The World Is Mine For The Taking

Chapter 1496: Chapter 212 - Lucielle Of Pride (5)

Mother had been hiding this from us all this time.

The destruction of this world.

When Mother first took us in, none of us could even read. Looking back on it now, that much was obvious. We had been ignorant of so many things back then. Words on paper meant nothing to us, and the symbols that formed entire sentences were no different from random markings on stone.

Mother was the one who taught us.

She taught us how to read, how to write, and how to understand the meaning behind those words. As the years passed, what had once been incomprehensible gradually became second nature. We learned not only how to recognize letters but also how to understand intentions, emotions, and the subtle nuances hidden within written language.

That was why we understood what we had found.

That was why we knew those writings could not possibly have belonged to anyone else.

They were Mother’s thoughts.

Or at least, they were thoughts that could only have come from Lilith.

The truth was that none of us had ever truly known what Mother was thinking.

We had always assumed things were fine.

We had always believed that Mother was Mother.

Someone wise.

Someone kind.

Someone who protected us.

Someone who guided us.

Someone who loved us.

At least, that was what we had always thought.

Then we found those writings.

After that, everything became different.

Many of the others became afraid.

Afraid of Mother.

Even now, I still found that difficult to accept.

Fear Mother?

How could we?

She had raised us.

She had taught us.

She had protected us.

She had given us purpose.

To fear her felt almost wrong.

It felt like betraying everything she had done for us.

Yet the words written upon those walls were undeniably hers.

And the things written there...

They were terrifying.

Not because they came from a monster.

Not because they came from some ancient dragon.

Not because they came from a being powerful enough to shake the world.

They were terrifying because they came from Mother.

That was what made them so difficult to accept.

I was currently sitting alone within my castle.

By this point, it had probably been around seventy days since I had last slept.

Normally, that would have sounded ridiculous.

Even for demons.

While demons did not require as much rest as humans, we still had limits. There eventually came a point where exhaustion would begin affecting us. Our bodies could endure far more than most races, but we were not completely immune to fatigue.

After seventy days, it was entirely possible that I had already grown weaker.

Perhaps I looked terrible.

Perhaps I was no longer thinking clearly.

Perhaps I should have been resting.

Unfortunately, sleep was impossible.

Not after learning something like that.

Every time I closed my eyes, those words resurfaced in my mind.

The more I thought about them, the less I understood.

And the less I understood, the more uneasy I became.

While I sat there lost in thought, I suddenly felt a presence.

Someone had appeared.

There was no sound.

One moment I was alone.

The next moment, she was standing before me.

A woman with black hair and crimson eyes.

My body froze.

"It hath been long indeed, Lucielle," the woman said gently. "Tell me, hast thou fared well?"

Although this was technically the first time I had ever seen this woman in front of me, I immediately knew who she was.

There was simply no way I could mistake her.

I had spent too much of my life following her.

Too much of my life admiring her.

Too much of my life loving her.

Even if her appearance had changed completely, I would still recognize her.

How could I not?

The presence surrounding her was overwhelming.

It was so vast that it felt capable of suffocating anyone who stood near her.

An ordinary person would probably collapse from the pressure alone.

Yet for some reason, it did not feel suffocating to me.

Instead, it felt warm and comforting.

Like being wrapped in a mother’s embrace after being away for far too long.

"M-Mother...?" I asked, my voice trembling.

Standing before me was Lilith.

The legendary dragon.

The being who had changed the world countless times over.

Yet right now, she stood before me in what appeared to be a human form.

She was beautiful.

Almost impossibly so.

Her face possessed an otherworldly elegance that made it difficult to look away.

Her body resembled that of a young woman who had only recently begun to mature, giving her an appearance that felt strangely delicate despite the immense power hidden beneath it.

Her pale skin contrasted sharply against her crimson eyes.

Those eyes seemed capable of seeing through everything.

She looked nothing like the dragon she usually presented herself as.

Nothing like the colossal being capable of dominating the skies.

At this moment, she was simply a woman.

"Indeed, Lucielle. It is I," she replied with a gentle smile. "Many years have passed since last we met. Tell me, how dost thou fare? And how fare thy sisters?"

Her gaze drifted toward the distance.

"Seeing that the Demon Continent yet standeth in harmony, I would venture to say thou hast performed thy duties well. Wouldst thou not agree?"

I couldn’t answer.

I simply stared at her.

Everything about her felt familiar.

The way she spoke.

The way she smiled.

The way she looked at me.

It was exactly how I remembered her.

Even after all these years, she felt unchanged.

The form standing before me was different, but the person beneath it was exactly the same.

At least, that was what I wanted to believe.

Yet after seeing what had been written inside that cave, I could no longer look at her the same way.

Something had changed.

Perhaps it was her.

Perhaps it was me.

Perhaps it was both.

"I see..." Lilith said softly.

There was a hint of sadness in her smile.

"Thou hast seen what was written within the cave, hast thou not?"

"...?!"

My eyes widened.

Shock rushed through me instantly.

How did she know?

Had she read my expression?

Had I made it that obvious?

Or perhaps she possessed some form of telepathic ability capable of reading my thoughts.

Considering who she was, none of those possibilities seemed impossible.

"Thou needst not appear so astonished, Lucielle," Lilith said calmly. "I knew that thou wouldst discover those writings eventually. The only surprise is that thou hast found them sooner than I expected."

She sounded completely unconcerned.

As though this outcome had always been inevitable.

As though she had already prepared herself for this conversation long ago.

"Y-You’re not angry... that we found it?" I asked.

"Why would I be angry?" she replied.

Her voice remained calm.

It was patient, almost gentle.

"I fully expected that one day thou wouldst see those writings. There would be little purpose in becoming angered over something I knew would eventually come to pass."

A small smile appeared on her face.

"Truth be told, I had expected all of thee to find them eventually."

I swallowed.

My throat suddenly felt dry.

There were so many questions I wanted to ask.

So many things I wanted her to deny.

So many things I wanted to hear.

Yet only one question managed to leave my mouth.

"I-Is it all true?" I asked quietly. "Everything written there... Is that really what you plan to do to this world, Mother?"

For a brief moment, silence filled the room.

Then Lilith looked directly into my eyes.

Her smile remained unchanged.

There was no hesitation, no uncertainty, and no attempt to avoid the question.

"Yes," she answered.

Just a single word.

Nothing more.

Yet that one word sent a chill racing down my spine.

A chill far colder than any winter.

A chill that made my blood run cold.

Because for the first time since meeting her again, I realized that Mother had not come here to deny anything.

She had come here to confirm it.