The Afterlife Academy Saga

Chapter 13

13

My feet hit solid ground and the weight of the poisoned chain fell off me. My wings folded into my back and with a hiss, the clouds of the Veil pulled away to reveal a sight for sore eyes. My room. The dark sheets of my bed, Pickles’ cage, and four other people with smiles that mimicked the joy I felt.

“We’re back!” Sim exclaimed, the first to break free from the chain and dance around. He pumped his fist into the air and jumped with more energy than I’d ever seen from him. “Yesss, we’re back!”

“We made it,” Flavia grinned. She pulled the silver from her wrist, but didn’t seem bothered by the raw wounds. “Well done, Ylva.”

“I did my best,” I replied, pride swelling in my chest. I did it.

It had seemed so hopeless at times, but that was all over now. We were back in the Academy, alive and well. Except for Ryuga, but he was never going to arrive alive.

With a solid grin, I high-fived Flavia and embraced Ryoko. I’d been out of the bunker, but my heart had never left. Only now that my friends were free, I could celebrate and rejoice.

It was over.

I turned to Var, who seemed really out of place in the dorm room. His dark cloak was scruffy and covered with leaves, dirt, grass, all kinds of things that didn’t belong here. But then again, he didn’t belong here either.

“Where are you going next?” I asked, handing him his silver chain.

A rare smile graced his face and as the joy reached his eyes, I could tell he used to be a handsome man. He re-adjusted his jacket and patted his chest pocket. “Home. After all these years… I get to go home.”

“Good luck.” I wasn’t sure whether he was my friend or enemy, but we’d worked well together. Despite his trickery, we both got what we wanted, which was more than most collaborations could say. When I wished him good luck, I meant it.

“Until we meet again.” He saluted me and with the clap of his wings, he vanished.

“What a weird man,” Sim noted. He tugged on his cloak and gagged. “I stink.”

Flavia snorted. “You only noticed that now?”

“Yes, it was overruled by your smell,” he retorted, but I could tell it was all amicable.

The sharpness from before was gone and they could pretend nothing had changed, but I knew otherwise. Everything was different now.

I glanced at Ryoko, who was caught in the single ray of sunlight that fell in through the window. She was mesmerised by the gold light and I was mesmerised by her. She had blushes on her cheeks and scales on her arms, just like it was meant to be. Beautiful…

As if she could feel my gaze on her, she turned to look at me and a smile graced her features. The sparks returned to her eyes and somehow, the room got even brighter.

I reached out to take her hand and our fingers intertwined like vines that had never been apart. The warmth of her touch set my skin on fire and the sensation coursed along my arm, until it reached my chest and spread to the rest of my body. We locked eyes and my heart skipped a beat, which told me everything I needed to know.

Yes, everything was different now.

“Ahem.” Sim’s little cough pulled me out of my dream-like state and back to reality.

Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to let go of Ryoko’s hand. I’d been without her touch for too long.

He clicked his tongue. “You two might want to be careful.”

“Is that so?” I replied sceptically. “Like how you and Flavia were careful?”

“I…” The tips of his ears turned bright red. “That knowledge shouldn’t leave the bunker.”

Aha. Got him.

“So we agree. What happened in the bunker, stays in the bunker.” I held out my hand. “Deal?”

He only hesitated a second. “Deal.”

We exchanged a look of mutual understanding as we shook on it. I didn’t feel the urge to make the same agreement with the others, I knew I could count on their discretion. They had a lot more reason to keep it quiet anyway.

There was only more issue to address.

“I hope this deal includes my little… shadow secret,” I whispered.

“A deal is a deal,” Sim declared. “What are we telling the teachers though? About our escape?”

I scratched my head, realising just how greasy my hair had become. “The headmistress and Professor Brynhild already know.”

Flavia sighed. “Still. It can’t hurt to get our stories straight. We tell the teachers that Master Ryuga attacked us out of nowhere, we fought him, and found the underground tunnels by accident.”

“That’s not what happened,” Ryoko noted.

“That’s why it’s a lie.” The Reaper adjusted his cloak. “Continue, Flavia.”

“The bunker collapsed, killing Ryuga. We worked on digging ourselves out, and when Astrid got injured, we managed to get her and Ylva out. The three of us stayed behind to remove the rubble and when Ylva came back to help us from the outside, we managed to walk out. That’s the important part. We walked out. Understood?”

All four of us exchanged a look and nodded in agreement.

“Understood. It’ll be our little secret,” Sim said before swinging his cloak dramatically and turning towards the exit. “I’m leaving now. No offence, but I’m sick of your faces.”

“No offence taken. I need a shower,” Flavia noted, following him out.

“Wait, before you leave…” I gave Ryoko a quick squeeze before I hurried after Flavia and caught her at the door. Everything was cleared up, but there was one more thing hanging above my head. “Can we talk?”

“Now? I’m desperate to get clean.”

“Yes… I—” I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject of her fallen friend, but after everything we’d been through, after I’d seen the fate that my kind brought, I owed her a new apology. “About Oda, I’m sorr—”

“No, I’m the one that needs to apologise,” Flavia cut me off. A frown threaded between her eyebrows as she looked back at me. “I don’t understand what happened to my friend, but I know that it wasn’t your fault. I just felt so… lost. So much pain, anger, sadness. I didn’t know what to do with that sorrow, so I directed it at you. In my grief, I blamed you for her death and that was wrong of me. Please forgive me.”

She extended her arm and we clasped hands.

“There’s nothing to forgive,” I replied, already feeling lighter now that we cleared the air.

“Good. Now I need that shower and I think you could use some time alone.” She shot me a knowing look and followed the Reaper, leaving me along with Ryoko.

The door slammed shut and for a moment, I didn’t know what to do with the silence. It was so abrupt and unexpected, a blank canvas in a world of chaos.

I looked at my roommate, unsure of what to say. I didn’t have the right words and I didn’t want to ruin the moment by saying the wrong thing.

She stared back at me, her lips curled into the most beautiful smile. She didn’t say anything either and I revelled in the sanctity of our silent exchange. Some things didn’t need to be said.

“Hfff?” The hissing sound of a dust bunny protruded from Ryoko’s pocket and two ears followed. She sniffed loudly before emitting a strange purr and hopping down onto the floor. With a happy wiggle, she scurried to her cage and paused at her food bowl.

She flashed her spikes and stared at us with vacant eyes. “Hff?”

Ryoko and I burst out laughing. A beautiful, tender moment broken by a hungry dust bunny and yet, it wasn’t ruined. It was real and Pickles made that clear.

“I’ll feed you,” Ryoko said, her voice clear as bells. “And then I have to take care of Ryuga-sensei.”

“You sure? I can do it.” I looked at the body of the Moon Dragon, trying to ignore the guilt. It was my fault that he was dead. It might not have dealt the last blow, but if it hadn’t been for me and my Shadow powers, he wouldn’t have chased us. Shouldn’t it be my responsibility to deal with that?

My roommate bowed her head slightly. “Please let me deal with his departure. It would mean a lot to me.”

“If you’re sure…”

“Yes.”

I nodded. “Then of course. You’ve said before how important the burial is to you.”

“It’s a Dragon custom I can’t ignore.” She smiled at me, her eyes flickering with reverence. “Thank you, Ylva.”

“Okay. If you’re doing that, I should tell a teacher we’ve returned. I’m ready for everything to go back to normal. I mean, what else could possibly go wrong?”