The Heir of the Fallen

Chapter 23

Horseman of Famine, Adelaide

Standing in front of the floor-length mirror in her home, Adelaide flattened her black dress, running her hands down her sides slowly, pushing out any wrinkles. The thin-strapped maxi dress reached her ankles, and she wore simple black sandals for the day's events. A tan messenger bag slumped over her shoulder. It contained important information for the boys that she needed them to see after the funeral. She took a deep breath and struggled to keep the tears back.

Today was the funeral for all the mayhem caused by Aamon and Joan. The number of lost souls totaled 487, including Jasper. Beelzebub thought throwing his first-ever funeral in the afterlife was a good idea for all lost. Adelaide mustered enough courage to head to the town square, where the event was being held. Beelzebub, Ares, and Letum would not let her anywhere near the event, wanting her to have the time to mourn on her own before the funeral.

Adelaide pushed open her front door and headed out towards the town square. Once she arrived, she was amazed at how many people were there. So many had lost loved ones prematurely. She spotted Jasper's parents at the edge of the crowd. They looked sullen, and their eyes were all puffy from crying. She headed towards his parents to apologize and let them know where to find her if they needed anything.

"Hi," she said as she approached, reaching for his mom's hand.

"Oh, Adelaide," she sobbed, squeezing Adelaide's hand. "Hi, I meant to look for you sooner... but..."

"It's okay, Madeline." Adelaide looked over to his quiet father, but no mask of indifference clung to his features. Instead, it was only true sadness and despair. "How are you holding up, Howard?"

"Getting used to being dead," he said with a slight chuckle. It wasn't readable across his face, though. "Just as we were adjusting to a family on the other side... this happened. We are still trying to grasp everything that went down. How are you doing yourself?" he asked with concern. "We are not the only ones grieving Jasper, I know. Not too long ago, we had to sit with him when you died. If your feelings are near the same as his were towards you, I know you are struggling right now, as well," he said, reaching out to her shoulder. Adelaide took her hand from Madeline and wrapped her arms around both of them. They towered over her, but she didn't care how awkwardly fumbled the hug was. They all grieved together for a moment and were quiet as they held each other.

Horseman of War, Ares

It took a couple of weeks to prepare everything for the funeral. They had to get the word out to everyone about the passings and ensure everyone knew they were welcome at the event. Thousands of people gathered in the town square by the time the funeral was about to begin. There were more than just the families' loved ones; there were also people gathered around to hear Beelzebub speak. Most people did not get an interaction with the leader of the afterlife or even the Horsemen. This singular event surprised just about everyone when they heard about the idea from Beelzebub.

Ares himself was struggling with several battles of inner turmoil himself. He had never come that close to dying - permanently, before. What was it like? Was it just... nothingness? No existence anymore at all? The very thought was unnerving.

And then there was the fact that he couldn't do anything to help stop the destruction that Aamon had left. It was his job, and he blew it. The weight of the loss that Aamon caused weighed heavily on Ares' shoulders.

"Ares, are you okay?" Beelzebub asked. They were both by the entrance to the movie theater, where a wooden stage had been created for Beelzebub to speak from. There were also 487 candles sitting on the stage, waiting to be lit.

Ares shook his head, trying to shake himself of the guilt, if only slightly, so he could help with the funeral. The responsibility was not something he could part with lightly, however, and he confided in Beelzebub. "I just can't help feeling like all of this," he gestured to the people gathered, the candles, "is my fault. Aamon was my responsibility, and I let him escape. I let them both escape."