- Behund the Name, Hidden Prophecy-

Arlene Grace....Bam was familiar with that name.

Hand of Arlene, the place where he was taken back to FUG, where he was betrayed by Xia Xia who was there to bring him back and was separated from Charlotte before the Workshop Battle. Jue Viole Grace, his slayer candidate's name that was given by FUG as his new identity.

"Tell me!! When you said that she brought me to this world.........She is my ...?!" Bam asked, shocked.

"Well.....how should I explain this.....? Could you really call her mother....? I'm not sure about that."

"What.......?!"

"She's been here longer than I am. So I'm not sure about the exact details. What I'm sure of is that she played a crucial role in bringing you to this place. And she was one of the irregulars who entered the tower along with the leaders of the Ten Great Families."

"B- but...right now....there are only Ten Family Leaders....!"

"That's right. But there used to be thirteen of them, although there are only eleven now.

Why would Zahard split the Thirteen Month Series into thirteen pieces? Some legends said that it was because there were thirteen months in one year in his hometown. But then there must be a separate reason for splitting the key into the Thirteen Months to begin with and it's natural to name it Thirteen Month Series, right?

The Thirteen Months were split up so that Zahard and his companions could share the key. One of them is Arlene Grace. There were originally supposed to be twelve leaders, not ten."

Garam expressed that she also did not believe that there were some hidden irregulars. It wasn't hard to believe that Anne was saying that nonsense since she had lost her sanity. But turned out, Anne wasn't speaking nonsense. She was telling her the truth and she had the evidence for that.

Anne Zahard hid the truths in her pocket.

And to her shock at the time, the pocket that she found after going through countless of troubles was the same pocket that Arlene Grace used....and it contained the diary owned by Arlene Grace. This proved to Garam that Arlene was a real person.

"Arlene Grace. The diary said that she entered the tower with the Ten Leaders on an extraordinary journey, and that she could use mysterious spells. From the very start, Zahard had a crush on her, but her heart actually lay somewhere else.

The man whom she loved was yet another hidden companion. Arlene called his name with an affectionate name V."

Jue Viole Grace. Grace was his mother's surname, V was supposed to be his father's name. So FUG didn't give him that name and identity for no reason. Moreover, V was someone who the current head of FUG, Luslec, served.

"As the two of them climbed the tower, they confirmed their love for one another and began a relationship. And at the end of their great journey, Zahard announced that he will stop climbing the tower and become king.

V and Arlene who wanted to keep climbing the tower criticized Zahard. Arlene expressed Zahard in her records as being blinded by falsehoods.

But Zahard didn't stop. He made a deal with the administrator to become the king of this tower and after that, she found Arlene and proposed to her.

But Arlene was already engaged to V.

Arlene refused Zahard's marriage proposal and ran away with V. Then the two of them formed an organization which opposed Zahard and started a war in order to steal the key which Zahard had. Zahard was also enraged and fought them.

In the process, there were many conflicts even among the Ten Leaders....but there aren't many details written in the pocket. What I know for sure is that the Ten Leaders sided with Zahard for some reasons and ultimately, V and Arlene lost the war and became fugitives."

In the war, there was only one consequence for those who lost. Death. If it isn't death, then it could be humiliation, torture and sufferings waiting for those who lost the war.

"And as she ran away, within Arlene's body yet there was another life waiting to be born."

"You mean...... That baby was....?"

"No.....that child......"

"WHAT?!" Bam was shocked.

But the one who brought him to this world was Arlene.....if that child wasn't him....if that child had died....then who actually he was?

"Hearing rumors that she had a child, Zahard tracked down the child and" Garam explained the cruel truth to them.

For a mother, what could be worse than seeing her child, her baby who had just born died before her without being able to defend them? That child who has yet to cry to her, to call her with the word mother, died because of the obsession of a man.

"In her pocket, that incident is described in terms of extreme loathing and resentment."

'No wonder......'

Her anger has been replaced by the sadness at the thought of Arlene losing her own child.

'Zahard.....is too cruel....'

Now, she understood why FUG wanted to rebel so hard. No, what she understood was the hatred that people from FUG had inside their hearts. Their resentment and anger towards Zahard, she was able to feel it for a second.

"After that incident, parts of her records aren't normal. Naturally, she couldn't live with her sanity intact. Ultimately, the sense of losing her child and her wrath to Zahard drove her insane. Unable to handle all of this, she tried to commit suicide several times but she was already an immortal, like the Ten Leaders. She couldn't even die.

But V was different. For some reasons, he doesn't appear to have made a contract for immortality. Unable to stand the sight of Arlene losing her mind, he took his own life. He left Arlene with a suicide note saying:

"

Since they were a couple, Charlotte strongly believed that V was being sincere. He sincerely wanted Arlene to forget about him and their rebellion, their child's death....so that she could have the happy life she once had. But asking the one who loved him a lot to forget about him.....wasn't it too cruel?

Obviously Arlene didn't return to Zahard and the others. Her wrath, her resentment and grudge were too heavy to be ignored and forgotten. At the end, she wondered around in this tower, trying to escape and leave this tower. Charlotte thought that it was impossible since there was no way for someone to leave the tower after he or she entered it. But maybe she was fed up with everything that she had been through that she wondered around the tower without stopping.

"She used magic to keep her child's body from rotting and carry the body and keepsakes from V around her. She believed there would be a way to bring the child back to life if she could make it outside.

And at the end of her diary, she wrote this--"

As Garam began to read what Arlene wrote on her diary and her old pocket, Garam walked to Bam who was still shocked.

❀° ┄───╮

"I have finally found a way to leave this place.

A place without Zahard or administrator. I don't know where that place will be but as long as I can see the vast sky and shining stars which are so much like my own home, it doesn't matter.

But even as I was leaving this place, I could not let go of the longing for my love and the pity for my dead child.

Godoutside Someday, that God's power will enter this child's dead body and awake him again. That child will open the door to this tower and return someday.

He shall achieve vengeance for my love and finish the war which we started with our own hands. He shall destroy corrupt power and bring truth to the tower.

God's messenger shall place the red thorn on that child's hands and that child shall use that thorn to cut the throat of the greedy king. And he shall find the hidden key, open the door, and lead everyone on this tower to greater heights."

╰───┄ °❀

"You are the child of the prophecy, Jue Viole Grace" Garam solemnly said. "Zahard and the Ten Leaders did everything they could to erase all records of you and Arlene. Any structures or records concerning her were destroyed and even the records and memories of artificial life stored in Workshop were fabricated. But it appears that not even that is enough to change the destiny.

Her records remain here until this day and now, you have appeared before me.

You were destined to come to this place."

"........"

Bam was lost in words.

After meeting Garam Zahard and learnt everything from her, now he began to understand why FUG gave him this name....gave him this thorn and responsibility.....gave him the expectations.....forced him to walk on the path he never asked for.

It was because he was the God in the prophecy, someone who existed to avenge Arlene and to slay Zahard.

"....what do you think?" Garam asked. "How are you feeling after hearing about yourself?"

"I.....I'm not sure" he answered. "It just sounds so surreal to me......."

"Sure. But you came to this place. Didn't you feel the sense of longing when you entered here? Like the feeling that you were at home...."

"Ah....right....when I came to this place.....it felt that I had come home"

"That's because this is the place where Arlene gave birth to you and raised you."

"The place where she gave birth to me....and raised me....." Bam was taken back.

"That's right. Perhaps that's why.....Zahard built his own altar here after she disappeared. Zahard was unusually obsessed with Arlene. He even built a shrine worshiping himself here in the land that Arlene cherished and made his followers flock to it.

But as if unable to forgive him for defiling this land like that, he appeared suddenly and turned the tower's Shinsu red.

Enryu. The messenger of God who came to deliver the thorn to you. And that day, a red rain fell from the sky here.

When he appeared here, the first thing he said was:

Hearing what Enryu said, everyone was flustered but could sense that this was no ordinary person. Many people left this place but Zahard's fanatical followers started attacking Enryu. Then countless spears made of red Shinsu fell on the battlefield. None of the people who had tried to attack Enryu could withstand his attack and they dropped to the ground like flies.

As soon as Enryu had swept away all of the fanatics, . But not even administrator could defeat him easily. The massive administrator changed his appearance while fighting him but the administrator's blood and flesh which we thought are indestructible, immortal and invincible, were viciously torn and ripped by Enryu's attacks. Not even his mysterious ability of controlling Shinsu on this floor could help him and affect Enryu."

"This is the privilege for those who opened the door to this tower on their own."

Charlotte remembered what the God of Guardian said.

Irregulars, unrestrained, untamed, their abilities were not restricted by any contracts. They could control Shinsu freely for it was their right as they came to this tower.

"During their fight, all of the mountains, seas and buildings, on this floor were destroyed, and the ground turned red. Ultimately the administrator was defeated and put into a sleep and the Shinsu here lost its master.

For a long time after that, a rain of Shinsu is said to have fallen here. And the world changed. Floor of Death. And rumors began to circulate around the tower.

A divine thorn that was able to kill King Zahard. They said that Enryu hid it in this place and disappeared. Having heard those rumors, FUG started to look for the thorn. While waiting someone to obtain it and slash King Zahard's thorn, I mean."

This made Bam lower his head to ponder about something.

'Does that mean....my destiny is really to be a slayer and kill Zahard?'

But that was not what he wanted.

"Well, that's all about you" said Garam. She turned around and her back faced them. "Now, I also have something to ask for you."

Charlotte gulped worriedly while Bam was confused.

"You......have something to ask from me.....?" He didn't understand what she wanted.

"To be more specific, I have a question for the person behind you" said Garam who turned her head to look at them. She didn't even bother to call Charlotte by her name....because she was too suspicious of her.

"It is written on Arlene's diary that she only had one child. She didn't have twins at all. Since the truth is like that.....who.....are you?"

Charlotte knew that Garam Zahard was strong. She even had two from Thirteen Months Series with her. If the two of them were to fight, if she wanted to kill her, it would have been a piece of cake.

But what should she answer for her question?

Bam turned his head around and looked at her. Feeling as if she was suspected, she let go of his hand and took few steps backward.

That was right, she was completely different from them. Though they addressed each other as siblings, they weren't really siblings.

Charlotte.....didn't exist from beginning.

┌──────═━┈┈━═──────┐

Gallstone Village

Red Witch's Secret Place

└──────═━┈┈━═──────┘

They did meet both Hwaryun and Raisin there.

Altaira friendly smiled at Raisin and wrapped his arm around his neck.

"Not bad, not bad. So you now know how to abandon your leader in the crisis, eh?" Altaira asked with his usual playful smile.

"Crisis? You look so healthy that it's hard to believe that you have been through crisis!" Raisin disagreed.

Unlike the others, he was probably the calmest and the coolest one there. There was no trace of worry on him from the beginning until now.

"Then why don't I put you back in to group of giant, immortal beetles?" Altaira made it sound as if he was offering Raisin a chance. "Heard that guides' senses don't work here. Who knows, in the middle of the danger, you might just improve and get better!"

"You aren't doing this for my sake! But to torment me!" Raisin struggled. "Don't think I don't know what you are up to!"

When they were going to be separated, Raisin did notice that Hwaryun was heading on a different way. He followed her since he wanted to know what Hwaryun was doing and planning but he couldn't contact Altaira and the others since the pockets didn't work in the Floor of Death. He ended up in this place, met with the maiden earlier and waited for the others to come.

"That's enough" said Celeste. "We have to go now. There is no time to waste."

Celeste was indeed the only one Altaira will listen to. After Celeste said those words, Altaira let go of Raisin and then left him alone. Raisin let out a sigh of relief.