Lia felt torn. She never really enjoyed the sessions with Ludwig, but she had to do something. She had seen what would befall her fellow students, and she was determined to stop it. Then there were her parents, whom she hadn’t seen in months.

“I think this will be quick,” Ludwig said, as he opened the door to his room. Lia quickly looked around whether there were any students in the corridor with them. She was sure this could be misconstrued. Thankfully, they were alone.

“Why will this be quick?” she asked, as she stepped into the overly tidy room behind the impero.

“I now have an idea, why this is happening. I just have to test my hypotheses to see which one is correct and how to solve it.” He sat down at the table. On his usual chair, in his usual pose.

“That’s good,” she remarked and took the seat opposite of him. “Take me with you.”

Ludwig’s expression turned sour. “I can’t take you-”

“Yes you can.” Lia shot his rejection down instantly. “You are able to control spirit magic. You can use it to show me your vision as it’s happening.”

Ludwig rubbed the bridge of his nose, while his other hand drummed on the marble of the table.

“That’s the pirate’s fault.”

“No, it’s your fault.” Lia leaned back on her chair. “You made me distrust them, and so I made certain demands. Then they showed me that it’s possible to share these visions.”

Ludwig kept drumming on the table. He looked at her expectantly. She didn’t move.

“Fine. Since we’re running out of time, I’ll take you into one of them.”

“All of them.” Her insistence made him groan.

“There is some sensitive information I can not let you see. One of them.”

“This involves me and my fellow donar. I have a right to know all of them.”

Ludwig’s face looked as if he had swallowed something sour and foul. He pressed his eyes together, before pulling his hand down over his face. “Two of them. Final offer. As you said, it involves your fellow donar. You don’t want them to succumb to whatever’s happening just because you’re stubborn.”

Lia pressed her lips together. He did have a point. They had to work together, had to find a compromise. “Deal.”

“Good. Then hurry up, we’ve lost enough time to your useless bartering.”

“It wasn’t useless,” she said, pouting, then, a smile formed on her lips: “After all, I’ll get to see at least two of those visions.”

“Yes, yes.” He groaned, then reached for her hands. She put hers in his and offered both strands of mana. Ludwig took them, and she was swept off and into the vision.

Suddenly, she was surrounded by her classmates. Some had rocks in their hands, others lighters, bottles of water or nothing at all, but they were all pointing at her. Or rather him. They were all donar, and yet their gaze was empty.

“Ludwig van Ragd,” they said in unison. “Your majesty wants to see you.”

“His Majesty. King Amir Saggitarius?” The voice came from her. So she was seeing the future. But what was happening? Those weren’t the mindless zombies that she had seen in Lillian’s vision. Or rather, they somehow were all of one mind. One mind that didn’t deign to answer Ludwig’s question.

“Come,” they demanded. “Or be destroyed.”

Lia felt how Ludwig gulped. He was, or rather would be, nervous. “Lead the way.”

Some of the donar turned and walked in front of him. Ludwig followed them and was soon surrounded. Lia could almost hear his thoughts: How has this gone so wrong? Why is it worse than before? But there were no answers.

The brainwashed donar led him through the garden and past the building where Orphelia was now. The door was marked with black and yellow tape, and there was no sign of her friend. Or herself. Maybe they were next to the king?

After a long procession, they entered the great domed building at the end of the alley. Rows of wooden seats stood next to the path that led to a dais at the end. Amir Saggitarius stood there, watching him approach. The seats were all filled with imperi, teachers she knew, and others she only recognized as imperi because of their robes. They all stared at Ludwig as he walked closer to the king. Their eyes were all empty, their movements more than choreographed.

Lia wanted to jump out of the vision when Amir looked at them, with empty eyes. Black mist fell off of his black orbs. He had something in his hand, but she couldn’t make it out. Then the king’s hand shot out, and she felt pain. Pain that threw her, them, out of the vision.

Ludwig gasped and held his head. “He knew,” he mumbled. “He knew that this was a vision. He didn’t want us to see any more.”

“But isn’t time magic just a one-way look into the future?”

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“As far as I know,” he mumbled. She could see the shiver that ran through him. “But maybe not if he achieved apotheosis.

“Is … is that really him?” Lia wondered. “His eyes … it was almost if something else was looking through them.”

“Maybe a side effect.” Ludwig’s voice got quieter, almost as if he feared that someone or something might hear him. “He was controlling all those mages after all.”

“What was your plan that led to this outcome?”

Ludwig pressed his eyes shut and shook his head. “I’d rather not say. It’s moot anyways.” He sighed. “Maybe I need to tackle this problem from a different angle.”

“And what is that?”

“Amir. He mustn’t reach this state. He mustn’t come here … But I have no idea how to stop him.”

“There must be away. What if you tell him-”

“I have.” Ludwig shook his head. “He’s adamant to come. The only way to stop him would be to …” He stopped himself from saying anymore. Lia had a good grasp on what he would’ve said, and that would end in treason.

“You had more than one solution in mind,” Lia pointed out. “You usually prepare three.”

Ludwig shook his head. “I usually had one solution in mind and then iterated on it, seeing whether those changes would lead to a better outcome. But this?” He shook his head. “This was already the final solution.”

“What if you take a step back?”

He looked away from her. “There is one thing that I can try.” He looked in her eyes. “Mind if I see that one in private?”

Lia pressed her lips together. He had promised her two visions. But then again, feeling herself die hadn’t been very pleasant. “Show it to me, if it works.”

He nodded, then reached out with his hand, tentatively. Lia took his hand again, offered the strand of mana, and waited. When his gaze returned to normal, he shook his head. “It may buy some time. But that’s all. I’ll advise the principal to evacuate the station. To just have the bare minimum of people here for the ceremony and the operation of the Crystal Citadel. I guess that’s the only thing we can do.”

“Want to check it?” she asked, offering her hand a third time.

“No.” He shook his head. “Those were already scenarios I considered. I need to keep the donar confined her, since I am not sure, if it is contagious.”

Lia sighed and looked down at her hands. Part of her had wanted to escape the station, too, before this happened, but she wouldn’t leave Orphelia’s side. “I’ll go see my parents before they have to go.”

“Let me bring you to them.”

***

“Hi mom and dad,” Lia said as she looked into the room the academy had set aside for them. She would have run and jumped into their arms if she hadn’t met with Ludwig beforehand. Now the certainty of what would occur hung like an impending supernova above her.

“Sweetie!” Her mom didn’t have those reservations and clasped Lia in her arms. “Are you alright? Did those pirates do anything to you? Anything untoward?”

“I’ll get the pitchfork, if they have,” her dad added.

Lia shook her head. “No, it’s fine. They didn’t do anything. Most of them were even quite nice.”

“Are you sure they haven’t done anything to you?” Her mother held her at arm’s length and put a hand to her forehead.

Lia giggled slightly. “Really. I’m fine.”

“Good. Always keep an eye on your health. Did you get your vaccination already?”

“The vaccination?” She stared at her mother for a moment.

“Yes, for that one virus that can destroy your … mana-thingies.”

Suddenly her eyes became wide. She remembered the thing that had been in the king’s hand. It had been a syringe. But why? Was it so he could vaccinate Ludwig? But why would he … More and more puzzle pieces fell into place.

“Mom? Dad? When the station gets evacuated, please leave with the rest.”

“Why should the station be evacuated?” Her mom sounded confused.

“I … Uh …” She stumbled over her tongue. “There’s something about that virus. You’re not vaccinated, are you?”

“No …” Her mother looked to her father, concern visible on her face. “Should we?”

“I don’t think so. I fear something’s wrong with that vaccination.” She looked to the door. “There’s one way to find out.”

“What way? What do you mean, sweetie?” Lia didn’t listen to her mother anymore and hurried out the door. Ludwig stood there, waiting.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. “I need a vision. I have a suspicion and I need to know whether it’s true.”

Ludwig was silent for a moment, but followed along. “What’s the suspicion?”

“The vaccine. It’s mainly for donar, and was introduced shortly after Amir took the crown. In the future all those zombies are donar. I wonder whether that’s involved.”

“And how will you confirm your suspicion with a vision?”

“I’m not yet vaccinated. So I need a vision of what happens if I am in contrast to one where I’m not.”

“I don’t think …”

“You still owe me a vision!”

“Ugh. Fine.” She could hear him rolling his eyes while he agreed.

On the way, she thought she heard some students call after them, and some whistle, but she didn’t even think about how this would look to them. Her mind was focused on her epiphany.

Ludwig was winded when they arrived at his room. He unlocked the door with his fingerprint and walked calmly inside. Lia followed him impatiently and was faster on her chair than him.

Sighing he sat down. “Now. Before I pull you into the vision, you need to focus on your intent to get vaccinated. There can’t be any doubt in your mind that you will get that shot. Do you understand?”

Lia nodded. Then shook her head. “I mistrust the vaccine right now. How can I intent to get that shot?”

Ludwig sighed and shook his head. “You need to steel your mind and your heart in order to change the future. It won’t happen on a whim. But fine. Let’s start with the vision where you won’t get vaccinated. I will have Miss Joy exclude you from the mandatory vaccinations.” Then he offered his hands, and Lia reached for them. She formed a strand of time and one of spirit mana and waited.

It took a moment for the vision to form. Ludwig floated through a corridor of the station, and stopped at every intersection by holding onto the wall. When he noticed something, he pressed his hand against a panel on the side, and somehow opened a room. He grabbed someone behind himself and shoved them inside, only to follow a moment later. Two zombie donar floated by, their gazes empty. When he retreated behind the door and it hissed shut, he turned around. There was her. Lia floated in front of him, arms crossed. But her attention was drawn to the eyes of her future self. She saw the same strange eyes she had seen before - in Lillian’s vision. As if a galaxy was trapped within each orb. “And? Do you believe me now that those vaccinations are somehow involved?”

“The evidence seems to be on your side, at least.”

The vision broke. Ludwig stared at her. Then he shot upright. “The evidence is in your favor. I’ll try to get the principal to suspend vaccinating people.” He hurried out the door. A different, past Lia, would’ve looked smug at that moment, but she couldn’t. Her mind was was focused on the last words her future self spoke. Orphelia would still be hit although she hadn’t been vaccinated yet. Or had she? Maybe the principal was extra careful and didn’t want to lose a princess to some unknown virus.

Slowly she got up and left Ludwig’s rooms. Somehow she had the feeling that she was forgetting something.

“Ah, good to see you.” The voice of Miss Joy pulled her out of her thoughts. “We should do your vaccination now, before the whole coronation.”

Lia’s eyes went wide. Then she turned around and ran.