Safira burst through the front door and Arthur followed close behind, his quick, hurried steps coming to a sudden halt and his eyes widening.
Conrad's body lay lifeless on the floor, his pale, sickly face finally looking peaceful. Gabriel was kneeling beside him, his eyes closed, a cold but pained expression on his face.
Alice lay on Conrad's body, crying uncontrollably, her small hands shaking wildly as she tried to wake him somehow.
"A-aunt Safira U-uncle Arthur... Mr. Conrad... he... he" Alice realized their presence and threw herself into Safira's embrace as she tried to speak, but her sobbing voice prevented her from forming any sentences.
"He's dead," Gabriel spoke coldly before standing up, his gaze sweeping over the figures of Arthur and Safira before he clicked his tongue in sadness and disgust.
"Hm..." Arthur walked over to Conrad's body and knelt down.
They all knew it would happen and that it was only a matter of time, but it was still painful.
Everything that lives dies. From the stars in your sky to the atoms in our bodies, we are all destined to fall, and everyone knows it. However, none of them could dispel the pain in their hearts.
"Will you take care of the funeral rites?" Arthur stood up and turned to Gabriel.
Even though mourning was important, their condition didn't allow them to do that, it didn't allow them to mourn the fallen, because if they stopped moving forward, they would fall as well.
"Yes," Gabriel shook his head and walked towards the courtyard. As a man of the church, he was the only one there who had the knowledge to perform such a ritual.
"Bring his body," Gabriel ordered.
Arthur stood still for a few seconds, watching Gabriel's back move away.
Since he had started training with Safira every day, his relationship with Gabriel had begun to cool; their relaxed moments had disappeared, replaced by a tense, silent atmosphere. The friendship they had built seemed to be fading, and Arthur knew exactly why.
- Jealousy. -
Since the day they had met. Gabriel's gaze towards Safira was never without ulterior motives, every gesture, every word, every demonstration, everything seemed to be a way to show his love and desire. A love and desire that had always been coldly ignored by the woman.
It was only natural that seeing her spend more and more time with Arthur stirred his foolish young mind.
"It's a pity..." Arthur shook his head before he crouched down and picked up Conrad's body. Even if Safira loved him too, they could never be together. Gabriel was a holy son. Not just an ordinary man of the church, but one of the most remarkable and revered members among the younger generations of the church.
His religion alone would not allow him to marry, but there was a second problem; all holy children were eunuchs, castrated the moment their status as blessed by the Light was revealed.
Safira, after all, was the daughter of a great noble family and could never marry a man who could not give her children.
Although he felt like he had stabbed a good friend in the back, Arthur had no regrets about kissing Safira and maculating her pure lips.
This world was cruel, and sometimes things just weren't meant to be.
"Let's go." Arthur signaled to Safira before heading the same way as Gabriel.
Gabriel was already on his knees in the large courtyard of the house. He waved his hand in the air and the golden ring on his fingers glowed before a piece of white cloth with golden patterns appeared in his hands.
He then spread the cloth out on the ground before looking at Arthur.
"Put him here," Gabriel ordered.
Arthur walked in front of Gabriel and gently placed Conrad's body on the ground before walking away.
The funeral rituals of the Albrid Empire were not complicated or extremely time-consuming. Except for the deaths of important people, where there might be a large march to the cemetery and days of ritual and mourning, such events usually lasted only a few minutes, limited to a brief, straightforward prayer.
"Aurelius, father of all men, lord of light, and patron of all knowledge..." Gabriel began to pray aloud.
"I, as one of your faithful confidants among mortals, beg you to accept this man into your kingdom..." Gabriel took one edge of the cloth and used it to cover the man's face.
"To cleanse his body of the filth of the mortal world..." He covered Conrad's torso.
" To forgive the sins of his impure soul..." And finally, he covered the legs and the entire lower body of the corpse.
"That you may give clarity to his already inert heart..." Gabriel laid his hands on Conrad's chest.
"That just as you gave your flesh and blood to the most divine sanctity to guide men through the valley of shadows, I implore you to offer him a little of your infinite mercy and, in the end, give peace to his simple existence..."
The moment Gabriel's voice fell, everything lit up. Not with the usual blue light that bathed the city, but with a glorious golden light. It was as if God himself had descended upon this cold, dark world.
Safira and even Alice fell to their knees under the light and closed their eyes, none of them daring to look in Gabriel's direction. Except for one person.
Arthur stood firmly in front of the powerful beam of light. His legs trembled under the pressure, but they did not succumb.
His beautiful red eyes watched with curiosity as the ray of light slowly fell over Conrad's body.
Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the ray of light embraced Conrad's body, releasing a searing heat that forced even Gabriel to step back.
Alice hid in Safira's arms, seeking shelter in her embrace.
Arthur's hair fluttered in the air, but he didn't take a step back, not because he wanted to, but because he couldn't. It was as if his own body was denying his orders, like an innate arrogance preventing him from giving in.
" It's done," Gabriel said coolly and the pressure ceased, fading into that golden light.
Soon, all that remained was Conrad's body, which was burning with the unpleasant smell of burnt flesh.
Arthur was tempted to ask if all funeral rites for Aelius were like this, but he assumed that Gabriel was a special case because he was a holy son of the church and decided to bury those doubts.
"We need to leave now," Gabriel stated.
"Darkness will come soon, can't we wait until the light comes back tomorrow?" Arthur asked, uncertain about Gabriel's words.
"No." Gabriel shook his head. "The beings corrupted by chaos are attracted by death. If we stay, we'll be surrounded by hungry monsters in a few hours."
Hearing this, Arthur looked towards Safira, who nodded in affirmation.
"Right..." Arthur said, he was only a newcomer to this world and didn't have the knowledge to question either of them. "And where should we go?" He asked.
"Hm..." Gabriel pondered for a few minutes before speaking. "We should go back to the tunnels and head for the exit. The dungeon should open soon.
Arthur's gaze wandered from Conrad's burning corpse to Safira. She had a deep look on her face as she caressed the trembling Alice, trying to calm the poor little girl down a little.
"Ah..." Arthur let a long sigh escape his lips, before finally agreeing to Gabriel's suggestion. He was excited to get out of there, and even more excited to have Safira and Alice's safety guaranteed.