Mary Ain, The Morningstar

Skill [Act of Redemption] has been obtained!

The system informed him as Kaan opened his eyes to the darkness of his mind. It was nice to hear that he gained a skill after killing the werewolf which was like a small boss fight, given its intimidating and creepy appearance which could break your fighting spirit and its power. He also levelled up two times, it was probably the same for the others. What was the skill he gained capable of was oblivious to him though. He could guess to a degree from its name and the way it was gained but these data could be deceiving so the best way to see what it was about was to test it.

After a few seconds, a few glimmers quickly rushed in front of his eyes, the fragments. They had lost their ability to radiate emotions and affect him, but they still contained Kaan. Kaan could feel them calling for him but he decided to ignore them for now as there were other interesting things that caught his eye. Sensing his will they got away from him for a few meters to not keep him engaged but follow him close until he called them.

Averting his eyes from the glimmers to the ground, rather than facing pitch-black darkness he saw a road made of stone under his feet. He was still not able to see his body yet he felt the touch of stone under his phantom feet very clearly. the road reached three meters in length before it was mixed into the darkness and was two meters wide. As he moved, the back of the road disappeared and new stones appeared on the front, maintaining its shape.

Kaan liked this new addition as it was nice to have something else from the darkness surrounding this space. He also saw a hill which was created not much far away from him. It looked the like it was hanged into the darkness in a weird way. As Kaan moved towards the hill, the stone road under him followed him until he reached in front of the hill end then the stone road was mixed with the stone road on the hill that led to a gate. The gate was opening into the one and only area on the hill which was covered in fences that looked like maintained regularly.

Kaan followed the road and after climbing the slope of the hill, he was next to the gate that opened into the fenced area. It seemed very empty considering the fences covering a large area and there was only one building inside of it, standing alone in the vast area. Kaan looked at the symbols on the gate but he was not able to read what was written there. Not that he needed to read as he remembered this place very clearly, the cemetery of Laindel.

The feeling of the cemetery was very strange. It was kinda oppressing as if the air was thicker in here, making you aware of the incoming end which you hadn't thought about much, reminding you that it was the city of the dead where everyone was going to visit one day. This feeling was gradually lessened for Kaan, actually, he was not even sure if he felt it anymore as he saw many deaths. He was not unfamiliar with it like once he had been.

He entered the cemetery and headed to the only grave. When he reached the grave made of marble in a square shape, he saw the headstone had a name engraved on it 'Mary Ainel, The Morningstar' and under it was written 'The Savior of Laindel, who single-handedly stopped the dungeon leak and sacrificed her life for the people of Laindel'; both of them were written in the same style in the gate but he had been next to this grave while these words on the grave were said again and again in an agony of her loss so it was impossible to forget it, it was impossible for him to forget her after knowing her.

He lightly touched the marble to feel its cold surface, his hand trailed on the writings before it fell off the marble and then he looked at the flowers blooming on the solid of her grave; they were fresh and well-maintained. Then his eyes drifted to the swords standing on both sides of the headstone, the night and day. They were enchanted with magic which assembled them to the headstone to stop someone from committing the insolent act of stealing the weapons of a hero who sacrificed her life for others and also cursed by a high level [Witch] which used all of the power of her craft and grim emotions that came with the losing a dear friend for to make sure the idiot who would still manage the collect them suffer for their disrespect for a hero who saved thousands of lives.

Kaan sighed at seeing her grave again and then slowly moved the back side of the headstone and reclined to it lightly. His eyes focused on the still grass on the hill aimlessly as his mind was busy with his encounter with an… friend he would like to call her but he was only a watcher of a small part of her life so it was easier to call her someone who he respected.

"You know, after watching your funeral, I never thought I would see you again. But it looks like I'll be surprised again and again, in good or bad ways, with this power which I am incapable of understanding."

He stopped for a while to think about what he should say next, he had many things to say and many things to ask if only she was alive, if only… but then decided to go with the most important things she would want to hear.

"You saved the city, you really did. Ray told them how stupid you were as he cried next to your grave, after all the things you said to him and taught him, how could you leave them like this? If you were going to sacrifice yourself what was the reason for giving a motto like that to your team, he inquired again and again. I haven't seen them much after that but I heard they were doing fine, they were even able to loot a secret part of Graves Of Forgotten which became a big deal even I heard in my other visions. Can you believe that Xer became the captain of the team after saying that it was time for him to let go and had a comfy life without the adrenaline of adventure? He was not able to leave them in the absence of your guide, he really did have a good heart. I think he thought right because Zyna would probably go and kill herself without you or him guiding her while trying to collapse and destroy the dungeon that claimed your life."

He stopped and looked at one of the flowers which grew so well that were sticking out from her grave, a beautiful white lilac.

"They must be visiting you, the flowers are well-maintained and there are even some newly planted ones, or maybe they paid for someone to take care of your grave. It must be hard for them to face your grave, they were not expecting you to go like that, I was not expecting you to have a decision like that. Though I think the years helped them to cope with it and matured them, especially Zyna and Ray. I don't think you would mind such things much though as long as they are doing fine, being the blades which only swung for themselves and their purposes."

Kaan chuckled reciting the words which one she used to remind her team.

"You always said this but in the end became the blade of the innocent and desperate, the free blade which fought for the others, I wonder if it was that boy affecting your thoughts, or maybe realising the idiots were never going to listen to your word as they had, or maybe you just felt like doing it. It was kind of hard to understand you, I had to say."

Kaan smiled as he remembered Mary's talk to her team about the name of their group, Free Blades, and her debate with Alto to change it to something more striking, of course, the name stood the same. She was very strict with her thoughts and hated every [Knight] who was a puppet of nobles and orders. Their motto was easy, be the blade which fights for itself and live for another day into the future while doing what you desire. Every one of them accepted this motto and lived their life for themselves, in the way they desired without any shackles until their team leader sacrificed herself for the others and broke it or maybe she just brought a change into the motto.

Well, in the end, it was the desire of her blade to fight for the people of Laindel and Xer and Alto could accept it, they already knew Mary had done very good deeds behind the curtain for the people of Loreain though they didn't expect to sacrifice her life for them. As for Zyna and Ray, they were unable to accept her choice, they were angry at her because of leaving them behind and unable to accept the reason for her doing this even if they could understand it but nothing was going to bring her back, their leader was gone.

"Lastly, I'm sure you would like to hear about Liam, that honest and upright boy who begged you to teach him how to use a sword. Strangely I have seen him, not once but many times. It happens like that for some people, I don't know why but it's like we are connected in some ways, well it is convenient isn't it, I can tell you many things about him. Firstly, he became a [Knight], isn't it funny, after everything you taught him he chose a path like that for himself. Don't worry though, he does not work for any noble or part of any knight order.

"Actually, I don't even know how he became a knight and he doesn't talk about it. And like you thought he is a very unlucky man. He lost many people around him, one of the teams he became a part of caught up in a swarm of monsters in the dungeon, it was not a good experience to see your friends swallowed by the monster but he overcome it. The other team was attacked by another group of adventurers after they looted the dungeon to steal the share Liam's team got but this time he was able to protect his teammates and together they killed all of the other party with only two casualties from their five-member party. Then he founded a new team with the survivors of his last group and became their leader."

Kaan remembered him and his party members' high-sprits as the party was founded and their partying all night at its night.

"I don't know if he will be able to continue surviving like this, his nature is so good and sacrificial, trying to be the blade which stands up for people, probably an effect coming from you. Luckily he had some good people around him but still… I don't know. He is not like you or me, he puts others' life before his life, it would be okay if it was just for one or two times but he is always like this."

Kaan sighed remembering the acts of idiotic heroism Liam had done which was nearly claiming his life two times.

"And that's all I have for you. Laindel is fine so is Loreain, at least they were the last time I saw Liam, and people still remember your name as a hero."

Now that Kaan was over informing him, he got up from the ground and walked in front of the headstone, looking right into the place where her name was engraved.

"I just want to know, if you were happy with the choice you made. I also didn't think you would suddenly sacrifice your life like that after seeing you act. What was the reason, did you feel like it was time, was it because of Liam's influence as the last words coming from your mouth were his name? You were really a strange woman, Mary but a good one. I wish those idiots listened to your words so that even in your absence people of Loreain could be safe but maybe Liam could succeed which you were not able to? Who knows?"

Suddenly a warm breeze blew on the hill, lightly shaking the grass and ceasing the silence. Kaan was surprised, he wondered if it was some sort of answer or just a random occurrence. It could be even him doing this, he couldn't know but as the warm breeze touched his skin he felt at more ease and free.

"In the future, if I ever got a chance in my hand, I promise to you that I will do everything in my hand to help him, as you and he deserve it very much in my eyes. Thank you for your teachings Mary, rest in peace."

Kaan gave a last look into the beautiful grave filled, he gave her a promise but he was not going to wait for a chance, he was going to pursue his purpose and succeed in it as he didn't want to be just a watcher and met their grave in his mind, it was not what he wanted to experience.

He finally left the grave as there was nothing else he could do, the living had to continue their life until they joined the deceased waiting for them in the city of the death.

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