- Fallen Deep -

'I clearly told myself to not fall deeper. But, it seems like it was too late.'

"Charlotte...?"

Charlotte caught his hands, preventing him from walking further which made him surprised.

She lowered her head, eyebrows were frowning with serious expression and didn't say a word. In the middle of her thoughts, her face showed that she was seriously using hard to think about this matter. The matter where Khun Aguero Agnes would be badly wounded by his sworn enemy.

She didn't want that to happen. Right now, every since character in the Tower of God was like her family already. Her heart which was fragile, compared to her strength, endurance and talent, wouldn't be able to take that.

She bit the bottom of the lips.

It was either to let him go or to stop him there.

But it wasn't possible to stop him.

Khun looked at the brown- haired girl and could tell that this time, she was thinking for him. She was worried of him knowing that he might just get severely wounded during this fight. However, he was prepared for it. He knew that he would get hurt and he was ready for it.

For Khun, it wasn't a bad idea for him to fight against Charlotte and Bam. However, whenever he fought alongside them, seeing their terrifying talents and strengths and powers, sometimes, he felt left behind, especially by Charlotte. Sometimes, the fact that he was protected again and again by her sometimes hurt his pride, even though he understood that it was because she was stronger than him and that she was a Wave Controller, the main offense of the team while he was just a Light Bearer. Of course, this doesn't mean that Light Bearers were inferior to Wave Controllers.

But just because he was a Light Bearer didn't mean that he couldn't fight. He could fight, but preferred to be a Light Bearer due of his hobby to boss others' around. He could fight and do not wish to be underestimated. Therefore, this time, she couldn't come with him and he can't let her come with him.

It wasn't because he wanted to have a real fight against his sworn enemy, but he can't let them know about her existence.

'I have to finish this on my own' he thought as he spoke to Charlotte in his usual tone, "Charlotte, I have to go now."

".........."

She very much wanted to ask him that if she could find the exit before he defeats his sworn enemy, could she go and help him? But the result was already obvious in her heart, that he won't let her go.

'No, I should be clear- headed.'

She let go of his hands and looked at him.

'You can't stop him. You also can't convince him. You can only let him go.'

She took a deep breath and sighed.

'So be it.'

"You still have the mirror, right?" She asked him.

"You mean this one?" He took the glass mirror out from his lighthouse.

"Yep, that one" she said and pointed her index finger to the mirror.

'That's mine, you lovesick fools' Noah inwardly thought as he glared at them in unhappiness. 'You haven't returned to me yet. What makes you think it's yours?'

"Your sworn enemy is probably someone like you. Annoying. Scheming. Manipulative. And tricky" she said with a calm but fake smile, offending him whenever she had the chance and he knew it. "If you are in danger or severely wounded, or you need help, then you could ask for my help with it."

"Well, that doesn't sound too bad" Khun replied, looking at the mirror that he was holding with his right hand.

He still remembered when the promise she made with him. The promise where he could fall into the coma state for two years to gain more power. Could it be related with this? He looked at Charlotte and wanted to ask him, but unsure how to ask about it when there were many eyes watching.

It would have been better if they could find somewhere else to talk, but that would make things look suspicious in the eyes of others so he can only swallow his curiosity and assume that he was right.

He had to be more careful in this fight as he doubted that he will use this mirror to ask for Charlotte's help just to let her meet with his sworn enemy.

"You'll probably have a hard time against your sworn enemy, but don't push yourself over the limit. The most important thing is to come back alive with Miseng, alright?" She asked him again.

Yes, the most important thing in his fight against his sworn enemy was to save Miseng who was held as a hostage. So, he had to prioritize her safety. He smiled and assured her, "Don't worry. I know my priorities and my limit. I won't force myself too far."

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

"I knew it. It was you... Kisesia."

Kisesia was the name of his sworn enemy.

The slender- figured woman had short blue hair reaching her shoulders and a pair of cold eyes filled with resentment and hatred whenever she saw him. She was wearing a pair of blue earrings on her ears.

While waiting for him to come, Kisesia sat on a broken pillar. She patiently waited for him to come and masked her obvious hatred in the smile that seemed friendly. But her eyes couldn't die.

"You came on your own... brother?" She asked her. She jumped and stood up as she continued to speak, "I thought you would come with your companions."

"... there's no need for that" he answered.

"Why not? Is it because you don't want them to find out... what a despicable person you are? Do you want to hide that our sister died because of you...?"

She pulled out her knife.

"Fight me, brother" she confidently said. "If you win, kill me and take the hostage out of here. If you lose, then I'll kill you. On the outside, I only ever resented you... but now... I wanted to kill you so badly... I can't stand it..."

After all, sworn enemies were supposed to hurt the one who summoned them. Kisesia already hated Khun. And now that she was summoned as a sworn enemy, that seemed to have increased her hatred towards him to the point that she couldn't hide or endure it. Right now, in her mind, she only wanted to kill this man before him even though she had to use all kind of tricks.

Perhaps in the battle of wits, she wouldn't win against someone who could prepare and send his own biological sister to death. But in the battle of strengths? She had the chance and she will take it.

Khun closed his eyes and sighed, "I should have known you were my sworn enemy. I guess I don't have a choice. I'll just have to fight you."

He also pulled out his knife and prepared his lighthouse for this fight. Kisesia couldn't suppress her grin as she thanked him without hiding her excitement:

"Thank you, brother. For giving me a chance to kill you!"

Kisesia suddenly disappeared. When she re- appeared, she was planning to attack him from behind. The barrier of the lighthouse was activated, however was encountered by her Baby Growler.

Kisesia smiled proudly and victoriously, knowing that this trick still worked and will work efficiently against her sworn enemy, "It looks like you haven't forgotten. The glower that I got from my mother could neutralize your lighthouse."

"Urgh....!"

'Here we go again!'

How many times he used his lighthouse to win or scheme against his opponents? First, with Ha Jinsung, with his lighthouses, he could even trick such a high- ranker. Against Hatz, his lighthouse also played an important role for his victory. But now, his lighthouse encountered its opponent, Kisesia's Baby Glower. The fact that he couldn't use his lighthouse well like in the past was one thing and the second thing was that her knife's trajectory.

Fast and with the clear intention of killing, she didn't hesitate on swinging her knife just to kill him. And the knife that seemed to be attacking him from all directions was hard to be blocked. It was getting dangerous and dangerous until her knife managed to wound him.

Her knife that has been waiting for an opening finally did a serious damage to him.

The knife pierced through his stomach as Kisesia leaned forward, enjoying his shocked expression with a cruel smirk.

She softly whispered to him, looking at his cold blue eyes that were now contained with surprise, "Your flesh is so warm even though you are a human data. It's like you are a real human instead of data."

Now, there was no need for her to be afraid of him. Her revenge was close.

The smirk of a victory was replaced with a frown of cold glare as she added, "Will this appease our mother at least a bit-- you murderer."

She cut through his flesh without mercy.

In the same time as he fell to the ground, seeming to have lost this game in quite short time, his fresh crimson blood was coloring the floor and staining her knife. Even so, even though it was the blood of someone who she hated the most, she found it pleasant to have his blood staining her knife.

"I'm so happy. You may be a data human...but at least I get to kill you like this. Why did it take me so long to do something so easy? Why did the me on the outside...lack confidence like that...? Still, it's okay. This vivid feeling of piercing living skin and spilling blood...should be enough to make me feel like I've killed you."

She looked at Khun with the victorious look mixed with cruelness and hatred, "Does your data feel pain too? Do you feel as much pain as our sister did?"

The problem here was that Khun wasn't a data. He was completely a living being who opened the door to the Hidden Floor with the key. If he dies in the hands on his sworn enemy, his journey will really end there. He refused to stop right here and he couldn't stop right here.

But with his current condition, it would have been the matter of time.

"Alright now-"

Kisesia raised her knife with both of her hands.

"Let's end this!"

One could hear the excitement from Kisesia's voice...to be able to kill the man who she called as "brother" with her own hands.

"So long!! Brother!!"

Khun charged towards Kisesia and hit her with his own head, causing the two of them to fell together on the ground.

Kisesia was taken back.

"...this pathetic behavior isn't like you, Aguero" she said.

The Khun who she knew was a prideful person. How could he possibly attack her using this kind of method recklessly when he knew that at the end, he will still die in her hands? He wasn't the kind of person to do something recklessly.

The blue- haired woman realized that there was something missing.

The hostage, Miseng, had disappeared.

This made her confused.

Khun tried to stand up with his remaining energy but failed as he spoke and explained the answer that Kisesia needed, "...while you were focused on me, I moved the lighthouse to somewhere far away. Since I can't defend myself with it anyway...I thought it would be better to save the hostage first. You were so concerned with me...that you didn't notice it at all. It's probably already...gotten very far...."

Kisesia was a bit confused. She was a bit lost.

"Using up the lighthouse, the last resort, to save your companion? That's not like you. But that doesn't matter. You are my target anyway, not that hostage."

This time, she tried to kill Khun once more.

"I just needed you to die!"

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

Celeste's butterflies were useful to be used to find things at the maze.

The silver eyes acted like her eyes and her sight, so she could straightly see things from all different directions.

And it didn't take long for her to find the exit.

"This way" she pointed to a wall that blocked their road. "Just destroy this thing and we could get to the exit."

"I'll do that honor" Altaira said with a smirk as he cracked his knuckles, walking to the wall. Celeste smiled and stepped aside, knowing that Altaira would ask her to step aside so that she won't get injured.

Bam looked at Charlotte who looked quiet. To be honest, compared in finding the exit, she has been looking at the glass mirror for some time. She was waiting for Khun to ask for her help, but considering her pride, she was probably asking too much. She sighed and kept the mirror back to her bracelet before noticing that Bam was looking at her.

"What's wrong, brother?" Charlotte asked with a smile.

Bam looked at Charlotte. For a moment, he remained silent before he assured her, "He will be fine."

".........." Charlotte just maintained her smile, unable to agree with his words when she knew what would happen to Khun.

"I mean, this is Khun who we're talking about, right?" Bam asked her and walked towards her. "He would be fine. He had promised to you that he would survive."

Charlotte closed her eyes and answered bitterly with a peaceful smile, "... it's quite sad, you know. To think that I've reached this far with the desire to protect him... but at this point, I can't do anything for him."

Bam, ".........."

The brown- haired man looked at the white flower on her ear.

"Where did you get that flower?" He asked her out of curiosity and to change the topic of conversation.

Charlotte was surprised by that question.

If he knew that the flower was given by a random guy, Charlotte dared to bet her arm that he will find a way to beat the random guy up even though he might just be a data. But this flower was given by Khun and he even teased her when she blushed. Thinking about this again made her cheeks warm as she turned her head away and lowered it.

Seeing her reaction made Bam felt worried.

"Who gives this flower to you? Don't tell me it's some random and unknown stranger!" He said to her. "What did he say to you? What's his motive in befriending with you?"

"Brother, calm down" Charlotte said with an awkward smile. "This is given by a close friend."

".......... who?"

Charlotte just gave him a smile as she asked him back, "... is this flower pretty?"

"Pretty is pretty, but--"

"Does it suit me?"

"Charlotte, I--"

"Brother, answer my question."

Bam sighed. Looking at his sister who was smiling to him with her eyes closed, he knew that he couldn't win. So, he gave up and closed his eyes as he answered, "It is very pretty. Very beautiful. Very appealing. Very delightful. Very charming. It suits you a lot."

Charlotte knew that her brother was annoyed with her persistence to the point that he answered the question too complete, but she just smiled to think that this flower suits her.

'Khun really has a pair of good eyes' she thought.

"Then since this is very pretty, very beautiful, very appealing, very delightful, very charming and suits me the most, there is no need to worry about it further."

Bam looked unhappy and disagreed with that.

"But--"

Charlotte pulled Bam into a hug, making him surprised.

"........."

He could only sigh once more after he was lost in words and hugged her back.

"Fine, you win. I couldn't argue with you. Just like in the past."

Charlotte chuckled.

Inwardly, she thanked her brother. Bam approached her because he knew that she was sad and worried. While hugging her brother, she could only hope for Khun to be safe.

'I wish that you could change the plot. If my existence could change the others, maybe they could change your fate as well.'

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

"I just needed you to die!"

His lighthouses moved towards him and right when Kisesia was nearly killing him, he was teleported to somewhere else. Kisesia was surprised to see that as Khun was moved somewhere else by his lighthouses.

Considering his wound, his lighthouses wouldn't go too far. When the lighthouses stopped, she could see that Khun was still in that room with the hostage.

"Sorry" said Khun who looked even more pale than before. His voice was getting hoarse and weak. "I actually lied about moving the lighthouses far away... I tried to distract you... so you wouldn't activate... the growler. Because there's something that I have to do before I die."

"Whew- this isn't like you at all, brother. You weren't the kind of person who would foolishly attacked to data... how long do you think you'll be able to last there? You'll die in your current state anyway."

"I won't die... not until... I become the leader of the Khun Family. When I become the leader... there's a lot more stuff that I have to do..."

Kisesia couldn't help but to laugh suddenly over his brother's foolish dream,

"Haha! You, the leader-!? What a bunch of nonsense! How can you say those words knowing what kind of person your father is?!"

His lighthouse then revealed a message.

╔═.✾. ═════════════╗

We've found the exit. Do you want me to pick you up?

Xi.

╚═════════════.✾. ═╝

He smiled in relieve.

'There is no need' he inwardly thought.

Khun was quite surprised that she didn't use the mirror. Well, maybe she knew that he won't be answering her call with the mirror. If he could, he honestly didn't want to let her see what kind of miserable state he was in. He had promised her and she didn't seem like someone who would forgive him if he breaks a promise.

"You'll probably have a hard time against your sworn enemy, but don't push yourself over the limit. The most important thing is to come back alive with Miseng, alright?"

But it wasn't like he had any choices.

"Well, that's all for now" said Khun to Kisesia. "I actually left a lighthouse with my companions so they could send me coordinates to teleport to them when they find the exit-- that's why I focused more on saving the hostage than beating you."

He remained quiet for a moment, looking at Kisesia before bidding farewell.

"... see you later... Kisesia."

"AGUERO!"

With his lighthouses, he teleported back to his friends, leaving Kisesia angry on his own.

When the others saw him again, severely wounded, they were all worried, especially for Charlotte. When she sensed that he was going to teleport, she immediately used [Acceleration] to increase her speed, so that when he arrived, she could immediately and be the first person to greet him.

When he arrived, she caught him and realized that he was coughing blood. A lot amount of fresh crimson blood.

The blood fell and stained the jacket that he lent to her and stained the floor and her shoes. But she could care less about that. What she couldn't care less was his wounds.

Her heart was beating faster in worry.

"Charlotte...." He weakly called her name.

"Don't talk too much. I'm going to heal you" said Charlotte.

She used two arms to hold him as he couldn't properly stand anymore. He could only lean to her and rested his head on her shoulder. With her right hand holding his back, her left hand wanted to heal him when he held her wrist.

"We don't have... much time. We... should... go first...."

"I could use manipulate the time instead. It will be faster."

"But... but it spends more energy--"

"I could recover them. It's not worth it."