In that cabinet full of evil treats, Elena remembered there were a few good ones mixed in. They had cried for her before and warned her not to drink the witch's hot cocoa, so she wanted to repay them now. After all, Elena always thought the system was wrong about her being evil. She's just a sweet and kind little girl at heart.
The three good cookies turned out to be a pink rabbit with four upright ears, a big yellow dog with three nostrils, and a black owl with six teary eyes. Elena didn't know why, but these three—rabbit, dog, and owl—didn't seem ordinary.
"You're free now," Elena said after Nini poured scalding milk tea on them. "I hope you won't eat those broken cookies from the jungle anymore."
The three animals looked at each other.
"Thank you, kind little dwarf. We'll never forget your kindness and will surely repay you," the rabbit said gratefully.
"Woo woo woo... It's such a shame we might not get the chance to repay you," the owl sobbed, its six eyes tearing up. "I saw a huge fire—a fire that could burn everything alive in the candy house."
"My three nostrils smell it too. Our time is less than a minute," the dog added, trembling.
"So scary! My ears tell me they're right," the rabbit whispered, its eyes wide with fear.
Elena felt a chill run down her spine. Of course, she knew they weren't exaggerating. Just by looking at their advanced senses, she could tell how powerful they were.
A big fire?
The candy house?
One minute?
"What are we waiting for? We've gotta get outta here now! If what you said is true, we only have one minute to escape!"
Elena wasn't about to sit around and die. With that, she grabbed her high heels and ran toward the door first. Even if she didn't know why the candy house would catch fire in a minute, escaping within that time would solve the problem, right?
She wasn't far from the chocolate door—it shouldn't be hard to get out!
But when Elena opened the door, what she saw made her blood run cold. The entire forest—the trees, grass, and ground—was crawling with dense blood-red caterpillars. Each big tree was like a fountain, spewing endless waves of scarlet caterpillars that covered the world.
They wriggled and piled up, moving like a living tide. The moment they spotted Elena, they surged toward her like a crimson wave, making her hair stand on end!
[Your sanity value -10]
[Your sanity value -10]
Under the system's prompt, Elena felt an itch on her ankle. She looked down and saw countless blood-red caterpillars swarming over her ankles and quickly climbing up her legs.
"AHH!!"
She screamed, her skin tingling as she stomped on the caterpillars frantically.
"Puchi!"
Because there were so many caterpillars, a bunch got crushed under her high heels. But as they died, they burst open, splashing blood everywhere. Her skirt was stained red, and some drops even hit her face, making her pale features tighten.
"Blood..."
It was the one thing she feared most...
[Your sanity value -15]
[Your sanity value -15]
"Master, what's wrong?" The candy witch asked, confused, seeing Elena shaking at the door.
Elena stammered, her voice trembling. "Bugs... Blood..."
"What are you talking about, Master?" Nini asked, clearly puzzled.
"Nini!"
Elena's face went white, her teeth chattering. At this point, the bugs had already reached her neck, but she didn't dare step on them again...
"Kill these bugs! I order you to destroy these blood-covered insects!!"
Elena roared furiously—but then something strange happened. Nini, the rabbit, the dog, and the bird all stared blankly and spoke in unison.
"What bugs? We don't see anything."
What?
Elena froze as she watched the blood-red bugs crawl onto her face. They'd already reached her waist, biting into her flesh with their sharp mouthparts. Her whole body was practically shredded, leaving her bloody and torn apart.
"You actually can't see them?"
[Your sanity value -20]
[Your sanity value -20]
[Your sanity value is about to reach zero! Stay calm!]
"Hahahaha! Hehehehe!"
Elena suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter—maniacal, twisted, chaotic.
"Disappear, Elena... Hehehe..." She muttered to herself, losing control.
"I knew you couldn't hold me back... Hehehe..."
"The key to opening the door is your weakness... Hehehehe!!"
Elena clenched her teeth. The power had appeared—it had been waiting for this moment to take over her body. She'd never forget the agony she endured last time it possessed her, begging the Lord of Fear to end her suffering.
[Your sanity value has reached zero...]
[You have died...]
In her final moments of consciousness, Elena grinned and bit off her own tongue. Blood sprayed across her dress, and her distorted smile froze as her body collapsed to the floor.
"No!!"
The Candy Witch let out a shrill scream, horrified beyond belief.
Then, black flames erupted from her body—and Tibbers, the bear cookie, caught fire too. In seconds, the entire Candy House was engulfed in black flames.
"How could you die, my master...?" The Candy Witch wailed in the flames. "If you die, how could I possibly survive...?"
"Run!" The rabbit shouted, panicking. "Why can't I put out the flames on me?"
"It's no use. This is hellfire... Waaaah!" The owl cried, her feathers ablaze.
"One minute is up. I smell death coming..." The dog closed his eyes silently, accepting his fate.
At that moment, thick black fog rose from the distant Sacred Tree, swirling ominously around its towering branches.
"No! No!!"
The entire jungle echoed with the tree spirit's agonized roar.
"My body's gone!"
"My curse has returned!!"
"Why has my food become the blade that terrifies me?"
"Is it you? Is it you... the princess who makes even fear itself afraid, the enchanting one...?"