That night was like many others, with Liam lying on his back, his hands crossed over his chest and his gaze fixed on the darkness of the ceiling, thinking over and over about Freddy Kruger before falling asleep, repeating his name in his mind like a mantra, trying to draw him into his dreams. His breathing was slow, controlled, and every thought was charged with intent.
But it seemed that night, after several months of failed attempts, it had finally worked.
Liam found himself in BlackSpot, and the very moment he opened his eyes, a chill ran down his spine. Something was wrong. The place was far too quiet. Since he was ten years old, he had stopped coming here alone, and now Carrie was nowhere to be seen. That absence weighed more than any other sign.
"This is strange." Liam said, frowning as he carefully sat up, placing one hand on the ground and slowly turning his head around, alert to any movement.
With that suspicion in mind, he went outside to see if Carrie was training alone out there. He walked a few steps, scanning the area with his eyes, his shoulders slightly tense. When he stepped out, he found no one nearby. The wind barely stirred the leaves, but there was no presence at all.
"I get it now." At that moment, Liam stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes narrowed and a serious expression formed on his face. He realized he had managed to attract Freddy Kruger, and with that in mind, he began to organize his plans mentally, one after another, with cold precision.
"Carrie, wake up." Liam said using telepathy, focusing intensely, as if pushing his voice straight toward her.
"Mmm, she's sleeping deeply… I'll have to keep trying until she wakes up." Liam said, clicking his tongue in irritation as he clenched his fists and took a deep breath.
"I need to test something." With that, Liam tried to pull out his runic dagger. A second later, he felt it cold and solid in his hand. He held it firmly, observing it for a few moments, turning it slightly to make sure it was real, before carefully putting it away again. He didn't want to ruin everything by injuring Freddy and making him escape once he realized Liam could hurt him even inside dreams.
At that moment, from deep within the forest, the sound of scraping blades began to echo—long, shrill, metallic—accompanied by a low, mocking laugh that seemed to slither between the trees.
"Screeeech… screeeech…"
"Heh… heh… hehehe…"
The sound made his skin crawl.
With that, Liam, determined to buy time until Carrie woke up, spun on his heels and ran toward the opposite side of the forest. His footsteps were fast and controlled, weaving around roots and shadows without losing his rhythm.
"Carrie, wake up, this isn't a dream." Liam kept insisting as he ran, pushing his mental voice again and again, trying to wake her. He couldn't help but imagine why she wasn't waking up. She's probably dreaming about me, he thought with frustration, and the sound of my voice doesn't wake her because she mistakes it as part of her dream.
Liam shook his head as he ran, letting out a brief sigh as he thought about how Carrie had ended up becoming his yandere. He clearly remembered the day he found her almost beating another girl to death—a girl who had fallen in love with him. The image was still vivid in his mind: Carrie with eyes overflowing with rage, her fists trembling.
Liam had stopped her before she did something irreversible, holding her tightly, and had to promise that she would be the only girl in his life and that she didn't need to go to such extremes. Since that day, although she still hit girls who fell in love with him, she stopped before it became too serious.
For Liam, this wasn't a problem. He never thought about having a harem or anything like that; he was more than happy with Carrie. He didn't want to waste time with other girls trying to make them happy. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
Besides, a girl like Carrie, who could follow him anywhere he went, was perfect for someone who wanted to grow strong in order to live a peaceful life in the future—and for that, he needed to move around, hunting supernatural beings.
Liam kept running through the trees, feeling how the ground changed beneath his feet, sometimes firm, sometimes soft, as if the dream itself were trying to slow him down. The air grew heavier, thicker, and every breath scraped his throat. He knew Freddy was there, watching him, enjoying the chase.
The branches seemed to stretch as he passed, brushing against his arms, trying to snag him. Liam clenched his teeth and kept his pace, forcing himself not to look back.
"Carrie, wake up." He insisted telepathically, this time with more force, focusing on projecting urgency, real danger.
Nothing.
A metallic noise echoed behind him, closer now.
"Screeeech…"
Liam abruptly veered to the side, rolling across the ground just as blades slashed down where his head had been. The impact kicked up dirt and leaves. He sprang back to his feet, his heart pounding in his chest, but without losing his composure.
"Good… I'm not going to give you the pleasure that easily." He muttered to himself.
He ran again, this time zigzagging between the trees, leaping over fallen trunks and using the terrain to his advantage. Every second that passed was time gained. Every second was another chance for Carrie to wake up.
"Carrie, this is real. I'm in danger. Wake up now."
In the distance, Freddy's laughter distorted, echoing from all directions at once.
"Hehehe… running won't help, kid…"
Liam clenched his fists as he ran. He knew Freddy fed on fear, so he forced his mind to stay cold. This wasn't the first time he'd faced something far more dangerous than himself. This was no different. He just had to endure.
Suddenly, the environment changed. The forest blurred and the ground became uneven, as if he were walking over twisted metal. BlackSpot warped, blending with images that didn't belong to him: rusted hallways, steaming boilers, human shadows hanging from invisible chains.
"He's trying to drag me into his territory… not yet." He thought.
He stopped abruptly and spun on his heels, pretending to be exhausted. He leaned on his knees, breathing heavily on purpose. It was a risk, but he needed to provoke him.
"Carrie…" He insisted one more time, lowering the intensity, as if whispering in her ear. "Wake up, now!"
The blades appeared in front of him in a flash. Freddy emerged from nowhere, his silhouette warped, his grin twisted, his eyes gleaming with malice.
"You look tired." He said, tilting his head. "Let me help you sleep forever."
Liam took a step back, feigning nervousness, but inside he was counting every movement, every gesture.
"Not yet… a little more time." He thought.
At that moment, he felt something different. A slight tug in his mind. It wasn't Freddy's voice. It was… familiar.
"…Liam?"
His eyes widened with a spark of relief.
"There you are." He murmured softly, never taking his eyes off the monster in front of him.
"Carrie, listen carefully." He thought quickly. "I'm dreaming. Freddy is here. Get ready."
Freddy's smile widened, as if he had noticed the change.
"Oh… is someone else listening?" He mocked.
Liam straightened his back and stopped pretending to be tired. His eyes hardened.
"Yes." He replied calmly. "And you arrived just in time."
As Freddy advanced confidently, Liam stepped forward, ready for the next move. Now he just needed the exact moment. One mistake, and Freddy would escape. But if he did it right… they would kill him.
"Liam, I'm already in your room, ready to wake you up at any moment." Carrie said, her voice firm, standing beside the bed with clenched fists and her body slightly leaning forward, prepared to act without hesitation.
Liam and Carrie had talked about how to wake him up, and to avoid situations where he wouldn't wake on the first try, they decided Carrie should hit him hard in the stomach so the pain would wake him instantly. It wasn't a decision taken lightly, but both knew they couldn't afford mistakes against Freddy.
With that, Liam stopped hesitating and moved toward Freddy, his steps firm and his gaze focused. Freddy responded by slashing with his metal claws in a fast, violent motion, but Liam dodged easily, twisting his body with precision and moving aside just enough.
This surprised Freddy slightly; he tilted his head with a twisted grin. He had never faced someone so trained in combat, someone who didn't react with panic.
"Oh, hehehe, you're not like the others, but it won't change anything."
At that moment, while he spoke confidently, Liam's right fist was already closing in—clean, direct, without hesitation.
"Bang" echoed, snapping Freddy's head violently to the left from the force, a dry crack resounding through the air.
"You shouldn't talk in the middle of a fight." Liam mocked Freddy with a faint, crooked smile. He didn't grab him right away so as not to raise Freddy's suspicions.
"I'll make you suffer for a long time before killing you." Freddy said, straightening up and adopting a more serious stance, ready to stop playing around.
But in that moment, while Freddy's vision was turned away, Liam closed in, slipped behind him, and locked him into a rear choke, his arm tightening around Freddy's neck with perfect technique, using his own weight to immobilize him.
"Huh?" Freddy was caught off guard and didn't know what to do for a moment, flailing awkwardly, until he realized why Liam had grabbed him like that.
"Now, Carrie!"
At that, Liam felt a brutal pain slam into his stomach, and the dream began to shatter like breaking glass as he woke up violently, the air bursting from his lungs.
"No! Let go!" Freddy began thrashing desperately, trying to break free, slashing wildly with his claws to force Liam to release him. But Liam skillfully avoided them while still holding on, gritting his teeth and using every ounce of strength he had.
In the final moments, Liam began to feel a massive force pushing against them, trying to make him release Freddy—an invisible pressure dragging them back—but with incredible strength, he refused to let go, not even against the telekinesis Freddy could use in dreams.
"No!" was the last thing Freddy managed to say before he appeared on Liam's bed, dragged into reality.
Freddy didn't even have time to see where he was, because the instant he appeared, an overwhelming force seized him and lifted him into the air, leaving him completely suspended, unable to move a single muscle, his eyes wide open.
"I've got him, Liam. I'll kill him when you say so." Carrie said with a happy smile, her eyes shining as she watched the helpless Freddy writhing uselessly in the air.
"He's really ugly, worse than I imagined from how you described him." Carrie said, her curiosity almost childlike as she slowly rotated Freddy in the air, examining him from different angles.
"Yeah, he's useless. If you're not afraid of him, he weakens. He tries to provoke fear with his ugliness." Liam mocked Freddy, looking at him with absolute contempt.
"Well, he doesn't scare me. Just disgusts me." Carrie said, grimacing at Freddy.
"Not everyone is like us." Liam said confidently, relaxing his shoulders slightly now that the situation was under control.
"Mmm." Carrie replied with a satisfied smile.
"What's going on here?" Liam's mother arrived, groggy, awakened by all the noise, her hair messy and her robe poorly closed.
When she saw the horrific being—burned skin, metal claws, floating in the air and struggling—she gasped and instinctively stepped back.
"What is that thing?" She asked shakily.
"Mother-in-law, it's a monster that attacks dreams. Don't get close, we'll kill it soon." Carrie said with genuine concern, positioning herself slightly in front of her, since she truly cared about Liam's mother.
Liam's mother knew about Carrie's powers since the month they had been practicing at home. Liam hadn't hidden it, knowing she regretted how she treated Carrie in her childhood, and at some point she had even stopped being afraid of her.
Because of that, Liam let it slide; all that mattered to him was that she did what he asked and that he could act without restrictions.
At first, seeing Carrie use her telekinesis had terrified her, but over time she got used to it and came to care for Carrie like a daughter.
Ignoring his mother, Liam pulled out his dagger, its runes glowing bright green. The light illuminated the room as he advanced toward Freddy Kruger. He gave a small smile and stabbed him in the chest, making Freddy writhe in pain, trying desperately to scream but failing.
He stepped back, watched him for a moment, and spoke. "Let him use his mouth and burn him to death." Liam said, deliberately choosing the death Freddy Kruger feared the most.
"Ahrgg!" Freddy Kruger couldn't stop his screams once his mouth was freed; the stab from Liam's dagger hurt worse than any wound he could remember.
"No, no, fire, please no." Freddy begged, his voice breaking as he heard how they planned to kill him.
Carrie only smiled at his suffering and began to use her telekinesis at the molecular level, slowly raising her hand.
Freddy Kruger began to feel heat building inside him, increasing second by second, until his body ignited from the inside out.
"No! Ahrg!" Freddy Kruger screamed at the absolute limit of his throat as he burned alive.
Carrie watched with a smile, Liam with absolute coldness, and his mother with some fear—but trusting Liam and Carrie.
A few minutes later, only ashes remained of what Freddy Kruger once was. He couldn't defend himself at all in reality; to Carrie, he was no different from a normal human—weak.
[ABILITY OBTAINED]
Liam heard what he had been waiting for. He turned toward Carrie and his mother.
"You can go back to sleep now." Liam said, finally relaxing his body.
"Alright." Liam's mother accepted it without thinking too much, still with a bit of fear from that monster.
"I don't want to. I'm not sleepy. I want to stay with you tonight." Carrie said, making puppy eyes, tilting her head and clinging to Liam's sleeve.
Liam hesitated at the sight, swallowing hard. Those eyes… and besides, he had woken her up to help him kill Freddy Kruger.
"Fine, just this once, since I woke you up to help me. But it's only sleeping together." Liam said, clearly sensing Carrie's intentions.
Carrie couldn't help but break into a wide smile when she heard that.
"Mmm, fine." Carrie pouted because Liam still didn't want to take the final step.
With that, she climbed into Liam's bed without waiting, pulled the covers up to her neck, and stared at him, telling him with her eyes alone to hurry up.
"I'm coming, I'm coming, have some patience." With that, Liam walked over to the bed and climbed in carefully, lifting the sheets just enough not to make unnecessary noise.
Carrie didn't give him even a second. The moment she felt the mattress dip, she turned toward him and pressed herself against his body, wrapping her arms and legs around him with an alarming naturalness, as if that had always been her place. Her head rested against his chest, and her warm breathing seeped through the fabric of Liam's shirt.
Liam's eyes flew open at the sudden contact. His body tensed reflexively, and his heart began pounding so hard he feared Carrie might hear it. He swallowed slowly, not daring to move too much, feeling every point of contact with uncomfortable clarity.
He could feel the real weight of her body, firm and present, nothing like the hazy memories of when Carrie was only twelve and curled up beside him seeking safety. Now it was different. Very different. The warmth, the way she fit against him, the way her arms held him with a mix of trust and possessiveness… everything reminded him of how much she had changed.
Carrie adjusted her head, rubbing her cheek lightly against his chest as if searching for the perfect position, and sighed in satisfaction. Her fingers tightened slightly against Liam's back, as if afraid he might disappear if she let go.
Liam pressed his lips together and stared up at the ceiling, trying to focus on anything else. On the gentle rhythm of breathing, on the silence of the room, on the fact that everything had ended well. Even so, he couldn't ignore reality: the difference between the frightened little girl and the young woman she had become was immense.
He felt an uncomfortable heat rise through his chest and forced himself to relax his shoulders, controlling his breathing so his nervousness wouldn't show. It wasn't fear… it was something more complicated. Something that made him realize that if a situation like this happened again, he wasn't sure he could always maintain the same self-control.
Carefully, he lifted a hand and rested it on Carrie's head, stroking her hair with a slow, restrained gesture, more protective than anything else. Carrie responded by snuggling a little closer, as if that simple touch confirmed her feelings.
After a while of struggling with himself, he shifted his attention to the system, ready to see what his new ability would be.