If only he'd look back.
But he didn't.
He just waved his hand behind him, like a goodbye, and stepped out of the antique shop.
In that moment, it felt like the whole world had shifted.
By day, Nightingale was this bustling, fancy little coastal town. Most buildings had these cute round domes that looked even sweeter against the backdrop of the sea. Tons of ships would dock at the port for a bit before heading off to bigger cities and far-off lands.
But at night? Nightingale turned into this eerie, crazy place. Every building's outline blurred and twisted, like they'd crossed some forbidden boundary. In spots no one knew about during the day, countless shadows were squirming and struggling.
Dulmi called this weird nighttime realm the "Outer Zone."
It was like a world beyond our world.
After hanging out in the Outer Zone for three years, he'd gotten to know it a bit. It was like this shadow layer stuck on top of the real world. Some things were kinda similar, but others were totally different.
Breathing in the Outer Zone's chilly air, he strolled alone through Nightingale's night. His light footsteps echoed through the empty streets, mingling with the distant cries of black crows.
Sometimes he'd hear other weird noises coming from the cracks in nearby buildings. Long sighs, soft chewing, hushed whispers, warped metal scraping, blood-curdling screams, chaotic heavy banging...
It was driving him nuts.
So he started humming a tune.
"Dulmi, oh Dulmi, wandering alone at night.
You quietly wave goodbye to day, opening your eyes in the dark.
Who knows you've left? Who sees what you see?
They don't know, they never stop to look.
You can only shake your head, walking lonely into that pitch-black world.
Oh, my dear little Dulmi, destined to wander this world!"
When the melancholy melody ended, Dulmi stopped and took a polite bow like he was on stage. He muttered to himself, "Not bad, huh?"
Who knows where he got the talent, but he could actually carry a tune pretty well.
In a port town like Nightingale, you'd always hear rough sailor shanties floating around, along with the mournful songs of widows who'd just gotten their husbands' bodies back. Dulmi had just thrown together a sad tune for his lyrics on the spot.
But right now, he wasn't feeling sad at all.
Actually, he was pumped and psyched to be leaving Nightingale and kicking off his grand adventure.
"—Yeah, not bad at all"
Huh?
Dulmi spun around in surprise and saw a bizarre figure.
It looked like a man, standing there with his eyes closed, but coming out of his ears was a twisted, rainbow-colored phantom. The phantom was also vaguely human-shaped, like his soul was hovering next to his head or something.
He was standing smack in the middle of Nightingale's cold, quiet street. When he showed up, everything around seemed to go quiet. Or maybe it was holding its breath?
"Thanks for the compliment, sir," Dulmi said politely, then asked curiously, "So, uh... what exactly are you?"
In the Outer Zone, Dulmi was always curious. Even though most of the time he'd get no answers (and might even get him killed), he just couldn't help himself.
But this time, he seemed to have lucked out and met a "harmless" creature.
"I'm not a 'what.' I'm just dreaming," the figure replied in a soft, distant voice. "I dreamed up some wild stuff, and now my soul's just floating around. That's why I look like this to you."
Dulmi was taken aback but answered, "Funny, I think I'm dreaming too."
Day and night - which one was the real dream for him?
Most of the time, he felt like everything he experienced during the day was just deep sleep, waiting for him to open his eyes at night. Night was his real world, and the day was just a pleasant dream.
But sometimes, he'd rather believe the Outer Zone was just a dream. Maybe even a nightmare.
"Oh! Are you a creature walking in dreams too? Nice to meet you," the other seemed really excited, his floating phantom rippling like watercolors spreading. "...Oops, got a bit too worked up there."
"What happens then?"
"I'll wake up, and the dream will die. This is just a dream, I'll have to wake up eventually. The beginning and end of each dream is the birth and death of a 'dream creature.'"
Dulmi only half understood.
This seemed to be another human with "powers." These people always talked in riddles.
And could he really wake up from this "Outer Zone" dream?
"Well then, let me give you this dream," the figure said suddenly, "a little tribute for your singing."
The rainbow-colored humanoid handed Dulmi a small ball of light, then faded away.
Dulmi looked at the light ball, about the size of a baby's fist. It seemed to contain countless shifting, complex images - the dream creature's dream. But just glancing at it made his head spin.
A gift.
Who knows if it was out of kindness or malice.
Honestly, he didn't care. It was a gift, after all. Sometimes, he got lucky like this in the Outer Zone.
But he knew better than to open it right now.
Originally, Dulmi had planned to head straight home, but meeting this dreaming human had sparked his curiosity. He suddenly felt the itch to explore more of the Outer Zone.
He thought about what daytime Benjamin had mentioned about the "Senro Association" and what nighttime Benjamin had said about the "uninvited guests." Being a port city, any news from the outside world would've drifted in on the sea breeze.
So, how about checking out the Senro Association?