Amelia stood frozen against the hallway wall, her heartbeat thundering in her ears.
That voice.
Warm. Deep. Calm.
It wasn't imagination.It wasn't memory.It wasn't a dream.
It interfered with the curse—and the curse listened.
Nothing in her past life ever protected her.Nothing ever fought for her.
But now… someone did.
Someone connected to the supernatural thread twisting through her fate.
Someone powerful enough to push back the darkness trying to choke her.
Who are you? she whispered inwardly, though no sound left her lips.
Silence answered her.
But the lingering warmth in her chest told her she hadn't imagined it.
She steadied herself and walked away from the study, the halls now eerily quiet.
The Gao mansion was a labyrinth of cold marble and expensive furniture.But tonight, it felt alive—like something was watching her from the walls themselves.
Every step echoed too loudly.
Every shadow seemed to crawl.
Every breath she took felt borrowed.
Upstairs, near her old bedroom
Her fingers brushed the door handle again.The familiar dread stabbed through her ribs.
Her room…the epicenter of her suffering in her last life.
A cage.A tomb.A place where she died a little every day.
This time… she refused to be afraid.
She pushed the door open.
A faint smell of lavender hit her nose—an artificial scent Yara loved to use to mask truth.
Her bedroom was pristine.Too pristine.
The bed stretched neatly.The curtains hung untouched.The desk was spotless.
Like no one expected her to live long enough to use any of it.
Amelia stepped inside.
The moment she crossed the threshold—
Crack—
The glass on her nightstand exploded.
Amelia froze.
Shards scattered across the floor like sharp stars.
A cold breath slithered across the back of her neck.
Her pulse slowed to a crawl.
A whisper—barely audible—brushed against her ear:
You don't belong here…
She spun around.
Nothing.
But the temperature had dropped, frost gathering on the edges of her window.
The curse was growing restless.
It wants me dead, she thought. Sooner than before.
Not waiting for the engagement.Not waiting for the second betrayal.Not waiting for the moment her father discarded her.
It wanted to wipe her out now.
She braced her hands on the desk, inhaling sharply.
Not this time. You won't win this time.
Across the city — On the rooftop
Kai staggered, gripping the rail.
"Her qi spiked again! Master, she—"
Zen's eyes narrowed as he sensed the violent energy.
"This mansion…" Zen murmured. "The residue is old. Tainted. She's living inside a nest of corrupted fate."
Kai looked sick.
"She's alone in there. She doesn't even know how to defend herself."
Zen closed his eyes, feeling the tremors of Amelia's destiny pulling threads across the spiritual world.
"Not for long," he said quietly. "Tonight will force her awakening."
Kai's heart jumped.
"Awakening?"
Zen nodded.
"The curse is reacting because her sealed power is stirring. Soon, she will feel it too."
Kai's breath caught.
His master's words only meant one thing—
Amelia wasn't just some cursed girl.She was something rare.Dangerous.Precious.
And every dark entity tied to Yara…would want her destroyed before that power fully revealed itself.
Kai clenched his fists.
Just the thought of Amelia suffering again made his blood boil.
"Master," he said tightly, "when can we go to her?"
Zen finally opened his eyes—silver, ancient, glowing faintly in the moonlight.
"When she calls for us," Zen said. "Not with her voice… but with her fate."
Back in the bedroom
Amelia knelt, picking up one of the glass shards.
Blood pricked her fingertip.
A drop fell… and sank into the floorboards.
She blinked.
The wood responded—darkening, almost absorbing the blood.
A chill struck her spine.
Something beneath this room was alive.
A memory flickered behind her eyes—a room like this one,a night like this,a sickening fear she couldn't escape.
She inhaled sharply as something surfaced in her mind:
A chained woman.A dark ritual.A promise spoken in blood.
Then—
"Amelia? Are you awake?"
The voice wasn't demonic or supernatural.
It was human.
And annoying.
Her half-sister, Sienna Gao, pushed the door open without knocking.
"Oh." Sienna wrinkled her nose. "You're awake. Ugh, why is it freezing in here?"
Amelia kept her expression blank.
Sienna strutted toward her, arms folded.
"Mom said to check if you needed anything. But honestly? I just came because I wanted to see if you still look sickly."
Amelia stood slowly.
"So you can laugh?" she asked calmly.
Sienna scoffed, twirling her perfect hair. "Well, yeah. It's literally the only fun thing about you."
Amelia smiled.
A small, cold smile.
Sienna paused.
"W-What?"
Amelia stepped closer—quiet, graceful, unbothered.
Her new presence made Sienna tense.
"You should stop standing so close to me," Amelia said softly. "This room isn't very kind to people with weak hearts."
Sienna frowned. "What's that supposed to—"
She didn't finish.
Because the lights flickered.The frost on the window thickened.And a whisper ran through the room, so quiet only Amelia could hear:
She is not the one we want…
Sienna shivered violently, backing away.
"I—I'm leaving! The energy in this room is weird!"
She ran out.
Amelia exhaled slowly.
Good.
The room wanted her alone.
That meant she could finally test something:
Her power.
She closed her eyes.
Reached inward.
Toward the warmth the mysterious voice left behind.
And there—under layers of fear, pain, and suppressed destiny—she touched something.
A spark.
A pulse.
A sleeping force waiting for her command.
Her heart hammered.
If she awakened it…
Everything would change.
For better.
Or for worse.
Amelia inhaled sharply and whispered:
"Wake."