The room remained hushed as Holly stepped down from the podium, every breath drawn in the space feeling like it carried the weight of her words. People dabbed at their eyes, held each other, or simply stood in silence. Her footsteps felt impossibly loud on the floor as she returned to the front row, each step heavier than the last. Lila reached for her hand without saying anything. Marissa rubbed her back in slow, comforting circles.

  She sank into her seat. She felt empty. Hollowed out. Like she had poured the last remaining pieces of herself into the words she’d just spoken.

  The service carried on in a gentle rhythm. Abigail and Ravi spoke, among others. Holly listened, but the words washed over her, distant and blurred, as though she were underwater.

  At some point, a soft instrumental track began playing. The crowd was invited to approach the memorial wall, lined with photos, letters, and mementos, and leave a message or a token. Holly stayed seated. Lila and Marissa went up. Jordan held Lin’s hand as they placed the picture Lin had drawn into one of the memory boxes.

  Maddy stayed with Holly for just a brief moment.

  "Do you need a minute alone?" she asked gently.

  Holly didn’t answer right away.

  Eventually, she nodded.

  Maddy squeezed her shoulder before walking off to join the others.

  The moment she was alone, Holly exhaled. She stood and walked back to the urn. Slowly. Each step filled with reverence and grief. The crowds had thinned by now, people giving her space. The morning sunlight had shifted, casting soft gold across the pedestal.

  She stared at the urn. She couldn’t cry anymore. Not yet. There was only stillness.

  "You were so scared of being seen," she whispered. "And now look at you. Look at all of them. You did this, Red. You made something so beautiful. And you never..."

  Her fingers grazed the edge of the pedestal. She stayed there for several long minutes before slowly turning back.

  Abigail stood near the edge of the room, speaking quietly with a few developers. When she caught sight of Holly, she offered a soft smile and walked over.

  "That was beautiful," Abigail said.

  Holly nodded. "She would’ve hated it."

  "She would’ve blushed until her ears turned red," Abigail agreed.

  There was a long pause.

  "I wanted to talk to you," Holly said quietly, her voice raspy from emotion. "About time off. I want to continue to work for Willowbound. I have to try and continue her legacy in any way that I can. But I... I need to disappear for a little while."

  Abigail's face softened further. "Of course. You don’t need to ask. Whatever you need, Holly. We’ll keep your seat warm for when you decide to come back."

  "Thank you."

  They exchanged a brief hug. When they pulled apart, Abigail held onto Holly's hands. "You call me if you ever need anything. Day or night. Don’t be a stranger."

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Holly nodded back with a faint smile.

  As the hall slowly emptied, Holly drifted toward the memory wall. She hadn’t brought anything to leave. But she ran her fingers along the edge of a photo: a snapshot of Ariel and her team crowded around a whiteboard, laughing.

  Behind her, her friends waited patiently. Lin was growing restless in Jordan’s arms, gently wriggling. But no one hurried her.

  At last, Holly turned.

  “I’m ready,” she said softly.

  She walked over to the urn and stared at it for a moment. Hesitantly, she reached out and placed her hands on it. It was solid. Real.

  And it was warm.

  She lifted the urn and cradled it in her arms. That faint warmth radiated through the ceramic, subtle yet steady, as if some small trace of Ariel still lingered there. Holly closed her eyes, letting herself lean into that warmth for a heartbeat, clinging to the fragile illusion that she was holding her again. Everything she ever loved, in her arms.

  Then, she turned and headed toward the door without a word.

  The crowd that had once filled the street had mostly dispersed, though a few small clusters remained, talking quietly or hugging. One fan, a teenage girl with a Junimo hoodie, passed Holly and whispered, “Thank you.”

  Holly offered a small smile.

  They walked in silence for a while before Maddy asked, “So... where will you go?”

  Holly looked up at the sky. The clouds were breaking, faint streaks of sunlight shining through.

  "I'm taking Ariel on a small trip. Somewhere we haven't been in seven years."

  "Japan?" Lila asked.

  "Yeah," Holly said, her voice trembling as she looked down at the urn in her arms. "Japan. One last time. I want to take her to that spot at Lake Motosu that we picnicked at during our honeymoon."

  Jordan looked over at her, his eyes and smile soft.

  They reached the car. Lin had already fallen asleep on Marissa's shoulder. As they all climbed inside, the street behind them glowed faintly with the late morning sun.

  Holly turned back once more, staring at the Willowbound building. At the mural now displayed high on its wall: a sweeping image of a girl with red hair and green eyes standing beside a fox-shaped wisp, lantern raised, leading the way into a glowing forest.

  The caption beneath read: In loving memory of Ariel McIntyre. May her light guide us forward.

  Holly didn't cry.

  She simply held the urn tight and whispered, "I'll see you again, Red."

  The apartment was still when they arrived. Holly stepped in first, her movements deliberate, the urn held carefully in her arms. She crossed the living room in silence, stopping in front of the fireplace, and gently placed the urn on the mantle. It sat there quietly, nestled between a framed photo of the two of them in Kyoto and a small handmade sculpture Lin had given Ariel for her birthday.

  No one spoke. The hush returned, like a blanket drawn over the room. They all stood, staring at the urn, the finality of its presence settling over them. Holly’s arms felt oddly empty now, her breath shallow.

  Jordan, holding Lin in his arms, glanced down to find her fast asleep. He gently shifted her and carried her to the couch, where he laid her down with tender care, brushing a wisp of hair from her forehead.

  In the kitchen, Lila moved instinctively, pulling down mugs and setting the kettle. The scent of coffee grounds began to drift through the room, grounding them in something familiar.

  At the table, Marissa sat beside Maddy, their eyes following Holly, who slowly joined them and pulled out a chair. She sank into it with a weight that hadn’t lessened since the morning.

  Marissa spoke first, her voice soft. "Do you know when you're planning to leave?"

  Holly looked up at them. There was something calmer in her eyes now, though still hollowed out at the edges. She gave a small smile. "Tomorrow."

  Maddy stared. "That soon?"

  Holly nodded. "I need it. I need to go back. It won’t fix anything... but maybe it’ll help me remember how to breathe again. And..." She looked at Ariel's urn, "...I'm bringing her with me. We're going together one last time."

  Lila and Marissa exchanged a look. No one argued.

  "Do you need anything?" Marissa asked gently.

  Holly shook her head. "Just time," she said, her voice almost a whisper. Then she looked up again and added, "I’ll only be gone a week or two. I promise."

  Lila returned with a tray and set it on the coffee table. A carafe of coffee steamed gently alongside six mismatched mugs, some of them ones Ariel had collected. One read: You can’t rush cozy. Another had a cartoon cat holding a sword.

  They sat together in the quiet hum of the apartment. Jordan returned to join them, glancing over at Lin’s small, sleeping form.

  Outside, the sky had turned to soft evening grey, light filtering in faintly through the windows. The urn on the mantle glowed faintly in the last light of the day, framed by the memory of love and the silence of what had been left behind.