Chapter 17: The Last Journey of the Lost Souls

                                    

                                          
The entire nation had fallen into deep mourning, a three-day collective pause that seemed to hang heavy in the air like a dark cloud. The loss of so many young lives had shaken the very core of the country, and everywhere you turned, there was a shared sorrow that united the people in their pain. Flags flew at half-mast, the streets were quieter than usual, and the atmosphere was thick with the weight of the tragedy.
Rangdrel, Pelmo's cousin, stood at the memorial, her hands trembling as she placed a single flower among the many tributes. Around her, others did the same, their faces etched with quiet sorrow. Rangdrel lit a candle, watching as the flame flickered and danced in the gentle breeze. It felt fragile, just like the lives that had been taken so brutally. Yet, in that delicate light, there was also a glimmer of hope, a flickering fire in the midst of overwhelming darkness.
As a balloon, bright and colorful, was released into the sky, the crowd watched in silence. It floated upward, carrying with it the memories of the victims-young lives now soaring beyond the reach of pain. As the balloon disappeared into the vast expanse above, the crowd held its breath, as if witnessing the final release of souls.
Inside the hospital, grief hung like a suffocating cloud. One by one, the parents arrived to collect the bodies of their children. Each step they took was a painful reminder that their worlds had been shattered. The sterile halls of the hospital seemed colder than ever, each corner a silent witness to the unbearable loss. The faces of the parents-pale, hollow-eyed-spoke of sleepless nights and anguished days. The silence was deafening, broken only by the shuffle of footsteps and the occasional stifled sob.
Rinchen's parents were among the first to arrive. Her mother, her face etched with exhaustion and disbelief, clutched her husband's arm as they walked toward the room. She hadn't shed a single tear yet-there was no space for them, no words to express the vast emptiness she felt. When they reached Rinchen's body, she crumpled to the floor in despair. Her heart twisted as she gazed at the white sheet covering her daughter's form. "No," she whispered, her voice barely audible, as though saying the word aloud might reverse the reality of what was happening. Her trembling hands reached out to touch the edge of the sheet, as if to convince herself that her daughter was still there, still alive.
Rinchen's father stood frozen beside her, tears silently rolling down his cheeks. He placed a hand on her shoulder, offering the only comfort he could, though his own heart was equally shattered. He, too, was hollow, unable to grasp the loss of the daughter who had once filled their home with light.
In the room next door, Kinga's parents arrived. Kinga's father, always a man of strength, walked with a heavy heart. He couldn't speak; words had failed him. His wife, ever his pillar of support, gripped his arm as they entered the room. She stood still for a moment, her breath shallow, as though the very air had become too thick to breathe. When she saw her son, her legs buckled beneath her, and she collapsed into uncontrollable sobs. Her husband, unable to comfort her, stood silently beside her, his own grief evident in his eyes.
"He was just starting to live," Kinga's father muttered under his breath, his voice cracking. "How could this happen?" His words seemed lost in the silence of the room, swallowed by the overwhelming weight of their loss.
Nearby, Selden's parents arrived, their faces ashen. Her mother entered the room first, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she reached for her daughter's lifeless form. The shock hadn't worn off yet; the reality that Selden, their bright, promising daughter, was gone forever hadn't fully sunk in. Selden's father stood behind her, his eyes closed as if willing the pain to disappear.
"Selden," her mother whispered, her voice barely audible. "My sweet girl... why?" She couldn't make sense of it-the cruelty of fate that had taken her daughter so suddenly. Tears fell in silence, the words she could never say now lost in the void.