The endless void shimmered faintly, a world of nothingness.
Lucillia raised a slender finger, pointing directly at Leo.
"You. You are the only way."
"Huh—m-me!?" Leo stammered, her face stiff with nervousness.
Lucillia's sharp gaze pierced into her golden eyes, unyielding.
"Yes. Of course. Only you can destroy your curse."
She spoke as though it was the most natural truth in the world, then calmly sipped her tea with flawless grace.
"But… how?" Leo's voice cracked. "In this body, it's impossible for me, right?"
"Well, you have a point." Lucillia's lips curled into a smirk.
"But as I said before… you are truly unique."
"U… unique?" Leo's brows furrowed. She clenched her fists and leaned forward, her tone growing serious.
"What do you mean? Why am I unique in your eyes?"
"Why not!?"
Lucillia suddenly burst into laughter, throwing her hands into the air. Her voice rang with a strange joy, her eyes glimmering with unrestrained madness.
"H-huh!?" Leo froze, her heart pounding at the sight.
"I have never seen anything this fascinating in all of reality. You… you are Greed. The Greed one—Leo Julius Eros."
Her lips twisted into an evil smirk, her voice dripping with eerie delight.
"G-Greed one? What does she even mean…?" Leo thought, her hands trembling, her breath uneven.
"If you don't understand, then let me explain." Lucillia's tone turned cold, matter-of-fact. "There are seven more timelines where you exist. Each one… with a different path, a different lifestyle, a different power. Yes. And each one is still you—Leo Julius Eros. Hehe."
She raised her teacup delicately, taking another sip as though she had just stated the weather.
"W-what!?" Leo shot up to her feet, her eyes wide. "Seven? Me?! What the hell are you talking about!?"
Sweat beaded on her forehead, her mind spinning.
Lucillia, however, only smiled wider. She stood slowly, her staff humming faintly in her grip.
"Yes. There are seven more versions of you. The Pride. The Wrath. The Envy. The Sloth. The Gluttony. The Lust…"
Her staff lowered, her finger pointing directly at Leo.
"And you—The Greed."
A chilling laugh slipped from her lips, her face twisting with a wicked delight.
Leo's breath caught in her throat.
"Huhh…? W-what the…?" Her eyes widened, her body trembling.
"All… all seven deadly sins… are versions of me!?"
Her words trembled with disbelief.
"Correct," Lucillia said smoothly. "But… one of them is different."
"Different…?" Leo whispered.
Lucillia twirled her staff and, with eerie grace, sat back down in her chair.
"That's right. You can't destroy your curse by yourself. So why not… meet the version of you who can?"
Leo's heart pounded. Slowly, she forced her trembling hands to still. Her breathing steadied.
"I… I have to calm down. If she's telling the truth… that means I can meet myself."
She sat down once more, eyes burning with a newfound determination.
"Fine then. Tell me. How can I meet my other versions?"
Lucillia rested her finger against her lips, her expression playful, her sharp gaze never leaving Leo.
"I know the way."
Leo leaned forward. "What is it?"
Her smile widened, curling into something both elegant and cruel.
"The way you can meet them… is through the Fragment World."
Her voice dripped with amusement as her words echoed across the void.
"Fragment World? Is this… a portal or something?"
Leo asked, her golden eyes fixed on Lucillia, curiosity shining through her exhaustion.
"Yes, you could say that," Lucillia replied with a small smirk. "By entering that world, you can see all your fragmented timelines. Each gate… leads to a different version of you, Leo Julius Eros."
Leo tilted her head, pondering. "I see… so where is this Fragment World?"
Lucillia chuckled softly, the sound echoing through the void. "Hahaha, don't worry. I can summon the gate for you. You'll enter it… just like that."
"Oh! That's great!" Leo's face brightened, a smile of hope breaking through her weariness. "It's… it's really that easy?"
Lucillia sipped her tea, eyes glinting as she studied Leo.
"Hmm… you're sure you can handle this?"
"I hope I can," Leo said firmly, her hands tightening into fists. "If my other timelines can be destroyed… then this will be easy."
Lucillia tilted her head, her smirk returning. "But if… no one can?"
"They can!" Leo shot back with conviction. "After all… they're me."
Lucillia's expression softened into a playful, yet serious gaze. "Well then…"
She rose from her chair, her staff in hand. The void seemed to shiver as she moved. "Let me summon it."
With a precise motion, Lucillia tapped her staff. Instantly, the white-glowing void began to fracture, shards of light splintering like fragile glass.
"Huh?! What are you doing?! Isn't this supposed to be the gate?!" Leo's voice cracked with fear as she stepped back.
"Relax, Leo Julius Eros. Just watch," Lucillia said calmly, her gaze unyielding.
The void shattered completely, a cascade of sparkling fragments dissolving into nothingness. In a blink, both of them stood again at the place where Leo had first met Lucillia.
"Huh…? We're back… in the normal world?" Leo muttered, scanning her surroundings with narrowed eyes. "What… exactly is she doing?"
"Hehe… look closely, Leo," Lucillia's voice teased.
Leo's gaze shifted. There, standing like a sentinel, was a massive white gate adorned with black stripes and golden rings, glowing faintly as if alive.
"S-so… this is the gate?" she asked nervously, stepping forward with hesitant steps.
"Yes. That is the Fragment World's gate. You… should enter alone." Lucillia's tone was calm, her eyes sharp.
"Eh? You're not coming with me?" Leo asked, doubt flickering across her face.
"Of course not. This is your path, your journey. I merely opened the way," Lucillia said, a faint smirk tugging at her lips.
Leo exhaled, her hand reaching toward the gate. "Then… this is it. The Fragment World…"