Chapter 40: When Lingerie Meets the Occult
The morning sun filtered through the blinds, casting dappled light and shadow across the room.
Edward, uncharacteristically, slept in until he woke naturally, feeling completely refreshed.
Last night's silent standoff was nothing more than an interesting appetizer for him.
When he came downstairs, Sarah and John had already prepared a big breakfast, and the atmosphere around the dining table, just like last night, was harmoniously fake.
"Good morning, Edward." Esther, wearing a proper Catholic school uniform dress with her two braids neatly done, immediately flashed a sweet smile when she saw Edward come down, her voice sugary.
"Good morning, big brother." Emma, also wearing a cute Sunday dress, sat in her chair, swinging her little legs. Half the milk in front of her was already gone, and a ring of white milk mustache still clung to her lips, making her look innocent and carefree.
Lily sat in the seat closest to Edward. Seeing him, she immediately slid off her chair, padded over, hugged his leg, and looked up at him: "Morning, big brother."
"Morning." Edward ruffled Lily's hair, then sat down in his usual spot.
"Edward, today your father needs to go to the precinct to handle Emma's follow-up paperwork, and I also need to head to Child Services to follow up on Esther's file. Didn't you say you were going out? We can drop you off." Sarah said, wiping Emma's mouth, her face glowing with parental satisfaction.
"Sounds good." Edward picked up a piece of toast, his gaze casually sweeping over Esther and Emma.
Both girls kept their heads down, quietly eating breakfast, as if they hadn't caught any subtext.
But Edward knew their ears must be perked up like radar dishes.
Their parents were leaving to deal with their cases.
Big brother was also heading out.
This meant that during the day, this house would become their exclusive battleground.
A subtle smirk appeared at the corner of Edward's mouth.
He could already imagine what kind of spectacular "reality show" these three would put on, dropping their masks the moment the front door closed.
After breakfast, the family prepared to leave.
While changing shoes in the foyer, Sarah, feeling uneasy, instructed, "Lily, you're the oldest, so look after Esther and Emma, okay?"
"Don't worry, Mom, I will." Lily nodded obediently, like a responsible little adult.
Edward put on his leather jacket and took one last look at his three "sisters" in the living room.
Lily was standing near him, her expression saying, "Don't worry, master, I've got this handled."
Esther and Emma stood side by side, their faces adorned with angelic smiles, waving goodbye to him and their parents.
However, the moment their parents turned away, their gazes met in the air, and beneath those smiles was undisguised provocation and ice-cold hostility.
Edward said nothing, merely mouthed a subtle "have fun" to Lily, then closed the front door.
As the car pulled away from the house, Edward had his parents drop him off at an intersection downtown.
The first thing he had to do was check on Carrie.
Arriving at Carrie's doorstep, Edward knocked.
It was Carrie who opened the door, and when she saw Edward, a surprised smile immediately lit up her face.
"Edward! You're here!"
The Carrie before him was a completely different person from the timid, insecure girl she used to be.
She wore a clean sundress, her hair neatly brushed, and although still a bit shy, her entire demeanor radiated newfound confidence.
"Looks like you've been doing pretty well." Edward walked into the house.
The place was also much cleaner and more organized than his last visit.
"Yeah!" Carrie nodded enthusiastically, telling Edward with excitement, "I listened to you and practiced controlling... my power.
Now I can do so much!"
As she spoke, as if to show off her progress, she extended a finger and lightly gestured at a few scattered books in the living room.
The books floated up as if pulled by invisible strings, swaying gently, then neatly settled back onto the bookshelf.
Although the movements were still a bit shaky, this was worlds apart from before, when she could only lose control and explode in a fit of rage.
"Really good progress." Edward genuinely praised her.
Carrie's cheeks flushed slightly upon receiving his approval, making her even happier. "Thank you, Edward. If it weren't for you, I might have lived my whole life terrified."
"Power itself isn't good or evil—it's all about the person who wields it." Edward casually offered some encouraging words. "Keep practicing, and you'll get even stronger."
After chatting with Carrie for a while and confirming she was on the right track, Edward stood up to leave.
He still had his next stop.
Leaving Carrie's house, Edward was in high spirits.
He pulled out the item he'd won in the last gacha from his system space—[Threads of Desire], a pair of black stockings emanating a dangerous aura. His next target: Jennifer.
Following his memory, he arrived in front of a beautiful two-story colonial house.
This was Jennifer's place. He rang the doorbell, having prepared a smooth line and looking forward to seeing the stunning beauty modeling this "divine gift."
However, when the door opened, the person who appeared made Edward freeze.
It was indeed Jennifer, but completely unlike the Jennifer he remembered.
The girl before him, whose once radiant face was now gaunt and withered, her skin loosely hanging on her cheekbones, her eye sockets sunken, and her lips cracked and peeling, looked as if all her life force had been drained.
She wore an oversized nightgown, and her entire body was so emaciated she resembled a walking corpse, radiating an aura of decay.
All the flirting and charm Edward had prepared froze on his face.
"...Jennifer?" he asked cautiously.
"Edward?" Jennifer's voice was also hoarse and raspy. Seeing Edward, a faint flicker of surprise and... despair crossed her cloudy eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"What the hell happened to you?" Edward frowned. He could sense an extremely ominous, malevolent aura clinging to Jennifer.
Jennifer's body swayed, as if she might collapse any second. Edward immediately stepped forward to support her, leading her to sit on the living room couch.
"What exactly happened?" Edward asked, his voice low and serious.
Jennifer leaned weakly against the couch. After a long pause, she recounted her ordeal in a faint, halting voice.
"A few days ago... I was kidnapped." Her voice was filled with fear. "It was a group of people in black robes. They took me to a basement and said... they wanted to sacrifice my beauty to their god."
"They tied me to a stone altar and used a wooden stake... to stab me through..." At this point, Jennifer's body trembled violently. "I thought I was going to die, and then I blacked out."
"When I woke up, I was lying in the woods outside town. There were no wounds on my body, but... I felt so, so hungry."
"I came home and ate everything—cleaned out the fridge, the pantry—but I was still starving. No matter how much I ate, it felt like I hadn't eaten anything, and my body got worse day by day, until... this."
Edward's expression darkened completely after hearing her story.
This wasn't a disease—it was some kind of malicious sacrificial curse.
Those cultists hadn't killed Jennifer, but through that ritual, they'd transformed her life force into some kind of offering, turning her into a living battery until she was completely drained.
"I understand." Edward stood up, looking at Jennifer. "Don't worry. I can fix this."
He extended his hand, placed it on Jennifer's forehead, and channeled the power within him.
"Purify!"
A soft yet powerful golden light surged from his palm, instantly enveloping Jennifer's entire body.
"Aaah—!" Jennifer let out a scream of agony, but the sound wasn't quite her own—it was sharp, piercing, inhuman.
At the same time, thick black mist, seemingly alive, was forcibly expelled from Jennifer's body by the golden light!
The dark fog twisted and writhed in the air, coalescing into a tormented yet vengeful face, letting out a silent shriek, darting wildly toward the corners of the room, trying to escape.
"Where do you think you're going?" Edward snorted coldly.
With a thought, his powerful telekinesis instantly activated, forming an invisible hand that seized the black mist mid-air, making all its struggles futile.
Next, Edward made a crushing motion toward the dark fog.
"Divine Smite!"
Even more brilliant golden light mixed with immense telekinetic force formed a visible shockwave, violently striking the black mist.
"SSSSSSS—!"
The fog emitted a horrible hissing sound like acid on metal, rapidly dissolving and evaporating in the golden light. Finally, not a trace remained, and it completely vanished into the air.
The room returned to calm.
Edward lowered his hand, looking at Jennifer on the couch again.
And just then, a mechanical system prompt suddenly chimed in his mind.
[Special life form detected, meeting conditions for subjugation. Do you wish to bond with this entity?]
Edward was stunned.
Bond?
He looked at the unconscious Jennifer on the couch, and with a trace of confusion, he silently thought, "Confirm."
The moment he confirmed, Jennifer's body underwent astonishing changes.
Her withered skin visibly became plump, rosy, and radiant again, and her brittle hair regained its former silky, lustrous beauty.
In just a few seconds, she not only returned to her original state but became even more stunning than before, radiating a breathtaking, otherworldly allure.
She slowly opened her eyes.
Those once vibrant blue cheerleader eyes now had an exotic hue, like the deepest ocean, capable of drowning one's soul.
She sat up, her nightgown slipping from her shoulders, revealing smooth, pale skin.
She said nothing, merely gazed at Edward, her eyes filled with undisguised adoration, possessiveness, and... hunger.
Then, she slowly reached out to Edward, speaking in a voice sweet enough to make any man's knees weak.
"Edward~~~"
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+10 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/DarkFoxx (30+ advanced chapters)