Just as little Nara described, what appeared before Lynch was a statue as tall as a person.
The statue depicted a noblewoman wearing a qipao, possessing an exotic, oriental charm. While she appeared graceful and luxurious, she ultimately filled Lynch with a sense of cold, eerie dread, as if something terrifying were hidden within her.
The statue held a round fan in one hand to cover her face, while the other hand pointed toward the space in front of her.
Before it lay a smooth white stone slab. It resembled an unfurled scroll, densely packed with handwriting. Yet, not a single character could be clearly deciphered. One could only see a brilliant, iridescent glow rippling across the rows of text, making one yearn to focus harder to see and comprehend the script.
What is this? An altar? Or a stone tablet document?
Before he could even process the thought, Lynch suddenly let out a cry of agony.
Within his field of vision, the stone slab and the statue seemed to dissolve into countless incomprehensible lights and shadows, presenting themselves in chaotic disarray. It was a flash in the endless darkness, a scorching cyclone in the void, a vast galaxy swirling since time immemorial, and the twisted, eerie shapes traversing the ether.
It was the past, and it was the future; it was the beginning, and it was the end.
For a moment, it felt as though Lynch saw only the distorted motion of chaotic light, yet he simultaneously witnessed the shifting of the ages.
His brain throbbed with intense pain—the struggle of his physical body. His consciousness drifted in and out of a daze—the lamentation of his soul.
Lynch clutched his head and groaned in agony, his consciousness clinging to the final thread of clarity like a small boat tossing in a storm.
I do not know how much time passed, but the chaos in his mind finally began to settle. The countless swirling lights and shadows finally returned to the forms of the stone statue and the slab. At this moment, the stone statue seemed to come alive, watching Lynch with a gaze of mockery and amusement, while a cold voice emanated from behind the black fan:
"Kill them, and please me; this is your only path home."
It repeated the phrase three times. Then, the scene before him shifted. The stone statue remained in its original position, appearing as if it had never turned its gaze or spoken at all. Everything finally returned to normal.
Damn it, how long has it been?
Lynch immediately turned to observe his surroundings and found an endless stretch of grass behind them, with no sign of pursuers.
Beautiful, quiet, and peaceful. The intensity and danger from just moments ago felt like nothing more than a dream, leaving Lynch momentarily incredulous.
Where are the pursuers? Were they blocked outside? And what I just saw—was it real or an hallucination?
They still haven't given up? They still want me to do it?
Lynch shifted his eyes, secretly glancing toward the father and daughter.
Little Nara's behavior was quite frightening. She seemed largely unaffected by her mother's death. After crying for a few moments, she had already returned to being lively, happily hugging the base of the statue, which sent shivers down Lynch's spine.
Luke stood in place, mentally dazed, his eyes staring blankly at Lynch ahead, fixed and unblinking as if lost in his own thoughts.
A second chance. Should I actually do it?
No. Doing such a thing would severely distort my cognition; my soul's defenses almost collapsed just now. Besides, what even are you? Why should I please you? You are, at most, a mere evil god. If I were to betray my own heart just to please you, my neighbor would be saddened.
【No, I wouldn't.】
Don't start. I know you would. In any case, I refuse to kill to beg for mercy. I will find another way.
"Buddy, wake up."
Lynch patted Luke on the shoulder. Luke shuddered and began waving the pistol he had taken from Lynch around, which actually startled Lynch. However, Luke quickly regained his senses and slumped to the ground, clutching his head and sobbing, "Clara, Clara she..."
Lynch sighed, truly not knowing how to offer comfort. "She acted that way... but she had her own difficulties. You should try to let it go."
"No, I don't blame her. I am the one who was wrong. I just regret it now." Luke clutched his head, his voice choked with tears. "If only nothing had happened. If only everything could be restored to how it was."
He muttered the same words over and over, his voice growing lower and lower.
"That is why I came here. If there is a solution to be found, it must be here." Lynch shook his head, feeling his strength mostly recovered. He looked back to confirm that the pursuers really hadn't followed them, then pressed, "After coming back here, do you remember what you did before that led you to see the truth?"
"I have some memory of it." Luke remained despondent, slumped over as he held his head. "We felt very happy and content at the time. We ate something on the grass, and then we slept for a while. After we woke up, Nara was crawling on the stone slab playing. Clara was watching her from the side. I saw writing on the slab and felt curious, so I looked at it closely for a few moments, and then... I have no memory of anything else."
"Hiss... as expected, all the problems originate from it." Lynch let out a breath and explained, "This thing is likely the statue of an evil god. Oh, that terrifying presence you mentioned—that is the evil god. Those pursuing us are likely her apostles or something similar. This is highly likely a place where the believers of this world pray to the evil god, and what you read..."
Lynch walked slowly to the stone slab and squatted down. "...is likely the scriptures of the evil god, something even more terrifying than mystery documents. The danger is almost equivalent to looking directly at an evil god."
Having just proven that he couldn't understand it at all, Lynch wasn't overly nervous. He squatted to the side to observe the slab at close range.
Aside from the occasional flashes of light, the slab covered in handwriting held an indescribable eeriness. Ripples like water waves frequently appeared on its surface, as if it were not a solid object but an illusion. He had no idea where it might lead.
But the patterns on it were real. As he looked, Lynch suddenly realized that several of the symbols were identical to the mirrored patterns on the mystery documents that had brought him in.
Could it be that those documents establish a connection with this world through this stone slab, which is how they are able to bring people into this world?
If so, could one also be sent out through the slab? Since the slab is like a water ripple, does jumping into it lead back to the original world?
No, no, it shouldn't be that simple. Otherwise, who knows where one might end up? There must be other issues I haven't considered.
Lynch's breathing grew rapid, his fists clenching secretly. His brain whirled at high speed, trying to... hm?
Someone was pulling on his sleeve. He turned his head and found little Nara squatting beside him, looking up at him with curiosity.
"Uncle, what are you looking at?"
"I'm studying."
"Ah, then can you answer a question for me? I don't understand."
"What question?"
"What does 'outsider' mean?"
Lynch froze.
"That sister told me." The little girl pointed at the stone statue with an innocent expression, mimicking mature speech. "She said, 'Kill that outsider and please me, and I shall grant your wish for everything to be restored to how it was.'"
Hearing this, the hair on Lynch's body stood on end, and a chill rushed straight to the top of his head.
He suddenly realized there was a blind spot in his thinking. He was not special. It wasn't just him who would be tempted; others would be too.
If only everything could be restored to how it was—Luke had been muttering that all along. So that was the reason.
Realizing all this, Lynch felt as if needles were pricking his back. He wanted to leave the spot immediately, but before his body could move, a cold gun barrel was already pressed against the back of his head.
"For Clara, I'm sorry."
"Bang."
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