A large crowd gathered in the academy courtyard. In front of them lay the bodies of seventeen young people, barely older than 16, placed on mystical stones. Their families wept inconsolably over their lifeless bodies, others embraced them, and a few remained silent, staring at the faces of their sons and daughters. It was widely believed that being a Legionnaire was a sure sentence to an early death, but this was not what they had imagined.
A huge gate was opened with difficulty by two royal guards whose armor reflected the moonlight as they stepped out. It was a rare, beautiful night―the sky clear of the gray clouds that usually shrouded the kingdom seemed like a dream. Liliam and the others walked slowly without disturbing the sound of silence, all the recruits who had managed to survive following behind them alongside the four sentries. Marth observed the parents of a young woman who had been part of Grislett's team in Threnafell. The group noticed this, and together with Kiett, they approached them with humbled faces, searching for the right words to express their condolences.
"We met your daughter, and we are very sorry for what happened—she saved my life!" said Marth, his head bowed. The mother approached him, took his chin in her hands, and lifted his head firmly so she could look him in the eyes. "Hold your head high, young man, if you want to honor the fact that you are alive thanks to my daughter!" she replied. Marth's eyes filled with tears. He knew that at least for this moment he was allowed to cry. He didn't hold back at all, though he didn't let out a single sob.
The young woman's mother hugged Marth, but her father didn't say a word. He was with his daughter's body, and nothing else mattered to him. He stroked her straight brown hair while he looked at her and memorized every inch of her face. After that night, he would never see her again. It was his chance to kiss his daughter's forehead for the last time. Kiett approached the stone where her body lay. "She was a great companion. I will never forget her!" he said. The father looked at him tenderly, also noticing Claire crying behind Kiett, and a beautiful memory ran through his mind.
These two children appeared one day at his doorstep, asking for his daughter, Lucia. He wanted to ask them to leave. Their clothes were somewhat old and slightly dusty, their hair was unkempt. When he asked them to leave, Lucia's voice told him not to send them away because they were her friends. He didn't want to listen and insisted until Lucia stepped between them to defend them. "Dad, please... they always play with me. Remember what you told me, that we're rich when we make friends. I've made two friends!" said Lucia. When she looked back at the brothers, she saw Claire looking sad and Kiett trying to protect his sister.
After that memory, their father smiled at them both. "Lucia loved you very much. It's a shame you've grown apart!" he said. The sobbing siblings couldn't look him in the eyes. "I swear we tried to save her. We tried everything, but... but!" said Claire, unable to finish her sentence. Lucia's father hugged Claire and thanked her for trying everything to save her.
On the other hand, some were not so forgiving. A mother approached Grislett, who was walking with her head down and with difficulty and hit her so hard that she fell to the ground. "It should have been you, because you're still here. My son should be alive!" the woman reproached her, wanting to hurt Grislett even more. She remained silent with her eyes down, her tears soaking the ground beneath her. The husband ran to stop the mother, who was heartbroken over the loss of her firstborn. The screams and cries filled the air, and Grislett began to cry hard, because deep down in her heart she felt that she should have died instead of all those children. Rivett tried to help her up, but she pushed him away, seeming to want to stay on the floor, her body seemed to tell everyone that she didn't deserve anything.
"Leave me alone, she's right. It should have been me, not them!" said Grislett, almost inconsolable. Rivett was filled with sadness at seeing her friend like this. "No one could have imagined this happening, Grislett, we all know that. Don't blame yourself for anything. Your life is important too!" she said, taking her by the shoulders to help her up. Blumiere and Lucas came over to help and comfort her.
Kiett, Claire, and Margott continued to offer their condolences to each family at the site. Some accepted them, while others remained silent or ignored them. Liliam and the Sentinels walked until they reached an even larger stone called Metanoia. She took the sword from her cloak and raised it above her head. The blade reflected the moonlight even more brightly, and she embedded it halfway into the stone. "Tonight, we offer this ceremony in honor of our heroes, our brothers and sons, who have left us but whose memory will live on forever in our hearts!" said Liliam. Sonia made symbols with her hands, creating a light that illuminated the Metanoia rock in a beautiful blue color when it touched it.
"Our souls and hearts will always remember you, always miss you!" recited Sonia. "It's time!" she concluded. The parents said goodbye to their children, hugging them for the last time, kissing their foreheads and cheeks, crying inconsolably. "Margott, when we were in the infirmary after returning from Threnafell, while you were unconscious, you begged someone not to kill them. Did you remember your family?" Claire asked.
That question made Margott visibly nervous, even from several feet away, so much so that Sigrids were surprised by her reaction. Her face turned pale, and she couldn't answer. She had a lump in her throat, and Claire was frightened to see her eyes filled with fear. "Margott, what's wrong? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. I didn't mean to bring up the past!" Claire said. Kiett approached and hugged her, feeling her body cold and trembling. Distraught, he hugged her even tighter, and Margott hid her face in his chest. Kiett heard Margott's muffled sobs as she clung tightly to his back.
Claire touched Margott's back to apologize at that very moment. Kiett looked at her and asked her not to touch her. Claire, surprised by this, obeyed and touched her brother's shoulder. Kiett just looked at her, very concerned by her strange reaction. Liliam and Sonia asked everyone to move away from the stones where their children's bodies lay and recited a poem as if they were a choir.
"Hac Evanida Vita Me Spoliavi, Et Vestimenta Mea Discerpi"
"Humilis, Dedit Mihi Lucem Tuam, Rogo Te Ut Me In Alis Recipias"
"Et Tecum, Throme Potens, Vola In Aeternum"
"Tenete Me, Lux Huius Mundi"
When the tow princesses finished reciting the poem, Liliam took the sword and plunged it completely into the Metanoia stone. As she did so, the light spread to all the stones where the bodies of the fallen lay. When all the stones were touched by the light, a blue fire enveloped the bodies. The parents cried even more, and the corpses began to release particles of light that adorned the sky as the wind carried them away. Claire and Kiett were impressed by the event, wondering if their parents had received the same honors. It was a beautiful event, though heartbreaking for everyone there. Amber cried on Blumiere's chest, and young Lucas stood with his family near the prince Lon.
"Is this what the future holds for us, my friend?" asked Lucas. "We cannot know the future, but we are the writers of our own destiny. We'll be fine!" Lon replied, encouraging his good friend's broken spirit. The Alfgen triplets were comforted by their parents. At the end of the crowd were Alistar and his hunters, watching and mourning alongside everyone else. The ritual honors for their fallen hunters had already been performed, something quite different from those of the Legions. The lights increased in number, so much so that they gradually entered the great hall of the mystical academy. Alistar looked at the Sigrid twins and approached them with a melancholy look in his eyes. They were still unaware of his presence.
"Hey, guys!" Alistar greeted them in a sweet voice, their downcast eyes meeting mine. "Mr. Galo! It is good to see you!" Kiett whispered. Claire greeted him with a nod and a slight smile. Alistar saw that it was forced and understood; three days had passed, and they had not seen Joel. "I visited Montecristo this morning, and he asked me to bring you to him!" he said. The siblings told him that they already knew their uncle's house, but they had not found him when they went looking for him.
"He's at a ranch outside Dove, and he mentioned that you don't know the place!" he told them. Although surprised, neither brother asked him to go with him right away. "Don't you want to see him? I am sure he really wants to hug you!" he exclaimed. Alistar looked at Margott; she was acting very strange. It was true that the situation was not one to be calm about, but she was too restless and was watching Claire out of the corner of her eye. "Miss Blackwell, are you all right?" he asked.
Margott was lost in her memories, but she heard a strange sound that was beginning to echo in the place. "What are you talking about, Margott? I do not hear anything!" Claire replied, but Kiett was looking in all directions, something caught his attention. "Do you hear it too?" Margott asked. Kiett nodded, and they both continued searching. Claire and Alistar also searched with them. Until, in the corner of one of the pillars near the Metanoia stone, he saw it. "There, on that column!" Claire warned. The others looked, trying to identify its species. "I can't recognize it, but its song is tragic!" Kiett said. Alistar recognized the bird's song to some extent. "Could it be?" he wondered. The children asked him for answers. "Come on, I'll take you to Montecristo. I will tell you on the way!" Alistar replied. The Sigrid siblings said they could not leave until the incense ceremony was over. "All right, in that case, we'll leave early tomorrow morning!" he replied.
The lights dimmed, the bodies had been reduced to ashes, and the incense ceremony was ending. Sonia looked at the motionless crowd, as if they were statues with their eyes focused on the same direction, assuming the same intention. Sonia turned in the same direction and was surprised by the beautiful bird. "Such a beautiful bird, at night and singing?" she wondered.
The streets of Averford are empty, no one is out today due to the royal mourning, but Montecristo shattered the silence of every street when he arrived on his horse, galloping toward his destination, Averford Castle.
TO BE CONTINUED…