Book IV Prologue
Peaceful Rest Funeral Home
Axl, South Dreamsong
"Today, we mourn a life taken from us far too soon.
Eva Santora was a brilliant young woman, full of life, joy and promise for the future..."
The suns shone brightly in the sky, setting the light dusting of snow on the ground aglow; the day itself was as brilliant and lovely as one could hope for in the middle of Winter-- a fact that seemed like a personal insult to Eva's family and friends at her funeral.
The letter had come amidst the chaos of the attacks in Axl and Gier; a formal notification from the Organization that had likely been sent to hundreds or thousands of other families, identical save for a simple change of name.
The shock had not been within its words, but in the form of a tiny silver locket that Eva had always kept close at hand, usually tucked away within a pocket if not worn around her neck.
It had tumbled from the folded letter as her mother pulled it from the envelope, and the message contained within was immediately clear.
Now, her parents stood side by side and hand-in-hand, her mother sobbing a stream of tears that seemed endless, her father stoic, silent, and grim.
"She had only just gotten started," Angela Santora moaned, dabbing at her made-up eyes with a handkerchief snatched from her husband's suit pocket.
"She had only just gotten started, there was so much she needed to do..."
The corner of Doctor Santora's lip twitched lightly, but he remained silent.
Next Chapter: Book IV Chapter I
Category: Book IV | Story
