The air in the archives still carried the scent of paper and ink. Ethan had returned once more, this time under the cover of deep night. The corridors were so silent that he could hear the ticking of a distant clock, his own heartbeat thundering in response.
He knew this was dangerous. If discovered, the consequences could range from suspension to memory erasure. Yet the doubts burning in his mind flared like wildfire, making it impossible to remain idle.
The filing cabinets were neatly arranged, their wooden surfaces glinting dimly in the faint light. Ethan pulled out several dossiers marked "Confidential – External Affairs" and spread them across the table.
The first to catch his eye was a report on the "Nightmare Rifts":
"The frequency of rift appearances shows a positive correlation with certain secret experiments conducted by human governments."
"Suspected information exchange exists: some government personnel allow brief rift openings in exchange for 'energy' and 'unknown weapon technology.'"
Ethan's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.
Human governments… collaborating with nightmares?
He quickly flipped to the next file, its contents even more horrifying:
"The 'Northern Disappearances' twenty years ago, ostensibly a natural disaster, were in fact the result of a failed 'rift trade.' Over a thousand people were consumed by nightmares, yet official records list them as 'blizzard casualties.'"
"The energy provided by nightmares was funneled into a project codenamed 'Dawn,' aimed at developing cross-realm weaponry."
Ethan's fingers trembled slightly. The cold words were like iron nails driven into his heart.
The government colluding with nightmares.
The Bureau might have known, yet chose to conceal it.
His chest tightened. The institution he had once thought of as righteous now seemed fractured before his eyes.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind:
"You looking for something, Ethan?"
He spun around sharply. His partner—sarcastic Aiden—leaned against the doorframe, a knowing smirk on his lips.
"Following me?" Ethan whispered.
"Following?" Aiden spread his hands. "Come on, you're a rookie sneaking into the archives at midnight, making enough noise to steal every coffee bean in the Bureau. If someone had caught you, you'd be toast."
He stepped inside, eyes scanning the files on the table, momentarily growing colder.
"You shouldn't be looking at these," Aiden said, his tone playful yet laced with warning.
Ethan stared at him, unblinking. "Why not? You knew all along? The government is working with nightmares?"
Aiden paused, then let out a derisive laugh. "You really dare speak it aloud, huh? Kid, you're too green. The truth isn't meat you can chew."
"Then tell me!" Ethan's voice was low, strained, trembling. "My friend, Ryan… his 'death'—is it connected to all this?"
Aiden's smile faltered, a flicker of something complex passing over his eyes, before he regained his sarcastic demeanor. "If you really want to know, keep digging. But a word of advice—the dead are often safer than the living."
With that, he snapped the dossier shut and pushed it back into Ethan's hands.
"Want to survive? Play dumb." Aiden turned and left, his figure vanishing into the darkness at the end of the corridor.
Ethan froze, gripping the dossier so tightly that his knuckles whitened. His inner conflict hadn't been resolved; if anything, it had deepened.
Nightmares collaborating with the government. The Bureau aware yet silent. His friend's death—perhaps just a single thread in a vast, entangling web.
He felt as though he were trapped in an invisible whirlpool, each fragment of truth like an abyss, suffocating him. Yet the more dangerous it became, the harder it was to stop.
Ethan tucked the dossier into his chest, his gaze gradually sharpening.
No matter the truth or the lies, he would continue the pursuit.