Luna's scream finally died out. She was still kneeling and clutching Ria's small, lifeless body to her chest, her face buried in the girl's hair.
And suddenly, a presence arrived. Damien, still bruised stumbled onto the scene.
Luna immediately snapped up, her face of grief turning into molten fury. Her fists flared with flames.
"You sent that woman to do this!" she screamed, directing all her pain at him. "I'm going to make you pay!"
She flash-stepped toward him, a bolt of pure vengeance. Her fist was pulled back, aimed for his gut but Damien didn't move. He simply stood there, his face haggard, watching her with dead eyes. And she stopped just inches from impact.
"I didn't send Elena." Damien said. "She betrayed me and killed The Butler. Right now, I want to kill her as much as you do."
Luna searched his eyes, the intense fire slowly draining from her body. She lowered her fist and looked back at Ria's lifeless body, her voice breaking into a barely audible whisper.
"Can... can you help me with her body?"
Damien hesitated but nodded once. And together they moved toward Ria.
When they got to her, Luna kneeled down, ready to lift her. Damien stood over her, his jaw clenched, his eyes reflecting a deep personal defeat, the death of Ria was a direct consequence of his inability to control Elena.
"Damien?!" Luna said, snapping him out of his thoughts. And he kneeled down as well.
As they gently lifted the small and cold form, two more figures rounded the corner. Ravyn and Kyrren.
Ravyn's eyes landed on the kneeling figure of Luna and finally, on the small body she held.
His heart stopped. And he bolted, shattering the distance between them. He reached them and pushed Damien out of his way violently, dropping to his knees beside Luna.
"Ria!" Ravyn gasped, his hands trembling as he reached out to touch her cold cheek. "Ria, please!"
He turned, grabbing Luna's shoulder. "What happened?! Tell me, who did this?!" he demanded, shaking her gently.
Damien started to answer, "Elena..."
"I wasn't talking to you," Ravyn snapped, his eyes locked on Luna. "Help me lifting her up, we have to get her help. We have to..."
"Stop it, Ravyn." Luna cut him off, her tone utterly devoid of warmth. "It's too late, she's gone."
Ravyn sat himself down slowly, holding his face. "Where do you plan on taking her body?" he whispered, finally accepting the truth.
Luna shook her head. "I don't know. But we can't take her home to her family, it will break them. How will we even explain how she died?"
Kyrren, who stood several paces back, stepped forward. "But if you don't..." Kyrren said quietly, "her family will eventually file a missing person report. They will hold onto hope that she's just lost for the time being. And either way, finding her or never finding her, it's going to break them."
Damien stepped forward. "Our family owns a mortuary near the city center. We can keep her there until you decide what you want to do."
Ravyn instantly lunged at Damien, ready to fight through his grief. "Why would we do anything you suggest?!"
Luna stepped between them, her eyes piercing Ravyn. "He's with me now..." she said, her voice shaking with the intensity of her new focus. "And he wants to kill the person responsible for this as much as I do."
Ravyn stared at her. "Since when did you two become friends? A few days ago he hated you more than anything in this world!"
"Since when do I have to answer to you?" Luna snapped. "A few days days ago you were our friend but you left us, remember? And if you think about it, if you where here this wouldn't have happened!"
She gripped Damien's forearm tightly and took a step back, pulling Damien with her. "So much for protecting us, Grantham."
Damien and Luna began to carry Ria's body, Ravyn reached out to help carry her but Luna pushed his hand away.
Kyrren placed a reassuring hand on Ravyn's shoulder. "Take it easy, man. The girl just lost her friend."
"She was my friend too." Ravyn muttered, wrenching himself free from Kyrren's grip.
"But you weren't there." Kyrren said gently, his eyes fixed on the walking figures. "You know, losing someone dear to you is painful as it is. Then Imagine losing them right before your eyes, a piece of you dies right along with them. Give her some time."
Ravyn watched them until they were out of sight, the reality of his failure crushing him.
And they followed Luna and Damien silently to the mortuary, a silent place that accepted Ria's body without question.
Once they were back outside, Luna wasted no time on tears, she spun to Damien. "Where can I find that bitch?" she demanded.
Damien shook his head. "I don't know. I've also been trying to find her. But her ability makes it difficult to track her down causes she can conceal her mana. She might even be listening to us right as we speak."
Ravyn stepped forward again, suspicion clouding his face. "You seem to know too much about her."
Kyrren pulled him back, smacking him lightly on the head. "Kid, come on, leave the guy alone." Kyrren advised. "I know he tried to kill you but right now, he seems more like an ally than a foe."
Luna didn't wait for the resolution. She clenched her fists, the light of vengeance hardening her eyes.
"We'll just have to start looking for her."