As the magical circle on my neck pulsed and glowed faintly, the air before me shimmered—then tore open into a swirling portal. Lilith stepped through, just as she always did.
But this time… something was different.
Her usual smug expression was gone. Her eyes looked distant, heavy with something unspoken.
"Envi, do you see this?" I asked him through my thoughts.
"Yeah…" Envi responded, his voice tinged with concern. "What's wrong with her? She doesn't look like herself."
"I don't know either. But I don't like it."
I stepped forward. "Lilith… are you okay?"
She didn't answer right away. Just gave a small, slow nod. But even that seemed forced.
From within my Grimoire of the Darkness, Runa's calm voice chimed in. "Naoki… she's not under any kind of external control. I sense no malicious intent. This is still her."
I studied Lilith more carefully. She looked… exhausted. Pale. Almost fragile.
