Nova finally packed everything in the leather cloth, tying it up tightly. He put the satchel and slingshot in the shelf for now. Then both of them locked the door and went to Maela's house. The funerals would take place today.
"You're here." Said Maela.
"Yeah." Nova replied.
"Alright... Let's go."
The three walked to the shop the bodies were in. People were roaming around here and there, taking bodies to burn or bury them.
Inside the shop were people to. Some who couldn't manage yesterday were identifying bodies now.
"Nova... Can you identify your mother...? We brought all the bodies here. But some were missing... A face. If you could identify her by her clothes..."
Nova gulped. He did not want to remember that again. But then he finally nodded.
"Alright... These are all the... Unidentifiable bodies." She pointed at a group of bodies laying away from the main ones.
Nova went there. And started removing re clothes from the middle and so that he only sees clothes and the hands, since he was sure he could recognise her wedding ring.
He stopped at the sixth body, and looked at Maela. Maela nodded. They took out Elaine's and Joren's body outside. Put them on a cart which everyone was using and started moving towards the graveyard.
"I wanna see mom..." Said Mira as they walked.
"No, Mira." Nova declined.
"Please. Just once. I wanna look at her."
"You... Can't."
"Why? You saw her didn't you?"
Nova stopped, crouched and put his hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me Mira... There's... There's nothing to see." Maela closed her eyes as she heard this. She knew what he meant.
"What... Do you mean?"
"Just understand Mira. There's nothing to see. We're just gonna burn her."
A tear flowed down Mira's eye. As if understanding what he meant but fooling herself to believe she didn't. "Okay..."
Nova stood up, and they continued walking. They turned just as market ended, just before they could cross the oak and enter the main village. The graveyard was towards the west of the village. Nova didn't go there frequently. Since there was nothing to do. Just more homes and other stuff.
As they kept walking for a while, they finally made another turn towards the graveyard. In the graveyard there were people at almost every graves. Some people were still buring bodies, some were just standing there, praying as they cried.
"Nova!" Haru called out to Nova. Tama was waving at him too. They both were waiting for him for some time now.
"You guys are here too. Thanks."
"No problem. There's Riku's funeral too so..." Said Haru.
"Wait. Did it already happen?" Asked Nova.
Tama waved his hands, "No no. His mom and dad will be coming soon. That's when it will happen."
"I see... Let's go then."
They reached an empty patch near the western edge of the graveyard — a place shaded by an old oak, where the grass swayed weakly with the wind. The villagers had already dug several graves; fresh mounds of soil lined the area. Nova stopped near one that Maela pointed out.
"This one's for him," she said softly.
Two villagers were waiting nearby, shovels in hand. They gave Nova a quiet nod before helping lift the body down from the cart. Both the bodies were wrapped carefully in white cloth — the same kind used in all the burials today — tied with a thin rope across the chest and feet.
Mira stood behind Nova, holding onto Maela's sleeve, silent and pale.
"Do you… want to say anything?" Maela asked gently.
Nova's throat tightened. Words refused to come out for a long moment. Then he whispered, "Thank you… for everything. I'll… I'll take care of Mira. I promise."
Maela bowed her head, whispering a short prayer under her breath — one of the old village blessings for peace in the afterlife. Nova closed his eyes and did the same, repeating the words his mother used to recite before bed.
The two villagers began lowering the bodies slowly into the ground, side by side. The ropes creaked softly, the sound cutting through the quiet murmurs of others praying nearby. Once the body rested at the bottom, the men began to shovel dirt in, one scoop at a time.
Each thud of earth hitting the cloth felt like a strike to Nova's chest. He clenched his fists, staring as the white slowly disappeared under brown.
Behind him, Haru and Tama stood silently. Haru bowed his head, his usual grin gone, replaced by a rare stillness. Tama muttered something — perhaps a small farewell — before pressing his fist to his chest.
When the grave was finally filled, Maela placed a flower bundle on top. "Elaine and Joren," she said softly, "May the winds carry your souls to peace."
Nova stepped forward, his knees weak, and knelt before the mound. He touched the soil gently, as if afraid it might hurt him somehow. "Goodbye, Dad."
Mira finally broke down, falling to her knees beside him. " Dad…" Her sobs were small and trembling, but each one cut through the silence like thunder in the still air.
Nova pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
For a long time, none of them moved. Only the sound of wind through the trees and faint crying around the graveyard filled the air.
After some time, the three of them gave one last bow, and turned away — leaving behind a mound of earth and a piece of themselves buried beneath them.
While Nova, Haru and Tama were talking with each other and Maela was assisting others, from behind came the sound of wheels creaking over uneven ground. Nova turned. Riku's parents were arriving, their cart covered with a worn white sheet. Haru and Tama followed beside them, faces pale and still. The chatter and cries from other parts of the graveyard seemed to fade away as the cart stopped near a fresh patch of land.
No one spoke for a while. The air carried the faint rustle of leaves and the quiet sobs of Riku's mother. Nova stepped forward, joining Haru, Tama, and Maela beside the grieving parents.
They followed the same steps as before — the simple rites, the soft prayers. Nova helped lower the body, the weight of the coffin feeling heavier than it should have been. Maybe it wasn't the weight of the wood, but of the memories it carried.
When the first handful of soil fell, Riku's mother whispered, "He always said he wanted to see the world… not leave it like this." Her voice broke halfway through the sentence.
Tama clenched his fists. "He was the bravest out of us," he muttered, staring at the grave. "Even when things were rough, he'd laugh first. Like it made everything better."
Haru took a shaky breath. "It doesn't feel real. Like he's just… out there somewhere, waiting for us."
Nova stood there quietly, words tangled in his throat. Then finally, he said, "He didn't die running. He fought. He saved lives. If he could hear us, I think he'd just smile and say it was nothing."
Riku's father put a hand on Nova's shoulder, his touch trembling. "Thank you… for being his friend."
Nova only nodded.
The group lingered for a while, saying nothing. Only the sound of the wind filled the silence — a soft, passing breeze that brushed through their hair, carrying the scent of soil and smoke.
When they finally turned to leave, Nova looked back one last time. Two graves stood together beneath the same sun. Two lives that had shaped his world — now resting quietly beneath it.