The sky above the once beautiful fairy tale world had become a swirling abyss of black and crimson.
Planet Dracula had completely formed — its dark essence engulfing the surrounding galaxies.
Eerie, twisted structures loomed across the corrupted dimension.
Bats screeched in the air, while the ground was lined with grotesque, thorny vines.
Jim and Naomi emerged from the spaceship, their eyes scanning the nightmare that had unfolded.
Naomi: (whispering) “This can’t be real…”
Jim: (clenching his fists) “Lilith… Nosferatu… They really did it.”
A sense of dread hung in the air.
Jim and Naomi carefully made their way through the desolate land.
They passed by twisted remnants of castles and haunted ruins, searching desperately.
Jim: “They have to be somewhere…”
Naomi: “But if Lilith captured them—”
Jim: (firmly) “No. We’ll find them. I know it.”
Hours passed.
And finally —
They found them.
Mike and Heidi lay at the base of a large, withered tree.
Their bodies were surrounded by a faint, purple mist — a sign of Lilith’s spell.
Their eyes were shut, their breathing faint.
Naomi: (running to them) “Mike! Heidi!”
She tried shaking Heidi’s shoulders, but there was no response.
Jim: (examining the mist) “It’s a sleep curse… She forced them into an eternal slumber.”
Naomi’s hands trembled.
Naomi: “Then how do we wake them up?”
Jim thought hard, feeling the corrupted atmosphere.
Jim: (muttering) “There has to be something. Some way…”
That’s when—
A faint, glowing inscription appeared over Mike’s chest.
Jim narrowed his eyes.
Jim: “Wait… What is that?”
A soft, blue symbol emerged — glowing with ancient magical energy.
Naomi gasped.
Jim: “It’s a spell… But not Lilith’s.”
Jim’s eyes widened in realization.
Naomi: “Mike… He must’ve cast it before Lilith attacked.”
The glowing letters shifted, forming words in a mystical language.
Naomi instinctively translated using her tablet:
Naomi: “Reverie Aegis.”
Jim blinked.
Jim: “Reverie Aegis?”
Naomi (looking at the info in her tablet): “A self-triggering spell. It’s meant to shield the mind from external control and gradually awaken the caster. Mike must have anticipated the possibility of Lilith’s spell and used this as a failsafe.”
Jim’s eyes filled with hope.
Jim: “So… he’ll wake up?”
Naomi: “Yes, but it’s not instant. The spell needs time to undo the effects of Lilith’s magic. If I’m right, he should wake up soon.”
Jim sighed in relief.
Jim: “Thank you, Mike. You really thought ahead…”
They still had to be cautious as they were in the heart of the nightmare.
Jim: “We can’t stay exposed. We’ll guard them until he wakes up.”
Naomi nodded firmly.
Naomi: (quietly) “When Mike wakes up… what do we do?”
Jim’s gaze hardened.
Jim: “We fight.”
Naomi swallowed, her determination growing.
And then —
A flicker.
The Reverie Aegis rune began to pulse.
Naomi: “Jim! It’s happening!”
Mike’s breathing quickened, his fingers trembling.
The glow from the spell encased him in a soft, blue light.
Heidi remained motionless though.
Jim and Naomi watched in anticipation.
And then —
Mike’s eyes snapped open.
He gasped sharply, sitting upright, his body drenched in sweat.
Mike: (panting) “Where… Where am I?”
Naomi immediately kneeled beside him, tears welling in her eyes.
Naomi: “You’re awake!”
Jim let out a relieved breath.
Jim: “Welcome back, Mike.”
Mike blinked, his memories flooding back.
Mike: (clenching his fists) “Lilith… She killed Draven… and then…”
He looked to his side.
Heidi was still unconscious.
Mike: (voice trembling) “Heidi…”
Jim placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
Jim: “She’s still under the spell, but if your Reverie Aegis worked on you, then it’s only a matter of time before she wakes up too.”
Mike exhaled, his chest tightening.
Mike: “I won’t let the fairy tale world suffer any longer. Nosferatu will pay for everything.”
Jim nodded.
Mike knelt beside Heidi, his trembling hands placed firmly over her.
He could still feel a faint pulse from her body, but it wasn’t enough.
The Reverie Aegis spell had worked for him — but when he tried to cast it on Heidi, it failed.
The blue light barely flickered before vanishing.
Mike: (gritting his teeth) “Why isn’t it working? Come on, Heidi… wake up.”
Naomi and Jim stood behind him, equally tense.
Naomi: “Maybe… maybe her mind is deeper within the spell. Lilith might’ve targeted her differently.”
Jim: “But we have to try something. There’s no telling how much time we have.”
Mike’s frustration grew.
Mike: (desperate) “Heidi! I know you can hear me! Please, wake up!”
But there was no response.
She remained still.
While her body lay silent, Heidi's mind was trapped.
A twisted dreamscape surrounded her — an endless void of dark mist.
She could hear whispers.
“You’re not strong enough.”
“A chef pretending to be a warrior?”
“You’ve already lost. Give up.”
The voices gnawed at her spirit, forcing her to relive the moments of doubt.
She saw visions of her destroyed planet, her parents' lifeless eyes, and the hollow loneliness she once buried.
The despair clung to her, feeding on her sorrow.
And with every moment, she sank deeper.
Back in the real world, Mike’s panic grew.
But before he could try anything else —
A sudden, oppressive chill spread through the air.
The sky darkened further, and the very ground beneath them trembled.
A voice, deep and filled with malice, echoed through the air.
Nosferatu: “How pathetic.”
The vampire king himself — Nosferatu — materialized with a sinister grin.
Nosferatu: “I sensed two insignificant annoyances… And here you are.”
His glowing red eyes locked directly onto Jim and Naomi.
Jim: (glaring) “Nosferatu!”
Naomi: (stepping forward) “We won’t let you hurt them!”
Nosferatu chuckled, his voice reverberating with twisted amusement.
Nosferatu: “Hurt them? No, no. I have something far better in mind.”
With a wave of his clawed hand, a suffocating pressure surrounded Jim and Naomi.
They grunted, struggling against the overwhelming force.
Jim: “Ugh… What… is this…?”
Naomi: (gasping) “He’s… too strong…”
Mike tried to stand, but the sheer weight of Nosferatu’s presence pinned him down.
Mike: (straining) “Let them go!”
Nosferatu: (smirking) “You think you’re in any position to demand anything? You couldn’t even save your partner. And now, you’ll lose the only two people who’ve been your constant support.”
With a flick of his wrist, shadowy chains wrapped around Jim and Naomi, pulling them upward.
Naomi: “Mike!”
Jim: “Don’t let him win!”
But no matter how much they struggled, it was useless.
Nosferatu: “I’ll take these two to my castle. They’ll make perfect souvenirs. After all, without them, the Blue Magician Warrior will crumble. And as for your little sleeping companion…”
He gestured toward Heidi’s still body.
Nosferatu: “She’ll never wake up. You’ll rot away here in despair, just as I planned.”
Mike’s fists clenched, his eyes burning with desperation.
Mike: (shouting) “Stop! Please!”
But Nosferatu only laughed.
Nosferatu: “Goodbye, magician.”
In an instant, the dark mist consumed Jim and Naomi, vanishing into the air.
Mike collapsed to his knees.
The weight of everything crashed down on him.
Mike: (whispering) “Jim… Naomi…”
Heidi was still unmoving.
Nosferatu had taken away his only allies.
He had failed.
The silence of the twisted landscape mocked him.
Tears welled in his eyes as he gripped the cold, cracked earth.
Mike: (voice breaking) “I’m sorry… Heidi… I couldn’t protect them.”
As the oppressive darkness loomed over him, one thought haunted his mind —
How could I possibly stop Nosferatu now?