CHAPTER 239: ONE-NIGHT FLOWER (2)

"Even though it only lives for a single night," Langga continued, "it always reappears randomly somewhere in the field. The herbalists tried every method they could to eradicate it, but nothing worked. In the end, they abandoned this garden, turning it into a training ground instead. Now, the One-Night Flower grows freely among the others."

Gara nodded, fascinated by the story of such a peculiar flower.

"Your task tonight," Langga said at last, "is to find that flower and cut it down using your Water Slash without damaging any of the surrounding flowers."

Gara’s gaze drifted toward the field before him. The flowers grew close together, tangled and wild, leaving almost no space between one stem and another.

This was going to be a challenge.

His brows furrowed. Trying to cut a single stalk among tightly clustered, intertwined flowers was clearly no easy task.

"That one is the One-Night Flower," Langga said, pointing toward a vivid red bloom standing out boldly among a patch of yellow blossoms.

"You only need to cut ten of them," he added.

As expected, Langga’s training was anything but simple. Gara understood the goal —precision and focus— but knowing the objective didn’t make it any easier to achieve.

Still, he felt a strong surge of excitement.

With anticipation building, Gara stepped into the sea of flowers, raising his hand toward a yellow plot where a single red flower stood proudly at its center.

He made a slicing motion. A sharp blade of water extended from his palm. But unlike his usual fast, clean strikes, this one moved slower, more deliberate.

Slash!

The water blade cut through the red stalk—but...

"Ah! Why did the yellow one get sliced too?!" Gara groaned, clutching his hair in frustration.

"That one doesn’t count," Langga called from behind him, his voice calm but amused.

Gara sighed and continued. This training drained him far more than any previous one. His stamina —usually bottomless during practice— was fading quickly, not because the attack consumed much energy, but because the precision required was exhausting.

After nearly an hour, he finally succeeded in cutting his first One-Night Flower cleanly, without harming any others.

"I did it!" Gara cheered, his voice bright with triumph.

From afar, Langga watched with quiet admiration and pride.

He managed it in under an hour... his talent truly defies limits. If given time, he’ll surpass me easily.

Amid the moonlit flowers, Langga saw Gara resume his training, energy blazing in his eyes.

He’d noticed how tired the young man had looked earlier, but after taking a drink, Gara seemed to recover completely as if fatigue couldn’t touch him.

Langga had no idea what kind of trick Gara was using. He didn’t care either.

His gaze stayed fixed on Gara’s face— on that radiant, genuine smile. For reasons he couldn’t explain, seeing Gara happy made him feel the same.

After his first success, it only took another hour for Gara to cut nine more red blooms cleanly.

Carrying ten bright One-Night Flowers in his hands, Gara walked toward Langga with a proud smile.

"Can I take these home?" he asked.

"They’ll close and wither once the sun rises," Langga replied.

"That’s fine."

Gara’s interest in the flowers ran deeper than admiration, he wanted to study them. It was another reason he hoped to return to this field often.

Beyond the One-Night Flower, he’d noticed countless other blossoms with herbal potential. He wanted them all but for now, he decided to restrain himself.

Next week, he’d ask Langga’s permission to explore the field beyond their training sessions.

"Take them," Langga said simply, not stopping him.

Gara smiled, lifting his gaze to meet Langga’s eyes— eyes that felt familiar. They reminded him of Arion’s... and if they were red, they’d look almost exactly like Aldwin’s.

His gaze fell back to the flowers in his hand. This red... it’s the same shade as Aldwin’s eyes.

"Let’s head back," Langga said, snapping Gara from his thoughts.

Gara stepped onto the platform, waiting for Langga to take his hand because honestly, he was still a little scared.

But instead of Langga’s hand, a flower with soft hazel petals floated toward him, stopping just before his face before gently settling behind his ear.

"I think this color suits your eyes perfectly," Langga said.

Gara’s face heated up. It looked like Langga was tucking the flower behind his ear as if he were his lover— even though he’d done it using telekinesis.

He instinctively reached up to remove it.

"Do you really dislike it?" Langga asked, his gaze soft and pleading.

Gara hesitated, then shook his head. "Just... fixing my hair."

"You’re beautiful," Langga said calmly —without stuttering, without hesitation— right to his face.

Unlike Langga, who looked relaxed, Gara froze, his cheeks flushed red. He didn’t respond. He couldn’t even meet Langga’s eyes.

A faint smile curved on Langga’s lips. He stepped onto the platform and took Gara’s cold hand, his warm touch spreading through Gara’s skin.

Gara stiffened, but the warmth slowly sank into his chest, melting his nerves away.

As the platform rose, Gara managed to push aside his earlier thoughts, focusing instead on something else, how to keep the One-Night Flower alive past sunrise, or at least figure out why it could only live for a single day.

...

The pillar holding the floating stone opened on the sixth floor. Gara stepped out, still feeling a faint warmth on his face.

"Gara, just got back from training?"

That familiar voice made him jump. Madha.

The tan-skinned young man walked over with his usual easy smile, and Gara couldn’t help but smile back.

"You look beautiful with that flower," Madha said as his fingers brushed lightly through Gara’s hair, pausing near the hazel petals.

His words were genuinely sweet but they made Gara’s heart twist. Because that flower... had been placed there by Langga.

The thought hit him hard, like he was cheating without meaning to. Guilt flooded him, drowning the warmth from earlier.

He didn’t answer, couldn’t answer.

Madha followed him into his room without question.

Click.

The door closed, and in that instant, Gara felt Madha’s strong arms wrap around him from behind.

"You smell amazing, Gara," Madha whispered softly against his ear, recognizing the flower’s scent that clung to Gara’s body.

It was deeply romantic but Gara couldn’t enjoy any of it. His mind was too divided, and all he could feel now was guilt.

...