Thus far, Somnu had focused more on surviving the many life or death situations.

  Not just that, but his priorities had always kept him occupied, focusing on eliminating the Nightmare Creatures, hunting down John Doe and the Faceless Forager, and finding a way to help Mr. Emberlyn.

  At the heart of it all, his goal was to protect everyone he cared about, from his friends to his siblings.

  He was a scarecrow, after all.

  Therefore, something as trivial as who had attacked him in the real world hadn’t been something he could afford spending valuable time and energy on until now.

  Naturally, the scarecrow had considered the possibility of that same person having attacked Leyna and Mo too, but Mr. Emberlyn had neither mentioned knowing who the culprit was, nor if there were other victims.

  If the old man had known something worth mentioning about that, he would have. Somnu dug his fingernails into the armsides of the couch, remembering the reason he had pushed the crucial, yet trivial, matter aside until now.

  The flaw in that reasoning was the fact that Mr. Emberlyn had met Somnu only hours after he had fallen into that coma. Arman, on the other hand, had spent likely over a month before falling to the sleeping disease as well.

  If he had been here a month, and Mathros watched over my body for over six weeks, that meant the two weeks before humans started popping up here would have been three times that long in the real world, so another six weeks… Somnu quickly calculated in his mind as he waited for Arman to answer his question.

  Whoever it was that did attack him on Halloween Eve, they must have had some kind of motive behind their actions, a predetermined reason, a careful plan.

  Nonetheless, a new grudge has been ignited, one the scarecrow would make sure to satiate in time.

  “... The sheriff and his department questioned multiple suspects, but in the end, they couldn't arrest someone without proper evidence.” Arman exclaimed after a long, carefully considered pause, a slight wince appearing on his lips. “I imagine you have your own theories, Somnu, but I do hope that you refrain from giving in to your impulses.”

  “...” Somnu stayed silent, realizing Arman had read him like a book.

  The scarecrow had run through the options, and to his knowledge, there could have only been one possible answer for who had an actual reason to attack him that night.

  Enzo… Somnu recalled the name of the old classmate.

  Back then, upon entering the horror house tent, he had met Enzo, dressed as a zombie.

  He had quickly avoided Enzo, running off, but out of those who knew where Somnu was, how to navigate the horror house and had an actual, long-awaited grudge against him, only a single suspect remained.

  At least, this had been the early conclusion the scarecrow could come to with the information he had at the moment. As Arman advised, Somnu was going to hold off on making any final decisions on that until he knew for absolutely certain.

  And for that…

  “Who else from Duskville town ended up here, do you know?” Somnu raised his head, casting his blind gaze towards the head doctor.

  Although he had framed it in a way that didn’t reveal his suspicions, Arman let out a slight sigh before looking at the ceiling in slight exasperation.

  “Quite a few, but I assume you are looking to learn about the few individuals you have yet to hear confirm are here.” The head doctor looked to the side, towards the two laying girls, then closed his eyes for a moment. “I’m afraid it isn’t my place to tell you everything, but I’ll give you the one name you are waiting for.”

  “...” Somnu’s brows twitched slightly under the blindfold, questioning if the head doctor could truly guess.

  “Enzo was here.” Arman finally confirmed.

  “Was?”

  “Indeed, he disappeared around a week ago while being out. It happens occasionally, but it’s not what you think.” Arman got up and stretched his arms. “He’s not dead, he had already ranked up his Ego Core. He likely found the entrance to the Second Layer and awoke back in the waking world.”

  “?!” Somnu straightened his back suddenly, his ears quickly picking up on a crucial detail. “Sleepers have already found the exit to this Layer?”

  “According to the Luscairna, whoever finds it never returns to tell the other Sleepers about it. We still have no information on the location.” The head doctor shattered that hope, then made his way to the door Bro’Ski had entered through earlier. “Either way, I need to go check on the little one. Maybe you should stop pretending to sleep now, Aurora?”

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  “?!” Somnu turned his gaze to one of the sleeping beauties, turning on Naga’s thermal vision to notice some slight movements.

  “... It’s not very nice to point it out and put me on the spot like that.” Aurora sighed with a low, smooth voice, gently pushing herself to sit up on the couch. “I just didn’t want to interrupt the conversation.”

  With one last smile, Arman closed the door behind him, removing the noise of running water from the other side.

  Somnu still had many questions running through his head for the odd doctor, but he had managed to slightly calm himself down during their conversation. He knew he would still end up exchanging many talks with Arman in the future.

  In a way, he almost seemed more like the actual leader of the Mirewalker Fort, than the Fortmaster himself.

  However, for now, after so long, she was in front of him.

  That same girl he had immediately crushed on from a single encounter, the memory alone was making him wince awkwardly.

  How naive, almost childishly hopeful he had become back then.

  Nevertheless, he had made a promise he needed to keep.

  “Sorry about earlier, I didn’t mean to push you that hard…” The scarecrow rubbed the back of his neck, turning his gaze away.

  “... It’s fine.” She exclaimed after some slight hesitation, then noticed Leyna’s body beside her and pursed her lips.

  “...” Somnu waited for a moment, then lowered his head slightly. “Thank you for helping her earlier.”

  Then, silence seemed to quickly loom over the two. They both attempted to open their mouths, only to close them again before saying something.

  At the very least, that awkwardness gave Somnu a moment to notice the changes in the girl’s appearance.

  She still had her signature leather jacket covering her shoulders, and her outfit hadn’t changed much from the casual shirt tucked into the tight jeans, but her previously shoulder-length hair had grown much longer. And although it had been blond the last time he saw her, it seemed like a mix of yellow and pink now, an unusual gradient for a hair color, but one that matched her serene, fair skin. Both were almost glistening beneath the dim lighting of the hanging crystals around the room.

  ‘Master! Who is she?! My female serpent intuition tells me master shouldn’t talk to her!’ Naga screamed in the scarecrow’s head, jolting him out of his thoughts.

  ‘... You’re just going to say that about every girl I talk to, aren’t you?’

  ‘It’s only natural, master! You have me, after all! Ah, but I will accept casual conversation with your sister if you give me the praise I was promised!’

  ‘You’re still on about that…’

  “... Um, your eyes?”

  “?!”

  Aurora suddenly spoke, having built up the courage.

  “Ah…” Somnu reached for his covered empty eye sockets, realizing what she was referring to. “It was a Nightmare Creature…”

  He lied.

  “I see…” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “What kind?”

  “... bat-like, with the fear of being blinded.” Somnu had tilted his head slightly at her question, but he still answered.

  His answer though, was yet another lie. The first time he had met this girl on that bus, he had lied to her too. That fact made his chest ache for a moment.

  “But you can still see me… see around you?” She asked, raising her head and making direct eye contact with Naga.

  Somnu’s stomach immediately tightened as he looked into her aqua blue eyes, hoping she wouldn’t notice.

  “Yeah, I can.” He let out, then remembered. “But I want to keep that on the low so I can find the murderer.”

  “?”

  Noticing her questioning gaze, Somnu explained further, keeping his voice controlled. “It’s likely the serial killer, John Doe. You all probably guessed that much from his usual symbol, but I’ve already had to deal with him twice in this place.”

  “... You have?” Aurora’s eyes widened slightly.

  “Even if I hadn’t, he’s someone I have to find myself.” Somnu spoke calmly, containing his turbulent emotions within him.

  “...” She furrowed her brows slightly, then asked without hesitation. “For your mother?”

  “I should have known the news would travel fast in Duskville…” Somnu sighed, a faint chuckle escaping his lips.

  He would be lying if he said he didn’t miss it. The fields, the town, the Halloween celebrations… Even his lonely nights boiling and eating the corn he had planted and harvested that season.

  It had been a simpler time, all things considered. He had looked forward to the early mornings, and to the warm welcome the Emberlyns always gave him.

  “Ah! That’s right!” He finally remembered and sprang up. “I have something for you!”

  “... what?” Aurora was taken aback, the sudden shift in tone making her straighten her back.

  Wait, Crow-shit! I blurted that out, but what if she asks me how I got it? From her shock, does that mean that the old geezer hadn’t told her about this?! Somnu lampooned for a moment before giving in.

  He had spoken himself into a corner now, and needed to deliver on his promises.

  How do I do this exactly… Transfer the Memento in storage to the Sleeper Aurora Emberlyn. He commanded the System in his mind, attempting an obvious method.

  [Affirmative.]

  [Transfering the Memento {Dreamkeeper’s Amulet} to Sleeper Aurora Emberlyn.]

  [Transfer successful.]

  “This is…!” Aurora’s pupils suddenly constricted in shock, her body jolting to her feet.

  Then, almost immediately, a shadow loomed over her as she sat back down, her back hunched slightly.

  “?”

  “I… can’t accept this.” She mumbled beneath her breath, a pained, self-deprecating expression appearing on her face.