I felt like I had reached out my hand to her. What a gallant gesture, Rose Ophelia.

“Hehe, you really don’t get tired of doing this, do you? Well then, let’s dance, even if no one can know we’re here.”

I felt her body approaching mine, and even though I couldn’t see anything other than that smiling Hazel, it didn’t matter much; as long as I could see that smile, I was genuinely happy.

She twirled like a little girl fulfilling her princess dream for the first time; it was cute, there was no other word to describe it. At that moment, Hazel was not only the cutest girl in my world but in the whole world. Dancing with her, feeling her scent, the warmth of her body... All of it was worth more than anything else...

But

My body was moving away from her, far away from me

She was running and shouting

“Rose! Rose! Where are you, Rose?!”

I couldn’t see anything in that vast emptiness...

A sound of cars crashing loudly

An ambulance

Sounds of people screaming and talking

All of this was in my ears

“Rose! Please, open your eyes! Don’t leave me alone!”

That tearful voice

Shouting in my ears

From my beloved Hazel Eyre...

♡

I woke up with an unconscious scream, loud enough to know it was a scream but not loud enough to scare my parents, or so I believed.

The black void of that dream disappeared, making way for my pink-and-white-filled room, with my guitar hanging on the wall, along with posters of shows and bands I enjoyed. I hadn’t touched that guitar in a while; I even knew how to play it, but... I couldn’t remember why I started learning any instrument. I liked music more than most people I knew, but...

Why did I choose a guitar?

Why didn’t I play it anymore?

No matter how much I asked myself, remembering was... Difficult.

But I didn’t need to remember that much, did I? What mattered was if I still knew something...

I took the guitar from the wall and sat with it on the bed, playing some chords.

Was there a song I could remember from the bottom of my heart? For some reason... I felt there was something there...

“Rose? Breakfast is already on the table... Oh, you’re playing the guitar again?” A woman with light hair appeared at my door. My mother, Margareth Ophelia, seemed surprised to see me playing the guitar again.

“I wanted to try it out, I think I still remember a thing or two...”

“That’s great, dear! You seemed very happy when you practiced, you even took it to school once...”

What? I did that?

“Mom, do you... Remember the time when I played?”

“Ah, a little... You never talked much about it to me or your dad, but I remember how excited you were saying you wanted to learn to play. You learned very quickly too, practicing every day...”

“And... Do you remember why I started playing the guitar?”

“You never talked much about it, but you always seemed excited when you played. Did something happen for you to want to talk about this, dear? It’s been so long since that happened.”

“Nothing much, just...” As I fidgeted with my wrist searching for answers, I looked at one of the small cuts from the battle against Melissa as the Queen of Envy. That still lingered, even when I stopped being Heartbreaker Magenta... It could cause more confusion than I wanted for my parents.

“Have those weird cuts healed yet? Rose, you’re not getting involved in anything dangerous or doing anything stupid, are you?”

“Of course not, Mom! That was just...”

“The truth is... We need to talk a bit, dear. Your father is waiting in the living room. We should have breakfast, right? If we keep talking so much, you’ll be late for school.”

“Alright, I’ll be down soon.” Another Monday... Another day not knowing if I would just be an ordinary high school girl or if I would need to investigate the deep pain in the hearts of the people in this city... And maybe...

Lose.

Yes, just like last time.

Since that Saturday... Hanna hadn’t replied to messages or said anything. Our online group chat had been silent since then, and even when we left the gallery, Hanna insisted on going home alone instead of eating with us. Miss Hazel hadn’t shown any sign of life either, and...

That girl... the Destroyer known as Tormenta Violet...

Broke Hanna’s heart in two.

‘If I could, I would have given up,’ she said... What did that girl mean? What did she know about Hanna to think that was the best option?! All of it... Was infuriating! Not only infuriating but confusing! All of it... Didn’t make sense, right?!

My heart...

It felt like it was going to explode...

Like it was burning in my chest...

Trying to leave that feeling behind, I jumped in the shower, wishing to forget that strange feeling, not realizing how much concern I showed on my face every time I thought about what could have happened to Hanna Bovary.

♡

I went down to the table in the middle of the dinner room where I always ate with my parents. My mother had already set the table while my father was cooking. He always seemed happy when he was busy with something in the kitchen, which was good for me and my mom since his food was wonderful.

"Richard, she’s already down. Do you need any help?"

"It's all good, Maggie. Good morning, Rose! Is everything alright, dear?" my dad asked as he finished frying the bacon for breakfast and putting it on a plate to serve.

We were all together, but I couldn't say a word. I wanted to tell them about Anima, about the Liebesherrscher, about being a Destroyer, about Hanna’s broken heart, but...

Nothing came out 

It was like a knot in my throat 

"Rose, is something happening?" My mother broke the silence. That redhead was always the first to speak up about anything.

"Nothing happened, Mom! Really…"

"Rose, we know there might be things you don’t want to talk to us about, but… We want to be here for you. You’re our only daughter; we also want to be people you can rely on…" My dad said, his eyes sadder than I expected.

Deep down, I knew they were worried.

I looked in the mirror enough to know my dark circles were growing, my heart seemed to race more each time I purified a heart, every time I fought and could see all the thoughts of those people with such great anger that they could even commit crimes if they didn’t calm down, and still…

Watching Hanna’s heart break in front of me…

That hurt… Hanna was the first person at that school I trusted enough to talk about my past…

About being trans, about the boy who was threatening me…

She was always a kind person, who drew and smiled with me and Ariel, who shared her screen while drawing when we were on call when we weren’t playing games, and always told us interesting things about her drawings and the characters she illustrated, recommending games and cartoons to us…

What would happen to that Hanna I adored so much?

Would she… hate all that? Would she resent it all?

What happens when a blue heart breaks?

She… wouldn’t be the same person anymore, right?

She… wouldn’t love drawing anymore, right?

If she, who dedicated so much to what she loved, could be lost like that…

Could being a Destroyer also break my heart?

"Dad… Mom… What would you do if, by chance…" I hesitated to speak. They wouldn’t understand that. They couldn’t, they shouldn’t. That secret… Carter’s death, the weight of Melissa’s heart and all the red hearts I purified… That was my burden. But… I could still share my fears, right? "If, by chance, I had to stop being who I am… If I stopped being your daughter… Rose Ophelia… What would you do?"

"Rose, what are you…?!" My mother stood up in shock. "Is something happening to you at school?!"

"No one’s hurting you there, are they?! Is there another student threatening you?!" My father was worried; even though he didn’t talk much about how he felt, his eyes showed how much he cared. "If that’s the case, we can change your school right now! That principal said there would be no problems like this, and if it happens again, no amount of money would make me stay silent if they mistreat you!"

"It’s not that, Dad, it’s all fine!" I exclaimed. "I just… I’m a bit thoughtful. About what you would do if, by any chance, I… had to leave everything I love behind."

"And why would you do that? We’re here to support everything you love." My mom said, as if it were obvious.

"You’re our daughter, Rose. It doesn’t matter what you decide to do, your mom and I will be here to support you."

"Even if you feel lost, or if you have some silly idea in your head, we’re here to help you and dispel any nonsense you’re thinking!" My mom gave a wink.

They really were amazing…

Even without understanding, they… really were trying. They tried to protect me and be with me all this time…

I knew not everyone lived like this… Even at school, many students had parents who cared more about their children as accessories rather than as people…

But my parents weren’t like that.

They were really… the best parents anyone could have.

I smiled, the most honest smile I could give at that moment when there were so many doubts in my heart, and I went to school with that certainty…

No matter who I was, if I was ‘Rose Ophelia,’ ‘Heartbreaker Magenta,’ or anything else…

They would be there for me.

♡