NABC Chapter 156 Dimension Houdini, Ere
Chapter 156 Dimension Houdini, Ere
Tessa stirred beside him, a little sigh escaping her lips as she snuggled closer. Parker froze for a second, hoping she wouldn't wake up because dealing with Ere and a groggy Tessa at the same time? Yeah, no thanks.
{Master, I missed you. Come get me. I want to be back immediately! Also, I smell meat. Lots of meat, hehe~}
Parker groaned softly, his head falling back against the headboard. "Ere, for fuck's sake, what do you mean come get you? You're a literal shadow monster. You can pop up whenever you want!"
{Stupid master, as usual. Think, genius. How are you going to explain to the others that I suddenly reappeared out of nowhere after being gone for days? Use that tiny brain of yours.}
"Oh... right." He ran a hand through his messy hair, sighing. "Fine, I'll just say you were... in training. At some bougie pet training center or something."
{Training? Really? That's the best you've got? Ugh, whatever. But I'm not just showing up like that. You're picking me up in the Lamborghini.}
Parker rolled his eyes so hard it felt like they might get stuck in the back of his head. "First my annoying pet, now my annoying system. Great. Love this for me."
[I heard that, Host.]
{Ha! You're more annoying than me. Hands down.}
Parker groaned again, throwing the covers off and grabbing the key to his Lamborghini off the nightstand. He shuffled out of the room, trying not to make too much noise as Tessa shifted again, still blissfully asleep.
He made it downstairs, and Elena glanced up from where she was chopping vegetables in the kitchen.
"I'll be back," Parker said, waving the keys at her. "Gotta pick up Ere. She's been... uh... at a pet training center." Stay connected via My Virtual Library Empire
Elena blinked, her knife pausing mid-chop. "Oh! So that's where she's been. I was wondering."
She flicked her tail playfully. "It wasn't that bad for me. Besides, the time away changed me. Don't tell me you haven't noticed."
He blinked, finally taking a closer look at her. Her eyes, once a deep, shadowy silver, were now a striking gold with gray slits that seemed to glow faintly in the dim light of the car.
"You... You're different," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "You're not using Ether anymore. It's Omni Energy."
Her grin widened, showing just a hint of sharp teeth. "And that's not all, Master."
"Alright, what's with the smug look?" he asked, side-eyeing her as he gripped the wheel.
"This isn't the right spot, Master Parker," she said, her voice clear and slightly amused. "Too cramped here. Trust me, you're gonna want space for this. Let's get out."
Parker raised a brow but followed her lead and went out too, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Alright, show me, Houdini. What's this big magic trick you're hyping up?"
Ere didn't answer right away, instead strolling into the clearing with her tail swishing behind her. Once they were surrounded by trees, she turned to face him, sitting neatly on the ground like she owned the place.
"Watch closely, and learn" she said, her tone playful but firm, like she was about to drop the world's biggest flex.
Parker leaned against a tree, arms crossed, as the air around them started to hum. It wasn't loud, but it buzzed with an energy that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Suddenly, with a sharp crack, a swirling black portal ripped open in the middle of the clearing.
His eyes widened. "Holy shit."
Ere didn't waste a second. She darted into the portal, disappearing completely. Before he could even register what had happened, another portal popped open ten feet to his right, and she gracefully leapt out, her sleek black form gleaming in the faint light.
"Whoa..." Parker muttered, his jaw dropping as a third portal blinked into existence above him. Ere slipped into it mid-jump, vanishing again. The portals started multiplying, opening up all over the clearing in rapid succession. One moment she'd emerge from a portal near the ground, only to vanish into another one high in the air.