The only difference this time was that none of the other people she’d tried this with had been her direct descendants, so she hadn’t been able to possess them anyway. The best she could do was manipulate those victims from behind the scenes. Even then, things never went exactly the way she wanted.
Marie snorted with laughter.
“What’s that snickering about?!” the mist demanded, indignant. She was baffled, since that wasn’t normally the reaction such an offer received.
“What you’re saying sounds fishy,” Marie said. “Besides, I don’t need the Saint’s power.”
The mist gawked. “Why not? It can achieve anything you want.”
Marie sneered at the mist. “See, that’s exactly why I smell a rat. You’re offering me incredible power without asking something equivalent in return. You’re basically hinting that there’s a catch—that you’re plotting something.”
The moment Marie saw right through her, the mist lost her composure. “Th-that’s not true at all!” The stammer in her voice gave her away.
Marie grinned knowingly. “Looks like I was right on the money. If I were trying to hoodwink someone, I’d do the exact same thing.”
“What?” Then the mist reached a realization: We could be two sides of the same coin, couldn’t we? Was Marie also a villain? But, no, she couldn’t be. The mist had seen numerous people as simple and transparent as the woman before her. “Hmph. I suppose you won’t be so easily duped. In that case, why don’t we make a deal, you and I?”
The mist still wasn’t being sincere; this was just another ploy, meant to appeal to Marie’s pride and move the conversation along.
Marie lounged on her bed, propping herself half-upright on one elbow. Her derisive snicker at the mist’s counteroffer made the pose seem even more arrogant. “It’s no use lying to me. The two of us are too similar for your fibs to work.”
The mist’s blood boiled at the insinuation. She didn’t want to believe they were really related anymore; Marie was too infuriating. “Don’t lump me in with the likes of you! You’re obviously far worse than me!”
“Nope. I can tell. I’m good at picking up on another girl’s worst aspects, and women’s intuition tells me you’re bad news.”
The mist balled her fists. “R-ridiculous! Your ‘intuition’ is a pain in the neck.” She’d had enough of trying to deceive Marie. It obviously wouldn’t work. Instead, the mist lunged at the woman—it was time to take Marie’s body by force!
But an invisible barrier blocked the mist’s attempts, proving much more resistant than she anticipated.
“What?!” the mist cried. Her hands groped the empty air as she reached toward Marie. The invisible barrier kept her far from her target.
Marie simply watched her and yawned again. “It’s useless,” she said. “I don’t trust anyone on principle. If you really think you can take over my body and do whatever you want with it, you’re sorely mistaken.”
“You wicked witch!” the mist howled.
That outburst finally seemed to have an effect; Marie’s mood soured instantly.
“What’d you say? You’re the one trying to force your way in. What right do you have to take that kind of attitude with me? I mean, this room is supposed to be my personal, private space. My domain. You’re the one who barged in without permission. If anyone’s a witch here, it’s obviously you.”
Vexing as this was, the mist knew that she couldn’t possess Marie as she’d hoped—not when the woman was so guarded against others. She’s much more resistant than I ever imagined. Given that guardedness, the mist had no choice but to give up, desperate as she was. The woman’s personality was too strong. There was no way to steal her soul and gain complete control over her body. Her overwhelming mental fortitude made that all the more impossible. The mist didn’t intimidate her at all. In fact, it was the other way around.
“If I can’t steal your body, I’ll simply have to leave deep scars on your soul. That’s the price you’ll pay for mocking me!” The mist would have her revenge by going on a rampage and destroying this room’s interior. That would cause Marie substantial mental damage.
At the mist’s declaration, Marie’s eyes widened, her pupils giving off eerie light. Her long, pitch-black hair undulated through the air as if it had a life of its own.
If anyone else were to observe this situation, they’d think the two women were monsters facing off against one another.
“You’re threatening me with violence in my domain?!” Marie hissed, now seething with unrestrained hostility. “Unacceptable. I’ll curse you. You and all your descendants!”
The venomous way she spat the words made the mist believe she truly meant what she was saying. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re my descendant! The same blood runs through our veins!”
Their power clashed, knocking Marie’s entire room into disarray.
What’s with this woman?! The mist was gobsmacked—terrified, even—by the extent of Marie’s power. Her mental strength is almost inhuman! She was a monster, a true monster.
“In case you’ve forgotten, you’re inside my mind right now,” Marie said. “It’s time for you to leave, and I’m going to give you a personal escort in the form of the most powerful existence I can summon.” Her voice went high-pitched as she proceeded to wail, “Save meeee, Big Bro! This girl’s bullying meeee!” She shrank back, playing the part of the wilting flower, the damsel in distress who needed saving.
The mist sensed a presence thundering toward them outside the room. Wh-what now? She could already tell that, whatever this being was, its power far surpassed Marie’s.
The door burst open. A young man stood on the threshold, a dark aura emanating from him. His eyes glowed red, and his hand held a metal bat. “I’ll destroy her,” he muttered. Without a split second of hesitation, he lifted his bat high over the mist.
“Wha—?!” the mist cried.
The “most powerful” being that Marie could conjure in her mind was, apparently, her older brother. She’d imbued him with incredible power, and it slammed into the mist as the man brought his bat down on her.
“Wait! Hold on! Ow! Ouch! That hurts!”
However much she screamed, the man wouldn’t let up. He kept striking her mercilessly with no intention of stopping until she left.
Marie cheered from the sidelines. “Get her, Big Bro! Beat her to a pulp and send her on her way!”