One hour later…

The sofas and coffee table have been pushed aside, creating a small circle of calm amid the chaos. We’ve swept away the broken glass and damaged instruments as best we could. It’s not much, but it’s enough – a tiny sanctuary where we can gather in solemn prayer.

Within the Palace of Lights, there’s a grand prayer hall – a vast and opulent space tended by healers and paladins from the Order of Selene. It’s resplendent in its devotion to Rinnah, rivalling even the prayer hall in the Chantry of Eternal Light. But that isn’t the place for us. Eris isn’t in the mood to leave her suite, and uh… it’s better that we keep this between the three of us, away from the grandeur. It just feels right this way.

I slip off my high heels and kneel on the floor, feeling the coolness of the tiles press through my stockings, chilling my knees and sending a slight shiver up my thighs. Anna hands me a slightly damaged copy of the Codex Rinnah she found strewn among the mess of Eris’s suite. Some pages are torn, others stained with tears, but the ones I need are still intact. It’ll do.

The Requiem is the Order of Selene’s recital for the dead. Inscribed in Enochian, the divine language of the gods, these holy words are meant to comfort those who have lost, to ease their pain so they might find closure and peace. The healers of the Order commit this prayer to memory, their paladins by their side as they speak the words of Enochian in the mortal tongue, bringing land and heavens near.

I’ve never had to recite these words of passing before, not in the previous timeline. Back then, Anna and I didn’t have anyone close to us – well, not until Arcadia. Until Anna, until the Demon Lord… you know. But this timeline is different. We prayed for Roderic Sinclair’s crew after dealing with the Shadow Fiend in the Highgrove Warrens. And now, we’re praying for Eris’ friends and her manager. It sucks. It really does.

“Please join us, Eris…” Anna offers gently, gesturing to her right as she kneels beside me. “Arisa will lead us in prayer.”

Eris hesitates, her eyes filled with uncertainty, but then she nods and kneels next to Anna. Bridging the gap between us, Anna takes hold of our hands, her grip warm and reassuring. She closes her eyes and bows her head, and I follow suit, my gaze focusing on the holy Enochian within the Codex Rinnah.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Immortal Rinnah was once like us, bound to the endless cycle of mortality…”

I begin softly, reciting each verse of the Requiem slowly and carefully in the mortal tongue. Anna’s voice joins mine, echoing my words and filling the room with a gentle harmony.

Good grief. I wasn’t like this back home, y’know? My parents weren’t, and so neither was I. Our village wasn’t particularly devout either. There was a small shrine tended by our local Shrine Maiden, but it was mostly quiet there throughout the year. We’d attend the festivals with our neighbours, but that was about it. Becoming Student Council President at St Elicia’s didn’t change that either. Sure, I had to lead a prayer now and then for the school, but I was only going through the motions – it was an obligation of duty, nothing more.

But here, in Nisha, things are different. I’ve changed, even if it’s only been a year, one timeline ago. I feel it as I pour my heart and soul into the Requiem, into my prayers. Maybe it’s because magic is real in this world, or maybe… I dunno. I wish I knew why.

“But she ascended beyond this existence to help us understand life and death…”

“Mister Roland…”

Eris’ voice cracks, and she begins to sob, crying the tears she’s held back for far too long. She’s been carrying this grief inside her, even when she chose to forget her memories. The emptiness, the hollow feeling – those were the signs of loss she couldn’t escape. Magic can do many things, but it can’t relieve a broken soul.

It’s over now, though. Thanks to Anna, Eris can finally mourn. She can finally grieve.

“That by understanding this eternal cycle, this cosmic ebb and flow of renewal…”

Mourning. Sorrow. It’s a familiar feeling. I remember crying my heart out for Shinji back in my world. It was all I could do for him after hearing the news, lying in bed alone, staring at the ceiling in the dead of night. Maybe the others did something similar behind closed doors… and maybe that’s how we all made peace with his passing, eventually.

But you, Anna… I never had to mourn your passing. You’re alive again, here and now, as if you never died. Being sent back to the beginning, to this new timeline, let me avoid that pain. Even if right now, you don’t have the same memories and feelings as when you were with me in Arcadia… you’re still Anna – my Paladin. And I’m still your Healer. For that, I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe. No matter what.

“…we may find peace. As shall the spirits of Roland, Lilia, Aisha, and Isuli. Forever.”

“Ahh…”

When the last verse of the Requiem leaves my lips, I set the Codex Rinnah aside and look up. The words are simple, but they’ve left me feeling… drained. Not of Mana or anything like that – just tired in a way that’s hard to explain. Weary, I suppose.

Heh. It’s been quite a day. Quite a day…

Silently, I set the Codex aside and turn my attention to Eris. She’s sobbing uncontrollably, her grief pouring out as Anna holds her close, comforting her as best she can. When Anna notices me, she nods solemnly, and I know what I gotta do.

It’s time to go back to Lady Mezalune, to tell her what happened. I’ve done all I can here.