Disclaimer: I do not own Vindictus, Mabinogi, or any of the characters from them.
The sky was a uniform sky blue, speckled with clouds and the threat of another oncoming storm later that day,
The grass wasn't cut, and the vines from the great tree has long since overgrown numerous stones. Ferghus didn't mind. He knew there wasn't much use for Graveyards now. He still visited as much as he could, even with the world trumped on and everyone forgot this place was here at all.
Ferghus was the image of a hardworking man. From his muscular arms, to the wrinkles splayed across his forehead from where it creased in concentration. He wore a navy blue tunic with grey shorts, which he somehow pulled off with his big leather boots. With a sad smile, he knelt down before the grave and brushed away from cobwebs and dead plants, revealing the name 'Marrec Dole'.
"Hey Marrec," he said affectionately. "What's up? I know it's been a while since I last visited, but hardly anyone goes to graveyards anymore. I'm sure you understand."
Ferghus sat back for a while, trying to organize his thoughts as he hears the shepherd boy in the distance.
"I guess this is somewhat of an important visit. See, it's the last time I'm going to have to talk to you about the new goddess and the formors. I know how much you hated that stuff, so it'll be a relief from now on that we only get to talk about our lives. Maybe I'll start with that."
Ferghus's voice choked with emotion, and he wiped a tear from his eye as he continued to talk.
"Sorry. Just got a little something stuck in my throat there. Ahem. Anyway, there's this new thing going about, called Musical Knowledge. It uses these weird, ah, wisdom trait some people have and lets them study music more in-depth. And when you study the things it let's you know deeper meanings and helps them make the song give you different strengths. I have one on me now actually; a young lad tried it on me earlier. Giving me some dexterity now. Maybe that will help me later in the shop, ha."
"What else…oh, they came out with this play called Seventh Day. It's pretty funny because it's an act of the Long War. I went to see it, it's actually not that bad, and pretty accurate. They have a lot of people from Colhen in it, and even some old formor brutes. I saw mine…of course, and I saw yours. They managed to capture your ugly mug perfectly, even with a helmet on."
The tears were falling fast on the cracked stone now, and Ferghus was becoming a little hysterical and hoarse in the conversation. Although all this had happened so long ago, the wounds still cut deep. Ferghus had known Marrec from his childhood, and their friendship had been deeper than most of Ferghus's others.
"You know what? I don't regret it. Even though you had to die, I don't regret ever helping out the Crimson Blades with you. After the war was won, and everyone got home, wonderful things began happening. This new world, eradicated poverty, hunger, disease, even aging. I'm eighty four, and I look like I'm sixty years younger. The world is so wonderful now. The goddess truly did safe us. Every need is fulfilled, and they even are studying this new thing called the Other World where it's an alternate universe! What I came to talk to you about..."
Now Ferghus wept openly and laughed at the same time, looking at the grave that he could swear was staring back at him with a look of exasperation, expressing his dead friend's lack of interest in the news.
"I know you don't really care Marrec, but there's no more death. There's this thing called the Soul Stream now, and everybody can come but no one dies. You just revive perfectly well. The Deity Nao helps you."
"And remember that young couple, oh I forget their names…Nel and Rio-something! Their daughter is here. Didn't get her mothers gift of sewing though, sadly. Just sells some supplies. The tailor though is pretty smitten with her; we will have to see where that goes though..."
Suddenly Ferghus laughed, and leapt to his feet. All alone in the cemetery, and so he didn't feel any embarrassment or worry that others might witness his strange behavior. He leapt to his feet and lifted his tear-stained face to the sky, shaking a fist at the perfectly blue sky and red sun.
"You know what this means?" he exulted, staring back down at the grave at his feet. "It means we won! No more formors! No more mobs! The last casualty of the Long War now lies in some unmarked grave. And, crime, poverty, war...they're all gone. What's for them to do anymore? Don't you see Marrec? We've finally reached paradise! And all it took was the minds of brilliant men and women, and the lives of thousands of soldiers."
Ferghus let his triumphant shout of victory echo out across the empty graveyard. Then he sank down to his knees again, his shorts becoming wet with dew. He ran a hand across the grave in front of him, feeling the rough stone beneath his fingers.
"I really wish you were here to see it all," he said bitterly. "I really wish you were here."