Happy Death

"Great Sorcerer, are we leaving now?"

"No, let’s wait a little longer..."

[The beautiful days have come to an end]

[The warm sun is no more, the bright full moon has vanished, replaced once more by the black sun and blood moon hanging high in the sky, spreading celestial terror equally]

[The slime atop the mountain crumbled away on its own, eroded and annihilated by the aura of death]

[The weeds in the brick cracks withered into a sickly yellow, losing their tenacious vitality]

[The world was silent yet deafening]

[Though the heavens and earth seemed soundless, they echoed with the lament of the world, accompanied by the crisp sound of cracking]

[You faintly perceived that the endless Netherworld was devouring the Sorcerer’s World]

[It was time to leave]

[The moment you had been waiting for had arrived]

[The world returned to silence, the tremendous shock perfectly absorbed by the mountain. Thanks to the peak beneath your feet, you avoided the first wave of the world’s upheaval]

[Now was the time you had planned for your departure]

[Yet, in response to Servia’s question, you shook your head, your gaze fixed on the village]

[There, two souls were on the verge of withering, clinging to their aged bodies with the faintest breath]

[Following your gaze, the undead girl seemed to understand something, her eyes dimming]

"Great Sorcerer, can’t we do anything...?"

"Servia, they are happy, truly content. All we can do is bless them."

Xu Xi gazed at the world beyond the mountain.

Silent as if it didn’t exist, an expanse of nothingness.

Only the oppressive darkness continued to spread.

...

[You decided to linger on the mountain a while longer]

[On the first day of your stay, Elder Hansen and his wife trudged slowly up the path, bringing you an abundance of vegetables and fruits]

[You stood at the doorway]

[Just as before, you accepted the elderly couple’s gifts with a smile]

[The Hero stood beside you, forcing a smile to mask her sorrow]

"Thank you, Great Sorcerer."

"And thank you too, Lady Servia."

The two elders smiled as well—pure, heartfelt smiles.

Though they had brought so many gifts,

it was they who thanked Xu Xi and Servia.

For gracing the final days of their lives with precious companionship.

Xu Xi accepted the vegetables, feeling their weight in his hands.

...

[On the second day, Elder Hansen and Mina came again with more offerings]

[Their steps were weary]

[Their faces pale]

[Their life force nearly extinguished]

[Once more, you accepted their gifts. They smiled, radiant and unburdened, the wrinkles carved by time smoothing in your presence]

...

[On the third day, you waited at the door as usual, standing with Servia for the elderly couple’s arrival]

[Autumn gave way to winter]

[The season arrived without fanfare]

[In the gentle breeze, snowflakes dusted the mountain—not in pure white, but in shades of gray, symbols of despair and tragedy]

[You breathed in the frost-laden air, feeling its piercing chill]

[You knew there was no need to wait any longer]

Whoosh—!!

The icy wind howled, rushing into his nostrils.

Xu Xi stepped out of the workshop, the cold seeping into his lungs before escaping as misty breath.

The dark sun loomed overhead.

The world was buried under the snow.

"Great Sorcerer, should we keep waiting?"

"No, Servia. This time, it’s our turn to go to them."

Xu Xi observed the desolate world before finally setting off toward the village.

Servia followed behind, the two traversing the narrow path, their footsteps light on the thin snow, until they stopped before a humble cottage.

Low.

Dilapidated.

Its walls uneven, bearing the marks of countless repairs.

The wooden door hung open, allowing the snow and wind to rush inside, slamming it repeatedly against the frame.

Once, someone would have fixed it again and again.

Now, no one would.

Before the cottage door, two chairs sat side by side, placed neatly.

Crudely fashioned from rough wood, slightly tilted—likely the handiwork of an unskilled craftsman, yet just right for resting.

Xu Xi looked on.

Two faces, deeply lined like crumpled paper, bore the weight of time, yet now they smiled peacefully.

Hand in hand.

Seated close.

Their faces frozen by the cold, their bodies dusted with a thin layer of snow.

The spark of life had faded. No rise and fall, no pulse remained.

Aside from Xu Xi and Servia,

no one would care.

In a dying world’s forgotten corner, two elders had passed in tranquility—no one would ever know how blissful they looked in their final moments.

"......"

"......"

Amid the winter’s silence,

Xu Xi raised a hand. With elemental magic, he carved out a grave in the empty space before the house.

Then, with a gentle wave of soul energy,

he cradled the bodies of Elder Hansen and Mina,

letting them rest in the grave just as they were—hand in hand.

"Goodnight," Xu Xi murmured, standing in the snow as he used his magic to fill the grave once more.

This was why he had stayed.

In this bleak, dying world,

the departed would have been left exposed, with no one to bury them.

Xu Xi had grown fond of the elderly couple. He couldn’t bear the thought, so before leaving, he ensured they had a proper rest.

The snowstorm raged on.

In the endless white, two tombstones quietly took form.

"Goodnight, Elder Hansen."

"Goodnight, Elder Mina."

Servia’s emerald eyes shimmered with grief.

She knelt, running her fingers over the rough surface of the stones, tracing the engraved names.

The wind howled like a beast, but the silence in her heart drowned it out.

This wasn’t the first time she had faced farewell.

She was strong.

She could endure the pain of parting.

But enduring didn’t mean she liked it. Servia looked up at Xu Xi, her voice fragile:

"Great Sorcerer."

"Do all who pass on go to the Netherworld?"

Xu Xi nodded. "The Netherworld is the final home of all souls. Those with lingering regrets or unfulfilled desires become undead under its laws."

"Souls who perish as undead, or those pure from the start, await rebirth together."

Elder Hansen and Mina had been happy.

They passed naturally, without regrets.

Such souls were the purest—they would enter the cycle of reincarnation in the endless Netherworld, spared the torment of undeath.

Hearing this, Servia clasped her hands together, whispering a silent prayer for the elderly couple.

Trembling.

Blessing.

Hoping their next lives would be kind.

When she was done, she turned to Xu Xi, her smile fragile as shattered glass. "I’m sorry, Great Sorcerer. I must have wasted too much time."

"I should have been stronger, but I... I couldn’t."

"I’m still so immature."

"Really, I’m sorry..."

"Even though it was a happy thing—seeing Elder Hansen and Mina smile like that—I still felt sorrow."

The hollow skeleton of a girl struggled to smile, her eyes curved, yet brimming with glistening tears.