Utopian System

"No one," declared Elio with all the dignity he could muster, which wasn't much considering he still had a swollen eye from Zara's punch, "will ever mention what just happened. Ever."

Kriz opened his mouth, probably to make another 'witty' comment, but Elio's glare silenced him.

With deliberately controlled movements, Elio returned to the exchange interface. After several minutes of careful selections, four divine swords materialized before him.

"Zara," he called, keeping his voice firm. "Lila."

The two approached, Lila still blushing and avoiding his gaze, Zara with clenched fists.

"For your bravery in battle," Elio continued, emphasizing each word, "and definitely not for any other reason, I want you to have these swords."

Kriz coughed something that sounded suspiciously like "bribe," but everyone pretended not to hear.

The third sword was for Selene, who immediately passed it to Diana.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"You've earned it," she said simply. "Without you, without your sacrifice bringing the core, we wouldn't be here."

The last sword was for Lucien, Selene held it with reverence. "I'll keep it until Lucien returns from securing the deposits."

The atmosphere began to gradually relax.

Elio put on the helmet.

The divine equipment that Elio now wore, the helmet, cape, sword, gave him an air of authority that helped dissipate the embarrassment of the "incident."

"Prepare to honor our fallen, you can go for your families or friends, I... I must go see my family," he finally announced. "Inform them about the ceremony."

♢♢♢♢

The path to his new home within the central building was a surreal experience.

The place had expanded.

Citizens walking the halls stopped to look at him, some bowing their heads in respect, others whispering among themselves. His new appearance clearly made an impression.

He found his mother in their now slightly expanded dwelling, complaining about having to reorganize and surrounded as always by his sisters and little Rian. Rian was the first to see him.

"Brother!" he exclaimed, running toward him before stopping dead in his tracks, his eyes huge at his appearance in full armor.

"Elio?" Lena slowly stood up, studying her son. "You look..."

"Different," he completed, making the helmet disappear. (Fortunately the armor had already made the punch mark vanish) "It's been... an interesting day."

His sisters surrounded him, touching the cape in wonder, asking questions about each piece of his new equipment. Elio let them, enjoying the normalcy of the moment.

"Mother," he said finally, his voice softening. "There will be a ceremony. To honor the fallen." He took her hands in his. "I would like the whole family to be present accompanying me."

♢♢♢♢

Lena couldn't take her eyes off her son.

Elio stood before the crowd in his new divine armor, the helmet and cape giving him an air of authority that contrasted with the boy she remembered.

"Today we gather," Elio began, his voice resonating clear and firm across the plaza, "not only to mourn our losses, but to honor the sacrifices that have brought us here."

The crystals gleamed in the soldiers' hands like frozen tears while families gathered around the pyres.

The smoke ascended in spirals toward the sunset sky, carrying with it the remains of those who had given their lives for the city.

The scent of smoke mingled with that of freshly turned earth where the trees waited to be planted.

"From today," Elio declared, "every warrior who gives their life protecting our city will be honored not only in our hearts, but also in our land. A tree will bear their name, growing strong and tall as testimony to their sacrifice."

Brok and several soldiers began distributing the small tree crystals among the families.

They would be planted in a hollow next to the fallen ones' ashes.

Each tree with an enormous mana cost, a precious resource that now found a nobler purpose than simple decoration and oxygen production.

"I know these times are difficult," Elio continued, addressing especially those who received mana support. "I ask for your patience and understanding while we temporarily redistribute our resources to honor our fallen. To those with greater power, I ask for your cooperation to help those most in need during this period."

The crystal in his hands pulsed when he planted it next to Arnaud's ashes. The power concentrated within exploded upward, and before everyone's astonished eyes, a majestic oak sprouted from the earth, its branches extending toward the sky like arms reaching for the stars.

Murmurs of assent ran through the crowd. Even those who received the distribution and would be affected by the temporary absence understood the moment's importance.

First of all, there were no longer people who didn't have some mana saved, the city was booming.

One by one, the trees were planted.

Next to each one, Elio, Zara, and other steel users worked in synchrony, their powers intertwining to shape the metal. The statues emerged as if they had always been there, each capturing the essence of the warrior it represented.

"These monuments," Elio said as the last statues took shape, "will be a meeting place and remembrance. Where families can visit their loved ones, where future generations will learn about valor and sacrifice."

"Arnaud," Elio continued, his voice softening as he pronounced the name, "found his true worth at the most crucial moment. Not following orders, not acting out of obligation, but choosing to protect others of his own will."

Arnaud's parents, standing among the crowd, raised their heads with pride despite the tears running down their cheeks.

♢♢♢♢

Enid's mother sobbed openly as her daughter's tree grew toward the sky, its leaves whispering like last words never spoken.

The statue captured the determination in Enid's face, that final moment of courage that had saved her leader.

"My girl," the woman whispered over and over, her fingers tracing the name engraved in the base. "My brave girl."

Throughout the plaza, similar scenes unfolded.

Mothers who would never embrace their children again, fathers who had sent warriors to the wall and received statues in return, brothers and sisters whose last words had been trivial arguments that now weighed like mountains.

A small child, no older than Rian, touched his father's statue in confusion. "When will he return?" he asked again and again, while his mother held him, unable to answer.