“Whatever anyone does or says, I must be emerald and keep my colour.”

― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Vendak stood, awkward in his skin, as he followed behind the funeral procession. A thousand warriors, men, and women of the World Guild dressed in heavy black armor.

They stepped forward as they carried a heavy stone sarcophagus. Carved with a relief that showed Ooulin, seated upon the spires of Fallun's reef, it cast a mighty shadow. He had a smile on his face, one fist above to cup the sun with his leathered hand.

They had begun at dawn, and still, they walked, a glacial pace that frayed Ven's nerves. Ahead of the marching troop, Kalina rode her trusty steed, carrot in hand, a solemn look on her face that Ven didn't believe for a second.

The little nymph had no space in her pebble-sized head for serious conversation. She'd brushed off his attempts to learn the truth over the past few days like a practiced fencer. He still hadn't confirmed if she knew about his reincarnation, and Ven was reluctant to admit it himself.

At least we're almost there.

For the last hour, their destination had been within sight, tantalizingly close but still long out of reach for the slow turtle. Ven walked in the middle of the pack, eyes on the city around him.

Monolithic stone buildings rose on either side of the wide, paved road. They had an almost Roman aesthetic. Soft-lined arches and statues formed beautiful facings. Black flags hung from every window, an honor to the dead.

I still can't believe the numbers that turned up...

Around the slow-marching honor guard was a sea of people, more than he'd ever seen crammed into one place. Beastfolk and humans alike, with a few other races dotted through the crowded mass, all with tears in their eyes.

Most wore ramshackle armor, their misfit weapons bound with self-tanned hides. A few wore finer gear, heavy metal armor that gleamed in the twilight sun.

A single feature united them all beyond their grief. A black patch, sewn to their gear, each in a unique location. The knight that faced the dark, the symbol of their order.

Mara said her guild was the largest in the world, but this is insane.

There were more soldiers on this day-long trek than the population of most countries back on Earth. This vast ocean of grieving souls parted before the pallbearers, pressed back by the mighty ape that walked a half-step behind Kalina and Ooulin.

Once Aangor recovered from his brush with the will of the world, he'd used the strange, mobile guild hall to take them the rest of the way to the capital. Now, he led the way for his master a final time and followed behind the infant turtle that replaced him. Bucket-sized tears rolled down his face, a deluge that had lasted the day.

If you could get the salt out, you could water a good-sized field...

The huge ape was a puzzle, one that Vendak intended to solve. Aangor was the artifact spirit of the dilapidated guild hall that brought them here, an avatar, much like Karina's human form.

The day wound to an end. Each painfully slow step a mercy, they walked under the gates of the cemetery. Countless rows of mausoleums, formed of carved stone and placed above the earth. They stood tall, packed along the smooth marble roads.

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Ven glanced over at Mara beside him, her pace locked with his own. Dressed in armor marked with the crest of the guild, she walked with heavy feet. Each step a listless shuffle as she dragged herself forward. She had not spoken since the march began. Lost in a world of her own, unfocused as a tumble of emotions crossed over her face like the tide.

Now and then, her tail lashed out, each blow enough to shatter the marble at their feet. Ven intercepted its attacks. Each time she struck the ground, it drew the eyes of the crowd. Ever since their conversation with Aangor, she'd been wrapped in her thoughts. Ven's attempts to pull her out had failed.

Taking the position of the Grandmaster in waiting is a big decision.

Ven didn't envy her, but he believed she would make a fine leader. She was an idealist, and she held the guild's morals close to her heart. She also had Aangor's backing, and as the highest-ranked member of the World Guild still alive, his word was law in the organization.

The procession finally stopped, and it took him several seconds to discover it as he held one foot up. Ooulin probably found another edible plant on the side of the road... The crowd, which had even climbed atop the grave markers, stirred, and Ven craned his neck.

The pallbearers shifted forwards and placed the massive sarcophagus amidst the center of the grounds. Aangor lifted Kalina, still firmly seated on Ooulin's back, and placed her on the coffin's carved lid. He stepped back and sank to one knee as the woman spoke, her diminutive voice amplified by magic.

"Thank you, everyone!"

Kalina stood framed atop the statuesque monument, the stars above and the magical glow below cast deep shadows on her face. Ven's keen eyes could only make out the lines of her form, but the dramatic scene was ruined by the snoring turtle at the bottom of the display, not to mention the contents of her speech.

"We are both so grateful to everyone who came today!" Her cheerful tone clashed with the somber faces that surrounded her. "A person only dies once, and I've always wanted to make sure I sent myself off right!" She stomped her foot on Ooulin's head to silence his loud snores. "Ooulin is also grateful, he loves you all like family, don't you Ooulin?"

The little turtle looked slowly around the crowd, which turned its gaze toward him. Under the attention of so many eyes, he drew himself inward and left Kalina standing on a lopsided angle. A moment of silence passed, broken by the soft snores that drifted from the shell.

"Well... he will, once he remembers you," Kalina said as she waved her hand. "Now let's party!"

Before every guest, no matter their rank or stature, a lavish platter of food and a cup of wine appeared. Sliced meat, fried and tossed with vegetables. Thick creamy mash, filled with the smell of dill. A whole leg of a greasy bird, twice the size of a turkey. Ven found himself salivating and dug in without hesitation.

The meat, so tender it melted in his mouth, slipped past his teeth. The vegetables, spiced with an unfamiliar blend, held a deep earthy taste. He poured the wine down his throat and found the cup remained full as he drank. He placed the goblet down, and smacked his lips, the fruity tang not enough to hide the fiery burn of alcohol.

This must be as strong as pure vodka! A grin spread across his face as he sighed.

"I haven't tasted quality booze in over a century!"

The people around him gave side-eyed glares, most too intimidated by his aura to say anything. One large beastfolk, a horse-kin, left his untouched plate and walked toward him.

"We're honoring our fallen, not eating in a tavern." A layer of red light flowed over the man, the mark of a Semi-Divine. "Show some respect!"

"The woman said eat," Ven replied as he hooked a finger toward Kalina, who had reached deep into Ooulin's shell in an attempt to pull his head back into sight. "The goddess speaks and I obey."

The man frowned as his aura faded away.

"The child is the Goddess' inheriter, not the Goddess." He turned back to his funeral feast, sadness carved onto his features like cracks in a wall. "Be more solemn," the beastfolk warned. "Her ways are tolerated because it is her nature."

Ven nodded to the man and returned to his meal. Her nature, huh? His own was a mystery to him, so the ways of others fell well outside his grasp. He shrugged off his introspective thoughts and focused on the future.

Aangor claims that I'm some kind of forbidden creation, destined to die but capable of bending fate. Everything died, and to a greater extent, Vendak did not believe in fate. Things might happen for a reason, but we're not helpless to change the course. The path a person walked was not set in stone until their feet carried them there.

He shoved his food quietly into his mouth, his face crumpled into a deep frown. But... Fate is supposed to be a real dude, up there beyond the stars. An unstoppable, all-knowing god, poised to crush him beneath his heels. He was safe behind the seal that covered this world, but nothing was perfect. Even within this isolated place, fate had its way.

I can only grow stronger, until nothing can hope to threaten me.

He would eat the sun as it fell into the horizon if it meant he could be free. He wanted a life without the fear that rested in his heart. For one hundred years he'd carried it, longer perhaps, since his first life on Earth.

"Little fish, come dance with me!"

Kalina's voice was a knife that divided his negative thoughts and replaced them with bemusement. She floated before him, dressed in a flowing white gown, hands placed in a circle around her head as she spun pirouettes in the air.

"No one wants to dance, but it's a party." She stopped her spin, small eyes widened in a look of mock woe. "Didn't I do a good job?"

Ven shook his head and glanced at the horse-kin seated a few rows away. The man's eyes were shut tight, and he ignored the little girl's words as he slowly chewed his food. Whatever, it's her... death day. Ven reached out his hand, and Kalina gripped the tips of his claws.

"Yaaay!"

A smile lit up her features and found its way to her eyes as she swayed back and forth to an unheard tune. Ven followed her as she danced with his fingers, a smile on his face. Forget about fate and change, He would continue as he planned. No more fear, no more regret.

He felt a touch on his other hand, and turned to find Mara, a sad smile on her face. She said nothing, but joined Kalina in a slow dance, neither in tune with the other. Ven swayed between them, moved more by their actions than his own. It had been a long week, after this, he would go find a bed and just lay, face down with his thoughts.

Fate be damned, I just want to sleep.