Eldritch Horror Theatre

”Let me guess. Sometime during your adolescence, you suppressed your restless thoughts, watched a videotape, and learned of a name: Truman...”

”The thought struck like an electric current. The world you had both yearned for and disdained instantly became laughable in a completely different way...”

”And when you walked out the door in a daze, a chandelier actually dropped from the sky?”

Inside the magnificent yet eerie building, Fu Qian observed his surroundings while casually conversing with his patient.

”Is that supposed to lighten the mood, or is it a real question? Honestly, neither is very clever.”

Unfortunately, the patient wasn’t playing along.

Walking by his side, Madam Sissi kept most of her attention on the surrounding architecture and the kneeling figures.

”Truly astonishing!”

Just a moment after criticizing Fu Qian’s question, she let out a heartfelt gasp of admiration.

”They look like genuine antiquities, perhaps even belonging to a royal bedchamber. But I can safely say I’ve never seen this style before, including the Emblem on it!””It really is.”

Fu Qian didn’t force the issue, nodding in approval of her aesthetic taste.

The building before them was truly magnificent—luxurious without being gaudy, and displaying a high level of artistic merit.

As for why Madam Sissi found the style unfamiliar, the reason was simple: it had likely been sourced from another world entirely.

Indeed, the Bronze Madam was a direct import, not a local creation. That was the conclusion Fu Qian leaned toward.

And if it truly originated from a Warehouse Senior, then exploring this place was all the more necessary.

”So it seems this Nightmare isn’t too bad, is it?”

”It certainly isn’t boring... But are these things on the ground really made from human limbs?”

Faced with Fu Qian’s boasting, Madam Sissi hesitated slightly but didn’t deny it.

At the same time, it was obvious that while she might not be terrified, the headless figures scattered across the floor were still visually striking.

”If I gave you an answer on whether they’re real or fake, do you think you could verify it?”

”...No.”

Faced with Fu Qian’s counter-question, Madam Sissi quickly realized she had asked a stupid question.

”Then how is that any different from the authenticity of this building?”

Fu Qian let out a rather malicious chuckle, turning sideways to slip between two of the limbs.

”Why dwell on it? Just admiring the dress designs isn’t a bad idea, is it?”

...

Speechless, Madam Sissi subconsciously dropped half a step behind, following Fu Qian’s path through.

Glancing down, she realized the passage wasn’t actually that narrow. He had turned sideways earlier simply because he didn’t want to brush against the dress draped over one of the limbs.

”So what exactly are we here to do?”

Having no intention of continuing the previous conversation, Madam Sissi took two quick steps to catch up and changed the subject.

By now, the two of them had already passed through the Great Hall at the front, yet on the stairs leading upward, the kneeling figures continued in an endless expanse.

Unfortunately, the moment the question left her mouth, the slightly strange look he gave her made her realize this question was equally stupid.

”To cause trouble. Isn’t that what you said yourself?”

Sure enough, he answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

...

”That was actually long before my adolescence, and it had nothing to do with a videotape.”

After a much longer silence, the repeatedly frustrated patient suddenly spoke up in a casual, conversational tone.

”One night, the thunder was extremely loud. I went to find my mother, only to see two of her sitting together...”

Oh?

For a young child, that was certainly a high-impact scene to witness.

The patient was finally willing to face the issue head-on. Fu Qian felt very gratified.

”I assume you’ve already ruled out the possibility that your eyes were playing tricks on you. But considering your family’s immense wealth, having a body double or something wouldn’t be too unusual, right?”

”After that, I lived through three identical days.”

Madam Sissi’s expression was difficult to describe.

”The exact same wake-up time, the exact same clothes, the exact same food. Getting lost in my own home in the exact same way, unable to find a way out, and receiving the exact same lack of response...”

”Is it possible it was just a massive prank?”

Fu Qian listened earnestly and offered a casual comment.

”A prank that continues even after a hand gets chopped off?”

Madam Sissi extended her left hand, her fingers dancing nimbly through the air as she spoke in a flat tone.

”On the third day, I flew into a rage. I stormed into the collection room, took down a Hand Axe, and chopped off this very hand... and nothing happened.”

What a ruthless character at such a young age!

Fu Qian marveled inwardly before trying to explain further.

”Even with an experience like that, wouldn’t the average person’s most likely reaction upon waking up on the fourth day be exactly what you just said? That it was just a dream—”

Fu Qian stopped before he could finish.

In his line of sight, Madam Sissi had pulled up her left sleeve. With one finger, she elegantly traced a circle midway between her wrist and her elbow.

On her fair skin, there was a ring of slightly discolored scarring.

”On the fourth day, the mark I saw was far more obvious than this.”

Madam Sissi looked highly satisfied with Fu Qian’s reaction.

”Is there more?”

Fu Qian nodded.

”Everyone else insisted they had just lived through a perfectly normal three days. And when I went back to look on the fourth day, that Hand Axe was missing from the collection room.”

Having gone through something like that at such a young age, it was a miracle she had managed to grow up into the person she was today.

Fu Qian expressed a considerable amount of sympathy and understanding for Madam Sissi’s plight.

In fact, he could even somewhat understand why such a thing had happened.

If Madam Sissi truly was being affected by the law of convergence for some yet-to-be-determined reason, that would mean she had likely crossed paths with a Warehouse Senior.

And once those people realized this, one question was incredibly natural: why?

To figure that out, testing her with transcendent methods wouldn’t be surprising. At the same time, those methods likely weren’t as covert and low-impact as a Lucid Dream.

Judging by the results, the Hand Axe she had selected under that repeated torment must have been taken as their prize.

”Thank you for sharing.”

Fu Qian said while analyzing the situation.

”It sounds like this is a secret you’ve kept buried for a long time.”

”Are you sure the word ’secret’ is even applicable to me?”

Faced with Fu Qian’s solemn gratitude, Madam Sissi actually burst out laughing.

”However, it really is the first time I’ve spoken directly about this experience, even though it’s still completely meaningless.”

”I know that some things, much like a brain in a vat, can never be disproven by me alone.”

”But you still said it. What’s the purpose?”

”Need you ask? To make this trip more interesting, of course.”

Madam Sissi’s smile grew even more radiant.

”I suddenly find that I actually kind of like this magical style.”

”Then you’re in luck.”

Fu Qian immediately stopped in his tracks, gesturing forward with his chin.

”Something interesting has already arrived.”