Looking around in search of the voice that had called him amidst the waters, Stuart spotted a woman a few meters away from him. She was no ordinary woman. She was a beautiful woman. She was an intelligent woman. She was a kind woman. She was a woman... who had died.

It was Lindsay. As beautiful as ever, she had a fuller appearance, medium-length black curly hair, and wore the same clothes she had on the day she died—a combination that made her look like a treasure hunter. As Stuart stared in disbelief and was petrified to see his deceased wife before him, she, in contrast, looked at him with irritation.

"Stuart, we need to talk, but first let's get out of here. Cyntia! Carlos!"

Responding to her call, two more silhouettes appeared: a woman with dirty, tangled, and messy hair, dark circles under her eyes, and a very muscular and bald man, with a completely opposite demeanor to the first, looking much healthier and more energetic. Stuart recognized them too; Cyntia and Carlos were former camp members who had died some time ago. The bald man had succumbed to a severe infection while she had been killed by one of the forest monsters after a lapse in attention. But why? Why were those who had died now standing before him?

"Excuse me..."

In a faint whisper, Cyntia placed her hand on Stuart's shoulder and then vanished, causing the hammer he had been holding to transform into an axe. The man couldn't keep up with the speed of everything happening; it was then he realized he was no longer holding his breath and was breathing normally underwater. Carlos grabbed him by the collar of his clothes and began to pull him out of the sea. The two passed straight through the ice crust over the lake as if it were nothing, and Stuart found himself floating, carried by what he could only assume was a ghost.

The young general who had been there was already convinced he had killed his enemy. Carlos set him down on the ground, and Lindsay flew in right behind, still with a closed expression. On the ground, Cyntia reappeared and the axe Stuart was holding turned back into a hammer. But amid all this chaos, only one thing truly mattered. He could see her.

"Lindsay... is it really you?"

She didn't answer, just continued to stare at him with irritation, something Stuart seemed to refuse to acknowledge. With tears in his eyes, he moved in to embrace her; no matter how many times he blinked, she didn't disappear—it was really her. He hugged her, and she returned it with strength and affection.

"Stuart..."

He broke the hug, placed both hands on her face, and began to admire her with the utmost tenderness. He could feel her warm skin—it was real, she was there.

"... Stuart, we need to talk..."

He started to give her little kisses, not listening to a word she was saying. He was too happy for that. So many feelings and thoughts were wandering in his heart that he felt lost, confused, happy, and... so grateful to see her again.

"Lindsay, you're here with me. I missed you so much, my love."

"STUART, I'M DEAD!"

The woman finally shouted what had been bothering her, her words piercing through the entire fantastical moment for the man.

"And I needed to tell you this..."

An awkward silence began. Cyntia and Carlos said nothing to avoid intruding, and after a few moments of shock, Stuart also furrowed his brow and started:

"Do you think I don't already know that? These years without you by my side have made it very clear, I know very well that you're already..." The word couldn't leave his mouth, not in front of her. "... it's painfully clear. That's why I'm so happy to see you now, and now you come here rubbing it in my face without even talking to me properly? Why are you bothered? It wasn't you who was left alone here."

"IF I'M THE ONE WHO DIED, STUART, THEN WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE A DEAD PERSON?"

"W-What?"

"I've been watching you and... it pains me so much to see how you just mope about everything. I don't want my death to kill you as well. I always wanted you to be happy, but it's like you're no longer part of this world, just wandering around without any purpose."

"Lindsay, you were my life..."

"Stop! You know I never liked it when couples said that kind of thing. I'm not and shouldn't be your life. I don't want to be the source of your happiness, exactly for the reason that's happening now. I wanted to be happy by your side, to live our happiness together, but I never wanted one of our lives to end the moment the other died. I'm not taking away your right to grieve, it's okay to miss me, it's fine to cry, but please don't tire of living, Stuart."

"What do you want me to do then? Simply pretend that everything is fine? What fault do I have for having no enthusiasm for anything anymore? I can't control my feelings."

"I'm not a doctor, I don't know about these things. What I do know is that you have to at least fight. Find a meaning in the world you live in, create a meaning if possible. Find something that entertains you, or vent and cry with someone. Just please, Stuart, please I beg you, don't give up like this. But I also can't force you, and I won't tell you to do it for me, you have to do it for yourself."

After the big outburst, Lindsay broke into tears and hugged him with all her strength, having said everything she wanted to. Now it was up to him, and she just wanted to enjoy this moment with the man she loved, repeating that she also missed him. For a moment, the two remained embraced, easing their longing as they knew it wouldn't last forever.

"Okay, I'm tired of being a third wheel here,"

Carlos complained, scratching his head with a bored expression. Cyntia, on the other hand, showed annoyance at his display of discomfort.

"Carlos, now they'll want to talk to us. How annoying."

"Well, we're here to help him; at least we should be treated with some respect."

"Speaking of which, how are you three here?"

With Stuart's question, Carlos quickly began to explain.

"Here's the thing, Stuart, this is your power: you can interact with ghosts and merge with them. However, your power is quite restricted and different."

"How do you know so much about my power?"

"The monk,"

Lindsay answered.

"He asked us to come here and help you with your struggle."

"Wait, the albino monk? He can talk to spirits?"

"Nuh-uh," Carlos extravagantly denied. "My dear, we are ghosts, not spirits or souls; don't confuse them again. But indeed, that being can interfere with any plane of any reality however he wants."

"I'm sorry, Stuart, but we can't say anything about him or the other side. It's a rule for us."

"Rule?"

"It's how your power works..."

Cyntia whispered, moving a little closer.

"... Your power has rules; that's one of them. There are others, like you can only interact with the ghosts of people you knew while they were alive."

"Another rule..." Carlos continued. "... is that we, ghosts, can only interact with you and nothing else. In other words, we can do this." The man then held Stuart's arm and moved it slightly. "But we can't do this." Carlos tried to pick up a bit of dirt from the ground, but his hand simply passed through the soil. "Literally, you're the only thing we can touch."

"We're also capable of possessing you, like what Cyntia did just now." Lindsay explained. "When we do that, your consciousness remains, but you gain the powers, abilities, and weapons that we have."

"So the reason I could breathe underwater is..."

"Yes, it's my power," Cyntia reminded him. "Remember? I have supreme invisibility; not only do I disappear, but I'm erased from existence when I become invisible. I produce no scent, sound, or touch; I'm intangible and can breathe anywhere without problems. As long as I remain invisible, I'm basically immortal."

"And surely you didn't forget my incredible duplication, did you?" Carlos boasted with a confident pose. "With it, I'm able to duplicate things, including your attributes." The ghost triumphantly celebrated, completely oblivious to the fact that Cyntia's power was far superior to his."Anyway, we need to hurry, or the kid will escape."

-"Let him go, I don't want to be part of this fight."

"No, Stuart," Lindsay corrected him. "You're here because you're necessary for what the monk has planned. He didn't call us here to save your life; it's to help with your fight. You need to defeat that general."

"But he's just a scared kid..."

"No. You can't see them like that," Cyntia murmured more quietly. "They're not human; they're distorted and broken souls by the aberration. They're already dead. Don't be deceived; they may have memories, they may have consciences, but they're nothing more than puppets fulfilling her will."

"I told you, Stuart. I don't want to see you running away. You're part of this war, and you have to fight. You can't let your heart, which always seeks the worst option, win. Sometimes we have to fight, even with ourselves, for what's right. Simply because it's our duty. Because it's the right thing to do. Come on, Stuart, you need to do this."

The man took a moment to think while the three of them stared at him, waiting for his decision. He didn't want to. Fight, kill that kid, having to be part of all this. He really didn't want to. But if it meant he could stay a little longer with her... then it was okay.

"Alright, let's go after that kid." The three ghosts sighed in relief and followed the man as he ran deeper into the forest. It was still night, and except for the part that had turned into a lake, the cemetery remained.

"Stuart, listen to me," Lindsay called. "...avoid talking to us. Remember, only you can see us, but if your opponent manages to perceive us, we'll lose some of the confusing effect." Her husband just nodded while continuing to advance in search of the boy.

But the further the man went through the forest, the more the forest closed in. The graves slowly began to be replaced by trees, as a testament that life will flourish even where there is death. The entire biome was changing from a simple woods to a thicket, the ground becoming more and more muddy in a swamp, the thick mud clinging to him like a lover, not letting him go.

"What's happening to this place?" Stuart asked irritably. "This forest went from 8 to 80 very quickly."

"It must be the kid's power..." Lindsay deduced. "...That lake earlier appeared out of nowhere too. Cyntia, use your power."

"Okay." Again, the ghost touched Stuart, the hammer turned into an axe, and he vanished. In an instant, he could walk through the mud as if it were nothing.

Then the ground disappeared—stone, plants, liquid, earth—the soil simply ceased to exist, with the only exception being a block of earth where Nightmare was, terrified in the block while a spiky iron dome formed around him.

Stuart lost his footing with the sudden disappearance of the ground and was falling into the abyss when Carlos caught him and carried him. The ghost, with a comically puzzled expression, commented:

"This kid is dangerous. The whole ground vanished suddenly."

"What makes him dangerous is not his power but his mind," Lindsay pointed out while flying a little higher than her colleague to get a better view. She looked around until she spotted the iron dome of her opponent and then pointed with a serious expression. "There he is. As I thought... he's very cautious."

Carlos was still confused.

"Cautious?"

"Idiot, put yourself in his place. Suddenly, your enemy simply disappears right before your eyes. Most people would be confused, reacting without understanding, formulating theories. But this kid thinks quickly. No matter what Stuart's power is—teleportation, invisibility, illusion, or whatever—if you get rid of all the ground around and protect yourself inside a dome, you don't need to think. It was the same thing with the lake before; he attacks to kill. No games, no hesitation."

"But that means that as long as Stuart remains invisible, he'll be convinced that he's dead, right?"

"Yes, at any moment."

From the single block of earth, rocks expanded and created a platform a few meters away. The dome around Nightmare also expanded with every step he took, the ground growing over the void with the dome keeping the young man safe inside, just him and the air.

"Looks like he's not going to get rid of his defenses..." Stuart grew tired. "...Let's go inside and finish this quickly."

Following Stuart's request, Carlos descended with the man. They both crossed the dome and saw the boy walking in the dark, book and wand in hand. The ghost brought Stuart as close as possible to the enemy, and then the man appeared ready to attack the boy with the axe. However, the moment the man appeared inside the dome, thanks to the motion sensors installed in the area, designed to activate at the movement of anyone except Nightmare, machine guns emerged from the walls and started firing. Stuart reflexively went invisible again, dodging the shots and making the axe pass straight through the general. The surprised boy was startled by the barrage of bullets and immediately turned around, unable to see anything. With a quick movement of his hands, the young man wrote something in his book, and the walls of the dome shrank with great brutality to the point where only Nightmare could fit inside them.

"What was that?" Carlos asked, more tense than before. "How can machine guns come out of nowhere?"

"He prepared for an invasion; he even considered the chance of someone entering his dome..." Lindsay thought more and more, they couldn't underestimate him or they would die. He wasn't physically strong; if they managed to land a few hits on him, they could win, but the problem was 'how?' Each move of the boy was an ultimatum. "Now that he's seen Stuart appearing and disappearing, he must be wondering how he survived the abyss, crossed the dome, and escaped again."

"Actually, Lindsay, there's something you're not noticing..." Stuart said. "But you should."

"What are you talking about?"

"Why did he shrink the dome? Considering the behavior he's shown so far, I think the most likely reason is obvious..." Lindsay's eyes widened as she understood her husband's reasoning.

"Probably... he even removed the oxygen from outside, didn't he?" Her conclusion was correct; all the oxygen from the area had been banished, the only reason it remained inside the dome was because the dome produced it internally.

"So what exactly is his power?" Carlos asked, not being intellectually quick, he preferred to leave the thinking to them.

"Well, he wrote in the book before the dome closed..." Lindsay thought. "And before, he called himself a writer. I assume everything he writes happens."

"Not everything," Stuart corrected. "You said yourself, he attacks to kill. If he could write anything, he would have written that I had a heart attack or something. From the context, I assume he can only affect the environment. In other words, he can't give himself an astronaut suit or turn my bones into glass. His power is limited to altering the description of an area."

"So what do we do then?" Carlos joined the discussion. "You won't have the strength to cut through iron with an axe. All we can do is wait for him to tire out, right?"

As if on cue, under the moonlight, megaphones began to form around the dome so Nightmare could speak with his opponent...

"M-Mister, I would like to talk to you. This isn't going to lead anywhere... F-First I considered the idea that you might be omnipotent... but if that were the case, you would have already killed me. You're not immortal nor do you have regeneration, since that wouldn't explain how you entered the dome or escaped from the ice crust. I deduce intangibility and invisibility, but you remained alive even without oxygen or ground to stand on. From what I understand, you fly and are basically immortal while keeping your existence erased. Unless you have the ability to change your weight and become light enough for the wind to carry you, b-but no, if you could change your weight, you'd make your body heavier and have the momentum to cut through the iron of the dome... All I need is to stay surrounded by steel while nullifying the entire area, then you will be forced to remain invisible, and we won't get out of here. I don't need to defeat you, just keep you trapped here."

"Smart kid, you figured all that out so clearly," Lindsay admitted, trying to find an opening in the boy's defenses.

"Hm, I had an idea..." Carlos said. "...he's insecure, right? No matter how powerful someone is, if we can make him doubt himself, it will surely affect his fighting style."

"It's a good idea, but how do you plan to do that?"

"We'll break one of his theories." Carlos flew with Stuart a few meters above the dome. "Stuart, you remember my power and my weapon, right?"

"Oh, right... you're going to switch with Cyntia, duplicate my weight and her weapon's to give me more strength to cut through the dome during the fall."

"Yes, here we go." Carlos disappeared and Cyntia reappeared, the axe in Stuart's hand became a sword. Stuart immediately lost the power of invisibility and began to fall, using the power of duplication to increase his weight.

However, during his fall, several grenades appeared around him. Caught off guard, Stuart reverted his power to normal while Lindsay caught him in mid-air and pulled him away from the explosions. But in the abyss's void, a giant magnet was formed beneath an electric barrier, pulling his sword downward. Had Stuart gone along with it, he would have been fried. Cyntia immediately switched with Carlos again so Stuart could breathe and be shielded from the magnetization.

An action that didn't help them completely, as even after becoming invisible, Stuart began to cough up blood. The ghosts looked at him worriedly and confused, not understanding that the grenades were filled with toxins. Just a breath was enough to affect the opponent. Soon, more magnets and electric circuits were created from various directions to pull the enemy and fry him as soon as he became visible again.

"What do we do? He's coughing up a lot of blood!" Carlos asked in panic. Lindsay was very tense and distressed, her mind racing to think of something. The magnets obviously indicated that the general had noticed Stuart's weapons. It was a way to push the weapon away from the attack, even if he duplicated its weight or strength. They needed to end the fight quickly or Stuart would die. But he was poisoned, there was no oxygen outside of invisibility. It was supposed to appear and attack, but the boy was surrounded by iron. What to do? While the kid kept his guard up, they had no chance.

"We have no choice..." the woman said anxiously. But while they're in a panic, I want you to see what's happening inside the dome, inside Nightmare's head.

Know that this general is terrified. He's unsure if the poison has affected Stuart, as he doesn't know if the opponent is immune to poisons or something like that. This young man attacked with everything he had in mind to create an environment where his enemy couldn't have a chance of surviving, and yet he was still there... or had he died now? If he died while invisible, would the boy be able to find out? Or would he remain invisible forever?

Should Nightmare wait? For how long? Wait, what if the man had simply left? How was the general supposed to know where he was? What if he had gone after Fernanda and the others? The worst scenarios plagued the young man's mind. It might seem sudden to you because you're just seeing it now, but let me tell you something: Nightmare has been like this from the beginning. Every attack he made was not a calm, analytical strategy but a desperate move driven by quick thinking and impulse.

This child fighting bravely in battle has no security in what he does. Originally, he would have been worse; his anxiety would have been so overwhelming that the stories in his head would have been so numerous he wouldn't have even acted. He would have had many ideas but never taken any action to change them. However, a friend taught him to have strength and opened his eyes, reminding him that even when scared, you need to act somehow.

So at least now he can act, but he still lacks confidence. Forgive me for my big mouth, but I need to spoil something for you. His pessimism is what will bring about his defeat. Not by himself, but by others.

He waited, waited, waited for minutes that seemed like hours, and nothing happened.

The worst scenario took hold in his mind. What if he was going after the others? Nightmare created a scenario where Stuart wouldn't be able to defeat him, and if something is impossible, of course the opponent will give up and leave. Nightmare didn't know if his enemy had gone, didn't know if his enemy was still there, but he couldn't risk the worst scenario. He would have to show an opening, but he didn't need to worry completely. There were magnets everywhere, so no matter what weapon Stuart had, he would lose it, and the general was confident that he wouldn't die easily, or so he hoped...

The oxygen returned and the iron dome opened, leveling the playing field so that his opponent wouldn't give up. And... so he lost. The one who had the advantage throughout the fight, the one who was guaranteed to win, deliberately lowered his guard, recognizing that there was a chance his enemy was still there. Right in front of him, Stuart appeared, holding the spear that Lindsay had used when she was alive. A wooden spear, which wasn't attracted by any magnet. With one move, he drove the spear straight through the boy's chest.

The man, with his mouth drenched in blood and his skin turning purple, kept one foot in the grave... If Nightmare had waited just a little longer, he would have won the fight, but his story was tragic enough; he couldn't risk it becoming history... and look.

"Good... you were poisoned. At least one, I got." The boy smiled, crying. He didn't want to die, but he also managed to confirm with his own eyes that everything was fine. The boy's body turned violet and exploded.

Creativity traveled through all time and space, returning imagination to the world.

But, unlike it's siblings, creativity only touched one heart.

"Samuel..." Lalá growled, furious with the bold idea that the violet sphere had planted in her head. "How dare you make Lily lose... seem something so plausible?" But the sphere said nothing; it only provided ideas and allowed them to visualize what it had seen but wouldn't make them do anything. The decision was still in Lalá's hands.

Stuart was coughing more and more, with Carlos still carrying him while Cyntia and Lindsay tried to think of what to do. Then a temporal rift opened right beside them, and for a moment the group stood frozen, staring in shock. When they realized what was happening, they stepped into the mysterious portal.

The temporal rift led them to an oriental palace, so majestic and graceful. But they were not alone there. Lysa, John, and James were also present, astonished to see, in their eyes, Stuart entering alone as if being dragged by something.

"Stuart?" The frightened child shouted at the sight of the blood flowing from the recent arrival's mouth, his skin turning blue as if he could no longer breathe. It didn't take long for James to realize it was poison, and John to deduce what needed to be done.

"Lysa, touch him and purify him, like you did with me."

"But I don't know how..."

"Just touch him." Under the command of an adult, the child had no argument, so she obeyed, touched him, and the light shone, removing all toxins from him, but not healing the damage already done.

None of the three could see the ghosts, but while Carlos and Cyntia sighed in relief, Lindsay cried like a baby.

Helena

Helena wandered alone through the castle, still trying to understand what was happening in her mind. The more she remembered, the angrier she became, the more her head hurt, and her body stiffened. The woman wandered in tears that only she could see, as her frustration burned so much that the heat evaporated the drops before they even fell. A tearless cry, that's the cry of those who are irritated.

"What... did I do? And why can't I remember anything? I was 12, I should be able to remember."

"Childhood memories fade, especially when trauma is involved." A robotic, muffled voice emerged. A soldier, a typical dragon story knight, stood observing Helena, around two meters tall, carrying a shield in one hand and a sword in the other. "I heard your questions, did you perhaps do something you regret?"

"Who are you?" Helena immediately raised her fists, preparing for a fight. She was healed now but still had no sword, and facing that general (?) would be extremely challenging.

"Does it matter if I give you a name? It's not like you would recognize me. Please, I'm interested in your story. What happened? I also did things I regret in my youth."

"Oh, shut up. If I knew, I wouldn't be asking. Go take care of your own life and leave me alone, or I'll smash your face into the ground."

"Hm... you remind me of a cousin of mine, equally hot-headed. It's a shame, I didn't want to have to kill you." The soldier charged at Helena. Despite they height and the weight of the armor, they was agile, very agile. All Helena could do was dodge and run. Since they was larger than her, the weight combined with their strength made the attacks come from an angle that wasn't very advantageous for her to defend against. But Helena, in a quick dance of movements, found an opening and tried to kick the soldier's torso.

The enemy simply put their enormous shield in front, blocking the warrior's kick. The soldier pushed Helena's leg to the side, unbalancing her with the shift in weight, and moving their right hand that held the sword, aimed the attack right at her center. Helena moved her feet and hips, dodging the attack. It was the best idea she'd ever had... the soldier's strike was so powerful that when the sword hit the ground, a huge crack was made from where the sword struck to the wall.

"HEY YOU ASSHOLE, POWER IS UNFAIR. IDIOT." The half-redhead swore, even more frustrated that her disadvantage was only increasing.

"Do you mind me using a power but not the fact that you have to face me unarmed? Don't worry, that was no power, it's just my true strength." And as they finished speaking, the crack that had just made widened further, and the wall and floor collapsed. They were far enough from the wall to avoid falling, but now there was a huge hole in the room where they were, and the fight would have to be conducted with dexterity and care.

Helena advanced... her agility matched the soldier's strikes, showing an equivalence of forces. Another variety of strike between the two, metal against flesh, fury against fury, warrior against soldier... they were evenly matched when it came to swords, which gave Helena a certain idea of how her opponent would attack. Unlike Gaya, Helena knew the soldier was serious. The movements were subtle and fast, too fast. Even if they were strong, even if they were the strongest man in the world, couldn't be that fast; the armor was heavy, not to mention the sword and shield, but they was as fast as Helena, sometimes making her dizzy just watching the movements. A series of blows and counterblows... someone outside might confuse it with a dance fight.

After a series of strikes, Helena broke through her opponent's defense and punched his arm. However, it felt... hollow? The blow seemed to have no effect, as the soldier immediately attacked with the same speed and slashed Helena's abdomen. The young woman managed to move away a bit, preventing the cut from being too deep. More and more blows... one after another, resonating like a dance of swords throughout the castle. Helena broke through the defense again, but this time, kicked the soldier's head from below. This knocked off the soldier's helmet, revealing that there was no one inside.

There was nothing and no one inside that armor, which was why its movements were so fast. It was just armor moving on its own. Helena landed a kick on the disoriented armor, destroying it and returning it to what it was, a normal suit of armor.

"WHERE ARE YOU? LISTEN HERE, I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR GAMES RIGHT NOW!"

"I'm right here!" The voice came from above. A woman was walking on the ceiling. Even though she was upside down, it was as if gravity didn't affect her... she wore armor, but without a helmet; she had long dark hair, like the night, and deep eyes. The woman then began to float upside down, emerging from the wall, or was she flying upwards? In mid-air, her body spun into a normal position. She floated delicately and descended to the ground. To Helena's surprise, the woman was her height, and didn't seem like a threat at all. "Finally! You took too long to figure out that it wasn't me."

"But I figured it out. And that's what matters. Now come here and I'll destroy you."

"Hm, proud and scandalous. Not yet, impatient one, I still have warriors to fight against someone like you. Warriors who serve me, your warrior." The dismantled armor then reassembled itself. "And to make it more fun..." said Ygritte, as another soldier appeared by her side. "... we'll raise the stakes."

The two soldiers charged. Helena did too. She tried to strike the first one, but he defended with his shield; the second came from behind, she barely saw when the sword pierced her abdomen, but she felt it. When the soldier withdrew the sword, the other was ready to attack as well. Helena used her agility to escape. Once she managed to evade the attack, she ran out of the room, into the corridor, and began to descend the stairs, hearing the soldiers running after her.

"Calm down, woman..." Ygritte said to herself, still in the room. "We've just started, don't do anything you'll regret later."