When they reached camp, the other expedition members saw them coming and a hush fell over the entire settlement.
Captain Reeves organized everything quickly. A pyre was built. Word spread. People gathered—NPCs who'd barely known Thomas but who understood the tragedy of a father dying to save his child.
Elena cleaned Thomas's body and dressed him in his best clothes. She placed his woodworking tools beside him and the carved figurines he'd made for Liam over the years.
Liam put the wooden horse—the last thing his father ever made—into Thomas's hands.
"So he has something for his journey," the boy whispered, his voice broken. "So he's not alone."
As the sun set, they lit the pyre. The flames rose high, carrying Thomas Clearwater's spirit—if such things existed in this digital world—wherever such spirits go.
Elena stood with Liam pressed close to her side, both of them watching through tears as the man they loved became ash and smoke.
Max stood with them, one hand on Liam's shoulder, and watched a good man receive the honor he deserved.
The entire camp was silent except for the crackling of flames and the quiet sound of Elena's whispered goodbye. She kissed her fingers and pressed them to her heart, a final gesture of love.
And Max finally understood.
This wasn't a game.
It had never been a game.
Aetheria was real in every way that mattered. The people here—player or NPC—loved, feared, hoped, and grieved just as truly as anyone in the physical world.
**
The Next Morning
Captain Reeves arranged for Elena and Liam to return to Veridian Gate on the morning ship. They couldn't stay here and continue an expedition surrounded by memories of what they'd lost.
Max helped them pack. Their bags were lighter now—Thomas had carried so much of their supplies, and Elena couldn't manage it all alone. She moved like a ghost, going through motions mechanically.
When the bags were packed, Elena turned to Max. Her eyes were red-rimmed and exhausted, but something in her gaze was clear.
"I need you to understand something," she said. "What happened wasn't your fault. Thomas made a choice."
Max nodded, clearly feeling less burdened by her words. "I gave the guild all the gold I earned from the expedition. It's yours—for Liam's future."
Elena's eyes filled with tears again. "That's too much—"
"It's what Thomas would have wanted. He talked about giving Liam opportunities, about building something better. Use it for that. Please."
She nodded, unable to speak, and pulled Max into a tight hug.
Liam looked up at Max with haunted eyes—eyes that had seen too much, understood too much, and been forced to grow up too fast.
"Will you remember him?" the boy asked quietly. "Will you remember my dad?"
Max knelt down to Liam's level. "Always. Your dad was brave and kind and loved you more than anything in the world. I'll never forget him."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
Liam threw his arms around Max's neck and sobbed into his shoulder one more time. Max held the boy, feeling his small body shake with grief, and wished desperately he could do more.
As the ship prepared to depart, Elena and Liam stood at the railing. The crew cast off, and the vessel began to rise into the Sky Ocean.
Max watched from the dock until they were just a speck in the distance, two broken souls heading home to figure out how to live in a world without Thomas.
Then he stood there alone, staring at nothing, trying to process what he'd experienced.
After a few minutes, he logged out and sat in his dark room for a long time, staring at the wall. When he finally checked his phone, he had messages from Velara, from guild members, and from his mother.
But he couldn't respond.
He was still in that canyon, watching Thomas smile at his son one last time before the end.
His hands shook slightly as he finally opened Discord and found Velara's chat.
He started typing, deleted it, and started again. How did you explain something like this? How did you tell someone that you were grieving for an NPC?
Finally, he just wrote what he felt:
MaxThorne: Are you awake?
The response came within thirty seconds. Velara never seemed to sleep.
Velara: Yeah. Late-night grinding. Are you okay? You've been offline for, like, 12 hours.
MaxThorne: Something happened on the expedition. An NPC died. A father. He saved his son from a monster, and... I watched him die. I held his wife and kid while they fell apart. And I can't stop thinking about it.
There was a longer pause this time. Then:
Velara: Call me.
Max hesitated, then initiated a voice call. Velara picked up immediately.
"Hey," her voice was softer than usual. "Talk to me. What happened?"
Max told her everything. About the Clearwater family, the three perfect days, Thomas's dreams for his workshop, and Liam's excitement about adventure. About the Titan appearing, the desperate battle, and everything that followed.
When he finished, there was silence on the line.
"Fuck," Velara finally said. "Max, that's... that's heavy."
"They were NPCs," Max said, his voice rough. "They shouldn't have felt this real. But Thomas loved his family. He chose to die for his son. How is that not real?"
"It is real," Velara said firmly. "I mean, maybe not in the physical sense, but emotionally? Psychologically? Of course it's real."
"There are people here. Families. Lives that matter."
"I know," Velara said quietly. "I've felt it too. There's an NPC blacksmith in one of the starter zones. I spent hours talking to him about weapon crafting, and he told me about his granddaughter and how he was saving money to send her to a magic academy. When I came back later with the gold to help him, he started crying. Actually crying. He said no adventurer had ever shown him that kind of kindness." She paused. "It fucked me up a little, realizing he was programmed to care that much."
"So I'm not crazy?"
"You're not crazy."