I honestly had no idea why she was talking like that.

Then again… this was Lilith.

Lilith was not just some mysterious woman with questionable intentions. She was the first resident of this world, the very beginning of it all, someone who had stood there when nothing existed and helped shape everything that came after. That alone already made her existence hard to measure. If knowledge had a peak, she was probably standing somewhere near it, looking down at the rest of us struggling to climb.

If anyone knew about the Great Ones, it had to be her.

"The Great Red surpasseth me by far," she spoke. "Even should he be restrained within that Prince's vessel and lack the fullness of his might, thou, in thy present state, wouldst still fall short. If thou seekest even the faintest hope of triumph, or wouldst lessen the ruin that battle shall bring… then why not make use of me?"

"Use you?" I echoed, squinting slightly.

"Aye," she answered, as if the answer itself was obvious.

Her form shifted right before my eyes. It wasn't dramatic. I mean, there was no flashy light or loud transformation. It just… happened. One second she stood there as she was, and the next, her figure had matured. Her body carried more weight and more presence. The curves were more pronounced and her aura heavier, like she had chosen a form that demanded attention whether I liked it or not.

"As we have done before," she continued, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Thou mayst draw upon my power and bring him low."

"Why should I do that?" I asked.

"Because I offer mine aid of mine own will," she replied. "Thou art the vessel wherein I reside. It is but natural that I lend thee mine strength. Should thy body suffer grievous harm, I too would bear the consequence."

"So basically, you just want to protect yourself because you're scared your vessel might get destroyed?" I shot back, raising a brow.

"Such a crude way to phrase it," she said, though she did not seem offended. "Yet thou art not entirely mistaken. Still, that is not the sole reason."

Her gaze softened, just slightly.

"I would not have thee come to harm… for thou art mine son."

Hearing that word, son, come from her felt off in a way I couldn't just brush aside. It didn't sound fake, but it didn't sit comfortably either. It was like wearing something that technically fit, but just didn't feel right on your skin.

Still, thinking about it properly, it wasn't completely wrong.

She might not have given birth in the usual sense, but she was the origin. The reason any of us existed in the first place. That counted for something, even if I didn't know how much.

"Is it not the wish of all who bear children," she went on, "to shield them from harm?"

"Well, if you really see me as your son, then stop being vague about everything," I said, my tone sharpening a bit. "You told me before that you didn't know whether you could revive using my body if I fucked all the fragments. You also said you didn't want that. But that doesn't add up, does it? You don't just create fragments of yourself for no reason. That sounds like preparation, not uncertainty."

She said nothing.

She just smiled.

That same calm, knowing smile that made it feel like she was five steps ahead in a conversation I hadn't even finished thinking through.

"Yeah… thought so," I muttered. "You've always been like this. If you're not going to give me a straight answer, then just get me out of here already."

"Leon," she called. It was the first time she said my name during this conversation.

"If thou truly desirest victory, then thou must make use of me. Lie with the nearest fragments, partake in sex with them, and awaken thy Great Black form. If it be thee, then it is within thy reach."

"You want me to have sex with Veronica?" I asked, staring at her.

"Fufufu… in truth, thou already entertainest the thought, dost thou not?" she replied, amusement slipping into her tone. "Though fear of consequence doth linger within thee, desire yet remains. Veronica's form is… pleasing, is it not? I shaped her thus with intent. In truth, I fashioned all the fragments in such a manner, that thou wouldst find thyself unable to turn away."

That… actually explained a lot.

There had always been something off about it. I mean, that pull or even that strange sense of familiarity mixed with attraction. It didn't feel completely natural, but it wasn't forced either. It was just enough to mess with my head.

So that was her doing.

Thinking about it, it wasn't completely disconnected from who I was either. Back on Earth, I had a thing for black-haired women with that cold, distant look. Like... well, Akane, for example. The kind that seemed unapproachable until you got closer. Somehow, all of them fit that pattern a little too well.

Still, there was a problem with that idea.

I hadn't even been born here when she created them. I mean, created us.

So how did she know?

Unless…

She had been watching me even before I got here.

Weird thought. Uncomfortable too. Not exactly the kind of thing you wanted to confirm.

Then again, she was the one who brought my soul into this body.

So yeah… not impossible.

She looked at me, that same smile still there, like she didn't need to confirm anything because she already knew I'd figure it out eventually.

"Well then, mine dear child," she said softly, "the choice remaineth thine. Refuse, if thou so desirest. Yet pray that thou possess the strength to withstand the madness that cometh from facing one who is born of the Greatest Destruction."

"Greatest Destruction?" I repeated.

"The Great One who standeth at the origin of both creation and ruin," she answered. "Soon shall the worlds begin to collide with their boundaries undone."

That didn't sound good. Actually, that sounded like the kind of thing that should've come with a warning label.

Before I could ask anything else, she raised her hand slightly and snapped her fingers.

Everything blurred.

The space around me faded, like someone had just turned off the lights in a room I didn't even realize I was standing in. My senses shifted, pulled away from that place.

Then I opened my eyes.

I was in my room.

Lying on my bed.

For a second, I just stared at the ceiling, trying to piece together what just happened. My body felt normal.

I had been asleep.

Apparently.

Which didn't make sense.

I wasn't tired earlier. Not even close. One moment I was fine, and the next, I was waking up like I had just taken a nap I didn't agree to.

So yeah, that only left one explanation.

Lilith forced it.

She put me to sleep just to have that conversation.

"Yeah… figures," I muttered under my breath.

That woman really did whatever she wanted.

Still, as annoying as that was, one thing stuck with me more than the rest.

Her words.

The way she talked about the Great Ones, the fragments, or the collision of worlds. None of it sounded like something I could just ignore and deal with later.

And then there was Moriarty.

Up until now, I thought it was just us. Two people moving pieces on a board, trying to outplay each other.

Turns out, that might not be the case at all.

There were bigger players.

Or maybe… players wasn't even the right word.

A thought crossed my mind, and I couldn't really shake it off.

There was a chance…

That Moriarty and I weren't controlling anything.

That we weren't even players in this game.

We were probably just pieces. and we were moving the way someone else wanted us to.