The pages of the folio glimmered with a cold, black sheen under the dim light, like the skin of a living creature. Ethan gently turned the next page with his fingertips, but his chest felt as if it were being clamped by iron jaws—he already sensed that what awaited him would be far more terrifying than Vierno City.
Black ink flowed across the paper, gradually forming an ancient pattern. It was an invisible eye, spanning the heavens, watching all beings. Its pupil had no boundary, a swirling darkness at its core, as if it could pull the viewer entirely into its void.
"What… is that?" Karl whispered, sweat beading on his forehead.
Alongside the pattern appeared a line of twisted text:
— "It was once called the God of Nightmares."
Ethan froze. A god of nightmares? In the Bureau's training and archives, he had never heard such a title.
"Not just a simple monster," Karl's face went pale. "It's some… origin."
They continued reading, each sentence in the folio like a cold blade slicing into their minds:
— It was not born of darkness, but created by human desire. Countless nightmares converged, crystallizing into divinity.— The first overflow of nightmares was no accident; it was an attempt to break free from its seal.— The Reaper's failure was not only due to betrayal, but also because its power had already surpassed even the Reaper's control.
Ethan's gaze froze on the words, a chill crawling down his spine. The Reaper wasn't the ultimate being? The true force behind the scenes… was this "God of Nightmares"?
"So all along, the enemy we thought we knew… was just its shadow," he said with a bitter, sarcastic laugh. "Perfect. Now it's officially 'God versus mortal.' Anyone want to place bets? The odds must be insane."
Karl remained silent, his expression heavier than ever."If it still exists… then Vierno City might have been devoured by it."
On the folio's last page, another annotation stood out:
— The God of Nightmares has not been fully extinguished, but is trapped deep within the rift by the Seven Seals.— The keys to the seals are scattered between humans and the Reaper.
The page shivered suddenly, a wave of cold emanating from the folio. The lamp's flame flickered violently, as if an invisible wind swept through the chamber.
Ethan's chest tightened, yet he forced a flippant tone:"Seven keys? Sounds cheesier than a treasure hunt. Too bad the prize isn't gold… but a 'god' that could swallow us whole at any moment."
Karl lifted his gaze, voice grave:"Ethan, do you understand what this means? The Bureau—hell, all of humanity—is hiding a threat far greater than any nightmare creature."
Ethan didn't reply immediately. He stared into that swirling, vortex-like eye, as if he could hear a whisper echoing in his ear:
— "You will return to me, eventually."
The voice vanished like a hallucination, yet it sent a shiver down his spine.
Ethan slammed the folio shut with a dull thud, letting out a crooked, cold laugh:"Well, at least now I finally understand why even the Reaper had to 'confide' in me. Seems even he's scared."
Karl's expression was complicated as he looked at him."Ethan… this cannot be spoken of, or the entire Bureau will consume us."
"Relax," Ethan shrugged, a stubborn gleam in his eyes. "I'm not planning to broadcast this. First, I survive. Then… I figure out what kind of game this 'god' wants to play with us."
The lamp flickered out. The stone chamber plunged into darkness. Side by side, they stepped out into the night.