Night Watcher

Sirius's detached house had many rooms. The gray-eyed officer led Luther into one of the guest rooms, found two armchairs, and chose one to sit in. He fished a pipe from his pocket, sniffed it, and tucked it back away.

"Let's get acquainted. Dunn Smith."

He introduced himself.

"Good evening, Officer Dunn."

Luther sat opposite him, speaking with a hint of defensiveness.

He did not know what the young, bookish-looking officer with black hair and brown eyes had told Dunn, nor did he know if he would end up in a terrible situation because of it. Naturally, he remained on guard while alone in the room with the man.

"No need to be so nervous. You only need to tell the truth."

Dunn offered a polite smile. He looked into Luther's eyes and asked earnestly, "Mr. Luther, you previously mentioned that you often experience hallucinations. What exactly are they like?"

As he asked this, Dunn leaned forward toward Luther, his hands clasped together with his elbows resting on his knees. Perhaps it was just Luther's imagination, but for a split second, ripples like water seemed to shimmer around Dunn's body.

Luther thought for a moment, then honestly told the man about seeing The Hanged Giant and hearing terrifying Whispers.

"So, what are your feelings regarding these hallucinations? Do you feel particularly happy, as if you have finally found your true home?" Dunn did not seem surprised by the visions he described and continued to guide him.

"Huh? How could that be!"

Luther hadn't expected such a question from Dunn. He gave the man a strange look and flatly denied it, "Of course I hate them. I'm nearly driven mad by that thing; it would be a miracle if I actually liked it."

"So your faith remains with the Goddess."

"Yes."

Luther searched his memory briefly, recalling the faith in the Seven Gods in this world, and remembering that the entire Rondal family were lay believers of the Goddess of the Night. "Luther Rondal believes in the Goddess."

I'm not lying; the original Luther Rondal did indeed believe in the Goddess of the Night, though it has nothing to do with me.

He added to himself.

Hearing his answer, Dunn nodded slightly and leaned back into his chair, appearing to relax a little.

"Regarding your previous experience, is there anything you would like to add?"

"No."

"Very well... How did you defeat Sirius? Please describe the process in detail."

He added.

Luther recounted the detailed sequence of events once more. He omitted the part where Sirius touched his skin and lost control, saying only that the man had suddenly gone mad, which gave him an opportunity to strike.

"You are truly lucky, Mr. Luther."

After hearing Luther's ordeal, Dunn Smith said in a deep voice.

This is called lucky?

Luther thought to himself, but he didn't say it aloud.

"You must have noticed that Sirius's body underwent a peculiar change," he continued. "It is very rare for you to have survived in such a situation, let alone kill him... Furthermore, have you thought about why he became like this?"

"Because he... believed in an Evil God?"

"Mm, that's right. The Evil God transformed his flesh, making him both mad and powerful."

Dunn replied without hesitation.

"So in this world, there really is mysterious power?"

"You could say that."

Dunn admitted calmly, "And we, the Night Watchers, are an organization specifically responsible for handling paranormal events, affiliated with the Goddess Church. Other churches have similar organizations. Because your family are believers of the Goddess, the police found us."

"Night Watchers... do you all possess special abilities?"

Luther recalled the black-haired, brown-eyed officer solemnly performing a ritual with a yellow crystal. Could he have obtained information that way?

"Yes, we are indeed Beyonders, just like you."

Dunn said to Luther in a calm and composed manner, yet he uttered a truly shocking statement.

"Just like me?"

Luther's heart skipped a beat.

"Yes."

Dunn looked at him and continued, "Because you consumed what Sirius left behind, you can already be considered a Beyonder."

"Huh?"

Luther gaped, feeling a sense of indescribable terror.

The Crimson moonlight shone into the room. Dunn Smith, sitting opposite him, had half his body bathed in moonlight while the other half was submerged in darkness. His eyes were profound, as if he could see through everything about Luther from the inside out.

"You..."

"You're probably wondering how I know, right?"

Dunn asked in a gentle tone, but this calm attitude made Luther feel terrified. "It's simple. He told me."

He raised a finger and pointed behind Luther.

Luther followed the direction Dunn pointed and turned his head with great difficulty.

He saw Sirius, whose skull was shattered and flesh mangled, standing there with his eyes wide open in death, staring fixedly at him. His torn mouth opened and closed, as if he were trying to say something...

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Ah!"

A series of knocks suddenly rang out. Luther jolted awake, jumping straight up from his chair!

His heart hammered against his ribs as he looked around in a daze. Dunn was sitting right across from him; his posture was different from the one in the dream, but his eyes remained just as deep and calm.

"Clack."

Luther couldn't help but take a step back, his calf hitting the leg of the stool and making a sound.

Was I dreaming just now?

Or am I still dreaming right now?

His heart was beating so fast and his mind felt so muddled that, for a moment, he couldn't distinguish reality from illusion.

Just then, another round of knocking sounded, and the guest room door was pushed open from the outside. The young officer with green eyes poked his head in. "Captain, after Klein performed spirit mediumship on Sirius, he discovered... uh, sorry, did I interrupt you?"

"It doesn't matter, the important things have already been asked," Dunn said. "Continue."

"Klein performed spirit mediumship on Sirius and discovered that he had an accomplice named Heinerse Fanster. This Heinerse is actually his colleague at the Divination Club; it's said his divination skills are quite good and he's fairly well-known in the city."

The young green-eyed officer reported the situation.

"I understand."

Dunn nodded. After watching the latter close the door and leave, he shifted his gaze back to Luther. "Have you calmed down? If you have, please sit back down."

Luther's breathing gradually steadied, and he finally cleared his head.

"I think I was dreaming just now..."

He sat back in the chair and asked tentatively.

His memory from the moment he entered the room until now had been continuous, with no impression of having fallen asleep. The only suspicious thing was when Dunn had suddenly leaned in, emitting a strange fluctuation.

"That's right, I pulled you into a dream. This is a unique ability of a Beyonder on the 'The Unsleeping' pathway, which I belong to," Dunn said. "Let me reintroduce myself: Night Watcher, Dunn Smith. I apologize for forcing you into a nightmare, but it was all for the sake of the investigation. I hope you can understand."

"The Unsleeping"? A sequence? Being able to hypnotize people and create dreams—it sounds quite powerful.

Luther secretly noted down these unfamiliar terms.

Wait, does that mean the Sirius that appeared at the end was also created by his ability? That really scared me!

"In reality, people can control their words and actions; they can lie and deceive. But in a dream, they cannot hide their truest thoughts and memories. So, rather than playing mind games with someone in an interrogation room, I prefer to delve into their dreams to communicate with the real them and hear answers unmixed with lies."

Dunn curled the corners of his lips slightly, as if smiling.

He must be thinking about how pathetic I looked when I was scared awake...

Luther felt half-embarrassed and half-speechless.

But thinking about it carefully, he heard something off in what Dunn said.

The me in the dream wouldn't lie?

That's not right!

Just now in the dream, Luther's consciousness had been very clear. He knew exactly what he should and shouldn't say, and after waking up, he remembered everything that happened—it was just like a so-called "lucid dream." Yet, looking at Dunn, he seemed extremely certain...

Is it because I am a soul who transmigrated, unaffected by the dream, or was the original me a lunatic?

Regardless of the reason, it was yet another unique trait of his.

Luther thought to himself, then deliberately pretended to be struggling to recall, frowning. "Um, I think I told you something in the dream..."

"Don't force yourself to remember; it's not good for you."

Dunn, as expected, didn't notice anything unusual. "In your dream, I confirmed that you are not a believer of an Evil God, but merely someone who got caught up in this."

"So, my suspicion has been cleared?"

Hearing him say this, Luther's heart settled quite a bit.

But Dunn's next sentence made him nervous again.

"Yes, but for safety reasons, and due to the 'current state' of your body, we must take you away and place you under protection."

"Sirius Aripice belonged to a secret organization that worships an Evil God—the Aurora Society. They spread chaos and attempt to summon an Evil God to descend. Just as you heard, he has accomplices who might be detrimental to you. Furthermore, you are already a Beyonder; we must ensure you are in a controllable situation."

Dunn explained.

Right, he already knows I ate that little ball... That was a product of the cultists. Will they think I've already been corrupted and just purify me on the spot?

Luther opened his mouth, his voice a bit dry as he asked, "How do you intend to deal with me?"

"Don't worry,"

Seeing this, Dunn couldn't help but smile. "We will protect you temporarily and make arrangements once the incident is over. It won't be what you're thinking."