Chapter 2: Bibo (2)
The treatment and blessing of the sick, as well as mourning for the dead—these are all duties of the temple.
November 22, 1789. In the northern borderlands, the extermination of the giants was marked by an unprecedented casualty count, due to the appearance of a magic-wielding giant. In a single day, three-digit numbers of soldiers lost their lives. It wasn’t just ordinary soldiers; even the mages were massacred in numbers unheard of before.
As a result, the central temple in the capital, the Ken Temple, found itself overwhelmed with an unexpected influx of bodies. The mass of bodies and grieving families was reminiscent of a war zone, and the temple was as crowded as it would be during the festival of blessings.
The only difference from the festivals was that instead of joyous laughter, the air was filled with heart-wrenching cries.
The first thing that struck Ariel as she teleported to the temple was the sound. Although she’d only moved to the entrance due to the restriction on magic use within the temple, even there, cries echoed all around.
The large white domed structure towering proudly was the temple. Normally a place of pure and sacred aura, today it exuded none of its usual atmosphere.
A heavy mixture of death, despair, sorrow, and emptiness lingered densely around it. The priests, who usually greeted people with calm decorum, were stumbling and overwhelmed by the unfamiliar chaos.
Even as Ariel stepped into the thick, murky cloud of sorrow, she still felt as though these events were somehow detached from her—a surreal feeling like she was an audience member watching a vivid play. She gazed around the sea of mourning faces with a blank expression, lost as to what she should be doing amidst the chaos.
Just then, a staggering priest approached her with a haggard look.
“Are… are you a family member?”
His water-blue hair was tousled, and his white priestly robes, symbolic of purity, were smeared with dirt and dust. The franticness of the situation was evident in his appearance.
The word ‘family’ lingered bitterly in her mouth. Ariel’s face contorted slightly, and she struggled to force her answer out.
“Yes.”
“As you can see, we have an overwhelming number of people to attend to today… If you could give me the spelling of the name, I’ll try to guide you to the general area. You may ask another priest there for more help.”
“Oh… all right.”
“Very well, then?”
Ariel nodded. The exhaustion in the priest’s face lifted slightly.
“This way. Amidst the chaos, you should be able to find it within area 39. Apologies for not being able to offer individual attention. Thankfully, it’s not too crowded, so it should be easy to locate. The blessings have already been given. Ideally, we wouldn’t rush things this way, but… given the circumstances, please understand.”
After speaking in a flurry, the priest tilted his head respectfully before stepping away. Ariel began moving forward.
All the wooden coffins crowding the spacious grounds before the temple had their lids open. This was done to help family members quickly locate their loved ones.
The bodies lying in the coffins were enchanted and blessed to look like they were simply sleeping, rather than deceased. It was a way to reduce the distress of those left behind.
Ariel moved through the assigned area, carefully examining the faces of those inside the coffins. Her expression remained contemplatively neutral.
She had barely taken a few steps when her pace stopped. Her gaze fixed on a young man lying peacefully in one of the coffins, his platinum blond hair—so similar to her own—spilling gently over the edge.
It was Aynkel.
Ariel’s eyes instinctively locked onto his face. His untamed hair was a bit disheveled, yet its beauty, fine texture, and radiant color were mesmerizing. Despite his plain military uniform, his smooth features, gracefully sculpted face, and closed eyes shone with a soft, otherworldly beauty.
There was no mistaking it. Aynkel’s striking looks were unmistakable; he was extraordinary.
She squeezed between other grieving family members and sank to her knees beside Aynkel’s face. Her red eyes filled with his image.
His face looked so full of life, as though he’d merely been in a peaceful sleep, his appearance clean and serene, belying the fact that he’d died in battle. A sweet, comforting scent gently enveloped him. He looked as if he were simply resting.
Ariel, being a witch, knew all too well that it was the enchantment and blessing that gave him this appearance, that what lay before her was simply a body. Yet, perhaps because it was her beloved younger brother lying there, she felt as though he was just sleeping.
It was ironic. She had come here to face the reality, yet it felt less real than it had before she arrived.
Ariel gently traced the fine contours of her brother’s face, so much more delicate and refined than her own. She could feel the faint warmth preserved by magic. His skin was soft, almost impossibly smooth for someone who had been through the roughness of the outside world.
He looked alive.
“Aynkel… Ayn…”
Ariel impulsively gripped his shoulders and shook him.
Calling his name, shaking his shoulders—she felt as though he would open his eyes any moment and greet her with his own red gaze, his voice still husky from sleep.
Suddenly, a sharp ‘tsk’ reverberated in her mind. There was no need to wonder whose voice it was.
[Still haven’t come to your senses? What’s lying before you is a corpse.]
The space was so noisy that it would’ve been impossible to hear anything clearly, but that voice resounded unmistakably, piercingly clear, as it echoed directly in her mind.
Ariel’s hand, which had been shaking Aynkel’s shoulder, stopped cold.
A corpse.
The word stabbed at her like a sharp blade, but Ariel ignored it. She furiously threw aside the funeral notice, which kept trying to force reality upon her, as though taking out her anger on it.
Then, she rose and scanned the area, her eyes searching for a priest.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to look far; a priest was nearby, the same one from before. Ariel weaved through the crowd and approached him from behind.
He was busy explaining things to another grieving family. Ariel quietly waited for him to finish.
“Excuse me.”
The priest, who seemed even more weary and worn, turned around to face her. The moment he recognized her unperturbed expression, his face showed a hint of change.
A brief pause filled the space between her call and his response.
“…Yes? Is there something else you’d like to know?”
Ariel didn’t falter.
“Can I take my brother?”
“No, bodies can only be collected after the funeral, which will take place in a month. We’re still in the process of verification. You can collect his belongings, however. Are there any items left behind?”
“Oh…”
Every word from the priest, spoken so matter-of-factly, thrust the reality of death upon her. Each time, Ariel shuddered faintly. But her subconscious mind suppressed it entirely, maintaining her outward composure.
“Where… where can I find them?”
“If you have the funeral notice, please take it inside the temple. The high priest will guide you to the relic room. Finding it should be easy—the magic will lead you.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
Ariel finished the conversation curtly, bowed slightly, and turned around, heading back to retrieve the notice she had left beside Aynkel.
The priest followed her disappearing figure with a thoughtful gaze as she moved through the crowded temple yard.
In the night filled with snow, among the countless colors, her platinum blonde hair stood out, gleaming and growing ever more distant. Unlike the majority who were overtaken by their grief, she maintained an unshakable composure.
He had seen many bereaved families in his time as a priest. Among them, people like her, though rare, certainly existed. He knew that they weren’t without sorrow. It was a subconscious defense against an overwhelming fear of breaking down.
‘But…’
That sorrow always eventually surfaced. Those like her would, without a doubt, crumble in the end.
With a pensive gaze, he watched her retreating figure for a moment longer.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Ariel, having retrieved the funeral notice, entered the temple and, following the high priest’s guidance, headed for the relic room.
Inside, it wasn’t much different from outside. The room was dark, crowded with unorganized relics, teeming with grieving families, and filled with sobs.
Ariel stepped carefully into the somber space.
The moment she entered, the notice slipped from her grasp and floated away. A voice echoed in her mind.
[Follow.]
Ariel followed the floating notice, which soon landed lightly atop a box about knee-height. As the two touched, a faint golden light glowed momentarily before fading.
She crouched before the box, opened the lid, and carefully sorted through its contents.
Nothing was unsual. Inside were everyday items, much like the belongings Aynkel would bring with him during his visits. The priest’s mention of ‘relics’ quickly lost its weight.
One by one, Ariel held and examined each item, items imbued with her brother’s presence. After handling a few, she felt a slow-growing wave of emotion welling up within her, gentle yet persistent, like a tide rolling in. Eventually, she gave up on touching the items and opted instead to simply look at them.
At that moment, her eyes caught sight of a particular item.
It was a small, roughly crafted box made from dark brown wood, likely handmade. At first glance, it looked like nothing of importance. The only hint of its significance lay in its crude craftsmanship, suggesting it had been made by Aynkel himself.
Yet, as Ariel gazed at it, a strange wave of unease stirred within her. It was an odd feeling. She picked it up cautiously, almost entranced, and opened the lid.
Inside, a pile of folded papers—likely numbering several dozen—filled the box. At that moment, a faint sound echoed softly in her mind. It was too quiet to understand fully, just a whispering resonance.
‘…What is this?’
To uncover what lay inside and hear the sound more clearly, Ariel picked up one of the letters. The faint sound sharpened, and Ariel could now distinctly hear the voice that had barely echoed in her mind moments before.
It was a sob, filled with deep, deep sorrow.
[Aah… so the day has come for you to find me after all. I wished that day would never come…]
The voice carried an overwhelming sadness.
With this, Ariel felt a creeping sense of foreboding. In that moment, she understood why the sight of the box had unsettled her so deeply.
……
(T/N: I was the one feeling unsettled here through the screen 😵)
