Legend was lying in bed unresponsive. Rachel, Richard, and Meg were arched about near to him, Nimrod was frowning near the corner. The mysterious hooded man was at the entrance of the room, having the entire room's undivided attention. He was wearing a long white robe that made him look like a priest. Since he had a hood over his head, his face wasn't all that visible. You could see his white hair, though, arching out of the hood. When he spoke, there was a certain calmness to him. It sounded as if he was a friend. Someone who held no ill intent toward them.
The mysterious man then decided to remove his hood. He seemed to have read the room and realized that, despite his calming and soothing presence, it was no one's first instinct to trust someone that had his face covered. They were all able to see him now. An odd detail about him was that he always kept his eyes closed for some reason. They didn't understand if he was blind or if he just had really sensitive eyes. But his presence was overall both welcoming and soothing. The smile on his face was filled with kindness.
Mysterious man: By now, you have most likely learned that your friend, as well as many of the inhabitants of this city, is trapped in another dimension. It is a place called Phobos, better known as the Nightmare Dimension. Not a place one would be likely to want to visit. However, it isn't a real place… it was created by an evil spirit with the sole purpose of inflicting pain and suffering on the living... to torture and feed on human souls. There, people's memories and dreams are twisted to a point that they become alive with the intent of destroying them. All those who enter this dimension are likely to meet their demise...
As he spoke these words, everyone was experiencing rising anxiety. Nimrod seemed quite indifferent, though. The expression on his face showed that he wasn't taking the man seriously.
Rachel: That's so awful...
Richard: It is indeed... But... tell us, stranger... How do you know all this?
Mysterious man: I like to view myself as a man of knowledge... And that's the beauty of it - As the man said this last sentence, he slightly opened his eyes to look at Rachel. He then closed them and continued talking - Fear not. For as I mentioned earlier... I know of a way to save your friend and all the others.
Meg: Please... Do tell… - Meg was pretty skeptical at first, but he had an open mind. He wanted to know if this man had an actual solution to their problem.
Mysterious man: The way to save everyone is by entering the Nightmare dimension. Using one of the afflicted as a conduit would make it possible… your young friend here will most likely suffice… I must warn you, though... things can be very different in that dimension, and if you were to be captured while in there, you would undoubtedly be trapped there for all eternity... unless your souls were destroyed, of course.
Rachel was making a fist with her right hand, holding it near to her chest. She was scared, but she also seemed determined... even more than she usually would be.
Meg: And how do we know we can trust you?
Mysterious man: You don't know. And that's the beauty of it... Nonetheless, it appears as though you have no other choice considering your present predicament and that time is of the essence.
Everyone was still in shock by the mysterious man's words.
Nimrod: So you guys are just gonna take his word for it? - Nimrod said with disbelief. He thought very little of almost everyone present... except for Rachel.
Rachel: I'll do it. I'll go to the Nightmare dimension. I have to save him! - Rachel felt compelled to help Legend, especially because she knew he risked his life to save her with her brother Richard.
Richard: Rache, I cannot let you do that!
Nimrod: Don't sweat it, Sir tin-man! If she's serious about going, then I'll go with her. - Nimrod didn't really care about helping anyone except for Rachel. He was at least showing his devotion to her. No one understood where that devotion was coming from, though...
Richard: I would like you to remember... I DO NOT TRUST YOU! - while Richard said this, he was pointing at Nimrod right in his face. The animosity between the two of them was only growing since the silver bag incident.
Richard: Rache... I will go. The knight's code of our house compels me to do so in your stead.
Rachel: Richard...
Mysterious man: While you argue with each other, your friend and many others in this city are having their souls consumed by the evil Spirit Fiend. Perhaps you would like to continue your petty squabble, but I believe we don't actually have all day.
The man sighed and added:
Mysterious man: A White magic user and someone equipped with a magical artifact such as a cloak of levitation should have a better chance at success than you, Knight of Dalmacia.
Richard: I am a Holy knight!
Meg: Richard, let them go. You stay here in case any other monster tries to attack Legend out here.
Richard: It is certainly a reasonable proposal... However...
Meg: DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? THERE'S NO TIME TO WASTE!
Richard felt that a blow was dealt to his pride when the mysterious man suggested that he wasn't the right man for the task. But he also wasn't comfortable with letting his sister go because she was just recently in a terrible life-or-death situation.
Richard: I... believe you are right. Forgive me. I shall guard Legend with my life if need be.
Richard was ashamed for letting his pride stand in the way.
The mysterious man extended his right arm, pointing at Legend. His fingertip started glowing, and then a portal was opened from Legend's body.
Mysterious man: Remember: time and space may feel different once you are inside the Nightmare dimension... but since you are entering there willingly, you should have the upper hand.
After giving some additional but brief instructions, he gave Rachel something right before they went through the portal.
Inside the Nightmare dimension
As they crossed the portal, once inside the Nightmare dimension, Rachel and Nimrod ended up being separated. Nimrod was in a black space, unconscious. Rachel ended up in a place where she saw a different world… a different... dimension... and she didn't recognize anything. This place she saw was the world where Jonas was from. She saw what seemed like flashbacks of Legend's recent battles, a mixture of an unknown world and her own. She saw Jonas in his world and realized that, somehow, Jonas and Legend were one and the same.
She got a glimpse into his soul, which was at the moment tormented by strife. She could hear many different voices that were saying things about Jonas... things she couldn't make sense of.
As she wandered around in that strange place, she found a door that didn't look like anything she had seen ever before. From under the door, a strange red light could be seen. The closer she got to that door, the greater an inexplicable sense of uneasiness got hold of her. During all this time, she was floating around. There was no floor to be seen in that place. As she tried to open the door, she realized it was locked. The voices she heard before sounded so much louder there by the door. At this point, it became obvious that whatever was behind that door was the source of these haunting voices.
There was one voice that stood out from the others. Despite trying hard to focus to understand what it was saying, it was incredibly taxing. She just couldn't manage to understand it. The noise was too aggravating. Then a loud series of harrowing screams started coming from behind the door. It was a woman. She was screaming in agony. Hearing her scream was so disturbing that Rachel started trembling.
She then theorized about the things she had just experienced.
Rachel: {All the images I saw earlier... everything in here has to be memories. A mixture of the memories of Jonas and those of Legend, who somehow seem to be one and the same... But this memory locked behind that door must have been something so awful that he ended up blocking it off completely. Legend doesn't seem to be aware that he is actually two different people... I might be wrong... Maybe this Spirit Fiend is only able to affect people that suffer intense inner conflict. Otherwise, why would only Legend fall prey to this awful effect and no one else in our group? There are literally two souls in Legend, and one is being suppressed by the other…}
As all this went through her mind and as these things transpired, she couldn't help but feel an intense gaze upon her. With this gaze, there was an overwhelming sense of hostility attached. Rachel had realized by then that someone or something was watching her.