The aftermath of the conduit had yet to fade. When Ethan and Aiden were thrown back, they had returned to reality.They landed at the edge of a desolate urban district, the air still tinged with the residue of Dreamborne energy.
Under the night sky, several agents were already stationed nearby. The Director stood before an abandoned building, his gaze slicing across the group like a blade.
"Has the Dreamborne been completely erased?"
Aiden rubbed his tingling arm, shaking his head with a sigh. "Not that simple. Its power led here… this might just be the beginning of something worse."
Ethan's unease deepened. As he opened his mouth to speak, a sharp, piercing cry echoed from inside the building.The voice was small, trembling, yet carried an unnatural resonance—as if it did not belong to a human throat.
The agents immediately charged in.
Inside, the building was in ruins. Peeling walls were covered with mold, and a few flickering bulbs barely pierced the darkness, revealing a tiny figure curled in a corner.
It was a child, no older than eight or nine, wearing tattered clothes, hands tightly covering their ears, trembling uncontrollably.Terrifyingly, from their back stretched dark shadows like writhing tentacles, coiling along the walls.
"He's the host," the Director said, his voice low. "The Nightmare hides within his body."
The child lifted their head, eyes vacant. Reflected in their pupils swirled a black vortex that was not their own.Suddenly, they screamed, and the shadows turned into jagged blades, lunging toward the agents!
Gunfire and the glow of talismans erupted simultaneously. Aiden reacted instantly, shielding Ethan while casting a containment talisman, temporarily suppressing the shadows.The child was knocked back into a corner, convulsing, whispering hoarsely, "Le… leave me… sa… save me…"
The voice was not that of an enemy, but of someone drowning, reaching desperately for a hand.
Ethan froze.He saw the small body struggling, unable to discern whether it was the Nightmare speaking or the child's true soul calling for help.
The Director's voice cut through coldly: "Eliminate it. The host has been corrupted beyond saving."
"Wait!" Ethan blurted out.All weapons wavered slightly, but the Director's gaze remained icy. "Are you questioning orders?"
Ethan gritted his teeth, stepping forward. "It's just a child! There might still be a way—"
"A way?" the Director sneered. "Do you understand Nightmare corruption? It devours the soul irreversibly. Hesitate, and the next second, you die in its hands."
The air froze. The agents' expressions were tense; none dared defy orders.
The child suddenly screamed in agony. The shadows erupted violently, straining the talisman.Within the black mist, a gigantic eye flickered open, gazing at them through the child's body.
"They… all deserve to die…" the child's voice twisted, no longer childish but ancient and ominous.The black tentacles shattered the talisman, lunging straight at Ethan!
Instinct made him raise his gun, but his finger froze on the trigger.Shoot, and the child dies instantly. Don't shoot, and he would be consumed.
"Rookie!" Aiden shouted, pushing him aside and taking the brunt of a shadow attack himself. The talisman on his chest shattered; blood trickled from his mouth."What are you waiting for?! If you die, don't take others with you!"
Ethan's heart pounded. In that moment, he recalled records he had seen in the archives: countless "hosts" deemed threats were eliminated, yet no one ever proved they were truly irredeemable.
—Is this what justice really is?
In the final second before the black mist completely ran rampant, the ink mark on Ethan's chest blazed again.He instinctively extended his hand; a surge of light shot from his palm, striking the child's forehead.
Boom!
The light tore a hole through the black mist. The child briefly regained clarity, tears welling in their eyes."Sa… save me…" they whispered weakly, desperate and heart-wrenching.
Then, the giant eye vanished. The black mist receded into the child. They fainted, and the shadows dissipated completely.
The building fell into silence.
The agents exchanged stunned glances, unable to believe what had just happened.Aiden half-kneeling, gasping, grinned: "…You really are a troublesome one, rookie."
The Director stared at the unconscious child, silent for a long moment before speaking coldly: "Take him back to the bureau. Isolate him. Three strikes, and if he cannot be proven savable, execute the erasure."
Ethan clenched his fists, saying nothing.Yet, deep in his heart, a single voice grew clearer:
—Perhaps not all Nightmare hosts are enemies.