"Claire... are you listening to me?" asked Princess Sonia.
The young woman thought too much about the fact that the princess might have an interest in her brother beyond what was politically correct.
"I apologize, Your Highness―I got lost in my thoughts for a moment" she replied.
"So many nightmares" she added.
Sonia looked at her tenderly, Claire's face saddened.
"No wonder, what happened was a real nightmare" thought the princess.
"No one could have imagined this. Claire, no one is to blame for this tragedy!" said the princess, trying to lift her spirits.
"I know, Your Majesty, but I made a very serious mistake despite the general's orders, I entered Threnafell!" she replied.
The princess placed her hand on her shoulder, asking her not to punish herself so much for that decision.
Claire looked up and met the princess's penetrating, peaceful gaze. A feeling of tranquility filled her; she had never felt such emotion before, so much so that a tear ran down her cheek.
"I know you did it out of love, out of desperation to save your brother's life and that's what I call courage!" said the princess, her words almost broke Claire's spirit, almost making her cry.
Claire took the princess's hand and bowed, placing it on her forehead.
"Your Majesty―I am infinitely grateful for your words, you are so wise, even though we are almost the same age!" she said gratefully.
That comment brought a smile to Sonia's face, and she gently took Claire's hand in hers.
"You know, it would have been great to have a sister like you!" said the princess, causing Claire to blush.
Sonia laughed as she watched Claire turn red as a tomato.
Their warm conversation was interrupted by Kiett and Margott, who, holding hands, approached to bow to the young princess.
"Your grace, it's an honor to see you again!" said Kiett, Margott standing firmly by his side.
"I'm glad to see you, Kiett. I see you have a guardian!" she replied.
Kiett could only laugh nervously.
"Your grace, my name is Margott Blackwell, and I am his girlfriend!" said Margott.
The moment became a little awkward, you could feel a certain electricity in the air, Margott and Princess Sonia were looking at each other in an electrifying way.
"I know you, Princess Liliam is your protector, isn't she?" asked Sonia.
Claire and Kiett felt the tension between the two until a familiar voice caught the group's attention.
"Margott, always showing your rebellious side!" said Grislett as he approached them with the help of crutches and Rivett at his right.
Everyone was excited and immediately went to greet him.
"Easy guys, I'm not quite right yet. But I see you are, Kiett!" said Grislett.
"That's right, although my chest still hurts" replied the young man.
"But I'm very happy to see you walking!" Grislett noticed Princess Sonia's presence and tried to bow but couldn't because of the pain in his leg.
Seeing this, Sonia approached him and stopped him with her hands.
"You don't have to bow―You must get better!" she said.
Blumiere looked at her, and Sonia noticed, returning the gaze.
"You are very beautiful, your grace, as you are every day!" said Blumiere, trying to flatter the beautiful princess.
Everyone laughed at Blumiere's words, including the princess.
"If you'll excuse me, I must go to Her Majesty Liliam!" said Sonia.
As she was about to leave, Kiett stopped her.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, will the Queen be present at the ceremony?" asked the young man, a little embarrassed by the question.
Even Claire and Margott were surprised.
"Her Majesty the Queen has been away from Averford since yesterday―She is not with us now!" that words saddened Kiett's gaze, and Sonia noticed it.
"What's wrong? Do you want something from my mom?" she asked, moving slightly closer.
Margott stared at her, and Claire found it amusing to watch her jealous expression.
"I want to thank her. She saved my life. I am indebted to her!" replied Kiett.
"Don't worry, I promise I'll take you to her myself when I get back, but now I have to go!" I said, and the caress made the others look at us with utter disbelief.
For Claire, the scene was beautiful. She was enjoying Margott's jealous expressions so much that she had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
When Sonia left, Margott rebuked Kiett.
"Answer me this: are her hands softer than mine? Do you prefer her caresses?" asked Margott.
The young man apologized, wondering what he could do when it came to the heiress to the crown of Averford.
"I accepted her caress out of politeness. Please don't be angry!" replied the young man, hugging her.
Margott accepted the hug, sinking into his arms and breathing in the scent of his uniform.
"A hug isn't enough," exclaimed Margott.
After that modest scene of jealousy on Margott's part, everyone was called to the academy's great hall. The entire structure was beautiful in every detail, with marble walls, gold inlays, and beautiful chandeliers shining with a light that tried to replicate the beautiful sunlight.
"Hi everyone, we're here!" said Marth, who arrived with Sakura Lino, also wearing their elegant uniforms.
Marth is the only son of the master of the Royal Forge of Averford, Matthew Heckyrk, who has been important in the manipulation and forging of moonlight steel, from which the swords of the Legionnaires are made, capable of reflecting the mystical energy molded by their mana.
Sakura Lino also bears the surname Heckyrk, having been adopted by Matthew when she lost her parents during the event in which Arthur Windham died.
Arthur was Fiora's husband, Sonia's father, and the undisputed hero of Averford. The same event also claimed the lives of the parents of the Sigrid siblings.
"You made it just in time. I thought you wouldn't make it" replied Claire.
Marth and Kiett exchanged their typical hand greeting as best friends.
"Everyone's here. It's strange to be in the same room as the noble families!" Sakura whispered, as standing next to them was the Alfgen family, one of the four most important families in Averford, and alongside their representatives were their heirs, the triplets Kristyn, Kristany, and Kristiny Alfgen, beautiful maidens who were quite skilled with the sword.
Curiously, Claire had earned a reputation as the best swordswoman, surpassing even Prince Lon.
"Those three are a pain in the neck—they think they're so great!" Amber said behind their backs, giving everyone a big scare.
This made everyone else in the great hall turn to look at them, including the young Alfgen girls.
"Amber, how can you say that about them? You hardly know them!" Amber simply made a face of disgust.
"I don't have to associate with people who value others by the amount of coins in their pockets!" she replied.
"Look, they're coming this way!" said Blumiere.
Amber's face turned red with embarrassment, but she didn't try to hide from them.
"Good evening, everyone. It's wonderful to see you again!" said Kristyn, the eldest of the three.
"We're delighted to see you too… We share your sentiment!" replied Claire.
The three girls approached Kiett, who was holding Margott's hand.
"I see you're feeling better, Kiett. That truly makes us happy!" Kristiny stated, "It's a shame we have to meet again in such circumstances... we lost so much!" said Kiett.
The three sisters agreed with him, as it was a time of mourning; there was nothing to celebrate.
The conversations in the great hall were interrupted by the arrival of Princess Liliam and her son Prince Lon, who looked very elegant.
Lon was wearing his uniform but with many more accessories than the other noble children. Liliam wore a beautiful black dress. Everyone welcomed them by bowing at the same time, and all those present knelt as they passed.
One of the noble leaders approached Liliam.
"Your Majesty, if I may ask, will our Queen be joining us tonight?" asked Akira Alfgen.
"My sister is currently away from Averford, as you know. I will take care of the ceremony on her behalf!" replied Liliam.
After that brief conversation, Liliam, Lon, and Sonia climbed the stairs to the second floor to use it as a stage for a speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen, future Legionnaires of Averford" she began.
"Tonight, we will hold the incense ceremony in honor of our fallen brothers―May the light of Throme guide them to their eternal rest!" exclaimed Liliam.
Everyone listened to her words. Lon noticed that Kristyn couldn't take her eyes off him, which made him feel a little nervous. Kristyn noticed this and smiled at him.
"What happened in Threnafell was an immeasurable tragedy. His Majesty and I will discuss the new training I have prepared for our recruits upon his return, but now I invite you all to join me in paying tribute and honoring all our heroes!" Liliam concluded her speech.
Four people entered the great hall: Callaghan, Tanner, Senna, and Cosette. The latter carried a sword wrapped in white silk. The four made their way through the crowd until they reached Liliam and bowed to her on the steps.
"The moon will soon light up the sky, and it has stopped raining for now, so the time has come!" exclaimed Liliam, turning around.
The others followed her to the back of the academy where the bodies of all the deceased recruits lay prepared for cremation.
―Montecristo Ranch―
At the ranch on the outskirts of Dove, Joel has taken a cold shower and changed his appearance, cutting his hair to reveal a masculine cut that makes him look quite attractive. His naked torso shows off his well-defined pecs; he has a strong body and muscles that are well developed for his age. He walks to his bed and lets himself fall onto it. "It's time" he thought. He is aware of the incense ceremony. His gaze is lost in nothingness as he stares at the ceiling of his room. Suddenly, he remembers the parchment that Alistar left him from Fiora.
"What is this all about?" he wondered, getting up and walking over to pick it up.
When he picked it up, a teleportation rune stone fell out of it onto the floor.
Intrigued, he picked it up and looked at some symbols he couldn't interpret.
As he read the parchment, his expression changed from lost and discouraged to alert, his eyes wide open, as if what he was reading was something very bad.
He dropped the parchment and got dressed quickly, putting on his boots with difficulty as he tried to walk.
"Victor! Get my horse ready quickly, I must go to the castle now!" he shouted desperately.
He entered his armory, grabbed some daggers and a sword, which he placed on his back, and ran out. Outside the house, Victor was waiting for him with a large white horse ready.
"Sir, is everything all right?" Victor asked. "Don't wait up for me, Victor!" Joel replied, and as fast as lightning, he set off for Averford.
―At the Mystic Academy―
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…