By the time Roy got back to the Beverly Hills villa, it was already 2 a.m. Naturally, he'd missed his plans with Amy, Claire, and the others.
Worse still, when he stepped into the villa, he found the five members of the Apocalypse Society waiting for him.
Apparently, the witch school had a three-day break for Halloween, so the Apocalypse Society decided to bring little Emma along to surprise Roy.
In reality, Emma was just an excuse—the four witches missed Roy.
They'd planned to give him a big surprise, but instead, they ran into Amy, Claire, and the others at the villa.
This was a bit awkward, considering the villa belonged to Madison, and here Roy was, bringing other women into her space.
Madison stood with her arms crossed, looking a little peeved.
But when she saw Roy walk in, pale and visibly exhausted, the four witches' attitudes softened.
Even when Roy had teamed up with the Apocalypse Society for intense gaming sessions, he'd never looked this worn out.
"Roy, are you hurt?" Zoe asked, her voice laced with concern.
"I'm fine. Just took a bit of a mental beating," Roy replied.
The mental pollution from the primal fear had already given him a headache, and now, seeing the Apocalypse Society in the villa made his head throb even more.
Claire, hearing this, grew worried too. "Roy, is it serious?"
As a psychologist, Claire knew how severe mental damage could be.
Unlike physical injuries, mental wounds were tough to heal.
In severe cases, they could cause permanent brain damage, leaving no cure but a slow decline.
"It's not a big deal. I just need a solid night's sleep, and I'll be fine," Roy said, emphasizing "solid" with a pointed tone.
Amy and Kayla, the more mature women in the group, caught his meaning and flashed teasing smiles.
Madison, with her wealth of experience, started to suspect Roy was pulling a fast one. "Roy, you sure you're not faking it?"
Jennifer stepped up, taking on the role of the "head wife" with her hands on her hips. "Enough, you guys. Roy's not joking! There was a supernatural incident at Santa Monica. Over a thousand people got dragged into a dream, and more than a hundred ended up brain-dead, stuck as vegetables. Roy just went into the dream world and saved nearly nine hundred lives. Give him a break!"
Jennifer's words were heartfelt, and after her speech, the other women dropped their playful complaints.
"Emma, it's super late. Let's get you to bed," Nidhi said.
At eight years old, Emma was already yawning, barely staying awake past 2 a.m. Nidhi took her to a quiet room in the corner of the villa to avoid any disturbances.
As for Roy, he headed straight for the master bedroom's king-sized bed.
"How am I supposed to sleep with you all staring at me?" Roy grumbled.
Fresh from washing up and ready to crash, he found a group of women surrounding him, watching him like hawks.
With Roy's heightened senses, there was no way he could sleep under this kind of scrutiny.
Jennifer stepped in again, playing the bad cop. "Alright, everyone, clear out!"
Zoe raised her hand. "I learned some calming witchcraft at school. Maybe I can help."
Claire remembered her psychologist credentials. "I'm trained in mental health. I can keep an eye on Roy too."
"Fine. Zoe and Claire stay. Everyone else, out!" Jennifer ordered.
The master bedroom was left with just Roy, Zoe, and Claire.
Zoe's witch talents were pretty weak, so she hadn't focused on developing them. Instead, she'd honed practical support skills.
With Madison and Carrie handling frontal assaults and Maria specializing in sneak attacks, Zoe's role was clear.
One of her skills was a calming spell she'd learned at witch school, designed to heal mental trauma. She'd never used it before, though.
Roy, still rattled from the mental strain, couldn't fall asleep even with his eyes closed. Zoe placed her hands on his temples and softly chanted an unfamiliar incantation.
As she chanted, a gentle yellow glow emanated from her hands.
Under its influence, Roy's furrowed brow relaxed, and his breathing steadied.
Claire pressed her fingers to Roy's carotid artery, checking his pulse. "He's in a deep sleep now."
Zoe kept casting the spell, maintaining the soothing effect.
Roy felt like he was swimming in warm, sunlit waters—free, unbound, and utterly at peace. He'd never slept so comfortably.
But after a while, he sensed a dangerous mermaid attacking him, filling him with fear.
He struggled, but couldn't escape, and was dragged into the deep sea.
(This is the thing.)
Do you guys know the right way to eat Pocky?
"No way! Oh, Lilith, your voice sounds different. Did the ritual work?" Roy asked, speaking into his phone while lightly tapping Madison and Maria.
They got the hint immediately.
"Yes, Roy! And I've got a surprise for you!" Lilith replied.
"Really?"
"Uh-huh! You won't be disappointed!"
Roy was at his limit. He quickly wrapped up the call. "Lilith, I gotta go. I'm really looking forward to your surprise."
He set the phone on the nightstand and started playing with sparklers alongside Madison and Maria.
The noise from upstairs caught the attention of the women downstairs. Amy stomped up and caught the scene.
On closer inspection, she realized the woman using Lilith's perfect doll body wasn't Lilith—Lilith was in her original body now.
Thanks to Dorothy's soul-swapping ritual, Lilith and her daughter Ophelina had switched bodies.
"Ophelina, made up your mind yet? Ready to meet your new dad?" Lilith asked.
Ophelina spat on the ground, sneering. "What, you trying to offer your daughter to some big shot again? Like you did years ago?"
Lilith shook her head. "Ophelina, this is different. You remember Roy Black, don't you? He's your new dad."
Ophelina turned away. She knew exactly who Roy Black was but refused to give in to Lilith. "I don't know any Roy Black! Just kill me already, Lilith. I'm not bowing to you!"
"Heh, my dear daughter, I'm not letting you off that easy. Your good days are just beginning!" Lilith said.
With a wave of magic, she put Ophelina to sleep and placed her body in a pre-prepared coffin.
"Dorothy, we can head back now," Lilith said.
"Mm-hmm! I haven't seen Roy in days. I kinda miss him," Dorothy replied.
Back at the villa, the women downstairs heard the commotion and knew exactly what was happening.
"Good thing I didn't bring Ceci!" Dalia said, glancing at the others.
After spending the night at the Dolphin Hotel, Dalia had left her daughter Ceci at the hotel's childcare service before heading to Beverly Hills.
"Good thing I sent Emma to the Dolphin Hotel too," Jennifer added.
She'd known today would be intense, so she'd dropped Emma off.
Emma was probably playing with Ceci right now.
Though, while Ceci was a normal kid, Emma was… less so.
With the intellect of an adult, Emma was likely a bit grumpy about being stuck with kids.
"Ladies, what are we waiting for? Let's head upstairs. Last night's punishment hasn't been carried out yet!" Kayla said with a sly grin.
"How are you planning to punish Roy?" Ashley asked, curious.
"You won't be disappointed!" Kayla teased.
Roy rolled his eyes. "Seriously? You guys for real?"
"Totally serious! We've been looking forward to this for a while!" they chimed.
(This is the vibe.)
"Wow!"
"Guess who we are! If you get them all right, there's a prize!" one of the ghostly girls said in a deliberately muffled voice.
Roy could tell it was Claire pretending to be Kayla, but he didn't call her out. Sometimes playing dumb was part of the fun.
The college arc is heading into its final stretch. -1700