Eldritch Horror Theatre

On the surface, she was a thirty-three-year-old woman locked in a heavily guarded psychiatric hospital for butchering multiple people in a fit of persecution paranoia, housed next door to a painter who had killed and eaten a harsh critic.

In reality, her psychological persona was nine years and five months old, living in an orphanage in another world. What lay before her eyes was merely a painful illusion she was forced to endure.

Since they had once been fellow inmates, Fu Qian still remembered a few details about her clearly.

Whether it was because the Proxy had died at his hands or because the Law had collapsed, Inner Laerdin had indeed undergone a transformation.

To think Esther could stroll down the street so freely, completely unafraid of being dragged back to the psychiatric hospital.

He wondered how the resistance leader, Lady Raven, and Mariana's group were greeting this new era of upheaval.

Though compared to them, Fu Qian felt the person right in front of him was actually far more valuable.

At first glance, Esther's character setup might have sounded familiar enough to invite a few sarcastic remarks.

But to Fu Qian, her greatest defining trait lay exactly there—the Dislocation personally certified by Lady Raven and her group.

Amidst the drastic changes unfolding before their eyes, wouldn't a character like her be even more likely to influence the situation?

"An acquaintance? Judging purely by her constitution, she's still an ordinary person for now."

Following his gaze, the Witch easily grasped the situation.

"An acquaintance. Back when the Law reappeared and Laerdin returned, she was one of the awakened ones in this Nightmare.

"But she seems to be a bit more special than the rest. Not only do her identities across the two sides not match, even her body doesn't align."

Fu Qian casually shared her background.

"Two different selves, inside and outside the dream? That is indeed quite special. What do you think the cause is?"

Ms. Esther really wasn't walking very fast, so the Witch simply stood in place with Fu Qian, watching her and casually discussing her thoughts.

"The cause is hard to say. With a large enough sample size, there will always be a few special cases. I don't necessarily think some special power is at work here.

"The way I see it, the real question is how a special constitution like hers can be put to use right now."

Fu Qian's response showcased an astonishing level of pragmatism.

"Agreed. We might even consider visiting her counterpart once we head back—but wait, she seems to be looking for something."

Despite already possessing the Dignity of a Superior Being, he still maintained such a pragmatic mindset. This trait of the Knight seemingly earned him even more appreciation from the Witch, a Natural-Born Deity, who readily agreed with his idea.

"And it seems she doesn't even know what she's looking for herself."

Great minds think alike. Fu Qian kept his eyes on that completely bloodless face as he added to her observation.

...

Esther looked completely lost, like a young employee who had gone to the bathroom on her first day of work only to return and find the company had been shut down.

She was walking down the street with her eyes entirely unfocused, yet she still seemed to be searching for something... So, what was she looking for?

"She probably wants to go inside."

Fu Qian rarely just asked questions; having confirmed the subject's confusion, he promptly provided an answer.

He wasn't just guessing. Esther's footsteps had been slowing down, and she clearly had no intention of moving forward anymore. Instead, her eyes continuously examined the side of the street.

Though what she was examining didn't seem to be a particularly special place.

At first glance, it had a somewhat imposing presence, resembling an ancient stone building. But upon closer inspection, it was nothing more than a tavern with an antique charm.

Did she come here to drown her sorrows, or was she looking for a new place to work?

Either option was perfectly reasonable. The only problem was that the tavern wasn't even open for business.

Crash—

But that didn't seem to be an issue for Esther. With a crisp shatter, she simply smashed the tavern's window open.

"Is she looking for a painting?"

Witnessing this act of vandalism, the Witch looked thoughtful for a moment before turning back to confirm with Fu Qian.

"Most likely. That is indeed where the Art Gallery used to be."

Fu Qian nodded, gesturing with his hand.

"It looks like some of the building materials were even reused."

He was right. The spot where Esther had chosen to stop was the exact former site of the Art Gallery the two of them had visited not long ago.

As a landmark building, even though it no longer existed, its all too classic surrounding layout still made the location easy to recognize.

That was also why Fu Qian instantly knew this location was quite far from the West District Church.

Although it wasn't a religious building, it had suffered the same brutal devastation in Inner Laerdin as the church, which had been turned into a lake.

Only in the ring of commercial buildings erected on its original site could one spot some familiar stonework.

And when someone with a special constitution ran to a place like this in the middle of the night, it was all too easy to draw a connection to the painting hanging in that corresponding spot in the other world.

Her constitution was indeed special. In theory, once the world the nine-year-old Esther inhabited turned into a painting within a painting, all connections should have been completely severed. Yet, she was actually still displaying such a strange reaction.

"She won't find anything in there."

A moment later, however, the Witch offered a rather dampening assessment.

Clearly, even from a distance, she could still perceive the interior. She knew the tavern was just an ordinary commercial building and didn't hold any leftover paintings infused with special powers from a previous era.

"That's fine. We can just wait out here and see if anything shows up."

Fu Qian remained optimistic, choosing to hold onto his seat in the audience.

...

Esther was a special case. Lady Raven and her group knew this, and he knew it too. But did the Fallen Star Clan know?

That speculation was actually one of the reasons why he felt they had stumbled across such an interesting target.

The Witch's judgment was naturally reliable. She didn't even need to go over there to know Esther wouldn't find a thing.

But others might not be quite so certain.

Amidst this series of drastic upheavals, would the Fallen Stars—who knew Lady Raven's group intimately—try to manipulate this special case known as Esther?

To Fu Qian, the possibility seemed quite high.

Otherwise, it was highly unlikely Esther would have had the chance to wander the streets entirely on her own right now.

So he might as well sit back and wait, seeing if—and how—this special case might influence the situation in Inner Laerdin—

"Here comes another one, and it's an acquaintance too."

He maintained the image of an unfathomable expert. He didn't have to wait long before a new development occurred.

From the direction Esther had come, a tall, impeccably dressed middle-aged man was marching straight toward them with much steadier steps.

Before the Witch could even ask, Fu Qian took the initiative to introduce him.

"Esther's former Attending Physician."

Indeed, the new arrival was obviously no law enforcement officer here to catch a vandal. It was Dean Glenn, a man he had crossed paths with once before, the one who had tried so desperately to cure Esther.

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