- Catching Up -

They failed miserably on this mission.

They failed to stop Rachel, to catch Casano and to save the train from FUG. Instead, they lost their guide Hwaryun and few of them were badly hurt.

Bam who used the thorn too much was now resting. According to Beta, Bam was fine as he was just using the thorn more than what he should. But if he kept losing his control like this, then something bad will happen to him.

The fact that the thorn was still outside of his body meant that Bam still couldn't accept the thorn completely. If they wanted to ensure Bam's safety, then they should find all the missing pieces of the thorn and then stabilize it or to let Bam to overcome it by himself. But of course, none of those two methods were easy.

Khun admitted to the others that he was the one who threw Wangnan and Ehwa Yeon inside the train. The first function of the White Heavenly Mirror was that it could seal whoever was stabbed no the heart with it. After he sealed both Wangnan and Ehwa, he threw them to the train with the help of his lighthouse and Ran.

Boro and Aka also admitted that Daniel who rode on the train with Rachel used to work together with them. After hundreds of years without news, they thought that he had died so when they saw him again today, they were surprised.

"So you're saying that someone who had died for more than hundreds of years came back to live and worked together with FUG?" Khun asked them in which Aka agreed. "That's hard to believe."

Charlotte coughed when she heard about that.

A dead person who returned back to live and worked together with FUG....that already happened on him twice right? One was when he realized that Jue Viole Grace was Bam, second was when he realized that Nox was Charlotte. Since this was the third time for him to experience something like that, how could it be hard to believe?

Of course he recalled about that but decided to ignore it.

When they brought Bam to rest, Khun said to the others that in order for them to catch up with the train, then they should stop the train first. It was something that the others had never thought before and even if they had considered about that idea, then they won't be able to do that.

"Stopping the train does sound impossible to do" Charlotte said while covering Bam with a white blanket gently. After that, she sat on the bed and looked at Khun, "But if you are the one who is going to do it, then I believe you could."

Khun, "......"

He looked at the young lass before looking away.

Altaira who was holding Charlotte's cap looked at the two of them before he began to speak: "Then since we have already figured out on how to catch up with the train and Bam's condition...."

He walked towards Charlotte and then put the black cap on her again. While holding the cap, Charlotte lifted her head to see her brother again, to hear what he wanted to say.

"Don't you think you have something more important to do, Charlie?" He asked while tilting his head with a friendly and warm smile.

Charlie, the name that he would sometimes use to call her. Charlotte thought that both of them had forgotten about it as the years after he died was more than enough to turn a pair of siblings into strangers. She used to dislike that name whenever he called her like that, but now, she felt nothing when she heard him calling her like that.

"My wounds?" She guessed.

"You don't plan to walk around with those wounds right?" Altaira asked back. He pointed to her jacket and said, "Your jacket is also stained with blood. The fight is sure though, huh?"

Charlotte, "..........."

The blood was her blood.

After she tried to break the chain by force, she coughed blood. The blood that she coughed stained her hand, her jacket and the floor where she was standing. If her brother knew that it was her blood, then she wonder how he will react.

Ah, maybe he knew about it. But since there was nothing he could do or to protect her feelings, he pretended that he had no idea about it.

Charlotte took off the black jacket and revealed the white inner shirt she was wearing. She took her fan and then left the room together with Altaira and before she closed the door, she glanced at her brother for a moment. After that, she closed the door and then headed to different room where she sat on the bed again.

For the second time Celeste offered to use her blue colored little butterflies to heal her external wounds in which Charlotte refused again.

"If you try to heal all my wounds, then I'm afraid that you won't wake up for two or three days" Charlotte said to her with a smile while leaning against the wall.

"I'm not fragile" Celeste said with a frown. She sat on the bed and leaned forward to Charlotte, "And besides, I'm sure that you do feel hurt right? It will be faster to heal them with my butterflies."

Of course it was painful. She was actually trying to endure everything again, trying to hold herself so that she won't cry before the others. But she won't admit it.

If Charlotte said to the others that things were too painful for her to bear, then they would be worried at her. And the more they worried, the more they will treat her like a fragile and delicate person. She was afraid that they will be worried of her and that they won't allow her to fight alongside them anymore.

So even though she was hurt and nearly lost her eye, even though she was tired and lonely, she would just smile like usual and pretended that she was alright like right now. Whenever they asked about her condition, she would reply that she was fine even though the others didn't believe in her.

"There is no point talking with her, Celeste" Altaira said and then sat on the other side of the bed. "She is too stubborn for her own good."

"She is similar with you at this point" Celeste said.

"I'm not as stubborn as her, you must have misunderstand me."

"Or more like I understand you quite well."

Altaira sighed, "Well, say whatever that pleases you."

"I'm just telling the truth."

If Altaira was bandaging her right arm, then Celeste was bandaging her left arm. Charlotte smiled awkwardly at this kind of situation as she tried to convince the others to let her bandage herself.

"Why don't you just let me....take care of myself?" She asked. "I'm not a child anymore....."

"This has nothing to do with age." "Aren't you indeed a child?"

Charlotte, "........"

She just sighed at this kind of situation.

"Next time, you have to care for your sister more" Celeste said to Altaira. "Tell her to not refuse my offer whenever I want to heal her."

"You know how stubborn this brat is" Altaira replied. "No matter what I said, she won't listen!"

Charlotte, "....."

Charlotte found it hard to describe her feeling now.

This pair of couple really worked in sync. They wrapped her with bandages and then put a plaster to cover the scar near her eye. They did it carefully and meticulously as if they were afraid to hurt her even more.

After they did all of those, they asked, more like ordered her, to get some rest. When Charlotte asked where they were heading, the two of them answered that they will go outside and look for the others.

"If you don't sleep when we come back, then I will make you feel sorry" Altaira said before he closed the door.

To say that they were a pair of lovers, now they looked like a pair of husband and wife who took care of their child. In annoyance, she let out a sigh and lied down on the bed. She crossed her arms while looking at the ceiling.

'How am I supposed to sleep at this kind of situation? When everything is a mess?!'

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

Outside, things started to get noisy as the regulars figured out that the tournament was a lie and that the train was stolen.

"My poor sister works so hard just for something like this" Altaira said and sighed. He was watching the regulars who were panicking with the truth that they had been deceived. "There are indeed some things that one couldn't change."

'It's all for nothing' he thought.

"At least she had tried" Celeste said while wiping her sword with her handkerchief.

"Just 'trying' isn't enough" Altaira responded. "Luck is also necessary, don't you think?"

Celeste stopped wiping her sword and then looked at Altaira, "You are still planning on how to separate both Bam and Charlotte?"

"If I plan like that, do you have a problem with it?" Altaira asked and looked at Celeste.

"That doesn't seem like a right thing to do."

"Whether it's right or not, who could possibly tell?" Altaira asked. He put both of his hands on his pockets, sighed and looked at the ceiling, "Maybe if she walks on different path with them, then she won't get hurt this bad.....right?"

Celeste looked at the man, especially his eyes when he wasn't aware. They said that the eyes were the window of one's souls and feelings. If that was indeed the truth, then right now, he was trying to cover his sadness. He wanted to hide his sadness and just like Charlotte, he was trying to endure everything as well. He had to restrain himself whenever he watched how Charlotte returned with injuries and wounds and endure everything as well.

".....Who knows....?"

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

Charlotte found herself lying on the grass beneath a tree. The blue sky was colored with the white clouds and the wind was blowing softly and gently. It was quite, without birds chirping or any other sound. It was quite that she only could hear the sound of wind blowing the grasses.

She sat down, sighed, closing her eyes and held her forehead.

"Why am I here again? And why are you here again?"

A figure behind her who was dressed in white smiled. Whoever that person was, he walked and then sat next to her.

"ⲩⲟ𐌵 ⲁꞅⲉ ⲏ𐌵ꞅⲧ ⲁ𝓰ⲁⲓⲛ."

"Yeah, I'm hurt again, what about it?" Charlotte asked back.

"𝓖ⲉⲧⲧⲓⲛ𝓰 ⲏ𐌵ꞅⲧ 𝓵ⲓⲕⲉ ⲧⲏⲓ𝛓 ⲁ𝓰ⲁⲓⲛ ⲁⲛⲇ ⲁ𝓰ⲁⲓⲛ, ⲁꞅⲉⲛ'ⲧ ⲩⲟ𐌵 ⲧⲓꞅⲉⲇ?"

"Not at all" she answered without hesitation as she hugged her knees. She paused for a moment before she added, "....If there is something that I am tired of....then it's probably I'm tired of being weak."

"Ⲃⲉⲥⲁ𐌵𝛓ⲉ ⲩⲟ𐌵ꞅ ⲃⲉ𝓵ⲟ𝓿ⲉⲇ ⲟⲛⲉ𝛓 ⲕⲉⲉⲣ 𝓰ⲉⲧⲧⲓⲛ𝓰 ⲏ𐌵ꞅⲧ?"

"I want to be stronger, stronger than anyone in this tower" Charlotte said. She looked at the sky before she looked at the pink haired woman again.

"𝓯ⲟꞅ ⲩⲟ𐌵ꞅ ⲟⲃ𝛓ⲉ𝛓𝛓ⲓ𝓿ⲉ ⲃꞅⲟⲧⲏⲉꞅ?"

"Why are you calling him obsessive again?!" Charlotte looked at the soft purple haired woman in annoyance. "I told you that he isn't obsessive! He is just too...loyal. He put all his loyalty and faith on a wrong person!"

The pink haired person just followed Charlotte and hugged her knees, resting her cheeks on her knees while looking at Charlotte with a smile.

"Ⲁ𝓵ꞅⲓ𝓰ⲏⲧ, ⲧⲏⲉⲛ 𝓵ⲉⲧ'𝛓 𝓳𐌵𝛓ⲧ ⲥⲁ𝓵𝓵 ⲏⲓⲙ '𝓵ⲟⲩⲁ𝓵' 𝓵ⲓⲕⲉ ⲱⲏⲁⲧ ⲩⲟ𐌵 𝛓ⲁⲓⲇ. Ⲃ𐌵ⲧ ⲧⲏⲉⲛ ⲁ𝓰ⲁⲓⲛ, ⲇⲟ ⲩⲟ𐌵 ⲕⲛⲟⲱ ⲧⲏⲁⲧ 𝓳𐌵𝛓ⲧ ⲃⲉⲥⲁ𐌵𝛓ⲉ ⲩⲟ𐌵 ⲁꞅⲉ 𝛓ⲧꞅⲟⲛ𝓰 ⲇⲟⲉ𝛓ⲛ'ⲧ ⲙⲉⲁⲛ ⲩⲟ𐌵 ⲥⲟ𐌵𝓵ⲇ ⲣꞅⲟⲧⲉⲥⲧ ⲉ𝓿ⲉꞅⲩⲟⲛⲉ? Ⲛⲟⲧⲏⲓⲛ𝓰 𝓵ⲁ𝛓ⲧ 𝓯ⲟꞅⲉ𝓿ⲉꞅ, Ⲓ'ⲙ 𝛓𐌵ꞅⲉ ⲧⲏⲁⲧ ⲩⲟ𐌵ꞅ ꞅⲉ𝓵ⲓ𝓰ⲓⲟⲛ ⲧⲉⲁⲥⲏⲉꞅ ⲏⲁ𝓿ⲉ ⲧⲁ𐌵𝓰ⲏⲧ ⲩⲟ𐌵 ⲁⲃⲟ𐌵ⲧ ⲧⲏⲁⲧ."

Charlotte scoffed before flipping her brown hair away and hugged her knees again.

"I slept during my religion class. How am I supposed to know what the teacher was teaching? And besides, it's been seven or eight years since I died in my former world, how could I remember all they said?"

"Ⲩⲟ𐌵 ⲕⲛⲟⲱ, ⲃ𐌵ⲧ ⲩⲟ𐌵 ⲥⲏⲟⲟ𝛓ⲉ ⲛⲟⲧ ⲧⲟ ⲕⲛⲟⲱ ⲓⲧ."

"...........Just think whatever you want, it's not that I could change your opinion easily anyway" she said and then rested her chin with her palm. "Some people are just too stubborn for their own good."

The pink haired woman chuckled and then asked, "Ⲁꞅⲉ ⲩⲟ𐌵 ꞅⲉ𝓯ⲉꞅꞅⲓⲛ𝓰 ⲁⲃⲟ𐌵ⲧ ⲩⲟ𐌵ꞅ𝛓ⲉ𝓵𝓯?"

"Of course no!" she immediately answered. "I'm talking about you! You are the one who is stubborn!"

The person who she was talking with just chuckled.

When the pink haired woman reached out her hand and held Charlotte's cheek, Charlotte froze. She was surprised at her gesture.

"Ⲱⲏⲁⲧ'𝛓 ⲧⲏⲉ 𝓯𐌵ⲛ ⲟ𝓯 ⲃⲉⲓⲛ𝓰 𝛓ⲧꞅⲟⲛ𝓰 ⲱⲏⲉⲛ ⲩⲟ𐌵 ⲥⲟ𐌵𝓵ⲇ 𝓵ⲓ𝓿ⲉ ⲁⲛ ⲓⲇ𝓵ⲉ ⲁⲛⲇ 𐌵ⲛꞅⲉ𝛓ⲧꞅⲁⲓⲛⲉⲇ 𝓵ⲓ𝓯ⲉ? Ⲇⲟ ⲩⲟ𐌵 ꞅⲉⲁ𝓵𝓵ⲩ ⲧⲏⲓⲛⲕ ⲧⲏⲁⲧ ⲃⲉⲓⲛ𝓰 𝛓ⲧꞅⲟⲛ𝓰 ⲱⲓ𝓵𝓵 𝓰ⲓ𝓿ⲉ ⲩⲟ𐌵 ⲉ𝓿ⲉꞅⲩⲧⲏⲓⲛ𝓰 ⲩⲟ𐌵 ⲱⲁⲛⲧ?"

"Yeah" Charlotte answered, pushing her hand away. "If I could be strong, there are lots of things I could get, including the unrestrained life that you said. By being strong, there is nothing I couldn't do."

"Ϩⲓ𝓵𝓵ⲩ ⲥⲏⲓ𝓵ⲇ, ⲧⲏⲉ ⲙⲟꞅⲉ ⲩⲟ𐌵 ⲁ𝛓ⲕ, ⲧⲏⲉ ⲙⲟꞅⲉ ⲩⲟ𐌵 ⲱⲓ𝓵𝓵 𝓵ⲟ𝛓ⲉ. Ⲓⲛ ⲧⲏⲓ𝛓 ⲱⲟꞅ𝓵ⲇ, ⲧⲏⲉꞅⲉ ⲓ𝛓 ⲛⲟⲧⲏⲓⲛ𝓰 ⲧⲏⲁⲧ ⲥⲟ𐌵𝓵ⲇ ⲃⲉ ⲁⲥⲏⲓⲉ𝓿ⲉⲇ ⲉⲁ𝛓ⲓ𝓵ⲩ. Ⲓ𝓯 ⲃⲉⲓⲛ𝓰 𝛓ⲧꞅⲟⲛ𝓰 ꞅⲉⲁ𝓵𝓵ⲩ 𝓰ⲓ𝓿ⲉ𝛓 ⲩⲟ𐌵 ⲉ𝓿ⲉꞅⲩⲧⲏⲓⲛ𝓰.... ⲧⲏⲉⲛ ⲱⲏⲩ ⲇⲓⲇ 𝛓ⲏⲉ 𝓵ⲟ𝛓ⲧ ⲉ𝓿ⲉꞅⲩⲧⲏⲓⲛ𝓰 ⲁⲧ ⲧⲏⲉ ⲉⲛⲇ ⲁⲛⲇ 𝓵ⲓ𝓿ⲉⲇ ⲙⲓ𝛓ⲉꞅⲁⲃ𝓵ⲉ 𝓵ⲓ𝓯ⲉ?"

"'She'? Who is the person you are talking about?" Charlotte asked out of curiosity.

The pink haired woman took a deep breath. With her soft pink eyes that were filled with yearning, regret and peacefulness, she looked at the view. She was quiet for a moment while lowering her head and answered, "......Ⲓⲧ'𝛓 ⲃⲉⲧⲧⲉꞅ ⲛⲟⲧ ⲧⲟ ⲧⲁ𝓵ⲕ ⲁⲃⲟ𐌵ⲧ ⲓⲧ. Ⲓⲧ'𝛓 𝓳𐌵𝛓ⲧ ⲁⲛ ⲟ𝓵ⲇ 𝛓ⲧⲟꞅⲩ ⲁⲛⲇ 𝓯ⲟꞅ𝓰ⲟⲧⲧⲉⲛ ⲣⲁ𝛓ⲧ. Ⲩⲟ𐌵 𝛓ⲏⲟ𐌵𝓵ⲇ ⲁ𝓵𝛓ⲟ ⲱⲁⲕⲉ 𐌵ⲣ ⲛⲟⲱ."

"Hey! Wait! I-!"

'- haven't finished asking yet!'

The pink haired woman waved her hand towards her before Charlotte could finish her words and then there was a bright white light that forced her to close her eyes.

"Ugh!"

By the time she opened her eyes again, she returned back to the room.

Even though she knew that it was a dream, she felt that it wasn't a dream at all.

The brown haired girl held her head and sat down, gritting her teeth and said, "That old pinky hag...."

Whenever Charlotte experienced that kind of dream, she would always feel headache. And this time, the headache felt a bit worse than before. If this keeps happening, she wondered whether her head will explode or not.

"You are awake?"

Hearing Noah's voice and noticing his face that suddenly popped next to hers made Charlotte felt surprised. She froze on her spot for a moment, looked at his dark purple eyes and blinked before she was startled and pulled back her blanket, leaning against the wall.

"What are you dreaming about until you call someone an old pinky hag ?" Noah asked. "You look like you have a nice dream."

'What nice dream?' She thought while trying not to roll her eyes.

Charlotte cleared her throat and answered, "I forgot."

"You forgot? You just opened your eyes" Noah said.

Charlotte knew that this was a pointless conversation as she looked at the glass on the table and said, "I'm thirsty."

"And I'm not your servant" Noah responded.

Maybe he thought that Charlotte forgot about his state as he tried to hold the glass when it didn't work at all. He repeated it several times and Charlotte chuckled a bit. When she said that she was thirsty, she never asked Noah to give her water.

After drinking, she asked Noah, "Has my brother wake up? How long I have fallen asleep?"

"You slept for two hours" Noah answered. "And your brother is talking with my younger sister."

"I'm not talking about the blue one. Tell me about the black one."

"If you are looking for him, then he is still resting. But he is awake though."

Charlotte mouthed an 'oh' as the respond before she poured herself another glass of water and then drank it again. She was thinking whether she should go and look for her brother or not.

Bam must have guessed that she was with Khun earlier to kill Rachel. Well, that wasn't wrong as she wished for someone else to kill her. But she followed Khun was because she wanted to look for Casano and change the plot line. But she failed.

She had expected to fail, although she was a bit sad. Maybe not a little bit. But after sleeping, she felt fine.

"I guess I'll just sleep more" Charlotte said after she pondered about it.

"You aren't going to look for him?" Noah looked surprised. After all, in his eyes, the two of them looked like a pair of chopsticks that didn't want and can't be separated from each other.

Charlotte hummed and nodded her head, "Brother must have thought that I wanted to kill his light as well. Besides, I still don't feel quite well. I will just sleep again."

She lied down on the bed again and pulled the blanket which made Noah speechless.

The others outside seemed to be quite tense as they were thinking on how to catch up the train. Most of them were troubled with some things while she was there sleeping quietly. Should Noah tell to Charlotte that Bam was also wondering whether he should meet her or not?

Bam wanted to meet Charlotte but knowing that she was hurt because of his desire, this made him wonder about his decision all over again. He walked around in circle in front of her room before he decided to walk away.

When he was just about to tell Charlotte about it, Charlotte had said something first.

"Alright, I want to go to sleep. Just go and play, play somewhere else. Don't disturb me."

Noah, ".........have you ever thought why I come here and look for you?"

"Isn't it because you are bored?"

"I want to remind you to not try to break the chain by force again" Noah said. "Do you really think I have no idea about it?"

"I won't do that again" Charlotte said as she turned around to look at Noah. "Look at me, I have suffered from the consequences. I won't do it again."

Even though at the end Noah left, Charlotte had a feeling that he didn't believe in her.

Noah can't believe in Charlotte since he knew that if something happened on Bam, she will betray her words earlier and tried to break the chains again. He should figure out a way to make sure that won't happen.

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

The group made it right on time to take the test after they escaped and left the Train City. Like what Khun said to them, they were quite lucky that there was a test that they could take.

Charlotte glanced at Bam. He was sweating and huffing, his complexion was pale. He was just awake and he had to take the test. Noticing his sister's worried expression, Altaira couldn't help but to whisper and remind her that she was not any better in which she couldn't argue.

When the test was going to start, all of them gathered. Each of them could see their opponents' appearance as they met with each other.

A fat man chuckled, "What is this? A kindergarten party? It seems like the rumors are true that the strong ones left to take the train, huh? It will be a piece of cake to pass the test, don't you think so, you cute and little gator?"

He was laughing and mocking at Rak who argued back as he refused to accept the fact that he was a crocodile.

The rules to advance the next floor was quite simple. There will be two sides, the offensive and defensive sides. The offensive side will start from the outer field where they should occupy the center point and insert their cards on it. If one of the regulars from offensive side could insert or register the card, then they will win. Meanwhile, the defensive side should prevent that from happening. As each regular on the offensive side was given a card, as long as they could steal all their cards, they will win in an instant. But if they can't steal their cards, then they could at least guard the center point for an hour.