They retreated back into the room they’d just been in. Lia floated next to Eclaire, the former queen and the three captains floated opposite of her. Ludwig was off to the side, as if he was miming an arbitrator. Lia had crossed her arms and waited for Lillian to speak.

“It’s a strange feeling going through something you couldn’t rehearse beforehand.” Lillian didn’t meet her eyes and fidgeted slightly with her hands in her lap.

“Just stay with the truth,” Lia advised.

“It’s not that I haven’t told the truth before.” Lillian pointedly looked to the side. “I’ve just omitted certain parts.”

“Like the thing about Orphelia.” Lia growled slightly, and she had the impression that it got a bit warmer. Her anger probably increased her heart rate.

“Yes. Like that.” Lillian sighed, and looked Lia in the eyes. “Let me start there then.” She wetted her lips. “When I met you on EDEN, I had the possibility to guide you two in two directions.” She lowered her gaze. “You know the first outcome.”

Lia didn’t need to prompt her, as Lillian took a deep breath and continued: “The other would’ve been to sacrifice you. I could’ve told you that, after Orphelia became possessed, you could’ve taken her place.”

So there had been a way to save her friend. It made her only angrier.

“Don’t hate me for it, before you know the result of that timeline.” Lillian looked very uncomfortable, and was clutching her hand so tightly, that Lia could see the veins. “I have seen the possessed you in that timeline. I have seen Orphelia standing mindlessly next to you. It was as if you were the queen of a hive mind. Not even one donar had their own will.” The woman looked as if a shiver had run down her spine. “You haven’t seen that future … but the outcome was even worse.”

Lia could see it in Lillian’s eyes. She was telling the truth. If her friend wasn’t herself anymore, it was the same as being dead. But …

“We could’ve stayed on EDEN. You could’ve told them about the hyperspace locator sooner.” Lia glared at Ludwig for a moment, and then back at Lillian.

“That wouldn’t have changed much. First off, it would’ve started a war. The empire against the pirates. While that was going on, the strange disease would’ve spread over the empire and then triggered at a later date. Orphelia would’ve been possessed, and this time, we would’ve been the one killing her.” Lillian shook her head. “And with millions more donar, the empire would still be controlled by a hive mind, and the pirates would’ve been the resistance.”

Lia looked away from Lillian, feeling slightly bad. “So you chose the lesser of all evils.”

“I haven’t seen a single future with a happy end. And in all of them, I was dead by now.”

“Why didn’t you tell me anything?” Omor asked reproachfully.

Lillian let out a shuddering breath. It looked as if her whole body was shaking. “Because you couldn’t have changed anything. I’ve chosen this path, and I am determined to see it to the end.” She once again held her hands. “Those prepared to condemn others to death need to be prepared to be condemned themselves.”

“But you could’ve run. Left the empire behind.”

“It would’ve worked, for a few years … But he’d always come for me.”

“He.” Lia looked back at Lillian. “Is that your brother? Amir?”

“That’s what I’m here to find out. It could be him, but … it also doesn’t feel quite like him.” Lillian shook her head. “Anyways, whatever is responsible right now, should be vulnerable.”

“You said before that Amir is a central node of a network.” The fall captain leaned forward. “Then all we have to do is remove him?”

“That’s what I hope.” Lillian nodded, then turned back to Lia. “One more thing. It seems you haven’t realized it yet, maybe you never had in all the timelines I met you like this, but you’re a princess now. Both donar and impera.”

“What?” Lia stared at Lillian with wide eyes.

“I think that it’s related to how Orphelia died in this timeline, as its the only one where it happens. I … hope it’s a good sign.”

Suddenly, Lia felt cold inside. She had been jealous of her friend, but now that she was gone, she was given this gift? Was the universe mocking her? She didn’t want to have it at all, if she could have her friend back.

The rest of her anger turned into sadness, and she cried. She noticed Eclaire’s hug, but it didn’t help. Right now, she would’ve torn the universe apart, or turned the clock way back, if she could. But even though she was suddenly given the means she’d always wished for, they were totally meaningless.

“We should find Amir then.” Ludwig’s voice cut through the silence and her wail. “He’s the source of it all, seeing how he had this ‘vaccine’ made and distributed on the station.” He made a small pause. “But I don’t think that removing him will do much good. Like you, I have explored different timelines. Removing Orphelia hadn’t worked, and removing Amir hadn’t worked either. It is possible that removing both will work, but I wouldn’t count on it.”

Ludwig was in on it. He had explored what killing her friend would accomplish. That’s why he didn’t want her to join his visions. Lia wanted to hit him with her fists, but Eclaire held her in place. The room quickly became unbearably hot.

“Lia, calm your emotions,” Ludwig said. “Please.”

“You wanted to kill her,” she accused him.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“No, I didn’t. I explored what would happen and if I had to. But it wouldn’t have changed anything.” He took a deep breath. “I had and still have a responsibility to all my students, and I tried every avenue to protect as many of them as possible.”

“Lia, please calm down.” Eclaire pleaded in her ear. “Harming him won’t change anything. And I really believe that he didn’t want to do that. He might’ve looked down on Donar, maybe he still does, but I don’t think he’d harm them. Has he ever harmed you?”

Lia stopped for a moment to think. She had blasted him twice, almost costing him his life. And yet he hadn’t retaliated. He hadn’t even made her life in school harder. Maybe Eclaire was right?

Her anger cooled slightly, and with it, the temperature in the room sank as well.

“Is that normal?” The fall captain whispered somewhere to the side. She didn’t hear or see the answer, but heard an “oh” as a reply to that.

“So Amir used a vaccine to turn the donar?” As Lia turned to Lillian, the woman rubbed her chin.

“You didn’t know?”

“No. As I’ve told you before, this is really the first time I could talk to all of you. And no one suspected that this was even possible.”

“It still doesn’t explain why Orphelia was affected.” Lia sighed and looked at Eclaire’s arm still around her. “She also never got the vaccine.”

“Then the only one that does know, is Amir,” Omor concluded. “We should find him as soon as possible.”

“We left him in the starcedral, before …” Ludwig trailed off. “I guess we should look there.”

“Then let’s go.” The winter captain’s voice was ice cold. Maybe she hadn’t even felt the warmth of Lia’s anger.

There was a small pause, where Ludwig looked around. “We should stick together. I need to keep an eye on my students.”

“Then come on. We don’t have any more time to lose.” The winter captain opened the door and looked outside.

“Lia, can you move by yourself?” Eclaire’s whisper was soft.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Lia nodded, and followed Ludwig outside. Moving Robert seemed to be an even bigger problem, but Eclaire did her best encouraging him to follow. At the thought of having to stay there, alone, he quickly caught up to the rest.

The four captains led them through the corridors and outside. The artificial sky had disappeared, and thick metal beams obstructed the view on the opaque crystal that filtered the light of the stars shining down on them.

Hiding between the flower beds, they noticed that the zombie-donar had very much taken up patrolling the area. “That doesn’t look good,” Omor whispered from a flower bed further down.

Lia looked at him for a moment, then back at the zombies. Something in the back of her mind noticed something strange, but it was hard to concentrate.

They moved on. Ducking into small alleys here and between the flower beds there. When they finally arrived at the starcedral, it was mostly empty. The principal sat in one of the pews, and Miss Joy knelt next to Amir, who laid on the ground and stared at the ceiling.

The captains approached him carefully.

“Ah Ludwig. Do you know what has happened?” The principal looked at him, then at the pirates. “Lillian Saggitarius.” He gasped and bowed, then seemed to recognize the other three with them.

“Mister Rose.” Lillian smiled. “I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

“Not since your graduation. Why are you here?”

Lillian’s gaze clearly found Amir. “I need to look after my brother. Is he conscious?”

The principal looked at the medical impera who shook her head.

Lia ignored all that and walked toward Amir. The burning hatred inside of her was flaring up again. He was responsible for what has happened. Without him …

“Hey, you,” the principal addressed her suddenly. “You’re not allowed to … approach the king?” His tone suddenly changed as she glared at him.

“By law and customs, she has every right,” Lillian said, then walked past the principal as well.

Amir laid on the floor, black colored eyes staring emptily toward the ceiling. “You and your stupid plan to ascend,” Lia whispered, but didn’t get an answer. The way he didn’t move at all almost cooled her anger down, and allowed her sadness to take over once more. She couldn’t even make him pay.

“Lia?” Miss Joy looked at her. “What happened to you?”

“I don’t know …” Fighting back her own tears, she looked at her hands again. Slowly she could see the magic outside her body, a faint white glow that turned to orange flames before disappearing. “I never wanted this …”

“What happened to him?” Lillian asked and pointed to Amir.

The medical impera shook her head. “I have no idea. He doesn’t have any external injuries and no obvious signs of poisoning. I couldn’t do a magical examination thus far, because no donar is answering me, and the ones I’ve seen are acting strange. Lia here is the only one that seems … kind-of normal?”

Lillian shook her head. “She’s not just a donar anymore, but …” The former queen knelt next to her. “Would you be willing to give Miss Joy some life Mana? Maybe if we get him to talk, we can save the others.”

“If we get him to wake up,” she answered, “then I’m going to make him pay.” Her sadness and her anger were battling inside of her. She pushed both of those feelings aside and gritted her teeth. “After he told us what he knows.”

She offered her left hand to Miss Joy, who hesitated to take it. It was almost as if she was reluctant to help Amir. Or to touch her.

“We don’t have any time to lose. Whatever has posessed all those donar is regaining its control.” Omor walked up next to them. “Do it now or be rid of him.”

“What?” Miss Joy looked up at the summer captain.

“If he’s really like a second control node, then we have to get rid of him now.” The winter captain drew the fall captain’s blade.

“Information first.” Lillian held the white-haired donar back.

“Normally, I’d throw you all out before tending to the patient, even you,” Miss Joy gave Lia a pointed look. But since I am starved for options, you have to do. The rest, step back.”

Miss Joy took her hand, then touched Amir, but not without keeping an eye on Lia.

This time, Lia could see the strands of mana she was giving to Miss Joy be drawn along her body, like small greenish line that grew over her skin, disappeared under her blouse before reappearing on her other arm. Then they connected her with Amir, and Lia followed all the little greenish glowing veins as they explored the king’s body, up to his head.

When they retreated, Miss Joy shook her head again. “No internal injuries either. I guess it’s something mind related.” She looked at Lia. “I’m no expert on that, but I can at least try to find out what the problem is. If you need to fix it, you need an expert on that.” Miss Joy looked at the former queen, who didn’t answer. “Lia, if you would?”

Lia changed the color she was giving to Miss Joy and saw a yellow mist extend along her arm and over her clothes. Once again it reached Amir and when it reached his head, she had the impression that her magic fought against another, gray film.

Suddenly, Amir shot up, hissing like the snake in Lia’s nightmares. Instinctively, she reached out with her right hand and shoved all her mana against him, converting it to mind mana and overwhelming the strange smoke that had taken hold of him.

“No!” Miss Joy cried and let go of her hand.

Lia lowered her hands, breathing heavily and shaking with her whole body.

“What happened?” The fall captain was prying his saber out of the winter captain’s hands and was now staring at Amir. The blackness had vanished from his eyes.

“She … she … just wiped his mind,” Miss Joy explained and stared at Lia. “H… how?”

“As I said, she’s not just a donar anymore.” Lillian sighed. “So much for trying to get information out of him.”

“At least he’s not a central node anymore. Maybe this will turn the donar back to normal?” Omor tried to put a hopeful tone to his voice, but he clearly didn’t believe it either.

And Lia … Lia was now convinced that something else had taken control of Orphelia, and of Amir. That it was it’s fault. She had no idea, what it was, but she knew that she was afraid of it. Of a darkness hidden within the magic itself. Then she had a sudden epiphany, and knew his name.

“Fornax.”