Scarlet Bloom – Chapter 15: Shadows of Myself
The dark version of Riku grinned, petals of decay fluttering from his shoulders like ash.
> "You'll lose them… all of them."
The words echoed, but Riku didn't flinch.
"I've seen the fear in my heart," he said, charging forward. "And I'm not running anymore."
They clashed—petal against petal, will against doubt. Crimson light battled against void black. Each strike felt like hitting himself, each movement a mirror of his own hesitations.
But this time, Riku wasn't alone in his mind.
He thought of Airi's voice when she believed in him. Of Kaito calling him "brother" without hesitation. Of Nagi's pranks, Yuu's chaotic hugs, of Rei's fierce guidance.
The shadows flickered.
"You're not real," Riku shouted. "You're just fear pretending to be truth!"
His pendant pulsed—a new color appeared. A second wing burst forth from his left shoulder, gold blooming alongside crimson.
With one final strike, Riku pierced through his shadow. It crumbled into dust and vanished into the wind.
Rei stepped forward from the tree's shade. "You've bloomed."
Riku fell to his knees, panting. "That… was awful."
Rei chuckled. "And necessary."
He helped Riku to his feet. "You've unlocked your first Petalform. Not many can. You're closer to being a real Bloom King now."
Riku looked down at his glowing hands. For the first time, he wasn't afraid of what was inside him.
---
Meanwhile, in the city, Kaito wandered into a back alley, holding his arm.
It was glowing faintly. But not with Bloom energy. Something darker, colder.
"Why is this happening to me…?"
He lifted his shirt slightly. A black mark was forming on his side—shaped like a thorned vine curling inward.
His vision blurred. Voices whispered at the edge of his thoughts.
> "Find the source… before it blooms through you."
Kaito stumbled back, slamming into a wall. His breath came in sharp, short gasps.
"What the hell is this…?"
—
At school, Airi sat alone in the garden. Her eyes weren't on the flowers, but on the photo Rei had left her—a picture of a younger version of himself, smiling with someone who looked just like Riku.
> "If you're going to trust him… you deserve to know the truth."
She flipped it over. A name was written in faded ink:
Akio Kirisame.
A name not found in any Bloom registry.
> "But if he's not Riku's brother… then who is he?"
—
Riku returned to school the next day with a calm smile, hiding his exhaustion.
The group welcomed him back with the usual chaos—Kaito threw chalk at him, Nagi made dramatic confetti from homework, Yuu declared it "Riku Appreciation Day."
And Airi?
She stared at him for a long time.
"…You're different."
Riku smiled. "In a good way?"
She didn't answer.
Because something inside her whispered—
He's not the only one changing.
---