The Final Volume: A Tiny World in the Dust - Nightmare

Crack!!!!!

Watching that battered body disappear into the gaping maw of the worm, I felt a wave of relief.

It was like pulling a thorn from my throat. Ever since witnessing Winnie's death, I'd felt as if something had been stuck in my throat. At last, that sensation was gone, leaving me utterly refreshed.

Although... she would never come back.

"Winnie, I avenged you." What was the point of saying that now? It only added to the emptiness and sorrow. If I could, I wished the image of Winnie in my heart would always be that gentle, beautiful girl who took her responsibilities to her companions seriously and was occasionally a little mischievous.

I hoped the image of her wouldn't be tainted by the dark hatred and anger in my heart.

I hoped she would remain unchanged forever.

"Um... Xiao Ye?"

A timid voice came from my arms. It was Little Ying. Come to think of it, I was still holding her.

"Xiao Ye, you..."

"...It's nothing. I just feel a little better. Anyway, what's that?"

I peered into the distance, sharpening my vision to its limit. I saw that the entire planet—no, not just that, even the moons—was wrapped in something like a translucent curtain. It was incredibly eerie.

"It seems to be something that Void Realm created. It's called... 'Hidden World'? I think that was it."

"Hidden World...?"

A curtain made of bandages? It was hard not to think of Void Space, but it was clearly different.

"...?"

A prickling sensation stirred in my heart.

The relief I'd felt after destroying Void Realm vanished without a trace, leaving only the sense of danger, like thorns pricking the back of my neck.

Thump, thump, thump...

What was happening?

My heart was beating so fast.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!