After Lights Out

The story begins in an abandoned ancient castle. No one knows its exact history anymore, but residents of the nearby villages all agree that the castle was "haunted." Light sources in the hands of anyone who entered would unnaturally extinguish, and those who remained in the castle's darkness for too long would be taken away by ghosts, never to return. This rumor spread among niche paranormal enthusiasts, and a group of curious young people gathered together to explore the castle, only to vanish without a trace… Their parents hired an Anomaly Hunter skilled at operating in darkness to search the castle for the missing persons, but in the end, that Anomaly Hunter never located the missing people. They only retrieved the culprit behind everything: a lamp.

Anomaly U-2016(Ob) is a lamp we call "After Lights Out." Its craftsmanship bears traces of different eras. It has no power cord, yet it can still be switched on. When illuminated, it appears no different from a common lamp. However, after being lit for a period, it gradually begins to flicker and eventually goes out. Afterward, within a certain radius centered on it, all light sources gradually extinguish, forming an unnatural "dark zone." Such a zone is its Anomalous Realm, within which, the brightness of all light sources is severely limited and will extinguish after a short time. From outside the dark zone, it is nearly impossible to see what is happening inside. After entering the dark zone, a person will unknowingly transform into a blurry "Shadow" creature. Only by relighting After Lights Out can the surroundings return to brightness and the Shadows be restored to their original human forms. However, if someone remains in Shadow form within the dark zone for too long, when the lamp is relit and the dark zone disappears, the Shadow will disappear along with it… Those poor souls are forever lost in the realm of Shadows.

Fear of the dark is instinctive, as is curiosity about the unknown. Whether to prove we are fearless or to discover what truly hides in the darkness, we are always driven by instinct to step into the dark. After Lights Out is like an anglerfish with an extinguished lure, lying in wait for the next batch of curious explorers…

· Appears as a Common lamp.

· After extinguishing, the surroundings are gradually devoured by darkness, and light sources within range go out one by one.

· People in the dark zone transform into Shadows, only being restored after After Lights Out is relit. Those who remain in Shadow form for too long may be unable to recover.

Light the lamp. This is not a permanent nullification method; it can only eliminate its effects. However, unless Ebisu agrees, we cannot forcibly nullify it.

Moderate hazard.

Guaranteed by the Ebisu Auction House.

Maintain surveillance on this Anomaly. When it begins to flicker, immediately pull the switch to relight it.