Ed stood there silently, looking down at the vague human figure on the low bed.

Monson had done his best to arrange everything—the bed had been dragged to the middle of the room, the white linen was as clean as snow, the flowers had been gathered from the garden on either side, and by the pillow there was a painted botanical atlas that Vala usually loved to read, and the candles on the candlesticks that surrounded the bed gave off a faint fragrance.

The candlelight flickered, and the lines covered with white cloth were still soft. Ed can clearly trace in his mind every movement of his mother before her death, every wrinkle in the corners of her eyes, and every gray hair on her head...... But he did not dare to lift the white cloth and glance at the now lifeless, death-like face.

He didn't know how long he had been standing alone, the passage of time had no meaning to him.

A gust of wind lengthened the flame on the wick, and in the flickering room, Ed looked up blankly, distraught and annoyed.

He didn't want to be bothered by anyone...... He thought that someone else would at least give him a moment of peace.

A blur of black shadows shook against the walls, and Scott walked up to him, standing side by side with him, looking down at Vala's body in silence.

The sudden anger slowly subsided—it was anger for no reason.

Ed felt like he wasn't here. Standing here was just an empty shell, his soul still wandering elsewhere...... Drift where you don't have to face it all.

He didn't even know why he woke up.

He heard Scott's heavy, long breath, the whisper of prayer coming out of his lips. Just a short goodbye.

"Goodbye, Vala. He said.

Something flashed through Ed's mind, stirring up a faint glimmer of hope.

"Can you get her back?" he asked in a low voice. "Can you bring him back to life?"

He looked at Scott, clearly seeing the sadness in his eyes, hesitated...... and dodge.

“...... You can do it. Ed looked away, his tone quickly chilling with hope, "But you won't. ”

Scott was silent for a long time before he spoke: "I think your mother told you that the dead have a destiny, and the living should not be forced. ”

"But she shouldn't have died like this!" Ed's voice trembled slightly. "She didn't deserve to die like this...... She should live a quiet and peaceful life, and grow old calmly surrounded by children and grandchildren, until her gray hair grows. Someday. She would sleep under her favorite rose stand and never wake up again...... I can accept that, because there is always a death - but this is not the end she deserves!"

He swung his hand sharply, and then froze in mid-air. The candlelight shook violently. Stack their shadows on top of each other in a chaotic manner.

"You have to let go. Ed ......," Scott sighed helplessly, "we can avenge her, and we should avenge her, but you have to let her go." ”

“...... She never let you go. Ed whispered angrily, "She never gave up on finding you, even when all your friends had given up!"

Scott's body stiffened slightly, and his breathing froze for a moment.

Ed lowered his head. He knew he shouldn't have been...... He wouldn't have been like that before, angry. Selfishness because of the ...... they have lost Hurting others because of your own mistakes. But he couldn't control himself.

"You're right, I owe her. Scott's tone was calm and tired, "But I'm not going to repay her in this way...... I won't allow you to do that. Life and death are not things that can be manipulated at will, even if you have the ability to manipulate them. Once you cross a certain line, there's no going back, and you're paying a price you can't imagine...... Ed, that's not what you want. ”

- Why does everyone like to think that they know what they want better than they do?

Uncontrollable in anger, before Ed realized what he was talking about, he blurted out a malicious retort: "And what are you?—you're dead, aren't you? You were dead when you disappeared ten years ago, but you're still standing here, telling me righteously that 'life and death are not things that can be manipulated'......"

He slammed his mouth shut, his teeth clenching heavily on the tip of his tongue, frustrated - what the hell was he doing?

There was dead silence in the room. After a few moments, Scott spoke again, his voice low as if it were coming out of the ground: "Yes, I'm dead...... I died at the behalft of a friend for whom I was willing to give my life, and I watched my own bodies burned and abandoned, and my soul was so angry that I could not rest...... I wandered in the void for an unknown amount of time, and I still refused to let go. And then I got a second chance -- but you wouldn't wonder what it was for. I have something I have to do...... After that this vain life will disappear and my soul will be destined to burn in hell...... Is that what you want?Ed, is that what you want Vala to face?!"

The last syllable turned into a roar in anger, and all the flames rushed up in an instant. The imposing momentum emanating from Scott made Ed barely breathe.

He took a step back with a pale face, trembling slightly in fear.

“...... Scott?" Is's voice came from the door, "What's going on?"

The candle flame instantly returned to normal.

"Nothing. Scott replied stiffly, without looking at Ed, and turned and strode out of the room.

Iss didn't leave with him, but leaned against the door, dazed, with a fear and uneasiness on his face that Ed had never seen before.

- He heard, and Ed realized, he heard every word Scott said.

The soundproofing of the wooden house is not good, and the dragon's hearing is as sharp as that of an elf.

Ed opens his mouth to apologize to Scott...... Also to Is. He couldn't afford to feel like he'd been pulled out of his heart a second time—but that was probably what Iss was going to face.

Before he could make a sound, the tears rolled down.

The heart that had suddenly softened could no longer support the embankment he had built strongly, and the sorrow was overwhelming, and everything was swept away in a surging manner.

Ed crouched down, buried his head deep between his arms, and cried aloud.

"Ed ......"

He vaguely heard Is's voice, and felt him tap him on the shoulder as if it were some kind of comfort.

"Let him cry, Is...... Let him cry. "That's Alan's voice.

Iss didn't touch him again. But until he cried until his voice was hoarse, and his consciousness was brushed blank by the venting that had been suppressed for a long time, and he squatted there in a daze...... are always standing by his side.

Vala Singh's funeral took place two days later in the evening.

The descendants of the family of Chrissus are buried beside her great ancestors, and the inscription on the tombstone is only a simple line: "Honorable woman, great mother and wife." ”

There were no prayers at the funeral. Even if there were, no one pronounced it, and it seems that everyone has lost faith in the gods these days...... Moreover, Vala himself was not a devout believer.

"Her innocent soul will not be rejected by any sacred resting place, even if she goes to hell there is no fire that can hurt her, and if she wants to remain in this world and wander until she disappears, it is her freedom. ”

Norway whispered to Ed, and that gave Ed a strange comfort.

For a woman who does not hesitate to choose her life, Valla's soul is likely to choose the last way...... That means there's a good chance she's still with him.

But he never saw her in his dreams...... Is that because he let her down?

He couldn't let go of that thought. In fact, he probably disappointed everyone.

When night fell, he shuffled into the garden. He knew that someone was following him from a distance—Norvi or Is, and he couldn't hear the footsteps. His friends were still careful not to leave him alone.

But he didn't expect that there were also people in the garden.

The gardens of Christesburg had always been tended by Vala herself, and after her death, the housekeeper Monson was probably in no mood to bother with these useless flowers and plants.

Ed didn't come to see the flowers, he just walked here by accident, and in the soft moonlight, the slender figure crouching by the flowers made his heart skip a beat, and he almost blurted out his mother's name. But he quickly recognized that it was not Valla.

"Ed?" Narya stood up and wiped her hands on her skirt, "Are you...... Would you like to pick some flowers for Vala?"

But she's not picking flowers herself.

The moonlight illuminates the water droplets on the petals, and Ed realizes that Naria is watering the flower...... Just like Vala would normally do.

"I just...... I don't think Vala wants the flowers to wither. Naria said with some crampedness.

Ed's silence seemed to make her uneasy.

“...... Yes, she wouldn't want to. Ed reluctantly spoke.

There are many kinds of flowers planted in the yard, but now is the season of roses, pink, white, red...... The rich aroma of the different varieties of roses was overwhelming, making Ed almost breathless.

"When my mother died...... For a long time I didn't know what to do. Naria whispered suddenly, looking around at the blooming flowers, "It's like there's a huge hole in my heart, and nothing can fill it anymore...... Then one day I saw the molds she used to make small snacks in the kitchen, and they were thrown there, dirty and moldy...... I washed them and made a bunch of hard things to swallow and ate them one by one...... Either way, they still smell good, just like their mother did...... I don't know why, but I suddenly felt less sad. I know I still have to live, so I'm going to live well. I had to learn how to make dim sum and make it for my father when he came back. My mother used to say that delicious snacks make people feel happy......"

She stopped abruptly and glanced at Ed with some panic.

"I'm sorry......," she said, "and I don't know why I said this all of a sudden. ”

Ed shook his head vigorously - there was nothing to apologize for, he loved to hear her talk about it...... Something she never said, she wouldn't share with others.

He felt some kind of urge, and he couldn't even tell what it was, and he grabbed Naria's hand without thinking.

(To be continued......)