W.I.T.C.H: Against the Flow

Chapter Thirteen: Away with the WICCA Boys

Elyon wept the entire time during the burial. Her niece's sepulture or the sepulture of what was left of her. Avani Escanor wasn't a good person by any means. She was driven insane by life and her mother Zorarose, in the main, but many of the choices she had made herself were dispiritingly wrong too. Perhaps they were greatly owing to all the adversities her mother had chosen for her before Avani killed her.

It didn't matter.

Avani's death was still mind-boggling and cruel and Elyon couldn't help herself.

She cried inconsolably.

First, she had lost her parents before getting to have memories with them. Then her husband Andan. Now she lost her niece too.

The only person matching the straw blonde's grief and maybe even exceeding it was Arel, Beta-Meridian's commander in chief and Avani's lover.

Arel had communicated with Elyon herself for weeks in hopes that something will be found out about his beloved's vanishing.

When the Matchmaker entered the picture and gave them some sort of hope, he had been positive that Avani will make it and will be free of the Eye's claws. Now he was watching her dead body being put to eternal rest and it hurt like hell.

"I want to take a part of her ashes with me, your Majesty."- Arel had said to Elyon through tears. "She loved Beta-Meridian despite everything. She would want to be scattered there."

"A-after the burial rituals on Meridian, I will give you the chance to scatter her ashes."- Elyon had agreed. "I-"

"You can come with me? If you desire."- Arel shrugged dismally. "I...I would want someone from her family to be there for her even now...and since it obviously will never be her father..."

"Thank you, Arel. I will come with you."

Elyon nodded to herself even now, hours later. Her face was pale and damp from tears but she felt anger above it all. Anger for her brother who refused to attend and refused to participate in any of the rituals around his own daughter's funeral service.

"We're here."- a breathless Will Vandom announced and Elyon turned around, surprised.

Will offered a small smile of reassurance and waddled in her place in the dark clothes she wore for the funeral.

"My condolences, Elyon. To you too. Arel, right? I'm sorry, I know what she meant to you. I truly am sorry for what happened to Avani, despite everything she did to me..."- the redhead sighed. "She deserved a fair trial, justice, and a chance to reform in time, not this. Nobody deserves this."

Elyon was too busy looking mildly-said shocked behind Will, where she could clearly see her brother. Phobos was here after all. He was going to pay final respect to his deceased daughter.

A small tear of relief and maybe even an ounce of joy rolled down the Queen's maiden-like cheek.

"Thank you, milady."- Arel said to Will, trying not to look back at the man who he didn't really harbor any good feelings for. "For all that it's worth, my Queen did treat you unfairly yet you display such magnanimity... I'm sure that she appreciates it, wherever she is."

"Will, I have no words to describe how grateful I am, for everything."- Elyon sobbed as the other woman gave her a hug. "You're by our side, like always, even in this delicate matter...you truly are a reincarnation of the nymph."

"Oh, yeah, I'm...something."- Will laughed it off sadly and sniffed. "Definitely not that divine of a thing. Elyon, I haven't done anything special, especially not as of late. You know I'm no longer the full-fledged keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar...But even without it, I trust the voice within and just do as I feel must be done. Avani should be paid respect no matter what wrongs she chose to do while she was alive. What the Eye of God did to her last night was atrocious."- she shook her head. "Absolutely morbid and so wrong. And I will not rest until I debunk their entire existence once and for all."