Kuzi reached the door of the room. He looked puzzled by the amount of blood flowing on the ground.
Even both of them might not have had this much blood. Kuzi broke the door with a hard kick.
The door's key lock burst, shattering the wooden sides of the door. Right in front of the door was the window. Near the window stood Hina, screaming with terror painted on her face.
Tatsuki, holding broken glass in his hands, stood before her. Kuzi looked down and saw the window's mirror scattered everywhere.
Right behind the door stood a man who looked like a psychopath—made even worse by the glitches.
He jumped out of the blind spot behind the door toward Kuzi, his nails unnaturally long, his teeth almost as long as a pen. He couldn't even look down. His hair stood upright like a porcupine.
His skin was pure navel-colored. His breath was dark smoke. The man had lost his voice…
With a straight look, he jumped on Kuzi and smiled, saying, "Food…"
Kuzi dodged the nails and slammed the man onto the bed.
Kuzi said, "Except us three, the rest of you move to the ground."
The rest of them ran down the stairs. Kuzi said to both of them, "Listen, guys. Close your eyes and forget about this monster. Think about what kind of man he was before he died…"
Kuzi guessed what kind of man he must have been.
Judging by his shabby clothes, he must have been some kind of mechanic or plumber…
Or an electrician working way too late for extra money. Married, which means he must have had a wife…
And maybe even children—so a father with many burdens, years of hard work turned into pain…
Kuzi then opened his eyes, and the man started returning to himself. All the mirrors Tatsuki had stabbed him with began falling.
Kuzi was sure he could do it. The man ran toward him with his nails, but right when he was about to pop Kuzi's eyes—
His legs stretched backward. His hands tried to attack, reaching desperately, yet his legs collapsed.
The man's teeth and nails began returning to normal, but his brain couldn't allow it. Whenever a part of his body returned to a human phase…
His screams became more like roars, growing even louder. Eventually, Kuzi couldn't handle it.
He kept creating scenarios in his head, imagining powerful moments that could work on this man.
But he missed something.
This man had lost both his wife and daughter.
Tatsuki thought the same and imagined him at a funeral.
A sudden dark energy was released across the room the moment they both imagined him as a miserable yet loving and caring father.
The man released dark, navel-colored, shining energy. He fell to the ground, full of despair and pain.
The energy formed the shape of a human body—like a ghost—with a perfect clown's smile. His voice was thick and heavy.
Everyone felt disturbed by his voice until his transformation ended.
He floated near Kuzi. Kuzi froze, staring at him.
He was obviously strong. Everyone could feel his soul exerting an external pressure on them.
He patted Kuzi's head and spoke with a pure human voice, "You're blessed by nightmares… Move, walk, talk like you're everyone's nightmare, dear 'Glazer.'"
Tatsuki said, "Glazer… How is that possible? That's only possible in the novel. You were truly honest when you said we are haunted by a powerful god and goddess from the novel."
Kuzi replied with slight shock, "The Nightmare God is chasing you too, but he knows I'll protect you and won't allow it. So he's chasing me to force me to be with you. Makes sense."
Hina held her head with a confused look. "Why us? Why… why?"
Kuzi replied, "I'm afraid we weren't writing a novel. We were writing the fate of an existing world."
The ghost of the clowns smirked. "You three will die. I mean, isn't it obvious? This world isn't suitable for you. But after you die, who knows where you might go? You might end up as someone's lunch."
Kuzi said, "Ghost of the Clowns, I ask that you give us guidance in the name of the Nightmare."
The Ghost of the Clowns replied, "Truly underrated. It makes me feel like a higher being when you beg like that. Okay, I might give you what you want… but I will only take two of you."
Tatsuki froze. His eyes watered, his hands shook. "Take them—the couple. I'm okay with whatever fate comes. As long as they live. Sis, go with Kuzi. Remember to behave."
The twins shared an emotional moment. "Take them. I'm fine," they said dramatically.
But Kuzi didn't give up. He raised his voice. "Great Ghost of the Clowns, instead of using multiverse transportation, why can't you use soul transportation? And if someone has to die, let it be me."
The Ghost of the Clowns smiled. "I can take all three of you. But if I can't take all of you to the other world, one of you will kill yourselves—or I will. And we'll use soul transportation."
All three prepared to leave the world.
The Ghost of the Clowns disintegrated into energy. Nets formed across the room, stretching and forming a ball.
All three were inside the energy sphere as it shrank, forcing them close together.
After a moment of silence, the ghost's right hand appeared. In it was a small, sparking marble-like sphere.
He clenched his fingers and snapped.
The sound echoed, and the entire planet felt history being rewritten. All three were forgotten by this world.
The ghost returned to his form, drifting through outer space where nothing was visible to the human eye.
Nothing was right or wrong.
"It will take ten minutes to prepare one of you to die," the Ghost of the Clowns said. "Otherwise, only I will make it there."
Kuzi prepared to kill himself without hesitation, gripping his neck.
They stood on something unrecognizable. If they lost physical contact with the ghost, they would instantly be lost in space.
Suddenly, a voice erupted from Hina. "Push him… do it."
Tatsuki's eyes turned purple. "How about you die and let us live, ugly human?"
Kuzi looked shocked. "So you made a deal, huh?"
He fell from the unrecognizable clouds.
"Farewell, twins. How stupid of you to betray me twice in a row…"
Kuzi sank deep into the darkness of space. His heart stopped the moment he left the clouds. His body froze and shattered, bones breaking into dust. His soul drowned in the void.
Yet he retained consciousness.
The Nightmare God warned me through many illusions… He wasn't mocking me. He wasn't scaring me…
His soul was about to be erased from the universe.
Suddenly, the Ghost of the Clowns swam toward him. "Where could that little soul be? Maybe I should give him some oxygen. G-get ready for daddy's kiss—"
Kuzi screamed, "Anything but that! Wait—I'm alive? I didn't get erased. How am I still a soul?"
"You did die," the ghost said. "But your soul still exists. I was joking about erasing you. You're blessed by the Nightmare God."
"Anyway… how does it feel to be betrayed again?"
Kuzi replied calmly, "Humans are humans. We trust what we subconsciously feel attracted to, or what we think we can control. Their betrayal doesn't mean something is wrong with me—it means I was more than they could handle."
"They used cheap codes to escape the unknown me. They were scared—and they always will be. Their own minds will hunt them."
"Just because two weak, fake people broke my trust doesn't mean everyone will. I refuse to give up on finding someone—family, friend, even a lover. Even if it's boring. Even if I don't need it."
"As a human being, I will find it. What they did says more about them than me, Great Ghost of the Clowns."
The ghost whispered, "You are free of your curse… Survive in Etherlamenthia. Join the world. Let us meet face to face, great soul of nightmare—Kuzi."
A pile of powers engulfed him in the darkness and absorbed Kuzi.
He saw light.
He saw a chance.
He saw one last choice.
[Farewell and survive]