May the world be engulfed in flames and turn to nothing but ash.

Luhan stared at Jiyong in curiosity. His eyes followed his brother’s every careful movement as he watched the elder part his lips slightly and close around a thin cigarette. There was a fire in his eyes as he saw smoke billow from the end of the cigarette before the fire was tamed in its familiar metal contraption.

“He’s dead. I can no longer sense him. I have failed them both, you know.” Jiyong mumbled as he held the cigarette between his two fingers and watched as the smoke released from his parted lips.

“Ji, you knew this would happen. You’ve always known what will happen. The curse of the demon brothers, remember? Ughh. This sun is quite annoying today.” Luhan grumbled as he cringed while he stood under the roof in the backyard of Jiyong’s home.

“Promise me you’ll protect them both after I’m gone. Youngjae is barely an adult, and he is far too innocent for his own good. While I refuse to see the future, I can sense that he will be the one to bring true peace to this world.”

“What’s so special about him, anyway?”

“Isn’t it obvious little brother? Daehyun is nothing without Youngjae. He and I share similar beliefs in that regard. I would kill every person and being on this planet if I knew it would bring my love back. Daehyun would do the same, and that’s what truly makes him scary. A great evil has poisoned his mind, but I think the only one who can save him now would be Youngjae himself.” Jiyong shrugged as he finished off the last bit of his cigarette.

“Poor kid. He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he doesn’t even know it. Everyone’s fate rests in his hands.” Luhan mumbled as he slowly shook his head.

“Don’t worry, brother. We’ll both be there to guide him and protect him until the end.” Jiyong stated as he placed his hand on the younger’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“You really loved that human Ji, didn’t you?” Luhan asked quietly.

“Yes. Yes, I did.” Jiyong whispered as he turned his back to Luhan and walked silently back into his home.

“You are weak. You are nothing. You are worthless. You are not loved. He doesn’t love you. He will never love someone like you,” These are the constant words that echoed through Daehyun’s mind.

Daehyun could hear Yifei’s words play through his mind as if she were standing right next to him, whispering them in his ear like lovers sweet on each other do.

The Busan male gripped the sink's sides in the bathroom and stared at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes looked like that of a crazy person, and his black hair was heavily unkempt and getting longer each day. His lips were chapped, and he was sweating slightly.

Daehyun didn’t even recognize himself anymore, and he knew that Youngjae would never want to be with him if he looked like this, with tattered clothes hanging off his body with streaks of dry blood caked all over him. He quickly discarded his clothes and hopped into the shower, and watched as the crimson liquid swirled down the drain until there was no more left.

Yifei barged into the room dressed in a strapless black dress that had ruffles at the top, and a beautiful black pearl necklace clung to her neck. Her eyes were focused on Daehyun as he kept a towel wrapped tightly around his waist.

“You need to change. An heir like you should actually look the part. Right now, you look like some homeless person who was just taken off the streets. Our deal will never work out at this rate. Get dressed and meet me downstairs in ten minutes. Do not keep me waiting.” Yifei stated as she hurriedly walked out the door and shut it behind her.

Daehyun let out a sigh and looked at himself in the mirror, deciding that it was indeed time for a change.

Silver.

Daehyun thought it wasn’t possible for mere hair color and cut to change how one looked drastically, yet here he was in the salon staring at someone he didn’t even recognize at first.

There was something hauntingly beautiful about the Busan boy with hair the color of starlight. His lips curled up into the smallest of smiles as he took in his new hair. Daehyun ran his fingers through his hair and laughed childishly before he stood up and stared at his reflection in the mirror.

The Busan male looked breathtaking as all eyes were trained on him. He pulled his red rose-colored jacket closer to his chest and smirked at Yifei, who only nodded in approval.

He looked like a silver rose.

That’s it.

He was a silver rose that had been taken from the desert.

A silver rose.

How fitting that he would play the part of silver rose, and yet it somehow described him perfectly.

Red represented love, and his love for Youngjae was proof of how fitting it was.

Silver represented wealth and him being the heir to his parent’s company only proved how fitting these choices of colors were.

Yifei stared at Daehyun with a careful smile on her face. He was turning into exactly what she wanted him to be.

A Silver Rose to match his beloved China Doll.

Oh, how the tables will turn.

A/N: Not sure if anyone catches it or not, but the very first sentence of every chapter usually hints at what that chapter will be about in some way or another. Daehyun's new look is crucial in this story because he will be playing his part as the "Silver Rose," and what that entitles remains to be seen. The representations are only part of what the Silver Rose represents. Any ideas on what his part(s) might be? I hope all of you are liking this story so far. Comments and subscribers are very welcome. Thanks to all of you that have been subscribing, commenting, and voting up this story. I appreciate every single one of you, even if I can't personally thank each one of you. Thank you. ^_^