XVII. Continuation

Summary: After taking some much-needed time to recover and gather information, Diana and Akko visit Luna Nova to retrace their steps and collect the final pieces of the puzzle in their quest to return home.


After an entire month of repairs and damage control, the Cavendish manor finally returns to its familiar splendor. Not a single tile is out of place in the main hall, no holes litter the roof, and even Diana's room shows no evidence of her impromptu temper tantrum. The previously-destroyed sorcerer's stone has also been replaced thanks to the Cavendish's many connections, which also helped speed up reconstruction.

While the current Cavendish head of this time oversees the last of the repairs, her two time-traveling guests scour the manor's library—surprisingly intact—for information on how they may return to their own time. Or rather, the more studious of the two focuses on the research while the other does her best on and off.

Diana supposes she should be grateful that Akko is helping at all and keeping any complaints to a minimum.

"Diana…"

Not that it tends to last for long.

"What is it now, Akko?" Diana asks, hardly looking up from her current book.

"You know how we're here to look into ways to get back to our own time?"

Diana flips a page. "Yes."

"Then why…" A loud SLAM, strong enough to shake the table they share, "why are those two sitting with us drinking tea?!"

For all the efforts Bernadette went through to keep the manor staff, Daryl, and Alcaeus from disturbing Diana and Akko, she unfortunately has no say over certain non-human individuals.

One of the two in question takes another sip from his cup. "Why does it bother you? Last I heard you do not even care for the beverage."

"I have to say, the servants here do brew a good cup." In the accompanying seat, the Allfather of Demons punctuates its statement by taking a sip of its own. "I doubt the Halfling can drink it all herself."

"There wouldn't be so much if you didn't keep telling the servants—" Akko whirls around to Diana, keeping an accusatory finger pointed at the demons, "Seriously, why are they here?"

Diana, not for the first time, suppresses a sigh of annoyance. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Don't demons have better things to do than sit and drink tea?" Akko groans.

In tandem, the Allfather and the demon occupying Vladimir Cavendish's body shrug their shoulders. "We're bored."

"Then do something else, somewhere else!"

"Akko, ignore them." Diana punctuates her statement by slamming the inspected book shut, too tired to feel the slightest bit guilty when Akko jolts from the sharp sound. "If you aren't going to help either, I suggest you at least follow their lead and sit in the corner with them in silence."

"I've been helping, at least!" Akko retorts with a small pout.

"By reading, if I recall, a grand total of," Vladimir ticks his fingers, "three books in the past week."

Just as Akko opens her mouth to retort, and Diana feels the beginnings of another migraine rack her temple, a sharp knock cuts through the tense atmosphere in the room. The voice that announces themself isn't the familiar call of one of the servants, but of the family head herself.

Akko squeaks. "Diana, it's—!"

Diana already has her wand drawn before Akko can finish. She quickly casts the disguise spell on them both before giving the clearance for their visitors to enter.

"Excuse us."

The door to the library swings open with the entrance of the current Cavendish head. While the rest of the manor and its inhabitants have mostly recovered from the night of Daryl's party, Bernadette is the only one whose physical health has noticeably worsened. While she seems to be putting up a strong front, it's impossible to overlook the minor details—sunken cheeks, a loss of weight, a lax posture, at least in comparison to before. Thankfully, it seems she's still able to walk around on her own.

Following right behind, Alcaeus steps in and closes the door. Although he appears fine overall, and his usual stoic expression is still present, his slumped shoulders speak to a different heaviness weighing down on him. Diana wonders how much his close presence to Bernadette is due to her orders rather than by his own choice.

A small head of blue and black pops out from the inside of Alcaeus' coat. With a small squeak, the tiny spirit leaps out from its hiding spot onto the table where their discarded books are strewn about.

"Hey!" Akko holds out her hands, letting the spirit jump onto her. "So that's where you've been. I was wondering where you ran off to this time."

Bernadette and Alcaeus reply with small smiles, but it doesn't take them long to realize that the two witches aren't the only guests in the room.

"Wha— Why are you both here?!" Alcaeus practically shouts.

The Allfather raises an eyebrow. "Is there a problem with my presence here?"

Face twisted in a half grimace, Alcaeus grumbles, "Well, no, but…"

He glances toward the side, where Bernadette has gone pale at the sight of someone who should be her deceased uncle—the same family member she had attended a funeral for only a few days ago. Knowing—seeing—the reason why the coffin of her Uncle Vlad is empty evokes a pain in Diana's own chest. While Bernadette, her fists trembling by her sides, remains tight lipped.

If either demon notices the tension, or care, they show no signs of it.

"As I have already answered the human girl," Vladimir takes another sip of his tea, "we are supervising."

Akko crosses her arms over her chest, glaring at the demons. "That's not what you said. You said you were bored."

"Semantics."

"Lady Bernadette," Diana cuts in, rubbing her temples to soothe her growing headache, "is there a reason for your visit?"

The question snaps Bernadette out of her stupor. "Oh, yes. A letter arrived from Headmistress Holbrooke with a message I believe you will like to hear."

Reaching into the inner pocket of her thick beige coat, she pulls out a white envelope and hands it to Diana. Accepting the envelope, Diana pulls out the paper inside and quickly reads the letter.

"What does it say, Diana?" Akko asks, poking her head up beside her companion.

"'I understand your concerns for your guests,'" Diana reads off. "'If even the Cavendish library does not hold the necessary information they need, I suppose there is no choice. As such, I grant your two guests permission to access the library at Luna Nova Magical Academy. Please consider it condolences for the tragic events of last week.'"

(Access to Luna Nova's library? But how…?)

"I had sent a letter to Headmistress Holbrooke a few days prior to ask," Bernadette says, answering Diana's unspoken question. "Considering the pace you two were going through the books here—"

"Mostly Diana, honestly," Akko mutters with reluctant admission.

"—I figured that our medically-oriented library would not be enough. And what can be better than the library at the most prestigious school for witches? You were interested in an artifact within the school as well, right?"

"The Horologium Clock, yeah. But it's still sealed, and Diana said it's best we don't mess with that at this point," Akko says.

"There may be other clues you could find," Alcaeus cuts in. "If you were last on campus grounds before you were forced back in time, perhaps retracing your steps may jog your memory."

Akko reaches up to nudge the mysterious spirit's head. "Well, I was chasing this little guy and accidentally tumbled through the clock. Diana…"

"I was pushed from behind, though I couldn't see the perpetrator." Diana frowns. "On top of that, I'm concerned about who activated the Horologium Clock in the first place. To my knowledge, it has been sealed since Luna Nova's inception."

Vladimir places his cup of tea down to scoff. "You let someone catch you off guard like that? Now I feel even worse for having my face smashed in by a fledgling like you."

"How about you guys do something useful for once?" Akko points at the Allfather of Demons, who continues to sip its tea as if nothing is of its concern. "Like you! You're supposed to be the supreme leader of demons or whatever. If you've got a friend that controls time or whatever, that'd be super helpful right now!"

The Allfather, Vladimir, and even Alcaeus cock an eyebrow, simultaneously replying, "But there is."

A beat of silence. Diana isn't sure she heard right, but thankfully Akko voices her question with a piercing shriek. "There's a Time Demon?!"

"Why wouldn't there be?" Alcaeus asks. "Spirits are born as the 'soul' of an object. Demons are sources of fear; it shouldn't be surprising in turn that there's one representing nearly anything so long as there is a fear of it. I'm sure if you wanted to, you could summon a Tea Demon."

"Why would anyone be scared of tea—?" Akko shakes her head. "Wait no, that's not the point! Why didn't anyone mention that there's a Time Demon sooner?!"

"I said I would not interfere," the Allfather says, "I never said I would not answer your questions if they were directed at me."

Vladimir shrugs. "You never asked."

While Akko groans and mutters under her breath in the corner—something about annoying demons—Alcaeus answers with his own grim expression, "Because making deals with an ancient demon like that one comes at a dangerous price. On top of that, it's secluded itself for a reason. Too many misinformed and power-hungry magic users have wanted to exploit its power."

"Time magic is forbidden," Bernadette remarks. "I'm not surprised there are even more risks when consorting with a literal Time Demon."

"But there's our answer," Akko stands up, facing Diana, "right?"

Alcaeus shakes his head. "Absolutely not. Consider the Time Demon as a last resort. And I mean life or death last resort. Associating with demons is never a good idea. And the Time Demon tops the list of demons you don't want to gamble with."

"But—"

Diana holds up her hand to stop Akko's protests. As tempting as the dangling opportunity is, they've run into too many demonic incidences to simply disregard the blatant warning. At least in consideration of Bernadette and Alcaeus' concerns.

"We will keep that in mind. In any case, Luna Nova's archives will be our next course of action."

"I will write to Headmistress Holbrooke to inform her. I assume you'll want to leave immediately?" Bernadette asks.

Diana nods. "If you would."

Bernadette lingers for another moment, particularly at the table where the two demons continued their afternoon tea. Shaking her head, she calls for Alcaeus and leaves her guests to their business. Alcaeus, for his part, only sends Vladimir a pained glare before following after her.

"Are we really just going to shelve the Time Demon idea?" Akko asks once the two leave the library.

Diana grabs a few of the books strewn about. Might as well tidy the place up now that they're essentially done here. "As my moth– Lady Bernadette has said, it is unlikely we will find anything regarding time travel and time magic in the Cavendish archives, considering our primary area of research lies in medicine and healing. In contrast, Luna Nova should have the information we need."

"But—"

"Which includes the items required to summon the Time Demon."

"Wait." Akko opens her mouth, closes it, settling for cocking her head to the side with a frown. "Huh? What happened to heeding warnings?"

"Mother forgive me," Diana murmurs to herself. "Time magic is forbidden, which means there will be very little written down about it. If there are any additional methods of time travel apart from using the Horologium Clock, it will be difficult to find."

"So why the Time Demon?"

"We know it exists." Diana glances at the two demons somehow still calmly sipping tea. "And the sooner we return to our time, the less we will affect the past."

"Who knows? You may have already changed the future beyond repair." The Allfather places its cup of tea down and grabs a biscuit. "What will you do then?"

Diana pauses, one arm still raised in the air with a book in hand. What will they do in that case? Is there anything they can do? What if her mother never has her? What if she does, but passes away much sooner than before? How does all of this affect her family? The only way to answer these questions is to return to the present and see the damage for herself. But by then the damage will have already been dealt. And at that point, Diana doesn't know if she can revert the timeline to how it should be.

The book in her hand leaves her grasp. Beside her, Akko stands on her tippy toes to place the book onto the shelf. "Guess we'll find out when we get to it."

The Allfather raises an eyebrow. "That is a rather blasé regard to your future. Or I suppose it would be your past, present, and future."

Akko steps back with a shrug. "I mean, it's not our fault we got sent back in time. We've already tried our best to not change things. Or at least, Diana's tried to keep the damage to her family as little as possible, to the point where she won't even call her mom her mom."

Frozen in place, Diana watches as Akko takes a few more books and haphazardly shoves them into the open spaces on the shelf. "So what if the future gets wonky? When we get back to our time and find out that's the case, we just have to find the person who sent us back here and make them fix this mess. It's their fault anyway!"

With the last book put away, Akko faces Diana and rubs her thumb over the crease between Diana's eyes. "Stop worrying so much already. You're going to get wrinkles before your mom does."

Shoulders slumping, Diana shakes her head. "Honestly, you are certainly something. First of all, these books are all in the wrong place."

"What?! I thought I put them back where they should've gone!"

But Akko is right about one thing. There is no sense worrying about variables they cannot control. Their first priority has always been to return to their time. Finding the culprit for not only sending them back in time, but also for activating the sealed Horologium Clock comes next. Once they've accomplished those goals, they can figure out what to do from there.

"Hm." Vladimir the Demon chews on his biscuit slowly. "You know, I think I can see how that girl has survived this long."

"Her line of thinking is reckless," the Allfather remarks, "but they do say those who are quick on their feet last longer than those who hesitate."

"Uh, thanks?" Akko says.

"Ignore them, Akko." Once the books are arranged in their proper places, Diana takes one last glance at the two demons before turning to her companion. "Let us get ready to return to Luna Nova."


Because they don't have any personal items thanks to their impromptu travel back in time, Bernadette insists on lending Diana and Akko a few clothes and toiletries for their trip. Unable to refuse, the two accept the Cavendish head's kindness and take the leyline to Luna Nova two days after Bernadette had first notified them about Holbrooke's letter.

The goal is to be in and out of the academy within the week. While the library is enormous, Diana assures Akko that finding the books they need will take less than a day when they know what to look for.

Akko tries adding up the math and unsurprisingly fails. "Then what's the rest of the week for?"

"We'll need time to gather the items required to summon the demon," Diana had explained when they were packing alone. "In the time away from Moth– Lady Bernadette and Alcaeus, we'll procure what we need and perform the summoning."

Headmistress Holbrooke meets Diana and Akko at the front gates, the two girls having adopted their usual-disguised appearances. Due to the circumstances, Holbrooke agrees to keep their visitation a secret from the students. Only a handful of professors closest to the headmistress know, and that is only so they can keep the library off limits whenever Diana and Akko are using it. In case anyone does end up running into them, their backup cover is to pose as potential future students touring the school before enrollment.

"You know, I never got to admire the school gates when I first got to Luna Nova," Akko whispers to Diana as they walk behind Holbrooke, just far enough that the headmistress can't overhear them.

Diana raises an eyebrow before remembering just how Akko and her friends had made their entrance. "Ah, that's right. Hadn't you three entered via a portal from the Arcturus Forest? I suppose nothing is ever orthodox when it relates to you."

"Hey!" Akko clamps her hands over her mouth, moving one hand to wave sheepishly when Holbrooke turns around to make sure they're alright. "It's fine. I got into the school, didn't I?"

Diana hums thoughtfully. "You did. And you've left quite an impact since then…"

Before them is a Luna Nova during a time before Akko and Diana have graced its halls. Although everything looks the same as Diana remembers it from the present, the atmosphere feels different. That isn't to say the Luna Nova of this time doesn't have its own rambunctious students, but they feel almost tame compared to the malestorms known as Akko Kagari and Amanda O'Neil—among other students.

Even so, with the structure completely unchanged from their time, it truly feels as if they've returned to where they should be. However, the mirage disperses once Holbrooke stops in front of the library's two heavy doors, turning around to regard Diana and Akko with a face—while aged—that is considerably younger than the headmistress they know.

"Here we are!" The headmistress pushes open the doors for the two to enter. She gestures inside with a welcoming smile. "Please peruse the library to your heart's content. Of course, please refrain from causing any permanent damage to the books and other resources here."

"Of course, Headmistress Holbrooke," Diana answers cordially.

"Yep, you can count on us!" Akko says, punctuating her promise with a salute.

The headmistress chuckles. "Alright then. If you need me, I will be at my office. Which is—"

She pulls out her wand and twirls it in the air. A translucent map paints the space between them, with lines resembling the walls structuring the academy.

Akko's eyes sparkle with wonder, her gaze drawn to a flashing light at the top right corner of the map. "Ooooh."

"—here." Holbrooke points to the exact spot Akko's eyes are trained on.

Diana nods her thanks. Of course, she and Akko already know where the headmistress' office is. But it doesn't hurt to confirm that the location hasn't changed in the last twenty-one years.

With that, Holbrooke leaves the two to peruse the library to their heart's content. While it's a little suspicious that the headmistress of Luna Nova would leave two strangers alone with so much written knowledge, Diana assumed this is thanks to Bernadette's influence—having the Cavendish name really is a strong asset.

"So, where do we start?" Akko asks. "I've been here enough times, but I've never had to look up books about demons."

A small head pokes out from within her coat, chirping its equal curiosity. Akko tickles its head with her finger, smiling as it responds with what seems to be a purring noise.

Whatever the spirit is, it seems to have taken a liking to Akko. Diana considers that safe enough to leave it alone—for now at least. There are other priorities to tackle first.

"Demonology, section nine," Diana answers, already making her way to the aforementioned part of the library with long strides. She's never taken a class on demonology either, but it never hurts to know where all of the books are. "Now that we know how we will return to our time, all we have left to do is to find what we need to summon the demon."

"Cool, cool. So we just gotta find a book on the Time Demon, right?"

"Yes. That is…"

They stop in front of the enormous line of bookshelves that make up section nine in Luna Nova's grand library. The countless books should be sorted alphabetically; even so, finding the exact information they need won't happen immediately.

"…if we can find the correct tome we are looking for."

Beside her, Akko audibly gulps. "Lemme guess, it's not going to be so easy as finding a book titled 'Summoning a Time Demon' or anything like that, huh?"

"Unfortunately."

Akko inhales deeply, puffing out her chest while setting her fists on her hips in a pose that screams confidence. "Alright, between you and me—"

The little spirit chirps from her jacket, shaking its short arm like someone raising their fist in support.

Akko nods. "—and the little guy here, I bet we can have this whole section combed out faster than Finnelan can give me detention!"

Diana quirks an eyebrow, suppressing the feeling of her lip muscles twitching upward. "You do realize Professor Finnelan is most likely teaching here at this very moment?"

"Okay yeah, let's not jinx it."

Acquiring a few stacks of books later, the only noise that occupies the mostly-vacant library are the sounds of pages flipping—mostly calm and slow, with the occasional impatient slaps from the more antsy reader—and Akko's annoyed groans every once in a while. Still, she does rather well with her own speed-skimming. At least for the first hour.

"So…"

Diana flips the page of the book she's currently skimming through. She gives a low hum to acknowledge that she's listening.

"You kiss really good for someone who's never kissed anyone before."

And nearly slams her forehead onto the open book in response.

"I– Excuse me?!" Caught between embarrassment and indignation, all Diana can do is pray her cheeks aren't as red as Akko's eyes.

"Like it was messy, but at least it didn't hurt that bad." Akko rubs her jaw. "Okay, maybe it hurt pretty bad. But it could've been worse."

Is that supposed to be a compliment? "Why bring this up now?"

Akko shrugs. "I didn't really think about it while we were chasing after your dad, and the whole thing with your parents being the worst star-crossed lovers ever. And then when you weren't grumpy about them, you were brooding about not being able to get us back to our time."

"I was not grumpy, or brooding."

"Uh huh."

Slamming her current book shut, Diana reaches across the table to grab the next book from one of Akko's piles—compared to Diana, she barely made a dent. "Was there a point to this? Or did you wish to criticize my kissing abilities to interrupt our research?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Akko flips a page, remarkably slow for someone of her temperament. "It just kind of hit me that you like me back."

"Akko, I confessed to you. You even remarked how unfair it was."

Akko leaps to her feet, pointing an accusatory finger at Diana. "It was unfair! You can't just improv a confession like that and still make it sound all perfect!" A short pause. "Unless you've rehearsed…?"

Diana exhales, reigning in her own annoyance. "As I have said, I had no understanding of my own feelings until recently. Even if I knew I cared for you more than just friends, I wouldn't have been able to recognize what that emotion could be."

"But you like me."

The urge to roll her eyes is almost too difficult to suppress. "Would a kiss put your worries to ease?"

Now it is Akko's turn for her cheeks to turn bright red. "Bweh?! You can't just say that!"

Her heart skips a beat. To her surprise, it isn't an unwanted feeling.

As much as Diana usually cared little for these things, she does find Akko's flustered expression to be—as Hannah and Barbara would gush and say—adorable.

(I can see why Sucy and Amanda love to rile her up so much.)

"Is that unfair as well?" Diana asks, pushing her wayward thoughts aside. "Or would you rather we limit the kissing?"

Akko's mouth drops open. "Okay, don't you go putting your foot in my mouth. We still need to make sure our kissing doesn't stay bad."

"Ugh, if the both of you are going to start pressing lips together in this public space, I will tell the Allfather I needed to excuse myself from this gross level of affection."

Diana leaps up from her seat just as Akko whirls around. They draw their wands and aim it at a certain blonde-haired man sitting nonchalantly at a table nearby, casually flipping through a book Diana swears she had put in her reading pile.

"Wha– You're that evil not-uncle guy!" Akko yells. "The heck are you doing here?!"

Vladimir raises an eyebrow. "Did you really believe our Allfather would simply allow a Halfling to wander about without surveillance? She is a rather peculiar specimen, you know."

Akko frowns. "Hey, don't talk about Diana like she's some zoo animal."

Vladimir gestures in the air with one hand, sweeping across the spacious library. "Do you see a cage anywhere? In any case, I believe this is the text you have been looking for."

The demon closes the book in his lap before tossing it across three tables at Akko. Akko yelps in surprise, haphazardly throwing up her hands to catch the item before it can smack her in the face. She quickly skims through the book, flipping through the pages until pausing with her eyes narrowed down at the text.

Placing her wand down, Akko slaps the book onto the table and points down to the page in question. "Diana! It really is in here!"

Diana leans over the table to read the passage for herself. "Summoning requires the Talisman of Time… Items to procure are the minotaur's horn, a Screamer's core…"

"And a witch's lip petal and some enchanted starch!" Akko grabs Diana's hands with a beaming smile. "This is it, right?! We just have to get this stuff, make that talisman, talk to the Time Demon, and then we can go home!"

"A rather condensed and simple way to put it."

It isn't as if they've obtained the four items to make the talisman yet. And there is also the matter of bargaining with the Time Demon in the first place, especially when they have no idea what to expect from the exchange. However, they've finally made progress after an entire month stuck in the past.

As such, Diana allows herself to smile and join Akko in her relief. She gives Akko's hands a tight squeeze. "But yes, you're right, Akko. This appears to be what we need to return to our time."

Akko throws both their arms up with a joyful laugh. "Yatta! Things are finally looking up for once!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! ! ! ! !"

Akko snaps her head toward the library doors, where the ear-piercing scream clearly came from, and groans. "Oh come on! ! !"


Author's Notes: hi