Chapter 12: The Goddess of the Night

Out of the six rooms, only the first one's door opened.

Was it that this particular door was "designed to be opened," or, like the heavy gates he had knocked on for five years, was it that only with his current strength could he open the first door?

Lin Qiye had knocked for five long years before his eyes were opened, his spiritual senses enhanced. Only then could he break through the door and enter the asylum.

Did that mean that for the remaining five rooms, he would need to strengthen himself further to open them as well?

Lin Qiye wasn't sure. Right now, he didn't have the luxury of time to dwell on these thoughts.

Because right in front of him, the door to the room that had been covered in mysterious seals was slowly opening.

The room inside was small and dimly lit. At its center was a single chair, and sitting on that chair was a woman, dressed in a starry black gown, gazing blankly ahead. Other than her and the chair, the entire room seemed devoid of anything else.

Lin Qiye cautiously approached the door and, after a moment of hesitation, he put on a formal smile and waved at the woman inside.

"Hello, I'm Lin Qiye."

No matter who she was, it was always polite to greet her first. As the saying went, you shouldn't strike someone who extends their hand with a smile. If he maintained his politeness, even if she was some divine entity, she shouldn't cause him any trouble.

But despite his smile, the woman in black remained still, staring ahead like a statue.

Lin Qiye clenched his teeth, and without wasting more time, he walked into the room.

The moment his foot crossed the threshold, strange symbols and words appeared on the wall behind the woman in black.

"Room 1.

Patient: Nyx

Mission: Help Nyx treat her mental illness. When treatment progress reaches the required milestones (1%, 50%, 100%), part of Nyx's abilities may be randomly extracted.

Current treatment progress: 0%"

"Nyx?" Lin Qiye sucked in a sharp breath.

Although he didn't know much about mythology, he had heard of Nyx—the Goddess of Night—one of the five primordial deities in ancient Greek myth.

She was one of the most revered gods in the mythological hierarchy!

So, the woman sitting in front of him, who looked so lifeless and vacant, was the famous Goddess of Night?

Her cool and graceful demeanor, flawless features, and long, black hair cascading down her back like a waterfall... The starry gown she wore was as dark and profound as the night sky itself, accentuating her porcelain skin like snow-capped mountains.

Even with lifeless eyes, the aura she emitted was far beyond what any mortal could possess.

Even the most powerful female monarchs in history could not compare to her.

Nyx—she was a god. A monarch.

The ruler of the night!

Lin Qiye stroked his chin and studied Nyx closely. He had seen gods before. Compared to the Seraph from the Moon, something about Nyx felt... lacking.

Divinity? Power? Authority?

Or was it all absent?

He didn't know, but he could guess that what she had become was linked to her illness.

But how could a god—someone at the pinnacle of myth—get sick?

Was her illness natural, or was it caused by something... or someone else?

If it were natural, Lin Qiye found that hard to believe. But if it were caused by someone, he couldn't fathom what kind of being could make the Goddess of Night sick.

And moreover, mental illness?

According to the writing on the wall, Lin Qiye now had the task of helping Nyx recover, but what exactly was wrong with her?

Lin Qiye had a rough understanding of mental disorders, as he had once been a "mental patient" himself. Mental illnesses generally fell into categories like depression, OCD, schizophrenia, delusions, and so on.

To help Nyx, he first needed to determine what illness she was suffering from.

Lin Qiye pondered for a moment and then crouched down in front of Nyx. He waved his hand in front of her eyes.

"Can you hear me?" Lin Qiye asked softly by her ear.

Suddenly, Nyx's body trembled, startling Lin Qiye, and he instinctively stepped back.

Immediately after, Nyx's head slowly turned toward him. Her empty eyes locked onto his, unblinking.

Lin Qiye swallowed nervously, paralyzed with fear.

One second... two seconds... three seconds...

Just when Lin Qiye felt his scalp tingling under her intense gaze, Nyx's expression shifted.

From vacant to confused,

From confused to shocked,

From shocked to teary-eyed!

Her body shuddered as tears welled up in her eyes, her lips parted, and after a long pause, her hoarse voice cracked through the silence.

"I've finally found you… my child!!"

In that instant, Lin Qiye felt a surge of electricity shoot from his feet to his brain, stunning him and leaving him speechless.

She? Me?

Child?

What???

Lin Qiye couldn't recall what his parents looked like. After all, they had entrusted him to his aunt after he was born and disappeared.

But...

His mother should have been a human... maybe?

But not... the Goddess of Night!

Wait... Why was the Goddess of Night speaking perfect Chinese?!

Oh, right! This is a dream, so it's not strange to understand the language of gods... Maybe this is just some brainwave transmission?

While Lin Qiye was lost in thought, Nyx suddenly stood up. She opened her arms and staggered toward him, her expression growing more and more excited.

At that moment, Lin Qiye's mind was in chaos, and without thinking, he instinctively opened his arms, ready to embrace the Goddess of Night.

However,

Nyx, in a swift motion, brushed past Lin Qiye and instead grabbed hold of... the flower vase on the windowsill.

Tightly clutching the vase, Nyx sobbed uncontrollably, "My child… You're still alive! I've finally found you!"

Lin Qiye: …???

Then, Nyx's gaze landed on the chair she had been sitting on for who knows how long.

After a brief moment of confusion,

She rushed forward and embraced the chair and the vase, crying even harder.

"Hypnos! My child, so you're here too!!!"

Lin Qiye stood frozen, dumbfounded, as Nyx mournfully embraced a chair, the vase, the walls, and the air, all the while calling them her "children" and weeping uncontrollably.

Lin Qiye: I think... I understand what her illness is now...

She's seriously not well...

As dawn broke, Lin Qiye awoke with a sigh, staring at the bare ceiling above him.

After spending the whole night with Nyx, he felt like he had been drained of energy.

Just as he was about to get up, something caught his attention.

A faint "hmm?" escaped his lips.

In his mind, the asylum shrouded in mist seemed to shift and float. There was now a clear connection between him and the asylum.

Now, he didn't need to sleep to enter the asylum. He could now immerse his consciousness in it at any moment and sense everything happening inside.

So, this was the "reward" for opening the gate... Lin Qiye thought to himself, as he tried to connect his consciousness to the asylum once more. He was able to sense everything that happened within it.

Of course, the five sealed rooms still remained out of reach.

At that moment, he saw Nyx in the yard, hugging the vase and chair, speaking to the air beside her, though he had no idea what she was saying.

Lin Qiye sat on the bed, rubbing his tired eyes in frustration.

"Treating her, treating her... But I'm not a doctor. How the hell do I help her?"

Suddenly, Lin Qiye's eyes lit up. It was as if an idea had struck him.

His eyes narrowed, and a smile slowly spread across his face.