A Sister’s Fury

‘It’s a dream, then I’ll just keep sleeping…’

Chloe, selectively ignoring the dark-haired girl right before her, mumbled a few times before collapsing back into sleep.

‘Since it’s a dream, nothing really matters, right~’

Terrifying words drifted eerily, imbued with a particularly chilling and bone-deep meaning that sent shivers down her spine.

“No! It’s not a dream! I was wrong!”

Her survival instinct propelled her upright in a swift motion, like a carp leaping from water. Her supple waist, curved like a bowstring, formed an elegant line as her hands clutched the bedding tightly, her golden eyes wide and her lips sealed shut.

“What did you do wrong?”

Tia retrieved Zhitang, which had fallen into Chloe’s lap, and smiled as she scrutinized its two mismatched eyes—one red, one black. The longer she gazed, the more her expression soured.

‘Uh…’ While Chloe sensed she had undeniably erred, she remained utterly clueless as to whether she had stumbled into a single minefield or inadvertently detonated them all.

Tia then proceeded to provide her with the answer.

“You don’t know, do you? After meeting that woman last time, you found it so delightful, didn’t you? You went looking for her again.”

“It was an accident! I just happened to run into her!”

“Do you think I believe that?”

Chloe blinked her large eyes helplessly. Despite it being the unvarnished truth, the circumstances sounded so utterly fabricated that even she, the one involved, would have struggled to believe it.

‘How could Anna be in such a godforsaken place!’

The indefensible predicament infuriated Chloe so much that she pinched her thigh through the blanket, before collapsing onto the bed in resigned defeat, all under Tia’s expectant gaze, which seemed to say, ‘Entertain me.’

“It seems you’re not going to argue, then. Well, that’s just one thing. Also, this doll is really beautiful. Who gave it to my little sister?”

“It was… it was my sister…”

“Which sister?”

‘Ah… Sister Tia? What is this woman even saying? Has she lost her mind? Does she really need to ask such a thing?’

“I don’t recall that doll looking quite like this.”

Tia turned Zhitang around so its face was directed at Chloe. The only difference was that one of its eyes had turned red.

‘Perhaps Anna just happened to have a red button?’

“It… isn’t it quite nice-looking? Zhitang’s eye fell out, so I asked… someone else to help fix it, that’s all. Is there something wrong with that?”

“Something wrong? Heh heh…”

Tia suddenly let out an eerie chuckle, then, with a chilling, mirthless smile, she clambered onto the bed and knelt, pressing down on Chloe. She pinched the red button eye between her index finger and thumb, rubbing it with such force that it spun continuously, back and forth.

Chloe estimated that such pressure, if applied to a person, would undoubtedly be excruciating. The fabric around the button’s eye socket was already stretched and bulging, twisting Zhitang’s entire face into an unrecognizable mess, as if she could almost hear its silent, tortured scream.

Yet, pinned by Tia’s unwavering gaze, Zhitang could only hope for divine intervention.

‘Come to think of it, what does Zhitang’s voice sound like? Chloe realized she had no distinct memory of it at all. Never mind, I’ll just listen when the time comes.’

“Zhitang, is it? Even I didn’t know its name, yet that woman outside did~”

*’You yourself never care about me…’ * Chloe’s lips twitched, a silent complaint forming within her, though no sound escaped.

“You must not forget, you are my sister, which means you belong to me. Everything about you, including this doll, belongs to me. And this eye, it’s an intruder.”

Tia’s expression instantly darkened, and with a sudden, forceful twist of her hand, she sent a shiver through Chloe’s heart. Tia seemed poised to rip off that red button eye.

Yet, it appeared the button had been sewn with exceptional sturdiness, for Tia was unable to successfully pry it loose. Frustrated, she flung it onto the floor, where it landed with a soft thud and rolled into the corner.

Fortunately, the room was impeccably clean, so there was no fear of it getting soiled.

“Don’t do that… Zhitang was left by Sister Yilan, after all.” A pang of heartache struck Chloe as she watched Zhitang being treated with such disregard. She slept with the doll every night, after all; she had undeniably invested a great deal of emotion into it.

These words, however, seemed only to stoke Tia’s fury, causing the anger in her eyes to blaze even more intensely.

“You didn’t even know it was left by Yilan? I gave it to you, and you hand it over to that kind of woman? What does that mean? It’s disgusting!”

“Anna said she could fix it, so I…”

“Even if it rots, you are not allowed to give it to anyone else!”

Chloe was left utterly dumbfounded by the furious shouting. She was never one for arguments; the moment an atmosphere became charged with hostility, she would instantly grow flustered, her heart hammering wildly in her chest.

“I understand…”

Nodding blankly, Chloe’s inner turmoil abruptly subsided, or perhaps it was more akin to a sun-drenched landscape being abruptly swallowed by storm clouds, forcing a chilling, unnatural calm upon her.

Back in the infirmary, she had still managed to stubbornly resist, even declaring, “I’ve never felt happy.” But after all the circuitous struggles, hadn’t she merely arrived back at this identical starting point?

The scene before her was agonizingly familiar. Identical events had unfolded countless times in various corners of this very room. No matter what course she took, the outcome would invariably be the same. What purpose could resistance possibly serve?

“Whatever it is you want to do, just do it.”

Uttering these seemingly resigned words in a tone utterly devoid of emotion, Chloe, with a knowing instinct, reached beneath the blanket, preparing to shed her nightgown. She rather liked this nightgown; it would be a pity to damage it.

Witnessing the abrupt shift in Chloe’s demeanor, Tia was momentarily caught off guard. Nevertheless, it suited her perfectly, for she had already intended to employ this very method as a form of punishment.

This time, she had devised a novel variation. After her confrontation with the bear-shaped demon, she had, following a period of intense internal struggle, absorbed the residual dark energy it had left behind.

It had to be said that this ability could indeed enhance an individual’s combat prowess. Not only did it facilitate rapid regeneration of damaged areas, but it also allowed for the suppression of physical sensations, only to release them in a potent surge once the battle was over.

Her fingers, once more, elongated into writhing tentacles, plunging directly into the girl’s mouth and injecting a fresh, potent surge of dark energy.

“Mmmph! Ah… cough, cough… You, you absorbed dark energy again?” Arching her body uncomfortably, Chloe coughed a few times, her glistening eyes, now brimming with tears, fixed upon Tia.

“That’s right, but don’t be afraid. I’m just temporarily sharing this new ability with you~”

“What ability?” A chill of foreboding settled over Chloe. Nothing associated with dark energy ever promised a positive outcome.

“It allows you to repair injuries and feel no pain. Of course, it’s only temporary; it will be released after a while. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“Wonderful? What’s so wonderful about it! And that… that won’t be repairable as well, will it?!” While Chloe had long grown numb to these punishments, the mere description of this new ability still sent an icy shiver down her spine.

“Oh? I hadn’t thought of that… It probably will, won’t it? But it’s fine, it won’t hurt.”

“Didn’t you say it would be released later?!”

“That’s for later… you could take some painkillers beforehand, then?”

“Devil…”

Gazing into Tia’s eyes, Chloe perceived that those violet irises appeared considerably more profound than they had just a short while ago.

“It’s the dark energy… the dark energy has made you like this again…”

“Then help me absorb it.” Tia’s tone was utterly dismissive as she brandished her tentacles and leaned down, pressing her weight upon Chloe.

Viscous sounds echoed within the enclosed room.