Hide and Seek: The Mad Girl Sees All novel Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Lyra reached up and touched the back of her neck, where a butterfly rested.

What kind of dream should I make?’ Lyra wondered, but for now, she couldn’t come up with a better idea.

Just as the Maine Titan leaped into the air, ready to attack.

[Dream Butterfly, Dream Creation, Activate!]

Out of Lyra’s sight, the butterfly on her neck fluttered its wings, sending a halo of light rippling out, gradually enveloping all

the cats.

The Maine Titan crashed to the ground with a thud, while the Tricolor Mimic crouched in place, its pupils widening. Allen cats froze at the same time.

Lyra closed her eyes, her consciousness sinking into the halo of the Dream Butterfly as she began to weave a dream.

The first layer of the dream.

A person stood at the entrance of the arena, the nation’s flag unfurled behind them, its colors so bright they almost stung the eyes. The crowd was crammed all around-some shouting, some crying, some holding up signs that said “Come back

The person looked back at the crowd, then stepped into the arena.

Every player represented a nation. Except for the Ambercat, Lyra had no clue who the other nine cats were in their past lives -not their names, not their faces, nothing.

But she knew one thing: just like her, they were all chosen by the game to stand for their nations.

1

Each of them had once stood at the mission entrance, with everyone’s expectations riding on their shoulders.

The second layer of the dream.

Inside the arena, the lights blazed on and the game kicked off. They were running, dodging, fighting desperately, blood spilling everywhere.

Teammates dropped all around-some shouted for help, others went silent before they could even get a word out.

Their hands trembled, their legs felt like jelly, but nobody stopped. Everyone knew-if they lost, it wasn’t just them. Their whole nation would lose with them.

Lyra wove a feeling into the dream-not fear, but responsibility.

The third layer of the dream.

Victory.

The arena lights blazed, and the player finally stood at the finish line, the flag still fluttering behind them.

She heard cheers echoing from the distance. At first, just a handful of voices, then more and more, rising into a tidal wave that washed over her. She glanced down at her hands, battered and scarred.

She had won.

The fourth layer of the dream.

Defeat.

15:15 Tue, Jun 30

Chapter 85

They fell in the game, surrounded by nothing-no cheers, no tears, just emptiness.

The silence was so deep, they could hear their heartbeat fading away.

B

Lyra added one last scene to the dream: after losing, the game transformed them into a cat, whether they wanted it or not

Now, with four legs and a tail, it lurked in the mall corridor, chasing after someone from its own nation.

It finally caught up, smacking a paw across the person’s back. The person crumpled to the floor, their scream echoing down the hallway.

The cat glanced down at its front paws, seeing a scrap of fabric wedged between its claws-torn from the person’s clothes.

The cat tried to release its grip, but its claws were stuck fast.

It tried to stop, but it just couldn’t.

The Dream Butterfly’s halo blanketed the entire group of cats, and all ten stood frozen, each locked in their own unique pose.

The Maine Titan’s arched back relaxed, its four legs slowly bending as it settled down onto the floor.

The Silver Whisper’s head lolled to one side, its eyes wide open but glazed over, gaze fixed on something invisible.

The Tricolor Mimic’s ears drooped.

The Shadowcat’s tail went still.

The Golden Veil’s pupils narrowed into slits, then slowly widened again-this happened three times.

The Ragdoll Healer lay flat on the floor, its front paws resting in front of its head, nose pressed to the ground.

The Ambercat was the last to go down, its chubby body flopping onto its side, legs tucked in, tail curled up under its belly.

All ten cats lay sprawled out on the floor.

Lyra opened her eyes and looked over the ten cats. She could feel the souls inside each of them shivering.

‘Did it work?’ Lyra thought, but she wasn’t sure at all.

She crouched down in front of the Maine Titan, the one closest to her.

“Meow…

The Maine Titan let out a soft meow, totally different from those angry yowls it used to make.

It was low and gentle, almost like a whisper.

It sounded like it was asking a question.

Lyra reached out, her fingertips brushing the Maine Titan’s ear. The cat’s ear twitched, but it didn’t pull away.

“Do you remember?” Lyra asked softly.

The Maine Titan’s eyes focused for a split second, meeting hers, then went blank again.

Lyra’s heart sank.

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15:15 Tue, Jun

Chapter 85

There was a reaction, but it just wasn’t enough.

រ

The dream Lyra crafted was broad and vague-it might not fit every cat. After all, the players were picked at random; some cared about their nation, some didn’t. That meant her dream might not reach every cat.

Lyra stared at the Maine Titan, catching the struggle on its face, and withdrew her hand from its ear.

‘If it’s not enough, then so be it, Lyra thought.

She stood up, took a step back, and stood in the middle of the ten cats, carefully watching each one.

“Meow.” The Ambercat suddenly lifted its head.

Lyra’s gaze shifted to it.

The Ambercat’s eyes were wet. Cats aren’t built to cry from emotion like humans, but there was a single tear hanging at the corner of its eye.

Lyra’s breath caught.

The next moment, the Silver Whisper raised its head as well, its pupils reflecting the ceiling above, gaze unfocused.

The Tricolor Mimic’s ears perked up, then drooped down, doing it twice in a row.

One by one, the ten cats started raising their heads from where they’d been lying flat, some quick, some slow-some looked wide awake, others just spaced out.

The Ambercat’s meow changed, dragging out syllables from deep in its throat, stuttering and broken-like it was struggling to say something, almost piecing together a word.

Lyra crouched down in front of the Ambercat.

The Ambercat’s legs shook as it lay sideways, belly heaving fast. The tear at the corner of its eye slid along its fur and dropped onto the floor.

It opened its mouth, closed it, then opened again, like it wanted to speak but just couldn’t.

“Meow…

It was so quiet, you could barely hear it.

Lyra leaned in closer, trying to catch the sound.

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