Witchling Academy Semester Eight - Avery Song Page 0,70

chance at surviving the attack from those universal assassins.

"If I take the second option, what happens to you." I paused to look at Silver. "And you." Finally, I lowered my eyes to Star, who was waiting to be acknowledged by me.

"And ME!" she declared happily.

"Yes," I affirmed. "And you."

Star giggled and moved to hug Silver. "We go home!"

Silver bobbed her head. "If Sebastian goes along with the agreement, then yes. We have no reason to remain here."

"And I'll be out of commission, but will ensure the altered time will get rid of the group of reinforcements that were sent to arrive before Elijah's intrusion," Sebastian said.

"What about Elijah?" The question made my blood boil. I wished I hadn't faced him like a coward.

I knew he was the "evil twin" from our current hypothesis, but seeing how he'd easily gotten the upper hand of the situation to ruin us only contributed to the brewing rage.

Silver decided to answer. "Based on your actions, everything may shift entirely," she reasoned. "This Elijah person took advantage of the situation. It would be suicide for him to try and challenge you all. If you're able to protect yourselves and get rid of the assassins without exerting all your energy, it would be a hard gamble for him to try and take the four of you on."

"Four?" I questioned. "What about Finnick?"

"I can't determine what exact moment my ability will stop at. I'll reverse it to what the Universe thinks is right. If that lands you before Finnick was shot or after, it’s based on fate," Sebastian deciphered.

"That bullet that hit Finnick," I voiced. "It may still kill him if I land in the moment where he was shot."

"Trust in what the Universe has set for you," Silver instructed as Star yawned and began to rub her eyes.

"Mommy? I'm sleepy."

Silver smirked as she crouched down to lift Star up so she could rest her head on Silver’s shoulder. Silver returned her attention to me as she continued, "Remember that what happened was forbidden in the realms of the Universes. That's exactly why we can bend the rules by interfering. However, just because time is about to be reversed, that doesn't mean what occurred is officially unwritten."

"What...does that mean?" I whispered.

Sebastian bobbed his head slightly as his eyes locked on mine. "Chances are, you and your friends are all going to remember what occurred. How they died and potentially the feelings associated with their times of death. None of those aspects are controlled by this gifted ability. Its purpose is to reverse events that have transpired unjustly."

"Unjustly..." I whispered. "So it works when it's clear what has occurred is against the realms of justice?"

"It works the strongest in those scenarios," Sebastian elaborated. "Similar to when one's magic doubles, if not triples, when a loved one is in danger."

"With you and the others having your memories, it will become clear to your enemy that you avoided death by the grace of the Universe and those with the ability to manipulate time and space."

"What happens then? Isn't that going to make us more of a target?" I questioned.

"Yes and no," Silver merely shrugged. "Yes, they may make you a target and continue to pester you during your last semester, but I have a strong doubt they would make such risky moves right when such events have transpired. If your Shadow Kingdom is anything like the one we deal with, it's a constant gamble, where playing tag can lead to a long, strenuous wait in between, before one makes the move to try and combat the other."

"There's one thing you have to understand, Connor," Sebastian pointed out. "The Shadow Kingdom projects the philosophy that they're on a timeline," he voiced. "In reality, they're not. They're willing to lurk in the shadows for weeks, months, or years just to find the right moment to strike when you're completely unguarded. It's a tactic that's annoying when you don't have patience, but it’s a method that has aided them to grow over the centuries. This is exactly why it's not a simple task to take them down. It's a process of layers that start from the bottom and make their way up."

"Not to forget that this isn't just one unit of evil. They're all connected from different universes. Just like how I have some sort of connection to Brianne with the prophecy," Silver revealed. "You'll come to realize, once you've graduated and taken the next step on your path of magical fulfillment, that