Chapter 44 - A Beautiful Name

Divine beings never fall ill. They live, they converse, and when they are finally caught in the shackles of time, they simply vanish from this world, like any other creature that has ever existed. So the question arises: why do hospitals exist when gods can never get sick? Why does a place dedicated to healing flaws exist in a realm where flaws are impossible?

In the hospital, it is the dead who are treated.

This might sound strange at first, yet when Kaies passed away, his heart consumed by the sorrow born from Igorus' all-too-clear despair, everything began to make sense.

The Lutrena Memorial, located twenty-seven kilometers outside the Grand Kingdom of Tamasi, is not literally a graveyard in the usual sense. There, the names of the fallen Dominions are engraved on silver plates beneath wooden crosses. The years of their birth, and the years of their departure. It is a vast table of remembrance, honoring those who have left this world to journey toward the three moons hanging above the heavens.

Their physical bodies are kept within the hospital. They are examined by doctors and surgeons to determine whether their passing was caused by something dark or unnatural. Then, through the nurses, reports are made and the bodies are sent to the morgue sector, where they are suspended from the ceiling like cocoons, larvae of butterflies ready to hatch.

But it is not their flesh that blossoms. The cocoons are symbols of the awakening of their spiritual matter. No one has ever proven that such a thing truly happens, yet even gods have the right to believe in something beyond their own power.

"I never thought I'd be bringing my father's body here..."

Kaeda's words echoed endlessly inside her mind. She remembered the long, lonely corridor, the loud silence, the sound of death washing its feet before entering. Her breathing came in short bursts, turning to faint mist on her lips, as tears slid down her face, searching for a path between the tiles, toward the black bag in which death had already made its visit.

Kaeda looked at her father. He seemed merely asleep, as though he had finally found peace after all these years.

"I shouldn't let my feelings take over today. After all, this is still a workday," Kaeda muttered as she began sealing the bag in which Martes lay in eternal stillness. She looked upward, her lifeless eyes veined with blood. She tried to hide the grief that her body could no longer contain. Kaeda looked exhausted, as though she had reached the lowest point of her life. She didn't know where to turn her gaze. Her thoughts clashed like ships on a stormy sea; her reason, the crew meant to steer them, drowned beneath waves of chaos, washing up on an island filled with monstrous creatures that devoured them alive. They were illusions, whispering lies that maybe... maybe everything would someday be alright.

"Code 231JM325. You're close to Kaies. So close... so close," Kaeda whispered to herself.

"I don't remember if I felt like this when I brought Kaies' body here... but it hurts. I didn't know death could hurt, especially when it's you who leaves. Why did you go, Father? Why?"

And for the first time, Kaeda stopped being a nurse and became simply a daughter, crying and mourning over her father's still body. The section where Kaies's body was supposed to rest was empty.

Meanwhile, Voidanos sat on a bench along the promenade of Tamasi, watching children play while eating a sweet treat he'd made from a recipe in one of his books. The ball rolled toward him, and he stood to hand it back.

"Thank you!" said a girl as she caught it. She wore a pink dress, her short chestnut hair glinting in the sun, and her green eyes looked deep into his.

"Uh... It's nothing. Heheh," Voidanos stammered, cheeks reddening slightly.

"Morana, come on!" shouted one of the other kids. She smiled at him before running back, clutching the ball.

"Would you look at that," came a familiar voice from behind.

"Dad? You're here!" Voidanos exclaimed, flying into his father's arms.

"Whoa, easy there! Hahaha!" Igorus laughed warmly.

"I missed you, Dad. Where were you?" Voidanos asked, overjoyed.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, son. Work, as always. How was school today?" Igorus asked, smiling.

"It was great! Tutor Magees taught me some really interesting things today, and now I'm just sitting here, reading," Voidanos replied.

"I'm proud of you, son," Igorus said softly.

A soldier approached them, his expression serious.

"Commander Igorus, forgive the interruption, but His Majesty, King Kasama, requests your presence," the soldier announced.

"My boy, I'm so happy I got to see you, but I have to go for a bit. We'll meet again later, alright?" Igorus said.

"Okay, Dad. Goodbye," Voidanos answered.

"Goodbye, son. Be good," Igorus said with a bittersweet smile before flying away with the soldier, their brown wings carrying them toward the royal palace.

Voidanos watched them disappear into the sky.

"Hey, you!" came a voice from behind him.

"Huh? Me?" he asked, pointing to himself.

"Yes, you! Hehehe," giggled the girl, the same one from before.

"Uh— y-yeah?" he stammered, unsure how to react.

"Wanna play with us?" she asked kindly.

"Morana, don't you know who he is?" one of the other kids asked.

"He doesn't even go to our school, let alone play with us," said another child.

"So what? I saw he was sitting here all alone. I just invited him to join," Morana replied firmly, holding the ball in her hands.

"He's weird. If I were you, I wouldn't talk to him," another kid muttered.

The girl looked at Voidanos, who lowered his head silently.

"Don't you have anything to say to them?" Morana asked him.

Voidanos fidgeted nervously, rubbing his feet together.

"M-my parents and Tutor Magees told me... never to speak badly of anyone," he said shyly.

"You don't have to insult them, umm..."

"Voidanos," he said quietly.

"Voidanos. Just don't let people talk down to you. Even if you're weird, ugly, or unintelligent, if you keep stepping aside for others, you'll never grow stronger," Morana said, her tone warm yet firm.

"It's pointless, Morana. Don't bother with weirdos. You're a princess, you shouldn't talk to just anyone," one of the children said.

"P-princess?" Voidanos asked, his face lighting up.

"Y-yeah, I'm the princess of the Dominions. U-um, yes, I'm your princess," Morana said, blushing and unsure how to handle the awkwardness.

"Morana!!" came the distant call of a woman.

"Oh no! It's Margo! I've got to go. It was nice meeting you, Voidanos. I hope we meet again here," she said with a bright smile before flying away.

"Morana... what a beautiful name," Voidanos whispered, watching her as she disappeared into the glowing skies above Tamasi...