Chapter 167 A PROPER GOODBYE

Chapter 167 A PROPER GOODBYE
CHAPTER 167

A PROPER GOODBYE

EMBER

Lance stood in the hallway outside my dormitory door. His voice was low and steady. “We’ll meet you at the front of your room. Even if you’re already dressed, don’t go anywhere without us.”

I nodded. My throat felt too tight for words. I pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room hit me at once.

The air still carried the faint scent of Liana’s favorite soap. Her bed was neatly made, the same way she had left it.

Grief slammed into my chest so hard my knees nearly buckled. Fresh tears rolled down my face before I could stop them.

I walked straight to her bed and dropped to my knees on the mattress. I pressed my face into the sheets and cried.

The fabric was cool against my hot skin. My shoulders shook. Soft, broken sounds escaped me. I clutched the edge of the blanket with both hands until my fingers ached.

By custom, the family of the dead was supposed to come collect their belongings and burn them. Liana had only ever mentioned problems with her family.

I doubted they would even show up to pay respects. The thought made my stomach turn. I stood on shaky legs and opened her closet. Her clothes hung in neat rows.

I reached out and touched a sleeve. The material felt soft under my fingertips. I couldn’t bring myself to pack anything.

How was I supposed to do that? How was I supposed to fold her shirts and put them away like she was never coming back?

I shook my head and inhaled. Nothing but the empty smell of the room filled my lungs. Tears kept pouring. This felt harder than losing my parents. At least with them I had been too shocked to feel everything at once. Now I felt every second of it.

Why did my life have to be this way? Why was everything so cruel? I had already lost my parents. Now the only person who had truly accepted me in this academy was gone too.

The thought of her death sat heavy and strange in my mind. I had no strength left to dig deeper into it.

I looked around the room for something I could burn, something that belonged only to her. My hands stayed frozen at my sides. I couldn’t do it. Not yet. I decided I would pack her things later, when I had the courage, and keep them somewhere safe.

I opened my own closet and pulled out a black dress. The fabric was plain and heavy. I changed into it, the material cool against my skin.

I gathered my hair into a tight ponytail and walked out of the room. I sat on the floor in the hallway, back against the wall, and waited.

A flash of speed cut through the air. Rowan dropped down beside me. A second later Lance appeared on my other side. I leaned into Rowan without thinking.

The blood bond pulsed, carrying a quiet echo of his own grief into me. He squeezed my hand tightly. We stayed silent.

The others joined us one by one—Magnus, Kael, Ragnar. All of them wore black. No one spoke. We simply stood and walked together out of the hall toward the courtyard.

Students had gathered in large numbers. Everyone wore black. Faces looked grim. Eyes were swollen and red from crying. The academy had lost many students, most of them Year One.

The sun had just set. The sky held a dull gray light. The atmosphere was completely silent except for the soft shuffle of feet on stone.

Professors moved through the crowd. Mordecai and Eldon, along with others, began handing out candles and lanterns. Some students received floating orbs of soft light.

When one reached me I took it, but my fingers stayed closed around Liana’s bracelet instead. The beads pressed into my palm.

I barely looked at the glowing orb in my other hand. The professors continued until every student held something that gave off light.

Michal appeared from the edge of the gathering and walked to the front. He cleared his throat. He flicked his fingers casting a spell. His voice suddenly filled the entire courtyard, clear and amplified so no one had to strain to hear.

“Tonight we remember those whose futures were stolen from them,” he said. His voice stayed steady, but it held a rough edge. “Their names will never be forgotten within these walls. They fought bravely and with courage against the shadow monsters that attacked them. Tonight is for all of them. We, the living, will lead their spirits into the ancestral realm. We hope their souls are accepted there with honor.”

“I will read the names of the students once more,” he continued slowly. “When each name is spoken, a bell will ring. The magical flames on your candles, lanterns, or floating orbs will flare. In that moment we will all say together: May your light endure.”

He looked at us one last time. Then he began.

The first name left his mouth. A deep bell rang from the front. The sound vibrated through my chest. The floating orb in my hand flared bright and hot for a second. Voices rose around me, low and sorrowful.

“May your light endure.”

Name after name followed. Each time the bell rang. Each time the flames jumped. Each time the same words left hundreds of mouths. My own voice came out rough and thin.

I kept my eyes on the ground. The bracelet stayed clenched in my other hand, the beads pressing hard into my palm.

When Michal reached Liana’s name my body locked. “Liana Ludovic.”

The bell rang. The orb flared so bright it stung my eyes. My throat closed. I almost dropped the orb. My knees trembled. A fresh wave of tears burned behind my eyes. I forced the words out with everyone else, but they cracked in the middle.

“May your light endure.”

I swayed. Lance’s hand found my elbow and held me steady until the next name came.

Michal finished the list and stepped down. Everyone stood. Lance leaned close. “It’s time for the procession walk.”

We moved slowly. The procession left the courtyard and followed the main path through the academy. No one spoke.

The only sounds were footsteps on stone, the soft rush of wind, and occasional quiet crying from somewhere in the line. We passed the Ember gardens. The night air smelled of damp earth and grass.

Finally we reached a memorial ground I had never seen before. Flat stone markers stood in neat rows under the dark sky.

We stopped. Michal faced us again.

“At the count of three, release what you are holding into the air. Those with air magic will help lift everything upward.”

He counted. “One. Two. Three.”

I opened my hand. The floating orb rose. I called on my air power and guided it carefully, wrapping a gentle current around my own light and the ones near me including the males. The current pushed them higher.

All across the memorial ground the same thing happened. Hundreds of small lights lifted into the night sky. They hung there glowing, bright against the darkness. The sight was clear and sharp. It was also heavy with sadness. My chest ached looking at them.

Michal spoke once more. “It is time for final goodbyes. Those who were close to the dead may step forward. Everyone else, please step back and give them space.”

Most of the students moved away. I stayed. I walked a few steps alone and dropped to my knees on the cold ground. I pressed Liana’s bracelet between both hands and lowered my head.

“I don’t know what to say that can fix what happened between us the last time,” I whispered. My voice shook. “I don’t want to think about how you died. Were you scared? Were you alone? Did you hope I would find you? I don’t know any of it. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there. If I could go back, I would take back every word I said. I would never have left you.”

A soft whimper left my throat. More tears spilled down my face and dropped onto the bracelet. “You promised you wouldn’t leave. I will forever cherish every memory of the times we spent together. I will miss you every day. I hope wherever you are… you’re not alone.”

I stayed there until my legs went numb. When I finally stood I was the last one still in that space.

Iwalked back to the others and slid between Rowan and Magnus. Rowan put his arms around me slowly and held me against his chest. His heartbeat was steady under my ear.

Michal raised both hands. A bell rang three times, deep and clear. Then he called out, voice strong across the memorial ground.

“May the Academy remember.”

The lights in the sky suddenly rose higher and disappeared into the darkness above.

Everyone watched them vanish. I kept staring upward. Then a faint warmth pulsed against my palm from Liana’s bracelet.

Just one soft beat of heat.

I froze.

“Liana…?”