Lily woke up with a slight pain on her head, her arms and her legs. Letting her eyes wander around the area, she took note of the great chasm where she had fallen.
It seemed a bit higher than she had initially thought.
"I can't believe I survived that." She groaned as she tried to sit up.
"I have never met anyone who had been so determined to get the silver rose." A voice filtered on her ears.
Lily looked for the owner of the voice and was slightly surprised to find a white rabbit. But not just any white rabbit.
The rabbit stood in its two hind legs and was about 6 feet-not counting the ears-tall. He was also wearing clothes fit for a king and on the bridge of his nose sat a rectangular spectacles.
"who are you?" Lily managed to gasp out.
"I am Weiss, the keeper of the Silver Rose." The rabbit said while giving the girl a slight bow.
"Accursed human?" she asked as curiosity got the best of her.
"No. I am not a human but a creature that was made to guard this place." Weiss said, his ears twitched as he neared the girl.
"I am the guardian spirit of this turf." His red eyes were boring through the girl's form.
"Are you going to kill me since I am attempting to get the rose?" she probed as her eyes took in the creature in front of her.
Although the white rabbit looked amiable, Lily could not shake the foreboding feeling coming from the creature.
"Where would the fun be if I kill you?" Weiss muttered in a rather amused tone. "It had been decades since I have anyone attempt to get the rose. And you by far were the most determined of the lot."
"I do have my reasons for being too determined to get the rose." She muttered under her breath. "I need it for my potion."
"Ah! A witch in training! I should have known." The rabbit gave her a grin filled with mystery.
"Even though you claim to be a witch, why is it that for some reasons, I could sense a different kind of vibe from you? I could smell a trace of a non-caster entity from you." His fiery eyes narrowed on the girl.
Lily refused to answer his question and just merely shrugged her shoulders.
"Very well, if you don't want to answer, it is fine. In any case, I have a proposition for you, my child." Weiss said as he circled around the girl. "I can spare you a silver rose, if you manage to do the task that I am going to ask of you."
The princess narrowed her eyes at Weiss with suspicion.
"What's the catch? And does that involved me getting killed?" she could not help but ask.
"The catch? Nothing much. If you are not careful, you might die. But if you can do it properly, then you may do something that may benefit the both of us."
"Let me hear it first before I give you my decision." She said as she eyed the creature warily.
For some reasons, she could not fully trust Weiss. His proposition seemed a bit suspicious.
The rabbit made his way towards a darkened corner. He then pulled a rustic chair made of tempered thorns. Taking his seat, he began.
"Don't you know that the silver rose has always been a symbol of love, prosperity and immortality?"
The girl just shook her head. Lily only knew the immortality part but never the other symbols. She had always thought that red roses were the ones which symbolize love.
"If used in potion, silver roses are more potent than red roses. The effect of the potion is about thrice as strong as a red rose." Weiss imparted.
Lily's eyes widened. "No wonder, Mrs. Caraway said that the potion would be considered illegal. It would make sense if it is that potent."
"Due to its potency and power, the silver roses were poached for centuries which lead to its near extinction. Mt. Thorns had always been filled with blooms but now only a lone blossom had remained at the top." Weiss said.
Turning towards the girl, he stated. "But you may be able to change that."
Lily's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. "Me? How?"
He got up from his seat and made his way near the girl. "I can feel a strong magic residing in you. Even though you were at the foot of the Mt. Thorns, I could still pick up the magic that had been leaking from you."
"If you manage to tap into your pure mana, you may be able to make the old silver rose bush bloom once again." He explained.
"I can make the bush bloom again?" Lily said more to herself.
She could still remember the spell Hazel had done for her. The almost dying plant was revived when Hazel had given an ample amount of mana to the plant.
Hazel had made sure that the plant was able to absorb such pure mana before she ordered the plant to heal itself.
It took such concentration and effort to bring the dying plant back to its former glory but Hazel managed to do it.
If Lily could make the rose bush bloom, she could make the silver blossom available for other casters.
Lily was brought out of her reverie when Weiss added. "If the lone blossom whither and the rose bush die, I will cease to exist."
"But I thought, you have been the silver rose's keeper for centuries." Lily asked in confusion.
"True, but once the silver rose succumb to extinction, I will lose my purpose and die with it." Weiss imparted.
"Can't you do anything about it by yourself?" the girl probed further. She still can't help but be apprehensive with Weiss's idea.
"If I can I had already done something, but I was unable to do so. I am not allowed to set foot in the core of the silver rose."
After almost an hour of deliberation, Lily finally gave it a shot. She wouldn't be able to get a single bloom if Weiss will get on her way. It would be best for her to do something in order to get the blasted rose.
"Fine! What do I need to do?" she finally caved in.
Weiss smiled and gave the girl the information that she needed.
"In the core of this thorny labyrinth lies the main rose bush. All you needed to do is to recite a revitalizing spell and inject your mana to its roots. The rose will be able to flourish and bloom once more."
Lily prepared to embark on her momentary detour. If she succeeds she will be able to get her ingredient, so she had to take risks.
But before Lily could leave, Weiss gave her a warning.
"Young witch, just be careful once you get there. A certain creature had been living near the rose bush and had been devouring its source of nourishment. Even I could not do anything about the creature. But you may be able to defeat it."
Lily nodded and soon her adventure started.