For a long moment after the crimson woman vanished, the courtyard remained unnaturally still.
The wind had stopped.
The trees no longer moved.
Even the distant sound of traffic beyond the hospital walls felt strangely muted.
As if the world itself had paused.
I stared at the place where she had disappeared.
Nothing remained.
No flames.
No footsteps.
No trace of that terrifying presence.
Only the faint scent of roses and something warmer—
like fire after rain.
Riya tugged at my sleeve.
"Bhaiya…"
Her voice was hesitant.
"Was she… a demon?"
I exhaled slowly.
The honest answer was yes.
At least, everything about her screamed that she was not human.
But after what I had just seen, I wasn't sure whether to fear her or thank her.
She had saved us.
Twice.
And yet her final words still echoed inside my head.
I will become your first demon wife.
I pressed two fingers against my temple.
This night had gone far beyond anything my mind could process.
The pendant pulsed softly beneath my shirt.
Then a sharp pressure built behind my eyes.
I froze.
The golden rings brightened.
Pain.
Not as violent as the awakening.
But enough to make me wince.
My vision blurred.
Then changed.
The hospital courtyard vanished.
In its place, layers of light unfolded before me.
Golden lines.
Red streams.
Countless thin threads connecting every object, every person, every living thing.
I could see the life force moving inside Riya.
A warm white current flowed through her body.
And deeper inside—
There it was.
The phoenix seal.
A radiant crimson-gold symbol shaped like a burning bird sleeping within her chest.
Even in its dormant state, the aura it released made the surrounding shadows retreat.
My breathing slowed.
So it was real.
The woman had not been bluffing.
Riya truly carried something ancient.
Something powerful.
Then my vision shifted again.
The golden threads in the courtyard stretched upward.
Beyond the hospital.
Beyond the city skyline.
Toward the night sky itself.
I staggered.
What—
The stars above the city suddenly seemed closer.
No.
Not closer.
Clearer.
For the first time in my life, I saw more than stars.
Shapes.
Massive, faint silhouettes moving behind the sky.
Winged creatures.
Floating temples.
Spiralling streams of light crossing above the clouds like rivers.
My heart pounded.
The world I had believed in all my life was nothing but a surface.
There was something above it.
Something hidden.
My knees nearly gave out.
Riya caught my arm.
"Bhaiya!"
The vision snapped.
The courtyard returned.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
Cold sweat clung to my forehead.
"What happened?" she asked.
I shook my head.
"Nothing."
Lie.
But how could I explain this?
That my eyes had just looked beyond the sky?
That I had seen something impossible?
The pendant pulsed again.
A whisper echoed in my mind.
Second ocular function unlocked.
Heavenly Perception Sight
My breath caught.
So the eyes were evolving.
Weak Point Vision.
Now Heavenly Perception Sight.
What else was hidden inside them?
I looked toward the hospital building.
Ward 707.
The chains.
The curse.
The crimson woman had said it was only the first layer.
That meant there was more.
Much more.
"We're going upstairs," I said.
Riya nodded.
This time, she didn't argue.
Back in Ward 707, the room felt different.
The black curse chains still wrapped around my family, but now I could see deeper.
The golden rings activated automatically.
The chains became translucent.
Beneath them—
I saw souls.
My heart nearly stopped.
Father.
Mother.
Ananya.
Kavya.
Ishita.
Their spiritual forms floated faintly above their bodies, trapped inside dark cages made of curse symbols.
They weren't gone.
They were imprisoned.
For eight years.
Rage and relief hit me at once.
They were still there.
Still alive.
Still waiting.
I moved closer to Father.
He looked exactly as I remembered.
Strong.
Calm.
But his spiritual form was asleep, bound by chains around his wrists and throat.
The eyes focused.
Information surged into my mind.
Soul Seal Layer 1: Consciousness Suppression
Soul Seal Layer 2: Bloodline Restriction
Soul Seal Layer 3: Inheritance Lock
I froze.
Inheritance?
So this wasn't only about killing them.
Someone wanted to suppress the bloodline itself.
I clenched my fists.
This was bigger than revenge.
Someone had tried to erase our lineage.
A sudden knock came from the door.
I turned sharply.
A doctor stepped inside.
Middle-aged.
Round glasses.
White coat.
Dr Liang.
He had been overseeing my family's treatment for years.
"Mr Rao," he said with a surprised expression.
"I heard you were discharged."
I nodded.
Then my eyes focused on him.
And everything changed.
Behind his white coat—
a shadow.
Thin black tendrils wrapped around his shoulders and neck.
My heart stopped.
Not a curse.
A mark.
A symbol hidden beneath his collar.
The same serpent-shaped mark I had seen on Father.
Ice spread through my chest.
Dr Liang noticed my expression.
"Is something wrong?"
The golden rings spun.
New information flashed.
Trace detected: contact with curse origin.
My pulse thundered.
He knew something.
Maybe not everything.
But enough.
I took one step forward.
"Doctor".
My voice was colder than I intended.
His smile faltered slightly.
"Yes?"
I locked my gaze onto him.
"Who paid for the special treatment eight years ago?"
For the first time in years, the doctor's expression truly changed.
A flicker of panic.
Too quick for a normal person to notice.
But not for these eyes.
He adjusted his glasses.
"The hospital board."
Lie.
The golden rings flashed.
A thin red line appeared across his face.
Lie detected
I felt my heartbeat quicken.
He was hiding something.
Before I could press further, the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then the room temperature dropped.
Again.
A familiar cold.
The curse's chains around my family trembled violently.
The pendant turned hot.
And from the far corner of the room—
A whisper emerged.
Low.
Mocking.
Almost amused.
"So the eyes now see beyond."
I spun.
A reflection moved in the dark window.
Not in the room.
In the glass.
A figure with crimson-black robes.
The same presence from the rooftop.
Stronger than Mo Ying.
Watching.
Always watching.
The whisper came again.
"Grow stronger, heir."
"The real game has only begun."
The reflection vanished.
Dr Liang had gone pale.
Too pale.
He saw it too.
Which meant—
He was involved.
I looked at him slowly.
This time, there was no hesitation in my voice.
"Doctor".
He swallowed.
"Yes?"
"Tell me everything you know."
Because tonight—
The silence of eight years was finally broken.