n the way home, Helena held my hand tightly.
But she didn't say a word, looking like something was weighing heavily on her mind.
"What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"
Helena looked up at me, hesitating for a moment before asking:
"Brother… can you not go to school anymore?"
"I want you to stay at home with me…"
I smiled at her. "Didn't I always stay at home with you before?"
Helena shook her head, her smile turning faintly lonely.
"You're too popular at school… I'm afraid someone will take you away from me…"
I reached out to rub her head. "How could that happen? I'll always be your brother."
But Helena stubbornly avoided my hand, her voice growing lower and lower.
"That's not it…"
"That's not it…"
"That's not it!!"
She kept repeating those words, muttering to herself, her tone turning sharp and strange.
I stared at her in worry. I had never seen Helena act like this before.
Even her grip on my hand grew stronger, as if she wanted to crush my bones.
A shiver of fear crept over me.
"Helena wants to…"
"To…"
I looked at her in confusion, not sure what she wanted to say.
But she lowered her head, hiding her expression from me.
The silence became unbearable.
An odd feeling welled up in me—my "little sister" didn't seem like the same person anymore.
When we finally reached our mansion at the edge of the city, I opened the door only to find the place eerily empty.
"Eh? Where is everyone? Where did they all go?"
The house was clean—Helena must have been looking after it—but there was no sign of life at all.
"Everyone?"
Behind me came a sharp click.
Helena had locked the door.
A chill seeped into the air, cold enough to freeze my bones.
I slowly turned around, and the smile vanished from my face.
Helena no longer wore her gentle, angelic expression. Instead, she stared at me with a dark, twisted look in her eyes.
"Everyone? Everyone??"
Her face contorted, her voice rising.
"Four years! I searched for you for four whole years!!"
"I was the only one who kept looking for you! The others disappeared long ago!!"
"But you're still thinking about them? Isn't Helena enough for you??"
My lips parted in shock—her outburst was far too extreme, completely unexpected.
Without realizing it, I glanced toward the door. At some point, she had added a heavy chain lock to it.
"Helena, you…"
"What's wrong with you?"
Seeing her like this, I instinctively stepped back.
She had seemed perfectly fine just moments ago. Was she pretending all this time?
Helena's angelic face twisted into a strange smile.
"Why are you backing away, Brother?"
"Are you… afraid of me?"
"Hehehe… I knew it. I knew it… You never thought of me as your sister. You always saw me as a monster!!"
"Wait, Helena!" I tried to explain quickly. "It's not like that—"
But it was too late. Her smile grew more and more distorted, and a crushing pressure struck my mind.
I froze, unable to move, my vision twisting in fear.
[You have suffered a powerful mental shock]
[Sanity Check… Failed]
[Sanity -5]
"Helena, stop this!" I shouted through gritted teeth. "You're not yourself! You're spreading mental corruption!!"
"No, Brother."
Step by step, she approached me. "Helena knows exactly what she's doing~"
From nowhere, she pulled out a sharp knife, her smile edging on madness.
"I won't ever… ever let you leave again!!"
"W-what are you doing!?" My whole body trembled, my voice choked by fear.
The blade touched my skin, icy and merciless.
"Don't resist, Brother. Helena has no choice~"
She giggled like both a demon and a mischievous child, sliding the knife along my neck, then pressing it against my chest.
"Only this way can you stay with me forever…"
Her playful words chilled me.
And when the knife slowly pierced my chest, pain exploded through me.
Helena was serious.
She truly wanted to kill me.
"Does it hurt, Brother?"
Her voice softened as she gently stroked my cheek, as if she were trying to comfort me.
"Don't worry… it will be over soon. I'll stay with you. No one will ever take you away again. We'll be… together forever…"
The stabbing pain tore through me, and tears welled in my eyes. That sharp agony shocked my mind back into clarity.
At that instant, I broke free from the mental chains restraining me.
With all my strength, I shoved Helena away and knocked the knife from her hand.
Gasping for breath, I clutched my chest and tried to use my authority as the "warden of the Sanctuary." Normally, anything I had already contained could be controlled to form a team against threats.
But when I opened the system panel, despair washed over me.
[Helena (Uncontained/Escaped)]
[Race: Hybrid Aberration (Human 95%; Shoggoth 5%)]
[Affection: 100]
[Corruption: 75]
[Threat Level: ★★★★ (High Risk!)]
[Description: A twisted being, madly in love with you.]
Because I'd been gone for four years, Helena was no longer contained.
In this game, containment only worked if Affection was above 50 and Corruption was below 50.
But now, she was beyond control.
I had nothing—no powers, no allies.
I was finished.
Helena slowly stood back up, her gaze fixed on me. The twisted smile never left her lips.
"So Brother still chooses to resist… Then Helena was right all along. From the very beginning, someone as wonderful as you… never really belonged to me."
I didn't bother responding. My eyes darted around the room.
The door was locked tight—completely useless.
That's why she had insisted we come home. This was her trap.
My gaze fell on the window near the living room. Not far. That was my only chance.
But what about her ability—[Mental Corruption]?
If I could just get far enough away, it would lose its effect.
I took a deep breath, already bracing myself.
Helena seemed to notice my thoughts. She giggled. "Don't even try, Brother. This is my domain. You can't escape from me~"
I forced a calm smile. "Helena, actually…"
I knew from experience that a gentle smile could sway her.
Sure enough, she faltered, her eyes dazed.
"Actually… what, Brother?"
"Actually…"
Actually, screw this!
In the next instant, I spun on my heel and dashed for the window.
One step… two steps… three steps…
The window was within reach.
Fueled by desperation, I leapt onto the balcony. The evening sun spilled over me—freedom just a heartbeat away.
All I had to do was jump.
But hope lasted only a second.
A sickening stab.
Cold pierced through my chest.
I staggered, my strength draining, and the sound of blood dripping onto the floor filled my ears.
No… this was something new.
I lowered my gaze in horror.
A slick, sharp tendril had impaled me straight through the chest.
How… from this far away?!
Crimson spread quickly across my white shirt, soaking it completely.
Dizziness overwhelmed me. My body collapsed onto the cold floor, vision fading into blackness.
As my consciousness slipped away, I saw Helena walking toward me.
Her face was blank, her arms writhing, transformed into wriggling, unnatural tentacles.
That angelic, gentle girl… was gone.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
[TO BE CONTINUED]