Eldritch Horror Theatre

It was not out of a higher entity's mercy, but held a deeper intent.

The blood keeping the destruction at bay and preserving a lingering trace might have merely been a byproduct.

Honestly, given Fu Qian's experience dealing with higher entities over the past few days, this scenario was far more likely.

The gestures the two of them were making mirrored exactly what the Witch had done upon first entering this place, back when she demonstrated how the negative effects were accumulating.

Blood loss—that was the theme of the Nightmare they had deduced earlier.

The red sand and flowing blood that followed subtly aligned with this.

And now, the connection seemed even stronger. The Witch had mentioned that the final, explosive consequence of blood loss was having a vital part of oneself expelled like blood, ultimately leaving the body irreversibly altered.

The scene before them was a perfect example of this.

Slitting one's own throat to induce blood loss, the expanse of red sand beneath their feet, and the shielded Ruins—all of it pointed to this conclusion.

"Did this individual specifically come to the sea of mind to perform some sort of ritual here?"

Taking the helmet from the Witch's hands, Fu Qian offered a guess as he examined it.

This possibility indeed made more sense, even if it meant the origin of the Nightmare was much darker.

It was not some desperate final act of protection, but merely a byproduct of the ritual.

"Exactly. It resembles a special ritual," the Witch agreed. "And if that is the case, the fundamental nature of this situation flips. It wasn't the sea of mind that needed him; he needed the sea of mind."

Having long been a higher entity herself, the Witch followed his train of thought perfectly and shared his conclusion.

...

"Unless he was forced to hide here, we can practically assume that conducting this in the sea of mind was a mandatory requirement for the ritual. It had to be the sea of mind before it was corrupted into this state, too. Otherwise, the interior of the Ruins wouldn't be so vibrant."

The helmet was remarkably heavy and showed no obvious signs of damage. Fu Qian continued his line of reasoning as he toyed with the object, though unfortunately, it provoked no special reaction.

"So he was here before this place turned into the Dead Sea, and this Nightmare has persisted from that moment until now."

Watching Fu Qian fiddle with the helmet, the Witch made no move to stop him.

"To sum it all up, the real question is: why did he need the sea of mind?"

Through their deepening exchange, Fu Qian finally struck at the core question of motive.

"There is too little information to be certain. However, if it shares traits with the world you came from, it proves that the sea of mind—despite repelling higher entities—holds some special significance for a higher entity itself."

Having already heard Fu Qian explain the results of his tests, the Witch clearly remembered the details.

"Yes, we can't be sure."

Conversing with someone so sharp was truly a pleasure. Fu Qian agreed instantly.

"But returning to the original question: his blood is here, so where did the person go? Finding that answer might help us deduce his motive."

"That is, regardless of the process, he transitioned into a new, stable form. The unwanted parts of himself were left behind here in this manner, and then he left—or perhaps, he attained Sublimation."

Fu Qian blinked, then offered his final hypothesis.

"This place was once the site of an advancement ritual. This entire dreamscape is its Ruins."

The Witch gave a slight nod, delivering a concluding summary without raising any objections to his deduction.

...

What exactly was the sea of mind?

Fu Qian could easily grasp concepts like a collective unconscious or an underwater iceberg.

But what was its true significance in the transcendent world?

It was a question that naturally arose after confirming that the sea of mind repelled outsiders.

It could be accessed through dreams, and the abilities of some Psychic Type individuals were even tied to it. None of that was strange.

But repelling a higher entity? Was it because a higher entity's will was so overwhelmingly powerful that integrating it would crush everything else?

It was a plausible enough explanation, much like a camel in a chicken coop. The problem was that this particular chicken coop was exceptionally vast and interconnected.

So far, he could confirm that it connected to the Unseen Hill and the Land of the Fallen Gods, with the lingering faiths of figures like the Akons serving as barriers in between.

The whole thing felt somewhat contradictory.

That was, until his exploration of this unique Nightmare revealed another interesting detail. It seemed a higher entity actually needed this place. They needed the sea of mind itself, rather than using it to influence people in the Real World.

This coop, which should have been overwhelmingly fragile to a camel, suddenly became much more mysterious. Yet, at the same time, its vast, interconnected nature no longer seemed quite so strange.

In summary: the Dead Sea, blood loss, and a higher entity. While this trip had not provided definitive conclusions, it had certainly been an eye-opening experience.

Clack—

Meanwhile, his cooperative partner in this discussion, the Witch, unexpectedly pulled the Greatsword free.

It was an undeniably impressive weapon. Simply looking at its design, one could almost feel a vast, righteous aura rolling off it.

However, it was far too large. Held in the Witch's hands, its sheer size was wildly disproportionate to her figure.

"I can't sense any special connection," she noted. "Just like the blood we found earlier, it has been completely abandoned by its original owner."

She clearly felt the same way about it, shaking her head a moment later.

To discard like a worn-out shoe. Leaving behind equipment was one thing, but to drain one's own blood and simply ignore it—exactly what level of detachment did that require?

"Things seem to be getting a bit unstable. Should we head back?"

Sighing inwardly, Fu Qian leisurely imagined what that mysterious figure might have looked like after the ritual as he assessed their current situation.

As the Witch moved the blade, he could already see tiny fragments splintering and flying off it.

The nearby Armor now bore similar signs of degradation, a vivid, physical manifestation of the dreamscape's collapse.

This wasn't a problem, though. Given that they had only temporarily seized control of the space, managing to hold it together this long was already impressive. Besides, there didn't seem to be much left to explore.

Of course, regarding the original purpose of this trip—the Witch's Mother, or the earlier traces of the Dark Moon—it appeared they would leave empty-handed.

"It is getting unstable," the Witch agreed. "But considering its interesting properties—"

Instead of dropping the sword, she hoisted it high above her head.

Following this motion, the rusted patches on the blade suddenly emanated a faint blue glow, as if enchanted.

Hiss—

A few seconds later, she casually tossed the weapon aside, leaving it buried deeply in the red sand.

The moment the blade struck the earth, a biting chill swept over the area, freezing everything in its path.

The red sand, the Armor, the Ruins... even the ongoing collapse itself.

In an instant, the entire dreamscape plunged into a state of deep freeze. Yet, this freezing also seemed to halt its inevitable destruction, allowing the realm to endure indefinitely.

Understood. Since they couldn't find any traces of the Dark Moon, she decided to leave some behind herself, was that it?

Realizing that the Witch intentionally preserved this relic of the sea of mind, Fu Qian naturally had no objections.

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