The library was darker than outside. Old Zhou sat behind his massive wooden desk. His tea had gone cold.
Lin Yuan arrived before Su Wanqing. He stood between the bookshelves, pulled out a random book. No words on the pages — just moving images. An ocean. A ship. A man standing on the deck. The images flickered too fast. He couldn't see the man's face.
"Don't read that." Old Zhou's voice came from behind him. "That's someone else's memory."
Lin Yuan shoved the book back.
"Where's Su Wanqing?"
"On her way. Sit down."
Lin Yuan sat. The wooden chair was hard. He shifted, then shifted again.
"Nervous?" Old Zhou asked.
"No."
"Your palms are sweating."
Lin Yuan wiped his hands on his pants. Old Zhou didn't say anything else.
After a while — maybe the length of a cigarette, though Lin Yuan didn't smoke — high heels clicked in the hallway. Su Wanqing walked in. Black turtleneck today. Hair tied up, neck bare. No makeup except her dark red lips.
"Let's go." She didn't sit down.
"Where?"
"To catch a nightmare."
Lin Yuan glanced at Old Zhou. Old Zhou picked up his cold tea, took a sip, and didn't look back.
---
Outside the library, Su Wanqing walked fast. Lin Yuan had to jog to keep up.
"How are we getting there?"
"A car."
"What kind of car?"
"You'll see."
They went through a corridor, up one flight of stairs, down another. Lin Yuan lost track of direction. Finally, they pushed through a small door into an underground garage.
A black SUV waited. The driver was a middle-aged man in a black jacket and sunglasses. He looked at Lin Yuan once, said nothing.
Lin Yuan and Su Wanqing got in the back. The doors closed. The engine hummed.
The car moved.
"What's a nightmare?" Lin Yuan asked. He knew Old Zhou had explained it, but he wanted to hear Su Wanqing say it.
"You already know."
"I want to hear you say it."
Su Wanqing turned her head. "A person's obsession. Hatred. Love. Waiting. Regret. When it gets too strong, it leaks out of dreams and takes shape in the real world."
"What do they look like?"
"Depends. Some look like people. Some like shadows. Some like fog." She looked out the window. "The one you're catching today looks like a person."
"What kind of person?"
"A little girl. Five years old. Been waiting for her mom to come back."
Outside, streetlights began to glow. Orange light flickered past in frames.
Lin Yuan looked down at his hand. Under the glove, the gold lines were warm.
"I can feel it," he said.
"Feel what?"
"The nightmare. From far away. My hand gets hot."
Su Wanqing turned to look at him. "You've only trained twice."
"I know."
"Most candidates need at least a month to sense a nightmare's location."
Lin Yuan didn't answer. He didn't know what that meant. Good? Bad? Abnormal?
Su Wanqing didn't say anything else. She turned back to the window.
The driver turned on the radio. A slow song Lin Yuan didn't recognize. The melody floated like it was underwater.
---
The car stopped in front of an elementary school.
The gates were half-closed. The guard booth was empty, but a cup of tea still steamed on the desk.
"You go in alone," Su Wanqing said.
"You're not coming?"
"I'll follow. But I won't act. Unless you're about to die."
Lin Yuan swallowed.
"Where is it?"
"Third floor. The classroom at the end of the hall."
He pushed the door open and stepped out. Night wind slipped under his collar. He shrank his neck.
The iron gate screeched as he pushed it open. Empty playground. The basketball hoop cast a long shadow under the streetlight.
The school building door wasn't locked. He pushed it open. The hallway was dark except for the green glow of exit signs. His footsteps echoed off the tile floor. Each step sounded like a drum.
He climbed to the second floor. Classrooms on both sides. Nameplates and timetables on the doors. Through the glass windows, he could see neat rows of desks, chalk dust still on the blackboards.
The lines on his hand grew hotter.
He kept climbing.
Third floor. The classroom at the end of the hall. The door was half open.
No lights inside.
Lin Yuan stood at the threshold. His heart pounded. He could feel something in there. Not a sound. Not a smell. A pressure. Like the air had gotten heavier.
He pushed the door open.
The classroom was dark. A little light came through the windows. Desks and chairs had been pushed to the sides, leaving an empty space in the middle. In the corner, a figure crouched. Small. Like a little girl.
She wore a white dress. Dark red stains on the hem. Long hair covered her face.
Lin Yuan took two steps forward.
The girl looked up.
A pale face. Big eyes. No pupils — just white.
Lin Yuan's legs went soft. He almost turned and ran.
"Don't be afraid." Su Wanqing's voice came from behind him. She'd followed without him noticing, leaning against the doorframe. "It won't hurt you."
The girl stood up. Barefoot on the cold terrazzo floor.
She looked at Lin Yuan. Her mouth opened. A soft sound came out.
"Mommy…"
Lin Yuan froze.
For a second, an image flashed through his mind. Not something he saw with his eyes. Something that pushed into his head. A woman's face. Blurry. He couldn't make out the features. But the feeling was clear. Warmth. Safety. The urge to run toward her.
Then it was gone.
Lin Yuan staggered, grabbed a desk to steady himself.
"What's wrong?" Su Wanqing's voice tightened.
"I saw her."
"Saw who?"
"Her mom." Lin Yuan rubbed his temple. "The girl's memory. I saw her mom's face."
Su Wanqing was silent for a few seconds.
"That's not normal," she said. "You can't read a nightmare's memory."
"But I saw it."
Su Wanqing didn't answer.
The girl called out again: "Mommy…"
Lin Yuan crouched down to her level.
Her face was pale. Her lips almost colorless. Those white eyes stared at him, waiting.
"I'm not your mom," Lin Yuan said. "But I'll take you to her."
He took off his badge and held it in front of the girl.
The badge began to glow. Not harsh light. Soft, warm gold. Like the last ray of sunset.
The girl looked at the light. She didn't flinch.
She reached out and touched the badge.
Then she was gone. Like a drop of water falling into a lake. No sound. No ripple.
Lin Yuan stayed crouched, holding the badge, not moving.
On its surface, a faint light appeared. Like a tiny star trapped inside.
Another image pushed into his head. This time, not a blurry face. A pair of hands. A woman's hands. Knitting. Red yarn. Tight, even stitches.
Then it faded.
Lin Yuan stood up. His legs were still shaking.
"You sure you're okay?" Su Wanqing walked over.
"Yeah."
"What did you see this time?"
"A woman knitting. Red yarn."
Su Wanqing stared at him for a few seconds.
"We'll talk about it later. Let's go."
---
On the drive back, Lin Yuan kept looking at the badge.
"Everyone feels like this the first time," Su Wanqing said.
"Like what?"
"Nauseous. Like crying. Like breaking something."
Lin Yuan didn't say anything.
"But I didn't see any memories my first time," Su Wanqing added.
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know." She looked out the window. "Maybe it's because you're the Abyss King. Maybe something inside you is waking up."
Outside, streetlights ran past one after another.
Lin Yuan thought about the hands. The red yarn. The woman's fingers — thin, knobby knuckles, short nails. Hands that had worked hard.
How long had the little girl waited? Where was her mother now? Was she still alive?
He didn't know. But he knew that image would stay in his head.
---
Back in the library, Old Zhou looked at the badge, then at Lin Yuan.
"Su Wanqing says you saw the nightmare's memory."
"Yeah."
"What did you see?"
"A woman knitting. Red yarn."
Old Zhou was quiet for a moment.
"That shouldn't happen," he said. "Nightmares are condensed obsession. They don't carry independent memories. What you saw might have been the original person's memory. The little girl's mother."
"Then why could I see it?"
Old Zhou didn't answer. He picked up his cup. The tea was cold.
"Go get some rest," he said.
"Old Zhou."
"Yeah?"
"Is there something you're not telling me?"
Old Zhou set the cup down and looked at Lin Yuan. His eyes were complicated. Like he had a lot to say but kept swallowing it back.
"Wait until you're stronger," he said. "Telling you now won't help."
Lin Yuan stared at him for a few seconds.
"Go." Old Zhou waved his hand.
Lin Yuan stood up and walked to the door. He stopped.
"Is the little girl's mother still alive?"
"I don't know." Old Zhou's voice came from behind him. "Maybe yes. Maybe no. Nightmares don't give answers."
Lin Yuan pushed the door open and stepped into the hallway.
---
He walked up the ramp. Halfway up, someone was standing there.
Qin Shou. Leaning against the wall, an unlit cigarette between his fingers.
"Heard you caught a nightmare today," he said.
"How do you know?"
"No secrets in this place." Qin Shou smiled. "How'd it feel?"
"Okay."
"Okay?" Qin Shou tucked the cigarette back in his pocket. "First timers usually puke. You said okay?"
Lin Yuan didn't say anything.
"Su Wanqing said you saw the nightmare's memory." Qin Shou stepped closer. "You know what that means?"
"What?"
"It means you're not just the Abyss King." His voice dropped. "Chu Yunfei couldn't do that. He was strong, but he couldn't read nightmare memories."
Lin Yuan's heart beat faster.
"Old Zhou won't tell you this," Qin Shou said. "He'll just tell you to wait. 'Until you're stronger.' But have you thought about how much time you have left?"
"What do you mean?"
"Three months." Qin Shou held up three fingers. "Old Zhou told you, right? The seal breaks in three months. You die in your sleep."
"He told me."
"Did he tell you why three months? Who set that deadline? Whether it can be changed?"
Lin Yuan froze.
"He didn't," Qin Shou answered for him. "Because he doesn't want you to know — that deadline can be changed."
"How?"
Qin Shou looked at him and smiled.
"Get your basics down first. Next time you go on a mission, I'll come with you."
He patted Lin Yuan's shoulder and walked away.
Lin Yuan stood there. The spot where he'd been patted felt cold.
He thought about Old Zhou's eyes. That hesitant look.
Was Qin Shou telling the truth? What was Old Zhou hiding?
He didn't know. But he knew that from tonight on, he wasn't just learning how to catch nightmares. He also had to figure out — what he really was.
---
He pushed through the small door and stepped into the moonlight.
The moon was the same. The building was the same.
He looked down at his right hand. Under the glove, the gold lines had stopped glowing. But he knew they were still there. Like a snake curled under his skin, ready to wake up any time.
He thought about the little girl's face. The hands knitting the red yarn. What Su Wanqing said: "Something inside you is waking up."
He thought about what Qin Shou said: "Chu Yunfei couldn't do that."
He thought about what Old Zhou said: "Wait until you're stronger."
He stood on the empty playground and looked up at the sky. Clouds covered the moon.
The wind blew his hair. He didn't fix it.
He took off his glove and looked at the gold lines on his hand. Under the streetlight, they were almost invisible.
But he knew they were there.
He put the glove back on and walked toward his dorm.
At the building entrance, he looked up at the sixth floor. The light was still on.
Zhao Lei was probably still gaming.
He pushed the door open and climbed the stairs.
Half the hallway lights were dead. Flickering. He didn't count the steps. He walked straight to 607 and pushed the door open.
Zhao Lei had his headphones on. Didn't hear him. Old Zhao was already asleep, snoring like a saw cutting wood.
Lin Yuan didn't turn on the light. He felt his way to the bed, sat down, took off his shoes.
Then he lay down.
Stared at the underside of the top bunk.
The little girl's face floated back into his mind.
"Mommy…"
And those hands. The red yarn. The tight, even stitches.
He closed his eyes.
The image stayed.
He didn't know why he could see it. Didn't know what it meant.
But he knew that from tonight on, he wasn't just a Dreamkeeper candidate.
He was something even Old Zhou didn't fully understand.
(End of Chapter4)