LURR! LURR!!
Lurvi floated around the room excitedly, her small body darting through the air as she tried eagerly to catch the seeds being thrown by Zack, who laughed heartily. He was dressed casually in shorts and a comfortable shirt, his mood light and playful as he tossed another seed into the air.
TAAAHHPPP!!!
"OWW!! Big sister, don't smack my head! I'll get stupid!" Zack rubbed his head painfully, wincing as Lurvi landed gracefully on the table, waiting patiently for her real food instead of this game.
"Then don't act stupid! Don't throw food around—humph! Bad manners," Sasha reprimanded him firmly as she sat beside him on the chair and putting food on the table for everyone, then crossing her arms with a disapproving look.
"Hmmm..." Zack glanced at his sister mischievously, a playful grin spreading across his face as he said, "What about you wearing my shirt and only your panties? Where are your manners?" He teased her, poking her belly playfully with his elbow.
"Don't worry, no one's going to come for now. Hehe, now say AAHH!" Sasha brought a spoonful of food to feed Zack, smiling warmly as she ignored his teasing completely.
"I can eat by myself, big sister. I'm not a baby anymore," Zack said as he was about to turn away from her offer, but seeing Sasha putting on an angry face—her eyes narrowing dangerously—he just gave in and opened his mouth, letting himself be fed continuously by his sister.
"Heheh..." Sasha smiled in pure happiness, her face glowing with contentment as the trio enjoyed their breakfast together in the comfortable morning light.
After finishing their meal, DDINNGG DOONNGG—they heard the doorbell ring urgently, followed by a worried voice from outside. "Big brother Zack! I'm Sio, please open the door! FAST, FAST!" Sio shouted loudly through the door, not wanting to delay for even a moment.
"GUUAAA!!" Sasha, who had been putting plates away in the kitchen, started running frantically toward the bedroom, her eyes wide with panic.
"Where are you going, my beautiful sister?" Zack grabbed her from behind swiftly and pushed her toward the door instead, his grip firm but playful.
"ZACCCKK! LEEAVVEE MEEE, YOU INSOLENT BRAT!!" Sasha tried desperately to get away, dangling her naked legs wildly and flashing her panties due to her frantic movements. The shirt she wore rode up as she struggled against his hold. Suddenly, she turned around sharply with determination in her eyes and—
TAAKK!! CRAACKK!!
Something broke with a sharp, sickening crack.
"GGYYYAA!! My little friend!!!" Zack collapsed to the floor in complete agony, his hands clutching between his legs as pain exploded through his body.
"Bleehhh!!" Sasha stuck her tongue out triumphantly and ran away quickly to wear something proper. In mere seconds, she had already pulled on her pants but was still wearing Zack's shirt as she rushed to open the door, leaving a pained Zack rolling around on the floor in absolute misery. Lurvi followed Sasha loyally, abandoning him without a second thought.
"Why??? I'm sorry, my future self," Zack tried to look toward the ceiling dramatically but couldn't manage it through the waves of pain. He sighed painfully, barely managing to stand up with shaking legs before collapsing onto the sofa with a groan. "I am dead!" He grunted, his voice strained with suffering.
Sasha opened the door and saw two nervous ladies standing outside, their faces tight with worry.
"Hey there, Mother Ariana and Sio! What brings you here? Come inside," Sasha smiled warmly and pulled both of them inside gently.
LURR! LURR!!
Lurvi floated around Mother Ariana curiously, her small nose twitching as she smelled something unusual emanating from the older woman.
LURR! LURR!
She circled around frantically, trying to communicate something important to everyone in the room.
"Hmm..." Sasha looked toward the unusually silent Mother Ariana and asked with growing concern, "What happened? You look troubled."
Sio explained her mother's condition nervously, her words tumbling out quickly as she described what had happened just before coming here. Listening to this explanation, Sasha's expression darkened with fury and she roared angrily, immediately beating up Zack a bit more for good measure.
"GUUAA!! What have I done?!" Zack cried out dramatically, lying sprawled on the sofa like a defeated warrior, foam bubbling from his open mouth.
Mother Ariana and Sio slowly calmed Sasha down with gentle words and reassuring touches as everyone finally sat together in the living room, the atmosphere growing more serious.
"So, you think your mother's blackness on her leg is less after yesterday's gathering?" Sasha asked seriously, leaning forward with focused attention. "You think Zack subconsciously absorbed her overdose energy—the Greynet energy?" Sasha asked thoughtfully, processing this new information as both of them nodded in confirmation.
"But even though Mother Ariana is close to us, she hasn't really spent much time with Zack to get used to his powers, right?" Sasha asked carefully, her analytical mind working through the implications. Zack kept thinking about something silently, his expression distant and contemplative as he didn't say anything.
"Hmm, I know, Sasha. Sorry to disturb you both. I can go back there again—don't worry. This old lady has experienced much worse, so it's okay!" Mother Ariana was about to get up bravely when a hand came forcibly and made her sit back down with firm pressure.
"Now, now, Mother Ariana, why don't you sit and relax? This son of yours will try to see if this works, okay?" Zack said with a glaring expression, his eyes intense as he made Mother Ariana sit back down without room for argument.
"What is it with everyone today glaring at this poor woman?" Mother Ariana smiled sweetly, though her voice trembled slightly as she sat still, not moving at all. Zack pulled a chair in front of her and sat down with determination, taking out his Globe of Power carefully.
It looked the same as usual—a smooth, mysterious sphere—but a very small storm-like eye could be seen swirling inside if one looked closely enough. However, everyone was focused intently on whether it would work or not, their breaths held in anticipation.
Zack slowly used it the way he always did, focusing his energy through the globe. Suddenly, after one tense minute, they could see—visible to the naked eye—some multi-colored sparks coming out of Mother Ariana's body, crackling softly in the air around her.
Seeing this miraculous sight, Zack smiled widely and started laughing with pure relief. "Hahahhahahahahahahahah!" He thought inside excitedly, Finally, some hope! With this, I'm sure I can get at least one of them to follow me around. Heheheh.
Zack continuously laughed hard, his joy infectious even as the ladies shook their heads at his dramatic display, but they were also smiling beautifully with renewed hope.
Zack stood up enthusiastically and hugged Sio without warning. "Haha, Sio, my sister! You are my lucky star! Hehe!" He started spinning her around in a full 360-degree circle, lifting her completely off the ground.
"Kyyaaaa! Big Brother Zack, don't—!"
Sio felt dizzy as Zack spun her around in a quick circle, the room blurring around her before he set her back on her feet with a gentle touch. He released her at once and moved to Sasha, catching her by surprise as she sat relaxed on the sofa. Pulling her into a firm embrace, he leaned in close and whispered gently into her ear, his breath warm against her skin, "I won't let anything happen to you, big sister."
He held her tightly, his arms wrapped protectively around her body. Sasha, still startled by the sudden affection, simply smiled softly and patted his back with affectionate calm, her heart swelling with emotion.
"Umm, Zack, is this working?" Mother Ariana asked to confirm, hope shining in her eyes as she felt relief that she wouldn't have to go through that ordeal again.
Zack stopped hugging his sister and stood up proudly, his chest puffed out. "Yes, Mother Ariana, it is working! Previously, even one hour didn't do anything at all. Now I'm sure I could cure you in just few hours. The speed is still a little slow, but way better than before. You'll have to sit for a while, so please be comfortable, or you can lie down on the bed if you'd like."
"Hmm, thank you, Zack. Thank you very much. I will never forget this. Thank you, my son!" Mother Ariana grasped his hand with both of hers and kissed it tenderly, her lips trembling. "My son, thank you!"
Mother Ariana had clearly been broken from the inside by the trauma she'd endured. Now, seeing the light of hope shining before her, she just started crying, tears streaming down her weathered face.
"Ugghh... sobb sobb! Why am I showing such a pathetic side to my children? Soob soobb!"
They let her cry for a while, giving her the release she needed as both ladies calmed her down with soft words and gentle touches. Meanwhile, Zack checked his globe carefully and saw it moving weirdly, the internal storm swirling faster than before. He thought to himself, I guess something changed after absorbing that man's energy.
Zack clenched his other fist tightly, feeling something building inside him as he sat again, starting to absorb the overdose energy from Mother Ariana with renewed focus.
One hour passed slowly. Zack was sweating profusely, droplets running down his face as he felt something inside of him growing stronger—a dark, swirling presence that made his stomach churn.
"Aghh, this feeling!" Zack pushed the feeling down forcefully, gritting his teeth as he continued absorbing the energy despite the discomfort. Mother Ariana sat patiently across from him, looking at Zack with deep worry etched into her features.
The second hour passed with agonizing slowness. Now her fingers had gotten noticeably lighter—the black clearly fading away like ink dissolving in water. It was working! But Zack was now frowning hard, his face twisted in concentration as sweat poured from his body intensely. Sasha and Sio gently soaked it up with towels, their touches careful and worried.
TSK! TSK! So slow... more, more! I want to kill that bastard! TSK! TSK! Zack was getting angry inside, rage bubbling up from somewhere deep and dark. This is not good, he thought in the middle of his rising anger, recognizing the dangerous shift in his emotions.
The third hour arrived with painful slowness. Her fingers were mostly cleared now, the blackness reduced to just faint shadows. She felt her body becoming lighter—it had worked! Mother Ariana thought happily, relief flooding through her. But then she saw Zack huffing heavily, gasping for air like a drowning man.
"Ugghh... huff, huff... just a little more, then it's done! Uggh..." Zack breathed hard, his mind feeling immense pressure building behind his eyes.
Sasha said worriedly, stepping closer, "It's okay, Zack! Take a rest—you can do the rest afterwards!"
Sasha came to the front and told him firmly to stop, placing her hand on his shoulder.
"IT'S OK... OKAY! TSK!" Zack said in a slightly higher, irritated voice that didn't sound like him at all.
Seeing this alarming change, Sasha got angry and said loudly, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S OKAY?! LOOK AT YOU! JUST STOP! MOTHER ARIANA IS FINE FOR NOW—TAKE A BREAK, WILL YOU?!"
Sasha grabbed his arm and was about to pull him away forcefully when—
THHAPP!!
Zack pushed her aside roughly, his strength sending her stumbling backward. She fell down onto the sofa with a surprised gasp as Zack roared loudly, his eyes wild, "DIDN'T I TELL YOU IT'S OKAY?! JUST SHUT UP AND WAIT FOR A GODDAMN SECOND! TSK! TSK! ANNOYING ME—SIT THEREEE!!"
Zack roared furiously, not even looking at her anymore as dark energy crackled around his hands.
Everyone got completely shocked seeing Zack like this—transformed into someone violent and cruel. They felt genuine fear seeing this side of him, their hearts pounding in their chests.
Sasha started crying and said desperately, her voice breaking, "ZACK, STOP! AGH!! SOBB! THIS IS MAKING YOU WEIRD! PLEASE STOOPP!! WAAHH!! STTOPPP!!!!!!"
Sasha cried harder, seeing her brother transform into someone she didn't recognize—a stranger wearing his face.
"AGH!" Zack didn't stop, his focus consumed entirely by the absorption.
Mother Ariana wanted to stop him but couldn't move. Seeing his angry face twisted with rage, she hesitated and sat quietly, fear keeping her frozen. Sio got completely scared as she stood behind the sofa, clenching her fist nervously and trembling. Lurvi also backed away fearfully, hiding behind a cushion.
After a while that felt like an eternity, Zack ended the absorption and said angrily, his voice harsh, "CHECK HER BODY TO SEE IF ANYTHING REMAINS! TSK! CAN'T EVEN HELP ME WITH ANYTHING! USELESS PEOPLE! I AM GOING TO THE TUNNEL!"
Zack spoke in anger and left the crying Sasha behind without even a glance, his footsteps heavy and unsteady.
THUMMPP!!!
But the instant Zack took a step, his strength vanished. He made it only a few paces before crashing to the ground, his body folding like a puppet with severed strings.
"AGGHH!!" In pain, he held his head tightly, screaming as if his skull was splitting apart.
"ZZACCKKKKKK!!" Three ladies shouted and rushed to Zack frantically, their feet pounding against the floor.
"ZACK! ZACK! WHAT HAPPENED?!" Sasha cried loudly as she checked his body frantically for anything wrong, her hands shaking as they moved over him, but she couldn't find anything visible. She tried to heal him desperately, her power flowing through her hands, but it doesn't seem to have any effect at all.
Sio and Mother Ariana also started crying, tears streaming down their faces.
"I'M SORRY, BIG BROTHER! I DIDN'T KNOW THIS WOULD HAPPEN!!" Sio said, fidgeting in sadness with big tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Aaaaa, Zack, what have I done? I am sorry, Zack! Lift him up and place him on the sofa—FASSTT!!" Mother Ariana ordered urgently, her voice cracking as everyone, with crying faces, lifted him carefully and placed him on the sofa with trembling hands.
Zack kept rolling around in pain for a while, his body convulsing as he clutched his head...
.
After few minutes..
"Ugghh!! My head..." Zack slowly opened his eyes after a few agonizing minutes and saw the crying ladies in front of him, their faces blurred by tears. His eyes suddenly opened wide with horror as he realized what he'd done, and he got up quickly, pulling Sasha into a tight embrace.
"I AM SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO! I AM SORRY, BIG SISTER! REALLY SORRY, SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN THOSE WORDS!" Zack hugged her desperately, his arms wrapped around her as if she might disappear.
"Uuwwaahh! Zack, I thought something... sobb sobb... happened to you... sobbb... uwwaahhhh!" Sasha cried in relief, her body shaking as she snuggled into his embrace while Zack kept hugging her tightly, afraid to let go. "I'm okay, don't worry," Zack whispered gently, bringing Sasha's face up with tender hands as he gently cleaned her messy, tear-stained face. "Don't cry, my beautiful sister. Nothing will happen to your brother. It's okay." Hearing this, Sasha cried even more, the relief overwhelming her completely.
Zack slowly calmed her down, stroking her hair softly along with the other girls who kept bowing to him apologetically, their eyes red from crying.
After a while, everyone calmed down enough to breathe normally. Zack then spoke, his voice low and serious.
"After I absorbed the dreadful man energy, I started feeling a lot of harsh emotions. They've been growing stronger over the past few days. And when I absorbed Mother Ariana's energy, those emotions surged all at once—like a wave crashing over me.
For now, I'm fine. But inside, they're still there, churning in my chest. But don't worry—my body isn't injured. It's just my mind that suddenly broke."
He lowered his head slightly. "I'm sorry, everyone."
Zack bowed deeply, genuinely apologetic for making them worry even more. The women just shook their heads, refusing to accept his apology.
"Big brother Zack, I am sorry! I will never ask you again! I am sorry!" Sio hugged his arm desperately, tears still streaming down her eyes.
Lurvi also came close and nudged Zack's face affectionately, standing on his shoulder with worried little sounds.
"Now, now, everyone, don't be so dramatic! This is just a side effect, so it will be okay after a while. Don't worry." He consoled them gently and looked at Mother Ariana with a reassuring smile. "Why don't you ladies go inside and check Mother Ariana? I'm sure nothing is left, but just for confirmation."
Zack touched Sasha's cheeks gently with both hands and told her to go check. Sasha nodded sweetly but kept looking back at Zack worriedly as she disappeared inside the bedroom with the others.
After a while, they came back and said with relieved smiles, "Mother Ariana is fine! Completely clear!"
"Hmm..." Zack nodded and stood up carefully. "I have a shift, so I will go there. You guys are going to the orphanage right, With the other ladies? Make sure to work hard." Zack laughed lightly, trying to ease the tension as he prepared to leave the worried ladies alone.
"Zack, wait." Sasha came forward and hugged him tightly again, pressing her body against his. "You will not stop, I know. So, take care of yourself outside, and don't absorb anything for a while, okay?" Sasha put her head onto his chest, trying to sense whether he would tell the truth or not, listening to his heartbeat.
Zack smiled warmly and patted her back reassuringly, his touch gentle. "It's okay. I will be fine."
After some sweet words and lingering embraces, he left quietly.
"Sasha, dear, I—"
"It's okay, Mother Ariana. If we could turn back time, I would still allow him to do that. Don't worry. You are fine, and I'm sure he will also be fine. So please, let's forget it and make sure he will be okay, alright?" Sasha smiled sadly while saying this, though her eyes were still worried.
The ladies hugged each other tightly, drawing strength from one another as they went away together.
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END OF CHAPTER
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Author Blabbering
Finally… the continuous chapter upload is done. Sigh.
Honestly, I have no idea how some authors manage to post every single day. Are they secretly machines? Do they not sleep? Do they feed on reader comments? Respect—absolute respect.
That said, I've finally found a fix for Webnovel's scheduling problem (yes, victory was hard-earned), which means I can now slowly and safely schedule future chapters without logging in every day like my life depends on it. Truly, technology has blessed this humble author.
Will I start posting every day now?
Haha—no.
Just kidding.
…Unless?
Let's be real, daily uploads are pain. My fingers ache, my brain overheats, and my plot starts plotting me. But hey, if you lovely people ever feel like supporting me on PAT**ON, maybe—just maybe—future me will be motivated enough to unleash daily chapters.
Hohohoho~ 😈
(The evil author is speaking now. Not the real one. Definitely not.)
As always, thank you for reading, surviving my upload schedule, and sticking with the story. More chaos—and chapters—are on the way.