The night was a starry one. Not a single gray cloud or a shining star was in sight. The forest's pine trees were swaying slowly in the breeze, their needles being highlighted by moonlight. There was no sound except for the quiet chirping of crickets which seemed to echo in the darkness of the night.

A carriage, pulled by four black, Arabian stallions, whizzed past the forest, their wheels creaking with every rotation. The occassional crack of the whip pierced the air, always resulting in a breezy neigh to escape from the muzzle of each horse, followed by a rusty chuckle from the coachman who was steering them.

The man inside, however, was completely oblivious to what was happening outside. The lantern hanging from the roof of the carriage swayed dangerously, the oil in the glass case splattering against the red oak doors. The man whimpered, holding a glass container in his hand tightly, his grip tightening with every sway of the carriage on it's rocky path. His knuckles had gone white and he hadn't even realized it yet.

The carriage stopped to halt, launching the man from his seat to the window. He scrambled back up and inspected his glass container.

Not even a crack.

''We've arrived, master~''

The coachman's husky voice jolted the man to open the doors and step out of the carriage. The cold night air made him shiver, but he held his ground and walked down the forest path toward a castle in the distance.

The place glowed eerily in the moonlight, the stone turrets and towers rising up from the stone structure. The stones were packed together in shades of black, brown and bronze, the poison ivy creeping across them in different directions. The drawbridge was immediately lowered down with a clunk and the chains rattled shrilly. The lanterns leading inside didn't look as inviting as the rest of the castle.

The man reached the castle in long steady strides, the dark cloak, the coachman had put on him, billowing behind him like a cape. The glass container had stopped shaking; the man had visibly relaxed after entering the castle's premises. The coachman limped behind the man, trying to keep up but to no avail. He could barely keep up with his master as he ascended the grand staircase.

Walking toward the East Wing of the castle, he pushed open the redwood door blocking his path and entered in to his study. Taking off his cloak, he set the glass container on the desk, waiting to be rewarded for his long journey.

''Is it in the container, Daesung?'', the voice from behind the cushioned armchair boomed. The man, Daesung, nodded confidently, although he knew the man wouldn't see his answer since his back was to him. ''I could feel it's power radiating from the container myself,'' he admitted proudly. A chuckle escaped the voice's lips and he turned around, revealing his appearance to Daesung.

In the dimly lit room of his study, the scrunched-up face and piercing dark eyes and spiky hair was unexpectedly intriguing. His smirk was directed both at Daesung and at the glass container which he could now clearly see.

Inside the container was a red rosebud, young and very fragile. It looked like, to any ordinary human, as if it had just been plucked from a rosebush and put inside the glass case. However, not everyone could see that the container itself looked like it was going to shatter to pieces from holding the rose for centuries. The rose was glowing slightly in white, the aura around it obviously weak.

''It lacks power,'' the man boomed, making Daesung jump at the seriousness of his voice. ''It needs a new master, Hyunsuk. You know this thing is going to disintegrate in a few days if it doesn't,'' Daesung spoke, his hands clutching his cloak.

''Idiot. You really think I wouldn't have found a new master? I'm not like you, who can't even finish getting his assignment doen on time,'', Hyunsuk countered, his eyes narrowing in to slits. ''It's not my fault I had fight a huge demon lord to obtain it,'' Daesung said hotly. Hyunsuk scowled and Daesung hung his head low, his previous confidence washed away entirely. When Hyunsuk spoke again, he wasn't talking to Daesung anymore. He was summoning someone in to the room.

A small boy, with electric blue hair walked in to the room, his hands fumbling with his blanket as if he had been thrown away from his bed. His eyes were droopy and he was swaying on the spot, as if he had drunk too much last night. ''Ah, Zelo. I thought you would never wake,'' Hyunsuk crooned, his hands holding the younger's shoulders in a firm grip. ''Why do you wake me up every single day?'' he complained, moving away from Hyunsuk's grasp as it was made of poison.

''You know why,'' Hyunsuk impatiently answered. ''Yeah. 'We've found the rose.' 'It's here, Zelo. It really is.','' Zelo imitated Hyunsuk's voice uncannily. The elder just rolled his eyes and pointd to the rosebud on his desk. The change in Zelo's expression changed immediately.

His dark eyes turned gray while they went as wide as saucers. His hands dropped to his sides and his blanket pooled at his feet, making him trip on the way toward the rose with tentative steps. His hands rose up to touch the container, only to start shivering at the contact.

''It's real, right? It's not going to disappear when I touch it?'' Zelo whispered to Daesung. To the satisfied Hyunsuk, the aged glass shattered after Zelo's touch. The roses'a aura surrounded him completely before it went in to his body as if he had in all the power. He returned back to normal after a while; his grey eyes turning dark once more.

''You shall become the second Great Guardian when you turn 25. The bud is already 7,000 years old but since it's life force is now tied to you, it shall start aging as well. You only have a few years left, Zelo. Use them to train and master all that the Rose has been through before my burden is passed on to you,'', Hyunsuk declared as if in a trance.

''How am I supposed to know all of this in 13 years?'' Zelo questioned, the previously-floating rosebud falling limp on to his palm. She will lead you,'' Deasung spoke, pointing to the bud.

''She...?''

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First chapter. dun dun dun dunnn~

hope you like it. c:

comment and subscribe please! :F