The next day after the trial, during training with Sanju, Marina was there to supervise privately between the three of them.
Marina asked Rose to show every power circulating within her body.
They began with breathing exercises.
As Rose slowly inhaled and exhaled, her body gradually lifted from the ground.
Teacher Sanju already knew Rose could levitate.
But what shocked him this time—
was the dark matter beneath her.
Black shadows spiraled around Rose's body while golden flames flickered softly around her hands.
For a brief second, the shadows beneath her flickered violently.
The air around the training grounds became heavier.
Colder.
Rose immediately steadied her breathing before the darkness settled once more.
Sanju stared in complete silence.
"What…" he muttered quietly under his breath.
⸻
Marina wanted Rose to become comfortable with both sides of her power.
So she looked at Sanju and said calmly,
"Train her properly with every element she possesses. She needs to become comfortable with dark magic instead of fearing it."
As Rose slowly lowered herself back onto the ground, she opened her eyes and looked at both of them.
"How was it?"
Sanju could not say a word.
Rose could see the hesitation in his eyes.
Not hatred.
Not disgust.
Fear.
And somehow…
that hurt more than she expected.
But Marina calmly stepped forward instead.
"As of today, your training will remain private."
Rose blinked slightly.
"We need you to fully understand your powers," Marina continued. "And eventually… we will need you on the battlefield."
"The battlefield?" Rose repeated quietly.
"Your summer vacation is about to begin," Marina explained. "For those two months, I want you beside us learning what is truly happening outside these barriers. There's a war spreading across the East Coast."
The moment Marina said the word war, the atmosphere shifted.
Even the wind around them felt uneasy.
"We definitely need your help suppressing it."
⸻
Sanju finally snapped out of his shock and looked toward Marina.
"What is going on?" he asked seriously. "Why does she have another type of power?"
Marina looked directly at him.
"We recently discovered that Rose carries ancestral blood from the Blackwell family."
Silence.
Sanju's expression froze in disbelief.
"How is that possible?"
His thoughts rapidly connected everything together.
The cave.
The crown.
The shadows.
The overwhelming pressure around Rose.
By the looks of it, Rose's family was not only connected to the Phoenix Clan—
but also to the Blackwell bloodline.
Everything changed.
⸻
Rose could hear his thoughts clearly.
And the fear inside them made her chest tighten painfully.
She hated that feeling.
Slowly, Rose stopped reading his mind.
Then she looked directly at him.
"I'm still your student."
Her voice was steady.
"I came to you and only you because I trust you. I know these powers need to be controlled and stabilized so I don't hurt anyone I love… anyone in this village… or outside of it."
She lowered her eyes briefly.
"I just want to protect everyone with this power."
And for the first time since the cave incident…
Rose truly meant those words without fear.
She looked back at him again.
"You as my teacher are my front line to survive."
⸻
Sanju's expression softened immediately.
He sighed quietly before looking at both Marina and Rose.
"If I refuse to teach you," he admitted softly, "then I've failed as a teacher."
He paused briefly.
"I won't lie. Part of me is afraid of what could happen."
Rose lowered her gaze slightly.
"But I also know you're responsible," Sanju continued. "You care too much about others to become careless."
A small smile finally appeared on his face.
"So I'll teach you properly."
Rose's eyes widened slightly.
Sanju softly chuckled.
"Alright. Let's begin from the basics again."
He stepped forward calmly.
"You control your flames through breathing, emotion, and focus. Dark magic will be no different… but controlling it will take time."
His expression became serious again.
"You have about a month before summer begins. Until then, you need to learn everything you can."
⸻
Marina smiled softly.
"I won't attend the rest of your training sessions. I only wanted Sanju to witness your powers himself."
She looked directly at Rose.
"You need to understand them… control them… and stop fearing them."
Rose immediately looked toward Marina.
"What do you mean by fear?"
Marina stepped closer.
"Once you understand how powerful darkness truly is… you'll begin to fear it."
Rose remained silent.
"I don't want you to fear your own body," Marina continued softly. "Your emotions. Or the darkness inside you."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"Because the moment darkness realizes you fear it… it begins to control you."
Rose's eyes widened slightly.
"You already acknowledged the Queen," Marina continued. "But now you must fully accept that part of yourself instead of rejecting it."
Then Marina suddenly hugged her tightly.
"Rose… you are a very special girl."
Rose froze slightly in surprise.
"One day, people may fear your power… but they will never be able to deny it."
Marina pulled away and smiled proudly at her.
"And this is only your first step."
⸻
Marina's expression slowly became serious again.
"I have to leave. There's an urgent meeting about the war spreading along the East Coast."
She turned and started walking away.
Rose watched her leave before looking back toward Sanju.
"I still don't fully understand what all this means yet…"
Then her expression hardened with determination.
"But I want to begin training immediately."
Sanju smiled faintly.
"Then let's begin."
⸻
As the weekend passed, Rose and Sanju trained from morning until night.
They focused entirely on the basics.
Breathing.
Balance.
Focus.
Control.
By the end of every session, Rose's muscles burned and her hands trembled from overusing both powers.
But Rose never once asked to stop.
To both their surprise, Rose learned quickly.
Her dark magic was far more stable than either of them expected.
Rose treated darkness the same way she treated her flames.
With discipline.
Precision.
Control.
Whenever her emotions became unstable, the shadows immediately reacted.
So Rose learned to remain calm.
Steady.
Grounded.
Sanju carefully observed every movement she made.
Even her dark magic flowed similarly to her flames.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
Controlled.
But deep down…
Sanju worried Rose was adapting a little too quickly.
⸻
Before long, the weekend came to an end.
The girls had to return to school.
And Rose knew there was still something she needed to do.
Apologize.
Especially to Brian.
Part 2 The Beginning of War
As Momo and Jack reached the gates of their school, Rose waved at them with a smile.
"I'll pick you guys up later."
Momo started walking toward the entrance—
then suddenly stopped.
She turned around and walked back toward Rose.
Rose blinked in surprise.
"What happened?"
Momo looked up at her quietly.
"Can I get a hug?"
Rose immediately softened and bent down to hug her tightly.
Momo hugged her back just as tightly.
Rose unknowingly tightened the hug slightly.
Somehow, Momo's warmth always made everything feel lighter.
Then Momo whispered softly into her ear,
"Don't forget to apologize to everybody."
Rose froze slightly.
"People care about you, Rose," Momo continued softly. "We know you didn't mean to ignore everyone or hurt their feelings… but they don't know that."
She slowly pulled back and looked Rose directly in the eyes.
"Just explain that you had family problems you needed to handle. It wasn't their fault."
Rose stared at her for a moment before smiling softly.
"I know what I need to do."
She gently kissed Momo on the cheek.
"Thank you for reminding me, sweetheart."
Momo grinned brightly.
"Yup! Time for class!"
She quickly ran back toward Jack before both disappeared into the school building.
⸻
As Rose approached Bright University's front gates, Sarah spotted her almost immediately and walked directly toward her.
Rose stopped.
Then lowered her head.
"I'm sorry."
Sarah blinked.
"I'm not bullying you. Why are you bowing?"
Rose nervously laughed.
"I know I've been acting weird lately. Honestly… I felt like I was losing my mind."
Her voice softened.
"And I took it out on you guys."
She lowered her gaze again.
"I'm really sorry."
Sarah stared at her for a moment.
"Lift your head up."
Slowly, Rose obeyed.
Sarah suddenly grabbed Rose's cheeks with both hands.
Rose blinked in surprise before immediately laughing.
Sarah stared directly into her eyes dramatically.
"Don't you ever change. The moment you change again, I'm gonna assume you're possessed."
For a second—
both of them paused.
Then burst into laughter.
Sarah finally let go of her face.
"Welcome back."
Rose smiled warmly.
"It's good to be back."
⸻
As they walked toward the building, Sarah spotted Richard and Brian nearby.
She quickly signaled Richard.
She's okay.
She's back.
Richard visibly relaxed.
Brian, however, hesitated slightly before approaching.
The moment he looked at Rose—
he froze.
The exhaustion and darkness that once lingered in her eyes were finally gone.
The warmth had returned.
⸻
Rose awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck.
"I'm super, super, super sorry, you guys."
She laughed nervously.
"I know I changed for a little while, but I promise I'll never purposely ignore you guys or push you away again."
Richard crossed his arms dramatically.
"Rose," he announced proudly, "you can act however you want."
Then he suddenly struck a ridiculous superhero pose.
"But no matter what happens, we're dragging you back to us."
Everyone burst into laughter.
⸻
Brian finally stepped closer.
"I knew it wasn't really you these past few days," he said softly. "So I understand."
He smiled gently.
"I'll always be your friend, Rose."
Rose stared at him for a second.
Then suddenly—
"How about after graduation… we go on a real date?"
Silence.
Rose blinked.
Then immediately realized what she just said.
The moment the words left her mouth, Rose mentally screamed at herself.
Her face instantly turned red.
"I mean—wait—I just…"
She looked away quickly.
"I think I've started catching feelings for you."
Brian completely froze.
Sarah's jaw dropped.
Even Richard stared at her in disbelief.
Then Sarah slowly grinned.
"Oh?"
She crossed her arms.
"Bold today, aren't we?"
Even Richard narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Hold on… are we sure Rose isn't possessed right now?"
Everyone burst into laughter again.
Meanwhile Brian still looked spiritually disconnected from reality.
He blinked twice before turning toward Richard.
"Punch me."
Richard blinked.
"What?"
"Punch me right now."
"Brian use your brain—"
"JUST DO IT."
Sarah and Rose were already laughing uncontrollably.
Richard sighed dramatically before punching Brian hard in the shoulder.
"Ow!"
Brian stumbled backward—
and Rose instinctively caught him before he fell.
Brian stared up at her in disbelief.
"Oh my God…"
He pointed at her dramatically.
"My goddess actually asked me on a date."
Rose raised an eyebrow while helping him stand properly.
"A goddess?"
Her cheeks turned pink again.
"I kinda like that compliment."
Brian's entire face turned bright red.
Immediately, he pulled his hoodie over his face.
"I have class."
Then he rapidly blurted,
"Yeswecandatewheneveryou'rereadybye."
And immediately ran away at full speed.
Sarah and Richard completely lost it laughing.
"LOOK AT HIM RUNNING!" Sarah shouted between laughs.
Rose covered her face completely embarrassed…
but somewhere deep inside—
she felt strangely happy.
Part 3 The Beginning of War
As the weeks passed, Rose devoted every morning to training.
Breathing exercises.
Meditation.
Martial arts.
Power control.
Sanju pushed her relentlessly.
He taught her techniques designed to channel both light and darkness equally through her body.
Rose even began practicing using both powers simultaneously—
golden flames in one hand.
Darkness in the other.
She wanted complete control over both.
If war truly was coming…
she needed to be ready.
⸻
One technique especially caught her attention.
Sanju called it Flowing Water.
His movements looked graceful—
like rivers rushing through stone.
Like waterfalls crashing endlessly without losing rhythm.
But no matter how much Rose practiced…
she still couldn't fully master it.
Every movement felt slightly off.
Too stiff.
Too forceful.
"You're thinking too much," Sanju told her repeatedly.
"Stop trying to control the flow."
But that only frustrated Rose more.
⸻
One night after training, Rose returned completely exhausted.
Her muscles ached.
Her hands trembled slightly from overusing both powers throughout the day.
After quickly showering, she stepped out of the bathroom drying her hair while replaying the technique repeatedly inside her mind.
How am I supposed to move like that?
As she walked toward her dresser—
she suddenly froze.
The black book sitting on her desk caught her attention immediately.
The same mysterious book she had almost forgotten about.
The same one shadow energy once hovered over.
Rose slowly stared at it.
Then—
the book opened on its own.
A cold gust of wind swept through the room despite the windows being closed.
Rose immediately stepped back.
The pages flipped rapidly by themselves before stopping on one specific page.
A strange movement pattern was drawn there.
A combat stance.
A movement technique.
The same page she once failed to understand.
But now…
it suddenly made sense.
⸻
Rose hesitated briefly before slowly copying the movement.
Twist.
Drop low.
One leg extended.
The other bent.
A sharp upward kick—
BOOM.
Rose vanished.
⸻
For one terrifying second, Rose felt like her body no longer existed.
Her heartbeat skyrocketed.
She immediately looked toward the mirror.
Nobody was there.
Rose's eyes widened in disbelief.
Then only seconds later—
she suddenly reappeared.
The force nearly made her stumble backward.
"I disappeared…"
Her voice barely came out.
Rose looked down at her trembling hands.
The grimoire was teaching her.
⸻
Without wasting another second, Rose quickly threw on a jacket and rushed out into the hallway.
"Marina!"
Moments later, Marina appeared from farther down the hall.
"What happened?"
Rose immediately pointed toward the desk.
"The book—it's teaching me new powers."
Marina quickly entered the room.
The moment she saw the black book—
her expression changed instantly.
Slowly, cautiously, she approached it.
"If this book opens on its own…" Marina whispered quietly, "…then it may be a Blackwell Grimoire."
The atmosphere in the room immediately became heavier.
Marina hesitated before touching the cover.
For only a brief second—
her eyes glowed faintly.
Then she immediately pulled her hand away calmly.
Marina's expression darkened almost immediately afterward.
"You must be extremely cautious with this book, child."
Her voice became serious.
"It's ancient."
She looked directly at Rose.
"You may be the only person capable of reading it completely."
Rose nervously glanced toward the grimoire.
Marina continued quietly,
"And do not become too attached to it. Forbidden magic exists within those pages."
Rose slowly nodded.
"I understand."
She let out a tired sigh.
"I think I'll rest for tonight."
Marina nodded and started toward the doorway.
But before leaving—
she suddenly stopped.
Her eyes slowly shifted back toward the grimoire.
Then toward Rose.
Almost as if she recognized the book from long ago.
For a moment, Marina looked like she wanted to say something important.
But instead, she only smiled faintly.
"Goodnight, Rose."
The door quietly closed behind her.
⸻
Rose stared at the closed door thoughtfully.
Something felt unfinished.
But if Marina truly believed it was important—
she would have said it.
Eventually, Rose walked back toward the desk and carefully closed the grimoire.
The moment her fingers touched the cover, the strange energy surrounding the room slowly disappeared.
Rose turned off the lights and climbed into bed.
⸻
As Rose slowly drifted to sleep…
she heard a voice.
"Rose…"
The voice echoed softly through endless darkness.
Rose's eyes twitched slightly.
"Rose…"
She responded sleepily,
"Yeah…?"
The voice softened.
"Open your eyes."
⸻
Rose's eyes slowly fluttered open—
and immediately she realized she was dreaming again.
But unlike before…
this place was beautiful.
Luxurious.
Elegant.
Soft golden lights illuminated the massive room while dark velvet furniture filled the space.
And sitting comfortably on an expensive-looking sofa—
was the Queen.
The woman smiled warmly before motioning her closer.
"Come here."
Rose smiled softly and walked toward her.
The Queen immediately stood and pulled her into a hug.
"I see you found the book."
Rose blinked.
"The grimoire?"
The Queen nodded proudly.
"Yes."
Rose scratched her head awkwardly.
"You know about it?"
The Queen softly laughed.
"Of course I do."
Her crimson eyes sparkled mischievously.
"I created it."
Rose froze completely.
"You WHAT?"
The Queen burst into laughter.
"This grimoire will guide you when I cannot."
Her smile slowly softened.
"It found you because it recognizes you."
Then her expression darkened slightly.
"But other members of the Blackwell bloodline may eventually sense it as well."
Rose frowned slightly.
"Can they take it?"
"They can feel it," the Queen answered carefully. "The essence of my blood exists within every page."
Then she smiled faintly.
"Fortunately, the barrier protecting your village is stronger than I expected."
Rose blinked.
"You mean Marina's barrier?"
The Queen chuckled softly.
"Yes. Her."
Then her expression became strangely mysterious.
"She's a good woman… but she carries many secrets."
Rose immediately narrowed her eyes.
"What kind of secrets?"
The Queen simply smiled cryptically.
"Those are not mine to reveal."
Rose sighed dramatically.
"I'll figure it out eventually."
"You definitely will," the Queen replied calmly.
⸻
Rose crossed her arms.
"So what exactly am I supposed to do with the grimoire?"
The Queen crossed her legs elegantly.
"You haven't truly started reading it yet."
"I tried," Rose complained. "I just don't know if I'm doing it correctly."
The Queen smiled softly.
"Then I'll train you personally inside your dreams."
Rose looked around the luxurious room again.
"I figured this was a dream already, but wow… this place is beautiful."
The Queen immediately grinned proudly.
"Obviously."
She gestured around dramatically.
"I used modern decorations this time. Your memories are very useful."
Rose laughed.
"So you've basically been watching my entire life?"
The Queen leaned back comfortably.
"Your life is basically a giant television."
Rose covered her face laughing.
"That is actually terrifying."
Both of them burst into laughter together.
⸻
Then suddenly—
the Queen smirked mischievously.
"But more importantly…"
Rose immediately narrowed her eyes.
"What?"
The Queen pointed directly at her.
"That boy."
Rose blinked.
"…Brian?"
The Queen grinned wider.
"Yes. Your future husband."
Rose nearly choked.
"HUSBAND?!"
The Queen laughed shamelessly.
"The way he looks at you? Completely in love."
Rose crossed her arms defensively.
"Yes, I like him," she admitted. "But I'm not dating anybody right now."
Her expression softened slightly.
"I have too much going on."
For the first time—
Rose noticed genuine sadness appear in the Queen's eyes.
"That boy would walk through fire for you," the Queen whispered quietly.
Rose looked at her carefully.
"You really loved someone once, didn't you?"
The Queen looked away silently for a moment before smiling again.
"Just don't repeat my mistakes."
Rose gently shook her head.
"Falling in love wasn't your mistake."
The Queen slowly looked back at her.
"The wrong person was."
For a moment—
the Queen simply stared at her quietly.
Then she suddenly hugged Rose tightly again.
⸻
Eventually, Rose slowly pulled back.
"You know… something has been bothering me."
The Queen raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Rose smiled softly.
"I keep calling you 'The Queen.'"
She tilted her head slightly.
"What's your real name?"
The Queen suddenly smiled.
A real smile.
"Oh?"
She leaned closer playfully.
"You really want to know?"
Rose nodded immediately.
The Queen laughed softly.
"Then I suppose it's finally time."
She slowly leaned closer toward Rose and whispered her name—
But the moment the sound reached Rose's ears—
the entire dream world violently distorted around them.
The walls cracked.
The lights flickered.
The Queen's voice became muffled and unclear.
And suddenly—
Rose woke up.