Line of Time

She takes after Papa

Time passed and life went on. Lukas reviled his magic and friends to Mathias, Gunnar and Cristal. Mathias and Cristal's mother died years later and because Mathias didn't want to leave a young girl home alone while he traveled, he decided to bring her with them and she even made a pretty descent Viking after a while. As years drifted Gunnar always spent one night out of the year outside, he didn't tell anyone why except for Lukas that knew since the first year that Tino's ghost appeared. As time went on they all aged and Mathias, Cristal and Lukas all got married and had families of their own. Gunnar never did marry and lived out his days alone and he was fine with that. He had told himself that he would never let anyone close to him like Tino had been so he wouldn't have to feel the pain of heartbreak all over again when he lost them. 

When time came Gunnar faded away and death took him. His friends had been the ones who found him that morning. He was suppose to come and hunt with them and after an hour of waiting they both decided to go and check on him. When he didn't answer the door they cautiously entered and found him in his bed. He wouldn't wake up and they saw that he had died in his sleep. He wasn't that old at the time, he was just 46 years old and no one had expected this. He was strong of will and body, this made them both wonder how this could have happened. Although they thought of how and why he had died so suddenly they still gave him a burial that day. A grave dug next to Tino's and stones piled overtop the fresh dirt. His body protected by leather, dirt and stones. They were sure that nothing could get at his body as he rested there. The stones made the shape of a ship around the two graves, this would hopefully get them to Valhalla... Gunnar was a warrior, but he didn't die in battle, so they weren't sure if he would make it there. 

As time passed it was that day once again. The day that Tino's ghost would appear and wait for Gunnar to come outside into the night to meet him. But this year instead of Gunnar waiting for him as the sun drifted away and night fell. It was Lukas that stood by his grave and this surprised Tino.

" . . . Where's Gunnar? " Tino asked as he hesitated at first when he saw Lukas standing there. Lukas cleared his throat and then gestured to the fresh grave next to the one that had already had years to settle. Tino didn't have to understand the language that Lukas spoke because there was only one person that could be buried on this property, Gunnar. Tino's face dropped and he fell to his knees, hot tears ran down his face as he looked at the grave in disbelief. Lukas left feeling as he was not needed to explain anything else to a mourning spirit. It seemed clear that Tino would be doomed to stay here, if he didn't already find his way with Gunnar, it was obvious he would be forced to stay in this realm forever.

Tino after a while pulled himself together and stood, he whipped his face and turned to the direction of the village and ran towards it. Once there he searched the entire town for his friend. Soon dawn came and Tino faded away into the rising light, just like every year before. But this time he hadn't been with Gunnar when this happened so he felt a sense of deep sadness that he hadn't gotten to hear of the year's events and how his friend was.

Lukas returned on the day of Gunnar's death, he waited until sunset and expected to see his friend's ghost appear like Tino's had the fallowing year of his death. But as the moon rose in the sky, nothing happened. No ghost showed itself and it stayed that way all night. It was like for every year that fallowed. Lukas had started to think of what could cause a ghost not to exit their grave on the night of their death. He couldn't find any reason for the ghost not to until he remembered something. Gunnar had appeared to had died in his sleep.

"You don't think that has anything to do with it, do you?" Lukas asked as he walked through the forest with his magical friends by his side. He looked at a huff of orange smoke that floated beside him, it had a impression of a face but no strong features to it. It faced him and tilled to one side.