Vú N?m quickly led Master V?nh and Trúc Di?n up to My’s private room on the second floor. Everyone followed close behind, no one uttered a word. Only the hurried footsteps echoed through the hall. The air on the staircase seemed to solidify—cold and heavy.

  As soon as they stepped into the room, Master V?nh paused for a brief second. His eyes swept over the space, scanning every corner carefully before stopping at the large mirror beside the wardrobe.

  – “The stench of hell… it’s definitely Satan,” he murmured in a low voice.

  Trúc Di?n also took a deep breath and whispered:

  – “This is truly the scent of dark magic… deep as the bottom of an abyss.”

  Vú N?m stepped closer to the mirror, pointing a trembling finger at the fogged-up surface.

  – “Master V?nh, that night I saw it clearly... a tall, imposing figure with jet-black spiral horns, a glittering crown in the center. He was seated on a throne. I froze right where I stood...”

  She held back a sigh, eyes shimmering with fear:

  – “I immediately opened an ancient book, carefully preserved in a wooden chest. It was something my grandfather—a sorcerer—left behind. I looked it up... and finally realized that the figure was none other than the Demon King Satan.”

  Master V?nh nodded, stepped closer to the mirror, his sharp gaze fixed on the mercury-like surface:

  – “The Demon King Satan… limitless in power. He doesn’t merely manifest in the physical world—he can control everything through magic from within the mirrored dimension. This kind of power belongs only to the ancient entities. And what’s more terrifying is… he always has a reason. He never acts against humans without cause.”

  He turned back, voice deep and full of caution:

  – “I know Satan never acts randomly toward mortals. If he made a move… then surely someone in your family has provoked him, or harmed someone he holds dear.”

  Trúc Di?n folded his arms across his chest, his gaze darkened as he scanned the room, stopping at My, Tu?n, Ti?n, and Deep:

  – “You all… think carefully. Have any of you ever insulted, harmed, or seriously wronged someone? Especially someone who might be... connected to Satan?”

  Suddenly, the entire room fell into dead silence. My lowered her head, avoiding everyone’s eyes. Tu?n glanced at Ti?n, then slowly clenched his fists. No one said a word, but the atmosphere was beginning to crack.

  The room sank into heavy silence. All eyes—from Master V?nh to Trúc Di?n—were fixed on My’s family, as if awaiting a confession.

  Mrs. Lan gently squeezed her daughter’s hand, then looked up and spoke:

  – “If you kids have done anything, just say it. Master V?nh and Trúc Di?n need the full picture to help.”

  My lowered her head, her voice growing faint like a sinner’s confession:

  – “At Anh ?ào’s wedding… she’s the daughter of Mr. D?ng… I pulled the hair of a tomboyish girl. Her name is Trang—she’s his niece.”

  The entire room froze.

  Deep spoke up next, his voice calm and steady:

  – “Mr. D?ng is a close friend and business partner of ours. Trang is a very reserved person, but she’s gentle and sensible. I know… she had feelings for Tu?n, but she never interfered with anything.”

  “She just stood on the sidelines and watched from afar. As long as Tu?n was happy, she was content. Poor girl… she never asked for anything.”

  Ti?n nodded, adding with a hint of regret:

  – “That day… My lost control in a fit of jealousy and attacked Trang. Deep and I had to step in and pull her back.”

  Master V?nh furrowed his brows, his eyes deepening like an abyss:

  – “If my guess is right… that very night, My began experiencing hauntings—recurring nightmares, didn’t she?”

  Everyone nodded in unison:

  – “That’s exactly what happened.”

  Once again, silence returned—this time laced with guilt and dread. Mrs. Lan glanced at her daughter and quickly added:

  – “But now… my daughter is fine. She no longer has those nightmares. We’re following a treatment plan from a psychologist.”

  Trúc Di?n stood with his arms crossed, eyes still fixed on the mirror:

  – “That’s just the surface. This isn’t some ordinary psychological disorder. The nightmares may have faded… but that doesn’t mean the dark energy has left.”

  Master V?nh’s tone deepened, his gaze seeming to pierce through layers of space:

  – “The Demon King Satan never relents until his goal is achieved. If he’s lying low now… it means he’s preparing something much bigger. And it’s very likely tied to… the girl named Trang.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The moment her name was spoken, the air thickened once again. A poor orphaned girl, overlooked and silently wounded—yet behind her stood a force that made even the underworld tremble.

  Morning sunlight poured through the glass window of the second-floor room, but the air remained thick with an ominous, foreboding presence.

  Mr. Quy’s voice grew low and serious as he looked around the room:

  – “Anh ?ào, D?ng’s daughter and Trang’s cousin… she’s worse off. She sees hallucinations even while fully conscious.”

  Master V?nh narrowed his eyes, the alertness in his gaze clearly visible:

  – “That means something more serious may be hidden within D?ng’s family. Satan wouldn’t act so forcefully without a reason.”

  Trúc Di?n’s eyes darkened, his tone as sharp and cold as a blade:

  – “My was just a victim of impulsive emotion. But Anh ?ào… I sense something too quiet, something lurking beneath that innocent exterior.”

  A heavy silence briefly fell over the room.

  Master V?nh stepped forward and drew from his robe a dark red silk pouch. Inside were several energy stones emitting a soft, otherworldly blue glow.

  – “My, keep this energy stone pouch with you at all times. It cannot destroy Satan’s magic, but it can weaken his influence across several layers of your mind’s space.”

  My nodded gently, receiving the pouch with both hands, but her eyes still seemed haunted.

  Master V?nh turned to the others, his voice firm:

  – “We must go to D?ng’s house immediately. If Anh ?ào truly shows dangerous signs, we must intervene before Satan uses her as the next link in his chain.”

  Mr. Quy didn’t hesitate:

  – “My wife and I will come along.”

  My, Tu?n, Ti?n, and Deep echoed in unison:

  – “We’ll go with Master V?nh and Trúc Di?n.”

  Even Vú N?m spoke up: “Let me come too.”

  Trúc Di?n gave the group a single glance, saying nothing more, but the seriousness in his eyes was crystal clear.

  – “We’re already a step behind. Anh ?ào and D?ng’s family… they’re the true targets of Satan.” Master V?nh declared one last time.

  Without delay, everyone departed the Th?o ?i?n villa. Three sleek black cars sped down the boulevard like arrows shot from a bow—racing straight toward the heart of darkness… toward C?u D?ng’s villa in District 2.

  Twenty minutes later, three black cars stopped in front of the grand villa gate in District 2. The tall wrought iron gate with its classic floral patterns stood silently—until a bloodcurdling scream erupted from within:

  – “Burn them all! You damn dolls, you’re just waiting for my body to melt, aren’t you?! I’ll throw you into the fire and see who melts first!”

  Mr. Quy turned pale. He pounded on the gate and shouted:

  – “D?ng! What’s happening in there? I’ve brought Master V?nh—open the gate now!”

  Just then, Dì T?—the long-time housemaid—rushed out, panting as she opened the gate:

  – “Miss ?ào is smashing the glass display cabinet full of dolls in the living room! She keeps screaming that the dolls are waiting for her to melt so they can mold her… and that she has to burn them all! I was too scared to stop her!”

  There was no time for questions. Everyone rushed inside.

  The luxurious living room, once filled with rare wooden and imported furniture, now looked like a battlefield in ruins.

  Shattered shards of glass from the display case were strewn across the Italian-tiled floor. Antique porcelain dolls lay scattered—some decapitated, others broken. A few remained intact, yet their once-delicate painted eyes now seemed to pierce straight into everyone’s souls.

  Anh ?ào stood at the center of the chaos like a hollow porcelain doll come to life. Her hair was a tangled mess, her silk pajamas slipping off one shoulder, and her bare feet pressed against broken glass—yet she showed no sign of pain. Her eyes widened:

  “There are more upstairs—I have to burn them all! I don’t want a single doll left in this house!”

  Anh Tú and Anh Th?—Anh ?ào’s younger sister—ran in from behind.

  – “Hold her down! Quickly!” Anh Tú shouted.

  Tu?n, Ti?n, and Deep lunged toward the raging girl. They pinned her down as she struggled violently, as if some supernatural force had taken control of her body. She kept screaming.

  Ti?n gasped between breaths:

  – “How is she this strong?! I can’t hold on much longer.”

  Anh Tú ran up: “Let me help!”

  – “Those dolls… they’re staring at me… You want to burn my soul into ashes, don’t you?! I won’t let you mold me—NOOOOO!!!”

  At that moment, a gust of cold wind swept through the room—not just any wind, but a foul, icy current straight from the underworld. Everyone felt it. Goosebumps erupted across their skin.

  Suddenly, Anh ?ào stopped struggling. The four men continued holding her tightly, too afraid to let go.

  She lifted her head. Slowly. A crooked smile stretched across her lips like a crack splitting open in the dark.

  Her eyes—once a normal brown—had turned into a deep amber gold, glowing with a sinister light.

  Master V?nh muttered, voice firm:

  – “Those are the eyes of someone completely possessed. He’s using her body to test our limits.”

  Trúc Di?n glanced at Master V?nh, raising two fingers to trace a glowing circle in the air. The gray aura around Anh ?ào began to recede slowly as a faint magical barrier formed around her.

  – “I can only suppress Satan’s magic temporarily. She won’t suffer deeper effects for now.”

  And from within her eyes... A glint of light suddenly flared—like it was about to pierce through this very world.

  Anh ?ào’s amber-golden eyes opened wide—so wide it sent chills down everyone’s spine.

  She was no longer herself.

  Her body trembled slightly, yet her gaze remained frozen. A crooked, twisted smile crept across her lips. And then—

  A voice spoke.

  It wasn’t Anh ?ào’s.

  It wasn’t a woman’s voice.

  It was a man’s voice—deep and cold, like ice blanketing the underworld:

  – “Each and every one of you in this family... is greedy, cruel. You live comfortably, standing on the blood and lives of the innocent.”

  – “I will make you pay. Slowly. For every drop they lost.”

  No one could speak. The room fell into a suffocating silence, as if the air had been sucked away completely.

  The moment the last word echoed, Anh ?ào’s eyes returned to their normal human brown. She instantly collapsed, unconscious, into the arms of Tu?n, Ti?n, Deep, and her husband.

  – “She’s passed out—quick, lay her down.” Tu?n instructed urgently.

  Working together, they gently laid her on the living room sofa, placing a pillow under her head with care.

  M? Linh, witnessing the entire scene, felt her heart pounding like war drums. Then, unable to take it anymore, she collapsed in sobs into C?u D?ng’s arms.

  – “Linh, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me like this!” C?u D?ng held his wife, his face pale and stricken with confusion.

  Trúc Di?n stepped closer to Master V?nh, his gaze cold and sharp—like moonlight falling on the first snow of winter. He spoke softly, just loud enough for the elder to hear:

  – “That voice… It was the Demon King Satan. He’s truly begun... cleansing this family.”

  Master V?nh stood in solemn silence, his eyes scanning the space where the unseen impact had just struck. His brows furrowed:

  – “I told you... Satan doesn’t act without reason. There must be a cause. And that cause... could be a terrible sin from the past—something they’ve buried all this time.”

  Trúc Di?n nodded slowly:

  – “You’re right. Every word that came from Anh ?ào’s mouth sounded like a verdict. Whatever they did… it must’ve gone against all human morality—something even Satan couldn’t ignore.”

  Time itself seemed to slow down. The air thickened with guilt and fear. Every soul in the room was gripped tightly by an invisible hand from hell.

  A reckoning had begun—for those whose pasts were soaked in shadow.