Three weeks later
All the Izigan officials gathered in a huge hall. It was a very sad day. The men wore black suits, and the women wore long black gowns. The council members sat at the front with their usual iconic style.
The hall itself was massive and metallic, and at the front stood two Large colored holographic statues, one of Sir David and the other of Lord Tim.
It was a heavy loss for the Izigan community. Two important figures were gone within two weeks, taken by an enemy they still didn't fully understand.
Lady Ava's eyes stayed fixed on Sir David's figure. Her dear brother was gone. Even sitting there, she struggled to believe it. A warrior like him, fallen?
She thought about one thing only she knew. Her brother was smarter than anyone else. He never did anything without telling her first. But this time, he hadn't told her. Why was this different?
One by one, different Izigans climbed the podium to give their speeches. Everyone watched, listened, and respected the moment of grief. Hours passed before Lord Orion finally walked to the podium.
Silence filled the hall. All eyes turned to him as he adjusted the square metal mic and cleared his throat with two soft coughs.
"There are times like this when we expect nothing, then something happens, and our minds struggle to process it. We have lost two heroes—important, powerful, and brave. They took on missions that seemed impossible and made them possible. They fought because they were Izigans, and they died protecting this planet. That part, most humans will never see. These legends are gone, and their energy is irreplaceable, but their memory will stay in our hearts.
Lord Tim had no blood family, but we were all his family. And we grieve with the family Sir David left behind. They will both be remembered."
When Lord Orion finished, the hall stayed silent for a moment, then slowly the officials began to leave. Kenneth was also present and left with the rest. But Lady Ava remained seated, still staring at her brother's holographic statue, almost like she was studying it.
Then Lord Liam walked up and stopped beside her. Ava's eyes moved to his hand. She looked closely at the statue again, at its finger. There was something she hadn't confirmed until now.
"The ring…" Ava whispered, rubbing her own ring, the same as Sir David's.
Liam stood a short distance away, fingers joined together in front of him. On his face was that notorious smile—the kind that made people feel like he was planning their death. A smile so known it had become famous across Galaxia.
"I didn't see the kids," he said. "You didn't invite them?"
"I made sure they weren't informed."
"Come on. At least they should have heard the good things said about their grandfather."
Lady Ava turned toward him with a sharp expression, one that should have silenced him. But instead, his smile only grew wider under her gaze.
"I don't see why that concerns you, Liam. I will be leaving now."
She stood, her long black robe sweeping behind her as she turned sharply and walked toward the exit.
At the very back of the hall, Frankie, her assistant, was waiting. The moment she noticed Lady Ava leaving, she jumped up, adjusting her glasses and hurrying across the seats to join her.
Together they left the hall and headed for another building. Ava walked quickly, Frankie stumbling a bit behind her. They entered the steel-coated facility where the bodies of high Izigan officials were kept.
Frankie froze when she saw the walkway lined with frozen bodies, each sealed inside glass cylinders. The sight gave her chills.
The air was filled with a strange cold gas leaking from vents beneath the cylinders. It carried a sharp, bitter smell. Frankie quickly grabbed her collar and held it to her nose.
The frost on the glass blurred the view, but one could still see the shapes of humans inside.
Ava didn't stop until she reached the main chamber. The room stretched high, filled with a towering stack of frozen bodies. They were stored in long cylindrical cases with glass lids, rising so high it strained the neck to look up.
A metal frame supported the tower, with robotic arms sliding along it, moving the cylinders and putting them into place.
The caretaker of the place was standing with a screen in his hands, goggles over his eyes and a white mask on his face. As soon as he noticed Lady Ava, he pulled off his goggles, lowered his mask, and hurried over.
"My lady, what brings you here?" Will asked.
"I came to examine my brother's body. There's something I need to see."
"My lady, you know it is against the law. All deceased Izigans are to...."
"Are you going to lecture me on a law we created? Will you help me or not?" Ava cut him short.
"Right," Will answered quickly.
He reached into his chest pocket and pulled out a wrist device. A small holographic screen lit up. With a few taps, one of the robotic arms lowered a cylinder carefully to the ground. A clean metal stool rose from below, and the cylinder was placed on it.
Ava and Will stepped closer. The cylinder was at waist level, its glass frosted white. She could barely make out the body inside.
"Take this," Will said, handing her a white mask to guard her from the gas.
The moment he pressed a button, a hiss of cold air escaped the cylinder. Ava ignored it and leaned forward, eyes going straight to Sir David's neck—stitched neatly—his body resting deep in thick white ice. But her eyes moved quickly to his hand.
Her chest tightened. The ring was not there. No ring, and no mark where it should have been.
"Where's his ring?" she asked.
"What ring?" Will blinked in confusion.
Ava lifted her hand, showing her own ring.
"This ring. He had one too. Where is it?"
"I'm sorry, my lady," Will said. "All items found with the body were collected. But I didn't see any ring. If something like that was found, I would have sent it to the Records Centre."
Ava pressed a hand to her forehead in frustration, rubbing it. Then she looked at her brother one last time, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
"Close it," she said.
Will pressed the button, and the glass lid shut slowly. The robotic arm lifted the cylinder away while the stool sank back into the floor.
This makes no sense, Ava thought. No message left, and now no ring. I must find out what's really going on.
"I will be on my way," she said at last, turning to leave.