“Si, I do not plan to interfere.” Lukai stated.

  “So, all right, I need to manage; apologies, I assumed you were inside,” Si said, then he saw Lukai’s expression and decided to clear it straight away. “I hide my energy; I have more than is widely known. I went in there so easily because of this.”

  Lukai nodded.

  There was a short silence between them.

  “Also. I guess there is more to Luna Alena than we thought. I am not sure if I am right, but let’s see.” Si wanted to explain more, but Luna was back and asked them to enter the library again.

  She opened the barrier to let them in.

  Luna sat at the table, and visibly she was expecting them to talk. Because they had confirmed that it was Si who caused the problems, Lukai was also silently waiting for him to speak first.

  Si thought to himself that he had already switched in his mind: she was Luna, not Anna. Luna. This name was just right.

  He decided to be honest. Hiding things didn’t work well.

  “So, I can see a slight glitch, but you can see more? And me and Lukai, we cannot? I was caught. I am sure we are not alone here. Do I think correctly it is the energy intelligence device that was stolen from my family in 139 ACD?”

  “Luna?” Lukai, surprisingly, decided to say something, but Si interrupted him.

  “Luna! So, you are Clar! How great!” Si exclaimed and then sat at the table, near her. Casually, he wanted to look friendly. He continued. “And what you have, what I saw on the table… because I saw it, was it the e.i.? I have so many questions…”

  Si looked around; tension was quite detectable.

  “… I mean a polite conversation; I am looking for knowledge, not to interrogate,” Si added with a questioning look, trying to smile at her.

  Luna didn’t comment; she nodded. Tension subsided.

  “See? This is why I’ve always called you Silly. You say things too quickly and need to explain them. Or you say too little, and then, later, you have to explain even more. Right?” Luna directed her words to Si. Then, suddenly, she added. “You are wrong. Nothing was stolen from your family.”

  “But it was; the e.i. went missing then, after Mona Clar ran away…” Si wanted to describe it but was interrupted.

  “It was Mona Clar’s property, wasn’t it?” Luna asked, but it was not a question.

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

  “So, yes…” Si said and paused. Then he decided to shake her a bit. “Though Wan and An Yi weren’t happy.”

  Si noticed that what he said made her look slightly to the right behind him. Exactly where he could sense this strange energy. He could hear something—something was buzzing there.

  “Luna, to add, you didn’t confirm it yet, though I will be honest. I do know about the e.i.; I was also lucky enough to have known your grandmother, not from the Alena family but from the Clar family. I mean An Yi. I also knew your great-grandmother. Wan died peacefully; I was then twenty-two. Your grandmother, she died on Moon Three, during the second attack, I am sorry to say.” After he said that, the silence was longer.

  Lukai seemed lost in his thoughts. Calculating options? Luna, though, looked sad. She was openly staring at his right side.

  Si decided to say more. “If I am guessing right, you would like to know who is behind all the deaths. Your father died on Moon Two. With Lukai, we are looking for the creators of the energy forms. You act suspicious, Luna, sure you do, but I won’t believe you would create these forms and kill people; it would collapse my soul.”

  He continued talking in his way, saying words slowly, in a friendly tone. “Let’s talk about it. If my assumption is right, you, being Clar and having the e.i., would surely help us all to find the culprits or prepare for the future fights. I also have an idea; we have an idea with Lukai and wanted to discuss it today, so…” He stopped, and a sudden thought popped into his mind.

  “… Now when I think about it. Luna? Is it your name? Traditionally, I guess, shouldn’t it be Wan or An? No, your mother had a different one, but she had this add-on… An! Right, Anna? Luna An? As your mother? But no red hair; I wonder why?” Si asked.

  He felt happy about this discovery.

  Then he laughed. “And we are engaged, you and me! You are dual, I know, but if you are in a bigger part Shadow, but wait, you are not Crystaler, Clar were incompatible, so you have Ability and Shadow? Then we could even…?”

  The atmosphere froze.

  Both Luna and Lukai looked at Si, as if not believing he had said something like this.

  “Because I would like to…? Everybody, don’t just kill me?” Si added that, and the tension was fully gone.

  Luna then looked again to his right side, smiled, and nodded. As if she confirmed what to do, she started to speak.

  “I would rather not be caught in the middle of it, but we are where we are now. Both of you—not only you know each other, but you are friends? And you, Silly. Useless Young Master, truly?”

  “… Anna, really?” Si smiled, saying it.

  Luna stopped talking.

  The silence did not last long, though, as Lukai interrupted it.

  “I need to say something before you, Luna, speak. To be sincere, and also, for you not to be afraid that we already know about you and this e.i. device you have. I and Si, we cooperate. We are looking for the creators of the energy forms, as Si said. We do it unofficially. It can put you in a problematic spot; you need to know. We have two things to discuss with you, and we can stop there. We can leave then, and the personal things will be solved separately. As our purpose for today was different from talking about your other surname or the e.i., this is how I see it.”

  “Right,” Luna said, and then Lukai interrupted again.

  “Could we finally understand how it works, this device?” Lukai as if he didn’t manage not to say it.

  “It is your decision, Luna; I confirm what Lukai said. We cooperate, we trust each other, and our goal is clear. Your help as Clar would be very appreciated. Shadows were looking for Mona for a long time, knowing now that her daughter is alive… Luna, you can just come back to us, and that would be all. We will understand if you decide not to tell anything more,” Si added from his side.

  “… You decide,” Luna said, but not to them both.

  Then something materialized on his right.

  Si couldn’t manage not to jump; he was genuinely startled.