When Stark and Steve entered the asylum, the entire corridor was pitch-black. Only one door stood open, its light cast against the opposite wall like a pale blue painting.
The two slowed their pace and gradually approached. Upon reaching the doorway, Steve pressed himself against the wall and peeked inside first. The ward was tiny, completely visible at a glance, yet there was no one inside. Or rather, there was something that was not human—a god with a skeletal falcon head.
Khonshu sat on the edge of the bed, holding a wooden rod. Stark recognized him and strode inside, demanding angrily, "Khonshu??? Why are you here?! You controlled Schiller! Where is he now?!"
When Khonshu saw Stark and Steve enter, he wore an extremely strange expression. Stark thought he might be hallucinating—he could actually see grievance on the face of a skeletal bird head.
But Khonshu's next movement told Stark it was no illusion, because he heard Khonshu let out a deep sigh. That sigh contained far too many complicated emotions: grievance, worry, and profound regret.
Steve, who had just entered, paid no attention to the strange-looking Khonshu. Instead, he focused on the wooden rod in his hand, which looked remarkably like a clothesline pole. Besides the rod, the floor was littered with all kinds of rings and glowing beads. Steve circled the room but still could not make sense of what had happened, so he could only ask:
"Uh, hello, Mr. Hawk? Are you a hawk? Why are you here? What exactly happened here? Have you seen Schiller?"
Steve heard Khonshu sigh again. He set the bare wooden rod aside, looked around the ward, and said:
"You should be Schiller's friends, right? Since you have found this place, I assume you know something about the dream world."
"That's right.