Five years had passed since the disappearance of Henry Tecka.
Yet, in many ways, he had never truly left the kingdom.
The war against the Demonic Beasts continued to rage. Soldiers fought upon the walls, adventurers ventured into corrupted lands, and scholars searched desperately for methods to push back the darkness. In this difficult era, the name most often spoken by the people was not that of a king or a general.
It was Henry Tecka.
The Hero of Tecka.
The Savior of Verna.
The Inventor who continued to change the world even after his death.
When Henry had been officially declared dead six months after the disaster at Manan's Manor, his personal research room in Verna was sealed.
For a time, nobody entered.
The room remained exactly as he had left it.
Blueprints scattered across tables.
Half-finished prototypes gathering dust.
Notes written hastily on scraps of paper.
Broken artifacts lying beside completed masterpieces.
It was as though Henry had simply stepped outside and would return at any moment.
Eventually, under the orders of King Mark, the contents of the workshop were carefully transported to the capital.
What was discovered stunned the kingdom.
There were dozens of completed inventions.
Hundreds of unfinished designs.
Some were so advanced that the scholars studying them could not immediately understand their purpose.
Others were ideas that Henry had abandoned midway through development.
Yet each one revealed a glimpse into how far ahead his mind had been.
The Royal Academy, the scholars of Vlad, the engineers of Tecka, and even the Dwarven craftsmen worked together to preserve and implement his research.
Thus, the inventions of Henry Tecka became the property of the kingdom.
A gift left behind for the future.
Among his greatest contributions was the Levitation Mechanism.
When it was first discovered, many believed it impossible.
A platform capable of floating above the ground without the aid of beasts or wheels.
The original prototype had been unstable.
The notes surrounding it were chaotic.
Several researchers nearly gave up attempting to understand it.
Fortunately, Henry's habit of leaving detailed diagrams eventually revealed the intended design.
After years of refinement, the mechanism was successfully implemented.
At first, it was used solely for military purposes.
Supplies could be transported quickly across difficult terrain.
Troops could be redeployed far faster than before.
During the construction of the Second Wall, the levitating platforms proved invaluable. Massive stone blocks that once required hundreds of workers could now be moved in hours.
Soon merchants requested access to the technology.
Then civilians.
Before long, floating transport platforms became a common sight throughout the kingdom.
Children who had never met Henry often knew his name simply because they rode upon inventions he had designed.
His second great contribution was arguably even more important.
The Demonic Resistant Seeds.
The original seeds had been a failure.
Henry himself had admitted as much.
Only a tiny fraction survived the demonic contamination.
Yet where others saw failure, Henry saw potential.
His observations and notes inspired him to hire Lana, the successor of Mount Laya.
Together, before his disappearance, they began a project to create crops capable of surviving within corrupted lands.
After Henry's death, Lana continued the research tirelessly.
Years later, the result changed the kingdom forever.
Entire fields could now grow despite the presence of lingering demonic energy.
The crops were not immune to corruption, but they resisted it well enough to sustain agriculture.
When the southern farmlands fell during the Demonic Rupture, many feared a great famine.
Instead, the new seeds prevented catastrophe.
Even Verna, which had once suffered heavily from contamination, survived thanks to the preparations Henry had established before his death.
Because of this, countless families still spoke prayers of gratitude to the Baron of Tecka before their meals.
His legacy extended beyond inventions.
The purification artifacts.
The Stone Guards.
The improvements to transportation.
Medical equipment.
Communication devices.
Every year another one of Henry's unfinished ideas was successfully developed.
Every year his influence grew stronger.
Ironically, many believed Henry was accomplishing more after death than most nobles achieved during their lives.
Gathering for the Fifth Memorial
As the fifth anniversary of Henry's disappearance approached, preparations began within the capital.
This would be the final public memorial.
For five years the kingdom had mourned.
For five years ceremonies had been held in his honor.
The royal family had decided that this year would mark the conclusion of the official mourning period.
Not because he was forgotten.
But because his memory had become part of history itself.
Meanwhile, Prince Lucian returned to the capital.
His hunt against the remnants of the Group of Dark had finally reached a resting point.
Several major cells had been dismantled.
Many leaders had been captured.
For the first time in months, he was able to return home.
The palace welcomed him warmly.
He first paid his respects to King Mark.
The young king had matured greatly over the years.
The burdens of ruling a nation at war had aged him beyond his years.
Beside him sat the Queen, Mark's wife.
She was carrying their first child.
The kingdom eagerly awaited the birth of another royal heir.
Lucian then greeted his uncles.
Max, still carrying countless scars from the battlefield.
Mike, buried beneath mountains of administrative work.
Their spouses and children.
For a brief evening, the royal family enjoyed something rare.
Peace.
Then news arrived.
"Lady Tecka has arrived."
The atmosphere immediately changed.
Everyone rose.
Outside the palace gates, a carriage bearing the crest of Tecka rolled into the capital.
Irene stepped out first.
She wore simple noble attire rather than military armor.
Beside her stood William Tecka.
Now five years old.
His dark hair and eyes often reminded people painfully of his father.
Lucian smiled.
William immediately ran toward him.
"Big Brother Lucian!"
The prince laughed.
"You've grown again."
William proudly puffed out his chest.
"I'll be stronger than Uncle Max soon."
Max nearly choked upon hearing that.
The entire family burst into laughter.
For the first time in a long while, genuine happiness filled the palace halls.
That night, everyone gathered in the royal dining hall.
Stories were shared.
Old memories resurfaced.
Some were joyful.
Some painful.
But all of them centered around a single person.
Henry.
The man absent from the table.
Yet somehow still present in every conversation.
Guests from Across the Continent
The following day, important figures from every corner of the continent began arriving.
The capital had not seen such a gathering in years.
Nicole arrived representing the Merchant Union.
Years earlier, her father had finally accepted her ambitions.
The two largest merchant associations of Igdur had merged into a single organization.
Nicole now stood as one of the most influential merchants in the continent.
Henry's father served as one of its founding leaders and senior advisors.
Together they had become essential to sustaining the kingdom's wartime economy.
Lana arrived shortly after.
The successor of Mount Laya had become one of the foremost authorities on medicine and herbology.
Her work with Demonic Resistant Crops had saved countless lives.
Many scholars now regarded her as the natural successor to the Sixth Elder's legacy.
Representatives of the pirate fleets also attended.
The war had changed many things.
The seas had become vital supply routes.
Pirate captains who once lived outside the law now worked alongside the kingdoms against a common enemy.
Eden represented them.
Though he still dressed like a pirate, he now spoke more like a diplomat.
From Vlad came scholars and academy graduates.
Among them stood Clara.
No longer the mischievous noble girl who once challenged Henry.
Years of study had transformed her into one of the brightest scholars of her generation.
Beside her stood Duke Sven, looking immensely proud.
Hana arrived as the representative of the Adventurer's Guild.
She carried reports from every frontier.
The adventurers remained one of the kingdom's most important forces.
From the Dwarven Kingdom came Princess Tina.
Her arrival strengthened the alliance surrounding Melarium production.
The dwarves and humans now cooperated more closely than ever before.
From the Elven Kingdom arrived the youngest princess.
Relations between the kingdoms had improved dramatically over the years.
Shared hardship had accomplished what diplomacy often could not.
The Final Memorial
At last, the day arrived.
The entire capital fell silent.
Citizens gathered in the central plaza.
Soldiers stood at attention.
Flags lowered.
Bells rang across the city.
At the center stood a statue.
A young man with a sword at his waist and an artifact in his hand.
Henry Tecka.
For several minutes, silence reigned.
No speeches.
No music.
Only silence.
A kingdom remembering its hero.
Finally, King Mark stepped forward.
His voice carried throughout the plaza.
He spoke not of Henry's inventions.
Nor his titles.
Nor his victories.
Instead, he spoke of the person.
A friend.
A man who always complained about paperwork.
A man who rushed headfirst into danger.
A man who never stopped trying to help others.
A man who changed countless lives.
Many wept.
Others smiled.
Some simply listened.
As the speech ended, flowers were laid beneath the statue.
Thousands upon thousands of flowers.
The memorial continued until evening.
That night, a grand feast was held.
The atmosphere was lighter than previous years.
Not because grief had disappeared.
But because people had finally learned to live with it.
Stories of Henry filled the halls.
His successes.
His failures.
His embarrassing moments.
His achievements.
The man had become a legend.
And legends belonged to everyone.
As the night drew to a close, the guests slowly retired.
The final public memorial had ended.
The kingdom had honored its hero one last time.
The people believed they had finally said goodbye.