Duncan, of all people, had sohow managed to bag himself a girlfriend. And if the rumors were to be believed, she was a first-year student at the academy.
"Wait, how the hell does that happen? It's only the first day!" Raymond blurted out, his disbelief hitting like a hamr.
"Maybe love at first sight?" I said, tilting my head slightly. "It's not that uncommon for two people to just click in an instant."
Love at first sight was more real than people gave it credit for. Attraction wasn't sothing you could control—it was raw and primal. The heart and mind didn't take votes on who you'd fall for; it just happened. And honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if a first-year had fallen for Duncan right then and there. Maybe she was drop-dead gorgeous, and he, in his simple-minded way, just accepted it. Hell, it could even be a childhood friend of his, a girl younger by a year, who had finally entered the academy and confessed to him. Maybe they'd been carrying feelings for each other all this ti, and fate just lined up the timing.
But Raymond wasn't buying it.
"No. Duncan? That dumbass? There's no way he'd fall for a woman at first sight. His skull is made of muscle. He doesn't think, he just acts," Raymond scoffed, arms crossed. His words were brutal, but that's just how friends were—rciless in their honesty.
"Well then, I'm out of ideas," I admitted, exhaling.
Duncan getting a girlfriend was shocking, but if I was being real, it was only a matter of ti. Sure, he was... stupid, but he wasn't bad-looking. In fact, his face had that rough, rugged appeal—sharp features, a naturally intimidating stare. He wasn't exactly a hunk, but he wasn't soone won would ignore either.
"I'll bet my left nut this woman is just using him," Raymond said, his tone flat. "Probably so broke woman who sees Duncan as an easy mark. She'll drain him dry, suck out whatever she can, and then toss him away like a used rag the mont he's not useful anymore."
"That's... a very realistic assumption," I muttered. "But is that really what's happening? I an, Duncan wasn't born into so rich, prestigious family or anything."
"Exactly, and that's why it's suspicious," Raymond said, eyes narrowing. "That's why I need to check this thing out myself. It could be genuine, sure, but knowing Duncan? No way. He falls too easily. All a girl has to do is smile at him, and his dumb ass is ready to get on one knee. And as much as I shit on him, I can't just sit back and let him get played like a idiot."
So, despite how much he roasted him, Raymond did care.
After so searching, we finally spotted Duncan. And sure enough, he was talking to a girl.
But the second I laid eyes on her, sothing slamd into my gut.
She wasn't wearing the academy's uniform. Instead, she was wrapped in an elegant, gothic Lolita outfit—black lace, frilled cuffs, knee-high boots with an ornate design. It looked like she had just stepped out of a different era entirely, a walking embodint of dark beauty.
And then, there was her presence.
It hit like a sledgehamr.
She was... dangerous.
Her black hair, silky and flowing, absorbed the light instead of reflecting it. Her crimson eyes weren't just red—they glowed, burning with sothing unnatural. And that aura... it wasn't just dark, it was hungry. A swirling, devouring force, thick and suffocating. It was as if the very space around her was warping, pulling inward like gravity itself was bending to her will.
If you were just a normal person, you wouldn't see it.
Which was why Duncan didn't notice a thing.
And neither did Raymond.
But ? I saw it.
And she saw .
Her gaze lingered—no, it latched onto , like an unspoken recognition. A silent, knowing smirk tugged at her lips, as if she had already decided sothing.
"Oh, uh… hey, you two."
Duncan's usual boisterous confidence was nowhere to be found. Instead, he stood there, rubbing the back of his neck, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. His thick muscles might've made him look like so athead warrior, but right now, he was fidgeting like a schoolboy caught stealing cookies.
"Oh, uh... hey, you two." Duncan scratched the back of his neck, his lips curling into a shy smile. His usual confidence was nowhere to be seen. "I... uh, don't really know how to explain this, but I kinda got myself a girlfriend."
He let out a nervous chuckle before adding, "S-Should I introduce you to them?"
"No need, senior," a smooth, feminine voice interrupted before he could even turn toward her.
Her presence alone demanded attention.
With slow, deliberate steps, she glided forward, her movents so fluid they almost felt unnatural—like a specter masquerading as a human. Then, without breaking eye contact, she grasped the hem of her skirt with practiced elegance and lifted it just enough to perform a perfect curtsy. One foot slid behind the other, her form lowering with a grace that belonged to nobility.
She smiled.
A soft curve of the lips, but her eyes… her eyes were sharp.
"Greetings, seniors," she murmured, her voice carrying an eerie calmness. "Estelle. Estelle Eclair. It's a pleasure to et you."
The mont she said her na, a cold weight settled in my gut.
Eclair.
Just as I expected. She was one of Lilith's five fragnts.
Which ant she was like .
For a mont, I simply stared, my mind processing the sheer impossibility of it. Another Eclair—right here, in front of . I had only recently encountered Leonora, and now Estelle?
The odds were too low for this to be a coincidence.
I had assud I wouldn't run into another fragnt for decades. That I had ti to figure this thing out before another piece of Lilith resurfaced.
But the world had other plans.
Now, I knew the five fragnts in their entirety.
Elise.
Leonora.
Veronica.
Estelle.
And .
Five separate shards of a long-dead woman. And if they were ever combined again… Lilith would be reborn.
Solaris had warned .
To resurrect Lilith, the five pieces had to beco one. And I—whether I wanted it or not—was her vessel.
That was why I had this ability.
The power to steal the abilities of any woman I dominated. Any woman I had sex with.
It wasn't just so perverse gift. It was a key.
A chanism to reunite the lost fragnts. If I collected the powers of the four remaining Eclairs… Lilith would rise again.
But before I could spiral further into that thought, Estelle suddenly moved.
Leaning in.
Closer.
Too close.
Her scent invaded my senses—sothing rich, intoxicating, laced with a sweetness that shouldn't have been so alluring. Her lips hovered by my ear, so close I could feel the warmth of her breath dancing along my skin.
For a split second, I thought she was going to press her lips to my neck.
The air between us tightened. Heavy. Suffocating. My muscles tensed. My instincts scread.
And then—
"I'm most looking forward to knowing you, Senior Leon."
Her whisper slithered into my ears, velvety and teasing, dripping with a quiet amusent that sent ice down my spine.
As she pulled back, her face shifted—her gentle, polite smile warping into sothing mischievous.
Almost predatory.
She knew.
She knew exactly who I was.
That, like her, I was also an Eclair.
"O-Oh…"
From the corner of my eye, I noticed sothing shift in Raymond. His entire deanor changed in an instant. The suspicion that had been written all over his face just monts ago? Gone. Completely erased, as if his entire tirade about Duncan being scamd had never even happened.
Instead, he looked… stunned.
No—more than stunned. He looked entranced.
Like sothing about Estelle had flipped a switch in his brain, replacing his earlier skepticism with sothing dangerously close to admiration.
And she knew it.
Estelle turned her gaze toward Raymond, her lips curling into a slow, seductive smile.
"Well then," she said, her voice smooth as silk, "I'm sorry, seniors, but Senior Duncan has kindly offered to show around the academy. It is my first year, after all, and I don't quite know my way around yet. I'll be borrowing him for a little while."
That voice—gentle, sweet, yet laced with an unspoken authority.
It wasn't a request. It was a statent.
And just like that, the conversation was over.
"W-Well, uh… sorry, guys," Duncan said, scratching his cheek awkwardly. "I'll catch up with you two later."
With that, Estelle gently wrapped her hands around Duncan's arm, her grip almost possessive, and led him away from us.
Raymond?
He didn't move. Didn't even attempt to argue.
He just stood there.
Silent. Stunned. His earlier energy completely drained from his body.
And honestly?
I wasn't much better.
Because this wasn't just about Duncan.
It wasn't just about so random girl suddenly latching onto our muscle-brained friend.
No—this was sothing else entirely.
I had now encountered all the Eclairs—the fractured remnants of Lilith.
One by one, as if sothing was deliberately pulling us together.
As if fate itself was weaving a path for us to et.
As if the gears of destiny were turning—moving toward one inevitable conclusion.
Lilith's resurrection.
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