CHAPTER 134: CHAPTER 134: HUMAN SUMMON?

Little Star fell asleep, her eyes red, dry tears marking her face. William quietly stroked her head tenderly before getting up. He was about to leave the room when a detail stopped him cold.

The decapitated bodies of the two humans were still there, motionless, but from their bodies, a dark, dense, viscous mist began to emerge. It was the same gray mist that rose from monsters when he defeated and absorbed them.

"Nightmare energy...?" he murmured, frowning.

He moved slowly forward. Something inside him told him not to get close, but curiosity pulsed strongly, overriding any caution.

He reached out... and just as his fingers were about to touch the mist, Angel’s voice stopped him.

"William... be careful. If you take that energy, there will be no turning back."

The warning was like a bucket of ice water.

"What does that mean? What do you mean ’no turning back’?" he asked, but Angel didn’t answer. Only a dense, unsettling silence.

William watched the mist. He felt a chill down his spine. Everything in his body told him not to absorb them, but he also felt an immense need to devour the gray energy coming from those bodies.

After hesitating, he extended his hand and began to absorb as he always had, but this time the situation was different; as soon as he touched it, his vision went black.

His consciousness was projected to that place where it all began, to that black void, as if floating in a dimension made only of emptiness where there was nothing else.

There, in the midst of the darkness, the Mask floated. And Angel... Angel was chained, with dark chains and shadow spikes piercing her spiritual body. She seemed unconscious.

William frowned, furious.

"You finally show yourself! What kind of creature are you!? You’ve been stuck to me since the beginning... without anyone noticing!"

The Mask turned towards him slowly. It was no longer an empty, expressionless mask. Now it had a twisted, disturbing smile, seemingly carved with cruelty. Its teeth were thin as needles. The energy it gave off was suffocating.

"I’ve always been here, William," it said in a deep, enveloping voice. "From that day... until the day you die, I will be here guarding your soul. I’ve seen your world, and I must say it looks delicious. You should take a good bite, I assure you won’t regret it, hahaha."

William clenched his fists.

"Protecting? I don’t think so. You say you watch over me, but you also said my world would be delicious. What the hell are you?"

The Mask came a little closer. Its voice deepened.

"I am Desire."

The world seemed to vibrate with that word.

"I am the first consciousness. The first thought of all races. Everything emanates from me and everything returns to me. I am the root of dreams, of hunger, of power, of ambition... and you, William, have been chosen as my bearer."

William took a tense step back.

"And what do you want in return? Nothing in this life is free."

"Nothing," the Mask replied softly. "I only wish to see what you can create. This world you call ’of nightmare’ wasn’t the first. It was created by my first bearer, molded from the fears of all creation. He transformed it into his realm... and was killed eons ago. Since then, I’ve had many users, each with a desire. I... fulfill them."

"Is that why the creatures call me Supreme? Because they think I’m like him?"

"No, William. They kneel because your scent... reminds them of the things that were born from the first bearer. You are not a Supreme."

"Then what am I?"

"You are... whatever you wish to be."

The mask floated in front of him and looked at him intensely.

"Now that you’ve crossed this line, you are ready. You’ve done what others dared not do. You’ve absorbed the life of your own race... and that has marked you. For this reason, my consciousness will be sealed until your death. But first..."

The smile widened monstrously.

"Enjoy my last gift!"

The world shattered into thousands of fragments. Everything collapsed.

William opened his eyes, gasping, back in the room. He was still holding Little Star in his arms.

But...

The decapitated bodies of the humans had vanished.

He instinctively looked at his arm. The mark... had changed. Next to the heads of the previous beasts, there was now a human head engraved. And the number II.

William felt a shiver run through his body. Angel appeared floating beside him, her face tense.

"I wanted to warn you... but something pulled me into that world. A force sealed me. I couldn’t do anything."

William said nothing. He just nodded.

"The mask is no longer on your face," Angel added. "Your face... is as it was before. Human. But... you look more... beautiful. As if something in you shines."

William stood up, confused. He looked for his reflection in the room’s polished metals, but saw no glow.

"Maybe it’s another one of those things I’ll discover over time...," he murmured.

William slowly left the room, carrying Little Star in his arms, asleep, still trembling from the recent experience. His footsteps echoed in the castle’s silent hallway, his gaze fixed on nothing, while his thoughts churned.

Upon exiting, he found Anubis waiting for him.

The jackal observed him in silence... but his gaze wasn’t on William or the girl, but on the space where the other two humans had been. There was no trace of them left.

Anubis said nothing.

He just nodded, as if... he understood, as if something routine had happened. Although he had already suspected it, he hadn’t wanted to kill them, leaving them for his lord.

"Come with me, Supreme," he said in a serious tone.

He guided William through the castle corridors until they reached a small room adorned with old tapestries and a clean bed. William entered carefully and laid Little Star on the bed, covering her with a blanket. The girl slept deeply, unaware of everything.

"Will she be okay here?" William asked, without turning around.

"Yes," Anubis replied. "This room belonged to one of our ancient leaders. It’s safe... and quiet."

Both left the room and began walking on one of the exterior balconies, where a part of the mining city was visible, still smoking, as if the fire had never quite gone out.

"Anubis...," William said suddenly. "Can you tell me how invasions between worlds work? Or why she’s here, if, according to what I’ve been told... her world wasn’t originally part of this place?"

Anubis lowered his gaze. His steps paused for a few seconds. His tall, muscular silhouette contrasted with the dark background of the nightmare tower.

"That’s complicated to explain, Supreme. Worlds, though they seem like separate entities... are actually all connected, floating like fragments within an infinite ocean of chaos. When a world is weak or its core has been damaged, another larger fragment can absorb it."

"Absorb it... like devouring it?"

"Exactly. But it’s not a clean absorption. The beings living in that world don’t disappear automatically. Many resist, others are corrupted, and a few... survive the fusion. Sometimes this creates endless wars between races that should never have coexisted. Sometimes, monsters are born."

William observed the city in the distance, his eyes narrowed.

"And Little Star?"

"Most likely...," Anubis said in a low voice, "that girl’s world was destroyed without her noticing. Perhaps while she slept. When she woke up... she was already here. Inside the Nightmare Realm."

A tense silence fell between the two.

"Does this world also absorb fragments?" William asked.

"This world is a fragment... a huge one. An ancient one. But at its core is a living force... something that connects all the fragments around it. That tower," he said, pointing to the Nightmare Tower in the background, "is part of that nexus. Without it, the fragments would be isolated, trapped like islands floating in the darkness."

"And that’s why the creatures obey you, right? Because you... protect this fragment."

Anubis nodded slowly.

"But the others don’t always respect the boundaries. There are four main fragments in this region... and the other three have their own guardians. I’ve already fought two of them... but my power can no longer grow. I’m stuck, Supreme. Only you can evolve now. Only you can guide us."

William closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the weight of that responsibility crushing his shoulders.

"So... if she’s here, could there be more like her? More humans... more survivors?"

"Perhaps. Or perhaps not. Each fusion is chaos. Sometimes they arrive alive... sometimes they arrive as deformed monsters, or they can also be invaded if coordinates are found, like the Supremes do. But besides them, fusions sometimes happen naturally. There are even cases where those absorbed worlds manage to establish a realm in the nightmare world, and sometimes a supremely powerful warrior is born who maintains that place. So, the entire nightmare world is a mystery; as far as records go, no one has ever ruled this great world."

William clenched his teeth, saying nothing. Seeing this, Anubis placed a hand on his chest and spoke solemnly:

"Regardless... if she is with you, she is part of your story now. Protect her, or make her stronger. But don’t ignore her. Because here, even the smallest becomes a monster if left alone."

William nodded as he thought about all the things that had happened lately.