Eldritch Horror Theatre

It had to be said, the midnight Fortune Teller's Cabin boasted an absolutely perfect atmosphere.

As all sounds fell silent, the dim light cast across the female diviner's face gave her the distinct air of a mystic charlatan.

A pity, then, that this particular charlatan was currently discussing her own family affairs.

Kisaragi Chie. Fu Qian had actually seen the name before in Kisaragi Kana's file.

According to the file, Kisaragi Kana's older sister was withdrawn, did not get along well with their family, and had moved out to live on her own at an early age.

"Kana was a lovely girl from a young age, deeply pampered by everyone in the family."

Kisaragi Chie didn't wait for Fu Qian to answer her earlier question before continuing.

"As she grew older, she displayed a staggering charm. Almost every man who met her fell head over heels."

"Countless people became obsessed with her. They were willing to pay any price, laying the finest things at her feet, yet she dismissed it all without a second glance."

"Aren't all young people like that? After all, what is youth without a little chuuni?"

Fu Qian offered this blunt critique as soon as Kisaragi Chie finished her description.

"I thought so too at first," she said. "Until one day, I suddenly found her more unfamiliar than ever before."

Kisaragi Chie let out a soft sigh.

"Have you ever seen a wax figure? The truly lifelike ones can easily pass for real from a slight distance. You can't tell the difference at all."

"But once you get close enough, you start to notice an indescribable sense of wrongness."

"Kana was exactly like that. Her appearance, her memories—you were absolutely certain it was her. But when you truly got close, you found she felt like an empty shell."

"An empty shell driven entirely by desire, delusion, and paranoia."

"At first, I thought my own jealousy was acting up. After all, Kana had received far more attention than I did growing up, and I even felt incredibly guilty for it."

"That was until one day, I found our father suddenly breaking down in tears after she completely rebuffed his attempt to lecture her."

"I finally realized then that my father actually felt the exact same way I did."

"She was right there, his living, breathing, beautiful grown daughter, possessing all her memories. Yet beneath that physical body, the soul that could be defined as his own daughter was becoming harder and harder to grasp."

"I once tried to sit down and have a real talk with her, only to find that in the face of this radiant sister, I was even more powerless than our father."

"After all, she completely outshone me in every conceivable aspect."

"Even the Miracle Potion—something I never dared to even dream of—she acquired with effortless ease."

"Thinking about it later, my father must have felt the same way."

"No matter how stern a face he put on, his words were powerless. His life experience simply wasn't worth mentioning."

"And it was this very powerlessness that caused him considerable pain."

"In the end, the only thing I could do was hold Kana tightly in my arms whenever she slept over here. Only when our skin was pressed tightly together could I feel a trace of familiarity."

"And then your father walked in on you."

Fu Qian nodded.

"So Kana did tell you. It makes sense—she seems entirely unable to resist the urge to show off."

"My father definitely misunderstood the situation at the time. Worse yet, he was already hovering on the brink of losing control."

"I could tell."

Fu Qian recalled the short sword Kisaragi Iken had ultimately used to kill himself. Bringing a blade like that to Kisaragi Chie's place meant he likely harbored some kind of destructive urge.

But it was ultimately just an urge. The fact that he hadn't actually used it when confronted with such a scene was enough to prove his anger hadn't eclipsed his affection.

"I won't deny it—that likely pushed him down his final path."

"After you took Kana away, I was the only one speaking. He didn't offer a single word in response, and then he just left."

Kisaragi Chie's voice grew quieter.

"I suppose things are fine as they are now. It can be considered a kind of release for him."

"Also, I apologize. I understand my father's actions caused you a great deal of trouble."

The next moment, Kisaragi Chie fixed an earnest gaze on Fu Qian, expressing her apology with utter sincerity.

"Regardless, I hope you can understand a father's urgent need to protect his daughter. Please, do not hurt Kana."

"What makes you think I would hurt her?"

Fu Qian remained noncommittal, asking the question in return.

"There are two kinds of exceptional diviners. One type never bothers to read people, and the other relies entirely on reading people."

"Oh? And which one are you?"

"I am far from exceptional, but my ability to read people is a bit sharper than most."

"And I can tell that the way you look at Kana is entirely different from the rest."

"Whether you plan to or not, you possess the capability to hurt her."

"Kana subconsciously tries to influence you, to make you submit just like all the others. But I know that to you, she isn't even worth mentioning."

"Of course, my own words likely mean just as little to you."

"But I still want to beg you—if at all possible, please do not destroy her."

"Even though she has become an 'empty shell'?"

"Even if she is already an empty shell."

...

"Very good," Fu Qian said. "But aren't you afraid that by telling me all this so honestly, you're just giving me a reason to silence you for secrecy?"

"I was at first."

Kisaragi Chie gave a bitter smile.

"But for some reason, after watching your little performance just now, I was suddenly no longer afraid."

"You were only there because of my father's arrangement. Madam Ayane really did come looking for trouble, didn't she? You were just deliberately tricking her earlier?"

"Don't talk nonsense, how was I tricking anyone? Everything I said was a fact!"

"But those words of yours—"

Kisaragi Chie cut herself off, suddenly realizing something.

Fu Qian's final glance toward Kisaragi Kana just now had indeed been incredibly misleading. However, if one swapped out the "it" in his speech for Mister Kisaragi himself, his words actually made perfect sense.

"Have you ever actually considered that your sister might be telling the truth—that she genuinely possesses a talent far beyond anyone else?"

As she fell into silence, Fu Qian abruptly spoke up again.

"A talent like a transcendent's?"

Kisaragi Chie looked confused.

"That's impossible. If that were the case, Anjing Company would have discovered it ages ago during all their tests."

Logically, yes. But that was only one kind.

Fu Qian thought to himself.

It was common knowledge that aside from mutation, there was another path to becoming a transcendent: cultivation.

He still remembered how, a long time ago, Chief Yuan had lamented to him that compared to innate abilities, the path of cultivation was distinctly more traceable; one did not have to specifically chase after illusory, intangible rituals.

And as a researcher of the Academy, Fu Qian had also been constantly pondering where the exact differences between the two lay.

He had actually encountered quite a few cultivation inheritances by now. Aside from the crowd at the Academy Court of Sword Contemplation, there were also the secret family arts of the Huang Clan, the Chen Clan, and so on.

And without a doubt, a cultivation inheritance also required talent.

It was just that before one started practicing according to a specific method, this talent would not be as glaringly obvious as an innate ability.

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