Nightmare

"Aurora attacked me."

These words echoed in Lumian's ears like a dam suddenly collapsing, the Flood rushing into his mind, washing away all the Blood-Colored cracks that were originally buried under the silt, leaving them Pale White, painful, and piercing.

Lumian saw those images again: the Parish Priest Guillaume Béné, besieged in the Wilderness by a large number of burlap-clad Undead; Madame Pualis, flying in mid-air with her wings spread; and the Blond Hair figure reflected in her Eyes.

That's Aurora!

Lumian also saw the walls on the Third Floor of the Castle covered with pale blue-white transparent faces, Louis Lund giving birth, Sybil Berri Rebirth in the body of a Maid, and Guillaume Béné, Pierre Berri, Pons Béné, and other members of the Fate battling Guillaume midwife, the Administrator Beaost, and others.

All of these images come from his own perspective, from fist-sized bubbles floating in mid-air.

"White Paper"...

"White Paper!"

Lumian's expression Distortion, and he arched his back in Pain.

The veins on his skin bulged outwards, bluish-purple, and densely packed.

At the same time, the words left behind by the "Psychiatrist" Susie flashed through his mind:

"Always remember not to overreact. If you have a similar reaction, immediately use methods such as deep breathing to calm yourself down and ease the situation..."

Lumian gasped for breath, as if the surroundings had become a vacuum.

Seeing his appearance, Madame Pualis said with a hint of sympathy, "You have indeed forgotten many things, no, you have buried them Depths in your heart, afraid to touch them."

"I was in a lot of Pain and distress at the time. It was only after I became a ' Banshee ' that I met Women who could truly touch my heart. She was so Charm, so kind, both quiet and lively. I couldn't believe that she would attack me and stand in my way as a follower of Evil God god."

"At that time, she was already a ' Fate Hunter,' and she was more favored by Fate than Guillaume Béné."

Lumian couldn't help but raise his hands and press them against his head, as if it were about to explode from the inside out.

With each deep breath, he recalled Aurora, who had always dismissed his stories of village oddities; Aurora, who had warned him not to look at things he shouldn't; Aurora, who always sat on the roof at night gazing at the Starry Sky; the transparent "Lizard" that crawled out of Aurora's mouth in his dream; Naa La Yiza and others who were among the first to spread Zodiac superstitions—all of whom were close to Aurora.

Along with all this, he recalled how, after discovering Raymond and Ava's deaths, he failed to take revenge on Pons Béné, was captured by that group, suffered some torture, but was eventually released; he remembered Aurora, just as solemn and worried as himself, cutting up the Little Blue Book and piecing together Request for Help; he remembered Aurora explaining Mysticism knowledge to him; he remembered Aurora, Eyes moved during the Ritual, as if she had come alive, pushing Aurora off the Altar...

Huff, huff... Lumian gasped for breath, as if still trapped in that Nightmare, unable to wake up.

Madame Pualis sighed softly:

"I should have noticed her unusual behavior sooner. Although neither of us visited her very often, I had noticed that she liked to look up at the Starry Sky at night and always said strange things about her ' Homeland '."

"In the realm of Mysticism, the Starry Sky is a dangerous thing, especially for Beyonder."

"Later, I wanted her to believe in the Great Mother, but it was too late..."

Lumian's lips moved, and she asked with great difficulty, "When did she start acting abnormally?"

He remembered clearly that Aurora had always had the habit of gazing at the Starry Sky and reminiscing about her Homeland, but in the Primordial One few years, nothing happened.

Of course, Lumian admitted that Aurora had been looking at the Starry Sky more frequently in the past year, but he couldn't remember exactly when that started.

Madame Pualis shook her head, suppressing her other emotions, and said with a laugh, "You should ask yourself, you're with her every day, while I'm not. Sometimes I'm jealous of you, and sometimes I think you're not bad either. Why should we be bound by the rules of a vulgar society instead of letting go of ourselves and enjoying the joys of life?"

Lumian seemed not to hear what Madame Pualis was saying. He remained buried in his hands, pressing his head, staring at the floor of the carriage, and muttered to himself, "Who, who made her believe in Fate?"

"Perhaps only she knows the answer, it's a pity..." Madame Pualis sighed again.

Lumian fell silent, taking deep breaths repeatedly.

Once, twice, three times... After what seemed like an eternity, he finally straightened his back, lowered his hands, and looked at Madame Pualis:

Have you seen any Lizard- like Elf in the village?

"No." Madame Pualis shook her head.

The transparent "Lizard" in my dream was merely a symbol, representing a belief in Fate, or does it also exist in reality, just hidden deep within? Lumian kept pondering this, as if only in this way could he avoid touching the sharp blades embedded in his heart.

He then raised a new question:

"Have you heard the legend of the Warlock? The one where nine oxen are needed to pull the Coffin?"

"No." Madame Pualis shook her head again.

Lumian asked one question after another, until finally he no longer knew what he was asking, nor whether Madame Pualis had answered, and even her face became blurry and unclear in his memory, as if she were dozens or hundreds of meters away.

Sometime later, the four-wheeled carriage stopped. Lumian returned to the roadside in a daze and walked aimlessly forward without stopping.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The Church bells rang, and it was midnight.

Lumian suddenly regained consciousness and found himself back outside the Golden Rooster Inn.

He instinctively went up the steps, ready to push open the door, but after a few seconds of hesitation, he retreated back to the street, dragging his feet, like a wandering soul, and walked towards the end of the Messy Street.

He walked all the way to Market Avenue, where the sky, which had been gloomy all night, was finally covered with dark clouds, obscuring both the Crimson Moon and the Stars.

Lumian arrived at the entrance of the Breeze Ballroom and heard intense drumming and a cacophony of voices inside, creating an exceptionally lively atmosphere.

He seemed unable to bear the environment, suddenly turned around, staggered to the roadside, found a shady spot far from the nearest Gas Streetlamp, and sat down on the ground.

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, as time passed, raindrops fell to the ground, onto Lumian's head, and into his eyes.

The raindrops gradually became more frequent, their pattering sounds blending together.

Lumian did not move, as if he had become a Statues, letting the rain soak his hair, wet his face, and drench his clothes.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared above his head, and the raindrops disappeared.

Lumian looked up blankly and saw a dark blue umbrella, a metal frame supporting the fabric, and Jenna holding the handle.

He withdrew his gaze, staring Cavern at the middle of the road, which was now splattered with water mist. He neither stopped Jenna nor paid her any attention.

Jenna wore heavy smoky makeup and a red low-cut dress studded with sequins, with a light-colored shawl with large holes draped over her shoulders, making her look less revealing.

She stared at Lumian for a few seconds, but didn't ask any questions. She remained standing beside him, holding her umbrella.

The heavy rain lasted for a full hour before it subsided, with only occasional drops of Water Droplet still dripping from the buildings on both sides and the streetlights.

Lumian slowly stood up as if he had lost something.

As Jenna folded her umbrella, she said to herself, "The rain will eventually stop, just as darkness will eventually Past, the Sun will rise, and light will surely shine upon the earth."

Lumian remained silent for a long while, gazing at the dark road ahead, and said, "How would you feel if you discovered that someone you trusted wasn't what you thought?"

Instead of answering his question, Jenna countered with, "Do you still believe him?"

Lumian pursed her lips and answered without hesitation, "I believe you."

"Since you still believe him, then go find out why he did what he did," Jenna said calmly.

Lumian's hands trembled slightly.

He took several deep breaths.

Finally, his body no longer showed any abnormalities.

Only then did he turn his head and look at Jenna:

What are you doing here?

Jenna replied, both amused and annoyed:

"Damn! This is outside the Breeze Ballroom!"

"I didn't have to go to the Theater today, and I came here to sing again to earn money. I just finished and went out when I saw you sitting by the roadside, getting soaked in the rain like an idiot."

Lumian withdrew his gaze and strode off without any expression.

He waded through the puddles and walked quickly toward the White Coat Street.

"Where are you going?" Jenna asked, a little worried.

Without turning his head, Lumian said, "Go find the reason!"

"My notes..."

Given the current situation, Lumian suspects that her Older Sister is telling her that she can find clues to the Source of the anomaly in her Witchcraft Notes!

Carrying an umbrella, Jenna caught up with Lumian and tentatively asked, "You can find the reason in just one night?"

"It might take a long time," Lumian replied impatiently.

Jenna muttered, "Then why are you in such a hurry?"

"Get some rest and clear your mind; that might help you find the cause faster."

Lumian realized he couldn't understand much of what was in the Witchcraft Notes, and that he lacked knowledge of Mysticism. He fell silent for a moment.

He turned his head to look at Jenna again:

Is Franca home?

"Why are you asking this?" Jenna asked, puzzled. "She's probably not going back to White Coat Street tonight. She said she's going to spend a pleasant evening with Gardner Martin."

Huff... Lumian let out a breath and turned towards the Messy Street.