On their way home, Luna clung tightly to Elias's hand, silent and seemingly deep in thought. "What's wrong? What are you thinking about?" Elias asked.
Luna looked up at him hesitantly. "Bro, can you stop going to school? I want you to stay home with me..."
Elias smiled at her. "Didn't I always stay home with you before?"
Luna shook her head, her smile turning melancholy. "Bro is too popular at school... Luna is worried... worried that someone will take you away..."
Elias ruffled her hair gently. "How could that be? I'll always be your bro."
But Luna stubbornly avoided his hand, her voice growing fainter. "It's not like that... not like that... not like that!!" She kept repeating, becoming increasingly sharp and strange.
Elias watched her worriedly, having never seen Luna react this way. Her grip on his hand grew stronger, almost crushing.
"Luna wants to... wants to..." Elias looked at her, puzzled about what she was trying to express. Luna's head was bowed, hiding her face from him.
The atmosphere grew uncomfortably silent. Elias felt an odd sensation; his "sis" seemed different.
He could only look around at the streets, filled with a combination of steam and magical technology, full of exotic and new sights.
Elias had always been engrossed in "The Exotic Containment Facility," a game that was neither popular nor unpopular, with little discussion on forums.
But he loved the game's distinctive artistic style and had been deeply immersed in it for a long time.
When he first realized he had crossed into the game world, he was excited.
In his original world, he led a solitary, dull life.
But here, he was the mysterious protagonist with a sis and a house, almost like a winner in life.
Eagerly anticipating his adventures in this new world, he maintained the facade of being a "regular student" at the Holy Academy, hence not directly answering Luna's earlier question.
Glancing again at Luna, who remained silent with her head bowed, Elias sensed she might be upset.
Just as he was about to continue comforting her, Luna suddenly looked up, her face breaking into a gentle, angelic smile.
"It's my fault, I didn't consider your feelings, bro," Luna said softly. "Let's hurry home!"
"That's good to understand," Elias replied, comforted by the thought of the tender and considerate Luna he knew.
How could she have any other intentions?
With the atmosphere warm again, they chatted and laughed about events that happened over the past four years while walking through the streets to their secluded suburban mansion.
The two-story house, an inheritance from their deceased "father," had become the base for Elias's character in the game, a place where he sheltered others.
Though termed as 'sheltering,' it became more of a lively home shared with the 'guests' after resolving their crises.
Upon opening the door to the eerily quiet house, Elias wondered aloud, "Huh? Where are they? Where did everyone go?" The rooms were empty but neatly maintained, indicating Luna's care, yet devoid of any presence.
"They?" A click sounded behind Elias as Luna locked the door. A chilling, sinister coldness filled the air.
Turning slowly, Elias's smile faded as he saw Luna's demeanor had changed drastically from her gentle outside persona.
Her face darkened, and she looked at him with an indescribable, eerie intensity.
"Four years! I searched for you for four years!" Luna's voice grew agitated. "Only Luna kept looking for you! They all disappeared!! And you're still thinking about them? Isn't Luna enough?"
Elias, taken aback by her intense reaction, glanced at the door, noticing a chain lock Luna had fastened without him realizing.
Elias realized that the front door had been locked without his notice. "Luna, you... what's wrong with you?" he asked, taking a step back as he saw her change before his eyes.
Just moments ago she was fine; was she pretending all this time?
Luna observed Elias retreating, her angelic face twisting into a bizarre smile.
"Why are you stepping back, bro? Are you afraid of me?" she asked mockingly.
"Haha, I knew it... You never saw me as your sis, always as a monster!"
"Wait, Luna!" Elias tried to explain as he saw her getting more agitated. But it was too late.
As Luna's smile grew more twisted, Elias felt a wave of mental pressure assaulting his mind.
He felt paralyzed with fear, and even his vision started distorting.
Luna's body seemed to twist and warp unnaturally, turning into something Elias could barely recognize.
[You are experiencing a strong mental assault]
[Sanity check...]
[Sanity check failed]
[Sanity -5]
"Luna, stop!" Elias managed to shout through clenched teeth. "You're not yourself! You're releasing mental corruption!"
"No, bro!" Luna approached him step by step. "I know what I'm doing~" She produced a fruit knife and approached Elias with an increasingly manic smile.
"Luna..."
"I'll never let you leave again!!"
"What are you doing!" Elias shivered uncontrollably, struggling to speak under the influence of the mental corruption.
The cold blade touched his skin, sending a chill through him.
"You're being naughty, bro. Luna has no choice~" Luna's demeanor was both demonic and childlike as she smiled and teased Elias with the knife, bringing it close to his neck and then his chest.
"This way, you can always be with Luna..." Luna teased playfully, "It's all because you're too charming, too loved... "
"If only you had agreed to stay with me earlier~ But now, Luna has to do this!"
Elias felt a sharp pain in his chest and realized in horror...
Luna was serious. She really intended to kill him.
"Does it hurt, bro?" Luna asked, tenderly caressing Elias's cheek as if to comfort him.
"Don't worry... it will be over soon. I'll be with you.
No one will ever take you away again... We will be together forever soon..."
The pain of the knife penetrating his skin made Elias cry out, snapping him back to clarity from the grip of mental corruption.
He mustered all his strength, pushing Luna away and sending the fruit knife flying.
Now with a clear mind, Elias tried to use his authority as the head of the "Containment Facility."
He could control any "abnormal creature" he had contained, forming a team to defeat enemies.
But now, the enemy was the creature itself!
To his horror, the situation took an unexpected turn:
[Luna (Not Contained/ Escaped)]
[Species: Hybrid (Human 95%; Creature - Sgugth 5%)]
[Affection Level 100]
[Corruption Level: 75]
[Danger Level: Four Stars (High Risk!)]
[Description: A twisted being crazily in love with you]
It seemed that Luna had become "Not Contained" during Elias's four-year absence.
In "The Exotic Containment Facility," a subject must have an affection level above 50 and a corruption level below 50 to be successfully contained.
Having just returned, Elias had no means to counter her.
Luna stood up again, her gaze fixated on Elias, her smile still twisted. "So, bro chooses to resist... It seems my choice was right. After all, someone as wonderful as you never belonged to me..."
Elias, however, was not paying attention to her words.
He was rapidly assessing the environment, thinking of an escape strategy.
The door was locked; there was no way he could open it himself.
No wonder she had been so insistent on him coming home – it was all a trap she had deliberately prepared.
Elias swiftly glanced toward the living room window.
Fortunately, his instinctive positioning during the fight had kept him away from the narrow corridor near the entrance.
In fact, he was now closer to the window. His primary concern was Luna's only ranged ability, "Mental Corruption." With high "Charisma" and "Sanity" stats, crucial for dealing with various anomalies, his elevated sanity level increased his chances of passing sanity checks.
Luna seemed to notice Elias's intent, taunting, "Don't bother trying, bro. This is my domain; you can't escape."
Elias silently regarded her, then showed a resigned, gentle smile, the kind that usually worked wonders due to his high "Charisma."
Luna momentarily seemed captivated by his smile. "What is it, bro?"
"Actually..." Elias thought bitterly, 'Actually nothing!' With lightning-fast reflexes, he turned and sprinted towards the window.
Behind him, the cold atmosphere hesitated, but Elias didn't look back as he dashed towards the window.
One step...
Two steps...
Three steps...
The window was within reach.
Driven by a will to survive, Elias scrambled up onto the balcony at breakneck speed. The setting sun outside seemed to envelop him in its glow.
But the brief moment of hope lasted only a second. Suddenly, he felt a chilling sensation in his chest.
His hands weakened, and he heard the sound of blood dripping onto the floor.
"I..."
Elias slowly looked down and saw a sharp, slimy tentacle piercing through his chest. His white shirt quickly soaked with crimson blood.
As his world spun and darkness encroached, Elias collapsed onto the cold ground, his thoughts blurring into oblivion.
In his last moments of consciousness, he saw Luna approaching step by step, her arms transformed into writhing tentacles.
Her expression was blank as she looked down at him.
Elias's vision faded to black, losing all perception of the world.