Reality had been torn open.
There was no room left for doubt.
The blazing inferno surrounding them, the suffocating heat, and the shifting nightmare landscape had shattered every last ounce of skepticism the crew still held.
Fear spread through the group like wildfire.
Actors, crew members, assistants—even people who had spent the entire day bickering—were now huddled tightly together.
No one wanted to be alone.
Lucien's sharp eyes swept across the crowd.
Something felt wrong.
These people had only been unconscious for a short while.
How had they already slipped into such a light sleep state?
Or…
was time flowing differently inside the dream?
Before he could think further—
a scream ripped through the air.
"AHHHHH!"
Everyone turned.
A young actress collapsed onto the scorched ground, trembling violently.
Megan.
Her face was white as paper.
And on the front of her dress—
a grotesque face suddenly emerged.
Freddy.
His burned face stretched unnaturally across the fabric before his upper body pushed outward, crawling halfway out of the dress itself like some nightmare parasite.
In one hand, he held a pair of gleaming scissors.
Snip. Snip. Snip.
The sharp metallic sound echoed in the fiery silence.
Megan's body froze.
Her eyes widened with pure terror.
Freddy lunged.
The scissors shot toward her throat.
But the instant the blades came down—
BZZZT!
A pale golden barrier flared to life.
The talisman.
The glowing shield stopped Freddy's claws mere inches from her neck.
Lucien moved instantly.
A silver blade materialized in his hand.
Without hesitation, he threw it.
SHING!
The knife pierced straight through Freddy's chest and pinned him to the ground.
For a moment, the nightmare demon was immobilized.
But instead of panicking—
Freddy smiled.
A slow, cruel smile.
His burned lips curled upward.
"You're still afraid of these, aren't you… little crybaby?"
His voice dripped with mockery.
Then—
he vanished.
Gone.
Only Megan remained, collapsed on the ground and shaking uncontrollably.
Several crew members rushed toward her.
"Megan, are you alright?"
"That light… was that what blocked the attack?"
"Wait… wasn't that one of those yellow talismans Annie tried to give us?"
Another actor's eyes widened.
"I remember now. Lucien stuck them on us after knocking everyone out."
A murmur spread through the group.
"So he knew the demon would come…"
"He was trying to protect us…"
The way they looked at Lucien changed instantly.
The earlier suspicion and fear had turned into shock.
And then trust.
In a place like this, having someone who understood the nightmare was like holding onto the last lifeline.
Annie knelt beside Megan, speaking softly to calm her.
After a few moments, she stood and walked toward Lucien.
Her voice was low.
"She's safe for now because of the talisman, but she's still terrified."
Lucien glanced at Megan.
Annie continued,
"When she was younger, she was bullied at school."
Her expression darkened.
"One of the girls cut off her hair with scissors…"
"She almost slashed Megan's face too."
Lucien's eyes narrowed slightly.
So that was it.
Freddy wasn't attacking randomly.
He was digging into their deepest fears.
Using trauma as a weapon.
Annie sighed.
"Even if they know they're temporarily safe, fear isn't something people can simply control."
Lucien looked around the crowd.
Some were shaking.
Some were trying to stay composed.
Others kept nervously glancing at one another, already beginning to crack under pressure.
He understood immediately.
Expecting this group to overcome their fear through willpower alone was impossible.
Still…
something about Freddy's behavior bothered him.
Too cautious.
Too indirect.
So far, aside from the illusions and psychological attacks, Freddy had shown little real combat strength.
Even moments ago, he had been forced to retreat after a single strike.
Lucien's eyes sharpened.
"It's too easy…"
He muttered the words under his breath.
Annie stepped closer.
"What do we do now?"
Lucien was about to answer—
when the ground beneath them vanished.
A massive black hole opened beneath everyone's feet.
"AAAAAHHH!"
The entire crew screamed as they plummeted downward into a bottomless darkness.
Even Annie lost her footing.
Lucien reacted instantly.
His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.
With his other hand, he imagined a grappling launcher.
A gun appeared.
He fired upward.
THUNK!
The hook latched onto the edge above.
For a brief moment, they hung suspended over the abyss.
"Hold on to me!"
Lucien growled.
Annie clung to his arm desperately.
Then—
something moved below.
A giant black serpent surged upward from the darkness.
Its face twisted and stretched—
Freddy.
He had transformed into a monstrous snake.
Its jaws snapped shut around Annie's calf.
"AHHHH!"
With a violent yank, she was dragged downward.
"ANNIE!"
Lucien lunged—
too late.
Her scream echoed into the void.
Then Freddy's laughter followed.
A mocking sing-song voice drifted through the darkness.
"Once upon a time there was a brave warrior…"
"His name was Lucien~"
"The wind howls, the demons laugh…"
"Oh brave knight, crossing mountains and valleys…"
"To save the princess in distress…"
The mocking nursery rhyme echoed around him.
Then the world shifted.
The flames disappeared.
Lucien found himself standing before a single door.
A sign hung in front of it.
—Brave warrior, surely you won't abandon the others~
—Let the princess witness your heroic figure~
—Your loyal admirer: Freddy Krueger
Lucien didn't even pause.
He kicked the sign aside.
Then drove his foot into the door.
BANG!
The door burst open.
Inside was a girls' school restroom.
The stench hit him first.
Dirty water.
Rot.
Humiliation.
Several teenage girls stood inside.
Their uniforms were heavily altered, flashy and vulgar.
Delinquents.
One held scissors.
One a mop.
Another a bucket.
One was recording everything with a camera.
And in the center—
kneeling on the floor—
was Megan.
Only younger.
Her makeup and mature appearance were gone.
Now she looked like a helpless schoolgirl.
Her hair was drenched in filthy water.
Trash clung to it.
Tears streamed down her face.
One of the girls sneered.
"What are you looking at?"
Another pointed at him.
"Get out, freak!"
The third spat on the floor.
Lucien said nothing.
He walked forward.
Calmly.
Coldly.
Then—
SLAP!
The sound exploded through the room.
The girl holding the bucket was sent sprawling across the floor.
Blood mixed with shattered teeth.
She screamed.
The others froze for half a second.
Then they lunged.
Lucien moved.
A kick sent the mop-wielding girl crashing into the wall.
Another slap spun the next one sideways.
The camera fell from her hand and shattered.
The blonde girl holding the scissors collapsed to the floor, trembling violently.
Tears filled her eyes.
For the first time—
fear.
Real fear.
Lucien stepped closer.
His eyes were ice cold.
Freddy wanted to weaponize trauma?
Then Lucien would tear the nightmare apart at its roots.
One slap at a time.