The obsidian spires of Nocturn Keep pierced the sky like broken promises, each one humming with ancient curses. Inside, the air was thick with shadow and incense, curling around the velvet-draped throne where Nyxus sat—Demon King of the Night, sovereign of silence, architect of dreams twisted into dread.

His voice, low and deliberate, echoed through the chamber like a distant storm.

“The nightmare district festers,” he said, fingers drumming against the armrest carved from petrified bone. “Whispers of rebellion. Dreams bleeding into daylight. I want names.”

The councillor, cloaked in ash-gray robes and fear, bowed low. “My lord, the Dreambinders grow restless. They speak of the old pact… of the Moonborn.”

Nyxus leaned forward, eyes gleaming like twin voids. “Then let them speak. And let them choke on every word.”

Outside, the moon trembled.

The councillor’s voice trembled, but he pressed on. “The Moonborn claim the pact was broken when the Dreambinders were cast into the Hollow. They demand restoration… or retribution.”

Nyxus rose from his throne, the folds of his midnight cloak trailing like spilled ink across the marble floor. The torches dimmed at his movement, as if the flames themselves feared to burn too brightly in his presence.

“Restoration,” he echoed, tasting the word like poison. “They forget who forged the pact. Who bled for it. Who still holds the seal.”

He stepped toward the great window overlooking the Nightmare District. Below, the midnight dusk spun like smoke amidst the void below. Souls, even now, screaming for retribution. But he ignored it all, letting pride fester in his gut. These were all souls he owned.

“Send the Warden of Whispers,” Nyxus commanded. “Let him walk the dreampaths. I want every Moonborn thought catalogued. Every rebellion dreamt, dissected.”

The councillor bowed, but hesitated. “And if they resist?”

Nyxus turned, his eyes twin abysses. “Then we remind them what night truly means.”

Thunder cracked across the sky, and somewhere in the district, a dream screamed itself awake.

The battle between Dreams and Nightmares would continue. The Daybreakers would not win.