The vast mansion was eerily quiet, reverting to the solitude it had known at the beginning.
After confirming that Luna had really left, Elias twisted his hands, which were cuffed behind his back.
The handcuffs were both tight and robust, and with his current strength, escape was impossible. Even using tools to pry them open would be a daunting task.
Elias let out a resigned chuckle; he was being treated like a criminal. Since he had chosen to return with Luna, he had no intention of fleeing.
Slowly, Elias made his way upstairs, biting the doorknob with his mouth to arduously open a room.
The dark room revealed a large desk, his usual workstation for concocting magical potions. This place was essentially the main interface of the game "The Exotic Containment Facility."
Here, he would use resources he had gathered to prepare potions and formulate containment plans. His insistence on returning to the mansion was solely for this purpose.
In the game's lore, supernatural powers were extremely dangerous, often associated with pollution, chaos, and madness.
Human supernaturals and creatures would gradually descend into inevitable insanity as their powers grew.
This was because increased power amplified one's inspiration, leading to hearing voices and seeing things invisible to others, and feeling the indescribable call of the power's origin.
Consequently, the fragile mind would become increasingly unstable, leading to a state of constant delirium and societal threat.
Luna was in such a state now.
Elias needed to use a specific suppressant to stabilize her "Stability Level" and successfully contain her again.
However, the various bottles, jars, and alchemical equipment on the desk, as well as the contents of the cabinets, were all hidden away, undoubtedly Luna's doing. She was aware of her powers and had restrained him to prevent any interference in this area.
Elias chuckled lightly. Luna had underestimated him. She didn't know that he was the "player."
Elias accessed the potion/alchemical panel, and a floating interface with various materials and potion formulas appeared before him. The items on the alchemy desk were merely for show...
- "Lesser Exotic Creature - Sgugth (Wriggling, Tentacled, Mind-Shattering Aberration)"
- "Stability Suppressant Potion ×1"
- "Potion Brewing in Progress..."
The potion-making animation played on the game panel. In the pitch-black room, Elias occasionally glanced nervously towards the door slit, awaiting the outcome.
Hurry... faster...
My only chance at survival hinges on this potion...
Elias's biggest regret was that, though he had retained the materials from the first round, there was only enough to concoct one batch of this lower-level exotic species suppressant. He had progressed to the later stages of the game, leaving little of the early materials. Little did he know he would have to contain Luna once more...
As the success notification popped up, Elias's eyes sparkled with hope.
Done!
He turned around swiftly, deftly slipping the slender glass bottle into his pocket.
But just then, he heard footsteps on the stairs.
The sound, neither hurried nor slow, sent his heart racing.
Discovered!
Why did she return so soon?
Elias hurried towards the door, only to freeze as he saw an eye peering through the narrow slit.
That unblinking eye, spying on him, filled the air with an ominous chill.
Elias's heart skipped a beat.
In the dark room, the old wooden door creaked eerily as Luna stood there, expressionless.
"bro, what are you doing here?" she asked.
Caught off guard, Elias maintained his composure.
"Ah, it's Luna..."
He feigned nonchalance, glancing at his workbench.
"Been away for four years, just checking on my old tools. What took you so long, Luna?"
Elias smiled at her. "Did you get something tasty for your bro?"
Luna held a large paper bag. "There's bread, cheese, beef, and broccoli..."
"Ah..." Elias wanted to pat her head but remembered his hands were still cuffed.
"You picked all my favorites, Luna. You're such a good girl."
Luna kept her unchanging gaze fixed on Elias.
She turned on the gas lamp in the room, and the warm yellow light was slightly blinding to Elias.
Then, she moved past him to the workbench and began a meticulous inspection.
Elias felt the cold touch of the potion in his pocket and silently prayed she wouldn't discover it.
After checking, Luna found the workbench unchanged from when she left.
Her expressionless face finally relaxed slightly.
"Well... I was thinking of making some potions for self-defense," Elias ventured.
"Hm?" Luna turned, her brows slightly furrowed with suspicion.
Elias put on an Oscar-worthy performance.
"You might not know, but there's been a disappearance at Rose City University recently. It's all over the student discussions..."
Luna remained silent, just quietly observing him.
Elias continued, "That's why I wanted to make some potions. After all, potion-making is my forte." The art of a perfect lie is to mix truth with deceit, ensuring it raises no suspicion. Elias was a master of this craft.
Sure enough, Luna nodded slightly, seemingly aware of the incident he mentioned.
"bro..." she approached Elias quietly and embraced him gently.
"bro, you might not know, but Luna is very powerful now. You don't have to do dangerous things anymore... Just stay home with Luna."
"I won't let you face any danger," she murmured.
Feeling the warmth of her embrace, Elias nodded silently.
"Okay."
But in his mind, he thought, "The most dangerous thing right now is probably you..."
Of course, he dared not express this thought.
After leaving the workroom, Luna added three extra locks to the door, her smile returning only after ensuring their security.
"bro must be hungry!" she beamed, pleased as Elias obediently nodded.
"It used to be bro cooking for me, now Luna can finally take care of bro!"
Eagerly, she ushered Elias, still handcuffed, to the dining table's main seat and began preparing dinner, humming a tune.
As she laid out a spread of delectable dishes, Luna eagerly cut a piece of steak and brought it to Elias's mouth.
But Elias, anxious and preoccupied, had no appetite.
He sighed, looking around the dark house, curtains drawn tightly, windows boarded up.
Only the dining table was lit by candlelight, flickering like his unsettled emotions.
"bro, don't you like it?" Luna asked with a sweet smile.
Elias, unable to refuse, replied with a wry smile, "Luna, would you be in the mood to eat like this?"
"Luna..." She paused, realizing her excessive behavior.
"Let me release your hands, bro..." Elias urged patiently.
"I promised to stay with you and I won't break my word. Why treat me like a criminal? I'm disappointed."
Luna, feeling guilty, whispered an apology. "Luna is just... scared... scared you'll disappear again."
"I won't disappear," Elias assured her, watching intently as she stood up and slowly approached him.
As the heavy handcuffs were removed, Elias's lips curled into an almost imperceptible smile.
Everything was going according to plan.