Midnight. The moon hung high at its zenith.
Whizz!
A strand of web shot through the air. Duke gave it a sharp tug, his body swinging backward, using its tension to catapult himself across the night sky.
Edith was secured at his side, while his drones had already been dispatched to survey the entire city.
Nocturne could drag living beings into nightmares, but drones, guided only by programming, were no "living beings."
Against them, the demon had no power.
As the drones swept into position, they began relaying images back to Duke. Edith instantly pulled Garen's feed onto his display.
At this moment, Garen looked like some monstrous spider. Both hands and feet clung to the wall of a tower, his eyes rolled back so that only the whites showed, his jaw clenched hard, froth spilling at the corners of his mouth.
It was clear he had fallen completely under Nocturne's control.
"That unlucky kid…"
Duke sighed, shaking his head helplessly as he swung closer to the tower.
Garen's body, trained since childhood, was honed to perfection. He lacked experience, yes, but under Nocturne's possession, that very body now displayed terrifying agility and strength.
It was as if the demon were squeezing every last drop of potential out of him.
But such reckless consumption came at a cost.
An ordinary man, after just one such outburst, would suffer permanent damage, shortening his life by ten years or more.
By the time Duke arrived in the street beneath the tower, Garen was scaling its outer wall with nothing but his bare hands.
And when Duke swung into view, Garen's head snapped toward him. He bared his teeth, snarling with an inhuman roar.
"Well, well. He even looks fierce now."
Duke arched a brow, then flicked a web bomb toward him.
But Garen's reflexes were unnaturally sharp. His body twisted in midair, narrowly dodging as he scuttled across the wall like a four-limbed spider, his movements a blur.
The bomb struck the tower instead, cocooning part of the outer wall in sticky strands.
Clicking his tongue, Duke muttered again, "This unlucky kid."
Without hesitation, he broke every law of physics, boots crackling with static, he planted himself flat against the vertical wall, standing as if it were level ground.
"I can't let Nocturne keep forcing him like this. If this goes on, Garen will be crippled for life."
Opening his inventory, Duke rummaged briefly, then pulled out one of his own custom-built machines.
"Suppressors, deploy. Edith, take over control hub. Target: Garen Crownguard. Restrain him."
Released from his hands, three autonomous drones unfurled, part spider, part scorpion. Edith immediately linked into their systems.
They were the evolved cousins of the spider probes Duke had once used in the Parosa Temple. Upgraded, refined, equipped for subjugation rather than exploration.
Web launchers, shockers, sonic blasters, anesthetic mist, a full suite of non-lethal weapons.
Within moments, all three Suppressors scuttled into position, surrounding Garen in a tightening triangle.
Garen roared, animalistic and furious. The scorpion-tail launchers on the drones fired, strands of web hissing through the air while their pincers crackled with electricity.
In the blink of an eye, Garen was wrapped tight, bound from neck to toe like a festival rice dumpling. Only his head remained free, thrashing and spitting froth as he howled like a beast.
And then,
Bzzzzt!
The Suppressors discharged their shocks. Garen convulsed once, then slumped unconscious.
Without delay, the machines lifted his bound form and carried him back with Duke to the inn.
Ten minutes later.
Duke entered Siseria's room, one hand carrying Garen like a bundled-up sack. Three pairs of eyes turned toward him at once.
"Big brother!"
Lux was the first to cry out, clapping a hand over her mouth as she rushed forward, her gaze darting between Garen's slack body and Duke's expression.
"Your brother's been possessed by that demon," Duke explained flatly. "The same one Siseria saw in her dream."
"How could this happen?"
Lux knelt beside her brother as Duke set him down on the floor. Her voice trembled with disbelief.
"My guess? The moment Siseria woke from her nightmare, that demon locked its sights on everyone who came to this room afterward."
Closing the door, Duke activated a soundproof barrier. He then set a magic warding device in the center of the room. As it flared to life, everyone felt a strange prickling sensation across their skin, like a comb dragging softly along their nerves.
"Not sure if it'll block him, but at least this should interfere with his gaze."
Crouching beside Garen, Duke pulled out a sonic screwdriver and pressed it against his temple.
Wheeeeee,
The blast snapped Garen awake. Duke's left eye flickered faintly as he peered into his mind, glimpsing the black shadow coiled tightly around his spirit.
"Urgh…"
Garen groaned, eyelids fluttering before his eyes opened. Exhaustion filled his gaze.
"That demon…" he rasped. "I saw him. He's inside a little boy. He's corrupting the whole city, corrupting all of Fosbarrow."
"We have to stop him!"
His voice broke, hoarse with desperation. "If we don't, everyone will become his prey."
"Do you have a way?" Lux turned to Duke, eyes pleading.
"I do," Duke admitted, "but before we get to that, let's deal with your brother first."
"My brother?" Lux glanced at Garen in confusion. "He seems fine to me."
Duke rolled his eyes, settling cross-legged as he lit a cigar.
"Well, I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
"The bad," Garen said firmly, sparing his sister the choice. Determination blazed in his weary eyes. "Just say it. I can take it."
"The demon's grip hasn't loosened. Its shadow still clings to your spirit. The moment you fall asleep again, you'll relapse. And every time, it'll drain more of your life, until you're nothing but its puppet."
"And the good news?" Lux asked quickly.
Duke exhaled a stream of smoke, lips quirking. "Two possible solutions. First, I pour my mana into you, purge the shadow outright."
"I'll take the second one!" Garen cut him off instantly. He would rather die than let foreign magic invade his body.
"You'd better reconsider," Duke said, voice heavy with warning. "The second method… won't be pleasant."
"I can't allow mana to flow in me. Not for any reason. Not even to save my life."
"Stubborn fool."
Duke rapped his knuckles lightly on Garen's skull. Still, the boy shook his head, resolute.
"Sorry, Duke. This is my conviction."
"…Fine."
Duke stroked his chin in resignation. "Then I'll tell you the second way."
"What is it?" Lux asked anxiously.
Duke pulled a bizarre helmet from his inventory and set it on the floor.
"This. It temporarily severs Garen's ability to feel emotion. He'll become… well, a vegetable."
"What?!"
Lux gasped, covering her mouth in horror. Poppy and Siseria both shot Duke looks of disbelief, as though they'd just realized how twisted he could be.
"Relax."
Duke raised a calming hand. "It's designed specifically for demons. Granted, it hasn't been tested yet. But in theory, it works."
"So this… will cure me?" Garen asked, eyeing the helmet.
"In theory," Duke admitted, scratching his temple. "See, demons feed on human emotions, fear, greed, madness, despair. Strip away the source, and they starve."
He tapped the helmet. "This device, the Silencer, releases a current that suppresses the brain's frontal lobe, the very part that governs emotions and personality. With it, Garen becomes, temporarily, a vegetable."
"No fear. No despair. No food for the demon."
"That's monstrous!" Lux whispered.
"Maybe. But effective."
Duke's smile was sharp as he spread his hands. "In short, no emotions, no demon. Simple math."
This idea had first struck him when he encountered Tahm. Back then, the demon's twisted expression at the mere suggestion was burned into his memory.
They survived on human emotion. Strip it away, and they became rootless weeds adrift in the void.
Until now, Duke had never found a chance to test it.
But with Garen in this state… the first trial subject had practically delivered himself.
"So," Duke asked, looking Garen in the eye. "What's your choice?"
Garen studied the Silencer, then closed his eyes.
"…Do it."
End of chapter....
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