Wow this is my longest chapter yet. Thank you everyone who read my Keefe story or voted. I am sorry if you voted for someone else and a one shot for them is not out of the picture but it just won't happen right away. In case you are wondering the votes were Keefe: 17, Fitz:6, Dex: 1.

Disclaimer: I am not Shannontherefore I own nothing.

"Foxfire!" Fitz shouted, then the large crystal chandelier shot a beam of light from one of the crystals, and he stepped into it, Biana in tow.

Neither one had been thrilled at the prospect of going back to school, but Alvar had convinced them. He had said to do it for their parents, so they had one less thing to worry about. Knowing they had already missed the last three days of school, not including how many they had missed over the past few months they reluctantly agreed. According to society, three days was the appropriate amount of time to mourn; now they had to get back to their life. Society was wrong.

Fortunately, he was not planning to just sit around home or school and mope. He had finally begun to form a plan. And he needed to see Keefe, he had promised to include him after all. Fitz strangled his sister in a hug, telling her he was there if she needed him, she nodded weakly and they parted ways.

After wandering for a few minutes he found Keefe at his locker. "Hey,"

"Hey. This your first day back too?"

"Yeah." He sighed, "Look I need to talk to you, alone." Keefe's eyes widened, then he nodded knowing what Fitz was insinuating.

"I know where, follow me." They walked together to Elwin's office.

"Elwin is still at Havenfield all day; he won't be back here for a while." They entered the empty office and Fitz closed the doors behind them, "What is it?"

"I've been thinking. When Sophie heals a mind she finds a nook right? A tiny corner of the person's mind where a little consciousness is stored. She calls that person back shows them memories of who they are, reminds them, then inflicts to bring them back.

"Now, when I was in her mind she led me somewhere. I don't think it was the nook. I think if I had gone to her nook then I would have been trapped so she took me to the next best thing. She showed me the path to her nook. I know the memories; she has told me more than anyone about her past. I think it is safe to assume that when her mind is broken I can transmit since I could enter her mind. Kind of like when it was injured from fading."

"And this all helps how? No offense, but I don't think you are suddenly going to develop the ability to inflict, and that seems to be kind of an important part of this."

"That's the thing. Most broken minds, as far as we know, cannot communicate. Sophie said Prentice left a message, and so did she. But then how did she protect me? How does a mind that is unaware inflict on me? It doesn't fit. Even when her mind is broken Sophie is different."

"So….you want her to inflict on…herself?" Keefe looked skeptical, and he could not blame him, but this felt right.

"Why not? Why can't someone inflict on themselves? If anyone could it would be Sophie. And if that is true, then that would mean all I have to do is find her nook, and bring her back, remind her, and she can finish the job by inflicting."

"Look Fitz I want to help her just like you but…how do you know this will work, I mean, think. If she could inflict then why hasn't she healed herself?"

"She needs someone to call her out. It's like she is shattered right? It's like a storm came through and destroyed everything, making it unrecognizable. But during the storm she went for cover under the destruction. She is now trapped in there, unconscious, and unaware, but still there. She needs someone else to go and put the remains back in order, wake her up and pull her out, and tell her what each thing used to be. That way she can go and finish the job by putting everything back together again. As it is, she can't heal because she is still trapped and asleep."

"Say this did work, how would you stay safe? She would not be able to protect you if she is busy putting herself back together. Then what? Her mind would become impenetrable again and you would be in there when it does. Would you be shoved out, or trapped in and lost? It would be like intentionally jumping into a black hole that is violently attacking you, and you would be completely willing."

"I'm not worried about that, I know the risks. What I am worried about is how I can heal her if I lose myself first. Pure will power will not help me here. That's the reason why I haven't tried yet. I don't want to lose myself before I can help Sophie." Fitz ran his hand through his dark hair, he head been pacing for a while now, "I just don't know where to look for this answer. That's the problem! No one does know! Until Sophie no one could survive entering a broken mind for more than a few seconds. So what do we do?"

"I think I know someone who might be able to help."

"Who?"

"Isn't it obvious? Mr. Forkel. That creepy elf that helped create Sophie. If anyone knows a way to manipulate the mind it would be him."

"Of course. Oh one problem, you can't find him unless he wants to be found!"

"What's to say he doesn't? He cares about Sophie and at the very least doesn't want to loose something he has worked so hard on. He would want to save her. But he has a thing for being mysterious, so all we need to do is start looking for a sign."

"Okay, then where do we starts to look-"

"Mr. Fitz. Vacker, please report to Magnate Leto's office. Again, Fitz Vacker." This was announced on the loud speaker, so the whole school would have heard.

Keefe raised his eyebrow, "What did you do? No one ever gets called over loud speaker."

"I…don't know. Only one way to find out. We will continue this conversation." Without waiting for a response he walked out.

…

"Ah, Fitz, welcome." The pyramid office was still disorienting, the two of them multiplying in the many mirrors. "Yes, I will hopefully be remodeling this room soon enough." He said sympathetically, noting Fitz's discomfort.

He motioned towards a tall chair for him to sit. "Now let's get to the reason that I called you here." He eyed Fitz, not suspiciously but not simply curiously. It was off-putting. "It has come to my attention that you have been showing some…dangerous tendencies." Fitz got the feeling their headmaster was not just trying to make conversation or look out for his student's wellbeing. It felt more like a test.

"Where did you hear that?"

"I hear a lot of things from a lot of people," Fitz did not miss how he evaded the question; "My question is why?"

"If you are asking why then you must have some idea of what I am trying to accomplish?"

"Fitz," He sighed, "I know you are trying to heal Sophie's mind and nearly dying in the process. What I want to know is why. Are you doing it because you care about her? Because you cannot imagine a world without her? Or are you doing it because you want to prove you can, for the glory. Answer truthfully boy, I will not judge you, but the truth is imperative." He was appalled.

"What!? How could you think I would do this for glory? There is no other reason than I want Sophie back and whole." Magnate Leto seemed to believe him, his face softened and he nodded.

"I was hoping you would say that."

"If I may, why am I here?"

"It's a strange thing, what this world has come to. Things used to be much different. The council would not have let things get so out of hand." He looked at Fitz then, "I suppose you have a plan now, yes? It probably involves trying to force yourself into her mind, using you willpower to stay intact long enough to call her back to finish the job?" He was dumbfounded, how had he known all that? "That's what I thought."

He stood and began to look though his assortment of knickknacks covering his shelves. He picked up something that looked like a syringe "You know, sometimes people are blinded by their rush towards the future, when their answer was in the past the whole time.

"This world is so content to rush forwards, stuck in their ways," He held a tiny vial with silvery liquid. Limbium. "When a tiny alteration can make all the difference." He was examining the syringe again; Fitz's heart skipped a beat. Elves didn't use needles. The only time one had was when Sophie had-but this couldn't be-could it? Leto continued to inject whatever was in the needle into the limbium, turning it a midnight blue.

"But sometimes, you need to swim against the current to get where you need to be." He corked the vial and tied it to a string, making it a sort of necklace.

Turning he faced Fitz, "Will power is strong and you will need it. You will need to remind yourself what you are fighting for and why. What will be lost if you fail. The reason Sophie is so powerful is that it does not only come from her mind, but from her heart. Know that that is more powerful than any ability or genetic manipulation out there. You have a strong heart Fitz. Remember that." He placed the vial in Fitz's slack hand and motioned for him to go. He was speechless. What just happened?

"I never was fond of my name." He mused before Fitz could walk away, "Always thought 'Kerlof' was a horrid last name. Always wanted to change it." There was a smile in his voice.

….

As he stood in the hallway thinking of their strange conversation and looking down at the vial in his had Fitz pondered what Leto had said. He had always wanted to change his name. All at once the pieces all fell into place. Kerlof rearranged spelled Forkel. Magnate Leto was Mr. Forkel! And he had just given Fitz the key to saving Sophie!

Okay. So I had to include Leto as Forkel because it is perfect. I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, (someone might already have written of this, I don't know I have not had much time lately to read many fanfics) but it all makes sense. How odd Magnate Leto acts and how he tells Sophie not to tell the council she can hear his thoughts. And then the name did it for me so I had to write it. Only two more chapters left. I can't wait to write the last one I have a great idea for it. As always please review, even if it is a negative I want to know.

-XOXO Author