She looked at the black-haired woman at the other end of the cafe, the girl had black hair not much unlike Alice’s own and the way she attended guest after guest made it clear that she had been in this business for quite some time. The green-eyed woman recognized her, she had been the worker who served the four of them, her, Oda, Evelina and Jonathan, at this very caffe before they had confronted Junsei for the second time. She was not certain if the girl recognized her, nor did she particularly care that much, Alice was just happy that she was still alive and well. As she finished her coffee, the pale woman would head outside of the coffee shop. It took quite some time, for Alice had chosen to sit at one of the tables in the shop's far corners, quite far away from the entrance. Well outside, she could feel the midsummer sun on her pale skin.
She did not really like being outside when the sun was high, her black clothing absorbing most of the sunlight and heating up to an uncomfortable degree at this time of the year. Yet, she could not stay inside any longer because she had something she needed to do. Her purpose with this trip, back to the town where she had almost died so many times, it was something important. If you were an outsider, observing her from afar then the purpose would probably appear dumb or silly. But to the black star of misfortune, it was the most important thing in the world. As she walked through the town, she recognized a small wooden bridge. It was brand new in appearance, yet it evoked memories from within Alice. A slight smile appeared on her face, it wasn’t a smile of joy, but rather an expression that held both happiness and sadness. She pushed her memories of Junsei, of the final battle, away. Instead the black-haired woman had decided that she would focus on the present.
Several years had passed since that fateful day. The town of Pandemonium had already started being rebuilt less than a year after its total destruction, no one knew what had ultimately destroyed the town. There were all kinds of theories, some claimed it had been an underground volcano that had scorched the surface, some more superstitious it had been the wrath of god while others said it had been a nuclear missile test. Still, no one but Alice knew what really had transpired in this town all those years ago and she intended to keep it that way. Her story was not one the world needed to know. The government had made no official statements about what the future of the town would look like but from what kind of buildings were now surrounding her, it seemed like the intention was to turn this place into a tourist town. It made sense, after all the town was now surrounded by beautiful green fields in all directions after the forest surrounding it had been turned to ash. It was the kind of place people would pay money just for the opportunity to visit. It was not long until she exited the city, green fields now stretching out in all directions before her.
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After Pandemonium had been destroyed those who had lost someone close to them would come to the town and plant a flower. The idea was to surround the town by miles and miles of beautiful flowers, and although that would probably never become reality Alice thought it was a beautiful idea. As she walked through the green fields, swathes of flowers being visible throughout, she would slowly but surely make her way towards a certain spot. Finding this spot for the first time after the city had been destroyed had been hard, it had taken her several hours but once she came upon it it was like she had always known the place. For on the outskirts of the town, far away from all other flowers, she had planted ten flowers herself.
One for each person who had lost their lives in the fight for Pandemonium and the fate of the world.
She had planted a bindweed for Kusari, the violent man that had ended up devoured by Maru-Maru. She had planted a poppy for Jonathan, the war veteran who gave his life in the fight for the world. She had planted an easter lily for Kigura, the samurai who sought to end Junsei’s evil plan and died as a result. She had planted a daisy for Mifuyu, the warrior who was killed as a result of his past. She had planted a snowdrop for Maru-Maru, the monstrous woman who had sought to devour her. She had planted a morning glory for Evelina, the brave woman who had saved her life. She had planted a lantana for Shirou, the man who took it upon himself to be a warrior of Justice. She had planted a spanish oyster for Oda, the young man who had sought to redeem himself of his past. She had planted a red rose for Shi, the woman who had given everything to stop her lover from ending the world and she had planted a white rose for Junsei, the child blessed and cursed by the heavens.
As she stood above the flowerbed, it was a magnificent sight of color and beauty. For a moment, the woman thought that she might end up crying as she thought back on what she had gone through in this town. But then, just as she was about to leave the display of color she noticed something that she hadn’t seen before. It was a flower, unlike any she had seen before, it was more beautiful than a rose yet it shied away from the others, being covered by the other flowers making it hard to see. It was a flower that Alice had no recollection of ever planting.
Its color was Violet.