| The Cyber Ascension Arc 5 — " The Founder of Pheonix " | Volume 5 | Chapter 47 : " The First Love of the Ghost Heart " |
Shinonu continued his story, eyes distant as if he could still see the centuries in front of him.
Shinonu: "And then… for the first time in his long existence, Shimono fell in love.
With a woman completely opposite to his nature."
Queen Victoria Reona blinked in surprise.
Queen Victoria Reona: "What? Shimono… fell in love? With whom?"
Jin Yuan: "Huh? Who is it?"
Shinonu smiled softly.
---
[ The Past… ]
Centuries had passed.
A thousand years since the rise of the Second Human Era — an era where humans developed elemental stances and learned to control elements themselves.
But Shimono remained unchanged.
Nearly immortal.
Still hunted by Hell's soldiers.
Still nineteen in appearance — pale white skin, sky-blue eyes, long black hair flowing behind him, and a single black rose held gently between two fingers.
He walked the shoreline at night — as always.
Shimono never appeared in daylight; his skin shone too pale, too cold, as though carved from moonlight itself.
The waves glowed under the moon.
The sky stretched endlessly, silver clouds trailing like ghosts.
Shimono tilted his head back, blue eyes reflecting the night.
Shimono: "As long as I live… I'll crave freedom.
I'll obtain absolute freedom."
Three Hell soldiers ambushed him.
He killed them without emotion.
No anger.
No excitement.
Just calm, ruthless efficiency.
Their bodies hit the sea with a quiet splash.
Shimono: "I'm getting bored… but I'll never stop."
He kept walking on the water's surface — calm steps, the black rose still between his fingers.
And then—
A soft glow of ice appeared ahead.
A young woman walked across the sea, each step creating a thin sheet of ice beneath her bare feet.
She wore a blue kimono, long brown hair fluttering, and eyes so blue they reflected the moon like liquid diamonds. Her cheeks were softly flushed red.
Her presence was gentle.
Warm.
Completely different from Shimono's cold aura.
She stopped in front of him.
???: "Umm… are you okay? You have a cut on your cheek…"
Shimono's eyes widened for the first time in years — a tiny, instinctive reaction.
He immediately forced them back to normal, his expression returning to hollow calm.
He offered her a soft, convincingly gentle smile.
Shimono: "I'm fine. It's nothing. It'll heal soon."
???: "Oh? I'm Kiyomi."
Her cheeks were still crimson as she reached out.
Her thumb brushed gently along Shimono's cheek.
Her touch was warm.
Shimono's skin was ice cold — freezing, almost lifeless — but her fingers felt like living fire against his cheek. A sensation he hadn't felt in centuries.
Shimono: "Oh… I'm Shimono."
His tone remained calm.
Face unchanged.
But inside his chest, something tightened — warm, unfamiliar, alive.
Kiyomi: "You're hurt… what happened?"
Her thumb kept brushing his cheek, tender and innocent.
Shimono: "Hm. It's nothing. Just a scratch from the trees."
He lied smoothly.
The moonlight reflected on the sea around them.
The water glowed blue beneath their feet.
The silver glow of the moon wrapped around them like a soft blanket.
In that peaceful moment, Shimono's wound healed itself — his parasite's regeneration.
Kiyomi blinked, eyes widening.
Kiyomi: "Oh? It healed… how? Do you have healing powers?"
Shimono smiled — a real one this time. Soft.
The first genuine smile he had shown in centuries.
Shimono: "Yeah. I do. A gift of healing abilities."
He lied again, hiding the truth of the parasite.
As he studied her, he noticed a blue rose tucked into her hair.
It made her look delicate. Adorable.
A piece of warmth in his cold world.
Shimono: "You love roses?"
Kiyomi (blushing harder): "Yeah… I do. Especially blue roses. I always keep them with me."
Shimono lifted his own fingers slightly, showing the black rose he always carried.
Shimono: "I love roses too. Especially black ones… I always keep them with me."
Kiyomi's smile brightened as she gently touched his black rose.
Kiyomi: "You're quite opposite to me."
Her cheeks reddened even more.
Shimono nodded calmly.
Shimono: "Yeah. We're quite opposite."
Kiyomi slowly reached out and poked his cheek with a gentle fingertip — soft, playful, warm.
Kiyomi: "But somehow… we're still talking, aren't we?"
---
[ Back to the Present ]
Shinonu sighed as if remembering a distant dream.
Shinonu: "That was the moment… Shimono genuinely felt his heart skip a beat.
A strange warmth in the heart of a ghost."
Queen Victoria Reona smiled faintly.
Queen Victoria Reona: "Oh… they really are opposites. Black and blue."
Jin Yuan nodded quietly, saying nothing.