—Who are you? —Luca asked as soon as he saw the man.
The stranger didn't react at all.
—I'm looking for Ren.
Luca stepped slightly in front of me.
—And what do you want with him?
—To give him information.
He paused briefly.
—Are you Ren?
I hesitated for a moment.
It could be someone from the king.
It could be about… the mission.
I wasn't sure I wanted to hear it.
Still, I stepped forward.
—I'm him.
The man nodded.
—Good. I'm here to inform you of tomorrow's events.
Tomorrow?
A slight tension tightened in my chest.
—First —he continued— your brother Elijah Draven's funeral will take place.
The words hit me harder than I expected.
—It will be in the morning, at the Luminalia cemetery. You may bring whoever you wish.
I didn't respond.
I couldn't.
—Secondly —he went on as if nothing had happened— you turn fifteen tomorrow.
I blinked.
I had completely forgotten.
—In the afternoon, your examination will take place to reveal your power.
My power.
For a second… something inside me reacted.
A spark.
—You must go to the building of the Magical Organization of Luminalia.
He nodded, as if his message was complete.
—That is all. Thank you for your time.
And without saying anything else…
He turned and left.
No name.
No explanation.
Nothing.
The silence he left behind felt strange.
Heavy.
—Wow… —Luca muttered— He didn't even say who he was.
—It doesn't matter —I replied.
But in truth… it did matter.
—Ren…
His tone changed.
Softer.
—How are you… with your brother?
I avoided his gaze.
—I didn't ask before… sorry.
I shook my head.
—It's fine.
I forced a small smile.
—I'm okay. Really.
I was lying.
And I think he knew it.
But he didn't insist.
—I'm glad.
He paused briefly.
—Let's tell the others. They'll be happy to see you.
I nodded.
But my mind was already elsewhere.
Funeral. Power.
We went to find the rest. It didn't take long to find Tarin and Mira.
They asked me the same questions as Luca.
I answered the same way.
Still… it felt good.
That they cared.
I also told them about the funeral.
—It's horrible that your birthday coincides with your brother's funeral… I'm really sorry —Tarin said, looking at me with pity.
—It's fine —I replied, shrugging— I guess there's nothing that can be done.
Silence lingered between us for a few seconds.
Then I realized something.
Someone was missing.
—Hey… where's Helen?
Mira answered.
—We think she's at home. She's been busy these days, and her parents have her working. —She smiled slightly— If you want, we can tell her about the funeral.
I nodded.
—Yes. Tell her.
—Okay —Mira said.
We talked a bit more, nothing important, and then said goodbye.
I went home.
Alone.
Again.
When I was with them… the emptiness faded.
It became smaller.
But the moment I crossed the door…
Everything came back.
The silence. The house. And him.
I sat on the bed and looked around.
Everything was the same.
The sword we trained with. The necklace matching Helen's. The furniture. The walls.
Everything.
And yet… nothing was the same.
I realized I hadn't eaten since the day before.
But I wasn't hungry.
Or motivated.
After all… there was no one left to share a meal with.
I lay down and closed my eyes.
I don't know how much time passed.
When I opened them again, light was slipping through the window.
A new day.
Time lately made no sense.
I knew I had to get up.
I had to go to the funeral.
But I didn't want to.
Again… I had no strength.
I stayed there for a while, staring at the ceiling.
Until I finally forced myself up.
This time I did.
Hunger hit me suddenly.
As if my body had decided on its own.
I went to the kitchen and ate a couple of slices of bread.
Dry.
Much worse than the palace's.
But enough.
Not for pleasure.
For necessity.
I left the house.
And started walking toward the cemetery.
At that moment I wasn't thinking about anything.
Or so I thought.
My mind was blank… but deep down there was a certainty I couldn't ignore.
I wasn't ready for this.
Still, I went.
I arrived at the cemetery gate.
A small iron fence, simple, cold.
A guard stood there.
—I'm here for Elijah Draven's funeral —I said.
He looked at me for a moment.
—What was your relation to him?
—I'm his brother.
His expression changed immediately.
—I'm very sorry —he said, stepping aside— It's at the back, down that path.
I nodded and walked on.
About five minutes.
Each step heavier than the last.
Until I saw it.
A gravestone.
His name carved into stone.
Elijah Draven.
Below it, titles.
Class A Mage. Prodigy.
Words.
Just words.
None of it changed reality.
Beneath that stone… there was a hole.
An open grave waiting for him.
I looked around.
Other graves. Other names I didn't know.
Forgotten people.
And now… him.
Elijah.
A prodigy.
Buried in a random cemetery.
For a moment it felt unfair. Unacceptable.
But that feeling faded quickly.
He hadn't reached his dream.
He hadn't become what he wanted.
And in that world… that mattered.
No one had arrived yet.
I sat down to wait.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The first to arrive were Mira and Reid.
They approached without saying much.
Reid spoke first.
—I'm sorry, Ren… Your brother meant a lot to me. If you need anything… I'm here.
I nodded.
—Thanks.
Then the others arrived.
Luca. Tarin.
Helen wasn't there.
Time passed.
Until I saw them.
Men dressed in black were walking in the distance.
They carried a wooden box.
The coffin.
My brother.
Or what remained of him.
They walked slowly.
Too slowly.
Each step stretched the moment.
As if time refused to move forward.
Finally, they placed the coffin on the ground carefully.
One of them spoke.
—We are sorry for your loss. Before we proceed… would you like to say goodbye? We can open the coffin.
Say goodbye?
To who?
There was no one left inside.
—No… —I muttered.
—I will —Reid said.
He looked at me.
—Do you mind, Ren?
I shook my head.
—No. Go ahead.
The men began removing the nails carefully.
The sound of wood breaking made my stomach twist.
I didn't look.
I didn't want that image.
I just watched Reid.
He stepped closer.
Looked inside.
His expression changed.
It broke.
He took something from his wrist.
A bracelet.
He placed it gently inside.
—Take this, Elijah… —he said quietly— It's the same as mine. Remember? When we were kids you used to love it…
He smiled.
A broken smile.
—Now you've got one.
A tear ran down his cheek.
Reid stepped back.
The men in black closed the coffin and lowered it into the grave.
Then they began to cover it with soil.
Shovel after shovel.
Dry sound.
Constant.
Unavoidable.
In a few minutes… nothing was left.
Only dirt.
Only a grave.
The men left without a word.
And we stayed.
All of us.
Watching.
As if it weren't real.
As if someone would say it was a mistake.
But no.
It had happened.
And it was… cold.
Colder than I expected.
No screaming.
No breakdowns.
Just a person being buried.
That's it.
Silence pressed down on everything.
Until suddenly a voice broke it.
—Ren…
I turned.
It was Helen.
Finally.
I hadn't seen her in a while.
She looked different.
More tired.
Dark circles under her eyes, her expression not the same as before.
Before I could say anything, she came and hugged me.
Tight.
Warm.
The kind of hug that, for a moment, makes everything else disappear.
It pulled me out of that strange state.
—I'm really sorry I couldn't come earlier, Ren… —she said quietly— I had things to deal with…
There was something strange in the way she said it.
But I ignored it.
—Don't worry —I replied— You can tell me later.
She pulled back just enough to look at me.
—Listen… you're going to get through this, okay? You just need time. And rest. Trust me.
I nodded.
At that moment… it was exactly what I needed.
Someone to fill, even a little, the emptiness.
—Thanks, Helen. I'm fine… don't worry.
—I'm going to stay with you, okay? —she said hugging me again— Everything will be alright.
I closed my eyes for a second.
And for the first time that day…
I felt something close to calm.
Still…
Something didn't quite fit.
But I let it go.
At that moment, I didn't have the strength to think about it.
And yet… it was the only good thing of the day.