The wind still howled across the overpass, seemingly mocking Ethan's helplessness.The night sky pressed down, suffocatingly dark. Thick clouds blocked the stars and moon, leaving the world seemingly empty—only him remained.
Karl's figure had vanished. No corpse, no belongings, not even a farewell. Only the explosion and the mist had turned everything into nothingness.
Ethan stood frozen for a long while, fingers white from gripping his short blade, cold sweat dripping down his temples. For the first time, he realized with absolute clarity that he was truly alone.
—
Stumbling off the overpass, he returned to the bureau. Yet, back in the familiar corridors, the emptiness felt heavier.
Karl had always walked ahead, teasing him: "Ethan, your face is perfect for taking scoldings. Just follow me."Now, the footsteps echoed—only his own.
The office lights were cold and harsh. The twin files on the desk now bore only his name. Ethan stared at the empty space, struck by a sense of absurd void.
—
The bureau did not immediately announce Karl's "death."Higher-ups were silent on the incident, only writing coldly in internal notices: "Mission failed. Target lost. Partner missing."
No mourning. No investigation. No explanation.Karl was just a piece of data, a number that could be erased.
Ethan's chest tightened. He understood: losing his partner didn't just mean no one had his back in battle—it meant he had utterly lost someone he could trust in this shadow-filled bureau.
—
The missions continued.The day after Karl disappeared, Ethan was sent alone to investigate new waves of nightmare energy on the outskirts.
"Operate solo. Adapt to it," the director said coldly. "There's no spare manpower. If you fail, you will be replaced."
No comfort. Not a word of condolence.
Ethan laughed dryly, his voice like sandpaper tearing. He muttered bitterly:"So, I don't even have the right to grieve."
—
On the way to the mission point, he sensed an uncanny unfamiliarity.Karl's voice had once always guided him, pointing out blind spots, cracking jokes to lighten the tension. Now, there was only the monotone buzz in his earpiece and his own rapid breaths.
In the dark alleyways, he walked alone. Shadows stretched along the walls like countless cold eyes observing him.In that moment, he truly felt the weight of being "alone."
The low whispers of the nightmare drifted near:"You… alone… you… will eventually be devoured…"
Ethan gritted his teeth, drawing his short blade and pressing the tip into his palm. Blood welled up, a sharp sting bringing clarity.He whispered back:"You will not consume me."
Yet the voice seemed so feeble in the darkness.
—
During the mission, he encountered a nightmare-infected resident.The person's eyes were cloudy, movements stiff, murmuring:"The black mist… calls… calls to me…"
In the past, Karl would have stepped forward, joking: "Ethan, fall back a bit—I don't want your neck bitten off."Now, Ethan faced it alone.
The battle was swift and brutal. At that moment, he felt the absence behind him; all judgment and risk fell solely on his shoulders.He was nearly torn apart between blood and shadows, yet he endured.
When the enemy fell, he was drenched in blood, breathing hard.The oppressive feeling of isolation was like a blunt blade, slowly and relentlessly cutting into his heart.
—
After the mission, Ethan sat on the rooftop of an abandoned building for a long time.The wind blew, the night indifferent.
He stared at the city lights and whispered:"Karl… are you really dead? Or… taken somewhere else?"
No reply came. But within the wind, he thought he heard a faint laugh, teasing in Karl's usual way.
Ethan froze, then shook his head in self-mockery."Looks like I'm really going crazy."
Yet at that moment, he gripped his short blade again.Alone or attacked by nightmares, he had to keep going. It was the only path to approach the truth.
The night was silent. His shadow, solitary yet resolute, merged with the darkness.