Ren's pulse spiked. The instant her palm sealed over his mouth, an instinct older than thought ignited in him—a deep, crawling terror that came from somewhere beyond reason. Every muscle in his body screamed to fight, to run, yet his limbs felt like solid iron.

He tried to wrench his head around, to see her face, but the room had turned into a tunnel of darkness. Even his own breath sounded muffled.

Her fingers tightened slightly, not hurting, but unyielding. A low, shuddering hum vibrated from her throat after her initial words, a sound halfway between a sigh and a lullaby.

Ren was panicking inside, thinking of every possible horrible scenario in his head, but soon something happened that allowed him to see the person holding him clearly.

Another car rolled past outside. For a heartbeat, pale yellow light spilled across the room like a blade—just enough for Ren to catch a glimpse of her.

Golden hair. Crimson blossoms. A high-slit cheongsam.

"Lan… Jia?" His voice came out strangled under her palm.

But the eyes staring back at him were wrong—too wide, too empty, filled with a wet shine of hunger and devotion. The corners of her mouth curled upward in a smile that didn't belong to any human he knew. It looked like she was wearing a mask over her real face.

Not Lan Jia.

Faceless Woman.

A cold weight settled in his gut as the truth struck him.

"Darling…" The voice in his ear was velvet and knives at once. "You came home late. You smell of other girls. Bad boy. I was waiting here for you like I have been doing for the past few years."

She shifted, her arm sliding around his chest from behind, pulling him back a step. Her lips brushed the shell of his ear. "But it's all right. I forgive you. Because you're mine."

Ren jerked his head, trying to break free, but she was already guiding him toward the bed with a predator's patience, her movements smooth and inevitable.

"You don't have to be afraid," she whispered, words hot and tremulous against his skin. "I'll protect you from everything. From everyone. You won't even have to think anymore. Just stay… here… with me."

The smell of jasmine and iron grew stronger. Each step back pressed his calves against the edge of the mattress.

Ren's heart hammered, his breath catching against her palm. He tried to summon his power—anything—but his aura felt smothered, as if she'd wrapped the room itself around with her own power.

He understood that something was preventing his Imperial Qi from coming out.

Her voice dropped to a frantic murmur, syllables spilling out like a prayer: "Mine mine mine mine mine mine mine…"

Ren's spine went rigid. His hand clawed at her wrist, but she only tightened her hold and bent closer until her hair brushed his cheek.

"Look at me, Ren," she breathed. "Don't look away. Don't think of other women. Don't think of anyone. Only me."

She pushed him gently, almost tenderly, and he fell back onto the bed. The mattress dipped under his weight. Before he could scramble up, she followed, her silhouette looming over him in the dim light, still whispering that single word with feverish devotion:

"Mine… mine… mine…"

Her hands slid down his chest, nails grazing the fabric of his shirt. With a slow, trembling motion she seized the collar and yanked — threads popped, buttons scattered across the floor. The sound was loud in the dark, like bones snapping.

"You're mine," she hissed. "All of you. Every breath, every heartbeat."

Ren struggled beneath her, muscles taut, but the strange pressure in the room still pinned him down. Cold air licked his skin where the cloth had torn.

The Faceless Woman lowered her face close to his, eyes wide and glistening. She pressed her ears flat against his chest as if trying to feel his heart. "Ahhh~ my favourite sound! Look your heart is racing...you're excited to see me."

Hearing that, Ren wanted to shout — his heart wasn't beating from excitement but from the sheer insanity of the situation — yet his mouth was locked, refusing to let him speak.

After feeling his chest, she kept kissing it while her hand slowly slid toward Ren's groin, but she didn't go any further; instead, she touched him over his pants. "Why aren't you trembling for me?" she whispered. "Why aren't you hard for me?"

She leaned closer, her lips hovering above his throat as she kissed him desperately, then paused. A flicker of confusion crossed her face. "No… you're not reacting. Why? Why?!"

Her fingers tightened. The obsessive murmur in her voice sharpened into a hiss. "You belong to me. Only me. If you won't give yourself to me, then—then…"

Her gaze snapped upward, and for the first time Ren saw true anger flash through her mask-like expression. "I'll make you pure. I'll destroy every filthy thing that touched you. Every girl. Every friend. Every rival. All of them."

She bent low again, whispering right into his ear, each word jagged with fury:

"I'll kill them. Every one. Then you'll have no one else to run to. Only me. Only me."

She pressed her forehead against his, shaking, breathing hard, her golden hair falling around them like a curtain. In that cage of scent and shadow Ren could feel how badly she wanted to possess him, not with passion but with annihilation.

Ren knew that if he didn't act, he would be overpowered. He felt the woman slowly removing her own clothes. To keep his mouth shut, she suddenly shoved her drenched underwear into it and began dry-humping him.

"Ahhh~ Yes! Yes! Baby! Faster!" she moaned.

It wasn't Ren who was moving—rather, the woman was using him as a toy to satisfy herself. He knew she would soon go for the real thing, as he could already feel his own body reacting despite the absurdity of situation.

His body started to betray him under the sensation, and Ren realized he had to do something.

Was it the power of this woman that was holding Ren back, or just her sheer strength? Ren didn't know. But soon he began to realize that he might not need to act at all.

As he gazed at the woman struggling to move her body over his, he noticed her face beginning to melt, no longer resembling anything human. It was a sight straight out of a horror movie.

It didn't take long for the woman to realize what was happening. She quickly got up from the bed and hid her face—probably her real one. Ren's pants were already drenched with her fluids, and he felt as though he had been violated no matter what.

Ren stayed frozen on the bed, heart hammering. The thing in front of him trembled, fingers clawing at its own melting cheeks as if trying to hold its face together. A low, broken giggle slipped from behind her hands.

"Ah… ahaha… you weren't supposed to see this yet, darling," she whispered, voice warbling between sweet and monstrous. "I tried so hard to be perfect for you."

She tilted her head at an unnatural angle. One eye slid downward in its socket before snapping back into place, and her smile stretched too wide, showing too many teeth. "But that's okay. You'll still love me. You can't escape me. You're mine."

Ren's muscles tightened; every instinct screamed at him to run. The woman stepped closer, then stopped, as if reining herself in. Her shoulders rose and fell with uneven breaths. She let out another shaky laugh, the sound caught somewhere between a sob and a purr.

"This face… needs some adjustment," she murmured. "I can't let you see me like this yet. But don't worry." Her fingers dragged slowly down her cheeks, smearing the melting flesh like paint. "We'll meet again soon."

She leaned close enough for him to smell her cold breath, and in a sing-song voice, almost slutty, she whispered, "See you soon, darling…"

With that, she backed away toward the window, eyes still locked on his. Then, in a blur, she slipped into the shadows and was gone.

Ren sat there still confused and full of fear, the room silent except for the pounding of his own heart, the echo of her words still crawling under his skin.

Ren finally let out a long, shuddering breath. The suffocating weight that had pressed down on the room seemed to lift with her departure, leaving his chest aching from the sudden release. His heart still pounded, but the air felt breathable again.

Without wasting a moment, he hurried down the stairs, eager to check on the rest of the household. The house was quiet, almost eerily so. He peeked into Misa's room—she was sleeping peacefully, unaware of the chaos that had just unfolded. Hiyori and Kyouka were the same, tucked into their beds, breaths steady and calm.

Outside, the policewomen who had been stationed to guard the house stood alert, scanning the grounds with disciplined vigilance. Their presence was a small comfort, but Ren knew it wasn't enough.

He pressed his teeth into his lower lip, biting back frustration and fear. This woman—whatever she truly was—needed to be gone. And quickly. His mind raced to a single solution: maybe Luxy could help. If anyone had the power to handle something this dangerous… it would be her.

Ren squared his shoulders, determination hardening in his chest. He couldn't let the others remain at risk, not for a second longer.