Dimitri Chronicles: Flames of Courage/Nightmare Reborn

The episode summaries for Nightmare Reborn, the final story-arc in Dimitri Chronicles: Flames of Courage. Following the events of The Blood-Soaked Empress, this arc follows the antics of Team Prinus as they reach Radiant Hills while an enigmatic individual gathers the information needed to hunt them down...

Content © to Chamesthehero/Lolcraft98/ProLuxray. In order of the usernames on Sonic Fanon Wiki, deviantART, and Youtube, respectively.

Episode Thirty Seven: Nightmare Reborn
The episode commences in a familiar location. The streets of Central City, located in the continent of Eurish, were crowded like usual that fair starry night. As the camera movement shifts from city block to city block, even showing a burnt orphanage being rebuilt in the distance, a new, unfamiliar building is revealed.

The building, all made with transparent glass windows, had a lot of people in suits working relentlessly. If a tourist were to ignore the large, golden-colored "Guardian Units of Nations Headquarters" logo, they would believe it would be merely a business office. On the contrary, as the camera moves into the building, the deeper it goes underground through special elevators, the more genuine and classified matters got.

It would come as no surprise that the Guardian Units of Nations' headquarters would be not be out in the open, considering the potential terrorists attacks on the building. Although some have tried to breach it in the past, in recent years, no one else tried. After all, it is potentially the most heavily protected building in the world, with trained and qualified personnel monitoring every nook and cranny of the headquarters. _______________________________________________________________________________________

In a room full of trophies, flags from different countries belonging to the United Federation, and portraits featuring a brown-haired child with hetero-chromia with a blonde female one of similar stature, the very own commander of the Guardian Units of Nations had summoned a certain individual for a special mission.

As this certain individual was walking the halls of the organization, other agents would all glance at them as they traveled to their destination. This would happen all the time they were present since their reputation and amazingly good looks proceeded them. This black-haired individual, naturally waving it around, had such a subtle but alluring pheromones that all would turn around they walked and whisper about them.

"Did you hear? That heck of a woman got summoned by the Commander again, even though she just returned from another mission issued by him. You think she is one of his favorites?"

"Not only his, apparently. You know how the Commander only summons those of the highest caliber to do these top-secret missions? You would think even the most elite of agents would have failed once in their career, but the thing about that woman is that she never failed a mission once."

"Wait... is that even possible? Isn't she pulling some sort of strings here?"

The other soldiers would laugh at the curious rookie.

'"There are rumors, of course... But you would be surprised at how little actual information about what she does can be found. She is good at acting under the radar... unnervingly good, even. Case in point, she has skill. The day we figure what she does, it might be the day we receive a higher payroll." '

_______________________________________________________________________________________

The episode makes a transition.

The special agent reaches the Commander's office. The leader of the Guardian Units of Nations is pleased to see how well she handled her latest mission; it was flawless work as usual. Under normal circumstances, he would interrogate her about the means used to meet her ends, but never felt compelled to do so. The agent was providing incredible results and that, on paper, was enough for him.

The Commander was blunt as always while explaining the situation to the agent: the Chaos Emeralds have been located around the world through their prototype trackers and, to ensure their status as a superpower, the agent would be tasked to fetch two of them. The female giggles softly as her leader bluntly mentioned his ulterior motives, but assured that, as usual, the job could be considered done as long as he rewards her well.

"You are to be sent to Station Square, the location where intense Chaos energy was most recently identified. I am not expecting failure, especially from someone like yourself. You are dismissed."

The episode concludes itself as the agent leaves the room and softly bites her lips as she reveals to have a quick showing of excitement before incessantly having, once more, her beautiful eyes on the prize...

Episode Thirty Eight: Nightmare Reborn II
The episode commences in the city of Station Square.

The agent had arrived in Station Square through a private jet owned by the Guardian Units of Nations. Even though it attracted attention, the woman's arrival was made inconspicuous.

Arriving in the famous city, the agent started investigating her surroundings. She passed through the Station Square Central Station, which was still under construction due to heavy damage to its structure, and noticed it contained a lot of transparent crystals stuck to its floor and walls. Curious about the incident, the agent uses her charms to interrogate several local members of Guardian Units of Nations about what happened.

Apparently, it was the work of a terrorist, though the Eggman Empire did not claim responsibility for the act. Other members of the Guardian Units of Nations are in critical condition in the hospital due to a direct clash with such person. Assuming the terrorist manipulated crystals and had their location identified by the incapacitated agents already, the woman wondered why did the unit not engage with their target yet...

...But then, she realized it, and softly giggled. It was fear.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

The episode makes a transition to many hours later.

It seems as though the agent had taken more time than necessary to reach the alley where her target was located, but this woman has a schedule of her own. The way she dressed, the way she walked, the way she spoke. It was native to the northeastern continent of Eurish. The people that approached in the streets would all notice that she was not from around here and were both charmed and intimidated by her presence.

Nonetheless, the agent had arrived on the alley, only to meet a familiar face to the readers: Arna, how the woman referred her as, Carnage. The female jackal, training with her powers as usual, was not pleased to see someone that was not her comrade in her domain and told the mysterious woman to buzz off.

In fact, Arna was put off by how the woman knew her real name.

The smiling agent, with her eyes glancing at Arna, seemed to show a mixture of curiosity and disdain which made the jackal a little impatient as her demands were not heard.

"Who the hell are you? Have you come to take me away?"

The agent simply mentions that her identity is classified and she was not there due to Arna's little terrorist spree, but for the whereabouts of the Chaos Emerald the jackal knew about.

"Hah, are you kidding? I'd never rat them out. Your expression and tone are making me sick! Who the hell do you think I am, huh? Get out before I hurt that little pretty face of yours."

The agent smiles as it takes a few moments for Arna to realize it was a mere bluff.

The woman takes such opportunity to come closer to Arna, walking ever so slowly. She mentions how Carnage was mistaken since she would never ask for such highly important information for free...

...No, the agent was there to propose a life-changing deal.

''If Arna did not take it, she would be just a worthless criminal she apprehended, was trialed for terrorism and assault, and locked behind bars for the rest of her pathetic life. If Arna took it, she would be just another worthless individual that betrayed the trust of the little of friends the agent assumed the jackal had.''

Either way, Carnage's life would change at that moment.

Seeing Arna's face of desperation made the agent snicker.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

The episode makes a transition.

Certainly, Arna's information was not taken out of her without a fight, though it seemed rather one-sided. The interrogation and clash were made off-screen, so it was impossible to know what really happened back there. However, one thing was certain: the jackal was laying down, confused, bleeding, and almost passing out, while the agent remained as elegant and tidy as she had always been.

The episode concludes itself as the woman holds Arna's bleeding face with her finger and looks her in the eyes. The agent whispers her gratitude for the jackal in her condescending and playful tone and gets out of the alley as Arna passes out. She wipes the blood off her combat knife and puts away in her back pocket...

The woman had a new course set: the Scorched Dunes.

Episode Thirty Nine: Nightmare Reborn III
The episode commences the morning after the previous episode.

Within Station Square, a nonchalant Shiso of the East could be seen walking out of grocery store. The supposed strongest disciple of the eastern continent of Yurashia, he seems to have a hard time adapting himself to Soumerca, where people are extremely receptive. Due to his sheer size, he does get quite a lot of attention from others, especially females walking by. Unfortunately for him, he is oblivious to that!

As he walks with his food, Shiso was heading towards the alley where he would spar with Arna to satiate her bloodlust from ever committing a terrorist attack on innocent people again. This was what was promised and, since Dimitri and the others are gone, it was up to him to keep her in check, as scary as that might be.

He strolls around but notices that the stench of blood coming from Arna's alley was stronger than ever. It takes him a while to understand that something happened to the jackal. Leaving his food behind, he runs. _______________________________________________________________________________________

Shiso reaches the alley where the jackal normally resides, only to see an offputting amount of crystals stuck on the walls and floor. Perhaps it was the aftermath of the battle Arna had with the agent a day ago. The delinquent, so incredibly frustrated with herself and concentrated in her movements, grunts, and she attempts to perform a technique the panda has never seen her do. It crumbles as she groans loudly and pants.

"Aaaaah... damn it, damn it... damn it all!"

Unfortunately for Shiso, the red eyes of the jackal radiated a bloodlust so strong, not even Arna in the day they first met each other compared. He tries to get closer, confused, but is immediately greeted by sharp crystals almost automatically rising from the ground. He manages to dodge it just in time.

"...何?! Arna, what is wrong?!"

Arna, slouched, cranes her neck to the panda. Her face, full of cuts, unnerves him considerably. Arna looks at Shiso with disdain, as if she was looking at someone that thoroughly disappointed her. The jackal scoffs at him and orders him to leave her presence as she did not want to be bothered, especially by weaklings. This offends Shiso, who falls prey to her bloodlust as he challenges her to a fight to prove her otherwise.

As soon as the panda is about to use one of his weapon-summon talismans, Arna has a crazy burst of speed that surprises Shiso and lands a punch that staggers and sends him backward. Without allowing him to have time to think straight, the frenzy canine continues to dish out crystallokinetic attacks from every angle. Every attack hits the slow fighter, who manages to keep standing due to his sheer durability.

"HAHAHAHAHA! AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE 'THE GREATEST DISCIPLE'?"

Shiso is taken aback by Arna's strength. Usually, when they sparred the previous week, they seemed to be pretty even in terms of destructive power. This makes him realize the jackal has not been slacking in her training at all. To improve so much in a short time, her status as a battle genius is unquestionable.

However, this unadulterated lust for violence, to go even against her friends, was not the Arna he knew.

Yet, words seemed not to reach her as Arna pummeled him down with her bare hands, throwing him around almost effortlessly with her sheer strength. Shiso's impact on the ground makes it crack considerably. Arna jumps and pins him down, continuously attacking him as he protects his face with his arms.

"AHHHHH... Damn it all! You are way too weak! I can destroy this whole city if I wanted to! But that is not nearly enough! I have to get stronger! Faster! To get back at those who are stronger than me! Ramonna, Dimitri, that woman in black! Strength is all I have, but is this not even enough?"

Arna accentuates her words with every punch.

"...All... oof... you have...?"

Arna cackles maliciously, but soft tears are clearly visible in her eyes.

"That's right! I... never really... had friends, so you better get away from me! Yeah! Otherwise, you are getting hurt, either directly or indirectly! My whole life was about power and fighting for myself. I must get stronger always! You don't have that drive behind your actions! You are worthless!"

The episode concludes itself abruptly.

Episode Forty: Nightmare Reborn IV
The episode commences with a flashback.

Within the flashback, the history of Arna is revealed to the audience for the first time.

An illegitimate child from parents belonging to a mafia organization from Eurish that resides in Station Square, Carnage had siblings from many different lineages that coexisted with her in a large mansion. However, this jackal was different from all around her. As if it was heaven's luck or hell's misfortune, she was inexplicably born with the power to manipulate crystals, and little Arna did not know how to control them.

The episode features bits of Carnage's childhood in the mansion as she is ostracized by those around her. From her loneliness, a general hatred for humanity and desire to rebel against it all. Exclusion from her own family made her have time to contemplate what she wanted in life, and she eventually comes into a conclusion.

Let the world fear her, because she will do whatever she wants to and cannot be stopped.

The episode shows her ripping off her expensive, fancy clothing and unleashing a dormant rage towards her neat environment and her family. Using her powers freely for the first time in her life, not even bullets were capable of piercing through her crystals. She proceeded to pummel down every single family member of hers. The more physical pain she caused, the more an adrenaline-driven Arna liked it!

Carnage proceeds to steal the money of her parents and run away shortly after. Living in the streets during her adolescence, she adopts the nickname Arna the Ravager and was determined to do whatever she pleased, earning her animosity from the hoodlums from Station Square until she became its most infamous delinquent.

The episode ends abruptly, meaning the story of Arna did quite stop at that moment...

Episode Forty One: Nightmare Reborn V
The episode commences after the previous one.

After revealing some of her troubled past, Arna pants on top of Shiso with her clenched fists bleeding. This was the first time she had ever opened this much to others and, without realizing it, she made herself vulnerable in that way. Naturally, she expected Shiso to agree with her reasoning and leave her be as the ruthless, untrusting warrior she is trying to make herself to be; she never sought validation this much.

Shiso hears Arna's story, ponders for a few moments, and simply stops defending himself. With a grinning expression on his wounded face, he takes the jackal off him and sits down, yawning. The jackal is infuriated with his supposedly unrespectful response and wondered what the hell was so funny.

Shiso replies that, upon hearing her story, he felt inclined to share his own. _______________________________________________________________________________________

After sharing his own background, the panda states that he and Arna were not really different at all: both people that went against a predetermined path (completing his course in the dojo and becoming part of the mafia, respectively) and fought for what they believed was worth it. Unlike what Arna previously thought, Shiso was indeed looking for strength just as much as she was.

This shocks Arna, for Shiso would always mention how he was the best disciple of the East, yet he too simply ran away due to reasons he only revealed to her. One of the reasons, however, was that Shiso was looking for his lost childhood friend. When asked why, Shiso reveals that he feels as though fighting alone breeds loneliness; the same kind of loneliness Arna felt throughout her life. This realization makes Arna flinch.

The panda extends a hand; he mentions that sparring like usual is not enough. He wishes for them to teach each other what they know: the concepts that his masters tried to teach him and the skill of battle Arna had acquired up until that point. Just because the agent made her feel like she cut her ties with her friends, it was not the case. As much of a loner she claimed to be, she enjoyed the company of her friends.

She had always wanted to be stronger than everyone, stronger than Ramonna, to the point that it consumed her. Shiso sparred with her for the sake of keeping her in check. However, this would no longer be the case, as Arna would have little interest in terrorizing Station Square any longer as it would be a waste of time. She could see the same gleam of determination from Shiso's hidden, covered eyes and serious tone of voice.

She ponders for a little while and then shakes his hand.

''The panda and jackal would vow to each other to become stronger. Stronger together, no matter the cost. _______________________________________________________________________________________''

On the other side of town, a familiar female bat could be seen typing on her phone, receiving dozens of notifications all at once. Jasmine makes a brief cameo as the world-wide news spread like wild-fire: the Great Chaos Sandstorm vanished completely and Inferno Bandits, the notorious terrorist group, has been disbanded. The Guardian Units of Nations would send troops towards Red Rose Town to repair all damage.

Jasmine ponders for a bit, and she later smiles; definitely, Dimitri and the others were the ones that did something about it, for they were heading that way. She could only wonder what her friends are doing...

The episode concludes itself soon after.

Episode Forty Two: Nightmare Reborn VI
The episode commences following the events of the previous one.

Following the perspective of Maxwell, Team Prinus heads in the direction of Radiant Hills. After the Great Chaos Sandstorm vanished, Dimitri and others were able to swiftly cross the Scorched Dunes. As they marched on, they walked silently, apprehensive what they would encounter next. If Dimitri's visions of disaster were to be true, then they were in for bloody massacre, far beyond what Zahra and Ember ever did.

Conversely, Maxwell was unusually self-reflecting, oblivious to the dread that lingered on the minds of Dimitri and Ramonna. He was bothered by how his hidden transformation did not active during the conflict with the Sand Colossus. He was certain that, if he did transform somehow, he would have been able to help.

This inability to make something out of it bothered him. As he pouted, Ramonna took notice of this. She pats his head and gave him a grin, asking what was up. Her smile reassured him that all was going to be fine. _______________________________________________________________________________________

Dimitri had not touched the white Chaos Emerald physically; Ramonna was the one holding it for him. The echidna rationalized that, should he touch it, he would have another vision of the future and simply disrupt his focus to reach Radiant Hills. Despite this, he was indeed holding the cyan Chaos Emerald quite closely. These crystals channeled unimaginable power, he thought. A power that greatly resembled Rikai's own strength.

Therefore, he concluded that, should he somehow harness this power and combine it with his own strength and psychic energy, then perhaps he could create a technique so powerful that nothing, not even Rikai, could stop it; an attack whose explosion would shine like the very own sun.

However, to harness the Chaos Emerald, he thought, it would seem to be improbable for a normal person. Yet, he had unusually strange ties to the gem, considering he had visions upon touching one. Extracting the Chaos energy from the Chaos Emerald strangely did not seem like a hard task for him, but manipulating it would require extreme training. One mistake with it and perhaps everything, friend or foe, could be wiped out.

''What is the nature of their connection with Dimitri? Why him? Why are they strong? Where do they draw their power from? Where did they come from? From the heavens? Or from somewhere beyond? ''

At this point, only time would tell... _______________________________________________________________________________________

The episode makes a transition to a few hours later.

At last, beyond the mountain range that isolates it, Team Prinus finally reach the Radiant Hills. As their destination got closer and closer, the team started walking faster, all until they started to run towards it. They were ready to face whatever was happening there; the dangers of Dimitri's visions must be stopped!

As they were about the enter the village, they are aggressively stopped by four Mobian panthers, all dressed up with tribal, native clothing with each holding their respective wooden lances.

"Halt!"

The episode concludes itself as a confused Dimitri questions their hostility. That is not all he questions, for what baffles him the most was seeing that Radiant Hills was not under attack like he had envisioned.

Episode Forty Three: Nightmare Reborn VII
The episode commences following the events of the previous one.

As the panthers accompany Team Prinus within Radiant Hills towards their leader, Dimitri is flabbergasted to realize his vision might have been a false hallucination all along. He stares at the evening sky, reading the barely visible stars like he previously did within his vision, trying to look for justifications for his error.

Ramonna and Maxwell are equally perplexed and demand answers from Dimitri. Sure, they had saved the Scorched Dunes and fought off terrorists and beasts, but what they had been psychologically preparing themselves for was the supposed calamity in Radiant Hills. The hedgehog looks around as she walks beside her friends and the panthers. Ironically, she had never seen such serenity among people before.

As Dimitri is unable to respond, the panthers order them to enter a very large tent. That would be the tent of the supreme leader of the Radiant Hills and the surrounding regions. Dimitri recalls seeing the leader when he visited Radiant Hills with Concordia when they were children. However, given how long time has passed since then, the Prinus echidna expects to see a panther that should be very old by now.

Instead, wearing the previous leader's clothes, he sees a familiar face: Teno the Panther. _______________________________________________________________________________________

The episode makes a transition.

Instead of kneeling like he was supposed to, given the presence of the leader, Dimitri stood and looked at him dead in his blue eyes. Teno was noticeably taller and physically stronger than ever before, but the intimidatingly serious expression on his face did not change much from when he was a child. What surprised Dimitri the most was the panther's position, which was the childhood dream the latter ever so trained for.

"Wait, Teno?"

Teno's eyes widen as he, too, recognizes his childhood friend.

"Dimitri? Is that you?"

Dimitri takes a step forward, but the four guards all point their spears towards him. Ramonna and Maxwell take notice of this and are not impressed one bit, ready to protect their friend. Teno orders the guards to lower their weapons and mentions that everything is fine, for Dimitri is an old friend of his. Teno gets closer to the Prinus echidna, his serious expression changing to a hopeful one as he has a sudden realization.

"But I thought that the Prinus were all... No, wait. If you're still alive, then maybe Conco―"

Dimitri closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, visions of calamity burned into his mind.

"Sorry. I'm the last Prinus echidna alive."

The answer manages to echo around everyone's ears, especially Teno's. The panther's hopeful expression completely shatters upon hearing it. He stabs the ground with his own lance, the Peacemaker, in frustration, and winds blow and almost tear down the tent. He then recomposes himself once more.

He tells the guards to leave their presence, and they do so.

Dimitri tells Teno of the visions he had while touching the Chaos Emerald that foresaw Radiant Hills' total annihilation and that it should have happened already, but the panther assures the echidna that nothing has occurred and the region is safe. The panther suggests that the echidna might be still suffering from his childhood trauma, the so-called Prinus Village Massacre that the whole world knows happened.

The Prinus echidna feels two distinct emotions: he was relieved that nothing had occurred and everyone was safe, but he could not help it but feel helpless as he starts to doubt himself. The vision was too real, he thought. Ramonna and Maxwell would look at him for an answer that he himself did not have. Maxwell firmly believed in his friend. While Ramonna wanted to trust Dimitri, she could not help it but feel deceived.

Teno stands up and tells Dimitri that it is good to see one of his comrades coming to visit and offers for them to stay the next few days since they had traveled far to reach there. The Prinus echidna thanks the offer, but he refuses, claiming that they cannot afford to lose any time. At the same time, Ramonna accepts the proposal. After exchanging belligerent glances with her, Dimitri looks down and concedes. _______________________________________________________________________________________

The episode makes a transition to few hours later, as the sunset starts to appear.

Team Prinus is spread all across Radiant Hills. Maxwell is running around, exploring the area alongside Teno's younger brother. Dimitri is on the highest, uninhabitable hills of the region, looking at the vast blue ocean that could be seen from miles away, pondering about himself and what he believes. His grandfather taught him to be humble in circumstances like these. Yet, he could not face Ramonna.

Ramonna lays down near a small pond, relaxing, and still frustrated at Dimitri for making such a blunder. Although they did save the Scorched Dunes on the way and gained one Chaos Emerald, Ramonna was hoping to face the great monsters Dimitri described from his vision as she regularly never lets loose.

Beside her, Teno approaches Ramonna and questions her about Dimitri and his team. The hedgehog, not in the mood to talk with anyone, laconically mentions that they are looking for power. Teno inquires the hedgehog about the nature of their goal. It would seem that they are searching for power in order to destroy a great evil when there can be different non-violent alternatives to that. Following down their path is dangerous.

"Haaah? What are you implying?"

Teno remarks that he has heard of countless stories of heroes that sought power in other to get back at those who have wronged them and their tribes and, in those stories, after they had slain the enemy, they were left with a void in their hearts, one that could be filled by the corruption of their power. It was the realization he had made when he became the region's leader and truly became strong not for himself, but for others.

Ramonna does not quite follow and asks how come that applied to them and not himself. Teno then looks at the hedgehog's eyes and, remembering his old friend Concordia with a smile, mentions how it was because of his family and friends that he could fill the void in his heart. He has a brother, he tells her, that is younger than them. He is inexperienced, but his big heart would undoubtedly make him a great leader someday.

He asks Ramonna for her team to be united no matter what. For his brother's and his sake.

A moment of silence ensues as Ramonna thinks about Dimitri and Maxwell. She stretches herself and stands up. She thanks Teno for his words and its intentions, but the hedgehog claims that, in order to make things happen, you need power to change things. She leaves saying that he should not worry about her friends.

Supposedly, Ramonna did not fully grasp Teno's words. Or perhaps they did, but she does not want to show it. Either way, Teno knew that it was a matter of time the hedgehog would have an epiphany of her own. _______________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, at the highest hills, a meditating Dimitri looks at the ocean. He has finally come to peace with himself and feels prepared to face Ramonna and Maxwell. After all, a blunder such as this one would not stop him from stopping Rikai and, besides, they have another Chaos Emerald secured.

As he is about to turn back to the villain, Dimitri stops and starts noticing some abnormalities in the weather. He gets a chill down his spine as his worst fear starts to unfold before his eyes.

A massive uncanny indigo-colored cloud that emerged from nothingness was heading towards the Radiant Hills, the same cloud he had seen so many years ago.

He starts to witness Frost Beasts being formed near the entrance of the Radiant Hills, right below the cloud. They rose from the ground, surrounded by a purple and black miasma that contrasted with their cyan-colored, ice bodies. That would be negative Chaos energy, the same kind of energy Rikai wielded. Countless monsters were present, and Dimitri knew what they wanted. What Rikai always wanted. Destruction.

His vision, his fears... Dimitri's nightmare had finally been reborn.

The episode concludes itself soon after.

Episode Forty Four: Nightmare Reborn VIII
The episode commences following the previous one.

Engulfing himself in psychic energy, a desperate Dimitri flies at impressive speeds towards the Radiant Hills, surpassing even the Frost Beasts' speed, and warns everyone present that the village is going to be under attack at any moment. The panthers, scared and confused about what was going on, remain motionless. Ramonna and Maxwell had never seen Dimitri so shook before in their lives!

The fellow members of Team Prinus recognize the desperation in Dimitri's voice and realize that he, usually composed and serious, would not be kidding around at times like this. The Prinus echidna tells them to help evacuate the village and alert Teno about the monsters, the Frost Beasts, that are marching towards them along with that thunderstorm cloud. As team members and his friend, they are ready to follow his commands.

Ramonna decides to trust Dimitri again. She rallies the panthers to seek refuge and Maxwell runs to Teno and explains the situation to him. The large panther initially is skeptical, but when he uses the indigo-colored cloud slowly approaching their village, he remembers he had seen it before in his childhood over the Prinus village. Immediately connecting the dots, Teno grabs the Peacemaker and gathers his troops to help the villagers.

Apparently, they did have a site underground to seek refuge in the case of an invasion. The hearts of everyone pumped fast and hard, but their convictions to succeed did not yet falter.

In order to slow down the invasion, Dimitri stays behind and uses his telekinesis to tear parts of the ground and creates several barriers on the village's only entrance. He knows that using psychic energy on those negative Chaos energy monsters is ineffective, so he needs to physically block them until everyone evacuates. This was a task only he was able to do. Everyone was counting on him.

The episode concludes itself as Dimitri struggles to keep the barrier for long as it starts being destroyed from the outside and the Frost Beasts and the cloud finally reach the village. Realizing that everyone was evacuated to the underground, Dimitri lets the barrier fall apart and evacuates to reunite with the soldiers and his team as they embraced themselves for the attack!

Episode Forty Five: Nightmare Reborn IX
The episode commences and immediately follows the previous one.

Dimitri, Ramonna, Maxwell, Teno, and his soldiers enter their battle stances and all face towards the Frost Beasts. All holding their tridents, the countless Frost Beasts start swarming into the village.

Teno instead inquires Dimitri about the nature of the Frost Beasts and how they are supposed to beat them. Dimitri tells them they are not actually alive and their tridents conjure ice. Upon hearing the instructions, Teno orders his soldiers to heed Dimitri's advice and charge. The Prinus echidna would be providing support from the backlines, focusing on redirecting the conjured ice beams away.

Ramonna is the first to reach the Frost Beasts and initiates the attack by pulverizing the head of several monsters with one single punch, shattering their whole bodies whole.

Maxwell, reaching borderline super-sonic speeds, does the same with his own attacks. Utilizing a technique he developed while training with his friend, for each passing second, the amount of punches Maxwell delivers rises exponentially, to the point his punches become completely invisible to the naked eye. This barrage of punches is enough to blow through dozens of Frost Beasts all at once.

However, the most impressive of all is Teno, who starts to summon the power of the nature around him. Shiny particles from the hills, ocean, and the sky start flowing into him as his markings and spear, the Peacemaker, start glowing white. He takes off his cloak and becomes even larger than before as his muscles are enhanced. It vaguely resembles a transformation Dimitri had once witnessed before and remembers to this day...

It was no coincidence mastered version of Teno's Primal Mode, the transformation he had shown to perform in his youth. Particles flying even from miles away illuminated the battle-field as they flow into Teno. Perhaps it was the reason the region gained its radiant name. The leaders harnessed the very power of nature!

Using a charged up Peacemaker, Teno's mere thrust pierces through the air and send a shock-wave that make tens of dozens of Frost Beasts simply burst from the inside. He then goes ahead to break many Frost Beasts in half with several combos using his natural energy. This makes Ramonna, Maxwell, and even Dimitri impressed by the power Teno possessed. With this, they would be sure to win!

Yet, waves of hundreds of Frost Beasts kept coming, and everyone was getting extremely tired, even Ramonna. The indigo cloud covers the entirety of the Radiant Hills and its negative Chaos energy starts disrupting the flow of the particles that empower Teno's Primal Mode and forcefully sever the connection, returning Teno to his normal state the moment he was going to save one of his soldiers from an attack.

Exhausted and powerless, Teno's weakened physical strength was not enough to resist the attacks. The episode concludes itself as the large panther gets impaled from several angles by the Frost Beasts' tridents...

Episode Forty Six: Nightmare Reborn X
The episode commences following the events of the previous one.

Everyone present witnesses Teno getting impaled and everyone's faces contort with horror. He yells for a wide-eyed, teary soldier to run away. He then roars, grits his teeth, and forcefully removes the tridents from his body as he later collapses, bleeding heavily. Dimitri reaches out to him and uses his psychic powers to stop his bleeding. This scene is reminiscent of Dimitri's worst nightmare, his worst memories.

"No no no no... This can't be happening again... Please, Teno! You are going to be fine, Teno, you are going to be fine. We'll get you to safety and we'll treat you with herbs and―"

The Prinus echidna sees the life out of a laid down Teno's eyes slowly start to fade.

"This... is it, huh... Well... I shall die a... leader's death... Dimitri, do you... remember... when we first met...? Hahahaha... Concordia... saved me... From that point... I was not... lonely anymore... Tell my brother... tell him her story... when he succeeds me... Please... tell... him..."

The internal damage was too much for the panther to bear. Dimitri witnesses Teno's last breath as the latter loses grip of his Peacemaker. As his friend dies on his arms, Prinus echidna goes numb from shock. _______________________________________________________________________________________

The episode makes a transition.

Seeing an immobile Teno on Dimitri's arms, Maxwell absolutely snaps. He cries so hard, wails so loudly that the ground starts to tremble. It was a reaction very reminiscent of Lazuli being beaten down in front of Maxwell's eyes in Wingstrong Orphanage. No, perhaps this time the emotion was much greater!

Just like when Wingstrong Orphanage was burning, Maxwell suddenly radiates a furious white aura and lightning sparks from his body. His beautiful blue-colored eyes became white, and his sweet, innocent-looking expression furious. Although he resembled the child in shape, Maxwell did not seem like himself.

This was Maxwell's Unleashed transformation.

Channeling his ire to a power level so frightful, Maxwell blitzes countless Frost Beasts so hard no one can possibly keep up with his movements, surpassing the sound barrier by an undetermined amount and inducing so many sonic booms that even nearby tipis are wiped out. Ramonna, bewildered by his power, braces herself so she, too, does not get sent flying back by the shock-waves.

Ramonna's adrenaline rush also boosts her strength as she breaks a Frost Beast's trident by crushing its blade with her bare hands. Yet, despite it boosting her physical attributes, Ramonna starts showing signs of fatigue despite waves of Frost Beasts continuing to enter the village. Meanwhile, Dimitri is still kneeling down beside Teno's body, completely numb to his surroundings.

The episode concludes itself as the episode cuts to Dimitri, still numb, kneeling beside Teno's corpse as the other members of Team Prinus and the remaining soldiers continue fighting for their lives.

Episode Forty Seven: Nightmare Reborn XI
The episode commences following the perspective of the villagers hiding underground.

The village of Radiant Hills suffered great collateral damage already, and those who stand to protect it from being overrun by Frost Beasts realized that there is strength in numbers, for better or for worse.

The residents of the Radiant Hills are all hiding in an underground shelter. All of them are frightened, frustrated, and confused. After all, what did they do deserve all of this? They sought answers only the culprit would be able to answer. The panthers were terrified about what their fate and started to doubt whether their heroes would succeed fighting off the monsters. Before they could all panic, someone steps up.

It was Teno's brother, Cusco the Panther. The young child tells all that all is well and nothing shall ever happen to them as long as he was there. He gives them a motivational speech that moves their hearts. For someone so young to be saying such words and inspiring so much hope, he was a natural-born leader. He was determined to see the light of another day. He hopes his older brother is still hanging on. _______________________________________________________________________________________

The episode makes a transition.

It seems Maxwell and Ramonna have eventually dispatched all of the Frost Beasts single-handedly. Hundreds of broken, detached crystal limbs can be seen loitering the ruined village. At this point, Maxwell had destroyed so many of them that his wrath has been quenched, though he continues to cry quietly. Ramonna was silent, patting Maxwell on the head and looking at Dimitri, whose face was blank, stoic as if paralyzed.

Yet, the indigo cloud above them did not fade away.

''The crystal pieces on the ground start to move and, slowly, start building themselves together again. The Frost Beasts had one ability Dimitri had forgotten existed: regeneration.''

Before Ramonna could react, one of them sends an ice beam not towards her but towards Maxwell's right leg and it connects, freezing it completely. The child screams in pain as Ramonna rushes to the scene, crushes the ice around Maxwell's incapacitated leg, and holds him. He was wounded; he could not run.

But that was not the worst part of it all. Instead of all of them regenerating back, all of the ice crystals start to mold into one as thunder roars loudly. The large pile of crystals starts almost towering over even the tallest hill of Radiant Hills and starts forming itself into a goliath-sized Frost Beast with a nightmarish mouth.

"KHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

This giant Frost Beast, containing the power of all Frost Beasts combined, was the Frost Nightmare.

It was then when Dimitri snapped back to reality and remembered. The monster everyone was away from in his vision... it was it! Standing at its own two feet and holding an enhanced version of a regular Frost Beast trident, it was even larger than Zahra's Sand Colossus. It radiates negative Chaos energy everywhere!

Dimitri musters all of his composure to assess the situation. Few panther soldiers remain. Teno is dead. Maxwell is wounded. Ramonna is exhausted. The beast is immune to his psychic powers and has full health. Countless villagers remain underground. It was like a real nightmare, so Dimitri had only one choice left.

"Ramonna, listen carefully... Take Maxwell with you and get the other remaining soldiers and run for it! Get the people from the underground to safety! At this rate, the village will be destroyed!"

"HUH?! RUN AWAY?! DO YOU THINK I'LL LET YOU FIGHT THAT THING ALO―"

Dimitri screams at the top of his lungs.

"PLEASE, RAMONNA!!!! GO NOW!!!!"

Ramonna looks around with a wincing Maxwell on her arms. The village is in ruins and there are only a few people left fighting to defend the Radiant Hills. She was the only one with enough stamina to save everyone as Dimitri distracts the monster. Never once in her entire life she had backed down from a challenge, but her arrogant pride could only go so far. And so, she runs off, cursing herself for her own lack of power.

The episode concludes itself as Dimitri faces toward the monster with tears in his eyes, thunder roaring loudly as rain from the indigo-colored cloud finally starts to pour down.

Episode Forty Eight: Nightmare Reborn (FINALE)
The episode commences following the events of the previous episode.

Rain starts pouring down in the remnants of the village in the Radiant Hills. Surprisingly, even though it was a cloud made of negative Chaos energy, the droplets of water were normal. Beneath Dimitri, the corpse of Teno rests. The sixteen-year old firmly holds on Teno's Peacemaker as the latter's body rests beneath him. His long, green hair flows in the wind as he stands his ground against the monster.

Dimitri never believed he would have to witness the death of one of his childhood friends again. All of this had to be a nightmare that he cannot wake up from. The Prinus echidna could not run away now. He was not sure even if his last resort would be effective at all, but he sure needed to try. Otherwise, it would be all for naught.

Dimitri stabs the Peacemaker into the ground and takes a deep breath.

"Rikai... If you are hearing me now, know this..."

Suddenly, the sixteen-year old starts gathering a large amount of psychic energy once more but, this time, his turquoise-colored aura is more intense than usual. As Dimitri's scream intensifies, his aura completely engulfs him as Dimitri's flowing hair slightly lifts, radiating enough psychic energy to cause a flash of light.

It was Dimitri's Mystic transformation, the one that was inspired by Teno's Primal Mode!

"I WILL NOT FALTER!!! NOT HERE, NOT EVER AGAIN!!!" 

Mystic Dimitri's words echo even in the underground where the villagers resided.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

The episode makes a transtion.

Ramonna is running away with the fellow wounded soldiers. She gets a chill down her spine as even she could sense Mystic Dimitri's frightful psychic aura. The Prinus echidna never told her he could do something like that. She had never seen Maxwell release so much power before in his form. Everyone she knew had trump cards. For the first time in a long time, Ramonna's pride was wounded, but none of that mattered now.

The hedgehog has an epiphany. She tells the soldiers to take an unconscious Maxwell away with them and she then takes a detour towards Teno's tipi and takes the two Chaos Emeralds along with her.

if she remembers correctly, one Chaos Emerald was enough to almost blow up the entire Scorched Dunes. Ramonna knew Dimitri had some sort of connection with the Chaos Emeralds, otherwise, he would not have had that vision of his. So, in order to boost Dimitri's power, Ramonna knew what she needed to do!

Mystic Dimitri zips around the Frost Nightmare, pushing it over and making its limbs crack by delivering blindingly fast raw punches. However, when the monster releases a shock-wave of negative Chaos energy, Mystic Dimitri's telekinesis is disrupted and he falls harshly to the ground. He could only keep this transformation for so long before being incapacitated, so he needs to make it count!

As he was about to stand up, he notices that the Frost Nightmare was charging up an attack with his giant trident and aiming it not only at him but towards the entirety of the village. Undoubtedly, should the attack connect, everything would blow up and kill everyone, including Mystic Dimitri, Ramonna, and the others.

"DIMITRI!!! THE CHAOS EMERALDS!!!"

Ramonna arrives just in time and musters what remains of her strength to throw the Chaos Emeralds towards Dimitri. Shortly after, she falls flat on the ground, completely burnt out.

"RAMONNA?!"

The Chaos Emeralds fall to the ground beside Mystic Dimitri. The cyan and the white jewels start to glow and start to levitate around Dimitri, circling him multiple times before coming to a complete halt with each beside him floating in mid-air. Could it be that they resonate with the echidna somehow?

''What is the nature of their connection with Dimitri? Why him? Why are they strong? Where do they draw their power from? Where did they come from? From the heavens? Or from somewhere beyond? ''

None of these questions mattered now. Dimitri starts channeling the boundless Chaos energy of the two Chaos Emeralds and starts combining it with his own psychic power. The best analogy one could propose is that it was like trying to insert the entire ocean with all of the world's oil into one small glass bottle.

''The ground begins to shake. The rain starts to pour down harder.''

The attempt to combine such forces together makes him scream in agony as if his head could explode.

Yet, that does not stop him. He does not falter.

He had only theorized this technique, so he does not know whether it would result in failure or not.

Yet, that does not stop him. He does not falter.

"CHAOOOOOOOS..."

Dimitri looks at the monster once more. It was going to fire the moment he did. Its nightmarish face would be forever etched into his dreams.

''Yet, that does not stop him. Dimitri does not falter.''

"...SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!!!"

Dimitri shoots a massive beam of energy upwards towards the Frost Nightmare. With the attack transcending the boundaries of space and time, the monster was unable to react to the instantaneous attack. It is completely engulfed by the energy beam that shines like the sun. The beam continues even though it had vaporized the monster, pierces the sky, outer space, and even somewhere far beyond.

After the attack ends, Dimitri collapses to the ground near Teno's corpse with the two Chaos Emeralds at his side. Powerless, he looks upwards. Apparently, the indigo-colored cloud had faded and the sky has graced them a starry night with a big, round moon shining down its moonlight.

Exhausted, Dimitri's consciousness slowly fades away as the episode concludes itself and the credits roll... _______________________________________________________________________________________

END OF NIGHTMARE REBORN

TO BE CONTINUED IN THE EPILOGUE!

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