ashes on the floor began to move.
They lifted into the air like black smoke.
Then merged.
Compressed.
Twisted.
A giant face formed in the darkness.
Freddy.
Only this time, the playful cruelty from before was gone.
What remained was pure rage.
"LUCIEN!!"
His voice thundered through the room.
"LUCIEN!!"
"I'LL RIP YOU APART!!"
Every word came out through gritted teeth.
His hatred had reached the point of madness.
Fire.
That was how he died in life.
Burned alive.
And now Lucien had forced him to relive that agony.
The giant face lunged downward.
Lucien's expression remained cold.
He stomped the ground.
A violent whirlwind exploded from beneath his feet.
BOOM!
The gale tore upward, ripping Freddy's smoky face apart and blasting through the walls of the hospital room.
Glass shattered.
Beds overturned.
Metal trays flew through the air.
Inside Lucien's mind, another notification appeared.
[Dream Control +3]
The explosion immediately attracted attention.
Doctors rushed into the room.
Orderlies.
Security staff.
Several men carrying riot shields and electric batons.
Annie panicked.
"Wait!"
"We're inside Freddy's dream!"
"Lucien is trying to save us!"
But none of them listened.
Their memories had been altered.
To them, Annie and Lucien were simply unstable patients.
Lucien sighed.
"Again?"
Then he moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
In less than two seconds, the first three men were already on the ground.
A single punch shattered the front of a riot shield.
The man behind it collapsed instantly.
Another swing.
Another body dropped.
The room descended into chaos.
One by one, everyone trying to restrain him was knocked unconscious.
Those who remained froze in terror.
One of them slowly raised both hands.
"I surrender!"
Lucien walked up to him.
Then punched him anyway.
THUD.
The man dropped.
Lucien dusted off his sleeve.
"Preventive treatment."
Annie stared speechlessly.
Sometimes she really couldn't decide who was more frightening—
Freddy…
or Lucien.
A few moments later, the unconscious crew members began waking up.
The script supervisor rubbed his head.
"Where… where am I?"
Another actor suddenly gasped.
"I remember!"
"There was a ghost!"
The room instantly fell silent.
The memory of flickering lights…
the boiler room…
the shadow…
all of it came rushing back.
Fear spread rapidly.
Annie quickly stepped forward.
"Listen to me!"
"We are all still inside the dream!"
"That thing is real!"
"If Lucien hadn't knocked everyone out earlier, some of you would already be dead!"
This time—
they listened.
The fear in their eyes made it clear they believed her.
Lucien, however, was already scanning the room.
His brows slowly furrowed.
Two people were missing.
Elizabeth.
And the bearded director.
Where had they gone?
Before anyone could speak—
the world changed again.
The hospital dissolved.
In its place rose an endless sea of flames.
Walls of fire.
Molten ground.
Burning stones.
Heat so intense it felt like hell itself.
Gasps erupted all around.
"Oh my God…"
"Is this hell?"
One crew member accidentally touched a scorched stone and cried out in pain.
"It burned me!"
"This… this can't just be a dream!"
Another actor fell to his knees.
"Lord, forgive me…"
"So Anne was telling the truth…"
"Elizabeth lied to us!"
The flames crackled all around them.
And somewhere in the inferno—
Freddy was waiting.