Nightmare? Klein deliberated for two seconds and said:
“Yes.
“I dream of a town shrouded in mist, with a red moon in the sky that is sometimes clear and sometimes blurry.
“At the center of this town is a black church, hung full of corpses dressed in clothes from different eras, swaying gently in the wind and making strange sounds.
“Besides these, there is a beautiful woman with bloody human flesh stuck between her teeth, and a mushroom person composed of countless little mushrooms…”
To address his psychological issues, Klein gave a fairly complete account of his dream, but he didn’t explain that it was something he had actually experienced, nor did he reveal that he knew the identity of that beautiful woman or the origin of the strange mushroom. At the same time, he concealed the existence of the translucent worms and
Audrey listened intently and focused, using both her supernatural intuition and her dual knowledge of mystical psychology, and said as she thought:
“Mr. World, I can imagine the horror and eeriness of those dream scenes, and I can also sense the immense fear that would jolt you awake.”
Seeing that the man on the other side of the wooden partition didn’t object, Audrey grew more confident, quietly performed another round of “calming,” and began to “guide”:
“Fear in dreams often originates from hidden emotions in the heart, and hidden fears have only two sources in most cases: the unknown and the irresistible.
“The terrifying things you see in your dreams are just appearances. What you truly fear are the things they represent, symbolize, and hide behind the scenes.”
As she spoke, Audrey suddenly asked:
“And what is that?”
Klein had been relaxing bit by bit and examining his heart while following Miss Justice’s soft, sweet voice. When he abruptly heard this question, he subconsciously answered:
“The existence that created all of this.”
He paused for a second, then hesitantly added:
“It is both unknown and irresistible.”
At this moment, Klein already understood the true reason for his nightmares and poor mental state:
He was instinctively afraid of certain things; he had instinctively developed hidden negative emotions.
The former included the terrifying presence of that cluster of translucent worms and
Yes, I’m afraid of that cluster of translucent worms that resemble the Sequence 1 “Mystery Servant” of the Seer Pathway, afraid of
Audrey used “calming” again and found that Mr. World’s mental tension had eased at its root. Delighted, she boldly said:
“A major source of fear is lack of confidence. Think back: have you made any oversights or mistakes in related matters? That has caused your spirit to keep reminding you, hinting to you, gradually turning into part of the nightmare.”
Oversights, mistakes, reminders from the spirit… Klein pondered Miss Justice’s words and carefully combed through the details of the things he feared.
Soon, his expression grew heavy as he discovered a problem:
When I made the oath through the Holy Sword in the presence of the Goddess, although I hadn’t yet become a “Clown” and the power of the
And the Goddess also has the title “Empress of Calamity and Fear.” She rules over misfortune and is one of the gods in the domain of Fate!
So, had I been watched from that moment on?
Klein’s mind gradually settled, and his fear of the unknown seemed to ease greatly.
He didn’t answer or wait for Miss Justice to speak again, but instead asked:
“What would you do if you were about to face one or even multiple enemies that are difficult to challenge?”
Audrey wasn’t annoyed by the patient’s counterquestion; rather, she saw it as a good sign and answered thoughtfully:
“First, evade, hide, and strive to improve yourself.”
“What if the time gained by evading and hiding isn’t enough for you to grow to the point of facing the enemy?” Klein pressed. “What if the gap is hard to close?”
Audrey, half comforting and half serious, replied:
“Find enough helpers.”
Helpers… Several names flashed through Klein’s mind, and he felt much more settled, so he continued:
“Even with helpers, what if you still can’t fight the enemy?
“What if some of the helpers are plotting something unknown—maybe beneficial to you, maybe harmful?”
Audrey paused in confusion, then after a few seconds of thought, she answered:
“You can pray to a deity.”
She just stopped short of saying that Mr. World could ask Mr. Fool for help.
And this exchange confirmed one thing for Audrey: Mr. World’s mental problems mainly came from powerful and fearsome enemies, but deep down there lurked a worry about the uncertain stance of certain “helpers.”