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It was over.
As the wicked sorceress Ma hit the ground and died, a sense of peace settled upon the world. It felt like the resolution, the ending that would close off the Story of Evil and allow their souls to step into the new age. Whatever and wherever that may be.
All of this, Riliane thought while looking out and across the land. Thousands upon thousands of singing voices resounded, the souls of this realm all coming together in a singular song to cut through the ages.
‘And they’re singing for...’
The princess was no stranger to being sang for. Once upon a time she had received constant musical numbers as gifts, entertainment that she would mindlessly clap along to, raging at any small mistake. Those had all been far more elaborate. Far more fitting for the one known as the Daughter of Evil. But they were all missing something, something that Riliane now heard, that bought tears to her eyes and humility to her heart.
Joy.
Yes, the songs she had heard in her reign had been extravagant and impressive. But they held no true soul to them, they had been performed out of fear and servitude. There was no need for any of those things anymore. The melody resonated peace, love, hope, humanity. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. Why had she never appreciated this sooner? Why, all of those years ago, did she shun this love in favour of materialistic gain and selfishness? She had never been truly happy with it, so why...?
Riliane knew why. The Demon of Pride, and her own cruel arrogance. She could never forgive herself for her actions, regardless of any demonic influence at the time, of her life of atonement, or how accepting her people were upon meeting her again in this life.
‘I hurt you all so badly... and yet, you sing for me now...’
She didn’t deserve this second chance, but she wouldn’t let it go. No, Riliane could never forgive herself for what she did as princess, but she could ensure those mistakes are never repeated.
‘I will not let myself use power so foolishly this time. My people, and the rest of you souls, I will create a world of peace and love. This story of evil... I will make sure it never repeats... I will not allow your kindness to go unrewarded.’
With this new resolve within her heart, the princess felt herself smiling. Yet, she couldn’t bring it to become more than a ghost of happiness. Something still sat heavy within her heart, because despite the thousands of voices that reached out to her, there was still one missing. She had no way of telling for certain, but she knew. A cold, ill feeling in her stomach told her that despite everything, he was missing.
He never forgave her, that much was clear. Despite how close they had been, he had ran off once again. How could she have expected him to want to see her? No matter how long she had waited and longed, how many forms she had taken on in that time, she had no way of knowing if he felt the same way about seeing her again. He had every right to avoid her, didn’t he? The others may have forgiven her, but him... he was different. No matter how her people had suffered, their pain was in no way the same as what she had put him through. What he had done for her.
“Allen...” Riliane whispered in a broken voice, the small smile on her face giving way to the tears that welled in her eyes and threatened to slip out. She wanted to be strong, but it felt near impossible by now. The pure breaking of her heart was physically painful, so close to completely consuming her that she never even noticed the footsteps growing close.
“You called for me?”
The princess gave a wide-eyed glance over her shoulder, before turning to properly face the boy who approached. She stared. For what felt like an eternity, she stared and tried to comprehend what- or who- stood before her. Her mind was running wild, yet everything felt like it was in slow motion. She tried to remember how to speak, how to move, how to even breathe, but none of it came to her. She could only stand motionless, feeling the wetness running down her face because after nearly 500 years of waiting, of regretting and praying to every god she could think of, he was there. He was finally, really, truly there.
Allen smiled, “Hello, princess.”
Riliane flung herself at Allen before her brain even fully caught onto the reality of the situation. As he himself began to tear up, she let composure be damned and sobbed into his jacket. Centuries of tears were released by both, as they sat there holding each other. Complete once more.
“It’s okay, Riliane. The world is no longer our enemy.”