Everyone stood frozen, disbelief etched into their faces. Tavari’s eyes glistened with tears as he stared at Nuru — his heart breaking into a thousand pieces, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

  Matt fell to his knees, crawling toward Stephen’s lifeless body, trembling. “Move, Nuru… move from him!” he begged, his voice cracking with desperation. Nuru stepped back, silently, standing behind Tavari, his own grief hidden behind the calm mask he always wore.

  Matt’s hands shook as he touched Stephen’s body. “Don’t worry… we’ll go home. We’ll love you in our own house… safe, away from all of this.” His voice faltered. “Why… why are you on the ground? You were so scared of this forest… I’ll take you home.”

  Serena and Sarah clung to Matt, sobbing, their tears soaking his arms. “He’s gone, Matt… he’s gone,” they whispered, almost unable to say it aloud.

  “No!” Matt’s scream shattered the silence, raw and full of pain. Flames erupted around him, furious and uncontrolled, reaching for Nuru. The forest seemed to shudder at the heat of his grief.

  Tavari’s threads shot out instinctively, forming a protective shield around Nuru, shimmering in the dim morning light. “Matt,” he said softly but firmly, “Stephen was not evil… not bad. We must respect him. Let’s give him a proper burial.”

  Matt’s flames flickered and died down, replaced with trembling sobs as he carefully lifted Stephen’s body. They walked slowly through the forest, each step heavy with grief, until they reached a clearing where no trees stood — raw, empty earth beneath a gray sky.

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  Tavari’s voice trembled. “Matt… let’s bury him here. We… we can’t make it home. It’s too far.”

  “No…” Matt whispered, voice breaking, holding Stephen’s body close.

  Serena gently placed a hand on his shoulder, grounding him. Sarah knelt by the earth, her fingers tracing the ground, and whispered an incantation. Fire ignited at her touch, cutting the soil open to form a grave. “Matt… make your final goodbye,” she said softly, her voice trembling.

  Matt lowered his head, tears spilling freely. “When someone leaves you… when they die… even if you speak to their body, even if you bury them with your hands… the wounds don’t heal. The memories… they haunt you forever.”

  With trembling arms, he laid Stephen gently into the pit. Wood was stacked over him, and the fire smoldered to seal the grave. Matt pressed his palms to the earth one last time, whispering promises he could never keep. Then he carried the bag containing what they could take, holding onto fragments of the boy he loved.

  Nuru stood silently where they left him, motionless, as the forest seemed to mourn with him. His chest heaved as grief clawed at him, too heavy to bear. Rain began to fall, soft at first, then harder, soaking his clothes. Thunder cracked across the sky, and wind tore through the clearing with wild abandon. Streams of water ran fast, carving paths down the earth, as if the heavens themselves wept.

  For a moment, Nuru teetered on the edge of surrender, letting the storm consume him. But then, deep in his mind, Tavari’s calm, steady face appeared. A single thought anchored him, and he breathed through the storm, letting it wash over him without destroying him.

  Silently, he observed the burial, the grief, the loss — the rain cascading over the mourning figures below — and something inside him settled. With one final glance at the clearing, Nuru teleported to the tower, leaving the forest and the grief behind, carrying it only within his heart.