🌹 Carlos' POV – The Boy Who Watched Flowers Burn
Tap. Tap.
The message blinked on-screen:
[Elarion has accepted the mission.]
I stared at it.
My heart didn't race. My hands didn't shake. But something inside me—something buried—moved.
He actually joined.
Elarion… The guy who barely blinked when we offered him a spot. The guy who looked like he didn't believe in anything anymore. And yet… the moment he saw that picture, something shattered.
Why?
My fingers hovered over the keyboard.
No records. No past encounters. Elarion and Ayase—nothing tied them. No overlapping timelines, no school, no family. I triple-checked.
And yet the way he looked at her photo…
"...Just like me."
I stood and slid the balcony door open. Cool wind brushed my face. Outside, bathed in soft morning light, a single flower stood in a cracked ceramic pot.
A phoenix flower.
Its crimson petals opened like wings on fire. Even after all this time, it bloomed like it had something to prove. Like it refused to die.
The scent was faint. Nostalgic.
My eyes drifted toward the past—
And memory pulled me under.
đź“ś Flashback: When Even the Sky Turned Gray
"You failed. Again."
Laughter.
A paper hit my chest. Red marks everywhere.
"God, you're hopeless."
"Why do you even show up?"
"Your mom should just give up on you already."
Every word was a crack in glass. My vision blurred—faces became smears. The world sounded like it was underwater.
I didn't cry.
I didn't scream.
I simply stopped.
Stopped believing.
Stopped breathing, almost.
And then—
"Carlos?"
A voice broke through.
I looked up.
It was her.
Violet.
My mom. Always graceful. Always elegant. But her eyes… her eyes were the color of storms.
She knelt beside me.
"Why do you look like the world ended?"
I couldn't speak.
"It's okay." She touched my cheek, fingers warm. "Tell me."
"They're right…" My voice cracked. "I'm… nothing. I can't do anything right. I'm useless."
Silence.
Then she reached into her coat and pulled something out. A tiny pot. Inside it, a single phoenix flower.
"This flower," she whispered, "grew in a field of ashes. After the war. After everything burned."
My throat tightened.
"It bloomed in a place where hope should've died. It's a stubborn little thing." She smiled. "Just like my son."
My heart… wavered.
"You're not useless, Carlos. You're still growing. Even if the whole world burns down—you can rise again."
She pulled me close. Her embrace smelled like lilies and warm bread. I buried my face in her shoulder and cried like I was five.
It was the first time someone told me I mattered.
The first time I believed it.
đź’ Present
I looked at the flower again. Its petals shimmered in the wind, defiant against time.
"Yeah," I muttered. "Still growing."
I sat back at my desk and typed out the message:
Carlos:Boss Alexia sent a car. Get in. Meet your teammates. Mission briefing starts soon.
A new flame had joined the fire.
Let's see how long it burns.
🕯️ Elarion's POV – The Phantom That Refused to Sleep
"You don't belong here."
The voice was familiar. Too familiar.
I opened my eyes.
Pitch black.
A little girl stood at the edge of the bed, eyes like broken mirrors. Her smile dripped red.
"You were supposed to disappear."
She stepped forward.
I flinched.
And she tapped my forehead.
My eyes flew open. I was back. Gasping. Soaked in sweat.
Another nightmare.
No—another memory.
That cursed timeline. Hirata. Ayase. The screams. The blood. The guilt. The rewind.
I sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing my face.
"Why now…"
Ayase's photo still glowed on the table. She smiled in it. Still innocent. Still alive.
Was that why I said yes?
Not because I believed in justice.
Not because I wanted revenge.
But because I couldn't stand seeing her fade into that dark again.
I looked at my trembling hands.
A message pinged.
Carlos:Boss Alexia sent a car.
I sighed.
Here we go.
The car was sleek. Blacker than midnight. A butler stood beside it like a specter.
"Sir," he said, "please step in."
Inside, I was handed a watch.
"What's this?"
"A symbol of trust," he replied. "And a leash."
Cryptic.
I slipped it on anyway.
The mansion was huge. Ornate. Beautiful in a sterile, empty kind of way. Like a palace no one dared to live in.
Inside, seven people waited.
I recognized none of them.
Except one.
Carlos. He gave me a small nod. I returned it.
Then—
"...Rin?"
That annoying intern? What the hell?
Before I could say more, she walked in.
Alexia. The kind of woman whose presence felt like a knife's edge.
"You're late," she said, voice like polished glass. "Sit."
I sat.
The screen lit up.
"Your target is Jo. The mission: infiltrate his mansion during his daughter Yui's birthday. Extract data. No witnesses. No mistakes."
The room felt like it dropped ten degrees.
Then she began introductions:
"Triyon. Hacker. Genius. Lazy."
A half-wave from the guy in the trench coat.
"Mahiru. Infiltrator. She smiles a lot. Don't trust it."
A flirtatious wink from the blonde.
"Shim. Tank. Human boulder. Not much brain, all brawn."
He bit into an avocado like it was a sandwich.
"Near. Silent. Deadly. Probably doesn't blink."
The smallest one. Didn't move. At all.
And me?
She smirked.
"And this… is Elarion. He came to us broken. Let's see if he's still useful."
A pause.
"Everyone has the watch. It's not just for style. If you betray me, I'll make sure you wish you hadn't."
Then she giggled. "Love you all~!"
And walked out.
The temperature rose again.
Everyone looked at me.
I looked at my wrist.
The watch blinked silently.
A countdown? A bomb? A curse?
Carlos stood.
"Well," he said, scratching his head. "Let's get started."