Chapter 234
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Chapter 234: Dead
The crystal shattered.
The girl gritted her teeth and played a frantic melody on the piano, then slammed into the next round with renewed fury.
"Just one victory and I’m done!"
…
"These teammates are hopeless! Can’t stop now – rematch!"
…
"What’s wrong with the opponents? They’re demolishing us! Ah! It’s Xiaodai! Must be smurfing!"
Some time later.
Having exhausted her patience (or more accurately, her losing streak), the girl switched off the game and flicked on the television.
An animated series glowed across the screen.
The very show she’d been binge-watching lately – no wonder she abandoned gaming so decisively.
Oh, right. During her school hours these past days, I’d finally mastered the television controls, which accidentally became my crash course in human pop culture.
Their broadcasts hold unexpected charm.
Nestled against the girl’s lap, I observed the colorful drama unfolding.
"Wait! He’s actually the hero? That sneaky writer totally fooled me! Had me convinced he was pure evil! You got tricked too, right Golden Fur?"
"Woof!"
Truthfully, the narrative breadcrumbs were obvious – heavy-handed foreshadowing practically screamed the twist. But a single bark sufficed.
This routine never failed. My minimal response always lit up her face like sunrise.
Her smile could outshine any animation.
Though her commentary flowed endlessly during episodes, the musical lilt of her voice kept it from grating.
Post-credits, she drifted toward the kitchen.
Remarkable culinary skills for a fourteen-year-old!
Dinner’s approach made my tail twitch with anticipation. (Lunch’s kibble? Edible, but hardly a highlight.)
Curious human custom, letting me dine at the table. Do I look like cutlery-wielding royalty?
Yet… perhaps this means she considers me family?
I’ve been the model companion lately – obeying promptly (if not fawningly). Surely that counts?
A new aroma tickled my nose. Experimental dish tonight.
Her fingers slid a generous portion onto my plate.
As expected, she’s having me taste-test again.
Honestly, there’s no need for these trials—whether new creations or previous dishes, everything she makes tastes divine.
*Munch munch…*
Mmm, absolutely scrumptious!
"Is it good? How is it?!"
Ah, she’s looking this way now.
"Woof!"
"Oh? Delicious but incomplete? Master Yellow Fur, enlighten me—what’s missing?"
I never implied that!
Quit projecting your inner monologue onto me!
"Woof!"
"I see… The flame intensity should’ve been higher during mid-cooking after all."
"…"
Occasionally I fantasize about becoming an elegant woman like her—maybe then we could converse properly.
…
Days turned into weeks, weeks into months.
I eventually abandoned my principles, greeting her with enthusiastic tail wags.
She’s breathtakingly lovely, and treats me not just as family—but something even dearer!
I can sense how deeply she treasures me!
My name always springs from her lips the instant she crosses the threshold.
Though "Yellow Fur"… really? Even the Pet Shop’s goofiest mutts have better names.
Ah, but names grow meaningless.
Beyond daily greetings came the time I fell ill—listless, barely responsive.
Her panic outpaced my own symptoms. She rushed me to the vet without pause, then skipped classes for days to nurse me at home.
Ah… Such tenderness from a goddess-like being!
For her smile, I’ll gladly play the fool—wagging, leaping into her arms, even that embarrassing tongue-licking business. Especially… the tongue part!
Though she wrinkles her nose at that last one. Too intimate perhaps?
Or maybe my hygienically maintained tongue still feels damp? The audacity!
Regardless, our bond keeps deepening.
Shared meals. Evening dramas. Midnight snuggles…
In her world, there seemed to be only me, and in my world, only her existed.
…
I believed these blissful days would continue indefinitely, until one fateful night—
The maiden collapsed without the slightest warning.
Her skull struck the floorboards with a hollow thud, her breathing ceasing entirely.
No pulse remained. No rise of breath.
Though I howled until my throat burned and shook her frantically, not the faintest response came.
I could feel the lingering warmth gradually abandoning her form.
She had perished.
The realization struck like thunder, shattering coherent thought.
Chaos reigned – a maelstrom of fragmented emotions and splintered reason.
What sorcery was this?! How could this be?! Impossible!!
Rage surged first, then ebbed into devastating helplessness.
Gone… My mistress, my sole companion in this world… gone.
Driven by anguish, I staggered backward, gathered momentum, and dashed my own skull against the wall beside her.
Though death didn’t claim me nor oblivion embrace me, crimson streams began their descent.
Scarlet rivulets cascaded from my crown, staining golden fur incarnadine, painting my vision through blood-filtered eyes.
Agony…
My skull throbbed with leaden vertigo…
Clenching teeth against the pain, I hauled myself upright.
Those few paces to her side exhausted my final reserves, my body crumpling into her silent embrace as consciousness surrendered to void.
…
Timeless darkness passed.
When awareness returned, I floated in an endless obsidian expanse dotted with pulsating orbs of argent light.
These luminous spheres swelled and dimmed rhythmically, like celestial lungs breathing.
"…You have been selected."
Before comprehension could form, a voice woven from starlight echoed above me.
"Woof?"
"Indeed, your mortal coil has been shed."
The resonance hesitated, then continued.
"You shall be reborn with ninety-nine others in our managed realm. Eliminate all rivals, and divinity’s throne with eternal power shall be yours."
"Woof!"
"Further explanations are withheld."
"Woof! Woof!"
"One boon we grant – speak your desire."
A wish? What madness is this! Answer me properly!
Yet if granted a single request…
Ah, then—
"Woof!!"
"The realm of your rebirth wields blade and sorcery. Against ninety-nine claimants will you vie for apotheosis. Do you affirm this chosen blessing?"
"Woof! Woof!"
"…So decreed. Seek your bonded soul."
…
…
The cosmic voice dissolved into silence.
Once more, darkness cradled my fading awareness.
