The tomb was on top of the elevated part of the soil, and to the left of it were multiple tombs, all looking almost the same. The decorations in them varied, all with the look of a small stone house, but the pilrs on each corner had different patterns, and obviously the name on top of the stone door was different. Luca didn’t have much issue finding Kreaspell’s; the cemetery was big, huge even, but after a short walk he reached the end of it; apparently this one was only for important figures of the city, and there were a couple other pces to y rest to the dead, which made sense when one thought of the size of the city. To the left of Kreaspell’s grave was the rest of the hill, empty, with no tombs still built, probably for future directors. Behind the director rows were other roles, also with empty spaces to their left; they were for the future deaths of the future people who fulfilled the role obviously, a fact that sent a shiver down Luca’s back.
He didn’t like the pce, and he didn’t want to be there long; therefore, he stood straight in front of the old director’s resting pce, took a deep breath, and began saying what he felt he had to.
“H-Hello director…” His voice was raspy; he cleared his throat and continued. “Um, I’m here as you can... See, I made it yesterday actually. I had some issues, but, I’m here! A-And I wanted to, thank you for that.”
The air blew, that was all he wanted to say, and yet he didn’t feel fulfilled. Luca looked around; there still wasn’t anybody, the only people he saw were the guards at the door. He took a deep breath and put his hands in his pockets, he felt the coin pouch, 20 gold coins, lots of savings all for him, all for the bet he had done coming to Zenith. His mother had advised him against betting more times than he could count, and yet she supported him when he told her about going. How was he so dumb? He wasn’t prepared to come; he needed more time to get money to prepare mentally, why didn’t Kreaspell set him up for the next year? Did he think about this? Luca thought about turning around and leaving, but suddenly he had more things to say.
“I wonder what you were thinking at the time, when you invited me, I mean.” He raised his voice—no reason for being shy while alone. “Were you thinking about me? Apparently the guards could have taken care of Pier- the bull, and there were guests! Like, just people. Were you thinking about how brave or whatever I was? Was that enough for the director to invite me to the biggest city in the world? Is that all that is needed for Zenith? Just having enough balls to drive an animal away from a bunch of rich people who don’t have enough insight about the real world to move away from a bull about to charge at them?” He felt himself getting hotter; he took his hands out of his pockets and sighed, angry. “Is that what you thought about?! The rich as- idiots wh-who were looking at you, and how cool they’d think you looked when you gave a little farm boy from the middle of nowhere an opportunity? Well, I’m more than just a farm boy, alright? I’m a guy! I’m a full-ass guy, with a life and issues, and just because you are rich and powerful, you don’t get to say or do whatever you want! So yeah, I guess I should thank you for taking me away from my home a-and from my family and everything I’ve ever known, huh!?!”
He was panting; he was still angry and sad about not being home; he couldn’t deny it. Deep inside him, he knew it wasn’t the end, life continued, and he’d see his family again; he had swore it. What bothered him the most was the fact that he’d feel like this again, he didn’t want to cry alone in his room, in the fetal position, and cry about not being home; he didn’t want to feel so alone again, never again, and he projected all that fear and sadness into bme. Bme at Kreaspell who did that to him.
The air blew once more, passing through the leaves and the couple of trees on the cemetery. Looking behind him, an older man was now in front of a grave; he took off his hat and closed his eyes. He also had a whole life, with feelings and struggles, as did Luca, as did everyone in Zenith… as did the captain, and as did Kreaspell. Luca sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“... Thank you... t-they’ve told us they’ll pay us in gold for each dive. A-And the token things so, you know more money, even if only in the city…” Luca looked at the dungeon; the cemetery was in the north-eastern part of the city, close to the inner walls, so he had a pretty good view of what could be seen of the huge structure. “Maybe I can buy a house here, and my family can live here with me; that seems like a good option.” He looked at the stone door, looking at the pce where the director would be if he stood before him. “I don’t know why you did it. Be it I was humble for rejecting your gifts, even though I rejected them not because I didn’t want them but because I didn’t trust you, or if it was because I got Pierre, which by the way I still don’t know how I did it, or if you did it to impress your companions like I said. But, I guess it doesn’t matter the exact reason; I know why you invited me.” He took a deep breath. “Because you were noble, a high position in society. A person who, try as hard as they might, can’t see the world as anything other than his or something to obtain, and in that fantasy of yours you saw a guy in your travels back from... the south, I think she said, and the guy fought a bull for you, which, by the way, I didn’t even know you were there but... A-Anyway you saw him and-and you decided to just give him the opportunity of a lifetime, because it seemed cool, because it seemed fit for a story, which, to someone who had lived so long in such a high pce, was the closest thing to reality you knew.”
Once again he looked at the mountain; he couldn’t see the top still, and yet it looked bigger, but maybe he was seeing it smaller before; it was all perspective.
“That's why I think you did it anyway, dissociating from reality and not realizing everyone else also had a life and your actions consequences for them. But whatever the case, coming here is a dream of many, and it still scares me to my core… But I’ll do my best; I’ll do my best to achieve a good living, to get over my fears, and do what I must, like going into the dungeon or… I don’t know, talking to pretty people.” Luca’s shoulders dropped; he rubbed his eyes and breathed deep once more. “Anyway um, y-you probably care very little about this; you’ll probably have other things on your mind right now… I-I don’t know if you had family or not, Captain Fontenot seemed to care about you, so maybe she was like family or something, but yeah I'll try repaying what you did to me to them... or to her or whoever.” He had said all he had to; now he just felt like he was talking to a dead guy. “So yeah… sorry for your… loss of yourself. Sorry you died and all. Yeah.” Looking back, the man at the grave opened his eyes with a nod and kneeled as best he could, putting a hand on the grave. He may have been praying; Luca decided to do the same. He cleared his throat, closed his eyes, and put his hands together, letting his arms drop. ”Mother in the soil, she who birthed the gods and created the world, who made the ground we step on, where we grow the food we eat and where the rivers we drink from flow, who painted the skies blue with her tears, and who dreams of our lives and the courses they take. Please focus on a dream, on the dream of,” He struggled for a second, remembering the director’s name. “Anami Kreaspell, who returned to your soil, dream of his soul, tormented and beautiful, and, if you deem him worthy, let him rest in your embrace, your warmth and love showing him the life beyond life and the death beyond death. Thank you.” He nodded and opened his eyes, then took one final look at the name on top of the door and the date under it. 139 years, a good life, like director Caushmar said.
Walking back towards the entrance, he met eyes with the man on the grave.
“May she deem them worthy.” The words came out on their own, but Luca didn’t regret them.
“I know she will, thank you.”
With a nod, Luca left, walking out of the graveyard and standing, once again, in the city of Zenith, with, at least as of right now, one clear objective.
Breakfast.
Time: 8:10
