Chapter 2

As the Ronins walked through the gates that lead to the Nether Realm, everyone was quiet. As all five Warriors passed through the castle gate, Ryo noticed a white piece of paper in a black frame. When the Ronins walked in the front door, Ryo noticed another white sheet of paper in a black frame. As all five Elementals entered the commons area of the castle, they saw Anubis' body on a stone-like altar, illuminated by a thousand candles. Cale was in one of the corners, staring blankly at the body, and trying not to be seen by his former enemy. 'He looks like he's lost the will to do this funeral,' Sage thought. 'I've never seen him with this dazed and defeated look before.'
Sage walked over to his opposite, "It's going to be okay," the Warrior of Light promised the Warrior of Darkness.
"He's dead," Cale said in flat tone, "and the only good thing is that no one can harm him now."
"I know," Sage said sadly, "but don't you miss him?"
"Yes, I do," Cale blurted out with tears running down his face, "but I'm glad he's with the people who truly cared about him."
"And yet you're crying," Sage countered.
"His was my best friend, Halo. I miss him, but part of me knows that if he ever comes back to the Realm of the Living, we would only bring him more pain."
As Cale walked away, Sage shook his head. The Warrior of Wisdom knew that his former enemy was grieving, but there was a painful truth to his words. 'Was Anubis ever safe with them?' Sage thought, 'or would it have mattered if he had been on our side?'

Sekhmet took Anubis' body and washed it with hot water. As the ex-Warlord of Venom continued to prepare the corpse, he asked Dais to get him an article of white clothing or something Anubis liked to wear before he died. Five minutes later, Dais returned to the preparatory room with a pale blue kimono decorated with silver cherry blossoms. It was Anubis' favorite article of clothing, and he wore it as many times as he could. After they clothed their leader's body, Dais and Sekhmet brought the corpse out of the preparatory room and placed it on the stone-like altar in the commons room. After the body was positioned in the northern direction, a white sheet was placed over their lifeless savior.
Dais lit as many candles as he could, not caring if the light hurt Cale's eyes. The candles were a symbol of the light that Anubis had given them. Somehow, if the great Moon Kami, Tsukiyomi had chosen someone to bring his light into the darkness, it would haven been Anubis.
Anubis was always the light in the group. Even before they turned him into a Warlord, he was the light that counteracted their darkness. He would never be the sun, that light was for the day. He was the moon, the light that broke the darkness in all of them, including Cale. Before Cale had met Anubis, the Warlord of Corruption had a withdrawn personality, and didn't really talk or become friends with anyone. What really amazed Dais and Sekhmet was the fact that Anubis seemed to be the only person who could bring Cale out of his shell. But after 400 years of service as a Warlord, Talpa's evil almost destroyed the familiar light within Anubis' soul. Somehow, with Strata's help, the light in Anubis' soul began to shine again. Dais knew that if a natural object represented Anubis, it would be without a doubt, the moon.