Nobility schemes and extra tails.

Here’s the last chapter of the year. The next one should come out around 04/05 next year, so an early Happy New Year to everyone!

One quick note: these next chapters will be Devas wrapping things up in Terraria—checking everything that changed in his status, what got updated on the stream, collecting the mission rewards, and looking into a few other things in Terraria.

He already did all of that in the (P)(A)(T) and is now in another world, in case anyone was wondering.

Well, that’s it. Good night, everyone, and enjoy the read!

(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori.

[...]---[...]

POV: Devas Asura

To be honest, I wasn’t really putting much faith in this actually happening.

(“You just woke up and you’re already looking for trouble?”) A woman’s voice echoed in my head.

(“I literally just walked into the room and asked Charlotte how she was. How the hell is that looking for trouble?!”) I shot my thoughts back at Jinn, indignant.

(“True. But you wanted something like this to happen, didn’t you? Or is that Cheshire grin on your face just for show?”)

(“Alice in Wonderland doesn’t even exist in Remnant. How do you know about that weird cat?”) I ignored her accusation and asked back.

Didn’t even bother to hide my smile. She was completely right. Too bad Charlotte had shut down my fun before it even began — still, at least I’d get to enjoy a good show.

(“I like reading in my spare time. The library you gave me had a fairy tale section — that’s where it was. It’s the section I’ve been most interested in lately, after history, which I’ve been focusing on.”) A soft humming followed. (“Any recommendations?”)

(“The Wizard of Oz.”) I replied instantly.

(“No correlation to a certain old wizard, I suppose?”) she teased, and I could see a faint smile appear on her lips. Jinn then added, (“I’ve got a few questions I doubt you’ll want to answer with an audience. Later?”)

I nodded subtly, confirming. I’d already expected that. A moment later, I closed the link between us.

Meanwhile, during our short telepathic chat, Charlotte had risen from the throne and was glaring at the noble who had spoken those words. Her gaze was anything but kind. If looks could kill, the man she was staring down would’ve already melted into a puddle of blood.

She really did seem a bit psychotic, just like Dylan said. The past few days must’ve stressed her out to the point of cracking a little… poor thing.

I followed her gaze. The one who had spoken was a man about my age — maybe a year or two older at most.

Dirty blond hair, green eyes, and a face that could be considered above average. He had that air of superiority and an arrogant stare. Black suit, matching shoes.

Come to think of it, I still didn’t have a good suit myself...

Funny thing, though — I could feel that the man was afraid. Even before Charlotte yelled. He was tense, like he was bracing for something. Searching for something. And when his eyes met mine, it was like he’d finally found it.

How curious… Something smelled off.

Two other nobles in the crowd also caught my attention.

A woman in her thirties, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a slightly upturned nose, wearing a red dress. The other, a man maybe ten or fifteen years older — dark brown suit, square face, graying hair.

It felt like they had been expecting something like this to happen — or at least knew it could. Suspicious.

When the blond man realized Charlotte had yelled at him and was staring him down, he froze. Swallowing hard, he bowed and began to speak:

“Forgive me, Your Royal Highness, I only—”

“I said, that’s enough!” Charlotte snarled, cutting him off. Her voice took on an authoritative tone that, frankly, I’d never heard from her before.

So the saying was true — even the gentlest rose has its thorns.

Descending from the throne, her pink dress swayed, frills dragging against the steps. I felt something forming above her head, with other things spreading out from her body and “dripping” into everyone in the room.

It was subtle and thin, finer than a hair and invisible to the eye — like infrared light. The crown existed in that same invisible form.

I activated the Transparent World out of reflex. My head throbbed from the flood of information, but I tried to ignore it. I could see what had appeared above the princess’s head — and what those “threads” seeping from her truly were.

A reddish-pink crown had materialized above her head.

It had seven points — one taller in the middle and three smaller on each side, decreasing in size outward. A gem shaped like a five-pointed star rested in the center, flanked by three smaller stars on each side, seven in total.

The crown had formed over her silver tiara, outlining and shaping itself atop the metal.

From the central gem, fine threads spread outward. The threads and crown were extensions of her Aura — or at least something derived from it. A byproduct, in a sense.

The threads had a much paler pink hue than the crown, almost beige, and seemed to weave around everyone’s heads. They circled completely, looping once before meeting again at the center of the forehead, forming a delicate butterfly-shaped knot — soft and feminine.

...So that was what had tried to touch me before we entered the throne room?

The pink threads coiled around the heads of every noble and everyone nearby. Of all those present, only the nobles and Ísis seemed unaware of what was happening.

Jinn, Ozma, Dylan, and Alalia, however, looked familiar with it. I wasn’t sure if they could see the threads, but they could definitely feel them. Dylan probably could see them too — his eyes had taken on the light blue glow that appeared whenever he used his innate magic.

That was also the only reason I hadn’t gone on alert earlier. The moment the threads touched our heads — outside the throne room — Jinn had warned me it was part of Charlotte’s Semblance, and that I shouldn’t react aggressively.

That’s why I hadn’t used the Transparent World before, either.

Curiously, though, I didn’t even get the chance to react — not before, and not now. Just like outside the throne room, the moment the pink thread touched my Aura, it was instantly devoured by my Semblance.

A small mouth with sharp teeth appeared, formed by the Mystery Devour, and swallowed the pink thread whole — slurping it up like a noodle before disappearing again.

It wasn’t even visible. Normally, when my Aura manifests, it shines gray, but this time it was a sort of sub-manifestation — as if my Aura had appeared only on the “frequency” of the pink threads, devoured them, and then gone back to normal.

Something had changed in my Semblance...

It was the first time that had ever happened, and it had been completely automatic. I had an idea why — it was my soul, after all — but I couldn’t be sure without running some experiments or a deeper inspection.

Resisting the urge to pull up my status screen right there, I focused on what the pink threads were doing.

After finishing the butterfly knots, the threads glowed faintly pink. At least from what I could see, they still remained invisible to normal eyes — but when they shone, their “presence” became easier to sense.

Right after the glow, the star-shaped gem on Charlotte’s crown flickered, and I saw her eyes instantly turn toward the woman in the red dress with the upturned nose, and the man with the square face in the dark brown suit.

I deactivated the Transparent World. Interesting... Did her Semblance just detect something?

Charlotte’s eyes narrowed, her lips pressing into a thin line. Thanks to Shadowflame, I could feel her mood souring — irritation, disgust. Her gaze tightened even more, like she’d just seen something she didn’t like.

Then she turned her attention back to the blond man in the black suit. He was pale, sweating. His emotions shifted subtly — easing in some places, spiking in others.

Her expression changed too. Still furious and disgusted, but now with a tone of sharp annoyance and reprimand. She reminded me a bit of Glynda.

“You foolish idiot,” she practically spat. “Did your father never teach you not to accept deals when you don’t even know the risks? I could order Count Nott to strip you of your heir title, and he would thank me on his knees once he learned the disaster you were about to unleash.”

The blond man’s face went even paler. I noticed his legs trembling slightly, and he didn’t dare meet the princess’s eyes.

He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Charlotte continued:

“Don’t speak. I didn’t give you permission. Know your place.”

The sound of his teeth clacking as he shut his mouth echoed through the silent hall.

Her gaze swept across the nobles, pausing on the woman in the red dress and the man with the square face.

While she stared them down, her eyes pulsed with a pink glow visible to everyone — a blend of magic and Aura.

The air seemed to grow heavier. A pressure fell over the entire throne room. I could see several of the nobles — especially the two she was glaring at, and the man with dirty blond hair — shrinking visibly, as if trying to escape the princess’s gaze.

“I’ll warn you only this once: do not mistake kindness for naivety, nor gentleness for weakness. Remember — I am the ruler of this kingdom.”

She didn’t raise her voice. That somehow made it worse.

Then, without giving any explanation, she simply said:

“This meeting is over. You’re dismissed.”

Not even thirty seconds later, the throne room was practically empty.

I won’t lie — I was surprised.

[…]

After the throne room lost a few heads, silence settled over the place for a few seconds…

“Aaaah!” Then Ísis shattered the quiet with a sharp, delighted scream. “That was so cool! You looked super amazing, Chacha!”

Two bubbles appeared under her feet, and she skated swiftly toward Charlotte, pulling the princess into a tight hug — smothering her between her breasts and spinning them both in a whirlwind of pink hair.

I noticed the guards in the corner of the room start to move when Ísis dashed toward the princess, but Dylan waved them off, and they stayed put. He must’ve spent quite some time around Charlotte in recent days for the guards to obey him so easily.

Charlotte just seemed to accept being held like a rag doll for a few seconds. After about five, she pinched the fat around Ísis’s waist, making the older woman yelp and let her go.

Ísis rubbed the sore spot, pouting. “Mari does the same thing... Why do you guys like squeezing my chubby parts?”

“Because it always works. It’s an easy target too.” The princess replied, straightening up and massaging her neck — her face still carrying the same seriousness as before.

After a moment, she turned toward me.

Taking a few steps forward until she stood in front of me, Charlotte grasped the edge of her dress and gave a deep, formal bow, her voice carrying a regal tone: “In the name of the royal crown, of my father and mother, and of the kings and queens who came before them, I, Charlotte A’Elise de Valmont, thank you for all you’ve done to protect this kingdom.”

She rose, gave a slight nod, and continued, her expression stern: “Whatever reward you desire, speak it, and if it is within my power as the ruler of Terraria, it shall be granted.”

…A bit too formal for my taste, but I had a feeling something like this was coming.

I seriously considered just refusing or asking for something like a pastry and a juice. Or maybe reminding her of that short list of items I’d already given her. But after a moment of thought, I raised three fingers.

I lowered one. Had a déjà vu while doing it.

“First: I don’t want a ceremony or any public reward.”

As much as my popularity in Terraria could increase the number of potential viewer invites to the Stream, maintaining a certain degree of anonymity would be better for now.

Sure, people knew who I was — that alone should give me some of that “amplifier” effect on the Stream — but since they didn’t know my face or identity, I figured the impact would be smaller, which was fine by me.

And honestly, I didn’t even want to go to such a ceremony. Just thinking about it made me tired. Maybe that was the real reason…

Charlotte simply nodded, as if she had expected that, and stayed quiet. I lowered another finger.

“Second: I want access to the royal treasury and permission to take one item of my choice.”

“You may take whichever and however many items you wish,” she replied instantly, without a hint of hesitation.

This time, I was the one who nodded. I’d said “one item,” but I’d expected her to say that — asking for just one was me being polite.

I lowered the last finger.

“Third: I want parts from the Wandering Eye Fish, Zombie Merman, Hemogoblin Shark, and the Dreadnautilus — along with any Blood Squids the last one may have summoned.”

I already had a few Demon Eyes and Blood Zombies in my inventory — ones I’d taken down while fighting ‘The Eye’ — as well as the body of ‘The Eye’ itself.

But I hadn’t gotten anything from what the fisherman had caught. What I wanted most were the Dreadnautilus materials.

I wasn’t sure if any of the possible Stream rewards would include Blood Moon-related items. There were some drops from that event in the game that I really wanted, and if the Stream didn’t grant any, I planned to craft them myself.

Besides, I wanted to make some unrelated gear too — I needed at least one or two new weapons. It had been a while since I’d used a spear — even though Houtengeki wasn’t exactly one, but a halberd — and having an axe or a hammer might come in handy. Maybe even a mace.

And I wanted another set of armor, just in case, while I repaired the holes in the Remnant of the Deerclops.

Maybe a few other miscellaneous items too… Well, I’d figure it out once I got my hands on the materials.

This time, Charlotte hesitated for a moment before responding.

“I am not familiar with those names, but if they are the creatures that accompanied the angler Simon, that can be easily arranged.” She paused, her small nose wrinkling slightly.

“I’m just not too sure about one of them. According to the reports I received, Robyn and Gilbert said that one of your shadows dragged away something resembling a red, bipedal shark and leapt off the wall with it.”

Uh?... So that’s when Tyrian had to get involved?

I had thrown Tyrian into Gilbert’s shadow just as a precaution, since I was sure the merchant would go after Simon. I had ordered him to protect Robyn, Gilbert, and Selina if necessary.

Looking back now, I admit my mental and emotional state at the time wasn’t great.

From Charlotte’s description, Tyrian probably had to step in when the Hemogoblin Shark showed up. And since Tyrian was still alive, he must’ve killed the thing.

I’d check on it later. I could communicate with him from here, but with the headache I had, I couldn’t be bothered.

“Forget that one, then. If one of my Nightmares dragged the Hemogoblin Shark away, he’s probably keeping it for me,” I replied after a second, shrugging.

With that short conversation over, Charlotte seemed to relax — part of her royal “aura” fading away. Her facial muscles eased, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips.

“I’m glad you’re safe, Devas.”

Then she was attacked by Ísis again.

[…]

After Charlotte threw Ísis off her, we left the palace. The two of them had grown close since they met — more like sisters than friends, really, since they resembled each other quite a bit.

Who was the older sister and who was the younger one was... debatable.

“So, what did you find out back there? You know, when you ruined my fun?” I asked as we walked. “Was that guy someone important or something?”

We were heading out through the palace’s main gate, leaving the front garden behind. The left side looked like it was under repair — the plants and trees were crushed, as if something huge had fallen there, and the ground was scorched.

Hm…

The city looked lively — in a good way. Everyone was going about their day as if nothing had happened.

I guess life went on, even when the night decided to bleed.

The sun was high in the sky, though leaning more to the west than straight above. I glanced at the Stream clock.

It read: [16:16]

The breeze was soft against my face, and the rough stone pavement under my bare feet felt oddly pleasant. The sunlight was warm and strangely comforting, almost making me want to lie down and just watch the clouds drift by.

The distant chatter of people blended into a white noise in my ears — conversations, arguments, haggling, barking, and the grunts of animals. It made the city feel alive.

Trees and plants swayed gently in the wind. Insects crawled along leaves, trunks, and the ground. The air smelled clean — free of blood and rot.

I didn’t know if that was thanks to the doll Alalia, humming happily on top of my head, or because of the changes that had happened to me.

Even with the Transparent World turned off, I could still feel that everything was simply… right. Harmonic, maybe that was the right word.

Was this the result of The Eye’s death, or just my current state of mind?

I shook my head, brushing the thought away.

We could have been flying — either on my magic carpet, the Nightmare Wyvern, or even the Proto-A. Using wind magic, or just asking Alalia to command the wind to carry us, would’ve worked too.

But the others were still in the city, and we were on our way to meet them.

Charlotte had suggested calling for one of the royal carriages, but I disagreed. I also wanted to stretch my legs a bit after spending three days asleep.

Helena wasn’t coming with us; she was at the Oakwood estate, sorting out whatever needed sorting. I’m allergic to paperwork and bureaucracy, so I didn’t ask.

Melissa was with her mother and would take some time to join us — probably something to do with being Helena’s heir. Selina was at the Steamhord mansion and would meet us in a few minutes, according to Dylan.

Darnell was taking on missions around the kingdom — requests from the guild meant to encourage citizens to help with reconstruction.

Nothing motivates someone to rebuild their home more than getting paid for it.

He’d come with Melissa and Helena once both were done.

Dylan told me they’d wanted to drop everything to come see me, but I told him it wasn’t necessary — I wouldn’t disappear if they took a bit longer to congratulate me for recovering.

Robyn and Gilbert were heading our way — or rather, now we were heading toward them.

Looking closer, something about Robyn seemed different. She still had some of my nightmare energy on her... didn’t the tiara dissipate?

As for the rest of Team Pebble, they were scattered. Beldin was with Darnell, making some extra money and, in Ísis’s words, “seeing if he could meet any single dwarf women.”

Ahinadab and Maribel were catching up with acquaintances and building new connections around the kingdom — each in different parts: Ahinadab among the nobles, and Maribel among the commoners.

I was a bit surprised they weren’t glued to Ísis’s side, given how close she’d come to dying, but the older of the two pink-haired women said they had been for the first three days — up until today — when she started shooting bubbles at everyone who wouldn’t even let her go to the bathroom alone.

They’d finally given her a full meter of personal space about three or four hours before I woke up.

As we walked together, the conversation went on:

“Did I ruin your fun or stop the steps of my throne from being painted red?” Charlotte retorted with a small, feminine huff.

She walked to Dylan’s right — he was on my right — with Ísis to her right. Jinn was on my left, Alalia perched atop my head, and my two living IV supports following behind me.

Ozma had vanished back into the Spiritual Realm the moment he wasn’t needed anymore. In his exact words: “Being inside a Nightmare’s body feels like being submerged in warm, liquid shit. Goodbye.”

He was currently lounging in the beach house’s rocking chair, relaxing under the sun while watching everything through the Stream phone. Eating fries he’d “harvested” from the garden and sipping coconut water through a straw — straight from the coconut.

So… was that envy I felt?

“I wasn’t going to kill the guy, Charlotte.” I burned my envy away with Shadowflame and answered the princess. “I was just going to tear him apart verbally and maybe slap him once or twice. I’m not insane.”

[TohsakaHeiress]You totally are—

I blew the message away before it could even finish forming.

“You were smiling like a cat that just spotted a fat, dumb, paraplegic mouse.”

“That doesn’t mean I was going to kill him.”

“Cats play with their food,” Jinn added, unhelpfully, with a grin.

“You’re not helping, you know that?”

“Completely.”

I sighed.

Ísis let out a soft laugh, Dylan patted my shoulder twice, while Jinn and Charlotte both smiled. Alalia rubbed my head as if trying to comfort me.

Moments like that were nice…

“In answer to your question — I found a few things out. And no, the ‘guy’ wasn’t anyone that important,” Charlotte said after a short pause. “He was basically a scapegoat.”

“Came to a similar conclusion,” I agreed. “Something to do with that woman in the red dress and the man with the square face. Any idea what they wanted?”

She looked at me, a bit surprised, then slowly nodded.

I glanced at the minimap — we were six streets away from Robyn and Gilbert. Oddly enough, they were moving toward us even though we’d changed routes — and I hadn’t seen anyone use the EchoMirror.

Interesting…

Charlotte began explaining, her hands folded neatly in front of her as she walked:

“The blond man was Lian Nott, heir to House Nott — a family of counts. Count Nott is a clever man, knows how to play the political game, owns several vineyards, and has more than enough money for a count. He’s known for having more allies than enemies and for staying neutral and out of trouble.”

“Curiously, he sent a letter apologizing, saying he couldn’t attend the meeting due to weakness. Even sent a gift — one of the finest and oldest wines from his personal collection.”

“Premeditated or coincidence?” I asked. Everyone stayed silent, listening closely.

“Premeditated, obviously. But I don’t think it’s directly related to whatever mess the Nott heir was caught up in.” She pressed her lips together, probably remembering the throne room scene. “Count Nott must be starting to pass some of his responsibilities to his son.”

“Preparing the heir,” Dylan added. “Mom’s been doing that with Melissa for a while.”

“Exactly.” Charlotte nodded. “Lian is the eldest; his little sister is six, if I recall. And Count Nott isn’t getting any younger, so he’s probably thinking about stepping down soon.”

She paused, then added, somewhat dryly, “Though I’m quite sure he won’t be as eager to do that after hearing his son got publicly scolded by me.”

Something that I was sure would become the gossip of the week among the nobles. I wasn’t one myself, but I knew “face” meant everything to them — and Charlotte had, metaphorically, slapped the man’s right off in front of everyone.

…Though I’m pretty sure she wanted to do it literally too, but whatever.

“Long story short: the chances of someone like that not educating his son — especially the heir — are slim. And for a man known for staying out of trouble, it’s logical to assume that whatever the blond one was doing was beyond his father’s knowledge.” I basically guessed.

It was simple logic, as long as you had all the pieces.

But I was impressed.

Charlotte was far more competent than I’d thought. Looks like I’d seriously underestimated her without realizing it.

“So that’s when you used that pink crown to read the nobles’ emotions and intentions, right?” Her eyes widened at my words. “After all, you said yourself he was a scapegoat. The real mastermind behind the plan must’ve been close — watching everything unfold.”

“Y-you could see the crown of the Gentle Queen?” Charlotte stopped walking, making the group halt with her.

We stopped beside what looked like a small public garden — surrounded by stones, with a tree at its center and flowers all around, plus a small water fountain.

Wooden benches circled the area. Most were empty, except for one on the opposite side, where an elderly man sat quietly, watching his dog wander a few meters ahead.

“How?! It was in Moonlight mode.” The princess turned to me. “No one was able to see the Three Crowns in that mode.”

I wasn’t sure if naming something Moonlight right after that night was bold or just plain stupid. Either way, I decided not to comment.

And honestly, I doubted Alalia couldn’t see it. Maybe even Dylan could.

Three Crowns must’ve been the name of her Semblance. She’d said the one she used in the throne room was the Gentle Queen’s — meaning there were two more? Probably.

Her words from before came back to me.

“‘Don’t mistake kindness for naivety, nor gentleness for weakness…’” I repeated quietly, then took a guess. “Kind Princess and Gentle Queen… So what’s the adjective for the King’s crown? Brave or Wise?”

Her mouth fell open. For a moment, she looked like a startled goldfish.

“…Wise. The crown of the Wise King,” she said after a second. “You figured out the names just from that one sentence?”

“Three crowns, one belongs to a queen. It wasn’t hard to guess there had to be a princess and a king.” I shrugged. It was that or three crowns for three queens.

Charlotte was a queen in everything but title. There was no one else in the royal line, and she was already of age — twenty, if I remembered right.

She used the title princess more out of personal preference than obligation. Or maybe due to some bureaucratic nonsense. Never thought to ask.

“Fifty-fifty chance,” I added. “Kindness fits a princess better than a king, so the King’s crown had to have a different adjective.”

When I finished speaking, Charlotte just stared at me in silence. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, unsure what to say.

Before she could, Isis cut in:

“Not to ruin the mood, but… we might have a problem,” she said, glancing around, confused and slightly worried. “People aren’t looking at us. Not once. Not even by accident.”

“Actually, no one’s looked our way since we left the palace,” Jinn added smoothly, right after Isis finished.

She leaned slightly to the side, resting a hand on her hip — right beside where the Relic of Knowledge floated — and smiled with that soft, teasing look of hers. “Good catch, Sisi — even if you were the last to notice.”

Isis froze. Slowly, she turned to the others. “You all noticed already?”

Charlotte just nodded quietly, still watching me as if trying to figure out what I was made of.

Dylan yawned lazily. “Since the beginning. Besides not looking at us, they’re instinctively walking around us, too.”

The guy really did sound tired.

“Aren’t I supposed to be the most experienced contractor here?… How embarrassing…” Isis muttered, her cheeks tinged pink, lips pouting.

After a moment, she straightened up, patted her own cheeks twice, and flashed that same sunny smile.

Don’t her cheeks hurt from smiling that much?… Still, she seemed a little down, so I tried to cheer her up.

“Don’t sell yourself short. Just noticing something was off is impressive — most people wouldn’t have realized it.” And that wasn’t a lie.

Picking up on something wrong during such a short walk was quite the feat for her.

It wasn’t just about seeing people avoid us — it was about noticing that pattern in the first place.

Realizing that the flicker at the corner of your eye wasn’t just a flicker.

The fact that Dylan and Charlotte had noticed so quickly only proved how abnormal they were — not that Isis’s perception was lacking.

Jinn didn’t count; she was connected to me and to the specific energy I was using to keep us private.

Alalia was even more sensitive — the dryad had probably felt what I did the moment I did it.

After my words, Isis’s smile softened — this time, genuinely. She tilted her head up, meeting my eyes.

“…Thank you.” Her voice was tender.

Right after that, Jinn pulled her into a quick hug — she’d probably noticed that Ísis had gotten a little down. Once the hug ended, Ísis seemed back to normal again… well, normal for her, anyway.

Resting her breasts on her left arm, she placed her right elbow on her hand and tapped her chin with one finger. “Well, since no one seems worried, I’ll assume it’s nothing dangerous. Something of yours, or just a harmless trick?”

“Just a useful trick of mine,” I replied.

I closed my right eye while opening my “second right eye.”

I felt the pupil of my right eye twitch slightly. Keeping that thing shut was starting to become rather unpleasant...

My “second right eye” — red iris, black sclera — the Shadow Puppet’s Eye, reflected in Isis’s blue-green gaze.

The colors in my vision drained away.

Crimson tendrils crawled across the ground like roots, climbing up the walls, plants, animals, insects — even people — slithering from their legs up to their heads.

Around us, in a five-meter radius, the tendrils twisted and intertwined into a circle. If I were alone, the circle wouldn’t have been necessary — but that wasn’t the case.

People and animals instinctively avoided touching it. Like someone sidestepping a street pole without thinking, they didn’t even notice what they were avoiding.

[AdvocateOfGenderEquality]Those freaky things used to grow only on the ground and walls! Since when do they latch onto living beings?! Nothing and no one is safe from this madness anymore! (ｼ;ﾟДﾟ)ｼ

…To be fair, the tendrils growing on living creatures was new.

I ignored Kazuma’s message — the tendrils grabbed it and dragged it into the shadow behind a rock anyway — and focused on analyzing the people around us.

A brief headache pulsed through my skull.

The tendrils growing on their bodies were both benevolent and malevolent: benevolent because they absorbed negative emotions and thoughts like plants drawing water; malevolent because, once those feelings ran out — since they weren’t infinite — the tendrils would start inducing hallucinations and dark thoughts to feed again.

Not that I’d let that happen, of course.

The tendrils began retreating from the people after a few seconds or whenever they got too far — about thirty or forty meters from me.

I could control them easily.

They weren’t rebelling — it was more like my nightmare energy had started to evolve on its own. Instead of just “feeding” on ambient negativity, it had decided to go straight to the source.

Only seven people nearby were untouched: the five beside me — Jinn, Dylan, Isis, Charlotte, and the doll Alalia — and two who had just turned the corner.

A man and a woman, looking around as if searching for someone.

Gilbert and Robyn. They looked much better than the last time I’d seen them — no blood, no wounds.

Gilbert was wearing a brown shirt, a darker brown overcoat, and dark blue pants, paired with leather boots. He looked a bit thinner, and though his graying beard was still full, it was now trimmed close along the jawline.

He had both arms, which was good. Someone must’ve managed to reattach the severed one. But it clearly hadn’t been simple — his left arm was in a cast and strapped tightly against his body.

His one good eye scanned the surroundings; the other was covered by a black eyepatch with a fox-eye design — the kind of drawing that looked like it had been done by a child with an as-yet undiscovered artistic talent.

Overall, he looked fine. There was a tired air about him, like someone recovering from an illness or injury, but overall, he seemed okay.

Of the two, Robyn had changed the most.

Her face was the same, but her eyes now had fox-like pupils, even without transforming. Her lashes were longer, and the shape of her eyes had become more slanted, more upward-curving.

She also had fox whiskers on her cheeks — white hairs that stood out against her chocolate-brown skin.

Her hair, once red, was now a burnt crimson with black tips — the same shade as her tail. At the top of her head, her fox ears were slightly folded, giving her an almost lazy look.

She wore a simple black T-shirt and a white coat similar to her father’s, cut into an inverted “V” at the back to let her tails sway freely, along with black pants. On her feet, high black boots.

Perched on her left shoulder was her pet albino fox.

Robyn looked around for a moment, until something at her waist shifted. She turned toward me, and her gaze locked instantly onto mine — her ears perking up.

Three eyes stared at me in that moment.

Her two brown fox eyes — and one orange, with a slightly slit pupil, something between a fox’s and a human’s, sitting at the tip of a third tail — a completely black one made of nightmare energy, curving over her right shoulder and fixing its gaze on me.

Of her other tails, the two were real — she had actually grown another one.

She smiled.

Her canines were sharp.

[...]---[...]

Mini-spoiler for those I know are going to yell at me: no, Robyn didn’t stop using the plug forever. She’s already using it again in the chapters in the (P)(A)(T). I’m not letting that joke die.

That said, there is something “subtle” going on in the last few chapters. If anyone noticed what it is, feel free to comment.

Good night, everyone, and enjoy the read!