Close Nemesis

Chapter Thirty: The Stellar Rhythm

XALIR:

I stand in front of the attendees who sit within an arrangement of pews inside the cavernous ruins of a Stellar Rhythm cathedral. The Stellar Rhythm is a religious sect that believes that we are the offspring of stars, and that when we die, our spirits combine to become a star in a distant, unknown galaxy. As a star, we provide energy that ensures that life on a planet thrives. I'm not a spiritual man, but I do wish that afterlife upon Laiva. She deserves to be the light of someone else's world.

I remove the flaky silver ring I gave to Laiva from a pocket in my black denim suit, enclosing my right hand over it. To symbolize the transmogrification of Laiva's soul, the ring is to be melted down in a pot. Usually, we melt down the deceased's body to symbolize this transmogrification, but since Laiva's body was nowhere to be found, I guess the ring, the only remnant of her existence, will do.

Among the attendees sits a Garzelagar wearing a black dress. They're the only one I don't recognize out of the attendees, so I assume that they are Zieré.

Before I start the funeral ceremony, I turn to glance at Laiva's Namuhsolian parents. Her father, Nerava, wears a grey shirt with a soft black vest. He has a fiery red mullet, along with a dark red beard sliced in half under his mouth. The mother, Norak, has browning green hair curled over her forehead like a thick veil.

Then, I stare at the moon light, which shines through a cavity in the caves and into the ruins of the church. Part of the room is cast in a turquoise shadow, and it sets the sombre aesthetic of the ceremony.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Laiva and the transmogrification of her soul. Laiva, was as you all know, a lovely gentlewoman. She was shy, but she was also the most open-minded person I have ever met. She listened to me, as I'm sure she listened to many of you. Today, I will be melting down the last remnants of her in a pot of...in a pot of...I'm sorry! Bear with me!"

I sniff. I thought that by speaking from the heart rather than reading from a card would be easier for my charismatic self. However, Laiva's absence is playing heavily on my mind during her funeral.

"I'm sorry," I remark tearfully. "I just miss her. I really do! She was my Laiva! We all knew her in our own way. But I guess what's hard about her death is that many others perished alongside her. The evil that took her is beyond any evil we've ever seen! But we won't let this evil tarnish the good that existed within Laiva! She was a kind-hearted person, and only wanted was best for this world. We miss you Laiva, and wish you safe passage to wherever you may have ventured off to!"

I step away from front of the aisle, slowly moving over to the igneous pot of molten metal. With the ring still in my grip, I extend my hand over the bubbling hot molten metal. I drop the ring into the lava, and in a way, since the ring was made from my tears, my more spiritual parents would say that I am letting Laiva go.

However, I will never let Laiva go. I won't let her go even when her killer is dead.

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After twenty-three minutes of silence, each minute representing a year of Laiva's life, we make our way through into a large cave clearing, where a long holocrete table sits. My father helped me set the table up with Laiva's parents yesterday.