The World Is Mine For The Taking

I didn't know why, but something about her had completely changed.

The way she moved with her being swift, sharp, and precise—wasn't like the woman I'd faced before. Every step she took carried weight, and her blows landed with force that seemed far stronger than before. And that regeneration… it wasn't just fast, it was terrifying. Flesh mending in an instant, wounds closing as if they'd never been inflicted.

It was like something inside her had broken—no, snapped apart.

"You seem… very different from before. It's not like… you're human anymore," I muttered, my voice low, almost swallowed by the tension in the air. My fingers twitched, pulling invisible lines of power. Strings shot out, hundreds of them, swaying and lashing like a storm of blades around her as I swept my hands in wide arcs.

And yet—she brushed them aside. Effortlessly.

No… some of the strings did connect. I could hear the wet, sickening squelches of flesh tearing. I saw the faint spray of blood against the air. But her face didn't even flinch. It was like pain didn't exist for her anymore. She didn't care if her body was being torn apart. She didn't care if she lived… or if she died.

"Even a wild beast still thinks of self-preservation," I sneered, lips curling into a sharp smirk.

She was strong, I had to give her that. But strength alone isn't everything. She lacked precision and she lacked grace. Her movements were wild, uncontrolled, and unpredictable. That chaos gave her momentum, but at the same time, it left her open. And unpredictability, no matter how sharp, couldn't outweigh inevitability.

Because here, in this space I had already woven my strings into, there was no advantage she could claim. There was no escape.

There was no escape from death itself.

I was born from the power of our mother, Lilith. Her essence flowed in my veins as well as in my very being. And with that power, there was no one—no one—who could ever hope to defeat me… unless they too carried Mother's blood.

But this woman? She was nothing like that. She wasn't born from Lilith.

Which meant—

"This is the end," I whispered, my voice steady.

She stepped right where I wanted her to.

And then, with my hand curling into a tight fist, the countless strings hidden all around the space suddenly snapped to life. They rushed inward like a thousand blades, closing in on her from every direction, the air itself screaming as they cut through it.

"Now… die—"

"That's enough."

A woman's voice, calm yet commanding, cut through everything like a blade.

My strings—every single one of them—vanished in an instant. The trap I'd spun so carefully, gone as though it had never existed.

It was like my power itself had been erased.

How…?

"Shredica is a valuable asset to my plans, you see…"

The voice carried deeper now as a figure stepped into the bar, her presence washing over the room like a tide.

The moment my eyes landed on her, my blood surged, like fire racing through my veins.

That feeling… I knew it. I had felt it before—

With Leon.

"Fufufu… Is this what they mean when they say your blood recognizes its own? When you meet someone you're related to, and your very veins stir at the sight?" She smiled slyly, her tone dripping with amusement.

"Y-You're…"

"Veronica Eclair. That's the name I was given, isn't it? You're the one who left me in that place, right?" she said, smiling as though she already knew the answer.

My chest tightened.

Veronica.

This woman… she was one of the five parts of Lilith. Which made her… my sister. My younger sister.

"Veronica!" I shouted, a rush of emotion breaking out of me. My arms spread wide as I lunged toward her, desperate to embrace her.

But she disappeared before I could touch her.

Her voice echoed around me, almost playful.

"It seems you can't contain your excitement, Elise Eclair. Or should I say… dear big sister?"

"Well, of course! I am your big sister!" I shouted back, giddy, almost trembling from the weight of it all.

I couldn't hold back the emotions surging through me. After all this time, after searching endlessly—I finally found her.

"I've been looking for you everywhere! Finally… I finally found you!"

Her crimson eyes softened, but her lips still curved into that sly smile.

"I'm glad you feel that way. Truly, I am. But…" Her voice dropped lower and colder. "Do you really think this is the right time for a happy reunion, dear sister?"

Before I could respond, something slammed into me.

It wasn't physical. It was worse.

A crushing weight bore down on me, like invisible hands pushing against every inch of my body. My chest tightened, my knees buckle and the very air felt heavy as if it was turning to stone.

I looked up, struggling to breathe, and saw her hand stretched out toward me.

"I'm sorry, but… could you come with me for a moment?"

Her words were soft, almost kind.

And then, darkness swallowed me whole.

***

Shredica's POV

I woke with a start, a sharp ache burning in my back. My body felt heavy and sluggish.

Blinking, I realized I was lying on a bed, the ceiling above me blurred in my vision. A medical knight was standing nearby, checking me over with steady hands.

"W-Where… am I?" My voice cracked as I forced the words out.

"Ah, you've woken. Good. I'll call Captain Laurel immediately. Please wait here."

The knight hurried off, leaving me sitting up slowly.

Why… was I here?

No… I remembered. I had been defeated.

A bitter taste filled my mouth.

I lost.

To Elise Eclair.

As the thought sank deeper, the door opened and Laurel stepped in, her usual composed presence filling the room.

"So, you've finally woken. That's good. Do you feel anything unusual? Any pain?"

"Not that I can tell," I answered, shaking my head.

Laurel tilted her head, her eyes narrowing slightly. "It's strange, though. The others told me you sewed your arm back on yourself during the fight. Did you lie about being skillless?"

Her words froze me.

I hadn't lied. I was skillless. But… sewing my arm back? I didn't remember doing anything like that. My mind was blank on the matter. And yet, when I glanced down at my arm—it was whole. Perfectly reattached. It shouldn't even be there. It had been severed.

"…I don't know anything about that," I muttered.

"Well, it seems you truly don't," Laurel sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Either way, Vice Commander Veronica wants you to come with her. She intends to speak with Elise Eclair."

"…Why me?"

Laurel only shrugged. "No idea. She only said since you fought Elise, you've earned the privilege to know the truth. Like why their last names are the same."

Her words struck a nerve. That question had been gnawing at me too.

Veronica and Elise.

There was something about them—an aura as well as a presence—that felt identical. And when I looked closely, they shared features too. Same black hair. Same red eyes. The resemblance was undeniable, though Veronica looked a little younger.

But it wasn't just them.

There was someone else who carried that same feeling.

Leon.

The thought wouldn't leave me.

Was there truly a connection between the three of them?

That was what I had to find out.