The flower blooms red but is stained with blood.

Blood drips from its petals,

The stain of death on the delicate blooms.

A single red flower,

Lodged in the throat of the earth.

An ominous symbol,

Of beauty corrupted by the harsh realities of life and death.

The flower stands as a testament to the strength of life and its ability to flourish, despite the pain and darkness that surround it.

🪷•🪷•🪷

The sun slowly rose up to the sky, the light illuminated the room through the soft pink curtains, rustles from the bed could be heard as Acacia shifted in her sleep and slowly opened her eyes. She sat up on her bed and yawned, arching her back for a moment before her muscles relaxed. She glanced at her floral themed alarm clock and took a mental note of the time.

'7:03, I still have time.'

She got off her bed and her feet padded on the soft carpet, her toes curling at the softness.She stretched her arms upwards towards the ceiling, her shoulders making a soft cracking sound as she entered her bathroom and reached the mirror, examining her facial features. Her shoulder length dark brown hair was messy and her grey eyes stared back at her sleepy expression. She lowered her face to the sink and washed her face with lukewarm water.

She got out of the bathroom thirty minutes after wrapped in a fluffy towel and a small cotton towel wrapped in her hair, she proceeded into her dressing room and changed into her uniform; A white shirt with black jacket and pleated black skirt with a red necktie. 

Acacia went to her dressing table and brushed her hair thoroughly before picking up a white floral headband and adjusted it on her head as she brushed out her curtain bangs. She smiled at her reflection and collected her school bag hanging on the wall and hung it over one shoulder and left her room.

She walked down the stairs towards the dining room where her mother was already seated and dressed in a fitted white suit, adorned in a simplistic yet elegant jewelry with her long blonde hair neatly straightened down. Her mother glanced at her with sharp grey eyes, taking in the appearance of her daughter for a moment then looked back down at her breakfast. 

Acacia noticed the gaze from her mother and her expression slowly became more neutral as she reached the table and dragged out a chair. She sat down and set her school bag down beside her. Her posture straightened before she picked up her utensils and looked down at her plate, it consisted of eggs benedict and toast with tea. A small frown tugged her lips at the sight of eggs while her left index finger twitched.

'I hate eggs.'

Acacia sighed and focused her attention on the tea and toast instead. She took a bite from the toast and occasionally glanced at her mother, trying to assess what mood she was in currently while the sounds of metal utensils hitting the ceramic plates filled the dining room.

She noticed her mother's facial expression was still stern but not in a displeased manner and also noticed that her father hadn't come for breakfast.

'He must've left for work early or on his way to work.'

"By the way, have you heard from your brother lately?" Her mother asked, looking at Acacia directly.

'Just when my irritation started to get lost in the abyss,'

"No, we haven't talked recently," She replied, keeping her tone neutral. She could feel the direction of the conversation with that question.

"That's unfortunate but can you blame him? He is busy protecting our society and being a wonderful hero, he has already mastered his water arts to perfection and is already a role model in society at such a young age," She said, her voice full of pride as she took another sip of coffee.

'Spare me with the praises.'

Acacia resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and decided not to say anything that would cause an argument. She knew it would be easier to just agree with her mother, than to argue about her brother again. 

"The flow society is going to make him the face of his generation of heroes, that is an excellent feat don't you think so Acacia?" Her mother asked with a smile on her face.

'It's an excellent feat of course, the Flow society is no joke and getting their attention as a hero under their wing is difficult but do I really care about his accomplishments? Of course I don't, I'm jealous but I don't care.'

"Heading to school already? What about your breakfast? You barely touched your egg," Her mother raised her brow while looking at her daughter.

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'Of course you don't know, my dear sweet mother.'

"I don't like eggs and I don't want to be late," She responded in a casual manner and noticed a twitch in her mother's expression.

"I see," her mother said in a dismissive tone and looked back down at her cup.

Acacia didn't bother to ponder about her mother's expression as she left the house and saw the driver waiting for her. She sighed and got inside the car, relaxing against the backseat while looking out the window. The driver started the engine and drove off.

She took in the scenery of people littered on the streets, the roads with cars of various models and the blue taxi picking up and dropping passengers. They soon passed a large and tall edifice, with a huge golden FS logo and feather-like circle surrounding the FS logo at the top of the edifice, the name under the logo saying 'Flow Society'. The pride of Encer since the Great Encer Awakening and a place she will never enter. 

'The history of Encer was quite eventful, so many things happened all at once and everyone had to adapt, I wouldn't survive for a day if I was born during that era.'

Acacia thought to herself as the building leaves her view, she doesn't wish to be a hero, the idea of training everyday and putting up a facade of kindness isn't her cup of tea but that didn't stop her jealousy.

'Why did that snake get magic arts and not me? Our parents both have magic arts so why is my DNA so stubborn? Or did the gods think it will be funny?'

Acacia frown deepened as she watched the moving scenery while her left index finger twitched once more. Soon the driver reached the gates of her school and she stepped out of the car and saw other students walking towards the school building. A group of girls by the school entrance with vibrant colored hairs walking out of the bus, some boys laughing as they were being chased into the school building by a boy with white hair and blue eyes with a frustrated expression on his face.

She watched him run inside the building and took notice of the usual bustle of activity. She saw her two friends talking to each other near the entrance of the school, most likely waiting for her. She walked towards the two, a boy with blonde hair and purple eyes stared at a girl with long black hair in a ponytail and green eyes. He has a fond gaze while leaning against the wall, occasionally looking down at her lips then her eyes as the girl spoke obliviously.

The boy glanced away for a moment and noticed Acacia coming forward then raised his hand and shouted making the girl turn her head in the direction he stared at.

"Morning grumpy princess!" The boy said with a bright grin on his face and stood up straight.

"Morning, Mirkil." she said in an unamused tone.

"Morning Acacia, why do you look so glum? Are you okay?" The girl asked with a worried expression and a small smile on her face.

"It's nothing, Christine," said Acacia with a slight dismissive tone. She walked towards the school building and her friends followed closely beside her.

"Well it doesn't sound like it's nothing." Mirkil asked while he put his hands inside his pockets as they reached the school halls.

"Firstly, I'm fine just slightly irritated." Acacia replied, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

"Slightly? You sure, I can practically see the aura of anger around you." Said Mirkil with a smirk only to be hit lightly on the arm by Christine making him pout in return.

"Don't mind him, if you are going through anything just know you can rely on us, okay?" Christine said with a smile on her face and warm gaze which made Acacia's expression soften slightly.

"Thanks but as I said I'm fine," she replied with a small smile on her face but her words were firm.

Her friends got the hint and didn't push the topic anymore further, they walked up the stairs until they reached their classroom and walked inside. Acacia walked towards her seat by the middle row and Christine sat down beside her while Mirkil sat behind Christine.

"I can't believe we are in our final year of high school, it was only yesterday when we were little things running around without a care of the future." Mirkil muttered to himself while looking at the ceiling.

"That was quite random but I do agree, do you still want to become a Flow Hero?" Christine chuckled at his words while Acacia turned her head and looked at him with curiosity.

"Yes, my goddess. I want to become part of the Flow Society heroes especially the action-focused heroes." Mirkil replied with a dreamy expression on his face.

"Still hung up on action-focused heroes? You know how dangerous it is, right? Acacia asked with a raised brow at his choice and Christine nodded her head at her words.

"I'm aware of the dangers but I want to eradicate those things once and for all! But I don't want to worry my parents so I'm going for the justice -focused instead, plus I need to be alive and well if I'm going to marry my goddess one day," Mirkil sighed as he replied but then winked at Christine who in return blushed and averted her gaze from his. Acacia watched the two with amusement but decided not to say anything.

'They will figure it out themselves'

"I agree with your decision, it's dangerous out there," Acacia replied and removed her notes from her bag.

A man opened the door and walked into the classroom who appeared to be in his late thirties. He has long black hair tied in a low ponytail with bright amber eyes, he held a textbook in one hand and a crystalix in the other. The students immediately focused their attention on the man.

"Good morning students, I would like to congratulate you all on making it to your final year of high school. Now before we start I would like to advise you as a teacher to his students, although I'm sure your teachers must've advised you already." The teacher spoke in a calm voice, his expression undescribable as he adjusted his glasses. He waited and watched the class, seemingly waiting for the perfect silence before speaking. 

"This is your last year in highschool and the year you should know what you are aiming for in life. Out there, you will not be regarded as a child anymore. The responsibilities and expectations of the world are scary, they could bring you up or throw you down but you have to ask yourself, who am I? What do I want to do? Am I ready for the world out there? Am I ready to go after my goals? What are my goals? Ask yourself, no matter which occupation you take, no matter how hard it feels, no matter how heavy your shoulders feel, don't forget to never cower and let it overthrow you, it's your life, make it yours." The teacher resumes his speech as he set his book on the table beside him.

'I'm excited! I can't wait to enter a good university and finally get recognition from my father.'

Acacia grinned from ear to ear, remembering all her hard work to be the best and couldn't wait to enter a new stage of her life, which she already planned out. She glanced at her friends and saw Mirkil grinning while Christine was fidgeting with her pen.

Acacia's gaze was on her teacher when suddenly the building vibrated greatly and cracks formed on the walls and floor. Her heart started to beat rapidly, her eyebrows furrowed as she desperately held the edge of her table. She glanced around and saw the teacher fallen to the ground while screams erupted in the classroom piercing her eardrums and the smell of dust from the ceiling cracks filled her nostrils.

'What is happening?'