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StLQ Chapter 19 - The Mystery
🕑 Added 2025-08-14 19:04:17 +0000 UTCChilly winter air was already invading our house’s entry hall. Donovan stood tall in a leather jacket. He was fully covered, though the outfit seemed light for the weather. Donovan wasn’t bothered, of course, being one of the best mages in the country. He looked down at us with stoic eyes. “Get dressed, please. Association officials would like to talk to both of you. In Luna’s house.”
In that shithole? I thought, wondering what exactly was going on. But I nodded. “One minute.”
With the door closed, Luna and I got dressed. I tied my bootlaces and snuck into my jacket. Luna was about to leave with only her summer jacket, but I insisted she wear my mom’s red jacket as well. Even if it was only a short distance, I hoped the jacket would remind her of the warmth that would follow after this was done. Underneath her winterwear, Luna still wore my mom’s spare clothes.
We exited the house and joined Donovan into the pitch black winter. I held Luna’s hand. The starless sky was just dark, like a globe enveloping us in nothing at all. It must have been a cloudy evening, though clouds weren’t visible in the dark either. The one lamp of our street flickered for a second before glowing bright again. Our neighbors’ windows, curtains open, helped out with light from their crackling fireplaces.
“The investigation is close to being handled,” Donovan said. “It is looking positive. There are a few things we must resolve with you directly.”
He kept his look ahead, away from us. I didn’t see any hints of a comforting smile on his lips. Feeling my gaze, he faced me and a smile suddenly appeared. “Ah, I apologize for my tiredness. Lokora’s winter still twists my internal clock. What is it, seven in the evening right now?”
“The child protectors work surprisingly late,” I said.
“For a case like this, they’ll stay the whole night,” Donovan said. He glanced at Luna. “I’m sorry this took so long. Your situation should have been resolved long ago.”
Luna showed no reaction, head pointing down as she walked beside me. She squeezed my hand.
A fresh layer of snow had fallen on Luna’s front yard. It was trampled by half a dozen pairs of footsteps. Not a well-used path by any means—only ten or so people had entered and exited the house, and most of the footsteps seemed to come from the same three pairs. Outside the house, the lone carriage was parked, a light layer of snow on its roof.
As we approached the door to Luna’s house, snow crunching under my boots, a frown formed on my face. Something about this whole thing felt off. I clutched Luna’s hand tighter. God bless us, but she looked unsettled as well, even more so than I. Something was wrong.
The front door opened. Donovan stepped in first. I followed next. By instinct, I stood protectively in front of Luna, as if I was stepping into some sort of haunted house.
For a few moments, nothing bad happened. Luna’s house was the same shithole I’d seen in the vision. A few pieces of trash had been cleaned off of the entrance hall. The kerosene lamp atop the door had been lit. Some dust had been wiped. A scent of tobacco and booze filled my nose.
Suddenly, something grabbed my foot. My heart dropped. I flung my arms at Donovan—tried to, at least, but my hands wouldn’t move. Nothing at all moved. A large coating of active magic surrounded my body, physically blocking me from moving. I couldn’t open my jaw to scream.
Oh no, I thought, recalling this exact sensation from prior to my death. Anger flowed through me. Donovan, this fucking asshat, he’d been involved all along. Of course he was!
The orange glow of two prying fingers pressed against my forehead, and a terrible, the most hideous sensation filled my head. My perception of reality shifted; I no longer felt panic. It was all replaced by a terrible feeling of losing myself.
“NO!” Luna’s desperate scream echoed, and the world went dark.
***
“NO!” Luna cried out.
Mana surged from her core, filling her veins. The mana within was violent, the uncontrollable type every textbook taught not to channel. Luna almost shot it all in the air around her.
Then she paused.
What was she trying to achieve? She was shooting a spell at Mother?
The mana passed weakly into the air, forming no spell at all. Luna’s hands fell limp, and her head fell low.
“Troublesome lot,” headmaster Donovan said with zero emotion in his voice. He frowned at Luna. “You were told not to fall in love.”
Kai’s body stayed upright, but his muscles were all limp, as if he was dead. Mother’s fingers pointed directly into his eyes. His eyelids were open, but the look within was devoid of any light. The determination he’d shown moments ago had died in an instant.
Luna fell to her knees. A pressure caught her heart so tight she felt like she’d disappear. She held a hand over her head. Painful tears pushed through her throat like spikes. She couldn’t stop them. Even though Mother was in front of her, even though she would be punished…
I’m sorry! she whimpered weakly in her head. It’s all my fault… Kai, I made you like this…
Nobody punished her in that instant. She lay hopelessly on her knees. Wasn’t there anything she could do to help? She was the best mage of their class; she knew how to cast spells, surely, there was something to do?
There wasn’t. Even if Luna killed Mother now, that would leave Kai crippled and without his memories. Mother wasn’t just reading Kai’s memories. She was fully manipulating them, altering his perceptions. She required focus. An error could mean Kai would never wake up.
Luna’s heart squeezed unbearably tight. It felt as if nails had pierced her chest. I should have warned him! I should have told him not to trust the headmaster!
“Interesting…” Mother said. “Very interesting. His memories run deep.”
“Alter the last week,” Donovan said. “Suspicion can brew in his head. That is no problem. He needs to forget his impulses for the next few days. That should be possible.”
Mother wore a wide scowl. “It is. I will require a moment.” She closed her eyes and focused. Her fingers glowed brighter as she invaded Kai’s brain.
Luna could only watch as memories were stolen from the only person in the world who had ever helped her. The one person who Luna let into her life, who she invited into this mess. He was now being ruined.
All the happy memories, Mother tossed them aside, as if they’d never happened.
The process took no longer than five minutes. The glow of Mother’s fingers subsided, and Kai’s body fell limply on the ground.
Mother grimaced in pain, pressing a hand against her head. “Let him sleep for an hour. Not a minute less than that. The memories will be too jumbled.”
Donovan nodded. “I expect you have done a great job.”
Mother sat down on her usual spot on the couch, holding a hand over her head. She looked pissed, as if she was the one who suffered the most from this. “What will we do with Luna? She has fallen deeply for this boy. Those memories will be difficult to alter.”
Luna’s panicked breaths paused. What if her thoughts were taken? The only memories of warmth she’d ever formed. The only night she slept in a real bed. The only time she tasted lollipops. What if those were taken from her?
Mother sometimes missed details. That would be even worse. What if all Luna was left with from Kai’s kindness was the taste of his mother’s pancakes with no knowledge of where the taste came from?
The headmaster’s eyes were shut in thought. He tapped his foot. “It’s not a problem. Luna can keep her memories. The cauldron is almost ready regardless. She has been punished enough.”
Mother glanced at Luna, who lay on the floor, covered in her tears. As always, Luna’s pain spread to Mother in the form of anger. With a wide frown, Mother got up from her seat and grabbed the red winter jacket. “This,” Mother said, “is not yours.”
Mother unbuttoned it violently, grabbing it off of Luna’s body, only to find another sweater that wasn’t Luna’s. Mother took the sweater, pulling it off of Luna’s body with force. The sweater slid off of her, then came the oversized pants, leaving Luna in nothing but her underwear.
“Where is your uniform?” Mother asked.
Luna’s throat was in so much pain she struggled to respond. Mother drummed her fingers on the cabin next to her.
“Kai’s house…” Luna mumbled out. “Washed… and drying…”
Mother let out a long-winded sigh. She tossed the borrowed clothes toward Donovan. They landed on the ground. “Drop these off, and ask for the uniform back. Luna needs it back for school tomorrow.”
Mother’s pissed off mood spread. The headmaster scowled as he picked up the clothes from the floor. “Just a few more days,” Donovan said. “I expect no further problems until then. Remember the money, Magdalene. We are gone if this fails.”
“Yeah,” Mother said dismissively. She picked up Luna’s arm, anger oozing out of her every movement. Luna stumbled on her feet, dragging limply after Mother.
The bathroom door squealed open. Mother tossed Luna in, her bare skin collapsing against the chilly tiles. Uncleaned dirt scrubbed against her cheek and lips.
Mother slammed the door shut, locking Luna into the pitch black bathroom. With no blanket, no candles for warmth, not even a shirt to protect her from shivering. She lay on the ground, unable to sleep, unable to cry for help for what felt like hours, for if she acted miserably, Mother would only punish her harder.
***
An eternity later, without a minute of sleep, suddenly and without warning, the bathroom door opened as quickly as it had shut. Mother’s mood hadn’t improved since yesterday. She scowled down at Luna.
“You’re late to school,” Mother said. She tossed Luna’s uniform at her.
Her nose picked up on something. A pleasant flowery scent of washing soap. The same scent that covered Kai’s mother’s sweater. Luna’s nose picked up on it over the dirtiness of the bathroom as if she’d been saved by an angel.
But it was just her uniform, having been freshly washed.
“Get up,” Mother said. Her tone was quiet, but she sounded angry.
With her head low, Luna snuck into her uniform.
Mother watched with her arms crossed, upset. After all that just happened, Mother expected Luna to rise from the grave-like bathroom, as if Luna hadn’t just lived through the worst night of her life. Luna did so, moving with lifeless steps.
With the uniform on, Luna moved to the hall closet. Mother continued watching. Sluggishly, Luna put on her boots and her summer jacket.
“Study well,” Mother said. She opened the door and with a push on her back, abandoned Luna into the winter morning.
Immediately, a gust of wind pierced her jacket, biting her face along with a cluster of snowflakes.
A raging blizzard covered the outside world in a flurry of snowflakes. The worst storm of the year yet. The air was so cold it hurt. Her summer jacket was as good as useless.
Luna stood still, unable to think, emotions unable to form. Her hands hung limply to her sides. Her eyelids twitched as a snowflake landed on her eye. She felt near naked.
I hate her, Luna thought.
A risky thought. If Mother searched Luna’s mind she’d be thrown straight back to the bathroom.
I hate her. She is the worst.
I hate Mother.
I hate her!
Another gust of wind hit Luna like a block of solid ice to the face. Her instincts rushed her to movement. She hugged herself. That, too, was useless. The outside felt deadly cold today. Luna picked up the pace. If she spent any longer outside, the blizzard would really kill her.
The same thought repeated in her head as a layer of snow gathered on her hood and shoulders. I hate her. She should die. Mother should die.
Lokora’s long streets were entirely empty today. Street licks flickered. Some threatened to tip over from the deadly wind. The weather was brutal enough that even Lokora’s locals chose to stay inside.
The next gust of wind hit her like cold sandpaper scraping against her skin. Her coat was covered in snow. Luna swiped herself with her hands, pushing snow off, but it didn’t help with the cold.
I’m going to die, Luna thought. A panic was starting to replace the hateful words flowing in her head. At this pace, even making it to school would be difficult. I’ll die. The winter will kill me!
She hastened the pace. Disappearing didn’t sound too bad. Luna didn’t want to go to school. She didn’t want to practice magic. She didn’t want to do anything at all. She didn’t want to go home.
But freezing would have been too painful. At least the World Tree was warm inside. She gritted her teeth and forced her way toward school.
Footsteps sounded behind her, followed by a “Hey, wait, Luna!”
Luna froze. The voice was familiar. Her heart skipped a beat, then twisted painfully.
Kai caught up quickly. He leaned forward, grabbing his thighs, out of breath. Then he raised his head, just like he had on the first night when offering a red jacket for Luna. Again, he noted Luna’s summer jacket, utterly astounded by what he was seeing.
This time, he wasn’t carrying his mother’s red jacket anymore. His memories were wiped. He merely stood without saying anything, wondering how to solve the situation before him. The blizzard picked at his face as well.
Tears crept up Luna’s throat. Kai really had forgotten everything.
Another gust of wind hit them. Luna froze in pain, as if a solid wall had hit her head-on. She really felt like she was about to die.
“Luna, I seriously don’t understand your household,” Kai said. His voice, too, shivered, despite his winter jacket
He began unbuttoning his jacket with a scowl on his face. A genuinely upset expression—the total opposite expression of the grin usually plastered on his face.
He held out his jacket, and said, “Take it, and let’s run the fuck inside.”
Luna sniffled. A tear flowed down her cheek. Immediately, the teardrop tried to freeze on her face. The overwhelming emotions from a night ago came right back.
Kai, this stupid idiot. Even without his memories, he was offering his jacket to Luna.
Her world a blur of tears, Luna slid into Kai’s jacket and held it tightly around her chest. Kai nodded, and they bolted to school as fast as their feet allowed.
