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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/Klokinator on 2025-10-01 19:46:23+00:00.
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…
(Part 001)
Far-Future Era. Noon, Day 20, AJR. Melodia.
The midday sunlight shone down on the planet of Sharmur. Humans, demons, and monsters alike were working hard to continue building up humanity’s capital city. Already, the four quadrants of the city had started to take on relatively defined styles of architecture.
Humans tended to live in the north quadrant, above the river. This also happened to be the biggest area, though the western mountain range somewhat cut into the north.
Monsters lived west of the river. They were closest to the western mountains, and many goblins had opted to burrow inside, creating fortified living spaces for themselves.
To the south was a great forest, part of which circled around to the west. Demons lived there, in tree-houses they built using their powers. While demons typically preferred to live in architecture similar to the humans, the ones who aligned with humanity decided to get back in touch with Mother Nature.
Finally, to the east was Melodia’s ocean, though a lightly wooded section of the forest cut between Melodia and the great waters. The east was also the quadrant where humans, demons, and monsters intermingled. Melodia’s military headquarters had been built at the center of the eastern quadrant, right next to the river.
It was in the eastern section where a funeral procession was being held. A solemn and sad atmosphere pervaded, as nearly all of humanity’s top movers and shakers had come. General Chadwick had left Pixiv to visit, and Belial had brought Cassiel and Soleil along as well. Demon Deity Melody sat in the row second from the front, accompanying Belial.
The frontmost row had the unfortunate wife of the deceased. Kiari sat in a chair, her expression stony, her eyes puffy and swollen from crying. Beside her sat Beelzebub, his expression solemn.
There was a podium placed at the front of several hundred seats. Behind it rested Saul’s empty coffin; a stark reminder that his body had not been recovered. Despite searching the Hall of Heroes, questioning Chrona, and even looking throughout the Phoenix’s realm, Sharmur, and Pixiv, Saul was nowhere to be found. He had indeed been left behind on Tarus II, and his body had been lost along with so many others.
At the funeral podium, a woman stood with a somber expression. She was humanity’s current leader, Linda Adams.
“Saul was a close friend of Neil’s, and I know my husband would have been devastated to see him pass. I didn’t know Saul as well as I would have liked, but the few times we spoke, I experienced his extraordinary bearing. Like many, Saul was a victim of the machinations of our enemies. Saul was a lover, not a fighter. He kept to himself and lived on the outskirts of society, tending to his garden. He was a good man.”
“Saul and my husband had a lot of similarities.” Linda continued. “They were both ensnared by Bahamut, albeit for differing reasons. When Jason Hiro released them from their eon of hallucinations, Saul and Neil went different ways. Neil sought revenge, while Saul wished to enjoy peace. I cannot say which one took the more correct path, but I respected both.”
“Saul will be missed.” Linda concluded. “He leaves behind a wife and child. Like Kiari, I am with child, as are many others. I hope that we as a community can come together to raise the children of so many widowed men and women. Now is the time for us to unite and raise our progeny in a manner that is both forthright and steadfast. Only united can we face our future threats.”
Linda tilted her head slightly. She stepped off the podium, allowing the next person to walk up. This turned out to be Beelzebub, who had been asked to speak by Kiari herself. He had been sitting beside Kiari, but eventually stood up and touched her shoulder before walking up to the podium. After taking a moment to collect himself, Beelzebub cleared his throat.
“I am not a good man. I have not been a good man.” Beelzebub began. “I have committed atrocities in my life, as have many other demons. Even so, not long after I devastated Tarus II by immolating my body, I awoke to find myself an ordinary human stripped of my power. Through a series of events, I ended up staying with Saul and Kiari for a while.”
“They treated me well. Better than I deserved.” Beelzebub said somberly, as Kiari dabbed at her puffy red eyes with a handkerchief. “Saul in particular offered me choice words of wisdom on two different occasions. He made me rethink my life choices. He made me realize that I had been living a lie, and that I was being dishonest with myself. His compassion changed me into the demon I am today. While I still have a long way to go, I am proud to have called him my friend.”
“Saul.” Beelzebub said, looking up at the sky. “You will be missed.”
A moment of silence followed. Beelzebub walked back over and sat beside Kiari again. More people spoke words of remembrance at the podium, numbering two dozen in total. Even Belial gave a short speech.
An hour later, the funeral ended. People came up to Kiari and gave their condolences. Countless people had been MIA, and Saul was ultimately just one of them. But his status as the husband of one of humanity’s allied Demon Emperors meant that even people who didn’t know him felt the need to at least voice a few words of sympathy.
Eventually, the crowd dissipated. People left, returning to their work in building up the city of Melodia.
Only a dozen or so people remained.
Among them were the demons Kiari, Beelzebub, Belial, and Melody.
Cassiel was there, along with Soleil, albeit in their human disguises of Cammy and Serra. The people who remained behind knew of Cassiel’s identity, but none spoke of it. They treated her as an ordinary human, always worrying the demons might find out who she was.
Linda and Debra were also present, along with Chadwick, Henry Cliff, Ashley McCarthy, and even the Minotaur, Yamir Goldenhorn.
“Kiari. How are you holding up?” Chadwick asked.
Kiari stiffened. “I… I’m still… in disbelief. I keep expecting Saul to… to walk through the door. I can’t believe he’s really dead.”
“I feel the same way.” Linda said softly. “I always expect to enter my office and see Neil sitting at the desk. He’s never there. Unlike you, I at least know for certain that he died. The uncertainty must be the hardest part.”
“It is.” Kiari admitted quietly.
Belial rubbed Kiari’s back reassuringly. “If you ever need anyone to talk to… well, I lost my husband too. I’m always here for you.”
“Yeah… thanks…” Kiari muttered. “I’m going to go now. Everyone… thank you for coming. It means so much to me. I’m sure Saul would have…”
She trailed off, not finishing her sentence. Everyone knew what she wanted to say, so it was fine to leave the words unspoken.
After a few more perfunctory words of thanks, Kiari shuffled off, along with Beelzebub. Once the two of them left, the somber atmosphere remained.
“Every day is worse than the last.” Linda muttered. “The confirmed death toll so far has been cataclysmic. Families ripped apart, separated between Realspace, the Hall of Heroes, and even the Cube.”
Melody crossed her arms. “The situation with the Volgrim isn’t great, either. The Dolgrimites have strong-armed the First Founder into becoming a figurehead, and that was just today. They’re still shaking the Demon Deities down in a sort of protection racket. They want all of us to bow our heads to Dolgris.”
“And if you don’t?” Chadwick asked.
“Then they won’t offer our worlds any protection. They’ll let us die to the Plague. What they want is absolute control over the Milky Way.” Melody replied.
“Is this bad news for us?” Yamir asked, crossing his muscled arms.
“Well, it’s actually sort of good news.” Melody answered. “The Demon Deities are wary of the Volgrim. Even though the Volgrim have lost the overwhelming majority of their Psion fighting force, the Dolgrimites are extremely fearsome. None of the Deities know how the Dolgrimites, as mere mortals, are able to thrash the seemingly invincible Plagueborn. Thus, the Demon Deities are secretly hoping humanity will come up with a countermeasure of our own to push back the Plague.”
“Despicable scumbags.” Chadwick hissed through his teeth. “They attack us, brutalize us, rape and torture us, and now they expect us to become their saviors? Whatever countermeasures we come up with should be ours and ours alone.”
“That’s assuming we come up with any at all.” Linda pointed out. "I don’t know about y…
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