Richard heard Rachel screaming in terror. She also sounded like she was in terrible pain. As an elder brother who always sought to keep his sister safe, it was incredibly terrifying for him to hear that and not be able to be there to help her. What he was hearing was the sound of despair.
Richard: Rachel! Where are you?! Worry not, little sister... I will rescue you!
Even as he was saying these words, he wasn't sure where her screams were coming from. He couldn't recognize the place he was in. It was an eerie-looking space that didn't make a lot of sense. Despite how insane it all looked, he didn't even think about it for a second. The only thought on his mind was finding Rachel.
Rachel: Somebody! Anybody! Please help me!!
Richard had never heard his sister as scared as this. He was beginning to lose confidence in his ability to keep her safe. Despite that, he decided to move forward. He started running without being sure if he was going the right way. Running seemed impossible in that strange place, but he still managed to pull it off. Once he started running, he could suddenly recognize where he was. It was the Lost Forest. His heart was racing. His worry started turning into fear.
Rachel: Please!!!
Richard: Rachel! I'm on my way to get you!
Rachel: SOMEBODY PLEASE!!!!
Richard: Rache! Can you hear me?! Do not despair! Everything will be... alright!
Richard kept on running. Rachel kept on screaming. Each time she sounded more and more desperate. Anxious. Terrified.
Richard then realized that he was lost... He recognized the Lost Forest but didn't really know where he was... He had no idea how and where to find Rachel... He thought he would follow the sound and, that way find her, but once he was in the forest, the sound seemed like it came from all directions. He was beyond confused... and a dark sensation started taking over him. He didn't understand it. It was such a horrifying sensation... something he had never felt before... way inside his chest. Richard had experienced fear before, but this was something beyond fear.
Richard: {I can't find her! Where is she?! What kind of a brother am I? What kind of a knight? I can't even protect my little sister...}
Rachel: PLEASE!!!!!!
Richard: {I can't protect her...}
Richard: Rachel?
The screaming came to a stop. That was a lot worse for Richard... All the despair Rachel communicated with her screams and pleas for help now fell on him. He was the one in despair. He held his head with both hands, about to lose his mind...
Richard: RACHEL!!!???
Someplace else inside the Nightmare Dimension
Nimrod was in his hometown: Dry Plaza. He was his old self again... A normal-looking human.
Rayla: Dinner's ready, honey. Rae! Come and eat your dinner!
Rae: Coming, mommy!
Nimrod: What's happening? How is this possible?
Rae: Daddy's being silly, mommy!
Nimrod: My little... baby girl... – Nimrod's eyes were filled with tears. Tears of joy, nonetheless. He held his daughter in his arms real tight, took her to the table, and set her in the chair so she could eat dinner.
Nimrod: Rayla?
Nimrod couldn't believe his eyes. He was home. With his wife and daughter. It had to be a dream, right? Except... it was all so real... There was no logical explanation, but maybe it was all going back to the way it should be.
Rayla: Why are you acting so weird all of a sudden? – Nimrod just smiled and hugged his wife. While they were hugging, and Nimrod's heart was overflowing with joy, his daughter started coughing.
Rayla: Are you ok- - sweetie - - [cough* cough*]
Rayla, Nimrod's wife, started coughing and came down with a bad fever. She collapsed to the ground not long after that. Noise started coming from the street outside their house. It seemed as though people all over town were getting ill. But the reality was much worse than that. Some of them started transforming into vile creatures.
Nimrod locked the door and the windows. All he could think about at that moment was in protecting his family.
Nimrod: Rayla! No! Are you ok?! Open your eyes! Say something!
Nimrod started changing into what he looked like in actuality. His little girl was terrified of him.
Rae: Get away from me!!! Daddy!! Help me! A monster is trying to get me!
Nimrod: Sweetie, it's daddy! Don't be scared! It's all going to be alright!
Rae: Go away! I want my daddy! [cough* cough* cough*]
While Rae's coughing intensified, Rayla started coughing up blood. She looked like she was choking as she coughed all over the floor. Nimrod was growing more desperate as he didn't know how to help his wife or daughter.
Rayla started changing into a monster. Her appearance was the stuff of nightmares. Her mouth now looked like a Venus flytrap. The disturbing thing was that her mouth wasn't on her face anymore. It was weirdly located on her torso. She would open and shut it constantly, and when she did that, it made a disgusting wet sound.
Rayla: It's—d-d-inner t-t-time... Sooooo... Hungry...
She was slowly crawling toward their daughter while she kept saying the same thing over and over again.
Rayla: It's—d-d-inner t-t-time... Soooo... Hungry...
Nimrod: Love... What are you doing? Put her down... That's our daughter!
Rayla: Sooo... Hun—gry...
Rae: [cough* hack! Cough*
Nimrod: Rayla, DON'T!!!
Rayla: Sooo... Hun—gry...
In a different location in the Nightmare Dimension
Rachel woke up in an unfamiliar place. But the sensation she felt there was very familiar.
Rachel: {Where have I felt this before? I can't remember...}
She started calling out everyone's names.
Rachel: Richard!
Legend!
Nimrod!
Where are you guys?!
She couldn't see anyone. She couldn't hear anything. There was no sound. No noise. Not even the faintest whisper. As she walked in any direction, it didn't even feel like she was moving.
Rachel: {What's going on? I know I'm walking... But why does it seem like I'm not moving? What is this place? Where is everyone?}
Rachel started to panic. The one thing she truly feared was being left alone. And now she was in this void... With no one... With nothing... Not even sound... Except for the sound of her voice.
That was when she remembered. This wasn't the first time that she felt this way. A day in her childhood probably left her scarred for life. The day when the servants accidentally locked her up in the palace's storage center. It was a massive building with nothing in it except the grain that was stored in case of an emergency. She spent about 12 hours locked up there until her brother Richard thought to search for her inside.
Rachel: {I remember being so scared... because I thought they had all forgotten about me... I thought... I thought I would have to spend the rest of my life there! Until my brother found me and rescued me... But where is he now? Why doesn't he come? Why hasn't anyone helped me? Did they... did they all leave me?}
Where is everybody??!!
{Ok. I'll use Warp. That should get me out of here... Wherever here is...}
Powerful light from above and beyond... Take me to safety in the blink of an eye!
WARP!
Nothing happened when she uttered the name of the spell she wanted to cast. As she realized her magic was not working, she started to panic even more. At this time, Rachel was really scared.
Rachel: {This isn't happening... What's going on? Am I all alone now? Is this how it's going to be from now on? Did everyone just... Leave me?}
Elsewhere in the Nightmare Dimension
Legend was with all of the heroes. They were facing an endless horde of Mimics. The Mimics were starting to overwhelm them due to their massive numbers. Several of them sent all their razor-sharp tentacles at the same time flying at Kohrr, who was pierced in all his vitals, then torn apart. All of his body parts were scattered across the floor. Legend's heartbeat could be heard in the background, increasing in intensity as time passed by…
Rachel: Nooooooo!!!!
Richard: Rachel! Look out! – Richard pushed Rachel out of the way while he got skewered by another group of Mimics. They pierced through his shield and armor, went through the middle of his chest, and sent him flying in the air. He crash-landed on the ground in front of Legend, facing upward. He looked like he was taking his last breath.
Richard: Why didn't you - - do s-s-some-thing... Le-gen-d?
He died right after those words... with open eyes looking at Legend. This was a disturbing sight for him to witness. His heartbeat continued to accelerate.
Legend: Richard!
Rachel: Brother!!!! Nooo!!! Legend! You could have saved him! Why didn't you save him? Why don't you ever do anything??!!
Legend: I... {That... That's not true, is it? I tried... I wanted to help him, but...}
Nimrod was being devoured by another group of Mimics while entangled by countless tentacles.
Nimrod: Hey, kid! What's the point of having that sword if you never even use it?! I always knew you were useless, you know? Guess it's up to me to save the day... Oh, wait... I'm being eaten alive! Guess they're all stuck with you. Hahahahaha! Everyone's screwed!! Everyo-
The mimics completely devoured Nimrod. They didn't touch his cape, though. It simply fell on the ground.
Legend: {All I have to do is do just as I trained... I can do this!}
Rachel: They're dead... They're all dead. Dead! DEAD! They're all dead because of you, Legend! Because of YOU! You're useless! USELESS!
Meg: Legend... I think I made a mistake... You're not worthy of the Sword's power... Geez... what was I thinking!? You're so useless!
"He doesn't even know how to use it."
"He failed all his friends... He just let them die..."
"Looks like he doesn't care. He's happy being a failure."
Legend: Shut up... That's not true!
Rachel: They're all dead because of you!
Legend: Stop it...
Meg: You're not worthy of its power
Legend: Shut up!
"He just let them all die."
"It should have been him who died"
Legend: I said, SHUT UUUUUUP!!!!
Legend was shouting in mental anguish. He was on his knees with his hands holding his head, hearing a myriad of voices that were all badmouthing him. It was both overwhelming and debilitating. He couldn't stop screaming, and the voices wouldn't stop.
Grand Master: Hahahahaha! That's it! Give me all that fear... Anguish... Despair... So delicious!
Huh? What's this? One of them isn't giving me any sustenance... The pigeon... Let's have a look at his worst nightmare... Maybe I need to up my game a bit...
The Grand Master went to look at Meg's Nightmare.
Two angels were speaking in a place full of light. One of them was warning the other one about something.
Angel A: They will all die horrible deaths because you didn't listen. Is that what you want?
Angel B: I know they can make a miracle happen... I have faith!
Grand Master: [This isn't one of my nightmares... I recognize them... It's a memory... But why is that memory in this pigeon? That doesn't make any sense...]
Angel A: Meriel said that the humans needed to be punished for all their crimes... I think that if what they saw in the Engine is accurate, we should do what they say!
Angel B: Don't be a fool... Meriel has lost his mind. Ever since they went to that fifth dimension, something happened to them... He thinks he's God!
Angel A: If the Fourth Guardian hears about your plan, he would say that the one who lost his mind is you, Barachiel...
Grand Master: [Barachiel... I know that name... Why is it so familiar...?]
One of the angels suddenly turned around and looked at the Grand Master. That caught him off guard.
Barachiel: Thank you for that. You ended up helping me retrieve my missing memories without knowing it.
Grand Master: What? Who are... Wait... This is my dimension... How are you here? You're from the angel race!
Barachiel: That I am, indeed. But you made the mistake of bringing my soul to your dimension. In the body I currently occupy, I'm pretty much useless. But in this form... Let's just say I have a few tricks up my sleeve...
Grand Master: I see... What an interesting development!
Barachiel touched the Spirit Fiend's forehead, and a massive flash of light enveloped everything.