"Ugh!" Lyra groaned, clutching her side and trying to stem the flow of blood. Her voice was strained, but her gaze was sharp and fierce as she fixed her eyes on me. "What did you do to her?" she demanded, her expression darkening as she took in the sight of Maria in my arms, unconscious.
Yes… the first phase of my plan had finally begun.
And that plan was to conquer Maria.
Originally, I'd set my sights on Lyra, but her teammates made any chance of isolating her impossible. She was also far too powerful to take on directly. That's when I realized another opportunity. Maria was a strong fighter, even able to stand toe-to-toe with someone like Lyra. Plus with her, I won't face the usual restrictions since she wasn't a heroine.
With this new goal in mind, I began devising a strategy.
I remembered two items from the shop that would help tilt the odds in my favor:
[Flora's Desire]
A desire to manipulate.
