Chapter 31: A Step Beyond the World We Know
The moment their feet touched the endless scarlet field, an overwhelming warmth washed over them.
The sky above was a molten gold, swirling with streaks of crimson.
The flowers stretched to the horizon, breathing, whispering, as if alive.
Riku's breath caught in his throat.
Was this real?
Or a vision?
Airi reached out, brushing her fingers over a nearby bloom.
It shivered under her touch, sending a ripple through the ground like a heartbeat.
Kaoru crouched down, running his hands through the dirt.
"This place... it's not like the greenhouse," he muttered.
"It's alive. It's real."
Sera stood a few paces ahead, her silver hair gleaming like a blade.
"You've crossed the Threshold," she said simply.
"The what?" Kaoru asked, glancing around warily.
"The Threshold between what you call the real world... and the ancient world."
She turned to face them fully.
"This is where the Bloom was born."
---
Riku stepped forward, the petals brushing against his knees.
"But why bring us here?" he asked.
"What do you want from us?"
Sera's eyes — fierce, almost sorrowful — met his.
"It is not about what I want," she said.
"The Bloom itself has chosen you."
"The moment you touched the pedestal," she continued, "your bond was sealed."
Airi's fingers tightened into fists at her sides.
"But why us?" she asked.
"We're just... normal students."
Sera's gaze softened for the first time.
"No one is ever chosen because they are special," she said.
"You are chosen because you will suffer."
The words hit like stones.
Riku swallowed hard.
"That's... comforting," Kaoru muttered.
---
Sera led them deeper into the field.
The petals seemed to part for her, whispering secrets as she passed.
As they walked, she spoke.
"There are others," she said.
"Other chosen. Other Seekers."
"Some will awaken with kindness in their hearts."
"Others... will be consumed by hunger. By the need for power."
She stopped at the crest of a small hill.
Below them, a strange sight unfolded:
A broken tower of glass and stone, half-buried in the field, its top shattered into jagged teeth pointing at the bleeding sky.
"This was the First Sanctuary," Sera said softly.
"Where the first Bloom Guardians were trained."
Riku shivered.
It looked ancient.
Lonely.
Forgotten.
Just like the greenhouse.
---
Kaoru frowned, shielding his eyes against the golden light.
"So, what now?" he asked.
"You want us to train? Become warriors or something?"
Sera turned, her expression unreadable.
"No," she said.
"I want you to survive."
The ground beneath their feet trembled slightly, as if the field itself agreed.
"You have two days," she said.
"Two days to decide whether you will accept the bond... or break it."
"If you accept, your lives will no longer be your own.
The Bloom will grant you gifts — abilities beyond human limits."
"But you will also inherit its curse."
Airi's voice was small.
"And if we refuse?"
Sera looked away.
"Then the Bloom will find another vessel," she whispered.
"And you will be left... hollow."
Riku felt the weight of her words sink into him.
Left hollow.
An empty shell.
Could he really go back to a normal life now, pretending none of this had happened?
---
As the sun dipped lower, the field darkened — shadows creeping across the endless sea of red.
Sera motioned to a small grove of ancient trees nearby.
"You will find shelter there for tonight," she said.
"Rest. Think carefully."
She started to walk away but paused.
One last time, she glanced over her shoulder.
"Beware," she said quietly.
"Not all flowers bloom with beauty.
Some hide thorns sharper than any sword."
And with that, she vanished into the field — swallowed by the scarlet waves.
---
Riku, Airi, and Kaoru stood there for a long moment.
The wind stirred the petals around their ankles, murmuring secrets only the earth could understand.
Finally, Airi spoke.
"We should go," she said softly.
They made their way to the grove — a tight circle of ancient trees with thick roots like gnarled fingers.
There, in the clearing, they found a small pool of water, clear and shimmering like glass.
Kaoru threw himself down onto the grass with a heavy sigh.
"Okay.
So... ancient secret worlds. Magic flowers. Curses. Powers.
Just another normal Tuesday."
Airi chuckled weakly, sitting beside him.
Riku, however, stayed standing — staring out across the endless field.
Survive.
Or be hollow.
No matter which path he chose...
the world he had known — the simple, sunny days at school, the easy laughter of friends — it would all change.
And deep down, he knew.
It had already changed.
---
That night, they built a small fire from fallen branches.
The flames flickered, casting long shadows across their tired faces.
They spoke little, each lost in their own thoughts.
Riku sat with his back against a tree, the dried crimson flower pressed between his palms.
When he finally slept, he dreamed again.
---
He stood in the shattered tower.
Rain fell from a broken sky.
And across the room, standing on a crumbling balcony — was his brother.
Ren.
Older, stronger, wearing a cloak of crimson and black.
His face was turned away, gazing at the horizon.
"Ren!" Riku shouted, running toward him.
But no matter how fast he ran, the distance never closed.
Ren finally turned —
and Riku froze.
His brother's eyes were empty.
Completely, utterly hollow.
Like a doll's.
Ren opened his mouth — but instead of words, a rush of crimson petals poured out, swirling into a hurricane.
Riku stumbled back — falling into endless darkness.
---
He woke with a strangled gasp.
The fire was still crackling gently.
Kaoru was snoring softly, curled up against his bag.
Airi sat nearby, wide awake, her knees pulled to her chest.
Their eyes met.
Neither spoke.
There was no need.
In the silence between them, a quiet promise formed —
Whatever happens, we face it together.
---
As dawn painted the sky in streaks of silver and rose, they packed up their things.
Today, they would have to decide.
Accept the Bloom.
Or walk away.
Riku closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the flower's warmth pulse against his heart.
Ren's empty eyes flashed in his mind —
and he made his choice.
I won't become hollow.
I won't lose myself.
When he opened his eyes, Airi and Kaoru were watching him.
He nodded once.
They nodded back.
Three souls.
Bound by invisible threads.
And as they stepped into the scarlet field once more, the wind whispered around them —
carrying their names into the unknown.
---