Chapter 26 Farewell, Until We Meet Again Someday

Chapter 26 Farewell, Until We Meet Again Someday
"Skrieeeeeeek!"

The Arachne before them let out a piercing roar, its eyes locking onto the three as they scrambled into their fighting stances.

"Heidi... wake up... come back!" Nolan screamed, staring at the monster before him.

"Watch out, Nolan!"

Nina shouted, tackling the stunned Nolan to the side while Nadine leapt backward. The Arachne's claws swept through the air where they had just stood. Nolan quickly turned back to look at the massive creature that still bore Heidi's face.

"Heidi... snap out of it!" Nolan yelled, trying to push himself up.

"Nolan... your sister is gone... what's in front of us is a monster... get a grip!" Nina screamed, pinning him to the floor.

"Let me go... Heidi is still alive... get off me, Nina!" Nolan barked, struggling.

"No... I'm not letting you go. Wake up, Nolan... wake up!" Nina cried.

"Nina is right, Nolan. Please, listen... we have to figure out how to handle this or we have to run!" Nadine shouted, leaping away to dodge another of the Arachne's strikes.

"Slash." "Aaah!" Nadine, a second too late to dodge, took a glancing blow to her side. The claws sliced her abdomen, sending her tumbling backward. "Nolan!" Nadine cried out, clutching her torn stomach. Seeing Nadine wounded, Nolan went still. He stared at the Arachne that used to be Heidi, and something snapped in his mind, pulling him out of his delusion and back to reality. He turned to Nina and nodded. Seeing that Nolan had "come back," Nina immediately released her hold.

The Arachne lunged toward Nadine, who looked up in terror. The monster raised its claws, preparing to cleave her in two. Nadine closed her eyes, resigned to her fate, but then—"clang." Nadine opened one eye to find Nolan standing over her. He was shielding her, the Arachne's claws slamming against his back, which was protected by a shroud of gray energy.

"Nolan," Nadine whispered.

Nolan said nothing. He simply scooped Nadine up and leaped away, carrying her to safety.

"Hey... over here!"

The Arachne turned to see Nina standing by the door of the study. She ducked inside, and the creature immediately gave chase, its massive legs scurrying into the room after her. Nadine pulled at Nolan's shirt.

"Hurry, help Nina, Nolan. I'll be fine," Nadine said.

"Okay... stay here," Nolan replied, setting her down on the floor.

"Yeah... go!" Nadine urged.

Nolan bolted after them. Meanwhile, Nadine gathered dark aura in both hands and pressed her palms against her wound. Tendrils of dark energy crept from her hands into the gash, looking almost like they were stitching the flesh back together. Nadine winced in agony, but her eyes never left the study door.

"Crash!"

Nina ran circles around the room as the Arachne's massive claws shattered the bookshelves around her. Because the space was tighter than the balcony or the corridor, the Arachne was clearly struggling to maneuver. Nolan entered and immediately leaped into the air, landing on the Arachne's back. When he looked down, his heart seized; he was standing atop what had been Heidi's internal organs, now a pulsating mass of flesh shaped like a spider's body. He looked ahead at the upper half of Heidi's torso protruding from the mess. He formed a blade with his hand, and yellow earth energy enveloped it, creating a long sword capable of cutting through anything.

"I'm sorry... Heidi... I love you," Nolan said in his heart.

With tears streaming down his face, "slash," Nolan swung, severing Heidi at the waist and separating her upper body from the spider form. "Skrieeeeeeeek!" The Arachne shrieked as its body was torn apart, a sound that pierced Nolan's heart as he closed his eyes and wept.

"Boom."

The spider-like body of the Arachne crashed to the floor with Nolan still atop it, its legs buckling and folding inward. Nolan unclenched his hand, letting the yellow energy dissipate, then turned to look at the upper torso. It still looked so much like Heidi, though her hair was now bone-white and a horn protruded from her head, flanked by six eyes. He leaped down, and Nina immediately threw her arms around him. Nolan broke down, sobbing as he gripped her back.

Moments later, Nadine entered. She saw Heidi's severed torso and then Nolan's tears, and her own eyes began to overflow. She ran to Nolan and joined the embrace. The three of them clung to each other, eventually sinking to the floor.

Nolan sobbed uncontrollably, his cries turning into raw, agonizing howls, while Nina and Nadine held him in silence, their own tears falling. A few moments later, once Nolan had calmed down enough, he wiped his eyes and glanced at the upper half of Heidi’s body once more. He stood up and walked out of the study. Nina and Nadine remained still, waiting to see what he would do.

Before long, Nolan returned carrying his jacket. He knelt beside Heidi’s torso and gently wrapped her naked body in the garment. Seeing this, Nina and Nadine quickly stood up and approached Nolan, who was now staring down at the remains of his sister, finally covered.

"Nolan," Nina said, touching his arm.

"I'm going to held a funeral for Heidi now. Do you want to come?" Nolan asked.

"Yes... I'm coming," Nina answered.

"Me too," Nadine added.

"Hold onto my shoulders once I pick her up," Nolan said.

Nolan leaned down and gently lifted the upper half of Heidi's body. As he stood back up, Nina and Nadine immediately gripped his shoulders. Then, they instantly shifted into the fourth dimension. Nolan turned, and the two girls shifted with him without letting go; they were all facing the majestic gray tower standing before them. Nolan looked at Heidi's face one last time, reaching up to stroke her cheek.

"Rest now, Heidi. You're free, and now it's time for you to go home. Goodbye, until we meet again someday," Nolan said, a sad smile playing on his lips as he gazed at Heidi's face, which finally looked at peace.

Nolan slowly lifted the upper half of Heidi’s body and then let go. Her form drifted into the air, gradually dissolving into pixels along with the jacket that shrouded her, until she vanished completely. Afterward, Nina shifted her grip to wrap her arm around Nolan’s waist from the side, while Nadine draped her arms around his neck from the front, burying her head against his chest.

"Let's go home," Nolan said.

"Yes, we go home together," Nina replied.

"That's right... back to our home," Nadine added.

Nolan embraced them and turned away, beginning the walk out of the mansion toward his house through the silence of the fourth dimension.



Right now, the three of them remain unaware that a massive upheaval is unfolding in every corner of the city. The elite, those who own "pets," are currently struggling to deal with their companions as they transform into monsters and launch blind, savage attacks. The city looks as if it's under a full-scale monster invasion, particularly in the high-end districts where owning a pet has become the norm.

This is happening because many of these pets were fitted with Nature-element orbs developed by Harold's company, which functioned as an aphrodisiac to drive them deeper into a state of lust, making them easy for their masters to control.

But Harold used them for a different purpose: to control the masters themselves. If a pet owner ever opposed him, they would be killed by their own pet. And if Harold were ever killed, the orbs would mutate the pets and cause them to lose all control—including Heidi, who had an orb implanted in her womb.

Meanwhile, in a dark room, a man leaned forward from his seat. He watched the countless pets across the city transforming into monsters right in front of their owners, yet he only smiled and leaned back, sitting calmly. His fingers, adorned with rings, tapped rhythmically in front of his face.

"It seems Harold has left this world. But who could have been the one to kill that man? Regardless, it is time to move. The plan must proceed, even without him," the unknown man muttered to himself.