☠ 46th of Ash, Year 120 ☠
Company: Cullen / Grieving Parents| Theme: | Thoughts: I never understood funerals| Mood: Curious / Apathetic
Company: Cullen / Grieving Parents| Theme: | Thoughts: I never understood funerals| Mood: Curious / Apathetic
☠ The journey to the funeral was longer than I expected, especially given my injuries. I wasn't prepared for traveling so long, but I sucked it up and trudged on anyway. Coming from the estate I was in awe of the fact that people buried their dead, seeing that all their corpse would do was decompose.
I guess was different, I never understood the point of all this, the ceremony, the final words, the tears. He wouldn't go so far as to shame them, but he knew better than to feel sorrow in the face of death, not anymore at least. Upon reaching the burial site lay, I checked to see if the family had noticed my approach.
The good thing is that Cullen was here to help me along, given that he too was still healing from his injuries. We both survived quite the ordeal, but it allowed me to see that I had to train more, perfect my swordplay, and learn about these....things. The image of Lynora's feral eyes was etched into my mind, the vision ever so clear and present.
We found a shady spot under a large tree, far enough away to where we could go unnoticed, but close enough to hear the priest perform the ceremony. Sadly the parents didnt have anything the memory of their daughter to bury. Unfortunately, I was holding on to Lynora's body for .....research purposes. There was so much information I could still learn from it.
I looked to Cullen who seemed to have tears flowing, silently crying as the ceremony commenced. "You waste your tears Cullen, save them for when you need them." I advised, patting him on his head. Cullen wiped them sniffling "Cullen Speech"
"In my experiences, I have come to the conclusion that death has no subjective meaning at all. It will come to all people, even to me. Death means the end of our future endeavors, of our lives. However, as long as we are alive, we will be living toward that future possibility of no longer having possibilities." I could tell he didnt understand, but I continued on regardless.
"The unavoidable conclusion is that neither I nor you will ever personally escape death. We will cease to be conscious before the end. No matter how close we come to it, death recedes before us. I am actually dead only for others. When the end actually arrives, our bodies will be long since been given back to the land, and our souls will no longer be here." I spoke, my eyes continuing to watch as the mother sobbed uncontrollably as the ceremony officiator went on. I wish I could feel bad for them, but I couldnt bring myself to.
"As my mother so famously put it to me growing up, Death is not an experience in life, it's a rite of passage into another experience of the soul. The concept of death is unlike most other concepts. Usually, we have an object and the concept of that object." I spoke with a chuckle, always finding it amusing how optimistic she was about death. And to be seeing her now after so many years, her words seemed to contradict her.
"However, the concept of death is absolute without any object whatsoever. Thinking about the prospect of one's own death is a constant meditation upon our own ignorance and what we yet know about such things. There is no method for getting to know death better because death cannot be known at all, but maybe some understanding can be obtained if only a slither, and with it, we would be the wiser in our everyday lives." I recited to Cullen, knowing that no matter how I explained it, it would be a hard concept to handle.
The ceremony seemed to be over by the time I finished my speech, and I was ready to go. Part of me didnt even know why I came but I felt it was only right that I come to see this through, I owed them that. I promised them that I would bring them their daughter. Realizing that I had to give them some form of assurance, some form of peace.
Immediately I was met by daggers for eyes from the father, but what hurt the most, oddly enough was the look on the mother's face. "I'm sorry, I wish I could have brought home you little girl. But by the time I found her, there was nothing left that was recognizable." I did my best to sound as sincere as possible. The mother continued to cry, burying her face in her husband's chest.
His tears were accompanied by the glare that was digging into me. He grabbed my collar, a wince and grimace escaping my facial features as my wounds were still in healing. "You were supposed to bring my baby girl home. You haven't given us any form of comfort. If you wanna give us peace, give us something to bury. Bring us the head of the man that killed our daughter!" he demanded, the pain of losing a child evident on his face.
For a moment I wanted to grip his neck, but I was in too much pain to react. Though I couldnt help but smile at the demand, as apart of me wanted this man's head as well. "Now that, that I can do." I agreed, nodding with the father as he finally let me go.
After giving my respects, I found it was truly time to go, feeling that the quicker I left this place the better. Taking one last look at the grieving parents, I turned and made my way back to the city. Stopping for a moment I turned around, I felt as if someone or something was watching me and Cullen.
"Is something wrong sir?" he inquired, watching as my eyes scanned the area. I couldnt see anything, but I knew murderous intent when I felt it. I looked until my eyes went dry from not blinking, straining to find the source of this malice.
Then I saw it, a figure in red standing on the opposite end. My eyes widened in shock, and I felt fear and dread wash over me. Cullen seemed to follow my eyes and found the figure too, almost buckling from the fear. "S....sir are you seeing what I'm seeing." he stammered, forcing my body back. I grinned as for the first time I felt like the hunted instead of the hunter.
"I see him, we need to leave this place now." I directed quickly, finding the strength I helped Cullen up and we made our exit. Cullen was not happy about us leaving them, knowing what could be coming next. "What about her parent sir?" he questioned, his eyes looking to me hoping I would change my mind about leaving them behind.....as if.
"What about them?" I retorted keeping my pace as I was doing my best to get as far from here as possible. "We can't just leave them behind?" was he serious? Was his life of no importance to him? His consistent badgering about saving them was starting to work on my nerves.
I had to put an end to his naivety. With my good arm, I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Now you listen to me and listen well! These people are beyond our help, they are necessary casualty! Do you wish to join them?! Who will save the countless innocence that will no doubt die if we dont find a way to kill him!? Get your priorities together.....now! Spare the few to save the many."
With that I let him go, limping off without him, only to stumble against a tree. Catching my breath I felt the supporting arm of my subordinate. I was glad to see the young man come to his senses. "You will see the good in this later down the road." I assured him, looking to him.
His eyes never met my own, but I could feel the anger he was exuding, the heat coming through his clothes. "I dont agree with this, I dont like this at all. But I made a vow to follow you no matter what. But if we have to leave them behind, just make me one promise." he whispered, fighting back the tears. "Promise me we will kill that bastard." he demanded as he clenching my arm as tight as he could given his strength and injuries.
"Of course Cullen, I wouldnt have it any other way. He will die by our hand, for now though, we need to learn our enemy first." ☠
"Common Tongue"
"Silvain Tongue"
"Self-Thoughts"
"Cullen Speech"
I guess was different, I never understood the point of all this, the ceremony, the final words, the tears. He wouldn't go so far as to shame them, but he knew better than to feel sorrow in the face of death, not anymore at least. Upon reaching the burial site lay, I checked to see if the family had noticed my approach.
The good thing is that Cullen was here to help me along, given that he too was still healing from his injuries. We both survived quite the ordeal, but it allowed me to see that I had to train more, perfect my swordplay, and learn about these....things. The image of Lynora's feral eyes was etched into my mind, the vision ever so clear and present.
We found a shady spot under a large tree, far enough away to where we could go unnoticed, but close enough to hear the priest perform the ceremony. Sadly the parents didnt have anything the memory of their daughter to bury. Unfortunately, I was holding on to Lynora's body for .....research purposes. There was so much information I could still learn from it.
I looked to Cullen who seemed to have tears flowing, silently crying as the ceremony commenced. "You waste your tears Cullen, save them for when you need them." I advised, patting him on his head. Cullen wiped them sniffling "Cullen Speech"
"In my experiences, I have come to the conclusion that death has no subjective meaning at all. It will come to all people, even to me. Death means the end of our future endeavors, of our lives. However, as long as we are alive, we will be living toward that future possibility of no longer having possibilities." I could tell he didnt understand, but I continued on regardless.
"The unavoidable conclusion is that neither I nor you will ever personally escape death. We will cease to be conscious before the end. No matter how close we come to it, death recedes before us. I am actually dead only for others. When the end actually arrives, our bodies will be long since been given back to the land, and our souls will no longer be here." I spoke, my eyes continuing to watch as the mother sobbed uncontrollably as the ceremony officiator went on. I wish I could feel bad for them, but I couldnt bring myself to.
"As my mother so famously put it to me growing up, Death is not an experience in life, it's a rite of passage into another experience of the soul. The concept of death is unlike most other concepts. Usually, we have an object and the concept of that object." I spoke with a chuckle, always finding it amusing how optimistic she was about death. And to be seeing her now after so many years, her words seemed to contradict her.
"However, the concept of death is absolute without any object whatsoever. Thinking about the prospect of one's own death is a constant meditation upon our own ignorance and what we yet know about such things. There is no method for getting to know death better because death cannot be known at all, but maybe some understanding can be obtained if only a slither, and with it, we would be the wiser in our everyday lives." I recited to Cullen, knowing that no matter how I explained it, it would be a hard concept to handle.
The ceremony seemed to be over by the time I finished my speech, and I was ready to go. Part of me didnt even know why I came but I felt it was only right that I come to see this through, I owed them that. I promised them that I would bring them their daughter. Realizing that I had to give them some form of assurance, some form of peace.
Immediately I was met by daggers for eyes from the father, but what hurt the most, oddly enough was the look on the mother's face. "I'm sorry, I wish I could have brought home you little girl. But by the time I found her, there was nothing left that was recognizable." I did my best to sound as sincere as possible. The mother continued to cry, burying her face in her husband's chest.
His tears were accompanied by the glare that was digging into me. He grabbed my collar, a wince and grimace escaping my facial features as my wounds were still in healing. "You were supposed to bring my baby girl home. You haven't given us any form of comfort. If you wanna give us peace, give us something to bury. Bring us the head of the man that killed our daughter!" he demanded, the pain of losing a child evident on his face.
For a moment I wanted to grip his neck, but I was in too much pain to react. Though I couldnt help but smile at the demand, as apart of me wanted this man's head as well. "Now that, that I can do." I agreed, nodding with the father as he finally let me go.
After giving my respects, I found it was truly time to go, feeling that the quicker I left this place the better. Taking one last look at the grieving parents, I turned and made my way back to the city. Stopping for a moment I turned around, I felt as if someone or something was watching me and Cullen.
"Is something wrong sir?" he inquired, watching as my eyes scanned the area. I couldnt see anything, but I knew murderous intent when I felt it. I looked until my eyes went dry from not blinking, straining to find the source of this malice.
Then I saw it, a figure in red standing on the opposite end. My eyes widened in shock, and I felt fear and dread wash over me. Cullen seemed to follow my eyes and found the figure too, almost buckling from the fear. "S....sir are you seeing what I'm seeing." he stammered, forcing my body back. I grinned as for the first time I felt like the hunted instead of the hunter.
"I see him, we need to leave this place now." I directed quickly, finding the strength I helped Cullen up and we made our exit. Cullen was not happy about us leaving them, knowing what could be coming next. "What about her parent sir?" he questioned, his eyes looking to me hoping I would change my mind about leaving them behind.....as if.
"What about them?" I retorted keeping my pace as I was doing my best to get as far from here as possible. "We can't just leave them behind?" was he serious? Was his life of no importance to him? His consistent badgering about saving them was starting to work on my nerves.
I had to put an end to his naivety. With my good arm, I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Now you listen to me and listen well! These people are beyond our help, they are necessary casualty! Do you wish to join them?! Who will save the countless innocence that will no doubt die if we dont find a way to kill him!? Get your priorities together.....now! Spare the few to save the many."
With that I let him go, limping off without him, only to stumble against a tree. Catching my breath I felt the supporting arm of my subordinate. I was glad to see the young man come to his senses. "You will see the good in this later down the road." I assured him, looking to him.
His eyes never met my own, but I could feel the anger he was exuding, the heat coming through his clothes. "I dont agree with this, I dont like this at all. But I made a vow to follow you no matter what. But if we have to leave them behind, just make me one promise." he whispered, fighting back the tears. "Promise me we will kill that bastard." he demanded as he clenching my arm as tight as he could given his strength and injuries.
"Of course Cullen, I wouldnt have it any other way. He will die by our hand, for now though, we need to learn our enemy first." ☠
"Common Tongue"
"Silvain Tongue"
"Self-Thoughts"
"Cullen Speech"
