The rainy night streets gradually quieted, puddles reflecting the dim glow of street lamps.Ethan stood still, unmoving for a long moment. His friend's figure had vanished into the mist and rain, but the words he left behind were branded into Ethan's mind like a searing imprint:
—You are a part of destiny.—You must enter the Realm of Death.—Only you can witness the truth.
The words echoed relentlessly, making it hard for him to breathe.
Ethan raised his hand to touch the scar on his chest—the mark from that night.When his cold fingertips brushed it, the wound inexplicably warmed, as if some dormant power was stirring to life.
"The Key of Nightmares…"He murmured, his voice carried away by the wind.
—
The next day, inside the Bureau.
The towering archive room was lit by cold light, illuminating rows of ancient dossiers. Ethan had been urgently summoned by his superiors. As he pushed open the heavy metal door, he saw a stone table he had never seen before. On it lay fragmented runes, emitting faint black mist.
Several senior agents stood around, expressions solemn.The Bureau Chief's gaze fell on Ethan, sharp and unnerving.
"You've finally arrived."The Chief's voice echoed through the cavernous archive room.
Ethan felt a sinking unease, sensing that this was deliberately orchestrated.
—
The Chief slowly raised his hand, pointing to the fragments on the stone table."Do you know what this is?"
Ethan shook his head.
"These are the core remnants of the Shadow Dossier, recording the sealing history of the Nightmare God.And among them… appears a name."
At that, the Chief's eyes suddenly sharpened."—Ethan."
The air froze.Ethan's heart jolted violently; he almost thought he had misheard.
"Wh… what does that mean?"
The Chief stepped closer, his voice striking like a hammer:"The dossier states that the true 'Key of Nightmares'… is you."
—
In an instant, the surrounding agents all turned their eyes toward Ethan—some suspicious, some wary, some fearful.
A storm of emotions surged in Ethan's heart.How could he be connected to the power of nightmares?Yet the scar from the assassination, surviving countless anomalies in the dream world… all seemed to hint that this was no coincidence.
"I… a key? What kind of joke is this!"Ethan shouted, trying to mask the unease growing inside him.
The Chief, however, let out a cold smile."Do you think the nightmares spared you repeatedly by chance?Do you think the Reapers appearing before you, again and again, was accidental?Ethan, you are not an ordinary agent. You are the 'gate' they have been seeking."
—
His heart raced violently, as if it would burst from his chest.Ethan breathed heavily, cold sweat sliding down his rain-soaked forehead.
His friend's silhouette, his mother's weeping, the chases in dreams—all flashed before his eyes.From the very beginning, he had never been a free individual, but merely a pawn.
"So… you knew all along?"Ethan's voice was low, almost a snarl.
The Chief did not answer, only stared at him, eyes complex and unreadable.The silence was harsher than any explanation.
—
Suddenly, the rune fragments on the stone table began to tremble, black mist surging as if awakened by some force.The symbols lit up one by one, intertwining into the vague shape of an eye.
The agents shouted and stepped back.But that eye… locked onto Ethan unrelentingly.
"The Key… return to its place…"A deep voice emanated from the runes, as if from the endless abyss.
Ethan's eyes burned suddenly, as if flames raged within his pupils.He staggered backward, only to see shadows at his feet surge uncontrollably, extending toward the stone table.
"Damn it…!"He gritted his teeth, struggling to suppress it, yet some unknown power within him was being forced awake.
—
The Chief watched coldly, murmuring under his breath:"The Key of Fate… truly exists."
The surrounding agents drew their weapons, aiming at Ethan, faces tense.Their eyes told him one thing: in their sight, he was no longer a comrade, but a dangerous entity.
Ethan's chest heaved violently, fists clenched tight.Anger, confusion, fear churned within him.He wanted to shout that he was still human, but the words stuck in his throat, weightless and silent.
His friend had once said—the blade was a passage guiding him to the Realm of Death.And now, he finally understood: the reason he was sent there was not survival… but because he—was the Key.
The key to opening the gate between nightmares and humanity.
—
Ethan closed his eyes, a cold determination igniting deep within."If this is fate… then I will shatter it with my own hands."
When he opened his eyes again, the depths of his pupils flickered with black flames.