Night came, and try as the pyre might, it alone wasn't enough to hold back the darkness. Only when the torch lighters went about their business, setting each sconce aflame, did the shadows begin to recede. I was surprised they were free to roam so openly, but then again, if Thorne was allowed a kind of freedom right now, it wasn't such a stretch to imagine the citizens carrying on with their daily tasks as well.
After a while of watching each light flare to life, I turned my gaze back to the main flame. My mind began to wander, replaying the day as each moment demanded my full focus. I sank so deeply into it that I didn't notice the crowd gathering, nor that Thorne was speaking to me. It wasn't until Miss Chin shook my shoulders that I was pulled back into the present.
"Holy One… I know you are not from our land, but the common soldiers don't know that. Considering the great loss of life and the fact that you built the pyre I believe they might think you intend to lead a prayer."
She spoke tentatively, and I didn't understand her nervousness until I noticed the sheer number of men and women gathered in the seats. All of them wore military attire, though almost none carried their weapons. Most rested their weapons against the seating or leaned them nearby, their helmets set aside.
Every eye fixed on me. It should have unsettled me, but it didn't. In truth, it wasn't so different from a fight in the arena. If anything… I found myself enjoying the stares, the weight of their attention. In this day of uncertainty, it was at least a familiar feeling.
The problem was the prayers. The ones I knew, I no longer trusted. Mark had been my spiritual guide, but now that I knew his true nature as a devil, who was to say anything he'd taught me was true? It wouldn't be wise to lead a prayer that might, in the end, be nothing more than a twisted mockery of what the Emberland people believed.
As I was about to ask Miss Chin for her thoughts, I heard the beating of wings. At first, it sounded like any bird's flight, only much louder. A gust of air swept through the arena, kicking up dust. I shielded my eyes with an arm, and when the haze cleared, I saw the Deva from earlier Diane Whiteflame. I couldn't tell where she had come from, but the moment she descended, the murmuring crowd fell into complete silence.
She walked toward our small group, wearing a gentle smile.
"Brother, I see you are a natural. It gladdens me to know that despite everything, the very nature of our blood still runs strong in your veins."
Her gaze shifted to Miss Chin.
"Thank you, my child. You may take that mound of lard there and wait for the prayers to commence."
The warmth of her smile did not extend to Thorne. Whereas she had shown kindness to Miss Chin and me, she looked at him with a hatred I couldn't quite fathom, though she didn't appear ready that she would strike him. The others gave quick bows and departed, leaving me alone with Diane.
"Brother, I know this might be a stretch to ask, but would you join us? If you do not wish to, I will not force you."
I looked from her back to the flame, my brother slowly being consumed by it. I didn't know what impact he had left on others, but as his only student, I carried his legacy. I would see his vengeance fulfilled, and when he was reborn, I would make sure this world was better for him. But for now, in this life I wanted him to have a clean and happy send-off, a proper one with the crowd he deserved.
Meeting Diane's eyes, I gave a nod.
"Please… but you may need to lead. I… I'm unfamiliar with the proper prayers."
After guiding me a little, I found that Mark had at least taught me the proper way to begin a prayer, which was strange in itself. From there, Diane took over, speaking the words of rebirth. Her voice was soft yet powerful, carrying far across the arena, but somehow it also seemed as though she spoke directly into my ears. It was both uplifting and grounding to take part in the prayer.
The words were clearly different from what Mark had taught me, but not in a way that felt deceitful. It wasn't as if he had lied, it was more like he had been wrong himself, misled by someone else long before me.
At the climax of the prayer, the flame shifted unnaturally. It swirled in on itself, burning brighter and hotter, until the bodies within were consumed almost instantly. Ash billowed upward, carried into the sky as if ascending to the heavens themselves. I could no longer see Kushim's body, but when the ground was left completely clean, the fire guttering out to nothing, I knew he had been part of that dust too.
I was still kneeling in the dark after the flame had gone out when a hand, white as snow, entered my field of view. Looking up, I saw Diane waiting patiently, her expression calm, as if she had all the time in the world. I flexed my fingers for a few seconds before finally taking her offered hand, and she pulled me to my feet with surprising ease.
"So, brother… how do you feel? I imagine that, with our blood running strong in you, it must have been an interesting experience."
She smiled, then let her gaze drift over the silent crowd and continued before I could answer.
"You know, though you may have been born human, the God of Rebirth does not see you as lesser than us, who were born of Its blood. In fact, you embody our god far better than we ever could for you were literally remade into a new form."
I spoke up before she could continue.
"I thank you for everything, but I promise you, I'm not fit for any part you might have in mind for me. I wish only to find my beloved and leave. That is all I plan for and all I wish to entertain—so long as your earlier words are to be believed."
I didn't want to be rude, but I could already see the implication she was leading toward, and it was far too different from my original plans.
She nodded slightly as she spoke, not seeming angry at my rejection of her plans.
"Ah, I wasn't aware you had a partner… I don't mean to be rude when I ask this, but was it one of the contractors?"
I clenched my eyebrows in confusion.
"No? What? Why would you ask that?" I was confused. It seemed to come out of nowhere, and I couldn't imagine why she would think that.
"Ah… well, brother, how do I put this… you reek. Not of sweat or filth, but of brimstone and infernal touch. I don't mean to say I don't trust you, but it was a shock when I first met you. I had to meet with some of the higher officials in the city to see what was happening here I was concerned they had done more something to you."
She paused for a moment before continuing.
"But other than one partner and your mentor, no one seems to have gotten close enough to leave such a strong imprint on you. That's why I thought it might have been a contractor…"
Hearing that, something clicked in my head. Heather. She could smell the seal Heather had placed on me. I knew if I wasn't careful with what I said, I could create even more problems for myself, so I spoke slowly.
"Yes… I did have a partner, but I assure you she wasn't a contractor. That I know for certain." I wasn't lying, and leaving out that she was an elf seemed harmless enough.
"Brother, I do trust you… but this stench is very much infernal in nature. So either your partner lied to you, or they themselves didn't know the truth."
Diane's eyes locked on mine, her sincerity cutting deep. It made me think of all the times Heather had hidden things from me and for another time, I wondered if perhaps she had lied about more than I realized.