The setting sun glowed softly against the tinted windows of the black luxury car gliding through the city. Inside, Lan Jiao sat with her younger sister Lan Rui, both dressed neatly in their Lan family premium silks. Brushes and inkstones lay in a box between them, the faint smell of calligraphy ink still lingering in the air.

Rui rested her chin on her palm. "Sister, have you heard anything new about Mother Xinyue?"

Jiao glanced at her, the calm smile on her face dimming a little. "No. Mother says she's still recovering… but you know how it is. When something happens to someone important of the family, everyone suddenly starts whispering."

Rui sighed. "Ever since that accident, the estate feels different. Guards everywhere, servants acting nervous. What if something bad happens to us too?"

Jiao looked at the city lights flashing by outside. "Don't say that. The Lan family may be under pressure, but Lan is still Lan. No one dares to touch us."

"Still," Rui murmured, her voice small, "you never know. Mother Xinyue was supposed to be invincible too."

For a brief moment, the silence in the car felt heavy. The air itself seemed to carry the unease that had crept into their home since Lan Xinyue's fall from grace.

But Jiao quickly forced a laugh. "Alright, enough gloomy talk! You're always worrying too much." She tapped her sister's forehead with a playful smile. "Let's talk about something better. Have you seen the new music video from Aria, Luna, Stella, and Nova? The production is insane! They're doing a live concert next week."

Rui blinked, surprised by the sudden change of topic, but the corners of her lips curved slightly. "Really? I've only seen the teaser clips. Everyone in class was talking about it."

"They totally nailed the choreography this time!" Jiao gushed, pulling out her phone and showing the poster on the screen. "Look—Luna dyed her hair silver again. And Aria's new costume is basically straight out of a movie."

Rui laughed softly. "You really love them, don't you?"

"Of course! They're the queens of the scene. I'm so going to their concert."

Rui wasn't the biggest fan of the pop group, yet seeing her sister enjoy something really made her feel warm inside.

But suddenly her smile faded. "But… would we even be allowed to go?"

The question lingered, heavy and unspoken. The Lan family rarely permitted them to attend public events. Their every outing was watched, every action judged.

Jiao frowned but kept her voice light. "We don't need permission. We just sneak out, like the last time we went to that midnight café."

"That was different." Rui's tone turned small, almost wistful. "If Mother finds out, she'll—"

Jiao waved her hand dramatically. "She'll never find out! Come on, Rui. Don't you want to see them live, even once? We can wear hats, masks, no one will know."

Rui's eyes brightened for a second, the spark of excitement barely forming—

But then, a deafening crack tore through the car.

The window beside them exploded inward. Glass scattered like rain.

Jiao's body froze, her mind unable to process what had just happened. A sharp ringing filled her ears.

"R-Rui?"

When she turned, her sister was slumped against the seat, her head resting at an unnatural angle, red streaks glinting under the outside lights.

"RUI!"

Jiao's scream tore through the car, raw and terrified.

The driver shouted something, jerking the steering wheel, but another sound—sharp and metallic—cut him off. The car swerved violently, crashing against the roadside railing with a screech of metal.

Jiao's head hit the window frame, stars flashing in her vision. She gasped for air, every breath trembling.

The door beside her was dented but unlocked. Instinct screamed at her to move. Somehow, she pushed it open and crawled out, her knees hitting the cold asphalt.

Her body was shaking uncontrollably. The night wind felt too sharp, too loud. Somewhere behind her, the car's engine hissed in smoke.

"Help…" she whispered, voice breaking. "Somebody—"

Her words died as she noticed movement ahead.

Three figures stepped out from the shadows of the alley beside the road.

They were all women—slim, graceful, yet unmistakably deadly. Each wore a white oni mask painted with purple and black streaks. Their coats fluttered lightly in the wind, and the glint of metal in their hands revealed what they carried.

Guns.

Jiao stumbled backward, falling on the pavement. "P-please… w-wait—"

The women didn't raise their weapons immediately. One of them tilted her head, voice distorted slightly through a voice-modulator hidden beneath the mask.

"Well, well. The young dragonesses of the great Lan family."

Another woman let out a low laugh. "Without Lan Xinyue, they look pretty ordinary to me."

The third woman crouched slightly, her mask almost touching Jiao's trembling face. "Tell me, little one, does your mothers still think their family can control everything?"

"I—I don't know what you want!" Jiao's voice cracked. "Please, my sister—she's hurt—"

The crouching woman chuckled softly. "Hurt? Oh, darling, that's putting it kindly."

The other two laughed with her. The sound wasn't loud, but it cut deeper than any shout.

Jiao's body refused to move. Her hands pressed against the asphalt, her mind blank except for the pure, primal terror running through her veins.

Her voice came out small, broken. "Wh-why are you doing this?"

"Because," the leader said, standing straight, "your family needs to learn what happens when they play too high in the sky."

Jiao's teeth chattered. "P-please, I'll do anything—just let me and my sister go—"

The woman looked down at her. "Oh, we're not here to kill everyone. Not yet."

Something flickered in her hand—a faint glint of silver.

Before Jiao could even realize what it was, a soft thud hit her shoulder.

A small dart.

She gasped, instinctively reaching for it, but her fingers were already going numb. Her heartbeat pounded louder, heavier, slower. The world around her began to blur, the sounds melting together.

She heard one of the masked women laugh faintly. "She's a pretty one. My lady will be pleased."

"My… lady…?" Jiao managed to whisper before her vision went black.

***

Soft moonlight seeped through the window, tracing beautiful lines across the room.

Meiling stirred slightly under the warm blanket, feeling the gentle weight of the baby asleep beside her. The rhythmic sound of tiny breathing filled her chest with a warmth that words could never capture.

Ren lay on the other side of the bed, face calm and unguarded, his dark hair a little messy against the pillow.

Meiling smiled faintly. "Even when he's asleep, he looks handsome," she whispered under her breath.

Her hand brushed a lock of hair away from his forehead.

Ren didn't stir — he never did when she touched him gently like that. In their home, she was the one who made the decisions, who carried the world's weight, who made sure he never had to. The thought always gave her a strange sense of peace.

Looking at Ren, she recalled memories of how wonderful her new life had been with Ren and their child beside them.

What more could a woman ask for—a handsome husband she could bounce on his cock and a cute child she could take care of? Her life was complete.

Her gaze drifted toward the bedside lamp.

It was a beautiful one — a gift from Ren, shaped like a blooming lotus. Usually, it gave off a soft golden glow, warm and steady.

Tonight, though, it flickered.

At first, Meiling didn't think much of it. Lamps flicker sometimes. Electricity could be odd in this part of the city.

But as she continued watching, the light didn't just flicker. It… shimmered. Like strands of gold were unweaving themselves from reality, forming thin threads that moved — not randomly, but as if they were alive.

The golden filaments stretched and twisted, forming tiny loops in the air.

Meiling blinked hard. "Must be the lack of sleep," she muttered to herself.

She turned back to Ren, forcing a smile. His expression was peaceful, his chest rising and falling softly. His hand rested near hers, close enough that she could feel his warmth.

But something gnawed at the back of her mind.

The way the lamp shimmered — it didn't look broken. It looked wrong. Like it didn't belong to this world.

The golden light flickered again, and for a brief moment, the room around her seemed to lose its color — as though everything had been drained of warmth.

Meiling frowned, sitting up slowly. "What is this…"

Her instincts — the same ones that had guided her through years of being a fighter — told her to look closer.

She slipped out of bed quietly, careful not to wake Ren or the baby. The wooden floor felt cold beneath her feet.

Each step toward the lamp made her heartbeat a little faster.

When she reached it, the golden threads were almost pulsing — breathing — twisting together in strange patterns.

"Okay… definitely not just electricity," she whispered.

Her fingers hovered over it for a moment.

She hesitated.

Then, taking a deep breath, she touched the light.

The instant her fingertip brushed the glowing surface, the world shattered.

Not with a sound — but like a silent implosion.

Everything went white.

A heavy pressure filled her ears, like she was falling through water. She tried to scream, but no voice came out. Golden threads spun around her, pulling her deeper into an endless void.

Then, slowly, color returned.

When Meiling opened her eyes again, the bed, the house, the warmth — all of it — was gone.

She stood barefoot on a floor that wasn't really there. A misty, endless expanse stretched out in every direction. The air felt thick, almost alive.

And standing a few meters ahead — illuminated by faint golden light — was a woman.

Her robe shimmered like molten gold, long chains coiling around her wrists and ankles.

"Where… am I?" Meiling whispered, stepping forward cautiously.

The woman didn't move.

Her posture was elegant, proud — but her head was tilted slightly downward. Something about her presence felt familiar, yet wrong, as if Meiling had seen her shadow before somewhere.

Then Meiling realized what was missing.

The woman had no face.

Where her features should have been was smooth, pale skin — blank and expressionless, like porcelain molded wrong.

Meiling froze. A chill crawled up her spine.

"What… what are you?"

No answer.

The chains rattled faintly as the woman shifted her stance, the sound echoing far too loudly in the empty space.

Despite the fear twisting in her chest, Meiling found herself stepping closer. Her instincts screamed to run — but curiosity and dread held her still.

The woman's body — the curves, the posture, the shape of her shoulders — they all looked… familiar.

"I've seen you before," Meiling murmured, voice trembling.

As she reached out a hand, the air around her shimmered again. The golden mist rippled like water disturbed.

Her fingertips brushed the woman's sleeve.

And then — everything changed.

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