Chapter 15: The Seraphim Curse
"Marcus, burn it. Don't let it harm anyone anymore."
After regaining her composure, Kirsty looked at the Lament Configuration on the table. Her expression was resolute—she was determined to destroy this evil thing completely.
Marcus knew that in the original timeline, when Kirsty was about to burn the box, the vagrant Cenobite appeared and took it away.
However, having the box around now was a hidden danger. It not only affected the future plot development but also attracted unwanted attention from Hell's denizens.
Marcus looked at Kirsty's face, which clearly showed determination.
This girl was more capable of growing than most people, but unfortunately, she couldn't escape her predetermined fate. However, the Lighthouse Space held infinite possibilities. When he surpassed Leviathan...
"Marcus?"
Kirsty asked again.
"Okay, you said burn it, so burn it!"
The two walked to the barbecue grill in the backyard, took the gasoline they had siphoned from the wrecked car, and poured it on the Lament Configuration.
Just as the flames roared in the grill, a limping vagrant wearing a filthy coat appeared before them.
Ignoring the two people present, he walked directly to the grill, disregarding the burning flames, and reached into the fire to pull out the puzzle box, which had been set ablaze with gasoline.
The flames from the box ignited his sleeves, then his entire body, turning him into a human torch.
However, the homeless man remained calm. He turned around, his body shuddered, and he transformed into a skeletal dragon wreathed in flames, flying eastward.
That was the direction of Morocco.
Kirsty stared at all this in astonishment, frozen in place.
"I'll explain everything to you tonight,"
Marcus said to Kirsty.
"Okay," Kirsty nodded. Although she had many questions, she trusted Marcus.
A taxi stopped by the curb, and a middle-aged man in a brown suit hurriedly got out. His right hand was wrapped in thick bandages.
"Kirsty, are you alright?"
the man called anxiously as he got out of the cab. His eyes were red, clearly from crying—it was Kirsty's father, Larry.
When they arrived at Marcus's apartment, Kirsty had contacted her father.
Larry, after answering Kirsty's call, learned of the explosion at his house.
He tried calling Julia but couldn't get through. Knowing Kirsty was at Marcus's apartment, and having just passed by on his way back to the house, he rushed over.
He was crying because he had just received a call from the police saying they had found a burned female corpse inside the house.
Kirsty comforted her father, unsure how to explain.
The police also arrived to inquire about the situation.
However, with Marcus present, the scenario of Kirsty being immediately locked up in a psychiatric ward, as in the original timeline, was avoided—
money solved many problems.
Because Larry's house had been destroyed, Marcus arranged for him to stay in one of the three remaining vacant units in his building.
That evening, in Marcus's bedroom,
Marcus explained in detail to Kirsty everything about Hell, Cenobites, and the puzzle box.
"So, you're still in danger,"
Kirsty asked worriedly, resting her head on Marcus's arm.
"Yes."
"The Ice Cenobite was scared away by Pinhead, and they shouldn't be coming back in the next couple of days."
"But it will come back for me sooner or later, so I have to leave," Marcus explained.
Kirsty asked, "How can I help you? I'll go with you."
This girl knew there was great danger around him, yet she was still willing to run away with him. She truly had courage!
Marcus's heart stirred. He wanted to test whether he could take Kirsty with him, to test the Lighthouse's function.
Upon completing all the story missions, there was a prompt to choose to return early.
So he lay on the bed, holding Kirsty's hand, and tried clicking the button.
[Choose to return early?]
Items to carry:
Common items: Mattress (3 survival points), Pajamas (2 survival points), Blanket (2 survival points).
Marcus chose "No," then tried placing his hand on the floor. The information changed.
[Choose to return early?]
Items to carry:
World: Hellraiser Universe (100,000,000 survival points)
Common items: Pajamas (2 survival points), 80x80 wooden floorboards (1 survival point).
He discovered that returning could consume survival points to carry some items, arranged from top to bottom according to value, as long as they were physically accessible.
However, Kirsty wasn't among them.
This meant he couldn't take Kirsty with him.
So, all Marcus could do now was tell Kirsty about the subsequent matters concerning the Cenobites.
But he didn't dare discuss the plot directly, because he felt an impending calamity was about to occur whenever he tried to speak of future events.
"Kirsty, you must remember what I'm about to say, because it's something that will guarantee our safety."
"First, there exists a configuration in this world called the Seraphim Configuration."
"It can steal the immortal power of Leviathan. The Cenobites' power comes from Leviathan,
so this configuration can also steal their immortal bodies. Within its influence, only mortal weapons can harm the Cenobites."
"But they still possess extraordinary abilities—the configuration merely gives us a means to fight back."
"So, Kirsty, even if you find this configuration and learn how to use it, you must be careful."
Marcus explained earnestly.
"Yes, the Seraphim Configuration. I've got it."
Kirsty nodded firmly, her expression incredibly resolute, like a determined warrior.
"Good. There's also a summoning circle that comes with it, which can summon the Cenobites to a specific location when the Lament Configuration is activated."
Seeing that Kirsty had memorized it, Marcus continued.
"Yes, I've remembered everything. Are you leaving, Marcus?"
Kirsty looked at Marcus with a reluctant expression, as if he were giving his final instructions.
"I'm too weak right now,"
Marcus replied.
He had actually arranged for people to search the world for information about the 'Seraphim Configuration,'
but they hadn't found anything.
After all, the real world was too vast, like finding a needle in a haystack.
Even in the extended lore of this world, it was only briefly mentioned that Kirsty had found these things to use against the Cenobites.
Kirsty was destined to find these things, and there was a high probability she would, providing a certain level of safety whether she became a Hell Priest herself or when Marcus returned to this world.
While searching for these things, Marcus also used the code "DarkStar666" found on the online forum to
have someone investigate the person who left the message.
According to the returned information, the sender's name was Dominic Patterson, who had sold his house and entered the Underground.
He had already joined an Underground organization and become the leader's adopted son.
The so-called Underground Kingdom was nothing more than a group of homeless people who had illegally crossed borders, and their descendants forming a vagrant organization beneath the city streets.
Upon seeing this news, Marcus recalled that in the extended comics of the movie world, the king of this Underground organization had been mentioned.
This vagrant organization's leader was an elderly blind man who could indeed sense the evil of the Lament Configuration.
In the story, one of his sons found the puzzle box and gave it to him. As soon as he held the box, he felt the incredibly terrifying evil within and threw it into the sewer.
Unfortunately, the instant the box fell into the sewer, a Cenobite emerged from it and tore everyone present to pieces.
With 10 days left until the end of the survival mission, Marcus decided to try contacting the person who left the coded message initially.
(End of Chapter)
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