Chapter 267

Elara woke with a gasp, as if she surfaced from a suffocating nightmare. Whatever the horror was, it eluded from the grasp now, leaving only a numb ache in the limbs and an aching stiffness in the neck. Sitting up, Elara glanced toward the table by her bedside, where a glass tank sat. Inside, a pale blue little creature swam lazily in the water. Was that... a tiny squid? Had she always owned a squid? Curiosity overtook her as she stepped closer and tapped lightly on the glass. The pale blue squid immediately swam over, pressing itself against the surface. It nuzzled the spot where her finger had been, rubbing its tiny head against it with an almost affectionate eagerness. Its moss-green eyes gazed up at her with unmistakable devotion. Why was this squid acting so clingy? Speechless, she stared at it with nothing in her mind. Perhaps the silence was a little bit too long. The tiny squid looked dissatisfied when it didn't get the response that it was eagerly waiting for. Its slen