The next morning, Ravyn found Luna in her usual spot in the ccourtyard bench beneath a tree. And she was reading a textbook.
He walked up, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. "Hey."
Luna didn't look up immediately. She finished the paragraph before placing a slim bookmark and closing the book with a precise snap. "Grantham." she acknowledged.
"Look..." Ravyn started, feeling the awkward weight of the moment. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have thrown those words in your face like that."
Luna finally met his gaze. "It's okay. I needed to hear it. I mean, you made me realize something that hadn't consciously crossed my mind."
She paused, looking down at her hands. "I know I won't convince him to join us but… I also don't think I can kill my brother."
"I understand..." Ravyn said, the words sincere. He took a seat next to her. "So, is it okay to talk about what you wanted to discuss yesterday?"
"Yes." She replied quickly. "We need to seriously start tracking down the other Candidates. We've confirmed three besides us... so that makes five in total. We need to find the other seven."
"But track them down how?" Ravyn asked. "We just wander around the city looking for people with marks on their hands?"
"We can tell Candidates by mana too, remember?"
"Oh? I forgot about that." Ravyn replied, scratching his head.
"Of course you did." Luna muttered, rolling her eyes. "Now, we prioritize finding someone to join our team first. The faster we get a dependable third, the safer we are."
Ravyn glanced toward the main school building. "What about here, in school? What if there are some Candidates here besides your brother? We should find them before Damien does."
Luna frowned. "One thing I know is that if the Candidates in our school aren't easy to manipulate or if they're not manageable, then he won't waste his time on them. He loves being in control. So he's looking for pawns, not partners."
"So we should look around?" Ravyn pressed. "And how will we know if a person is easily manipulated or manageable?"
Luna gave a half-shrug. "You will know them when you see them."
"So, we are searching?"
"Of course we are." Luna confirmed, standing up. "And we should split up, start with the outer circles of the school population and meet back here after lunch."
Ravyn nodded and left, heading toward the less populated hallways. He felt ridiculous, sifting through the faces of his classmates, trying to spot the mark of a person chosen by the death game.
Ravyn was checking the second floor when his phone buzzed with a text from Luna.
"I think I found one. She's in the Art annex." the text read.
He found Luna standing by the art classrooms. She was observing a girl sitting alone at a workstation, carefully sketching into a notepad. The girl's school uniform was oversized and her dark hair fell forward, completely obscuring her face. She was the absolute picture of self-erasure, too shy to even meet the eyes of the pencil in front of her.
"Perfect." Luna murmured as Ravyn approached. "She's practically transparent."
"She looks terrified of the air." Ravyn agreed quietly. "You sure she's a Candidate?"
"Man, you're such an idiot. Let's go." She said, shoving him forward.
They approached the workstation together. The girl flinched violently, clutching her notepad to her chest.
"Hi." Luna said, attempting a soft and non-threatening tone. "We just wanted to talk for a minute."
The girl didn't look up but her pencil trembled. "Are... are you guys in the Game too?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Luna exchanged a quick, triumphant look with Ravyn. "Yes." Luna answered smoothly. "I'm Luna, and this is Ravyn."
"Everyone in school knows who you both are." the girl mumbled, her eyes finally lifting slightly. She swallowed hard. "My name is Ria."
"Ria..." Ravyn repeated gently.
Ria's eyes widened again. "Wait... you guys want to kill me?"
"No!" Ravyn said quickly, stepping forward. "We want you to join our team."
Ria blinked, confused. "Oh? Sorry but I won't be of any use to you guys. I don't know how to fight."
"Of course you will be..." Ravyn insisted. "Every ability has its use."
Ria shook her head, pulling back.
Luna turned to Ravyn, exasperated. "I feel like we're wasting our time."
"No, we are not." Ravyn snapped back, then turned his full attention to Ria, his voice softening once more. "Ria, look at me. Even if you don't want to fight, you can still be part of the team. You'll need someone to protect you. And I will do that."
Luna pulled his sleeve again, hissing. "Are you serious? If she can't fight, she'll hold us down!"
Ravyn looked back at Luna. "We are not strong ourselves, Luna. Yet we were able to survive two encounters. We can manage."
Luna threw her hands up in exasperation, resigning herself. "Aarrgghh! Fine but if she dies that's on you."
Ria looked from the fiery Luna to the earnest Ravyn, then back to her notepad. "You... you would protect me?" she whispered.
"I will." Ravyn promised. "I promise."