They brought the bodies back slow.
No words on the walk. Just rope, breath, and the scrape of a sled cutting two neat scars into the white.
Camp gathered without being told. Miners lined up with their caps in their hands, eyes raw from cold and the kind of crying that never leaves your face. Feris stood at the front with her jaw set like she could argue death into leaving. Lynea didn't blink. Obi stopped talking.
They built two low cairns out of hard snow and flat stone. Names went first - spoken soft by the crew chief who'd never spoken that gently in a long time. Then a handful of chips from the vein, pale blue against white, tucked at the top like light that refused to hide.
Hikari's voice was the last one. "They never even got to turn back." She set her palm on the nearest grave, then let it go.
Raizen took a step forward and realized everyone was waiting to see if he'd speak. It felt too big for him. It also felt wrong not to.
