However, while he was admiring their beauty, he noticed another flower that wasn't like those two, it was further away and its aura was heavy and dark. It had a slight glow that made it easily visible and its characteristics were clear indicators of its true intentions, to be seen. It stood there, coated in its crimson red color, its thorny neck and its lustrous gleam. It wasn't trying to hide from the face of the world, but instead, it was inviting everyone around to admire it and get lost in its vibrance, and Athan was no different.

   He curiously approached the lonely flower and tried to touch it from its peduncle, but to his utter ignorance, he was pierced by its thorns, making him grunt in pain. As the droplets of blood fell from his open wound, they landed on top of the flower’s petals, gently flowing towards the stigma of the flower, feeding it the fresh substance that was caused from the cut.  Athan held his hand trying to stop the pain -though he was unable to find a remedy for his injury-, but as he turned his attention back at the flower that had harmed him, he witnessed a spectacle so grand, unlike anything he has seen before -not that he has seen many things to begin with-. 

  The flower had swallowed the blood and now was shining even brighter than before, it gradually grew taller and its petals begun to open wider and wider. It was evolving, it was ascending, it was… blooming.

   Athan stood there, bewildered by this glorious sight. Finding himself in a state of confusion, he realised a contradiction: it was something that can only become beautiful if someone sacrifices a piece of themselves for it. 

  Willing to test out the extend of the flower’s nature, he pricked himself again. Letting out a sound of pain, he tried to compose himself and steadily transported the blood that was leaking from the cut, into the flower’s mouth. Once more, the flower grew taller and shone brighter, opening its petals more and more, revealing its inside and relaying its brilliance upon the realm. It truly was magnificent. 

  Athan was amused by this peculiar creation, inspecting it further. He caressed its petals, which were soft and delicate, so much so, that due to disregard for his strength -or perhaps his total ignorance of it- he teared one off. Athan panicked and tried to put it back in its place, but was met with disappointment, realizing his attempts were indeed futile. After a few moments, he composed himself once more and continued observing the flower, this time, having a different idea. Athan looked at its roots and saw that there were no thorns shielding it in that area, so he decided to try plucking it out of the ground.

  To his dismay, the very moment he teared it from its soil, the flower began losing its radiance, shriveling in size and its petals gradually fell apart. He began panicking and desperately tried to put it back together but it was to no avail, the flower… had withered.