The World Is Mine For The Taking

Estelle met up with me in the garden.

The place was quiet, only the faint rustle of leaves and the distant chirping of birds filling the air. Yet, despite the calm surroundings, she didn't carry her usual cheeky, mischievous smile. Instead, her expression seemed stiff, almost strained, like her face was struggling to hold itself together.

She looked… tired. Not just physically, but as if something had drained her spirit. I figured it must've been exhausting for her to deal with Elise. And honestly, I couldn't blame Elise for reacting the way she did either. After searching for so many years, only to finally come face-to-face with her again… it was no wonder she completely lost control.

"You good?" I asked, watching her carefully.

"You really are such a naughty upperclassman, aren't you?" Estelle said, forcing a smile. "I never imagined you'd drag me into meeting her like that."

"Well, technically, she's your sister. It only made sense for me to let you two meet before she left for the underworld," I said simply.

"Well… I wasn't really complaining. In fact, it feels… good. To finally know she's alive," she admitted softly. "I still have these faint fragments of memory about her, you know?"

"I see…" I muttered, not really knowing what else to say.

She turned her gaze to the garden, the sunlight touching her pale face, and then she spoke again, quieter this time. "You know, Leon… do you think it's fate that we've slowly ended up like this?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm asking if it's fate that pulled us together like this. It feels like… something bigger than us is drawing everyone together," she said. "Don't you think it means Lilith's resurrection is inevitable?"

Her words lingered in the air. I couldn't deny it. At some point, it really did feel like all of this wasn't coincidence. Like fate itself had been moving the pieces, step by step, pulling us closer, making sure each fragment fell into place. And when you thought about it that way… Lilith's return almost seemed unavoidable.

"Are you scared about that, Senior?" Estelle asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?" I asked back, meeting her gaze.

"I mean… there's no guarantee that you'll even remain yourself when she wakes up," she said. "A body can't carry two souls at once. Imagine a bottle already filled to the brim with water. If someone keeps pouring more into it, it'll just overflow."

Her analogy was spot on. And what she was saying was true.

A bottle has its limit. No matter how much you try, once it's full, the rest has to spill. And if one body tries to contain two souls, one will have to be pushed out. I mean, it simply won't work otherwise.

"I mean, honestly, it's not like it'll do me much good if the world itself decides it wants Lilith back," I said, exhaling slowly. "If fate moves on its own to bring her back, then I won't have a choice but to go along with what it demands of me."

"You sound like you've already given up," Estelle replied. "It doesn't even sound like you're trying to fight fate. It's more like you've already accepted it… like you're walking straight toward it."

"Well, maybe resigning myself to something inevitable is inevitable in itself," I said with a bitter smile. "But that doesn't mean I'll just let it happen without a fight. I'd rather struggle for my right to this body than simply hand it over to her."

The moment those words left my mouth, Estelle's face shifted. Her strained expression melted away, and her usual cheeky grin returned at last.

"I suppose that's only natural," she said lightly. "I like that tenacity, Senior. But…" Her grin widened, sharper than usual, her eyes glinting with a teasing challenge. "I don't think you'll win against her. She's our creator, after all."

Whether she was my creator or not didn't really matter. As long as I kept myself from getting too close to resurrecting Lilith, then I'd be fine. That was all I needed to focus on.

"Well then, my dear brother, I hope you'll have success in your endeavor moving forward," she said, her tone both playful and mocking.

With that, Estelle turned and walked away. I didn't bother following her or even turning to watch her go. I just kept my eyes on the horizon.

For some reason, despite the sunlight, the air felt colder than usual.

***

After that conversation with Estelle, I went down to where Marie was.

She hadn't moved much. She was still sitting in the same place, her delicate hands picking at the food they had left for her. She looked calm, almost too calm, as if the world around her didn't matter.

"Finally, you came back to see me, Leon," she said, her voice smooth, carrying that same quiet smile she always wore.

I sank down into a seat across from her.

"You look like you've been buried in thought. Did something happen?" she asked gently.

"Nah, nothing," I lied. "Hey, would you mind telling me about yourself?"

Her eyes widened slightly, almost in surprise, before a soft laugh escaped her lips.

"Fufufufu… Not about James… but about me?" she said, tilting her head.

"Well, I'm tired of trying to make you spill something about Moriarty. So, I figured I should just ask about your life instead," I said, half-joking, half-serious. "I feel like… after all the time we've spent together, I barely know anything about you."

"I'm an old lady now, you know," she teased with a small smirk. "So it's not exactly right for you to try and seduce me."

The funny thing was, while her appearance was still youthful, glowing even, the truth was far from it. She was over a hundred years old. Her ability to manipulate souls must've had something to do with her age-defying look.

"Well, I wouldn't really mind if I had you," I told her with a small grin. "I mean, I've had sex with women far older than you."