Lulu insisted she had done nothing wrong. "Do you understand how cutthroat this industry is? How can I work if I'm pregnant? So many rivals want me to fail! They're just waiting for me to slip up so they can climb higher!"Lulu screamed, a complete departure from her image as a gentle, kind woman, "If it wanted to be born that badly, it should've tried harder! I managed to find out its sex through my connections, and of course, it had to be a girl!"No wealthy family would want a daughter! It was why I was cast out of the family!"Lulu's attitude made Lana laugh harder, causing the walls to tremble.No one knew who Lana was speaking to. "What did I just say? These adults are heartless!"All the cameras in the room cracked as Lana seized Lulu by the collar and lifted her into the air, her eyes blazing with hatred. "Seeing as you feel no remorse for your past actions, you deserve to die!"The audience was left in suspense, only aware of Lulu's confession about the abortion and her
"Abbie was in so much pain," Lana cried, her emotions raging as she looked at her trembling hands. "I screamed, but no one heard us."Her voice filled with bitterness, she continued, "No one wanted us to live. So why were we born?"Lana's voice dropped to a menacing whisper. "Tell us why! Tell us!"As if in response to her rage, the hospital trembled violently. Lulu was flung aside, and the shadows coiled behind Lana, seething with a dark, consuming hatred. The air grew heavy, though no wind stirred, and an unseen force began to draw everything toward Lana, threatening to engulf all within the room.Lavender and Helen fainted, overcome by shock. Anthony and Chandler, desperate to escape, flung open the door, only to be met with a gaping abyss. A black river churned at its depths, spectral figures drifting upward, their forms indistinguishable in the dark. "W-What's this?" Anthony stammered, collapsing to the floor, completely out of sorts. What should they do? There was no es
This gave Lana a start. She seemed to have recalled something that made her gaze falter. Meanwhile, Aria continued, "Too many aspects of this story aroused suspicion. It was inferred that the couple found their daughters burdensome after their son was born."Of course, this was not proven. After the incident, the couple quickly moved away from the city with their son, claiming that they didn't want to be disrupted by the media."Strangely, the father said no to an autopsy of their daughters, and the mother refused to talk about the matter entirely. Nothing else was out of place, so the family received a handsome sum from the washing machine company as compensation."The company ran tests and proved two young girls couldn't fit into the machine simultaneously. So, what is the truth? Perhaps you've already recalled it."Lana was shaking with anger. A murder case leading to the accumulation of such an overwhelming amount of vengefulness was surely extraordinary. Aria didn't believe
"I want to know too!""Attention to the crew! Please let them get revenge, or I'll cancel this show!"This was pure brutality. The twins were born into a world filled with hope, only to discover a hellish reality.A long time ago, an orphaned young girl wrote, "The world's nice, but I don't want to be born here again."…Instantly, search topics related to "Survival of the Fittest" flooded the trending list. Topics like "Favoring the Sons over the Daughters" and "Our First Step to Saving Ourselves: Admitting that Our Parents Don't Love Us That Much" also appeared.The crew grew increasingly anxious as they watched the chaos unfold. They wished to steer the narrative but found themselves powerless. Would the audience believe them if they claimed spirits haunted the site?At the mention of that, Pax Darwen, the on-set director, demanded more realism from the scriptwriters. "That's not the main problem. If you tell everyone that, the show will be canceled!""You need to figure o
In the hospital, Lana seemed to have sensed something. She looked up abruptly.Abbie exclaimed, "Someone's here!"Lana's face twisted with a fierce intensity. "A being of heavenly fortune has arrived. You summoned them.""You lied to us!" Lana lost control. "You, of all people!"Fury surged through Lana, and she lunged at Aria, intending to strangle her. However, she froze as her hands neared Aria's neck. Aria remained motionless."If you truly can't recall his face, then choose between Players No. 1 and Player No. 3," Aria suggested coolly."What?" Lana paused.Aria said, "Didn't I say that I'll teach you how to play an adult's game? Your father is definitely not one of the celebrity guests, so that leaves the others.""Between Player No. 1 and Player No. 3, Player No. 3 looks more threatening," Aria analyzed calmly, "He's middle-aged, fitting a profile for a father. I wasn't confident just now, but now that a certain person is here, I don't see why you can't take revenge."L
Chandler didn't dare retort against that. Alistair viewed him with disdain. He pointed his knife toward Leon, saying, "You want to save him? Tell the crew to stop with this dumb farce now, then! I don't care about your charades. I saw the police cars outside—I'm not as blind as you think! "Do you think I'd let the police catch me just because of this scary story you're acting out? You're dreaming!" Alistair dragged Chandler to stand in front of the cameras. "I'll only make my request once—don't come in."With each person who takes a step toward this room, I'll kill a hostage!"…Outside the hospital, the crew was a panicked mass. Kian looked at Landon, who had already entered the hospital, and yelled, "Who the hell recruited this player?""I-I—" Shelby Sands, an intern in the crew, pushed his glasses up. "It's stated in his résumé that he's a doctor. I saw that he's skilled in surgery, so I thought—"Meanwhile, the HOU was already on standby nearby. "Alert—suspect is armed wit
Aria put all her strength into a swift and decisive kick. Alistair was sent flying, his back slamming into the wall before he crumpled to the ground. The impact left him barely conscious, his threats reduced to incoherent gasps as he coughed up blood.The comments section fell silent.Kian, who was close to tears, stopped. "Has he already been dealt with?"The audience was all stunned. "This is probably the quickest hostage de-escalation I've ever seen.""Is he really a serial killer?""It's true! Look, the police have posted an announcement!"The show was still broadcasting and couldn't be paused due to certain situations, so the police revealed the criminal's personal information.The comments started flooding in rapidly."Player No. 5 is an undercover cop, isn't she?""She isn't afraid of ghosts because she's extremely righteous.""The police didn't mention Player No. 5's identity. She's probably a random person who happened to pass by.""Really? She's my idol now.""S
Only then did Landon look at Cooper. His exquisitely handsome face stood out against the dilapidated hospital. "How did you escape if the criminal was as evil as you'd said?"Lysander thought that Landon had a point. "The manifestation hasn't been dismantled yet. Why is it that you can go anywhere as you please?"Could this guy be another man favored by the heavens? Were there really so many of them?Lysander, who hadn't seen much of the outside world, went with his instinct to call for Homer. Homer had no time to pay Lysander any attention. He quickly dashed toward the second floor, where the densest concentration of vengeful energy awaited.Upon noticing that, Cooper attempted to run away again. However, Landon stopped him. "Which room is the criminal in? Lead the way.""There's a murderer inside the room!" Cooper was flabbergasted. Did Landon not understand human language?Landon said, "And that's who we're looking for.""What do you mean?" Cooper paled instantly.Landon s
Although the crow was unsure of its owner's thoughts, it was indeed afraid of the dagger made out of Oracle bones.In fact, it wasn't made of ordinary animal bones. It was from the Oracle, one of the Four Perils. Most importantly, it carried spiritual energy from heaven and earth.Back then, the crow didn't expect the insignificant sect, which was consistently at the bottom of each tournament, to have the purest spiritual energy. Plus, all of their members were not to be underestimated. The crow would have never believed it if it hadn't come to live in the mountains with Landon. After all, Landon was bewitched to become the woman's boy toy. He stayed behind only because he liked the sect's spiritual energy. At that, the crow shifted its body and didn't continue to disturb Landon. Since Landon mentioned he needed the knife sheath, the crow would go and get it. Apart from the curved dagger in the wooden box, there was also a somewhat inconspicuous emerald and a turtle shell-lik
The box included a protective membrane. Carrying bones around would raise questions in modern days. Even Aria worried about inspections. Sometimes, Tobias acted just like those arcane seekers from Mount Dracotigris. When her fingertips touched it, heat surged through her bloodline. The blade felt like it belonged in her hands; even its tassel was exquisitely crafted. But she remembered something when she entered the manifestation and got the Soul-Summoning Plaque. She had been an arcane seeker in her past life, hadn't she? Could an arcane seeker use a blade? She had mostly seen them wielding swords, just like those TV shows with flying swordsmen. Perhaps she had to use a blade because she came from a smaller guild. As Aria traced the bone blade, her initial attraction grew into fascination. Tobias wouldn't leave her just any blade. Since she'd encountered it in the manifestation, it must be connected to her. "Do you like it?" Suddenly, Landon's voice came close. It was low,
Breaking the Eight Trigrams Manifestation required precision instead of force. The path led from the East Gate of Life through the Southwest Gate of Rest, finally striking through the North Gate of Opening. But this was not just about breaking a manifestation. The lock had eight marks—Life, Rest, Harm, Block, Vision, Death, Awakening, and Opening. These were the eight gates within the manifestation. As Aria studied the corresponding numbers, she was suddenly struck with inspiration. Following the sequence, she pressed them. The lock then opened with a click. She raised an eyebrow, recognizing the familiar combination. "0715, my birthday." Aria casually opened the box. "Typical of Mr. Revelare to choose that date." She knew she was born on Twilight Hallows, a day when parents would urge children home early. Owen had always believed Aria's birth signs were not the best, and he thought this was likely because of this day. People considered it the Day of Spirits. On this day, a
Earlier, Aria had really wanted to keep some family ties for Georgina. After all, Georgina had given Aria all the love meant for her granddaughter, Lily. When the Kents drove her out, Aria had seen Georgina staring at a pair of handmade baby booties. She had made them herself and wanted to give them to Lily. But Karen had scorned them and did not even allow her to see the child. Aria knew Georgina still yearned to see Lily. Blood ties were different. Aria could approach everything else with logic, but not Georgina. When everyone else abandoned her, Georgina stayed. She always said, "We can't let Aria go hungry. Of course, she needs school. Whatever Aria wants, we'll save up for it. The same goes for Sam." Everyone had their weak spots, and for those they loved, anyone would surely lower their defenses. After all, they still held on to hope. Though Georgina never said it, Aria understood she'd held hope for Lily. That was why Aria had not been harsh enough with Lily. But tha
Lily definitely had not learned her mistake—there must be more to it. Though Aria had investigated, nothing turned up. Now she understood why Lily kept coming here. Aside from using Georgina's connections, she was after what was in the box. "Grandma, the first layer wasn't locked. Do you know what was inside?" Of course Georgina knew. "When the old priest gave me the box, he said anyone could read the books about medicine and the arcane in the first layer, especially you. They were all rare copies." Everything suddenly connected in Aria's mind. No wonder Lily's skills seemed endless; this explained it. Aria turned to Georgina. She preferred to be direct, so she said, "Grandma, I think I know who took them. Recently, a few people visited your place, but there was one you knew well—Lily. She's been using these medical texts to treat people. "Her medical skills are fine, but I worry she's misusing the arcane books for personal gain." Georgina swayed slightly at these words. Li
"Christian was your whole world back then, so it wasn't strange you wanted to give him gifts." Though Georgina preferred not to mention him, this particular item must have been precious for Aria to consider giving it away. After explaining, her mood lightened. "I'm glad you realized what you wanted and didn't let the Kent family engagement bind you. I planned to give this to you on your first day of university since that's what the priest requested. But I feel now's the right time." Georgina had wanted to mention this during their last meeting. But Aria had looked so exhausted then, so she'd wanted to let Aria rest. By morning, Aria had already left. With Aria's upcoming trip to Ludwiten and not knowing when they would meet again, Georgina's main concern was returning these items. Aria was really curious about what they might be. Since Georgina said it was left by the old priest who used to visit her, Aria was sure it was from Tobias. She never knew he had left anything for her
"Seeing Aria like this brings me so much joy." Georgina set down her fan and took a pill, her breathing gradually steadying. Landon observed her condition without surprise. He certainly saw more than Aria did. But fate's secrets were not meant to be revealed; everyone had their own path. All he could do was ask, "Should we tell her about your condition?" "And have her worrying about me while handling everything else?" As she spoke, Georgina waved dismissively. "Managing the Carver Group means there are countless employees depending on her. "Last time I saw her, she was falling asleep sitting up. She already worries too much about me, and I know why. It's because of my granddaughter Lily." Georgina lowered her gaze, smiling. "You know the situation with the Kents. I couldn't survive in Southbury then with everyone pointing fingers and calling me a wicked mother-in-law. They said I had blood on my hands. "But Aria stood by me without judgment. Only then could I come to Janovi
No one really knew how pitiful Sam had been back then. Nobody would have connected that filthy, weak, and skinny child to Chaos. Even now, only the skillful arcane seekers could recognize Sam as Chaos. That's because he had not fully awakened yet. Besides, his round, childish face showed no hint of threat. When Georgina first found him, it was raining. He looked less like a child and more like a stray cat, huddled miserably in a corner. He did seem fierce since he was watching everyone with dark, suspicious eyes. Some even suspected he was mentally ill and called the police. The police confirmed he was an orphan, with no records in any database. They planned to handle it as a case of missing a child since no orphanage would take him. Sam hadn't always been like this. He appeared quite dangerous and could not speak a word. He would stare people down intensely, so it was understandable that people would be afraid of him. He even bit the police officer who tried to take him. If
Aria glanced at Landon, impressed. His lie was far more polished than hers would have been. His face alone made the story believable, and she noticed how he showed no signs of deception at all. He even gave her a casual glance, showing how he was totally at ease. Sure enough, Georgina believed it. "I've heard of Mr. Bond. Sam is so lucky! Tell him to study well up there. I'll visit him in a few days!" "Of course. I'll go with you later." Aria did not want to upset Georgina. With her upcoming trip to Ludwiten, Aria insisted on having a meal at the mansion. She only provided occasional guidance on the clinic's direction now. She had left daily operations to professional managers. Even when she had lost her senses, Georgina had never given up on her. Even when she had not been herself, Georgina had not abandoned her. Aria knew the Kent family wouldn't change, especially Marshall, with his greed. She just wanted to ensure Georgina's twilight years weren't spent worrying about unw