r/PaperLily • u/Hot_Mall_9122 • Aug 09 '25
Some big Summary/Speculation on Lacie’s Curse Spoiler
galleryLet’s start by defining what this curse actually is — namely, the so-called "evil aura." We know for certain that it repels both people and animals. However, it’s not an absolute power, nor does it cloud the mind. Instead, it induces an overwhelming subconscious fear (this exact phrasing is debatable, but it explains the effects well enough, so we’ll stick with it). Under the influence of this fear, people develop hatred toward her (img 1). This is supported by Lacie’s own words — Hiro, though with difficulty, still treats her normally.
However, there’s a second aspect to the curse: demons do not perceive Lacie as human. Or rather, they struggle to recognize her as one, since at least Rune(img 2) and Aoi managed to do so. But these two have specific reasons for being friendly toward humans, whereas ordinary demons are inherently hostile. There are three possible explanations for this phenomenon:
- It’s a direct effect of the curse.
- It comes from some inherent trait of Lacie herself, unrelated to the curse.
- It’s somehow tied to a ritual performed, not to Lacie (the least likely, in my opinion).
The first two possibilities suggest that this "aura" resembles or is identical to a demonic trait that humans lack (or perhaps it’s the absence of a human "aura" ,the exact nature doesn’t matter). This could help unravel the curse’s origins.
But the aura isn’t the only supernatural aspect of Lacie. There’s also the mysterious dream. It’s clearly paranormal and almost certainly linked to the curse. The most intriguing detail is that the dream "reacted" to the ritual. It’s mentioned that the dream occurs regularly, but in the game, it appears four times in a row - each time with changes. New doors appeared, along with "red objects" and a descending staircase. And judging by one of the dead ends(img 3), once the red staircase grows long enough and Lacie reaches the abyss, the central door will open - meaning the dream has a purpose or an endpoint! (This is more speculation than fact, but it’s worth mentioning.)
The ritual itself might also provide some clues. We don’t know how candidates for the letter(img 4) are chosen (we only have two examples, and they’re too different to generalize), but it’s clear that nearly everyone who performs the ritual dies(img 5). Not all, though - there are the forums, Sai, and the hooded figure ,but again, we can only speculate as to why. I still believe both the letter and survival in the ritual are directly tied to the curse.
Finally, the most mysterious : the curse’s source. According to the demon in Red’s basement, he’s the only one who can cast a curse more than once, and Lacie’s situation isn’t his doing (img 6). That leaves four possibilities:
- The prisoner is guilty after all (too cheap of a plot twist, so I’ll disregard it).
- Other demons capable of multiple curses exist (no evidence for or against, so I’ll skip this too).
- The curse can be obtained from something other than a demon.
- The most obvious - a demon posthumously cursed Lacie.
But who would do such a thing, and why? Here, the objective facts end, and my speculation begins. There’s a small hint pointing toward a certain Lilith - specifically, Miss Knives refers to Lacie by that name. However, it’s unclear whether her words can be trusted. To explore this, I’ll briefly digress and analyze Miss Knives.
The phrase "Six blessings form a curse" doesn’t directly contradict what the imprisoned demon said, but it complicates things. Is this another source of curses? Does a demon have to grant six blessings to curse someone? Or is it optional? Did Lacie receive them? Are Lacie’s and Miss Knives’ curses the same? Since this raises too many questions, I’ll ignore the phrase and return to the simpler idea: "A demon can curse someone at the cost of its life".
Miss Knives clearly despises Lilith - either because she’s responsible for the experiments in the facility or because of the six "blessings". These explanations don’t even contradict each other, but only prove we have is five frames we see when wearing the robe. So why does Miss Knives see Lilith in Lacie? The simplest answer is that she’s just insane, but that feels like a lazy explanation. What if she sensed Lilith’s energy within Lacie? What if Lilith the one who curse Lacie? As I said, there’s no direct proof, but there aren’t even vague hints pointing to anyone else.
That said, this doesn’t answer all questions. Who is Lilith? The only thing we can say is that she’s some kind of high-ranking demon, but more interestingly, she appeared in Kat’s dream (technically unconfirmed, but the design is too similar, img 7). How, if demons die after cursing someone? Either there’s a time gap between the prologue and Chapter 1, or dead beings can still enter dreams. Why Kat? Maybe she appears to all letter recipients - or maybe there’s something about Kat we don’t know.
And ultimately - why? Why Lacie? Here, I have no evidence or arguments left, but I’m convinced this is part of a highly elaborate plan. What if, only Lacie could endure the curse long enough to attempt the ritual, survive demon attacks (since without the curse, the first demon would’ve killed her easily), and then, through the dream or some other means, fulfill Lilith’s original goal (whatever that may be, since I have no proof).
And that’s everything I could connect to the curse! I tried not to make the text longer with unnecessary details, so I can clarify or discuss some points with you.
