---
Chapter 9: Black Rose
A few days had passed since the results were announced.
It was strange how quickly everything went back to normal.
Or at least… that's how it looked from the outside.
But inside, things hadn't settled at all.
Every morning, I woke up with the same thought—
You made it into the top 500.
And right after that—
That's not enough.
---
I had started preparing for the academy properly now.
Clothes, documents, essentials… even things I never thought I'd care about before. My room, which used to be a mess, was slowly turning organized—everything placed where it should be.
Not because I liked it.
But because I didn't want to be unprepared again.
Not like before.
---
Training became a part of my routine too.
Simple drills. Repetition. Endurance.
Nothing flashy.
But effective.
By the end of it, my muscles ached, my breathing turned uneven, and my hands trembled slightly from exhaustion.
Still—
I didn't stop.
Because that feeling…
It reminded me that I was improving.
That next time—
I wouldn't need to hold back.
---
By evening, I decided to take a break.
A few friends had called me out, insisting I join them. I almost refused out of habit, but staying alone didn't sound much better either.
So I went.
---
The city looked different at night.
The sky stretched wide above me—dark, but not empty. Lights from buildings reflected faintly across it, like someone had tried to recreate stars and almost succeeded.
I slowed down without realizing.
For a moment…
I just stood there.
---
It felt calm.
Too calm.
---
Without thinking much, I took out my phone and captured it.
I stared at the picture for a second.
Then sent it.
---
Auren:
Looks nice today.
---
After sending it, I slipped my phone back into my pocket.
He wouldn't reply immediately.
He never did.
Still…
I found myself checking my phone more than I should have.
---
Far away—
In a place where the sky didn't look anything like the one in the picture…
A phone screen lit up in the dark.
The faint glow reflected against something uneven beneath.
The ground wasn't clean.
Not smooth.
---
Something lay a few steps away.
Still.
Unmoving.
Ignored.
---
A faint sound echoed somewhere in the distance—
Low.
Uneven.
Almost like something breathing…
Or trying to.
---
He didn't look in that direction.
Didn't react.
Didn't move.
---
Instead, his attention remained on the screen.
On the picture.
On the sky he wasn't standing under.
---
His sleeve shifted slightly as he moved.
A dark stain marked the edge of his cuff—subtle, but there.
Unnoticed.
Or simply… unimportant.
---
His fingers moved.
Calm.
Steady.
---
A few seconds later—
My phone buzzed.
---
Unknown:
Looks better from your side.
---
A small smile appeared before I could stop it.
---
Auren:
You don't like the sky where you are?
---
The reply took a little longer.
I found myself waiting.
---
Unknown:
It's not something I get to look at often.
---
I paused.
That answer wasn't emotional.
But it felt… distant.
---
I entered the restaurant, the noise of voices and laughter pulling me back.
I sat with my friends, joined their conversations, even laughed a little.
But something felt off.
Not bad.
Just—
like I wasn't fully there.
---
My phone buzzed again.
---
Unknown:
You said you were meeting friends, right?
---
Auren:
Yeah.
---
Unknown:
Try not to get bored.
---
I blinked, then scoffed softly.
---
Auren:
Wow. You think my friends are boring?
---
A short pause.
---
Unknown:
I think you get bored easily.
---
I stared at that message for a second.
…Annoyingly accurate.
---
"Hey, you're zoning out again," someone said.
"Am not."
"You are."
I rolled my eyes, but didn't argue further.
Because maybe…
I was.
---
Time passed quickly after that.
Food came and went.
Conversations shifted.
Laughter filled the air.
---
But every now and then—
I checked my phone.
---
By the time I got home, the noise had faded.
My room was quiet again.
---
Too quiet.
---
I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
Sleep didn't come.
So, naturally—
I picked up my phone.
---
Auren:
Had dinner?
---
The reply came faster this time.
---
Unknown:
Just got back from one.
---
Auren:
And?
---
Unknown:
Didn't eat much.
---
I frowned slightly.
---
Auren:
Why go then?
---
Unknown:
Work.
---
Typical.
---
A moment later—
---
Unknown:
Do you like flowers?
---
I blinked.
---
Auren:
…Yeah? Why?
---
A pause.
Longer than usual.
---
Unknown:
I picked a black rose today.
---
A black rose?
That was… oddly specific.
---
Unknown:
It was about to wilt.
---
I shifted slightly, staring at the screen.
---
Unknown:
Should I have left it there… or kept it?
---
That didn't feel like a question about a flower.
---
I thought for a moment.
Then typed—
---
Auren:
If you noticed it, it already mattered to you.
---
I paused… then added—
---
Auren:
So yeah. You should've kept it.
---
Silence.
A few seconds.
Then—
---
Unknown:
I did.
---
Something about that answer felt…
important.
---
I turned onto my side, staring at my phone.
---
Auren:
By the way… I've been wondering something.
---
A few seconds later—
---
Unknown:
Dangerous line.
---
I smiled slightly.
---
Auren:
How do you look?
---
A pause.
Longer this time.
---
Then—
---
Unknown:
Not someone you'd expect.
---
That wasn't really an answer.
---
Unknown:
What about you?
---
Auren:
What about me?
---
Unknown:
You sound younger than you act.
---
I laughed softly.
---
Auren:
I'm 19.
---
Silence.
---
Then—
---
Unknown:
I see.
---
That was it.
No reaction.
No comment.
---
But somehow—
it didn't feel like indifference.
---
It felt like he was thinking.
---
I placed my phone beside me, staring at the ceiling again.
---
"…Not someone you'd expect, huh…"
---
For some reason—
that only made me more curious.
---
And far away—
Under a sky he didn't look at—
The black rose remained untouched.
---
It didn't wilt.
---
Not anymore.
---
---
---