"Rookie, huh?"
If you ask me, you're more like a special forces king.
Nancy gave Barrry a puzzled look. Freddy had literally been flattened into a ball and humiliated with fireworks — clearly, Barrry had been the stronger one.
Seeing her confusion, Barrry calmly explained,
"That time, both your appearance and mine were too sudden. Freddy wasn't ready for me — I caught him off guard."
"And back then, the girl next to you, Kristen, her dream was already collapsing. She was about to wake up at any moment."
"That's why Freddy couldn't use his full strength. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been that easy to deal with."
"Now do you understand?"
Nancy nodded slowly. His words helped her realize just how terrifying Freddy truly was.
"So… even you can't stop Freddy?" she asked, disappointment flickering in her tone. She had thought Barrry might be their ace in the hole — but it seemed she'd been too hopeful.
"It's not that I can't," Barrry said, shaking his head.
"But you said—"
"Freddy's hard to handle, sure. But he's not stronger than me. It's just that you guys are too fragile — too easy to kill."
Nancy fell silent, taken aback by his blunt honesty.
"Mr. Barrry, please — what's the method? We just want to survive. Too many kids have already suffered because of Freddy. We can't let anyone else die."
"There is a method," Barrry said, "but it's not free."
"What's the price?"
"A friendship contract."
Nancy froze.
A friendship contract?
Making a deal with a demon never came cheap. There was always a price — and it was never as innocent as "friendship."
Something felt very wrong.
Nancy had studied dream theory and occultism to fight Freddy. She knew how these things went — people who made pacts with the supernatural rarely ended well.
But if she didn't act now, she wouldn't even live long enough to find out what "a bad ending" meant.
Sure, she could hide in her lucid dreams for a while longer… but what about everyone else?
Could she really just watch them die, one by one?
No — she couldn't.
Nancy had become a psychiatrist to save people, not to keep running away.
There were still six patients in the hospital — including Kristen — all trapped in the same nightmare she'd lived through six years ago. Looking at their young faces, Nancy knew she couldn't just stand by.
After a long, painful internal struggle, she made up her mind. She'd sacrifice herself if it meant saving others.
Her expression hardened with determination.
"I'll sign it!" she declared.
"Not you," Barrry said dismissively, waving a hand. "Step aside."
Nancy froze mid-sentence, her brave face instantly falling flat.
Barrry turned toward Kristen. "I need her."
"Me?" Kristen blinked in shock. "You mean… me?"
"Exactly," Barrry said. "You have a special ability. That's the key to survival."
"Girl, sign a contract with your Uncle Barrry. Join my team, and let's save your friends together! What a heroic setup, right?"
He spun his chair around dramatically like a judge on The Voice, pointed at her, and said with mock seriousness, "I choose you! Now tell me — what's your dream?"
"My dream is…" Kristen started, then quickly shook her head. "No, wait! It shouldn't be me. My powers are gone!"
"They've always been there," Barrry replied smoothly. "You just forgot. Don't worry — I'll help you remember."
With a magician's flair, he pulled out a single sheet of paper — the contract — and flicked it lightly across the table toward her.
Kristen stared at it, her thoughts in turmoil. She didn't know what to do.
"Kristen, no!" Nancy cut in sharply. "Be rational — there's no such thing as a free lunch."
She turned to Barrry again. "Does it have to be her? Can I take her place?"
Don't be ridiculous, Barrry thought. Uncle Barrry's friend slots are precious — no ordinary folks allowed.
Out loud, he said, "Nancy, you're too old to be this naive. Unless Kristen kills herself and transfers her ability to you at the moment of death, it's impossible. Is that what you want?"
Nancy's face drained of color. Of course not. She just wanted to help — not watch another kid die.
She didn't know how much of Barrry's story was true and how much was just smoke and mirrors, but one thing was clear: this man wasn't as harmless as he pretended to be.
Kristen hesitated, her voice small. "Can I… think about it?"
"Of course," Barrry said. "The choice is yours."
Then, with a slight smirk, he added, "But a friendly reminder — the longer you wait, the more danger you and everyone around you will be in."
The color drained from both their faces. They understood all too well how urgent this was.
"With great power comes great responsibility," Barrry said, smiling faintly. "We'll meet again soon, Kristen. And next time — you'll be the one looking for me."
He radiated confidence — like someone who already knew how the story would end.
With that, Barrry stood up, opened the door, and left.
Inside the office, Nancy could only do what she did best — sit beside the visibly shaken Kristen and try to guide her through the panic.
---
That evening —
An abandoned ice rink.
Wearing a pair of old skates, Barrry moved across the frozen floor with graceful precision, spinning and twisting like a seasoned dancer.
"Why are you so good at this?" Maria asked, watching with awe in her eyes.
"Just a bit of muscle control," he said casually. "After a few thousand battles, you pick up a trick or two."
"Teach me!" Maria said eagerly. Even though she was already popular at school, she wanted to shine like that.
"Piece of cake."
Barrry leaped into the air, spinning elegantly as his blades carved arcs of silver across the ice. He landed perfectly in front of her, extended a hand, and said, "May I have this dance?"
Under the golden rays of sunset, their figures intertwined — sometimes separating, sometimes twirling together — the sharp edges of their skates tracing beautiful patterns on the ice.
"You're way too smooth! How many people have you held like this?" Maria said, half-laughing, half-blushing.
Under Barrry's guidance, her movements grew more confident, even daring to attempt lifts and spins well beyond her skill level.
"Can't remember," Barrry said with a faint smile. "But aside from elbow strikes, my grapples are world-class."
He gently set her down, and they continued practicing, their rhythm in perfect sync.
After a final spin and glide, they stopped — face to face.
"Maria," Barrry said softly, his deep voice echoing in her ear, "you're the most special girl I've ever met."
Her cheeks flushed a bright pink, her heart pounding as she gazed up at the handsome man in front of her.