The next morning, Arthur was at the clinic as usual, sitting on his chair scrolling through his phone with the television on in the background just to fill the silence.
He still had two hours until his next patient's appointment, giving him ample time to enjoy his youth and indulge in secondary entertainment by constantly releasing dopamine.
However, a sudden knock on the clinic door interrupted his peace, causing Arthur to frown at the disturbance before work.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Jev."
"Jev?"
Arthur's frown deepened. He didn't have an appointment with him today.
Out of politeness, Arthur still went to open the door. He saw Jev smiling and greeting him, his clothes exactly the same as the day before, as if he had never left.
This thought sent a shiver down Arthur's spine.
"Sorry for not making an appointment, I just wanted to share a few things with you."
"Hmm... share? That's fine, but there'll be an additional service fee, you know?"
Arthur warned him. Jev nodded in response, smiled, and stepped into the clinic.
He took the same seat as yesterday, and just as Arthur was about to reach for the remote to turn off the TV, Jev stopped him.
"No need, I just want to share some things. It'll be quick."
"If you don't want me to, then fine."
Arthur didn't think much of it. Jev then cleared his throat.
"Doctor, do you think... this world is real?"
"Huh?"
Arthur was dumbfounded. Was this guy here to discuss philosophy with him?
Seeing Jev waiting for an answer, Arthur replied immediately.
"Of course it's real."
"Can you tell me why, Doctor?"
"This... do you really want to know?"
Jev nodded. Arthur paused for a moment to organize his thoughts, then spoke.
"The main way to distinguish between dreams and reality, or true and false, is based on the stability of what we perceive. In a dream, things might seem very real, but if I consciously try to control it, I can completely twist the dream according to my subjective will, like a creator god. However, in reality, I'm still just a normal person. The reality I perceive is objective, and I can't twist it."
"Very good, Doctor."
Jev clapped softly.
"But don't you see, Doctor? Both of the things you just mentioned, whether it's a dream or reality, are perceived through the senses."
"Yes, and?"
"Even in a dream, where the senses are no longer present, the mind will automatically create simulated senses to interpret the information entering the mind in some way. And that's the reason."
"Nothing is real, except for the mind."
"But precisely because everything outside isn't real, the mind has to use the senses to simulate the information it receives, no matter what it is. We are merely observers of this unreal world through a lens; we have never truly touched it. So... what makes it real here?"
"Didn't I just say it? It's that I can't..."
"Twist reality? Think again, Doctor. We've always done that, so unconsciously that no one notices. Like a child imagining a monster in the closet and the signs begin to appear..."
"So, it's all fake, meaningless..."
"Alright, I think we should stop here."
Arthur's brows furrowed as he quickly ended the conversation. He could clearly feel that Jev's arguments were becoming more and more insane and dogmatic. This shouldn't continue.
Suddenly, Jev smiled, causing Arthur's pupils to constrict.
Because this was the exact smile he had seen in the "hallucination" right after hypnotizing Jev yesterday. It was a smile that was just a smile, but it was bone-chillingly cold, because to Arthur, there was no such thing. Every expression always signifies some state, it couldn't be just an expression.
Just then, the morning news broadcast an urgent report about a shocking murder case where a woman and a child were killed in their home. The husband had disappeared and was the subject of an urgent search and investigation. When the screen showed a photo of the husband, Arthur froze, because... wasn't that Jev?
He shot up from his chair, looking at Jev's "savage" smile and feeling a chill down his spine. His mind wasn't weak, and he immediately realized that the person in front of him... was a murderer.
"Jev, I advise you not to do anything foolish."
Arthur spoke, backing away. He didn't dare to take out his phone to call the police, as it could distract him. If Jev were to attack then, he'd be dead for sure.
So, Arthur chose to pick up the desk lamp, holding it defensively.
However, Jev remained seated, as if he didn't care about Arthur's threat and had no intention of killing him. Suddenly, he put his hand into his mouth, trying to gag himself. A series of gurgling coughs echoed as if he was trying to vomit something out.
To Arthur's utter horror, blood mixed with fluids streamed from Jev's mouth, but it wasn't his blood. The things he vomited out were four ears, two large and two small, two noses, one large and one small, and two tongues, one large and one small. Finally, two pairs of eyeballs were expelled, crushed beyond recognition.
Arthur felt his stomach churn, his throat became bitter from acid reflux, and a horrible urge to vomit came over him, causing him to immediately throw up his entire breakfast. Seeing this, Jev said:
"Thank you, Arthur. I've never felt better."
Jev said, then stood up and walked out of the clinic. The scene was exactly the same as yesterday, but the person on the other side was different.
Arthur stood frozen in place, the mind he had always been proud of had now stopped, jammed like a broken clock.
But Arthur still knew one thing.
It was his fault.
It was because of that hypnosis session.
He... had created... no, unleashed that monster...
When Holland and the police team stormed into the clinic based on the trace, all they found was a table covered with bloody body parts, and in a corner, a young psychologist sitting on the floor, his face vacant as if he had suffered a great shock.