The night was quiet as Aubrey and Thaddeus made their way towards the old asylum, its silhouette looming against the starry backdrop above. The moon shone down upon them as they approached, casting eerie shadows along the ground.

She carefully scanned the premises, looking for any movement or disturbance. It seemed empty and desolate—just as it had been before. She half expected the area to be locked down or guarded somehow after her last visit, but it appeared untouched.

"Keep your eyes peeled for anything weird," she whispered to Thaddeus as they walked through the front doors into the main lobby.

"Understood," he replied in a hushed tone, his mechanical eyes flashing brightly as he activated some sort of night vision mode.

Aubrey led the way through the decrepit and dusty hallways, with Thaddeus following close behind her. They passed through rooms filled with rotting furniture, peeling wallpaper, and broken glass strewn about everywhere.

Down the stairway and into the basement, they went. Aubrey hadn't noticed before, but there were markings carved into the walls and floor of this level—strange geometric patterns that resembled those of pentagrams or starbursts. They seemed fresh too, unlike the rest of the building's wear and decay.

"Thaddy, do you know what these markings are?" she asked him quietly.

He shook his head slowly. "'Tis unclear at present, though it behooves us to proceed with utmost caution. Mayhap 'tis simply old runes for protection, yet the designs differ from those familiar to me. Regardless, a cursory examination may prove insightful."

"Alright then, let's take a closer look." She approached one wall with its pentagram symbol etched upon its surface before reaching out to touch it lightly with one finger. She frowned as she traced over the design, finding no grooves or indentations indicating where these shapes originated from.

Suddenly, Thaddeus placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her away from the markings.

"To look doesn't mean to touch," he warned sternly. "Until we ascertain what lies within these sigils, it wouldst behoove thee not attempt anything foolish."

She nodded reluctantly, taking a step back from the wall and giving him a small shrug. "Sorry about that."

They moved on past several other rooms until reaching their destination—the study of Dr. Augustus Schröder, where their investigation had left off before. Aubrey glanced around the room, noticing that nothing appeared out of place since the last time.

Aside from the mess they'd made digging through his belongings, of course.

"This is the room," she said as she entered the study. "Do you think this place has enough, uh, ley line juice to power that projector thing?"

"Verily," Thaddeus answered as his mechanical eyes flickered briefly before settling back down into a dim glow. He turned to face her. "This locale contains a sizable concentration of ambient energy."

He retrieved the Luminal Projector from the satchel he carried with him and set it down carefully atop the desk before turning it on. Aubrey watched in fascination as the device began to hum quietly as it powered up.

Thaddeus turned some dials, flipped a couple of switches, and adjusted a few settings until finally pressing a large button on its side. The projector's crystal lens flickered to life, emitting a soft pulsing light that slowly grew in intensity until it filled the entire room with a faint blue hue.

Then, out of nowhere, a pair of spectral images appeared in front of them—a man and woman standing side by side.

The man wore a white lab coat over a shirt and tie, his hair slicked back neatly atop his head, and a pair of spectacles resting upon his nose. The woman was dressed similarly in a similar outfit, though her hair hung loosely about her shoulders, giving her an air of wildness.

Aubrey's eyes narrowed as she approached the apparitions, her fingers curling into fists at her sides.

There was no mistaking it; these two were the same ones she saw in her dream—Helena Voss and Augustus Schröder.

As she watched them move and speak, she could almost hear their voices in her ears. But, of course, they weren't really there. They were just phantoms—shadows of the past imprinted upon this place's ley lines.

She couldn't make out what they said, though; the sound seemed muffled somehow, as if they spoke through a wall or from underwater.

"What are they saying?" she asked Thaddeus.

"Auditory reception remains indistinct," he replied with a slight shake of his head. "The Luminal Projector is primarily just that—a projector. For us to actually hear them, we would require further augmentation."

"Bummer," Aubrey remarked, folding her arms across her chest. She glanced back towards the two figures. They appeared to be in the middle of an argument, gesturing wildly at each other.

Then, suddenly, Augustus raised his hand and slapped Helena across the face. The woman reeled back in shock, clutching her cheek as tears sprang to her eyes.

Aubrey smirked grimly at that. "You probably deserved that, bitch. But the next time I see you, you'll get a hell of a lot worse."

Thaddeus turned off the Luminal Projector, which abruptly ceased its humming sound as the images faded away into nothingness. He then picked it up and placed it back inside his satchel.

"Was there anything else of note?" he asked.

Aubrey pondered for a moment, thinking back to the events of her dream and what she'd seen within it. The room where they conducted the experiment—it must've been somewhere else on this level.

"Come on, let's keep searching," she said, leading him out of the study.

They continued down the hallway, passing several more rooms before finally reaching one at its end. A heavy iron door stood before them, its surface covered in strange symbols and runes similar to those found elsewhere throughout the asylum.

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Aubrey stepped forward and tried pushing against it but found herself unable to move it even an inch. She frowned as she leaned all her weight into it with no success.

Thaddeus placed his hand against the door and applied pressure, his metallic fingers sinking slightly into its surface. Then, with a sudden surge of strength, he pushed hard enough to send it flying open with a loud creak.

The door swung inward, revealing an empty room beyond.

The chamber resembled a soundproof room, complete with padded walls and ceiling, as well as a floor covered in soft, foamy material. The place had no windows, and the only exit was the door they just entered through.

The moment Aubrey stepped in, she felt a strange sense of calm wash over her—as if all her worries and anxieties just melted away. Her knees buckled, and she almost collapsed onto the floor before catching herself at the last second.

"Aubrey?" Thaddeus called out to her with concern.

She shook her head, trying to clear it from whatever spell she'd fallen under. She felt oddly lightheaded, as if she'd been drugged or something.

"I'm okay," she muttered, straightening herself up. "I've... definitely been here before."

She walked further into the room until she reached its center. Again, she had that strange sensation of being both here yet not here—like part of her soul was separated from her body, watching everything happen from above.

It was almost like a lucid dream.

"Turn the projector on," she said to Thaddeus who complied immediately, retrieving it from his satchel once more and setting it down nearby.

After making a few adjustments, he activated it, and soon enough, a spectral version of herself appeared within the chamber. She looked young—around 13 or 14 years old—and wore a white hospital gown that hung loosely off her thin frame. Her red hair fell in messy tangles down her back, and her eyes had dark circles beneath them.

Aubrey's spectral self sat in the middle of the room, hugging her knees tightly against her chest. She seemed lost in thought, her expression distant and vacant as she stared off into nothingness.

As the projector continued to run, a pair of individuals entered the room. One of them—Helena Voss—seemed nervous, while the other—Augustus Schröder—remained calm and collected. They began conversing with each other in low tones, though Aubrey couldn't make out what they were saying.

They knelt down in front of her spectral self and began examining her closely, occasionally touching or prodding her in different places. It made her skin crawl to see herself treated like a lab rat, but she forced herself to keep watching regardless.

As they went about their business, her spectral self suddenly lifted her head, turning towards them with a look of pure hatred in her eyes. Then, before anyone could react, she leaped forward and wrapped her arms around Augustus's neck, sinking her teeth deep into his flesh.

He screamed loudly as he struggled against her grip, trying desperately to pull her off him while Helena simply stood by helplessly. After a few seconds, he managed to break free, staggering back until he fell onto the floor.

Two security guards rushed into the room and tackled her spectral self, holding her down until she finally stopped thrashing around and collapsed unconscious onto the floor. Then they carried her out of the chamber.

The scene faded away after that, leaving Aubrey alone with Thaddeus once more.

"That was..." She paused for a moment, trying to collect herself before continuing. "...I wasn't expecting that."

"It appears we've learned more than intended," Thaddeus remarked. "Do you recall such events?"

Aubrey closed her eyes and tried hard to focus on the memories of this room. It was difficult, though; everything felt so foggy and distant, like trying to remember something from another lifetime ago. Eventually, however, she managed to dredge up some vague recollections of those experiences within the chamber.

This was her room. This was where they performed the experiments on her—trying to figure out what made her different, how she could do the things she did with her voice. She remembered sitting here, alone and afraid, listening to them talk about her as if she wasn't even human anymore.

And now, she remembered exactly what happened during those sessions.

A wave of nausea washed over her, and she doubled over, retching onto the floor in front of her.

Thaddeus moved quickly to her side, holding her steady until the sickness passed. "Art thou well?"

She shook her head weakly as tears began streaming down her face. "No," she replied between gasps for air. "I... I think I need some time to myself right now."

He nodded in understanding before stepping back and giving her some space. "Very well. I shall remain nearby should you require my assistance."

With that said, he exited the chamber, leaving Aubrey alone with her thoughts and memories.

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It took her a while to regain control over herself again. The visions of the past had shaken her more than expected—more than they had any right to.

And yet, the room still felt strangely comforting to her. This place held so many horrible memories for her, but at the same time, it also provided some sort of weird solace to her now. It was hard to explain; it just felt like a safe space somehow, despite everything that happened here.

She stood up slowly, wiping away the last traces of tears from her eyes as she looked around the room once more. It really did look exactly the same as in her memories—except for being in disrepair. Everything seemed old and faded, with dust covering every surface and cobwebs hanging from every corner. The padded walls had begun peeling off in places, and the acoustic ceiling tiles had cracked and fallen apart over time.

She could even see small patches of mold growing on some parts of the floor.

"It's all gone to shit now," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head sadly at the sight. "But maybe that's fitting somehow..."

After another minute or two spent gathering herself, she finally left the chamber and made her way back out into the hallway. Thaddeus stood waiting patiently for her by the door.

"Didst thou achieve a sense of closure?" he asked when she approached him.

"I don't know if I'd call it that," she replied honestly. "But I'm better now, at least."

He nodded solemnly. "Verily. Shall we depart henceforth?"

"Yeah, let's get the hell out of here," she agreed.

The pair headed down the corridor, passing by several more rooms before Thaddeus motioned for them to stop.

"Harken, I detect movement ahead," he warned. "Eight individuals approach."

"Hunters?" she asked.

"Undetermined."

"Well, we're about to find out, anyway. Stay out of sight and let me handle this," she instructed him as she continued walking forward alone.

She unstrapped Hellion's Cry from her back and transformed it into its axe form, letting its blade drag across the ground behind her as she strode towards the oncoming group.

It wasn't long before they rounded a corner ahead and came into view—eight figures dressed in black cloaks with their faces hidden behind ornate gas masks like some sort of twisted plague doctor costumes. They stopped abruptly upon seeing her approach, their bodies tensing up as they reached for various weapons strapped to their belts.

Sparks flew from Hellion's Cry as it scraped against the floor, echoing loudly throughout the empty corridor.

Aubrey halted several meters away from them, tilting her head slightly to one side as she studied the newcomers closely. "Can I help you?"

One of them stepped forward, a man judging by his size and build, and raised his hand towards her.

"You're coming with us." His voice sounded muffled behind his mask.

She frowned. "And if I refuse?"

He shook his head slowly from side to side. "That's not an option."

The other members of the group moved closer together, tightening their formation around him as they drew out their weapons—swords, daggers, and even a few pistols. They seemed prepared for any outcome, which made her think these guys probably weren't regular police officers or something similar.

Aubrey chuckled softly, glancing down at Hellion's Cry before meeting his gaze again. Her grin widened, bearing her fanged teeth in full view. She rested the axe head on one shoulder. "You sure about that?"