The moment the bedroom door was pushed open, a strong scent of disinfectant filled the air. The room was filled with various sophisticated instruments, and lying on the bed was a boy around ten years old.
The boy lay on the bed with his eyes closed. He showed no reaction to Dute entering the room, as if he were asleep. Tubes supplying nutrient fluid were inserted into the boy, working with the surrounding instruments to sustain his life.
Dute closed and locked the door, then walked to the bedside. His aged hands clasped the boy's.
At this moment, the strong man shed tears.
"It's my fault, son. I'm sorry."
The boy on the bed was Dute's youngest son, the one his wife and he cherished the most.
Dute had two sons. The elder son, spoiled by his mother, had developed a terrible personality. He not only caused trouble everywhere but also constantly forced Dute to clean up his messes. Not long ago, he had also become addicted to drugs and now spent his days with his disreputable friends.
Completely disappointed with his elder son, Dute placed all his hopes on his younger son, intending to train him diligently to become his successor. As for the elder son, Dute would be grateful as long as he didn't cause any trouble.
The younger son was also very promising, intelligent from a young age and consistently at the top of his class at school.
Every time Dute looked at his son, he felt his life had reached its fulfillment.
However, such happiness did not last long. Two years ago, Dute's son suddenly contracted a strange illness. It started with excessive sleepiness, and then he fell into an unrecoverable slumber. No matter how many renowned doctors they consulted or how many major hospitals they visited, the outcome was always the same: helplessness.
Now, they could only use medical equipment to barely keep their son alive.
"Have you considered it?"
Kraven appeared in the room at some point.
Dute, stroking his son's small hand, let his tears fall uncontrollably.
Today, he finally made his decision.
Dute stood up, wiped the tears from his face, and turned around, saying, "I am willing. As long as you can cure my son's illness, I will do anything, even serve as your slave."
Kraven nodded and said, "No need for servitude. All I require is your absolute loyalty."
With that, Kraven handed Dute a test tube containing a purple, unknown liquid.
"This is the medicine for your young son. After he drinks it, he will wake up."
Upon hearing that there was medicine to save his son's life, Dute became immediately agitated and reached out to snatch the medicine from Kraven's hand.
With his quick reflexes, Kraven dodged aside, easily evading Dute's lunge. Dute, missing his target, crashed into a cabinet, bruising his forehead. However, he paid no attention to the physical pain, his sole focus on obtaining the medicine in Kraven's hand.
Impatient with Dute's behavior, Kraven casually tossed the medicine to him.
As Dute held the medicine, ready to administer it to his son, Kraven grabbed his arm.
"Think carefully. Although this medicine will save your son's life, it will also plant a seed within him. If we ever detect any thought of betrayal from you, *bang!*"
Kraven formed an explosion shape with his hand. "Your son will be finished."
Dute hesitated after hearing Kraven's words. The medicine could save his son, but at the same time, his son's life would be in the hands of these strange people.
Dute knew this was their method of control, yet he had no other recourse.
It was an open scheme, and Dute had no choice but to fall into it.
Finally, with newfound resolve, Dute gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and fed the medicine to his son.
The liquid flowed down the boy's esophagus and soon began to take effect.
For the first few minutes, the boy merely showed subtle facial expressions. Then, his entire body began to shake violently as if he were having an epileptic fit, frothing at the mouth.
Dute watched with immense heartache.
Finally, the boy's eyes snapped open, his pitch-black irises showing no trace of white.
A foul-smelling black smoke emerged from the boy's eyes, nostrils, and mouth, converging in the air to form a giant black mass.
The black mass grew larger, and facial features began to form within it.
Once the black smoke had completely left the boy's body, the mass in the air reached its maximum size, about a meter long. It bore a ferocious expression, staring intently at Dute and Kraven.
The black energy separated from the boy's body desperately sought its next host, and Dute and Kraven were the prime candidates.
"What... what kind of monster is this!?"
Fear of the unknown is instinctive. Looking at the black mass in the air, Dute's legs trembled uncontrollably.
"Just as the Master said."
Seeing the black energy, Kraven did not exhibit the same fear as Dute. Instead, he looked as if he had expected this, as if he had known everything beforehand.
The black energy lunged at them.
Dute, terrified, collapsed onto the floor. Kraven, however, swung his fist forcefully at the black energy.
*Bang!*
Kraven's punch landed squarely on the black mass, which exploded like a balloon and vanished without a trace.
"What... what was that thing?"
After the black energy disappeared and a few minutes had passed, Dute, having regained some composure, managed to get up and ask.
"A nightmare. A creature that feeds on human nightmares."
As a staunch materialist, Dute would have previously dismissed talk of gods and ghosts with a simple chuckle. But what he had just witnessed forced him to believe in the existence of supernatural beings.
"Did this nightmare possess my son, causing him to remain in a coma?"
Kraven shook his head. "You overestimate your son. If it were a complete nightmare, your son would have been drained dry in an instant and wouldn't have survived this long."
"What was inside your son was merely a wisp of a nightmare's essence."
Kraven himself did not fully understand the nature of nightmares. His ability to speak so confidently before Dute was entirely due to the information Bai Qi had given him beforehand, which he was now merely relaying.
Dute looked at his son with concern. "Will the nightmare, no, the nightmare's essence, return?"
"Rest assured. Your son is now protected by the Great Holy Lord. Nightmares will no longer afflict him."
"Holy Lord?"
Dute savored the two words repeatedly.
"Indeed, the Holy Lord," Kraven said. "You cannot yet behold the Great Holy Lord's true form. Just remember that the Holy Lord is omnipotent, and your loyalty belongs only to him."
Dute nodded vigorously. "From this day forward, the Holy Lord is my master."
It must be said, Kraven had a talent for becoming a cult leader. He had so skillfully manipulated Dute, portraying a great demon as a divine being.
Amidst a desolate ruin, a gaunt man sat in his stone throne, feigning sleep. Black energy that materialized from nowhere was inhaled into the man with each breath.
As the black energy was gradually absorbed, the man's emaciated body began to fill out, and his skin regained some color.
The man raised his hand, gazing at his arm. "A demon? Interesting. A proud demon meddling in human affairs."
With another gesture, more black energy flowed from the man's fingertips.
"Go, create more nightmares."
The man looked up at the massive seal in the sky and murmured to himself, "Great Mage, how will you stop my return this time?"