"I don't know what my desire is."
In the room hung with a black wolf mask, Chang Xu looked at the wolf's head, which had the texture of a statue, and spoke calmly.
"There are many things I want. When I was very young, I wanted enough food to eat my fill every day, without having to wait for the next meal with an empty stomach.
"Later, I wanted to live. I wanted there to be no more innocent people dying within my sight, for everyone to live peacefully, as though the Eerie Game had never descended.
"I wanted to become stronger—strong enough to eliminate everything that could kill me. Yet I also didn't want others to fear or guard against me. I didn't like being treated as a monster.
"I seem to be a greedy person. As soon as one wish is partly fulfilled, another springs up. But I don't know whether those are truly my desires."
Chang Xu lowered his eyes and said with slight confusion, "I heard that desire is instinctive, focused, and intense—something you won't let go of until it's achieved. I don't seem to feel that way."
Sphinx's expression remained indifferent. The crescent-shaped eyes on the wolf's head watched Chang Xu. "I can see that the depths of your heart are filled with chaotic clouds and mist. Confused, shifting figures overlap within them. An invisible force binds you, forever keeping you just inches away from discovering your desire.
"But I have pierced through those tangled barriers and seen your desire at this very moment. It is someone like you. You want to kill him."
It was like dropping a stone into muddy water to draw in the impurities; his hazy, indistinct thoughts instantly took on substance.
Chang Xu realized that his scattered wishes seemed wholly