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Dark Enchantress stood over the bodies of the Royal ancients. There was blood splattered across the floor with none of the sources moving. It was over, in the end, she had won.
Her minions joyously celebrated the victory, they walked out of the throne room with all the soul gems in a single jar chattering happily.
She could hear Licorice gloat and happily sing, Poison Mushroom being confused as to what had just happened but pleased with everyone else’s high spirits, Pomegranate with a content smile as her masters wishes had finally been fulfilled, and Dark Choco had his head lowered with his sword covered in blood. He was the only one not celebrating
Well not the only one, she supposed. She should be happy about this. She should be celebrating with her followers over her victory but.. there was a emptiness she had never experienced. Looking down at the dismembered and bleeding people that she use to call friends.
No. That wasn’t her. That was the weakling of the past. She’s a new person, she’s been reborn with open eyes. She’s no longer her. This feeling will go away, she has no reason to dwell on it. She huffed and looked away towards the cracked window looking outside of the castle. The skies were red to show the fire and pollution and consequences for magic that was in the air. Buildings were burning, citizens bodies had fallen, she watched as the special species of cake hounds led by her general, Red Velvet, mauled the living and fed off the dead.
She didn’t even realize she held her staff with a stronger grip, she had a lump in her throat. A bad feeling, but why? She had won. That was it.
Apparently not.
She soon heard grunts and groans in pain, followed by a ‘ 𝘞𝘩…𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘭𝘺… ‘ The voice made her freeze and her eyes widened in terror. She whipped her head around to see the sorcerer at the front of the dying/dead group tremble, he pressed his bloodied hands on the hard and cold floor that was once his throne room. His white robe was stained with red and it had ruined the image of purity that often came with his appearance.
The right side of his face had blood spilling down from a massive cut and his hair was disheveled, his ice cream cone like hat was scattered to the corner of the room. It had fallen off during the fight. He had blood spilling from his mouth and tears in his eyes that were stained red with all the blood on his face. Yet despite all the injuries he had, the excruciating pain he must have been in, he was smiling.
It was a pained and hurt but genuine smile. Despite the war ending in his enemies favor, he was happy. 𝘞𝘩𝘺? 𝘞𝘩𝘺.. 𝘞𝘏𝘠?!
He let out a sad chuckle, his only visible sparkling blue eye close as his body shook from the laughter. “Heh..hehe.. this is… this is it… isn’t it?” He opened his blue eye again, looking up to Dark Enchantress yet expression unchanging even from her unnatural look of horror.
“I’m gonna die here.. heh… it’s funny…” he was cut off by a cough, more blood spilling from his mouth and dripping onto the floor. Tears streamed down his face as they combined with the crimson blood. “I… I always thought… I’d die in my own bed honestly… however cliche or… selfish as it may seem.. I thought.. when I left this world…. You would be.. by my side..”
Dark Enchantress could only stare in horror as he sorrowfully talked. It sounded like something out of a game or a cartoon. So cheesy yet heartfelt once the viewer gets attached to the characters. “So… the l-last thing I would see… was your beautiful face…” he chuckled once again, he looked in even more pain then the first few times he allowed laughter to escape him.
“I… I guess… this could c-count huh? I just… I didn’t.. imagine… it’d ever be so painful.” Pure Vanilla placed his hands firmly on the ground before putting pressure on them. He had a sharp intake of breath as he attempted to lift himself up and get closer to Dark Enchantress. “… I-I’m sorry..” He said quietly as he had only pushed himself closer by a inch before his body gave out and he fell to the floor, yet still conscious. He let out another cough. “I’m sorry… I was… I could never… b-be there for you.. ever since we… were kids. A-all I did was spout lied and empty promises.. h-huh?..”
How was he alive? His staff was far away from him.. he was too old to use natural magic without an item to help anymore.. was this the power of pure stubbornness? Did he refuse to pass on before he could try and spout out this nonsense?
“I-I… we promised we’d a-always be by each others side.. yet… I let you go.. I didn’t try.. h-hard enough to stop you… and then we lost contact for ye-years.. you… went through.. s-so much.. nothing I could… ever understand.. all the things you’ve seen…” Stop. Stop it.
“B-being here.. knowing this is the end… our friends.. h-have already passed on… and I’ll be joining them.. we lost.. and y-yet… the failure.. isn’t what pains me.” STOP. DON’T CONTINUE! STOP!
“Th-the bodies of my friends… my citizens.. what k-kind of ruler am I huh?.. Wh-what kind of friend.. I couldn’t save them… I couldn’t…… save you.. I’m sorry… White l-Lily..” “DON’T TALK TO ME LIKE WE’RE FRIENDS!” Dark Enchantress finally cut in, venom dripping in her words as she bared her teeth in a disgusted snarl. The sudden shout made Pure Vanilla pause. “We were NEVER friends. The weakling you knew as white Lily is gone! Spare me your pathetic last words.” She said the last part nearly rolling her eyes.
Pure Vanilla paused, but then he smiled meekly once again. “M-my apologies..” He tilted his head closer to the floor, it seemed he lost the strength to keep it upright. “…i thought.. I t-truly thought one day… we c-could finally.. be together..”
The sorcerer quietly spoke, now seeming to just talk to himself. Dark Enchantresses hands trembled, her body shook, her eyes wide yet eyebrows furrowed in anger. She’ll never admit she did so in sorrow and misery. His last words were followed by a sad chuckle and he spoke for the final time “M-maybe.. in another l-life.. I.. love you…” with that and a final smile, his body froze up.
It no longer moved to indicate it was in pain or was doing anything as simple as breathing. His one open eye dulled and his lips now in an automatic frown slightly parted to show his teeth with spots of red.
Dark Enchantress felt the air drop closely to what it’d feel like when in a walk in freezer for an hour in a t-shirt and shorts, despite the fire blazing all across the kingdom. Her breathing stopped once the former kings did and she felt tears build up. He wasn’t anything to her… and yet she cried over his death. Was that the case…?
She never thought she’d feel dread as heart wrenching and painful after what she’d seen on the night of the witches, yet she dropped to her knees before the body of her friend, and cried.
———
White Lily opened her eyes to see darkness surrounding her, she was on her tilted knees and frantically whipped her head around to see if she could find anything that wasn’t pitch black.
She tilted her head all over until her eyes landed on a bright glowing figure not too far away. She squinted her eyes to see if she could get a clearer image and immediately her breath got caught in her throat. She rose to her feet and ran towards him, stumbling slightly yet not slowing down.
“Pure Vanilla!” She cried out, tears falling from her ruby red eyes as she ran for her friend who smiled at her with open arms. She jumped into his hold, it made him stumble back a bit due to her sudden weight and considering the fact he was shorter then her, but laughed it off and rubbed her back to comfort her.
The white haired sorceress cried into his shoulder with her knees bent, weak from the emotion she felt in that moment. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I don’t deserve you! Not your kindness or your forgiveness!” She sobbed as her hands turned to fists resting on the olders back. Pure Vanilla rubbed her back, drawing circles on it with a firm expression that she couldn’t see until he moved her away from him with hands firmly on her shoulders.
“White Lily, listen to me. This wasn’t your fault.. you’ve seen horrible things, that will mess up anyone. If anything, I don’t deserve you.. I’m a failure. I couldn’t save you.. I couldn’t save our friends.. and for that I deeply apologize. I could never stay mad at you, and please never put yourself down like that. You deserve the world.” He moved his hands to her cheeks and moved forward to plant a kiss on her lips. White Lily slightly giggled at the soft touch. “You’re such a hypocrite.” She said light heartedly.
He smiled so simply yet so brightly. He was like the sun, he was so kind. The smile made her forget all the worries she had previously. She went to hug him again, afraid if she let him go he would disappear forever.
Unfortunately… that was the case. There was a shout from behind them as the two separated to see who was calling. Three other figures were nearby a bright white light behind them, shadowing them but White Lily could still make out who they were. Once she figured it out, she gasped and a hand rose to her mouth to cover it.
There by the light were her friends. Dark Cacao was stoically standing to the right of the group, not talking or showing much facial expression at all, but was looking at the two of them with his sword missing.
Golden Cheese was to the left, hand on her hip while the other leaned on her side with a smirk.
HollyBerry was in the middle of the trio, cupping one hand over her mouth and using the other to wave, calling out to Pure Vanilla.
Pure Vanilla looked to them sorrowfully before gently holding White Lily’s hands in his own. “I have to go Lily..” He said sadly, frowning as he looked up to her. He squeezed her hands in comfort as her eyes widened once again, all ideas of comfort and happiness in his arms shattering in an instant. He turned around and walked towards the others, one of his hands letting go of hers but the other dangling as it started to retract from her range.
“No!” White Lily cried out, jumping forward to her knees in front of Pure Vanilla and grabbed his robe, crying into it. “Don’t go! Please! Don’t leave me! I can’t handle it!” She could barely breathe, much less speak due to how much she was sobbing. Pure Vanilla smiled sympathetically and put a hand to her head, patting it a bit. “Lily. I’m afraid I don’t have a choice… but I’ll always be with you. Don’t worry. We’ll meet again one day, and until then..”
White Lily looked up with blurry eyes as Pure Vanilla paused his sentence and seemed to get something out of a pocket hidden in his robes. After rubbing her eyes she noticed it was a vanilla orchid.
The sorcerer gently put it in her hair beside the white Lily already in her hair, bringing a bright yellow color to her white and green color pallet. He kissed her forehead and then pressed his own forehead against hers. “I will always love you Lily. Stay strong, never give up. I love you.” White Lily had more tears fall down but it wasn’t as much as before. “I-I… lo-love you too..” She shakily said.
Pure Vanilla nodded and soon separated from her again, walking towards the still shouting HollyBerry and the others. Once he got to them he looked back once towards White Lily and waved happily, his smile wasn’t sad at all. It was encouraging and calming, but.. it didn’t stop White Lily to start sobbing harder then she had in the past few minutes.
She stumbled forward but couldn’t get to her feet, she extended her hand to reach out for them. “NO! DON’T GO! PLEASE!” Her voice got weaker and weaker every word as she watched them all turn around and walk into the blinding light. “Please.. don’t leave me…” her words reached no one as they all disappeared into the light, leaving her in the overwhelming darkness. She fell forward onto the ground, lying on her stomach with her arms crossed blocking her eyes as she continued to cry. She was alone.
———
Dark Enchantress woke up with a start, immediately rising from the bed she had been sleeping in for so long. She grabbed her chest in fear as sweat beaded down her face. Just a dream. It was just a dream.
That was what she thought at least, until she looked over to the nightstand beside her bed. She was just going to grab a glass of water she often left there but froze as she went to reach it. Next to the glass… was a vanilla orchid.