I looked up at the bright blue sky, as the warm sunlight shined down, warming everything in its presence. Truly, it was the perfect weather to hang out with friends, host tea parties, or enjoy a nice walk around Lore.
And yet, I found myself in a place I never thought I'd visit during my stay at Lore Academy. Not even the warmth of the sun could pierce through the gloomy nature of the graveyard, nor the dark yet remorseful expression on the priest's face as he spoke.
"We have gathered here today to celebrate the life of Kieran Delover, who has now returned home to the Lord's Kingdom. He lived a life of kindness and brought joy to others. Though he was taken far too soon, The God of Life will surely bless him in another life and grace him, as they have graced us today. But today isn't just a day for a kind soul who's found peace in the Lord's benevolence, but it is also a day for the living who have been led astray and unable to move on." He raised a hand, and it began to light up as he clasped his hands together in prayer. "Do not fret, for this is the plan that the Lord who rules over fate itself has set in motion."
When he opened his hands, his eyes seemed to shine with light as the dark expression began to disappear. "By the grace of the God of Luck, heal the pain and the darkness that comes from those who grieve. May your blessing help mend those whose hearts are filled with doubt and anger." He finished, only pausing for a brief moment to look around. When his eyes met mine, I felt my heart skip a beat. The light in his eyes looked to have brightened even more, almost as radiant as the sun right above us. It was a familiar feeling... like when the demigod from the fountain had laid their eyes on me.
But right as I was beginning to speculate, he looked away, the light disappearing and the surroundings returning to normal.
But it wasn't as gloomy anymore. I stared at the priest, still feeling a bit spooked from what had happened, but he ignored me, closing his eyes and clasping his hands together. I thought about walking up to him and asking him a few questions—
But I stopped when I saw Jake walk forward, standing right where the priest had been standing just a moment prior. His face was pale, and his eyes were reddened as if he hadn't slept for days. Yet, with a shaking demeanor, he raised the paper in his hand and took a shaky breath.
"I... was Kieran's best friend. W-we've been friends ever since we shared a course last year, and without him, I probably wouldn't have passed my finals." He spoke, his voice faltering as he tried to make a joke, but failed to even smile. He kept his eyes glued on the paper, as if afraid to make eye contact with anyone.
"I found him obnoxious at first, as he constantly nagged at me to do my homework, even though he never did his. He was such a foodie, he'd steal a fourth of my meals and say it was compensation for bearing with me. Not to mention, he had this annoying habit of always trying to matchmake me—but it usually failed." Jake's shaky voice began to grow more calm, and his gaze turned hazy as if he was reminiscing about a time that had already passed.
"Honestly, at times I have a hard time believing he's truly gone. It feels like he's playing a cruel game of hide and seek and he's too stubborn to call it quits, wanting to stay hidden a little while longer. Honestly, it's something that Kieran would do." He chuckled to himself, along with a few others who seemed to agree with that sentiment. "Has it really been a week? It felt like it was only yesterday when I sat down and shared a large-sized pizza with him, stuffing ourselves until we could roll ourselves out of the kitchen." He laughed again, this time to himself. But his smile faltered as he began to close his eyes.
"It's only dawning now that... this is it. My best friend is gone. There's no one to steal my food or wake me up at obscene hours of the night just for the fun of it. There's no one to pat me encouragingly whenever I fail my test and then offer to drop out and become mercenaries. There's no one... who can stand by my side and laugh with me as I read this aloud. If he heard this, he would've laughed himself sick... He..." Jake spoke, as he finally raised his head, as tears began to well up in his eyes. He opened his mouth, trying to finish his sentence—
But only a choked sob came out before he turned away, hiding his face as his emotions overcame him. I watched Jake, who'd somehow managed to cheer up not only Hina, Oden, and I, but even wore a bright smile as he did so, as if everything was fine and dandy.
It was only now that the realization struck him. At the funeral itself, reading the letter aloud.
Hina went up the stage, already a sobbing mess as she grabbed Jake's arm and gently led him off the stage. All she could do was hug him as he trembled, holding the crumbled piece of paper as he tried to muffle his sobs.
The lump in my throat grew even bigger. I couldn't bear to witness the scene anymore and turned away, clenching my fist as I began to regret attending. After all, Oden hadn't attended—he was still holed up in his room, refusing to talk to anyone. I should've done the same, really—
But I owed it to Kieran to at least give him a last farewell. Even... even if this wasn't bound to happen. Even if this was my fault... I closed my eyes, wanting the ground to swallow me whole.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned. Heath gazed at me with a frown, as if he could tell what I had been thinking. I began to open my mouth, but closed it, realizing there was no point in lying. At least not to him. Instead, I took a shaky breath and stared at the empty casket.
Though there were no traces of Kieran, besides a pool of blood—it was all but confirmed that he was dead. The investigation went on for nearly a week, but they found no evidence of either the killer or any magical traces. It was if it had all been orchestrated ahead of time... But that was only groundless rumors and speculations.
The priest, who'd been silently praying, opened his eyes once more. He gave me one more glance before turning around, signaling the end of the funeral. I heard the footsteps of classmates and friends of Kieran as they began to leave. The muffled sobs of Jake grew farther away, and yet I was stuck in place, still staring at the empty casket.
"I'll be waiting outside," Heath told me as he patted my shoulder once more and walked off. Now, I found myself alone, surrounded by graves. Most of these were graves of students or professors who died either protecting the Academy or simply by accident. Though some contained no bodies, their names were forever engraved on the magical stone that protruded out of the earth. The dates varied, but some were dated from centuries ago, almost impossible to read due to how wary the stone had become. But I paid no attention to them. My eyes were glued to the casket where Kieran should've been in.
No, where he shouldn't be in. I forced my legs to move, and with a heavy heart, I placed a hand against the casket. I felt at it, wondering what might've been. Why it had to be him of all people.
But worst of all...
"Why do I feel relief that it isn't me...?" I put a hand to my face, as the guilt that had been eating my alive became almost too much to bear. Even though I knew that this was partly my fault—if I blamed it all on myself, Heath would chew me out—I still found myself able to handle all of this guilt and regret and live another day.
Perhaps it's because even though I cared for Kieran... I didn't know him well enough to break apart and stop functioning. Not like Hina or Jake did. And the horror that I nearly died myself still haunted me at night, it kept me from properly grieving. It left me feeling hollow about all of this...
I looked up at the bright sky once more. And as I took a deep breath, surrounded by death and gloom— I knew that I would eventually move past this. I looked around the graveyard and made a promise to myself. No matter what happened, I would never find myself here again.
No friend or ally of mine would die—not if I had enough strength to stop it or change it. I had to change from now on. Even if I continued to be a supporting character or a background character—it didn't matter. As long as I could save those who I cared for, I would be satisfied.
With determination, I felt my vision grow clearer. I took one last glance at Kieran's grave before turning around.
Thank you, for being my friend.
May you rest in peace, Kieran.
——
A/N: No fan art... for obvious reasons. I realized that the old chapter was too much about Rael instead of the people who are most affected by Kieran's death and chose to change that. Also, Rael isn't that much of an emotional wreck and I would like to decrease how much he cries so to not make him seem too pathetic later on. Personally, I hate it when the main character cries too much so yeah. I think this chapter is an improvement from the old one. I hope you think so too.
Next chapter out probably soon, it's pretty fun re-writing chapters, ngl. Maybe two chapters out be next week? I hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Thanks for reading!