(Braden)

I'm not sure why Luca is taking us into some random woods, but Gavin seems to be really angry. I guess I can see things from his point of view, though Luca actually looked happy to have the knife, even if he's not a combatant.

It's confusing.

As we walk through the woods, on some trail only Luca knows, the sound of running water catches my ears. We must be near one of the streams running through the City.

Eventually, we reach a small clearing, where the stream cuts through it. Shallow, clear, and running over rocks, there's enough space above it for the waters to increase, even with the melting snow. Enough space that it would really need to flood to reach… what looks like grave markers.

There are four of them. Two large ones in the back, and two smaller ones in the front. Etched into the top of each is a crude diamond shape, probably meant to represent the Crystals.

The larger marker in the back-right looks older than two of the markers, and has runes etched into it.

For all those who died against the Demon Kobold King in the Naelmar Mines by Praevar.

Underneath that are the runes for twenty-five different names. Each of them also has a Class listed beside it, their Primary Class, or the one they favor they most.

The other big one is a lot newer, fresher.

For all those who died against the Avatar of the Shadow of Life, Dark Knight Variant, in Kaelmar City.

There are 347 names underneath that, each with a Class beside it as well.

Of the two in the front, the one on the left looks newer, but it's a lot more simple.

For Braden, ten years old, who died against A'Lutar in Talorn.

Braden? Who was that? He had my name, but it says he was only ten.

The other one is simple as well, but looks old, maybe as old as the older big one.

For Bryce, thirteen years old, slain by the Avatar of the Shadow of Life, Dark Knight Variant, in Kaelmar City, after being chased there by an ambush of monsters set by the Shadow of Life in an attempt to kill us both and divert the prophecy. future.

'Prophecy' looks like it was etched-out recently, with 'future' added on to the end at the same time.

Each of the graves has a bundle of black, mourning flowers in front of them, and they look and smell fresh. Where did the flowers come from? Who put them here?

"What is this?" Gavin asks.

"Chills," Max shivers.

He's right, this place gives me a slight chill, too, even before I read the grave markers. Who did this? What is this place? When I look at Luca for answers, there are tears in his eyes, though they've yet to start to roll down his cheeks.

"This," Luca gestures at the memorial. "Is Mr. Zack feeling guilty," he points at the older large grave marker with his staff. "Mr. Zack can predict the future through visions. When his eyes turn violet, he's having one, and it shows him a likely possibility of what will happen. That event… he warned them not to do it. He had a vision of them dying. He feels guilty for not pushing harder, for not warning them not to even more than he had. He knows, rationally, that he didn't have a say in it. Orders were given, and the Adventurers obeyed."

Luca points at the other big grave marker with his staff. That's a lot of talking. From what Brandon told me, Luca almost never says anything. Ever. Just a few words at a time, maybe a day. Yet he's given a full explanation for something.

Can Zack really predict the future? And what does that have to do with these grave stones?

"That one," he says. "Was more recent. It happened not long before Gavin arrived. We were training out in the fields, and… Mr. Zack decided to see how the fight was going. He feels guilty because he didn't try to have a vision of its turnout. If he had, then maybe he would have seen what would have happened. If he had, then he'd have told them not to do it. Dark Knights have a lot of sway, and those in charge know to trust Mr. Zack's visions."

"Are you saying," Gavin says. "That Zack did these?"

"Yes," Luca's voice cracks. "Mr. Zack made all of these. He feels guilty, and so he bought this park and these stones. He carved in every name himself. He dug down the stream so that it wouldn't flood unless things got heavy."

Zack did all of this?

"The only reason we can even enter this space," Luca says. "Without a heavy penalty to our stats while we're present is because we're on Mr. Zack's team. It's considered a Private Memorial. I looked it up."

His tears are starting to roll down his cheeks, and he points at the recent smaller marker.

"He feels really guilty for Braden's death," Luca's voice is completely shattered, now. "Braden was my twin brother. Identical. He was a Novice Elemnetalist, like Max, but he liked wind magics. This staff," he taps the butt of his staff to the ground. "Was carved for Braden. It's a wind mage's staff. Mr. Zack had it made for my brother, along with a cloak. The cloak finished early, and Mr. Zack gave it to Braden.

"He wanted to prove himself," Luca sobs. "He wanted to prove to Mr. Zack that he could handle goblins, even though he was a low Level. Mr. Zack was strict with our training, and only let him fight rats and slimes.

"Mr. Zack blames himself for giving Braden the cloak!" He cries out. "Because the cloak boosted his magical defenses and magical power for wind magics! But it's not Mr. Zack's fault! He didn't know Braden would run off that night, when we knew Mr. Zack was going to be gone until at least noon the next day because of the war meeting! Mr. Zack isn't responsible for it! It's my fault! And Braden's! I should've put my foot down! I knew Braden was going to get hurt, but I went anyway! If I'd stayed behind, then Braden would've, too! But I went with him, so he went! If I'd stayed home, Braden would've worried about me and come back before even leaving Maelnor! Instead, I went with him, and we ended up in Talorn! Mr. Zack blames himself for that, for having the cloak made! For not being able to rescue my brother's body! But it's all Braden's fault! My stupid brother wanted to prove himself, that he was stronger than Mr. Zack said he was! But he wasn't! Mr. Zack knew what he was talking about!"

Luca cries for a few minutes, and when he collects himself, he looks at Gavin.

"This staff finished after Braden died," Luca tells him. "I was unconscious. I nearly died, too. A'Lutar only failed to kill me because Mr. Zack had the strongest, most powerful person in all the Boundary come rescue me as soon as he realized we'd left. But he feels guilty about what happened. That's why he won't equip us with better gear. He gave me Braden's staff when it finished, and feels guilty that he couldn't-couldn't retrieve my brother's body. Now, Braden's a Fallen Adventurer, hiding somewhere near the Dark Temple in Maelnor."

Luca takes a few shaky breaths as we process all of that. This is a lot more to Zack than I realized I didn't know. A whole other side to him, too.

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Gavin looks at the final grave marker.

"Who… is that?" He's a lot less angry, now.

"Bryce," Luca sniffles. "Was Mr. Zack's brother. And according to an ancient prophecy that may have been just a vision of what was to come… one of those two will mark the changing of the tide of war. One of those two were destined to perform three actions, and once they were completed, the end of the war against the Shadow of Life would soon come.

"And so," Luca meets Gavin's gaze. "The Shadow of Life sent a horde of monsters after them. One big enough to guarantee their death. They were chased to Kaelmar, where the first time anyone encountered the Avatar of the Shadow of Life which killed anyone who entered and survived occurred. They ran into the Fallen City, and it killed Bryce and nearly killed Mr. Zack, too.

"The only reason Mr. Zack is even alive right now," Luca says. "Is because he was able to resist the Blood Scar, an always-lethal Skill unless someone with the appropriate Skill from a specific Rank 3 Class, which no one has ever obtained, uses that Skill on them. Mr. Zack defied death and resisted the curse. That alone wasn't enough to save him, though. He had barely managed to get out of Kaelmar with that Blood Scar rather than dying. The horde was still there. Do you know what Zero Down is?"

We all nod. It's when someone enters into an emotionally-charged state and draws on Mana they don't have, resulting in them going unconscious for awhile, usually until they've 'regenerated' enough Mana to pay back what they used past what they had and are back to full. Whatever they cast that sends them into Zero Down, it's almost always something that is many, many times more powerful than what they could ordinarily cast.

A spell or Skill that borrows not just extra Mana, but extra power as well.

"Mr. Zack," he tells us, tears still in his eyes. "Entered into Zero Down upon seeing his brother die. In his rage, fury, and grief, Mr. Zack tapped into the power of the Sacred Crystal within each of us and summoned a Meteor to leave a crater more than a mile across. And that was when he was a lot weaker than he is now. Only by virtue of those two things is he still alive.

"And this," Luca gestures to the grave markers. "Is him feeling guilty. For not being strong enough to protect others, for not being stubborn enough to stop others, for not checking things before others did something, and for trying to help someone, only to result in them dying."

We all look at the graves again, and this time, I know I'm doing it with a different view. Zack… blames himself for stuff. Listening to what Luca says, none of it was Zack's fault. He's the one who brought those flowers, didn't he? Did he stop by here before visiting Max, then?

The beastborn call him their hero, because of what he did for Gold. Does Zack accept that view of theirs? Does he acknowledge that he's strong enough to help people?

Where is he now, if he's done training and has stuff to do? He's not here, and my senses tell me it's been awhile since he was. Since the flowers were placed down. At least a couple of hours before I returned to the place that's now my home.

I almost didn't come back. I almost decided to try to find a new place, but now… maybe it's for the best that I stay with Zack and his team. Hearing all of this… something in me wants to stay for sure.

Gavin looks a lot more subdued than he was before. What little I've seen of the team dynamic, he definitely disliked Zack the most, and probably clashed with him a lot. Brandon told me that Gavin didn't like Zack much and that they argued a lot, so I guess that's true.

"What about the knives?" He asks Luca, a small hint of that annoyance still there.

"Max," Luca looks at Max, who tilts his head to the side in curiosity. Based on the beastborn's expression, I don't think he knew about this. "Make a Fireball and hold it."

"Okay?" Max does without speaking the Skill name.

Luca pulls out his regular knife from his Inventory, the one he swapped for the knife Zack had Max give us. Then, he cuts it through the fire. Nothing happens. He sheathes it and sends it back into his Inventory, then quickly draws the knife Zack had Max give us and cuts it through the fire.

Which disappears.

"Eek!" Max exclaims. "What happened?"

"These knives," Luca holds us his knife. "Are not normal knives. They can draw away and absorb magic. Not much, but it can make a difference. Mr. Zack won't admit that the knives are special. He doesn't want us to know, because of what happened to Braden after being given something special. But you can bet your life on these knives, Gavin. They are sharp, and durable, and will likely rarely ever need sharpening. Mr. Zack did not spare an expense on these knives, just as he did not for the cloak and staff made for Braden.

"Despite what you think," there are tears rolling down his cheeks again. "Mr. Zack cares for us. Deeply. And he wants to make sure we're safe. I told you he can see the future, right? He knew you were coming. And Braden. That's why he was able to have clothes ready for you, when you arrived. He had these knives made before either of you were here. He knew your names already, your looks, your heights, all that stuff. He knew what Classes you would take, even before you did. Mr. Zack could have told Lord Light of Air to send you to someone else, to another home but his. But he didn't. He let you come to his home, be a part of his team.

"Despite what you might think, Gavin," Luca says."Mr. Zack cares for us. And he'd do anything if it meant keeping us safe, even if it made us unhappy. The knives were never meant to be a reward for our training, he just didn't want to give them to us right before we all separated. He's going to be gone awhile, which is why he had Max give them to us. Because it makes him more comfortable for us to have them, even ignorant of their full abilities and stats."

----------------------------------------

(Gavin)

After Luca's… thing, I feel kind of bad. I still think Zack is a jerk, but not as much of one as I used to. He feels guilty for stuff that's not his fault, based on what Luca said. He has a lot of money, but he's scared to use it because he's scared of what happened to Luca's brother happening to us.

But he still uses that money for things that aren't selfish. He created memorials for those who died for things he feels responsible for, despite not being. How much did all of this cost him? How did he buy an entire forest, even if it's just some small woods in the City?

Peter told me about Private Memorials, and public ones, while giving me some education about the Boundary. They're a huge difference from just memorials. People's stats are 'removed' while they're in them, as if they don't have Access to the System. As if they're normal people.

Private Memorials require having permission from the owner to enter. Otherwise, the Boundary itself conceals it and protects it. Being on their team acts as permission, unless they revoke it, so Zack might not have even been aware we can enter. From what I know, he doesn't really care about the various things of the Boundary so much as he does killing monsters and getting stronger.

And protecting his team, now I know.

For a plot of land to be considered a Memorial, either private or public, it has to meet several requirements. It has to be made with the true intent of being a memorial of some sort. Memorials for the dead are more likely to meet the requirement than other things. Same for tragedies. Zack's memorial meets both of those. Dead people and tragedies.

Another requirement is that the eight Sacred Crystals, exempting the Crystal of the System, must each approve of it as a memorial. It is not something that can be applied for, but something they decide, either together or individually. The approval must be unanimous, though.

If this is Zack's place, and it really is a Private Memorial, then he really does have the attention and favor of the Crystals, even Lord Light of Air, despite his attitude towards them.

Looking at Luca, being here is upsetting him, probably making him flash back to when his brother died, but he brought us here because of me. Because of my attitude regarding Zack and his actions.

I know that Luca has stamina issues, and he's probably ready to drop after walking all this way. I approach him and turn around.

"Climb on," I tell him. "I'll carry you."

"Max carry staff," Max says seriously. "Max be protect it. Promise. No lose it."

Luca gives Max the staff that Zack had made for his brother, something I'm not sure I'd have been able to do, in Luca's shoes. Knowing the story behind the staff… no wonder I never see it far from Luca.

After our party's healer climbs onto my back, we leave, returning to our home. There, Max gets to work on lunch while the rest of us sit at the table and play cards. I'm not sure how Luca does it, but he manages to win every game, usually by a lot. It doesn't matter who shuffles, but he does.

Then we eat, and Max cleans up the dishes before the four of us relax until dinner, which Max makes. I help clean the dishes after, then the four of us head to the bath. Luca sits by Max, probably to 'accidentally' brush his tail a few times. Does Luca realize that Max is intentionally moving his tail close to him so that he can? Max likes having his tail played with as much as he likes having his ears scratched.

After the bath, we all go up to the room and play cards again, and Luca wins every time. By the time we all go to bed, Zack still hasn't returned.

What is he doing?

Braden goes up on his bed, and Max tries to climb into the bed that Luca and Zack share, only to get shoved off because he's naked. Luca tells him to put on pants or sleep on his own bed, so Max climbs up onto his bed and goes to bed.

The three of them fall asleep a lot easier than I do, and I have to keep from tossing and turning as I think about things. About myself, and Zack. I was a jerk, I guess, but Zack doesn't make it easy to be nice to him, with the way he acts.

At some point, I'm aware that someone's in the room as I hear the rustling of something. Opening my eyes while doing my best to pretend I'm asleep, I look at them, and find Zack crouching by his bed.

He's putting some sort of cloth over Luca, and I can only barely make it out in the moonlight. It's black, with grey and white swirls, and some sort of silvery rune is on it, too.

"It's okay, Luca," he whispers, and I can hear the sadness in his voice. "Everything is going to be just fine. I promise."

He stands and leaves, and I look at the item he put on Luca. What is that? And why did he sound so sad?