It might seem absurd for a skeleton to be startled by a human. However, the figure before me was neither entirely human nor completely skeletal, and her appearance alone was enough to elicit both awe and dread.  0

So this... is what she is?0

The woman who emerged from the darkness was breathtakingly beautiful, her features crafted with an almost cruel precision that seemed to transcend the human realm. Her proportions followed the golden ratio with unerring accuracy. She was both breathtaking and intimidating, to a degree that bordered on terrifying.  0

However, she was half-human, half-skeletal—a hybrid of bone and flesh. Even her hair reflected this strange duality, with curling, bone-like strands cascading elegantly behind her ears to frame her forehead. 0

Around her mouth, three fine, deep lines extended from her lips to her jaw and down her neck. Her half-red, half-pale white lips blended seamlessly between flesh and bone. As she opened her mouth, the lines parted, revealing the pristine white bone deep inside.  0

"Hmmm…" the woman murmured.0

Creak.0

She raised her hands—one human, the other a bluish,...0