Chương 114: Memorial Service

Not long after leaving the park Damion arrived at his house with Ms. Teft and Arica. Despite having just been feeling a little better, Damion felt the depression of his loss returning as he looked around his home. Arica seemed to sense Damion's change in mood and went to the kitchen to fix tea for everyone.

"Now that your decision of school is made there are a few things that need to be taken care of before you can actually go to Silver Spire Academy," Ms. Teft told Damion as she sipped on the tea Arica made.

"Such as?"

"First, as you have already arranged, is officially getting tested and having your adventurer license changed to a mage license." Damion nodded but said nothing as he waited for Ms. Teft to continue.

"Second, it is about time you start calling me Mage Teft, Professor Teft or Dean Teft. I know you have held onto the way you called me from long before you knew I was a mage. But at Silver Spire some will consider it a sign of disrespect. Even though I know you don't mean it that way you need to adjust to avoid creating problems for yourself."

"Okay, Mage Teft," Damion said feeling the change a bit awkward.

"Third, is this house. When you go away to the academy, no one will be here to maintain it. That is a recipe for disaster. Plus, you would be responsible for the mortgage and other bills and while I know you have attachments to it, but it would be best to separate cleanly from everything here in Saung. I'm not saying forget, but you will have a new life at Silver Spire and wherever you decide to go after that, don't let this place weigh you down."

"How do I even go about selling this place?" Damion asked. Even with two lifetimes of memories, Damion had never bought or sold property, this was unfamiliar territory.

"I'll contact a property broker. They'll handle all the details. All you will have to do is sign and accept payment."

"What about all the personal items?" Damion asked as he held Bethany's favorite stuffed bunny in his hands.

"The property broker will arrange for a company to come by and pack everything up into a storage container. You can then pay a small fee for it to be stored for as long as you want."

"Okay," Damion said trying not to get lost in his thoughts.

"Anything else?"

"Two things. One, the memorial service for those lost in this beast wave will be tomorrow morning. Arica has volunteered to get you there on time. And finally, training. After the memorial service I'd like you to start training your magic." For the rest of the day Damion did not say much. Mage Teft left shortly after outlining Damion's agenda. Arica remained behind and cooked Damion dinner. The two did not speak much, aside from the typical pleasantries.

Arica, unsure of how to express her sympathy without making Damion think of his family, and Damion, unsure of how to express his gratitude for her presence without making it seem like he wanted more. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. In the morning when Damion awoke, he found Arica had already made breakfast and laid out a set of clothing for him. The outfit was simple, just a white shirt with red cuffs and a pair of white pants.

The standard set of mourning clothing. Damion recognized the outfit, but he had never worn one. Nor did he own one, which told Damion either Arica or Mage Teft bought it for him. The act was appreciated, as he was not in the state of mind to remember such a detail and he did not want to be branded as disrespectful for failing to wear the proper attire. The memorial service was held in a large amphitheater near the center of Saung.

The clamshell stage offered shade to a small section in the first few rows, but the rest of the rising seats were left in the sun. Damion let Arica guide him to a seat as he let the rising sun warm his skin. After a while the amphitheater filled up. Damion looked around expecting to see a sea of white shirts with red cuffs, but to his surprise there were not that many. Perhaps a few hundred, maybe a thousand. The mourning outfit was to be worn specifically by people who had directly lost someone.

Seeing the small number of fellow mourners, Damion could not help but feel a bit proud. Not because he was one of the mourners, but because of his role in protecting the city. Each Ferocious Beast and Demonic Beast Damion had killed had perhaps saved a life. Shortly after the amphitheater reached capacity, Chairman Hathaway stepped up to the podium wearing the mourner's outfit and began addressing the audience.

"For those of you who do not know me. I am Rubert Hathaway, Chairman of the Council of Saung and I, like many of you here today experienced a deep loss just a few days ago. For many of you, it was a mother, a father, a sister or a brother, for me it was my daughter.

"Of the 239 souls that were lost defending the city, my daughter was one of them. Bravely holding the wall against an onslaught of Demonic Beasts during the strongest beast wave Saung has seen in more than 100 years.

"Like all the lives lost, hers was cut short, but as long as we here remember those we lost, they are not gone, so I will not forget her. Look to those beside you, that life may have been saved by the sacrifice one of these fallen made. We must strive forward to never let their loss be in vain.

"In addition to the warriors that fell in defense of our homes, we lost 574 members of our families, in shelters and in homes and in stores throughout the city. Most of these were ordinary people. Families. To many of those here today, their own families.

"The loss of someone you love, never fades. Each of us here today who has lost someone, will carry them forever in our hearts. But do not let that loss become an anchor, dragging you to the bottom of the sea. Just as the sun came up today, it will come up tomorrow.

"Some of you here may have lost your entire family. But family does not mean you have to be related by blood. If you look around, you might find other siblings who stood beside you in battle and will do so again. You might find parents, who will lift you up when you are down. And you might find your child, in the heart of another young warrior who chooses to stand on the wall.

"Our city may be wounded. And our hearts may be heavy. But we will all go on. We will all stand together. Each of you can be family to those who don't have the ones they should beside them any longer.

"Open your hearts, open your homes. Share your wisdom, share your love. Be kind and generous in this time of trial and need. Thank you all for coming." When Chairman Hathaway finished speaking there was a thunder of applause. Even Damion found himself clapping. Thinking back to the meeting he had with the man just yesterday, Damion had no idea that the Chairman lost his daughter.

Damion was not sure if she was a mage or a knight or even her name, but after the Chairman's memorial address, Damion felt connected to her. Looking around the crowd of people in mourning clothing, Damion knew he was not alone. His loss was not singular. If they could move forward and rebuild the lives broken by the beast wave so could he.