V2: Chapter 29: Cthulhu Illusion, Please Remain Rational

“The seaside.”

“The seaside...?”

Octaville’s expression was grave.

“No, to be precise, I went to the sea, I… went to the seabed.”

The seabed?!

“When I realized that some sounds didn’t seem to be coming from land, I wanted to go to the seabed to see for myself.”

The other three stared wide-eyed.

“So, what did you see?”

“It was too dark, I couldn’t see very clearly. What I felt was a bone-chilling cold, and then I felt like I was losing my mind… I thought I was hallucinating.”

Thinking about what happened that night, Octaville couldn’t help but shudder.

“I felt like I was still on land, standing in a warm, fragrant place, with birds singing and flowers blooming. My family was with me, and someone was waving at me from ahead, calling me over, saying it was almost sunset and they wanted to watch the sunset with me.”

“... I almost went there.”

Octaville’s voice became hoarse. She swallowed hard.

“I took a few steps forward, and then, suddenly, I realized that the sun in the sky was so red, so round, so dazzling. It was getting closer and closer to me, and all its light shone on me, so warm… No, no.”

Octaville’s emotions were slightly agitated.

"Suddenly it dawned on me, how could such a blazing sun be close to sunset? Something's wrong! Something's definitely wrong!"

The other three girls' breath caught in their throats. Although Octaville's account contained no gory or horrific details, it was still so chilling, even giving them goosebumps—a kind of unsettling feeling that only intensified with contemplation.

"So, I took a few steps back, trying to escape this illusion, but I touched a damp wall, and I couldn't get out." Octaville rubbed her goosebumps.

"My family is still calling me over, they're waving at me, they say we're family, we'll be together forever, and if I go over, I'll receive unprecedented happiness."

"The sun is getting closer and closer, almost enveloping my entire body, my sanity, my sanity is about to be lost."

Oh God…

Liang Lin opened her mouth, wanting to comment, but the words stuck in her throat.

Octaville continued, “I know that if I completely lose my sanity, I will die in this boundless illusion. Liang Di, you've been trapped in illusions too, haven't you?”

Liang Di nodded.

“Yes, as long as you kill the people in the illusion, you can get out.”

Octaville shook her head.

“My illusion is different from yours. My sixth sense tells me that if I take a knife and rush towards those people, trying to kill them, it will only make me fall deeper into the illusion, or even kill me.”

“I dared not go any further. I found the knife still in my sleeve. At that moment, my mind was completely in chaos, my feet moved uncontrollably, wanting to move forward. I know that at that time, my eyes were filled with longing; I longed to embrace that blazing sun.”

Octaville took a deep breath, her fingertips trembling slightly—the fear and relief of surviving a near-death experience.

“I knew I couldn’t just sit and wait to die any longer, so I pulled the knife from my sleeve. Since I couldn’t rush in and kill them all, I could only try to stay rational, and the best way to stay rational was to feel pain.”

“I cut a deep gash in my wrist.”

“The unexpected happened. The light before me vanished, replaced by a bottomless sea.”

Octaville stroked the wound on her arm.

“I saw it. I saw a giant octopus tentacles wrapped around my left arm. Those tentacles connected to the seabed below. I looked closely and saw countless more tentacles emerging from the deep sea.”

“I knew I couldn’t stay there any longer. Staying would only trap me in a deeper illusion, or I’d be ensnared by the tentacles and never surface again, or I’d be strangled. My underwater breathing magic was about to expire, so I used my enchanted knife to cut the tentacles.”

The story seemed to have ended there.

Octaville’s tone lightened considerably at this point. “Then, I escaped safely, warmed myself by the fire, and went back to sleep.”

“How did you manage to stay so calm and sleep so soundly?” Liang Lin exclaimed admiringly, giving her a thumbs up.

Octaville shrugged. “If I don’t go back to sleep, your sister will be so worried about me. Of course I have to go back right away.”

“However, I’ve noticed something very strange,” Octaville rolled up her sleeve, revealing a very noticeable black mark on her arm.

“The cut on my wrist that I made with a knife healed in two days after being bandaged with medicine. But this mark just won’t go away. Occasionally, it stings faintly, and when it hurts too much, I can’t even hold a cup.”

Octaville had originally planned to go to Liang Di when Hilary wasn’t around to ask if there was any way to treat the injury. But today, Liang Di had just seen it and noticed the black aura surrounding her arm.

"Let me see."

This was Liang Di's turn, being a fellow monster herself. She stepped forward, carefully examining the other's arm, and pondered for a moment, "Well... this aura... it's very similar to mine... but... but I can't think of a solution. Hmm... this is the first time I've encountered this situation. I've never seen that sea monster you mentioned."

The family was stumped.

"Have you tried all the potions?"

"I've tried all the healing potions, and I've tried all the detoxifying ones. But it's still ineffective. Well, not entirely ineffective, but... it's just getting worse."

"Tsk~"

Liang Lin stroked her chin.

"This... shouldn't be life-threatening, right?"

This girl, as always, knew how to talk. Her words silenced everyone. Hillary looked at her lover with worry.

“Fu, how have you been lately? I haven’t checked on you at all, I…”

Octaville smiled and shook her head. “I’m perfectly fine. Look, I’m always lively and energetic, what could possibly be wrong? Don’t worry too much.”

“Are there any other… magicians who are very skilled in healing?” Liang Di asked.

This reminded Octaville of something, or rather, someone.

And so...

Inside the tavern, looking at the four adults and one child standing before him, Prescott smiled helplessly, a smile that, though kind, revealed a deep sense of resignation.

“Why are you all here again? What happened this time?” Prescott put down his glass and emerged from behind the table. “Who went missing this time? Huh?”

Prescott’s gaze fell on Carol. “This child… seems to have some monster blood in her, not very obvious, am I mistaken?”

“No, you’re not mistaken,” Liang Di said proudly, pointing to the child in Liang Lin’s arms, then to Liang Lin, then to herself, “This is my and Liang Lin’s child.”

“Huh?”

Although he was somewhat prepared, Prescott was still taken aback.

Liang Lin glared at Liang Di. "Don't talk about those trivial things. The most important thing now is to figure out how to treat Octaville's wounds."

After hearing this, Prescott turned his gaze back to Octaville and asked, "You're injured? Little Fu?"

Octaville nodded. She glanced at the noisy environment of the tavern and respectfully asked, "Teacher Prescott, could you come out with us? This is a crowded and noisy tavern; there are too many people watching. I'm afraid someone with ulterior motives might see us."

Sigh, even though I had long since left the Magic Tower, I'm still entangled in its affairs.

Prescott had resigned himself to his fate; he was destined to be connected to the Magic Tower for life, an inextricable link.

Prescott wiped the water from his hands with a handkerchief, then tossed it onto the table.

“Let’s go.”

Octaville walked in front, with Prescott at the back of the group. The six of them left the tavern together. Finding a quiet, deserted alley, Octaville rolled up her sleeve, displaying her wound to everyone once more.

“It’s here, teacher. Can you see the black mist above?”

“Hiss~”

Prescott gasped. He was particularly sensitive to these things; he could see a thick black mist coiled around Octaville’s entire arm. He frowned immediately.

“How did you get this, Little Fu?”

Octaville then spent a considerable amount of time recounting the horrifying scene from that day.

After listening, Prescott fell silent. He had always known that the seaside was dangerous, and he had always known that the other side of the sea was even more dangerous, but he had never considered that the seabed was the truly dangerous place.

“So, does the other side of the sea really exist?” Prescott asked.

Octaville thought for a moment.

"I don't know either. We can't cross it. The sea is endless. The existence of something on the other side has always been just speculation. No one has ever been there."

She smiled, touching her injured arm.

"But I've confirmed the existence of monsters underwater. I've made a significant contribution to the Magic Tower, haven't I? At least for decades, no one has been to the bottom of the sea like I have, and no one could have guessed that monsters existed there."

"Did you see what it looked like?"

Octaville shook her head.

"The seabed is too dark. I couldn't see anything. Only when the tentacles appeared did I see a few large tentacles. You know what? The scary thing is, I didn't go to the deepest part. Even without reaching the deepest part, I was still affected. The illusion I fell into was unlike any of the monsters I've ever encountered before."

"....."  

“Good girl, you’ve worked hard.” Prescott patted Octaville on the shoulder. “You’re right, I really can’t completely give up magic. In the years since I left the Magic Tower, I’ve been researching magic that can cure all diseases, and I’ve finally made some progress, but…”

He looked at the black mark on her arm, his head starting to ache.

“This wound is different from others. It wasn’t from a knife, nor was it caused by poison. This was caused by a monster, but that’s not what I’ve been researching. So… I’m not entirely sure if the potion I’ve developed will work for you.”

However, a glimmer of hope rose in everyone’s hearts. Hilary immediately made a request. She bowed deeply to Prescott, “Please, Professor Prescott, whatever the method, we want to try.”

Hilary was terribly worried that something had happened to her beloved.

Octaville, supporting Hilary's shoulder, comforted her, "It's okay, baby. Nothing's happened yet. I'm not weak, and there are no signs of poisoning. It should be fine, right? It's just that the scar won't heal properly."

"You said it yourself, when you were in pain, you couldn't even lift a cup. Isn't that a problem? Can you guarantee it won't get worse? It's only been a few days, less than a week!" Hilary retorted.

Liang Di and Liang Lin agreed with her.

Prescott walked ahead, waving to them, "Stop chatting, I'll take you to my house to get the medicine."

Prescott chuckled, "Oh, by the way, Little Fu, you haven't seen my daughter in a while, right? Perfect timing, she's probably home today, you can meet up and catch up."

"Joe should be about the same age as Liang Lin and Liang Di, right?"

"Yeah, she's only three years older than them. We can take care of our business later, and we can let the kids go out to play."

Liang Lin protested, "What kids? I'm not a kid!"

Exactly, she's a mother now, how could she be a kid?

This is probably the difference between peers. Joe hasn't even been in a relationship, or rather, she's never liked anyone. Liang Lin and Liang Di, on the other hand, are younger than her, yet they've already had children.

Prescott's house looked quite nice, a typical run-down little house, or rather, a detached villa, with a small backyard and some small animals house.

"Joe, I'm home!"

As soon as he entered, Prescott shouted into the house, "Joe, look who's here!"

Joe, dressed in all white, came downstairs and froze the moment she saw Octaville.

"Fu, Sister Fu?"

"Yes, it's me."

Joe ran downstairs excitedly and stood before everyone. "Sister Fu! I heard you're now the Tower Master of the Magic Tower, that's amazing!"

Despite her aloof appearance, she was surprisingly a sunny, cheerful, and talkative little girl.

“Alright, stop catching up. Joe, get that potion from the room. Little Fu is injured; I want to try it out and see if it works.”

Joe immediately nodded and scurried off to get the potion, her mouth twitching, “Of course it’ll work! Our potion is exceptionally well-made, Sister Fu, you’ll definitely be healed immediately!”

Prescott patted his daughter’s head. “Don’t make promises like that. The situation is complicated; I’ll explain later. Now, hurry and get the potion.”

“Okay!”

The potion was brought over, contained in a small, round bottle. This blood-red potion looked like it was mixed with human blood.

Pop~

Prescott opened the bottle and held Octavia’s arm. “It might hurt a little; bear with it.”

“Yes, teacher.”

The potion was slowly poured onto her arm. Everyone held their breath, watching Octaville’s reaction. But the Tower Master didn't even flinch, remaining completely calm.

Was she putting on a brave face? Did she not want others to know she was in pain?

No.

"Teacher, I can't feel any pain."

Instantly, Prescott's expression froze.

"Then that proves this isn't a wound, nor a sprain or bruise. This... I may truly be powerless. I haven't dealt with monsters or anything like that for years, I..."

Prescott was frustrated; a deep sense of powerlessness spread throughout his body.

His own disciple was right in front of him, even in mortal danger, yet he could do nothing.

Octaville had anticipated this outcome, and feigning indifference, she said, "It's alright, teacher. Can a living person die from holding their pee? Besides, I don't have too many adverse reactions yet. There are so many capable magicians in the Magic Tower; they'll definitely be able to help me resolve this quickly. My daughter, Liang Di, is also very smart; she'll help me too. You don't need to blame yourself too much."

Prescott sat dejectedly on the sofa, saying nothing.

Octaville and the others left, and the atmosphere on the street was somewhat somber. Even the usually boisterous Carol was silent, seemingly realizing the seriousness of the situation.

Just as they passed through a dilapidated alley, a voice called out to them.

"Wait, please stop for a moment! I heard everything you said in the other alleys."

Huh?! Who is it?!

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice.

A middle-aged priest wearing gold-rimmed glasses and holding a copy of the Book of Poetry stood at the alley entrance, squinting and smiling at them. The setting sun cast its glow on his back, making him appear solemn, like a newly erected statue.

"If I told you I have a solution, and I can definitely help you solve it, would you stop and listen to me?"

"What?"

The crowd, confused, stopped and looked warily at the priest they had never seen before.

Seeing them stop, the priest began to walk slowly towards them. Despite his holy appearance, his voice carried a strong sense of madness. He raised his arms high in the air, his voice rising and falling.

"Children, God truly exists in this world."