As a lucky person without any compensatory effects, Youxi hadn't expected the difference between Sophia and her to be so vast.
Her previous words had been beautiful, but facing reality, her heart still pounded in her chest.
She was so afraid that the pointer of fate's probability would land precisely on the worst possible outcome.
Could her brother truly suppress all the madness?
Wait, I think I've misunderstood something...
Should Sophia's situation really be that bad?
This seems... it shouldn't be like this!
Youxi looked up at Anna, who was still smiling.
She was about to speak, but Li Andy spoke first:
"That Abyssal Blood, you gave it to her, didn't you?"
"Sophia only ever chose that eyeball."
Anna was slightly surprised, but she didn't deny it.
Aya and Emi beside her froze, their eyes wide.
"Anna, why would you do that?" Aya asked anxiously, the gills on her neck twitching.
"Yeah... why?"
Emi scratched her head, also very confused; a few bugs crawled out of her nose, down her arm, and into her ear.
Anna was silent for a few seconds, then replied faintly:
"Her spirit told me she desired the best. That Abyssal Blood was the most suitable for her. I... I was helping her."
Li Andy took a step back, gave her a deep look, and turned to leave.
This woman, she wasn't normal right now!
Damn it, they had been getting along peacefully for so many days, he almost forgot.
None of the exiled Night Raven Sisters were easy to deal with.
Once Sophia pulled through, he would take her and Youxi to live outside!
When different levels of mad people gathered, their conditions would only worsen each other when they had an episode!
Youxi glanced at Anna, hesitated briefly, then quickly followed her brother.
The backyard returned to silence.
Anna gazed at the ritual array under the moonlight, cupped her face in her hands, and showed an intoxicated expression; colorful light flowed in her completely white eyes:
"So beautiful... such a beautiful child....."
Aya and Emi watched her from behind, their expressions incredibly complex.
Anna wasn't without side effects from her battle with that monster at the academy.
Fortunately, this time the symptoms didn't seem to be very severe.
"Should we go down and help them?" Emi asked.
"How would we help? By increasing her corruption?"
Aya responded with a frown, the scales on her body restless, "I should have noticed sooner that Anna's urgency in setting up the ritual was unusual."
"So what do we do now?"
Emi's voice was somewhat distorted, with black bugs crawling in her mouth.
"Didn't Anna give that boy the 'Dagger of Betrayal'? If Sophia doesn't make it... he'll know what to do."
...
In the basement, there was the sound of iron chains rattling.
The girl's slender figure was bound by chains, suspended in a cross-like manner, like a prisoner.
In the flickering candlelight, the girl's shadow had been nearly half-devoured, blurry and weak, swaying like a tattered black coat.
"Hungry...."
"Thirsty....."
Sophia felt pain all over; she vaguely stared at the heavy iron door, messages of hunger and thirst constantly coming from her mind.
"Clang... creak..."
The iron door opened, and two blurry figures appeared.
Who was it?
Was it food?
Such a familiar smell... I want to eat so badly....
Sophia's wandering rationality slowly returned, and she finally managed to make out the two worried faces.
"Andy... Youxi...?"
"It's us."
Li Andy placed the lantern on the candelabra next to the door, making the room brighter and his own shadow clearer.
"Sophia..."
Youxi hugged her good friend, her eyes filled with worry and guilt.
But Sophia, stimulated by her scent, immediately turned even redder, and suddenly bit Youxi's shoulder!
"You!"
Li Andy wanted to step forward to stop her, but Youxi raised her hand to stop him.
Thus, they remained in a standoff for half a minute.
Youxi's face grew paler, while Sophia's gradually became flushed.
Just as she was about to give out, Youxi struggled to push Sophia away and fell to the ground.
"Not enough... still not enough! Give it to me, quickly!!"
Sophia was not satisfied; the feeling of hunger and thirst eroded her brain, causing her to constantly open her mouth and lunge forward, wanting to tear at something, the iron chains clanging as she pulled them.
That appearance, like withdrawal symptoms, made Li Andy frown deeply.
He helped his sister Youxi up and sent her outside:
"You go back and rest, I'll handle the rest."
Youxi paused, then quickly said:
"You're not going to..."
"Don't worry, actually, I didn't bring that dagger at all."
Li Andy suddenly smiled, "Something that's obviously wrong at first glance, who would keep carrying it around? Compared to Anna's instigation, I definitely trust you two more."
Youxi was stunned, then she also smiled, nodded weakly, and then suddenly lightly pressed her lips against Li Andy's cheek.
Li Andy was slightly startled, patted his sister's back, and then returned to the secret room alone, closing the door.
In the space of less than a hundred square meters, only he and the mad Sophia remained.
"Give it to me! Quickly give it to me!!"
Sophia's eyes were black with red pupils, incredibly bizarre; a pair of beast ears quietly grew on top of her head, and one of her hands had turned into a claw.
A large amount of chaotic spirituality gathered towards her; in the ethereal chaos, it seemed as if some entity was lending her some "thing."
"Bang!"
Several iron chains could no longer bear the strain and suddenly snapped.