Chapter 5

Knock. Knock. Knock.

A knock on the door interrupted us.

"Ava? Are you okay?" It was Ethan's voice. "We wanted to come up and check on you."

I frowned. "We?"

"Me and Chloe."

The shadows around Kael instantly flared, and the temperature dropped several more degrees.

Lily clutched my shirt, whispering, "They have bad intentions."

"I know," I patted her hand. "Let them in. I want to see what they're up to."

The door swung open on its own.

Ethan walked in cautiously, Chloe right behind him.

The door swung open, blasting them with a wave of bone-chilling cold and the stench of decay.

Ethan’s Anxiety Level instantly shot from 30 to 55.

He gripped his flashlight, but its beam was swallowed the moment it hit the room, leaving only a small, trembling circle of light at his feet.

He saw Ava. She was fine.

Then he saw what was sitting next to her.

They weren't human.

To her left sat a little girl, her body bloated and swollen. In the firelight, her skin glowed with the pale, bluish-white of a corpse.

Her eyes were two bottomless black holes, staring coldly right at them.

Ethan felt like his soul was being sucked right out of his body.

And to Ava's right...

That was something far worse. A horror beyond words.

It was a human-shaped silhouette made of pure darkness, devouring all light and sound that dared to come near.

Just looking at it made Ethan feel like his mind was about to shatter.

【Chloe: (WARNING! ANXIETY SPIKE! 80!)】

Chloe looked even worse than Ethan. She had recognized them instantly—two of the most notorious monsters in any S-rank game.

The Drowned Wraith and the Shadow Lord.

The legendary duo known for wiping out entire teams of A-rank players.

And Ava...

She was sitting right between them, like they were having a family meeting.

"Are you... chatting?" Ethan asked, disbelieving.

"We're discussing the fireplace's architecture," I said, pointing at the flames. "Kael says the ventilation system in this old model is poorly designed and collects too much soot. I think he has a point."

Ethan's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

To him, that “discussion” wasn’t a discussion at all.

It was an eardrum-scraping whisper from the depths of hell.

Chloe was the first to snap out of it.

She forced a sweet smile onto her face, but her voice trembled uncontrollably. “Wow, Ava, you’re amazing! You’ve already gotten so close with your… roommates.”

She pulled a silver, glowing charm out of her bag. "I went through a lot of trouble to get this A-class item, a 'Holy Light Talisman.' It can repel evil spirits. It's for you, to protect yourself."

I glanced at the talisman, then my eyes fell on her hand.

She was wearing a delicate bracelet on her wrist.

A silver chain with a heart-shaped pendant, intricately engraved.

The design was familiar.

Because I drew it.

My gaze shifted to Ethan.

He was wearing the matching bracelet, the men's version.

A matching set.

The birthday gift I had designed for him.

Ethan noticed my stare and tried to hide his hand behind his back in a panic.

But just then, a tendril of shadow shot out from Kael. It coiled around Ethan's arm, deliberately yanking up his sleeve.

His forearm was exposed.

On it was a tattoo.

A black raven with its wings spread, the lines smooth and powerful.

I still had the design sketch. I'd spent three nights drawing it for him.

But now, under the raven's wing, were two new letters: C.L.

Chloe's initials.

My expression hardened instantly.

The air in the room seemed to freeze.

Seeing my icy glare, Ethan's heart clenched. A powerful wave of regret washed over him.

"Ava, I—"

"There's nothing to explain." I looked away and stood up. "Thanks for the talisman, but I don't need it."

I pushed it back toward Chloe, then turned to Kael. "I'm hungry. Let's go find something to eat."

"Alright," Kael stood up immediately, shadows swirling around him.

I picked up Lily and walked towards the door.

As I passed Ethan, I didn't even spare him a glance.

Like he was a stranger.

"Ava!" Ethan reached for me. "Let me explain—"

I recoiled, sidestepping his touch. "Don't. Touch. Me."

Three words, sharper than a blade of ice.

Ethan's hand froze in mid-air, his face deathly pale.

Sensing my emotional shift, the cold aura around Kael intensified.

The temperature in the room plunged below freezing.

Black frost began to crawl across the walls.

Ethan and Chloe shuddered, instinctively stumbling back as alarms blared in their minds.

【CONTROL YOUR ANXIETY! LEVEL BREACH! 85! 85!】

"Ignore these two weirdos," I said to Kael, my voice frighteningly calm. "Let's go."