|Mianite| The Missing Woman

[Chapter 40] Flowers

[Alva's Perspective]

When Ianite's death truly sank in for Jordan it hit him hard. We sat on the cliffside above her house, overlooking the piles of ash on the island.

"She's really gone, isn't she?" he asked.

"Mhm."

"Is this what you were trying to prevent?" He asked.

I didn't answer; we both knew he was right.

We sat in silence for a while until he spoke again. "I never thought it could happen. Sure, we killed Dianite in our old world, but when we got here there were already plans to bring your Dianite back to life."

"What was it like?" I asked, "killing a god?"

"You'd have to ask Tom that," he said. "The battle was just like any other, but he's the one that dealt the final blow. I think it changed him, but I'm not sure how exactly."

"Perhaps it was just his own god turning on him that changed him," I said.

"That could be."

"What do you think happens when we die?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said, "I'd never really thought about it in any great detail."

Well I can't exactly speak for everyone.

Dianite's cloudy form appeared at sitting level beside me.

But I felt a sharp pain, before absolute nothingness engulfed me. I felt my consciousness slipping away from my body, before spreading out across the realm. Took me a while to gather myself back together, but now I can go wherever I want again in the blink of an eye. Perhaps for mortals it's the same, you just aren't able to gather yourself up properly.

"What about Ianite?" Jordan asked hopefully. "Could she gather herself up again?"

I don't know, boyo; she's different. She's the god of balance, so the universe will want her to be spread out evenly. Her spirit is also likely spread across more realms than just Ruxomar, given what you said her intentions were.

Jordan put his head in his hands and looked back out across the island. "We need to give her a proper funeral," he said after a while.

"I agree," I said. "What can I do to help?" I stood up and offered him a hand up. He smiled sadly as he took it.

"Help me gather as much purple stuff as we can carry. We'll give her a proper tomb and send off."

"Alright." I opened an end portal between up and waited for him to step through before following close behind. "I'll gather a wizard or two to help build and gather flowers on the way. You find building supplies."

"Okay."

We set off in different directions. The wizard's town was not too far off from where I took us through the portal. Once I got to a clearing in the forest I saw that it was filled with flowers and a man in a red scarf in the center.

"Mot?" I called out to him. He stopped and stood up straight, almost as if he had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to.

"Alva?" he said as he turned to face me. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"I'm going to see if the wizards can h-help build Ianite a proper t-tomb," I stuttered slightly, looking down at my feet.

"Oh." Mot lay down the flowers he had been holding and came over to me. "Martha told me what happened. I'm so sorry."

I sighed. "I'm fine, really. I shed all the tears I could, now I just want to have something nice to remember her by."

"Well, that's good at least," he said. "Alyssa was so young when her mother died... She didn't really understand what was going on, but I think deep down she got it. I had to explain that I would be taking care of her from then on, that her mother wouldn't be waiting for her in Katsir. When it sank in I think she was too tired to be mournful."

"That is awful," I said.

"Hmm." We stood in silent reflection for a moment before he spoke again. "Can I help?"

"Sure," I said. "We're gathering as many purple things as we can. You could help with flowers."

He blushed slightly and hid his cheeks with his scarf before turning back to his flowers. "Alright."

"And Mot?" I stopped him before walking off to the wizards' town.

"Hm?"

"You do not have to hide your flower picking from me. I know it reminds you of Alyssa."

I pretended not to hear him sob slightly as I left the field.

"Dianite?" I whispered when I was out of earshot.

Yes?

"Could you talk to Mot? I think he needs someone who knows him better to talk to."

Oh?

"I do not think he is in a very good place right now. I would do something, but I only know what I have been told about him."

Alright. And Alva?

"Yes?"

You should not worry about Mianite using you against the others. You are far too smart for that to happen.

"Thank you."

------------------------

After contracting a wizard I returned to Declan's house before heading back to The End.

"No!" Declan shouted angrily from within one of the rooms. "You used me! You convinced me to betray her! I'm such an idiot..."

"I did it for our Lord Mianite," Champwan said. "You were losing your mind for her."

"I love her!"

"You used to love me."

The room went dead silent and Champwan looked in my direction. He glared at me, and Declan followed his gaze, but was unable to meet my eyes.

"Declan, what did you do?" I asked flatly. He opened his mouth but did not answer. "Are you at least coming to Ianite's funeral?"

"I-I..."

"He can't go to the end," Champwan said harshly. "And I will not be attending."

Champwan continued to glare at me, but I ignored him. Declan met my gaze and I looked into his eyes, waiting for an explanation to any of the things I had heard him say. When he offered none I turned around and jumped through a portal.

"Alva!" I heard him call behind me. "Wait!"

[Author's Note]

I'm so sorry it's late! I feel asleep but here ya go!