This isn't real...
After waking up half a month ago, it took Orpheus almost a week to accept and confirm that he had transmigrated into another "real world" and wasn't just in a dream or delusion.
But now,
What he was facing,
This is definitely not reality!
He should be... no, he must still be in the basement of the Immolras house.
Everything started to change when he tried to straighten Lazarus's head.
And the giant red high heels and the woman's face before him—such an illogical, surreal phenomenon, completely detached from reality—could only mean one thing: he was being "hypnotized."
The term "hypnosis" has various interpretations. In this context, it refers to the separation of one's existence from the physical body and being confined to a state of mental existence.
In simpler terms, he was... dreaming.
The static from the radio still buzzed,
And above him,
The woman's mouth began to open slowly.
Even after reaching the maximum stretch a human face could endure, it continued to split further. You could even hear a sound like a zipper being pulled.
Until the entire face was completely divided by the mouth, her tightly packed teeth began to spread apart, and a large, agile tongue extended downward with an eerily graceful movement!
Like a lizard, poised to swallow the tiny mosquito in its path.
"Buzz!"
Orpheus felt his whole body wrapped in a wet, slimy warmth, then suddenly yanked upward.
When someone is rapidly lifted to a height, or more generally, when they are moved at high speeds, it triggers a ticklish sensation similar to riding a pirate ship or a giant swing.
If this sensation is intensified to a certain level, it can easily lead to confusion or even fainting.
This is a dream. This is a dream...
Orpheus chanted inwardly, knowing that he needed to wake up immediately.
He didn't understand what was causing this situation, but that didn't stop him from applying known methods to deal with unknown challenges;
Like solving a math problem—rather than scratching your head, why not try inserting your known formulas, even if it means forcing them?
The human mind is a mysterious "realm."
In most cases, when someone is dreaming and the dream reaches a certain point, they will naturally wake up. On rare occasions, one might become aware they're dreaming but be unable to wake up immediately, a phenomenon commonly referred to as "sleep paralysis."
In another, more enthusiastic community, it's called "lucid dreaming," where one can train and use techniques to enter a state of controlled dreaming.
Most people, after starting with curiosity, will eventually avoid it, as the desperation experienced while forcibly waking up—like a drowning person struggling to the surface from the depths—can drive one mad and leave them deeply disturbed.
People whose jobs involve frequent mental exercises or who have a keen interest in such matters can often craft their "dreams" more vividly, effectively trapping themselves.
More severe cases involve layered dreams, where the subconscious starts "working," using dreams to deceive oneself, allowing them to "wake up" only to another layer of dreams, reducing the resistance to the dream—a phenomenon known as "true self-deception."
If ordinary people's "sleep paralysis" is like floating up from the depths, then for these individuals, it's akin to a winter swimmer surfacing to find a thick layer of ice above.
The consequences of being unable to wake up from a dream are unclear, as there is no box for "died in a dream" on death certificates, and those who "wake up alive" usually shrug it off as a dream with no physical harm.
The wind roared past Orpheus's ears as the tongue's elasticity was strong, pulling him upward rapidly, straight into the mouth.
What followed,
Was a relentless series of biting and sucking noises,
One after another,
Constantly bombarding Orpheus's ears.
You're being eaten, you're being chewed, you're being swallowed…
You're dying… you're dying… you're dying… you… are dead!
Orpheus knew if he didn't wake up soon, his end would be grim.
Someone who's died once often doesn't become indifferent to life and death… instead, they cherish life's beauty even more. Orpheus was like that.
He didn't want to die!
In this situation, he had to muster enough courage and determination to break through this "dream," to return to his physical body, to reality.
Because of his work and personal interest, Orpheus had faced similar situations before, though none were as bizarre or horrifying as this. Still, he had a tried-and-true strategy to deal with it.
Illusions must be pierced with truth;
Weakness must be reforged with ideals;
Obstacles must be shattered with reason!
When you lack strength yourself, you can try to borrow it.
So,
Orpheus began to sing,
With all his might, he belted out:
"Arise, ye workers from your slumber, arise, ye prisoners of want;
For reason in revolt now thunders, and at last ends the age of cant…"
In times like these, one needs belief and conviction to become a forceful will that can pull oneself out of the mire of the mind. Besides, Orpheus had been a staunch materialist in his past life.
As he sang,
The sensation of being chewed gradually lessened. Orpheus felt his body beginning to rise. He continued to sing, his voice unwavering, as he slowly lowered his head.
He saw the woman's teeth, her tongue,
Then saw her mouth,
And her entire face,
Finally,
Between the two legs, he saw something—like a face growing or fused together with them… an image that was overwhelmingly disjointed.
At that moment,
The static receded,
Then,
The male voice from before spoke again, this time with a hint of confusion:
"Huh… who are you?"
Then,
"Where… is this?"
Orpheus lifted his head,
Summoning all his senses,
Open your eyes,
Open your eyes,
Open your eyes!
...
"Buzz!"
Orpheus's eyes snapped open,
He saw Aunt Mary crouching in front of him, her face filled with concern.
"Hu… hu… hu…"
Seeing Orpheus wake up, Aunt Mary sat down heavily, slapping her chest repeatedly as she spoke:
"You scared me, Orpheus… you don't know how terrifying it was when you suddenly fainted like that…"
This nephew of hers had just recovered from a serious illness, almost losing his life. If anything happened now, Aunt Mary wouldn't know how to face her father-in-law, especially since Orpheus had been helping her move the body.
Orpheus took a deep breath,
Managing a strained smile,
And said:
"It's alright, Aunt. I'm probably still a bit weak."
Orpheus looked up and saw that Lazarus's face had returned to its normal position.
"Meow…"
A cat's cry came from outside Aunt Mary's workspace. The black cat, Poe, poked its head in, seeming curious about what was happening inside.
Orpheus pushed himself up but suddenly felt a pain in his face. Warmth surged from his nasal cavity, and blood began to trickle down.
"I… I slapped you to wake you up." Aunt Mary explained.
That was… a slap?
What could Orpheus say? He could only continue:
"Thank you, Aunt."
"You should go upstairs and rest. Have Mina help clean you up. You're not needed here anymore."
Aunt Mary didn't dare let her nephew stay there any longer.
Orpheus nodded. He stood up, glanced at Lazarus's body on the gurney again. Instinctively, he felt the sudden dream was connected to the corpse. Was it safe to leave Aunt Mary here alone?
Just then,
Orpheus's cousin Lent's voice came from the basement entrance:
"Mom, Grandpa is back."
Grandpa's presence in the Immolras household was absolute. When he came home, everyone, especially the women, had to greet him, no matter what they were doing.
Lent came running over and noticed the body on the gurney but wasn't fazed.
Any scary thing becomes ordinary when you see it enough in your own home.
"Lent, take your brother to your sister for first aid." Aunt Mary instructed.
She worried that her slap might have broken Orpheus's nose, and the bleeding wouldn't stop unless treated properly.
"Oh, okay, Mom. Come on, brother."
Orpheus, his head tilted back, one hand covering his nose, was led out by Lent. As they reached the entrance, he sensed someone standing there.
The figure wasn't particularly tall, but his presence exuded a sense of stability, as if he could easily handle any situation.
Orpheus's restless emotions calmed instantly.
"Grandpa," Lent called out.
"Grandpa," Orpheus followed.
In his memory, Grandpa Deese Immolras was a stern man, but he always showed a softer side to his "eldest grandson."
"Hmm."
Deese nodded, descending without saying much or commenting on Orpheus's nosebleed.
Lent, seemingly afraid of his grandfather, quickly led his brother upstairs to find their sister.
The basement lights were dim.
As Deese reached the bottom, he saw the black cat, Poe, striding elegantly towards him.
Deese stopped,
The cat stopped.
"Feeling idle today?" Deese asked.
"Meow…"
The black cat Poe swished its tail and tilted its head, as if confused by Deese's question.
Deese waved his hand, losing interest in talking to a cat, and proceeded to his daughter-in-law Mary's workspace.
Mary was sitting there, lighting a cigarette. She had been shaken by her nephew's condition earlier but hadn't expected her father-in-law to show up so soon, causing her to hastily stub out the freshly lit cigarette;
The smoke that had barely escaped her nostrils was sucked back down and swallowed.
"Cough… cough…"
Mary coughed until her eyes watered.
Deese didn't pay much attention to his daughter-in-law. His gaze first fell on Lazarus. He opened Lazarus's eyelids and placed his palm on his chest;
Then, his eyes narrowed.
After that,
He stepped back, as if examining the room, sniffing the air.
Mary quickly said:
"I promise I won't smoke in the workspace again… never again…"
Mary was genuinely afraid of her father-in-law, not just because they were now "living off him," but simply because he was an inherently intimidating person, even though he was also the kindly pastor of Chiswick Street's church.
Deese waved his hand,
And asked:
"What happened?"
"I… Orpheus suddenly fainted, and I accidentally broke his nose trying to wake him up, I…"
"Orpheus fainted?"
"Yes…"
"Then, did Poe come in?"
"Poe?" Mary was puzzled, taking a moment to realize he was referring to the black cat. She never understood why her father-in-law gave the cat such an awkward name.
"I think… I…" Mary tried to recall, "Orpheus woke up on his own. Poe… Poe didn't come in."
Mary hadn't noticed whether the cat had been outside her workspace earlier, but she was certain it hadn't come inside, at least not in front of her.
"No?" Deese seemed to be pondering. "Orpheus woke up by himself?"
"Yes, Father."
"Where did he die?"
"This is a charity case, Father. Probably froze to death on the street last night."
"Charity case? Call your husband back."
"Mason's gone to Water Bay Nursing Home…"
"Call him back."
"Yes, Father."
Even after living in this house for quite some time, Mary still felt pressured when facing her father-in-law. Many daughters-in-law called their in-laws by name, but she didn't dare.
The title "Father" carried a near-religious significance for her.
Nervously, Mary left the workspace.
Deese closed the door,
Then moved to the gurney, sitting down in the chair where Mary had been earlier, looking at Lazarus lying in front of him.
The room fell silent, only the occasional flicker of the light bulb breaking the stillness.
Deese stretched out his hand,
Clasping the air before him,
And from his feet,
Tendrils of black shadows began to spread, like rapidly growing vines, soon enveloping the tiles and walls, wrapping everything within.
Then,
Deese spoke:
"Tell me, how did you die?"
A bizarre scene—he was asking a question to a dead man.
But then, something even more bizarre happened:
The long-dead Lazarus, lying on the gurney, slowly sat up…
—
This segment of "awakening" comes from my own real experience, no joke. If any of you share a similar struggle, you might find comfort in *The Internationale.*
I originally planned to release this book at noon, but the demand was overwhelming, so I published it just after midnight with only three hours' notice. Yet so many of you stayed up late with me to celebrate the launch.
I'm deeply moved.
As an author, this is an immense source of happiness and validation.
A new journey has begun, and I'll do my best to write this story with all my skill and sincerity.
You are the stars above me, making the dark night no longer lonely.