The pariah

On the day of the memorial service, dirty-grey clouds covered the entire sky, but not a drop of moisture fell to the ground. The air stood still, full of the heat bordering on unbearable even in Eve's breezy black shirt and breeches. Her nape was sleek with sweat and by the end of the ceremony, she was ready to kill someone to feel a gust of wind on her face.

Worse than the weather were the stares. The whispers. The wide berth people gave to Victor as he walked up to the Duglas's coffin to put a bouquet of paper flowers on it and give brief, but heartfelt eulogy.

Not everyone acted this way. Most were too immersed in their own victories or losses. Duglas wasn't the only one to die during Nexus's short siege, but with no freezers to preserve the bodies, most of them were buried already. Now it was time to pay them their last respects and remember their names.