Chapter 240: Dual Spiral Awakening – Mask of Morpheus

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In a desolate land far from the Immortal Mountains, numerous factories hummed constantly, processing metals and forging them into massive components that giant machines and Cultivators carried toward the spaceship fragments scattered across the empty grasslands stretching to a blue sea.

After twenty-four days, those fragments had been gathered under the revived aliens’ commands and were slowly being assembled. Of course, the task would not be easy. It might take several months or even years to finish.

In that time, Louis had scooped every scrap of junk from the desert, leaving it barren. Then he used his powers to dig deep into the crust itself, mining the additional metals required and hauling out gigantic, mountain-sized ores for the machines to consume.

As a result, the Sixth Layer now looked even worse than before—a vast desert scarred by enormous holes that stretched across its entire length.

By now, two large sections of the spaceship had finally been joined, with hundreds of cables and systems linked. The main computer had been revived by the aliens and the machines, and it worked actively to coordinate the rest of the assembly.

Meanwhile, everyone continued their diligent training and cultivation. At this point, they had all reached Golden Core Grand Perfection, and some had even advanced to Nascent Soul.

Louis, for his part, focused on forging and expanding his Soul. To ascend from Nascent Soul to Heavenly Being, he first had to create a Seed of Madness, discard everything else from his Consciousness, refine it with his Soul and the Seed, and let it bloom.

When he had first obtained his Nascent Soul, it had taken the form of an infant. It had slowly grown into his current appearance and then continued aging until it became an old dragon man—an adult far beyond Louis’s own years, as though the time he had spent in other timelines had accumulated within it.

It was a bizarre sight. It felt as though his Elemental Affinity with Time and the waters of the River of Time were letting him channel something from those other timelines, though he could not yet tell what it was beyond the older appearance of his Soul.

His Nascent Soul had reached Peak Stage. Finally, he transformed that Nascent Soul into a Seed of Madness and planted the seed into his own Psyche.

By combining every Cultivation Method he had learned so far with the teachings of the Five Sects, Louis managed to ascend.

FLASH!

His body surged with radiant vitality unlike anything he had felt before. His entire form underwent a profound evolution as he gained a vast quantity of divinity and celestial energy.

His Nascent Soul bloomed into a white-and-black tree within his Psyche. From there, branches and roots spread across his body and Soul.

Heavenly Being was the evolution of self—a declaration to the Heavenly Fate that one possessed the determination and belief to rise above mortality, shed the mortal body, and become something greater in every way.

Louis watched his original physical body fade into dust and vanish. A new body emerged to cover his Soul, gleaming brightly and fusing his abilities, methods, and every understanding he had gained through his own insight.

Slowly, three words began to echo through his mind.

Heart.

Spirit.

Will.

His grandfather’s teachings resonated more powerfully than ever, leaving Louis silent as he grasped the true power hidden inside those simple words.

They were not merely words. They were…

“An Inheritance?”

Only now, having reached the level of a Demigod in Qi Cultivation, did Louis realize that magic and divinity dwelled within these three mystical yet simple words.

A doctrine.

A method.

A way of life.

Before Louis’s eyes, his Seed of Madness reacted.

“Wait…”

Then other words echoed through his mind—his mother’s voice.

“Hope is the greatest form of Despair, Louis… never forget it…”

“…!!!”

Louis gasped as he applied the Reverse Hope-Despair method to the Seed of Madness.

To his shock…

FLUOSH!

It shifted from deep black to brilliant white. The tree it had been forming suddenly crumbled and disappeared.

His Psyche was cleansed and transformed into a field of flowers, a lush forest, a blue sky, white clouds, and a bright sun.

“A-Ah…”

Memories.

What made a Nascent Soul so strong?

Memories.

From infancy to adulthood and beyond.

Memories forged the Soul and allowed it to ascend further. The more one treasured those memories, the stronger one became.

And above all, another revelation struck him.

The memories he had lived in that world—as Yang, as Ming’s friend, as Kai’s disciple—were all meaningful. They all mattered.

Every timeline he had endured mattered. Every memory forged through tragedy and happiness mattered.

Thus, these timelines, these memories.

“Grandfather’s way of life… a life I could never have had.”

He smiled bitterly as fragments of the memories his grandfather had passed to him surfaced.

Of being born as a small dragon with shimmering blue scales.

Of struggling against monsters and nature, forging his own path, born with gifted talents and abilities.

Of finding a lover, forging a new path, creating a family, and fighting against injustice in a world that had long lost all hope.

Of becoming a paragon of hope in a world full of despair.

“Can I really become such a person?”

Louis immediately shook his head.

No, he could not.

It was far too different.

Could this doctrine still be useful to him?

…

Yes, it could.

Within Louis’s Soul, three Radiances now manifested.

Heart.

Spirit.

Will.

They began to crystallize into three distinct cores for his Soul and his Heavenly Being Body.

To cultivate this path, one had to hold precious people and precious memories.

Even the greatest tragedy in Louis’s life was precious to him.

What was his Heart?

His mother, Benladra, whom he loved more than anything even now.

What was his Spirit?

Mirai, his beloved, the woman who had fought by his side and given his spirit exactly what it always needed to hear.

What was his Will?

“…”

The Core of Will slowly turned pale white, while his Heart shimmered with radiant gold and his Core of Spirit blazed with burning flames of passion.

What was his Will?

He had thought about it deeply this entire time.

When would he be allowed to live as his grandfather had?

When would this end?

When would this war against beings so overwhelmingly strong finally end?

His grandfather had faced countless challenges, but never of this magnitude when he was weaker.

It had come gradually, almost as if blessed by fate.

Louis faced the opposite—beings who could kill him with a single blow.

How could any man overcome such fear?

If not for his regression, there would not even be a Louis left alive.

Thus…

What formed his Will?

If his mother was his Heart and Mirai was his Spirit…

Then what could be his Will?

“My Will…”

For a moment, the answer became clear.

“I want…”

“I want peace…”

Simple. Honest. He did not try to sound grand.

He wanted a world of peace.

He wanted to enjoy a life with those he loved.

He even dreamed of a family of his own.

“I want to live…”

Even now, Louis had never truly felt as though he was living.

Constantly fearing death—was that really life?

Constantly knowing he would die—could that truly be called living?

But above all, what was his Will?

“Myself.”

Selfish.

He was not like his grandfather.

Louis was a selfish, ruthless, and cruel man.

Shaped by tragedy and despair, there was hardly any other way he could be.

His Heart was his mother.

His Spirit was Mirai.

And his Will? Himself. His desire. His dream.

A “Fantasy” of normalcy and peace.

This was his Fantasy.

“I see…”

His voice echoed through his Psyche, and his eyes widened.

“So that is your selfish resolve, my grandson.”

“Grandfather?”

“You’ve grown strong… strong enough to finally come here. Once you find the opportunity, come to Yggdrasil.”

“…!”

“I will reveal to you the truth of why the world is the way it is… and how to save your mother.”

Louis’s eyes widened as he nodded.

Finally.

Finally, a clue!

And it had always been with his grandfather!

A goal.

Louis nodded.

But he did not thank him.

“I hope you give me a proper answer… I have many questions.”

“Then hurry up and come!”

With that, the Dragon King’s voice faded away, and Louis opened his eyes once more.

Within his chest, he felt three new Cores had been forged.

But they were not entirely new.

His Crystalized Dragon Heart and his Fantasy Heart had melted into a single mass that then divided into these three cores.

A completely new path of growth—and one…

“Another path?”

The Path of Madness he had followed his entire life had been reversed.

And now, there was a Path of Hope.

His Spirals resonated, converging into a beautiful bridge of countless colors.

Louis walked across the bridge, reaching the highest part of the heavens.

There, a crown awaited him.

“Take the crown, oh Ashen Heir.”

Louis stared at the radiant crown, eyes wide.

Wasn’t the next Incarnation supposed to be named “Crownless Heir”?

Then why? Why did he have to claim this crown?

It made no sense when he thought about it.

Unless…

Everything was reversed.

Thus, the Spiral of Madness… he had somehow modified it through his Cultivation and his grandfather’s Inheritance.

And perhaps through his own Enlightenment, he was finally able to see that not everything was darkness—that there truly was light within.

Louis grabbed the crown and placed it on his head.

FLASH!

The crown’s light blessed him with endless divinity for a moment. He felt as though he could ascend to the level of the gods themselves.

Then the sensation faded, and his eyes opened wide once more.

His Fantasy Heart—now merged with his Crystalized Fake Dragon Heart and transformed into the Three Cores of Heart, Spirit, and Will—resonated deeply with him.

The Spiral he had been forging, the Hollow Spiral of the Ashen Wyrm, was being turned upside down, revealing an ascending staircase.

That staircase was…

“A reverse spiral? Not one of madness, but of hope?”

He was shaken by the revelation.

Spirals of Madness had never been solely about darkness and malice.

That was simply how everyone in this bleak world filled with despair had interpreted them.

It was the “default.”

But in the end, that was only humanity’s subconscious interpretation.

When Louis freed himself from that subconscious and ascended into a Heavenly Being, he began to exist outside the rules.

The rules that governed reason, from which madness was formed.

If those rules were denied—if Louis lived by his own rules and led his own fate—then…

“I see… the Spiral is merely one facet of this power. It would be better to call it… Oh, I see.”

“Fate.”

The true nature of the Spiral was not Madness or Incarnation, nor even Hope as he had first imagined.

It was the Spiral of Fate.

And within it lay two paths.

The descent into Madness.

And the ascension into Hope.

Both existed as one, yet they were wildly different.

This did not mean Louis would abandon his foundation as a Spiral of Madness Spiralwalker.

No. He would walk both paths and thereby truly complete the Spiral of Fate, cultivating it for what it truly was.

As he did, his eyes widened with fresh understanding.

“I can see them.”

The requirements.

The fabled requirements he needed to descend… and now to ascend.

He had reached Tier 6 of his Spiral of Fate, and this reflected in both the Path of Madness and the Path of Hope.

Whichever path he chose, the other would rise to the same level.

If he advanced both at once or one after the other before climbing higher, he could gain even greater power.

His eyes widened as he read the requirements to descend into Tier 6 of the Spiral of Madness.

“Ah, it is already complete…”

The requirement was simple.

“Witness all of what you once loved fall apart, and die while lamenting fate, unable to change the future.”

He had already fulfilled it when he lived as Yang. Upon recognizing this through his Enlightenment, the Spiral of Madness twisted with dark satisfaction, cracking like bones and piercing the abyss of purgatory.

Thus…

He had also reached Tier 6 of the Spiral of Madness—a Dual Spiral Ascension, a complete Tier 6 Spiral of Fate Realm.

“Tier 6 of the Spiral of Madness: Malice Echo.”

“Tier 6 of the Spiral of Hope: Benevolent Cry.”

The Crownless Heir manifested from his dark shadow. From the radiance his body exuded, another figure emerged.

“…?!”

Louis’s eyes widened as he beheld the opposite of the Crownless Heir he had seen before, back when Soma and the Abyssal Mother destroyed Frostbane.

This incarnation was the Crowned Heir—radiant instead of decaying, wearing a golden crown and a large red cape, holding a bright sword of light.

Both Incarnations studied each other, exuding their power.

At the same time, Louis developed two new Spiral abilities.

Nightmare of Despair.

Dream of Hope.

They were unique and perfect opposites. Nightmare of Despair allowed him to manipulate accumulated or ambient despair, creating illusions, bindings, or weapons from Nightmares. He could subject foes to those Nightmares or trap them inside them entirely. He could also create “Nightmare Specters” from the grief of his victims or himself—temporary allies or tools.

Dream of Hope was the opposite. Through the bonds and memories he possessed, he could create Dreams. These Dreams could take any form and transform at will. They could be planted in others to inspire them, growing inside their hearts and developing into Dream Spirits that strengthened the vessel.

And if he combined both?

The ability belonged to the True Spiral of Fate.

Suddenly, a mask appeared on his face, covering only half of it.

The mask was black and white, decorated with a yellow feather and a red feather.

When the mask manifested, the combination of the two abilities became usable.

Morpheus’ Mask.

The mask of the God of Sleep and Dreams from Greek mythology.

Once Louis wore it, the eye it covered could see another world entirely—another realm.

Every person before him was connected to it by purple, black, or pink clouds floating within them.

These were their own Dreamscapes.

Morpheus’ Mask allowed Louis to see the Land of Dreams and Memories, as well as the Dreamscapes of others.

But was that all?

He stepped out of his room after stretching and approached the nearest person—Elder Kai.

His Dreamscape Cloud shone with radiant gold and silver.

When Louis touched it…

FLASH!

He found himself somewhere else, existing as Elder Kai himself.

“What?!”

His eyes widened, unable to comprehend what was happening.

But then he slowly understood as something within his Soul resonated with the ability.

The Corrupted Immortalizing Liquid Gold—The Golden Judge’s Tear—a Rank 10 Soul Treasure he had obtained alongside Loki’s heart fragment.

A piece of the Judge.

“I see…”

It was the ability to access the “archives” that had yet to be completely archived. Dreams and memories were tangible realms, simply existing on another plane of reality.

That other plane was the Dream Land.

“But what can I do with this? How can I benefit from it? Simply seeing people’s memories won’t be enough, will it?”

Louis let the ability flow and resonated the golden piece with the mask.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, he lived Elder Kai’s entire life—from infancy to his current age and his death against the Judge.

When he opened his eyes again, Elder Kai looked confused.

“Louis? What’s wrong with you, young man?”

“Ah…”

Louis felt it inside him. He had grown stronger. His stats had increased slightly, and his skills and Cultivation Methods had advanced along with the proficiency and knowledge Elder Kai had lived.

He had now lived an entire life as someone else, and it had not even felt like time had passed.

“Incredible… the Mask of Morpheus… a truly frightening ability.”

It allowed him to enter people’s Dreamscapes, live their lives, and gain some of their powers, proficiencies, and knowledge.

It allowed him to truly understand others.

“Mask of Morpheus?” Elder Kai asked.

“Nothing, friend. Don’t worry,” Louis said, patting his shoulder before walking away.

He did the same with Elder Ming, then Yang, then every other compatible disciple.

In mere minutes, Louis lived through multiple lives in the blink of an eye. His proficiency with Heaven-Splitting Sword Intent rose to the Fifth Layer after he had experienced every disciple he could reach.

He moved to the other sects and came to understand the wonderful world they had lived in. Each of their unique methods also reached the Fifth Layer, making Louis even stronger.

His stats increased steadily, and his Heavenly Being Realm and the Three Great Cores fed on this energy, constantly developing alongside his Spiral.

No—his Spiral hungered for these Dreams.

The more he lived them, the more it grew.

After all of it, the Spiral had already reached sixty percent growth.

“This is pure insanity…”

Louis smiled inwardly and quickly gathered his allies, who had all grown stronger.

Now he could see their Dreamscapes as well—all of them.

He explained what he had awakened. They responded with a mix of surprise and varied emotions.

“What? Y-You can live as us?” Agustina blushed. “That’s weird!”

“Um…” Timothy rubbed his chin. “What could you even gain from this anyway?”

“It’s an interesting ability. I wonder how it will evolve further,” Mirai said.

“I agree… Master, feel free,” Zorba said. “I… have nothing to hide.”

“Me too…” Mirai smiled warmly.

“I don’t mind,” Selene shrugged.

“I-I… well…” Melisa said. “If you really want to…”

“Hah, well, that’s fine too,” Anastasia said.

“How are you guys so fine with it?!” Agustina was the only one who hesitated.

Thus, Louis began with Zorba.

FLASH!

He saw his life from the moment he was born.

A demon mother who died with him still in her arms.

A father who hated him.

A bitter, resentful life where he could barely eat.

A brother who mocked and beat him.

A life filled with despair that twisted his mind into complete madness.

A sharp knife, warm blood, and a dead brother.

Gaps. Cries. Regret mixed with exhilaration and adrenaline.

Madness and… the Vultarn High Dominion.

How he was forced to enlist, trained, and sometimes tortured.

How he developed his Spiral and Necromancy Arts.

His love for the dead, who could never harm him.

The mission. The dimensional labyrinth. And Lord Louis, who changed his life.

And everything that had happened since.

“I see now, Zorba,” said Louis. “Thank you for choosing to serve me and be like a brother to me.”

“It’s an honor, your majesty,” Zorba nodded accepting Louis hug.

“So you… um, want to see my Dreamscape now?” Mirai wondered, fidgeting cutely.

“…Yeah, I suppose it’s your turn,” Louis nodded.

Using the Mask of Morpheus, Louis entered Mirai’s Dreamscape.

There, he lived her life as her.

Born to two parents, only to watch them die seconds after her birth.

The despair. The loneliness of being held by withered corpses, never able to see her parents for who they truly were.

A terrifying tragedy he would never wish on anyone.

Then the VPI arrived and took her away into the depths of the containment zones.

There, she was only a baby, unable to move or eat on her own. Androids—artificial intelligence unaffected by her Decaying Aura—raised her with cold hands and automated voices.

It was a depressing and cold childhood. Only after Mirai learned to talk, move, and control her powers did personnel begin to approach her.

But as a child, she could not always control her emotions.

When she played too excitedly, jumping and giggling, her aura would flare. The person beside her would scream and… wither away, dying.

It happened not once or twice, but dozens of times throughout her life.

So often that they stopped sending people and returned to androids until Mirai forced herself to train endlessly until she could control her powers.

Of course, it was not completely lonely. Louis’s parents eventually arrived and began acting as her adoptive parents.

Unaffected by her powers, they loved her, raised her, and played with her.

A hint of lingering jealousy stirred in Louis’s heart, but he crushed it immediately as it tried to form a heart demon.

He had no interest in such emotions anymore… Mirai deserved that love. Now he finally understood.

Her life remained inside that containment area. Though it had grown as large as a house, it was still white, cold, and silent—even when she was given everything she wanted to decorate it.

Even with a phone and access to the internet…

She still felt lonely, especially when Louis’s mother fell ill and Gustaf grew too busy.

They visited less often, changing everything.

Years passed as she trained more seriously, until eventually…

Someone appeared in her life—Louis.

He had called for her release out of nowhere. She had never met him, yet the moment she saw him…

“Ngh?!”

Louis experienced a headache as countless other memories surged forward, stacked together. His mind barely processed them.

These were all the inherited memories from different timelines, which he now experienced in first person.

It was unbelievable!

And then it ended with what Mirai was doing today, after all these challenges and trials…

When Louis finally opened his eyes again, he gasped for air and coughed.

“A-Are you okay?”

“…Yeah, just… shocked. I saw not only your dreams but… the others.”

“Oh… I-I’m so sorry. I had no idea…”

“No… it’s fine. Mirai, I… I was really mean to you before. I’m sorry.”

“Louis…”

“I hated you because I was jealous—because my parents gave you more attention than me… or at least that’s what I thought, even though in reality they always gave me more anyway…”

“…”

“I was a hateful person, and maybe I still am… but I now know…”

He hugged her tightly, letting her head rest on his chest as Mirai cried silently.

“I now know how much you’ve gone through… I’m so sorry, Mirai… you deserved their love, and you deserve my love as well… I will never leave your side. Never.”

“Louis… do you promise?”

“I do.”

Louis smiled gently and kissed her lips.

They were warm and comforting. He could not stop.

He hugged her with passion, love, and compassion, embracing her with all his heart.

For the first time, Louis kissed her willingly, his heart completely open to her.

“Ahh… Louis…”

When their lips finally parted, Mirai’s eyes gleamed with tears streaming down her face.

“I love you… Louis! I really do! I love you so much…”

“I love you too… And I always will.”

As the two lovers shared their kiss, the spectators clapped and cried. Even other disciples had arrived after hearing about the heartfelt moment.

“Master, I hate to interrupt, but isn’t this a wonderful opportunity?” Elder Kai asked. “Why not marry under the sect’s traditions?”

“M-Marriage?!” Mirai gasped, covering her mouth. “T-That’s too soon, no?”

“Yeah…” Louis nodded. “Sorry, it’s just that…”

“Hoho, maybe I went too far ahead of myself? My apologies,” Elder Kai laughed. “It’s just that… love in this world is quite rare. It so often ends in tragedy… I am simply happy to see two youngsters celebrating their love for one another.”

“I see… thank you for your consideration,” Louis nodded.

“Shall we have breakfast? It’s still quite early,” Anastasia suggested. “We can talk more there.”

“Yeah, I agree,” Louis said.

Afterward, Louis quickly visited the Dreamscape Clouds of the others as well.

Their lives were far less traumatic than Mirai’s or Zorba’s—except for one.

Selene.

While Anastasia had enjoyed a nearly ideal life sheltered by her mothers, Agustina had lived comfortably with her parents until her father’s tragedy yet continued without many hardships, Timothy had grown up in the farmlands complaining despite having a perfectly fine life, and Melisa had been an orphan raised with care though occasionally bullied…

Selene had endured a very lonely, very sad life.

Born in the streets to a mother, the moment she opened her eyes she saw her mother’s corpse.

Afterward, she searched for food only to be kicked and attacked by people.

Chased away from the moment she was born because she was seen as “a hideous demon”—that was harsh.

For years she struggled to catch food, starving for days, rummaging through trash, crawling into sewers, drinking filthy water, and then falling sick.

She survived year after year through sheer willpower and her determination to live, perhaps thanks to her special body.

Her life continued this way until she met Melisa, a lonely girl who offered her the tastiest food she had ever eaten.

Slowly, the two girls forged an unbreakable bond that remained even now. Though she had once been scared of Louis, after realizing her life had only improved since then, she had grown very fond of him—loving him and considering him her papa, the same as Melisa.

“Girls…” Louis was moved, realizing these girls loved him more than he had ever imagined.

He had once been detached from such feelings. He had hated the idea of adopting them and had mostly done it to keep them close.

But now he began to see how important it was to them—and how selfish he had been.

Perhaps he would always remain a little selfish; it was part of who he was.

But he could no longer be blind to the people around him—the family, friends, and comrades his life depended on.

“Do you really see me as your father, Selene?” Louis asked gently.

“…” Selene stayed silent for a moment, her big ears flopping down. “Um… is it bad? I’m sorry…”

“No, there’s nothing to be sorry about,” Louis said.

“Are you not mad?” Melisa wondered, tilting her head. “I know you said you didn’t want to be our parents and—”

“No, it’s fine…” Louis sighed. “Perhaps I cannot become the ideal parent you deserve, and maybe I am not built to be a father. But… I still want to protect you both. Thank you for trusting me and staying with us. I am glad I adopted you.”

He took their small hands, making both girls beam with happiness. Melisa started crying while Selene wagged her tail uncontrollably.

“Papa!”

They jumped on him without warning, hugging him tightly.

Mirai, Zorba, and the others feared Louis might lose patience.

But…

That was far from the truth.

“Hahaha…! Come on now… calm down.”

He laughed, smiled, and hugged them back, petting their heads and kissing their foreheads.

“I have finally realized… how foolish I have been. I am truly blessed to have you both here… thank you. Truly.”

“We’re the lucky ones to have you, right Selene?”

“Yeah! Rawr!”

Despite Selene’s appearance, Louis saw a beautiful girl no matter what. He hugged her and loved her as no one ever had before—with the genuine affection of a father figure, or rather… more like a protective elder brother.

Nonetheless.

“Awooooo!”

FLASH!

Out of nowhere, Selene began to change.

“Eh?! Selene?!”

Melisa panicked as she saw Selene glowing bright gold. Her fur fell away and her skull-like face cracked apart and vanished.

Everyone panicked, screaming in disbelief.

“Oh my god, is she dying?!”

“Seleneeee!”

“Gyaaaahhh! What’s happening?!”

“Louis, save her!”

But Louis did nothing. He simply watched with a calm expression.

Slowly, as the light faded… Selene had not died.

No.

She had transformed—revealed her true appearance.

Beneath the fur and the strange skull-like head.

Just like in the game.

When Selene reached a Level 10 Bond with the Protagonist—or in this case, with Louis…

She unlocked her “true form.”

“E-Eh? Ah…! My fur… is gone? My face feels weird… bleh, bleh… oh wow… my face is soft? Why?”

Selene touched her face in surprise, then noticed she also had long hair and that her hands were no longer long claws but small, human hands like any girl her age.

“Oh wow!”

She looked down at her body and realized the clothes she wore were now a little too big, making her laugh.

“Hahaha! I don’t know what happened to me but I’m happy!”

Melisa and everyone else stood stunned and speechless.

“S-Selene…! Your appearance…! S-So you really were a human all along…!”

“Melisa! What’s wrong?”

“Look.”

Louis summoned a Dream Mirror and showed Selene her reflection.

“Ahhh! What?! I’m… I’m a human!”

Selene started crying, her eyes wide with shock.

And she was a truly beautiful girl.

Pale white skin, red eyes, long white-and-red hair that reached her legs.

She was small and adorable, just like her best friend—exactly what she had always wanted to be instead of the fur-covered, skull-headed creature.

“She changed?! Oh my god, what?!” Timothy was flabbergasted.

“I-I had no idea! So she had this other form?!” Mirai wondered.

“I see… so magical!” Anastasia cried happily.

“Selene… you’re so cute!” Agustina said.

“Incredible… so this is what the power of my Lord can do,” Zorba shed a small tear. “After finally learning about love, the beast girl has shed her skin and revealed the princess beneath.”

“Hahahaha! Amazing, Selene!” Melisa giggled, hugging her friend.

“Hehehe! I am soft now, Melisa! I won’t hurt you anymore if I’m not careful…!” Selene celebrated. “I-I’m finally human! Waaahhhh!” She continued crying as she hugged Louis tightly. “Thank you, Papa…”

“I didn’t do anything,” Louis laughed. “That form—your true appearance—had always been inside you, Selene… I am proud of you and what you have become. And you too, Melisa. Both of you are our treasures. Isn’t that right?”

“Indeed!” Agustina said.

“Of course,” Timothy nodded.

“We love you both!” Mirai said with a cute giggle.

“You’re what always keeps us from getting depressed… haha,” Anastasia added.

“I have to admit it, I have grown quite fond of them,” Zorba sighed, becoming more open with himself instead of remaining so guarded.

In that moment, House Frostbane became more than just a group of students.

They had become a family—one united by their bonds and by their leader, a man who never stopped moving forward toward an ideal future.

—–

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