The Spirit Fiend (IV) Dark Nemesis

Outside the Nightmare Dimension, in the Arkana, as he stood watch to ensure the safety of his friends, Richard couldn't help worrying about his sister and his friend Legend. But the darkness that had encompassed the city of Lybia became denser... darker... and it seemed as if something was about to emerge from it. If it did... it would likely devour everyone within range. Due to how bleak the situation was, it could be said that the darkness leveled up...  At this point, Richard couldn't help but think they were all running out of time.

Richard was looking at the mysterious man inquisitively.

Richard: {What does he have to gain? Why is he suddenly helping us? Is he actually helping us, or is this something else entirely? And who is he? So far, it would appear that we can trust him... but letting our guard down in front of him may prove to be a colossal mistake...} 

Richard: Who are you?

The man was just standing there, facing the gateway to the Nightmare dimension… Waiting patiently for Rachel and Nimrod to return from the other side. His eyes were closed all the time, though.

Richard: You most likely need to concentrate to keep that gateway open, do you not? Forgive me... I did not mean to distract you. I am thankful for your kind assistance.

Mysterious man: There is no kindness involved in what I do here today, Holy knight. Explaining my motives to you would be pointless. I'm afraid they are currently far beyond your understanding... But perhaps someday you will understand…

Richard: {In other words, he believes me to be mentally challenged... Hopefully, this will all be over soon...} 

After hearing that, Richard looked like he was starting to get mad. 

At the same time, Sven searched the shelves and all the crevices of the Ancient Library to find anything that could be of help. He stumbled across a text in a book that read as follows:

"Travel between dimensions is something humans simply cannot achieve. Any attempt would result in catastrophic failure, endangering the life of the spell caster and putting at risk the entire fabric of reality itself"

The text was from a volume on Dimensional magic written by the great sorcerer Emrys, who wrote many books covering several magical disciplines.

Sven: I have found nothing that can be used to help the princess' friend... So useless! – As he said this out loud, he threw the book across the table where he was sitting. Sven was an overall peaceful man. To see him like this was completely unexpected and out of character. After holding his head for a while, he got out of the chair with a different attitude. He casually left the library area as if there was nothing at all going on.

Meanwhile, inside the Nightmare dimension, Nimrod was still floating in what appeared to be nothingness... He had seemingly forgotten where he was, how he had gotten there, and why he was there to begin with. He couldn't remember anything.

Nimrod: {What the heck? - - - What is this place? Feels like one heck of a trip! This is so strange... My body feels completely weightless! I can't tell if I'm upright or upside down... Could this be... a dream?} – as he thought this to himself, he saw something that looked like bubbles passing by… they looked like the bubbles you would see underwater. But they weren't rising from the bottom up (like normal bubbles do); they were going sideways…

Nimrod: {…Ok… so that's a thing!} {Why the heck can't I remember what I was doing? Was I flying over a desert? Damn it! Think! ... I said think, you blockhead!}

Suddenly, he heard a woman's scream... and it was at that moment that it all came back to him.

Nimrod: {Rachel! Hang on… I'll find you!}

When Nimrod told Rachel to say his name anytime she needed him, he was binding his power to her. He did it instinctively, despite the fact of not fully understanding the mechanics of it all. Therefore, there was now a magical bond between the two of them. Nimrod wasn't going to let anything bad happen to her as long as she needed him.

Meanwhile, Rachel was surprised by what she first thought was a part of Legend's dream... It was a woman... A very tall and fit-looking woman. Her hair was purple, and she had it arranged in a ponytail. At first, she believed her to be some sort of fantasy inside Legend's mind, but when this woman started talking to her, she realized she wasn't that at all. She was an invader... someone that entered Legend's mind through the Nightmare dimension just like Nimrod and herself.

The woman identified herself as Dark Nemesis and said she knew what Rachel was doing there.

Dark Nemesis: His soul is ours. There's nothing you or anyone else can do about it. The Grand Master will return to your world in physical form and reign supreme!

Rachel: Why does this Grand Master of yours want to reign in my world? What does he have to gain?

Dark Nemesis: That's a foolish question… only a foolish girl would wonder such a thing. I am a threat... your enemy. Let me show you how I question my enemies!

Dark Nemesis attacked Rachel with a blast of Dark Lightning  (a black lightning bolt was shot from the palm of her hand, traveling at lightning speed). Rachel wasn't prepared to put up a barrier or to dodge. She was hit by it in full and badly injured. Nemesis floated toward her but remained at medium range. 

Rachel was holding her left arm since that was where the attack hit her. Her arm was bleeding, and it had some awful burns. Since it looked like Dark Nemesis was going to launch another attack, Rachel quickly decided to counter with an attack of her own: An attack that didn't require much channeling and she could unleash immediately (mages needed to channel their mana in order to cast spells. Channeling was simply the act of concentrating the magical energy and drawing it to them. This could be a quick or slow process depending on several factors like the mage's skill, experience, magic power, and the difficulty of the spell that needed to be cast).

Dark Nemesis: Dark Lightning!

Rachel: White Lightning!

Both attack spells clashed with each other, but Rachel's spell lacked the power to compete against Dark Nemesis' Dark Lightning. The Dark Lightning prevailed and hit Rachel again. This time it got her in her right ribcage. Part of the attack went past her, so she wasn't hit in full this time. But now she was too injured to continue defending herself.

Dark Nemesis: Why did you even bother coming here? Now you will die, and whatever remains of your soul after you experience your own personal nightmare will be saved as fuel for the Grand Master and his minions for all eternity. I bet now you regret thinking that you could save him, don't you?

Nemesis was about to finish her off with another Dark Lightning blast at point-blank range. She extended her hand, and it started crackling with black particles. Right before she fired the blast, Nimrod came flying in from behind and landed a staggering tackle, stunning Nemesis and leaving her unable to counterattack. He then flew Rachel as far away from her as he could.

When they seemed to be at a safe distance away from her, Rachel repaired her injuries with her magic (she used a Cure spell that accelerated her healing. It left her with burn marks, but she felt almost as good as new. Cure magic was one of the most basic abilities that White mages specialized in. It made them incredibly valuable to have in any type of battle).

Rachel and Nimrod were now in a space that had lots of mosaic images of Legend everywhere. The images were in the background and foreground... they occupied every space there.  However, they both saw how the images started to fade away.

Nimrod: What's going on?

Rachel: We don't have much time left... If we don't find the Spirit Fiend and defeat him, Legend's soul will be consumed!

As she said those words, both of them started feeling an all-encompassing fear... Fear like never before they had felt in their lives. A presence that was ever lingering in the atmosphere began concentrating at one point, right before their eyes. A dark mist-like vapor gathered itself, forming the shape of what looked like a person. Then they heard it. An echoing, horrifying voice spoke to them, saying:

Grand Master: SO YOU PLAN TO DEFEAT ME. I AM CURIOUS TO LEARN WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU COULD DO SUCH A THING.

Nimrod froze. He wanted to move, but he was completely overpowered by paralyzing fear. Rachel's heart was nearly pounding out of her chest. The misty figure continued to utter its menacing and terrifying words.

Grand Master: SO... GIRL. JUST HOW IS IT YOU PLAN ON DEFEATING ME, THE GRAND MASTER?

Nimrod was trying his best to get a hold of himself. Rachel was afraid like never before in her life... But there was one thought razor-sharp in her mind:

Rachel: {It's all up to me! Legend... All the other people of Lybia... They are all counting on me!}

The misty figure then broke apart, launching itself forward. It reached for Nimrod. The mist covered his entire body and slowly began to go inside him. At that point, he let go of Rachel in an effort to protect her from the mysterious charge. Nimrod felt as if he was being crushed from the inside. Rachel tried desperately swatting the mist away to no avail. He was helpless. Shortly after that, the possession was complete. The Grand Master had just taken over Nimrod's body. He then asked Rachel again:

Grand Master: HOW?! I'M WAITING!