Does she know? No. There's no way for her to know. Unless…
He wanted to step back but his back was already on the wall. There's no way she can see my soul, is there?
He wasn't sure but with a Divine Gift named Soul Dominion, there was no way to tell. He decided to deny. Not being the original Terence would mean his death.
"I don't know what you mean." He said carefully. "I just—"
"You're different." She said with narrowed eyes, staring intensely at him, looking at something the normal eye couldn't see. "Not just right now. Since I arrived, you've been… cautious. Quiet. Introspective. That's not the Terence I remember."
Lilith tilted her head, her crimson eyes boring into Ren.
"You're not the same person." She said, suspicion finally coloring her tone. "You've changed."
Ren forced a nervous chuckle and took a step forward in a show of confidence. "Everyone changes over time. That's natural."
"Not like this." She took a step forward, the air between them growing heavier. "Your soul may look the same but you speak differently. You act differently. You think I don't notice?"
Ren didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified. Lilith could really see souls but there wasn't a problem with his soul. It was everything else that was bothering Lilith.
He was at least sure that the original Ren wouldn't have been given this scenario as a trial. The trials are based on one's knowledge and experience and his had been what brought him here.
He glanced around as his brain worked, searching for a way out of this room, but there was none.
The window was closed, and Lilith was standing between him and the only exit.
Even if he tried to run, she was currently much faster than him. There was no way he could outrun her, nor could he overpower her.
And she wasn't going to let this go.
He'd have to face this head on.
Devising a new plan, Ren exhaled in defeat and nodded. "Fine. You're right. I've changed."
Lilith blinked as if she hadn't expected him to admit it. All that came out of her mouth was a single word. "What?"
"I've changed, Lilith. Because I had to." He said, stepping forward as he chose his words carefully.
"You don't have to tell me how weak I am. I already knew I was weak before. I knew I wasn't good enough. That's why I've taken steps to become stronger. To be someone who can stand by your side."
A flicker of something crossed Lilith's face but it was gone before Ren could identify it. Her eyes stayed locked on his, searching for something.
Was it deception? Was it weakness? He had no idea but he'd already chosen this path. There was no need to stop now.
"Then why have you been avoiding me?" Lilith asked, her voice dropping lower. "Do you find me pathetic?"
Ren shook his head. "Of course not."
"Then you're afraid of me. Just like everyone else."
Ren clenched his fists. Damn right, I am.
He knew better than everyone here what was going to happen on this night. His fear was totally justified.
This would be where the original Ren Ross had snapped, lashing out in anger.
That lashing out had led to her violent outburst, to her losing control, to his death. He had to find a way to prevent that. If he made the wrong move, history would repeat itself. That meant not admitting to being afraid of her.
But before he could say anything, Lilith began speaking, her voice rising with every word.
"I know. You don't have to answer that Terence. Everyone fears me."
"You think I don't know? You think I don't know the way they stare at me while I'm not looking? I know!"
Ren's eyes widened in alarm. The more she spoke, the angrier she got, and he didn't like the way this was going.
The last thing he needed was an angry Lilith.
"I know how they whisper about me behind closed doors! How they smile to my face but dread my presence! All because of something I never asked for!" Her hands trembled at her sides.
The air around her shimmered and Ren's gut tightened. This was it. The moment she'd finally notice him and take the anger out on him.
"Divine Gift?" She scoffed. "No. It's just a divine curse." Her voice cracked.
"It has cursed me and now, no one will ever see me as anything other than a monster!"
And in that moment, he saw it.
The loneliness.
The unbearable weight of being different, of being set apart from the world.
It was the same loneliness that had haunted him for years. The kind that came from having rich parents who were never there. From growing up an only child without many friends.
He recognized it in her, clear as day.
The girl in front of him wasn't an unstoppable calamity. No. She was a lonely girl, hurt by the world, and afraid of abandonment.
As Lilith turned toward him again, her eyes burning with expectation, waiting for him to lash out, waiting for him to confirm the worst of her fears—
Ren stepped forward and hugged her.
Lilith stiffened instantly, completely unprepared for the contact. Her body locked up, rigid against his.
She wasn't used to this. Wasn't used to anyone daring to touch her, to hold her without fear.
For several seconds, she remained frozen, breath caught in her throat. Ren could feel her heartbeat hammering in her chest, her entire body wound up like a coil ready to snap. But he didn't let go.
"I'm not afraid of you, Lilith." He whispered. "No matter what, I'll always be by your side."
There was a few seconds of silence. Ren didn't care if he died. No, not anymore. He didn't care if his identity was exposed.
Now, he cared about comforting the lonely kid in front of him. And there he stood, hugging her as he waited for his death.
But it never came.
Instead, Lilith… hugged him back.
Her arms wrapped around him slowly, uncertainly, as if she wasn't sure if the moment was real.
Her fingers clutched at the fabric of his shirt, gripping tightly, as if she were afraid he would disappear if she let go. Her breathing was uneven, her body trembling.
"You're lying." She whispered, but there was no venom in her words. Only doubt. "You'll leave, just like everyone else."
Ren tightened his embrace. "No, I won't."
Her grip on him tightened. The anger, the fury, the deep-seated resentment, it melted. Not all. Just a little. But that was enough.
The air around them shifted and a red tint covered everything, pulsing like a heartbeat.
The trial reacted to his decision, acknowledging the shift in fate.
He had passed and in the process, had done something no one else had.
For the first time in her life, Lilith wasn't alone.
Then, the world cracked.