Alice and the band were getting ready behind the stage. Slowly, their turn was coming.
Alice was talking with her father, who was genuinely happy—not only because his daughter had invited him to the concert, but because she'd also let him come backstage, among them.
Ervin stepped over to greet Alice's father.
— Sir. — He bowed slightly. — A pleasure to meet you. Whom do I have the honor of greeting?
Alice's father quickly bowed back, not entirely sure why it was necessary, but wanting to be respectful.
— Sorry… my name is Martin. Alice—
— He's my dad, Ervin. — Alice finished for him.
— Then I'm very glad to meet you, Martin. — Ervin smiled. — My dear Alice, you can head up now.
— I'm very pleased as well. I'll go back out front then. Break a leg. — With that, he left.
— You're ready, right, Alice? — Ervin asked.
— Yeah. — She nodded.
The band started toward the stage, but then they noticed the acoustic guitar in Alice's hands—and that caught their attention.
— Hey, what's that? — Justin asked.
— We've got an acoustic song now? — Cornel added.
— Guys… could I go out alone first? There's a song I should've played a long time ago, but I've been keeping it inside all this time.
Her friends looked at her and smiled.
Justin put a hand on her shoulder and met her eyes.
— Of course. Go ahead. I'm glad we've got you back.
Cornel and Pinky nodded too. They were curious—excited—to hear Alice's song.
Alice walked onto the stage alone with the acoustic guitar, plugged it in, and stepped up to the microphone.
The crowd erupted. The band hadn't performed in a while, and people had been waiting eagerly for this show.
Alice looked out over the crowd. She liked what she saw. She'd missed this feeling.
— Hi everyone! I guess you've missed us a little.
The crowd agreed—loudly. They'd been waiting a long time to see Alice in Hellland back on stage.
— The first song will be a bit different, but I promise that afterward we'll play your favorites—and I'll bring out that crazy side of me you all love.
The crowd cheered.
Alice strummed the guitar.
— You know… I've been through a pretty rough time lately, and honestly, it's not fully over yet. This is a song I should've played a long time ago. — She began to play. — It's for a very brave little girl who, sadly, can't be with us anymore… Her name was Lucy.
She started singing.
The moment the melody and lyrics filled the room, the audience felt something completely different—nothing like what they were used to from Alice.
Everyone fell silent, listening.
The song was beautiful. Heartbreaking. Raw.
Alice reached a short bridge, and suddenly there was immense power in her voice—it hit the audience like a blow, leaving them stunned.
As she played, she remembered everything good and beautiful: the unforgettable moments with her sister. The laughter. The tears. The wonderful days they'd shared, when everything still seemed okay.
In her mind, she held little Lucy's hand, squeezed it tight—and said goodbye through the song.
By the time the song ended, Alice's eyes were filled with tears. The audience was speechless, staring at her in awe.
They could feel it clearly—what Alice had given them was real. It was heavy. Powerful. It swept through them like a violent windstorm.
When the trance finally broke, applause erupted—louder than ever before. Cheers thundered through the room.
Everyone was overwhelmed by this honest, vulnerable song.
Alice wiped her eyes and looked out toward the front of the crowd—straight at her father, who was wiping away tears of his own.
He nodded, clapping like crazy. Alice smiled back at him.
Columns of fire erupted around the stage. A sea of flames washed over the crowd—and Alice felt herself ignite.
But this fire didn't hurt her.
On the contrary.
This fire sustained her.
This fire purified her.
***
A cold wind blew through the cemetery. Yellowed leaves covered the ground. The sky was overcast, threatening rain at any moment.
Alice sat on the damp grass between her family's gravestones, holding a single rose as she spoke to her lost loved ones.
— I'm still a little mad at you, you know… — she said, looking at her father's headstone. — This wasn't how it was supposed to go. When you finally started acting like a dad again, you just… left. That was a pretty shitty thing to do.
She laid the rose in front of his grave, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.
She exhaled the smoke, closed her eyes, and felt the first raindrops hit her face.
She sighed, then let a few tears fall, allowing the rain to hide them.
— You could've stayed a little longer… All of you could have stayed longer. Because I miss you so damn much.
Justin appeared beside her, holding an umbrella. He reached out his hand to help her up.
Alice took it.
— Are you sure you're ready, Alice? — he asked gently. — It's still not too late to change your mind.
Alice wiped her tears, turned to him, and smiled.
— I'm ready.
Pinky, Cornel, and Ervin stepped closer too. They were ready to leave, but they didn't want to rush her—just wanted to see how she was holding up.
— You okay? — Pinky asked, worry in her eyes.
— You sure you can do this? — Cornel added.
Alice looked at her friends, touched by how much they cared.
— I survived rehab and buried my father. I don't think a nationwide tour is going to be that big of a challenge. Let's go, guys.
Pinky stepped forward and hugged Alice tightly. The closeness felt good—but Pinky seemed even more upset than Alice. She started crying hard, and in the end, Alice had to comfort her instead.
Together, they walked toward the cemetery gate—toward a dream that was finally ready to be fulfilled.
At the gate, Alice looked back one last time.
Cold wind struck her face. Raindrops bounced off her jacket.
It was dark. Gloomy. Cold.
But she didn't feel any of it.
All she felt was the warmth of the fire.