When the Promised Sexy Black Stockings Turned into a Paranormal Scene

Morning sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting dappled shadows across the room.

For once, Edward slept until he woke naturally, feeling refreshed and clear-headed.

To him, last night's silent clash had been nothing more than an amusing appetizer.

When he came downstairs, Sarah and John had already prepared a lavish breakfast. The atmosphere around the table was as harmonious as it had been last night—so harmonious that it felt a little fake.

"Good morning, Edward." Esther wore a neat school uniform dress, her two braids already done. The moment she saw Edward come downstairs, she gave him a sweet, obedient smile.

"Good morning, Brother." Emma, dressed in a pretty princess dress, sat in her chair swinging her little legs. She had already drunk half her milk, and a ring of white milk foam still clung to the corners of her mouth, making her look innocent and carefree.

Lily sat closest to Edward. The moment she saw him, she slid off her chair, pattered over, hugged his leg, and tipped up her little face. "Morning, Brother."

"Morning." Edward rubbed Lily's head, then took his seat.

"Edward, your father has to go to the police station today to handle Emma's remaining paperwork, and I need to visit the social services office to follow up on Esther's file. Didn't you say you were going out? We can drop you off on the way." Sarah spoke as she wiped Emma's mouth, her face glowing with the satisfaction of parenthood.

"Sure." Edward picked up a slice of toast, his gaze casually sweeping over Esther and Emma.

The two girls kept their heads down and ate quietly, as if they had not heard the implication behind her words.

But Edward knew their ears had definitely perked up.

Their parents were going to take care of matters concerning them.

And their brother was heading out too.

That meant the house would become the exclusive battlefield of the three girls during the day.

A barely noticeable smile tugged at Edward's lips.

He could practically imagine how, the moment the front door closed, the three little ones would tear off their disguises and put on one spectacular domestic melodrama.

After breakfast, the family prepared to head out.

While changing shoes in the entryway, Sarah reminded them anxiously, "Lily, you're the big sister, so make sure you take good care of Esther and Emma."

"Don't worry, Mom. I will." Lily nodded gently, looking like a dependable little adult.

Edward put on his coat and looked back one last time at the three "younger sisters" in the living room.

Lily stood behind him, looking at him as if to say, Don't worry, Master. I've got everything under control.

Esther and Emma stood side by side, angelic smiles on their faces as they waved goodbye to him and their parents.

Yet the instant their parents turned around, their gazes met in midair. Beneath those smiles lay undisguised provocation and coldness.

Edward said nothing. He merely mouthed a nearly imperceptible, "Do as you like," to Lily before closing the front door.

After the car drove away from the house, Edward had his parents drop him off at an intersection downtown.

The first thing he needed to do was visit Carrie.

When he arrived at Carrie's front door, Edward knocked.

Carrie herself answered. The instant she saw Edward, a delighted smile bloomed across her face.

"Edward! You came!"

The Carrie before him was completely different from the timid, self-conscious girl she had once been.

She wore a clean dress, and her hair was neatly combed. Though she was still somewhat shy, her entire demeanor had transformed, brimming with confidence.

"Looks like you've been doing well lately." Edward stepped inside.

The house was also much cleaner and tidier than it had been during his last visit.

"Mm!" Carrie nodded vigorously. Excited, she said to Edward, "I listened to you and tried to control it... my power.

Now I can do a lot of things!"

As if to show off her results, she stretched out a finger and lightly hooked it toward several books scattered around the living room.

The books seemed to be pulled by invisible strings. They wobbled into the air, then settled neatly back onto the bookshelf.

Her movements were still a little clumsy, but compared with before, when her power only erupted out of control in moments of rage, this was a world of difference.

"That's very good progress." Edward praised her sincerely.

Carrie's cheeks flushed at the approval, and she became even happier. "Thank you, Edward. Without you, I might have lived in fear for the rest of my life."

"Power itself is neither good nor evil. What matters is the person using it." Edward casually offered some encouragement. "Keep practicing. You'll become stronger."

After chatting with Carrie for a while and confirming that she was on the right track, Edward got up to say goodbye.

He still had another stop to make.

After leaving Carrie's house, Edward was in a very good mood.

He took out the item he had won in the previous lottery from the system space—[Threads of Desire], a pair of black stockings that radiated a dangerous aura. His next target was Jennifer.

Following the address from his memories, he arrived in front of a beautiful detached villa.

This was Jennifer's home. He rang the doorbell, already prepared with an excuse—and with anticipation for the stunning sight of a beautiful woman wearing this "divine artifact."

However, when the door opened, the person behind it left Edward stunned.

It was indeed Jennifer, yet she was nothing like the Jennifer he remembered.

The girl before him had once possessed a radiant face, but now it was waxy and shriveled. Her loose skin clung to her cheekbones, her eye sockets were sunken, and her lips were cracked, as though every trace of life had been drained from her.

She wore oversized pajamas and was so thin that she looked like a walking skeleton, emanating an air of decay.

Every teasing remark and smile Edward had prepared froze on his face.

"...Jennifer?" he asked tentatively.

"Edward?" Jennifer's voice was hoarse and dry. When she saw him, a flicker of weak surprise and... despair surfaced in her cloudy eyes. "Why are you here?"

"What happened to you?" Edward frowned. He could sense an extremely ominous, evil aura lingering around Jennifer.

Jennifer swayed as though she might collapse at any moment. Edward immediately stepped forward, caught her, and helped her to the sofa in the living room.

"What exactly happened?" Edward asked in a grave voice.

Jennifer leaned weakly against the sofa. After a long while, she began to recount her ordeal in a faint, broken 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... said they wanted to sacrifice my beauty to their god."

"They tied me to a stone platform and used a wooden stake... to pierce my body..." At this point, Jennifer began trembling violently. "I thought I was definitely going to die. Then I blacked out."

"When I woke up, I found myself lying in the woods outside town. There were no wounds on my body, but... I felt incredibly, incredibly hungry."

"I went home and kept eating. I emptied the refrigerator, but I was still hungry. No matter how much I ate, it felt like I had eaten nothing. Yet my body kept deteriorating day by day until I became like this."

After hearing her out, Edward's expression completely darkened.

This was not an illness. It was some kind of vicious sacrificial curse.

Those people had not killed Jennifer. Through that ritual, they had turned her life force into some sort of offering, making her a living source of energy until she was completely drained.

"I understand." Edward stood up and looked at Jennifer. "Don't be afraid. I can fix this."

He reached out, placed his hand against Jennifer's forehead, and mobilized the power within his body.

"Purification!"

A gentle yet majestic golden radiance poured from his palm, instantly enveloping Jennifer's entire body.

"Ah—!" Jennifer let out a painful scream, but it did not sound like her own voice. It was a shrill, piercing, inhuman howl.

At the same time, a dense mass of black mist that seemed alive was forcibly driven out of Jennifer's body by the golden light!

The black mist twisted, churned, and condensed in the air into a pained, venomous human face. It let out a silent roar and darted frantically toward the corners of the room, seemingly trying to escape.

"Trying to run?" Edward snorted coldly.

With a thought, powerful Telekinesis erupted, forming an invisible hand that clenched the black mist tightly in midair. No matter how it struggled, it was useless.

Then Edward clenched his hand at the black mist.

"Purification Shockwave!"

Even more dazzling golden light mixed with overwhelming Telekinesis, forming a visible shockwave that slammed viciously into the black mist.

Sizzle—

The black mist gave off a piercing sound like boiling oil poured over red-hot iron. It rapidly dissolved and evaporated in the golden light, until not even a trace remained, vanishing completely into the air.

The room returned to silence.

Edward withdrew his hand and looked at Jennifer on the sofa again.

Just then, a mechanical system notification suddenly rang out in his mind.

[Special life-form detected. Conditions for capture met. Accept as pet?]

Edward froze.

A pet?

He looked at the unconscious Jennifer on the sofa and, with a trace of confusion, silently thought, Confirm.

The instant he confirmed it, Jennifer's body underwent an astonishing transformation.

Her shriveled skin visibly became plump, rosy, and lustrous once more, while her dull yellow hair regained its waterfall-like softness and beauty.

In only a few seconds, she not only returned to normal but became even more dazzling than before, radiating breathtaking charm.

She slowly opened her eyes.

Those lively blue eyes that had once belonged to the cheerleading captain now held an added trace of something bewitching, like the deepest whirlpool, capable of pulling in a person's soul.

She sat up, and her pajamas slipped from her shoulder, revealing her fair skin.

She said nothing, merely gazing at Edward. Her eyes were filled with undisguised obsession, possessiveness, and... hunger.

Then she slowly reached out a hand toward Edward, her voice soft enough to melt any man's bones.

"Edward~~~"