Of the six wards, only the first room's door could be opened.
Was it by design that only this door opens, or was it like the main entrance Lin Qiye had spent five years knocking on — that only his current strength allowed him to open this first door?
Lin Qiye had spent years banging on the main gate and only after opening his eyes and heightening his spiritual senses was he able to finally enter the asylum.
So, for the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth rooms — would he only be able to unlock them as his power continued to grow?
Lin Qiye wasn't sure, and right now he didn't have time to dwell on it.
Because in front of him, the door to the ward — once covered in seals — was slowly opening.
Inside, the room was small and the light dim. In the center stood a lonely chair, and in that chair sat a woman dressed in a midnight-black stardust gown, her gaze empty and fixed on the space ahead.
Apart from this solitary woman and her lone chair, the room was empty, shrouded in shadow.
Cautiously, Lin Qiye stepped over to the doorway. After a moment's thought, he put on his most official smile and waved politely at the woman inside.
"Hello, I'm Lin Qiye."
Whoever she was, a little courtesy never hurt. As the saying goes, 'you should not strike a man who greets you with a smile'. Even if she really was a goddess, he hoped a bit of politeness might keep things peaceful.
But as Lin Qiye stood outside, his smile soon became stiff. The woman in black remained as still as statue.
Determined, Lin Qiye clenched his jaw and boldly stepped into the room.
The very moment he stepped inside, lines of text began to appear on the wall behind her.
"Ward One.
Patient: Nyx.
Mission: Help Nyx recover from her mental illness. When treatment progress reaches specific milestones (1%, 50%, 100%), you may receive a random ability of Nyx's.
Current progress: 0%"
"Nyx?" Lin Qiye felt a chill run down his spine as he read the inscription.
He didn't know much about mythology, but even he had heard of Nyx, the Goddess of Night — one of the five primordial deities in Greek mythology.
She was among the highest beings at the very pinnacle of the mythological hierarchy!
So, this quiet, vacant-looking woman before him… was she really the legendary Goddess of the Night?
There was a chilly, refined elegance about her — her features flawless. Sleek black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, and her gown, shimmering with flecks of starlight, was as deep as the night itself, making her pale skin seem luminous and delicate as sculpted snow.
Her eyes, though vacant, could not hide an aura that was anything but human. Just by sitting there, her very presence radiated a sovereignty humans could never match.
Even emperors in all of history couldn't compare to her.
Nyx — she was both a goddess and an empress.
A sovereign of the night!
Lin Qiye rubbed his chin, studying Nyx up close. He had seen gods with his own eyes before, and compared to that Seraph on the Moon, he couldn't help but feel that something was missing in Nyx.
Divinity? Power? Authority?
Or was it all of these?
Lin Qiye didn't know, but he had a hunch Nyx's current condition was closely tied to her sickness.
But this was a god.
A god who stood at the very summit of the mythological world!
How could she possibly fall ill?
Was her sickness something that came naturally — or was it… caused by someone?
If it was just a product of nature, Lin Qiye could hardly believe it. But if someone had done this… Lin Qiye had no idea what kind of being could possibly make the Goddess of Night sick.
And what's more — it was a mental illness.
If the writing on the wall was to be believed, Lin Qiye now needed to try to help Nyx recover — but what exactly was her illness?
Having once been a "psychiatric patient" himself, Lin Qiye knew a thing or two about mental disorder. Generally speaking, they could be divided into types like depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, paranoia, and so on.
If he wanted to treat Nyx, he'd first have to figure out what kind of illness she was suffering from.
Lin Qiye pondered for a moment, then crouched in front of Nyx and waved his hand before her eyes.
"Can you hear me?" he whispered softly by Nyx's ear.
Suddenly, Nyx's whole body trembled, startling Lin Qiye so much that he instinctively stepped back!
A moment later, her head whipped around stiffly to face him, those vacant eyes now staring straight into his.
Lin Qiye nervously gulped, frozen in place.
Seconds ticked away — one, two, three…
Just as the skin on his scalp started tingling from Nyx's relentless stare, he saw her eyes begin to change.
Blank confusion gave way to shock — shock melted into overwhelming emotion, until her eyes brimmed with tears!
Nyx's slender frame trembled, tears swirling in her eyes. Her lips parted with effort, and after choking back sobs, she finally spoke in a hoarse, faltering voice.
"I've finally found you… my child!!"
In that instant, Lin Qiye felt as if electricity surged from his feet to his brain — he was so stunned, his mind went completely blank!
She?
Me?
Child?
What???
The truth was, Lin Qiye had no memory of what his parents looked like — after all, they'd left him with his aunt shortly after he was born and vanished without a trace.
But still…
His mother should be — well probably, most likely — a human being.
And not the Goddess of Night.
Unless… what if…
Wait a second! How is this foreign Goddess of Night speaking perfect Chinese?!
Oh — right, this is all in my dream. It's probably not that strange for me to understand the language of a god here… Maybe it's just some kind of brainwave communication?
Just as Lin Qiye's mind started running wild with ideas, Nyx rose to her feet, spread her arms, and staggered toward him in a run!
She was picking up speed, her expression growing more and more emotional!
By now, Lin Qiye's mind was a chaotic mess — instinctively, he opened his arms, bracing himself for the Goddess of Night to sweep him into an embrace!
But instead, Nyx dashed right past him, completely missing his wide-open arms — and clung tightly to…
the tiny flower vase sitting on the windowsill behind him.
Nyx clutched the flower vase tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "My child… you're still alive! I've finally found you!"
Lin Qiye: … ???
Then, Nyx's gaze shifted to the chair she'd been sitting in for who knows how long.
After staring for a brief moment, she rushed over, hugging the chair and flower vase together and breaking down in sobs again!
"Hypnos! My child, you're here too!!"
Lin Qiye, utterly bewildered, stood there like a statue, watching as Nyx went from claiming the flower vase, to the chair, to the wall, and even the air itself as her child — crying her heart out the entire time.
Lin Qiye: "Pretty sure I've figured out what her illness is…
And it's not a mild one…"
***
At dawn, Lin Qiye slowly woke from his dream and stared up at the bare ceiling, letting out a helpless sigh.
After spending the whole night with Nyx, he felt more shaken than ever.
Just as he was about to get out of bed, he suddenly let out a soft exclamation.
Floating in his mind was the Asylum of the Gods, shrouded in mist — he could sense a close connection between himself and the asylum now.
He realized he no longer needed to fall asleep to enter. He could now shift his consciousness into the asylum at will.
This must be what comes with opening the main gate… Lin Qiye discovered that by focusing, he could instantly connect his mind to the asylum and sense everything happening within.
Of course, those five sealed wards were still off-limits — he couldn't see into them at all.
At the moment, Nyx was out in the courtyard, clutching her flower vase and chair, chattering away to the air as if deep in conversation. Whatever she was saying, Lin Qiye had no idea.
Seated on his bed, Lin Qiye rubbed the corner of his eye in frustration.
"Cure… cure… but I'm no doctor. How am I supposed to treat her?"
Suddenly, Lin Qiye's eyes lit up — something had just come to him.
His gaze narrowed slightly, a smile curling at his lips.