Chapter 190: Funeral [2]

Alden looked at the flower. Then he took it.

"Hm."

He nodded and started walking toward the coffin. He didn’t wait for her, and he didn’t look back to see if she was following.

Seris stood still for a moment, watching him go. Then she lowered her eyes and followed.

Alden couldn’t quite understand his own behavior.

’I’m being rude to her, aren’t I? I know I am.’

He knew Seris hadn’t done anything to deserve it. Yet every time she came near him, part of him wanted to turn away, and another part wanted to talk to her. He clenched his jaw.

’Maybe I just need some time. Being upset with a partner isn’t a crime, is it?’

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She was walking quietly beside him without trying to make him talk, and for some reason that made him feel worse.

’...Damn it.’

He looked away. Neither of them spoke again until they reached the coffin.

Alden stopped beside it. Leon lay in front of him, peaceful as ever. He stared at that face for a long moment, then laid the flower gently on the coffin. Seris stepped up and placed her flower next to his.

They stood together in silence for a few seconds. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Alden kept expecting Leon to open his eyes and grin at him. But Leon didn’t move.

A voice came from behind them.

"Please keep moving. There are others waiting to pay their respects."

Alden didn’t react right away. Seris put a hand on his arm.

"Let’s go."

He nodded and turned away. One step. Two. Then he stopped.

Slowly he looked back at Leon’s face. Something inside him didn’t want to leave. He had wanted Leon beside him in this war, and not only as another fighter or someone useful on the battlefield. He had wanted them to face whatever came next together as his first ever friend in this world.

Alden’s hand rose slowly and he laid his palm on Leon’s chest.

’Come with me.’

The thought came from somewhere deeper than words.

’You hear me, Leon?’

His fingers curled against the cloth of Leon’s clothes.

’I’m taking you with me.’

A faint dark flame rose out of Leon’s body. It drifted upward without a sound, its edges flickering like smoke. It touched Alden’s palm, and the moment it did...

WHOOSH!

The dark flame rushed into his hand. Alden’s whole body went stiff.

"Huh...?!"

It lasted less than a heartbeat. But in that tiny moment something passed from Leon into Alden, something that seemed to carry Leon’s whole existence. His memories. His experiences. His feelings. His entire life. All of it poured into Alden at once.

"What...?!"

His breath caught.

First came the loneliness. It had settled so deep in the boy’s heart that it had started to feel normal. Then came the royal palace of the Calyndor Kingdom. Aurelia. Arvendis. The Prodigy. Names and faces and events rushed through Alden’s mind faster than he could follow. He saw pieces of Leon’s childhood, happy moments, and memories Leon had never shared with anyone.

Then the memories changed. The Astern Kingdom. The Evercrest household. Leon finding a place where he could finally belong.

Alden’s eyes went wide as it kept coming. There was too much. Far too much. It felt less like watching and more like living it. Every memory came with its own feelings and sensations, and each one slammed into him before he could finish with the last. He saw what Leon had seen. He felt what Leon had felt.

Alden gritted his teeth.

’Stop...’

Another wave hit him, and his knees trembled.

’Slow down!’

But it didn’t slow down. When he took Augustus’s soul, nothing like this had happened. Why? What made Leon different? Alden tried to sort the flood into some kind of order, but his mind couldn’t keep up. Years of memories were crashing through him in a few seconds. His breathing turned rough, and outside, in the real world, his body began to shake.

"Alden?"

Seris noticed right away. She turned to him and saw his trembling hands, his unfocused eyes, and how stiff his whole body had gone.

"Alden!"

She caught his arm, but he didn’t answer. His eyes were open, yet he seemed to be looking at something far beyond the funeral hall.

"Alden, can you hear me?"

Nothing. His body swayed.

Seris didn’t hesitate. She moved closer and pulled his head gently against her shoulder, holding him up with one arm while the other wrapped around his back.

"Hey..." Her voice softened. "It’s alright."

She held him firmly so he couldn’t fall.

"Take it easy. Whatever is happening, you don’t have to push through it all at once."

Alden couldn’t hear her clearly. The memories were still flooding his mind. But through all that chaos he felt something else. Warmth. The steady presence of someone holding him. A quiet comfort that cut through the storm, even if only for a moment.

Seris held him tighter.

"I’m here, Alden." She spoke so softly that only he could hear. "Just breathe."

His fingers curled into the fabric of her dress. He couldn’t explain what was happening, and he didn’t fully understand it himself. But for that short time, while he struggled under the weight of Leon’s memories, her arms were the only thing keeping him anchored to the present.

Seris was still holding him against her shoulder when she pulled back just enough to see his face. She cupped his cheeks in her hands.

"Alden? Are you alright? What happened?" Her crimson eyes searched his. "You looked like you weren’t even here."

He didn’t answer right away. His mind was still spinning from everything he had just lived through. He lowered his gaze and tried to steady his breathing. Seris watched him with growing worry.

"Alden?"

He finally blinked.

"...I’m fine."

His own voice sounded far away to him. Seris didn’t look convinced, but before she could ask anything more, Alden’s attention shifted.

Across the hall, Arvendis was still standing beside Aurelia. One hand rested lightly near her shoulder as he spoke to her in a low voice. Aurelia barely seemed to hear him. Her eyes stayed fixed on Leon’s coffin.

Alden looked at Arvendis with sharp, narrowed eyes.