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The first thing Centross did when he had finally made a base safe enough to call live-able was plant the alliums and daisies Athena had given him. They were mostly wilted but years of being a farmer he knew how to remove the seeds and plant them so they’d grow. He hoped Athena was doing well back at home and that Rae had given them the note and flower. He’d hopefully have more to give if, no when he got out. He had to frase it as when. If he gave up hope then he’d never survive. Plants only lived if you took care of them and the same went for people in a way. Both needed water and food, air to breath and space to flourish. He ignored the nagging part of his brain saying people needed company too. He’d always been a loner, nothing wrong with that. And hey when he returned he’d have gifts for everyone. It wouldn’t make up for everything he did before but perhaps they’d still be appreciated.
He hoped Athena could enjoy flying again, she hasn’t flown since his time with OB and he couldn’t blame them. Yet they seemed so happy and carefree in the sky before everything went down and his wings were spectacular with the fiery elements that highlighted her Nether origins. He still hated that OB had taken the joy out of flight for them. Flying had been the good part of all the madness for him and Athena had to go through so much more and as a minor no less so to have one good thing from it be another negative for them hurt. He knew that he wasn’t her uncle and soon enough they would realize it too. But he’d still go to the end of the world for them. Heh, End of the world. The irony wasn’t lost on him.
He tended his crops and flower fields as days passed and he colonized the wreckage. At every new island he connected he planted an allium, their purple was far more spectacular than the irregular chorus fruits. Maybe one day this would be a place he could take Athena once it was safe of course.
For now the End would remain the project of his life’s work.
“To the end of the world,” he muttered under his breath. The same thing he had whispered so many times to Athena. “For you.”
Every nook and cranny was to be decorated with flowers. His house wafted with the flowery scent, drowning out the weird off fruity scent of chorus fruit and the stale air of endstone. Despite being purple, white and yellow, colors he had an abundance of in the end he still found they added color to the place. They felt so alive compared to everything else. They flooded out of the pots he had crafted for them and now he did even bother with trying to contain them, just stacking them wherever felt empty and letting them take root in the endstone walls of his house. He practiced braiding them together as well, making wreaths and garlands that he could string from the ceiling and flower crowns and after a while he had mastered the skill but nothing compared to Athena’s heartfelt handiwork. His first ones had been loose and messy, basically held together by the string he had spared to tie the falling out ones back on, and they looked more like flower drying rows (something he had started because of them) than actual decorations but he still liked them. His current ones were elaborate and had different patterns, he had braided small sticks or scraps of metal in to add more detail. His favorite was the allium and gold one that reminded him of Athena.
Centross petted Hope as Luce smiled down at him.
“Thank you,” he thanked the god. Luce nodded and then vanished, leaving Centross to lead Hope home. When they arrived Centross began pulling out materials: leather, dye and flowers. He stained the leather with the little red dye he had and used a sewing needle he had fashioned out of scraps of iron to engrave swirling details and the name Hope. Skillfully he filled the fancy lettering with white dye and let it sit before he sewed on small flower buds. Carefully when the collar was done he fashioned it around Hope’s neck. Hope barked at him happily and he smiled. He swapped out his flower crown for one with more daisies to match Hope and fell asleep petting her.
He absentmindedly plucked the bloomed flowers from his garden, life was getting rough but at least he still had these. He glanced towards the vast void often but he always pulled his gaze back to the alliums. For Athena, he reminded himself. He walked to the edge and sat down, letting his feet dangle in the cold unknown. He braided some of the alliums into yet another crown and replaced the dying one on his head. He sighed, how much longer could he do this?
The trapdoor was rough beneath his feet, Hope barked unhappily from the island as if she knew his intention as he threw his armor into the void. Piece by piece it went, yet as he pulled his helmet off he was careful to remove the flower crown first before he dropped the netherite armor. He clutched the wilting alliums to his chest as tears leaked from his eyes.
“I’m sorry Athena,” he whispered. “I’m sorry everyone.”
The flower crown fell.
“To the end of the world, to the end of life, to the end of it all, the end of the end,”
One foot inched towards the edge.
“For me.”
One foot off.
“Centross?” Rae called.