Raizen moved with the crowd, not against it.
That was the only way to stay upright.
The crowd flowed like a river through Ukai's central platforms, curling around trunks and pillars, slipping past houses and balconies, then returning again as if the city needed to see the same moment from every angle. Raizen walked beside Saffi at first, with Kenzo and Eiden close. They didn't speak much. There wasn't space for it, and everything was too loud. Every few steps, someone brushed past them, offering petals, murmuring blessings, smiling through wet eyes.
The coffin stayed at the center of it all.
It was larger up close. Not heavy-looking, somehow. Not like a box meant to trap something. It looked like a cradle built to carry a man who already finished his duty. White cloth wrapped it so neatly the folds looked elegant, ceremonial, almost soft.
