Paris at night was no longer a symbol of romance or dazzling lights.Most cafés lining the streets were shuttered, rusty iron blinds pulled down. Only the patrol cars' searchlights swept over the avenues, like indifferent eyes watching.
Ethan and Karl had just stepped off the plane when an emergency broadcast echoed through the streets:"Attention—curfew in effect after midnight! Anyone experiencing sudden sleep or sleepwalking symptoms must report immediately!"
Ethan glanced at the dark, oppressive sky and whistled."Sounds like a curfew… but with a nightmare twist. If I'd known I could break the law just by sleeping, I should have gone straight to jail in college."
Karl didn't respond, gripping his weapon tightly, expression grim.
They followed the European branch's reception team through narrow streets. The air carried a damp, decaying stench, as if the entire city were slowly rotting.
Suddenly, a low moaning echoed from below an apartment building.A young woman was curled on the ground, eyes tightly shut, muttering incoherent words. Her limbs twitched, and dark vine-like patterns snaked beneath her skin.
"Sleep-plague patient," whispered the agent guiding them. "They're infected in their dreams, but the body suffers in reality. Within three days, it's either death or complete assimilation by the Nightmare."
Ethan crouched, observing the woman's face. A drop of black liquid seeped from the corner of her eye, falling onto the pavement like ink, leaving a faint corroded mark with a hiss.
"Tsk," Ethan shook his head. "If this stuff could be used as ink, at least I could write a few love letters. Too bad it only writes death certificates."
The agent glared at him."This is serious."
Ethan smirked, standing."I know. But if I were as stiff-faced as you, it'd feel even more like a funeral."
—
They continued to a gymnasium converted into a containment center.Hundreds of beds were lined up, the air thick with a mix of disinfectant and blood. Hundreds of people slept in unison, breaths shallow, occasional shrieks piercing the silence, only to fade instantly back into stillness.
Karl muttered, "It's like they're trapped in the same nightmare."
Ethan studied the patients thoughtfully."If they're dreaming of the same scene, then this nightmare has higher ratings than any TV show."
The doctors nearby turned pale."We've tried drugs, electroshocks, even prayers from clergy… nothing works. They're being pulled into some invisible prison by the same force. Worse, it's spreading—thousands of new cases every day."
Ethan approached a bed where a young boy curled under a blanket, pale and clutching a worn teddy bear, murmuring to himself.
Ethan leaned closer, listening carefully.The child repeatedly whispered one word in his sleep:"Key… Key…"
Suddenly, a low-frequency rumble reverberated through the ward.Lights flickered wildly, and the air turned icy. Patients twitched simultaneously, their eyelids trembling, voices merging into an eerie chorus.
Ethan snapped his head up.A black ripple formed across the ceiling, like a stone thrown into water, spreading outward. Nightmare energy flowed through the air like invisible tendrils, probing each person's forehead.
"Damn it, it's spreading faster!" Karl drew his gun, aiming at the shadow.
Ethan stepped forward, drawing his Residue Cleaver. The blade emitted a low hum, resonating with the ripple."Looks like this trip has a little more 'European flair' than I expected," he quipped, a faint smile crossing his face. "The Black Death returns, with a complimentary demon show."
He leapt forward, slicing through the black ripple. A violent backlash sent a thunderous boom through the air, shattering several light bulbs.
The ripple gradually dissipated, and the patients' breathing returned to normal.
But Ethan knew this was only temporary.This "Dark Plague" was not a single incident—it was the overture sweeping across Europe.
As they left the gymnasium, Karl spoke in a low voice:"Ethan, this isn't just a plague. This… is a precursor to war."
Ethan slung the blade over his shoulder, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips."Well, at least one consolation: if the world ends, I finally won't have to pay rent."
Karl sighed, but his eyes revealed even deeper worry.
In the distance, the Eiffel Tower glimmered faintly through the night, cold and indifferent.The lingering aura of the Nightmare hung in the air, like an invisible web slowly spreading across the continent.