The Iron Rose: A Short Story

When the battle began, the human race was forced underground. The Kyuba were vicious creatures who wished to destroy all humans. They only had one weakness; a stone known as Roseria. Swords crafted from this rare material were called Tsurugi and only few could bear these items. Those few were members of an elite squad known as the Iron Rose. Over half the population were miners, constantly searching for this rare material. Without it, the light of mankind would someday burn out.

A loud groan escaped Shujin as the alarm clock’s continuous buzz bounced off the cavern walls. The male fell lifelessly to the floor in an attempt to stop the noisy machine. He stumbled around aimlessly looking for his shoes. He could barely see; the faint blue glow
I want to guess. Um. The Iron Rose?” Moritani questioned sarcastically. A long pause spread as Shujin scolded himself for putting Moritani through this. “Yeah, actually.” The male said, barely a whisper. “But, the Iron Rose is a death sentence!” Moritani shouted, grasping his shoulders and shaking him violently. “Do you want to die?”

“You know why.” Shujin replied, the only calm one in the situation. “No I don’t, Shujin! I’ve never known. You always say I know, but I don’t! Who cares if you were born on the surface? You are the only friend I’ve got!” Moritani screamed, breaking down and on the verge of tears. “I can’t take these walls anymore, Moritani! They are smothering me! I can’t breathe!”

“But if you go out there you’ll die!” Moritani screamed at the top of his lungs, hugging his knees, while tears streamed down his face. “Look I’m sorry, but it's happening whether you like it or not. Besides, I’d rather die up there, free, then down here, hiding like a rat.” The male sent Moritani a menacing look, signaling for him not to speak, and with that, he left Moritani curled into a ball on the floor.

Moritani Oshihara was found on the surface unconscious at the age of one. He suffered some kind of trauma, whether physical or mental I don’t know, because he has no memory of the surface. Parents are presumed
Intrigued, the male decided to take the array of colors to look at in better lighting. Deciding 26 Sita was late enough, he headed back to his room to get some rest.

After Shujin had managed to eat what little his stomach could stand, he walked slowly towards his room, worrying over what he was going to say to Moritani. It was far too late for anybody else to be up, so the male walked the dimly lit corridors in solitude. By the time he reached his stone door, he was trembling as he reached for the door knob. Swinging it open, and stood wide-jawed as his brain ran slow. Eventually, the male realized the room was empty.

Shujin took a deep breath, not realizing how tired he was. Black-ringed eyes grew heavy and began to droop. Shutting the door, he collapsed in his bed. Exhaustion slowly took over his body as he drifted into dreams of memories long passed.

Shujin was up the moment his alarm went off. The male noticed the salty liquid and quickly wiped it away, walking over to the stone shelf and sliding on his uniform. The male coveted going to eval, even if it included several needles, of which he despised, he didn’t care. Nothing was going to ruin this for