Rose was breaking down as she found the one that had brought light to her life back then. Now that she had turned into a ghost and had long ago died, she felt like she didn't even deserved such an encounter. However, she also knew this was a trial. In such rooms, the tower would give the harshest trial to a person by making them face their weakness and also the thing that holds them back the most. Rose was someone that never thought of such a thing, as she had long ago died and had forgotten about such things, she never thought her weakness would be the man that she saw as her father.
Gustaf looked at her with his sharp eyes, they were filled with emotions. Unlike most other illusions in this trial, Gustaf didn't attacked Rose at any moment. In fact, he was only walking to her, because he wanted to see his daughter once more. It was in fact Rose the one attacking relentlessly, without letting him get closer.
She knew that if he let him get closer… she would lose. The true enemy here wasn't taking damage, nor having her soul cut into pieces, the true enemy was having her heart touched. The manipulation of emotions that such a figure caused to her… it even made her cold and ruthless mind turn into shambles, as she was filled with doubt and sorrow.
"Rose…" Gustaf muttered.
"This is a trial… You're not the real one…!" Rose cried.
"I-I… I know I am not the real one." Gustaf muttered.
"Eh?"
Rose was stopped in time, looking at her adoptive father with shock. Was it truly possible for a mere illusion to accept their own existence as not real? What was the truth behind such illusions to begin with?
"(Just… who was the Frost Queen?)" Wondered Rose, wondering how it was possible for someone to create such things.
"You left me long ago…" Rose said. "I was alone… I had to fight by myself… I… I lost my humanity, and my emotions… Ultimately, I ended serving the very one that brought your demise."
"Rose…"
Gustaf looked truly heartbroken.
Rose continued to cry, as tears began flowing out of her phantasmal eyes.
Could a ghost even cry?
Ghosts were beings made of phantasmal essence, yet Rose was not only crying, but feeling all the emotions she had thought she forgot about.
Rose after her defeat against Drake some time ago, had given up her life for her Lady. A woman who she served with all her life and emotions, with fascination, even.
Of course, after she died, the curse was obviously broken. Drake turner her into a Vampire Ghost, quickly revealing the truth to her, and as she slowly regained her senses more, she decided to dedicate her life to the one that rose her from the dead, while forgetting the curse of the vampires, which had made her a slave of Red, the woman that even caused the death of her beloved father.
"Why…." Rose cried, as her attacks suddenly stopped. "Why did you had to leave me when I needed you the most? I didn't had anybody… I didn't had a single thing…"
"I am sorry, Rose… I merely died by my own foolishness… I was deemed as someone not worthy of being a Vampire. The Lady… Saw through my emotions, my compassion and… all the humane things I did." Sighed Gustaf. "I was deemed as a failure of a Vampire, someone too soft to be what she wanted me to be."
"…"
"Ultimately, I ended going into a mission with other Vampires, only to die foolishly against an ambush of Mercenaries and Sorcerers of the Sects of Frost Tear." The man sighed. "I suppose the lady knew our numbers were not enough to survive that, she sent us there to our deaths."
"Why?! Why did you agreed to such a thing!?" Rose cried.
"I didn't had a choice… She said that if I didn't do as she wanted, she would use you as her plaything… I couldn't bear to think you would be tortured by her malicious mind." Gustaf said.
"Ah…"
Rose looked at her father, suddenly feeling shocked by a truth she didn't knew about.
How… did a mere illusion of her father knew such a thing?
"You're not… an illusion…" Rose muttered. "Are you… my father's soul?"
Rose looked at Gustaf with shock, but the man seemed to wave his head.
"I am already dead, Rose… I don't know what I truly am… But you must quickly complete this trial." Gustaf said. "You must complete it and keep moving forward. There is people waiting for you. Despite having died, you've become a new being altogether. A ghost? Not really, you look like a beautiful Spirit to me. A Spirit of Blood as beautiful as a red rose, just like the name I give to you."
"F-Father…!"
Rose cried, rushing towards Gustaf.
She didn't knew how or why, but she flew towards him, and hugged him.
"I am sorry for telling you all those things! I really, really miss you!"
Rose began to cry, tears flowing through her eyes.
"I don't want you to go yet… After all this time… Perhaps your soul… You might be here somehow…!"
"Rose, you have to let it go…" Sighed Gustaf, hugging her back.
"Ah…!"
"I never cared about my death, I've only cared about you, and nobody else…" Gustaf said.
"B-But…"
"I want you to be happy… Help that man named Drake. He's someone that will bring you happiness. Perhaps… he and those around you have already brought you the happiness you've been seeking for."
"I… I don't… Drake is…"
"What is it, dear?"
"I don't know what I truly am to Drake and everybody… I've been hiding my true self this entire time… I've been… acting like what I am now, another servant…"
"…"
"But I never thought of them that way. I always thought I was merely bound, forced to be with them but… over time it has changed so much I didn't realized it…"
