Several years later, the graveyard of Avarice was quiet once more.
Morning light filtered through tall stone pillars and weathered statues, casting long shadows across rows of white graves.
The air smelled of damp earth and wildflowers left by visitors who came and went with the seasons.
Time had softened the sharpness of the place, but the weight of it remained strong and painful.
Luke stood in front of a familiar grave, a grave that wouldn't have been there if he had been stronger.
His black shirt ruffled carelessly in the wind as he knelt to drop a bouquet of pink roses in front of a grave.
Turning to the side, he picked up a bunch of roses that had wilted away, probably from his or another person's last visit.
After one last look at the grave with a short prayer offered, he turned and started to walk away.
Jayden Reginald stood at the edge of the path, a few steps from where his father once stood.
He was taller now, his frame no longer that of a child. His dark hair stirred gently in the breeze as he stared at the familiar name etched cleanly into stone.
He did not remember Rose Samir clearly. Only fragments remained. A loud, cheerful laugh. A hand ruffling his hair. A voice telling him to be a good boy.
Beside him stood Ren, hands tucked into his pockets, eyes lowered in quiet respect.
His father owning an orphanage, he understood the meaning of death way more intensely than his peers.
He had followed Jayden here without complaint, the way he always did.
After offering their prayers, they walked back to where Luke stood under a willow tree waiting for them.
They walked quite a distance before Jayden turned back, wanting to take one last look at the grave before they left and was surprised to see someone kneeling before the grave.
They hadn't even noticed that a person was there before they had turned.
Seeking permission from his father, Jayden decided to head back and take a look at who it was and Ren followed him.
Moving quietly to avoid interrupting whoever it was, they stood a few meters to give the mourner space.
A few steps ahead, Nadia knelt before the grave.
She had grown too. Her black dress fit properly now, no longer hanging awkwardly from her shoulders.
Her expression was calm, composed, her eyes glistening with tears she had forced over the years to stay in but Jayden had learned over the years that this was how she carried her grief. Not loudly. Not openly.
She placed a small bundle compiling of carefully hand picked white, red and pink roses at the base of the stone next to Luke's and rested her palm against it, lingering longer than necessary.
Luke stood farther back, watching from the willow tree. His heart twisted painfully as he looked at Nadia as the regret stung him hard. He said nothing. He rarely did on days like this.
Jayden walked up to Nadia and placed his hand on her shoulder as a form of comfort with Ren tailing behind.
Both boys knew Nadia as they met on numerous occasions, here being the least out of them all. They weren't really close but they were friends, at least.
However, this was the first time they had seen her face so contorted as she tried to keep her emotions in check.
"Hey Jayden, Ren. Good morning." Nadia said, trying to plaster a smile on her face.
Ren looked into her eyes and smiled a little before saying,
"I always found it strange how you could always stay smiling anytime we met, I thought you were strange at first, you looked like you we're suffering while faking a smile but now I've seen that this is how you hide your emotions. There's nothing wrong with being sad."
Kneeling in front of her and holding direct eye with her contact he whispered, "You're still a child Nadia, you're allowed to cry. Just let it all out."
Nadia froze, confused at how someone she wasn't too close with already knew her deepest secrets. Finally with a broken, pained smile whispered, "Am I?"
Ren nodded slowly and for a second nothing happened, a tear dropped from her eyes, then another, soon she was crying, all her pent up emotions for years spilling out as she cried out all her pains.
For a moment, none of them spoke as they both watched her cry out her emotions.
When she was done, Ren smiled and helped her up. "You did good Nadia, if you need someone to cry with, we're both here. Even if you're scared to tell the adults you can tell us, we'll listen.
A cool gust of breeze drifted lazily through the graveyard where a strong friendship was born as Luke watched from above, knowing that it was only children that could open up and heal her broken heart.
Later on, Nadia left to help her father at home and the boys went back home with Luke for sword practice.
"Dude you were so cool then, I didn't know you could give advice like this." Jayden said, remembering Ren's speech as they practiced swings on a training dummy in Jayden's house.
"The truth is, I could understand what she was feeling, if not to the same extent. I've met kids who their parents treated them badly, abused them and left them. All kinds of people have different trauma but they usually choose to hide it and try to stomach it, but it can never stay chained forever and it ends up changing them."
Ren said as he held a sword in his right arm and swung it horizontally, sweat streaking down his face as he watched Jayden.
"Hmm, I get your point but I also don't get it." Jayden joked as he swung his wooden sword at a training dummy.
"Ren does think for someone above his age. I didn't hear what he said but it was him that comforted Nadia, something I failed to do for years." Luke thought as he observed the two boys.
"Okay kids come in, that's enough for today."Luke called out. "Jayden, go help your sister and mother in the kitchen."
"I'll follow." Ren voluntered as he ran after Jayden.
Ren, although smart was usually clingy to Jayden and followed him everywhere.
They just happened to meet once before and became best friends from there, no special meeting or something of the sort, just two kids meeting each other in the park.
That night Ren decided to sleep over in Jayden's house. They had their bath and were about to retire for bed when Jayden jumped off and ran to his sister's room before returning with three sleeping mats.
"What's that?" Ren asked as he sat up from the bed.
"This Ren is our bed for the night, long story short we're sneaking out to pay Nadia a visit and we'll probably sleep over if we can. You in?"
Ren sighed and opening the window, he said "Why still ask if you're going to bring three sleeping bags. Go out, let me disguise the bed."
Grinning , Jayden slid down the window and jumped off to a nearby tree with one hand having practiced escaping so many times.
Ren dressed the bed to make it look like they'd already slept off and jumping out the window, he grabbed the tree branch and brought himself down after throwing the sleeping bags to Jayden who was already on the ground.
Luckily, Nadia's house wasn't far so after following a few safe shortcuts they arrived at her house.
After scouting the area and determining which was Nadia's room, they snuck up using a ladder Ren purchased from a nearby store, not after scolding Jayden on his lack of plans.
The night was cool, silent winds blew, the moon in its full state, luminously shining down as Nadia lay on her bed unable to sleep, for the normal reason that had haunted her all this years. Sorrow.
She was about to shut her curtains and try to sleep when a face popped on the window which caused her to fall back in fear and surprise.
Jayden's grinning face peeked through, illuminated by the moonlight as he knocked on the window.
After recovering from the shock, she ran and quickly opened the window.
"What are you doing!?" Nadia asked in alarm as she stared at Jayden intently, her pink nightdress distracting him.
"We came to visit, mind letting us in?" Ren voiced out from the bottom of the ladder.
"Ren, you're here too. Sure." Nadia said with a smile as she opened up her window for her surprise guests.
"Yo, it seems you listen to Ren more than me. Anything I don't know?" Jayden said as he stared at Nadia intently.
"That's probably because I'm more responsible." Ren said as he threw up the sleeping bags into the room.
"Whatever, you in for a sleepover, Nadia?" Jayden asked, his grin still on his face.
" Umm, sure, why not. Lets just hope dad doesn't find out, your parents know you're here right?"
The two boys looked at each other for a second and chuckled nervously before bursting into a full laugh.
Nadia looked at the two boys and had an instinct to just follow in and laugh.
"Well, lets get this sleepover started." Jayden shouted as he threw the bags down.
Before long after playing games, telling stories about their lives, they were busy sleeping on their mats and that night Nadia slept the happiest she had in a very long time.
The door opened quietly and Luke with Ramin Samir, Nadia's father, stuck their head in and looked at the children.
They smiled and silently closed the door.
After that, a whole week passed and they continued sneaking out and having sleepovers each night.
Although the parents we're aware each night they decided to play dumb for the children to enjoy themselves.
The last night for the sleepover before they'd go back to sleeping in their homes
Nadia hugged them both and cried "Thank you guys, you don't know how much you guys have helped me, thank you Ren, Jayden. Thank you."
"C'mon why are you talking as if we won't see you again, if we don't come in the night, we'll just come in the morning. It's nothing hard." Ren said with a smile.
Nadia smiled and closed her eyes, wanting to imprint the memory in her mind.
Night settled softly over the land, painting the world in cool blue shadows.
Above, the sky stretched wide and clear, a deep sapphire canvas scattered with quiet shimmering stars.
Years later, that bond remained.
Opening her eyes she said "And that's why I'm going to win this match, not for the school or for the mages but for both of you, my best friends."
The roar of the crowd thundered through the stadium as Nadia opened his eyes. The memory faded, the graveyard dissolving into stone seats and blazing lights. Cheers echoed around him as the present pulled her back with relentless force.
She stood once more on the battlefield of his own making.
Older.
Stronger.
And no longer walking alone.