Coffin

There was nothing in the coffin. But she was burying it all the same.

Of course, by her burying it, it was more her standing aside as her servants put it in the grounds of the Raven Tower. Grounds that, as wide as they were, only had a small portion of land dedicated to a graveyard. Her father was immortal, and very few had ever been close enough to him to warrant proper burial. For indeed, death rarely meant anything in the Nexus. So it did her heart some good to see that her mother's tombstone wasn't here…and made her heart all the more bitter to know that her mother was still out there, amongst the realms, forced to leave because of her father's madness.

But she was burying her coffin. That part of her life was over. And watching it enter the ground, as the servants clad in black stepped aside, she delivered her eulogy.

"Farewell Chomper."

Alas, she hardly knew him. Or it, technically. Either way, the servants began shovelling dirt into the ground.

"Chomper?" Neeve asked.

Orphea smiled. "A little name for my friend…using the broadest possible definition for 'friend.'"

"And little," Neeve said. "The way that monster popped out of the coffin when you used your magic…"

She trailed off, and Orphea knew why. When she'd used her magic…magic that she had little need for now, or desire to use. She was Lady of the Raven Court. Her father had been deposed, and whatever rock he'd flown under, Orphea would stay happy if he remained there. For the first time in years, she was at peace…

…which meant that the coffin she'd carried on her backside was now useless. It had channelled her id, and up to the point where she took Raven Tower at her own, her mind was all too ready to be used as a weapon. Now? Now, Chomper, as she called him, might as well be a kitten rather than a slavering beast. And when one considered the state of the Nexus…

"There's also the matter of the burial itself," Neeve said. "I mean, great lords and ladies have been buried in these grounds. Are they befitted an empty grave?"

"That time of my life is gone, and I intend to bury it," Orphea said. "Besides, I doubt the name of the Raven Court could be any more defiled after what my father did."

"But-"

"I want it buried Neeve. I want to forget."

Neeve nodded, though Orphea could tell she was still unconvinced. The master and servant thus stood in silence as the servants continued to put dirt on the coffin.

"Have you heard from the other realm lords?" Neeve asked.

Orphea scoffed. "You mean besides paltry congratulations as to my ascension to realm lord of this realm? Besides everyone in King's Crest transferring the sins of the father onto the daughter?"

"I meant of the Nexus," Neeve said.

Orphea looked at her. "What of the Nexus?" she murmured.

"You know very well," Neeve said. She glanced around before whispering into Orphea's ear. "They say the storm is slowing down. That the Nexus itself may be dying. That fewer realms and heroes will be sucked into it."

"And thus less strife," Orphea said.

"And less life," Neeve said. "And before you say anything, yes, you can have one without the other, but-"

"We recently had an angel from Sanctuary," Orphea pointed out.

"Indeed. But in of itself, that means nothing. It changes nothing from what you already know."

Orphea sighed. "Do you expect me to have a plan Neeve?"

"No, my dear. But the people of your realm will – that is the price of leadership."

"Leadership," she scoffed, picking up a piece of dirt and tossing it onto the coffin. "Storm take leadership, lords and ladies all be damned."

"Perhaps. But if the Nexus dies, all of us are damned."

Orphea said nothing.

Neeve was right of course, at least in as much that she knew the same truth that Orphea did – the Nexus had quietened down in recent times. It raged softer. The realms were no longer beset with war – at least not to the extent that they had been. And while it was tempting to celebrate that, she knew what would happen if the storm died – the Nexus would die. Everyone would die, heroes, minions, and lords all. Death had once meant nothing in the Nexus, and now, it could define it.

"We may speak of this again," Orphea said. "The storm's still active. Chomper's still in the ground. And if this is the end, I can take solace in knowing that my father will face it with us."

"And your mother as well."

Orphea closed her eyes – her mother's visage filled her mind's gaze. And thus, she was compelled to return to an uncertain present, rather than a grief-filled past.

One death at a time, she thought to herself, watching the last of the coffin be covered in dirt. One death at a time.

A/N

So, when I first had the idea to write this down, it was in response to Blizzard winding down development of HotS. I mean, that bugged me, but what bugged me even more was how they cancelled the HCG without any forewarning. Not that I follow HotS e-sports, but I could certainly feel for those who did, let alone participated in it. So, basically, the idea was that the coffin was some metaphor for the game being 'dead.' Still, since Imperius has been released (which was my main Diablo hero request), I've kind of softened in my frustration - the HCG aside, I can certainly understand that it makes sense to wind back development on HotS if it isn't bringing in the moolah. So, drabbled this up, but in a less angry fashion.