The Crucivire

Chapter Forty Two: Farewells for the Fallen

Once everything had settled, the Night Hunters held a funeral. Behind the mansion above the Night Hunter facility caskets were laid out in rows, each with a picture on a stand. A cloth with the emblem of the night hunters lay over each one, three swords stuck into the ground, one of the rare times that emblem was used outside closed doors. Director Farrow, Captain Wagner, and all the other high ranking officers visited each grave with somber looks on their faces.

Alice, Arthur, Sara, Paul, and Penny Hayes walked through the funeral, visiting the coffins of those they knew. Penny and Paul had been flown in once they'd confirmed that the vampires were gone, and while Penny had a distant look in her eyes, she looked healthier than she'd been before. The Five of them visited the coffin of Ryan Hayes, who had been given, at Arthur and Alice's request, an honorary posthumous commission as a Night Hunter. He'd died bravely fighting the supernatural, after all, and Director Farrow had agreed. Poor Penny started crying at the sight of him.

Arthur and Alice then visited the coffin of Cora Mires, whose body had been recovered from the seal chamber. Gordon and Jasmine were paying their respects, though Jaiden couldn't be there for obvious reasons. Jasmine looked sad, as was appropriate, but Gordon had an angry look in his eye, and Alice wasn't certain what to think of that.

As she walked through the coffins, Alice briefly saw Agent Thompson standing over the coffin of Agent Walker. She hadn't really known him but did briefly acknowledge that it was him that helped her escape the farm. Alice only wished she could have repaid him before the end. Agent Thompson looked somber, though Alice noted that his fists were clenched.

Finally, Alice found the coffin of Henry, where Robert, Jamar, and Marcia were paying their respects. Alice lamented that she hadn't gotten to know him properly, and wondered what he was like. To every person she visited there, Alice thought the same thing.

Farewell, brave warriors. I pray that you are all in a better place now.

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Alice and Sara Hayes went back to their house. It was agreed that Mrs. Hayes would get a room at the mansion above the Night Hunter facility, lest someone use her as a hostage against the Crucivires. For this reason, they'd gone back to the old house to collect some things. Sara Hayes had to get her clothing and books, of course, while Arthur looked through some belongings he hadn't touched in years.

Most of Alice's belongings were back at her apartment, but there was one thing she'd left at the old house, a glass dragon she'd gotten as a Christmas present a long time ago. She pulled it off a shelf from the back of her closet and took a moment to admire it, turning it over in her hands. Other than that, Alice just rummaged through the closet to look at her old dresses. She hadn't worn dresses in a long time, and thought that maybe she might start doing so, so long as she wasn't on duty. Even the Night Hunters needed to relax sometimes, and going dancing again might be fun.

When she finished looking at the dresses, she stood in front of a mirror and tried her glamour a couple of times, virtually trying on those dresses on her adult form. She wasn't very good at the glamour yet and the images were blurry. She'd have to try this again when she got some practice. Aside from the ability to instantly produce a disguise, this power would be useful for trying on clothes. She also tried different hairstyles, considering letting her hair grow long again and keeping it a bun when on duty. Overall, Alice felt like it was high time she started acting like herself again after shutting herself off from the world.

But it wasn't long before she heard her mother coming. Alice quickly dismissed her current glamour, revealing the casual clothes she'd worn that day, jeans and a jacket.