Luna Library

Night 2 of the Moonlight Festival

Me and Liberty stroll through the waves of memories, like tourists in a museum of things I'd rather forget. Each step feels heavier than the last, like we're walking through quicksand rather than my own mind. My clothes shift with every year we cross through, little snapshots of who I was and probably who I'll never be again.

"So what are we doing, exactly?"

"Well, your body is currently dying in the real world," Liberty says, as casual as someone explaining the weather. "So, in order to fix that, we need to strengthen your soul."

Dying. Right. I twirl a strand of hair around my finger, feigning indifference to this magic mumbo-jumbo. If Korra managed to understand even half of what Liberty's said at some point, maybe I'll figure it out too. Probably.

We pass a scene of younger me sprinting down a familiar dirt road, and I can't help but slow down, watching the memory unfold.

"So... how exactly do we 'strengthen' my soul?"

"Your soul and mind are one entity. All we need to do is untangle the knots." He turns toward me, his wings wrapping around me, "A strong mind rests a strong soul."

"So... magical therapy?"

"Sort of," he grins.

I brace myself, expecting him to drag me to some dark corner of my subconscious. Instead, I'm jolted when my feet land us in front of the broken-down school bus, stranded on an empty, cracked road. The sight of it sends a chill down my spine.

"Why are we here..?"

"This is just where your mind naturally settled," he says, his tone more serious now. "Your biggest regret."

My gaze locks onto the image of my mom, her outstretched hand hovering like a ghost.

"This isn't my biggest regret," I mutter, shaking my head. "This probably doesn't even crack the top three."

"Then you won't mind replaying it for us, will you?"

Before I can protest, the scene around us flickers to life—the same memory of my temper tantrum, me running away...

"I've lost so much throughout my life, Liberty. Including my mom. I promise you, this isn't my worst moment."

Liberty's gaze doesn't shift. "Perhaps. Yet here we stand."

"Can you just tell me what I'm supposed to do here? I don't do riddles!"

"You said you were smart, didn't you?"

I glare at the younger me, running away from the mother they didn't know they were losing. "Fine, let's just get this over—"

But before I can finish, the memory twists. Suddenly, my mother's charging right at me—not the past me, but me, here and now. She moves with a fierce determination, barreling toward me until she tackles me to the ground.

"Agh! Liberty, what's happening? Memories aren't supposed to interact with me, are they?"

Liberty grins, unphased by my panic. "I never said they couldn't. It's your mind, Shiori. It's only natural for your own memories to... hurt, don't you think?"

"Get off me, you crazy woman!" I squirm as she pins me down, the weight of her arms grounding me. "And how do you even recognize me? I look so different now!"

She cocks her head, that maddeningly familiar smile crossing her face. "Oh? How does a mother recognize her child, I wonder? You know what, Shiori, as a freebie, I'll answer this riddle for you. It's called the power of love."

Liberty turns to leave us, but she grabs my face, redirecting my attention to her. "Don't look at him. Look at me. Tell me— What on earth is this outfit? Have you been eating? Are you showering? Meditating? Reading? Keeping up with your brother? Do you have a good job? Happy friends?"

"For someone who hates answering questions, you sure love asking them," I mutter, but my voice wavers.

She laughs and pulls me close, her embrace full of warmth , "That's what makes me a genius," she says, whispering with that trademark playful grin. "I know I won't get another chance like this..."

I roll my eyes but ask anyway, "Fine... Will you at least answer my question about the last page?"

She throws back her head and laughs again, the kind of laugh so loud and carefree it leaves me wishing I'd covered my ears. "You're how old, and you still haven't found it? Are you stupid?"

"You're not going to say something dumb like it's the friends i made along the way, right?"

Her laughter dies down, and she meets my gaze, a sad mystery glimmering in her smile. "No, Shiori, I left it out there, truly. I did. If it's taken you this long to find... well, maybe it's time I gave you another hint. Searching in the same places yields only what you already know. To find what's truly lost, seek where you haven't dared to look."

"... Another riddle... You know I'm too stupid to figure it out, right?"

She bops me on the head, firm enough to make me flinch. "You're not stupid! Only I'm allowed to call you that, because I'm the smartest in the world. Keep looking for that last page, okay, dummy. But promise me—no more of that dumb, sad face while you search."

"What? I can't help it; everything's so stressful!"

"Oh, Shiori," she says softly, cupping my face with a gentle touch. Her eyes are so full of understanding it's like she's seen everything. "Every challenge makes a story."

I open my mouth to argue, to say that sometimes a challenge is just a journey of pain, but she hushes me with a finger. "But remember, Shiori, the story has to be one you enjoy too."

I shake my head, letting out a frustrated sigh. "You could've just said that in the first place, you know."

Her smile shifts into something deeper, tinged with worry, and she runs her fingers through my hair, as if searching for something she can't quite find. "A mother shouldn't have to remind her child to be happy. But here we are. Shiori, why do you look so tired? What's the world done to you? Is life really that hard?"

Her words crack something inside me, a dam I didn't know was there. I'd been holding back for so long, wearing the brave face, the one that says, 'I'm fine, I'm strong.' But now, with her here, it all spills out. "No... it's not easy, Mom. It's not even fun. Some days, yeah, I smile. But by the time I fall asleep, everything hurts. I'm chasing your shadow. Everyone says they see you in me, but I barely remember what you look like, what you'd say to calm me down... It's like I'm forgetting everything. "

Her face crumples as she watches me, holding my pain as if it were her own. I can't stop.

"I can't even look back. It's all a blur. And the future? It's just... this big, blank space. I don't know if I can make it another week, Mom. I don't know how to be happy."

Her hands find mine, squeezing them tight, her voice gentle but fierce. "Shiori, listen to me closely. I'm not sorry for leaving, okay. Because look at you. Even now, you're here, strong and standing where you need to be. Those days you smile? You made those days yourself. You're stronger than you know, Shiori. And I couldn't be prouder."

I open my mouth to say more, but she's already looking back toward Liberty, who's watching quietly, as if knowing his part is coming.

"Mom, wait... what are you—?"

"Hey, bird-brain!" she calls, her voice suddenly playful. "I've got a bit of you in here too, don't I? Make sure to tell my daughter everything. Also she doesn't need any of your magical 'therapy'—my girl's already strong enough to stand on her own."

Liberty chuckles, meeting her gaze. "I missed you too, Elise."

"Wait mom? You know Him?"

She turns back to me, leaning close, her voice playful but soft. "And don't ever give him money, Shiori. I've seen how he handles it firsthand. 'God of Hardcover Books'? Ha! He's broke as a cracked spine."

I'm so confused, but as she turned to leave, some stubborn part of me that wouldn't settle for letting her go flared to life. Panic jolted me, and before I knew it, the words burst out.

"Wait!" I cried, the word torn from my throat as though it could drag her back. My voice trembled, spilling over with words I didn't know were hiding, my voice cracking as I shouted after her retreating figure. "I-I don't know why I'm wearing this outfit! I eat...a lot! I shower every night! Meditation comes and goes, okay? And I... I read comic books, and that's gotta count for something, right?"

I could see her stopping, that gentle tilt of her head just like when I was a kid, waiting for me to get it all out. I took a shaky breath, forcing myself to keep going.

"I'll... I'll try to keep up with my brother more. I know he's a pain, but... he's family. And, okay, my job sucks right now, but I think... I think I might've found something better. And friends?" My chest tightened. "I think... yeah, I think I made a few good ones."

She smiles, cupping my cheek one last time, and as Liberty starts chanting some kind of magic, I see the faintest shimmer of tears in her eyes.

Her smile is gentle, "Thank you, Shiori."

I want to tell her everything, but she's already glancing back at Liberty, who nods quietly, understanding. On that night, the young girl who had been chasing her mother's shadow finally began to cast one of her own.