After discovering the true culprit behind the storm, Erion leisurely sat down on the black velvet sofa. His posture resembled that of a man enjoying tea, rather than one preparing to punish a princess of royal blood.

  He raised his hand, and the Black Crystal Mirror slowly materialized before him. Its surface, carved from pure obsidian, shimmered with a violet glow, as if it were devouring the very space around it. With the lightest touch of his finger, the reflection of the young princess sharpened — each strand of her chestnut-blonde curls swaying in the raging storm.

  His voice was deep, warm, yet sharp as a blade:

  – “Well then… let me teach this unruly princess a lesson.”

  Seated on his throne of redwood, the Demon King Satan gave a faint nod, the corner of his lips curling upward:

  – “That is Lita… the most stubborn of all my children. If you can tame her defiance, I shall grant you a great reward.”

  Erion did not reply. He merely pressed his finger once more upon the mirror’s surface.

  At once, high above where Lita stood, a massive cube appeared. Its edges glowed faintly, radiating an overwhelming gravitational pull. Though she struggled furiously, the young princess could not resist — the force dragged her mercilessly into its depths.

  ---

  Inside the cube lay a labyrinth of a thousand interwoven dimensions, each layer containing hundreds more, stacked endlessly like a cosmic web. All who watched through the satellite feed widened their eyes in disbelief—none had ever seen a spatial structure so bizarre.

  Crossing one leg over the other, Erion’s voice flowed evenly, like the pronouncement of a verdict:

  – “Within this construct, I can manipulate temperature, time, space, and pressure… at will. Let’s see if this little princess, so fond of making trouble, can find her way out.”

  ---

  On the rooftop of the high-rise, the midnight sky was thick with dark mammatus clouds, casting an eerie pall over the scene. The glowing cube hovered amidst the torrential rain, a beacon of ominous power.

  Lita did not know what this thing was. All she felt was the world around her twisting, bending, collapsing upon itself. Inside the cube, the sky was darker, heavier, and more terrifying than the storm outside.

  She opened her mouth to scream — but no sound emerged. Every cry was swallowed whole, echoing back only within her mind, like a haunting whisper from a dream.

  Inside the cube, Lita opened her eyes and froze. Before her stretched not the night sky of Saigon, but an endless void — so vast her gaze could not find its limits. The emptiness pressed down on her mind, heavy and suffocating. Each step she took echoed without end, reverberating into nothingness.

  Beneath her feet lay something that was neither stone, nor metal, nor any material she had ever known. Each touch felt as though she were walking upon a colossal mirror, reflecting the warped heavens above.

  She turned, but every direction was the same—no up or down, no left or right, no fixed point of reference. Even the light was unnatural: it came from nowhere, illuminating everything just enough, while shadows drifted along the edges of her vision like phantoms.

  As the heiress of storm-born power, Lita instantly summoned energy into her palms. Lightning crackled, blinding bolts tearing through the void and striking against the unseen barrier that enclosed her. The roar was deafening — yet instead of shattering the walls, every spark was absorbed into the dense fabric of space, vanishing as though it had never existed.

  ---

  At the Bình Chánh headquarters, Erion lounged on his black velvet sofa, posture relaxed as though watching an entertaining film. Before him, the Black Crystal Mirror faithfully displayed Lita’s every desperate movement within the cube. His voice rang out deep and steady, each word carving into the air:

  – “No physical attack can break it. The cube is not made of material elements… It is forged from millions of fragments of space, drawn from parallel worlds — even from cosmic dimensions themselves. Each fragment is a replica of a chosen space, reshaped at my will. Only after assembling millions of such fragments does the multi-dimensional cube take form. And the pieces are never fixed… I can move them at will, like a geometric Rubik’s cube.”

  The Demon King Satan gave a faint nod, his lips curling into an unreadable smile. Indeed, this was the Black Diamond he had watched for over a thousand years — the one he wished to bind eternally to himself by adopting Trang, the cosmic-born diamond, as his daughter, to balance against Erion’s existence. Inwardly, he thought: “Centuries of effort… not in vain.”

  The others in the grand hall stared, eyes wide, mouths agape. Even Din, Erion’s most loyal subordinate, had never imagined such a spatial construct could exist — much less be wrought by the very master he served.

  The Grand Thái S? narrowed her gaze at the cube on the satellite feed:

  – “With this, even alien criminals would break down in terror. No need for interrogation — they’d confess on their own.”

  Erion smiled with quiet triumph:

  – “I rarely use it. Only for the most stubborn and unyielding. There is no punishment more absolute than a psychological one.”

  The Demon King Satan tilted his head toward Erion, his voice deep and rumbling:

  – “That cube is floating above Saigon… Be careful it doesn’t draw the attention of humans or other beings.”

  Erion merely smirked, brushing a fingertip across the surface of the Black Crystal Mirror. Instantly, the cube vanished from Saigon’s sky. The satellite feed went blank — until thirty seconds later, the construct reappeared, now hovering directly above the vast grounds of the headquarters.

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  Everyone rushed outside. The sight before them was breathtaking — like a colossal work of art. The cube’s faces reflected and twisted fragments of distorted space, colors swirling in impossible hues. Inside, Lita screamed, her eyes swollen from tears. She pounded her fists against invisible walls, blind to the outside world, while the ever-shifting scenery around her stripped away any sense of direction.

  Erion cast a sidelong glance at Trúc Di?n, his eyes sharp with challenge:

  – “Snake King, care to try stepping inside? It can hold hundreds at once, each locked in their own dimension. None will ever meet—unless I permit it.”

  Sensing the tension rise, Master V?nh spoke up, seeking to ease the moment:

  – “The question is… will you release the princess now?”

  The Demon King gave a slight nod:

  – “Release her. If she remains defiant, she goes back in.”

  With a casual snap of his fingers, Erion shattered the cube. The fragments burst apart, glowing like diamond dust before dissolving into nothingness.

  Lita collapsed onto the ground, hair in disarray, mascara smeared down her cheeks. Erion’s gaze cut into her like a blade:

  – “Well, little princess? Do you still dare summon storms to defy me… and my future wife? Next time, the dimensions will be far more terrifying.”

  Lita immediately turned to her father, her voice trembling with spoiled outrage:

  – “Father! How could you let him bully me? And worse — how could you adopt her as your daughter?!”

  The Grand Thái S?, fanning herself with her black phoenix-feather fan, sighed:

  – “They are far stronger than you, princess. Erion only lifted a finger… and here you are, sitting on the floor.”

  Trúc Di?n crossed his arms, shaking his head:

  – “Just like that mortal D?ng’s daughters—petty, spoiled little princesses.”

  Lita glared at him, her tone sharp and venomous:

  – “And who are you? What right do you have to speak here?”

  Trúc Di?n flicked back his long black hair, answering with airy disdain:

  – “I am the Serpent King, lord of the ancient serpent clan… over a thousand years old, princess.”

  The Grand Thái S? burst into laughter:

  – “Indeed, princess — you’re the youngest one here.”

  Truly, Lita, pampered by the Second Queen since birth, carried herself with arrogance and haughtiness that surpassed even the spoiled heiresses of D?ng’s family.

  The Demon King Satan glared at his daughter, who was still sitting stubbornly on the ground, crying and refusing to get up. His voice roared like thunder:

  – “Are you going inside or not? If not, then stay there forever!”

  Prince Arian frowned, his tone sharp with irritation:

  – “You’re grown up already, yet still acting spoiled. No wonder all the princes at court run for their lives the moment they see you.”

  Lita sprang to her feet, her face still defiant, her shrill voice full of challenge:

  – “Who needs the boys of this kingdom anyway! I’m the daughter of the Lord who rules the Dark Planet. I don’t need them. As if they’re worth anything!”

  H?ng Nhung stepped forward, her voice soft and gentle like midnight rain:

  – “What matters is you, Lita. You need to change your personality, your attitude. Everyone here… only wants what’s best for you.”

  Lord Satan let out a cold snort, his amber eyes blazing in the darkness:

  – “Your sister-in-law is right. Keep up this spoiled, sharp-tongued attitude, and I’ll throw you into the Abyss of Endless Hell so you’ll finally learn.”

  Lita screamed even louder, flailing her arms like a child. Satan had no more patience, his command cutting through the night:

  – “Lock her up! Without my order, no one is to release her.”

  Two female guards strode over and forcefully dragged the stubborn princess away, ignoring her kicking and screaming.

  Once her figure disappeared, Satan raised his black skull-topped scepter into the air. Its hollow eye sockets blazed with crimson light. Instantly, the massive storm conjured by Lita dissolved as if it had never existed, revealing a night sky of stars and a gentle moon above Saigon.

  The Grand Thái S? waved her black phoenix-feather fan, her tone as light as the wind:

  – “Let us return inside. Erion, the next cube… it will be placed at D?ng’s mansion, yes?”

  Erion smirked, his eyes cold and merciless:

  – “That’s right. That bastard’s family will spin like a toy top.”

  Trang tilted her head slightly, a faint smile on her lips:

  – “And if they remain stubborn, refusing to admit their crimes?”

  Lord Satan answered immediately, his voice icy:

  – “Then we’ll… trap them at night, release them by day. They will break eventually.”

  Yin nodded, the corner of his mouth curving:

  – “At this rate, in just a month they’ll be in complete psychological collapse.”

  Din let out a sly laugh, his tone dripping with malice:

  – “Better to drag it out. Wait until that centipede spirit slithers in to become their precious son-in-law… then we’ll wipe them all out in one sweep.”

  Laughter thundered through the vast compound of the Bình Chánh headquarters, echoing like an ominous omen of the brutal punishment awaiting D?ng’s family should they continue to resist.

  At the mansion in District 2, C?u D?ng’s family and his three close friends once again stood dumbfounded, mouths agape and eyes wide.

  The night sky, after the raging storm, suddenly returned to a breathtaking beauty: The moon gleamed brightly, a gentle breeze drifted through, and the stars glittered like fairy dust scattered across the heavens.

  Deep rushed out into the garden, shouting in panic:

  – “What on earth is this? How can the sky look like there was never even a storm?”

  C?u D?ng clutched his forehead, his voice trembling as though he were about to faint:

  – “First my mansion was frozen… and now this strange phenomenon. Could it be… could it be magic at work?”

  M? Linh curled her lips, letting out a mocking laugh:

  – “Oh, please. You act like Marvel characters are real. Watch fewer movies, will you?”

  Tu?n stood speechless, murmuring in awe:

  – “So strange… I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

  Neighbors from surrounding villas also stepped out into their gardens and balconies. Staring up at the sky, they whispered among themselves in confusion.

  Mr. Tài — the neighbor across from D?ng’s villa — exclaimed:

  – “Good heavens… what in the world is going on?”

  His wife, standing behind him, whispered as if afraid someone might overhear:

  – “For months now, this neighborhood has been plagued by strange, supernatural events…”

  Meanwhile, at the villa in District 7, Anh Tú’s family also looked up at the sky, now calm and clear once more.

  Mr. ??c nodded slowly, speaking in a measured tone:

  – “I said it before… only they could have resolved this storm.”

  Anh Tú didn’t take his eyes off the gentle moonlight above, sighing softly:

  – “I must admit… their power is incredible, especially Erion’s.”

  Standing just behind him, butler Anna bowed her head slightly, speaking in a low voice:

  – “According to the records in the national Elf system, Erion’s strength rivals even that of the Demon King Satan. But because of his temper and stubbornness… he often ends up defeated by him.”

  Mrs. Tam added in a firm voice:

  – “Thankfully, Erion doesn’t possess a cruel, scheming, or vicious nature. Otherwise… he’d be a disaster. Who could ever stand against power like his?”

  The entire Anh Tú family exchanged glances, their eyes filled with both admiration and unease. Not a single word more was spoken.

  ---

  Meanwhile, back at the Bình Chánh headquarters, the grand hall was filled with people. The furious shrieking of Princess Lita still echoed from the room upstairs, her voice sharp enough to pierce through the solemn atmosphere.

  Erion smirked faintly, lifting his index finger toward the air. Beneath his feet, a magic circle spiraled into existence — intricate patterns of space and time weaving together, glowing with a shimmering black and violet light.

  Instantly, spatial energy enveloped Lita’s prison chamber. All her screams were cut off, trapped entirely within, unable to escape. The grand hall fell silent once again.

  The magic circle dissolved. Erion sank into a black velvet sofa, legs crossed, his voice dripping with mockery:

  – “There. Now our ears can finally rest.”

  The Grand Thái S? fanned herself with her black phoenix-feather fan, nodding in approval:

  – “Indeed… the queen consort spoiled the princess far too much. With such behavior, she must be disciplined from the very beginning.”

  No one in the hall objected. Everyone knew

  well — Princess Lita’s defiance had long since crossed the line.