After having sex with Veronica and finally making her satisfied, we ended up lying on the same bed. Sleep came not long after, pulling me under before I could even properly process everything that had just happened.

Then, without warning, my eyes opened.

What greeted me was a world of pure whiteness. Nothing else. No walls, no floor, no sky. Just an endless stretch of blank space that felt both empty and strangely suffocating at the same time. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

And in the middle of that emptiness, she was there.

Lilith sat on a chair as if this place actually made sense, casually eating a ridiculous amount of food like she had all the time in the world. Cakes, pastries, things I couldn’t even name, all disappearing into her without any concern. She was in her loli form again, which at this point didn’t even surprise me anymore. If anything, she seemed more comfortable like that.

Her appearance, though, had a slight difference.

Small horns protruded from her forehead, curved and sharp, while parts of her skin were covered in black scales that contrasted against her otherwise pale complexion. It wasn’t overwhelming, but it was enough to remind me exactly what she was.

"Very good, mine dearest son, thou hast succeeded well," she spoke, her voice calm, almost amused. "Though, thou needst not have fucked her with such fervor. A single round of sex would have sufficed for me to bestow upon thee the power thou seekest. Yet, I find no grievance in it."

"So... I did it successfully?" I asked.

"Aye, thou didst. Of course thou didst," she replied, a faint smile forming on her lips.

She lifted her fingers, coated with cream from the cake she had been eating, and slowly licked it off before slipping them into her mouth, sucking them clean without the slightest hint of shame.

I stared at the table for a moment.

Those cakes... I was almost certain they weren’t real. Probably something constructed from this space, like some kind of illusion or manifestation. Still, I didn’t really care enough to question it. If it tasted good, it tasted good. Simple as that.

"And what a wondrous performance it was," she continued. "Never would I have thought thou couldst win the affection of the coldest shard of mine being, yet thou hast proven me wrong."

"Coldest part?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Aye," she said, resting her chin lightly on her hand. "Veronica is mine cold self. Elise be mine fierce self. Leona, mine seductive self. And Estelle, mine innocent self."

She gestured lightly as she spoke, as if presenting them one by one.

"All of them bear fragments of mine nature. Yet, think not that they are bound to remain as such. Each may grow, may change, and may become something beyond what I had set. Still, at their birth, such was their default state."

"I see..." I muttered.

"I find myself most surprised," she went on, her tone gaining a hint of curiosity. "Of the four, it is Elise and Veronica whom thou hast reached first. I had thought it would be Leona or Estelle, for they are far more... approachable. Yet thou hast taken the more arduous path and succeeded nonetheless."

She let out a soft, almost playful breath.

"And thou hast stirred something within Veronica. Something that, in truth, hath echoed back unto me. Mayhap I have ever been a closeted, perverse, masochistic dragon. Who can truly say?" she added with a faint shrug. "Regardless, I find solace in knowing that they stray, even if but slightly, from the path I once laid before them. Though, with thy presence, it would seem they are being drawn back toward it."

I took a slow breath, letting her words settle in my mind.

Then I reached out, dragging one of the empty chairs closer to her table before sitting down across from her.

Almost instantly, a cup of tea appeared in front of me.

I didn’t hesitate and I picked it up and took a sip.

The taste hit me immediately.

It wasn’t just good. It was familiar.

There was something about it that felt nostalgic, like something I had experienced before. Then it clicked.

Wasn’t this the same flavor as the tea from the Leonamon Cake Shop?

"Well observed," Lilith said, a knowing smile forming. "It is crafted from thine own memories. Thus, it would naturally bear a taste most familiar to thee."

She leaned back slightly, watching me.

"Though I must admit, I am somewhat surprised. Thou didst drink it with such ease, without the slightest hesitation. Thou knowest not whence it came. For all thou knowest, it could have come forth from mine own body. Mayhap from my vagina. Or even mine urine."

"Well, it doesn’t really bother me," I replied, taking another sip like it was no big deal. "For now, why don’t you just tell me what’s actually going on?"

She smiled at that, clearly amused, before crossing her legs.

"Very well," she said. "At present, thou hast gained the ability to transform."

"Transform?" I echoed, my attention sharpening.

"Aye. And thou mayst will it freely, without restriction," she continued.

"Will it?" I asked, my eyes widening a bit. "So I can just transform whenever I want? No limits?"

"Aye," she answered simply. "With this power, thou shalt be able to shatter any barricade that stands in thy path, as thou journeyest to conquer this world. Yet, think not that it shall grant thee dominion over all."

Her gaze sharpened slightly.

"Against the other Great Ones, it shall not suffice. But against those who serve as vessels for the fallen Great Ones, thou shalt hold the advantage."

I leaned back slightly, letting that sink in.

So this was a power up. Just handed to me like that.

"Art thou pleased with this gift, mine boy?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Well, I guess it’s something that’ll be really useful in the long run," I replied.

That was the honest answer.

There was still that lingering thought in the back of my mind. The possibility that Lilith could revive within me and eventually erase me completely. That risk hadn’t gone anywhere.

Still, I couldn’t deny it.

This power was useful.

Right now, with this alone, I could easily deal with both of them.

At the same time, that didn’t mean I could just use it whenever I felt like it.

There had to be caution.

Using it carelessly could give Lilith the opening she needed to take control of my body.

So the answer was simple.

I’d only use it when it actually mattered.