CHAPTER 338: THE AFTERMATH...[1]

"Charlotte..."

His voice trembled and his body swayed, legs buckling under the weight of exhaustion and loss.

Blood dripped from his torn knuckles, mingling with the ash and grime coating his skin and his silver flames flickered weakly along the crimson chains that hung limp from his arms.

He stumbled forward, boots crunching on shattered crystal and his vision was swimming as blood carved fresh paths through the grim on his face.

Charlotte descended gracefully and the ash-heavy air rippled gently as she landed.

Her pupils shrank in horror looking at Brandon’s battered body "K-Kael..." she gasped.

She rushed forward, closing the distance in a heartbeat, and wrapped her arms around him "Kael!"

Her voice was muffled against his shoulder as she hugged him tightly and Brandon’s arms wrapped her instinctively "Big Sister..."

Kiera, still slumped against the rubble looked at Charlotte ’The Empyrean...’

She turned her head to glance at the explosion, which is suspended in time ’What kind of power...’

Charlotte pulled back slightly, her hands gripping Brandon’s shoulders "Kael, what happened?"

Brandon clenched his jaw and his bloodshot eyes trembled "She killed... Florence. I couldn’t save her, Charlotte. I... i failed her."

His gaze, still burning with the red glint of his anger, darted toward Florence’s lifeless body slumped against a pile of rubble.

Charlotte’s eyes followed his gaze and saw Florence’s dead body lying on the rubble.

A green glint passed through her gaze, and the space around Florence’s body froze as the dust particles hung suspended.

Brandon remembered Charlotte’s time power and a fragile... yet desperate hope bloomed in his chest.

He stumbled forward, "Charlotte... With your time ability, c-can you reverse the time on Florence’s body and..."

He couldn’t finish the sentence as the words choked in his throat, but his eyes begged for the impossible.

Charlotte’s expression condensed "If it’s within the ’time I can handle,’ then sure."

She hurried to Florence’s side and crouched beside the lifeless body.

"Hold on, Kael," she murmured, her hands hovering over Florence’s chest, where the gaping wound from Henriette’s ether projectile had torn through her.

An enormous transparent green clock materialized behind Charlotte with its edges shimmering in ethereal light.

The needles of the clock began to move counterclockwise, slowly at first, then with increasing speed.

Time itself seemed to unravel and the fabric of reality bent under Charlotte’s command.

Florence’s body quivered and the blood pooling beneath her began to recede, drawn back into her wounds as if pulled by an invisible force.

The gaping hole in her chest, the brutal tear of flesh and bone, started to close as the torn edges knit together.

Muscle and skin reformed and the bloodstains faded from her tattered clothes as time reversed the damage.

Her pale face regained a hint of color and her lips parted slightly as the last traces of death were undone.

Brandon’s gaze quivered as he saw the small rise and fall of Florence’s chest. "Florence..."

He dropped to his knees beside her, his bloodied hands hovering over her, afraid to touch her for fear this miracle might shatter.

Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the blood and grime, as he watched her lashes quiver.

Florence’s eyes fluttered open and her gaze was clouded with confusion. "Huh..." she murmured in a disoriented voice as if waking from a deep, troubled sleep.

Her hands twitched, her fingers brushing against the rubble beneath her, and she blinked up at Brandon, "Kael...?"

Brandon pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly against his chest. "Florence!"

Her warmth, her breath... he could feel everything "You’re alive..." he whispered.

Charlotte remained crouched beside them, her hands still glowing with green-tinged ether as the massive clock behind her began to fade, its needles slowing to a stop.

Kiera, still leaning against the rubble, stared in awe and the sight of Florence breathing again brought fresh tears to her eyes. "Mother..."

Ignoring the sharp pain shooting through her cracked ribs, she crawled closer, her bloodied hands scraping against the broken stone.

She reached out, her trembling fingers brushing Florence’s arm and a sob escaped her lips "You’re... you’re back."

Brandon just hugged her, feeling her against his arms and a deep shudder escaped his lips.

Pulling back slightly, he raised his bloodied arm and tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear.

"I thought... I lost you..."

Florence’s lips curved into a faint, weary smile, her hand weakly grasping his chest "Kael..."

Watching them, Charlotte’s eyes narrowed as a weird sense of jealousy washed over her.

Yellow energy rippled into her green eyes and she shook her head ’Bitch fuck off, don’t disturb him...’

She heard the ’Charlotte’s’ voice inside her mind ’LOOK AT HIMMM! HOW DARE THAT WOMAN HUG BRANDON? LET ME OUT, I WILL RIP HER APART.’

Charlotte sighed in her heart ’It is Brandon who is hugging her... seems like he is very fond of her.’

’NOOOOOOOO-’

Charlotte suppressed herself from letting her other personality take over her.

She slowly stood up and walked over to the explosion, which is still suspended in time.

The courtyard around it was a wasteland, littered with shattered stone, crystalline shards, and the smoldering remnants of the Bleaufort estate.

A green glint passed through her eyes and she reversed the time just before the explosion could take place and saw the corpse of Henriette.

Charlotte’s gaze settled on the corpse and her eyes narrowed further as she took in the horrific sight.

Henriette’s body was barely recognizable; her silver hair was matted with blood and ash and her face was a grotesque ruin with hollowed eye sockets oozing dark blood.

Her flesh is torn and jagged where Brandon’s chains had ripped through.

One arm and one leg were missing, and her torso was a mess of crushed ribs and gashes from Kiera’s crystalline shards.

’Kael... did this?’ She muttered under her breath in amazement.

A small, proud smile appeared on her lips ’I see, he is ruthless...’

She clenched her fist ’That siad... she still hurt my Kael.’

As she thought, she again heard ’Charlotte’s’ voice "YES! THEN ATLEAST LET ME TORTURE THIS WOMAN. WITH YOUR ABILITY BRING HER BACK AND LET ME KILL HER."

"HOW DARE SHE HURT MY DARLI-"

Charlotte cut her off and closed her eyes with a faint sigh, suppressing her anger ’This is his kill; no need to revive her...’

The idea of resurrecting Henriette just to sate her anger felt like a violation of Brandon’s justice.

This was his moment, his retribution for Florence’s death, and she would not taint it.

She took her mobile from her pocket and took a picture of the corpse ’I can show this to Big Sister later... killing an SS awakener is no easy feat.’

’My cute little brother’s first real kill after all.’