My mother-in-law jumped in fright when I screamed. It was the first time I had ever seen my plump mother-in-law move with such insane speed and agility.

I felt the slap just as Jaden shouted, "Mom!"

I was stunned as I held my hand to my swollen cheek. My mother-in-law carefully picked up the four incense sticks from the ground and inspected them thoroughly, making sure none were broken.

Once she was satisfied, she sighed in relief and placed the incense sticks into the holder.

"Nadine," she called, turning to face me.

For a moment, I thought I was imagining it. Her pupils looked thin and elongated, almost murky and yellowish. She stared at me like a cat.

"Be careful next time," she warned. "Her Grace will get angry."

The weight of her words lingered, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

The next day, I couldn't focus at work. I searched online for different kinds of figurines and idols, from orthodox religions to more obscure ones, but nothing looked familiar. None resembled the strange figurine my mother-in-law had brought home.

Out of sorts, I decided not to drive that day and took the subway instead.

At the subway station, an old blind man sat at a small stall with signs reading "Hexagram Reading" and "Water Divination." The red signs felt eerie as I read them, so I quickened my steps when passing by.

Suddenly, the blind man called out to me. "There is something dark around you, Miss. You might come into trouble soon."

If it had been any other day, I would have brushed him off as a scam artist. Today, his words felt like a lifeline.

Before I could respond, a man with a crew-cut burst out laughing. "This is the modern era! Who would believe in superstitions like that?"

Crew-cut grabbed my arm and pulled me closer. "Listen, young lady. You've been staring at a computer for too long. Just relax and give your head a good massage."

His suggestion seemed more logical, and I hesitated.

The blind man pressed a small, scented pouch into my hands. "Put this on you. Don't throw it away!"

It felt like it was meant to happen, like a sign.

In times of extreme fear, we tend to cling to anything that might offer comfort. So, I hung the maroon-colored pouch around my neck, making sure to tuck it deep inside my thermal wear to hide it.

That night, I slept soundly without dreaming for the first time in weeks. When I woke up the next day, my mind felt bright and clear.

It had been a long time since I felt that way. I was convinced it was the pouch that had helped.

Curious, I pulled the scented pouch from under my clothes. My heart sank when I saw the right corner of it was burned. The ugly black mark seemed to be telling me something—something I hadn't understood the night before.

It felt ominous, like something bad had happened.

I walked out like a zombie. My mother-in-law served me breakfast, and I kissed Jaden goodbye before leaving the house.

However, I didn't go to work. After making sure Jaden had left, I pulled out my phone with trembling hands and called an Uber. I was going to meet the old blind man at the subway station.

It was still early, and I expected to wait for a long time. To my surprise, he was sitting in the exact spot as yesterday. He greeted me with a warm smile as though I were an old friend.

"You're here," he said.

"S… Sir?" I waved my hand in front of him, making sure he was really blind.

"Stop waving your hand at me, young lady. I'm really blind," he said bluntly, and I blushed in embarrassment.

I sat down in front of him. "What did you mean when you said I might come into trouble soon?"

He explained that I carried the scent of Lady Nefarious.

"Lady Nefarious is an evil deity worshipped by the Morro Tribe. You need to offer her what she demands, and she'll make your wish come true."

A chill ran down my spine, but I was still stubborn. "You're not trying to scam me out of my money, are you?"

He didn't seem offended. Instead, he asked, "Let me ask you this. How many incense sticks were used to pray to Lady Nefarious?"

I was caught off guard by the question. It reminded me of the night I saw Jaden praying, and I thought carefully before answering.

"F… Four?"

"That's right!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands. "When have you ever seen anyone pray to a deity with four incense sticks? Three is for deities, but four is for… evil spirits!"

I don't remember how I left the blind man's stall. The freezing wind howled around me as I clutched the protection talisman he gave me. His words replayed in my mind over and over.

"The Morro Tribe believes the full moon is the source of power," he had said. "They pray to the moon when it's full. The freshest raw meat is offered to Lady Nefarious in prayer."

Tonight was the full moon.

I set my alarm for 3 a.m. and lay in bed. When the alarm rang, I reached out to touch the spot next to me.

No one was there.

I got out of bed and tiptoed toward the bedroom door, slowly pushing it open.

A thick stench of blood and energy rushed toward me, almost pushing me back into the room.

In the middle of the living room, there was a pot of pinkish raw pork.

Jaden was holding a piece of the meat, his eyes closed as he prayed sincerely at the shrine. My mother-in-law stood to the side, watching him with a grim expression, but there was also a crazed look of love in her eyes as she gazed at her son.

I was too far away to hear what Jaden was saying. After a moment, he finished mumbling and took a small knife from his pocket. Without hesitation, he slit his wrist.

Blood poured from the wound, and he wiped it onto the raw piece of pork. Then, he placed the meat on the shrine.

My mother-in-law approached him, and they hugged tightly. Jaden patted her back, seemingly trying to console her.

He looked up and saw me standing there.

If I wasn’t mistaken, I saw murder in his eyes the moment he looked at me.

However, he quickly adjusted his emotions. He pushed my mother-in-law away and came running up to me with a worried expression.

“Why are you awake? Did you have another nightmare?”

I clenched my chattering teeth and pointed to the pot of raw meat with blood on it.

“Wha… What are you doing? What kind of deity is this? Why does she need such offerings?”

Jaden followed my gaze, staring at the meat for a while before sighing deeply.

“I guess I can’t hide it from you any longer.”

That was when he told me the truth. My mother-in-law was sick—she had advanced pancreatic cancer.

The doctors said she didn’t have much time left, and she wanted to spend her final days with her son.

Before leaving her hometown, she had learned about Lady Nefarious.

“What you saw was me offering my flesh and blood. Lady Nefarious needs the blood of the closest relative to show our sincerity.”

Jaden’s words convinced me. In fact, after hearing that, I even felt guilty for being harsh with my mother-in-law.

How could I treat her like that, knowing she was so close to the end?

My mother-in-law rubbed my head. “It’s fine, Nadine. I don’t blame you.”

I hugged her tightly and cried.

She pulled out a red cloth bag from her pocket, her hands trembling.

“This bracelet has been passed down through generations. It’s only given to the daughter-in-law of the Cloves family. It’s yours now.”

Tears continued to fall as I put the green bracelet she gave me on my wrist.

For the next few days, I drove to work, and that’s why I didn’t see the old blind man again.

It wasn’t until today that he stopped me outside my office building.

“You! Were you tricked?!”

I rubbed the bracelet on my wrist.

“You were right. That deity was Lady Nefarious. But my mother-in-law has cancer. She was just trying to get a blessing from Lady Nefarious.”

He slammed his cane hard on the ground. If not for the fact that he might accidentally kill me, I’m sure he would have struck me with it.

“Get a blessing? Then why would you need to put on that life-draining bracelet?!”

What? A life-draining bracelet?

That bracelet had been passed down through generations in the family.

The old blind man laughed coldly.

“Do you really think raw pork is enough for an evil being that has existed for thousands of years? Look closely at that bracelet. Didn’t you notice anything unusual?”

My heart chilled at his words. I quickly took off the bracelet and examined it closely.

If I remember correctly, there had been a blood-red mark on the bracelet.

Now, that mark had grown larger, taking up almost half of the bracelet.

“That bracelet is absorbing your blood essence! The day you die will be the day Lady Nefarious receives her real offering. It will be the day she grants the wish of her worshippers!”

The previous offerings were nothing.

The real offering—the one that would seal the deal—was the final piece of flesh and blood.

And it had to come from a human being.