I Build a Modern Shelter in Fantasy World

***

The next day

Rockvalley Village.

Everyone gathered in the village square wearing the same color of clothing, black. There was no happiness written on their faces, no one laughed or smiled.

All of them, with the same feeling in their hearts, lowered their heads as a sign of condolence.

Lyra was truly dead. Her body was pale, still dressed in her military uniform as a soldier's burial rite. She lay inside the coffin, surrounded by beautiful flowers all around her.

Gideon and Lena sat on the mourners' chairs, while Luke stood in a black shirt and pants as the guardian for Lyra.

It was the tradition of the villagers to hold a funeral for someone important, and Lyra was one of them.

Lyra lay in the coffin while Luke stood, receiving the mourners. The first flower was placed by Luke, the second by Lena, and the third by the people.

Gideon? He would be the last person to place the final flower.

Many villagers came, especially those who were close and familiar with Lyra. Many of the well-digging workers felt sorrow and shock.

Lyra was known to be strict and cold, but she always paid attention to her workers.

Everyone who had placed a flower was asked to sit on the mourners' chairs. When no one else came, Gideon took a long breath and stood, carrying a black rose in his hand.

He stopped in front of Luke and hugged his friend tightly, trying to calm him from the feeling of loss. Luke nodded. He was usually tough and always smiling. But now it was different because he had hidden feelings for Lyra.

Feelings that would never be spoken forever because Lyra had died, leaving him.

Finished with Luke, Gideon stood at the edge of the coffin and placed the black rose on Lyra's hands, folded together on her stomach.

"Rest in peace, Lyra. Forgive me for failing to protect you. Thank you for everything."

Gideon turned around, bowed his head, and stepped toward the mourners' chairs. Now it was Luke's turn to give a speech at Lyra's funeral.

He felt touched and thankful for the presence of so many people. Luke took their attendance as proof of how influential Lyra had been for Rockvalley Village, even though she could only be with them for a short time.

"As human beings, death cannot be separated from us. It is already the chain of fate that will always come when we least expect it."

"For that, please treasure every moment with the ones closest to you. Because when they are gone, regret will no longer matter."

"Thank you very much."

Gideon nodded, and Lena wiped her tears. Both of them stood and stepped forward, joined by the men at the funeral who came to help lift Lyra's coffin.

The coffin was closed, and they lifted it onto their shoulders, then walked south where there was the public cemetery, the usual place for the villagers to bury the dead.

The grave had already been dug. The women mourners prepared above, while Gideon and the others went down to make sure the coffin was placed inside.

Once it was fully settled, Gideon and the others climbed back up and cleaned themselves.

Before it was covered with soil, the women gave Lyra their final farewell by scattering flower petals over the coffin. Only the women did this.

After all the petals were gone, the soil began to cover the coffin until the grave was completely filled. Luke was still crying bitterly. He realized that Lyra was gone and he had to accept it no matter what.

The funeral ended, and one by one the mourners left the cemetery. But Luke was the last to leave. Lena wanted to bring him along, but Gideon refused, allowing Luke to face his sorrow one last time.

Lena agreed. After all, only Luke himself could handle that matter. Lena and Gideon could only wait and support him.

Gideon and Lena arrived at the Baron's residence. Before entering, they glanced to the side and saw Bian, his fur shaved off except for his head, sitting like a dog with a heavy iron chain around his neck.

When Gideon came, Bian tried to lunge forward at him. But a soldier stepped in and swung a whip, making Bian frightened and calm.

Gideon sat on the lounge sofa relaxing, with no laughter or jokes, the moment felt so sad and gloomy. He poured wine into two glasses, his and Lena's, then leaned back trying to forget everything.

Lyra had indeed done so much for Gideon and his team, but he could not let this grief haunt the entire team forever.

Gideon and the others had to move on, using Lyra's death as the main drive to do something new.

Not long after, Luke arrived and saw Gideon relaxing with Lena. For half an hour Gideon and Lena had been waiting, and Luke finally returned home trembling.

Not from anger or anything else, he was shivering from the cold.

"The winter snow got to you. Am I right?" Gideon asked.

"Damn right. I hate winter."

Gideon handed the wine bottle to Luke. Two glasses were left in front of him, one of which was usually for Lyra. But Lyra was gone. What would Luke do?

He poured into only one glass. There was no offering glass for Lyra. That might seem trivial to some people, but not to Gideon.

Such a small thing proved that Luke had already begun to let go of Lyra's departure, so he no longer needed to imagine her presence around him.

Faster than I thought.

"So what are we going to do?" Luke asked.

"Just relax first, Achilles. We can think about what we'll do later," Gideon replied.

"What about Bian?" Luke asked.

"I brought him here on purpose because you need him."

Luke sighed, then drank his wine in one quick gulp. He set the empty glass on the table without saying anything.

Gideon and Lena were curious about Luke's response. Both of them waited for what he would say after hearing Gideon's statement.

"It's better to just kill him quickly. Don't humiliate him like that for too long."

Lena turned and nodded in response. What Luke said was true. To help him cope with his grief, everything related to Lyra had to be erased, including Bian, because it was Bian who had ordered the wolves to kidnap Lyra.

Gideon cleared his throat and agreed. "Alright. I'll kill him tonight."