Chapter 555: Those Who Challenge Fate Itself [Part 1] "The moment I get out of here, I’ll use the face of that silver-haired kid to wipe the floor," Diona grumbled while massaging her wrists after she had been freed. "How dare he tie me up like a pig for roasting? I’ll murder him!" Charles didn’t say anything and simply observed the young lady that was cursing Alex with every fiber of her being. Clearly, she found the experience humiliating. Still, it was her fault for instigating everything in the first place, so Charles believed that she deserved it. "Well then, I’m sure you have a lot of questions," Diona suddenly said with a fearless grin. "If it’s about my three sizes, it’s..." "Stop!" Charles raised his hand. "I’m not interested in your three sizes. I already have a girlfriend whom I love very much." "Oh really?" Diona giggled. "But you see, I can tell that you and her still hadn’t done the deed. Both of you still smell like milk to me. So, how about I teach you a thing or two, hmm?" "If you’re just going to talk nonsense, I’m leaving." "Hah... you sweet summer child." Right now, the two of them were inside Professor Rowan’s personal domain. Diona wouldn’t be able to leave it unless the Headmaster gave her permission to leave. She also couldn’t kill or use Charles even if she tried. Perhaps she understood her current predicament, so she decided to vent out her frustration at Charles by teasing him a bit. "Tell me what the Void-Touched are," Charles said calmly. "And also, tell me about this organization that you belong to." Diona sighed before scratching her already messy hair. Morax had asked her to meet Charles and explain to him everything about their organization. Since that was the case, there was really no problem in telling him everything. However, she was still so upset over what had happened in the Mistral Weave Forest. Out of spite, she was contemplating if she should just play hard to get or stay silent. Just as she was thinking on what to do, Charles sat cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes. He had been prepared to spend some time with Diona in order to better understand his current situation. That didn’t mean he enjoyed her presence one bit. "If you want to play the waiting game, then so be it," Charles stated with his eyes still closed. "We can stay here for as long as you want. I don’t particularly mind." "Hoh?" Diona arched an eyebrow. "It seems that our newest cub has a bit of backbone huh? Fine. I’ll tell you everything so I can leave this place soon." Being confined to a place similar to a prison didn’t sit well with her. She liked her freedom the most after all. "The Void-Touched are individuals who defy the rules of this world," Diona explained. "I don’t know what kind of power you possess, but in general, this world will do its best to kill us. For example, I am a Beast Master. But when I first awakened this power, any monster within a particular range would try to kill me. "It’s like they could not allow me to exist in this world. Every member of our organization has the passive skill, Challenger’s Mark. However, not all Challenger’s Mark are the same. "When I awakened my power, my Challenger’s Mark had a range of two-miles. Any monsters within that range turned berserk and tried to hunt me down. As I became stronger, the range of this passive skill also increased. "And, it will continue to increase until you finally master your power. Then and only then will you understand why this world is trying so hard to kill us. That is what it means to be Void-Touched." Diona also sat cross-legged on the ground and rested the side of her head on her right palm. "Our leader’s name is Morax. He is the one who has suffered the most among us," Diona went on. "When his Challenger’s Mark first activated, it didn’t affect monsters. It affected humans." Charles’ eyes widened in shock after hearing this piece of information. Right now, his Challenger’s Mark would only fully activate whenever he was inside dungeons. While outside of it, the range on which he could affect monsters was only sixty meters at most. It didn’t seem fair to compare his hardship to Diona as well as the leader of the group, Morax, because it was obvious that they had suffered several times more than he had. "You should have seen it." Diona smirked. "Back then, my existence alone could cause Monster Stampedes. There was a time when I was traveling into a city and the local lord there tried to harass me. "He even ordered his guards to seize me and make me his plaything. Good thing I was a very fast runner, so I managed to escape them. But I am someone who holds grudges. That night, I went to a nearby forest and lured a horde of monsters into that blasted city. "Hahaha! Nothing was left of them after those monsters razed everything to the ground. That is still one of my fondest memories." Charles’ face became pale as he listened to Diona’s bragging. He could understand her desire for revenge against such disgusting men. However, what he couldn’t accept was her creating a calamity that engulfed an entire city and killed countless innocent civilians. "I know what you’re thinking," Diona stated. "But I assure you that everyone in that city deserved to die. It’s a city of bandits, ruled by the Bandit King. Law and order didn’t exist in that place. I believe that I even did humanity a favor by wiping those scums from the face of the world." Charles felt a little better when he heard her explanation, but he wasn’t sure if he completely believed her. He didn’t mind if bandits were killed because they were a stain that should be erased from the world if possible. "But, Charles, there is something that you need to understand," Diona said seriously, all traces of playfulness gone. "This power that is given to us isn’t a curse. It’s a blessing. The Challenger’s Mark is a challenge given to those who challenge fate itself. "Many of us die before we can even grow to the point that we can control our powers. So, every member of our organization is precious. We are people who defied fate and lived to tell the tale. "In short, we are the chosen ones, who were supposed to die an early death. But, as you can see, both of us are alive and well. This means that we now control our own destinies. Isn’t that exciting?" Charles listened seriously to every word that Diona had said. However, there was one thing that he didn’t tell her. He believed that he would have died in the Dungeon of Beginnings if not for the fact that he had met Alex. No... It was more accurate to say that Alex had sought him out specifically so that he could accompany him to the Dungeon of Beginnings. Charles had spoken to Lavinia in secret about Alex’s past. The young lady had attested that instead of going straight to the Capital City of Harmonia, Alex had decided to make a detour to Briarwood Village and take the scholarship test there. Lastly, when Charles had seen Alex, he hadn’t been able to shake off the feeling that the young man knew him. It was a very weird feeling, but Charles believed their meeting hadn’t been a coincidence. If Alex didn’t go to Briarwood Village, Charles was certain that he would have died inside the Dungeon of Beginnings. In short, it was his friend who had helped him break free from Fate, which was why Charles vowed to not allow Diona to harm his benefactor, who made him reunite with his sisters, and even helped him cure Eris’ disease.