❝The world is merciless, and it's also very beautiful.❞
For years she'd suffered, under the bitter rain as it washed away the blood, under the scorching sun as it charred her wounds - for nature had fallen prey to the destructive march of the Allie...
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❝ only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love. ❞
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The streetlights flickered to life.
Night approached the sleeping town of Musutafu as people snuggled deep under their blankets, oblivious of the world, oblivious of the dark. Heroes and villains patrolled the streets alike, both in search of crime, one standing in the light of the streetlamp, one lurking in the shadows behind. The moon was shining in the black sky above, and the gentle night breeze lulled the flickering stars to sleep.
The lone figure walked underneath the canopy of stars, her hood pulled down low, a habit reminiscent of the days of green capes and brown uniforms. This is the first time she has seen a sky full of glistening stars and breathed in air devoid of any smell of burning flesh or gunpowder. This is the first time she has stepped into the free world.
Back once in her childhood, her blonde friend had always told her stories of clear skies and sparkling waters. His blue eyes had shone with excitement as he showed her pictures of green mountains and blue streams. They'd talked all night of a world so far away from them as the shackles of destiny kept them confined to a world of dull grey sky and barren landscapes.
Later she saw that very world in her friends, as surrounded by death on all sides, she had seen the ocean in the eyes of her blonde friend, the green mountains in the boy who sought freedom, and the warmth of a bonfire in the red scarf of her roommate. She had seen courage in her comrades from Marley and grit and determination in the grey eyes of the man who had raised from the ashes of her own home.
And now, when they had finally broken free of the shackles of destiny, she was all alone under the clear sky.
"Go home, kid. It's getting very late for you to be loitering around alone."
She paused as footsteps drew closer.
She had heard the man approach of course. He was silent on his feet, she had to give him that, and pretty agile. Standing a few steps short of a streetlight, she caught his murky reflection on the surface of the metallic pole. He was decked in all black and his gruff voice matched his tired expression.
"Go home, kid. I don't like repeating myself twice."
He somehow reminded her of someone she knows, or rather she used to know. She was all alone now.
Home.
She didn't have one. She never did. All she ever had was the gentle hand on her shoulder and the presence of her comrades behind her. Now she'd lost that too. Now she was alone.
