Chapter 5

I sighed softly, pulling Lia closer to me, feeling her slightly cool body temperature.

"Listen, sweetheart," I said gently, my fingers lightly combing through her tangled silver-white hair.

"People who say bad things about you are just wrong. If I ever meet them, I'll make them pay and show them how special my little Lia really is."

Lia buried her face in my neck, her voice muffled. "But... they all called me a monster. My fur color is impure, brought shame to the pack."

Hearing such a cruel truth from Lia's young voice, I couldn't help but tear up. "Listen, that's not your fault. Those who hurt you don't deserve to be your real family. From now on, I'm your mom."

"It's just that they don't know how to appreciate your uniqueness," I cupped her small face, looking seriously into her glowing eyes in the darkness. "Every single strand of your fur is a gift from the Moon Goddess, just as special as the stars in the night sky. Promise me you won't say things like that about yourself anymore, okay? It makes Mommy very sad to hear you talk like that."

She hesitated, then nodded. I started humming that off-key lullaby again, my fingers gently stroking her back.

I don't know how much time passed, but we both fell into a deep sleep, her breathing gradually evening out.

After I was sound asleep, Lia quietly crept closer to my face. Her glowing eyes in the darkness fixed on mine for a long while.

It was as if she were struggling with something inside herself. Finally, she gently pressed a cool kiss to my cheek, whispering softly, "Mommy would be sad... can't make Mommy sad."

The energy around her stabilized, and even her ghostly form gradually solidified into that of a real little girl, curling up in my arms to sleep peacefully.

Those watching the trial were shocked:

【She even manifested a solid form! How is that possible? A ghost cub's energy form is supposed to be unchangeable!】

【What did this trial candidate do? She changed the very nature of the ghost cub!】

【I checked the records. This has never happened before. This Serina... she's a variable.】

The next morning, I was woken by a cold mechanical voice.

【Initial trial candidates: 100; current survivors: 40.】

I rubbed my eyes, fumbling to find the communication crystal and holding it close to strain and read the flickering information. Another thirty candidates had been lost overnight. The number made my heart sink.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" Lia asked sleepily. She now looked completely like a solid little girl, her white nightgown making her look especially adorable.

I put down the crystal, smiling as I ruffled her hair. "Nothing, sweetheart. Here, Mommy will braid your hair nicely today."

Just then, the crystal suddenly flickered to life with a private message from Safiya:

【Serina, thank goodness you're still alive! I've been dealing with the Delta warriors in my cave and couldn't warn you in time. The first three days are crucial. You must build a good relationship with your "family." Here's some information I compiled from the Alpha Council records. Hope it helps. I'm sorry I didn't explain the cave selection rules beforehand, forcing you into the King's Nest.】

I noticed Safiya was also active on public channels, offering advice to other candidates:

【Remember, don't make direct eye contact. That's seen as a challenge.】

【If you hear a low growl, stop whatever you're doing immediately.】

【Always let them eat first...】

Taine occasionally chimed in:

【What's the point of helping these newbies? It doesn't benefit you.】

Safiya always replied gently: 【Crossing paths is fate. Don't be so calculating.】

The surviving candidates were all grateful to Safiya, calling her "The Guide."

These two Alphas were certainly interesting.

I leaned close to the crystal, replying cautiously: 【Thanks for checking in. I'm doing fine. Your info is helpful.】

After putting down the crystal, I saw Lia sitting obediently to the side, while Eros was doing strength training with a massive boulder. His muscles looked particularly distinct in the morning light.

"What would you like to eat today?" I asked him, still braiding Lia's hair. "I found some wild berries in the back of the cave yesterday. I could add them to breakfast."

Eros set the boulder down and walked over to sit beside us. His gaze was gentle, nothing like the ferocious vampire-werewolf of legend. "You decide," his deep voice had a hint of warmth. "Everything you make is delicious."

Blood-colored moonlight streamed through cracks in the cave ceiling, casting dappled spots of light on us.

Lia leaned against my knee as I carefully braided her hair, occasionally weaving in some small wildflowers I'd picked yesterday.

Eros sat quietly and watched us. The scene was so warm it hardly seemed like a life-or-death trial.

Suddenly.

The temperature in the cave plunged to freezing point.

Eros shot to his feet, muscles coiled tight, a thunderous growl erupting from his throat. His dark golden pupils constricted to pinpoints, fixed on the darkest corner deep within the cave.

"Get back!" he snarled, shielding Lia and me behind him.

The warmth that had filled the air vanished instantly, replaced by the pungent stench of formalin, mixed with the sickening odor of rotting flesh and burnt hair.

Hee hee hee...

A chorus of overlapping, spine-chilling cackles echoed from all directions.

Black slime began to ooze from the cave ceiling without warning.

Two twisted shadows, defying gravity like crawling insects, hung upside down from the roof and slowly writhed their way down.

They were two absolutely terrifying "creatures."

The one on the left had skin the ashen gray of a corpse, her limbs bent at grotesque angles.

Her face was devoid of features save for a massive mouth crudely stitched shut with rough black thread. As she laughed, the stitches snapped, revealing rows of sharp, jagged shark teeth.

The one on the right was even more horrific. Her hair writhed in the air like living venomous snakes, with tiny, dripping finger bones hanging from the end of every strand.

A gaping hole tore through her abdomen, but instead of entrails, it was stuffed with withered thorns and wriggling maggots.

"What a cozy little family of three..." the witch with the snake-hair shrieked, a sound like nails scratching violently on a chalkboard. "Sister, that woman's skin looks tender. If we peel it off, it would make a lovely, translucent lampshade."

The stitched-mouth witch didn't speak. instead, she ripped the black threads from her lips, unleashing an inhuman screech!

Eros extended his claws, his aura surging with bloodlust, clearly facing a massive threat. "Morgana, Morgan! Get the hell out of my territory!"

"This is our territory too. Don't you remember who cooked for you before?" the witch with the hollow abdomen said sinisterly. Her arm, withered as dead wood, suddenly shot out, elongating meters in an instant, claws aiming straight for my face with a gust of foul wind! "As payment, this woman's hair is mine!"

My vision blurred as a wave of stench hit me.

I instinctively raised my hand to block, catching the withered hand accidentally.

The texture was dry and rough, like a piece of dead wood.

I paused, not letting go. Instead, I rubbed it more carefully.

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed, completely ignoring Eros's shocked expression and the witch freezing mid-attack. "This texture is terrible! Severe dehydration, dermis damage, and the stratum corneum is as thick as tree bark!"

I followed the arm up, my gaze piercing through the terrifying illusions—to me, they just looked like two eccentric, unkempt sisters—and landing on that wild, dancing "snake hair."

"And this hair!" I cried out in heartbreak. "The split ends are severe, and the cuticles are completely blown out! Is this why you're so grumpy? Dry hair affects your mood, you know!"

The terrifying atmosphere, primed for a slaughter, instantly solidified.

The hand that was meant to pull out my hair was now awkwardly suspended in mid-air.

The witch whose hand I held—Morgan—froze.

Her eyes, which were nothing but whites, stared fixedly at me.

It seemed she had never encountered a human who, instead of dying of fright, started critiquing her skin condition.

The stitched-mouth witch—Morgana—stopped her screeching. Her terrifying maw hung slightly open, the black threads fluttering messily in the wind.

"What... are you talking about?" Morgan's voice trembled with uncertainty, and the wild "snake hair" on her head wilted a little.

"I said，your skin and hair need emergency care!" I didn't waste another second.

I pulled out the herb I had mixed yesterday. "I'm the mistress of this house now. Since you're here, I can't watch family treat themselves like this!"

I grabbed Morgan's terrifying hand and slathered a glob of green paste onto it.

"This is aloe and moon-grass extract. specifically for dead ski—uh, dry skin."

Eros retracted his claws, his expression shifting from alert to dumbfounded. Lia peeked her head out from my arms, watching the scene with curiosity.

"You... aren't going to chop my hand off?" Morgan stared at her now green and shiny hand, forcefully holding back the corrosive venom she had prepared to release.

"How can I do a treatment if I chop it off?" I rolled my eyes at her, then looked up at Morgana hanging from the ceiling. "Sister up there, stop hanging around like that. All that blood rushing to your head is bad for the roots; it causes hair loss! Come down, I'll give you a scalp massage."

The observers' chat exploded:

【She's crazy! Those are the Hexenbiest! They were about to eat people just now!】

【Morgana's hair is a Medusa curse! And this woman wants to give her a scalp massage?!】

【Oh God, Morgan is actually looking at her hand... She seems to think the hand cream smells good?】

【This trial has taken a weird turn! It went from Silent Hill to Desperate Housewives?!】

Morgana hesitated, then actually crawled down from the ceiling like a giant spider, squatting obediently in front of me.

"If it's not comfortable... I'll turn you into fertilizer," she threatened through her leaking mouth, though her voice clearly lacked conviction.

I slapped a huge glob of nourishing hair mask right onto her weird, dripping hair.

"Less talking, relax your scalp." I massaged vigorously, muttering, "Look at this dryness... this is the consequence of staying up late and neglecting maintenance. From now on, in this house, I won't allow you to be this sloppy."

As I massaged, Morgana let out a comfortable groan. The terrifying illusions of venomous snakes on her head slowly vanished, reverting to smooth—albeit gray-white—long hair.

Morgan leaned in too, proactively extending her other hand to me. "Do this one too."

The cave, originally filled with the stench of death and decay, was now filled with the fresh scent of herbs.

I cheerfully started preparing the hair treatment for the two hexenbiest.

Eros and Lia watched with their mouths agape. In the cave, the once-feared Cursed Twins, the vampire-werewolf, and the ghost cub were all gathered around me, waiting for my special herbal treatment.

"You know," I said as I crushed bay leaves, speaking to Morgana, "Proper care not only improves your hair but can lift your spirits. I noticed the muscles around your mouth look very tense. This formula is perfect for helping you relax."

Morgana looked at me thoughtfully. "You... you're not afraid of us?"

I looked up and smiled at her. "Why would I be afraid of my own family?"