Han Yu's heart beat faster.
He thought of the hallucinations, the voices, the strange dreams and creeping dread. All of that… in exchange for safety from something worse?
"The illusions," he said slowly. "They're the price?"
"A piece of peace. A sliver of their calm. A disturbance of mind in exchange for safety of soul." The owl's voice grew quieter. "It is a fair trade. And they all recover in time."
Han Yu stared, words caught in his throat. "So you're not the enemy…"
"No. I am the veil."
It was then the owl's final revelation struck like thunder.
"Your superiors know this. They have always known."
Han Yu froze.
He had suspected it—suspected it ever since the peak heads remained silent and unmoved. But to hear it confirmed…
He exhaled sharply.
So this wasn't some unknown horror.
It was a sanctioned one.
A guardian.
The hallucinations were a shield, not an attack.
He looked at the owl one last time.
"I understand," he murmured. "But why me? Why show yourself to me?"
