Carolina’s eyes scanned the medical report given to her, while Betty explained the background.

The full picture of what had occurred and the power being messed with was now clear in her mind. Carolina absorbed everything from the existence of the Lord to the recent escalation that was flipping the Eastern Continent like a child losing a board game. But that information came secondary to what was wrong with her body.

“According to the preliminary test, Maximus ripped your essence out with his Authority before putting you into the coffin,” Betty explained. “The coffin filled that missing part with its own content and latent Authority from a certain Lord. This process fundamentally changed your body and heightened your potential.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Carolina glanced up from her report.

“Is your body dying because it couldn't contain the change a good thing?” Betty couldn’t help but feel the irony. “The power you absorbed is too much for your body to handle, and the rapid adaptation your body puts itself under to keep up is burning your lifespan as expense.”

Carolina mentally counted to three and calmed herself.

“How long do I have?”

Betty’s answer wasn’t optimistic.

“Roughly four days.”

Carolina exploded. “Are you serious? That is almost nothing.”

“The smartest guy I know is trying to find a way out,” Betty said. “Then there is that option, but it's going to be hell.”

“What option?”

Betty breathed out her enthusiasm

“Bring your best persuasion trick, Carolina,” She opened the door. “You need to convince them now.”

…

Carolina saw ‘them’ and realized she was totally screwed.

They were in an oriental-style dining room. Carolina was led like a convict to stand before the council of doom led by her arch-enemy in a white kimono, and a familiar woman with amethyst eyes. A tiny redhead in a strawberry colored kimono was coming to them with pasta in perfectly cooked basil, tomato meat sauce.

Xia glared at Carolina, “I am disappointed you are still alive.”

Carolina’s lips trembled, “You knew what would happen to me, didn't you?”

“Yes,” Xia said. “To be fair. I think it will be amusing for you to become Maximus’s little puppy. Sadly, that didn’t happen and here we are.” She turned to her colleague. “Hey, Hikari, what should we do with her?”

“Put her in the [Training Room],” Hikari said. “She can die after I beat her.”

“Just once wasn’t enough?” Carolina snidely remarked about their previous battle.

Hikari silently lifted her hand. Five knives rose from behind her and pointed themselves at Carolina.

Betty elbowed Carolina and whispered into her ears.

“What are you thinking?” Betty said. “You can't beat either of them. Don’t you listen to what I say about the people in this room?”

Carolina wasn’t keeping her voice down.

“You mean the fact they hug on a god’s coat tail. Should I be afraid of them because their husband is an immortal jackass like Maximus?”

“You got it backward, idiot,” Xia said. “We weren’t wed to Ciel because we want power. If that is the case, this room will be crowded. Ciel trusted us because we are powerful and trustworthy.”

“Yeah, you can say whatever you want,” Carolina looked around. “So this guy snapped Elizabeth, Miss Perfect, the loser—”

Hikari cracked her finger.

Carolina continued like nothing happened, “And the pipsqueak Red-head with—“

Amy pulled a jar of cookies.

Carolina stopped. She turned to look at Betty.

“That pipsqueak name is Amy, and she makes the cookies,” Betty answered the unspoken question. “She is the main driving force behind the Unity.”

The black mage turned back to look at Amy with a smile, “Amy, right? It is incredible to meet the genius behind those cookies. Tell me if you need anything.”

“I need you to cooperate.” Amy answered and accomplished one thing Xia never could — force Carolina to obey her.

Yes, Carolina could defy almost everyone on the planet, but Amy had her by the cookie. As a massive cookies' worshiper, Amy was the one person who had an unshakable grip on her soul.

Xia continued.

“Do you have anything to say?”

Carolina shrugged, “Nothing.”

“Your nonchalance in the face of death is annoying,” Xia growled. “Is your own life worth that little?”

Carolina wasn’t amused, “Xia, every life is worth nothing. We are all dealt a hand, and there is nothing people can do about it. Complaining about my life ending would be a waste of time.”

Amy coughed.

“It’s fine, Amy!” Carolina tried to placate the bakery overlord. “You are doing great!”

Hikari looked at Carolina and stumbled upon the discrepancies.

“If every life, including yours, is pointless, why are you spending so much time chasing power.”

Carolina’s mask never slipped.

“Because I am still alive and making life easier for myself is something I need to do,” Carolina shrugged. “Betty asked me to convince you to help me with my lifespan problem,” she shrugged, “I don’t think you can.”

“We can’t,” Hikari said, and turned to Betty in confusion. “Do you think we have a wish-granting…”

Hikari’s voice trailed away as the implication of the request and the possibility that could lead to a breakthrough sank into the room.

Xia made her opinion known.

“Out of the question, Betty,” Xia said. “Yes, her potential is SSR after the bath in the coffin, but this is Carolina the Backstabber.”

“That bitch nearly murdered me,” Hikari pined.

Carolina didn’t get the play, “What the hell are you girls talking about?”

Betty ignored her defendant's purposeful ignorance.

“Look. I know you two hate her, but I owe her this much,” Betty clapped her hand in a prayer. “Think about it like this. You two can finally pull rank on your arch-nemesis. As long as Amy holds the cookie, we can aim her at our enemy.”

Carolina was both outraged and confused. “I am not a weapon to be aimed, and I deserve to know what the hell are you going at?”

Amy also ignored Carolina, “I don’t know, but this sounds like going to bed with the literal devil. Betty, I don’t think this is a good idea.” She eyed Betty with suspicion. “This isn’t about upping the number of your toys, is it? Could it be you are jealous of the fact Xia got Hikari to do her bidding?”

“Perish the thought,” Betty argued against the accusation that was too close to the truth.

Thankfully, the door slid open before the argument escalated any further and the doll-like assistant walked in.

“Carolina, Ciel wants to talk to you alone?” Caislean said.

“What?” Hikari was confused. “How?”

“I will explain later,” Caislean told the room before turning to Betty. “Betty, please take Carolina to the [Workshop].”

Hikari couldn’t believe what was about to happen.

“Are we really entertaining this idea?”

“Entertaining what?” Carolina still didn’t get it.

…

Carolina didn’t get her answer, instead Betty left her at a lab—the [Workshop].

Half-finished projects laid on several tables like a shrine to the god of mechanics. One table was a material lab with parts and blueprints. A semi-assembled piece of armor rested on another worktable. Pile of book on beginner-level alchemy piled on one station with a matching beginner level kit. Carolina even spotted some rudimentary level tome about necromancy. Another table was home to a map of the Eastern Continent with detailed annotation.

The room smelled musty with a certain dulled scent of spice and chemicals. Carolina didn’t mind. She also had a similar lab before the capital of Curtis developed the ability to fly away.

“I think this is the second time we met, Carolina,” said a man waiting for her inside this personal laboratory.

“Yes, and I already guessed you are a big fat liar.” Carolina remembered this young man as Holmes’s assistant who she had to interrogate. “I remember you as Holmes’s student. Is that a lie?”

Ciel the Unity Lord made a tiny laugh, “That is the truth. I actually learned most of the artificing knowledge from Holmes. There is a little self-learning alone can take you.” Ciel gestured to a vacant chair. “Have a seat?”

Carolina obliged that request. It was tiring to stand.

“How do you take this?” Ciel said. “I believe Betty already explained the background.”

Carolina took a second to consider her response and replied with the truth. “It is surreal. You are that guy?” Carolina scanned the average-looking man with a mildly handsome face. “The guy who convinced Xia to toss Curtis to the wind, manipulated the Military Police like checker pieces, and seduced two women with the highest pedigree in the entire Continent.” Carolina recalled another terrifying fact. “Betty said you killed an Archangel and knew Maximus and Yumeron.”

“All true, but I want to pretend the last one isn’t there,” Ciel said. “Yume is an idiot, and Maximus is a zealous animal. I don’t think knowing them is an accomplishment.”

Carolina looked at one of the most powerful men in the Continent. The man who was untouchable by any metric. Something about him was alarming to her.

“What do you want with me?” Carolina asked.

“Truthfully, I am wondering about myself,” Ciel mused. “Normally, I will listen to Xia’s suggestion and boot you out in a freezing ocean. Hikari will second that option, but I don’t think you are that bad. You are a curious person.”

“Me?” Carolina said. “You are interested in me, Why?”

“I consider you a breath of fresh air,” Ciel leaned back in his chair. “Most of the people I fought were so assured in their moral high-ground it was painful. But you? You are under no illusion. You are a mess.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Carolina said.

“Xia and Betty filled in your background,” Ciel produced a file on Carolina. “I had a read through this and I think it is a waste. You have accomplished many things, and I wonder what the point is. What are you aiming for?”

Carolina gave the same answer she handed Xia. “I simply want a better life for myself.”

“So, that is what you told yourself?” Ciel was amused. “Isn’t that the classic weakness of Black?”

“Weakness?”

“Yes, I wouldn’t want to call myself an expert, but I believe I know more about Color Transcendence mage than most,” Ciel said. “I’m technically in a relationship with two of them.”

“You are probably the only one who put Color Transcendence mage into a harem,” Carolina affirmed the disturbing accomplishment.

“Anyway, I am a pretty good judge when someone is near to that level,” Ciel said. “You are more than ready except for one subject.”

“Fully mastering Rank 6,” Carolina said. “Not that I have much time.”

Ciel crossed his arm, “Incorrect, wrong, erroneous.” He added more. “Mistaken, and many other words associated with getting facts backward. Becoming a Color Transcendence meant understanding and finding your path with your Mana and tempered its weakness. In this case, you are still preying for Black’s greatest fault.”

“Selfishness?”

“Oh no,” Ciel said. “That is Black’s strongest trait. Utter lack of bother about doing what must be done. Selfish doesn’t mean evil or wrong. The greatest flaw of Black from my view is the lack of purpose.”

Carolina blinked.

“What? You are saying I lack purpose.”

“Aren’t you?” Ciel replied. “White fight for harmony and world peace. Blue fights for knowledge and curiosity. Green fights for natural equilibrium. Red runs as their heart desires for impulse. They all have slogans, but Black doesn’t. Black points out all the wrong in the humble well and declares the best method to overcome it. And for what, exactly? To breathe another day? To step on other ants and make yourself miserable at the top of the misery food-chain. Black can fall into an eternal search of power for power’s sake because surely power will answer all questions in life. Sadly, it can't. Ideal without power is pointless and power without a grand end goal is worthless. Just thriving isn't good enough.”

Carolina absorbed what Ciel said in silence. For once, she was reflecting.

Ciel stood up, “Sorry, I will leave you to think that over. I believe once upon a time you have that grand goal, so you should search for it in yourself.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I don’t know,” Ciel shrugged. “Curiosity, I guess.”

Before Ciel could step through that door, Carolina asked one last question.

“Betty hinted that you have a way to fix me, and Xia utterly hated it.”

“Yes,” Ciel answered. “I ran the test on your blood sample. Your body couldn’t adjust itself to the exposure to the raw Authority of Alucard, turning the evolutionary process into a half-baked life-force furnace. My Authority might complete the process.”

“Isn’t your Authority the marriage contract?” Carolina finally understood why Xia was so against this idea.

“Correct,” Ciel said. “I don’t think Xia and Hikari would be happy about the idea of having you as a little sister.” He added another restriction. “I know you will leap at the chance for survival, but I have a standard. I will only accept the deal if I am convinced you are worth it. I will leave you with that.”

Ciel walked out of the door, leaving Carolina to think over the past.