Chapter 74: Ch74 – Dead Man Standing

Ryan waved them off. “You guys go, leave me out today.”

“Are you sure?” Eleanor asked.

“I’m dead on my feet,” Ryan said. “Go. Have fun.”

“That’s fine,” James said. “We only need one of you two anyway. Someone’s got to pay for the food.”

Ryan managed a tired smile and turned away, heading to the exit of the main building.

The walk back was quiet. Apart from the festival songs that came from outside the academy grounds, and an occasional cheer.

Ryan glanced over his shoulder, scanning the courtyard, the rooftops and even the shadowed alcoves.

Gregory’s men were supposed to be following him.

But alas, he saw nothing. No movement, apart from the few students heading to their lessons or leaving the grounds.

They must be very good at their job.

Back in the dorm, Ryan collapsed onto his bed face-first.

For a moment, he just lay there, breathing into the pillow, muscles aching, exhaustion pulling at him.

Oh yeah, my bracelet.

He sat up slowly, rolling his shoulders, and looked down at his wrist. The engravings pulsed faintly, the runes glowing with that strange, rhythmic light.

Malick said runes could be activated for a specific period of time by channelling elemental mana into the object.

Ryan slipped the bracelet off and set it on the desk. He stared at it for a moment, then reached out and rested his fingers against the cool black metal.

He closed his eyes and focused, drawing on his light mana. The familiar warmth gathered in his chest, flowing down his arm and into his hand.

He urged it into the bracelet.

Nothing.

He tried again, channelling more mana this time, letting it seep into the engravings.

Still nothing.

Ryan frowned and pulled his hand back. The bracelet sat there, inert, unchanged.

Maybe I’m doing it wrong. Or maybe I have the wrong element.

Disappointed, he slipped it back onto his wrist and let himself fall back onto the bed, his head sunk into the pillow.

Sleep pulled him in quickly, and with it came a dream—a good one, for once. He was home. On Earth. His mother smiled at him from across the table. His father stood beside her, his hands were on her shoulders. They were celebrating his birthday.

————

Ryan stretched his arms. For hours he had slept on then and now he was paying for it.

He stood, groggy, and moved to the center of the room.

He sat cross-legged on the floor, his arms dangling by his sides, and closed his eyes.

Meditation, he hadn’t done it for a while now, and it was about time that he got back to it, his mana had been depleted for a while now, save for the small portions he got, by accident, from the mana circulation lessons.

He breathed in slowly, drawing mana inward. It was a much easier process than Mana Circulation, though less active and more… well, boring.

He felt the warmth enter him, and settle in his core easily. Time passed rapidly.

Then the door slammed open.

Ryan’s eyes snapped open, and the mana scattered instantly.

James stood in the doorway, grinning like a madman. Jared and Eleanor followed behind him.

“Ryan! Get up! You’re coming with us!”

Ryan groaned. “I was meditating—”

“And now you’re not,” James said cheerfully. “Come on. The evening ceremony starts in thirty minutes. You can’t miss it.”

“I’m still too tired—”

“You’ve been asleep for hours,” Eleanor said, stepping inside. “And James won’t stop talking about the food. If I have to hear about that damned cake one more time, I’m going to scream.”

“It had cream in the centre, Eleanor!” James said, gesturing emphatically. “Cream! And it was still warm! Don’t you understand how good that is?”

Jared rolled his eyes. “He ate seven of them.”

“Eight,” James corrected proudly.

Ryan stared at them for a moment, then sighed and stood. “Fine. But if this is boring, you owe me a day where you don’t bother me constantly.”

James clapped him on the shoulder. “Deal.”

By the time they reached the city, the moon was just beginning its trek across the sky.

The streets were packed, crowds moving slowly through the festival, torches lighting the way. The air smelt of roasted meat, sweet pastries, and smoke.

Then, around 19:55, the torches began to go out.

One by one, down the street, flames extinguished. The crowds murmured, shuffling toward the pavements, clearing the roads entirely.

Ryan frowned. “What’s happening?”

“Just wait,” James said quietly.

Within minutes, the entire city was dark.

No torches. No fires. Just the faint glow of the moon overhead and the excited murmur of thousands of people lining the streets.

The crowd fell silent.

For five minutes, nothing happened.

Just darkness and anticipation. The soft rustle of fabric, the quiet breathing of the masses.

Ryan was afraid to raise his voice to ask James what was happening. No one, not one of the thousands of people surrounding the streets, were saying a word. Not even the children made a quip or comment.

Then, in the distance, a single light appeared.

A torch.

Then another. And another.

Slowly, they grew closer, moving up the main road.

Women dressed in white robes, twelve of them, and each one carried a torch. Their movements were slow and purposeful. They walked in silence at first, their flames flickering against the darkness.

Then, one voice called out.

“Persephone! Where are you?”

Another voice joined. “Persephone!”

Then more. “Persephone! Come back to me!”

The calls echoed through the streets, haunting yet beautiful.

Each woman was strikingly beautiful, their white robes caught what little light remained and reflected it back, illuminating them like beacons in the darkness.

Ashes and embers fell from their torches and drifted through the air like dying stars.

The experience felt transcendent.

The women moved like ghosts, their white robes flowing, their torches casting long shadows across the stone. They walked slowly, searching, calling, their voices rising and falling in a divine rhythm.

“Persephone! Where have you gone?”

The crowd watched in silence, reverent, unmoving.

Ryan felt the atmosphere thick with something he couldn’t name. Not quite sorrow. Not quite anger. Something in between.

Eleanor stood beside him, jaw clenched tight, hands balled into fists. Her eyes reflected the torchlight, but there was no awe in them. Only cold fury.

What’s up with her?

James leant closer to Ryan, still looking at the women, and whispered, “They’ll walk through the entire city tonight. Every street. Searching for her.”

“Do they find this… Persephone?” Ryan murmured.

Ryan glanced back at Eleanor who was still visibly angry, tears were welling up in her eyes.

James smiled faintly. “No.”

Ryan nodded slowly, and watched the procession continue past them.

The women’s voices rose again, calling into the darkness.

“Twelve curses to you, Pluto!”

The torches moved on, disappearing down the street. The flame faded into the distance.

But the voices lingered on.

Ryan stood there long after they’d passed, staring at the empty road, the echoes still ringing in his ears.

“That was…” Ryan’s words trailed off.

“A lie…” Eleanor said quietly.

Ryan, Jared and James turned to Eleanor.

“What?”

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