Andie pushed herself off the ground with a pained grunt - forcing herself upright even though she was leaking Will to Live all over the place. Sneakily, she made her way over to the hole she’d left in the fifth and final wall she’d been knocked through.

…was it weird that she’d kept count?

Never mind, that wasn’t important right now. Andie re-summoned her sword and peered out the her-shaped hole, scanning her surroundings for the Nightmare that had sent her flying. Unless the Nightmare had some kind of x-ray vision, it had lost sight of her as soon as she flew through the first wall. She wanted to make sure she found it before it found her.

She didn’t get what she wanted.

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A pained, rusty screech came from Andie’s left, yanking at her attention. There, on top of one of the few two story bunkers, stood the nightmare. It had stabbed its knife into the roof of its bunker, and was teetering as it began to stand up on its back-most hands - extending its front arms toward the sky.

Another screech erupted, this time pouring out of the entire mindscape as it began to crack and tear. Black, shadowy, gooey hate streamed out of every corner and crevice - gathering around a violent, blood red energy held in the Nightmare’s mouth. Slowly, the beast lowered its front arms and plunged them deep down its own throat.

Then the entire mindscape went still. The last bits of hate funneled into the Nightmare’s mouth, and the tearing ceased.

A low, rumbling growl broke the silence. A growl from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. A growl followed by a dry and crumbling voice disdainfully spitting out a single sentence: “Reveal yourself, my Rage.”