And yet…
To atone for her sins, Lilith was volunteering to become her believer…
For Prima, there was at least the “admiration” she felt to act as a lubricant for such a bond. But for Wang Yue, whom she viewed with resentment, this spiritual intrusion would be dry and abrasive. It would inevitably bring agonizing pain and tearing. For the proud Lilith, this was an unimaginably cruel prospect.
Wang Yue stared at the blonde girl, hesitating.
“Please… let me do something… if I do nothing… if I just wait for news every day… I’ll go mad…” Lilith’s voice was strained, bordering on a plea.
Wang Yue lowered her head and thought. If she left Lilith behind, the girl would likely live with a regret she could never forget. Moreover, Lilith’s usual behavior had already made her unpopular; the class was full of complaints about her, and Prima’s fate had only added fuel to the fire. If she stayed at school, she would undoubtedly be targeted. Outnumbered and powerless, she would be bullied mercilessly. To avoid more trouble, it was better to take her along.
Making her decision, Wang Yue turned her head, her hair swaying slightly. “Fine. You come with me. But you must follow my orders.”
“I’ll do whatever you say,” Lilith whispered, slowly pressing her face against the now-empty paper bag.
***
Late at night.
Wang Yue stood by Prima’s bed, holding a candle to examine her injuries. The light seeped into the girl’s body, revealing a transparent, layered state.
Wang Yue’s fingertips traced over the skin inch by inch. It was smooth and soft, but there was an eerie lack of support. The ribs were gone; if she pressed even slightly harder, she could touch the lungs and the heart directly.
Looking further down, the entire pelvic bone at the waist was missing, and the femurs connected to it had vanished as well. The lower body tapered into an oval shape.
Then there was her small head—her mouth lacked teeth and a tongue, and her eyes were mere hollow pits. She looked like a broken doll.
Sensing a familiar scent, the corners of Prima’s mouth twitched upward into a smile. She knew her friend had come to see her.
This scene was pure torture for Lilith. She crouched on the floor, struggling to suppress her shaking, her breathing heavy and ragged as she tried not to disturb Prima’s rest.
Wang Yue continued her examination. Inside the abdominal cavity, several vital organs were missing. A network of pale purple magical energy had branched out inside her, maintaining her life.
If Prima hadn’t undergone the first stage of her physical reinforcement and upgrade, she wouldn’t have survived long enough to use the potions. However, magic could not replace the vast and complex systems of the human body. Her life force was still leaking away, drop by drop.
Prima’s problem was a legacy of her past. Once, she had traded her limbs for the money she and her sister needed for school. Later, she had traded the majority of her body tissues for the power to turn the tides of battle.
Wang Yue ran the calculations. There were only two paths left.
One: Prima dies, and her soul remains in the Demon Realm to become a Great Doll. Two: They reclaim all her missing parts, and Prima becomes a whole human again.
One was good; one was very bad.
Wang Yue drew the curtain and walked out of the infirmary.
Lilith followed, her voice thick with anxiety. “We should move as soon as possible! Will the Taboo Names help?”
“Don’t be naive,” Wang Yue said, casting a cold glance back at her. “You think we can just lure a Taboo Name over whenever we hit trouble? Taboo Names aren’t invincible. There are existences in the Evernight Realm far more powerful than them.”
“But aren’t there many Taboo Names at the school?” Lilith asked.
“First, what right do you have to ask your teachers to risk their lives for you? Second, the Beacon of Faith can only support a maximum of five Taboo Names using their full power at once. Deploying multiple Taboo Names isn’t a skirmish; it’s an act of war. Do you expect the school to mobilize for total war over a single first-year student? And if the school is left empty, will you be the one to protect the Beacon of Faith?”
Wang Yue huffed and, with a lightning-fast motion, flicked Lilith’s forehead.
The blonde girl winced and clutched her head. Her eyes narrowed with a flash of ferocity, but she immediately remembered her current situation. She suppressed her anger and bowed her head. “I understand.”
“Stop acting so recklessly, Lilith. The strategic-grade weapons of the Evernight faction aren’t toys for you to swing around at will.”
Wang Yue sighed. Lilith truly lacked common sense; she would have to teach her slowly. “The school will, at most, deploy one Taboo Name for us. Furthermore, we need a detailed investigation report proving that the deployment is safe and offers sufficient benefits. That’s how I obtained the Induction Beacon when I dealt with the Secret Window Society. Therefore, our task is to uncover the true strength of the mysterious entity connected to Prima and submit a formal report.”
