The Master-rank elites moved as one.

Blades, spears, and enchanted weapons lunged straight for Charlotte—aimed at her heart, her throat, her eyes, her stomach. The air whistled with killing intent as steel and mana cut through the space she stood in.

Regina watched, a cruel smile stretching across her face. "It's over," she whispered.

The weapons struck.

For a moment, it looked like every strike had pierced through Charlotte—steel buried in her chest, a spearhead where her heart should be, a blade seeming to run straight through her skull.

But then—

Charlotte took a step forward.

The weapons that looked like they had skewered her… passed right through her body as if she were nothing but a mirage.

Not a drop of blood spilled.

Not a wound appeared.

The elites staggered, eyes widening in horror. They pulled their weapons back and slashed at her again and again, but every strike slipped through her as though she was made of fog and shadow.

Charlotte kept walking.

Her hair deepened into a richer purple with each step, her eyes turning colder, more detached, as she advanced straight toward Regina.

Steel flashed past her face. A spear swept through her torso. A dagger went through her neck.

None of it touched her.

They had never seen a spell like this in their lives.

"Stop," Charlotte said calmly.

Every attacker froze where they stood, instincts screaming at them to run, bodies refusing to move.

Charlotte tilted her head. "You know what the most horrifying power of a witch is?"

The room suddenly felt colder.

"People say our curses can only be broken by another witch," she went on. "And they're right. One of those curses is called 'Whisper of Death.'"

She smiled faintly. "You've heard the sayings about witches, right? At least one of them."

Her voice turned melodious, echoing slightly in the air as she recited:

"'Better to earn a witch's wrath than her affection, for her love is a promise that death itself cannot break.'"

She chuckled softly. "Sounds grand, doesn't it?"

Charlotte's eyes hardened. "I'm telling you this because you've earned my hatred."

She spread her fingers.

"Now," she said, voice dropping, "you'll take an eternal sleep from which you'll never wake. A curse worse than death."

Purple energy crackled at her fingertips.

"Curse of Eternity."

Thud.

Every Master-rank attacker collapsed to the floor at once, weapons slipping from their hands. Their eyes remained open, but empty—breathing shallow, hearts beating, bodies alive… yet their consciousness locked away, unreachable.

They did not move.

Not a single one woke.

Charlotte stepped over their sprawled bodies and walked slowly toward Regina.

Regina's whole body trembled.

On the other side of the room, Joseph's survival instincts finally overpowered his pride. He turned and bolted for the door, running for his life and leaving Regina without a second glance.

"Joseph! Joseph!" Regina screamed. "Come back here!"

But he was already gone.

Charlotte stopped in front of the Queen.

Regina stared at her with wide, shaking eyes. "What kind of… monstrosity are you?"

Charlotte's lips stretched into an unhinged smile. "You gave my mother a painful death, right? Then I have a very special curse just for you."

---

Regina stumbled back, her legs almost giving out. "No… No. Don't. Stay away from me. Stay away from me, you monster!"

Charlotte's gaze didn't waver. "I'll give you a curse," she said softly. "The curse of rot."

Her voice remained calm, almost gentle. "Every single day, one part of your body will start to rot. The agony you'll feel will be unimaginable. Soon, you won't be able to hear anything. See anything. Taste anything. The only real sensation left to you… will be pain. Endless, screaming pain."

Regina turned to flee.

Charlotte's hand shot out and grabbed her by the hair, yanking her backward. Regina shrieked as she was dragged across the floor, heels scraping helplessly.

Charlotte pulled her further into the room and slammed her against the wall.

Her other hand clamped over Regina's face.

Purple energy began to seep from Charlotte's palm—tendrils of corrupted mana crawling under Regina's skin, spreading like ink in water. Her flesh around the contact point started to blacken and crack.

Regina's eyes rolled as she let out an inhuman scream, her voice tearing through the palace halls.

Charlotte released her and let her crumple to the floor, clutching her face as it continued to darken and decay. The Queen's screams echoed endlessly as Charlotte turned and walked away, leaving her to writhe in agony inside the room.

---

Meanwhile, Joseph ran through the corridor at full speed, lungs burning, heart pounding against his ribs.

He turned a corner—

"Where are you going, dear brother?"

The voice whispered right into his ear.

Joseph's feet tangled. He stumbled and nearly fell.

Charlotte stood in front of him, blocking the hallway, as if she'd simply appeared out of thin air.

Joseph's face drained of color. He stumbled back, legs shaking.

Charlotte crouched down in front of him, raising one hand, her fingers tracing lazily through the air near his cheek. "You know," she said softly, "I don't actually hate you. Not just because of your bitch of a mother."

Her eyes grew colder. "But you've seen too much. And I can't let you live."

She tilted her head. "Don't worry. I'll give you a painless death. So… close your eyes."

Joseph shook his head violently. "No… No, no, please! Don't kill me! I'll do anything! Please!"

Charlotte's expression didn't change. "Don't worry. I'll just blow your head off. You won't feel a thing."

Purple energy gathered in her hand, swirling like a miniature storm as Joseph continued to plead and scream, begging for a mercy that would never come.```

Just as Charlotte was about to fire, a sudden impact crashed into her side.

Someone had kicked her.

Her body flew across the corridor, but she twisted mid-air, stabilizing herself before landing lightly on the ground, boots skidding a short distance.

Her grey eyes narrowed.

They met a pair of familiar brown ones.

Alden stood in front of her, breathing hard, sword half-drawn, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Charlotte… is that you?"

Seeing him there, Charlotte's composed mask cracked for a brief moment. "What are you doing here, Alden…?"

"I came to report to Alex," Alden said, still staring at her, "and to see you too. But what the hell is happening? I just came from your room—Regina was lying half-dead in there with a bunch of assassins on the floor."

His grip tightened on his sword. "Did you do that? What happened? This is going to cause big problems for Alex if Regina dies."

From behind Alden, Joseph suddenly peeked out, clutching his bruised face. "She did it!" he screamed. "She's a monster! She killed everyone, including Mother! Kill her right now! As First Prince, Alden, I order you to kill her!"

BAM.

Alden's boot smashed into Joseph's face, sending him crashing to the floor again.

"Shut your mouth before I break it completely, you bastard," Alden snapped. "I didn't save you because I like you. Got that?"

He turned his gaze back to Charlotte. "What happened to you, Char?"

Charlotte smiled faintly. "Nothing. Nothing happened to me, Alden."

Her eyes grew distant. "It's just… today, I've become free."

"Free?" Alden repeated. "Free of what?"

"Free of everything that bound me to this place," Charlotte said softly.

She lifted her head and looked toward the sky visible through a high window, as if trying to see beyond the palace, beyond the empire.

Then she looked back at Alden. "Tell Alex that I'll always be grateful to have had a friend like him. But I don't want to cause him more trouble."

"Hey, what the hell are you saying?" Alden yelled. "This is your home. Why are you talking like you're leaving… or dy—"

He couldn't finish the word.

"Don't worry," Charlotte said, a small, sad smile on her lips. "I'm not going to die. At least not that easily."

She took a step back.

"So… it's goodbye. For now."

The moment the words left her mouth, the gravity around Alden suddenly spiked.

His knees buckled and his face slammed toward the ground as an invisible force pinned him down.

"Tch—damn it, Char!" he gritted out, struggling to move.

Black flames erupted around his body, his aura roaring to life as he forced himself back up, muscles straining against the pressure.

He finally pushed through, standing upright again. "What the hell was that for—"

But there was no one in front of him anymore.

The place where Charlotte had been standing was empty—only a few fading motes of light lingered in the air, drifting away like dying fireflies.

Alden clenched his fists. "Damn it! What the hell is happening?!"

-------

Far from the human empire, space twisted.

Charlotte's body reformed out of scattered light on a desolate plain, far removed from any city or kingdom.

Wind brushed past her, carrying unfamiliar scents.

She looked ahead.

Before her, in the middle of nowhere, rose a colossal structure that seemed to pierce the heavens—a towering spire of stone and light that vanished into the clouds.

'This is the place, right?' Charlotte asked in her mind.

A familiar voice answered from within. 'Yes.'

"Then let's go," she whispered.

She walked forward until she stood directly in front of the entrance.

The Gates of the Tower of Ascension loomed over her—two enormous doors made of unknown metal and stone, etched with ancient runes and shifting constellations.

Patterns of stars and worlds seemed to move across their surface, as if the gate itself reflected the sky of another realm. Pillars on either side were carved with figures of ascending beings—mortals, spirits, and gods—all reaching upward.

The air hummed with a deep, resonant power.

As Charlotte stepped closer, the runes along the doors lit up one by one, reacting to her presence. A low rumble shook the ground as unseen mechanisms stirred.

Without her touching them, the massive gates began to open on their own, parting slowly with a heavy, echoing creak.

Charlotte lifted her chin, eyes steady.

And then she stepped through, entering the Tower of Ascension.

------

A/N:

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