Sleepless

It turned out she had been so exhausted that she had fallen asleep sprawled over the stone table in the basement.

Angel remained frozen in the posture she had awakened in for nearly a minute before coming back to herself. The dream had been far too real; even after waking, she felt a chill down her spine and was drenched in cold sweat.

Thinking back on it now, wasn't that middle-aged police officer with gray eyes the very officer she had seen in the police carriage on Iron Cross Street at midnight the day before yesterday?

What occupied one's mind by day appeared in one's dreams at night. She must have wanted the authorities to intervene so badly that she had dreamed of Beyonder police officers barging into her home and even made herself spill everything on her mind.

Even if this was not modern society, surely the Nighthawks, who represented official authority, would not pry open someone's front door early in the morning, sit on the sofa as if they owned the place, and say, "Please, have a seat," would they?

Looking at the row of specially made bullets on the stone table, Angel carefully packed them into their box as she had done in the dream, then carried them out of the basement.

Thankfully, the bullets she had made were real. If that had happened in the dream too, wouldn't she have had to make them all over again?

Still shaken, Angel put the bullet box into her desk drawer. Looking at the sky outside the window as it began to pale, she planned to wash her face first and clear her head, then visit Saint Selena Cathedral to ask yesterday's bishop whether he had passed the information on to a Beyonder organization.

If the Church of the Evernight Goddess was too slow to react, she would try reporting it to the Church of the Lord of Storms at River and Sea Cathedral.

When Angel pushed open the living room door, she froze once again.

The "Officer Dunn Smith" from her dream was sitting cross-legged on the sofa beside the bay window, dressed in the same black-and-white checkered police uniform as before and wearing a police cap, with the same notebook in hand. Upon seeing Angel emerge from the study, he lightly tossed the notebook onto the square table, adjusted his cap, and rose from the sofa.

"Let me introduce myself again. Dunn Smith, Nighthawk." He gave a small bow, like a gentleman introducing himself at a ball.

"H-Hello, I'm Angel Granger, though I suppose you already know that." After a brief shock, Angel reacted quickly. The "Dunn Smith" in her dream was clearly the same person standing before her. He had most likely invaded her dream.

It reminded her of a type of Beyonder creature from her previous life known as a Nightmare.

The man before her had normal features and intact limbs. He did not look anything like those Nightmares that resembled abstract paintings, so the other explanation was that the Potion Dunn Smith had consumed granted him the ability to invade and manipulate dreams. With that thought, Angel asked:

"Is this your Beyonder Ability? Does every Nighthawk have it?"

"Not all of us. Everyone follows a different Sequence Pathway. I'm from the Sleepless Sequence." The brown-haired, gray-eyed officer smiled as he answered, completely unlike the gloomy and stern figure from her dream.

Sleepless. It sounded like a Pathway connected to night and sleep. Dunn Smith did not mention which Sequence of the Sleepless Pathway he was, and Angel did not press him. She merely made a mental note that this Sequence possessed the ability to manipulate dreams.

"When people dream, they often release emotions suppressed in reality. Their darker thoughts become amplified, making everything in the dream absurd and chaotic. But even the most chaotic dream reflects one's true self. For a Beyonder like me, the real you in a dream is more trustworthy than the sober you in reality."

No wonder she had answered every question as though she were chatting with an old friend. Had she lost control over herself in the dream? Angel suddenly understood.

Dunn Smith continued explaining his ability.

"It may sound frightening, but I only gave your dream a little guidance and obtained the answers I needed. Though you probably can't remember the details, I can assure you that we had a pleasant conversation in the dream, and we did not touch upon your personal privacy."

He winked at Angel in mock humor.

But I remember it quite clearly, even the part where you mocked me for overestimating myself and trying to challenge Mrs. Sharon... Angel was a little dazed. Was she supposed to have forgotten that dream?

More importantly, her answers in the dream had been entirely evasive. She had deliberately blurred the distinction between "Cole Granger" and "Angel Gray." While she had barely lied at all, she had used clever phrasing to conceal her identity beneath the rest of the truth.

That was far removed from the "truth in dreams" Dunn Smith had described. By his account, anyone whose dream he invaded should become an excellent subject who answered every question.

Was it because she was also a Beyonder, giving her some resistance to dream manipulation? Angel silently guessed, but quickly rejected the idea. As an experienced Beyonder, Dunn Smith could not possibly have overlooked that.

Then it was because of something unique about her, such as being a soul that did not belong to this world? Or perhaps...

Several more guesses flashed through Angel's mind, but none could be confirmed, so she could only set the matter aside for now.

But she knew that this "uniqueness" was an obvious advantage.

"I... I think I remember some of it. You asked me so many questions..." She pretended to recall it, raised a hand to press against her forehead, and spoke in a pained, halting voice. "Mrs. Sharon... Right, you've already seen the report letter?"

"That's right. We received the letter forwarded by the Police Station last night, as well as your confession to the bishop at Saint Selena Cathedral. After reviewing the Police Station records, combined with your testimony in the dream, we can basically confirm that the eleven murders in Tingen City over the past year, as well as the seven deaths or disappearances caused by three group incidents, were all connected to Cole Granger. The mastermind behind it was Sharon Hoy, Mrs. Sharon." Dunn Smith pointed at the documents spread across the table. "Once my companions come downstairs, you will return with us to the Nighthawks' Tingen branch. I can't say it is the safest place in Tingen City, but it is certainly more suitable than here."

So it was still just like the dream. He apparently did not intend to let her join the fight against Mrs. Sharon... Wait, companions? Downstairs?

Angel was about to make another attempt when she suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Ah, they're here already." Dunn Smith's gaze passed over Angel's shoulder toward the area behind her. Angel turned around and saw two people emerge from the shadows at the bend of the staircase leading to the second floor.

Angel found it utterly absurd. She woke up from a nap to find three strangers in her home. Were these Nighthawks here for a group outing?

Walking in front was a young woman wearing a black hooded robe. Her hood had been lowered, revealing blue eyeshadow and blush painted on her face. She held a candlestick in one hand and a copper wine goblet in the other.

Following close behind was a male police officer in his early twenties. He wore the same black police uniform as Smith, though every button was undone, exposing the vest and fitted shirt beneath. He wore no cap, and his short black hair and green eyes gave off an air of wild nonchalance.

"Daly Simone and Leonard Mitchell. They're both Nighthawks." Dunn Smith briefly introduced the newcomers to Angel. "You came down rather quickly?"

"If we left you alone with this beautiful lady for too long, Leonard and I would both become jealous." Daly Simone, who had spoken first, entered the living room, found a sofa, and sat down. She set the candlestick in her hand down but continued holding the goblet.

"Cough, cough..." The young police officer, Leonard Mitchell, followed her into the living room and stood in a corner of the room beside Angel. He gave an awkward yet polite cough before answering:

"Captain, there was nothing unusual upstairs. It was all ordinary furniture and clothing. There was a hidden compartment beneath the floorboards of the master bedroom, but it was empty. Ms. Daly's Spirit Channeling abilities found nothing either."

"To be precise, even ordinary spirits have vanished from this house, as if they followed something away. New spirits are unwilling to approach it as well. I tried divining it, but gained nothing. Heh, I'm becoming more and more curious about this Cole Granger." Ms. Daly spoke softly.

The empty compartment was the hiding place Cole Granger had used for the notebook, and now that notebook was on the table before them... Also, she said "spirits"? Did she mean souls, or something else? Could this mysterious woman communicate with souls?

Recalling Dunn Smith's statement that everyone had their own Sequence Pathway, Angel guessed that this woman might be a Beyonder from another Pathway, with Beyonder Abilities even more extraordinary than an Assassin's Dark Vision and lightness of body.

Then this person should be a Beyonder as well. She just did not know what abilities he possessed... Angel turned her head and glanced at the young police officer from the corner of her eye. Noticing her gaze, the black-haired young man Dunn had called Leonard Mitchell looked back and gave a slight bow in greeting.

Three Beyonders had moved together, including Dunn Smith, a Sleepless capable of directly invading dreams and making it impossible to distinguish illusion from reality. If Cole Granger were still alive, a Sleepless alone could hold him in a dream while the others swaggered into the house. There would be no way for him to escape.

So this was how the Nighthawks fought. Against a single target, it could be said they were invincible.

As Angel considered how such a combat method could be countered, Dunn Smith spoke again. "Since we found nothing here, let's take this lady back to Blackthorn Security Company first. On the one hand, it will protect her. On the other, we need to prevent information leaks before the operation."

Operation. Angel caught that key word. It seemed that while she had still been asleep, the Nighthawks had already reached a consensus to take action against Mrs. Sharon.

She had wanted to join them. With Cole's memories, she could improve their chances against Mrs. Sharon and, ideally, kill her on the spot. That would not only eliminate this Beyonder whose scheme remained unknown, but also prevent her true identity from being exposed.

But after witnessing their fighting methods, especially Dunn Smith's ability as a Sleepless to invade dreams, Angel felt that her involvement held little meaning. She did not know the combat strength of Spirit Channeling Daly Simone or the young officer Leonard Mitchell, but since they could act alongside Dunn Smith, they could hardly be inexperienced rookies.

There was no need for her to insist on helping. Besides, these people might not trust her anyway.

Looking at how the three stood casually yet vaguely surrounded her, Angel reached her conclusion.