The mansion was quiet.
Too quiet.
Rhea could feel it, pulsing beneath her feet, whispering through the walls, alive in every shadow.
The golden mark on her wrist glowed warmly now, a steady rhythm, like a heartbeat syncing with hers.
Adrian stood beside her, his hand gripping hers tightly.
"You feel that?" he asked.
"The mansion… it's responding to you."
Rhea closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
She could sense it now—the corridors, the walls, the very air vibrating with energy.
Every memory she had absorbed in Stage Two—the fear, the despair, the broken brides—was hers to command.
She was no longer a passive vessel.
"I… I think I can use it," she whispered.
"The mansion… it obeys my will, at least in part."
Adrian's eyes widened.
"That's incredible. Most chosen brides never get this far—they either succumb to fear or to Lilith. You… you're learning faster than I imagined."
A sudden chill swept the hallway.
Lilith's laugh echoed, soft and venomous.
"You may control this place temporarily, little bride… but you will never master me."
Rhea squared her shoulders.
"Watch me," she said, voice firm.
She raised her hands slightly, palms outward.
The golden light from her mark flared, expanding outward, illuminating the shadows.
The whispers of the mansion—once threatening—now guided her.
They wrapped around her like invisible threads, shaping the energy of the walls, the air, and even the darkness itself.
Lilith screamed, trying to strike, but Rhea's power pushed her back, like a wave against a cliff.
The ghost shrieked, twisting and flickering, her form unstable.
"You cannot command me!" she hissed.
Rhea focused harder, drawing strength from every memory, every lesson the mansion had shown her.
The fear that once paralyzed her was now a tool, transformed into energy she could wield.
Walls trembled, shadows bent to her will, and the cold that had haunted her now receded.
Adrian stepped beside her.
"You're doing it," he breathed.
"You're fighting with the mansion, not against it."
The golden light on her wrist pulsed faster and brighter, expanding into a halo around her.
Lilith shrieked again, her form warping.
"You… cannot… contain me!"
"Yes, I can!" Rhea shouted.
"I am not yours to control!"
She thrust her hands forward, sending a pulse of golden energy through the corridor.
The mansion responded instantly—the shadows recoiled, the walls hummed, and Lilith was thrown back, shrieking violently.
Adrian pulled Rhea close.
"You're stronger than she expected," he said.
"Keep going. Don't stop."
Rhea's breathing was heavy, but her mind was clear.
She felt the mansion's energy flowing through her, amplifying her resolve.
Every memory of the previous brides, every echo of Lilith's rage, every shadow that tried to intimidate her—she absorbed it all and transformed it into strength.
Lilith's shrieks grew weaker, her form flickering and unstable.
"Impossible!" the ghost screamed.
"You… cannot… dominate me!"
Rhea's chest heaved, her focus absolute.
"I am not afraid," she said, her voice echoing through the mansion.
"And I am not alone."
Adrian squeezed her hand.
"You never were."
A final pulse of golden light surged from Rhea's mark, washing through the corridor and blasting Lilith into the walls.
The ghost shrieked one last time, then dissolved into the shadows, retreating—defeated for now.
Rhea collapsed into Adrian's arms, exhausted but victorious.
"You… you really did it," he whispered, holding her close.
"You've begun to master Stage Three."
Rhea's lips curved in a tired but triumphant smile.
"I can feel it," she murmured.
"The mansion… it's mine to protect. And I will use it to protect us—us and everyone Lilith has ever hurt."
Adrian rested his forehead against hers, eyes soft but intense.
"You're more than the chosen bride. You're the bride who fights back… and wins."
The mansion pulsed softly around them, like it was breathing, acknowledging her control.
Rhea knew the battle wasn't over—but for the first time, she felt truly powerful.
Not just a victim.
Not just a bride.
A force.
And Lilith… would never forget her.