I Die to Rise: Resurrection System-Chapter 64: Cassandra’s House!

"Right... where to start," Kurt said, holding up his still-bleeding palm as blood dripped slowly onto the cracked pavement.

"Long story short, I drew this sigil, activated it with my blood, and—" He gestured vaguely at the empty space where the Reaper had been standing. "—Reaper goes poof."

Rook raised an eyebrow, his arms crossed, and the look on his face made it clear that a summary wasn’t going to cut it.

Kurt sighed. He knew he’d have to give them more than that, just enough to satisfy their curiosity without revealing everything.

Emma’s jaw tightened, and she closed the distance between them in two sharp strides, her voice dropping. "You scared the shit out of us, running off like that."

Kurt met her gaze, his expression softening despite the exhaustion weighing on him. "Yeah, well. Couldn’t let that thing come after you lot, could I?"

"Idiot," Emma muttered, but Kurt could tell she didn’t mean it. She grabbed the front of his coat and pulled him into a brief, crushing hug, then shoved him back hard that he stumbled. "Don’t do it again."

"No promises," Kurt said with a weak grin just as Rook stepped forward, his tone shifting back to command mode. "We need somewhere to regroup first. Then you’re going to explain what really happened."

He looked around, taking stock of the scattered guild members who’d managed to keep up. Exhausted faces. Bloodied clothes. People who’d survived by sheer luck and stubbornness. "Who here has an apartment big enough to fit everyone?"

Lizzie raised her hand immediately, then lowered it just as fast. "Don’t look at me. My place is tiny. Like, one bed, no couch, barely room for me tiny."

Emma shrugged. "Definitely not me. I never expect guests."

Rook rubbed his jaw, thinking. "We’ve got a safe house where we stashed Braun’s loot, but it’s not big enough. Not ideal either."

There was a pause, and then Cassandra spoke, her arms folded across her chest. "I suppose we’ll use mine."

Everyone turned to look at her and Cassandra’s expression remained cool, unbothered. "It’s large enough. And it’s secure."

Then her gaze shifted to Zaza, who was standing quietly beside Kurt, adjusting her glasses like she’d forgotten where she was.

Cassandra’s eyes narrowed, and she pointed at her. "And what about her? She tried to kill Kurt an hour ago."

Zaza blinked once, her expression blank. "I succeeded, actually."

Cassandra’s hand moved to her blade, pulling it halfway from its sheath. Her grin turning sharp and dangerous like she was ready to throw down right there and then. "Not helping your case."

Kurt stepped between them immediately, raising both hands. "She helped. Stalled the Reaper. Told me about the sigil. Without her, I’d be dead—again."

Quickly, Emma’s voice cut in from the side. "Yeah! After causing the problem by killing you in the first place!"

"Enough." Rook’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried weight, and everyone stopped talking immediately.

He looked at Cassandra first. "Thank you for the offer. We’ll take it." Then his gaze shifted to Zaza. "And she’s coming with us."

Cassandra’s grip on her blade tightened, but she didn’t argue.

Rook turned to two guild members standing nearby—Paul and Jerry, both looking like they’d been through a blender. "You two handle transporting Sam and anyone else who can’t move on their own. I’ve got a feeling we don’t have much time left, so we need to move. Now."

Just like perfect timing, Kurt’s vision flickered, and a notification appeared.

[REAPER BANISHMENT DURATION REMAINING: 47:50:07]

Kurt looked up at the countdown timer floating in his peripheral vision and exhaled slowly. "Forty-seven hours, fifty minutes. To be exact."

Rook stared at him, rubbed his face with both hands, and let out a long breath. "That’s something we’ll also need to talk about." He gestured toward Cassandra. "Lead the way."

They began walking, a ragged procession of exhausted fighters limping through the ruined streets.

Cassandra led the way, her stride confident despite everything, and Kurt found himself falling into step beside Emma and Lizzie, while Zaza drifted along at the back, silent and unbothered.

***

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at a towering apartment building that looked completely out of place in the D-rank district.

The exterior was pristine. And by pristine, it had no graffiti, broken windows or any sign of the usual decay that plagued this part of the city. Security cameras dotted the entrance, and the front doors were reinforced steel.

Kurt whistled low, his eyes scanning the building from top to bottom. "How much credit did this cost?"

Emma crossed her arms, equally suspicious. "Yeah, Cassandra. Didn’t you just move into the D-District? How were you able to get this sort of apartment that fast?"

Cassandra glanced back at them, her expression neutral. "I didn’t threaten anyone, if that’s what you’re asking."

"Yeah, when you put it that way, we believe you," Emma muttered with a grin on her face.

Cassandra returned the grin and pushed open the front door without another word, and they followed her inside.

The interior was just as immaculate as the exterior, having clean floors, functional lighting, and an elevator that actually worked.

When they reached Cassandra’s floor and stepped into her apartment, Lizzie’s eyes went wide. "Whoa."

The space was massive. High ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, expensive furnitures. There was a full kitchen, a dining area large enough to seat twenty, and multiple hallways leading to what Kurt assumed were bedrooms.

Lizzie immediately darted off, touching everything. She ran her fingers along the back of a leather couch, examined a decorative sword mounted on the wall, then spun around to stare at a massive bookshelf. "Do you live here alone?! Can we be roomies...?" She wiggled her eyebrows and followed up with another question. "And do you have snacks?!"

Cassandra watched her with the faintest hint of amusement. "Yes, no, and check the kitchen."

Lizzie vanished down the hall, still talking to herself and Rook gestured for everyone to gather in the main living room.

Slowly, the guild members filtered in. Some collapsed onto couches, others leaned against walls. Paul and Jerry arrived last, carrying Sam carefully between them. She was still unconscious, her face pale, and they laid her down gently in one of the bedrooms.

Rook waited until everyone had settled, then turned to Kurt. "Alright. Start from the beginning."

Kurt took a breath, choosing his words carefully. He kept the Keeper of Endings out of it entirely, no need to complicate things further.

"So I got these visions of diagrams and symbols after I died. All of it, tied to my blood. The Keeper—" He caught himself. "—Something I encountered when I bit it showed me that my blood was the key. I had no bloody clue what it meant until Zaza mentioned the sigil."

Rook’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You took a gamble."

"Yeah," Kurt said. "Drew the damn sigil with my blood, activated it, and the Reaper—"

"Was banished," Rook finished.

"Right." Kurt looked at Zaza, who was standing quietly in the corner. "And I wouldn’t have pulled it off without her. If we can pick that brain of hers, we might be able to figure out more about what these diagrams mean. Because we’ve got less than forty-eight hours until that thing comes back."

Rook nodded slowly, then turned to Zaza. "And what do you want?"

Zaza blinked, tilting her head slightly. "Me? I want to help, I guess. And with Silver Tail gone, I need a new guild."

Emma’s voice was immediate and sharp. "Yeah, we’ll take your help, but no way in hell we’re letting you join. Plenty of big-shot guilds would love to have you. Go find them."

Zaza stared at Emma for a long moment, blinking slowly, then looked down at the floor. "Oh..."

Rook raised a hand before Emma could say anything else. "This is a guild decision. We’re putting it to a vote."

The vote was close. Painfully close. When Rook tallied the results, it was a perfect tie—half the guild wanted Zaza to stay, the other half didn’t trust her.

Emma spun on Lizzie and Kurt, her eyes blazing. "Are you guys fucking kidding me? You voted for her to stay?!"

Lizzie threw her hands up defensively. "What?! She’s interesting! And she’s got cool shadow powers! Plus, she said she’s sorry!"

"She killed Kurt!" Emma shouted.

"And he came back!" Lizzie shot back. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Cassandra’s voice cut through the argument, calm and measured. "Zaza’s addition is advantageous. Strategically and practically. It makes sense if she wants to join."

Emma groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "Cool. Let’s all ride the crazy train."

Rook held up a hand again. "One more vote to break the tie. Sam’s. When she wakes up." He glanced in the direction of the bedroom. "For now, we hit the books. Find anything we can on Reapers, sigils, banishment rituals. Whatever might help."

Lizzie stood abruptly, pulling a surgical mask from her pocket and snapping it over her face. She hummed a cheerful tune as she adjusted the straps. "Speaking of Sam... Samantha... Sammie... cute little Sam has some things to explain. But I’ll go check on her. Make sure she’s alright."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You really need a face mask for that?"

"You never know!" Lizzie chirped, already heading toward the bedroom.

Rook watched her go, then turned back to Kurt. "That’s another topic we need to address. According to Paul, she had stars in her eyes? Protected everyone from the backlash of Braun’s attack on the guild." His gaze locked onto Kurt. "You know anything about that?"

Kurt hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah... about that..."

The room went quiet, everyone’s attention shifting to him.