Chapter 18: A Gruesome Discovery

When Elias regained consciousness, he found himself securely fastened to a chair. 

His arms and legs were tightly bound by straps, and a straitjacket was constricting his movements, allowing only his head a slight wiggle. He couldn't move his body at all.

 "Ah... my head hurts so much..."

 Elias hissed in pain, feeling a throbbing deep inside his head. It must have been the aftermath of the psychic assault. 

Had his sanity not been relatively intact, he wouldn't have withstood such an impact. If it were anyone else in front of Luna, they might have already lost their mind from fear.

 Gritting his teeth, Elias surveyed his surroundings. 

The only source of light in the room was an old kerosene lamp, casting a faint, eerie glow. 

He seemed to be in the basement of the old house, evident from the lack of windows and the stale air.

 Suddenly, Elias noticed a strong smell of blood. Guided by the dim light, he reluctantly turned his gaze to a spot in the darkness. 

Isabella's body lay there, her chest cavity gruesomely opened, her organs either missing or turned into unrecognizable masses. 

Luna had killed her in the most brutal way imaginable.

Elias turned away, nearly vomiting. The thought of Isabella suffering such a horrific death was unbearable. A sense of mournful sympathy rose within him.

 The next victim could be me, he thought, recalling Luna's last words about 'transforming' him. What did she mean by that?

 He glanced to his side, where a table was laden with various saw-like knives, bandages, and medicines – a sight that made his scalp tingle.

 He wished for death, a quick escape from this nightmare. Unfortunately, he was utterly immobilized, the restraints too tight to break free. 

The irony of being trapped in a restraint chair designed for the mentally unstable, which he had once used on others, was not lost on him.

 Escape was impossible; his only hope was to talk his way out. Glancing at his system panel, he noted:

 [Negotiation/Soothing (Master), Cooldown: 00:35:03]

 Half an hour left on the cooldown...

 This was his only chance.

As he was contemplating, the wooden door to the basement creaked open, revealing Luna holding a kerosene lamp, her face alight with a twisted smile.

 "Missed me, bro?"

 [Luna]

 [Affection: 100]

 [Contamination: 85]

 [A Twisted Being Obsessively in Love with You]

 Elias silently watched her approach, saying nothing.

 "Silence is consent, huh~"

 Luna gently caressed Elias's cheek, her eyes fixating on Isabella's corpse. "You saw what happened to that despicable woman, right?"

 Elias remained stoic, avoiding looking at the body.

 Luna frowned, then forcefully turned his head toward Isabella. "Look at what happened to her!"

 Forced to gaze upon the lifeless body, Elias's feelings were conflicted. 

Initially, he had resented Isabella for potentially jeopardizing his plans, but seeing her pay with her life, his resentment dissipated.

 "Are you sad for your professor, bro?" Luna's smile grew cold. "Every woman who tries to take you away from me will end up like her. Remember that, bro."

 Her blue eyes were fixed intently on Elias, watching for his reaction. 

Despite his complicated feelings, he knew he had to tread carefully to survive Luna's twisted affection.

Elias, regret evident on his face, lamented his oversight in not anticipating Isabella's kindness and dedication. If only he had handled the school affairs better...

Luna mistook his expression of remorse as a realization of his mistakes, her smile growing deeper.

"Now that you realize your error, bro," she said, "it's time for me to transform you. Trust me, you'll never make such mistakes again after I'm done."

Elias's eyes shifted to Luna, increasingly agitated, and he frowned deeply. "What are you planning to do? What does this 'transformation' entail?"

"You'll see soon!" Luna cheerfully approached the table, resembling a butcher's block, meticulously selecting from the array of tools. She finally picked one that seemed most suitable to her.

Elias watched in horror as she sterilized a serrated knife with alcohol and prepared a strange-smelling potion, which he recognized as an anesthetic used in surgeries of their era.

 "Don't be scared, bro. I'll be gentle~" she said, her odd smile widening as she approached. "Once you drink this, you won't feel any pain."

 Elias glared at Luna, who lovingly caressed his hand. "It's a shame. You used to touch me so gently with these hands."

 "Enjoy the last moments of controlling your limbs, bro. They won't belong to you much longer."

 Elias looked at her in disbelief, realizing what she intended to do with the serrated knife – it was for amputating limbs...

 "A madwoman... a complete lunatic..."

 Luna, unfazed by the insult, continued to gaze at him tenderly. "You might not be able to move afterward, but I'll take good care of you."

 "We can still visit all the places you wanted to see. I'll push you around the world in a wheelchair. "

"We can visit the beautiful tulip gardens in the Enchanted Forest, or the famous markets in the Imperial Harbor of Madahwa, tasting foods from all around the world."

 "Oh, and since you like those mysterious things," her excitement grew, "I've learned so much and bought many books. I can read them to you!"

 Listening to Luna's gentle words, Elias felt an overwhelming bitterness. Such twisted and burdensome 'love' – had he destroyed a galaxy in his past life to deserve such a fate?

 He didn't want to die, nor did he wish to live as an amputee. What meaning would life hold then?

All he could do now was stall for time. Less than thirty minutes remained until he could attempt to negotiate or soothe Luna.

 With these thoughts, Elias forced a bittersweet smile and looked at the person in front of him.

 "Luna..."

 "Let's talk, just you and me, for a while."