The night was heavy. The corridors of the Bureau of Phantasms seemed longer than usual, the lights flickering on and off.Ethan leaned against the wall, hands stuffed in his pockets, staring at the pitch-black end of the hall. The air felt waterlogged, pressing down on their chests, suffocating.
Karl turned his spirit-gun warily, every nerve taut."You feel that? Something's watching us."
Ethan shrugged, weariness etched on his face."Of course. Though I'd rather it be the janitor, silently telling me to wipe up my coffee stains myself."
The words had barely left his lips when the lights went out. Darkness surged like a tide, swallowing the corridor whole. The sound of chains scraping echoed through the chill.
"…You can still joke."A deep, rasping voice exploded in their ears.
Ethan's eyelids twitched, a curse forming in his mind, but his lips curved into a lazy smile."Ah, old friend. Any later and I'd have filed a complaint for negligence."
From the dark, a blurred silhouette emerged—the Reaper. Still cloaked in tattered robes, skeletal fingers gripping a scythe. But this time, he radiated less menace and more… unsettling silence.
Karl froze, cold sweat running down his spine as if staring into an abyss."He… he's looking at you."
Ethan crossed his arms, feigning nonchalance."No kidding. If he were looking at you, then I'd really be worried. You look more like an unpaid soul than I do."
The Reaper didn't stir at the mockery. He leaned forward slowly, hollow gaze meeting Ethan's."You are walking a dangerous path."
Ethan's heart clenched, though he forced a flippant grin."Dangerous path? Please. The last time I heard that was in grade school, when the teacher told me not to run in the hallways."
"You think you're uncovering the truth." The Reaper's voice was like wind through catacombs, chilling and hollow. "But that truth runs deeper than any nightmare you've faced. Continue down this road… and you will no longer be the hunter."
Karl's face went ashen, breath ragged."He's threatening you!"
Ethan shot him a sidelong glance, sighing."No. This is free therapy. Saves the Bureau some budget, at least."
The Reaper's scythe flashed coldly, as if ready to fall, but he made no move. Instead, he drew back slowly."Your existence… has drawn the gaze of those who should not be watching. Even I cannot promise to speak with you again."
Ethan's throat tightened, but he still forced out a line:"So you're here to issue a warning? That's new. I thought you only handled cleanup duty, not plot development."
The Reaper's shadow shivered, almost like a mocking smile."Fools use humor to mask fear. So do the brave. Which are you?"
Ethan met that abyssal gaze—and suddenly, his chest seized. A phantom memory tore through him: the knife of a friend stabbing into his heart, pain blooming anew. For a heartbeat, he couldn't breathe. Still, he grinned."Me? I'm just a guy afraid of dying… and afraid of awkward silences."
The Reaper gave no reply. He simply turned, his form dissolving into the void, fading away.
As he vanished, his final whisper lingered:"Do not trust… the light you see on the surface."
The corridor lights flickered back to life. Air flowed again. Karl slumped against the wall like a drenched sponge, gasping for air."Are you insane? You actually mocked the Reaper!"
Ethan straightened his wrinkled collar and smirked."Mocking him beats dying of fright. Besides, didn't you notice? He was downright civil this time—didn't even swing at me."
Karl glared."Civil? That was a warning! And… what did he mean by 'the gaze'?"
Ethan didn't answer immediately. He simply looked down the hall, his expression deepening under the fluorescent glow. A smile lingered on his lips, but a chill crawled up his spine.
"It's simple," he said at last."We're no longer just chasing nightmares."