[Restoration complete.]

"...Ahrg.."

My immediate reaction was to clutch my once-injured eye and sink to the floor, my head throbbing with pain. I closed my eyes and took slow, deep breaths to regain my composure. In those moments, the world around me seemed to fade into silence.

Gradually, I opened my eyes to find concerned faces hovering above me.

"Ray?"

"Dude.."

Mabel, Dipper, and Soos were looking down at me with a mix of worry and surprise. They had every reason to be concerned; after all, I had suddenly sat down on the floor as if I'd been struck by some unseen force. Managing a weak smile, I gave them a thumbs-up.

"It's all fine. I just got another cramp in my leg. Nothing serious."

"Dude, are you sure you're okay?"

I nodded once more and slowly hoisted myself up. Turning my attention back to the waffle maker, I checked on the fresh batch of waffles, then carefully added a generous sprinkle of colorful chocolate and a dollop of cream. I handed the plate to Mabel, who accepted it with a mix of delight and concern as she peered at me.

"...Thank you, Ray. But...I think you're sick. You should go to the doctor."

"Thanks for worrying, Mabel, but... I'm fine. Really. Oh, right, I should be at the counter by now. Enjoy your treat."

With that, I hurried over to the counter, doing my best to mask the discomfort that still lingered in my eyes.

"..What was that..?"

As I stood behind the gift shop counter, my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. The recent events had been beyond bizarre, and I was struggling to make sense of them. The way I had slipped, fallen, and somehow met my end from a falling knife defied all logic.

I pretended to organize merchandise, but my mind was far from the task at hand. The phantom pain in my eye served as a constant reminder that something was seriously amiss. Yet, despite my best efforts, I couldn't conjure a sensible explanation for what had just occurred.

Naturally, my thoughts turned to Gideon, the enigmatic showman who had always given me an unsettling feeling. From the moment I had first laid eyes on him, he had set off alarm bells in my head. The sense of impending danger hadn't dissipated. However, the notion that he had orchestrated this peculiar incident just to impress Mabel seemed far-fetched, even for someone as eccentric as him. While he might have a crush on her, going to such lengths didn't add up.

I absentmindedly scratched my head, grappling with the pieces of this perplexing puzzle. Perhaps that strange amulet he wore around his neck held some answers. Its eerie, supernatural glow certainly piqued my curiosity.

Still, despite all my pondering, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had been thrust into an exceedingly strange and unfamiliar situation. This was uncharted territory for someone who typically dealt with the concrete and logical. The inexplicable events of the day had left me feeling disoriented and searching for answers.

"...But it could be just a coincidence."

I couldn't be certain about anything, so I remained at the counter, attending to simple tasks. Fortunately, nothing out of the ordinary occurred, apart from my increasingly deteriorating physical condition.

"Dude, I'm heading home. Good luck with the remaining work."

"Yeah, Wendy. Safe...ly... Cough!"

I quickly covered my mask and turned away from Wendy as a warm substance trickled from my mouth.

"...Ray?"

"...oorgh..."

Blood...? Hemoptysis? But..why?

"Ray?!"

I coughed violently on the counter, Wendy looking at me with surprise and fear in her eyes. The blood spilled over the mask and dropped on the counter. I felt like crying, so I touched my eyes. It was bleeding too. The whole room was covered by blood stains, and my face started to bleed all over.

The room started to be filled with blood, and It suffocated me. It moved like a slime, just like that wax shoggoth and the lake monster from before. It covered my face, suffocating me.

"Ray!"

"..AAAHHHHHH!"

I screamed as I drowned in my blood. But I couldn't even hear it because of the blood...All I could hear was bubbling. But...I couldn't understand this situation. Why? How? And...

"RAY!"

I rubbed my eyes, still feeling the eerie residue of the nightmare. Then I heard a voice, soft yet concerned.

"Ray? You alright?"

Slowly, I turned to see Wendy standing there. She had that look of genuine worry on her face, and her hand was gently shaking my shoulder.

"Wha—Wendy? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." I mumbled, still trying to shake off the strange dream. "Must've nodded off for a moment there."

"You were screaming, Ray," Wendy said, her voice laced with concern.

"Yeah, just a weird dream," I replied, trying to sound nonchalant. "Thanks

for waking me up."

Wendy nodded, but she still seemed worried. "Well, take care of yourself, okay?"

I gave her a reassuring nod. "I will, don't worry. And thanks again."

As she turned to leave, Wendy shot me one more worried glance over her shoulder. "You're sure you're okay?"

I chuckled, though it felt forced. "Yeah, Wendy, I promise. Go home and get some rest."

With that, Wendy left me alone behind the counter. I sat there for a moment, attempting to shake off the lingering unease from the dream. It had felt disturbingly real as if I were drowning in blood. Strange.

My fingers idly brushed against my mask, the same one I'd worn during the dream. To my astonishment, they came away with a faint trace of blood.

My heart skipped a beat. What in the world was happening to me? Hemoptysis in a dream and then finding real blood on my mask?

"...Another episode."

I rubbed my forehead, grappling with a burgeoning headache. It seemed like I had been thrust into yet another episode of this strange show. The question was, what kind of episode was this? A ghostly encounter? A fantastical illness? A curse?

My mind raced through various possibilities, but I couldn't settle on an explanation. I was like a character in a story, unable to change my fate. The wax monster and the lake monster had been physical entities with vulnerabilities. But if this were a different kind of story, one I didn't know about, what could I do?

I sighed, my hands covering my face in frustration.

The following day, my body felt like an old robot with rusty joints that hadn't been oiled in years. My face probably mirrored the appearance of a literal zombie, as depicted in the journals.

However, my gloomy mood seemed to deter the kids, Soos, and even Wendy from asking about what had happened. Not that I had answers myself.

I had visited the doctor, who assured me that nothing was physically wrong with me. When I pressed him about the hemoptysis, he simply dismissed it as probably nothing. Not exactly the reassuring diagnosis I was hoping for.

"Hey, Ray."

"Oh, Mabel. Hi."

As I was meticulously updating the gift shop's accounting records, Mabel entered with a somber expression. I recalled her recent gaming sessions with her brother. I couldn't help but wonder why she appeared so stressed. I mean, she wouldn't face the same life-and-death situations I did.

"So, I've somehow agreed to... go on a date with Gideon?"

"A date, huh? That's quite a turn of events. Isn't that what you've always wanted since you got here?"

"Well, yes, but... I'm not sure if I want this. Gideon's a good friend, but I don't want to hurt his feelings."

I found it a bit perplexing that she was seeking dating advice from me of all people. I wasn't exactly a romance expert. Nevertheless, she was the show's protagonist, and it seemed like her date with Gideon was a central plot point.

"Well, you could go on the date and then honestly tell him how you feel," I suggested.

"But..."

"Mabel, trust me. Pretending or lying to yourself is never a good solution. Be honest about your feelings, even if it's difficult."

My response seemed to strike a chord with Mabel, her smile returning as if my words had lifted a weight off her shoulders.

"Thanks, Ray. Um...by the way, have you seen the doctor? You don't look right."

I couldn't help but appreciate her concern, even though I had my reservations about the doctor's diagnosis.

"I... did, but he said it's probably nothing," I replied with a slight shrug. "Thanks for worrying, Mabel."

Mabel nodded, though her expression still held traces of worry. Well..to be honest, I'm scared myself because...I might die again myself.

I decided to take a break from the counter and address the flickering light bulb near the entrance. It was a minor issue, but those kinds of things tended to nag at me until I fixed them.

"Hey, Soos, mind helping me out with this flickering light bulb?" I called over to Soos, who was organizing some merchandise.

"Sure thing, dude! I got just the tool for this."

Soos reached into his toolkit, his ever-present grin never leaving his face. But as he climbed onto a ladder to get a closer look at the bulb, a series of unfortunate events unfolded with almost comical precision.

Tick!

First, the ladder's legs wobbled, causing Soos to lose his balance. He reached out to steady himself, but in doing so, his toolkit fell, hitting the ladder's steps and causing it to tip dangerously.

I watched in slow-motion horror as the ladder began its descent, Soos still clutching onto it. It crashed into a shelf filled with heavy souvenir mugs, sending them toppling like dominos.

As if that weren't enough, one of the falling mugs knocked over a stack of inflatable toys, which then bounced across the floor, hitting a lever that activated the Shack's automated popcorn machine.

With a loud pop, the machine began churning out a mountain of popcorn, filling the air with the delicious smell of buttered snacks. However, this also triggered the smoke detectors, and suddenly, the sprinklers overhead sprang to life, drenching everything and everyone in their path.

Soos, still clutching the ladder, lost his grip and tumbled to the ground. I rushed forward to help, but my foot caught on a stray length of hose that had been dragged into my path. I stumbled, and before I knew it, I was face-first on the wet floor.

But the chaos wasn't over yet. As I fell, my hand involuntarily grasped a nearby electrical cord. With a jolt of horror, I realized it was connected to the popcorn machine. Before I could react, a powerful surge of electricity coursed through my body, causing every muscle to spasm uncontrollably.

Tick!

In that agonizing moment, I glimpsed Soos, who had managed to crawl to safety. He reached out, desperately trying to pull the plug on the popcorn machine. But it was too late.

I was electrocuted, my vision filled with blinding light before everything went dark.

[Restoration complete.]

"...Ahrg...The tool kit!"

I opened my eyes, the pain of being paralyzed still lingering in my body. But there was no time to waste. I ran towards the falling toolkit and held it in my arms.

"Whoa dude, thanks!"

".. You're welcome."

But this...this absurdity was getting beyond my understanding. A knife in my eye was one thing, but this? This didn't make any more sense than the Sarajevo incident! What in the world was happening to me?

...The Sarajevo incident, huh..?

I think, I kinda got a clue about what is going on with me. And if this hypothesis is right...I might need to find the one who made this happen.

"Dude, I fixed the light!"

"Oh, thanks, Soos."

But now, I'll need to...recover from that pain of dying.

Alright, let's break down the madness

that's been unfolding in my life. First, there's the hemoptysis – spitting up blood. Not your everyday symptom, to say the least. Then there's the fact that I've been sick, and the doctor can't seem to find anything wrong. It's like a medical mystery wrapped in an enigma.

But it doesn't stop there. No, that would be too simple. I've had not one, but two near-death experiences that belong in the annals of the absurd. First, I had a kitchen knife do a nosedive right into my eye. Yep, you read that right – a falling knife decided I'd make a good sheath. And miraculously, I respawned. But before I could even process that, I found myself facing the wrath of an electrified popcorn machine. Popcorn. Machine.

All of this chaos got me thinking about the Sarajevo incident in 1914, a historical head-scratcher if there ever was one. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, were the targets.

On that fateful day, as the Archduke and his wife were traveling in an open car through the streets of Sarajevo, they were first attacked by another conspirator who threw a hand grenade, but it missed and injured bystanders. The Archduke and his wife were shaken but survived.

After this initial failed attempt, the Archduke and his entourage decided to alter their route. However, due to a mix-up in communication and some unfortunate turns, their path took them directly past the cafe where Gavrilo Princip, who had earlier given up hope of completing the assassination, went for an espresso or something. Seeing his chance, Princip fired his FN M1910 semi-automatic pistol, killing both the Archduke and his wife.

The Archduke and his wife even had a bulletproof vest on them, but the guns went through their neck..which killed both of them without any hope of revival.

The whole thing was like a bizarre twist of fate, with a series of unlikely events leading to a world-changing catastrophe. It's the kind of stuff that makes you wonder about the strange workings of the universe.

Now, you might be wondering why on earth I'm bringing up a century-old political assassination. Well, here's the kicker: these bizarre incidents in my life are starting to feel like some kind of cursed artifact urban legend.

Take, for example, that car – the Gräf & Stift's Double Phaeton – the one used to transport the ill-fated Archduke and his wife. Not only did it play a central role in the Sarajevo incident, but it also managed to kill 14 more people after that. Talk about a bad omen. And to cap it off, the car was destroyed in a museum during World War II. It's like it had a dark cloud of doom hanging over it.

So, you see, this situation I'm in? It's got all the makings of those chilling stories about cursed objects that bring nothing but misfortune to anyone who possesses them. There are a lot of famous stories about this. Such as the cursed diamonds, the pharaoh's curse... Except, in my case, I don't even have such kind of an artifact.

Now you may think that I'm making an assumption too quickly. Well, yes. It might be true. There are thousands of other urban legends about curses. And yes, you are right. I'm just making a hypothesis.

...But, even though this might be a whole different situation, I just feel like this has to do something with curses and artifacts. Mainly because...of Gideon. I'm now 70% sure that the kid is...in some way off. And his teal-colored amulet...

I felt danger when I saw that kid, and I believe in my senses. And what's more, Mabel just friend-zoned a boy. That means that he is weird! I mean, Mabel does have standards...but that standard is low enough for human-impersonating gnomes to path through!

"...But..What..can I do?"

And now that's the problem. He has that kind of weird psychokinesis abilities. What can I do to him? Shoot him? What's more, he didn't even do something to me publicly. Whether this whole situation is related to him, I don't have any justification to face that kid.

Finally, the last problem is...

"I don't have any idea how to break a curse...Cough!"

I coughed out blood once again. I..don't have much time left. I'm pretty persuaded that I'll die because of health If I just stay like this. And if that happens...I might die again and again and again because there's nothing I can do if I'm physically sick. All I'll be able to do is breathe through a ventilator in the hospital.

"...I need to approach this situation as quickly as possible.."

Because I don't want to die again and again forever.