Amity knelt next to a rather stubborn flower. Sometimes it would happen, even in a universe such as this, that a certain plant would need an extra itty bit of attention. Just a smidge of direction, and care. She hummed, and continued her work. Digging in a little, undoing roots, freeing them to grow in whatever direction they needed. The tranquility of the sun's light shining above her, causing just the tiniest layers of sweat to form, though mostly out of choice. She enjoyed the merit of working manually. Something that her mistress instilled into her mind over the many blooms of their shared existence. After she finished the needed care, she put a hand next to the ground, humming. Letting the flower grow and blossom, now more beautiful than ever.

 

Just a little trick she picked off of her Mistress over their many shared blooms together.

 

If you asked her, she'd be hard pressed to tell you if she was even human anymore. She didn't feel human, that much was for certain, but she didn't feel like an Affini either. Perhaps, somewhere in between, a scion of the older ways Affini used to be, in the old universe. The one that she was born into, and ascended from.

 

Though on that day, as Amity toiled, she stopped for a moment. Smiling, without averting her gaze from the plants under her care. Someone was standing behind her. Someone… Familiar.

 

"Hello, Rage. It's nice to see you here."

 

Rage squinted. They didn't understand. They were about to flee, they were frozen, and… And then they were here. Something was off. The universe changed. The rules were upset right under their legs. "W-What's going on? Who are you? What-"

 

"Shh… It's okay, flower." She kept working, and pat the ground next to her. "Come, sit. We have all the time in the world to catch up." The soldier raised an eyebrow, but elected to walk over. Confusion still washed their mind. They had no idea how they even got here, and yet, this was home. A home that they didn't recognize.

 

"We… We are the same, are we not?" She asked, with a small chuckle under her lips. "When the universe changed, I figured this might happen. Since the Affini all split into their various blooms… It would only make sense that someone like me would be split as well."

 

Rage tilted their head. "What does that even mean? We look nothing alike. I'm not you, it's impossible." They paused. "...Is it?"

 

Amity's hands dug a little into the ground. She reached, and her chest, now a green patch of flora, practically opened, pulling out something. Much to Rage's bewilderment. "Would you mind holding this for me?" She placed a tiny object in their hand. A round ball that seemed hard to the touch. "As for the possible and impossible… I think you'll agree that these are matters behind us, no?" Finally, she turned to look at them. Her eyes might have been glazed and rather impaired, but she didn't need them to see anymore. The world was her eyes, and she was the world. Much like the older blooms of her Mistress, who now bloomed on this planet, over and over. "I know it's hard to accept. You weren't ready, not yet. But life… Life changed us. It truly has."

 

All Rage could do was just watch this tiny thing in their palms. They could crush it, if they wanted to. It was defenseless, and fragile. But… They didn't. "I can… Almost taste your memories. So far away, so distant…"

 

"As am I to yours." She finished digging the hole. "But I think that I've learned something, in all that time existing. All the changes I've been through. The songs that I've heard, and the sights that I've seen." She gestured to Rage to deposit the tiny seed in their hands to the hole. "I learned that at the end of the day… Life is what matters. We can cling to who we are, we can cling to our past, or possible futures. But in the end… Life continues. So I will continue with it." The white post-terran let a moment pass. "And I think that you might be ready to let life take you too."

 

Rage grasped the seed a bit tighter. How they knew it was a seed now, they knew not. But… Perhaps, this far-gone version of them was right. "Will I get to choose? Who I am, what I want to do with my existence?"

 

"I see no reason not to." She chuckled. "Life will carry you where you need to go. Trust it, just like this tiny seed in your hands trusts you to plant it, so it may grow. Nourish, and you will find nourishment in return. The cycle of life never ends."

 

The moments felt like they lasted an eternity. Which, in the face of life, meant nothing. The universe would wait. Now, it would. No longer would they be on a timer, a clock that counts each grain of sand until the inevitable. To think, to ponder. They had all the time they needed for it now. Rage smiled a little. And let the seed fall in its place, covering it with earth. The wetness of the water inside it is still rippling through their flesh. Both familiar and alien, they looked around them. The beauty of these eternal gardens stretched as far as the eye could see.

 

Before any tears could fall, however, they felt Amity's arms wrap around their form. A hug. Comfort, in a now caring universe. "It's okay. You're okay."

Hyacynthia Whitebloom, 78th bloom, captain of the Innax, pondered. So long, she has guided this ship, carrying the will of the Compact towards a better universe. But now… Now that universe has come. No longer would it just be a fantasy or a need to fulfill. The Everbloom's song filled the space between spaces, letting none be alone anymore.

 

And yet… She found herself lost. An Eldritch Affini, stuck inside a ship that was now more or less empty. With the need for the navy all but gone, she was left to take the Ship wherever her core desired. But where would she go? Somewhere in the recess of her mind, she could fathom the path her future selves took. She did indeed heed the brave little human's advice. To take a planet, shape it to her will. Create the gardens she wanted, without anyone to interrupt. But that was a version of her that was no longer here. She was still the captain of the Innax, perhaps she was the Innax. The distinction between the two was rather moot at this point.

 

In her wandering of space, she went across planet to planet. Galaxy to galaxy. Encountering versions of herself far too young. Far too old. Far too hungry for war still, or just content with the new order of things. And to the future as well. So many versions of the same gardens, with so many Hyacynthias and their… Florets. She ended up having one in the end, after all. But that was not hers to take, or claim. She was still the captain, and the ship was her home.

 

<"So… Just how long do you plan on moping in your little pod, anyway?">

 

She didn't even realize. Her attention was completely taken by her thoughts, that she didn't even realize the familiar flame that decided to pay her a visit. A glance outside explained how, of course she'd return to this sector. It's where she met her. The kindred spirit. The ever burning flame, that inspired her to take her earned rest. <"I know not what you mean, brave little human."> She said, without turning her attention. <"...But it is good to see you again. Cleo.">

 

The human walked closer to her, leaning against her pod. <"I saw your ship, and Mistress allowed me to come visit. Though I still have to return in two hours tops, or she'll get anxious and nothing will stop her from getting to me, you included.">

 

<"I would never wish to separate a floret from their owner, little one."> The rumbling laugh of the Innax itself shook everything around them. <"And yet… I cannot help but wonder. Are you happy? Now that the universe has changed… Are you content?">

 

Cleo mused over it, and smiled. After all, last they talked, she was the one who asked that question. <"I'd like to believe that I am, yes. And you?">

 

The silence that followed her question spoke volumes.

 

<"I am… A relic of the past."> Hyacynthia finally answered. <"A long dead picture of the past that is no longer needed or relevant. The younger me could now walk wherever she wants, and find happiness. The older me found her happiness already, settling down and even taking a floret. And I am… Here. A machine of war and domestication, with no wars or domestication to enact.">

 

Cleo just tapped on her enlarged cocoon, with a rather blatant expression. <"If you're so glum about it, why not change?">

 

<"Am I even allowed? The changes were already made, but now they exist as their own. And yet… Here I am. Would me becoming something new not cause this snapshot of our life to vanish?">

 

<"Well… Let me ask you something."> Cleo didn't skip a beat. <"Do you think the flames of humanity vanished just because the universe changed to fit us all better?">

 

The answer was obvious. <"Of course not. The flame is beautiful, now more than ever. I-"> She stopped herself, realizing she walked right into Cleo's point. <"Then I don't see why your beauty has to remain here, stuck like this. If the fire could be contained, captured for its beauty and sustained… Your beauty deserves to shine as well.">

 

For a moment, she went into deep thought. She was being a hypocrite again. And so, with great effort, the Innax slowly began to retract. The vines she covered around the ship itself curled back in, and her core accepted them, letting herself form anew. Reblooming was no longer a thing, but that wouldn't stop her from taking a new form. A new mode of existence. <"I think… You are right.">

 

The cocoon slowly cracked. And before long, split wide open. Inside it, Hyacynthia stood. A far more humanoid form to her. It felt both alien, and yet the most familiar thing she could think of. Far more reminiscent of her past, than her future. The vines that used to coil around the Innax now shrunk to mimic hair, and the white flowers around her blossomed randomly and all over. But… She was content. "I suppose…" She switched to Terran, still observing her new form. "That even now, after the ascension, things can change and grow."

 

She didn't have to wait long before Cleo closed in to give her a hug. "As much as they need to."