Epilogue: A World Saved, an Afterlife Visited!

After the death of the Demon King, the Deathlands rapidly vanished. With the world's Mana no longer being sequestered to a single location, the lands began to slowly heal. Wildlife flourished, people began to have record-breaking harvests, and the settling of winter was hardly even an issue this year. Joy spread with the news Tobin ensured was delivered, his flocks of birds delivering news to the far corners where word wouldn't naturally spread. Tobin himself delivered news of Annie's funeral and the following coronation, encouraging all who knew of the Human Hero Maid to come and mourn.

The funeral was shockingly large for somebody who was only a part of this world for a mere couple of months. An entire town was in attendance, and Six oddly seemed to be specifically handing them Pearls as they entered. Some rejected them, but many took them gratefully. Of course, Euwelyn attended as well. Deuce led the ceremony, his well-spoken thoughts moving everyone there to tears. Lilin and Charlie gave speeches, Euwelyn opting not to as she couldn't handle being in front of such a crowd. 

Following the funeral, Lilin returned to her room. She wanted to blur out her thoughts. She went to grab a sound stone- and saw it. One of them, engraved "T". She scowled, hurling it across the room- which brought her eyes to the flowers at the windowsill. Of course, they had just barely bloomed, perfectly in time for Annie to never be able to see them. Their fragile white petals reminded Lilin of how frail Annie was, especially after their visit to that stupid town. Maybe, if she hadn't been so fucking blind to everything...

No, Annie wouldn't want her beating herself up over this. She flicked the tears away and went to put away the Stone she had hurled. She accidentally let out a bit of Mana, and the stone started to play. Lilin froze in place, hearing the song resume to a point just before the final movement. Annie had never listened to the end of this damned song. She grimaced, then flipped over the stone. She hastily finished the engraving, transforming the T into a really weird-looking A before shoving it back in with the rest of them. No, wait... She shouldn't keep it there. It wasn't hers, it was Annie's. So, she took the flowers and the stone and decided to make the walk out to Annie's grave. She should leave them there.

Damn, Lilin hoped that this grief would go away soon.

Just about everybody across the world attended Lilin's coronation. Just about everybody had something to say. Many were ready to spit vitriol about having yet another demon as a ruler, but just as many were ready to stand up and vow loyalty to anybody who wasn't the previous king. As the ceremony started, Deuce was once again leading with a speech.

Deuce said many words about how there was great contempt for the previous king, but how the world was now healing. He presented Lilin as the one to have finally created the chance to fell that king, the one who took a blade to the stomach to ensure he died, and a woman who rose from being a mere servant to being the most fit to rule. Then, he grandly turned the time right over to her.

Lilin had no idea how to give a speech. She knew she shouldn't swear, but that was about it. She struggled to find a rhythm... Until she started talking about Annie. She talked about how Annie had changed her, how she was the real reason she was here now. She said that Annie was meant to be crowned queen, but that she was now gone. She had sacrificed herself to save Lilin's life. Lilin could never live up to that, but she would try her damnd- her best!

The people roared in approval. Lilin smiled, slowly convincing herself that she could do this. She just had to think like Annie did. She could do that. She was ready!

Annie smiled as she watched the people cheer for Lilin. She blew her nose into a handkerchief, letting the tears stream freely. She was back up in that ethereal world Aramasa had summoned her to, and back to a young body again. She had had a few choice questions for the goddess, which she had answered freely.

Aramasa had been so weak because she had summoned so many heroes that had failed. Hinata was the first, then Tobin, then Sam (who called herself Hrist), then Euwelyn, and lastly Charlie. Annie was actually surprised that Six was not one of them, she was just a particularly keen demon woman who Aramasa had considered sending Annie to work with. 

Aramasa had also explained that she had believed Charlie to be dead out of sheer pessimism. She apologized for the mistake, and thanked Annie profusely for rescuing her. She also explained that Annie had been able to heal Charlie that first time without aging up rapidly because she was still covered in the Mana from Aramasa's world.

Now, Annie was able to observe Lilin as she underwent her coronation. She cheered loudly, celebrating her successful speech. She was so proud of everybody there. Deuce had gone from a timid boy to a brilliant speaker, Charlie had grown to be a guardian in place of Hinata, who was now something like a retainer to Lilin thanks to his brash attitude. So many people were finding beautiful places in the world, and Annie was proud to watch it from her seat in basically heaven.

What made it even better was that Annie wasn't only able to watch over Lilin's world. She could also see her old family, smiling as she saw Madeline and Brad watching a TV show with Liam, Tennison, and Hillary. She sighed as she relaxed, taking in the cozy vibe of her old family. Soon, though, she was interrupted by a light knock.

She smiled, getting up. It was time for Aramasa's tap dancing lesson!

During the party following her coronation, Lilin ducked into Annie's old room. She had to clear out her own room, so this one had become her usual getaway place. She used it to get a bit of silence whenever she was overwhelmed by stuff, and honestly just the knowledge that it used to be Annie's helped bring her a little bit of peace. She leaned against a wall next to the window, looking up to the sky. She hoped Annie was watching her from wherever she was. She took a few deep breaths, stabilizing herself as quickly as she could. As she turned back to leave the room, though, she noticed something. There was two notes on top of some folded clothes. She picked up the first one.

"Lilin,
I was washing the uniform that Annie wore during the fight. I apologize if it bothers you, but she was dressed in a pristine uniform for her burial so that she could be remembered without blood-soaked and tattered clothing. However, I found a note in the pockets. I have left it here for you to read, along with the clothes from that day. Please do read the note, it is meant for you.

-Six"

Lilin took a shaky breath. The note on top of the clothes, it would be the last time Annie ever communicated with her. This was the last new thing she'd get from Annie. Was she ready to read it? Her hand reached for it, but then flinched back, then started to reach again... Ugh, screw this indecisive bullshit. She grabbed the note and turned it over.

"Lilin,

Lilin put the note down. Tears streamed down her face again, the pain hitting like a freshly opened wound. She fell to her knees. She couldn't believe it. Hearing from Annie again made everything feel so much worse, and yet... The freedom it brought was liberating. Lilin no longer had to feel guilty. Annie was going to die no matter what, so Lilin hadn't killed her by making her use her Core to heal her. She laughed in between sobs, the haunting sound filling the long-empty room as she let everything out. She missed Annie, she missed her so much.

But she couldn't let that stop her. It took her a few more minutes, but she finally stood again. She noticed Six peeking into the room from around the corner, rolling her eyes at the obvious attempt at stealth.

"Six, I know you're there," she said.

"I know, my Queen," Six replied. "I was waiting for you to be ready. Shall I wipe your face for you?"

Lilin laughed. "You know I can do that myself, you know?"

Six bowed politely. "My apologies if I offended you, my Queen."

"Ugh, that's gonna take so long to get used to. Whatever..."
With a sigh, Lilin collected herself. She grabbed a tissue from Six and wiped her face, hoping the tears weren't too obvious. With a quick sniffle, she shrugged her shoulders and took a deep breath.

"Alright, let's get back out there."