"You have got to be kidding me." Ophelia exclaimed in disbelief.

"That's the only way we can defeat him." Stephen said wryly.

"We can't use brute force against him. Also he can only be defeated on his home turf. So that's the only way." Sherlock explained.

Ophelia and Horatio looked uneasy but nodded anyways. John did not protest though he did not agree either. Although that could have been due to Hamlet trying to run his sword through him. He missed and looked more and more frightened with every strike.

"On the count of three,I will make the shields disappear." Stephen announced.

"1,2 and 3."

The orange shields with the ancient markings disappeared as they faced Wanda directly who was firing at them. They got hit by the blast and were sent careening backwards(or so they thought).

Those screams would be difficult to forget.

Their bodies were possessed by Nightmare now even as they fell limp to the floor,writhing.

They opened their eyes two a world of colours which slowly vaporised into a dark and dreary cavern which made their skin crawl. The cavern had side corridors which led into various rooms.

They heard shrieks from there.

They went by without stopping, walking side by side but they couldn't help but stop when they heard Hamlet's anguished yell. Before anyone could say anything, Ophelia had started running in that direction with Horatio in tow leaving the others with no option other than to follow. They skidded to a stop beside the source of their sound. There was an ornate door which was partially open and they could see the Prince's terrified face from them.

He had a sword in his hand and he seemed to be fencing with someone.

"Laertes,my brother," Ophelia whispered softly.

They heard an angry voice which sounded like the King's saying, "You are pathetic. You cannot even defeat him. How do you expect to win battles like this? By begging?" He then laughed scornfully.

"I won't fail you father." He sounded so weak,so sad that it sent daggers into Sherlock's heart even.

Unable to bear it any longer, Horatio opened the door rest of the way.

The interior looked like the Colosseum. Hamlet and Laertes were fighting alright but the King and the Queen were sitting on the steps with courtiers who jeered and laughed every time Hamlet made a mistake and the King shouted something about sending him to somewhere which terrified him more and he looked as if fighting for his life.

"Laertes is 5 years elder to him. And Hamlet is only 20. What..." Horatio had subconsciously stepped forward before Stephen could warn him and the world around them warped and showed the same scene except for that everyone was leaving and a person who was bleeding was in the middle of the room. The room shifted until they were directly beside it and Horatio fell to his knees,crying. Ophelia had disappeared somewhere in the meanwhile.

Stephen and Sherlock realized too late what Nightmare's plan was before the world warped again sending them to their personal hells.

Stephen stood in front of Tony Stark who said,"You could have saved me you know,instead you tell me die. You are a heartless selfish bastard who cares only for himself." Even though this was not real,Stephen felt himself succumbing to it.

Peter Parker popped his head up,"You took away the only father I had known. Was it not enough that I was dead for 5 years? No you had to kill him too. Send him to his certain death. Why didn't you have him killed on Titan then,huh?" As if Tony was not enough.

A dark chuckle could be heard,"Why to prolong our suffering? He wanted him to have a child so that he could watch her suffer. Watch her cry for her father. Isn't that right, Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange?" Pepper Potts wore a sadistic smile on her face as she came up.

Stephen fell to his knees. His hands looked like they were suffering an earthquake. He put his hands on his ears.

"Stop!" He cried.
"Stop!" He was choking on his tears now.

Drowning.
Emily.
Drowning.
Falling.
Failing.
He was useless.
Worthless.

The scene warped to show Dormammu who was laughing maniacally. He tried to get up but collapsed on his knees again.

The laughter invaded his thoughts sending his ears ringing as his whole body started trembling. The laughter seemed to engulf him as he heard the words,"You pathetic sorceror. You gave up the only thing that protected your reality. What are you going to do,now? Sell burritos?"

The last line irked him as he glared at him. Whatever he was going to do,selling burritos was not on his to-do list anywhere.

Sherlock was blankly staring at the bodies in front of him.

John. Mauled.
Mrs. Hudson. Stabbed.
Mycroft. Poisoned.
Greg. Beaten to death.

He felt numb. A faint voice was telling him that this was not real but his numbness cancelled out that as well. All he saw were his friends murdered. By...

"If it isn't the detective boy." The Woman's sickeningly sweet voice could be heard. He did not even bother looking at for he knew that it would only show her hands covered with blood. He had all the evidence he needed. Yet something felt unrealistic. Was it those shimmering walls? Or that unrealistic amount of blood on the floor?

The faint voice in his head grew shriller and louder until it screamed,"This is an illusion, you dolt."

Right,this was an illusion. He was in the Dream Dimension.

He was gonna pay.