Demoness

Ye Huan was one of the few in this world who had seen death—not just glimpsed its shadow, but truly stared into its abyss.

Yet, if asked what lay beyond, she might only smile and say, "Life."

Because that was what followed hers.

"Please, Master, have mercy!" The servant's voice was raw, his forehead pressed so hard to the ground that his skin split, blood trickling between the cracks in the stone. His entire body trembled as sobs wracked his thin frame.

Across from him, Ye Huan sat in ease, reclining in her carved sandalwood chair. The late afternoon breeze played with her silky sleeves her pale fingers tapping idly on the armrest as her maid, Lian Ku, trembled beside her, fanning away the afternoon heat.

The scent of chrysanthemum tea curled in the air.

She took a slow sip, savoring the warmth, before setting her cup down. "What are you waiting for?" Her voice was soft, almost lazy. "Give me his middle finger."

"Master, please! I swear, I won't—"

The servant's scream split through the courtyard like a blade.

Plop.

Blood splattered onto the pristine stone tiles, forming grotesque flowers of red. His cries turning to ragged gasps as he writhed, clutching his mutilated hand. The severed finger, pale and limp, lay discarded until the guard picked it up and presented it to Ye Huan with the utmost reverence.

Ye Huan did not so much as flinch. She barely glanced at the finger before inhaling deeply, eyes half-lidded, a slow smile curling her lips as though she were savoring an exquisite fragrance.

"Bring him some parchment," she murmured. "He needs to write his apology."

She turned away, fiddling with her tea cup resting on the carved wooden table. The porcelain barely making a sound.

Lian Ku, her personal maid, stood behind her, fan in hand, her knuckles tight as she fought to keep them from trembling.

Ye Huan turned to her.

"Now," Ye Huan continued, fingers trailing idly along the edge of her tea cup, "who among you dared to peek at me while I bathed?"

The three remaining servants—two men, one woman—were already kneeling, their foreheads pressed to the ground. Their bodies shook with fear, their whispered pleas for mercy overlapping

"But, my lady, no one would dare—" Lian Ku hesitated.

Ye Huan's gaze icy and blue slid to her sharpening.

"But they did peek at you," she corrected. "And you belong to me. Through that, you are an extension of me. If someone dares to look at you as you bathe…" She leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping low almost a whisper. "Then they are looking at me."

Silence.

Lian Ku swallowed. Her gaze flickered toward the kneeling servants, hesitation flickering in her dark eyes—before she raised a trembling hand and pointed.

At the woman.

"Lian Ku... is that your answer?" Ye Huan's tone was almost playful.

The maid nodded, not daring to look up.

A satisfied smirk spread across Ye Huan's face as she stood. Her irises, once a cool, tranquil blue, darkened to a deep violet.

A breath of icy wind snuffed out the warmth in the courtyard. The golden sunlight dimmed as if dusk had arrived unnaturally early, and the air thickened, pressing down with an abyssal pressure. Shadows stretched, thickening like ink spilling over paper

Her shadow detached.

The inky black mass coiled and slithered across the ground, pooling before the kneeling servants like a sentient being. It took shape—a silhouette of something not quite human.

The air turned still. Even the wind dared not move.

"I dislike dirtying my hands with trifles," Ye Huan murmured, "but you all have tested my patience."

She turned to Lian Ku, whose hands trembled as she clasped them together.

"Lian Ku," she murmured. "What color are my eyes?"

The maid knelt instantly, her forehead brushing the ground. "They… They are an amethyst purple, my lady."

"And what does that mean?"

A tremor passed through Lian Ku's frame her throat bobbing before she whispered, "I… I am sorry, my lady." she said as she pressed herself deeper into the stone floor.

She pivoted, her attention shifting back to the three kneeling figures.

The light of day barely escaped the consuming darkness, yet everyone could suddenly see clearly in the gloom as if their eyes had adjusted to welcome it.

"I will give you three breaths," Ye Huan said, her voice soft, almost kind. "If you don't confess your crimes..."

Shadows suddenly leaped from the ground, snaking around the servants' throats, lifting them just slightly—just enough for their toes to scrape helplessly against the stone floor.

"I will plunge you into darkness."

The grip tightened

"I—I confess!" one of the men choked out desperately. "I let my lust cloud my judgment and coveted Miss Lian Ku's beauty!" His words tumbled out in desperation, his body shivering under Ye Huan's abyssal gaze.

Ye Huan's lips curled into a terrifying smile. She stepped closer, the click of her embroidered shoes against the stone a quiet, deadly rhythm.

"Finally, some honesty. I do appreciate sincerity."

The man nodded frantically, tears streaming down his face. "I am repentant, my lady. Please, forgive me!"

Ye Huan tilted her head, watching him tremble. She looked into his teary eyes, his body shivering under the weight of her beautiful yet terrifying gaze. Then, ever so gently, she reached out, tracing her fingers along his cheek.

"If you are truly repentant," she whispered, her lips inches from his ear, "then you know what you must do."

His breathing quickened, his pupils blown wide with terror. "M-my lady—"

Then, suddenly, he convulsed.

A strangled cry tore from his throat as his hands flew to his ears, nails digging into his own flesh. He writhed, gasping, screaming as something unseen clawed at his mind, his soul. The others watched in horror as he ripped at his own face, skin splitting under his nails.

Then—with a final, broken sob—

He plunged his fingers into his own eye socket.

A wet, sickening squelch.

Then silence.

Shaking hands held out the bloodied orb.

She barely spared it a glance before gesturing for the guard to take it.

Ye Huan inhaled slowly and deeply again, as though savoring a mouthwatering aroma, or maybe basking in the scent of rain-soaked earth. before turning her gaze to the two remaining servants.

"You two are brother and sister, correct?"

The man immediately prostrated himself. "My sister had nothing to do with this! It was all me!"

"Oh?" Ye Huan's lips quirked. "So you disguised yourself as a maid, wormed your way into my household, and attempted to poison me?"

The woman flinched.

Ye Huan tilted her head. "How noble." Her eyes darkened to pure obsidian..

Before he could speak, Ye Huan's fingers wrapped around the sister's throat, lifting her effortlessly. The girl gagged, her legs kicking feebly.

"Please, spare her!" The brother slammed his forehead against the stone, his voice raw. "I'll take her punishment! Kill me instead!"

Ye Huan chuckled

"No... You don't get to experience death without my permission. You belong to me."

The sister twisted, fingers fumbling inside her robes—then lunged.

A dagger. Straight for Ye Huan's heart.

"DIE, YOU DEMON!

Too slow.

The blade stopped inches from its mark—held fast by the woman's own shadow.

Ye Huan laughed.

"You are quite fierce. I like that."

The darkness slowly receded, the heavy air lifting as though the sun had finally been released from an unseen grasp. Her eyes cooled back to their usual crystalline blue.

Slowly, the crushing abyss ebbed away. Her grip loosened, letting the girl collapse into a heap beside her brother.

She leaned in close, her breath warm against the woman's ear.

"How about you and your brother stay by my side? Become a real part of my household."

The woman's lips parted—but before she could speak, Ye Huan pressed a single finger to them.

"I see it in your eyes. You hate me. You want to kill me."

A pause.

This is your chance, you know—to bide your time and find the perfect moment to kill me."

The woman trembled.

The brother trembled too. "I accept, my lady."

Ye Huan smiled, then turned to the sister. "And you?"

"I… will kill you," she whispered.

Ye Huan's smirk widenedas she placed a delicate finger against her lips. "Good. That will make things... interesting."

The brother hesitated. "If you wish, I can tell you who sent us."

Ye Huan smiled. "No need. I only want you two. I treat my possessions well. Don't I, Lian Ku?"

"Yes, Master."

"Then it's settled."

She turned on her heel, her silk robes trailing behind her. "Summon a physician. Make sure they don't die yet." Then, without another word, she strode toward her chrysanthemum garden, Lian Ku following in silence.

But as she walked, Ye Huan's gaze flicked toward the empty air in front of her. A translucent screen hovered there, the words blinking back at her.

She smiled. She had gained a lot of negative karma.

[Alert! Mission: Gain the Anchor's favorability/trust before the next seeding.]

[Reward upon completion: Ascension to Reverier 10 (Daughter of Sin), upgrade to Domain Traits.]

[Punishment upon failure: Domain Overhaul, Trait Subversion.]

A slow sigh left her lips as she read the message.

"Three years," she murmured, a small smile playing on her lips. "I wonder how he will react when he sees me again."