Chapter 222: Nightmare

"Aurora attacked me."

This sentence echoed in Lu Mian's ears, like a dam suddenly collapsing. The bursting flood surged into his mind, washing out all the blood-colored cracks that had been buried under the silt—pale, painful, and bone-chilling.

Lu Mian saw those pictures again: he saw the parish priest Guillaume Bénet besieged by a large number of linen-clad undead in the wilderness, saw Madame Pualis flying in mid-air with wings spread, and saw the blond figure reflected in her eyes.

That was Aurora!

Lu Mian also saw the walls on the third floor of the castle covered with blue-white transparent faces, saw Louis Lund giving birth, saw Sybil Berry reborn within a maid, and saw Guillaume Bénet, Pierre Berry, and Pons Bénet—that group of Fate believers—fighting against the midwife, administrative officer Beost, and others.

And all these pictures came from his own line of sight, from the fist-sized bubbles floating in mid-air.

"White paper"...

"White paper"!

Lu Mian's expression distorted, and he leaned his body backward in pain.

The blood vessels on his body bulged out one by one, bluish-purple, dense and numerous.

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

"Always remember that emotions shouldn't be too intense. Once there is a similar reaction, immediately use methods like deep breathing to calm your mood and ease your state..."

Lu Mian gasped for air, as if the surroundings had turned into a vacuum.

Madame Pualis saw his appearance and said with slight sympathy:

"You really did forget a lot of things. No, you buried them deep in your heart, not daring to touch them.

"I was also very painful and uncomfortable at the time. After becoming a 'Banshee,' I met a woman who could truly touch my heart. She was so charming, so kind, both quiet and lively. I couldn't believe she would attack me as an evil god believer and block my path.

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

Lu Mian couldn't help but raise both hands to press his head, as if it were about to explode from the inside out.

In the constant deep breathing, he recalled Aurora, who never took his stories about the village's strangeness seriously; recalled Aurora, who warned him not to look at things he shouldn't; recalled Aurora, who always sat on the roof at night looking at the stars; recalled that transparent "lizard" that crawled out of Aurora's mouth in his dream; recalled that Naala, Aiza, and the others who first spread constellation heresies were all those who were relatively close to Aurora.

And along with these, he remembered the time he discovered Raymond and Ava were dead, failed to take revenge on Pons Bénet, was caught by that group, suffered a bit of torture, but was finally released; remembered Aurora, who was just as heavy and worried as him, cutting out the little blue book and piecing together the help letter; remembered Aurora, who explained occult knowledge to him; remembered Aurora, whose eyes turned in the ritual, as if coming to life, and pushed him away from the altar...

*Hoo, hoo*... Lu Mian gasped, as if he were still in that nightmare, never having woken up.

Madame Pualis sighed lightly:

"I should have discovered she was abnormal earlier. Although the frequency of her visiting me and me visiting her wasn't high, I had long noticed that she liked to look up at the stars at night and always said strange things about her 'hometown.'

"In the occult field, the starry sky is a very dangerous thing. For Beyonders, it is even more so.

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

Lu Mian's lips moved, and he asked very difficultly:

"From, what time, did she, start, to be abnormal?"

He remembered very clearly that Aurora had always had the habit of looking up at the stars and missing her hometown, but for all those years, nothing happened.

Of course, Lu Mian admitted that in the past year, the frequency of Aurora looking at the stars was indeed higher than before, but he couldn't remember exactly when it became like that.

Madame Pualis shook her head, restrained the rest of her emotions, and said with amusement:

"You should ask yourself. You were with her every day, and I wasn't. Sometimes, I was jealous of you, and sometimes, I felt you were also not bad. Why should we be confined to the rules of vulgar society instead of letting go of ourselves and enjoying the joy of life?"

Lu Mian seemed not to have heard what Madame Pualis was saying. He still buried his body, pressed his head, looked at the floor in the carriage, and asked to himself:

"Who, who made her believe in Fate?"

"Maybe only she herself knows the answer. Unfortunately..." Madame Pualis sighed again.

Lu Mian fell silent and kept taking deep breaths.

Once, twice, three times... After an unknown amount of time, he finally straightened his waist and back, put down his hands, and looked at Madame Pualis:

"Have you seen a small spirit that looks like a lizard in the village?"

"No." Madame Pualis shook her head.

Is that transparent "lizard" in my dream just a symbol, representing that she believed in Fate, or does it exist in reality, just hidden very deeply? Lu Mian kept thinking, as if only in this way would he not touch the blades inserted into his heart.

He asked new questions again:

"Have you heard the legend of the wizard? The one where nine cows are needed to pull the coffin."

"No." Madame Pualis shook her head again.

Lu Mian asked one question after another. By the end, he didn't know what he was asking, nor was he clear if Madame Pualis had answered. Even the other party's face became blurry in his impression, not clear enough, as if separated by dozens or hundreds of meters.

At some point, the four-wheeled carriage stopped. Lu Mian returned to the roadside in a daze, walked forward aimlessly, and walked without stopping.

*Dang! Dang! Dang! *

The cathedral bell rang, and time reached midnight.

Lu Mian suddenly regained clarity and found that he had returned to the entrance of the Golden Rooster Hotel.

He instinctively stepped onto the steps, ready to push open the door, but after hesitating for a few seconds, he retreated to the street, dragged his feet, and walked toward the end of Chaos Street like a wandering soul.

He walked all the way to Market Avenue. The sky, which had been gloomy all night, finally became dense with dark clouds, with no red moon and no stars to be seen.

Lu Mian arrived at the entrance of the Breeze Dance Hall and heard the intense drumbeats and noisy voices inside, which were unusually lively.

He seemed unable to bear this environment, turned around suddenly, swayed to the roadside, found a shadow far from the nearest gas street lamp, and sat down on the ground.

*Plop, plop*. As time passed, drops of rainwater fell to the ground, onto Lu Mian's head, onto his eyes.

The raindrops gradually became dense, and the *plop plop* sound strung into a piece.

Lu Mian didn't move, as if he had turned into a statue, letting the rainwater wet his hair, moisten his face, and soak his clothes.

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

Lu Mian looked up blankly and saw a deep blue umbrella, saw the metal frame supporting the cloth surface, and saw Jenna holding the umbrella handle.

He withdrew his gaze and looked at the center of the road where water mist had splashed, without stopping Jenna and without paying attention to her.

Jenna wore very thick smoky makeup, wore that red low-cut dress inlaid with sequins, and had a light-colored shawl with large holes draped over her shoulders, which didn't look particularly revealing.

She stared at Lu Mian for a few seconds, didn't ask any questions, and still stood beside him, holding the umbrella.

This heavy rain lasted for a full hour before it subsided. Only on the buildings on both sides and the lamps by the road, drops of water occasionally fell.

Lu Mian stood up slowly as if he had lost something.

Jenna closed the umbrella and said to herself:

"The rain will always stop, just like the darkness will always pass, the sun will surely rise, and the light will definitely shine on the earth."

Lu Mian was silent for a long time, looking at the dark road ahead:

"When you find that someone you trust very much is not what you thought, what would you feel?"

Jenna didn't answer his question but asked back:

"Do you still believe in him?"

Lu Mian pursed his lips and answered without hesitation:

"I believe."

"Since you still believe in him, then go find the reason why he did that." Jenna said in a peaceful tone.

Lu Mian's hands trembled slightly.

He took deep breaths again, several times in a row.

Finally, his body no longer had any abnormalities.

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

"Why are you here?"

Jenna answered with amusement:

"Damn it! This is outside the Breeze Dance Hall!

"I don't have to go to the theater today, and I came over to sing and earn money again at night. As soon as I finished and came out, I saw you sitting on the roadside, foolishly getting rained on."

Lu Mian withdrew his gaze and walked forward with no expression.

He stepped on the accumulated water and walked toward White Coat Street at a fast speed.

"Where are you going?" Jenna asked with some worry.

Lu Mian said without looking back:

"To find the reason!"

He remembered the sentence Aurora left behind when she pushed him away from the altar:

"My, notes..."

Combining the current situation, Lu Mian suspected that his sister was telling him that he could find clues to the source of the abnormality in her witchcraft notes!

Jenna, holding the umbrella, followed Lu Mian and asked tentatively:

"Can you find the reason in just one night?"

"Maybe it will take a long time." Lu Mian replied impatiently.

Jenna muttered:

"Then why are you in such a hurry?

"Rest well, clear your mind, maybe it can help you find the reason faster."

Lu Mian thought about his inability to understand many contents in the witchcraft notes and his lack of occult knowledge, and fell silent for a while.

He turned his head again and looked at Jenna:

"Is Fors at home?"

"Why are you asking this?" Jenna looked confused. "She shouldn't be returning to White Coat Street today. She said she was going to spend a pleasant night with Gardner Martin."

*Hoo*... Lu Mian exhaled and turned toward Chaos Street.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 223 =====