Cydtin was standing in front of a floor-length mirror, straightening his suit for the countless time. His gorgeous blue eyes studied every facet of his own face as he preened, his hand going up to smooth his short black, neatly styled hair.

I look good, Cydtin thought in satisfaction, thoroughly pleased with his model-like appearance. His deep blue tweed suit was woven with blue sparkles that glistened like late night rain on a pavement. He wore his favorite cologne and had showered just before dressing nicely for his date.

Moments later, Cydtin stood outside the majestic theater doors of the Crown Theater, waiting for Nuede to show up. Like the suit sparkled implied, the evening rain poured into the neon light shining into the streets, blurring the concrete road with its colors, and lighting up Cydtin's well-dressed silhouette.

Above him, the movie times were listed alongside the movie titles. It showed iridescent white with red spotlights around it. The movie theater building was holographic red and multicolor shimmer, lined with vibrant neon purple and yellow. It was almost dark, the sky turning from bluish purple to indigo, as the pink sun melted behind purplish charcoal clouds.

Then Cydtin saw Nuede arrive, her black holographic wings almost blending in with the evening sky. The neon lights darkened upon the mesmerizing glare of the metallic silvery purple dress with black lace, her heeled boots as black as night with flashes of metallic purple. Her red lipstick shone as bright as the mirror flashes of her mirror hair that captured everything into its shine like a black hole, taking the neon lights and sparkles for herself.

And so the Galaxy Prince met with his Galaxy Princess, the gorgeous elegance clashing splendidly with the edgy sexy attire. Neither of them minded the rain that fell upon them; such things only added to the exciting joy of going out together.

A midnight walk followed the conclusion of the action-packed adventure movie. Nuede was holding a bucket halfway filled with Iredescent popcorn. Iredescent popcorn tasted the same as Earth popcorn; it just looked different, a light yellow color with shimmery red stripes. There was also a light pink kind of popcorn that tasted like soda but was not sugary. It came from kernels grown in the eastern region of Reness, kindly nicknamed the 'snack region' because of the snack foods that grew there.

Cydtin and Nuede flew upwards, landing on top of the roof. They relaxed their wings, enjoying each other's company and the dazzling view of the neon city at nighttime. And of course, the Iredescent popcorn that was a reminder of a wonderful date night.

That same night, Tiae was walking alone near the harbor. She had just left the fashion studio and was headed home to her apartment in Auraglen city. The pitch black night glittered with the lights from the faraway city in the distance. Though she was alone, Tiae felt completely safe, relieved that she didn't have to worry about muggers or rapists. Crime rarely happened on planet Iredescent.

It was chilly out, the kind of weather that had Tiae clutching a warm shawl to herself as she walked. The warm shawl draped stylishly around her neck and over her shoulders. A white long sleeve shirt, hot pink pencil skirt, and black heels followed the rest of tonight's outfit.

The water in the harbor shimmered with light reflections from the lanterns and ships. The light reflections caught the shimmer of her pink lip gloss as Tiae glanced at the water, sighing softly as she went to stand on the wooden pier. She wanted to take her heels and skirt off, but she didn't want to strip alone where a cursory eye could notice her.

The moment she thought about a cursory eye, one revealed himself to her in the form of a male voice, deep, smooth, playful, and accented.

"Conflicted?"

As Tiae turned towards the direction of the voice, she saw a merman perched on the edge of the pier. His muscular arms casually gripped the wooden beam, his eyes following Tiae's every move. Tiae figured he noticed her long before she did.

Her eyes couldn't help but admire his appearance, finding perfection in his broad shoulders, bare chest, wavy black hair, and dark tanned skin. Water drenched him, giving his body a smooth, shiny look. His eyes were dark sapphires with playfulness mingling in pools of black.

Waist up, he looked human (more than human, Tiae thought, a supermodel human), but waist down, his skin progressed to an opalescent seaweed green fin. Tiae could only see part of his merman body, since half his body was submerged underwater, but she gasped lightly in astonishment when she caught sight of his glittering scales.

Tiae saw the merman smiling at her, realizing he caught her staring at him. "Oh, pardon me," she stammered. "You're very beautiful."

"Wanna go in the water with me?" the merman asked, the playfulness surfacing in his dark sapphire eyes. "I know you're a finned one. I saw the conflicted look in your eyes when you were deciding whether or not to strip."

Tiae laughed merrily, amused by the unsual start of their conversation. "Whether or not to strip. That is the question of the ages."

The merman inclined his head to the side, appearing curious. "Well, conflicted one, did you decide on your question?"

A flirty twinkle shone in Tiae's eye, answering his question. The merman grinned when Tiae took her heels off and placed them neatly on the wooden pier, then she jumped in the water with her clothes on. Tiae took her shirt off, her skirt tearing as she turned into her mermaid form. Tiae shrugged, flipping the torn skirt to the side with her fin, as she joined the merman underwater. She always had extra sets of the same clothing made for moments like this.

The merman appeared even more exquisite underwater, his dazzling skin shimmer sparkling like blue dumortierite jewels. "I'm Syren Vodnay," he introduced himself.

"I'm Tiae Sivkov," said Tiae, feeling at home in the water than on land. Her long blonde hair floated around her, held in place with a sparkly silver hair clamp. The golden sheen in her eyes intensified underwater like shining orbs of sunlight gathered into a sea of misty light green that comprised her eye color.

"You are one of the two highly esteemed fashion designers of planet Iredescent," Syren remarked, recognizing her name. "You even design clothes for the Ruler of Iredescent. May I put in a special request to design a fin sleeve for me?"

"A fin sleeve?" Tiae asked, confused. "I've never heard of that term before."

Syren was delighted to explain. "It's a piece of clothing we merpeople put over our fins whenever we wish to dress them up nicely or wear such a thing for certain occasions. Sort of like pants or a skirt, but for fins."

"I see," Tiae said slowly, her confusion fading into understanding. "I've never seen the need when our fins are naturally beautiful."

"Some people like to put something over their fins."

"Really?"

"I'm wearing one now. I'll show you."

As Tiae watched in astonishment, Syren began to take his fin sleeve off, like a human pushing down a skirt and taking it off. He took off his opalescent seaweed green fin sleeve to reveal his true fin color: a glimmering royal blue with indigo scales.

Syren grinned joyously. "Bet you've never seen a merman strip before, have you?"

Tiae's eyes were as wide as the caves lurking in the depth. "You would be my first," she admitted.

"We just met, and here we are, talking about stripping."

Such irony, Tiae thought, smiling at Syren's remark.

Syren chuckled softly, taking Tiae's hand. "Would you like for me to show you the city of Auqvua? Bet you've never seen an underwater city before."

"I would love that!" said Tiae, her face lighting up. "An entire city with merpeople."

"Yes," said Syren, leading Tiae into the ocean depths.

The merman and the mermaid swam for many distances, passing through beautiful schools of fish, dolphins, and other ocean life. It's a totally different world underwater, Tiae thought, enjoying being in what she felt was her most natural surrounding.

The underwater world was just as sparkly as the world above water. Illuminescent coral reefs thrived, providing a beautiful array of color as they competed with the neon coral that flashed codes to each other. Different kinds of fish swam with light pink dolphins and other water creatures that Tiae was unfamiliar with, including a mauve purple flower-like creature with floating butterfly-like spirals.

The mercity of Auqvua was made entirely of a shimmering champagne and coral material. Thick sea plants lined the city like majestic soldiers. Both fish and merpeople swam around, scaling pearlescent apartment buildings and bright pink shopping centers.

The underwater navy force was training in an open plain near the mercity, their weapons shimmering like water ripples in sunlight. Among them was Iro Fenice in his merman form.

Iro's long waist-length black hair was partly pulled back in a ponytail, the rest of it loose. He was shirtless, and his fin was ocean blue with Phoenix flames appearing in an out of the sparkles. Unlike Raistin's orange-yellow flames, Iro's flames were blue. Silver shimmer sparkles glistened within the ocean blue, creating a prismatic holo effect.

To Tiae's astonishment, Antha and Crimson were nearby, watching Iro as he trained the underwater navy force. They were inside what looked like a Cinderella coach, made of a holographic bubble rather than a pumpkin. Tiae realized the coach was an air bubble that allowed Antha and Crimson to see the underwater world. The air bubble acted like glass, allowing them a three-sixty view of the underwater world. Antha and Crimson were safe underwater, as long as they were inside the air bubble Cinderella coach that allowed them to breathe.

The shiny gold outer edges of the air bubble caught the holographic shimmers, refracting them onto Antha's beautiful purplish pink dress and long raven hair. Antha held her infant son, who was outfitted in red, just like his name. Crimson silently looked around with curious eyes, a smile appearing on his face when his crimson eyes rested on his father.

Syren and Tiae hovered just a few fin strokes away, watching as Iro spoke with the underwater navy, congratulating them on their practice training.

"Iro Fenice often comes here to check up on the underwater navy force," Syren explained to Tiae. "Iro oversees the weapons department, both underwater and above water. He makes sure all our military weapons are up to date, that the military is well supplied, healthy, and in good standing. His wife and son often come with him. They are in a blasze-dutka, a type of coach or carriage comprised of an air bubble allowing its passengers to breathe. Sort of like a personal submarine, but fancier. Winged ones use it whenever they wish to visit the underwater world."

"That's ingenious," Tiae marveled. "Like a Cinderella coach."

Syren grinned delightedly, still holding Tiae's hand. "Wanna check out the mermusement park?"

"The what?" Tiae chuckled, seeing she had much to learn about the underwater world.

And so Syren continued to show Tiae the underwater world and all its wonders, the night shimmering as brightly as the stars that adorned the surface.

________________

Daybreak chased away the night shimmers, leading the landscape into a dazzling world of sunlight and glitter.

Demian stood at the edge of the underwater world, the ocean water lapping at his bare feet. Sprays of water drenched his forest green suit and left shimmery water droplets on his wings, kissing his dark hair as the water returned to the ocean.

In his hand, he held a pearlescent white seashell. Inside was the engagement ring Cydtin had picked out for Demian and Ariel.

This is it. The point of no return, Demian thought sadly, wishing it was Valerie he could propose to, but he had a responsibility he had to upkeep. Forced to extinguish the smolder of the burning, passionate desire for his connected, Demian resigned to the rebound that was to be his bride.

Demian heard the sound of incoming wings and turned slightly, lowering his own wings.

Cydtin descended, holding out a bouquet of flowers. Some of them were red roses; others were white lilies, Ariel's favorite flowers. Among the roses and lilies was the popular flower called baby's breath, an elegant tiny white flower on thin green stalks, but with the horrid scent of sour milk. However, the strong heavy scents of roses and lilies successfully dominated.

Though he enjoyed a wonderful date night, Cydtin didn't dare miss out on his irangel brother's important moment. He placed the flowers in Demian's hand, saying, "Luciu agreed to be the cameraman. Ariel will be here in a few minutes."

"How is she doing?" Demian couldn't help asking.

"Her thoughts were cheerful after she had pearl cloud cake, so she's doing good," Cydtin told him. "After your proposal, I'm sure her thoughts will become ecstatic. She loves you very much."

"You mean, she is obsessed with me very much." Demian sighed, thinking back to when Ariel was eyeing him at the Rose complex. Her infatuation became a serious love, especially after the breakup that led them together.

Ariel had always been flirtatious. Her dirty thoughts were enough to make a man blush. Demian was experienced in dismissing such thoughts from people, though it was much harder to dismiss them from a familiar mental voice than the mental voice of a stranger.

Demian sought Ariel after his relationship ended with Valerie. After rekindling their passionate love, Demian was forced to break up again, this time because of Ariel's pregnancy.

Seems I am always seeking Ariel during times of trouble, Demian thought, recalling the many times Ariel comforted him, mostly in bed. Ariel served as the perfect distraction from the things that troubled his mind. Perhaps this is for my own good. Maybe I need a permanent distraction to keep my mind off the darkness, so I won't be compelled to kill the Black Rose.

Demian was startled from his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder and Cydtin's sharp voice saying in warning, "She's here. I will go now." He took flight, disappearing into the sky.

Alone, Demian turned his back to the sea, facing the woman walking towards him on the shoreline. His breath was taken away with the wind, his gaze fastened on Ariel like the light pink pearl buttons on her light pink dress with white sparkles.

The dawn sunlight framed her super long orange red hair, collecting sand particles. Sometimes Ariel wore a renaissance style hair net called snood, inlaid with elegant white pearls, but today her hair was loose, adorned with white sparkles to match her dress.

The sleeves on her dress resembled pink seaweed that wrapped around her arms, ribboning around her collarbones, and draping down in waves around her voluminious dress. Light pink pearls danced like ballerinas amid the white sparkles, holding Demian's gaze captive.

Ariel's bright, beautiful smile waned upon sight of the flowers in Demian's hand. The wonderous, magical moment was broken upon the unexpected dissatisfaction.

What's wrong? Demian asked Ariel telepathically, confused as to why the flowers seemed to upset her. Usually flowers brightened a woman's day, encouraging delightful smiles and good scents.

Some of them are roses. I don't like roses, Ariel responded bitterly, already used to having telepathic conversations with Demian.

Because of Valerie, the Black Rose, Demian thought privately. Roses are usually in a flower bouquet. I should have known that roses would upset Ariel. Atypical, since most men tend to give their women roses. However, I am unable to do so with my woman.

Feeling as though this was another way of discarding his true desire, Demian forced himself to ignore his personal disappointment. He reluctantly picked the roses out of the flower bouquet and tossed them in the ocean. He dared not watch as the water took the roses away, feeling as though his heart was taken.

Should be satisfactory now, Demian said, handing the rest of the bouquet towards Ariel. He dematerialized his wings to keep them dry, since wet wings made them heavy. Ariel's wings were already dematerialized, since she was walking and not flying.

The waves crashed around the two irangels, scattering sparkly water droplets on their hair and clothes. Demian gently reached to push back a wet strand, pleased when Ariel finally accepted the bouquet.

"No woman wants to feel like a second choice," Ariel spoke verbally, her voice soft and bitter. "If I'm not your first choice, then I will be somebody else's first choice."

I just tossed the roses in the ocean. Is that not enough? Demian hid his frustration, keeping a calm composed expression. He wordlessly got one knee and pulled out the pearlescent white seashell from his suit pocket, opening it. The engagement ring sparkled in the dawn sunlight, gleaming on Ariel's surprised face.

"Only my first choice receives this from me," Demian told Ariel. "Will you marry me, Ariel?"

It was at that moment when Ariel realized that Demian was serious. No other woman would wear that ring, except the woman that said yes. The ring would be proof that Demian was hers, now and forevermore.

Valerie would never wear that ring, Ariel thought, allowing herself that self-satisfied thought, even though she knew Demian would hear it.

"Yes," Ariel said hurriedly, rushing to kiss Demian. The two irangels fell in the water, entangled in a sea of light pink fabric and glitter. "Yes, Demian! I will marry you," Ariel said in between kisses, her bitter thoughts evaporating upon the ecstatic joy of becoming Demian's wife.

Behind a shimmery lavender purple rock feature, Luciu sighed in relief as he took pictures. He had been afraid Demian's proposal would go up in smoke, but he was happy it turned out well.

Standing near Luciu, Cydtin smiled, pleased to see his prediction had come true of Ariel's thoughts. Though he felt for Demian, aware of his heartbreak at daybreak, Cydtin felt this was for the best, since a child was involved, and Demian needed to focus his attention away from the awakened darkness.

Moments later, Cydtin's mind was bombarbed with over a dozen ecstatic thoughts, not just from Ariel, but from the irangels, the Iredescents, and the Phoenixes upon learning about the engagement.

"Ready to make this official?" Demian asked Ariel, linking her arm in his, as they walked together towards the ballroom where Raistin hosted another party, this time to celebrate Demian and Ariel's engagement.

Demian and Ariel halted upon the unexpected sight of Civic and Valerie dancing together in the center of the ballroom. The irangels watched from around the ballroom, entranced as Civic and Valerie danced, not on the floor, but in the air.

Their wings touched each other's as Civic stole kisses in between dance moves. Valerie's black roses scattered around the ballroom, catching the lights and sparkles. Several were set aflame via Raistin's orange yellow Phoenix flames that spiraled upward like rose-covered castle towers.

The Phoenixian flames seemed to clap excitedly, the foreground of the backdrop that materialized into the clarity of Civic's shimmery golden black suit and Valerie's royal purple dress, vividly shining with the metallic gold and lush purple.

What a way to steal the show, Ariel thought, feeling miffed that she wasn't receiving attention at her own engagement party.

Upon glimpsing Demian and Ariel's entrance, Civic shot Demian a fierce glare before taking Valerie in his arms, ending the dance with a passionate kiss and a knelt knee.

As Valerie looked at Civic in slight bewilderment, Civic pulled out a black rose-shaped jewelry box, opening it to reveal a ring. Black roses sparkled amid the gold, glimmering with strands of metallic purple.

I didn't choose that ring for them, Cydtin immediately told Demian, proving himself innocent. I didn't even know Civic intended to marry Valerie. But I suppose you inspired him, Cydtin said, directing the blame towards Demian.

The sarcastic Demian would've responded, So I did. Congratulations to us both.

But the newly engaged, heartbroken Demian simply stood in silence, feeling his heart shatter into pieces like the scattered black rose petals.

Feeling Demian's heartbreak through the connection, Valerie resisted the temptation to glance in Demian's direction, though she was aware of his presence. Stifling her own heartbreak and tears, Valerie continued to gaze at Civic, ignoring the pain that threatened to overtake, instead focusing on the warmth that Civic always provided, the genuine care and love that wrapped around her like a blanket.

The shattered pieces crumbled into ash, burnt with fire, pierced with thorns, the moment Civic asked, "Will you marry me?" and Valerie responded, "Yes, I will marry you."

Two engagements in one day. I wonder what brought about such an occasion, Raistin thought, turning the flames into roses. Embers danced on his eternal black suit, the firelight mingling with the shimmery glitter.

Realizing he needed to pull himself together, Demian resumed his usual collected composure. Taking up Civic's prior idea, Demian surprised everyone when he started dancing with Ariel, ignoring the cheers from the irangels as they celebrated Civic and Valerie's engagement, in addition to Demian and Ariel's engagement. Demian's heart surged at the return of his confident resolve, strengthening him in the midst of heartbreak.

While the irangels began to follow suit and dance with each other, Demian and Ariel danced their way out of the ballroom and into the bedroom. Even thoughts of cake and desserts didn't rouse Demian as he made love to Ariel, needing to shift his attention to the woman he prioritized.

That night, peace encompassed Demian while Ariel slept in his arms. There was no darkness, no pain, no heartbreak, no sadness, just the sensation of pleasure and delight.

Ariel's hair and skin smelled like the ocean, a pleasant arrangement of coconut and saltwater breeze with white frangipani, uniting beautifully with Demian's scent of forest trees and peppermint.

Upon breathing the natural scent of their bodies, it came to mind that every person seemed to have their own scent.

Valerie's strong rose scent collided with Civic's scent that reminded of a warm fireplace or a bonfire with toasted marshmallow.

Cole usually smelled like cedarwood and violets.

Stripes was sage mint, the same scent his father always wore. Annika was magnolia and gardenia, flowery and sweet, and Yuri smelled like orchids.

Cydtin, of course, always smelled like coffee, but his scent was rich dark espresso, while Amanda smelled like a mocha coffee with hazelnut.

Anders had an exotic evergreen scent with wild floral notes, indicating his former flamboyance.

Inlivido continually wore his favorite cologne, Drakkar Noir. It was an earthy, spicy blend of artemisia, lavender, basil, rosemary, and sandalwood.

Kirrie was intense oud, an edgy smokey leather scent with vanilla.

Cloridy smelled like cassias and cardamom, and Tiae smelled like blackberry and jasmine.

Luciu was mostly sandlewood, iris, bergamot, and cotton.

Viraj was the very definition of floral, smelling like every kind of flower on the planet, all combined into one floracious scent.

Desmond had a whimsical scent of his own, the kind of scent that reminded you of another century with pirate ships. It was an adventurous scent, one that perfectly matched his personality.

Tal perpetually smelled like pine trees, and Zvizda smelled like black currant, vanilla, caramel, plum, roses, strawberry, and chocolate, all in one.

Nend's scent was aquatic with water lilies and moss; Aryle's scent was coconut.

Raistin smelled like a campfire, bonfire, smoke, ash, and flames; Tereza smelled like Japanese cherry blossoms with hints of lilac.

In the midst of the coziness and bliss, Demian felt something tug at him, a menacing presence deep within that rose up unexpectedly, like a cold hand going up towards his neck, threatening to choke him. His eyes flashed open, his mind trying to figure out the unwelcome presence, realizing it was something he had always had since he first turned into an irangel. It intensified when he massacred the original irangels, rose again upon Cydtin's command, then died down completely, until the day he came to planet Iredescent for the first time.

It was something Demian had never figured out until now. His former human interest in weapons was the only reason he could think of as to why he had the knowledge and skill of a trained assassin. The knife he had massacred the original irangels with was a relic of the past like the cylinders.

Finally, Demian understood the dark alien presence he had felt since the day he first turned into an irangel.

The alien darkness had been lurking around, seeking people to become the next Black Rose and connected. After selecting Demian to become the Black Rose's connected, the darkness led Demian to the woman he was destined to be with, the woman who would become the next Black Rose: Valerie Céliy.

And now, the darkness was awakened after being dormant for some time. Demian had the sense it seemed to be searching for a target. It was bored and restless, coming on like a slow cold.

Demian drew upon the Black Rose's energy to shut it down, to do away with it completely. He felt her energy give strength to his cause, using only a fraction of it so he wouldn't interrupt her sleep. Demian felt Valerie move slightly, astonishing him that he was able to feel what she felt, even though they were in separate rooms.

This never happened before, Demian thought in alarm, moving back from Ariel, as he struggled to figure out how it was possible.

A waver of confusion flickered through Valerie's thoughts before she continued to sleep without further interruption. Even Civic didn't suspect anything as he slept with his arm around Valerie.

Demian felt the darkness retreat. It was still there, but it was momentarily quiet. Wondering if Valerie felt anything, he reached out to her again and he felt exactly what she felt: warm and comfy, a hint of a desire for ice cream, but mostly peace and quiet.

Relaxing, Demian moved to a comfier position in bed, the peaceful feeling from Valerie making him feel the same.

Ariel startled Demian when she slightly moved in her sleep. He laid back down, putting his arms around her as he pulled her close, drawing comfort from having her nearby. Ariel relaxed, making Demian relax too.

After several minutes of listening to her breathing, Demian dozed off, forgetting about the earlier darkness, as his thoughts started to return to Ariel, while holding onto the peaceful feeling he received from Valerie.

________________

Music:

"Libertine (NIT Remix)"
by Mylène Farmer

"XXL (Blue Stahli Remix"
by Mylène Farmer

"C'est un belle journée (The Hacker Remix)"
by Mylène Farmer

[Don't know why I randomly listened to French electronic dance music for this chapter, but I did. And it's fantastic.
You're welcome. Sparkle on ✨]

[And now, the English music]

"Blame"
by Great Good Fine Ok

"Want U Like I Do"
by The Anix

"Romantic Piano"
by Dmitriy Sevostyanov

________________