Sheena had Milla scouted ahead to make sure that the group wasn't going to run into any more ambushes from either beast or human. The walk back to the battlefield was made in complete silence, nobody really knowing what to say to each other. Lloyd could feel his breath quicken and his chest become heavier the closer they got. When the path curved around, and Lloyd could see the large wagons and carts in the distance, he knew it was real. He could have chalked the entire day up to a nightmare. Hell, a string of terrible, shitty nightmares altogether. Lloyd would have loved to finish the nightmare, wake up, and find himself in a world where none of that happened, where Cassius was still alive.

As the group walked past the carcasses of the bandits, a rage boiled in Lloyd's heart. He clenched his fist as he kept his head forward, trying to avoid looking at them. His eyes caught Cassius, his body still lying where he remembered it. Both Regal and Lloyd approached his body, slowly kneeling when they finally got to it. Cassius’ eyelids were still open, and Lloyd reached down to close them. Cassius is dead because you weren’t strong enough. What if we just did what he asked and went back to Sylvia; he would be alive right now. Lloyd closed his own eyelids as he took a deep breath and tried to chase away the thoughts.

“We need to find him a good tree,” Lloyd said as he opened his eyes, revealing a deadness behind them.

“I agree,” Regal said as he scooped up Cassius into his arms.

They walked for a while in the forest until they came upon a patch of Magnolia trees. A warmth broke through the deadness inside that Lloyd forced upon himself. The trees were a perfect reminder of home. The trees’ white and pink petals stood out against the otherwise uniform green of the surrounding area. Lloyd bent down to feel the ground. The grass was wet, and the ground was soft.

“In between all of them?” Lloyd asked as he pointed to the plot of ground he had in mind.

Regal nodded, then walked over to the side and gently put his friend on the ground. Lloyd unsheathed one of his swords, grabbed it by the blade, and began to dig. His palms dug into the sharp edge, blood trickling down the blade as he dug. Lloyd briefly winced in pain but forced his mind and body to go numb like when he was thrown against the rock. He could already feel his new Ascended body trying to repair the damage slowly. Regal quickly joined in with the same strategy, although no blood painted his blade. The pair dug for a few hours before they were satisfied with the grave.

The sun was low in the sky before the men walked over to Cassius’ body. Lloyd’s blade was covered with his blood. His palms were barely recognizable as the sword shifted in his hands as he dug, creating new cuts and digging deeper into the old ones. He dug into his pack until he found a few remaining scraps of cloth. The numbness was fading, and Lloyd could feel the tenderness of the wounds as he wrapped his hands. Regal carried the body to the hole. Lloyd grabbed Cassius’ arms while Regal grabbed the legs. His hands cried out in pain as he gripped Cassius' wrists, but he gritted his teeth and fought through the pain. They slowly lowered their friend until his back rested against the newly dug dirt.

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Regal stared down into the pit that now held his friend. With a deep breath, he began to speak. “Cassius, buddy, I will miss you, man. You were supposed to be the one who gave the motivational speeches. You were the one that always had the witty thing to say. I cannot believe you are gone. It fucking sucks, man. Love you, man,” Regal said as he picked up some dirt from the pile they created earlier and threw it on top of Cassius.

Lloyd stood there for a few moments at a loss for words. He knew that the journey was going to be dangerous, but he never questioned the idea that Cassius and Regal would make it just fine. His brother was always by his side, a stalwart defender since they were five. Lloyd was technically the older brother, but Regal was always ten feet tall in his mind. He watched his brother take hits from swinging swords and attacks from Corrupted that would cut an average Altered person and walk away without a scratch. He now witnessed his brother bleed on multiple occasions.

Cassius was always powerful. He never lost a duel back in Breakwater. Even with his powers limited to touch, it would shock and stun any opponent. After his Ascension, Cassius was able to shoot lightning from his hands, killing multiple Corrupted at once. One man with telekinetic powers bested him. Lloyd wasn’t sure what was real anymore. The world that he thought he knew had completely changed. It was far more dangerous than he realized. Lloyd stared down at his hands. He was now more powerful than ever. I’d rather have no powers again and my friend by my side.

“You were our friend. You were such a powerful human being who only wanted the best for us. I don’t know how we will go on without you. You always knew what dumb thing to say that would lighten the mood or what string of words would get us to do something we knew was dangerous or forbidden by our parents. You came with us so that you could protect the Kingdom, and I will carry that burden for you from here. Love you man,” Lloyd said as he dropped some dirt into the grave.

One day, I won’t be an anchor. One day, I will become the most powerful person in the Kingdom, more powerful than the King himself. I’ll make Cassius' memory proud, and I’ll be the one who saves his friends and not the other way around.

Lloyd dropped a few Magnolia petals into the grave. “Goodbye, Cassius,” Lloyd said.

Regal and Lloyd began dumping dirt into the grave. It gathered around his body until the only thing left showing was Cassius’ face. The men gently dropped dirt until they could no longer see any parts of Cassius. Regal continued to shove dirt in while Lloyd paused. Something about seeing his friend completely disappear into the ground unleashed the floodgates. His heartbeat picked up as he stared down at the earth. He reached his hand forward and felt his powers trickle around his body. He extended the tendrils of his magic outward until he could feel the dirt with his telekinesis. Lloyd violently shoved against the pile, rapidly pushing the dirt into the hole until the job was done.

Lloyd felt the pent-up anger still rising and had no outlet for the energy. Regal put his hand on his brother's shoulder, but Lloyd shrugged it off. He shook his head before realizing he knew how he could express his anger. Lloyd sprinted off into the trees toward the battlefield.