Night pressed against Sophie's apartment like thick ink, wrapping everything in its oppressive haze. The lights inside blazed brightly, yet they couldn't dispel the suffocating anxiety that hung in the air. After last night's harrowing ordeal, everyone clung to the last shreds of their will to resist fear—no one dared to truly close their eyes and sleep. Silence wound around them like iron chains; even their breaths became cautious and restrained.
Xiaohuo sat by the window, clutching his protective prayer beads, sweat beading across his brow. Over and over, he heard the whispers from last night's dreams—the seductions, the threats, and even the inadvertent notes of sorrow. He couldn't tell if what he heard was malice or a deeper, desperate plea for help. For the first time, he doubted: could he really lead everyone through this bottomless crisis? Everyone's fates seemed tangled like invisible threads, and he felt like the frailest among them.
"Are we really… going on the offensive?" Ethan's voice trembled, as if pulled from the edge of a nightmare.
Sophie shook her head, her tone so firm it was nearly cold. "We have no choice. The crack isn't just a shadow in dreams anymore—it's seeping into reality, little by little. If we don't fight back now, the day it fully opens will be the day we all disappear."
Maya stroked her diary, eyes flickering with dread and guilt. "I dreamed of that hospital… We were all trapped in the fissure, and a person with a white mask stood behind us. His gaze was so cold, like he was choosing the next sacrifice."
At her words, Xiaohuo's heart tightened. He remembered those eyes from his own dreams—cold, indifferent, yet able to see straight through to the deepest wounds in one's soul.
Sophie began searching through files, the computer screen reflecting everyone's exhausted faces. She quickly found an old news report from five years ago: in a deserted hospital on the city's outskirts, there had been a mass fainting incident—everyone fell into a deep sleep overnight, and none awoke. Police found mysterious red fissures on the walls, which remain unexplained to this day.
"This wasn't just a supernatural event. It's proof the crack first leaked into reality there," Sophie said quietly. "Traces of high-level Resonants were reported at the scene."
Ethan clenched his teeth. "Why would high-level Resonants go after us?"
Sophie flipped through an ancient book, her voice heavy. "High-level Resonants are rare individuals with extraordinary mental strength. They can resonate with the fissure, even project their will into others' minds. But this power eats away at their identity, and eventually they're assimilated—becoming agents of the fissure itself. They constantly seek new hosts—people whose willpower and fear are intertwined—to keep their bond to the fissure alive. Without fresh energy, they'll fade into the crack."
A shock ran through Xiaohuo. Suddenly, he understood: those whispered dreams weren't just malice, but a calculated psychic hunt. High-level Resonants were predators, targeting the strongest, most resistant minds, wearing them down through fear and temptation until the fissure claimed them entirely.
"So we're the chosen 'seeds'?" Maya's voice quavered. "They want to plant the fissure in us, let it keep spreading?"
Sophie nodded. "Only the strong-willed make ideal conduits. That's why we're targeted—we're both a threat and nourishment."
Xiaohuo's heart grew heavier. Over and over, he'd dreamed of facing the masked man, each time feeling like he was wrestling with his own shadow. The masked man always touched the deepest corners of his desire and fear, trying to lure him with promises of power and freedom.
At 4 a.m., Xiaohuo was on watch. He leaned against the window; the night outside was abyssal, the city lights distant and blurred. On the sofa, David tossed and turned, mumbling in a foreign tongue. Xiaohuo approached and noticed David's talisman had faded, as if its energy was slowly being drained.
"Are you alright?" Xiaohuo asked softly.
David opened his eyes, dazed. "I was running down a dark corridor in my dream. The cracks on the walls kept swelling, and in the red light, I saw strange faces. They said I couldn't escape… that I already belonged here…"
Xiaohuo gently patted his shoulder. "We'll find a way to save you—and ourselves."
As dawn crept in, the others slowly woke. Sophie handed out protective charms and holy water, her expression more solemn than ever. "This time, we have to trust each other. If any one of us is taken by the fissure, the rest won't escape either. No matter what temptation or fear you face, speak up—don't bear it alone."
Maya lit incense to ward off evil, the bitter smoke swirling in the air like a prayer for the coming battle. Ethan set his phone to record. "If anything happens, at least there'll be evidence."
Their car sped toward the abandoned hospital on the outskirts. Silence filled the vehicle, each person lost in memories of their nightmares. Xiaohuo closed his eyes, reciting a mental mantra: "Give me strength, so I can lead us out of this darkness."
The hospital stood in a field of wild grass, looming like a giant tomb. The red fissures on its exterior walls shimmered faintly in the morning light. When they pushed open the rusted gate, a chill swept over them; red lines on the walls writhed like living things.
At the corridor's end, the deepest fissure slowly seeped red light. With every step, the pressure in the air increased, as if their hearts and breaths were being dragged into another rhythm.
"Everyone, be careful. Don't go near the fissures," Sophie whispered.
Suddenly, Maya pointed ahead. "The masked man!"
Amidst the red-lit mist, a tall figure with a white mask stood motionless. Behind him, the fissure pulsed and writhed, red light flickering. His eyes were icy and merciless as they fixed on the group.
Xiaohuo instinctively gripped his prayer beads. He felt that gaze cutting through him, slicing open his deepest fears and secrets.
The masked man spoke, his voice low and resonant. "You've finally come. The fissure has waited for you a long time. Your wills are the perfect sacrifice—the force that will make the fissure eternal."
Sophie gritted her teeth. "Who are you? Why choose us?"
The masked man smiled faintly, red light swirling beneath his mask. "Because each of you harbors wounds and secrets you refuse to face. Only when your deepest fears are drawn out can the fissure consume this world. Your struggles are the best nourishment for its growth. My purpose is to break you completely."
The air felt frozen with pressure. Sweat slicked their palms, but in their eyes flickered the last sparks of determination.
Xiaohuo suddenly understood: this battle was not just against outside evil—it was about facing and transcending their own inner shadows.
He took a deep breath and spoke to his companions, voice unwavering. "We came together, and we'll leave together. No matter how the fissure tempts or divides us, as long as our wills hold strong, it will never win!"
The fissure behind the masked man writhed violently. In the red light, each person's past traumas and regrets flickered—scenes that probed their innermost selves. Hand in hand, the group formed a line, their belief faint but unbroken, flowing between them.
The real battle had finally begun.