In the once Magic Kingdom, the process of mourning the deceased was very complex.
The origin of the Kingdom's funeral rites was the royal family, and it is said that they began because the Queen felt inconsolable over the departure of a certain Clan Fairy, and thus held a funeral that lasted seven days and nights. The opening speeches and flower offerings were just appetizers, the performances by the Requiem choir and the mournful music band were just additions, followed by personally carving tombstones, making garlands together, playing videos, invoking star constellations… and many more exaggerated procedures. It is said that after seven days, the Queen was still crying non-stop, and even wanted to extend it for another seven days, leading many nobles of the Royal Court and even the holders of the Gemstone Scepter to advise against it, finally bringing some peace.
These mourning processes were then fully recorded and became a reference for the entire citizens of the Magic Kingdom. Depending on the deceased's status, family background, and the degree of loved ones' attachment, the complexity of a funeral or memorial service was decided. Some exaggerated to the extent of replicating the Queen's seven days and nights ritual to express their grief.
Latterly, as times changed, the population of the Kingdom steadily increased while the pace of life also gradually accelerated. The ancient rituals could not adapt to modern life and naturally had to be improved. Thus, after several rounds of simplification and revisions, the widely popular and recognized by the Civil Administration Institute mourning process now only consists of three steps.
The first step is to clean the graves. No matter whether the grave is abandoned, mourners should clean the area around the grave with the Wind Erosion Technique and Moisture Technique to remove dust. This step is taken care of by the fairies in the Memorial Cemetery, where every tombstone is meticulously cared for by the fairy staff, so it can be skipped directly.
The second step is to write a letter. Mourners can write down the words they want to say to the deceased on prepared letter paper, then personally seal it in an envelope and stamp it with a garland-shaped wax seal. Afterwards, they place it under the offerings they brought and put it in the box in front of the tomb. These items, whether letters or offerings, will be affected by the Wind Erosion Technique carved in the box and gradually decompose back into primitive magic particles over the next half month, returning to the source of this world.
The third and final step is to chant the Requiem, to comfort the spirit of the deceased in heaven. This step must be carried out by a person who can use magic, with the Requiems chanted by Magical Girls being the most effective, followed by fairies, and then magicians being the least.
And this, is exactly what Emerald Sparrow was doing at the moment.
She took out a piece of Qi Cloud Cake and placed it in the box in front of her, while quietly reciting the Requiem, occasionally glancing at Mo He beside her with the corner of her eye.
To be honest, compared to the Nina Kregios in her memory, the Mo He right in front of her had undergone quite significant changes.
It's not to say that her appearance has changed that much, in fact, aside from clothes and temperament, the Magical Girl in front of her and the Mo He in Emerald Sparrow's memory didn't differ much:
Slim and frail-looking, a figure that seemed as if it would break upon bending, and the only plump feature, the cheeks which one would want to pinch. The slightly rough black hair due to lack of grooming was tied into a single ponytail, under the jet-black bangs were a pair of slightly drooping, weak-looking amber round eyes, and pale lips with a hint of pink, completely unadorned, giving off a sense of misfortune.
Everything was exactly the same as the Mo He in Emerald Sparrow's memory, only that back then, Mo He had long hair and wore a black dress with a Witch-style as a Magical Girl, but now Mo He no longer kept her hair long, and her clothes had changed to a black suit with red embellishments, a school uniform.
But, the problem is, the Mo He in Emerald Sparrow's memory was that 14-year-old girl, just a girl. Normally, Magical Girls of the Kingdom adjust their Magic Bodies to a closer appearance of their 17, 18 years old self upon reaching adulthood, around the age of 18 (or upon completing ten years of service, for Magical Girls from the Material Realm), mainly to make their appearance closer to a "girl" rather than a "child".
This adjustment not only meets the aesthetic needs of most Magical Girls – they would hope to maintain their youth, but also wish not to always look like a child, it is also to ensure to some extent that their physique in daily life and during battle is consistent. This makes transformation unnecessary for additional adaptation and is more advantageous in battle.
Thus Emerald Sparrow being in the appearance of a child was entirely accidental and could not be judged by ordinary standards of Magical Girls. What about Mo He then? Why is she still in her previous appearance? Didn't she make post-growth adjustments?
It must be known that apart from a very few who are still childish and prefer to fight in the appearance of a child, most Magical Girls would not reject such adjustment, for it is beneficial in every way. Then why is that so for Mo He? Is it merely due to personal preference?
And the doubts that Mo He's appearance brought to Emerald Sparrow were far more than these. Aside from her physical appearance, the change in her temperament was even more striking.
The previous Mo He, although a bit introverted, perhaps even considered gloomy by some, still had a normal mental outlook; but now Mo He's temperament has evolved into a level of "desolation," with heavy dark circles that give a very melancholic impression. Paired with an almost unchanging facial expression, she could completely be described as a "freak."