While Charles' lips moved to answer the octopus heads' questions, his mind raced desperately for a way to escape his current predicament. Truth be told, panic was starting to set in. He had considered various scenarios, but not this—being trapped in a situation where he couldn't even choose to end his life.0

However, he also knew that the more critical the situation, the more important it was not to panic. Just as new ideas popped into Charles' head and were repeatedly dismissed, Anna's voice suddenly sounded in his mind.0

"Charles, can you hear me?" 0

Anna's soft whisper ignited a spark of hope in Charles' heart. 0

"The thing controlling me is called the Old Sign, right? Do you know of anything that can counteract it?"0

There was a moment of silence before Anna responded in a strained voice.0

"There's no way. The power of the Old Sign is...0