Ruby stopped outside my aunt’s home and howled as I carefully hopped off her side. I groaned and squatted a bit as my thighs arched from having ridden her with no saddle. I then turned and began to decide the best way to get my mother off her when the house's front door opened.

  “Luna?” I heard my father. “What is going on…?” He started but then stopped when he saw his mother hanging over the side of Ruby.

  Varis scurried past him, his expression excited and relieved though quickly soured like my father’s when he saw Mother.

  “She’s okay,” I said quickly. “Just passed out. Please, help me with her.” I gestured to Ruby, who was already getting down to the ground.

  “What happened?” Varis asked, but I didn’t respond.

  Father was already approaching me and helping grab Mother off of Ruby. “Varis, hold the door open, Luna, go prepare our bedroom.”

  I hesitated and held a hand up to Father. “Actually, Father, I think we should see a doctor.”

  Father blinked and looked at me. “Why, what is wrong?” He asked.

  “Mother’s been unconscious for a while. I don’t know what’s wrong with her,” I said, and his eyes widened slightly.

  “Were you able to heal her with your magic?” He asked.

  I nodded. “I tried but… She still isn’t waking up. Where is Isa? She might know something.”

  Father sighed. “She went to Trentonville to check on Dr. Kegan to see if he’ll need help with any wounded.”

  I assumed as much. I thought with a nod.

  Varis came up behind me and looked at me, worried. “Luna, what’s going on?” He asked, his voice soft and wavering ever so slightly.

  I looked at him and smiled gently, trying to soothe him. “It’ll be okay,” I said. “I’ll expin everything soon.” I turned back into the room and looked at Father.

  “Do you think we should take Mother to see Dr. Kegan?” I asked. "As said, my magic didn’t help her; I’m afraid it might be something beyond it.”

  Father looked back at her and was silent for a moment. “Maybe,” he said softly. "If magic couldn’t wake her, I don’t know if Kegan could. Though, I’m not a physician, so who knows?” He shrugged.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Varis asked, sounding more annoyed. “What happened to Momma? Where’s Aunt Saria, weren’t you going to get her, Luna?”

  I looked at Varis. “It’s a long story, I’ll expin soon. Though short of it is Momma and I encountered a bad man and got into a fight.”

  Varis’s jaw set, and he looked at me annoyed but sighed and didn’t press further. “It’s okay, Varis,” Father said. “It’ll be faster if Luna gives us the rundown while we move. Luna, help me take Ruby to the alley, we can get her hitched to the wagon. It’ll be more comfortable for your mother there.”

  “What about me?” Varis asked, and Father looked at him and pursed his lips.

  “Go inside, grab a pillow and bnket for her,” he said, and this seemed to satisfy Varis as he nodded, gave a mock salute, and ran inside.

  It didn’t take long for Ruby to hitch up to the wagon. The strider seemed pleased to be hooked up to the vehicle. Probably cause she no longer had Mother slumped over her back. Varis and I piled into the back of the wagon while Father took the driver's seat. My mother was comfortably bundled up in a thick bnket Varis got for her with a pillow tucked under her head. She looked so peaceful and warm beneath those covers; her eyes continued to fidget slightly beneath her lids, and her lips twitched as she mumbled unintelligibly beneath her breath.

  Seeing her cocooned in the warm covers made me aware of the weather, and I couldn’t help but shiver as a cool breeze blew into the alley. I wrapped my arms around myself and shuddered. “It’s so cold,” I said. "Isn’t it supposed to be close to summer now?”

  “Not till at least another month,” Father said, “It’s probably just a Frostwind. Most likely the st before Summer.” He grabbed the reins. “Keep your arms and legs in the cart, and don’t talk to anyone.” He then looked at me. “Central Park was hit by one of those cylinders, Luna. There are bound to be hurt people there, I know this sounds horrible, but please, do not use your powers.”

  I blinked. He’s right. Do you recall what happened st time with the priest and his family?

  “What if the people recognize me anyway?” I asked Father. “People already know what I did before.”

  Father flicked the reins, and Ruby began to move onto the road. “I know,” He said, not looking at me. “But it’s best we try to be on the down low. If people recognize you, just try to ignore them. We can’t afford to be swarmed by those who need help.”

  Are you okay with that, Luna? A familiar part of me wondered. Do you honestly think you can listen to him? What if you see another girl your age who’s badly wounded? What if you see a family hurt by the Veinrite bombs? Can you live with yourself knowing you can help them but refuse not to?

  “No…” I mumbled to myself. “I couldn’t. I want to help everyone.”

  “Luna?” My ears perked up, and I looked to Varis, who watched me with concern.

  “What happened? You said you would expin,” He said.

  I nodded, looked at Mother, and sighed. Then I told them everything—well, almost everything. I told them the events of Mother and I arriving at the arcanium pnt, the Master possessing me and fighting Putinov, and finally, my talk with Shaed and eventually Mother accidentally merging with me.

  What I left out, however, was my talk with Cereb and Shaed’s name. I didn’t tell them about his name because nobody, even me, was supposed to know it. If his name began to spread and the other gods or religious nuts found out, that’d be bad for us. As for Cereb, I believed what that thing told me, even though I didn’t want to. The idea that I was some echo of a being much more significant than me. A thing constructed by Shaed that, in turn, made me caused my mind to quake. It spoke like I was made like a machine, a product to do its bidding. What did it mean? What was I made for?

  To gather perspectives. At least that’s what it said. That familiar within reminded me.

  What did that even mean? Gathering perspectives for what? The thought unnerved me, but are there other versions of me out there? Echoes living lives and coming back to Cereb? The thing said I was different and wasn’t like the others. I just… God, my brain is hurting now.

  Would you like me to take over? The piece within asked.

  Excuse me? I thought in response.

  I can take over, Luna, rex. Or else you’ll start to spiral again. Trust me. I’ll return control once you’re calm.

  Take over… This feeling in me felt like me. It was me. It was Truth. They were back. After all this time, they were still here. Despite all I’ve done to them, all I’ve said, their presence was warm and comforting. Although I knew they could be harsh, that was who they were. Truth. They knew what they were doing. I was terrified at the idea of letting them in control again. I was different back then. I wasn’t even Luna, but… what they did in the Cerebellium. Truth was correct. They… no. I knew what to do, except… I can’t do it. But they could. They could do it for me, and they said they wanted to help me. If they were in control, I could rest… I could focus, and I… I wouldn’t mind…

  Truth

  “I… I wouldn’t mind…” Luna thought, and for the first time in ages. Relinquished control.

  She closed her eyes, quieted, and took a deep breath. Allowing Truth to step into her pce. A spot that felt all too familiar and new at the same time. A pce in which they’ve been gone from far, far too long. And hopefully, it’ll be a pce in which things can be made to change.

  Now. What was Luna doing beforehand? Oh, right.

  “And that was that,” Truth finished the story. “I found myself spiraling through Mother’s memories before the Master ripped me and her out, and I found myself back in the pnt.” They kept their voice calm and straightforward.

  Varis watched his sister with attentive eyes as Truth met their gaze. A bit of concern and curiosity could be seen within his mixed-colored gaze, though he kept a brave face. She then gnced up to her father, who occasionally gnced over his shoulder at her as they rode down the street, his expression also concerned.

  “That, that sounds like a lot,” Was all he could say.

  “So…” Varis blinked as he leaned back, now mulling over the details. “You and Momma, shared, memories?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I was linked to the cognitive realm as I mentioned. The pce of thoughts and minds. When mother touched me we became linked together. I don’t know why, or how, but it happened. The Master hadn’t anticipated this either, but he did shout something just before we were shunted into the void. Something about how he should’ve warned us. So I guess he did know this could’ve happened, but didn’t think it would.”

  Father snorted. “For a god he’s pretty stupid then.” He shook his head. “You were in a power room surrounded by people. Someone was bound to touch you.”

  Truth shrugged and leaned back, their eyes flicking to the clouds above. “Perhaps. Though, the Master is no god.”

  “Huh?” Father arched a brow. “Luna, everything you’ve told us, he’s the…” He trailed off. “You know what he is,” He said, not wanting to say the Dark Lord’s title out loud.

  “I know,” She said, meeting her father’s eyes. “But you heard what I told you. The Master is a man, one who acquired great power. Though that is all. A god, at least by the definition I’m familiar with is a principle of morality and belief. A being of supreme power and justice…” Truth trailed off as Slyran slowly turned to look at her as Ruby stopped at an intersection.

  “I see Isa has been speaking to you a lot tely?” He asked, blinking slowly.

  Truth pursed her lips and shrugged. “All I’m saying is that the Master is none of these things. He is powerful and knowledgeable, though that is all. He doesn’t know everything, and clearly,” she gestured to her mother. “Makes mistakes. Stupid ones at that.”

  Varis smirked and chuckled. “So the man in your head is dumb?” He crossed his arms. “I guess that means he’s not so scary afterall.”

  Truth giggled and nodded. “Exactly. He’s no different then any of us.” She turned her attention to what was around them.

  As Luna had seen before, the streets were packed with panicked citizens running to and fro—so much so that cart travel was almost unbearable. The constant stopping and going, waiting for people to cross, mixed with constables and soldiers shouting and blowing into whistles, made it a nearly agonizing experience. Truth could feel Luna shudder inside as the little girl empathized with those pleading for help.

  Nearby, a shop with broken windows, a man clutched at his bloodied arm as he sat along the curb. A constable was questioning him while others inspected the broken-into store. The man’s face cringed with agony as he gripped a ssh wound that Luna yearned to cure. Yet, Truth simply watched and turned away as their wagon rolled past.

  There is a time and pce, Luna. Truth thought to the girl. Right now isn’t that time. We can’t stop and help everyone. Not when there are more important things that need to be done.

  The cordon around their district was lifted when they reached the barricade between Old Town and Central. With the Cylinders neutralized by the pulse Lucien had released from the pnt, the machines within were no longer a threat. While magic slowly returned to the city, much of the illusory billboards and advertisements remained inactive, leaving the once lively city almost hollow and dipidated.

  While the cordon was gone, soldiers and constables always remained on guard. Squads of Ionan troops and heins guards patrolled on either side of the road along nearly every street. In the sky, Truth wasn’t surprised to see airships dispying the Ionan phoenix hovering above. Luna whimpered at the sight. The memory of when the invasion started was fresh in her mind.

  Don’t worry. This is to be expected. Truth soothed her. Rex. Having ships above is a good thing. Attacks from above should be less frequent if they can secure the sky.

  Being in control again after so long felt strange to Truth. The st time she’d been in this spot was well… If you account for Enora’s extended calendar compared to Earth’s… That’d be about eighteen years. Eighteen years since that day, that…

  “Don’t bring it up,” Luna said sternly in Truth’s mind.

  Truth’s jaw set. What do you mean? I’m the one in control here.

  “Because I’m letting you. Just because you’re in the driver’s seat, doesn’t mean you can go through my shit.”

  Truth frowned. You mean our shit. I was there, too.

  “Please,” Luna said with a sigh. “Just don’t…”

  Truth rolled her eyes and leaned back as she crossed her arms. Whatever…

  So pathetic. In a literal sense. The poor thing had regressed so much since then. It bothered Truth that Luna wouldn’t face it. As, she couldn’t force them. She shouldn’t either. Trying to recall it then was pushing too hard.

  “Luna,” Varis’s voice drew her attention. The boy was sitting on the other end of the cart, his knees pulled up to his chest, arms hugging them. “It’s okay, " he said.

  Truth blinked and cocked her head. “Excuse me?”

  “You look sad and angry,” Varis said, giving her a gentle smile. “I’m telling you it’ll be okay. Momma will be alright.”

  She straightened up and smiled gently. Truth hadn’t realized her expression shifting while talking with Luna.

  “We really are insane,” Luna mumbled in the corner of her thoughts.

  I said to rex. Go, watch some pleasant thoughts or something. Truth mentally waved her away.

  “Kind of hard to do when my mother isn’t waking up–gah!” Luna went silent as Truth stuffed her away. She didn’t want to be forceful, but the girl was becoming a nuisance.

  She needs to stop with the pessimism. She thought, then smiled at Varis.

  “Thank you, Varis.” She rubbed the back of her neck.

  Her brother’s expression brightened some more. “I’m sure Dr. Kegan will help. You remember all those medicines we helped him organize? He’s bound to have something that’ll snap her awake.” He snapped his fingers.

  Amused by his optimism, she chuckled. “I hope so. Dr. Kegan is a smart man.” She sighed and turned to Slyran, who was focused on the road. “Father, what do we do when we get there?”

  Slyran curled his lips into a tight line as he thought. After a moment, he said, “I don’t know, Luna. Kegan is bound to have his hands full with the panicked and injured. Isa will probably help however she can but…” He closed his eyes. “Things are a bit hectic right now.”

  I assumed as much. Truth thought. “Father, after we check with Kegan and Isa. I would like to go to the construction site next.”

  “What?” Father looked over his shoulder. “Why?”

  “The Master told me to,” She said.

  “I thought we were going to do our own thing?” Luna asked deep within.

  Of course, you found a way out.

  “Hey, this is my head. So what gives?”

  We are doing our own thing. I told you to trust me. Remember what Cereb showed us? Mother is reted to what was being made. What’s there also happens to interest Shaed. Everything seems to be connected to that, so we need to investigate.

  “But what if it’ll just lead to more issues?”

  It very well may. Don’t have second thoughts now, Luna. You said to yourself, "We should try to help." Luna fell silent.

  “Luna?” Slyran prompted her again. “You’re staring off into space. Is that voice talking?” He asked.

  “No.” She shook her head. “I just recalled something,” she lied, which, of course, wasn’t something Truth was good at, and her father frowned. Thankfully, he didn’t press the issue. “The Master told me that what’s being made there could help the city. I need to make sure that it gets finished.”

  He blinked. “So what, you’re some kind of work foreman?’ He shook his head. “I don’t get it. Why do you have to go there?”

  “I just do, Father,” Truth said, “Trust me. It’s important for one reason or another.”

  “So you don’t know?” He snorted and sighed. “Does that guy tell you anything?”

  “Not really,” She admitted. “He yaps about a lot of old stuff but never gets to the point.”

  Slyran huffed. “Sounds like my father…” He fell silent, then shrugged. “Fine, but… There’s a problem. Aenorin got me a job there as a contractor, so I can get in, but I doubt they’d let any kid in there. Daughter or not.”

  Truth pursed her lips as the wagon strolled down the road. Far off, a distant kxon arm sounded, followed by a booming voice. “Medic! Report to the construction site immediately!” As it faded, a devious smile formed across her lips.

  “I think I know a way inside,” She said, humming with amusement as a pn brewed in her mind.

  It was bad. Very bad. Like the airfield, Trentonville had been pounded hard by the Veinrites. As if the invading army hadn’t already done enough war crimes, the refugee camp had nearly been annihited by the bombs. The ke in the park's center had been expanded by massive bomb craters along its edges. The forest of trees mainly had been fttened and burned by the explosions, and worst of all, the makeshift tent city itself was practically ruined now. Only a few dozen tents and shanties remained standing, and the howls of the wounded and dying sounded like a horrifying choir.

  Luna inside Truth raged like never before. The girl screamed and cried, demanding how and why they did this. She vowed to seek retribution and sobbed for those lost. Truth, however, dispyed none of these emotions. Her face was frozen in a state of neutrality.

  They did this to send a message. She tried to expin to Luna. They tried to destroy the Ionan reinforcements to say that no help was coming. Then, they killed as many refugees as possible to show that nobody could escape them.

  This did little to soothe her. Truth reminded herself that logic for someone like Luna isn’t how you try to cool one’s temper. Though even for her, Truth found it difficult to stomach the sight. Corpses and debris y strewn around them. Men, women, and children sobbed and raged as they dug through the wreckage, searching for lost loved ones.

  Soldiers and guards of both nationalities assisted those as best they could. “Please consult the casualties list before asking the whereabouts of a missing loved one!” A woman shouted from the top of a crate ahead at the road's bend leading to one of the few remaining tents. Kegan’s clinic.

  The sight relieved Truth and Luna, who released a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. As expected, the area was crowded with dozens, if not hundreds, of wounded and their desperate families. So much so that cots had been set up outside, and Truth spotted military doctors and even Slyondrite acolytes tending to the severely wounded and dying.

  Suddenly, Truth’s vision went dark as a heavy bnket was thrown over her. She gasped and scoffed before pulling the thing off her and turning to face Varis, who smiled sheepishly. “Father told me before we left to get an extra bnket.” he pointed to the fabric in her hand. “You might want to hide under that, cause… you know father said he doesn’t want people bother us.”

  She pursed her lips and gnced at the pin blue bnket. It was thick and rge, far too cumbersome to carry around casually. If she had a knife, she’d cut it shorter. Though Varis made a point, and father was wise to think this far ahead, at least. Truth nodded. “Good thinking, Varis.” Truth pulled the bnket over her shoulders. “Next time, though, warn me before tossing stuff over my head.”

  Varis blushed and smirked. “Okay.” He nodded.

  Slyran had to park the wagon a little further up the path away from the clinic to avoid taking up space in the makeshift triage. The three of them hopped off the wagon, and Slyran hesitated before telling Ruby not to go anywhere without them. After a few moments of repeating this, the strider squawked and bobbed her rge head.

  They then began to walk towards the tent. Inside Truth, Luna yearned to do something. She was practically pleading with Truth to heal those they encountered. Bundled beneath their tight bnket, which she pulled over her head, she hissed, “No. I told you, we need to y low for now.”

  “We can’t just leave them here to die, look at most of them.” Luna urged. “We can help these people.”

  “I know we can, but so can they.” Truth’s eyes flicked over to a few acolytes performing a rejuvenation scroll on a middle-aged woman whose torso was bloodied with shrapnel wounds.

  “Yes, but what’s the likelihood that they’re reserving such magic for those who desperately need it? What about those who will live but suffer life long debilitating issues? We can fix everyone.”

  “Jesus Christ, Weepy, we’ve been over this.”

  “I’m not Weepy!” Luna cried.

  “Yes you are,” Truth hissed. “We’ve been over this. Your mother and father have been over this with you. Yes we can help these people, but at what cost? Alerting everyone to our presence? Consuming all our magic and leaving us tired? What if Putinov comes back and hears about this? He’ll know where to find us, and we’ll be all tuckered out–”

  “You’re just reaching–”

  “I’m thinking rationally, Luna. That’s why I’m here. That’s why you finally let me out. To think rationally for you. I know it hurts, I know you want to help these people, but you need to stop going off just your emotions.”

  “So you want me to become cold hearted?”

  Truth stopped in her tracks as Varis and Father went on ahead. Varis stopped and turned to her. “Luna?”

  “Hold on,” She said to them.

  “Voice?” Slyran asked with an arched brow, and Truth lied with a nod.

  “Run that by me again?” Truth asked Luna.

  “I-I, uh, I said…” She stammered, trailed off, and in a low voice, she said, “I asked if you want me to become cold-hearted.”

  Truth scowled. “That’s what I thought.” She shook her head. “You really are dense aren’t you?”

  “Huh?” Luna shrunk.

  “Dense. Not stupid, I know we’re smart, but you’re dense. Like a brick wall.”

  Luna shrunk further. “Why are you acting like a dick now?”

  “Oh, shut the…” Truth gripped her little fists. “If we were in the Cerebellium I’d smack the denseness out of you. I’m the dick? Really? The one who offered to take over when you started spiraling? The one who’s been ying the facts out for you and helping you. I’m the dick, really? Matter of fact, lets go back a bit. Cold hearted? You think what we’re doing is cold hearted? No, Luna. Think, think!”

  “I-I… I’m sorry…” Was all she whimpered.

  Truth sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I shouldn’t have gotten riled up like that. Luna, I asked you to trust me. I know we never got along in the past, but know that I want to help. I do. That’s why you created me anyway.”

  “Created…? You?”

  Truth sighed. “Oh, sweet summer child, you bottled that away, didn’t you?” She shrugged and began walking forward again. “We’ll talk about it ter.”

  “I’ve seen them after death, the collectors… There is no escape…”

  Name: Sensha Eldori

  Cause of death: Maternal death.

  Time of death: Aqui 13th, 1943 22:30

  Time of death speech: Aqui 16th, 01:14

  Notes: The subject was a one-hundred-and-thirty-two-year-old elven woman from Branoria. The child she bore, unfortunately, resulted in her having a weakened heart, which caused her to pass. Her corpse was donated to Karlston’s learning hospital in Shenfeld, where her death speech was heard and recorded in the morgue.

  A typical pattern was noted among the recent death speeches. It occurs three days after passing. We do not know the significance of this. However, regarding this one’s particur message, I’ve contacted the Guiding Hand to see if they know anything about these “collectors.”