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The war ended.
It's been years like thousand? maybe hundreds? But well, finally the war is over.
But the two kingdoms did not unite, they did not want to. There is still Red, and also Blue. There's no Bannerfall Kingdom or Purple Kingdom Sadly.
The mortal is all gone now... There are some people left who are not human in each Kingdom.
In Blue, there's Graecie, Shandrea and Scott. In Red, there's only 4C.
Both Kingdoms have developed a lot after the peace they decided that ended the war.
There's a lot of new faces in both Kingdoms. Filling the silence of bannerfall with laughter and conversation, returning in every decade, different in every era.
But it's not all the same. Not for 4C who's still stuck in the past, maybe not just him, Graecie, Shandrea and Scott might still be a little stuck too it seems.
4C said he would live with Nom's legacy, Morning Star, with pride, yes, he did. He learned to use it proudly, and he hoped Nom could see it far away in his place.
But he felt... Empty. One by one, his friends left him. First it was Nom, his brother... Then Katie, Mae, the Red Kingdoms, the Blue Kingdoms... They all left him for a better place.
4C doesn't want to mourn them for too long, because he doesn't want to make them all sad with himself still not being able to escape from their shadows.
4C placed the flowers he picked on the rows of gravestones belonging to his friends. Graecie, Shandrea and Scott just stood there silently behind him.
Mae, Shandrea, Eloise, Ser Bek, Owain, Cam.
They are the tombstones of all of them, some separately. Like Nom who is next to Katie in that cliff, Frogue who is in Farkhall with Sausage, Technically, Sausage has a different grave and is not in fark hall, Cam made a different grave. But he died in farkhall, so sausage is with Frogue.
Then Kitty. Kitty is far away out there, probably beside with that knight, who is said to be her owner. Then there's the princess of Soluna, Cherri, and her knight, Apo. They're asleep in their homeland, Soluna, side by side.
The wind swept across the graves, tugging at the hem of 4C’s cloak, no, it was Mae's cloak.
It was a silent witness to the passage of time, unlike the people he had loved. He stood before the weathered stones of his friends, the "Morning Star" resting beside him, heavy.
Graecie stepped forward, her footsteps light on the grass. She looked at the carvings, her eyes reflecting a weariness that no amount of peacetime "laughter and conversation" could ever truly mask.
The weight to live longer than mortals do.
"Time is a cruel prankster, isn't it?" Graecie said softly, her voice barely rising above the breeze. "I remember when you three thought a decade was a lifetime. Now, we watch decades flicker out like candles."
4C didn't turn around. He traced the books Katie gave him on his hand.
"I’m older than my brother now, Graecie. In years, at least. But standing here... I still feel like the younger one waiting for him to tell me to play farkle with him again."
Scott shifted behind them, his gaze fixed on the horizon where the Blue Kingdom’s spires caught the afternoon sun. "It's unfortunate, but they're all in a better place. I still can't believe decades have passed... It's almost 100 years at this point..."
"Maybe more than 100, who knows. We lost count and forget, no? Because we're an old fellas now," Shandrea added, her tone light, and that managed to create a little laugh from her three friends.
But it's not lasted long, because after some time, silence devoured them again...
4C finally turned, his expression unreadable. "Does it ever feel... wrong? To you three? To be the ones left to remember?" He asked.
Graecie smiled faintly, the wind ruffling her hair, which still looked beautiful. Graecie hadn't changed much after all that happened. "Every single morning. I've been here before, longer than anyone..." She said quietly.
Shandrea sigh "It feels like a responsibility. But it was fun while is lasted. At least they didn't die because of the war..."
Scott touched the handle of his own staff. "Shan's right. They are worthy to remember. It might feel wrong, but if we stay alive, they will appreciate it more than we grief."
4C looked down at his hands. It was trembling.
"I told myself I wouldn't mourn them forever," 4C whispered. "I don't want them looking down from wherever they are, seeing me stuck in this shadow. But the silence is so loud sometimes. too loud even..." He said bitterly.
"...We understand that 4C..." Gracie said, her voice still soft as usual.
Scott and Shandrea were silent, both of them silently agreeing. The silence was so loud, especially when they looked back and saw that their Kingdom now had many people passing by, exchanging conversations, joking, laughing, playing... It always remind them about how they have lived for quite a long time...
"We shall go... We will leave you here if you still want to talk to them, 4C." Shandrea opened her mouth, she patted 4C's shoulder and then walked away.
"Meet us at the Rue-Bar. We should chat after a while." Scott said, Scott patted 4C on the shoulder as well. "Be brave, but don't hide it if you feel vulnerable." Scott added as he follow Shan.
"Say my hello to Nom and Katie, 4C. You're going to visit their graves, right?" Graecie said, which 4C easily responded to with a nod.
Graecie smiled faintly, she stroked 4C's head "You've worked hard, 4C. Thank you."
Her voice was gentle. Graecie always had a calmness that made 4C feel like he could breathe again. He appreciated the words from them.
Footsteps slowly began to disappear, 4C stared at the backs of his friends who were starting to shrink, moving away from where he was.
4C took a deep breath, then he finally went walking to the cliff where the siblings' graves were.
***
4C walk to the cliff, the path that 4C can take even if he uses a blindfold. He has already memorized it too much.
He stared at two tombstones with the names Nom and Katie written on them...
God, he still wasn’t used to this. No matter how many years the sun rose and set, the sight of their names carved in stone felt like a fresh ache in his heart.
"I brought you a new crafting table, Nom... and Katie, I brought some allium flowers for you. You gave me this back then," 4C whispered. He tried to force a smile, but it felt brittle, like dried parchment ready to tear.
He set the flowers down with trembling hands, his fingers lingering on the cold stone of Katie’s grave. He carefully replaced the crafting table atop Nom’s resting place with a sturdy new one, as if keeping their hobbies alive could somehow keep them tethered to the world. He sank down between the two markers, the grass swaying around him in a gentle, mocking breeze.
"The Red Kingdom has a new monarch, you know?" he murmured, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "Ser Bek offered it to me decades ago, but I couldn't do it. I told her I was happy where I am... but I think the truth is, I just couldn't bear to lead a kingdom that didn't have you guys beside me."
He let out a shaky breath, picking at a blade of grass. "Nom, did you know? Katie used to tease you... she’d joke that she’s technically older than you a long while ago. She said you should start calling her 'Big Sister.' when you two met again. It was funny. We laughed until our sides ached." His voice dropped to a pained whisper. "And yet now... I’m the oldest of us all... do you think this one is a funny thing?"
He talked for a long time, sharing snippets of news from Blue Kingdom and Red Kingdom, but the lightness he was trying to maintain began to dissolve.
"Graecie says hello. She’s coming back here after me later. Scott and Shandrea... they don’t stay in Blue long. They’re leaving for an adventure tomorrow. They stop by to keep me company sometimes and visit all of our friends, and I’m grateful, I really am..."
He paused, his chest tightening. "But I’m the only one left here. In Bannerfall. I try to leave, I go back to the swamp, but I always find myself dragging my feet back to Bannerfall," His voice cracked, a jagged sound in the quiet air. "Bannerfall is my home... Because you guys are. And I just... I want to stay home. I want to stay with you."
The weight of the silence hit him all at once. The realization that no matter how much he talked, no laughter would follow his jokes. No hand would clap him on the shoulder.
"I miss you two," he choked out. The dam broke. "God, I miss you so much it feels like I’m breathing glass."
He tried to start another story. Something about a silly thing a merchant had said, but the words died in his throat. Every breath was a struggle now, his lungs refusing to expand against the crushing pressure of grief. He clutched the handle of the Morning Star so tightly, his body beginning to heave with the force of his sobs.
"I can't— I... I’m sorry," he gasped, hot tears streaming down his face and dripping onto the cold metal of the Mace. "I didn't mean to come here and make you guys sad. I just— God, I’d give everything— everything I have, everything I am, just to turn back the clock. Just for one more afternoon in the sun with everyone..."
He wiped his eyes aggressively with his sleeve, but the tears were relentless. "I told you I’d be okay. I promised I’d get through this. I told myself I’d ‘bounced back’ because that’s what 4C does, right? I’m the one who survives even after everything. But it hurts... it hurts so much that I just want to follow you. I want to lie down and let the grass grow over me too."
The confession hung in the air, raw and bleeding.
"The truth is... I’m not done grieving. I’m nowhere near done," he sobbed into his hands, his shoulders shaking violently. "I just got so good at pretending that I started believing my own lie. I’m sorry– I'm so sorry I’m still stuck here. I’m sorry I’m the only one who can’t seem to move on when the rest of the world has forgotten the sound of your voices and faces."
He sat there for a long time, letting the salt of his tears wash over the Morning Star. But eventually, the storm inside him began to settle into a dull, familiar ache. He looked at the graves again, his vision blurry but his heart a little lighter for having spoken the truth.
"I won't come yet, though," he whispered, a small, genuine smile flickering through the pain. "I can't leave Scott, Shandrea, and Graecie yet. They’re hurting too, even if they don't show it the same way. I’ll stay. For them. And for you all."
He stood up, dusting off his knees. "I’ll see you soon.... Not today, but soon. When the time comes, you better have some ambrosia ready. I’m expecting a welcome party." He let out a watery chuckle and het up to turned and walk away, his silhouette growing smaller and smaller...
On the other side of the veil, perched atop their own headstones, Nom and Katie watched him go.
"He'll be fine, right, Nom?" Katie asked, her voice shimmering like starlight. Her eyes remained fixed on 4C’s retreating back, there's worry in it.
Nom chuckled, a warm, resonant sound. "He will. He’s 4C, Kate. He always bounces back. Even if it takes him a few centuries."
Katie giggled, kicking her ghostly boots against the stone. "He’s right about the ambrosia, though. We really should get a head start on that. Remember the party Graecie threw? He drank like 103 bottles."
"103?!" Nom’s eyes widened in disbelief. "That’s... physically impossible."
"What? You just found out, Nom?" A new voice joined them, a light yet cheery. Princess Cherri leaned against a nearby spectral tree, an amused smirk on her face. "I thought you were the one who kept egging him on an accident."
"WHA— What did I even do??" Nom protested, throwing his hands up.
"Language," another voice interjected, firm but laced with affection. Apokuna stepped forward, her armor gleaming with an ethereal light. "Do not raise your voice in the presence of my Princess, Nominal."
"Booo, Nom, booo! You’re just a bad influence!" Mae’s voice rang out as she chuckled and darted out from behind the towering, sturdy form of Owain, sticking her tongue out at the man.
Owain let out a long, weary sigh that vibrated through the air. "Is this really how we’re spending eternity? Squabbling over drink counts?"
"Oh, look, El. Isn't this flower beautiful?"
The group turned to see Ser Bek kneeling by the ethereal reflection of the alliums 4C had just placed. Beside her, Eloise nodded softly. "It is indeed. He has good taste."
"Let's throw a party!" Katie said suddenly as she jumped down, her energy infectious. "Wait— where’s the Chud King? Did we lose him again?"
The group looked around, collectively shrugging.
"Never mind, he’ll turn up when we threw the party! Everyone will be there anyway!" Katie exclaimed, pointing toward the horizon. "To the Rue-Bar we go!!"
As the spirits faded toward their slime friend's way, the cliff returned to its natural silence.
But the air remained warm, a lingering presence guarding the man who walked alone, unaware that he was never truly by himself when he visit all of his friends...