I was in the dining room for only a few minutes before returning to Ravyn’s side, curious about the next steps. Ceres, Ara, and I watched in silence as Ravyn swept her hand over Lynn’s body. She started at her feet and then worked her way up as if scanning her body for abnormalities. It reminded me a lot of getting a CT scan.

Ara looked beside herself. She rested beside Lynn, tightly clinging to her sister’s limp hand. Her face was deathly pale, and her eyes were bloodshot. She must have been crying on the walk home. I didn’t know what to say that would help her feel more at ease.

After a while, Ravyn exhaled and rested on her knees.

I put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Ravyn put her hand on top of mine. “Just takes a lot out of me.”

“Rest if you need to.”

Ravyn shook her head, then rose to her feet while she removed my hand from her shoulder. “Part of why these girls are like this is my fault. I don’t have the luxury of rest.”

“Dear Ravyn, please listen to Matt,” said Ceres. “I understand your concern. Truly, I do. But we mustn't exhaust ourselves in our efforts.”

“I know that,” said Ravyn. “I’m fine.” Then she clicked her tongue, delivering her next words in a hiss. “What fucking monster would do this to these girls?”

Ara’s head hung low. She’d spoken choice few words since Ravyn began checking Lynn. Seeing her sister beaten and bruised, I couldn’t imagine how she felt right now. I grimaced as I tried to picture myself in Lynn’s shoes while we were gone. I realized that I had no idea what she was actually like. The last time we were here, I was on the defensive the entire time—I couldn’t trust a word out of hers or Ara’s mouths.

And now look where we are. How the hell do we fix this?

I had to admit that I felt responsible for Lynn, Destiny, and Lara’s current situation. In our efforts to accomplish the goal that Cailu had given me, we’d put Shi Island in a compromised position. From Celestia’s immediate treason accusation, she’d assumed the worst for a long time—believing Tristan had been kidnapped or killed. It was no small wonder that Lynn, Destiny, and Lara weren’t executed for their ‘assistance’ in our plan.

“I’m sorry, Ara.” The words flowed out of my mouth so effortlessly. There was no getting around it. Despite Tristan’s circumstances, no one could deny that this was ultimately our doing. Even if we were right, by all accounts the island and its issues were none of our business to begin with. This was not my island. These were not my girls. It was not my responsibility.

Ravyn drew her hand away from Lynn’s body. “The spell is still strong. It’s not showing any signs of weakening. We should have a few days. We’re going to need some strong potions before we wake them up.”

“But we can wake them, right?” I asked.

Ravyn nodded. “Yeah. Waking them up is the easy part. We need to get them out of pain first. Ara. Felsi is a [Wizard], right?”

“Yes,” said Ara.

Ravyn sighed. “Mattaku. Then there’s no doubt about it; this is [Slumber].” She stepped away from the bed, and Ara buried her face against Lynn’s shoulder.

I frowned. “Beyond the obvious, what does it do?”

“[Slumber] is a magical sleep,” Ceres explained. “Very potent, but very simple. Many [Wizard]s learn the spell for self-defense in close quarters. Like Ravyn said earlier, you have to be touching the person in order to deliver it.”

“We used it a few times to incapacitate enemies,” said Ara. “But I never thought it would be used like this.”

Ravyn folded her arms. “We need to get them in better health as soon as possible.”

I could understand getting the person out of pain before they woke, but I still wasn’t following why this could be such a big deal beyond the fact that while they slept, they also couldn’t eat, exercise, or anything else for that matter. I assumed they weren’t getting the normal sort of rest that a person would typically get from falling asleep naturally, but I couldn’t help but feel there was still a hidden message behind this spell that I wasn’t getting.

“What makes this spell so dangerous?” I hesitated and ran a hand through my hair when no one immediately replied. “I’m sorry. I really wanna know every single issue about this spell. Magic has been a driving force for most of the issues we suffer from.” I scratched the back of my head. “I feel like I could learn a lot from you and Ceres.”

The faintest hint of pink colored Ravyn’s cheeks. She cleared her throat. “Well, boy, if I must. First off, to understand [Slumber], you need to understand magical sleep. Like I said earlier, it puts you in a kind of stasis. As if someone froze you in time. You can’t feel, think, dream—you can’t do anything. All you can do is watch.”

I blinked, taking another glance at Lynn. Her eyes were still closed. “Then… they can see us?”

Ravyn seemed hesitant but answered, “Yeah, if their eyes were open. We’re doing them a favor by keeping them closed. Don’t force them open.”

“I wasn’t going to.”

“I know, I just—” Ravyn grunted. “With that in mind, since your mind and body are frozen in stasis, you can’t sense or experience much. She could see us, but she wouldn’t be able to comprehend anything. Following so far?”

I crossed my arms and thought about it. “I think so. Carry on.”

“It does not mean that those things are not still happening to you.” Ravyn turned around so that she faced me. “So, what do you think happens when a person who can’t feel or experience anything at that moment is suddenly woken up?”

I tilted my head to look up at the ceiling while thinking about it. It didn’t take long for an idea to come to mind. My eyes went wide, and when I met Ravyn’s gaze, I suddenly realized why this could be so dangerous. “Do… they feel everything all at once?”

Ravyn nodded slowly. “That’s right. Anything their bodies suffered from while they were in that stasis happens all at once. Any slight budge, any damage, any hunger pangs, sleep deprivation, all of it. Like a waterfall. It can get real fucked up real fast.”

I was no medical expert back in my old world. Not by a long shot. Even so, I recalled reading stories and articles about people dying from shock. A lot of times, bites, explosions, stabs, gunshots, and other severe wounds wouldn’t actually kill the person. It was the shock. Too much of it, and the person could die right on the spot.

“What the hell do we do?” I asked.

“A numbing agent is the best treatment for a situation like this,” Ceres offered without a hint of doubt. “When I attended the academy, we were taught the importance of tinctures and agents that could remedy, boost, or weaken the effects of certain spells.”

Ravyn pointed at Ceres. “That’s exactly it. We get the agent. We feed it to the girls, and then we wake them up. If the numbing is strong enough, it should dull most of the residual pain. Then we can get them a good meal and let them heal.”

“Then let’s get to it.” I turned around and opened the door out into the hallway. “I don’t want to waste a second when we could be out there helping these girls.”

“Of course, Sir Matt. Please, lead the way,” said Ceres.

I gestured for Ceres to leave first. After she exited, I stood by the side and waited for Ravyn to pass through next. When it was just Ara and me, I spoke. “I mean it. I’m sorry, Ara. I promise I’m going to do everything I can for your sister.”

Ara nodded without looking at me. I shut the door behind me as I left.

As Ravyn and Ceres descended the staircase, I stopped with my hand on the railing. “You two go on ahead. I’ll catch up in a few.”

Ravyn frowned, but Ceres nodded, ushering Ravyn downstairs.

I made my way to the room where Ara had escorted Tristan. I put my hand on the knob, drew a deep breath, and opened the door.

The room was dark beyond a single candle glowing from the bedside dresser. A thick blanket was pulled up to Destiny’s torso. Tristan was on his knees, Destiny’s hand clasped between his palms. When he turned to look at me, it was with puffy cheeks and red eyes.

“Can I come in?” I asked quietly.

Tristan nodded slowly, then rasped, “Sure.”

I shut the door behind me. “How are you holding up?”

Tristan hesitated. “Could be better.”

I stood next to him and took in Destiny’s features. Strands of her short, blue hair clung to her cheeks, and her shallow, rhythmic breathing whistled from her nose. Destiny appeared no different from Lynn—the casual onlooker would assume she was sleeping peacefully. Even if I’d only met Destiny once or twice, I still remembered the day she welcomed us at the docks with her twin sister, Lara.

“We’re going to help them.” I wanted to be as reassuring as possible, but to be honest, I was trying to push down the building guilt and rage. There was nothing we could do about the past. It was too late to think about do-overs. It’s not like I could just load a save file and try a different route. However, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to see Celestia burned at the stake. “I promise.”

“I know. I just wish I could’ve prevented this,” said Tristan. He rubbed his thumb against the indent between her thumb and index finger. “I drew her more often than any of the other girls.”

That one scene from Titanic came to mind. Draw me like one of your Shi Island girls. I shook it away. Now wasn’t the time. “I’m sure she finds that flattering.”

“She doesn’t know. I was going to tell her. I was supposed to meet her later that night—the day you ki— rescued me. She’d sneak into my room and visit me from time to time. We’d share a drink, and she’d tell me about her day.” Tristan touched his forehead to her hands. “I let her down. I let everyone down.”

“You’re not to blame, though. Look at the hellhole Celestia created. Look at how she orders and barks like some mad woman on a mission. She’s like Miss Trunchbull.”

The slightest hint of a smile quirked Tristan’s lips. “Now that's a reference I can agree with.”

“But seriously. We’re going to get them taken care of. Ravyn’s given me the lowdown on what we need to do. We just gotta numb them up and slowly wake them all.” I knew it wasn’t so simple, but I had to pull Tristan out of this slump somehow. “I’ll do everything I can to help.”

“Thanks, Matt. I think I’ll be calling on your aid a lot from now on.”

I shook my head. “Don’t mention it. We need to work together. This whole one-man-per-island thing is stressful enough. You saw Ni Island. Let’s be real. I’ve got an easy job. I could drop off the face of Nyarlea, and no one would be the wiser.”

“I wouldn’t be okay with that,” said Tristan. “And I know that Keke, Cannoli, Ceres, and even Ravyn wouldn’t be okay with that. I can tell how they feel about you, Matt. They lean on and depend upon you. They’d be a wreck if you left this world.”

I was at a loss for words. No matter what I came up with, it was short of what I thought was appropriate or necessary. I let the silence speak for a time. When I thought about what would happen to these girls afterward, I spoke.

“I doubt there’s going to be room for three more people on the boat. What do we want to do?”

Tristan swallowed. “I don’t trust Celestia. I’m afraid she’ll hurt them while I’m gone.”

“She can’t. She knows she fucked up big time.”

“Even so, she might. I don’t know enough about her. Who is the real Celestia? Is she just an inch away from snapping and hacking their heads off? She was capable of feeding me information and keeping me complacent in my day-to-day. Of torturing her students for information, which is unforgivable.” He gritted his teeth. “Even if she intended to heal the island, her actions don’t warrant her continued position as headmistress.”

“I’m surprised you let her walk,” I admitted.

“Just until we figure this out. I didn’t want it to come to blows. More innocent girls shouldn’t be punished for what she’s done.” He shook his head. “The school and this city need a different leader. Especially while I’m gone.”

“Anyone in mind?”

“I admit, my relationships with the girls in the school, well… Didn’t go much farther than the bed.”

I had to be honest. “There might be room for one more person, but even then, I think Portia might disagree. I don’t know for sure. But there’s no way Ara’s going to leave without Lynn. Not if Celestia remains in charge.”

“And I can’t leave Destiny and Lara here knowing what Celestia did to them. I just can’t. I meant every word I said. This island needs me.” A knock came at the door. “Come in.”

The door opened to reveal Ara. Tristan let go of Destiny’s hand and shot to his feet. “Ara, what did—”

“I’m sorry, young Master. Please forgive me; I was eavesdropping on your conversation.” Ara kept her hands clasped in front of her. Tristan gestured for her to enter, but she refused. “This will only take a moment.” Ara averted her gaze.

“What’s wrong?” Tristan asked.

Ara’s fingers writhed, and she shifted from one foot to the other. “If I may be so bold, I… I have a proposition for you.”