Some call it… weird.
Some call it… overdoing.
Some call it… What the heck.
But only a few truly knew… especially those who had once been involved in such moments, those who had lived through it, could ever understand the kind of emotions it carried deep inside. Only they knew what it felt like — that breathtaking pull, that overwhelming rush.
And that… is exactly what was happening right now.
“Hey, what’s that?”
“Oh my God…”
“What the….”
The voices of the people cracked the air, blending confusion and awe into their stunned gasps.
The townsfolk were utterly shocked, rooted to their spots, their mouths hanging open as the once bright and serene day… suddenly turned crimson. It was as if the world itself had been dipped in the colours of a dream. They tilted their heads back, staring wide-eyed at the vast open sky above them.
The entire sky was covered — no, drowned — in a sea of red petals. They floated, they drifted, they spun and twirled like living creatures, flowing through the air as if carried by some invisible spirit.
The petals painted the brilliant blue sky in sweeping strokes of deep red, tinting the entire Frostblade household with a warm, surreal glow.
It was like standing inside a living, breathing, red-hued world.
The petals moved with an almost sentient grace. They flowed so smoothly, so dreamily, it was almost hypnotic — a mesmerising, haunting beauty that seized every gaze and refused to let go.
Xara stood at the entrance, blankly staring up at the sky, her heart hammering, her body frozen, her mind empty yet full all at once. Her entire being — her breath, her soul, her memories — was entranced by the sight of those crimson petals.
Because these red petals… they were…
“Mom, those are… rose petals…” Selene whispered, her voice breaking slightly with shock. She stared up in disbelief, then turned to her mother, her voice dipping into a sly, knowing tone, “Aren’t these the ones you always loved?”
Selene’s words floated through the thickened air like a secret only they shared.
Xara didn’t respond — she couldn’t. Her expression was frozen, taken aback completely, her wide eyes reflecting the falling petals like a mirror.
“Huh? She likes it?” Velc frowned, puzzled and a little awkward at the unexpected revelation.
Selene’s lips curled slightly, amusement flickering in her gaze. “So you didn’t even know what mother liked?”
Velc coughed awkwardly, looking away, his cheeks faintly pink. “A-Anyway! What’s going on here?! Where are the flower petals coming from?!” His voice rose in agitation as he turned sharply toward the guards, glaring at them as though demanding answers, even though they too stood there, stunned and speechless, as lost as he was.
While Velc barked orders and tried to pull the stunned soldiers back to reality, insisting they find the cause before panic spread across his peaceful territory, meanwhile — Xara could not move.
She simply stood there… adrift in the ocean of red, as if everything else had melted away into irrelevance.
This colour… this deep, vivid, soul-aching red… it wasn’t just beautiful.
It was sacred to her.
A colour she loved more than any other, a colour that now bathed the entire world around her.
It stained the rooftops, blanketed the courtyards, covered the forests in the distance, and swirled endlessly into the horizon.
It was overwhelming.
It was beautiful.
It was magic.
…It was too much!!
Something like this had never happened before.
Not even once in her lifetime. She had never felt such a deep, aching wonder blooming inside her chest.
It was as if the very world had opened itself up, bared its heart, and whispered to her soul.
And just then…
Selene leaned closer, standing on tiptoe to whisper softly into Xara’s ear, her voice low, secretive, “Is this… the surprise Aether was talking about?”
As soon as those words brushed against her ears, her heart,
Ba-Dump
Skipped a beat — sharp and loud.
She blinked, finally breaking out of her trance, and turned her head slowly toward her daughter, her expression unreadable, trembling with too many emotions to name.
Selene simply smiled, her eyes warm, her smile gentle. She didn’t say another word. She just smiled — that kind of smile that said everything without speaking.
Suddenly—
“OH MY GOD!! LOOK AT THE MOUNTAINS!!” someone screamed, their voice full of wild awe and disbelief.
Heads snapped around. Everyone turned their gazes beyond the courtyard, beyond the territory — and gasped again.
Far in the distance, the mountains — that surrounded the Frostblade lands — were no longer green.
They were crimson!
Blanketed from peak to base in the same vivid red, as if nature itself had bowed to some unseen artist’s brush.
The mountains didn’t just have petals on them.
They were petals… Thick, lush, endless layers of red that shimmered under the golden sunlight, creating a scene so breathtaking, so ethereal, it felt like stepping into the pages of a forgotten legend.
The entire world was bleeding beauty…. to Xara’s eyes, of course!
It was so mesmerising, so unreal, so heart-stopping, that some villagers clutched their chests, others sank to their knees, overcome by the sheer majesty of it all.
And amidst it all, as the wind carried the soft, perfumed scent of countless roses swirling around her, in the depths of Xara’s mind — a voice echoed.
A voice she had longed to hear, a voice that wrapped around her soul like a warm, aching embrace,
“Though by the time you receive your surprise… I’ll already be at the top.”
Those words — whispered to her by Aether before he left — came crashing into her heart, hitting her like a lightning bolt of memory.
Before she knew what was happening, her feet moved on their own.
Drawn forward, pulled by an invisible string of emotions too powerful to resist, she walked — no, almost stumbled — toward the mountains, toward the heart of this impossible, miraculous gift.
Toward him!
Selene smirked devilishly as she watched her mother’s reaction from afar, a mischievous glint flickering in her eyes.
‘Finally got you, Mom~ Hehehe–‘ she cackled inwardly, savoring the moment of victory.
Wait!
But suddenly, her laugh cut short. She blinked, her mind halting mid-celebration.
‘For fuck’s sake, that’s my mother!!’ she screamed at herself internally, her cheeks flushing with a mix of embarrassment and happiness.
Meanwhile, Xara — her heart pounding wild and loud — ran.
She ran without thinking, without knowing why.
Her legs just kept moving forward as if they had a will of their own, carrying her toward something her mind couldn’t fully grasp yet… but her heart somehow knew.
Each breath she took was sharp, yet deliciously sweet, filled with the overwhelming scent of roses and fresh earth.
The wind played with her hair, tugging her forward like invisible fingers urging her not to stop.
Her dress fluttered wildly around her legs as she dashed ahead, her boots crushing fallen petals that scattered like ruby sparks under her steps.
She stared at the towering mountain ahead, its peak almost hidden behind a cascading mist of drifting red petals.
It loomed before her, majestic and otherworldly, as if she were gazing at the entrance to another realm — a secret place carved out only for her, and her alone.
She didn’t know why she was running — or maybe she did — but at this point, she didn’t care.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, drowning out every other sound, whether it was the wind, the distant calls of birds, or even her own ragged breath.
Was it because of the running?
Was it because of the overwhelming beauty?
…. Was it because of him?
She didn’t know anymore.
All she could feel was the wild drumbeat of her heart and the unbreakable pull guiding her forward.
When she finally reached the base of the mountain, she stumbled to a halt, her hands bracing against her knees as she gasped for breath — only to have it stolen once more by the sight before her.
The ground ahead was a living ocean of crimson.
Flowers — thousands upon thousands of them — bloomed everywhere, painting the mountain in a vivid red so deep, so rich, it almost glowed under the warm twilight.
Roses, velvet-soft and thick with heady fragrance, stretched as far as her eyes could see, climbing rocks, swirling along the pathways, floating weightlessly in the air like gentle spirits.
It was as if someone had tirelessly, lovingly, planted every single one by hand, each petal a labour of love… a whisper of devotion?
The entire mountain was alive—breathing, whispering, singing — and every note, every colour, every flicker of light spoke directly to her soul.
Chiprrr~
A soft, melodic chirp echoed through the air, snapping her attention upward.
A small, delicate bird, glowing faintly under the red sky, fluttered toward her with a grace that made her heart seize in awe. In its tiny beak, it held a single perfect rose, the petals glistening like freshly spilt wine.
Xara’s breath caught, her body frozen in sheer wonder as the bird hovered right before her, offering its treasure.
Almost without thinking, she raised her trembling hand.
The bird dropped the flower into her palm with exquisite gentleness, and then — with a merry chirp — spiraled upward, circling her once as if blessing her, before darting up the mountain path, clearly beckoning her to follow.
Xara swallowed hard, her throat tight with unshed emotions, her fingers clenching gently around the delicate stem.
Her legs moved again, slow but determined, her entire body trembling as she stepped onto the flower-lined path.
Each step felt surreal, like walking through a dream spun out of love and magic.
The ground was soft underfoot, blanketed with petals so thick she could barely see the soil beneath.
The flowers brushed against her ankles, her knees, her fingertips, as if trying to hold her back, to keep her in their embrace.
Above her, birds sang melodies more beautiful than any song she had ever heard — pure, aching music that made her eyes sting.
Animals peeked from behind bushes and rocks, their small bodies moving with a strange, joyous rhythm, as if the entire mountain was celebrating her arrival.
The world itself seemed to pulse with life.
Every breath she took was heavy with the sweet perfume of roses, filling her lungs, staining her heart red with overwhelming feeling.
She felt alive.
More alive than she had ever felt before.
The petals floated down from the skies like a slow, enchanting rain, brushing her hair, clinging to her clothes, painting her in crimson.
They tangled into her long hair, slipped under the collar of her dress, and nestled between her fingers.
She looked down at herself, seeing red, feeling red — as if the entire mountain had woven her into its magic, into its very soul.
Her cheeks burned a soft, lovely pink, her eyes wide and sparkling. [imgincmt]
The scenery wasn’t just beautiful.
It was overwhelming!
It was too much to hold in her chest, too much to carry in her heart — the beauty, the wonder, the happiness — it spilled out of her in the form of trembling hands, parted lips, shining eyes.
It was happiness, and awe, and dizzying romance — all wrapped up in the simple act of walking forward.
She moved onward, step after step, her body light as air yet weighted by emotions too vast for words.
With every step, her heartbeat raced faster.
Her blood grew hotter, wilder.
Her mind spun with thoughts she didn’t dare name, emotions she couldn’t suppress.
Until finally —
Finally, She reached the top.
And there — at the very peak, framed by the blushing sky and the swirling crimson petals — she saw him.
Aether.
His broad shoulders were relaxed, his white hair catching the soft, lazy breeze, shimmering like woven silver threads against the dimming light.
He sat at the cliff’s edge, his back to her, one leg dangling over the precipice, utterly at peace.
He looked like a dream.
No — he looked like home.
Xara’s legs — which had carried her so faithfully, so tirelessly — now locked in place.
She froze, her body refusing to move even one more step.
Because one more step…One more step and she knew — she would fall.
She didn’t know if it would be a fall from the cliff or… a fall into him — but either way, it would be dangerous.
Irreversible.
Life-changing!!
Her throat tightened painfully.
She gulped hard, her lips trembling as overwhelming emotions surged inside her — hope, terror, joy, longing — crashing together like a tidal wave against the shore of her soul.
Chirrrpp!
A tiny bird — the same one from before — landed on her shoulder once again and nudged her forward with a soft, impatient chirp.
“W-Wait… I’m not ready for this!” Xara whispered fiercely, her voice breaking into a desperate whimper, her heart hammering like a war drum.
But the bird chirped again stubbornly and gave her another push.
Xara stumbled a step forward, a broken branch cracking sharply under her foot.
Crack.
She winced, clicking her tongue softly, and anxiously glanced toward Aether — terrified she had shattered the perfect moment.
But he remained still, seemingly unmoved, his head tilted slightly, gazing out over the endless sea of red.
She exhaled shakily, ready to sigh in relief when—
“I thought…” His voice — soft, warm, and achingly tender — floated back to her on the gentle breeze, threading into her heart and pulling it tight.
“I thought you wouldn’t come here, Xara.”
He turned, just enough that she could see the gentle, breathtaking smile curving his lips, the light of unshed emotions gleaming in his ice blue eyes.
Ba-Dump
Her heart gave another wild, dizzying skip, her body trembling under the weight of everything she was feeling.
[+–]