Chương 3: Glorious Golden Braid

The blue screen vanished and left Sid lying just behind the exit door. A dull pain throbbed at the back of his head that made him want to scream at the world. Mother was determined to keep him as her pawn, but Sid would rather die than let her control where he went once again. He picked himself up from the floor and dusted himself off before reaching for the exit door a second time. It opened without issue. He was finally free from the school building.

Sid stepped outside and felt the rough island breeze flow through his hair and tunic. With no staff members left, the only ones who could call the authorities were his classmates. They were all likely hiding in the panic room by that point, and he wasn't sure if any of them even knew how to use a phone. He had until the next ship visited their port for a supply drop to think of a way to avoid arrest. As bad as his school was, it was better than whatever institution they'd throw him in for working with a coven.

He looked down at the ground and saw the two guards who had stood outside the exit door. Mother was very thorough with her murder; she didn't leave any part of the school untouched. He reached into both guards' pockets and removed their wallets. He left the cash alone and went for a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. The guards were always willing to share their vices with the boys for the right price. They would not be missed. He took one of them by the legs and dragged her outside.

He could burn her body on his habit and leave a note nearby. Maybe they would notice the missing guard and eventually connect the dots, but faking his death could buy a little bit of time. Sid plopped down next to the body on the nearest mound of sand. He untied his habit and used it as a makeshift beach blanket. The port city of Haivostok was just in his sight across the water. Sid wanted to return to the Northeast Asian mainland every day since he got here, but now he realized he had nowhere to go home to.

His mother left him here, and she wanted him to go wherever "Ring" was instead of home. His father was in exile. No one was waiting for him. His classmates were the only people in the world who liked him, and apparently, their loyalty vanished at the sight of one measly massacre and a blood-soaked habit. Okay, it did look pretty bad. But surely, ten years of tucking them into bed afforded him some benefit of the doubt. He didn't even like his classmates; he found them to be insufferable.

All that hard work making them trust him was just a waste now. When was the last time he was actually happy? He tried thinking about it as he lit a cigarette and put it to his mouth. There was one person who brought feelings of warmth, but she was just a relic of the past. Mother brought her into his life, and mother taketh away. Sid looked at the body by his side and took the cigarette out of his mouth. Burn the witch-lover, so they say. Sid hated that lie.

There were so many other reasons to hate him that were actually true. For all of Sid's faults, he truly wanted nothing less than to be bound to a witch in unholy matrimony. It didn't sound very pleasant for the man involved. Then again, neither did this bullshit. He wrote a quick note explaining how he decided to end it all after the entire class blamed him for the massacre. He's just a sad, innocent boy. Waah, waah, and all that. He took one last look and added a very crucial note after his signature.

For the last time, I do not, and have never wanted to marry a witch. Goodbye. He was ready to drop the burning cigarette and abandon the habit, but his vision blurred for a second. Then he saw her. One last glimpse of the golden hair he braided as a child. Bright green eyes that stared down at him with a look. He could imagine what her voice sounded like now that they were older.

"Sid! Sid, wake up. Oh my God!" Her voice was crystal clear. Her golden locks almost looked like a halo as she stood over him. Was she real? Was he dead? Allani was probably in heaven if she had died, so he couldn't possibly be meeting her in the afterlife. Maybe she was part of some torture scenario in hell. She would probably start stabbing him soon with the same knife he had supposedly used to kill the school's faculty. I told you I was sending someone. Don't you know how dangerous it is to smoke on a habit?

Reckless behavior like that won't help you on Ring. Ignoring his mother's lecture, his eyes shot open, only to find the same woman of his dreams standing above him. Her blue and white polka-dot spaghetti strap top showed off enough of her body for Sid to notice how much she had grown up since they last saw each other. Her physique was much more impressive. She must have continued her acrobatic work, if her lean muscles were any indication.

A white sailor's coat was draped over her shoulders, and along with it, a single golden braid that shone in the moonlight.

"SIDOR GET THE FUCK UP!" He wasn't sure why she was so panicked. Then he felt heat all around him. The habit was on fire, and he was still lying with the corpse meant to take his place. She grabbed his hand and yanked him away from the flames. He patted himself down to check for any injuries, but luckily, it appeared he wasn't in the fire for very long. The woman sighed with relief. Sid's cheeks went pink as he smiled. It was the first genuine smile he had managed in a long time.

The woman wrapped her arms around him in a hug. She lifted him up into the air and spun around a few times. She had certainly gotten stronger since they last saw each other.

"Allani!" He squeaked out.

"Agh. Put me down, please!" Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. She obliged and gently lowered him back into the sand.

"Holy shit it's really you!" Her arms flopped to her sides as she sighed.

"My navigator was glitching out all morning and I just stopped at the closest island I could find! Must be fate, huh? You'd be dead if I got here just a minute later." Fate, huh? No, this was something much more powerful than that: mother. His mother's magic never came without a price, but he was too happy to see Allani to care about that at the moment.

"Fuck, I can't believe you're actually here!" She looked around and saw the school building standing behind them.

"What is here, anyway?"

"Oh…it's sort of a school for mystics." Allani gasped.

"Oh fu-" She quickly covered her mouth.

"I'm so sorry I hugged you like that. I had no idea you were a mystic now." Sid wanted to correct her. He had not graduated and was technically not a true mystic. Even if he were, he really didn't care about any of their rules. He was happy to let Allani hug him. He was happy to be out of his habit. Yet, for some reason, when he looked back at the school, he couldn't bring himself to tell her. St. Jane's had branded him a failure.

There was some incredibly stupid and petulant part of him that wanted to prove them wrong and become the best mystic in the human world. Perhaps an even greater factor was the fact that he had zero assets to his name, and a monastery made a better temporary living arrangement than the streets of the North Asian mainland.

"No, it's okay. I shouldn't have been out here without my habit. I was smoking a cigarette and it must've fallen onto it. It's really my fault." Allani kept staring down at the flames as Sid continued.

"So, you need a new navigator?" He pointed towards the boathouse by the dock.

"There should be a portable one in there."

"Sid."

"Yeah?"

"Why is there a corpse in that fire?" Sid looked down at his habit. In all of his excitement, he had forgotten about the body.

"Uh…" He tried to pull an excuse out of thin air, but maybe he didn't even need one. Maybe he could just trust their friendship and let the tears welling in his eyes do the talking.

"Allani, can I leave the island with you? They aren't too kind to me here. I didn't kill this woman, but the last punishment they gave me got out of hand. I wasn't actually smoking," he looked down at the corpse, "they were punishing the two of us for touching." Allani's eyes widened slightly as she moved closer to him.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt right now?"

"No, I'm fine. Though she looks like she's seen better days." He tried to laugh it off, but Allani was still staring at him with those big green eyes of pity.

"Seriously, I'm fine now that you're here." Allani settled down and let Sid go to pick up the portable navigator. They moved to where her speedboat was anchored on the dock and she hoisted Sid up before climbing in herself. The hum of the engine starting melted all of the tension from Sid's body. He took one last look at the school that had served as his prison for the last ten years. He took a bit of joy in watching it shrink as they sailed farther away. Goodbye! Good riddance. Crack!

A flash of lightning hit the water just behind the boat. Sid looked up and saw the stars in the sky disappear behind a mass of grey clouds. A drizzle of rain quickly became a full-blown tropical storm with winds that swung their boat back and forth with the violent waves. Crack! Crack! Crack! One of the flashes must have hit the boat, because Sid felt his stomach drop as the ship tipped backwards and fully flipped his center of gravity. Allani turned to him with wide eyes as he started slipping from his seat.

He reached a hand towards her as he fell towards the ocean's embrace. His one friend. The one person who stood by him when he was young. He couldn't lose her again. The initial crash onto the surface of the water felt worse than any lashing he had ever received. The chill that followed was almost soothing on his burning skin. The relief lasted only a second as the water started burning his eyes and mouth. Allani's face was now gone, replaced by the blur of her speedboat and the bubbles coming from his mouth.

Just as he was about to close his eyes, he saw a blonde blur falling towards him. It hit the water just above him and was immediately surrounded by a barrier of whitewater. A hand reached out past the barrier and grabbed onto his. The current that followed brought them in and out of the water with barely enough time to get a breath in. It dragged them back until the grip on his hand started to weaken. They were both getting tired.

The current dulled as if it had noticed, and the violent pull now felt like a gentle cradle. As much as his mind raced, Sid's body was exhausted. That exhaustion won as he let the waves soothe him to sleep. [Rina Ring!] Pawn registered: Sidor Sokolov Hey, that's my last name! Wonder where you got it from;) Role: [The Mad Mystic] Your dark desires are hidden behind a wall of false piety and meekness. You never even graduated into a true mystic.

Wield this facade to your advantage, and you may find yourself rising above the very ones that tried to cast you out. Rarity: Unique! Hell is more likely to freeze over than this role being given out twice. Rank: Pawn I I'm overjoyed. You finally made it! It looks like you have some unclaimed XP waiting for you. +50 XP (massacred enemies with assistance) Such a go-getter. I hope you didn't spoil your appetite for killing! [50/100 XP] to level two.

Earn XP by winning fights, slaughtering other pawns, clearing The Rings of Hell, and acting in accordance with the role bestowed upon you. Sid's eyes burned. His eyelids were twitching and struggling to pry themselves apart. His hand twitched, now feeling empty. He had lost his grip on Allani at some point. He moved his hands around and felt the warm brush of sand below them. He rubbed the dried saltwater off of his eyes and forced them open.

A blue screen hovered just above his face with the same words that had pulled him out of unconsciousness. It disappeared as he sat up and allowed him to examine his surroundings. He was on another beach with the same green palm trees and ferns that the last one had. He may have assumed he'd washed up back on St. Jane's island if it wasn't for the giant cylinder of purple light swirling out of the jungle and towards the sky.

That was the type of thing his classmates would have looked at and had a mini spiritual awakening that unlocked brilliant healing spells. Sid thought it was cool and all, but he was more focused on one unfortunate fact about his current situation: sand over his hands, sand in his shoes, and sand in a new habit he somehow washed up in. Not another fucking island.