"Who is she?" Planck's voice sounded beside the girl's ear.
"She is Pure Evil. She is my past—and my future."
Planck reminded her, "Vill-V, recognize yourself. Don't lose who you are here."
"Mm. I know."
Vill-V removed her clothes, stripping herself bare and revealing skin covered in scars. She then handed all of her clothes to Pure Evil. "Change into these. Maybe they really do have their own difficulties."
"You're too kind, Id. They don't have any difficulties—they're the real lunatics!"
"Mm." Vill-V stepped closer and pressed the clothes into Pure Evil's arms.
The air fell silent. Pure Evil's hurried breathing echoed through the living room.
As time passed, the breathing gradually slowed, until it became a faint, almost imperceptible sigh.
In the end, Pure Evil handed the knife and the raincoat over to Vill-V and changed into the outfit Id had been wearing.
"Maybe. But we'll always find a way to cure them, won't we? After all, we possess the knowledge of the Three-Body world."
"Hmph. Id, you're even more confident than I am."
"Well, your confidence is something I gave you in the first place."
"Hmph. Too bad it's just delusion. I may be confident, but I never indulge in delusions."
Now dressed in an adorable outfit, Pure Evil picked up a pillow and walked into their parents' bedroom.
When no further sound came from inside, Planck said to Vill-V, "Let's go as well, Vill-V."
"...All right."
...
They returned to the living room corridor.
Vill-V's living room was enormous, with a massive floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the garden outside.
In the sunlit garden, a young couple was holding their wedding beneath a grapevine trellis. And the girl-like Conductor Vill-V was playing the piano atop the vines.
The newlyweds were none other than Vill-V's parents in their youth—back when they were still mentally stable.
At least, that was how Vill-V described it.
By all logic, Vill-V had not even been born yet. How could she have played piano to bless their wedding? It wasn't as though it had been a shotgun wedding.
And the piece Conductor Vill-V was playing was anything but celebratory. It was Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2—the famous "Funeral March."
Planck leaned closer and asked, "Vill-V, do you know what's happening right now?"
Planck had experienced nightmares before, but this was the first time she had such a lucid and yet bizarre dream.
It was also her first time stepping into someone else's memory. And as this was Vill-V's memory, naturally Vill-V had the most authority to speak on it.
Watching the scene, Vill-V said, "Mm. This is a dream. And also a place where time is scrambled. Honestly, I'm just as confused as you are."
"But this scene... it does seem to have happened."
Perhaps it was a dream stitched together from the most vivid memories of Vill-V at different points in time.
Why perhaps? Because Vill-V didn't know.
But she was certain of one thing—the memories within the dream had already begun to influence her. She needed to leave as soon as possible.
They continued toward the living room exit. By then, Conductor's performance had reached its finale.
There was no applause. No cheers. Even the only two people in the garden had turned into a decaying tombstone.
At that moment, Planck asked, "No praise for Conductor?"
The meaning was obvious—why wasn't Vill-V communicating with that Conductor Vill-V?
After all, she had spoken with Pure Evil earlier. If it were Conductor, perhaps she could offer useful advice.
"No. A silent audience best demonstrates a pianist's skill."
Planck saw that after finishing her performance, Conductor lifted her head—whether in tears or in silent contemplation of the starry sky, it was impossible to tell.
...
There were many exits from the living room. The one Vill-V chose led to a vast two-level garden.
"Your house is really big."
Planck looked up but could not see the garden's boundary.
Perhaps the torrential rain obscured her vision. Outside, rain poured relentlessly.
Vill-V happened to be wearing the raincoat she had taken from Pure Evil, so she could stroll through the rain without worry.
Crunch, crunch. The sound was not raindrops striking the raincoat, but shards of ceramic underfoot.
Looking closely, the exit was blanketed with fragments of white porcelain.
Rather than being laid there intentionally, it looked as though tableware of all shapes and sizes had been smashed to pieces, forming this peculiar sight.
Planck asked, "I heard that in Denmark, people throw old plates at their friends' or neighbors' doors to celebrate the New Year. Do you have a similar custom here?"
"Heh." Vill-V gave a bitter smile and kicked at the layer of shattered porcelain. As the clean white fragments scattered, what lay beneath were shards stained brown.
"Who would throw bloodstained tableware at a friend's doorstep..."
Vill-V did not continue explaining where the dishes had come from. She raised her index finger to her lips. "Professor Planck, in horror movies, it's safer not to ask too many questions."
A flash of lightning illuminated Vill-V's eerie face, making even Planck draw in a sharp breath.
Rumble—
After the thunder faded, Vill-V returned to her usual mischievous smile. "Don't worry. It's all in the past now. Just old memories."
Silver threads of rain reflected the lightning, lighting up the night.
In the garden stood a girl holding an umbrella, staring at two flowerpots with an expression of pain and struggle.
Beneath the soil in the pots lay her parents.
"Why did it fail... Who did this?" The girl lowered her head, biting back tears, her eyes vacant.
Seeing this, Vill-V offered no explanation to Planck. Instead, she continued leading Planck—whose body was gradually regaining substance—around the garden and toward the basement beneath the first-floor garden.
Rows of flowers had been planted around the basement door, concealing the hidden entrance.
The moment the basement door was opened, Planck immediately pinched her nose.
The basement was filled with all sorts of strange dolls. The air carried a nauseating smell of rust and rotting flesh.
Vill-V, however, seemed accustomed to it. She avoided certain shadowy corners and continued forward with Planck.
Why would an ordinary household have such a heavy stench of decay? Planck wondered, but she did not ask.
The basement was separated from the garden by only a layer of reinforced glass, so the scene above was still visible from below.
Planck saw a group of men dressed in black emerge from the curtain of rain and take away the weeping Lecturer Vill-V.
At that moment, Planck saw Vill-V suddenly clench her fists. Her expression twisted with grief and anger as she gritted her teeth.
"They're here."
"Who are they?"
"The Ninth Mausoleum."