Matizu Writes
patreon
StLQ Chapter 14 - Help
🕑 Added 2025-08-11 17:52:34 +0000 UTCLuna avoided me on the way to school the next morning. She spotted me plowing snow and immediately turned the opposite direction, taking a detour. I didn’t go after her. Forcing a conversation would only make things more difficult.
Going forward, I had two goals. One, to get Luna away from her mother by any means necessary. Two, to get Luna’s mom arrested for the crime of black magic—since mind control was definitely, at the very least, illegal—and to prevent Magdalene from committing more crimes in the future.
The inconsistencies of the disaster’s investigations in my past life could all be explained by adding a powerful mind mage to the situation. If Luna’s mother had the ability to rewrite memories, which I knew was an ability that existed, she could have easily rewritten the memories of key investigators while they slept.
If she’d rewritten Donovan’s memories, as well as the memories of the investigator who interrogated staff and students after the disaster, perhaps planting some incorrect evidence in their heads, that alone could have explained why the reports were so blurred.
After that, she’d just need to plant real evidence to frame someone—Johannes Longfield—and she’d be set. Someone was found red handed with the tools involved in the disaster, and the investigation was concluded. Magdalene wouldn’t even need to show her face. She wouldn’t need to lie. She just had to orchestrate the investigation from the backlines.
On top of that, Magdalene disappeared from Lokora with Luna right after the disaster happened. She had been missing ever since. Even Mr. Frederick freezing in place trying to stop the disaster could be explained if Luna’s mother was watching the scene from the sidelines.
I had evidence now. Enough to launch an actual investigation. Magdalene—that hideous creature—just had to be stopped before her plan could start.
I headed straight to Headmaster Donovan’s lantern at the top of the World Tree. I practically ran up the stairs, out of breath by the time I made it up. Donovan was talking to Mrs. Camila at the door.
Reservations could screw a long one; I ran straight to Donovan and said. “I need to talk to you. Immediately. It’s extremely urgent.”
“Kai Willswort!” Mrs. Camila exclaimed. “What manners? You cannot—”
“Lives are on the line here,” I said. “This entire school is in danger. I need to talk with the headmaster immediately.”
Camila studied me, struggling to decide whether I was insane or not. Donovan took it a lot more seriously. He nodded. “Very well. Come in.”
I entered the lantern. Donovan took a seat behind his desk, placed his arms on the table, and faced me. “Lives are in danger, you say?”
“I have discovered that Luna is being abused,” I said. “Her mother, Magdalene, has access to mind control. Black magic. I have also witnessed the crime of mind control being used directly on Luna. Magdalene used black magic on another human being. Luna should be separated from her mother immediately.”
Donovan’s eyes opened further the more I talked. By the end, he was staring at me with a look I’d never seen on him. “Seriously?” he asked, shocked.
I nodded. “This is not a hunch. Everything I said is a hundred percent factual.”
“You saw this with your own eyes?” Donovan asked.
“Forgive me for spying, but I saw it through their window.”
Donovan blinked, frozen in place for a considerable moment. He grabbed a pen and tapped it on his table. He looked troubled. “Well… That is a problem indeed. I heard Johannes informed you of the investigation.”
I was frowning, I realized. Somehow, I didn’t even care about the investigation. The anger I felt toward Luna’s mother overpowered it all.
“Mind control, huh?” Donovan continued, thinking while softly tapping his finger on the table. “That’s new.”
“New?” I asked. “You mean… you knew Luna was abused?”
Donovan nodded. “This isn’t the first time Luna’s abuse has been brought to attention. I was contacted by your mother some time ago.”
I blinked, raising my eyebrows. “My mom contacted you?”
“She informed us of the situation regarding your neighbor,” Donovan said. “She didn’t mention black magic, of course, but Magdalene's harsh way of raising her child is known to us. Child protectors have visited her home multiple times. They’ve come short every time.”
“Not surprising, considering she can use f… flipping mind magic,” I said, struggling to keep my cool. My fists were clenched, but I kept my voice calm. “Luna was forced to suffocate herself in dirty bath water with mind control. That’s not a harsh way of raising a child. That’s abuse, and it’s a crime. I am contacting you because I know how useless Lokora’s law enforcement is when it comes to magic. However, I do expect you to do something about this.”
“Of course,” Donovan said. “It’s needless to say that this matter takes priority above all else. But rushing it will lead to problems. Mind control magic is a harsh claim. Its use is also notoriously difficult to prove. For reasons you seem to already understand.”
We can just ask Luna, I thought. What’s so difficult about that?
Although, gaining information out of Luna could prove to be difficult. Luna feared her mother beyond all else—I had felt her fear when entering lich sight. Luna was taught to only speak well of her mother. Saying anything bad would lead to punishment.
“Is my word not enough to call in the Mages’ Association?” I asked. “Do I require a f… freaking handwritten confession from Luna’s mom herself before anything actually happens?”
“No, your word is quite enough,” Donovan said. “Casting mind magic on your own daughter is an evil not many crimes can match. If what you say is true, I will do anything in my power to stop this. Higher ups will be contacted immediately for assistance. The Association will visit Magdalene personally, with mages trained for these sorts of crimes.”
“Please.”
“Is there anything else you can say about this case?” Donovan asked.
“Luna’s wounds from yesterday should still be fresh,” I said. “You can show them to child protectors if it helps. Other than that… believe me when I saw everything in excruciating detail. I can describe everything. I also heard what they were talking about. If the investigators need a witness, I will explain everything.”
Donovan nodded. “This matter will be handled. Thank you for bringing this to me. You may return to class. And if I may ask, do not cause a fuss about this. I do not think Luna would like to have this known.”
“Of course,” I said. I stood to leave. Somehow, however, I didn’t feel satisfied.
At the door, I spoke over my shoulder. “Headmaster. If this matter isn’t handled by the end of the day, I will be very disappointed in the academy.”
I left and took a deep breath, exiting. The Mages’ Association would be called. That would probably be enough to solve this case. And since black magic was involved, they’d send out the big mages.
I walked downstairs, another thought tugging at my head. My mom knew about it… She always knew about Luna’s abuse. She tried to help.
Mom had failed. The thought of that made me bite my lip to near bleeding. If only Donovan had listened to my mom more thoroughly the first time, the disaster could have been prevented.
My body was still filled with anger as I made it to Mrs. Camila’s bullshit class. Joshua and Higu spotted me, smiled for a second. Seeing my expression, their smiles fell. I took my seat. Nobody talked to me.
Luna was present in the corner of the class. She looked remarkably normal, keeping a high front. Her head was low and her hair was messy, but both could have been blamed on a bad night of rest. She wore long socks that hid skin all the way to her skirt, and she hugged her hands. A slight bruise was visible on her cheek, but other than that, I would have never guessed what she went through yesterday.
She looked miserable. Luna always looked miserable.
Did this happen every day?
Mrs. Camila arrived in the classroom, and the lecture started. She noted everyone present and moved to talking.
Sitting through the lecture was agonizing. I spent the whole time thinking about whether there was something I could do to help the investigation.
I must have looked distracted, as Camila, of course, directed the first question straight to me. “Kai Willswort? You have taken quite an interesting approach to studying in my class. What do you think might be the answer to this problem?”
I hadn’t even heard what the question was. I glared up and said, “I am not paying attention today. Ask someone else. Please do not talk to me.”
Camila blinked. “You are not paying attention? Why have you arrived in class, dear?”
I gave her a glare, rolled my eyes, and looked away. The response made her silent, eyebrows high.
“Well,” she eventually said, turning away. “Ella, might you have a better answer?”
My anxiety did not pass. Why do I feel like Luna’s mom will still avoid investigation? She has done so for years.
Luna was still a part of this as well. As long as Luna and her mother were together, Magdalene could always manipulate Luna, perhaps using her as a hostage.
If I saw Luna heading back home to her mom after school today, I’d probably lose it. I needed to do something.
Problem was, Luna was keen on avoiding me. Convincing her to not go home would be difficult if nothing else. I couldn’t exactly kidnap her either. Luna was a far stronger mage than I was.
Class ended before I could come up with any sensible solutions. We had lunch right away. I didn’t exactly have an appetite.
But I had an idea to stop Luna from ignoring me. I took a pen and parchment and sat down to write a note.
I thought and considered for a minute before writing, “Luna, your life is in danger. I overheard your mother planning something awful with you. She’s really mad. You can’t go home today. I am working with authorities to save you. You have to trust me. Please talk to me after school.”
Luna ate in her usual corner. Alone, slowly munching on the mound of potatoes and beans on her plate. She had a lot on her plate for how slowly she ate. Her stomach had been empty in the vision. Most likely, lunch at school was the only food Luna ate.
When she saw me approaching, she slid back in her seat like a startled cat. Her hiding spot stopped her from escaping. Her breath caught. Then she picked up her tray and stood. “Stop talking to me,” she said coldly.
I placed the note on her tray. I met her eyes, put on a serious face, and said. “You will be saved, Luna. Please read it.”
With that, I walked away. Luna stood with her tray in confusion, staring after me. I sat a few rows away, not too close, but where I could still confirm whether she actually read it or not. She sat back down.
For a few minutes, she just stared at the note with lifeless eyes, as if afraid to open it. Hell, I would have been too if I was in her shoes. By talking with me, Luna risked angering her mother.
Eventually, she did open the note. Her hands were shaking while reading it.
She glanced at me. Luna’s eyes were terrified. Utterly lost and confused. She looked like she wanted to believe my words, but she couldn’t.
It’s going to be okay, I thought, hoping that my eyes conveyed the same. I nodded.
That was probably all I could do. If Luna still refused to talk to me, my only option was to actually kidnap her, which would cause more problems than solve.
I should probably eat as well, I thought. I’d left home with an empty stomach, skipping breakfast. Hunger hindered thoughts, as my mother had taught me. I loaded my plate with a few potatoes and some beans and picked an empty seat. My friends eyed me from some tables away, but nobody came to talk to me.
One more class remained after lunch. Wand-use by Herbert Renwick. I would not have paid attention even if the class was good. I also tried not to glance at Luna too many times. She looked a lot more nervous now, tapping her foot, occasionally looking at me.
My friends and classmates seemed curious about what was happening. Joshua had tried to talk to me multiple times, to which I either ignored him or said that I couldn’t speak right now. If I were to guess, my wobbly relationship with Luna was most likely the hot topic in class. Because, of course, everything in life revolved around love.
The class eventually ended. I watched to see if Luna was looking to make an escape again. She stayed put, her eyes staring at her desk. The class slowly calmed down and people began leaving, including my friends.
I moved to Luna’s seat. “Have you thought about it?”
Through all the nervousness, Luna seemed to be listening.
“Mm,” she muttered weakly. “I don’t understand… Kai, I don’t understand…”
“I’ll explain outside,” I said. “Let’s head out through the back. We might need to do some sneaking around.”
I led Luna out of the classroom and down the stairs of the World Tree. Instead of exiting through the main doors, however, I took her to the smaller exit by the back of the tree. The room was almost like an airlock: a small dark chamber with some hangers and a door outside. Two jackets had been hung by the hangers. My blue jacket, and my mom’s red one.
I tossed my mom’s jacket to Luna and put on my own. “I’m glad you listened to me, Luna. You won’t have to live with your mother after today. I’m going to save you.”
