The wait for herself in the Chinese Buffet bathroom was boring, but Luna made a few plans while she sat. After this was over, she wanted to visit Ungle in the hospital, then she was going back to find an application for the Arcane Arts, and-

“You are doing neither of those things,” Donner said. “You will finish this and go back to your house with your aunt and wait like a normal person. You’ve moved through time more than once now and for all we know you’ll be on death’s doorstep come morning. No more.”

"Fine," she sighed. She supposed it was okay to let him have his way for once.

After the cord hand-off was completed, she vanished to the backyard, behind the tree in case she’d got the timing off. She did, in fact, by a moment, and watched herself disappear back to the parking garage to do all the things she’d already done.

Out from behind the tree, Luna sat on the grass, fell to her back, and passed out. Exhaustion overwhelmed her; time travel was no joke. She was so deeply asleep that she didn’t dream and Donner remained alone in the room they’d taken to meeting in.

Her ability to travel through time was perhaps the last straw for his sanity. With this, the final string of stability was clipped and his sole option was to accept it. The truth about Luna, his life, and all he aspired to be.

As a child, he suffered and his suffering opened his eyes to the cold, dark realities of the world. You would attain that which you took, whether by force or manipulation didn’t matter though he preferred the art of social influence. Force was, in some ways, too easy and carried a higher chance of damage to both parties. He was well-versed in pushing his way through barriers but used the ability sparingly. He resorted to it if one particularly resistant to manipulation, and withholding needed information, appeared.

Ironic. That was his downfall.

He didn’t like to think about it. There was no undoing the mistake and reliving it did him no good. He didn’t know who she was, but she’d out-manipulated him. Someday he would avenge himself, but before that, he had to get out of Luna’s head and the best shot at making that happen was also the most trying.

She already wanted to join Society and as irritating as it would be to live through it all again, that was the single path to success as far as he could see. They needed access to books he’d heard of in rumor and there would be no chance of finding them in the mundane world. Further alerting Society to her presence may open them up to scrutiny, but he couldn't think of a way around it.

Pinewood School of the Arcane Arts was his first choice for many reasons, though they may be obliged to visit a few others. First and foremost, Arcane Arts was his starting point. He wouldn’t pretend to hold no grudges, his early days in Society were far from ideal, but some sentimentality remained with him though he did his best to keep the rose-colored glasses off. He refused to forget how they treated him, like a plague-infested rat, and he would carve a place where there was never one before.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

They would know his name and fear him.

Like they tried to make him fear them.

All of that, however, was on indefinite hold.

Well, at least something came of it. He had personal proof of the afterlife and he would have no further guilt as he killed his way to the top. A stupid sense of morality held him back in years past, but no longer! Death was coming one way or another. He was simply acting as the conduit for a few.

When morning broke, and Luna woke from her deep sleep, he recognized something in the house. A change in the air. The usual balance was upset.

Georgia and the sitter were downstairs but the look on the face of the adult was far too strained.

“Something happened,” he told Luna. “Your aunt hasn’t returned and this woman looks shaky.”

Luna observed the babysitter. She was forty-something and her hair dyed blond. She wore sweatpants and a fleece. The folded blanket on the couch indicated where she slept.

She hardly said a word and failed to smile convincingly as she provided Luna with scrambled eggs and toast. All her words were saved for getting them both in her car to take Georgia to school.

It was on the way back that Luna asked, flatly, “What happened?”

Startled, the sitter glanced quickly in the mirror and was honked at when she took a second too long at the light. “Nothing happened, sweetie. Your aunt will be back soon.”

“That’s a lie,” she thought.

“Don’t call her on it,” Donner instructed. “It won’t help. We already know the truth.”

Something was wrong and it had to be Ungle.

“I want to lay down,” Luna announced as soon as they were in the door. That was also a lie. If the sitter was going to tell lies then so would she.

“That’s fine, dear.” She shepherded the child to her room and left with the quiet click of the door.

“You know what happened,” Donner said. “There’s no point going anywhere.”

While he wasn’t gentle, he wasn’t entirely unsympathetic. Ungle, as she called him, was the first adult Luna felt any kind of close to. Her mother was not the same. The child’s mind portrayed her as someone rather distant and not as necessary as he imagined most children would think their mothers to be. In fact, for weeks now, she didn’t often think of Pink for any length of time.

Though her parentage was of some interest to him, this wasn't the moment to bring it up.

“You can’t undo something that’s been done. If you try, I guarantee you’ll find yourself the cause of the reality.”

“Oh yeah? Well, you were sure I couldn’t time travel at all!”

Denial.

“Luna. I did doubt that, you’re right. However, time travel itself isn’t unheard of, it's just complicated and dangerous. Perhaps it isn’t so for you, but some rules remain. What’s happened has happened and if you try to interfere you will be the reason it did.”

“Don't tell me what I can and can’t do, Donner! You’re wrong every single time!” She stomped her foot and shook.

Anger.

“I understand that you are upset, however, the fact is,” he was going to say what they both knew, “your uncle is dead.”

She was silent for a moment.

“If I go to the hospital last night, then I can at least see him, right? I can at least find out what happened.”

Bargaining.

“No, Luna. The risk of causing his death yourself is too great and that is something you would easily forget.”

So, she cried.