- Lotus -

The pink haired lady was aware that there was something wrong.

The field where she was in was starting to shake vigorously as if there was an earth quake there. That field existed because of Charlotte and if something happened to the field, then there must be something wrong with Charlotte at the outside.

'I have to help her!'

The pink haired woman vanished, leaving pink lotus petals behind on the spot where she used to stand. She vanished and then re- appeared in another place.

She arrived in a place where she could find the giant golden hourglass. She noticed that the two of the twelve remaining chains has been destroyed and she could feel that there was an immense strength coming out from the hourglass. Blue aura came out from the hourglass and it gave her the feeling of coldness.

'No matter how special Xi is, she hasn't reached the level where she could easily break these two chains together in the same time. Someone must have opened the chains by force'

The coldness wasn't a problem for the pink haired lady. In fact, she enjoyed the coldness coming out from the hourglass and she smiled as she recalled some happy memories.

'This familiar feeling......I really missed it....but this isn't the right time yet. I don't have enough power to see you.....'

She opened her right palm that revealed a glowing pink lotus.

'The only way for her to strengthen herself faster is to accept herself. She should accept her past that she despised and afraid the most. If she could, then her strength would have been stronger than ordinary D- rank regulars. But this is not the time to think about that anymore.'

That pink lotus flew from her palm and floated in the air, next to the hourglass.

'The power that I has been saving isn't enough and if I overdo it, I might just vanish right now. That lotus is the only thing I could do.....and if she truly is the child of hope and has my power..... then this lotus will be a great help for her.....otherwise, she'll die. And if she dies, I'll also vanish.'

'Xi, it all depends on you right now.'

'Wake up.'

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

She stopped moving.

"Could it be......she has died.....?"

Once someone died, no one could return that dead person back alive. This power was beyond the abilities of the irregulars.

Both Urek and Yuri didn't like to stand there without doing nothing. They weren't happy to watch how the regular struggled to survive. But if they were reckless, they knew how cruel this Christ could be. If they helped Charlotte, then the others will die.

But if they don't do anything, she will die as well.

"Damn it.....!" Urek gritted his teeth.

Christ snorted coldly without remorse and guilt. He lowered the green vines that bind the regulars.

"To be able to stay alive at least for a minute is amazing already" said Christ earnestly. "But sadly, the power is just too big for her to handle."

Bam didn't waste a second and ran as fast as he could towards Charlotte. He lifted her body and pulled her close to him, trying to wake her up.

But her body has stopped moving several seconds ago. As if she fell into deep slumber, she couldn't open her eyes or hear anything anymore.

"She.....really died....?"

Yuri tapped Bam's shoulder sadly and shook her head.

"But- she promised me....."

He wanted to say that she had promised him that she won't leave him.

Noah lowered his head and looked away.

The one who killed Charlotte might be his own father.....but it was all because of him.

'If I don't bring her here....rather than dying and tormented because of her own power......being burned might be better.....'

He knew that his father wasn't going to let anyone who hindered his plan remain alive. If he couldn't make use of that person, then he'll kill that person to prevent future problems. It was the same move that he used on Charlotte and he got rid of her because he knew that she was a problem. In fact, there were lots of people who used that kind of method because even though it was a cruel method, it was also an effective method.

"You are so cruel.....father....." he muttered under his breath.

The person who used to raise and protect him now pointed his weapon at him. He killed their mother, abandoned them, trapped him inside the train for years alone and now, he killed his comrade.

In inside, he was the same with Celeste. Even though he believed that one day he should kill his father to avenge his mother but....the memories between the father and son were still vivid inside him. Without his father, he and Celeste wouldn't have born and reached this far. At the end, children couldn't blame their parents for they were the reason why they existed. They never asked, but the blood relation between the parents and children couldn't be changed.

Killing your own parents was the biggest crime you could do.

But what should he do when his own father again and again tortured him?

Charlotte would never be happy if she knew that Bam was sad, especially when he was sad because of her. But he couldn't help it. Bam could no longer endure it.

The soul that was on Christ's hand moved on its own. It moved and slowly took form of the brown haired woman with a pair of golden eyes. Her appearance looked similar with the deceased one on his arms that it was quite terrifying.

Charlotte walked towards Bam, tapped his shoulder and knelt next to him.

"Brother, why are you being sad for?" She asked. Her voice was just like her appearance, similar to Charlotte. "She is nothing but a fake....and she should have died long ago. Rather than staying alive in this cold and bloody tower, it would be better to let her go right? Perhaps this is the best ending for her."

"The best ending?" Bam echoed.

"Yes. She should have died from the beginning. But it's all because of Noah that she survived and took over my body and identity. Someone like her who comes from the world of peacefulness shouldn't have came to this tower....therefore, if death isn't the best ending for her as liberation, she might continue to suffer here."

Her words weren't entirely wrong. But in the same time, Bam wasn't satisfied with those words. He knew Charlotte too well that he understood what she meant.

He pushed her away from him.

"Go away" he coldly said.

"....brother....?" Charlotte looked surprised as she pulled her hand back.

"The best ending? It isn't the best ending for her, but to you right?" Khun asked as he stepped forward.

"Khun Aguero Agnes...." Charlotte's expression turned solemn as she frowned.

"Bam has told me who you are. You must be the real Charlotte, Bam's real younger sister and the one who tried to kill him, am I right?"

Charlotte, "......."

"Real one? Fake?" Celeste was confused. Endorsi and the others were also confused for they weren't aware of the truth. "What are you talking here?"

"Even though you've grown up with him together, but you never once take Bam as your older brother. The soul who is hosting inside your body might be the fake one.....but compared to you, she treats us sincerely and genuinely. If you truly take Bam as your older brother, then could you also sacrifice yourself for him? Don't try to pretend to be nice when you are thankful to see how your master killed this soul for you."

His expression darkened as he spoke. He clenched his fists before he added, "You clearly are enjoying this."

Charlotte was quiet for a moment before she smirked evilly.

"So what? At the end, this soul dies whether you like it or not" Charlotte spoke up again. It was just like what Khun said, Charlotte was happy that there was someone who killed Charlotte for her. "The power of the time- manipulation is extremely powerful that it takes her own life. To die on her own power-"

A drop of tear fell from the cold body's right eye. That one drop of tear fell from her right eye and soon enough, a miracle happened.

"-is really humiliating-"

Before Charlotte could finish her words, something came out from Charlotte's body which turned out to be a pink wave.

As the pink wave came out from her body, that pink wave forced Charlotte to jump backward and floated next to her master who was shocked to see that pink wave, just like everyone else.

'This feeling.....'

That feeling was so familiar and warm for him. The feeling that he had yearned so badly that he could give up everything he had.

"She....she hasn't dead yet?!" Charlotte asked in disbelief. "But how could that be?"

'But she clearly stopped breathing for a moment. But this wave.....if she truly dies, how could she possibly have such a great power?'

She gritted her teeth in anger.

'Good for you......how could you possibly have such a power?!'

The pink wave came from the body which they believed to be a corpse now and followed by the pink wave, something bloomed.

"What happened?!"

"What are these?!"

"L- Lotuses?!"

Pink lotuses began to grow from the ground on where they were standing. Not only that they grew in the ground, they also grew on the wall at the area and also from the red liquid. White who was lying on the red liquid hopelessly noticed that there were something floating from the red liquid which turned out be pink lotuses.

The pink lotuses grew and bloomed so quickly out of nowhere and even though they did not understand how that could happen, they knew that the source of those lotuses.

They came from her, from Charlotte.

Those lotuses were beautiful and in the same time, they felt really warm. Khun extended his hand and touched one of them. As the lotuses bloom, he felt the sense of secure and peacefulness, just like how Noah's anger towards his father seemed to have been suppressed for a moment by the lotuses.

Hundreds of lotuses bloomed in that place, adding new color in that place filled with red color. From those glowing pink lotuses, faint light came out from each of them and flew towards Charlotte. The faint light that came from each lotuses came towards her and gathered right on her forehead.

Her complexion was pale before but now, it was getting better. Her body that was cold was getting warmer and warmer. Before she stopped breathing, but now she was starting to breath steadily. To say that she was now a corpse, she started to look like someone who was sleeping peacefully after going through so much storms. Bam who noticed that touched his younger sister's cheek and laughed happily. His tears were no longer sad, but filled with happiness and relieve.

"She truly.....she is revived now?" Celeste asked, trembling with happiness.

"Charlotte.....Charlotte....!" Bam happily called.

'Thank goodness you are still alive!!'

'This power......'

Even Karaka who has been watching could tell that this power has great potential.

'According to Christ earlier, the chains sealed her power since the power is too powerful. She still could survive after having two chains broken by force.....this is the scary part in them. Even when they are in a life- and- death situation, they still managed to survive and even created miracles. If I don't handle them well, one day that terrifying power will be pointed to me.'

'Did she just come back from death?' Gustang wondered. But he didn't show any emotions or was amazed by it. Living for so long, he had seen something greater than this...even though being able to resurrect from death was extremely rare.

In the same time, the faint pink light that gathered on her forehead formed something.

It seemed to be a forehead mark.

And that pink forehead mark resembled a pink lotus bud that has yet to bloom.

Once the forehead mark has been formed, there was another strong wave of energy.

"Ugh!"

The strong wave of energy had a strong force that Charlotte had to be careful if she didn't want her own soul to be destroyed by that energy.

And a moment later, the brown haired woman slightly shook her head and frowned a bit. She slowly opened her right eye before she opened her left eye.

After sleeping for awhile, the room looks so bright that it forced her to blink several times before she looked at Bam who was smiling towards her.

"Brother....?" She weakly called with her soft and weak voice. Right now, she felt that her whole body was feeling pain as she had just survived through a life- and- death situation. She felt so weak that talking was hard for her. But she forced herself to reach out her right hand to touch Bam's cheek and Bam who held her hand did what she wanted.

Gently, he put her hand right on his cheek.

"Brother...are you crying?" Charlotte asked him. "Why....why are you crying for, brother.....?"

"I...I... I just have a nightmare earlier" he replied with his eyes closed. "Don't mind about it."

"Brother, I feel really tired..... I.... I have a strange dream... I feel that there is a sharp pain earlier and.... I'm afraid..."

"It's fine now" said Bam. "Are you still tired?"

Charlotte nodded her head and hummed.

"Then go ahead and sleep for awhile. This place has me to take care. Go and have a rest."

"Okay...." She pulled back her hand and closed her eyes.

Right now, she felt very exhausted. But not in the bad way. She felt that she was forced by someone to train until she couldn't take it anymore and collapsed.

Bam lifted Charlotte and carried her in his arms. He turned his head around and glared at the one who nearly killed his sister.

Christ looked at the lotuses blankly. He looked shocked and in the same time floundered.

".....ah....."

He lifted his right hand and began to control Shinsu.

Close to White, there was a pink lotus with green leaves. He lifted the red liquid under the pink lotus and carried the pink lotus at all. The pink lotus flew and stopped right on his right palm.

"This lotus...."

'Could that girl....be the one who he mentioned?'

"Master......" Charlotte muttered. She had a bad feelings that things won't end like what she wanted. She glared at Charlotte who was sleeping comfortably in Bam's arms.

'And it was all because of her! Why won't she just go and die and make things easier for me? I haven't even met Rachel yet!'

Taking that chance, Urek jumped from his ground and was ready to hit Christ whose mind was blank. But sensing the danger that came to him, Christ noticed Urek and dodged his attack by reflex.

"UREK! Please refrain yourself!" Nathan shouted from below. "If you don't control your power, all of us might die!"

"I know! But I just can't let this bastard after what he has done!"

Christ thought that this was troublesome. He thought that it was a wrong decision to free those regulars. He was confident that there was a chance for him to win in a fight against Urek.

But it wasn't right now. Right now, he wasn't in the mood to fight with anyone. Therefore, he gathered his strength at his other hand and gave Urek a punch.

Urek crosses his arms and were pushed backward.

Taking advantage of that, he used his green vine and caught Celeste as his hostage again.

"Father!"

"Bastard! Are you going to use your own child as a hostage? Fight me if you have the ability!"

"I'm not in the mood for fight" said Christ coldly. "If you want to fight me, then we could do it somewhere else and whenever you want to. But not today and not now."

Ignoring Urek, Christ looked at Charlotte and Bam.

"In exchange of fighting, I have a better idea" said Christ.

"Who wants to listen to your idea?!" Noah asked angrily.

"Because if you don't.... I don't mind killing everyone who is precious for her and slowly tormenting her again before taking back her body" Christ replied without hesitation. He said those terrifying words calmly as if they were nothing.

"You-!"

"My idea is just simple. Let's have a competition" said Christ, ignoring Noah who glared at him. "A competition between my puppet and your younger sister."

"What....?" Ban asked, confused on why Christ suddenly mentioned about having a competition. And it was between his real younger sister and the fake one.

"Yes. If your sister wins, then she could stay on that body and have that power. I won't torment her again."

"But what if she loses....?"

His answer was just a word but it was still surprising. He spoke it without slightest hesitation.

"You are going to kill my sister?!"

"Yes" said Christ. "To be more exact, my puppet will kill her at our death match."

He gestured at his puppet before looking back at Bam.

"So, do you agree with this or not? Well, it's not like you have choices anyway. If you don't agree with me, then like what I said, I'll just have to kill all her friends and kill her. Of course, I won't touch Urek, Yuri, Evan and you. It will only bring me troubles if I kill all of you right here."

Urek was an irregular. Killing him would be hard. Not to mention that even if he succeeds in that, he might just be badly injured and the Wolhaiksong wouldn't let him off. Both Evan and Yuri were high rankers, especially when Yuri was a Zahard Princess from the Ha Family and the owner of the 2 of the Thirteen Months. Bam was also an irregular but weaker than the others. Killing him wasn't really a problem.....but Christ was aware that Poe Bidau Gustang had something to do with the irregular.

Bam wasn't sure whether he should accept it or not.

Right now, the younger sister who he loved the most was resting as she had just been through a life- and- death situation. He didn't like to put her in danger anymore.