His footsteps crunched on the strange ground, the entire place looking like a location from a dream. Blue crystals that looked almost like flowers decorated every corner of the narrow path, giving the entire valley its bluish cast. But for Tir McDohl, this fantastical place was no dream - it was a nightmare.
He knew the path intimately, each twist and double-back and dead end that he'd accidentally stumbled into the first few times he'd come. He'd scraped knees and palms, trying to regain his footing in the rougher patches. He'd ripped clothing on protruding crystals, and even damaged his staff a time or two on some particularly fierce monsters. But he was above that, now. After making this pilgrimage so many times over the years, nothing dared to challenge him. They knew that this was the one day where any interruptions would be unforgivable.
It seemed to take both forever and no time at all to reach the summit, the place where a small marker stood next to a blooming flower. The flower was moonlight weed, the very reason why he had been sent to this valley that day. It was a beautiful flower, and the living plant in such a lifeless place seemed so fitting as an eternal memorial. The one who had given his life here, in this desolate valley, had been like that flower to Tir; a bright, living thing in a world of silence and cold.
"Ted," he whispered softly, kneeling down in front of the simple grave marker. "I'm here again. Just like I told you I would be." A shaky smile touched his lips as the fingers of his right hand traced over the name carved into the stone. "I'll never leave you, Ted. Just like I know you'll never leave me."
It was simple, with no dates to commemorate the former rune bearer's life. Just his first name and a small carving of the Souleater Rune beneath it. It felt right, to Tir, to have it that way. While Ted would have joked about wanting something lavish and impressive, Tir knew he would have hated something like that. Ted had never really wanted to be the center of attention when he was alive.
Tir relaxed in his kneeling position, sitting back on his feet. "There's not much to tell you. Except...you remember Luc, don't you? How could you forget him, the way you fought when you first met?" He chuckled weakly, his eyes burning with unshed tears. "I wonder if you're terrorizing him there, wherever you are now. Knowing you, you probably are, and he's probably making you pay for it.
"He fought against an army in the Grasslands, backed by Holy Harmonia. Hard to believe that Luc would work with Harmonia, but I suppose, if you're desperate you'll do anything. I wish I'd been able to talk to him, though. Before he did it, you know? Tell him that he wasn't the only person who'd been hurt by the Runes, and that destroying them wouldn't make everything better. Maybe he would have listened to me. Maybe I could have saved him..." He pressed a gloved hand to his forehead, drawing a shaky breath.
"You'd smile and tell me it's not my fault, wouldn't you? Hold me close with that possessive look in your eyes and tell me that he chose his own path, and then make a snide remark about how he's probably happier now anyway, so why should I worry about him. He was a friend, Ted. A good friend, whether you liked him or not. But everyone...everyone dies. I don't know how you managed it, Ted...I don't think I'm strong enough, sometimes.
"I know I wouldn't be able to do it without Gremio. He's been such an invaluable support, never faltering, always pushing me to continue. I would have died without both of you. But he's started working on a new stew. He's become pretty famous now, you know, since that last recipe..."
The eternally young man continued to speak to the chunk of stone, shifting positions as time wore on. Watching him, one would think he was actually speaking to a real person and not a gravestone. The way he spoke was animated, with the occasional smile or laugh, though he always fell back on his serious expression. He didn't keep track of the time, talking until he ran out of things to say, and then just sitting there in silence with his hand against the marker.
"You know I miss you, Ted," Tir said after a long pause, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'll miss you every day I'm alive and you aren't. But I'll always come back to you. I promise." Removing his right glove, he kissed the tips of his fingers and pressed them lightly against Ted's name. "And I'll always love you."
The Souleater's chosen bearer rose to his feet, slipping his thick leather glove back on and picking up his staff. With a soft goodbye and not a single tear shed, he turned and left the dreamlike, nightmarish place.