- Temporal Freedom -

Raisin planned to leave on his own when someone held his wrist and stop him.

"Let me go instead," said that person. "I know what you're talking about."

"... you don't know the way," Raisin replied, looking at him with a stoic expression.

"I have my own ways to find her," he argued.

Raisin slapped away his hand, "Look. We don't have time to get sentimental here. We must act rationally for the survival of everyone here."

"Which is why you must stay here," the man began to explain, "You are the guide. And aside from that bastard, you are the one with brain here. So you must find the way out for us."

Raisin pondered over his words. When he spoke in that way, his explanation did sound logical.

"But what about you? Are you going to risk your life again and meet your sworn enemy? When you are not prepared at all to face him?"

He was silenced by his words. Raisin asked him with a glare out of worry. He knew that every single person there was worried for his safety if he chooses that dangerous path, but he knew that he didn't have any other choice. There was no one else more fitting for this role but him.

"I can't let him take people who I care away again."

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

Zahard returned by Khun Edahn's side to discuss about what they should next. Now that the second thorn had awakened itself and trying to take Bam leave from the Hidden Floor, things could get different.

Khun Edahn looked at the format on his palm and then swallowed it without hesitation, surprising Zahard.

"Hey! Why are you taking that?!" Zahard's Data asked him. "Weren't you going to make the real me eat it to get rid of him?!"

"Oh well, I've got nothing to lose either," he said casually. "Obtaining the bracelet comes the second. Helping that power getting Bam out of here is the top priority. I'm turning this world into a void now."

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to control the power of this format," he admitted as he felt the power rising inside him. "But I'll focus the power for a moment somehow and make that guy let Bam go. So provoke him as much as you can and steal the bracelet."

The electricity was coming from him to all directions. The power was starting to explode inside him.

"This time... I really need your support!"

"... All right!"

Again, Zahard's data leapt towards the real him. In the same time, Khun Edahn suffered the consequence of swallowing the format, "AHHH! DAMN IT...! THIS REALLY... HURTS LIKE HELL!"

'... what a baby,' Zahard thought. Then, he looked at the sky, noticing that there was something wrong. The blue sky of the data world was starting to disappear, and not only from that spot, but from anywhere else. His digital hand that was choking Bam was also disappearing.

'Just be gone!' Edahn sincerely prayed. 'Turn it back into nothing...! That bastard's hand...!'

And just like what he desired, Zahard's hand that choked Bam disappeared along with the data world.

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

He had always respected tough and brave warriors.

Just like how he respected Noah's mother, Leola, fought against him until her death to protect her family. She had gained his respect and for that reason, he granted her last wish which was to allow her descendants to live longer.

And it was the same for Charlotte.

She was severely wounded, but she still fought against her exhaustion and pain. All in order to survive.

He respected brave people and greatly despised cowards who could abandon even their dignities and family. For those who he respected, he will show leniency. But for those who he despised, only tortures await them.

"You don't have to look that depressed. I couldn't kill you right now," he said.

His words gained her attention as she lifted her head. Her expression was telling him, that she was searching for rays of hope.

"To kill you, I must wait for the perfect timing. There are several requirements you need to fulfill before dying to bring her back."

"What are those?" She asked.

He knew her intentions very well. She needed to know the requirements so that she can avoid that miserable path.

'But unfortunately, for the sake of your wish and dream, you won't have any other choice but to fulfill them.'

"One of them is this," he raised his finger and pointed it to the lotus. "This thing must bloom completely first for you to be qualified to die."

"You are saying......."

His words gave her hope, and a moment later, they will push her back to abyss of desperation.

"So if you don't want to die... then you shouldn't get stronger. You can't rise higher. You can only stay as who you are now, never strive forward."

'Only by living in present that she could preserve her life. But what about her friends and death waiting for the chance to pick them up?'

She began to laugh in misery, lowering her head again.

'She has no other choice.'

"It must be pretty amusing for you to see me this miserable right?" Charlotte asked. Her heart was filled with loathe to the one who set her up like this. "You clearly know that there is no way for me to stop moving forward."

'I'll die as well.'

All paths lead to death. Her dream to have a bright future was destroyed by the truth.

'My life belongs to myself?'

She laughed at the thought she once had.

'At the end, my life has always been on someone else's palm.'

His face was the same with the day when Noah's mother died. It was filled with pity. He extended his hand to touch her when a chrysanthemum petal passed in front of his fingers and stopped him.

He turned his head and looked at the person.

"LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU JERK!" Noah cursed him.

He had just arrived to seek for Charlotte. It was a good thing that the elevator was still working. He was searching for Charlotte only to find her holding her head in madness and desperation.

'How long will you inflict pain on me and torment me, father?'

When Charlotte heard his voice, she was startled and raise her head to the source of his voice.

"NOAH!"

"It's you again. You just don't know when to quit, don't you?" He asked and stood up to look at Noah. "Since you dare to come here, you must be fully aware that I am more than capable to kill you with a flick of my fingers, right?"

Green vines rose from the ground, waiting for his command to stab Noah and cut him to million of pieces.

"The sole reason why you could survive until this day is because of my mercy and your mother's wish. Otherwise, you won't be able to act this arrogant."

Noah was firmly aware of how cruel his father could be after he killed his own wife. But he had reached that far protecting Charlotte and he had ran so far just to find her. Wouldn't it be a shame to run away on his own, abandoning her when he brought her to the tower and to all this mess?

"Who the hell crossed the line from the beginning actually?" Noah asked him. "You are afraid to betray the promise you've made? Then what about your promise to my mother?! Is it not considered as a promise?!"

'Endure it.'

"STOP IT NOAH!" Charlotte shouted. She was aware that unlike him, there was no reason for the fake Christ to endure his insults. The sole reason why Celeste and Noah could survive that far was because of his mercy and his promise to their mother. But when he had it enough, he could just kill them easily.

But Noah still couldn't give up his rage. Not until he has learnt the truth about his father.

"Did I say it wrong?? Tell me! Do you even feel a little bit of remorse for killing mother?! Has your cold heart ever thought of the pain she felt?!"

'Endure it.'

"Don't you feel ridiculous to act like some dignified gentleman when you've already let someone down someone who cares you the most?!"

The man's eyes widened as he was reminded of a bitter memory and he gritted his teeth. He created purple chrysanthemum petals on the air and aimed them all to Noah.

"STOP IT!" Charlotte shouted. Even if she couldn't see, but she could still feel the abundant energy in front of her.

"You know how weak you are before of my strength," He said with a calm but angry tone. "Yet you try to annoy me again and again."

"DON'T HURT HIM!"

'What should I do?'

Green vines that he summoned trapped Noah in his place so that he wouldn't move. He was so angry with his words that he didn't even care for what he had promised with his mother.

'He's very angry right now because of what he said. With my current strength, let alone saving Noah, I can't even save myself. But if I don't do anything, Noah will lose his life!'

"If death wish is what you wish for,"

'What should I do? What's the way?'

"Then I'll grant that wish for you."

Right at the moment when he released the petals to kill Noah, Charlotte thought of an idea and immediately ordered her fan to return to her hand. She changed its form into a dagger.

Noah closed his eyes, prepared to die right there and at that very moment when Charlotte shouted, "IF YOU DON'T STOP, I'LL DESTROY YOUR DREAM!"

The petals stopped on their tracks. It was very close. When Noah opened his life, he noticed how close he was with the gate of hell just by seeing those petals. And when he saw Charlotte and the dagger near her throat, he was as baffled as the man for a moment.

"CHARLOTTE! HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!" Noah shouted from distance after he understood what was happening. "PUT THAT DAGGER ASIDE!"

The man frowned and glared at Charlotte, "Are you really that eager to die?"

If she still had her eyes, then what would drop to the ground will be tears. But now, what dropped to the ground was blood instead.

She scoffed. With a bittersweet smile, she replied and tried to stay calm, "All roads mean death for me. But my death would be more meaningful right now because I know that I would be taking your dream with me."

The fake Christ was surprised by her actions, and in the same time he was annoyed. He respected his enemies' bravery, even when he knew that they could be troublesome for him.

"I guess the information you gave to me is helpful, because I could use it to threaten you like this," Charlotte added. "When I saw you made the deal with Noah's mother, I assumed that you are the type of person who loves to pity those who are weaker than you. I don't hate it though. Because the sympathy that you have reminds me that you are just a human like me... and I could survive for another day."

As soon as she finished speaking, both fake Christ and Noah noticed something. When the ceilings and elevator started to turn white and disappear, they knew that something was wrong with Hidden Floor.

'Raisin mentioned that the floor is going to disappear soon!' Noah thought. His eyes were still focused on his "father" and Charlotte. 'I need to find away to take her away from him and leave this place. I have to bring her back along with the others!'

The fake Christ smiled when he noticed it. He then looked at Charlotte and said, "You have a nice fan."

Charlotte was confused. Just a moment earlier she had this feeling that Christ was annoyed by her actions. Or maybe she was wrong? That this man was not worried at all if she takes his dream to death along with her?

"Let me tell you another secret. That fan is not an item belongs to this tower."

Charlotte's eyes widened.

"You were saying--?!"

"Yes," he smiled as he began to use [ Spatial Distortion ], the same movement that Urek Mazino used during the Floor of Death. "It is an item from my world."

'Made by that person.'

"And one more thing you have to remember," he said before he left. "We are not humans. We are monsters. Although I may not be able to kill you before the time is right, but I'm not the only opponent you have right?"

Charlotte forced herself to grin in front of the enormous power and replied, "But if I die, won't you miss your chance to revive your light?"

"That's right. Then this is my second gift to you. And also a threat for you."

A chrysanthemum petal fell from the air and landed on his palm. He let the petal flew pass Charlotte. On her right arm, there was a mark of a purple chrysanthemum petal.

Charlotte noticed that there was something with her right arm, but she could only endure it. Until Christ leaves that place, she felt that she shouldn't lower her dagger to threaten him with her life.

"Temporal freedom," he said. "Until the timing is right, I will leave you alone. But if the mark on your arm ever tells me that you are in the brink of death or you try to remove it...."

Charlotte frowned as she had an ominous feeling.

"I'll take away the freedom that you deserve and bring you with me. And you can mark my words that the moment you fall on my hands, you'll really be nothing but a sacrificial lamb to bring her back."

After that, he walked inside the [ Spatial Distortion ] and vanished.

Noah immediately leapt towards Charlotte. Charlotte let go of the dagger and she felt that she could finally breath. She huffed and huffed. The anxiety that she felt if her risky plan did not work, the exhaustion that her body felt, the pain that she has been enduring, though the fight was not over until she escapes from the Hidden Floor, she felt relieved for a moment. She felt that she could finally breath knowing she won't lose her head.

She felt very, very relieved.

"Charlotte!" Noah approached her. "What happened before I got here? Did my father hurt you or something?"

He was filled with anxiety and worry as well, especially when he noticed Charlotte didn't open her eyes for long. He held her cheeks gently and unlike when the fake Christ touched her, she didn't mind the warmness that she felt right now. She felt assured knowing that it was an ally who was near her, and not an opponent.

He looked at her eyes with worry.

"Your eyes... why you close your eyes?"

Charlotte could only smile in bitterness, knowing the worries that others will feel to know what happened to her eyes. She won this fight but with a price to pay.

"Noah..."

She softly called his name and before she could fall to the floor, he caught her and held her tightly and carefully.

Noah knew that Charlotte was not a fragile girl. She had went through an arduous journey to reach her current level. She was not at all weak, but now, she was injured and her life was at risk. So, he held her tightly and carefully, afraid of injuring her further.

"I'm sorry. I guess I couldn't survive without paying the price."