"Using any means to delay 'it' will only bring misfortune. That has already been proven, Damian. Before I die, I'll clear the obstacles from the poetry society's path. Then you'll take over this power."
"We cannot let any more power contaminate [Mourning Poems]!"
The girl removed her veil. Beneath the bleeding wounds, she revealed a poignantly beautiful smile.
"Let me die like this, Damian. There's no need to grieve. I've recited eulogies for so many people. Now it's simply my turn."
The boy fell silent.
He lowered his head, his shoulders slumping, as though all his strength had vanished in an instant.
The exhaustion of toiling for the poetry society all day had never crushed him, but the girl's casually spoken words fell like a boulder, shattering all his stubborn resolve.
Flora's tone softened. Her gaze turned toward the silent boy, and she spoke quietly. "Fetch me a vase."
The white rose in her hand was particularly striking against her black funeral attire.
Let's see which withers first, this flower or me, she thought.
Elliot sat before the Difference Engine, staring at the [Flora Belenga Lancaster] card on the table, lost in thought.
Not long after he had parted ways with Miss Flora, the Elegy Funeral Rite, Vanessa had encountered her. The timing and the details of the events matched perfectly.
Just as he had suspected, this bizarre Difference Engine was influencing reality. These thin cards in his hands were all living, breathing people.
"And... I can also gain the supernatural powers Vanessa acquires at the same time. As for the others..."
After Allen completed his sacrifice and gained power, Elliot had also tried cutting his finger.
There did not seem to be any change in how quickly the wound healed, nor had he felt anything unusual about his