Jayden stood and observed the small crystalline shrine that had appeared by the palace. Jade had explained that this was because of the first amulet, and this was the first sanctuary for the spirits.

Jayden sighed and observed the crowd with keen eyes while waiting for the ceremony to begin. He was clad in black from head to toe, and the only thing that stood out were his green eyes and pale skin.

It was his father’s ceremony, but everyone was far more excited about the upcoming coronation than the funeral. With every step that Jayden took, someone gasped and whispered behind him, which wasn’t a surprise considering the rumours that could spread like wildfire through the town.

He tried to hold his head high and maintain a passive expression on his face, but he was also taking every one of his steps with deep sorrow in the depths of his heart. He chose not to speak to anyone because he feared that he could be upset or furious. It would be a terrible idea to end up either way in such a public sphere.

He looked up at the bright sky, which seemed quite ironic to the situation and sighed. It was pretty lonely for Jayden because he had hardly met many people from his father’s family and had not been the one to socialize. He wanted to know whether the things that Jade had said were truths or lies, but there was no one he could approach and ask who could give him a definite answer.

“Jayden?” There was a young man’s voice. Jayden looked up to see a soldier from the King’s personal troops, who had done training with Jayden multiple times even though Jayden was relatively worthless in comparison.

“Adam?” Jayden asked, unsure of his memory of the man as he racked his brain and said, “You were in my father’s personal guard right?”

“Yes. I’m surprised to see you remember me. I heard a lot of rumours that the…” the man began, and Jayden cut him off midway.

“If this is about my personal matters, then shut up right now,” Jayden replied sharply, and there was evident anger in his voice.

The guard was stunned to hear such a command from Jayden’s mouth, knowing how soft Jayden usually was towards everyone. This was certainly an exceptional moment, mainly because Elizah was far better than people’s rumours about her. A day earlier, Elizah had been barred from entering the palace because she was scarred and looked more like a maid. Jayden’s annoyance with the city’s people had increased quite drastically from that moment.

“You love her that much. I’m not surprised. She isn’t here?” the guard asked, and Jayden shook his head.

“The people are not so welcoming to her and treat her like a maid rather than a queen. Things will change slowly,” Jayden said coldly, and he continued to stare ahead.

The ceremony had begun, and they brought Cyprian’s casket forward. Jayden stepped forward towards the coffin, and the guard remained behind him.

Jayden only glanced towards the glass opening to see Cyprian’s serene face. It hadn’t been charred so much, and so he looked like he was just in a deep sleep.

Jayden felt his heart beating loudly inside his chest as he walked up to the casket, and he was clearly shaking. There were murmurs and whispers in the crowd, and Jayden put his hand on the glass.

Did I really ever know you? Why, why did you have to leave? Jayden heard the voices screaming in his head. He wanted to scream out and try to bring Cyprian back to life.

I will not cry in the crowd. Not here. Jayden tried saying to himself, but he knew the tears were inevitable.

He felt an arm around his shoulder. There was a calming power force in his veins, and the tears fell down his cheeks.

“It’s okay to cry. You’ve lost someone dear,” Jayden heard a soft whisper by his ear, and he turned to see a woman wearing a dark gown with a veil covering her face. Even with the veil, Jayden could tell who it was, especially with her power on him.

Jayden wiped his face with a handkerchief and turned back to the crowd, and Elizah held his hand.

“All hail, King Cyprian Larkspear. The fallen King who will never be forgotten,” Jayden roared, and the crowd echoed his words.

Jayden turned around again and watched the guards dig a hole and slowly lay the casket down in the moist earth.

It was hard for Jayden to see Cyprian go, but Elizah gently squeezed bits of her power into his palm to reassure him that sadness was okay.

The crowds slowly thinned after a while, and Jayden and Elizah were left by the gravestone.

Elizah had her hands on the ground, and her eyes were closed. Jayden only watched as she made the grass grow back in the soil, and there was a small sapling starting to grow rapidly.

“Did you plant a seed down there?” Jayden asked her after he saw her remove her hands off the ground, and the sapling had grown into a young tree within moments.

She nodded before saying, “Jade taught me how to enchant a seed and make it grow into a plant a long time ago. This one was a little different though. I used what was left of your father’s life force to grow a beautiful tree. Most of the life force, or ‘light magic’ fades when a person dies, but there are always residues. These residues do fade away, but if there’s a skilled healer around, there’s no doubt that they’ll use these residues to grow a new being. It’s like creating life from an existing one.”

“So you’re saying the tree has my father’s life force in it?” Jayden asked, slightly confused.

“Yes. Maybe you didn’t know your father, but here’s a reminder that he’ll always be there for you in this garden, and I’ll make sure this tree is safe and healthy,” Elizah said with a fondness in her voice.

“Excuse me, your majesty,” a voice behind them and Jayden turned rapidly to recognize Adam standing there.

“What do you want?” Jayden asked bitterly, and Elizah just gave the two of them a confused look.

“I had this with me. I was told to give it to you after his passing. The King wrote it on the day he passed away. I don’t know what it holds, but I suggest you do take time to read it,” the man said and handed Jayden a piece of folded parchment, “And you must be the future queen, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Adam stretched his hand out to Elizah, and she shook it carefully before he turned and walked away into the crowd.

“What was that response about?” Elizah asked with her voice, clearly questioning Jayden’s actions.

“He spoke about you badly before you arrived,” Jayden said as he placed the folded sheet in his pocket.

“There’s a lot we need to change in this country,” Elizah said as she looked up at the sky above, “But this is a new start, and we have all the time in the world.”

Jayden only smiled at her before he bowed and asked, “Would you like to tour the palace?”

Elizah laughed and said, “Gladly,” before she followed Jayden into the palace with a smile on both their faces.