“…and so we commend Harvester Liam to the House of the Brave. May he find peace in his choices.”

Gaius stood at the sides of the proceedings, leaning against a rather sturdy pillar with his arms folded. The funeral to honour the fallen in Heritage were apparently done in a more discreet manner, but in cases like Harvester Liam, the funeral proceedings were far more opulent, far grander. Partially because of the cultural expectations of the beastfolk as a whole, but also because the ones who were saved wanted their saviours to be remembered.

Still, proceedings like this might encourage Harvesters or beastfolk who longed for death in general to create situations like this, but Gaius didn’t show any disapproval as such a thought flitted through his mind.

He watched silently as the four other people in Liam’s group continued to stand at the side of their saviour’s casket, even as the Master of Ceremonies gestured at them to go down. The girl who had pleaded with Gaius was even more adamant, and had to be gently led off the stage by two equally tearless adults. She had been crying for hours on end, and eventually, her tears had dried out.

Gaius turned his eyes from the heart-breaking sight. Harvester Liam had passed on earlier than his parents, who were surprisingly still alive and well despite the Second Extermination. It had taken a day before the funeral could proceed proper, and the little boy was quite certain that more than enough tears had been shed by the two adults.

As the coffin-bearers lifted the coffin up, the two adults that had led the tearless girl off the stage trembled slightly. The last rites of the fallen in Heritage, who had their bodies recovered, was a cremation. This would be the last time they saw Liam’s face and body, which had been cleaned up and dressed in a manner fitting for a hero.

Two Lords landed onto the cremation platform, with four ignition sigils trailing behind them. It was an immense honour, especially considering the fact that Ark City only had three Lords who were active in its affairs. Campmaster Magnus was looking particularly distraught, and Major Degurechaff had to pat his back a few times.

Perhaps Liam was a protégé of sorts to the Campmaster, but Gaius would never ask Campmaster Magnus about this issue. By that extension, Nalus might have been badly affected by his passing too. Making a mental note to inform Nakama about a potentially sadder Nalus, the little boy continued to watch the ritual.

The ignition sigils trailing behind the two Lords winked out of existence, and a roaring conflagration consumed the wooden coffin. Liam’s parents and friends were silent, breaking into the occasional sob or two as their bloodless faces took in the inferno that consumed the fallen hero’s body.

Everyone else in the audience seats lowered their heads respectfully. No one spoke as the inferno raged on, the only sounds now left the silent venue the odd sobs and the crackling of the flames.

The rest of the funeral passed by swiftly, as the audience began to offer their condolences, filing out of the venue afterwards. Gaius stayed behind, as a messenger had come hours ago to request for his presence at Liam’s funeral. Personally, the little boy didn’t want to come, but it was the least he could do for a pair of grieving parents.

He approached Liam’s parents, of which her mother was hugging the girl that she herself had led down the stage. The first to notice them was the girl, who patted Liam’s mother.

“Lecturer Gaius.” The two adults bowed, and Gaius hurriedly supported them back up.

“Please get up, Liam’s parents,” replied Gaius.

“You brought our son back to us. We are in your debt, always.” Liam’s father smiled through his tears. “It might have been nothing to you, but to us, it is a favour we can never repay.”

“Please don’t do this, the two of you.” Gaius glanced at the girl accompanying Liam’s mother. “And you too. If anything, you should thank Senator Alexandre. He was the one who got me to look around Heritage for anyone who needed help. I only did what I should and could.”

“Which is enough for both of us,” replied Liam’s father. “Our child…no matter where he goes, he’ll at least be somewhere now.”

Somewhere? Gaius frowned at these words, but didn’t press on about them. “I am glad that I managed to bring him back. To the both of you. Your son was a hero through and through, you know. When I came across the scene, he’d killed every single enemy present. Without his heroic effort, I’m afraid that…”

Gaius glanced at the group. “…the four of you wouldn’t have made it back at all. He fought to the end, and withstood the lure of death long enough to make sure that the snowpyres had all fallen.”

The girl looked down. Her companions had left, presumably mourning for their fallen friend in their own way.

“The snowpyres attacked abruptly,” said the girl. “We were walking through a mountain pass, when these monsters suddenly appeared from the snow. They pounced at us, and we barely made it through the mountain pass when Mu was badly injured.”

The little lecturer sighed. “I’m quite sure Senator Alexandre will have some choice words for everyone, if there’s a lecture this week.”

“…yes, Lecturer Gaius.”

Inclining his head slightly towards Liam’s parents, Gaius left the place. Now that there was almost no one left inside, an air of desolation had begun to set in, further dampening Gaius’ mood.

But it hadn’t been entirely fruitless. Gaius had noticed something that should have been painfully evident ever since he arrived on Orb. But before he went to confirm his suspicions with Nexus, there were some other ways he could verify his doubts with, without looking like a fool in front of the artificial intelligence.

“Lecturer Gaius.” Campmaster Magnus was standing a good distance away from the funeral venue, his face lined with sorrow as he spoke.

Gaius smiled gently in reply, and took the Campmaster up on his silent invitation. Minutes passed in companionable silence, the only thing moving in the silent world being the snow that fell from the sky. The two silhouettes, one big and one small, were unmoving for the better half of an hour, as they went through their own thoughts.

“You look like you have a question to ask, Gaius.” Campmaster Magnus finally broke the silence, his eyes turning to the small figure.

“Indeed, Campmaster.” The light snowfall had intensified in the last few minutes, and the only thing that Gaius could now see was a black figure and nothing else. “I just wanted to know one thing: where do people go after they die?”

Power pulsed, sending a ripple through the snowing world. The black figure that was the Campmaster lurched backwards, and the falling snow screamed.

“What…did you just say?”