CHAPTER 421: CHAPTER 421: YOU FAILED TO ASK FOR A DETAILED DESCRIPTION. THAT’S ON YOU, HOST

The wind had barely quieted when Isabella heard it—Bubu’s voice.

Glitchy. Static. But real.

Her head snapped up, eyes wide, breath catching. "Bubu?" she called out, her voice cracking slightly.

A faint shimmer appeared before her, flickering like a dying candle until finally the familiar screen hovered into view, sparking erratically in the mist.

"System online," it said in its usual monotone—but Isabella was already stumbling to her feet, pressing her hands against her chest like she’d just been given air after drowning.

"Oh thank God!" she burst out, exhaling shakily. Her legs were trembling, her fan still clenched tightly in her hand. She tried to compose herself, tossing her damp hair over her shoulder with forced nonchalance. "You know what, Bubu, I wasn’t even scared. Not at all."

Bubu’s screen blinked once, unimpressed.

"Do you want to kill me!?" she shouted suddenly, stabbing a finger at the glowing screen. "Because if so, congratulations, you almost did! You didn’t tell me those goat things were straight out of hell! You said the mountain had creatures, not nightmare fuel!"

The screen flickered, a tiny sweat drop pixel appearing in the corner. "Correction: I said the mountain is filled with many creatures. You failed to ask for a detailed description. That’s on you, host."

"Excuse me!?" Isabella barked, incredulous. "Oh sure, because when someone says ’creatures,’ I’m automatically supposed to imagine baby goats with human laughs that eat shadows!"

"You’re exaggerating," Bubu replied flatly.

"I’m not! They literally tried to chew my soul!" she shot back, waving her fan like she might throw it.

A small voice interrupted timidly from beside her. "Um... excuse me?"

The wind spirit floated up, glowing faintly like a small lantern. It cleared its tiny throat, the sound delicate and awkward. "I’m going to... disappear now," it said quietly. "But, uh... maybe don’t press that button again when you’re about to die. It’s not fun."

Isabella blinked at it. "Wait—what?"

But the spirit was already backing away, twirling midair with a small pout. "I was having fun with my friends before you summoned me. You ruined my night. I’m going back now."

"Wait—HEY!" Isabella yelled, reaching out—but the little creature zipped into the fan with a whoosh, vanishing in a blink. Its faint giggle echoed through the air, taunting her.

She froze. Then turned slowly toward Bubu, her expression deadpan.

"What?" Bubu said defensively. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Isabella squinted at it. "You’re the one who gave me this fan, right? Right?"

"Technically, yes, but—"

"What kind of wind spirit acts like a sassy toddler? You couldn’t give me a normal one?!"

"You’re always complaining," Bubu huffed. "First you say I don’t give you useful tools, now you say I gave you too much personality. There’s no pleasing you."

"Oh my GOD," Isabella groaned, dragging her hands down her face. "I’m going to lose my mind. I swear—"

Then she froze. Her stomach dropped.

"Wait," she whispered suddenly, panic flashing across her features. "Where’s Glimora?"

Bubu’s screen blinked. "Calm down."

"Don’t tell me to calm down!" Isabella’s voice pitched higher as she spun in place, her eyes darting across the trees. "Where is she!? Glimora!"

"Stop yelling. You’re so dramatic," Bubu muttered. "She’s fine. She’s in your space."

Isabella paused mid-panic. "In my what now?"

"Your space," Bubu repeated, deadpan.

She blinked rapidly. "But—you said my inventory space couldn’t upgrade yet! You said it needed more points!"

"Yes," Bubu said, "but your instinct overrode the lock."

Isabella blinked at the screen, completely dumbfounded. "The what now?"

Bubu sighed as if explaining basic math. "When you were panicking earlier, your first thought was to protect Glimora. That emotional override forced your system to evolve ahead of schedule. It drained some of your energy but—well—"

"Wait—so you’re saying," Isabella said slowly, hands raised, "I panic-upgraded my system?"

"Yes."

She stared at it for a moment. Then let out a dry laugh. "Huh. So crying in fear counts as progress now. Good to know."

Bubu’s screen blinked with a disapproving pixel frown. "You’re welcome."

She ignored it, already pulling up her space interface. The translucent window appeared beside her, showing a trembling little form curled up in the corner.

"Glimora..." she whispered.

With one thought, the tiny creature materialized into her arms. The moment Glimora appeared, she clung to Isabella’s dress, shaking, soft hiccup-like noises escaping her.

"Oh, baby," Isabella murmured, her voice breaking a little. She dropped to her knees and hugged Glimora tightly, pressing kisses all over the little beast’s head. "It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m sorry, I left you alone, I’m so sorry."

Glimora sniffled, blinking up at her with big teary eyes before nuzzling into her neck, her little claws gripping onto Isabella’s dress. Isabella laughed weakly, a sound half joy and half exhaustion.

"There you go," she whispered, stroking her fur. "We survived. Again."

Bubu’s voice softened slightly—just slightly. "Your instinct to protect her was impressive, I’ll admit. Most hosts would have frozen or died."

Isabella scoffed lightly. "Oh, thanks for the compliment, almighty toaster."

"System, not toaster."

"Sure," she said, rolling her eyes.

She stood up slowly, still cradling Glimora, and took a deep breath. For the first time since arriving, she noticed something different. The mist had thinned completely. The illusion was gone.

And now—she could hear things.

The whisper of wind through leaves. The distant chirping of insect-like creatures. The faint bubbling of water somewhere nearby.

It was subtle... but alive.

"Is it morning already?" she asked softly.

"Not morning like on land," Bubu answered. "But yes. The dark hour has passed. It’s safe—for now."

She looked up. The sky wasn’t blue—it was a soft lilac, glowing faintly with streaks of gold and pink. It didn’t look like dawn. It looked like something else entirely.

"How long," she asked quietly, her voice almost trembling, "how long was I in that illusion?"

Bubu hesitated. For once, its tone wasn’t sharp. "Quite some time."

Her heart clenched. She swallowed hard, looking down at the fan in her hand, then back at Glimora. "I thought I was going to die there," she murmured, half to herself. "I really thought..."

But before she could continue, Bubu interrupted in its usual brisk voice. "Well, since you’re done being dramatic, the environment is stable now. You can start looking for a place to settle down." (Yup, Bubu still hasn’t changed😅)

Isabella blinked. "Wait—what?"

The screen blinked innocently. "What? You need shelter, food, and resources to complete your next objective."

Her jaw dropped. "Bubu, I just survived being emotionally bullied by ghost goats that eat shadows—and your next line is go house-hunting?"

"That’s correct."

"Oh come on!" she yelled, throwing her hands in the air.

Her voice echoed through the glowing forest, startling a flock of glittering birds that burst from the trees in a shimmer of silver feathers.

And Isabella stood there, fan in one hand, Glimora in the other, hair wild, eyes exasperated—looking every bit like the exhausted, chaotic heroine she was.