| The Cyber Ascension Arc 5 — " The Founder of Phoenix " | Volume 5 | Chapter 48 : " The Love of The Blue and Black " |
(Expanded Version — Cinematic, Emotional, 2000+ Words)
The palace hall was quiet. Morning light trickled through the tall crystalline windows, washing the marble floor in a cool blue shine. Shinonu, Queen Victoria Reona, and Jin Yuan stood near the grand balcony that overlooked the floating gardens of Heaven. A gentle breeze brushed past them, but the room carried a strange heaviness—like the atmosphere knew someone's story was about to be told.
Shinonu crossed her arms, eyes half-squinted as she stared at the horizon.
Shinonu:
"It's the only time he ever smiled genuinely… We still don't know why. Maybe it really was love at first sight."
Queen Victoria Reona turned sharply toward her.
Queen Victoria Reona:
"Wha—? Love at first sight? Are you serious? That man is literally the most ruthless and broken existence we've ever recorded."
Jin Yuan stood silent for a moment, then slowly exhaled.
Jin Yuan:
"Maybe ruthless isn't the real word. He's not heartless… he's just broken."
Shinonu nodded firmly.
Shinonu:
"Exactly. Being ruthless doesn't mean you lack a heart. Sometimes ruthlessness is just the armor built around a shattered soul."
Queen Victoria Reona quieted.
Jin Yuan stayed still.
Shinonu's eyes dimly softened…
Because what she was about to recall was something none of them truly understood until now.
---
[ The Past… ]
The moon hung large and silver over the ancient floating terrace—a place forgotten by time, hidden between Heaven and the mortal world. Ivy wrapped the stone pillars; soft petals drifted on the wind. And in the center of that lonely terrace stood—
Shimono.
Long black hair flowing with the night breeze… his aura sharp, silent, unreadable.
In his fingers, a single black rose, its petals darker than the night sky.
He looked at the girl standing before him.
Kiyomi.
Blue rose pinned in her hair. Bright eyes. Soft features. Innocent. Pure.
A complete contrast to the man before her.
When she finally spoke, the words trembled like her heart.
Kiyomi:
"…You're really talking to me purely…? This is the first time I've talked to someone like this."
Shimono's eyes lowered slightly, studying her—her sincerity, her trembling hands, the way she looked at him without fear.
Shimono:
"You're really talking to me purely… This is the first time I've ever spoken to someone like this."
Her face flushed instantly.
Cheeks burning pink.
Ears turning red.
Kiyomi:
"Eh? Really? But you're so nice… how can someone avoid you?"
The innocence in her voice was both sweet and painful.
She didn't know.
She didn't understand.
She didn't see the blood he had spilled, the cities he destroyed, or the nightmares he carried like chains.
To her—he was just a calm man holding a rose.
Shimono looked at the moon, letting the silver light fall across his eyes. The black rose spun slowly between his fingers.
Shimono:
"Sometimes… people believe some are wolves in sheep's clothing."
It was a hint.
A warning.
But Kiyomi tilted her head, clueless.
Kiyomi:
"Oh?"
She nodded lightly, still not understanding the depth hidden in his words.
A faint breath escaped Shimono, neither irritation nor amusement—something in between.
Shimono:
"However… I'm not as innocent as I appear. Believing people just because of their face is foolish. But…"
He paused, eyes glowing faint silver in the moonlight.
Shimono:
"Love leads people to many things. Sometimes it makes them weaker… sometimes stronger."
Kiyomi's heartbeat sped up. She looked into his eyes—deep, unreadable, yet strangely gentle at this moment.
Kiyomi:
"You're right. But losing someone who loves unconditionally… that's the real foolishness."
Her voice softened.
Her cheeks turning even redder.
Her eyes shimmering like trembling stars.
Kiyomi:
"They put their whole heart into loving someone… and if they're betrayed? Imagine how painful it must be."
Shimono blinked—slowly, as if the words pierced deeper than he expected.
Something shifted in him.
Just a little.
But it mattered.
Shimono:
"…Oh. You're right. I agree with you."
This time his voice was genuinely gentle—not forced, not cold, not calculated.
Her lips parted.
Kiyomi:
"You're very gentle…"
The compliment hit him like a wind he wasn't prepared for.
She stepped closer, her eyes full of nervous courage.
Kiyomi:
"Are you… alone? Do you have a family?"
Shimono froze.
His hand tightened around the black rose.
But he answered honestly.
Shimono:
"No. I don't have a family. No friends. No siblings. Just… alone. Since childhood. Since I was born. I don't even know if anyone ever existed for me."
The breeze paused.
The world quieted.
Kiyomi's eyes softened like moonlit water.
Kiyomi:
"Oh… you're alone…? So you've been alone all this time…"
She stepped even closer, voice trembling yet full of warmth.
Kiyomi:
"Then… maybe I can stay with you. And stand by your side."
Her cheeks glowed bright red.
That was the moment—the exact second—when the most feared being in existence…
smiled.
A soft, gentle smile.
A smile he hadn't made in centuries.
Shimono:
"Yeah… you can do that. I want that too."
He took her hand—carefully, almost afraid he might break something delicate. Their fingers intertwined, and Kiyomi's face exploded with crimson blush.
Kiyomi:
"…Shimono…"
Shimono then lifted the black rose and gently slid it into her hair, placing it right beside the blue rose she always wore.
Shimono:
"This is our promise."
His voice carried something rare—hope.
Kiyomi's eyes sparkled.
Kiyomi:
"Th–Thank you… Shimono…"
She looked up at him, breath shivering.
Kiyomi:
"Our promise isn't fully completed yet… is it?"
Shimono raised an eyebrow, a small amused smile forming.
Shimono:
"Oh? Then what did we forget?"
Kiyomi gently removed her own blue rose and placed it between his fingers—the exact spot where he always held his black rose.
Their roses touched.
Blue and black.
Pure and ruthless.
Warm and cold.
Love and loneliness… becoming one.
Kiyomi:
"Now our promise is completed…"
Shimono's eyes widened.
Just slightly.
But for a man like him—that reaction was enormous.
Inside his mind, something cracked open.
Not darkness.
Not bloodlust.
Something he had forgotten existed—
Love.
"This is the first time… in centuries… in the 900 years I've lived…
I've never felt this.
Never known this.
She's showing me… what true love is…"
Shimono:
"Yeah… you're right. Our promise is completed, Kiyomi."
His voice was softer than moonlight.
The night carried their intertwined roses as the wind wrapped the scene like a blessing.
---
[ Back to the Present ]
The memory ended.
Silence filled the palace balcony.
Shinonu crossed her arms again, but her voice softened with emotion.
Shinonu:
"That was the moment. The exact moment when the most ruthless heart… fell in love."
Queen Victoria Reona exhaled deeply, shaking her head.
Queen Victoria Reona:
"They truly feel perfect for each other. One is incredibly ruthless… the other unbelievably pure."
Jin Yuan smirked faintly.
Jin Yuan:
"That's the point. Even the ruthless ones… fall in love."
The wind blew softly again.
As if carrying the scent of a black rose…
and a blue one.