The dense fog of the abandoned amusement park had yet to dissipate; the air still carried the lingering presence of the vanished Dreamborne. Ethan's heartbeat hadn't settled when suddenly, a deep fissure cracked open in the ground beneath him.
From the fissure surged a pitch-black mist, as if some living entity were breathing. All agents instinctively raised their weapons—but the crack rapidly widened, forming a dark doorway, flickering with chaotic lights and shadows inside.
"A dream conduit!" an intelligence officer shouted.
Before anyone could react further, a blurred figure shot out of the conduit, moving so fast it was almost impossible to track. Another Dreamborne—more stable, far more dangerous than the first. It did not attack recklessly, instead twisting its body and diving back into the conduit.
"Pursue!" the Director ordered coldly.
Ethan felt the ground drop beneath his feet, and the scenery around him was swallowed by darkness.
Inside the dream conduit, there was no sky, no ground. Fragmented memories floated around like suspended shards of glass, reflecting countless blurred scenes: crying, screaming, visions of blood and fire.
Ethan ran along a narrow track of light, winding and undulating through the void. His body swayed, nearly losing balance. Below him, black mist churned, within it glimmered enormous, watchful eyes, sending chills down his spine.
"Move faster, rookie!" Aiden's voice called ahead. Somehow, he was running while joking: "If you fall, you'll be stuck chatting with them forever. Imagine how boring that would be!"
Gritting his teeth, Ethan pushed forward. Ahead, the Dreamborne sprinted along the light track, its form twisting—sometimes a beast, sometimes a child—its speed suffocating.
Ethan raised his gun, but aiming proved impossible. The rules within the conduit seemed to shift at will; bullets bent or were swallowed the moment they left the barrel.
"Don't shoot!" Aiden shouted. "Physics here is unpredictable. Miss your shot, and you could blow yourselves up instead!"
The Dreamborne glanced back, eyes glowing with a strange light. It opened its mouth and howled; soundwaves rippled outward as black circular waves, crashing toward them.
Ethan's eardrums throbbed in pain. The track beneath him warped, nearly collapsing. He grabbed a protruding shard of light, barely stabilizing himself.
Aiden fought alongside him, still quipping: "Ah, this is great—I love free roller coaster rides!"
"Now is not the time for jokes!" Ethan growled.
"Laugh a little under pressure, or you'll go mad!" Aiden chuckled, tossing a psychic talisman. It transformed into a chain-like beam of light, lashing toward the Dreamborne's ankle.
The chain wrapped around instantly, tripping the Dreamborne, nearly knocking it off the track. Furious, it roared, its body swelling unnaturally as several tentacles erupted, ripping the chain apart.
"Damn it!" Aiden staggered back, tingling from the psychic backlash.
The ink mark on Ethan's chest blazed with heat. Instinctively, he raised his gun, focusing on the Dreamborne's heartscape. At that moment, the light along the track surged violently, as if responding to his will.
He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.
Bang—!
The psych bullet transformed into a pure white beam, piercing the Dreamborne's heartscape. It screamed in agony, its body shattering into countless fragments, scattering throughout the conduit.
Ethan barely had time to exhale when he realized the fragments did not vanish. Instead, they coalesced at the end of the conduit, forming a massive door. Twisted sigils appeared upon it—identical to the "Shadow Files" marks he had seen in the archives.
At that moment, the ink mark on his chest burned with searing heat, nearly piercing his skin.
Aiden froze, the smile disappearing from his face. "Rookie… you'd better not ask what that is. Knowing too much will break you faster than this guy ever did."
Ethan, however, fixed his gaze on the door, determination igniting in his eyes.
No matter what, he had to pursue it.