"Recipe For Darkness"
To make a black rose…well, the creation was so much more complicated than the simple planting and tending of the average duel rose. Those were colored by the purest resonating hue, the color that most represented a duelist's cause. But that was only one facet of a personality, and a black rose, a true black rose, required more. This one, for instance, required a single base flower, one rose to hold the spell. This was a blank, pure white bloom, petals full and unmarked. Stark and austere in comparison to the pure creamy white of the Victor's rose, this rose was one that had not yet found an owner.
With a word and a gesture from the Witch, the rose found roots in the water, keeping it steady as the spell wove gently around it, lead it towards its owner, its holder, and tied the bonds between Soul and Representation.
The waters Changed, glowed and shone with the light of a soul. Water, already a living thing, could easily be a vessel for the life of a human.
Through the stem of the rose came the spirit; every part of the person, but backwards. From light to dark, from the vague surface thoughts, to morals, to the very deepest corners of the soul. Layers and layers of self were absorbed, melting through the petals and into the very heart of the flower, and with each layer, the color darkened and deepened before turning to final, purest black. Like dipping candles, like making a pearl…or a poisoned apple. The soul seeped in the rose, to be placed back into the body inside-out. To make a black rose was such an involved matter.
It was lucky that she had such experience.