32. Promise

Rose sits up straight holding her head.

To see her get up like that everyone was surprised.

Lily was calm. Erliyen touched Rose's hand, 'Sayo!'

Rose looked at Erliyen.

Her yellow eyes had a slight green tint in them, making it very beautiful. But soon they became yellow again. Seeing that Erliyen was concerned.

'Sayo!?' Erliyen became concerned.

'It's me, mother. Don't worry.' Rose assured Erliyen.

Tao was frozen on his spot.

Lily looked at him and he noticed, "It's ok, father. She will understand. Don't be downhearted."

Rose seemed pretty calm to Lily.

The pain was constantly hurting in her body but there was no sign of that on Rose's face. Erliyen hugged her. Ruan Ryba was standing close to them. She pats on Rose's hair, 'You really had us worried.'

Rose apologies for worrying them.

Rose looked at Atrisa who was bound with shackles. Her heart now aches to watch Atrisa clueless about her own situation. She seemed like a baby to Rose.

A teardrop touched Erliyen's shoulder. Erliyen felt that. She let go of Rose, feeling so distant to Rose. Erliyen couldn't understand the blank gaze that Rose had on her eyes..

Lin Ryo held Rose's wrist and checked her nerves.

After a while of observation, Lin Ryo said, 'Are you manipulating your brain not to feel the pain? Your body is...accepting the change.'

'I know. I have no problem in becoming Atrisa's descendent. Her eyes turned full green which represents Xen's heredity.

The judges were surprised.

They couldn't believe the positive change. They thought Rose would turn into a mindless vampire as those previous ones did.

Kaiser couldn't stay quiet, 'Are you really able to control your mind?'

Rose looked at Kaisar Ibrahim. He flinched seeing her eyes turning yellowish-green.

'What a rude question!' Rose said with the same blank expression.

Everybody looked at him.

He became uncomfortable at the mistake.

'Well,I would be lying if I said I didn't hope that the judges would question me on this. I'm disappointed in myself for denying that.' Rose said.

Ryba mockingly said to the Judges, 'She has just recovered. I hope your questions and concerns can wait.'

Ryba looked at Erliyen and said, 'Grandma, I think we should take aunt home.'

Erliyen saw that Rose was tired, ''I don't think she will be able to teleport herself properly.' Talitha bows and says, 'It would be alright for me. I can take Master Sayo without any problem.'

Atrisa was being dragged out by the guards onto the ground which was thousands of steps below.

Rose, Lily, and Talitha were watching her from the top of that staircase line.

Atrisa didn't want to go but didn't harm the guards. Rose was looking at Atrisa with a heavy heart. Atrisa was trying to go to Lisa. Lisa was holding her tears back. They were standing behind Rose. Rose can read her emotions. Surprisingly she can't feel anymore what others are feeling even though she can read them...

"I guess I have lost it." Rose looked down aimlessly.

Lily holds Rose's arm like she always does.

Rose smiles softly while looking at Lily.

Rose was really tired. Seeing Atrisa like that made it worse. Teleportation would take more energy so they were staying at Justice to let Rose recover a bit more. The sunset from Justice felt the saddest Rose had ever felt since being born here.

At night, Rose couldn't sleep at all.

Lily beside her was sleeping holding Rose's hand. Rose slipped quietly and carefully so that Lily didn't wake up. She placed a letter beneath Lily's dress sleeve. Talitha was guarding outside the door. Rose went out in tiptoes through the window. When she was down on the ground, she was confronted by Lily, 'Care to tell me?'

Rose hesitates, 'I thought you were sleeping. So,I didn't want to disturb.'

Lily nodded, 'Ok. Where were you going?'

'To set Atrisa free.' Rose answered like a machine.

'Ok, but why like this?'Lily couldn't help but ask why Rose was sneaking out.

'The things that are happening are a part of something we are not aware of.' Rose told while looking ahead at the horizon.

Rose explained her thoughts to Lily that Rose thinks Atrisa is not a danger. She is just a tool of a very dangerous plan. She's being compelled to create chaos. Someone wants to destroy the Xen family.

Lily became confused, 'I'm not getting what you are talking about, who told you those?'

Rose looked at Lily's pretty face and touched her right cheek, 'I met our uncle, Ruan Erza.'

The word petrified Lily.

She grabbed Rose's shoulders, 'He is not dead?'

'He is dead...Long dead…but he is a reaper.' Rose said.

'Reaper?' Lily was surprised.

'Ya. My soul was seen by him and he helped me get back here. I'm not sure how, or why my soul was...somewhere we used to stay.' Rose gets lost in her thoughts.

Lily caught up, 'In the orphanage?'

Rose nodded.

'So you met Father Rigil?!'Lily was still astounded by the fact.

She was missing steps while getting down from the mountain stairs. Even though the moon was clearly lighting the stairway she kept slipping because of her fogged mind. The path was also lit with a small fire lamp every 50 stairs. Talitha was helping so that she didn't fall. Rose as well would sometimes stop Lily from slipping. They got tired very soon so they sat on the staircase.

'Damn! Why so many steps!! You can't even use your powers here without letting the Justice know.' Rose became irritated.

'Didn't you get here with uncle?' Lily asked as she assumed.

'He teleported me here.' Rose said.

'Then...how is that possible? If someone unknown teleports here, the trespass light will break.' Lily was sure.

They both looked at Talitha. Talitha clears her throat and explains, 'That's because he was a reaper.'

Reapers can't be held off by anything. They are able to get through any barrier. If not, their scythe would cut anything whatever is blocking them.

Rose wished she had something like that. Lily smiles.

Seeing Lily smile, suddenly the atmosphere became very light.

The moonlight felt very calming to Rose. Talitha too smiled slightly seeing her smile. The day had passed with so much stress that Talitha felt like she didn't see Lily smile for a hundred years.

A night bird from Somewhere was screaming through the silent night.