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Cinder

Cinder didn't want to open her eyes. She wanted to stay in sweet black oblivion, lying on a comfortable bed in absolute silence. Every muscle ached and her throat was sore from… screaming? Her thoughts were all muddled.

Something prodded Cinder's side. "Come on Linh," said a vaguely familiar voice, "you've had enough beauty sleep. Time to get up."

Cinder groaned and turned away from the voice and its prodding. Whatever time it was, it wasn't time to get up.

There was a frustrated sigh, and the sound of smart steps walking away.

Cinder allowed herself a small sigh of relief. Finally, peace and qui-

Something cold and wet splashed across her face. Instinctively, her eyes snapped open and she sat up, gasping for air.

Turning to face the culprit of her rude awakening, Cinder found herself glaring at a long, willowy form staring down at her with ice blue eyes.

"Good, you're alive." Professor Erland remarked dryly, putting down the cup he was holding. "I was beginning to wonder."

"Glad to see you're so concerned about my wellbeing." Cinder grumbled, ineffectively wiping at the water on her face with her hand.

"Believe it or not, I was worried. The nurse just burst into my classroom in the middle of a lesson screaming about a case she'd never seen before. And as a nurse working for a magical school full of irresponsible young witches and wizards, I'd have thought she'd seen everything."

"And I'm guessing by the fact that I'm still alive that you knew what was wrong?"

""Know" isn't the word I would use."

Cinder scowled at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I had a theory as to what was wrong, but I wasn't sure if it was the correct theory. Thankfully, it was."

"Care to enlighten me?" she asked impatiently. She was fast growing tired of this conversation.

Professor Erland tilted his head and frowned. "Well, let's start with what was wrong with you, shall we? To put it simply, your magical abilities, how do muggles say it? Malfunctioned."

"Malfunctioned?" Cinder echoed incredulously.

"It means they stopped working the way they should."

"I know what it means! But how can magic malfunction? It's… magic! Magic isn't a machine, it can't break!"

"No," conceded the teacher, "but it can go wrong."

Cinder raised an eyebrow at him. "Care to clue me in on when I can start following all this?"

"It should become much more apparent soon. Given your unique appendages, I'm sure you've noticed that emotions have an impact on magic?"

Cinder's eyes widened and she glanced down at her left hand resting comfortably on the blankets. Sure enough, it was glove-free. Blackened strips of fabric and thread hung limply around the fingers and wrist, feebly hiding the naked glow that pulsed freely from the skin. A quick peek under the blankets revealed her leg to be in a similar state.

A flash of memory burst in Cinder's mind. Her leg and hand on fire, a horrible pain, and… Kai. Kai was there. He had seen what Cinder truly was. After so much worry, the inevitable had finally happened. And just when he was about to…

No, she couldn't think about that. Not now.

She wanted to groan and pull the blankets over her head, never to surface above the protective sheet of fabric. But with the threat of Professor Erland simply ripping the blanket away from her grasp looming over, she settled for anxiously twisting the material in her fists.

Professor Erland stared at her, still waiting for an answer.

"…They glow brighter when my emotions are strong. Like if I'm really scared for instance."

He nodded. "As to be expected. I myself have done extensive research on the subject of the magic making up your prosthetics, and have found that, depending on the purpose of the magic, it will react differently to different emotions or will create a more intensive reaction overall no matter the emotion. In your case, I believe the issue had to do with the former."
Cinder frowned, trying to gather her muddled thoughts. "I think I remember the prosthetics catching fire."

"Oh, I wasn't referring to that."

"But these are the only parts of me that are made of magic!" Cinder protested.

"Yes, but this particular brand isn't limited to the replication of limbs. Rather, to the alteration and support of biological functions."

"Right, and what would that be in English?"

Professor Erland sighed in frustration. "It helps your body work."

"Okay, sort-of following again."

Professor Erland turned around and tapped the back of his neck. "The magic that caused you to black out was a current that was centred on your spinal cord, but I believe that it's influence spreads all over your nervous system, hence the spontaneous combustion of your prostheses."

Cinder rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the bumps of her spine. She imagined the bone glowing with the same light as her hand and leg and shuddered. "So what does this brand of weirdness do? Make my prostheses work?"

"Possibly, but I believe it's primary function is of an entirely different nature."

"The suspense!" Cinder muttered sarcastically.

Ignoring her, Professor Erland continued, "There are some branches of magic, such as legilmency, that are directly linked to the mind. Through my research, I have found that the only way to successfully repress abilities such as these without any negative consequences would be through the nervous system. This is the function I believe is reserved for this particular magic."

"So… it stops me from becoming an obscurial?" Cinder asked, growing more confused by the moment.

"Do you know about the power of the lunars, Miss Linh?"

Cinder blinked at him in surprise. Was this going to turn into yet another propaganda session? "They can manipulate people, controlling their thoughts, emotions and bodies."

"Precisely. And do you know how this power originated."

Cinder screwed up her face, trying to remember that day's history lesson. For the first (and probably last) time, she wished she'd listened to the fountain of lunar praise. "Something about moonlight?"

"Yes. Nero Blackburn, the first lunar, discovered a way to merge pure moonlight with his own being, giving him the so-called "lunar gift". This power was passed along to his offspring and in time grew to encompass an entire community. However, the suppression of this gift will lead to the lunar in question developing what is known as "lunar sickness". Long story short, they go mad and experience horrifying hallucinations."

"Okay, but what does this have to do with my magic nervous system?" Cinder asked.

Professor Erland sighed, and he looked almost sympathetic as he regarded her. "Think Miss Linh. The magic that caused you to black out stops the disuse of mind-related magic from affecting you. What could be more mind-related than the lunar gift?"

Cinder gaped at him, shaking slightly with disbelief. Feeling suddenly faint, she fell back onto the bed, staring dumbly at the stark white ceiling. Her? A lunar? How? It wasn't possible! She was just Cinder, a muggle-born nobody with a freaky hand and leg! She couldn't be a lunar. She couldn't be one of those manipulative selfish monsters! She just couldn't…

A/N: And there it is, the moment you all knew was coming.

Finally, 26 chapters in we get wind that Cinder is lunar. How will she handle this news? Will she remain in denial about her own species for long? And how will this impact her relationship with Kai?

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