Expired Invitation

"A banquet that abducts but not invites is destined to welcome only reluctant guests."

There are many legends about the origin of Anomaly C-1704, commonly known as the "Expired Invitation." The following is the most widely circulated:

Long, long ago, as a wealthy merchant was nearing the end of his life, he reflected on his years: mountains of wealth, countless honors, and though he had no children, he was always surrounded by people wherever he went. The merchant was quite satisfied. "I have no regrets in this life," he thought.

Just then, laughter drifted in from outside his enormous floor-to-ceiling window. He struggled to sit up and peered through, spotting a family was holding a party across the street. Children chased each other, laughing and playing. When they grew tired, they climbed onto their elders' laps to beg for sweets. The dishes on the table were modest, but the flickering candlelight looked so warm and bright… Meanwhile, in the vast bedroom where the merchant lay, how cold the light from the crystal chandelier seemed!

The merchant's banquet hall had once been packed with guests, but none of those gatherings had ever felt so warm. Every wine glass held invisible interests, exchanged with each gentle clink of the rim. Yes, the merchant thought: I want to hold a "true banquet."

And so, he ordered countless invitations to be sent out. The next day, the merchant forced himself out of his sickbed, changed into a loose evening suit, and had his Butler wheel him to the banquet hall. But when he opened the doors, not a soul was in attendance…

The merchant refused to believe that perhaps he was not as beloved as he had imagined. That night, he tossed and turned, making a silent promise: If anyone comes to my banquet tomorrow, I will open my mansion, my gardens, and my treasury to them, and let them choose any gift they should so desire.

Still, not one soul came.

On the second night, the merchant thought: If anyone comes to my banquet tomorrow, I will give them my most precious thing… my wealth!

Still, no one came.

On the third night, the merchant thought: If anyone comes to my banquet tomorrow, I will do everything in my power to grant all their seemingly impossible wishes!

Still, the halls were empty.

Time passed, and the merchant's illness worsened in his solitude. At last, he no longer had the strength to rise from bed. Hearing the footsteps of death's approach, he felt regret, rage, and resentment churn and swell within his cooling body. With his final breath before dawn, the merchant uttered a curse: Whoever opens my invitation shall never leave my "banquet."

The truth of this legend remains unknown as I record this profile. What we can confirm is this: the merchant's dying curse may be one of the most destructive "curses" in human history, so much so that even when people use it as a swear, they cannot help but feel a twinge of dread.

Now, although the gardens of eternal spring have long fallen to ruin and the magnificent mansion has changed hands, those expired invitations still bear the merchant's curse. They appear to be nothing more than an oversized golden wax seal, unremarkable aside from their size… but the moment someone accidentally touches one, they are forced to become an "invitee" of the Expired Invitation and "visit" a dim courtyard constructed entirely of cardboard.

The cardboard castle folded within the invitation dutifully despises every guest, unfurling a malicious red carpet eager to devour all that approach, simultaneously raising weapons fit for a siege. The tardy guests flee in panic, barely escaping with their lives. The bell announcing the end of the banquet should be its Nexus, but as if to punish these late arrivals, it too is always fashionably late. Beyond that, unless the entire Anomaly is violently subjected to nullification, nothing can stop it from toying with the next passerby who is forcibly invited.

In recent years, thanks to the joint efforts of the Circle and Anomaly Hunters, the quantity of Expired Invitations has been greatly reduced. However, some may still lurk in streets and alleyways… Since the total number cannot be determined, we have no way of knowing how long this prolonged vengeance will continue, nor whether new invitations might be born should another host somewhere harbor similar resentments toward guests who refused to attend.

Perhaps the way these invitations come into being has never been truly understood. A long-told story may simply be repeated to perpetuate itself. The more I study, the more I realize how little humanity knows about anomalies.

However, at least one thing is certain: when you go for a walk, remember to watch your step.

· Appears as a large golden wax seal, typically found on flat ground.

· Humans who directly touch the wax seal are drawn into a pop-up book-style Anomalous Realm, forced to attend an "expired banquet."

· The seemingly fairytale-like Anomalous Realm is actually hostile toward intruders. Once inside, visitors will certainly be attacked by the cardboard castle and the cardboard red carpet.

· The total quantity is unknown, the locations are unknown, and the duration after triggering is unknown. After a guest escapes the Anomalous Realm, it folds back into the form of a wax seal. The Anomaly can be triggered multiples.

· After nullification, the wax seal burns itself out completely, leaving behind a treasure chest in its place. This is perhaps the party favor originally prepared for guests.

The bell announcing "the end of the banquet"

Before Activation: Stable. After Activation: Highly aggressive toward humans who enter the Anomalous Realm.

5 specimens in long-term containment at Celaeno Compound.

No special measures required. Simply ensure containment in an environment where ordinary people cannot make contact and the Anomaly cannot be accidentally triggered.

Experiment 1

Dispatched one test subject with sufficient supplies into the Expired Invitation's space to observe the time required for the Anomaly to naturally undergo nullification.

After 119 hours, the experiment was terminated out of concern for the test subject's physical and mental endurance. The Expired Invitation showed zero signs of natural nullification.

Experiment 2

Test subject entered the space carrying multiple timing devices, playing bell sounds and announcing "the banquet is over" at different intervals to observe the Anomalous Realm's response.

The Expired Invitation did not respond to any of the sounds. Preliminary assessment: objective changes in and external announcements cannot trigger nullification of the Expired Invitation.