Leopoldine led the way through the cavern, her steps graceful and measured. Her hand remained clasped around Alice's, never letting go. Esato followed behind, her eyes never straying from the pair ahead of her. Her claws itched to pounce, but she resisted the urge. For now.

They arrived at the cave housing the World Core, its golden light seeming to grow brighter in reaction to their presence.

Leopoldine gave an approving hum, her grip on Alice's hand tightening momentarily. "Ah, there it is. The World Core. A source of such...potential~”

Esato stepped forward, her body tense and ready. "We have to seal it off...as quickly as possible."

Leopoldine tutted, a mock look of disappointment on her face. "Always so eager, my dear Esato. But I'm afraid things will have to be done a bit differently this time. We need to find a way to permanently seal it off, not just lock it away like before. Otherwise, it will only cause trouble again in the future.”

Esato gritted her teeth, her patience wearing thin. "And I suppose you have a grand plan for how to achieve that?”

Leopoldine chuckled, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Oh, my dear Esato, you underestimate me. Of course, I have a plan. And little Alice's unique powers are quite essential for it. Isn't that right, my darling?"

Alice stiffened at the mention of her powers, the Twilight Fragment in her possession appearing in her hand at that moment, giving her the key to sealing the World Core.

Esato turned to Alice, her expression hardening as she saw the Twilight Fragment in her hands. "That...that's exactly what we need to seal the Core."

Leopoldine stepped behind Alice, draping her arms over the young girl's shoulders. "Indeed, it is. And it just so happens that little Alice here has the very power necessary to wield it.”

Esato's eyes narrowed, her gaze flicking from Alice to Leopoldine. "You knew she had this power, didn't you? That's why you took an interest in her."

Leopoldine chuckled, her hands trailing over Alice's arms in a mockingly comforting gesture. "Why yes, my dear Esato, I did. I could sense the power within her from the moment I locked eyes on her. And let me tell you, it is quite...intoxicating~”

Esato's claws curled involuntarily as she watched Leopoldine's hands move over Alice's body. "You're a monster..." she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Leopoldine didn't even bother to respond, her attention focused solely on Alice. "Come now, little one. It's time to use that power. Go ahead and use the Fragment's power on the World Core.”

Alice trembled under Leopoldine's touch, her eyes locked on the World Core. The power pulsing within the Fragment urged her to move, to fulfill the duty set before her. But a part of her hesitated, looking at Esato still standing firmly by her side.

Esato met her gaze, her face taut with worry but her eyes gentle. "It's okay, Alice. You can do this.”

Alice nodded, taking a deep breath to steady herself. The Twilight Fragment pulsated in her hand, its power surging as it responded to her will.

With careful steps she approached the World Core, the golden light casting a warm glow against her skin. As she stood before the Core, the Fragment hummed gently, ready to unleash its unique powers.

Leopoldine watched with keen interest, her eyes never leaving Alice. "That's it, my darling. Let the Fragment's power flow through you."

Esato observed, with her protective instincts on high alert. She wanted to intervene, to guide Alice, to make sure everything went smoothly. But she held herself back, knowing that this was a task Alice must complete.

Alice closed her eyes, focusing her thoughts on the task at hand. The Fragment hummed again, connecting to her energy, and a surge of brilliant light enveloped the tip of the Fragment.

Slowly, with deliberate care, Alice reached out towards the World Core, the tip of the Fragment blasting a ray of Light at the Core's golden surface.

The World Core reacted immediately. The once solid surface began to crackle, small pieces of it splitting off and shattering.

Leopoldine chuckled, her smirk growing wider as the Core was dissipating. "My, my, little one, you're quite the talented one, aren't you? To think you had such power hidden within you all this time.”

Esato watched with wide eyes as the Core continued to break apart under the power of the Twilight Fragment. She had seen this happen once before, but it was still a breathtaking sight.

As the last remnants of the Core shattered, Leopoldine let out a satisfied sigh, clapping her hands together. "Impressive. You surpassed my expectations, my darling.”

Alice stood there, panting heavily from the energy expenditure. The Fragment in her hand had lost its power, its light fading.

Esato stepped up beside her, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "You did it, Alice. You sealed off the World Core.”

Leopoldine chuckled, her gaze fixed on Alice who was leaning slightly towards Esato in exhaustion. "Yes, she did. But our work isn't done yet, my dear Esato."

Esato's eyes snapped up towards the regal woman, her suspicion returning full force. "What do you mean?”

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Leopoldine smirked, her fingers twitching with anticipation. "Why dear Esato, did you really think we were done here? No, there's still one more item on our to-do list."

Esato's expression hardened, her grip on Alice's shoulder tightening slightly. "And what, pray tell, is that?”

Leopoldine chuckled, her gaze flickering between Esato and Alice. "Oh my, you really haven't figured it out yet? Allow me to spell it out for you then."

She leaned in closer, her words dripping with mischief. "You see, my dear, it's time to claim the most precious prize~”

Esato bristled, her hand moving protectively in front of Alice. "And what 'prize' might you be referring to, Leopoldine?”

Leopoldine let out a small laugh, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Why my dear Esato, don't play coy. You know exactly what prize I'm talking about."

Her gaze shifted to Alice, who was still leaning heavily on Esato's support. "She's right here in front of us, after all~”

Esato's eyes widened in surprise and realization. Her hand wrapped around Alice's arm, pulling the young girl closer to her protective form. Her dress made of flames somehow didn't burn Alice, making the latter blink in confusion. "You...you want to take her?" Esato asked with gritted teeth.

Leopoldine chuckled again, taking a slow step closer to the protective duo. "That's exactly right, my dear Esato. I want to claim little Alice for myself. She's far too precious to be left unattended, don't you agree?"

Esato's grip on Alice tightened, her eyes locked with Leopoldine as the two women stood face to face.

"Over my dead body," Esato growled, her body visibly shaking with anger.

Leopoldine smirked while crossing her arms. "Aww, my lovely dragon, don't be like that~! Besides, you've only known her for only about an hour, correct? Surely you can't care for her more than me, hmmm?”

Esato gritted her teeth, her ears pinning back in anger as Leopoldine taunted her. "I don't care how long I've known her. She's not your pet, she's not your property, she's a person!"

Leopoldine chuckled again, her smirk turning more sinister. "Oh my, look at you, a dragon, getting all worked up over a human. How...adorable~"

Esato's eyes flared in anger, her claws flexing with the urge to attack. "You don't deserve her. You'll just use her and discard her like a puppet.”

Leopoldine snickered, her gaze fixed on the protective dragon girl. "Oh, I assure you my dear Esato, I don't intend to discard little Alice. No, I have...other plans for her."

Esato bristled, her grip on Alice's arm growing even tighter. "What kind of 'plans' are you talking about?"

Leopoldine's smirk widened, her gaze taking on a predatory gleam. "Oh, nothing too out of the ordinary. Just some...projects my organization has been working on, I should say. Nothing suspicious~”

Esato's eyes widened in alarm, her ears pinning back even further. "Organization? You're working with an organization? And they have...projects? What kind of projects?"

Leopoldine let out another laugh, her hand reaching out to pat Esato on the cheek condescendingly. "My, my, you are a curious one, aren't you~? But I'm afraid that's confidential information, my dear. Sorry~”

Esato seethed with anger, her body trembling with suppressed violence. She knew Leopoldine was up to no good, and the thought of her taking Alice for some unknown project sent a shiver down her spine.

"You can't take her," Esato repeated, her voice shaking with anger. "I won't let you!"

Esato let out a burst of flames from her body, briefly searing Leopoldine's skin.

Leopoldine recoiled with a hiss, her hand reflexively flying to her singed skin. Her expression darkened, the smirk replaced with a scowl.

"Curious..." she said, her tone dangerously low. "Your flames happen to affect me, but not my Alice?"

Esato huffed, bringing Alice closer against her body. "Because I don't want to burn her. My flames don't burn people whom I trust.”

Leopoldine narrowed her eyes, a dangerous glimmer reflecting in them. "Oh? You trust her, hm? That's...interesting~"

She took a step closer, her gaze locked on Esato and Alice, who was still wrapped in her protective embrace.

"Tell me, my dear dragon, why is it that you trust her more than me?”

Esato growled, her tail lashing behind her with anger. "Because Alice is kind and sweet. She trusts me, and I trust her. Something that you know nothing about, you heartless monster."

Leopoldine scoffed, her eyes flickering towards Alice momentarily. "Oh, how quaint. Trust, kindness, so...naive. Don't you ever get tired of it all?”

Esato shook her head, her expression hardening. "No. It's better than whatever darkness you're planning to pull Alice into."

Leopoldine snickered again, her gaze turning predatory. "Oh my, you really are quite the protector, aren't you? But no, my organization's current project is nothing sinister, just a simple piece of technology that my dear Alice can make great use of.”

Esato bristled, her gaze growing suspicious. "And what kind of 'technology' are we talking about here?"

Leopoldine chuckled, her smile growing wider. "Oh, Esato, don't concern yourself, it's nothing to concern yourself with~"

Esato gritted her teeth, her grip on Alice's arm becoming almost possessive. "You're not taking her, Leopoldine. I won't let you.”

Noelle, Rachel and Zalgo entered the World Core chamber, looking at Alice, Esato, and the newcomer, their eyes widening as they spotted the regal woman standing beside Alice.

"Who's that...?" Rachel said, her voice still groggy from the earlier nap.

"That's Leopoldine," Esato responded, her eyes never leaving the woman's face. "And she's big trouble."

Leopoldine just smiled, her gaze sweeping across the gathering group. "Ah, Esato, always so blunt. I do love your straightforward nature~”

Rachel and Zalgo exchanged confused looks, their eyes darting between Leopoldine and Esato. They weren't quite sure what was going on, but they could sense the tension in the air. Noelle, on the other hand, was taking in everything silently, her gaze sharp and observant before speaking up. "What does she want with Alice?”

Esato's eyes darkened, her gaze fixed intently on Leopoldine. "She's trying to corrupt her," she responded, her tone cold.

Leopoldine just laughed, the sound musical yet cruel. "Corrupt her? Such a harsh word, dear Esato. I'm simply going to show her a fabulous piece of technology from my organization. She'll find it quite useful in her journey, where connections with others are a vital part of saud journey~”

Rachel and Zalgo looked even more confused now, exchanging glances again. Noelle, still watchful, tilted her head slightly. "A piece of technology? What kind of technology?”

Leopoldine let go of Alice's shoulder, her hand diving into one of the inner pockets of her dress. "It's something quite extraordinary, I assure you. And Alice here will be the first to receive it~"

Noelle's eyes widened, her curiosity piqued. "What does it do?"

Leopoldine shrugged with her signature smirk. "It's classified. Sorry~”

Esato's face darkened at the woman's flippant answer.

Rachel was the first to answer. "Classified means people who are working on something fucking twisted that they don't want the world to know about.”

Leopoldine just smiled, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Oh, you're too suspicious, dear Rachel. It's not twisted, I assure you. Just something...unique."

Zalgo raised an eyebrow, her interest simmering beneath the surface. "That doesn't sound very reassuring.”

Leopoldine ignored their comments, her focus solely on Alice. "Now, my dear. Are you ready to receive my gift?"

Alice glanced around the group, her mind racing. She could feel Esato's gaze on her, filled with concern and suspicion. But she could also feel the pull of curiosity and desire. Leopoldine's words were like a siren's song, beckoning her closer with their allure.

Alice swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest. "Y-yes," she said quietly.

“Very good. Just hold still for a moment, my dear~”