“What’s this? Are you really depressed?” Cleo asked, noticing that her sister’s expression did seem off.
“I’ve been pretending to be strong all this ti, but unless you’ve experienced it, how could you possibly understand the utter despair of that situation? Unable to move, helplessly feeling the beasts or comrades around you dragged away one by one, powerless to even voice your fear. Can you imagine it, Sister?” As Cross spoke, tears began to stream down her face, her sobs conveying a deep sense of anguish.
Her display of vulnerability shocked Cleo. Such fragility was extrely rare from her sister.
Cleo quickly stepped forward, embracing her. She patted Cross’s back in comfort, saying, “Alright, alright. I haven’t had a proper break in a while myself. This is a good excuse to take so ti off. How long do you need to stay with you?”
“The longer, the better,” Cross replied, choking back her tears.
“Three days?” Cleo ventured cautiously.
Cross shook her head silently.
“Five days?” Cleo tried again in a softer voice.
Still no response.
“Ten days! That’s the most I can manage. I’ve accumulated all my leave for years, and that’s all I have. Besides, there’s still the alien threat, and I can’t stay away for too long.”
“Ten days, then!”
Cleo argued fiercely with her superior over a communication link, eventually securing the leave. Watching her sister triumphantly declare victory, Cross’s expression brightened with joy. She personally prepared a drink and handed it to Cleo.
Cleo, assuming her sister was simply overjoyed at her company, affectionately tousled Cross’s hair. Parched from the heated discussion, she downed half the drink in one go.
Cross linked arms with Cleo and, watching her drink, smiled. “Sister, let introduce you to a friend.”
“A friend?” Cleo asked, puzzled by the sudden shift in topic. Monts ago, Cross had been on the verge of breaking down, and now she wanted to introduce soone? Was this a matchmaking setup?
“You’ll be shocked when you et her. Co, I’ll take you to her,” Cross said, her tone laced with mystery.
Cross’s ho was a standalone villa, surrounded by lush greenery and even housing a few small animals, perfect for soothing the soul. In the highly urbanized and resource-scarce Riken, such a residence was a testant to the twins’ privileged background.
When Cross led Cleo downward into the basent instead of outside, Cleo’s curiosity grew. Who was this friend important enough to be invited to their ho?
They reached the villa’s second basent level, stopping in a walk-in closet. Cross suddenly moved behind Cleo, covering her eyes with her hands.
Cleo smiled slightly, reminiscing about their childhood. This was a ga they used to play often when they were younger. How childish, she thought, her sister’s age notwithstanding.
“Ta-da~! Surprised? Excited?” Cross exclaid, removing her hands.
Cleo blinked to adjust to the sudden light, her gaze landing on a figure erging from behind the clothes.
She rubbed her eyes and looked again, her pale blue face gradually transforming into an expression of shock. Her mouth fell open in an involuntary “O.”
Surprise? Certainly. Excitent? Hardly.
“What… What is this?” The figure before her bore an uncanny resemblance to the twins, or rather, to her. The face was nearly identical to her own, save for a slightly more mature air.
“This is your new body, Sister. Do you like it?” Cross said, her voice tinged with a strange amusent. Her words sent chills down Cleo’s spine.
“What do you an?” Cleo shouted, attempting to turn and confront Cross. But her vision blurred, her balance wavered, and she collapsed into Cross’s arms.
The drink. Sothing was in the drink! She realized too late, her strength draining rapidly as darkness closed in.
—
When Cleo awoke, she found herself in a strange, eerie room. The walls glowed faintly with a dim purple light.
Upon closer inspection, the glow emanated from sothing that resembled a hybrid of plant and flesh, its network of veins pulsing rhythmically, creating a grotesque, living ambiance.
Cleo’s eyes darted around. She was embedded in the fleshy wall, her body completely immobilized, though her mind remained clear.
“What’s going on?” she muttered in confusion, trying to piece together the events before she lost consciousness.
“Awake already, Sister?” Cross’s voice called out from a shadowy corner of the room. The lighting was so dim that Cleo hadn’t noticed her presence until she spoke.
Hearing her sister’s voice jogged Cleo’s mory. Anger flared as she shouted, “Cross! If this is so kind of sick joke, let tell you—it’s not funny!”
“Is that so? I thought you’d want to experience your sister’s feelings for yourself,” Cross replied. Her sweet and playful tone sounded unnervingly out of place in the macabre setting.
“What are you talking about?” Cleo snapped.
“Didn’t you always want to know what your sister went through?” Cross’s voice, once familiar, now sent chills down Cleo’s spine.
“You said ‘your sister.’ What do you an by that?” Cleo’s voice faltered as realization dawned. Her eyes widened in horror. “You’re not Cross!”
“Of course, I’m Cross,” the figure replied with a chuckle. “But the Cross you knew is dead.”
Seeing Cleo’s terrified expression seed to delight her. “It’s amusing. I must’ve looked just like that back then.”
“What do you an?” Cleo stamred, utterly confused.
“I am Cross, but I’m not the sister you rember. You’re no longer my sister, either. I orchestrated all of this so you could beco my sister again. Isn’t that touching?”
Touching my ass, Cleo thought bitterly. If she could move, she’d have pumled the smug face before her, even if it did look eerily like her own.
“What did you do to Cross?” Cleo roared.
“I am Cross. I know everything about us—our childhood gas, our mutual support all these years. I’m the new Cross, reborn. Don’t you recognize your own sister?”
“What the hell are you?” Cleo shouted, her voice tinged with fear. This situation was far too surreal. Cross’s knowledge of their shared past was too precise, yet her deanor was entirely foreign.
“Don’t worry. It won’t hurt. Just sleep for now. When you wake up again, you’ll truly be my sister,” Cross said, stepping forward and gently cradling Cleo’s face.
Cleo tried to protest, but felt another injection coursing through her body. Panic surged as she struggled in vain, her consciousness fading once more.
As the Fungal Carpet gradually enveloped Cleo, Cross exhaled deeply, a look of satisfaction on her face. “Ah, that felt amazing!”
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