"Lily is SCP-231-1."
Dr. Kondraki's calm voice hit like thunder cracking across the Marvel world's airwaves.
At S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Nick Fury's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
Leon Lake's brow furrowed — the words sounded absurd.
Lily — married to Dr. Clef — was also one of the Scarlet King's brides?
Then what about SCP-166?
Was she Clef's daughter… or the Scarlet King's?
Unfortunately, Dr. Kondraki seemed to dodge that question — intentionally or not.
---
"Area 8 was the site of SCP-2317's portal, which has since been relocated."
Then, looking at Leon, he added, "That's the origin of SCP-2317."
"Furthermore, Area 9 contained thousands of occult artifacts, including over five hundred ritual-marked human bones, seven altars, and ten statues of SCP-2317."
Dr. Kondraki squinted slightly, recalling the scene.
"Area 10 was a corridor lined with reliefs depicting scenes from The Book of Erikesh. You've seen this text mentioned in SCP-2317 — it's essentially a guide on how to restrain and imprison the entity."
He glanced at Leon with meaning.
"Oh, and by the way — the place where SCP-2317 is currently imprisoned is known as the Kappa-Erikesh Universe."
"The Kappa-Erikesh Universe?" Leon frowned. "Isn't that the realm where the mystics defeated the Devourer of Worlds?"
Dr. Kondraki nodded.
"Exactly. But no one knows why this house became linked to the tomb below it."
He lowered his voice.
"One theory is that Lily created the entire tomb using the knowledge from The Book of Erikesh. That would explain why the tomb wasn't flooded, even though it sat beneath the lake."
Leon's expression darkened. "Then how did Lily even obtain that forbidden knowledge?"
Kondraki shook his head — whether out of ignorance or unwillingness to answer, Leon couldn't tell.
---
The doctor's tone turned grim.
"The time when Lily was pregnant was the part Clef least wanted to remember."
He went on:
"Numerous anomalous phenomena manifested inside SCP-4231-2 — most of them replays of Lily's abuse of Francis: psychological torment, gaslighting, physical violence… Clef was living in a personal hell."
Just hearing that description made the audience shiver.
"Lily was showing signs of progressing toward Stage Four. Her brutality and random violence were no longer confined to her husband — she began attacking animals at random."
Dr. Kondraki's face paled as he continued:
"That escalation — from torturing animals to humans — is the hallmark of horrific sophistication."
---
The livestream erupted.
> "WTF? That's beyond cruel!"
"Dr. Clef's life was absolute misery."
"A mentally unstable reality bender is like a walking nuke ready to detonate."
"And the Crimson King's influence underground was corrupting everything—terrifying…"
---
S.H.I.E.L.D.
The agents' faces twisted with shock and pity.
No one had expected Dr. Clef's past to be that tragic.
Nick Fury exhaled slowly, mind racing.
He wanted to know more about Clef's history — and fortunately, Dr. Kondraki seemed ready to change the subject.
---
"Let's talk about Clef," Kondraki said.
Leon nodded.
"Clef was once a member of the Global Occult Coalition — the GOC. His task? Hunting down reality benders just like himself. Codename: Ukulele. When he was discovered, he was already a Class 3 Type Green, suffering from PTSD and severe dissociative disorder."
Kondraki smirked.
"And now he's a lawless bastard and an exceptional liar."
He flicked ash from his cigarette.
"But I'll give him credit — he's disturbingly good at killing reality benders."
---
Leon caught the inconsistency immediately.
"Wait — you said he's also a reality bender himself?"
"That's right," Kondraki said. "But he wasn't always recognized as one. After years under Lily's tyranny, he learned to suppress his ability. He continued hunting Type Greens for the GOC and later came under Foundation surveillance. His power works differently than most."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "For example — his face can't be captured on camera?"
"That's right. It's both a precaution against relapse and a way to avoid the Foundation's analysis."
Snap.
Kondraki lit another cigarette, took a long drag, and sighed.
"Clef eventually joined the Foundation. Thanks to his insight, we finally pieced together the connection between the Scarlet King and SCP-4231."
---
Every viewer leaned forward as Kondraki continued.
"Clef's mother was hired by the Foundation in the late 1960s to translate The Book of Erikesh while she was pregnant with her only son."
Leon blinked. "So this story began decades ago?"
"Exactly," Kondraki said. "When Clef was seventeen, his mother vanished — probably hunted by an old enemy. Later, Lily discovered her translation notes, became obsessed with the rituals, and tried performing them herself."
Leon frowned. "A ritual…"
Kondraki nodded. "Fear is the key. Those nightmares, regrets, and the pain people cause one another — all of it becomes food for the Scarlet King."
His voice dropped.
"This is what terrifies me most about the ritual: it was never about the children. The chains will break when the Red God wants them to — when there's enough fear to feed him."
---
The chat exploded again.
> "WTF?! Lily was the one who performed the Crimson King ritual?!"
"So all fear is his nourishment? That's horrifying."
"No wonder he's called the Supreme God of Chaos."
"Dr. Clef really didn't deserve any of this…"
---
S.H.I.E.L.D.
The agents were left speechless.
Nick Fury, however, frowned deeply. Something didn't add up.
The Foundation classified Lily as SCP-231-1 — the first bride.
But based on Kondraki's account… that didn't fit.
The brides were all tortured, imprisoned, and repeatedly subjected to ritual suffering.
But Lily wasn't the one imprisoned.
Clef was.
He was the one trapped in their home. The one subjected to the ritual's torment.
He fathered the child — but Lily chose the pregnancy.
She was in control. He was the victim.
And he was the one haunted by the nightmares.
Nick's mind raced as a chilling thought formed.
> Was Lily truly 231-1…
or was Clef somehow part of 231-1 himself?
The realization hit him like a cold knife.
---
Back on screen, the conversation continued.
"Lily became addicted to the Crimson King's rituals," Kondraki said. "During that time, Clef, as an Ichabod Project agent, was barely holding himself together."
Leon frowned. "The Ichabod Project?"
"That was the GOC's campaign against reality benders," Kondraki explained.
"Here's the truth — 99% of Type Greens who reach Phase Two will eventually reach Phase Four."
He looked directly at Leon.
"When that happens, they cause catastrophic harm to everyone around them. Their arrogance grows. Their empathy collapses. They begin using others as playthings."
"Because containment and reversal are nearly impossible, lethal force becomes the only solution."
---
The audience went silent, then erupted in disbelief.
> "Ninety-nine percent?! That means almost every reality bender could become a god-level threat!"
"So in theory… anyone with reality-warping potential could reach Stage Four?"
Kamar-Taj.
The Ancient One's expression turned pale.
Stage Four — the "Child God."
A single one of them could warp reality itself.
Now imagine thousands…
She looked at the screen in uneasy silence.
---
On-screen, Dr. Kondraki continued, lost in thought.
"For a long time, GOC protocol was simple: only eliminate a Type Green if they caused a large-scale event — a disappearance, a mass murder, anything that proved instability."
He sighed.
"They called those exterminations 'witch hunts.'"
Leon muttered, "Witch hunts… sounds medieval."
"In a way, it was," Kondraki replied. "They treated reality benders exactly like witches — walking disasters that had to be burned out."
---
He continued, voice hardening:
"But when the Kant Counter was upgraded to detect reality-bending activity before it manifested, a new problem arose."
Leon tilted his head. "The cost."
"Exactly." Kondraki gave a bitter smile.
"If you could prevent a Type Green from reaching Stage Four — if you could stop them before Stage Two — would you do it?"
His tone turned razor-sharp.
"To outsiders, it looks like slaughter. But from the inside, it's prevention. You know what these people are capable of once they lose control."
He leaned forward.
"If ninety-nine out of a hundred Type Greens become monsters, the deaths caused by those ninety-nine far outweigh the one innocent life lost."
Kondraki let out a humorless laugh.
"So yes — the Ichabod Project was a massacre. But it saved lives by sacrificing others. It was murder… in the name of mercy."
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