Sirius's detached house had many rooms. The gray-eyed officer led Silas into one of the guest rooms and found two armchairs, picking one to sit in.
He pulled a pipe from his coat pocket, sniffed it, then stuffed it back.
"Let me introduce myself. Dunn Smith."
He said by way of introduction.
"Good evening, Officer Dunn."
Silas sat across from him, speaking with slight wariness.
He didn't know what that bookish young officer with black hair and brown eyes had told Dunn, nor whether it would land him in trouble. Naturally, he'd be on guard when alone in a room with the man.
"No need to be so tense. You just need to tell the truth."
Dunn smiled politely. He looked into Silas's eyes and asked earnestly, "Mr. Silas, you mentioned earlier that you often experience hallucinations. What exactly are they like?"
As he asked this, Dunn leaned forward slightly toward Silas, crossing his hands with his elbows resting on his knees.
Perhaps it was Silas's imagination, but in that instant, something like ripples of water seemed to flash around Dunn's body.
Silas thought for a moment, then honestly told him about seeing the inverted giant and hearing the terrible murmuring.
"So, what are your feelings about these hallucinations? Do you feel particularly happy, as if you've finally found your true home?" Dunn didn't seem surprised by the visions he described and continued probing gently.
"Huh? How could that be possible!"
Silas hadn't expected Dunn to ask that. He gave him an odd look and flatly denied it. "Of course I hate them. That thing nearly drove me insane. It'd be crazy to like it."
"So your faith is still with the Goddess."
"Yes."
Silas searched his memories briefly, recalling this world's faith in the Seven Gods and that the Londor family were all shallow believers of the Evernight Goddess. "Silas Londor believes in the Goddess."
I'm not lying. That original Silas Londor did believe in the Evernight Goddess, though it has nothing to do with me.
He added mentally.
Hearing his answer, Dunn nodded slightly and leaned back against the chair, seeming to relax somewhat.
"Is there anything you'd like to add about your previous experiences?"
"No."
"Alright... How did you defeat Sirius? Please describe the process in detail."
He continued.
So Silas recounted the detailed sequence again. He omitted the part where Sirius lost control after touching his skin, only saying that the other had suddenly gone berserk, giving him an opportunity.
"You're truly fortunate, Mr. Silas."
After hearing Silas's account, Dunn Smith said profoundly.
You call that fortunate?
Silas thought to himself, but didn't say it aloud.
"You must have noticed the peculiar changes to Sirius's body," he continued. "For you to survive under such circumstances is truly rare, let alone kill him... Also, have you thought about why he transformed that way?"
"Because he worships an evil god?"
"Mm, exactly. The evil god transformed his flesh, making him mad and powerful."
Dunn replied without hesitation.
"So there really are mysterious powers in this world?"
"You could say that."
Dunn calmly admitted it. "And we Nighthawks are an organization specifically responsible for handling extraordinary incidents, under the Goddess's Church.
Other churches have similar organizations. Because your family are believers of the Goddess, the police contacted us."
"Nighthawks... Do you all possess special abilities?"
Silas recalled the black-haired, brown-eyed officer solemnly performing a ritual with the citrine crystal. Could he obtain information through such methods?
"Yes, we are indeed Beyonders, just like you."
Dunn said to Silas calmly, yet delivered quite a bombshell.
"Like me?"
Silas's heart skipped a beat.
"That's right."
Dunn looked at him and continued, "Because you swallowed what Sirius secreted, you can already be considered a Beyonder."
"What?"
Silas gaped, feeling indescribable terror.
Crimson moonlight spilled into the room. Dunn Smith sitting across from him had half his body bathed in moonlight, half immersed in darkness, his eyes penetrating, as if seeing through everything about Silas from inside out.
"You..."
"You're probably wondering how I know, right?"
Dunn asked in a soothing tone, but his calm demeanor made Silas feel afraid. "It's simple. He told me."
He raised a finger, pointing behind Silas.
Silas followed the direction of Dunn's finger, turning his head with difficulty.
He saw Sirius with his shattered skull and mangled flesh standing there with eyes wide open, staring fixedly at him, his torn mouth opening and closing as if trying to say something...
"Knock, knock, knock!"
"Ah!"
A sudden knocking sound rang out, and Silas jerked awake, jumping right out of his chair!
His heart pounded wildly as he looked around in confusion. Dunn sat across from him, his posture different from the dream but his eyes equally deep and calm.
"Thud."
Silas couldn't help but step back, his calf hitting the chair leg with a sound.
Was I just dreaming?
Or am I still dreaming now?
His heart raced, his mind foggy, unable to distinguish reality from illusion for a moment.
Just then, another knock sounded. The guest room door was pushed open from outside, and the green-eyed young officer poked his head in. "Captain, after Klein divined Sirius, he discovered... oh, sorry, am I interrupting?"
"It's fine. I've finished asking the important questions." Dunn said. "Go on."
"Klein divined Sirius and found he has an accomplice named Hanass Vincent. This Hanass is apparently his colleague at the divination club.
They say his divination skills are quite good, fairly well-known in the city."
The green-eyed young officer reported.
"I see."
Dunn nodded. After watching the officer close the door and leave, he turned his gaze back to Silas. "Have you calmed down? If so, please sit down first."
Silas's breathing gradually steadied, and he finally came fully to his senses.
"I think I was dreaming just now..."
He sat back in the chair and asked tentatively.
His memory from entering the room until now had been continuous, with no impression of falling asleep.
The only suspicious moment was when Dunn suddenly leaned forward, emanating that strange ripple.
"That's right, I pulled you into a dream. This is a unique ability of Beyonders on the 'Sleepless' pathway, which is my Sequence." Dunn said. "Let me reintroduce myself. Nighthawk, Dunn Smith.
I apologize for forcing you into a nightmare, but it was all for the investigation. I hope you can understand."
"Sleepless"? Sequence? Able to hypnotize people and create dreams; sounds pretty impressive.
Silas mentally noted these unfamiliar terms.
Wait, does that mean the Sirius who appeared at the end was also created by his ability? He really scared me!
"In reality, people can control their words and actions, lie, and deceive. But in dreams, they can't conceal their truest thoughts and memories.
So rather than play mind games in an interrogation room, I prefer to delve into dreams, communicate with their true self, and hear answers unmixed with lies."
The corners of Dunn's mouth lifted slightly, as if smiling.
He must be remembering how pathetic I looked when I woke up startled.
Silas felt half embarrassed, half speechless.
But thinking carefully, he noticed something odd in what Dunn had said.
The me in the dream wouldn't lie?
That's not right!
Just now in the dream, Silas's consciousness had been very clear.
He knew exactly what he should and shouldn't say, and after waking up, he remembered everything that happened in the dream, just like those so-called "lucid dreams." But looking at Dunn, he seemed absolutely certain...
Is it because I'm a transmigrated soul, unaffected by dreams, or because the original me was insane?
Well, whatever the reason, this was another special trait of his.
Silas thought to himself, then deliberately put on an expression of trying hard to remember, furrowing his brow. "Um, I think I told you something in the dream..."
"No need to force yourself to remember. That's not good for you."
Dunn indeed hadn't noticed his abnormality. "In your dream, I confirmed you're not a follower of the evil god, just someone caught up in this."
"So my suspicion has been cleared?"
Hearing this, Silas felt considerably more at ease.
But Dunn's next words made him tense up again.
"Yes, but for safety reasons, and given your body's 'current state,' we must take you into protective custody."
"Sirius Arapis belonged to a secret organization that worships evil gods, the Aurora Order.
They spread chaos and attempt to summon evil gods into the world. As you just heard, he has accomplices who may harm you.
Also, you're already a Beyonder. We must ensure you're in a controllable situation."
Dunn explained.
Right, he already knows I swallowed that sphere... It's a product of cultists. Will they think I've been corrupted and just purify me directly?
Silas opened his mouth and asked in a somewhat dry voice, "What do you plan to do with me?"
"Don't worry."
Seeing this, Dunn couldn't help but smile. "We'll temporarily protect you both. Once the case is resolved, we'll make arrangements. It won't be what you're thinking."