Inside the asylum, a man sitting quietly on a bench caught Audrey's attention.
The first thing Miss Justice noticed was his appearance.
The hospital corridor was filled with the clamorous voices of patients, yet he alone sat quietly, eyes downcast, a hint of blue light showing beneath his thick lashes.
He wore a mask, his entire body wrapped in a straitjacket stitched with leather straps, with only the skin on his face exposed.
That lonely, helpless posture made one's heart tremble involuntarily.
A nurse beside him was speaking to him gently, but he seemed completely immersed in his own world, paying no attention whatsoever.
Was he also a patient?
Such a shame that someone so handsome should be here... Audrey sighed sincerely, while at the same time feeling a spark of curiosity rise within her.
What would someone like him be thinking right now?
Audrey wanted to test her abilities and read his mind.
A few seconds later, she would regret making this decision.
At this moment, Audrey was heading to Professor Anthony's consulting room with her personal maid Annie, which required passing through the corridor.
The distance between them was gradually closing, close enough for her to secretly use her mind-reading ability.
So when she walked to the side and slightly ahead of the black-haired young man, she casually lifted her eyes to glance over his body.
At the same time, deep within her pupils, a faint golden gleam flashed.
The signature ability of a Sequence 8 "Telepathist": mind reading!
Whoosh!
The world before Audrey's eyes immediately transformed.
People's bodies revealed more details, and the colors of their emotions and auras became strikingly vivid on the surface, available for her to analyze and experience.
Such a chaotic aura, yet his emotions are quite calm...
She observed the mottled, multicolored aura on his body's surface and the pale blue emotion near his brain region that represented stability.
She felt somewhat puzzled.
Strange, how is this possible? Such a chaotic aura means his mental world has already fallen into disorder, yet his emotions are still so stable!
Wait, there seems to be something else deep within his aura.
Audrey discovered that within the colors hidden beneath his body's surface, something strange seemed to be moving.
Feeling curious, she wanted to try delving deeper, to simulate his thinking...
Just then, the young man suddenly lifted his head.
He, who had been looking down all this time, seemed to sense Audrey's prying gaze.
His head shot up abruptly, his eyes locking precisely with hers. Those eyes were a clear, transparent azure blue. Audrey's first thought was of her own gem collection.
The most translucent sapphire among them was probably this exact color, wasn't it?
But in the next instant, she had no mental space to think about such things.
From the man's body, an indescribably terrible hunger suddenly emanated.
Deep within his eyes, it was as if a twisted monster, extremely ravenous, was hidden. That monster had already set its sights on her body and wanted to devour her completely.
Her flesh and blood would be torn apart and swallowed into its belly.
Her soul would become an eternal slave, imprisoned, driven, whipped!
Audrey's body began to tremble involuntarily.
As a "Telepathist," she could feel this threat even more clearly, could sense the other's undisguised, insane malice.
He wasn't human at all, but some kind of terrifying monster wearing a beautiful human skin!
"Ahh..."
She wanted to scream, but her throat could only produce indistinct sounds.
She wanted to flee, but her body was paralyzed by fear and couldn't move. She could only continue staring into those terrifying blue eyes...
I'm going to be eaten!
Mr. Fool, save me! Goddess, save me!
Perhaps her prayers took effect, because the oppressive presence emanating from the young man suddenly vanished.
His eyes suddenly lost their terrible aggression and returned to being a pair of beautiful, harmless eyes.
Audrey saw that his consciousness had become lucid. He looked her up and down, then lowered his eyes and paid her no more attention.
He let me go?
Audrey thought incredulously.
"Miss?"
Her maid Annie beside her, noticing that she'd stopped, turned back and asked in puzzlement.
The young man's oppressive presence had been limited to her alone; even her personal maid standing so close hadn't noticed anything.
"...I'm fine. Let's go."
Seeing that the person had already lowered his head and seemed to have no interest in her, Audrey pretended nothing had happened and spoke casually to her maid, though her voice carried a tremor that only she herself could detect.
She walked forward stiffly with her maid.
Not until the two of them reached the end of the corridor, with no reaction from him, did she finally confirm that she'd been spared.
He's also a Beyonder? How terrifying...
Audrey felt lingering fear, suddenly sensing a chill on her back. It turned out that, without her noticing, sweat had soaked through her undergarments.
She'd only come to tour a mental hospital, never expecting to encounter such a terrifying Beyonder.
She felt regret and even wanted to leave immediately and return to the safety of her own home.
No, if I do that, Annie will notice something's wrong. Besides, that person doesn't want me to act abnormally...
After thinking for a moment, she decided to stick with the original plan and visit Professor Anthony to observe his treatment of patients.
Audrey, you must be vigilant! You can't use your abilities so carelessly in the future!
She said to herself in her heart.
From the corner of his eye, Silas watched the young woman disappear at the end of the corridor and snorted coldly in his mind.
I thought it was one of that woman's illusions. I almost attacked just now.
He thought to himself darkly.
The illusory sound of ocean tides resounded in his mind, suppressing all the chaos and ravings. His consciousness had now returned to lucidity.
When he'd been in a semi-mad state just moments ago, he'd suddenly felt someone spying on him.
When he looked up, he saw a pair of eyes gleaming with golden light. He'd thought Ma'am M had appeared again, but fortunately he immediately realized the other party seemed to actually exist.
He quickly called upon the tide to restore rationality to his consciousness and prevent himself from acting on instinct.
That's right; as his sequence advanced, he could now actively summon that tide.
However, summoning the tide required consuming spirituality, so unless necessary, he wouldn't use it actively.
From the looks of it, she seems to be a Beyonder from the same pathway as Ma'am M.
Silas thought.
As for how he'd discovered the other party wasn't Ma'am M?
Simple.
Because the "Shepherd" potion within his body had reacted.
The Beyonder characteristic from the Shepherd was surging, reminding him that there was a "lamb" nearby that could be "shepherded," that is, a soul carrying Beyonder characteristics.
That's what made him realize the other party wasn't one of Ma'am M's phantoms.
If I'd killed her just now, I could have shepherded her directly while her soul hadn't yet dissipated, obtaining her abilities.
Insane and dangerous thoughts surged through Silas's mind. But he quickly shook his head and suppressed that idea.
She was just a low-sequence Beyonder; shepherding her wouldn't provide much benefit.
Besides, judging from her attire and inexperienced response, she was probably some noble young lady lacking experience.
He hadn't fallen so low as to target someone like that.