Chapter 234: A Vow

(The Northwatch Grounds, Stacy’s POV)

For several seconds, Stacy remained completely frozen as she stared down at Mary’s body, her lips quivering while tears streamed down from her cheeks.

"H-Hic!"

A broken sound escaped her throat as she tried to breathe, only for the air to become trapped somewhere inside her chest while her stomach cramped so violently that she almost doubled over.

’She’s dead.... Big Sister’s dead.’

Stacy thought, as her trembling hands slowly curled into fists beside her.

’I’m officially orphaned.’

That thought hurt more than anything else.

Stacy had never had parents who cared about her, nor any parental figure who raised her with particular love or care, and yet she had never truly considered herself an orphan because Mary had always been there.

As long as Big Sister was alive, Stacy still had family.

She still had someone who worried whenever she became sick, someone who yelled at her whenever she did something stupid, and someone she could run towards whenever the world became too frightening to face alone.

Now there was nobody.

"H-Hic.... Hic...."

Stacy tried desperately to swallow the sobs rising through her throat, although each attempt only made her chest hurt more as her breathing became increasingly broken.

’Why?’

Stacy wondered, as her vision blurred beneath the tears.

’Why did it have to be her?’

Her knees suddenly lost their strength as she collapsed beside Mary’s body, barely managing to catch herself with one hand before her face struck the bloodied ground.

"She didn’t do anything...."

Stacy whispered, as her shaking fingers reached towards Mary’s clothes and clutched them tightly.

"She never did anything to anyone...."

Her voice cracked.

"She was good."

The words seemed to make everything worse.

"MARY WAS FUCKING GOOD!"

Stacy screamed, as she suddenly lifted her head towards the professors surrounding the area.

"WHY HER?!"

Nobody answered.

"WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE MY SISTER?!"

The scream tore painfully through her throat as Stacy turned back towards Mary and clutched her clothes with both hands, while another violent sob forced her entire body to convulse.

"She already suffered enough...."

Stacy cried, as she lowered her forehead against Mary’s chest.

"We both did.... We already suffered enough."

Her fingers tightened until her knuckles hurt.

"We survived Ashfang.... We survived all that shit because things were supposed to get better after coming here."

Another broken hiccup escaped her throat.

"You were supposed to become strong, Big Sister.... You were supposed to live properly for once."

KRRRRK!

A thin sheet of ice suddenly formed beneath Stacy’s knees.

Nobody moved.

The professors surrounding her simply watched as Frost Aether began leaking uncontrollably from Stacy’s Soul Vessel, spreading through the bloodied ground beneath her while the temperature around Mary’s corpse steadily dropped.

Stacy noticed none of it.

"You can’t fucking leave me alone now!"

She screamed, as her grief finally overwhelmed whatever restraint remained inside her.

"YOU CAN’T!"

KRRRRRRRK!

Frost erupted across the ground.

The blood surrounding Mary’s body froze first, trapping the dark stains beneath a translucent layer of ice before the frost continued spreading outward through the soaked grass.

"I DON’T HAVE ANYONE ELSE!"

Stacy howled, as she wrapped both arms around Mary’s body and pressed herself against her sister.

"DO YOU FUCKING HEAR ME?! I DON’T HAVE ANYONE ELSE!"

Her cries became increasingly incoherent as she buried her face against Mary, desperately holding onto the body while her shoulders convulsed beneath each sob.

For years, whenever Stacy became frightened, she had always known where to go.

Big Sister would figure something out.

That stupid certainty had survived everything.

’What am I supposed to do now?’

Stacy wondered, as another sob tore through her chest.

’Who am I supposed to go to now?’

The frost surrounding her surged again.

Ice raced several meters across Northwatch before climbing over the bottom of the nearby boulder, while several professors instinctively moved farther away as the cold reached their boots.

Principal Boseman remained completely still.

His attention shifted from Stacy towards the rapidly expanding frost surrounding her, and for several seconds, the Radiant Rank Ascendant simply observed the amount of elemental Aether escaping from the grieving girl’s body.

"The Frost is strong in this one."

Boseman muttered, as Vice Principal Chadwick followed his gaze towards the frozen ground.

Professor Mike glanced towards the Principal before slowly approaching Stacy from behind.

"Stacy...."

"GO AWAY!"

Stacy screamed, as she tightened her arms around Mary.

Mike stopped briefly.

"We need to move you away from here, child."

"NO!"

Stacy immediately turned towards him.

Her face had become almost unrecognizable beneath the tears, while strands of wet hair clung against her cheeks as she stared at Mike with an expression caught somewhere between terror and rage.

"I’m not leaving her!"

"Stacy, please."

"I SAID I’M NOT LEAVING HER!"

Mike released a heavy breath before finally crouching behind her and wrapping one enormous arm around Stacy’s waist.

The moment she realized what he intended to do, Stacy panicked.

"NO! NO, DON’T!"

Mike carefully lifted her away from Mary’s body.

"LET ME GO!"

Stacy immediately began thrashing inside his grip.

"LET ME FUCKING GO!"

Her legs kicked wildly as she twisted against him, while both hands desperately reached backwards towards Mary even as Mike began carrying her away.

"BIG SISTER!"

KRRRRRK!

Ice instantly spread across Mike’s shoulder where Stacy grabbed him.

The fabric covering his enormous frame stiffened beneath the frost as white crystals crawled towards his neck, although Mike merely grimaced and continued walking.

"MARY!"

Stacy screamed again.

"PLEASE! DON’T TAKE ME AWAY FROM HER!"

Her voice broke completely as Mike carried her farther away, while Stacy continued fighting against him with whatever strength remained inside her.

Then Stacy’s eyes fell upon the horrific wound across Mary’s throat again, and for a fleeting moment, her grief became focused upon the fact that somebody had deliberately done this to her.

’Someone killed her.’

Stacy thought, as her breathing shuddered violently.

Until that moment, grief had occupied so much of her mind that there had been room for almost nothing else.

Now hatred entered beside it.

Someone had murdered her Big Sister..... Somebody was responsible for the emptiness she was feeling right now.

"Who did it?"

Stacy whispered, as Mike continued carrying her.

"Who killed her?"

She asked again, as Mike remained silent.

"WHO FUCKING KILLED MY SISTER?!"

Stacy screamed, as another violent surge of Frost Aether erupted from her body and caused the ice covering Mike’s shoulder to spread farther down his back.

"I’LL KILL THEM!"

Mike’s expression tightened.

"I SWEAR I’LL FUCKING KILL THEM!"

Stacy twisted around in his arms until she could see Mary’s body again, while tears continued streaming uncontrollably down her face.

"I don’t care who you are!"

She screamed towards an enemy whose identity she didn’t know.

"I don’t care how strong you are! I don’t care how long it takes me!"

Her voice cracked as another sob forced its way through her throat, although she refused to stop speaking.

"I’ll find you!"

Stacy screamed, as the frost surrounding her continued crawling across Mike’s uniform.

"I’ll find whoever did this to her, and I’ll make you pay!"

She clenched her teeth as Mary’s body became increasingly distant.

’I’ll get stronger.’

Stacy thought, as rage gradually consumed the helplessness that had been crushing her.

’I’ll become strong enough to kill them.’

Her entire body trembled.

’Even if it takes me my whole fucking life.’

Stacy continued staring at Mary as Mike carried her farther away, desperately trying to keep her sister within sight for as long as possible.

"That’s what I’ll live for now."

She sobbed, as her voice became quieter beneath the rain.

"I swear, Big Sister.... I won’t die until I’ve found the person who did this to you."

Another broken breath escaped her.

"And when I find them...."

Stacy’s fingers dug deeper into Mike’s frozen shoulder as Mary’s body finally disappeared from her sight.

"I’ll kill them myself."