One-Eyed Monster

This voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Igor understood that this wasn’t the time to investigate its origin. He had to find a way to rescue Senior Kuren.

I’m the main culprit, he thought. I have to rectify the mistake I’ve made. If only I had expressed myself more smoothly, I wouldn’t have aroused Kuren’s suspicion. If I had been able to clearly articulate my thoughts, Senior Kuren wouldn’t have misunderstood. If not for Senior Kuren’s misunderstanding, this current scene wouldn’t have happened.

But it’s too late for ifs and buts now; they won’t change anything. To alleviate this pressure, I need another way... His vision darkened; he didn’t know what to do. Besides constantly regretting my previous words, there’s nothing I can do.

Just when he was at a loss, the voice suddenly arrived. Although it didn’t startle him, it did take him by surprise.

Whose voice is this, anyway? he wondered. It sounds so familiar, yet I just can’t recall.

”Who are you?” Igor, as guileless as a child and hiding nothing, blurted out his question.

”What you need to do now is get in there and intervene quickly, or it will be too late,” said the voice, ignoring Igor’s question and stubbornly sticking to its own agenda.

”But...” Igor still wanted to know who was speaking. But before he could finish, he was rudely interrupted by the voice.

”No more ’buts.’ You must act swiftly, or that guy will go insane under your influence. Is that what you want?”

”I...”

”’I’ what? Hurry up! Stop dawdling! Just do as I say. If you delay any longer, you’ll truly be a sinner,” the voice chattered incessantly, like a machine gun, quickly gaining the upper hand and overwhelming even the eccentric Igor.

Igor waited respectfully, hardly daring to breathe, for the voice’s instructions.

Kuren continued coughing, his once ruddy complexion gradually turning purplish, his appearance growing more ghastly.

While Igor knew Kuren’s concerns were related to his identity—whether Igor was a bad person—he didn’t understand what was truly happening to Kuren, or why such slight worries could transform a person to such an extent.

Naturally, Igor had no idea. He had never experienced despair, nor the shock of repeated blows. That feeling of plunging from scorching heat into icy cold was far from pleasant. He couldn’t possibly know what a conflicted mind felt like—that anguish that twists the heart relentlessly until consciousness itself begins to fade.

Kuren was now gradually losing consciousness. He was sinking, heading towards some dark abyss...

”Boy, you need to enter the core of the Inner World. You are the controller, so you can enter his mental world. Therefore, you must transform *his* world into *your* world!” The voice began to command, exuding an inexplicable authority.

This... Igor, though slightly hesitant, still complied entirely with the voice’s instruction.

Although what the voice said was quite cryptic, and most people wouldn’t have understood it, Igor comprehended it perfectly. The voice was telling him to enter Kuren’s mind again and then transform Kuren’s thoughts into his own.

It sounded easy, but it was far from simple. Although Igor could enter Kuren’s mind with ease, transforming Kuren’s thoughts into his own was not such a simple matter.

”Enter first, then think about how to transform,” said the voice. It seemed to have seen right through Igor, discerning even his current worries. This was no ordinary voice.

Igor followed the voice’s instruction and entered Kuren’s mind.

Alternating between hot and cold, Kuren’s thoughts were erratic, like a labyrinth, yet also like a cage. Kuren was trapped within, able to do nothing but relive his previous sensations over and over. This was the primary reason why his coughing fits had turned his face purple.

Kuren’s mind was now a complete muddle, a sticky paste from which he couldn’t extricate himself.

Igor stood upon this sticky morass, his feet stuck, his hands stuck—everything was stuck. He couldn’t break free at all.

”Look, it’s a complete mess in here. What you need to do is clean it up. Once it’s clean, he will naturally be out of danger, and you will get what you want.”

”Something I want?” Igor, while trying to free himself from the sticky morass, eagerly asked the voice.

”Yes, those things will appear before you when the time comes.” The voice responded calmly, maintaining its usual composure.

Since the voice is unwilling to elaborate, there’s no point in pressing further, Igor reasoned. Inquiring wouldn’t lead to any good results, so it’s better not to ask. For now, I have to concentrate on cleaning up this mess to receive my next instruction.

Igor began to use his imagination. Although this mental world was Kuren’s, Igor could enter it. Once inside, he could manipulate its changes at will.

Because he was the controller, he could freely enter and, as long as his imagination held, he had every reason to reconstruct and reinterpret anyone’s mind.

And so, that muddle transformed, gradually becoming a chaotically twisted knot of rope.

This was Igor’s new interpretation. He re-evaluated the resentment and dissatisfaction in Kuren’s mind, and gradually, in his own mind, all these feelings coalesced into a single, tangled knot. This knot was a chaotic mess, looking like a dead knot someone had carelessly tied.

Now, all Igor had to do was untie this dead knot.

Untying this dead knot was now Igor’s most important task.

And while untying this knot, Igor could still find moments to chat with others and clear his head.

At this moment, what Igor most wanted to know was still the identity of the speaker.

”Not bad, not bad at all, boy. Your comprehension is very high. It’s truly gratifying.”

”Actually, I’ve been wondering,” Igor furrowed his brow. His surroundings were no longer a sticky mess; they had transformed into a lush green meadow, bathed in sprinkling sunlight, with butterflies fluttering about. It was truly a beautiful afternoon.

”What are you wondering, boy?”

”I’m wondering, is illusion ascendant right now, or is it reality? I feel waves of sorrow, unsure of where I truly am at this moment.”

The knot in Igor’s hand still showed no major change, but his heart had begun to waver slightly. This wavering could very well nullify all his previous efforts, sending everything to waste...