That morning, the village of Glob was wrapped in an unnatural silence. The small houses clung to the edges of golden wheat fields, frozen under a dim, trembling sun. Even the birds, who always sang at dawn, were quiet.
Mai Glob walked alone between the narrow alleys, feeling the stillness seep into her bones. Something was wrong, and something was coming.
She stopped before their humble home, a worn wooden structure leaking a weak glow through its cracks. Inside, her mother, Elena, sat by the hearth, breathing heavily, her gaze distant yet sharp.
When she saw Mai, a tired smile crossed her lips—a smile heavy with pain, but still a mother's smile.
"Sit with me, Mai," Elena whispered.
Mai obeyed, lowering herself beside her. They sat in silence, the firelight flickering between them.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Elena asked, her green eyes gleaming faintly.
Mai nodded, unable to find her voice.
Elena gave a bitter chuckle and pulled something from beneath her worn cloak—a flower, a rose as red as blood.
"This is no legend," she said, voice cracked but firm. "Only four true flowers exist in this world. Four emotions, so powerful they tore themselves free from the human soul and became alive: passion, rage, arrogance, and compassion."
Mai stared at the rose. It pulsed faintly in her mother's hand, as if breathing.
"This rose... It's ours. It carries the blood of Glob."
Elena paused, coughing violently. Mai rushed to support her, but Elena waved her off.
"I do not fear death," she said, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "Only what might happen if you are unprepared."
A sudden noise shattered the silence—a door slammed open across the village.
Mai leapt to her feet, heart pounding.
"He's here," Elena said calmly.
They stepped outside into the cold air.
He was waiting.
A tall man with wild blue hair and eyes cold as winter. His dark combat gear clung to his muscular frame, and a thin, contemptuous smile curled on his lips.
Gigel.
Without a word, the battle began.
Elena drew her old sword, a relic from her days as a revered warrior. She charged, every fiber of her weakened body burning with defiance.
She struck first, quick, brutal blows.
Gigel blocked them easily, almost lazily.
Elena fought like a woman possessed, as if sheer willpower could defeat the decay within her. But her body betrayed her long before her enemy did.
Every attack cost her. Every movement tore something inside.
Gigel's cold grin widened slightly. He deflected another strike, then drove his fist hard into her chest.
Elena collapsed onto the ground, coughing blood.
Mai screamed, but her legs refused to move.
Gigel advanced slowly, savoring the moment.
"The flower. Now," he ordered, his voice like ice.
Elena didn't answer.
Summoning the last of her strength, she rolled the crimson rose toward Mai.
"Take it... run..." she rasped.
Mai, sobbing, reached out with a trembling hand.
The moment her fingers brushed the petals, a surge of crimson light engulfed her. Her hair blazed into a deep red. Her eyes burned like twin infernos.
The power of the rose poured into her veins, roaring like a living beast.
Gigel stepped back, his smile fading for the first time.
"We'll meet again, Red," he said coldly.
And with a gust of wind, he vanished.
Mai collapsed beside her mother's lifeless body as flames devoured the village around her.
Her world had been reduced to ashes in a single night.
There was only one thing left to do:
Survive. Find the other flowers. And destroy the man who stole everything.