The Black Room

"I saw it..."

"I saw it..."

Qin Yiguan stood in the empty office, his gaze unfocused as he stared ahead.

He recalled the scene he had just witnessed at the Qin Variant Association.

The long, black room floated in mid-air.

As if guided by some unseen force, he directly grasped the doorknob of the fourth door.

Click.

With just a gentle turn, the iron gate opened on its own.

The room was dark and the sense of space was vague. The interior space seemed infinitely large, yet also only a few dozen square meters.

In the center of the room stood a long table. In the dim light, a beam of not-so-bright white light fell straight down on the center of the table, illuminating the surroundings slightly.

The room was extremely quiet.

But every now and then, a soft, crisp 'glug' sound could be heard.

Around the table, twelve high-backed chairs were arranged without any particular order of importance.

A 'glug' sound came from a chair with its back to Qin Yiguan.

Qin Yiguan walked cautiously and lightly forward.

Finally, I could see clearly that on the table in front of the chair was an exquisite black ceramic plate, and on the plate were a dozen or so colorful candies.

A Child's small hand keeps reaching towards the table, trying to grab candy.

Qin Yiguan's expression flickered as he continued walking forward, finally able to see the front of the tall chair back.

It was a little boy with soft hair and bright black eyes. He put colorful candies in his mouth, and the candies rolled back and forth between his teeth, making 'gurgling' and 'clattering' sounds.

"Child?"

Qin Yiguan was taken aback.

This is a personality that formed when I was 6 years old, around the same time as Black Calamity. It appeared several times, but its origins and whereabouts are unclear.

The last time he appeared was when he and Black Calamity were hiding together in that black wardrobe.

Upon noticing Qin Yiguan's arrival, the Child immediately became cautious, their eyes darting around, their bodies instinctively curling up in the large chair, and even their movements to grab the candy paused slightly.

Child are often perceived as timid or withdrawn.

Qin Yiguan was also well aware of the Child's abilities and temperament. If anyone disturbed him from eating candy, he could compress space with a wave of his hand and crush the person into mincemeat!

Qin Yiguan's movements also became slower and gentler.

The air was still for a moment.

The Child seemed to relax their guard and continued grabbing the candy, the 'glug, glug' sounds ringing out again.

But it was also at this time.

The Child picked up a red candy from the plate, but instead of putting it in his mouth, he held it out to the front of his mouth. His expression was somewhat blank, but the meaning was clear. "Do you want some?"

Qin Yiguan's expression hardened.

The Child didn't offer the candy to himself, but instead offered it to the seat opposite him.

Qin Yiguan slowly turned his head and saw a little boy sitting on the other side of the black table. He was about six years old, wearing a hospital gown, with empty eyes and a dark shadow hidden deep in his Pupil.

"Black Calamity..."

Qin Yiguan's eyes widened slowly, a sense of horror creeping into his heart. "The Child is handing candy to Black Calamity."

The feeling I'm experiencing is like two childhood playmates having a silent conversation.

Perhaps, the bond between them was formed because they hid together in the closet.

"Child sharing candy with others..."

Qin Yiguan found it unbelievable. In his mind, Child were beings who would treat other people's lives as worthless for the sake of candy.

Black Calamity slowly shook his head, even managing a slight smile, the meaning quite clear—you eat.

Immediately.

Black Calamity suddenly turned his head and looked at the seat next to him.

A child, also around six years old, wearing a straitjacket, had his eyes closed, seemingly dozing off, but slowly opened them when Black Calamity's gaze fell upon him.

"Dream General."

Qin Yiguan's Pupil trembled slightly.

Dream General, who had just woken up, still had a misty look in his eyes. He slowly turned his head to look at the seat on the other side of him.

The Plunderer were also a personality formed during the time at the Ring Research Institute, perhaps even younger, around 5 years old.

He sat in the position corresponding to door Number Four, his back flashing with a red neural network. At this moment, countless red threads extended from the neural network, piercing through door Number Four and extending outside the room.

"Those 'illusions' that protect isotopes."

Qin Yiguan now understood, "It's the 'simulation' ability of the Plunderer!"

On the opposite seat, a figure shrouded in mist emanated an aura of ferocity and bloodlust, which spread invisibly. A chilling glint could also be faintly sensed from the long sword he held to his chest.

"He is..."

"The ' Higher Self ' Slaughterer I cannot invoke."

Qin Yiguan looked at the black room, the long table, and the figures on the table.

The various personalities from his childhood have come together.

The "Higher Self" that I can invoke is in very clear form, sitting in different chairs.

The Slaughterer that one cannot summon are in a semi-hidden, semi-revealed state.

As for why the Boundless One did not appear, the reason is obvious. Strictly speaking, he is not his own personality; he is a clone of himself, a Digital Human. Previously, he entered his mind in the form of code.

Qin Yiguan's thoughts flashed rapidly.

Is Qin Variants of the president, his own personality?

And do these personalities of his/herself govern all his/her counterparts?

Something felt off, yet the scene before me seemed to be conveying the same message.

creak...

The seat corresponding to Gate 7 suddenly moved back half a meter without any external force.

He happened to be right next to Qin Yiguan.

The various personalities turned their heads simultaneously and quietly looked at Qin Yiguan.

Can I sit here?

In the empty room, Qin Yiguan spoke, which echoed back, but no one answered.

At this moment, Qin Yiguan suddenly remembered a quote from Dr. House.

Patients with dissociative identity disorder have at least two or more personalities.

These personalities possess independent thoughts and personalities, and do not interfere with each other.

"Sometimes, they even communicate and converse in the patient's mind, brainstorming solutions to problems faced by a particular personality."

At this moment, Qin Yiguan's thoughts were in turmoil.

I.

Do we now have the right to talk to them?

I.

Have you gained a friend?

I.

Has the condition worsened...?