The City of Karnia (2)

"Where are we going?" Elian asked after catching up to Nika, whose walking speed was surprisingly quick.

"Well, you were quicker than I expected, so you can all accompany me. I was heading to a certain place before meeting with you anyway."

"Is it a secret place?" He asked, somewhat jokingly, making Nika shake her head, wearing a forlorn smile.

"It isn't. It is a public space, one that I hate visiting, but I must, from time to time, or I would fail my duty as their Commander."

"Oh, are we going to meet someone?" Sammy exclaimed, raising his hand as if he were in school.

"You could say that..." Nika answered, and the softness of her voice had already told Elian enough.

"A cemetery. Yep." he had thought about this long before they came out of the winding street she had taken them into. Soon, the brick buildings were falling behind them, giving way to a slight incline, trees, benches, and flowers.

Heading further, they soon passed a wrought iron gate with a foreign word making up its arched entryway. No matter how weird the letters were, Elian could still read them, just as he could understand their language.

"Heroes' Rest." Sakku read it out loud, becoming somewhat melancholic and picking up on Nika's mood, which very quickly spread onto Sammy, too.

"The real heroes." The Princess whispered, looking at Elian once. "Not just Knights get laid to rest here, but ordinary soldiers and civilians too. People whose bodies were never recovered, and we were left with nothing but their names. While the so-called 'Heroes' get a giant monument to themselves, those who gave their lives are lying here, forgotten by all. After the war is finished, this will change. If not because of me, then because Dalen will burn it to the ground." She added with a dark chuckle.

"I can understand," Elian spoke, patting Sammy's shoulder, breaking him out of his sudden, downcast emotions and from remembering his parents' deaths before continuing to talk to Nika. "And I do agree."

"Oh?" She hummed, looking at him with an eyebrow raised, waiting for him to continue.

"Erecting those giant murals or remembrances, call it whatever you want, is pointless. And excessive. I know everyone should be remembered after saving the world, but that seems like a waste of resources. If someone wants to recognize them, just name something after them, like how this world is called Susaria. The first one knew it better than the follow-ups."

"So you wouldn't want to be remembered? Or do you want to conquer the world and rename it like Dalen?" Nika asked, her voice much more curious this time around as the group was walking, following the stone footpath between narrow but tidy grass mounds and lone headstones.

"I wouldn't really care about either."

"Huh? Why?" Sammy asked, the most surprised of the group.

"Because I wouldn't be here, no?" Elian laughed, looking at him before turning back towards Nika. "Why should I care if I am no longer present? It wouldn't matter to me at all."

"Don't people want to be remembered?"

"Most do." He answered the Princess's question, gently nodding his head, "But we are only remembered until a few generations anyway. After that, it fades. I value myself in the present and not in a possible future where I won't even be there. I don't care if, after me, a century down or a millennium away, anybody would remember my name or not. Would they discuss my deeds? It simply doesn't matter because all of that will fade. Give it two thousand years, then... Three. Four. Doesn't matter. Ultimately, time is the final winner, and you will be forgotten. No matter what. So... why should I care?"

"That is a bleak outlook, don't you think?" Nika countered him, not because she disagreed but because she found his thinking unique, something she hadn't heard before.

"Maybe. But as I said, thinking like that doesn't mean I don't care; I just care about it differently. I care about the now, as I said. I want people to remember me now and acknowledge me now. Not when I'm dead or no longer here. Maybe I'm petty, or I don't know, but I care about the now because I can enjoy, influence, and shape it, well... now. That's it. That's simple."

"Well, that is for sure a weird look on it, Elian." Nika hummed, forming a small smile, stopping and making the group realize they had arrived at a little hill, which was covered in concentric circles of white headstones, all of them containing names upon names. "But it has truth in it. Look around. Do you know who these people are?"

"No," Elian responded first because even if he was from this world, he would not know them either.

"Sammy?" She asked again, turning towards the flabbergasted boy this time.

"No, Commander! Sorry!" He answered, saluting, standing straight as an arrow.

"Mhm. Sakku?"

"Some..." She murmured, walking around a few of those stones. "Those who lived with us in our village. Like Old Kikki... Jia, Manu, Bertha..."

"Even they," Nika sighed, touching the top of the headstones, letting her fingers run over them, "are only remembered by the last of ryuins. Nobody else knows who they were, not even bothering to come here and read their names. So, in a way, Elian is right. Who knows if this cemetery will still be here a hundred years from now? Who remembers the names of the brave warriors fighting beside the Hero Susaria? Nobody. I only know their characters because of my upbringing and because I always loved reading the ancient codices."

"Damn... now I feel like I am some kind of villain here. Sorry to bum you all out!" Elian chuckled, rubbing the back of his head, watching Nika's lonely-looking back, standing amongst the hundreds of little graves, belonging to the companion of the First Hero.

"Nah! You gave me a new look at things. I thank you for that, Elian." She whispered, letting the wind blow past them, grabbing onto her long, white hair, lifting it slightly before she turned around to face them. "Okay, enough of me moping around! Let's get to why I said you should not be late: Time to eat!"

"Huh?" they asked, looking at her in surprise, but none of them had any chance to ask more as she began walking again, forcing them to follow and catch up with her.

Heading out of the cemetery, they soon entered the waking cityscape, passing by open shops, people leaving their homes, trying to go about their lives as usual. Still, looking at the faces, passing by the families, some wearing clean clothes, some more ragged ones, clearly conveying they were not locals but refugees. They often exited different temporary homes where multiple families were now living under one roof, and the light in their eyes was unmistakable. Elain simply couldn't ignore the underlying fear and worry that everyone was trying to suppress and hide, acting as if the world was right and not ablaze.

"This is why I visit the cemetery once in a while," Nika spoke up, letting her voice ring amongst them again after long minutes of silence, aiming her words directly at Elian after noticing his expression. She had been keeping an eye on him since the beginning and could read him clearly, knowing what he was thinking about, as she was seeing the same thing in the people of Karnia. "As their future Queen, I need to remain grounded and be in touch with my subjects. Reinforce my vows to those who died protecting us and to those who they have left behind."

"Commandable. You will be a great ruler," Elian answered, telling his honest thoughts and tilting his head a little. "But I heard you already are one. Why are you not Queen yet?"

"My Father is still the King." She answered after a bit of a pause, her steps faltering just enough for him to notice it. "I wish it would stay like that for a long time. Ascending the throne has a saying associated with it; you may be familiar with it."

"Yeah? What is that?"

"The King is dead. Long live the King."

"Yeah..." Elian shrugged, deciding not to try to play stupid, curious about what her reaction would be next. "I did hear that."

"Thought so." She giggled, laughing in a way that was way too cute, catching Elian off guard and making him blink his eyes to refocus his attention. "Oh well! Here we are!"

"Huh?" They repeated an expression that had been their catchphrase since morning.

"Miracle Bakery!" Nika sighed, smacking her lips, and looked at the orange-colored, two-story building. It had beautiful, colored windows with flowers decorating them wherever one looked. Even better, a sweet and delicate scent emanated from the few open windows, reaching out, caressing their noses, wanting to drag them all in like a devious little trap set for hungry people. No wonder all their stomach rumbled at the same time. "The best place in the whole city if you want a fulfilling breakfast!"