In the back of an apothecary in the backwater village of Lestia, an old lady laid on a wooden bed waiting on death's door. Beside her, a young man sat beside her as if waiting for the inevitable to happen.
"…ah… So, you've come to see me again, old friend." The old lady spoke with a faint voice.
"Well… you're all I have left so… It's the least I could do…" The young man spoke up.
"Only one for now. But I'm sure you'll be just fine."
"…"
The young man had no reply for her. Only an expressionless face was worn on his face.
"Trust me, why would I lie? I've been your partner for so many years. The missions we did, really sure seem like it was just yesterday, doesn't it?"
"Yet, here I am again. At the same conclusion, just like everyone else who's gone." The man said with a despondent face, as if he had given up.
"It's just not your time. Even your kind is no exception to the cruelty of time, remember that. Though I'm sure that one of these days, you will finally find that one person who accepts you for who you are, just like we have…"
"Hmm…"
As the old lady's breathing starts to get heavier, the young man stands up to try to find some help before the old lady starts grabbing his hand. When he turns to look at her, she nods her head in disagreement.
"There's nothing anyone can do anymore… This will be the last time your old friend talks to you… haha…"
As she gives out a slight giggle and a bright smile, the young man looks at her and sees the face of a beautiful young girl resonating with that smile. At the sight of that smile, the young man teared up slightly.
"Ah… there's the young Kei that I know. You've lost so much that you have become numb to emotion, and I'm sure that my words won't be enough to convince you. But having emotions is not a bad thing. It shows that you care, and it shows that things still have value around you. Maybe one day, someone will come along to convince you."
"…"
"I know that no one can know who or what you truly are, but… If you ever find someone special in the future, it wouldn't hurt to share it with them. You don't have to suffer alone."
"Hah… Even at death's door, you still find the time to give me a lecture."
As the old lady chuckled to the man's words, she proceeded to cough heavily once more. This sends the young man into a panic who, once again, stands up to get some help. However, the old lady grabs his hand and urges him to sit back down. She knew her time was here, she wasn't trying to fight it. She had wholeheartedly accepted her fate. All she wanted now was to have one final chat with who is supposedly an old friend of hers.
"Strange, isn't it? I used to hate having you see me in my vulnerable states, but now, there's nothing I want more… Goodbye, Kei. Please… take care…"
"I… haah…"
As Kei wanted to speak up to reply to her, the old lady had already drawn her last breath. He lets out a slight chuckle.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of myself… always have… Goodbye, Mika. It was nice knowing you."
As he says his goodbyes, a few tears trickle down his face as he turns to walk out the door. As he exited, he walked past a small picture frame. In the picture, there stood 4 adventurers who seemed very close to each other. A guy with a girl clinging on top of him in the back of the picture. At the front, stood Kei with a slight smile on the left standing beside the female figure he saw when Mika, the old lady who had just passed.
"Is she gone?" A doctor sitting on the counter of the apothecary asked Kei as he came out of the room.
"Mmm…" Kei nodded.
"I'm sorry… I know she was dear to you. Will you be arranging the funeral?"
"No… Mika told me not to. Said I've seen enough."
"Well, I'll respect your wishes, and her wishes as well… You have to stop beating yourself up about it, Kei."
As the conversation was about to come to its end, Kei took out a pouch that looked like it weighed quite heavy and put it on the counter, much to the shock of the doctor when he looked inside. Inside the pouch was about 200 gold coins, enough to feed the entire village for a year.
"See to it that her funeral's done properly, and respectfully."
"O-okay…"
---Next Day---
"Today, we bid farewell to a well-respected member of our village, who had helped us during the great war…"
In a graveyard on the outskirts of the village, a funeral service was being held. The graveyard looked luxurious as only people of noble stature were buried there. Although he said he would refrain from having anything to do with the funeral services, Kei had made sure the funeral service for his dear friend was done properly. It was the least he could do for a friend who has stood by him her whole life.
Standing from a distance, out of sight from everybody who was attending the funeral amidst a drizzle, Kei stood there, watching the funeral without actually joining it. His face was once again expressionless as he watched his friend's casket lowered into the grave. A few hours later after everyone had left, Kei approached the grave with a Penthesilea flower in his hand. It was a beautiful purple flower with white leaves and slight yellow sparkles in its pistil.
"Fancy seeing you here. I could've sworn you would be the last person to come here."
A blonde young man approached Kei from behind. As he had appeared, the rain began to stop.
"Hmm… you of all people should know, a funeral is the one time you shouldn't mess with the weather, Oliver." Kei said with a look of slight disdain on his face.
"Well, after attending so many funerals, you start to wonder what weight do those superstitions actually hold."
"Hmm… Do you know? If a person was born on a rainy day, then they die on one too? So, it's not a matter of superstition, but a matter of respect."
"Will it rain on yours I wonder?"
"Who knows… if that day ever comes…"
Kei spoke under his breath as the man named Oliver turned around and started to walk away. As he started to do so, the rain started to fall once again. With that, the man had already disappeared.
"Hmm… the blessing of a high god Apollo… huh…?"
As Kei returned to his lodging, the doctor from the apothecary was waiting for him at the front door.
"I thought you would like to have this, we found it when we were sorting through the madam's belongings and it had a letter addressed to you."
The doctor was holding a small notebook with an envelope with the wording 'To: Kei'. Kei proceeded to accept the notebook from the doctor.
"What will you do now?"
"What do you mean?"
"You've been living here for 2 years looking after Lady Mika. Now that she's gone, am I right to assume that you have lost your purpose in staying here?"
Kei said nothing, but instead gave the doctor a slight nod indicating that he had assumed correctly.
"I see. Then I guess persuading you to stay in this village will be a futile effort. However, please know that you will always be welcome in this village. You have done so much for us these past 2 years and we have nothing but a debt of gratitude for you."
"Thank you doctor, I appreciate it."
"Back to the earlier question, what will you do now?" The doctor asked again.
"Hmm… maybe continue the journey I had to put on hold for 2 years I guess."
Kei was on a journey before he had received a letter saying that his friend Mika had fallen very sick and that there was not much time left for her. He had immediately put his journey on hold to reach out to her.
"Very well, if there is anything you need in the way of supplies, the village will try its best to provide it. It's the least that we can do for you."
"I might take you up on that offer. Thank you."
The next morning, at the break of dawn, Kei stood at the village entrance with the doctor and the village head. The latter two were actually relatives.
"Are you sure you're leaving so early? I'm sure the people would want to say their goodbyes to you before you go." The village chief asked.
"It's fine, having more attachments makes it harder for me to leave this beautiful village. Thank you for all you have done for me."
"No, we should be the ones thanking you. During the great drought, your blessing had become our village's lifeline. If you hadn't come along, then I'm sure this village wouldn't even exist anymore."
"Then I guess you should be taking very good care of Mika's grave. She is the reason I came to this village after all. I guess something good did come out of her death… Well, it is time I departed."
"That, it did. Farewell, dear hero."
As the three men said their goodbyes, Kei turned around and started walking away. A gust of wind and leaves started to blow behind Kei and when it passed, he had already disappeared. Almost as if he had disappeared into the wind, the two men watched on.
"What a strange boy." The doctor thought out loud.
"That, he was. He had a strange blessing as well."
"Yes. I've lived for so long, and have never come across anyone with a blessing that controls multiple elements."
"However, we have to keep this to ourselves, and let it be a village secret. If the kingdom finds out about his blessing and its abilities, they would hunt him to the ends of the earth."
In truth, only Mika, and the two brothers who stood there knew of Kei's abilities to control multiple elements. Of the three of them, only Mika knew the exact nature of Kei's blessings and which god or goddess had given him their blessing. Now that she has passed, no one in the world has that information anymore.