"Lotus."
Lotus raised a brow when she heard the unfamiliar voice before remembering who it was and called out telepathically, "What is it, Little Jun?"
"I went to ask Ying Hui what a soul imprint was, but she wasn't too happy to tell me and Xiao Li was busy and told me to ask you through this." The little kirin called out.
Lotus was following the four to the lounge where Lotus decided not to hand them breakfast for the day since they were going to a party. She thought to the Kirin, "A Soul imprint is an imprint made on a person by the user. It's radiated with certain amount of cultivation energy decided by the user into the head of the person they chose to put it into. Once it senses that the person they chose is in mortal danger, the imprint would come out and help save them from it. However, doing this cost a bit of the user's energy and soul. You also need to reach a certain level before you can start doing this. However, I've gotten really strong and my culmination of cultivation is a lot so I can use it earlier than other humans. If not, it would really damage my soul."
"Oh..."
Their conversation was interrupted when there was a knock on the door to which Yuu opened and found Cater before the foyer. Surprised, they let the guy in as he said with a wide smile, "G'morning! Did you enjoy your sleepover? Was it an evening of pillow fights and card games?"
Ace yawned while rubbing his head in pain, "Good morning, Cater. Yeah... We played cards shortly after dinner."
He then shook his head in disappointment and continued, "Grim didn't know the rules so we just played Old Maid."
"Crap!" Grim cursed, "I couldn't win at all! Maybe if you didn't fall asleep once before we played you wouldn't felt as tired."
"It wouldn't matter." Deuce shook his head with a smirk, "You have no poker face when you pull the Joker."
"Then," Cater smirked, "Let's go get the tart you made yesterday and apologize to Riddle."
He then sighed and continued solemnly in a low voice, "There was some trouble yesterday, so I'm low on manpower and need you to come now."
"Manpower?" Lotus questioned in confusion.
Cater shook his head with a wide smile, "Talking to myself. Well then, let's get going to the Unbirthday Party!"
"Right, but..." Deuce called out and pointed to Ace, "This idiot did something stupid and got water splashed onto him."
"Wha..." Cater looked to the fool and sighed, "Right... There!"
With a wave of his pen, the clothes on Ace dried out without problems. They, then left for the Heartslabyul dormitory during the morning as classes were canceled on the third day of school so the students could get acclimated in their new environment.
When they arrived through the mirror, Ace stated with a wide smile, "I'm gonna get the tart to the dorm leader and apologize..."
"Yooo! You're here. I've been waiting for me!"
Lotus looked up and her eyes widen in bewilderment. It was another Cater but with Athletic uniform.
"I'm back." Their Cater replied with a wide smile, "Sorry for the wait, me."
Deuce jumped in shock as did the others, "There are two Diamonds?!"
"You have a twin?!" Ace blurted out in bewilderment.
"Nope." Cater shook his head in response, "I'm the only brother."
"This is my unique magic, 'Split Card'." He explained with another pose, "I can use magic to make clones of myself."
"So, this is why we couldn't beat him no matter how many times we took you down." Deuce stated in bewilderment.
Lotus raised a brow in confusion. But, yesterday, she saw that they were busy fighting nothing!
"Welcome back!" Said a Cater in a lab outfit.
"Welcome, Prefect." A Cater in a ceremonial robe called out with a wide grin.
"I've had it rough!", said the Cater with the athletic uniform, "You guys are so late."
Ace jumped back in bewilderment as he cried out, "Wahhh! There's more!"
"By the way, I'm the real Cater." The Cater in the Athletic uniform called out with a grin, "The more copies I make the harder it gets and I can't keep it up for a long time. Anyway, it's off with our heads if we're late. I don't have enough hands so lend me yours. I'll take you right to Riddle once we're done."
"More painting roses red?" Grim grumbled aloud.
"You're really full of yourself!" Ace grumbled aloud.
That Cater began with a wide grin, "Let's get started!"
Half an hour had passed or so as Lotus volunteered to help with the work. It hadn't been long before they reached close to the outer maze that Deuce was the first to speak up panting for air after having done almost ten bushes of red roses, "Huff, Huff... We did a lot better than yesterday!"
"You did well!" Cater smiled wide having already returned into his uniform with magic and checked his phone, "Oops! It's almost time! Well done, mes'!"
The rest of the Caters that he called out responded in unison, "Aye aye, sir~!"
Just as they were leaving, Lotus frowned as she noticed a strange presence in the air. She frowned and turned to Cater and the others, "Sorry, guys. I need to go to the restroom for a bit. I'll be back later."
"Eh?!" Ace scowled, "You're ditching us, aren't you?! Could it be that you're too afraid to face the guy with us?"
"Riddle?" Lotus shook her head with a firm frown, "That's not it. I need to go to the restroom right now. I didn't get to go before we left because of the things that came after you barged into my room. If you hadn't, I wouldn't have to go right now."
"Right..." Ace sneered at her.
"Che... What a coward." Grim scowled at her as she began walking away to the entrance.
"Anyway, I got to go." Lotus responded before stopping and turning back, "Ah, right. I'll be in charge of dinner and dessert as an apology."
"Really?!" Grim shined with wide eyes, "I want a can of tuna!"
"Yes. Yes." Lotus sighed shaking her head and walked away.
It was only shortly after she walked out that she turned on her ability and hurried back inside.
Hurrying through the maze, she grimaced when she found herself in a dead end and jumped over the bushes instead. It was then that she felt it. A weak forced heading over with a slow and steady speed. She raised a brow and looked over the maze to find that the area was open and a dark figure dashed from the trees and to the barrier she had thrown. With a scowl, Lotus hurried over to the outside of the maze. Rushing from bush to bush, Lotus could see the dark shadow dash forward to the maze amongst the trees. She grimaced and hurried forward, thinking of what she should try.
After having lost contact with one of their men, he had returned to find that he had gone missing. Not only that, but the mythical beast they left with him had also disappeared. Having known the guy since he entered their sect, he knew that the guy wouldn't just disappear. Though he pitied the guy for having been forced into this situation, he still had a mission to follow and a life to live. Having reached out into this weird realm with their own communities, they were tense and felt a little apprehension. there were tall pointy buildings and magical mirrors that led to smaller realms. Young people less than the bone age of twenty going around doing crazy things such as changing colors and clothing without much manual effort. Ghosts that were chubbier or weirder than the evil ghosts back in their own realm.
Having found the guy gone from his station in this little realm, he went on a frantic search around when he could only think of one solution. The people had found him first and had either killed the guy or captured him. Either way, he knew that this was not good and frowned at the thought of the group having caught them with their strange methods. He scowled as he realized that he should've done something sooner and hurried for that strange mansion of red, white, black, and gold. However, the moment he did, she could see a young man in a strange attire with purple cat ears and tail to which he scowled.
They have mythical beasts here too?!
He thought that it was only the little realm that his eldest senior brother had taken station of, but that wasn't the case. To think that they were everywhere! He scowled and pulled back quietly before seeing the guy enter the strange maze of green bushes carefreely and disappeared before his eyes!
He scowled and reluctantly pulled back. It would be unwise to enter a place like that as there were probably quite a few mythical beasts capable of taking on human forms! He need to reorganize the information he gathered. With this in mind, he retreated back into the forest. Having treaded back into the greenery of doors with signs and doors. He shuddered as he gazed around the place and scowled, "Just who is crazy enough to set up so many random doors in the place? Only those who've gone mad could do something like this. This isn't good. I have to finish them off and fast before they get me too. I also have to let... huh?"
As he said this, he noticed the light around him getting dimmer and a thick fog enveloping the area to which he shook startled and hurriedly few through the forest to escape it, but it was too late. He soon found himself stuck in a forest of doors, signs, and mist. He retreated a step in panic as he stammered, "What is this?!"
Suddenly, he felt a killing intent from behind him and scowled when he turned around with a blade in hand, but failed to see anything to which he stood his place having uncertain thoughts of whether he should take another step forward or not, but a piercing pain suddenly stuck him on the leg as he lept back in shock and stumbled to the ground.
He looked down to find that his leg was completely gone! He screamed in horror when he saw this and glanced around nervously when he saw a movement from the corner of his eyes and turned. However, it only turned out to be the mist rolling in the area. He scowled and quickly pressed his back against the trunk of the trees. Having regained his senses, he quickly reached for his communication device when a sharp pain came upon his arm. He froze when he found his hand had also vanished leaving behind a ravaged piece of torn flesh still attached to his wrist. Shook and bewildered beyond comprehension, he cursed, "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!!"
He couldn't stop the shiver coming down the spine on his back and he looked around in terror when he saw the mist coming together forming vicious-looking wolves. Finding his attacker, he sneered and pulled out his knife to fight back when he realized their was no signs of life coming from them! His eyes widen in bewilderment and a million thoughts came to his mind before he scrambled onto one leg and ran back to leave the forest only to find himself crash into an invisible wall. That's when he realized it with a pale face.
"An array! Shit! Shit!" He spat out these curses and spun around to find the wolves staring down at him with empty gazes.
Suddenly, a voice entered his ears.
"How do you like my Wolf Ambush Array?"
He froze in bewilderment at the sound of a familiar language and his pupils dilated in horror as he gagged before looking up with hateful eyes, "So, it was you!"
Lotus smirked when she knew that he had finally heard her. She sighed and shook her head in dismay, "If you and the guy had chosen not to harm the students instead, I would've spared your lives, but, apparently, you just have to cause trouble in this world when you can just do it back in yours. What a pain..."
"So, those students are of great importance to you after all!" He sneered.
"Importance to me?" Lotus giggled as she sat on a branch with her chin resting on her palm and her elbow on her knee, "You think too highly of me, don't you? Sorry to disappoint you, but what the mortals and immortals do here aren't of my business. I'm just here to watch the show. However..."
She peered through the mist with dilated pupils in the shape of reptilian eyes as she stated releasing off a strong killing intent, "It gets so bland that I have to step in every now and then just so I can witness a good show. How annoying. This time too. I'm suppose to have a party to attend to with some friends, but you just had to ruin it all for me! What a waste of time..."
She sighed in exasperation before staring down at his figure still trying to seek hers, "So to make up for it, you'll have to test out this new array of mine. I've always wondered how it would work in the daylight."
"You were the one who killed my junior brother!" His eyes widen in bewilderment.
Lotus sneered, "So, what if I did? Who was the one that ordered him to attempt an attack on the dorm with a beast? What was it again? I believe it was, these guys are just unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, was it?"
The man shuddered as his face grew into a sheet of white, "Eeek! Y-y-you-! But, it's your fault for having enrolled into this damn school and to have brought us into this world!"
"My fault?!" She feigned a bewildered look on her face, "I see. So, it was my fault for having come into this world, but who told you to follow me?"
"If it weren't for you the Black Lotus Clan wouldn't have sent us!"
"Eh? The Black Lotus Clan?" She raised a brow, "What is that?"
"Crap..." the young man grimaced as he bit down on his lips.
Seeing this, a smirk appeared on her face as she gazed down upon the man who can't see her, "So, it wasn't a queen that came to get me, but a black lotus...? Welp, at least now I know."
Hearing her words, he stammered, "Th-That's right, so let me out!"
"Let you out?" She laughed, "Do you take me for a fool? The sooner I let you out, the sooner you'll return to kill me. How funny! Who would let them killer go after hearing that?"
"W-We didn't come to kill you! We came to take you back!"
"Take me back?" She chuckled with a sneer, "I was left here and now they want me back after all these years. Then, let me ask you this. Who was the one who threw me here?"
"That's..."
After a long silence, she sighed, "What a disappointment. I guess I'll have to find the boss first for all of this mess. As for you..."
She smirked, "Be grateful. I've planned for you to take on the mistake of all your group, but I'm gonna be more logical and have you live five minutes for every student you planned to kill but didn't in this dorm. Let's see. That should be close to a hundred or ninety. That'd be eight hours and twenty minutes at most. There. Have fun~!"
"You!" The cultivator in black glared in her direction with fire in his eyes, "You think this is right?! Just you wait till I break through this array! Then, I will-!"
"Of course this is right." Lotus glanced at him as though he was an idiot, "After all, you were only unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Too bad."
"W-Wait!"
Despite his desperate cries and struggle, the assassin realized that he couldn't break through the array. He shuddered as he realized that they've underestimated their target. The person was an Array Master!
With that, she left the place to her friends after she checked the array once more before leaving. By then an hour and a halr had already passed as she left him behind.