The Crown and The Rose
Chapter 27: The First day (Part One)

Chapter 27: The First day (Part One)

The Crown

I am currently standing in the middle of a cold forest. This forest is cold and dark, void of warmth and greenery. The trees are gigantic and are towering over me as if trying to engulf my whole existence. The trees are grayish and naked. There is no leaf in the brunches.

A cold chill runs down my spine and my instincts flare red. The forest is dangerous. Even the dark forest at the border isn’t as horrifying as this one. I wonder what kind of hell I am in.

"Mr. Collins, here is your assigned flower." A deep voice jolts me awake from my internal monologue, "And here is the map that you will need."

I cringe and turn toward the direction from where the voice is coming. I spot a hooded man offering me a scroll and a tub, filled with dark soil and a small plant. There is an unbloomed flower dangling from the tree. I take the stuff from his hand and before I can thank him he vanishes into the thin air.

My jaw drops to the ground but I quickly compose myself and avert my gaze from the place the hooded man just disappeared from. Dread and anxiety are coiling inside my stomach like a snake ready to strike.

With a bit of hesitance, I snap open the scroll and the only thing I see is a forest. But the good thing this is a detailed map so I can see where I am. There is a black dot pointing in a certain direction and I assume that the black dot is me. Or... the flower in my hands. The academy didn’t give us anything special to drink or wear which means they are keeping track of the flower, not the owner.

Professor Felix said that the battle would include killing and dying. But why? You just need to figure out what your flower does and then get your way out of here. This isn’t too difficult if you think it that way.

Wait.

We need to get out of here with the help of our flowers... but what if our flowers aren’t capable of getting us out of here?

Oh, my Gods...

My free hand runs through my perfectly tied hair, messing it up. Why didn’t I think about it before? What if our flowers aren’t capable enough to get us out of here? We just need to steal from others. And stealing isn’t as easy as it sounds. Why would anyone let us have their lifeline?

We need to kill the owner for his flower or injure him gravely then take the tub. Both action has the same consequence. Death. If we kill the owner then it adds one killing count to our tab but if we don’t kill him and just let him leave after stealing his flower then he won’t be able to complete the task and will get stuck here and at the end of the day will be eliminated by the academy.

I glance at the flower tub in my hands, the snake in my stomach is twisting and turning like it is preparing to strike. I would like to know what kind of ability my flower is and what kind of miracle I need to get out of here.

I take in a deep breath, in order to calm the escalating rhythm of my heart. I am getting worried about Edward. Who knows what will happen to him? If he gets attacked and something happens to him I won’t be able to forgive myself. I will live my whole life in remorse.

The flower in my hand is unbloomed which means I need to make it bloom first. But how? Easy, I just need to give it water and sunlight. But, wait, this is not easy. There is not a single sign of water let alone the sun.

Damn... I need water... oh wait.

My hand darts toward my back and touches a small bottle, liquid splashing inside the container. My eyes instantly light up and I unhook the bottle from my wristband. Edward had given me this bottle. He said I mustn’t get dehydrated. I want to worship that man now. I set the tub down and get sited beside it and then pour the liquid content down in an appropriate amount.

Yes, I know many things about plants and other things but I have never seen this kind of plant before. I have never heard of it either. So the only explanation is that the plant is made of pure magic. I need to break the spell to get out of here.

The flower makes no movement and a disappointed crease appears between my eyebrows. I need the sun or the light. But where am I supposed to find a light that is warm like the sun? Wait... sun, light. Am I talking about myself?

Am I an idiot?

I scream in my head and then grab the tub and shoot up on my feet. My light is blessed so it is kind of like the sun itself. I just need to use my magic on it. But I need to find a safe place for that since the magic is forbidden for the first day and other than that I am a freaking light magic user. If the demons notice my presence I am screwed.

The forest is dense with dark magic. And I am surrounded by countless demons who use dark magic. Just like light magic users can sense dark magic, dark magic users can also detect light magic. And with the environment I am in If I use my magic without thinking properly then all the demons will come after my life and this is the last thing I want right now.

I find a good spot for myself to sit and make sure that no one is around. I set the tub down and snap my fingers. A warm golden glow illuminates the shady environment around me. And surprisingly the plant starts to twist and turn. My eyes widen in surprise.

I am getting close!

I thin line of hope ignites in my eyes but it dies down when I hear footsteps approaching me from a distance. Dry brunches snapping beneath their feet. My heart stops for a brief second before kickstarting to a dangerous rhythm.

Shit. Shit. Shit!

I grab the tub and climb back to my feet. My heart is hammering against my chest and my lungs are knotted tightly, depriving any oxygen from my body. A thick layer of sweat is coating my forehead. I clench the tub as I duck behind a tree. The footsteps grow louder as they come closer and closer.

"I think I sensed some kind of holy aura from here." A male demon with a black complexion and a bulky body emerges from the wood. I hold my breath in. "Did any holy being descend here from the heavens?"

This boy has got no brains. I can tell by just seeing him. But he has some muscle power. I wouldn’t like to be involved in a brawl with him right now. Suddenly I feel something brushing against my chest. I look down and see the flower in the tub blooming. I blink two times to make sure I am seeing correctly. Yes, I am seeing the right thing. But the joy suddenly gets dimmed as I see the core of the flower.

My jaw falls to the ground. There is a face on the core of the flower. A mouth full of teeth and sharp eyes. A mixture of distaste and disappointment shoots up my spine, making me cringe at the sensation.

"Good morning human." The first thing the flower-like creature says gets my eyes round and my eyebrows jump to my forehead. A mixture of shock, surprise, and disbelief plastered on my face.

How the fuck...?

A brunch snaps just behind me and my heart hikes up to my throat. My head snaps toward the direction and see the tall bulky demon just approaching the tree where I am hiding behind.

"Oh no..." I gasp in horror, my stomach clenching.

The flower in my hands notices the situation and then opens its mouth wide. It is about to scream. My eyes widen even more in horror and I grab its toothy mouth.

"Make a noise and I will kill you." I half lie and then bend down to fetch a stone then fling it toward our opposite direction.

The brunches snap where the rock fell and the demon’s attention gets piqued by the sound and he runs toward the direction. When I make sure that he is not around me, I bolt. While I run amidst the naked dense wood, I keep my footing light and my movements fluid. All the while I keep my palm pressed against the flower-like creature’s mouth. It is biting my hand like it is meat and it wants to devour it.

When I make sure that we are in an appropriate distance I stop running and remove my now-bloody hand from the creature’s mouth.

"Now tell me what the fuck in the world you are?" I bark at it as I raise my bloody hand high to stop the bleeding.

"I am a flower." The flower’s voice is a bit hoarse and kind of deep like a man’s. I blink at it and it blinks back at me.

"You are a what?"

"I am a flower."