Night pressed heavily over the Investigation Bureau's dormitory area, the silence almost unnatural.Ethan lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Shadows of the mirror dream still haunted his mind, as if the endless corridor and Ronan's smile had never vanished. He even began to doubt whether he had truly woken from the dream.
Suddenly, a faint sound broke the silence."Click—"The door lock slowly turned in the darkness.
Ethan bolted upright, his palm tightening around the pistol by his pillow. The candle had gone out, and the room was pitch-black. He held his breath, pupils dilating in the dark.
The door creaked open, and a shadow darker than night slid in silently. It made no footsteps, not even a whisper of breath. It was a silhouette, vague and human-shaped, with hollow eye sockets, gripping a long blade in its hand.
The blade lacked the cold gleam of metal but exuded an eerie dark-purple aura, as if drawn straight from a nightmare.
"Phantom?" Ethan's heart jolted as he pulled the trigger.The gunfire exploded in the small room, flames illuminating the walls. But the bullets passed through the shadow as if shooting into air. The figure shivered slightly, then continued advancing.
"Damn it…" Ethan cursed under his breath, rolling off the bed to narrowly avoid a horizontal slash. The blade sliced the air with a harsh tearing sound, splitting the bed in half. Wood splintered and flew, yet not a drop of blood appeared.
This was no ordinary assassin—it was a shadow formed from nightmare energy.But why had it appeared inside the Bureau's dormitory?
Ethan forced himself to stay calm and reached for the spirit-energy box on his nightstand—a basic defense tool issued by the Bureau, capable of emitting a temporary energy barrier."Vzzz—"The shield flared to life just as the shadow's blade struck, sparks and purple light exploding simultaneously. The barrier shuddered violently, nearly torn apart.
The shadow let out a low, guttural roar, like countless suppressed pains echoing from a dream, drilling into Ethan's mind. His vision blurred, and in just a few seconds, he nearly lost control of his body.
At that moment, rapid footsteps approached down the corridor."Ethan! What's happening?" It was his partner, Karl.
The shadow seemed to sense them and froze abruptly. The purple glow in its empty eyes shrank. Its form twisted and dissipated like smoke, retreating into darkness, vanishing in an instant. Only the shattered bed and lingering chill remained.
The door burst open as Karl rushed in, face taut with alertness."What the hell happened here?!" He glanced at the broken bed and scattered wood chips, frowning tightly. "Were you attacked?"
Ethan pressed his lips together, staring at the direction the shadow had vanished, throat tight."Not human," he managed to say. "It's… a nightmare."
Karl's face went pale."In the Bureau? Impossible!""You saw it yourself," Ethan replied quietly.
The two exchanged glances; the air thickened with tension. Karl's eyes flickered with doubt and unease.For nightmare energy to infiltrate the Bureau, a medium must exist—someone was manipulating it from the shadows.
Who?An external nightmare entity, or someone within the Bureau itself?
Ethan's heartbeat raced as the echo of the phantom's guttural roar lingered in his ears.He realized just now, if that blade had truly struck, he could have died right there in his dorm. And the Bureau might never acknowledge the truth, labeling it an "accident."
Karl spoke in a low voice: "I'll report this to the Director. This must be investigated.""Wait," Ethan interrupted, eyes sharp."What if this assassination is connected to someone inside the Bureau? Are you sure reporting it won't just get suppressed?"
Karl froze, his expression shifting slightly. After a moment of silence, he nodded, voice barely audible:"Then… we'll investigate it ourselves."
Ethan stared at the shattered bed, a cold hand seeming to clutch his heart.He knew this attack was not a random incursion of nightmare energy—it was a warning.
The phantom assassin might only be the beginning.And the true mastermind had already set their sights on him.