"Talk about a nightmare," Annie quipped in a hushed tone as her and the rest of the Ivy Squad stood before the entrance of what used to be Dreamdale village. But it had undergone an unnatural transition.
For one, an eerie shadow had seemingly been cast only around the village, setting it up to look like it was the middle of the night instead of the warm eleven a.m sunlight. The houses and streets were as empty as a desert, a few buildings had been burnt beyond recognition as a result of the panic that ensued fire outbreaks. The strangest thing of all were the entities that made the town look like a scene from a horror film.
Ghosts! Not the stereotypical legless ones. No! They possessed the normal body structure of people or humanoid beings at least. But the details on their bodies were next to none, they made no sound and had large hollowed out circles in the place of eyes and mouths. An additional thing to note was that they permeated through solid matter with ease.
"The Black Spirit couldn't have done this. They've never pulled something like this off before," Nalia said. "Plus, it doesn't feel like they're style."
"Maybe because it isn't them," Florian chipped in. The Squad had been tasked with finding out where the nightmare creatures originated from and why as the Heart was being strecthed thin with all the problems that came with the ongoing war against the terrorist aggregation.
"Maybe it's-"
Ace's hand landed on his mouth, suggesting that he stayed quiet as a nightmare creature had roamed in their direction, looking their way with it's cold, dead hollows before walking away. They gaited as if they had no aim or purpose. The Ivy Squad breathed a sigh of relief as it drifted out of sight.
"Whoo. We're safe." Just as she said this, a grey hand emerged and gripped on Katie's ankle from behind a bush. She shuddered, her body language oozing with terror before she completely froze up. Raten was the first to act, conjuring a keen staff and attempting to skewer the creature.
'Damn! I forgot.' The creature wasn't the slightest bit affected as with every other solid, the needle went right through it. Out of the blue, another had emerged and grasped him. The others, as hard as they resisted, met the same fate.
Unlike Katie however, they weren't paralyzed with fear or rendered unconscious but were as they had been before. They were now being restrained by the Creatures who positioned themselves behind them. It was even more horrificating because they made no sound whilst doing so.
"W-Well, at least it can't get any worse," Nalia whispered nervously under her breath. The Ivy Squad minus the Grass Magic User tilted their heads to see a large black figure in the air that rapidly descended. The aerial one appeared much bulkier than the other Creatures, making them look skinnier in comparison.
"You just had to say that, didn't you?" Annie leered at the Facility worker. At the moment, they were clueless about what to do. If all their attacks went right through them, what option did they have to escape? The only option they had was to watch as the Black Figure strided towards them, ignoring Katie's entirely.
"I leave for a minute..."
In an unforeseen turn of events, a figure manifested, placing his sword standing on the ground. Chains were seemingly evoked by the gesture, twisting and clutching at the limbs of every nightmare creature within the vicinity. They recognized this figure to be the Vice Captain, Raldin.
"Their hands and legs aren't completely untouchable. You should have noticed that when they restrained you like that." He lectured as the group huddled together, relieved by his arrival. In the flash of an eye however, the hindered Creatures vanished into thin air. "Ugh, that's the problem with these things."
Moments later, Katie seemed to have returned to her senses, comforted by Annie who stayed by her side. Although, she wasn't the same as before. Great beads of sweat stood on her face, she altercated between clenching her hand and opening them, her mouth hung slightly open and she just shivered. She was crippled with intense fear.
"W-What's wrong with her?" Annie asked frantically, directing the question to the Vice Captain in particular as she grew troubled for her friend's wellbeing.
"I," He scratched his nape in a mix of exhaustion and uneasiness, "have no idea. Most of the people of the village at the Base all have that exact look on their face and that shivering as well. Right now, she's of no use to us."
"Florian, I need you to take her back to headquarters and return here."
Florian nodded with a short salute, placing the horrified girl on his back and making his way to the Heart Base.
"Meanwhile, we need to figure out what's causing these nightmare entities." He took a second to contemplate on something internally before reaching a decision that he didn't seem too fond of himself. "I wouldn't normally suggest splitting up but they seem to only act up when too many people are condensed in a single area."
"Great. Why not just go to the creepy house with the deranged clown after saying 'I'l be right back' since our lives are about as valuable as dirt." Raldin darted his eyes in her direction and she quieted down, but it didn't stop her from muttering in complaint with a pout.
Nevertheless, Raldin took charge, leaving Ace feeling like he was an incompetent leader of the squad. When Avery was present and on missions with them, he would let the latter tackle dilemmas on his own. In a matter of minutes, Florian returned and joined them as they split into two groups of three. The latter, Ace and Raldin in one group and Raten and the girls in the other.
'Great. I'm stuck with classy magician fanatic and Ms. I-wave-much-more-than-I-should.' Raten heaved and emitted a sigh of slight irritation. Just the slightest bit as he and the girls advanced sneakily in a particular direction.
"Huh? Did you guys just see that?" Before explaining what exactly it was she saw, Annie dashed off on another route and just like that, the chaos had begun.
"Annie!" Raten and Nalia steered, chasing after her. "Where are you going?" The Research Soldier shouted in a subdued manner. But the girl only moved faster and more hectic, as if she was following someone she couldn't lose sight of.
"You guys can't see her?!" Annie questioned, turning back to check their responses and their faces told her that they probably couldn't. But she could and so, she continued her chase, jumping over a barell and sliding below an obstruction. The duo of Zen Wielders exchanged looks before continuing their tailgating.
Out of nowhere and without previous warning, a nightmare creature made itself known, grabbing a hold of Nalia and dashed away with her into the air. "Raten, help me!!" She screamed fearfully as she was being taken away.
Raten grew frustrated as he was faced with a choice: Annie who had yet to stop chasing after her mystery person who had failed to notice Nalia's capture and was already getting farther away or the Research Soldier who was being taken away.
He looked at their directions, alternating between them repeatedly before coming to a conclusion, paying Annie one last glance. "She'll be fine. She's a good fighter at least." He made his choice and pursued Nalia, ending the silence the team had agreed to.
At last, it seemed Annie had halted her chase, arriving in a room where all she could see in a brilliant light was a beautiful blonde haired woman in her thirties, dressed in a cerise and white dress that exuded elegancy.
"...Mother?"
_ _ _
Beginning of Nightmare Village Arc