In the very moment Jev answered with those broken words, Arthur was startled.
His mind raced.
No tone, each word was like something from a machine, without a soul.
However, Jev's voice at that moment came from a deep level of consciousness, not from a loss of consciousness. To be more precise, this was a person's most original voice, one that hadn't gone through any changes from social or academic influences.
Was this really… a human voice?
For a moment, Arthur saw Jev, who had been sitting still in his chair, suddenly raise his head and look straight at him with wide, bulging eyes—or at least that's how he described it—and with a wide grin. It wasn't the malicious grin of a clown, but simply… a grin.
But that only sent a greater chill down Arthur's spine. Just as he blinked again, the scene returned to normal, with nothing changed.
It was as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.
Arthur then remembered that the hypnosis process was still ongoing. He steadied himself and used his voice to guide Jev back through the previous process.
When Jev's mind was in the "meadow and blue sky," Arthur once again swung the pendulum, and the steady, continuous sound returned, stimulating Jev's sense of hearing and linking it to his other senses. The reverse hypnosis cycle was complete.
Jev opened his eyes. With his sharp perception, Arthur could see that his somewhat worried and heavy demeanor… had completely vanished? When weighed down by pressure, the degree of facial wrinkling, especially around the eyes, increases significantly, which can easily cause more wrinkles and also make the eyeballs look smaller because they are more covered.
But now, those signs were gone from Jev's face.
Was the hypnosis that effective?
For some reason, Arthur's heart started beating faster, as if his intuition was trying to warn him of something.
As for Jev, from the moment he woke up, he just stared at Arthur without saying a word.
Arthur, on the other hand, felt as if he was being seen through by the ordinary man sitting opposite him, the same man who, just half an hour ago, had complained to him that he was sad because his wife didn't like his pasta.
How could he be seen through?
Arthur shook off this feeling and forced himself to ask Jev.
"So… how do you feel?"
"Very good. Never been better."
Jev smiled and replied politely. But the alarm bell named "intuition" inside Arthur rang more violently than ever.
Arthur wasn't the type of genius who crammed his head with tons of book knowledge. He primarily self-classified, controlled, applied, and inducted his thoughts into a process that combined logic with intuition. That was what led to his current achievements.
So, Arthur had clearly caught something.
In conversation, the subject is always present as a way of positioning oneself. Some people can deduce the other person's attitude from their word choice, and it was the same here.
Jev's last answer had no subject at all.
This could be explained in many ways, but as a psychologist who had talked to Jev for the third time, he saw that this went against everything Jev had shown before.
It was as if… he didn't need to be present in the sentence as a subject, because he already encompassed it.
A self-affirmation, a self-existence that didn't need the ego to unconsciously reflect and prove itself.
This was no longer Jev; it was "something else."
A chilling thought flashed through Arthur's mind.
But before he could do anything or think further, Jev abruptly stood up and took out his wallet, emptying all the money inside and placing it in Arthur's hand, making him focus on the money.
"Mr. Jev? This… you already paid the fee?"
"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that this therapy session was too good. I've never felt so relieved."
Jev said shyly, raising his hand to scratch his head. Arthur observed, and he no longer saw any signs from before. Even his words were normal.
It was as if all the scary things that had just happened were just an illusion in his mind.
Looking at the stack of banknotes in his hand, then looking at Jev, Arthur couldn't help but feel a little confused.
"Uh… well, thank you for the service fee."
"You really are the best, Doctor Arthur."
Jev smiled and replied, then conveniently took his coat and headed out of the clinic room.
Outside the clinic was a hallway, which was a bit stuffy, so it was a little dark if the lights weren't on, but since it was still bright outside, the building manager hadn't turned on the lights yet.
And in the very moment Jev turned his back, with only his back facing the darkness in the hallway, Arthur's intuition went from blaring to red alert, causing Arthur to unconsciously swallow.
That face was in a place he couldn't see, facing the empty darkness.
He wondered, what kind of face was Jev making?
"We will meet again, doctor."
The voice echoed to Arthur from where Jev had disappeared.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a little afraid. And he, a man who prided himself on his mastery of psychology, understood the origin of this fear.
Arthur shook his head. What was wrong with him today?
He went out and locked the clinic door, and only when he was alone did he calm down a bit. Looking at the extra money on the table, he told himself that he had made a huge profit today. What was there to be afraid of?
"Damn it, it's like you met a devil."
Arthur mocked himself, leaning back in his chair.
He had no idea that what he had found was far more terrifying than a "devil."