"Director Edward, your new film The Final Reflection has just surpassed seven hundred million at the second month in the cinema. What are your thoughts on this achievement?"
Faced with the reporter's question, Edward's expression remained extremely calm. The Final Reflection was the last film he had chosen to release. What he did not expect was that he had greatly underestimated the overwhelming power of his own Grandmaster-level skills.
Under the enhancement of those skills, the audiences who watched the film kept returning for rewatch after rewatch, and the ratings climbed to an astonishing height. Up to this very moment, the film maintained a perfect score of ten out of ten.
This was something practically unimaginable. After all, in this era, film and television works always existed in a state similar to "a thousand readers will give birth to a thousand Hamlets." And that description was absolutely true, trying to make every single person content was completely impossible.
Even money, something universally adored by countless people, still had its detractors. Some wealthy individuals would say things like, "Being rich is painful. I was happiest when I had no money." Yet if you truly sent them back to the days when they were penniless, they would absolutely refuse to go.
Because of that, Edward didn't expect any special outcome at the beginning. To him, all of this wasn't anything unique. He only wanted to write and film something meaningful. But after the movie officially premiered, what followed was wave after wave of fully sold-out screenings that never stopped.
That left Edward half-amused and half-helpless, he genuinely had not expected such a situation to occur. Still, he was happy about it. Since it had happened, it meant this film had sparked ideas, emotions, and changes in people.
Thinking of this, Edward's eyes became reflective. He gazed at everything before him, thoughts rippling beneath his calm expression. He had his own understanding of the situation. In his opinion, the reason audiences kept watching the film wasn't primarily because of him, but because the enhancement of his Grandmaster-tier directing skills made the immersion and emotional depth far too addictive for viewers to escape from.
Still, when reporters pressed him for explanations, Edward simply smiled and told them that viewers should enjoy the film at their own pace, without overthinking it. He even joked with them, saying, "For all we know, we might be characters inside a novel right now, being observed by watchers from a higher-dimensional world."
The reporters couldn't help showing amazement at that remark. But whether that admiration was genuine or superficial, Edward did not care. It didn't hold any meaning to him. He had already declared his retreat.
After all the years since he transmigrated into the Pokémon world, he had done so many things—giving countless Pokémon entirely new lives, and even sending someone like Giovanni, a notorious underworld kingpin, into prison. He felt that his life had already reached a perfect ending.
Thinking about all of this, a faint smile crossed his face. He did have thoughts about the life ahead of him, but first, he needed to finish dealing with these reporters before he could finally rest and enjoy his new chapter.
The overwhelming success of The Final Reflection might have astonished others, but Edward believed it was normal. With so many Grandmaster-level abilities at work, as long as you didn't put an actual pig in the director's seat, things would not go wrong. He also believed no one would ever guess what he was truly capable of.
With that in mind, he decided to hold an official press conference to address all the rising curiosity in one unified setting. Many people agreed with this idea, intrigued by the mysterious elements surrounding the film.
Edward, seeing their reactions, simply felt more curious himself. For their questions, he had explanations ready, so he held the press conference as planned and discussed the film thoroughly. Meanwhile, the box office continued soaring higher and higher.
People kept watching the movie. The twists and reversals he created stirred up endless fascination. Many wondered why Edward would craft such a concept, and he gave them a simple explanation, talking briefly about what he had been doing recently. The audience accepted his answers. Of course, there were a few who attempted to attack him for attention, but their efforts were meaningless. Edward had already retired—there would be no more films for anyone to latch onto.
And beyond no longer being a director, Edward had another identity—one far more untouchable. Once these opportunists remembered the sheer scale of the Devon Corporation behind him, they immediately backed down. None of them wanted to offend someone who could ruin their lives with a single displeased gesture.
As for Edward himself, he did not care about these petty provocations. His heart was no longer invested in such matters. He had plans to go traveling with friends, and he also had to manage matters concerning his "vengeful ghost employees."
After all, his ghostly staff members were each busy with their own affairs. Miss Tomie, for instance, was constantly occupied, fulfilling her responsibilities while also dealing with the unusual requests of tourists from time to time. Her existence attracted plenty of curiosity and attention. Edward needed to check in on that situation.
Then there was Freddy. Upon thinking of Freddy, Edward's expression became complicated. He knew Freddy's world was a special one. That was precisely why Edward had given him guidance. Times had changed—old-fashioned scare tactics no longer fit the era.
Freddy had listened. After learning from Edward for a while, he began walking down a completely new path. Edward kept an eye on his progress. In that world filled with spirits and eldritch beings, Freddy had actually established an orthodox religious sect and even affiliated it with—
Edward coughed lightly. Censorship gods were too terrifying nowadays; he did not want trouble at the brink of retirement.
Nevertheless, Freddy was thriving. To maintain a benevolent image for his followers, he even changed his face to a holy-looking one. It was absurdly unbelievable, yet strangely effective. His preaching spread smoothly, and offering people beautiful dreams, allowing them to experience paradise in sleep, brought salvation to many. Freddy now lived blissfully, smiling every day. The once fearsome nightmare demon had become shockingly upright and well-adjusted.
Freddy Krueger, the former nightmare of the Elm Street, had once terrorized countless children with his jagged claws, burnt face, and eerie laughter. Every night had been a season of fear. But as time passed, the population of Elm Street dwindled. Freddy realized his hunting grounds were shrinking. The bustling streets grew empty, and the children's screams faded into silence. For the first time, the nightmare ghost felt lost.
Standing at the end of the empty road, he wondered whether his era had ended. Without victims to terrify, he would eventually fade into obscurity.
Then, in a dream one night, something changed. Entering a child's dream as usual, ready to inflict terror, he found himself hesitating. The fear in the child's eyes stirred something unusual in his chest—a flicker of pity.
"Maybe… I should try something different," he thought.
He changed his appearance, replacing horror with a gentle smile. The child froze… then smiled back. Freddy was stunned. When he stopped creating nightmares and instead gave beautiful dreams, the child's fear melted away, replaced by pure joy.
And since learning from Edward, new ideas had been sprouting in Freddy's mind.
That single moment became a turning point, it gave Freddy an entirely new direction. From that day forward, he vowed to stop being a nightmare maker and instead become a bringer of dreams.
He studied dream-weaving, learned to create warmth and happiness, and used gentle gestures instead of claws. Bit by bit, he improved, and soon, the children eagerly awaited bedtime for the chance to meet him. It filled Freddy with a satisfaction far deeper than fear ever brought.
His reputation changed. Parents noticed their children slept better, healthier and happier than ever before. For the first time in his life, Freddy was appreciated, even loved.
Still, not everyone trusted him. Some remained wary, afraid he would revert to his old ways. Freddy understood. To earn true trust, he needed long-term sincerity—and he worked for it, night after night, until even the last lingering doubts dissolved.
The Freddy of today was no longer the monster who haunted nightmares. He had become a guardian of dreams, using his power to spread joy and hope. No longer alone, he finally understood his purpose.
"Perhaps this… is the meaning of my existence," Freddy mused, gazing at Elm Street's night sky. In his heart, he was deeply grateful to Edward. Without him, Freddy would never have found this path.
To express his gratitude, Freddy even sent Edward a gift, an object from his past. Rumor had it that wearing it granted one the same power Freddy once wielded. Edward used it during the filming of The Final Reflection, which was why the ghosts portrayed in the movie were so terrifyingly realistic.
Thanks to that, Freddy lived comfortably now, and Edward no longer needed to worry about him. The only one he still needed to supervise was Tomie. Tomie and the mysterious pretty boy from the crossroads were currently staying in the amusement park and seemed to be living well enough. Visitors from other realms often came by to see them, leaving Edward in a state of amused helplessness.
But the rumor was that their world was on the verge of collapse, and that was how things had reached this point.
"I really didn't expect their world would actually collapse…" Edward murmured thoughtfully. He genuinely had not anticipated such an outcome. Worlds could collapse? The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. But in the end, he shrugged. He was already retired—this was no longer his problem.
(End of Chapter)