Blood Flower Vol. 2

A book published in Arunafeltz, the country that worships the goddess Freyja. This story used to be spread through word of mouth, but has been religiously embellished in printed form.

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"Khras~ Khras!"

Khras was precariously perched on tree branches, struggling to tie the ends of a canvas to pitch a crude canopy. He looked down to see Senia waving at him, her dazzling silver blond hair stroked by the wind.

"Senia! What are you doing outside?! You might get sunburned. Go back inside!"

"Khras! Don't you even remember that today's my birthday?"

"What does it looks like I'm doing, Senia? I'm putting up this shade so you can come outside and enjoy the fresh air."

"You're taking sooo long, Khras! Don't you want to spend time with me?"

Women! Sometimes she asked so much at once, but he couldn't help it. He loved her to death.

Khras wished that Senia could freely walk outside, smell the flowers, and enjoy a picnic on the riverside. Unfortunately, her skin was too sensitive to light, so she could never stay outdoors for very long. Her hair, her skin, everything about her was milky white. Her cheeks flushed with rouge whenever her skin burnt or she was angry with him. Strangely enough, that was when Senia was most beautiful to Khras.

Senia giggled and shook the shade's poles, circling the tree teasing Khras.

"Please, Sen, please! Will you stop shaking the poles?! Sen, you don't want me to get hurt!"

Sen sniffed at him, and ignored his desperate pleas. She then ran toward the center of the garden where the sun shone brightest. Her thoughtless, carefree behavior begun to make Khras feel anxious. Khras quickly climbed down the tree, and reached the ground just in time to see Senia faint from the sunlight. He hurried to her side while feverishly unbuttoning his shirt, threw it over her, hoisted her in his arms, and ran into the house. Her eyes were tightly shut, as if the sunlight on her eyelids hurt.

She was still tightly gripping his shoulders as he gently lowered Senia on the couch. He felt guilty: he should have listened to her, especially since today was her birthday. He hoped there was still a chance that he could keep her birthday from being ruined.

"Senia? Senia, we're inside the house. You can open your eyes now."

She slowly opened her eyes to his gentle whisper, and smiled softly at him. Her teary eyes were still bloodshot, so he knew that she couldn't see clearly for a little while. She fumbled for his neck, as he kissed her forehead, and then he took her hands in his.

"Senia... I'm afraid I ruined your birthday. I want to make it up to you. Please tell me. Do you have a special birthday wish?"

"......"

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, Khras... You didn't ruin my birthday. But..."

"But what?"

"Now I can ask you whatever I want."

Her voice was as cheerful like always, and Khras was happy to hear it again. He tightly grasped her pinky with his.

"Of course, Senia. Pinky swear."

Sen looked out the bright window for a while, and opened her mouth.

"Khras, I want to have a rose that bloomed from the tears of the goddess."

"I'll get it for you, Senia. I promise."

Khras didn't even think twice about her wish. Senia continued.

"I'll give you three years to find my special rose. Make sure it's bright red, and bloomed on a rainy day. Can you make my wish come true?"

"I'll do it for you, Senia."

Two years later, Khras's fifth rose offering had been rejected. He still hasn't gotten it right.

"Muhahahaha!"

Beren started laughing out loud after listening to Khras's story. He stifled his laugh for a moment, looked at Khras with shining, incredulous eyes, and then let loose with a booming guffaw. They laughed together for a while over the ridiculousness of Khras's story, and then they realized how silly they must have looked, crouching together in a hole under a carriage in the middle of the battlefield. Then they shared a laugh over the ridiculousness of war.

"Khras! Haha~ haha!!! So, *Pant Pant* did you make her wish come true? Ahaha~!"

Khras's stopped laughing, and he lowered his head in disappointment. "My three years is almost up, and winter is coming. I still haven't made her wish come true."

"Oh... You haven't?"

"Well, at least I'm alive. I want to go back home, start growing roses again." Khras smiled at Beren.

"Hahahaha! Well, I'm sorry. But I don't think you can ever grant her wish."

"B-Beren? What do—"

The sword tore into his stomach, and he could feel the heat from his blood. He thought that it was the warmth of life was leaving him. Khras stared at Beren, stunned. Why was he doing this?

Beren pushed his sword deeper. "The only winners of war are the survivors. You know that. I'm sorry, but you just lost."

Khras coughed up blood, and looked at Beren for an answer. "You're... But you're wearing Freyja's symbol!"

Beren pulled out a gorgeous golden pendant from his jacket, Odin's symbol. He then tenderly placed it back in its pocket, and ripped Khras's symbol from his belt, and placed it in a pouch. Khras gaped in horror—Beren had been collecting Freya's symbols from his victims. Even the belt that Beren was wearing was stained with the blood of his victims.

"All of you guys were so trusting when I wear this trinket on my belt. It's almost too easy!"

Khras grabbed the sword that penetrated his stomach with his trembling right hand, and tried to reach for Beren's throat with the other. It was no use: his grip was too weak from his loss of blood. He body was growing colder and heavier, and his vision was getting blurrier. Death was imminent.

"Did I ever tell you that I'd worship Freyja back when I knew you? I'm sorry that you had to make that mistake of worshiping Freyja. I'm sorry that you made the mistake of loving such a silly girl."

Beren's cynical remarks didn't bother Khras that much, but he wanted to know why Beren had betrayed him. Beren caught the disbelief in Khras's eyes, and felt a little bit of regret. He had cheated: the least he could do was tell the truth before Khras died.

"You might think I betrayed you. The way I see it, we were never friends from the beginning. You took our land away from us. Then, you forced us to deny our god Odin, and pledge allegiance to Freya. Talking to you now... I'll admit. You're different from the others. More sincere. But... I'm not going to take that chance. We made a connection, you and I, but... In the end, I'm siding with my god."

Khras looked at Beren, and somehow he seemed satisfied. Beren held his sword sternly for a moment, then slashed it out to side, and took Freya's symbol from Khras. He fingered it softly in his hands. He placed it in his pocket.

"By the will of Odin." His choked whisper was drowned out by thunder. The raindrops mixed with Khras's blood, and quickly spread over the ground. In his dying moments, Khras was thinking of Senia, and pleaded to the goddess to help him keep his promise.

Senia was sitting near the window, watching the rain. It wasn't the usual summer shower, and sky's gray fog covered the treetops. Senia slowly stood in awe when she took a closer look at the falling raindrops. Were those rose petals falling from the sky? She hurried outside. She hadn't heard anything of him for months, and was waiting so long for Khras to come back to her.

"Khras, Khras?! Is it you?"

She frantically ran, scanning the horizon for any sign of him, splashing the ground. A red rose petal dropped to her feet. She looked up, and there were thousands of beautiful, blood red petals floating down from the heavens. Her arms reached to the sky. A single petal lands on her finger, melts into a single red drop that runs down her arm. Senia falls to her knees, her face in her hands, and sobs. Khras is gone, and Senia's tears mix with that of heaven's. The rose petals swirl around her, and they make the girl with pure white skin look just like a beautiful red rose blooming alone in the rain.

\*Characters and events in this story are all fictional; have nothing to do with reality.

## External links

* iRO Wiki Database
* Divine Pride Database