“The Fortmaster?” Somnu raised an eyebrow and straightened his back, allowing his crow companion to land back on his shoulder again. “You and Henry mentioned him before, but what do you mean by him being a non-Sleeper?”

  “Exactly what it sounds like, brother.” Mathros walked back and took his seat near the campfire, letting the sparkling ambers light up his countless green scales. “They were not summoned here, nor do they exist in the waking world.”

  “!” The scarecrow’s brows stretched above his closed eyelids. “But that means…”

  “They are a race existing as part of the Dreamscape, or as it is now, the Nightmare Realm.” The Grodran stroked his long chin, pausing for a moment. “They don’t have Sleeper Systems like us. They operate differently… and are quite difficult to describe if you haven’t met them yourself. Perhaps one from your world would be able to help me out here?”

  “I would love to…” Carmella started, noticing the longside glance Mathros had given her. “But I’m not too familiar with fantasy pop culture… It took me a whole week just to get used to our current circumstances and the System elements.” She propped herself against the edge of the chair, supporting herself with her hands as she looked up to the emerald sky in the distance. “My best description would be to say they are something of a mix between energetic spirits from old fairy tales and cute little animals that you’d want plenty of plushies of to collect.”

  “You humans are sick…” The bunny girl grunted, plumped herself back against the tree root.

  “...” With the help of Fala’s vision, Somnu looked at Lulu, taken aback for a moment after hearing her statement, but he soon lowered his gaze as he remembered. Henry did mention the custom of a rabbit’s foot from our world, I can’t blame her. It would be the same if someone went around trying to collect human ears or tongues… Not that humans haven’t done that before themselves…

  No one spoke in defense of the humans, not when both Henry and John Doe were from the same world and race. Even Almon, whose hands were stained with Benji’s blood, was a human. Although innocent himself, the stain etched into the human name had left its mark.

  Reputation held the power to make or break a community. A single word from one’s lips could lead to a chain of events that toppled the very pillars holding everything together.

  That was how persecution started, leading to hatred… and resulting in fear.

  That was a lesson humanity had always struggled to learn. War, death, famine, pestilence, none of those could purify the heart.

  On the contrary, they had only made them darker over time.

  However, that was the human race’s dilemma for being at odds with each other. How then, would that affect a new race that lived in a world that was riddled with fear and Nightmare Creatures?

  Would they come together out of fear of extinction, or would they continue to see their own kin as a means to satisfy their own addictions and desires?

  Their own sins.

  Somnu was intrigued to learn about that far more than how this new non-Sleeper race looked or what they could possibly have resembled.

  “So, this Fortmaster…” The blind scarecrow leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He let his close eyelids land in the lizardman’s direction. “If he is supposed to be the one to lead everyone out of this mess, how would he be able to do that without a System?”

  “Everyone has to meet him once they enter the Mirewalker Fort for the first time. I’m sure you’ll understand the feeling once you do, but there is one thing you must know before then.” Mathros narrowed his eyes almost to a frown. “No matter what you do, do not laugh.”

  “... Don’t laugh? What would make me laugh?”

  “...”

  Somnu surveyed his surroundings, only to see both Lulu and Carmella tensing up in their seats too.

  What is this?! Why does it look like everyone is recounting some horrible memories and can’t talk about them?! Somnu thought, a bead of sweat running down his cheek. The curiosity was going to eat him alive at this rate. “Don’t just say that and stop! Why shouldn’t I laugh?”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “It’s… not something that can be easily said.” Carmella’s eyes grew distant, as if refusing to face her past.

  “Just listen to Mathros’ advice…” Lulu’s long ears hovered down as she turned her head away.

  “Let’s just say if you laugh, your reputation will be tarnished for a while…” The lizardman scratched his cheek.

  “?!” Somnu shuddered in place, his breath caught in his throat. That’s actually valid… I completely get it! I have to be more careful about my reputation going forward too! I can’t have rumors of me being a pervert spread around the fort and affect Leyna and Mo! That means…

  “Hmm? What is it, dear?” Carmella noticed Somnu’s sudden gaze on her from the side. Even with his eyelids closed and his eyes gone, she could feel him looking her way, even if the crow companion hadn’t been on his shoulder. A moment later, she put on a snarky smile. “Taken by my beauty, are you? We could-”

  “Nope! And stop moving your chair closer inch by inch!”

  “Aww!”

  If she’s coming with me to the fort, I’ll have to make sure she can behave… I’ll have to be more strict with her later. I can’t risk her impulses ruining everything. Going to the fort means I have to scour the entire place in secret to find all the potential threats lying in wait… as well as the murderer responsible for the bloodshed Henry mentioned. Somnu let out a long sigh before turning back to his Grodran friend. “What else should I know? You didn’t mention him just to tell me not to laugh around him, right?”

  “Indeed…” Mathros finished chewing on another grilled mushroom and cleared his throat. “I will have you deliver a message, and I ask you to tell him everything plainly. There is no need to deceive him. He works hard towards saving both the Sleepers and non-Sleepers, whether they are a part of his community or not.”

  “You’re telling me to trust him before I even meet him?” Somnu asked, his brow slightly furrowed.

  “I am, brother.” The lizardman nodded at him with a fierce look of confidence. “He might be a bit… eccentric, but you can depend on him.”

  Both Somnu and Mathros knew the different possible threats that awaited them. Anyone, loved one or not, could become an enemy at any point if John Doe had gotten his hands on them.

  As far as they knew, no one stood as an exception to that rule at the moment.

  Not the Fortmaster.

  Neither Aurora, Mr. Emberlyn’s granddaughter.

  Nor Leyna or Mo…

  No, I can’t just doubt my own siblings… I owe them too much for me to… Somnu lowered his head for a moment and bit his bottom lip. I don’t want to believe they could be possessed by him, but I can’t be stupid and convince myself they couldn’t be either… I don’t want to lie to myself anymore. That’s the one person I can’t cheat. He clenched both his fists above his knees and gritted his teeth. I will have to understand how John Doe’s powers work, and either prove to myself the ones I care about aren’t controlled by him, or find a way to free them from his grasps.

  Now that Somnu couldn’t see other people’s Systems anymore, it was going to be near impossible to figure out who was possessed and who wasn’t.

  Almon had retained his individuality prior to Benji’s death. He simply hadn’t said anything out of fear of John Doe and what he would do to him.

  On the other hand, Henry had willingly given John Doe control over his body. It hadn’t been out of fear of that murderer, but out of fear of meeting his end. Either way, it had proven that some Sleepers might not be controlled, but willingly collaborating with him.

  The only ones the scarecrow could immediately sniff out as the enemy were the Sleepers with the [Unseen] Personal Title. They all had hidden faces, the followers of the Faceless Forager.

  Mathros and Lulu had confirmed that more existed in the fort already, but Somnu had already seen one other follower beside Almon. It had been in one of his visions after killing Almon, he saw a faceless man appear in front of his siblings and Aurora while they were resting from a recent fight with the Nightmare Creatures.

  How did they escape him? Did they have to kill him? What happened? Somnu’s thought wandered again. I hope they’re being careful. I know Mo wouldn’t let any more harm come to Leyna. Not after what happened back then…

  “Ah, but to think that little cutie was your sister, dear.” Carmella finally broke the silence, fixing the furry short cloak draped over her shoulders. “She’s the one who mended our clothes whenever they got ripped.”

  “What?! She’s-?!”

  Before he could ask, Somnu’s head suddenly turned to where the recent battle had taken place, feeling a sudden murderous rage making its way closer.

  “Aghhh!! You tramp! I’ll make you pay for messing with my master!”

  “Whaa?!”

  “?!”

  Suddenly, a long black serpent, noticeable only due to the glowing purple runes across its body, slithered closer in an instant and wrapped around Carmella’s entire figure, squeezing it tight.

  “Naga?!”

  The ferocious, seething maw was already stretched wide open above the blond woman’s head.