Final Bloom [A TMF FanFiction]

Chapter 1

[The Crackling of Fire and
The ringing of Church Bells.]

- The puppeteer who has monopoly over the neck, in control of deaths.
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"Let me tell you a story, Jake."
"A story that will tell you everything that went down in this world of Flowers."
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Once, there stood a young man by the rivers of this world. There he would preach, and pray on his knees. He told the people of the world about the God, and how the existence of performing arts were just a lose cause, as he told them it was the words of the lord.

Hidden by the river where he preached, a soldier's hatred was bubbling with wrath. He watched as the saint would preach, and wanted to kill him for his sins. The information of performing arts were nothing but a scandal, while he grips his sword in vexation.

The preacher wore dark clothes, but the patterns of the cloth radiated purity. The loose fabric flowed gently in the light breeze. It made him look like a saint, but the soldier wouldn't be fooled. His sweet smile was oh so pure and full of sincerity, but all the soldier saw was a witch who needed to be killed.

The soldier brought the preacher to the judge, in which he was served an execution by the scorching flames. The preacher would comply, with a smile so sweet it would rot your teeth.

As the preacher sat behind bars, he knelt and prayed to his lord. The jailer whom was the soldier laughed in ridicule, tossed him his food, interrupting his prayer.

"Good day jailer, may the lord be with you."

The jailer never responsed, but the preacher would still say so every time.

"Oh Preacher, your lord will not save you, no matter how delusional you may be. The performing arts will long live, along with the life of Lady Austin. Her voice has been lost, but always be remembered."

The preacher would look at the jailer, smiling so purely,

"Oh jailer, my lord must not condone my sins, as this shall be the punishment I recieve. I only wish for strength and courage to face the similar flames of the underworld, and those who follow the word of the lord as well."

"Maybe you shall teach me to pray, for those believers when you get brought to the underworld."

The jailer would mock, but the preacher never minded. He would go on to pray time and time again, and prepare himself for the flames of the fire.

The time of the execution had come, but the same smile had stayed on the face of the preacher. The low crackling noise of the wood burning in the bonfire in front of them.

"Jailer, before I leave, may you please fulfil one final wish before I visit the lord? "

The soldier was ready to tear the wish of the preacher into shred, but he thought to consider it first.

"Fine, what might that be then, preacher?"

"I would like to see the face behind the mask. I wish to see the face of the one whom will send be to my lord."

Without hesitation, the soldier had removed the mask he would wear previously. He watched as the preacher's expression had turned into a mixture of shock and betrayal, which slowly stretched into the same smile accompanied by beads of tears.

"Oh, how great it is to see a familiar face before my moments of death. But why must you do this to me, Jake? What have I done to have initiated such a vengeful mind?"

"You killed her, and she was important. I bet you don't even remember her name. She took your 'word of the lord' and stopped performing arts, along with her own life."

"I see.. Hailey Austin.. She was one who didn't initially believe my words, just like you. She had realised that here was no place for performing arts. Lady Austin had not taken her own life, but had moved on to elsewhere, a place where performing arts would live on."

"You liar! You killed her, and that's that. You are not an innocent man, and you will not be spared!"

"She has her own beliefs, and the lord told me she will come back. She would not dare to leave for so long with the guilt of leaving her own country for a selfish reason, even if it wasn't."

"Ring the bells, lower him."

"Goodbye, jailer. Thank you for escorting me to the lord."

As he was lowered into the pits of fire, he had endured the pain. Tears flowing down his face, the pain was agonising. It had hurt so much, but he would not scream or struggle.  He would stay very still, and still holding the smile on his face. Amidst the crackling of the fire, a faint voice had emerged from the crowd. 

Lady Austin, Hailey, herself was proven to be alive in front of  everyone. It was clear that the preacher had never killed her, nor had she killed herself. Panic rose in her eyes as she saw that she was too late, and that the preacher could never be proven innocent ever again.

"Oh, soldier, the preacher was only an innocent man! We have both trespassed, but it is too late now. By the logic of this, I shall be killed as well!"

The soldier had fallen to his knees. He shakily put his hands together, with tears flowing from his eyes, he prayed:

"Lord, forgive me, for I have killed an innocent man."

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"How did you even make up such a metaphorical story?"

"Maybe I'm a bit of a literature freak, hm?"

"It was a nice story but... how in the world did it reference Flowers?"

"I'll explain it to you, yeah?"

"Absolutely, I don't understand a thing..."

"I'll make sure that I take the fact that you're stupid into account next time I do this."

"Hey!"

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