Nil

What are women? Technically a girl, but close enough. I was trying to understand Luna. What the forl is she thinking? She seemed torn between two feelings, but also hellbent on digging into me. She has moments where she’s nice; then she tore into me too. Why? I ran through the extensive list of women I knew. I could almost hear Lux’s laughter as that empty box was opened. It felt like I was talking to someone my mental age. Or close to it. Am I immature? Has my age been getting to me? I know I’m a bit lonely, but is it this bad? Now she was sitting on the couch looking like she was ready to listen. What is she after? I DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU!

“You look so confused.” Luna chuckled. BECAUSE OF YOU!

“I don’t get you.” I snapped. And I thought what happened at the party was kept under wraps. I guess a little leaked.

“What don’t you get?” Luna probed, acting innocent. YOU!

“You went from asking me to show you , to getting rude for no reason, and now are asking what is bothering me! You are all over the place!” I snarled at her.

“I was curious; I heard you were quite talented. That was unbecoming of me taunting you about the tea and friends.” Luna apologized. WHAT IS WITH YOU?!

Luna seemed oddly mature for a child. Why? I thought of Ein and Julius. They’re more normal. Lux was another example. She’s kind of self-absorbed. How did I get information from Luna? Something is odd about her. Extremely off. I activated my again. give me a hint. I was incredibly bad at using . The weather for the next week is going to be pleasant at least. FORLING USELESS! Earlier I learned her mother was dead. I feel kind of bad about using that; it clearly hurt her feelings. And that was an incredibly cheap shot. Wait. Maybe the was not the right . How do I modify it? This needs to be tested. How would I practice this? I looked at Luna with my active . Something about her looked off. I’ve never seen this. What did it mean? Why couldn’t Kron give me an operation manual on this thing?

“What’s bugging you?” Luna checked again. YOU ARE!

“Something is off about you. My is sensing something but I can’t put my finger on it.” I answered. Luna didn’t react at all. Is that normal? Am I overthinking this?

“What ?” Luna inquired, seeming genuinely curious. WHAT IS WITH YOU?!

WHY?! WHAT DO YOU WANT WOMAN?! Why am I thinking woman? It should be girl. Is it that oddness? Or am I just really not used to talking to girls my age? Her emerald eyes were focused on me. Why? Luna was somewhat typical of a demon. Her skin is slate. She had more elk like horns. Bright white hair. Her appearance is normal. Something in my brain was screaming that something was off. I tried using my a little more as I thought. What am I missing?

“.” I deflected.

“Is it television?” Luna tried, looking a bit smug. What? What did Luna just ask me?

“Where did you hear that word?” I inquired. Did I mishear her?

“What does it matter?” Luna asked, feigning stupidity. I heard her correctly.

I looked at Lux, who was fast asleep. I probed for Nez. He’s intentionally leaving the two of us alone. I scanned the room thoroughly, which clearly made Luna a tad nervous. We got a bit of alone time. I immediately put a small barrier around Lux so she wouldn’t wake up. If I put a barrier around us someone might come and check it out.

“Who told you that word?” I pressed. I need to know.

“I just heard it.” Luna lied. No way. Not a chance you just heard it.

“That’s a lie. Tell me.” I insisted, keeping my gaze locked on her.

“You’re awfully confident.” Luna teased. How do I get the answer out of her? Torture? Okay that’s a bit extreme.

“Do you know what television is?” I inquired, trying to get something to work with.

“That you were using.” Luna said with confidence. She knows the word, but not what it is. But. Then where did she hear it?

“Did you read it in a book? What book had it?” I asked. Luna looked less confident now.

“So, it’s not .” Luna grumbled, looking dissatisfied with the answer.

“How do you know that word?” I continued. Luna was looking at me oddly as she debated something.

“What’s special about the word television?” Luna asked, clearly trying to grasp something. She’s scheming. Is this how I come across to others?

“It’s not a word you should know.” I informed her, looking for any change in her demeanor. My eyes say kid, my brain says someone older. It was irritating.

“Why shouldn’t I know it?” Luna checked. She knows; she knows something. Luna knows something. My brain was going nuts. Screw it. We’re kids. I can cover my tracks later. Going to lie, but not so obvious she’ll be able to tell.

“Television is not a word anyone other than me should know. Not even Lux knows that word.” I informed her. Luna looked a bit surprised.

“What is it?” Luna inquired. She clearly wants to know what it is. Let’s give her the answer.

“A box that can receive information from a long-distance source and project an image.” I explained to her. Luna’s face was so confused now. She had no idea what it was. THEN HOW DID SHE KNOW THE WORD?!

“How did you come up with such an idea?” Luna probed, deflating as she came to terms with the lackluster reality of what television is.

“Communication crystals are a thing. Why can’t images be transmitted in a similar way?” I retorted. Luna seemed to realize something, before looking kind of. Sad?

“No wonder we lost.” Luna muttered under her breath.

“What does that mean?” I checked. Who lost? What is she talking about?

“You just view the world differently; it’s honestly impressive.” Luna complimented. WHAT THE FORL ARE YOU AFTER?!

“I don’t know what to say to that.” I confessed. I. Just felt so out of my depth. She’s five! How am I struggling this bad?! Luna debated on what to say for a few moments.

“Sit next to me.” Luna demanded. I. I don’t even know what to think at this point. How is a five year old making me struggle this bad?

“Why?” I asked.

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“You clearly need to talk.” Luna stated like it was fact.

“I don’t understand.” I confessed.

“I think nearly dying is eating at you. I think you just view everything so differently you don’t know what normal is supposed to be; I don’t think you voice what you’re thinking because you’re worried about scaring who is around you more than you already do.” Luna explained like it was obvious.

I felt like she flicked me between the eyes. What? My definitely made others around me a bit on edge. Is it that abnormal? Lux could keep up with me. She’s a though. I don’t know if they grow up faster or something. Luna sat there calmly. She’s not normal. Is it a ? Luna knew television. How? I sat next to her, trying to figure anything out.

“If I talk about it, will you tell me how you know television?” I requested after a few moments. I just can’t think of anything better.

“Fine.” Luna agreed. Why is she smiling?

“It was honestly scary meeting Utol. My easily hurts me despite how much I practice. Saving Lux, Julius, Ein, and I got me a face-to-face meeting with the Lord of Death.” I confessed.

“So, you push yourself further and further?” Luna inquired. She was looking kind of intensely at me as I talked.

“I don’t want to feel weak; adults can easily beat me despite my constant training and practice. I barely survived by using my which they couldn’t have known I had. I need to be strong. What if more people try to kill me?” I explained. Luna was nodding along, kind of fidgeting one of her hands.

“It might happen, but you are pushing yourself to an extreme. We’re kids Nil. We have time to learn, and adults to protect us as we do.” Luna told me.

“But. They failed. I had to save myself and the others.” I pointed out. That was intended to kill us.

“It was a terrifying accident. They clearly increased security after.” Luna stated. She is way too mature for her age. But it was oddly nice.

“What if they make another mistake?” I asked, looking at her. Luna just smiled and rubbed my shoulder.

“Training like you have a knife to your throat is not the solution.” Luna lectured softly.

“What if I need to save myself again? People who want to hurt me aren’t going to care.” I retorted. What else am I supposed to do?

“It’s okay. Overworking yourself can hurt just as much as not training.” Luna replied, rubbing my back a little.

“I’m not pushing myself that hard.” I deflected, looking away from her.

“Nil, do you have any idea how hard that pivoting you used is? You had to crack ribs or strain your body terribly at least once a day for months.” Luna checked. How does she know that? Was she like me? I mean, she’s right. My ribs were not fans of the training.

“Maybe.” I mumbled. Why is Luna gently rubbing my back? It was kind of nice.

“It’s okay. Feeling scared is okay. It’s fine to want to be stronger. It’s not okay to let it consume you.” Luna comforted me.

“How do you know all this?” I asked. She’s so different.

“My is ; it gives me visions of people sometimes. As for knowing that pivot you do is difficult, I’ve seen a few knights practice it. It takes a while to learn from what I’ve seen.” Luna informed me. Oh. . Yea. That could do it. Something told me it wasn’t the full truth. I don’t know why, but I feel she’s telling me a fact but not the answer.

“Did you see the word television in a vision?” I checked.

“Yes.” Luna confessed. I feel she’s telling partial truths, but I guess we are all entitled to our secrets.

“You thought it was some super-secret Imperial Family ?” I teased. Luna made a bit of a pouting face.

“A bit.” Luna told me. Unfortunately for you, it’s not even from Tenebrae.

“Do you think I train too much?” I inquired, focusing on her.

“Yes. You need to take a breather.” Luna informed me.

“But I need to be strong.” I stated. She might be right though.

“You will get strong. It will be fine; you will be strong. A lot stronger than you probably think. Take a deep breath.” Luna replied. How is she a child? But. I felt she was right.

“You’re a weird child.” I taunted.

“About as weird as you.” Luna shot back. I’m not that weird.

“What do I do if I’m not training then?” I inquired.

“That’s what the tea is for.” Luna declared with a smirk.

“Just sip tea and enjoy snacks?” I asked. That’s anticlimactic.

“You get to talk to me as well.” Luna pointed out, sounding pleased with herself.

She doesn’t sound like a kid at all. It truly felt like I was talking to someone my age. I wonder if my can tell age somehow. I activated it, wondering what would happen. To my absolute surprise, nothing happened. It’s almost as if I have no idea how this thing works. It also could be a . I had no idea how those worked. It allows the times I’m abnormal to be excused.

“We’ll see if that’s worth it.” I teased. Luna just smirked in response.

“I guess we’ll both have to see.” Luna played along.

“So, what now?” I probed, conceding I’d drive myself crazy trying to figure out a better answer for now.

“Let’s talk. Whatever you want to talk about.” Luna answered, sitting back on the couch, and looking at me.

At this point, I discussed a few ideas I had with her. How to try and make a television, a carriage propelled with , or even something like the internet. Luna was oddly insightful about what to ask to understand the concepts, but she seemed a bit stunned at some of my ideas. It wasn’t the same kind of stunned of the adults, more of a mesmeric wonder at the novelty and useful applications of some of them. I also discussed ideas I had but was currently too afraid to try. Honestly, talking with her was pleasant. I guess I missed being able to have a conversation where I’m not pretending to be a kid. At some point in the conversation, Nez returned with the tea platter as well as the cups and kettle. He seemed to sense we were having a conversation and just set them down before leaving again. Why is he giving us space? It was nice though. I poured us each a cup of tea as Luna made small plates for each of us. I still like coffee more. The tea was clearly made sweeter because we were kids.

“This tea is sweet.” Luna quipped, sounding a bit annoyed.

“I think it’s because we’re kids.” I added on.

“Too sweet for you too?” Luna checked. Her face probably looked like mine.

“I’d much rather coffee or much less sweet tea.” I concurred.

“Same, but we should still drink it.” Luna sighed. We both powered down a bit of the tea so no one would ask questions.

“What else should we talk about?” I asked as I nibbled on one of the biscuits. These are delicious. Luna pretended to mull it over as she clearly had a question.

“What about a sort of propelled metal cone from a barrel?” Luna asked. Now she’s asking about guns. Luna seemed genuinely surprised when I explained what television was. I don’t think she is like me. It was odd.

“Could you clarify?” I requested.

“Like a small metal ball, maybe a bit conical, launched from a long, thin barrel. Kind of like a firework.” Luna clarified. Definitely a gun.

“Where did you get that idea?” I checked. Luna clearly sensed I dodged the question.

“You do have an idea for it.” Luna grumbled. How does she know guns?

“You didn’t answer my question.” I pointed out.

“Neither did you despite clearly knowing what I’m talking about.” Luna shot back.

“The term is gun.” I informed her. Luna made a face I didn’t recognize.

“I saw it in a vision. I wasn’t sure what it was.” Luna told me. I’m starting to suspect these visions might be a bit more detailed or informative than she’d like to admit. Or she knew of ideas that had yet to come. But how would that be possible?

“Did the barrel look like this?” I inquired as I summoned the one Utol gave me. Luna looked absolutely shocked to see it; her mouth kept opening and closing as she looked at it.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“It’s hard to explain. It’s like seeing something coming but seeing what it actually is going to be is unsettling. The details are surprising.” Luna confessed. She looked conflicted as she saw the barrel.

“I guess television was simply a word you heard, but this was something you saw?” I probed.

“Correct. I. I just. It’s a hard feeling to describe.” Luna answered with a sigh.

If she’s telling the truth about the visions, I could see where it would be unsettling to see them become real so accurately. It’s not like I was overly truthful either if she was lying. I definitely know where these ideas and concepts are and fully what they’re capable of. We continued to talk for a while, until I had to escort her back to the entrance. I picked up Lux and transferred her to my shoulder. She groggily wrapped around my neck as she balanced herself to continue napping. I guess Lux does take naps while I tend to train or practice something else. Luna was probably right about pushing myself too much. Nez did keep a respectful distance as we walked. We reached our parents, and I noticed her father looked a tad nervous. What’s his deal? I also just realized if I wanted to talk to Luna again, I had no idea when or how to arrange that. Was I always this bad in social situations? Definitely not, right? I should’ve talked about it earlier. Even if she wasn’t telling me the full truth, I at least got to talk to someone without trying to hide my actual thoughts. She’s also off. No kid should be able to keep up with that conversation, but she did with ease.

“I’ll see you in a week Nil! Daddy’s visiting again then!” Luna chimed like a kid, in a completely different tone than earlier. I’m willing to put money on the fact she’s similar to me in some way. Maybe she reincarnated like me? Something told me that wasn’t right. Luna seemed genuinely amazed by a few of my ideas.

“That’s Crown Prince Nil, Luna!” her father lectured, jarring me from my thoughts.

“Why are you correcting her?” I asked. Her dad seemed a bit surprised.

“It’s not proper to address you without your title.” He replied.

“If I didn’t correct her, why did you?” I pressed. Her father looked so confused. Her last name is Dawnsfield. What rank is he?

“Duke Dawnsfield.” Luna told me.

“Thank you, Luna. Duke Dawnsfield, if I didn’t correct her, why did you?” I interrogated.

“I’m sorry.” Duke Dawnsfield apologized, with an expression of pure befuddlement.

“It’s okay.” I chimed, similar to Luna. Luna and I waved goodbye as she left with her father.