The Gamer's POV

After an invitation from Cedric, the door opened and a young boy stepped inside the room. He looked to be around fifteen years old and had a rather timid posture. His hair was red, just like his eyes, and he was dressed in a neatly ironed, formal uniform.

In his hands, he held a freshly pressed black jacquard coat.

Cedric, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed, arched a brow questioningly.

Seeing that, the boy bowed quickly and introduced himself. "I’m Leo, sir. I’m the personal attendant that has been assigned to you and your quarters."

"Oh..."

All gold-tier nobles had a servant assigned to them by the Bastion to take care of their daily needs, maintenance, and errands.

Leo raised the outfit slightly. "This is for the Memorial Service tomorrow. I’ll put this in the closet for you."

He then hurried to hang the clothes up carefully. When he was done, he turned around and asked, "Will you be going to the cafeteria, or would you like your food brought here, sir?"

"I’ll eat here today," Cedric replied as he fell back against the mattress.

He heard the boy bid farewell, after which Leo left, closing the door behind him. In that position, Cedric closed his eyes and let out a long, heavy sigh as the silence settled back into the room.

***

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..

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The cold rain fell in a steady drizzle, causing the entire memorial plaza to look gloomy and gray.

In front of one of the grand monuments, over a thousand people stood in solemn silence, all wearing black suits and formal robes.

This particular memorial was dedicated to those who died in the First Ring during the last lunar eclipse, and those present were the second-year cadets and a few from the third year.

Cedric, dressed in his black jacquard coat, walked calmly through the crowd with an umbrella resting against his shoulder.

As he made his way to the front rows, where his friends stood, he had a grim expression on his face. In his right hand, he held a finely crafted smoke pipe, which he unhurriedly brought to his lips.

Eventually, he got to the front, where Dion, who was dressed in similar somber attire, spotted him. Dion forced a faint smile and nodded. Cedric returned the nod and stood beside him.

Not too far from them, he could see Evelyn and Celeste, who stood together, also wearing black outfits and covering their heads with dark lace veils.

Cedric shifted his gaze to the monument in front of him. The names of all the fallen had already been engraved into the cold stone.

Beside it, a lady in her forties who was dressed in a black priest’s outfit stood motionless. She had a white blindfold over her eyes. In both hands, she cradled a strange statue.

Upon closer inspection, Cedric could see that the sculpture was of a raven with a stone egg in its mouth. While its upper half was covered in feathers, its lower half was completely skeletal, making it look deeply unsettling.

The woman holding this effigy was an oracle and the one presiding over the service.

Despite the patter of the rain, her voice, which was amplified by the whisperscript hanging around her neck, was audible to everyone in the plaza.

"We stand here today to remember those who were taken from us far too soon. Look upon these names. These... were noble children. They had dreams that stretched into the horizon, hopes for the future, and families who held wishes for their long, happy lives.

"But due to the unfortunate circumstances of our world, their innocence was cut short. At an age when they should have been enjoying the privileges of their birth, laughing in the safety of their homes, and living as a noble truly should, they were given no choice. They were forced to pick up weapons, and they were forced to become fighters.

"They bore a burden that should never have belonged to the young.

"As we honor their memory today, let us not only mourn the warriors they became, but remember the bright, beautiful children they always were.

"To their families, no words spoken here can fill the void left at your tables. But please know that their sacrifice was not in vain, and it will never be forgotten. We will keep their memories alive, and we will protect what they defended."

She paused for a moment. Then, she looked up and began to call out the names of the fallen on the monument.

"Cadet Juliana...

"Cadet Roben...

"Cadet Jesper...

"Cadet Bernard...

"Cadet Bryan..."

That... was Dion’s brother.

Cedric turned to see that out of everyone here, Dion was the only one holding a wine bottle and standing without an umbrella.

When the name of his brother was called, he looked up to the sky, with gray eyes that reflected the bleak, rain-swept clouds above.

Cedric exhaled and stepped closer to him, tilting his umbrella just enough so that Dion could share in the dry shelter.

At the end of the memorial, people began to leave after dropping flowers in front of the monument.

Evelyn walked up to Dion, who was just staring blankly at the mound of vibrant petals piling at the base. She tapped his shoulder, then turned to leave.

Celeste did the same, and after a few seconds, Audrey, who stood not too far away, also offered a quiet nod of solidarity before walking away.

By the time everyone had cleared out, only Dion and Cedric remained under the heavy gray sky.

For a long moment, both just stood in absolute silence, watching the rain wash over the stone.

Eventually, after a few swigs from his bottle, Dion began in a hollow, strained voice.

"He was the hope of our barony, you know. He was already arranged to marry into a viscount’s family. They had chosen to pass over me to pick him because of the nature of the abilities he had."

Cedric turned to Dion.

There was a practice called Bond Breeding. Even if a Dominant was from a minor noble house, if they had a Bond with abilities that caught the eyes of higher nobility, they would arrange marriages for the Dominants. That way, their children would manifest a bond with similar abilities.

It seemed Bryan had possessed really exceptional abilities.

Dion let out a long, weary sigh. "But I’m done comparing my own potential to his. For a long time, I let myself get passed over just because people couldn’t see my worth. I’ve decided it’s time I start seeing it myself."

He turned his gray eyes toward the monument, and a sudden sharpness cut through the grief.

"I’ve made up my mind, Cedric. I’m going to become one of the strongest weapon masters in the entire empire. I’ll do it for him. And I’ll do it for myself. Just you wait and see, Bryan."

He raised the bottle of alcohol high, but rather than taking another drink, he tipped it forward, pouring the remaining liquid into the rain-soaked dirt as a final offering to his brother.

Cedric smiled softly.

He slid his smoke pipe back into his inventory to free up a hand, then stepped forward and pulled Dion into a firm side-hug. "You will. I know you will... friend."

A sudden streak of lightning tore through the gray sky, illuminating the plaza as he patted Dion’s shoulder, anchoring his grieving friend in the stormy quiet.