After a moment of excitement and taking advantage of the fading evening light, Ed began tidying up the villa, erasing all traces of his presence.

"I'll leave this city at midnight and meet up with Andre and the others. I hope everything goes peacefully," Ed thought, lying down on the bed.

But then he suddenly remembered something. He got up and opened the closet where the hunted mirror was stored. Taking out the mirror, he examined it for a moment, hesitated, and finally placed it on the bedside table.

Through the window, the sun lingered, not yet fully set.

"Let's sleep for a while; otherwise, it will be troublesome if I can't wake up," Ed muttered to himself. "It's only six or seven. I'll wake up at the right time, hopefully."

Thinking about his plans for the night, he decided to rest, ensuring he wouldn't be too exhausted when the time came for action. After all, the day had been filled with ceaseless activity.

With that thought, Ed drew the curtains closed, lay down on the bed, and quickly drifted into a deep sleep.

...

Meanwhile, in the basement of a shop, Nivek sat reclined in his chair. Still dressed as a clown, though without the paint, he idly played with a dagger.

A knock on the door interrupted the silence.

"Come in," He said coldly.

A nervous gang member stepped inside. Taking a deep breath, he announced, "First mate, we've found the magician's residence. He's renting a haunted villa by himself."

"Oh?" Nivek raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Then, reaching for a set of oil paints and tools, he began applying makeup to his face. The gang member watched in silence as Nivek transformed himself with practiced ease into the same sinister clown persona he had displayed earlier that day.

When the gang member caught a glimpse of Nivek's fully made-up face, panic gripped him. The clown's exaggerated smile reflected in the mirror was unnerving yet captivating.

Nivek turned to face him, still smiling. The intense gaze sent a shiver down the gang member's spine.

"Take me there. Let's see if that magician can still laugh when he sees me after waking up," Nivek commanded, his voice eerily calm.

The gang member swallowed hard and nodded without hesitation.

...

The city had already fallen into silence.

Only a few shops near the main gate, along the surrounding commercial streets, and some night entertainment like the love houses remained open and full of activity. This area was popular among dignitaries for late-night strolls.

Ed, who had been asleep, was once again pulled into darkness in his dream.

He felt the familiar sensation of sleep paralysis, helpless and trapped.

"How did it pull me in again? No matter what, this feeling is extremely irritating."

Suddenly, a faint, hazy sound surrounded him, catching Ed off guard.

"Run... run quickly... danger... danger..."

Hearing this, Ed's initial helplessness gave way to nervousness. His thoughts sharpened with vigilance.

"What's going on? Did you sense something?"

Tonight was critical, he had to sneak out of the city to meet Andre and the others. There could be no room for error; otherwise, there would be a lot of room for him in prison.

"Danger... run away..."

"Then let me out, you idiot! How can I run if you don't let me out?" Ed screamed in his mind, a hint of anger in his voice.

"…"

But there was no response, and the next moment he was jolted awake in bed, the soundless scream still ringing in his ears.

Without hesitation, Ed got out of bed with impressive speed. He pulled the curtains aside, peering out onto the street from his second-floor window.

The view was clear thanks to the bright moonlight. At the end of the street, several figures dressed in black were advancing slowly. Leading them was a man clad as a clown, his exaggerated gait strikingly peculiar.

It was the clown from earlier in the day.

Is that bastard the source of trouble? Is this because of what happened before?

Ed's mind raced, but there was no time to dwell on questions. His actions were swift and deliberate. He quickly arranged the room, grabbed the magic mirror from his bedside table, and prepared to leave. Before exiting, he drew the bedroom curtains back open, allowing the cool moonlight to spill onto the neatly arranged quilt.

Outside, the group of black-clad figures stopped before the villa.

"That's the one," One thug said nervously, pointing to the house.

The clown, Nivek, looked up at the building, his expression unreadable under the paint.

"You wait here. I will deal with him with my own hands," He ordered, his voice playful yet chilling.

With exaggerated steps, he approached the iron gate. Then, with an effortless leap, he vaulted over it as if it were no taller than a curb.

"I wouldn't want to be the poor soul who crossed him. This man is crazy. God knows what the captain was thinking when he let such a weirdo join our ship," one gang member muttered.

"Shut up!" Another hissed, slapping him on the back of the head. "You're trying to get us all killed? Do you think we've lived too long?"

The first man clamped his mouth shut, his fear palpable.

Nivek, unaware of his men's chatter, strolled leisurely up to the villa's door. He reached out and turned the knob. To his delight, it swung open as though inviting him in.

Stepping inside, his loud, theatrical footsteps echoed through the space before fading as he moved deeper into the house. He took in his surroundings with a quick, sweeping glance, then made his way upstairs.

After a brief pause at the top of the staircase, he approached the master bedroom.

The door creaked open.

Moonlight spilled into the room, casting a silvery glow over the bed.

A figure lay under the covers, short black hair peeking out from the pillow.

Nivek froze, trembling with visible excitement. He hugged himself as though savoring the moment. Along with his creepy makeup, the image was perfectly suited to the surroundings, enough to give any normal person a heart attack if they suddenly woke from sleep to such a mind-blowing scene.

Then, with deliberate, exaggerated movements, he crossed the room. His footsteps grew louder, announcing his approach.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

He stopped at the foot of the bed.

Under the moonlight, Ed appeared motionless, as if in a deep sleep that nothing could disturb.

Grinning, Nivek raised his hand. A dagger materialized in the air above his palm, floating ominously.

Just outside, on the balcony across from the master bedroom window, a pair of dark green, nearly black eyes watched everything intently like a hunter ready to strike.

The observer held a short-barreled shotgun, the trigger mechanism already cocked.

As the figure stared at the dagger floating above Nivek's hand, something shifted in his expression.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a watch and crushed the blue crystal set into it.

At that moment, the dagger flew from Nivek's hand, plunging into the bed with precision.

'Something feels off!' The thought instantly appeared in Nivek's mind.

Throwing the covers aside, Nivek saw a pile of pillows topped with a wig.

Realizing the deception, his expression instantly turned ugly, as if he had eaten something foul, and he quickly spun around—

Bang!

A gunshot roared through the air. Scarlet eyes met dark green ones for the briefest moment before a barrage of steel pellets tore through the room.

On the balcony, Ed didn't wait to confirm the shot's success. He leapt over the railing without hesitation.

In mid-air, he twisted his body, landing with a gymnast's precision and giving himself a silent praise for the perfect landing.

The moment his feet hit the ground, he bolted into the shadows, moving with the speed and agility of a startled hare that had seen a lion hiding in the bushes.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.