Luna's eyes cracked open with a dry, gummy ripping.

"Ow, ow, ow!" She rubbed the gunk out of her eyes and rolled her tongue around her dry mouth. Open eyes revealed nothing, the blackness around her was absolute. She felt something on her face and moved to brush it away, light appearing around the edges of the Voidstalker Cloak as she did. She sat upright, looking around in confusion. Her head was slowly clearing up as the memories came back to her in a rush that should have carried a headache, at the very least, but carried only enlightenment.

"I can't believe I did it," she whispered to herself, basking in the glow of knowing that she did what her dad would have done. She'd never felt as proud of herself as she did in this moment. She had taken the risk, solved the puzzle, and succeeded where she should have died - did die, she reminded herself. She'd seen alternate versions of herself die by the thousands. She supposed that should have made her sad, and part of her was, but the alternate realities resonated with her in a way she would never have could have imagined before this experience. She understood now, deep within her soul, that an infinite number of Lunas died daily - every time she made a decision or when something happened to her. It was the same thing that been happening her entire life - and everyone's entire life, now she was just aware of how it worked.

So no, she wasn't sad for them - they were the versions of her that would never have been and, therefore, there had been no loss. She pondered on the ones that were more lasting, the versions of herself that she could feel out there, and couldn't contain her excitement at getting to know them. Butterflies filled her stomach when she thought of seeing all the different ways she could have evolved. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her Well, realizing it was still there. Now, though, she could sense a power standing near it. In her soulspace, a place she'd always thought of as imaginary but now knew was as real as this or any world, she moved to the edge of the well. There she saw a perfect image of herself as the Crimson Scythe, cloaked in dark armor with sharp edges, black hair cropped short with a streak of deep red running through it. Even the eyes were red. Luna began to speak, but stopped herself. This wasn't that other Luna, it was basically a Luna suit that she could step into at any time now. Once she did she would have full access to all of the abilities and spells that this version had when she'd been formed here. This version wouldn't level or get stronger, though - she'd need to reconnect with her in the future to refresh the copy with the latest version. She also realized that she knew what would happen if she tried it and this Luna had died - her access to the copy would disappear. She looked up at the well, imagining all the different Lunas that would be standing there one day.

"I could be a one-Luna army..." she whispered to herself, excitement flooding her veins. More than anything she wanted to don Crimson Scythe Luna and start practicing, learning to use her skills and weapons. She stopped herself, albeit reluctantly. "No! Now isn't the time. Gotta finish my mission. Speaking of, how long was I out?"

She stepped to the edge of the well and gazed into the beauty and vastness of reality, instantly seeing hers. It took only a slight push of will for her to locate herself and her 'now', then walk it backwards.

"Oh my gosh, I can review anything in my life since The System! And I was... out for a week??" She stepped back from the well, hand over her mouth. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh - I need to get a move on!"

In a moment she was back in reality, wrapping the cloak around her shoulders and checking to make sure she hadn't lost any other gear. The drone was still there and she was convinced it was flashing a little more urgently than the last time she'd seen it. This time there was no confusion in its movements as she followed it back to the vehicle and into a quiet neighborhood that was only a few minutes from where she'd been pulled away. The drone hovered along quickly, always just far enough in front of her for her to make the turns and maneuver around obstacles without tipping the vehicle. After a few more blocks it moved to hover just outside of the front door of a house that looked like all the rest. Luna pulled the cart into the driveway, the wheels crunching lightly over the snow. She stepped out and made her way to the front door and pressed the doorbell, waiting for a chime that never came. She pressed again to yet more silence, then slapped herself on the head.

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"Silly, there's no power! Do this like old people then." She knocked on the door, too softly at first, then more insistently.

"Hello? Anyone home?" When she didn't get an answer she tested the handle, a little surprised when the door swung open. "Huh, not locked?" She stepped inside, hands on the hilts of her swords.

"Oh! Stupid of me, almost forgot!" She fumbled in her pouch, replacing the empty vials on her gauntlet with her last healing and concentration potions, an agility, and a cure poison. She didn't know what might happen but she wanted to be ready. Feeling especially proud of herself for the foresight, she clicked the last vial in place, then took another step into the house, only to stop when she saw a girl sitting on a second-floor landing, staring at her through the banister rails. Her small legs were stuck through them as well and the girl was absently kicking her legs back and forth.

"Oh! Hi there!" Luna smiled and waved at the girl.

"Hi," the girl said, her voice flat.

"Are you here by yourself?" Luna looked to the rooms on either side of her, trying to see if there was anyone else. Shadows hung heavy in the house, the overcast winter light barely penetrating the gloom.

The girl just shrugged.

"I'm not here to hurt you," Luna said. "We have a neighborhood where we're keeping people safe. I'm just here to see if you guys want to come back with us."

"We like it here. There's no people to play games, but all the people are just mean now and no fun anyway."

"You and your... mom?"

The girl shook her head.

"Sister? Brother?"

The girl shook her head again, lifting a small, stained bear. "Just me and Teddy."

"It's just the two of you?" Luna gasped. "But it's so dangerous! How do you survive?"

The girl just shrugged again.

"Can I come up there? I promise I'm not going to hurt you."

"They always say that," the girl said with a resigned sigh, but didn't move when Luna began slowly climbing the stairs. She reached the top and moved to sit next to the girl. She knew she should keep her distance - there was no way the girl had survived this long if she wasn't dangerous, but Luna just couldn't see that being the case. The girl was just so freaking adorable! An image of Fara flashed in her mind and Luna sobered, reaching into her space to prepare to pull out Crimson Scythe in an instant.

"Sweetie, what happened? How are you still alive? Where are your parents? Friends?"

"Everybody is gone. They were bad at the games and now it's just me and Teddy."

Everyone she knows died by The System and she thinks it's just a cruel game, Luna thought, sadness filling her. She couldn't imagine what this poor girl had been through. "How have you survived the monsters?"

The girl's hollow eyes flashed a complicated series of emotions that Luna barely caught. Sadness? Fear? Mischievous satisfaction? "I figured out how to make them play the games too! They're not very good at it and don't understand the rules, so it's easy to win against most of them, but sometimes a smart or strong or fast one comes and they're a lot harder. But me and Teddy always win."

For the first time the girl turned to face Luna, eyes suddenly no longer hollow. "Do you want to play too?"

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