Chapter 166 I OWE MY SISTER ONE LAST GOODBYE

Chapter 166 I OWE MY SISTER ONE LAST GOODBYE
CHAPTER 166

EMBER

My mind went blank for a second. Then everything hit at once. My heart slammed against my ribs so hard I felt the thudding in my throat. My hands started shaking.

A scream built in my chest and tore up my throat before I could stop it. Memories flashed: Liana laughing at the van, her arm linked through mine, the last time I saw her face clear and alive.

I shook my head hard. A loud wail ripped out of me. I staggered forward, clutching my chest with both hands.

Lance grabbed my wrist to stop me. “Ember—”

I yanked free with all my strength and ran. My boots pounded the stone. Students parted as I pushed through.

I reached Headmaster Michal and snatched the clipboard from his hands. My fingers fumbled over the paper. There, at the bottom of the list in clear black ink, was her name. Liana Ludovic.

I turned to Michal. My voice came out high and broken. “You’re joking, right? Tell me you’re joking. Liana isn’t dead. She can’t be.”

Michal’s face crumpled. He put both hands on my shoulders. His grip was firm but careful. “I’m sorry, Ember. I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend.”

I growled and shoved at his chest. “She’s not my friend! She’s my fucking sister! And I failed to protect her!”

Michal shook his head, eyes wet. “It wasn’t your fault.”

I threw the clipboard. It hit the ground with a sharp clatter. Papers scattered. I staggered backward and spun toward Mordecai. Something cold and sharp cut through the panic. I grabbed the front of his shirt with both fists and pulled him close. His clothes smelled of smoke and blood.

“What proof do you have?” I demanded. My voice cracked. “She could still be at the festival. She could be somewhere scared, hiding and hurt. She could be waiting for me to find her.”

The thought made my legs move again. I shoved past him and ran toward the gates. Yes. She was waiting. She had to be. I refused to believe anything else.

Mordecai caught up fast and grabbed my arm. “Ember, stop. She’s dead.”

I twisted against his hold. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin woven bracelet. The beads were scorched on one side. “Is this hers?”

I snatched it with both hands. The beads felt rough and warm from his pocket. “Where did you find this?”

He looked at me and shook his head once. “No.”

I hit his chest hard with my fist. “Tell me where you found her bracelet!”

Mordecai’s voice stayed low and steady, but his eyes were full of pity. “We found it near a food van. Her body was there. It's burnt badly…beyond recognition. But the bracelet was lying beside her. And some locks of her hair that hadn’t burned.”

I stared at the bracelet in my palms. The world tilted. Memories slammed into me without warning.

FLASHBACK

“Well, let’s go crush some festivals,” Liana said, grabbing my arm. Her grip was warm and solid. Her fingers squeezed once.

When we reached the door of our dormitory she stopped. “Wait. I’ve got something for you. Something I made.”

She dug into her pockets and pulled out two matching bracelets. The beads were carefully woven, soft colors mixed with stronger ones. “This is a soul sister bracelet. I’ve been making them since the start of the session. I just finished and I want you to have one.”

She took one and slid it onto my wrist. The beads settled cool against my skin. “Ember, listen to me and listen carefully: Never take it off. No matter what.”

She explained while she put the second one on her own wrist. “The soul bracelet connects two people who love each other deeply. Even if one of us isn’t alive anymore, the other will still feel a little of their warmth. Like a lingering touch that doesn’t fully die.”

I frowned, my eyebrows arched at her. “Why are you giving me this? Are you planning to leave?”

She shook her head and let out a nervous chuckle. “You know, circumstances happen and situations change. I made these in case one of us is gone. So the other doesn’t feel completely alone.”

I shook my head hard and reached for hers. “No one is putting anything on. No one is going anywhere.”

Liana grabbed my hands and shook me once, firm. “You don’t understand. You’re too innocent and too sweet for this world, Emberlyn. We can’t always stay together. This is not a forever deal.”

It was the first time she had used my full name to my face. She always called me Ember. Hearing Emberlyn in that quiet, serious tone sent a cold shiver down my spine.

“You’re speaking cryptic,” I said. “You’re acting strange. It’s weird. What do you mean it's not a forever deal? Why can't we be forever?"

She smiled. For a second I thought I saw sadness in her eyes. Liana was never sad. Or maybe I had believed that so strongly I never looked close enough. She's my sister. And she's happy around me. She's the kindest person I've ever met in this academy. She's the best part of living and makes everything so easy for me.

“Will you please put it on?” she asked, her voice pulling me out of my thoughts.

I nodded and fastened mine while she did the same. She cupped my face with both hands. Her palms were warm. “No matter what happens, know that I have always loved you deeply. Like a sister. I will always cherish every memory we made. If I ever die… you can activate my bracelet with a touch of your power. You’ll feel me.”

Then she kissed me softly on the lips. Before I could speak she grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room.

END OF FLASHBACK

I shook my head hard in the present. “No. She knew. She knew and she prepared for it.”

I clutched the bracelet so tightly the beads dug into my skin. A raw scream tore out of me. All the emotions crashed down at once—denial, guilt, fear, the memory of accusing her of dark energy, the seer’s words I had pushed aside. Tears flooded my eyes and spilled over. They ran hot down my cheeks and dripped off my chin.

Mordecai reached for my shoulders. I shoved him away and dropped to my knees on the cold stone. The impact jarred my bones. I bent over the bracelet, holding it against my chest like it was the only solid thing left.

“You can’t leave me, Liana,” I sobbed heavily. My voice broke on every word. “You’re my personal person in this academy. How am I supposed to do this without you? How am I supposed to live in this hell all alone? You promised you wouldn’t leave. You lied. You fucking lied to me. You left me. Please… just come back.”

Heavy sobs shook my whole body. My shoulders jerked with each one. Snot and tears mixed on my face. I kept talking to the beads between gasps, begging, accusing, pleading. The courtyard around me had gone quiet. I barely noticed.

A soft whimper sounded beside me. Magnus shifted closer on the ground. He wrapped his strong arms around my shoulders without saying much. His body was solid and warm. He held one of my hands carefully in his larger one.

“I’m so sorry, Ember,” he said, voice rough and quiet.

I looked up through blurry eyes. The others had moved closer—Lance, Rowan, Kael, Ragnar. They stood a few feet away, watching with sad, quiet faces. None of them spoke. They just stayed.

I turned back to Magnus, still clutching the bracelet. “She gave me this in our room. Right before we left for the festival. She left me.”

My voice cracked again. Fresh tears poured out. I shook my head. “I couldn’t even apologize for accusing her. I thought something was wrong with her. I doubted her. And now she’s gone. I wasn't with her when she took her last breath. I didn't tell her how much she meant to me.”

Rowan knelt on my other side. “I think Liana knows that.” He took my free hand and held it between both of his. “She knows how much you love her.”

His skin felt cool against my hot, wet fingers. The blood bond pulsed once, soft and steady, like it was trying to comfort me.

I stayed on my knees for a long time. The stone bit into my skin. My throat burned. My eyes swelled. The guys stayed around me in a loose circle. They didn’t cry. They didn’t try to make me stop. They just bent their heads and stayed quiet while I sobbed until my voice turned hoarse and there was almost no strength left in my body.

At some point I realized the courtyard had emptied. Only we remained. The sun had moved. Shadows stretched longer across the ground.

Finally the light shifted toward evening. My body felt hollowed out. I wiped my face with the back of my hand. The bracelet was still clenched tight in my other fist. I drew a shaky breath and pushed myself up on unsteady legs. Magnus and Rowan rose with me, hands steadying my arms.

I looked at each of them. My voice came out raw, barely above a whisper. "Let's go. It's time for the night procession."

My fingers tightened around Liana's bracelet as I let out a shaky breath.

"The least I can do is walk beside her one last time... I owe my sister a proper goodbye.”