Scarlet Bloom – Chapter 8: The Stranger with Golden Eyes

The wind howled through the alley.

Riku's chest rose and fell rapidly, each breath sharp and panicked. The red shimmer under his skin had faded, but the feeling hadn't. It was still there—something blooming, stretching, ready to break free.

And someone… was watching.

He turned.

A man stepped from the shadows—tall, lean, wrapped in a long black coat that swayed with the wind. His eyes were gold. Not yellow. Not hazel.

Gold. Like fire in human form.

"Finally," the stranger said, voice smooth and strange. "The seal responds."

Riku's guard shot up. "Who are you?"

The man smiled, sharp and patient. "A gardener. And you, my boy… are about to blossom."

Kaito whispered to Airi, "What the hell kind of anime cryptic nonsense is that?"

Airi's face paled. She stepped in front of Riku instinctively. "You're not supposed to be here yet."

The man tilted his head. "Ah. So you do remember a little." His gaze settled on her. "You're the girl who was touched by the bloom but denied it."

"I didn't deny it," she snapped. "I chose."

Riku's head spun. "What are you two talking about?!"

"You'll understand soon," the stranger said, stepping closer. "Once the seal breaks fully. Until then, stay out of sight. There are others like you. And not all are... pleasant."

"Wait," Riku said. "Do you know what's happening to me?"

The man's smile deepened. "You're awakening."

Riku frowned. "To what?"

"To pain. To power. To the truth that blooms only through loss."

Airi stepped forward. "Don't fill his head with riddles."

"I'm preparing him," the man said calmly. "He has a right to know what's coming. What it costs to carry the Bloom."

Kaito scratched his head. "Why does everything sound so poetic but also terrifying?"

The man looked at Riku once more. "I'll see you again. When your petals begin to fall."

Then, without another word, he vanished—literally fading into crimson petals that dissolved into the wind.

Silence.

Riku looked at Airi. "What did he mean? About petals falling?"

She hesitated. "That's the curse of the Bloom."

"What curse?"

Airi stared straight into his eyes.

> "Every power granted by the Bloom... is borrowed. And when the time comes, the price is always the same."

Riku's heart thudded. "What price?"

She didn't answer.

Kaito broke the silence with a weak laugh. "Okay. I vote we all go get ice cream and pretend none of this happened."

No one moved.

No one laughed.

Riku looked down at his hands again. The shimmer was gone—but he felt it now. A heartbeat. A second pulse running through his veins. Something ancient. Alive.

And somehow…

It felt like it had been waiting for him.

All this time.

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