The Grotesque Miss’s End Story v4c3

Chapter 3: Past Illusions

At this moment, aboard the dilapidated small Lost Home…

“…Huh?”

Elsa’s eyes widened in surprise, then her cheeks puffed out slightly, a mixture of jealousy and annoyance in her voice.

“When did this happen? Why did you get a new form from someone else while I was gone?!”

“Ahem…”

Luo Ling coughed awkwardly, feeling like she had been caught cheating.

“A few months after you left… in the present timeline.”

“Hmph!”

Elsa snorted and turned her head away.

She had been looking forward to Luo Ling getting a form similar to hers, like a pair of inseparable sisters.

Elsa glanced at Su Wan, sleeping on Luo Ling’s lap, a hint of envy in her eyes.

Almost identical to Luo Ling’s White Witch form, even difficult to distinguish when standing together, and this was Sister Su Wan’s true form, what Elsa envied the most.

Thinking of this, Elsa felt even more aggrieved, her brows furrowing as she looked at Luo Ling with a resentful gaze.

“However, even so, there’s no need to be so upset, Elsa,” Luo Ling said, “Even if I didn’t get a new form through you, the final outcome would be the same.”

Hearing this, Elsa seemed to understand something, her beautiful heterochromatic eyes blinking with a hint of anticipation.

“You mean… it’s still possible now?”

She remembered that, after Luo Ling transformed into the White Witch using Puppet Ballad, she also obtained a new ability, Blood Lord, from Educator, adding some changes to her White Witch form, even integrating the Authorities, allowing her to use them synergistically.

Since Miss Luo Ling said the final outcome would be the same, it meant… it wasn’t too late now?

Luo Ling, under Elsa’s expectant gaze, hesitated for a moment, looked away slightly, and said awkwardly, “No, what I mean is… I can’t get a new form through you, no matter what—in other words, what happened with my sister and Miss Iris won’t happen with you.”

Elsa’s expression froze, then she pouted, her face full of grievance.

“Miss Luo Ling, are you saying that no matter how I change, you’ll still dislike me?”

When she was younger, she always thought Miss Luo Ling preferred older sisters, but now that she had become one, she felt Miss Luo Ling preferred little girls.

Especially with Sister Su Wan, in her little girl form, lying on Luo Ling’s lap, this feeling intensified.

“Of course not!” Luo Ling, hearing that Elsa seemed to have misunderstood again, quickly waved her hands, then sighed and said, “The essence of these new forms… is just obtaining a portion of power from the Transcendence-Doomsday path through replication.

And you, Elsa, your power doesn’t come from the Transcendence-Doomsday path, not even from this world, but from another deity. How could I possibly obtain a new form through you?”

More accurately, the powers Luo Ling possessed were all copies, but the difference was that they were no longer tied to the original Transcendence-Doomsday path, but integrated into her own power.

After officially becoming the shared personality of two deities, these powers were completely free from Doomsday’s restrictions.

In other words, Luo Ling, using these powers, wouldn’t be as constrained as Mom Transcendence, worried about the threat of Doomsday.

If the current Luo Ling created the six Order-side paths of Transcendence, there wouldn’t be six opposing Grotesquery-side paths. This was why Nyarlathotep said that Luo Ling was now far more powerful than her and Transcendence.

Both Transcendence and Nyarlathotep were personalities born from deities, while Luo Ling’s new Transcendence deity was born from her, completely under her control.

But… regardless of the circumstances, “deities never meet” was an unbreakable rule. Luo Ling naturally couldn’t directly obtain the power of that benevolent, mysterious deity at the end of Nightmare, thus unable to obtain a new form through Elsa.

After hearing Luo Ling’s explanation, Elsa’s face quickly flushed. She knew she had misunderstood Luo Ling and slightly lowered her head—even now, with her head lowered, she was still slightly taller than Luo Ling.

“Besides, Elsa,” Luo Ling reached out, rubbed Elsa’s hair, and said with a smile, “There’s no need to be so concerned about your size. If you want, to me… you can always be little Elsa.”

Elsa slowly raised her head, staring at Luo Ling with her beautiful eyes.

“Hmph, I’m a deity now. Let me tell you a secret, deities don’t have ages.” Luo Ling said mysteriously. “So I can be eternally eighteen, or a hundred and eight thousand years old. There’s no need to worry about such things, you can continue being little Elsa!”

“Eh, really?” Elsa looked slightly surprised.

“Of course.” Luo Ling nodded seriously.

In this aspect, she wasn’t completely lying, there was some basis for it.

For deities, the so-called time had become a line they could freely traverse. With a single thought, Luo Ling could directly arrive a hundred years after Doomsday’s arrival, or return to the past, directly interfering as a phantom.

But… interfering with the past could lead to many uncontrollable factors, potentially causing unforeseen changes in the already closed-loop future.

In the past, Luo Ling’s Mom Transcendence had tried this countless times, but since the first collapse of Doomsday, no matter how It changed things, it always led to the same ending.

And the current world’s future was still uncertain, constantly changing, which, given the imminent Doomsday, was already a “miracle.” If Luo Ling casually interfered with the timeline, it might lead to unimaginable consequences.

As for visiting the future…

Luo Ling wasn’t in a hurry yet.

But even so, Luo Ling saying that deities didn’t have ages was still a cunning lie.

Deities didn’t have ages, but their personalities did, and Luo Ling, as a personality, was only about to turn nineteen.

Even at a young age, due to some unpleasant experiences, Elsa was already quite adept at reading people. She naturally sensed the slight hesitation in Luo Ling’s words, but she also understood why Luo Ling said this.

…She was just trying to comfort her.

In this aspect, Miss Luo Ling truly…

“Always treated me like a child.”

Elsa wiped the slight moisture from the corners of her eyes, then put her hands on her hips, slightly indignant.

“Even if that’s the case, Miss Luo Ling, I still want to see… which vixen stole your new form!”

Luo Ling froze.

“Let me see!”

Elsa said, waving her hands dramatically.

“……”

Luo Ling was silent for a moment, then sighed softly.

Then she gently pressed her forehead, a soft light flickering momentarily, and a beautiful, petite figure appeared before Elsa, nine ethereal tails floating and swaying gently behind her.

Even more striking was her delicate yet alluring face, her slightly lowered eyelids captivating, a faint, sorrowful aura adding to her charm.

Even Elsa, seeing Luo Ling’s current appearance, was momentarily stunned.

Such a beautiful little girl, and her beloved Miss Luo Ling at that. In an instant, Elsa lost her composure, the critical words she had prepared completely forgotten.

She was simply too perfect, too flawless…

But Elsa quickly recovered, a flustered look on her face as she averted her gaze, a blush lingering on her cheeks.

The reason she looked away wasn’t because of embarrassment, but because she was afraid that if she continued staring, she wouldn’t be able to resist touching Miss Luo Ling, showering her with affection.

“Is this… that form?”

Elsa stammered slightly, then, as if realizing something, her eyes widened as she looked at the nine fluffy tails behind Luo Ling.

“Wait, it really is… a vixen!”

“As you can see… yes,” Luo Ling said softly, but her voice now carried a childish and ethereal quality, making it difficult for anyone to be angry with her, even Elsa couldn’t utter a word of complaint at this moment.

Miss Luo Ling in this form was truly… too much!

Elsa’s gaze met a pair of innocent crimson eyes, their slightly pitiful look too much for her to bear, and she could only wave her hands repeatedly.

“Quickly… change back…”

If she didn’t change back, it would be too late…

“Hmm?”

Luo Ling tilted her head slightly, puzzled.

But seeing that Elsa didn’t seem to like this form of hers, a subtle rejection, Luo Ling could only sigh softly and change her appearance again.

This time, it was the appearance Elsa was most familiar with, long white hair cascading like a waterfall, almost identical to the white-haired girl sleeping on her lap.

The White Witch form, the one Elsa first met her in, even the codename was given by Elsa.

Elsa finally relaxed, then carefully examined Luo Ling.

Yes, Miss Luo Ling in this form was much more… pleasing to the eye.

Actually, the other form was much more beautiful, but because it came from some unknown vixen, and… carried an irresistible attraction, Elsa almost couldn’t control her surging instincts, and she wasn’t used to it.

“At least our ‘White Witch’ looks like Sister Su Wan…” Elsa whispered, then slightly turned her head away as if afraid of being heard by Luo Ling.

Luo Ling naturally heard Elsa’s words, but she just smiled faintly, not commenting on her mumbling.

“Alright, it’s time to go home.”

Luo Ling said, picking up Su Wan in a princess carry.

This was the first time she carried her sister like this. In the past, it was always her sister carrying or piggybacking her.

Looking down at Su Wan’s sleeping face, Luo Ling couldn’t help but smile faintly.

Her sister… also had such a cute side.

At the same time, memories from her childhood flooded her mind, seemingly ordinary compared to her later experiences, yet… incredibly precious.

Every moment she spent with her sister was worth cherishing.

“Wait…”

Just then, as if thinking of something, Luo Ling’s smile widened.

“What is it?”

Elsa, who was ready to return with Luo Ling, turned to look at her, puzzled, then, seeing the bright smile on Luo Ling’s face, felt a sudden chill.

Why did Miss Luo Ling’s smile… seem a bit mischievous?

Could she be… planning something?

As one of the people closest to Luo Ling, Elsa knew Miss Luo Ling’s vindictiveness very well.

So, could it be that Miss Luo Ling, still holding a grudge against her for what happened earlier, had thought of some prank…

However, Elsa’s worries were quickly dispelled, as Luo Ling leaned closer and whispered her plan in her ear.

As she listened, Elsa’s eyes gradually lit up, glancing at Sister Su Wan, who was sleeping peacefully beside her, a smile appearing on her lips.

Almost identical to the smile on Luo Ling’s face.

“Let’s go.”

Luo Ling winked at Elsa.

Elsa nodded knowingly, her grin widening.

……….

“Gurgle, gurgle.”

The sound of boiling soup.

Su Wan slowly opened her eyes, holding her head as she sat up, a dilapidated wall the first thing she saw.

Looking around, she seemed to be in a rather old house.

“This…”

A confused look appeared on Su Wan’s face, not because the place was unfamiliar, but because… it was too familiar.

She had spent fifteen years here.

This… was her and Xiao Ling’s home in Jiangcheng County.

But why was she here?

Could it be… a dream?

If so, it was too real…

Su Wan looked puzzled, but still habitually got out of bed and went to the kitchen.

The pressure cooker was boiling, and a pot of soup simmered beside it, bubbles rising from the bottom.

The setting sun shone through the newspaper-covered, broken window, casting a dim light into the room, a scene deeply etched in Su Wan’s memory, a familiar sight.

Su Wan looked down at her hands, currently in her disguised form, not her fully unleashed loli form.

“I should be… on the small Lost Home…”

Su Wan couldn’t understand, but out of habit, she still brought the food from the kitchen and placed it on the only relatively new dining table in this small house, then subconsciously called out, “Xiao Ling, dinner’s ready.”

After calling out, Su Wan suddenly realized and chuckled softly.

A habit developed over many years couldn’t be easily changed.

“Coming!”

Luo Ling’s voice came from upstairs, followed by the clattering of slippers on the wooden floor.

Luo Ling, in her simple school uniform, came downstairs, went to the kitchen to wash her hands, and took out two sets of tableware.

Seeing Luo Ling’s familiar actions, a warm smile appeared on Su Wan’s lips. If this was a dream, it wasn’t bad.

But the current Su Wan had already regained her senses, certain that this was reality, not a dream.

She enjoyed Xiao Ling’s reminiscing.

Soon, Luo Ling and Su Wan sat down at the dining table.

Su Wan watched as Luo Ling stood up, as she always did, about to open the pressure cooker and serve the food, a nostalgic feeling.

But there were more important things to discuss, they couldn’t just keep reminiscing.

Therefore, as Luo Ling opened the pressure cooker’s valve, she asked, “Xiao Ling, how is… Elsa now?”

“Elsa?” Luo Ling looked puzzled. “What about her?”

“Uh, that… shouldn’t I be the one asking you?”

Su Wan was confused by Luo Ling’s answer.

Before she fell asleep, she heard Luo Ling explain Elsa’s current situation, but before learning the solution, she lost consciousness.

So asking Luo Ling about it now should be normal, right?

“She’s… fine, always been fine, nothing wrong.”

Luo Ling had a “Sister, why are you asking such a question” expression, which only confused Su Wan even more.

Did she… miss something while she was asleep?

But Su Wan quickly composed herself and asked again, “Where is she now? Is she back in ‘Home’?”

“What ‘Home’?” Luo Ling frowned slightly and asked with concern, “Sister, why are you asking such strange questions today? Are you feeling unwell?”

“…….”

Su Wan stared at Luo Ling, unsure why her little sister was pretending to be clueless.

“By the way, about the tuition fees, don’t worry, sister, I’ll get a part-time job during summer vacation, it should be enough, and there are also student loans,” Luo Ling said, opening the pressure cooker, and the aroma of food filled the air.

Hearing this, Su Wan finally couldn’t hold back and said directly, “Xiao Ling, stop messing with your sister, we can talk about school later, there are more important…”

Before she could finish, a soft warmth touched her forehead, Xiao Ling’s face right before hers, filled with concern.

“Sister, what nonsense are you talking about? Didn’t you tell me that studying is the most important thing for me now?”

Su Wan was momentarily speechless. She did say that, but it was before the changes began, when they were still ordinary people.

At this moment, Su Wan finally felt that something was truly wrong. She knew Xiao Ling’s personality was very serious and wouldn’t joke around at such a critical time.

Could it be that she… had returned to the past?

“Besides, summer vacation won’t affect anything,” Luo Ling sat back down and continued, “Isn’t summer vacation before college the most relaxing time? Getting a part-time job is also a form of relaxation.”

“…Wait, Xiao Ling, you… got into college?” Su Wan’s eyes widened instantly.

“Sister, are you truly not feeling unwell?” Luo Ling asked with concern. “Should we… go see a doctor later?”

Su Wan remained silent. She really wanted to tell Xiao Ling to stop messing around, but a terrifying premonition arose in her heart.

That everything she remembered… was just her imagination, or a dream.

There was one way to confirm this.

A complex look flashed across Su Wan’s face. Even in Jiangcheng County, her true form was still Puppet Ballad, still able to use all its abilities, this had never been restricted.

But the next moment, Su Wan was stunned, because she found… she couldn’t use Puppet Ballad at all.

Not only that, she couldn’t even dispel her disguised appearance. Her fully unleashed form was her true form, her current appearance just a disguise.

But what if all this… was just her imagination?

Su Wan looked at Luo Ling before her, her face filled with concern, and felt confused.

Could it be… that all those vivid memories were fake?

That nothing actually happened?

She was just Su Wan, and Xiao Ling was just Xiao Ling, there was no crisis in Jiangcheng County, they were just ordinary sisters, relying on each other.

Thinking this, Su Wan sat down, but a strong sense of incongruity lingered.

Just then, a knock came from the door, followed by a familiar, childish voice.

“Luo Ling, are you done eating?”

“Not yet, Elsa,” Luo Ling called out, “The door’s unlocked, come in and wait.”

Hearing this, Su Wan’s eyes lit up.

She hadn’t forgotten how Luo Ling and Elsa met, and Elsa’s true identity.

Actually, Su Wan was already somewhat convinced that everything in her memory was fake, but Elsa’s appearance gave her a glimmer of hope.

“Okay.”

A creaking sound, and the little red-haired girl entered, carrying a small bag, politely bowing to Su Wan upon seeing her.

“Hello, Sister Su Wan.”

“Elsa…”

Su Wan looked at Elsa, wanting to ask something.

But meeting Elsa’s clear, emerald green eyes, she couldn’t ask.

Finally, she said, slightly dejectedly, “…Want to… join us for dinner?”