Emrys entered Unlimited Blade Works without uttering a single word.
A few meters away from him, Rou was still lying on the ground. His body was motionless, but his weak and irregular breathing confirmed that he was still alive. Emrys remained nearby for a few moments, using Structural Grasp on him and scanning the young man's body in order to determine his condition. He could sense each of his injuries, his heartbeat, and the weak circulation of his magical energy.
Several presences quickly approached.
The members of Ulster's assault unit who had sensed Emrys's arrival did not take long to reach the area. Some stopped at a distance after understanding the situation, while others came close enough to receive instructions. Emrys slightly turned his head toward two of them.
"Both of you. Take Rou and bring him to Dun Scaith."
The two men immediately straightened.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Put him in a bed and bring someone to take care of his injuries. I want him to remain at rest until he has fully recovered."
"Understood."
They approached Rou carefully. One passed an arm beneath his shoulders while the other supported his legs. They lifted him slowly to avoid causing any further damage. Rou did not react. His body remained completely motionless as the two inhabitants began carrying him toward the castle.
Emrys remained where he was.
Now that Rou was being taken care of, he could focus on the others.
The bodies of the other six were scattered across the ground, their skin having taken on the color of corpses.
Emrys headed toward them.
The first body he reached was Lonni's.
Emrys crouched down and slipped his arms beneath his body. He carefully lifted him before standing back up. The young man no longer moved.
Without saying a word, Emrys headed toward Fondval.
The journey was silent.
Emrys walked at a steady pace. He had deliberately transferred himself close to Fondval so that he would not have to travel a long distance.
The inhabitants he encountered along the way naturally moved aside. Some had probably already understood that something had happened. Others still had no idea what had happened to Rou and the other six members of the group.
When Emrys finally arrived in Fondval, several inhabitants were in the streets of the village.
The first people to hear him approaching turned around.
Then silence quickly spread.
Voices stopped.
Footsteps slowed.
And several inhabitants finally recognized the person Emrys was carrying in his arms.
"Lonni..."
The name was whispered.
A woman instinctively brought a hand to her mouth. A man took a step forward before stopping. Other inhabitants began approaching, trying to understand what had happened.
The questions seemed ready to come out.
"Your Majesty... what..."
The sentence died before it could be finished.
No one continued.
Emrys kept walking.
His face was tense, his features closed, and no words came from his mouth. The inhabitants who had wanted to question him looked at one another before stepping aside.
They let him pass.
Emrys crossed the village and reached Fondval's cemetery.
The cemetery was relatively quiet. A few old graves were scattered throughout the area, separated by narrow paths covered in grass. Emrys headed toward an empty section of the grounds and stopped.
He slowly lowered Lonni to the ground.
His hands then left the body.
Emrys extended one hand toward the earth.
A considerable amount of magical energy immediately gathered around him.
The ground began to tremble.
Then a blast of magic violently struck the earth.
A deep hole formed within moments.
The earth was pushed aside, revealing a grave large enough to accommodate a coffin. Emrys waited for the ground to settle before extending his hand again.
A projection appeared before him.
A coffin.
He gently lowered it to the ground.
Emrys crouched down, picked Lonni up in his arms again, and placed him inside the coffin. He carefully adjusted his position before closing the lid.
The coffin was then lowered into the grave.
Emrys materialized a shovel to fill the grave, but changed his mind at the last moment and used his own hands instead.
It took several minutes, but the coffin was completely covered with earth.
Emrys remained in front of the newly formed grave.
Then he placed his hand at his side, his palm facing the sky.
A sword then dislodged itself from the ground of UBW, flew through the air, and came to rest in Emrys's palm.
He firmly grasped it and planted it into the earth.
The blade sank deeply into the ground until it remained perfectly stable.
Emrys withdrew his hand.
There was no inscription.
No name.
No words.
Only a sword planted above the grave.
He remained there for a few more seconds before turning away.
The inhabitants of Fondval were still watching the scene from around the cemetery.
None approached.
Emrys returned to where the other bodies were.
The next was Nono.
He lifted her in the same manner and headed back toward the cemetery.
A new grave was created.
A new coffin appeared.
Nono's body was carefully placed inside before the grave was closed. A second sword was then planted into the earth.
Emrys still did not utter a word.
He went back for the next body.
Farel.
As with the previous two, he carried him to the cemetery. The inhabitants along his path stepped aside without attempting to stop him. Several of them had understood that this was not simply a return from a battle.
Farel was buried beside Lonni and Nono.
A new grave.
A new coffin.
A new sword.
Then came Adrian.
The same ritual was repeated.
Emrys did not alter any of his movements. He dug the earth with his magic, projected a coffin, placed Adrian inside it, closed the grave, and summoned a sword that he planted above the burial site.
Grey was brought back next.
Then Heim.
When the final grave had finally been closed, six swords stood in the cemetery.
Lonni.
Nono.
Farel.
Adrian.
Grey.
Heim.
Six members of the group who had grown up in Fondval.
Six graves now stood in the earth of their own village.
Emrys remained standing before them.
He did not move.
The inhabitants still did not dare approach. Some had finally understood the situation and that he was simply standing there to say one final goodbye. Others simply needed a few more moments before accepting what the six graves already indicated.
Emrys eventually sat down before the graves.
Time continued to pass.
One hour.
Then another.
He did not speak.
He did not ask anyone to leave.
He gave no further instructions.
The inhabitants therefore remained at a distance.
Some gradually returned home. Others stayed in the vicinity of the cemetery, exchanging a few quiet words before falling silent whenever they heard Emrys's footsteps or those of someone approaching.
The wind regularly passed through the cemetery.
The grass bent beneath its passage.
The six swords planted in the ground remained still most of the time, occasionally moving slightly when the currents of air struck their blades.
Emrys barely moved.
He could sense the inhabitants.
He could sense their movements.
He could hear their conversations when they spoke loudly enough.
But he said nothing.
The hours continued to pass.
Several times, some inhabitants came as far as the entrance of the cemetery before turning back without daring to go any farther.
Eventually, the artificial light cycle of Unlimited Blade Works had already progressed considerably when hurried footsteps could be heard.
A man crossed the path leading to the cemetery.
He stopped a few meters from Emrys and caught his breath.
"Your Majesty..."
Emrys did not answer.
The man hesitated before continuing.
"General Rou has just woken up."
Still no answer.
The man waited a few seconds.
Then he added:
"He is conscious. The healers say that he should recover, provided that he remains at rest."
Emrys remained seated.
The silence lasted for a few more moments.
Then he stood up.
He said nothing.
The man simply stepped aside.
Emrys left the cemetery.
He crossed Fondval without slowing down and headed back toward Dun Scaith.
He arrived at the castle quickly. The many people inside moved aside as he advanced through the corridors.
No one stopped him.
No one asked him any questions.
The inhabitants of the castle had probably already heard about what had happened in Fondval.
Emrys climbed up to the room where Rou had been placed.
He stopped in front of the door.
Inside, several people were still gathered around the bed.
A doctor and two assistants were taking care of Rou. They exchanged a few words when they heard Emrys approaching, then immediately fell silent when the door opened.
Emrys entered.
"Your Majesty..."
The doctor bowed slightly.
"Get out," Emrys said quietly as he headed toward the bed.
The two men did not need any further instruction. They quietly withdrew and closed the door behind them.
Rou was lying on the bed. Several bandages covered his body and his magical energy remained weak. His injuries were significant, but his condition was now stable.
Hearing Emrys's footsteps, Rou turned his head.
He immediately tried to sit up.
"Majesty!"
His movement was abrupt, and his body immediately reacted to his injuries.
Emrys raised a hand.
"Stay lying down."
Rou froze.
"But..."
"Stay lying down."
Rou obeyed.
The healers exchanged brief glances before stepping back. One of them understood that Emrys wanted to remain alone with Rou and signaled to the others to leave.
The door closed.
Emrys took a chair and sat beside the bed.
Rou remained silent.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
The silence in the room was broken only by Rou's breathing and a few sounds coming from the corridors of Dun Scaith.
Rou opened his mouth several times before giving up.
Emrys said nothing.
More time passed.
Finally, Rou spoke.
"Your Majesty..."
No answer.
Rou waited.
"I..."
He stopped.
Emrys remained seated beside the bed.
A few more moments passed.
Then Emrys finally spoke.
"So? Are you alright?"
Rou gave a small nod.
"Yes. Thanks to you, Your Majesty, I am..."
The rest of his sentence was never spoken.
Emrys's fist struck Rou with such force that the bed was sent crashing upward while his body violently broke through the ceiling.
The stones exploded upon impact.
Rou was sent flying through the air.
His body continued traveling a long distance before crashing violently back down.
The ground cracked the moment he hit it.
A cloud of dust rose around him.
Rou remained on the ground for several seconds.
Then he coughed violently.
Blood left his mouth when he spat onto the ground.
He tried to catch his breath.
His senses immediately told him that a presence was nearby.
A second explosion rang out.
Emrys had landed in front of him.
The ground had sunk beneath his feet, forming a large crater around his point of impact. Fragments of earth had been thrown in every direction.
Rou slowly raised his head.
He immediately sensed something he had never experienced before.
Emrys's murderous intent was overwhelming.
It spread around him with such intensity that even the air itself seemed to grow heavy.
Rou did not move.
Emrys stood before him.
Anyone could have guessed that he was in a state of fury, but something entirely different could be seen on his face.
Tears were falling heavily.