"Lady Evara... and your ability is poison..." Tulip moved his lips as he slowly walked toward the dagger placed on the table near the alarm clock.
– [How nice to know that Bluebell hasn't forgotten me yet.]
– [Let's skip the small talk for now and focus on our discussion. If you accept me as your Lady, I will grant you the power to become one of the strongest hunters in the world. More importantly, you'll be able to help and protect your friends.]
Tulip's hand trembled above the dagger, afraid to wrap his fingers around it. Behind him, Celestine wasn't the least bit annoyed by his hesitation. On the contrary, she seemed entertained by the sight of him, scared and alarmed by what was happening.
{Embodiment request received from 'The Pink Widow'.
[Accept] [Decline]
}
Bluebell says Lady Evara is good, and it would be in their best interest to have her as their Lady. In his current state, he needs help—his opponent is stronger than him, and on top of that, they're inside a sealed room with no windows or doors.
The boy hesitated for a moment, then pressed [Accept] with a trembling finger.
{The embodiment request has been approved.
Congratulations, you are now the embodiment of 'The Pink Widow'.
...
}
There was a lot of text that Tulip chose to ignore. Time was far too short, and Celestine could attack him at any moment.
– [I will now make your body capable of withstanding heavy poisons. Then I'll inject a type of poison into your system and teach you how to transfer it to the objects around you.]
At first, Tulip didn't feel anything. Suddenly, sharp stings struck his stomach. He needed a little time for the poison to finish spreading through his body—and for him to learn how to transfer it to the dagger.
So, he slowly turned to face Celestine, who was still seated behind him. His heart clenched at the sight of the faint smile on her lips, but he quickly composed himself and tried to remain calm. He pointed toward the dagger, then toward her.
"I don't know sign language," Celestine said, still in her seated position.
Tulip took advantage of that, moving his hands to give the illusion that he was trying to say something. Celestine narrowed her eyes in concentration, trying to interpret what the child was attempting to communicate. "Are you saying you're afraid I'll be hurt?"
He definitely wasn't saying that—Tulip was just waving his hands meaninglessly in the air. Still, he took advantage of her words and nodded. Lady Evara hadn't sent anything yet, and Tulip's nerves were starting to fray from fear.
Celestine burst out laughing for a few moments, then her expression shifted sharply in an instant. "Maybe I'll feel sorry for you… when I walk over your skinned flesh in my room," she whispered to herself.
"Don't worry, that feeling won't last long. Bring the dagger and come here!" she said sweetly. If there was one thing that froze Tulip's blood more than being trapped in this room, it was Celestine's mood swings—changing every two minutes.
Just then, as Tulip turned to the dagger, a video call from Lady Evara came through. [Listen to me carefully, little one!]
The dagger was cold, and its chill crept into his skin. Tulip examined it closely as he listened to his Lady's instructions. He breathed slowly as he walked toward Celestine, who raised the sleeve of her dress with a smile. "Here, cut as deep as you like."
The dagger trembled from the shaking of the boy's hand, but he didn't stop. He needed to get out of here and return to his friends. Thankfully, Alvin had already taught him how to kill monsters and spill their blood.
And though Celestine didn't look like a monster, Tulip held his nerves and slid the blade along her arm. Blood flowed over her pale skin, staining her dull brown dress.
"Ahh, what a delightful feeling!"
Tulip wished he could tell her she was insane, but he was too focused on waiting for the right moment to act. Celestine had closed her eyes in ecstasy—the pain felt so sweet that it made her relax completely.
In that instant, Tulip yanked the dagger out and plunged it into her side. Celestine's eyes opened, catching sight of his contorted expression as he looked at her. She smiled… then laughed with delight, thrilled by the rush of pain.
Tulip grabbed her head tightly, then ignited blue flames within her body. He yanked her down by the hair without a care for her screams and began kicking her hard in the head and stomach.
Celestine kept laughing—the pain surging through her body brought her an odd sense of comfort and joy. Tulip left her there and ran to the tall panel on the back wall. He tore it off and threw it aside.
Just as Lady Evara had said, there was a door hidden in the wall. He grabbed the handle and tried to open it… but it was locked! Or so he thought, until his Lady told him: [You're pulling it the wrong way, little one. Push it outward.]
Tulip immediately did as she said—and sure enough, the door opened.
"Ahhh!" he screamed as he felt a hand grab his ankle. He raised his other leg and struck Celestine's head and other parts of her body before bolting down the long hallway.
There were small lights hanging from the ceiling, allowing him to see as he ran.
"Tulip… come back here!" Celestine called out with a wide smile, her wounds slowly healing.
"Tulip… come back so we can finish our game, and I promise I'll give you some delicious candy!" she called again, her voice echoing down the hallway.
"Tulip, if you don't come back here, I'll skin you alive!" This time, Tulip sensed a shift in her tone.
It seemed Celestine was starting to get angry. His breath was nearly gone from all the running, and sweat dripped from his forehead down to his soft jaw.
Finally reaching the end of the hallway, he scanned the stone wall for the hidden ladder. Grabbing its edge, he pulled it down with all his might. It felt like his arm muscles would tear from the strain, but he endured it—he had to get out of here.
As he climbed the ladder on trembling legs, weakened by his nonstop sprint, his eyes locked onto Celestine at the far end of the hallway. Her face was twisted with rage.
Suddenly, a split formed on her face, starting from the corner of her lips and stretching up toward her cheekbone, as a long tongue slid out past her chin.
"Tulip… let's go back to the room… and play!" she screamed in a dark, guttural voice before dashing toward the ladder.
Panicked, Tulip scrambled upward and began pushing the square hatch above him. As soon as it opened, sunlight flooded in, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut.
But he didn't stop—he climbed upward.
"Ahhh!" Tulip screamed when he felt Celestine's hand grab his leg. He lifted his other leg and kicked her in the head, then immediately pulled away toward some dead trees.
"Tulip… don't leave me alone here!" the voice came from the opening, and Tulip's soul nearly left his body when he saw her hand rise from the hole.
Celestine placed her hands on the edge of the door from the outside and pulled herself up to get out into the forest.
She sat on the edge of the door for a moment, looked at Tulip with a smile that revealed the flesh inside her mouth, then said, "If you come back now, I promise I'll skin you after you die!"
Tulip shook his head in refusal, his heart nearly bursting from how fast it was beating.
"Ahhh!" he screamed in terror when he saw her running toward him on all fours.
In his first steps of fleeing, Tulip also used all fours, then quickly got up on his feet and started running away on his legs.