The steam train David was riding rumbled out of the imperial capital. The train slowly passed by a small hill where a little cemetery sat.
Right now, people were holding a funeral in that cemetery.
The white steam shooting into the sky from the train and its mournful whistle became the backdrop to this funeral. The mourners, heavy with sadness, buried an empty coffin in the ground as the church pastor gave his eulogy.
Grave of Dorothy, Imperial Front-line Soldier. In honor of: A life of loyalty, kindness, and diligence.
The headstone was simply carved with a few brief lines recording the deceased's identity. As for the body, there wasn't one.
The soldier who'd brought news of Dorothy's death back to the orphanage from the front lines said this brave young woman had been killed in a violent explosion on the Dragon Ridge battle line, her body completely destroyed.
Her fellow orphans could only find some clothes Dorothy had worn as a child and erected this cenotaph for her.
