Recaps

Fu Qian watched Reginald attempt to purge Brain Fork’s contamination, but the creature transformed and attacked before the treatment could proceed. After the horse-like monster broke through Amira’s barrier, it pounced on Fu Qian, who let it reach him.

• Amira raised a barrier around Reginald and the volunteer while Fu Qian watched from outside.
• Reginald began purifying Brain Fork with silver-gray flames, but the contamination erupted and blasted him into the barrier.
• A horse-like creature made of multicolored leeches emerged from the mist, with Brain Fork still alive inside its hollow body.
• Reginald prepared to attack the creature, but it feinted and smashed through Amira’s barrier.
• Fu Qian used Thread of Concern and let the creature pounce on him.

Fu Qian let the nightmare creature cling to him so the Celestial Cult would keep investigating his unusual nature, while Amira and Reginald tried to understand its behavior. As Brain Fork neared death, a wave of frost surrounded Fu Qian, who realized that a hidden presence had been protecting him.

• Fu Qian used a Thread of Concern to pull the little horse onto himself, making Amira and Reginald think it had ambushed him after targeting Anke.
• Reginald and Amira noticed the creature was struggling to escape Fu Qian rather than invade him, while Fu Qian held it fast with tendrils.
• Fu Qian reassured them and asked what they had discovered, even as Reginald warned that Brain Fork had only about a minute to live.
• Reginald told Fu Qian that removing his mask would make no difference, then a wave of cold froze the room's water vapor.
• Fu Qian said he understood and recognized that a hidden presence had been protecting him as dreamlike, frostlike radiance enveloped his body.

Amira, Reginald, and Fu Qian uncovered a hidden transformation in the nightmare and escaped back to the bedroom after exactly one minute in reality. Reginald found that the nightmare’s gold pocket watch had come back with them and offered it to Fu Qian as his trophy.

• Amira and Reginald realized Anke’s frozen transformation had revealed a hidden danger connected to the nightmare, and Reginald destroyed the frozen corruption with his flames.
• The volunteer thanked Reginald, removed his mask, and the nightmare ended as Amira declared it was over.
• Back in the bedroom, Fu Qian noted that exactly one minute had passed, and Amira explained that the nightmare always limited real-world time to one minute.
• Amira confirmed that Anke remained in a special coma until the Brain Fork was removed, while Fu Qian returned the now-dull mask and said he felt better than ever.
• Reginald discovered that a broken-faced gold pocket watch had returned from the nightmare and offered it to Fu Qian as his trophy.

Fu Qian accepted Reginald's pocket watch and claimed the Dark Moon had granted him a powerful ability, then demonstrated it to Amira and Reginald. The display alarmed Amira when she realized its frost was endangering the man on the bed.

• Fu Qian accepted the pocket watch after Amira said the order would need his help again and he likely could not refuse.
• Amira and Reginald confirmed that Fu Qian and Reginald had no contamination or lasting changes after the night patrol.
• Fu Qian told Amira that his unusual power came from the Dark Moon, while privately planning to use the display to make the order invest more in finding the World Within the Painting.
• Fu Qian snapped his fingers and covered the room in invisible frost, showing that he could summon the power at will.
• Amira realized the frost was putting the man on the bed in danger and urgently told Fu Qian to stop.

After helping Amira and Reginald escape the church, Fu Qian returned to his lodgings under orders to stay nearby and avoid using his new power. In his room, he examined the broken Pocket Watch he had received and discovered writing inside it.

• Fu Qian stopped the volunteer from freezing Brain Fork to death, and Reginald removed it before the group left the church.
• Amira told Fu Qian to stay near his lodgings while she reported what happened, and warned that unauthorized use of his new gift would draw the hunters’ attention.
• Fu Qian returned home, where he realized Mrs. Harper was pretending to sleep and had noticed his absence.
• Fu Qian examined the Pocket Watch and deduced that Reginald had deliberately let him take it as spoils after the church’s investigation into the World Within the Painting.
• Fu Qian opened the Pocket Watch and read the lines of writing inside.

Fu Qian examined the Pocket Watch and theorized that it was actually the Duchess, transformed into an object after the World Within the Painting declined. His discovery suggested that something from the nightmare had returned in an unnatural form.

• Amira questioned Reginald’s decision to let Anke keep the Pocket Watch, but Reginald insisted that the report include everything and let others decide.
• Fu Qian studied the Pocket Watch’s inscription, which described a lady enduring the ravages of time and needing her damaged body restored.
• Fu Qian connected the inscription to the Duchess and recalled that his attack had left her near death while she still had the dismantled Pocket Watch.
• Fu Qian theorized that the Duchess had used the Pocket Watch as a vessel for her soul and later awakened in the Tide of Nightmares as an object.

Fu Qian concluded that the Leisens’ world might be a nightmare sustained by powerful laws and considered how to disrupt its order to free the people. He received an unexpected letter warning of a breach incident and offering him a chance to enter a Containment Scene.

• Fu Qian reasoned that the Pocket Watch and Duchess’s condition suggested the Leisens had fallen from reality into a nightmare.
• Fu Qian decided that pressuring the Celestial Cult’s order could create openings, and he preferred guiding its members over simply killing them.
• Fu Qian deliberately spoke aloud to prompt Mrs. Harper to bring him a letter earlier than planned.
• Fu Qian opened the letter and read a warning about a breach incident and an optional recontainment task that would cost 1 Sanity Value per entry.

Fu Qian accepted the Warehouse’s Lost Image mission and entered its containment scene through a strange sequence of intersections. Riding in a luxurious carriage as a doctor, he learned he had to purify the Blood of Blasphemy within Jian Wenlos before sunrise.

• Fu Qian received a Warehouse mission letter and followed its instructions to enter the scene by repeatedly crossing a sequence of intersections.
• The Warehouse loaded Containment Scene 2-191, where Fu Qian found himself alone in a luxurious carriage with his abilities and items intact.
• A prompt stated that Fu Qian had to purify the Blood of Blasphemy within Jian Wenlos before sunrise.
• Fu Qian examined the medical supplies and instruments in a heavy case as someone outside announced that they had arrived.

Fu Qian arrived at the Wenlos villa for a secret examination of Jian Wenlos, whose eyes had grown unnaturally large after an art salon. He began investigating the cause of her worsening condition and asked whether she had been having nightmares.

• Fu Qian was met by a butler who called him Doctor and led him to the villa without revealing names.
• Mrs. Wenlos welcomed Fu Qian and brought him to examine her daughter, Jian Wenlos.
• Fu Qian saw that Jian Wenlos had strikingly oversized brown eyes and learned that the change had begun about a week earlier and worsened after she returned from an art salon.
• Fu Qian suspected the family had arranged a private diagnosis to avoid the cult and asked whether Jian Wenlos had been having nightmares.

Fu Qian examined Jian Wenlos for signs of the Blood of Blasphemy but found her blood and health appeared normal. He left the Wenloses hopeful that further analysis might reveal an answer, then drank the blood sample himself.

• Mrs. Wenlos reacted warily when Fu Qian asked about nightmares, and Mr. Wenlos came in to calm her and let the examination continue.
• Fu Qian pricked Jian's finger with a needle and collected her blood while calling it a further check.
• Fu Qian found no signs of illness or contamination in Jian's blood and considered that the Blood of Blasphemy might be an abstract influence.
• Fu Qian reassured the Wenloses that he would analyze the sample further, then poured Jian's blood into his mouth.

Fu Qian found no abnormality in Miss Wenlos's blood and warned her family that she would be beyond saving by sunrise. He rang the Eternal Clarity of Thought and briefly made Jian Wenlos's enormous eyes look normal, but the change quickly faded.

• Fu Qian used Insight on Miss Wenlos's blood sample and found her physically ordinary, concluding that an abstract influence was likely behind her condition.
• Fu Qian told the Wenloses that Miss Wenlos would be beyond saving by sunrise, and Jian asked what blood tasted like.
• Fu Qian explained that he was preparing another test, then rang the Eternal Clarity of Thought in front of Jian.
• Jian's oversized eyes briefly became more proportionate before the change vanished, and Fu Qian could not tell whether her flesh had changed.

Fu Qian discovered that Jian’s condition involved a high-ranking supernatural influence affecting her sense of self, and he used the examination to confirm that she was ill without revealing what he had learned. After Mr. Wenlos escorted him to a room, Fu Qian looked out at the night sky and planned to investigate what caused Jian’s condition and what might happen by sunrise.

• Fu Qian recognized that a supernatural filter had been applied to Jian’s concept of self and connected the discovery to his suspicions about the Edicts.
• Mrs. Wenlos asked Jian whether she felt any different, but Jian had not noticed the brief change in her eyes.
• Fu Qian told the Wenloses that he had an initial idea about Jian’s condition but needed further tests before reaching a firm conclusion.
• Mr. Wenlos ended the examination and escorted Fu Qian to a private room to rest.
• Fu Qian looked up at the clear night sky and considered investigating Jian’s condition before sunrise.

Fu Qian questioned Nightingale, Jian’s tutor, about the girl’s condition and the strange fog outside the city. Nightingale began explaining what she knew about the fog after Fu Qian pressed her for details.

• Fu Qian watched the stars, gave up trying to interpret them, and accepted food and wine from a young woman who introduced herself as Nightingale.
• Fu Qian identified Nightingale as a tutor rather than a maid and asked how Jian was doing; she said she had not seen the girl since their outing two days earlier.
• Nightingale said she was worried about rumors of nightmares, but Fu Qian judged that Jian’s symptoms did not match them.
• Nightingale revealed that she and Jian had encountered thick fog outside the city, and that the Order had since forbidden people from entering the area without permission.
• Fu Qian asked Nightingale to tell him everything she knew about the fog, cutting off her hesitation.

Fu Qian questioned Natalie about her motives and used Clear Dream to make her reveal what the Order had discovered in the dense fog. After Natalie hurried back to Wenlos, he rushed in, convinced the test had worked.

• Fu Qian confronted Lady Nightingale, and she revealed that her name was Natalie and that she wanted Wenlos to lose his daughter out of revenge.
• Natalie said the dense fog had appeared before the nightmare wave, cut Lairding off from the outside, and led the Order to restrict access after people showed signs of corruption.
• Natalie admitted she wanted Fu Qian to confirm whether Jian had been corrupted, then tried to offer him a personal reward.
• Fu Qian activated Clear Dream, and Natalie revealed that the Order had encountered nearly unobservable, aggressive beings in the fog called the Abandoned Children of the Stars.
• Fu Qian told Natalie the test results were in and sent her back to the other room; Wenlos then rushed in and said the test seemed to have worked.

Fu Qian returned to examine Jian after her eyes recovered, but discovered that her voice and body were reverting to a more primitive state. He found no immediate abnormality in his test, yet the Wenlos family asked him to examine her again, leaving the cause unresolved.

• Wenlos asked Fu Qian to return and check on Jian after her eyes appeared to improve.
• Fu Qian noticed Jian's eyes had returned to normal, then asked her to speak and realized her voice had become unnaturally clear.
• Fu Qian concluded that Jian's body was regressing toward a more primitive state, despite finding no swelling in her mouth.
• Mr. Wenlos asked whether the change was a side effect of the bell, but Fu Qian said the test results were not ready.
• After waiting half an hour, Fu Qian found everything normal, but the Wenlos family asked him to examine Jian again.

Fu Qian investigated Jian’s sudden physical changes and suspected that his use of Eternal Clarity of Thought had triggered a new influence from the edict. His hypnotic questioning revealed that a voice had told Jian to be alone, leaving him to wonder whether something had acted with humanlike intent.

• Fu Qian decided to stay and examine Jian further after her changes ruled out an ordinary illness.
• Jian told Fu Qian that she had been alone for about ten minutes before her mother returned and noticed her condition.
• Fu Qian suspected that Jian’s original edict influence had vanished and a new one had appeared after he used Eternal Clarity of Thought.
• Fu Qian used Clear Dream to question Jian about why she had wanted to be alone.
• Jian recalled that a voice had spoken by her ear and told her she needed time alone.

Fu Qian questioned Jian about the voice she heard and suggested that an art salon might have caused her distress. After Mr. Wenlos agreed to involve Jian’s tutor, Natalie arrived for questioning.

• Jian told Fu Qian that a voice had ordered her to make her mother leave, but she could not recall what it sounded like.
• Fu Qian reassured the Wenlos family that Jian’s symptoms likely came from emotional turmoil and pointed out a painting she liked.
• Fu Qian asked whether Jian had recently attended an art salon, and Mr. Wenlos confirmed that she had gone with her mother and tutor.
• Fu Qian asked to speak with Jian’s tutor, and Mr. Wenlos agreed to bring her over.
• Mr. Wenlos returned with Natalie, who entered Jian’s room and looked around.

Fu Qian questioned Natalie, Mrs. Wenlos, and Jian about the gathering, hoping to learn more about the entity influencing Jian. Their answers revealed that Jian’s vision had suddenly gone dark after she stared at a painting, and Fu Qian used Clear Dream to investigate.

• Fu Qian brought Natalie into Jian’s room and revealed that he knew her, startling Mr. Wenlos.
• Fu Qian asked Natalie, Mrs. Wenlos, and Jian whether they had noticed anything unusual at the gathering.
• Natalie recalled that Jian had spent a long time looking at a painting in the organizer’s collection.
• Natalie said Jian had later closed her eyes because her vision was bothering her, a detail she had kept from Mrs. Wenlos.
• Jian explained that her vision had suddenly gone dark, and Fu Qian activated Clear Dream to question her further.

Fu Qian helped Jian recall that she had seen every detail of the painting before closing her eyes, leading the Wenlos family to suspect that a voice had warned her about its influence. He framed the incident as the painting’s powerful artistic impact, but Mr. Wenlos realized it might have been anomalous and that Fu Qian had been subtly alerting him.

• Fu Qian questioned Jian about what she felt when her vision went black, and she recalled experiencing no discomfort and seeing the painting clearly before closing her eyes.
• Jian concluded that the phenomenon had already been present, and Fu Qian agreed that her recollection supported that possibility.
• Mr. Wenlos asked Fu Qian to treat the diagnosis as only a guess, and Fu Qian reassured the family that the painting’s artistic impact had overwhelmed Jian.
• Fu Qian praised Jian’s perceptiveness and said a painting could make people dream, prompting Mr. Wenlos to suspect it had supernatural influence.
• Mr. Wenlos realized the voice had told Jian to close her eyes to protect her from the painting, and that Fu Qian had been subtly warning him.

Mr. and Mrs. Wenlos suspected the fog had caused Jian’s strange voice and eyes, but they hesitated to take her to the Order because of how it treated people connected to the fog. Fu Qian left with Natalie, who challenged him about his motives and the state of Jian’s condition.

• Mr. Wenlos realized Fu Qian had guided Jian’s treatment, while Mrs. Wenlos sent Natalie to escort the doctor away.
• Mrs. Wenlos told Mr. Wenlos that Jian should be taken to the Order because the fog likely caused her condition, but he worried the Order would treat her harshly.
• Fu Qian overheard the Wenloses deciding to wait longer and trust Natalie to keep Jian’s condition secret.
• Natalie confronted Fu Qian about sending her away, and he said he had kept their agreement by letting her see Jian for herself.
• Natalie insisted Jian could not be fine, but Fu Qian claimed credit for her apparent recovery and went inside.

Fu Qian treated Jian’s corruption, then examined a new transformation after her voice returned and her legs became transparent with blood vessels spiraling into vortices. He concluded the force turning her toward a primordial state had vanished, but the Wenlos family faced a disturbing new change.

• Fu Qian told Natalie that Jian had recovered and dismissed her, while hoping his provocation would lead her to reveal more.
• Mr. Wenlos returned to ask Fu Qian to examine Jian after she changed again.
• Jian revealed that transparent flesh and spiraling blood vessels had spread across both legs, while her voice had returned.
• Fu Qian recognized the blood-vessel pattern as incomplete on her left leg and asked whether the change had appeared after the family returned.
• Fu Qian realized the force driving Jian toward a primordial state had disappeared, then startled Mrs. Wenlos by guessing she had gone out.

Fu Qian realized that someone behind the Star-Abandoned was manipulating events whenever he was sent away from Jian. When the Order’s Olyntel arrived at the Wenlos home, Fu Qian left Jian with her mother and went to help Mr. Wenlos, who was confronted by an unfamiliar voice outside the door.

• Fu Qian concluded that the Wenloses’ repeated decisions to send him away pointed to a hidden mastermind acting whenever he was absent.
• After returning, Fu Qian told Mrs. Wenlos that Jian’s voice had recovered and predicted she would be well before daybreak, despite her transformed feet.
• A butler announced that His Excellency Olyntel of the Order had arrived to see Mr. Wenlos.
• Fu Qian asked Jian if she could stay alone, then sent Mrs. Wenlos to help her husband and left the room.
• Mr. Wenlos told the butler to take Olyntel to the drawing room, but an unfamiliar voice outside asked him to open the door.

Olyntel arrived at the Wenlos home, where Natalie accused Fu Qian of being a quack and risking Jian’s life. Olyntel agreed to examine Jian, but froze when he saw her lying in bed.

• Olyntel visited the Wenlos home, and Mr. Wenlos welcomed him while trying to stay calm.
• Olyntel noticed Fu Qian, and Mr. Wenlos asked whether he could help with Jian’s illness.
• Natalie entered and accused the Wenloses of trusting a quack with Jian’s life.
• Fu Qian identified himself as a quack, and Olyntel asked to examine Jian.
• Olyntel followed Mr. Wenlos to Jian’s room and froze when he saw her.

Olyntel examined Jian after her parents feared her condition was worsening and discovered that the patterns in her transparent feet were a natural star sigil, marking her as a genius blessed by the stars. He assured the Wenlos family that Jian was healthy, and they turned to Fu Qian, who had already told them so.

• Natalie confronted Mr. and Mrs. Wenlos as Olyntel hurried to Jian's bedside and asked when her change had begun.
• Jian showed Olyntel the vortex-like patterns in her feet and said she had been lying by the window looking at the sky.
• Olyntel recognized the patterns as a natural manifestation of a star sigil and declared that Jian was blessed by the stars.
• Olyntel explained that Jian was not contaminated and assured her parents that she was fine.
• Mr. and Mrs. Wenlos looked toward Fu Qian, who smiled and gestured that she had told them Jian was fine.

Fu Qian identified Jian’s episode at the art salon as a nightmare triggered by a dangerous painting, while Olyntel accepted his diagnosis and promised the Order would investigate. The Wenloses were reassured, but Olyntel still planned to bring Fu Qian under the Order’s guidance.

• Natalie challenged Fu Qian’s earlier behavior, prompting Mr. Wenlos to explain Jian’s unusual symptoms and her experience at the art salon.
• Jian described how her vision darkened after she stared at a street artist’s painting.
• Fu Qian said the painting had triggered a self-preservation mechanism and identified the danger as a nightmare.
• Olyntel agreed that Jian’s symptoms could stem from her resonance with the laws of the stars and said the Order would investigate the painting.
• Olyntel praised Fu Qian and suggested he receive guidance from the Order, and Fu Qian replied that he could only share humble opinions.