Page 112 of Dead Wrong

“I guess we’re doing this, then,” I said, a swell of anxiety pressing against my stomach. We’d delayed the resurrection ritual long enough as it were, setbacks occurring each time we’d attempted it over the last week. The Anima stones were proving to complicate things more than Bastien originally anticipated.

“Wilhelm got everything set up at your apartment,” Bastien said, rubbing the small of my back. “So, we can head over whenever you’re ready.”

My ‘apartment’ in Brierwood was not much more than a bed, and some clothing scavenged from the second-hand store in town. Since we returned to the mortal town, I didn’t feel right taking up space in Paradise while they were still housing the Rebellion, so Bastien helped me find a place to stay on the surface.

Bastien and I exited the café, stepping out onto the sidewalk lining Brierwood’s main street. A tall figure leaned against the brick wall a few paces down from the entrance, their fiery hair pulled back in a ponytail. It took me a moment to recognize Cirian, his pedestrian outfit of dark jeans and hooded jacket a far cry from his religious paraphernalia. He took a long drag off the cigarette in his hand, then dropped it to the ground, stamping it out with the heel of his boot.

“There you are, Toto.”

“Here I am,” I replied, still taking in the stark difference of this Cirian.

“Azrael is waiting at the apartment already,” Bastien tells us, leading the way up the sidewalk.

“Why are you staring at me?” Cirian asked as we rounded the corner.

“I’ve never seen you without your vestments,” I explained.

“That’s not entirely true,” Cirian replied, flashing a wicked smile.

“You know what I mean.”

“I know what you mean. I figured, what with the secret society of Reviled living nearby, it would be rude of me to parade around in Hallowed paraphernalia. Plus, when else would I get the opportunity, you know?”

“How considerate,” Bastien chimed in, his words drenched with sarcasm.

“I can always get back on the train,” Cirian joked, pointing toward the station.

Bastien leveled a stare at him. “Don’t tease me unless you intend on following through.”

“Knock it off,” I chide them both.

“Whatever you say, Toto.”

The walk to my apartment only takes a few minutes, the three of us scaling the exterior flight of wooden stairs to reach the door. It sat over a shuttered shop front, so it was quiet enough that Bastien was comfortable with us performing the rituals there without drawing unwanted attention from the mortals in town.

I opened the door, letting the other two enter first, then took a deep breath before heading in. The smell of incense in the small space made my head swim as Azrael bounded over to me, wrapping me in a bone-crushing hug.

“There you are, Tobi. I was starting to get worried.”

“Sorry, I had a member of the Council come to tell me that I’m broke now.”

“Really?” Bastien asked, his voice filled with surprise.

“Are you okay?” Cirian added.

“Surprisingly, I’m relieved. It’s just another part of the Greene legacy that I get to bury. I’ll probably have to get a job soon to pay for this dump, but that’s a future Tobias problem.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Bastien said, giving me a reassuring smile. “First things are first. We’ve got work to do. Now, if you two will follow me, I need to talk you through the extraction ritual.”

Cirian and Azrael followed Bastien into my bedroom, where they had prepared the space for the ritual. Feeling slightly nauseated from the stifling air, I stepped into the small bathroom off the kitchen, shutting the door behind me. Splashing cold water across my face helped, and as I dried off, I couldn’t help but observe the violet gemstone poking out the deep cut of my shirt. I placed a hand over it, closing my eyes as I felt the invisible connection twinge, vibrating extra strong due to the close proximity to Azrael. The connection had only grown stronger the longer the stone stayed in my skin. The same went for the cerulean counterpart in my left and the verdant stone in my right palm. I ran my thumb over one, the invisible connection transferring to Cirian, his soft voice drifting into my head.

“There you are, Toto.”

Bastien connection was the strongest of the three at the moment, as I barely had to brush against the green gem for the connection to snap into place.

He was worried about me. It radiated down the line like a pulsing heartbeat.

“This has to work. I’ll fix him. I promised.”

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