I was back! Back to the time when I had just bonded with my familiar. I had travelled back in time once again, reversing yet another calamitous and deadly situation.

I took stock of the events for a moment before sheer exhaustion took over. I couldn’t help but collapse on the floor as my legs gave out from under me. I was aware of the concerned chirping of my familiar but I couldn’t take heed of it at the moment. I found myself close to blacking out but kept myself awake through sheer will.

I became vaguely alert to the arrival of the gryphon, who had come to take back its chicks. I tried to raise my head up so that I could give some form of greeting, knowing that it wouldn’t do me any harm, seeing that I was somewhat connected to it now.

In spite of my situation, I knew that it was imperative that I overcome my own exhaustion. There was too much work to be done, too many people to tell, too many preparations to be done for what I knew to be a disastrous next twenty-four hours.

But willpower wasn’t enough to get me up. In fact, I could feel myself teetering on the edge of consciousness and I didn’t think I could keep myself awake much longer. With dread building up in my mind, I just closed my eyes, morbidly eager to take a look at my core.

What I saw was what I feared, yet it managed to send a chill up my spine. What was supposed to be a bright star was instead resembling the glow of a flickering candle. It almost felt as if my core was nearing inevitable death due to expending all its energy. Even the bonds with my familiar resembled tattered threads, broken off from my core.

I couldn’t see a way out of this predicament when I felt myself in the claws of the gryphon. Before I could comprehend what was going on, I was hauled on its back. Giving an almighty screech, it took off in the air, with me holding onto its neck for my dear life. But the feeling of flying with no control of it whatsoever was too much for me as I felt myself finally submitting to my condition and blacking out on the gryphon’s back.

I woke up to the sun’s rays striking my face as I tried to get myself up. My body gave a quiet groan as I tried to get myself up. I could literally hear my bones cracking as I stretched them, trying to get some sense of movement. Looking around, I found myself in unfamiliar surroundings. Before I could puzzle out where the gryphon had brought me, Samuel walked in through the door.

“So, you’re finally up, huh?”, Samuel asked with a wide grin on his face, “I was really scared there for a moment about your condition. You look fine now. I am glad.”

I took in his words with a faint smile of my own but I wanted some answers. How had I gotten here? Or rather did the gryphon bring me here? And most importantly, how had I recovered or even survived? I had seen my core with my own eyes, it looked beyond saving. It must have required a minor miracle for me to recover from that state.

“Correct me if I am wrong, but did I arrive here on the back of a gryphon?”, I asked Samuel, wondering how the gryphon knew to bring me here.

Samuel uncharacteristically grinned in response. He seemed to be doing that a lot. “Indeed! I have to say, you have experienced more adventures in your first few months as an Untethered than I have in my many years.”

He continued, “I was terrified when I saw the gryphon, at first. I thought that it had just come to finish the job it couldn’t the last time. But before I could react in any way, you slipped off his back and without acknowledging my existence, it just flew away. My concern for your condition overcame my incredulity at the situation. I have to say you were in dire straits. I thought that the gryphon had come to deliver your corpse and for a moment there, I really thought you were dead.”

I could only sigh in response before remarking, “You don’t have to tell me. What happened after that? How did I, you know, recover from my near-death state?”

“That’s what I was here for actually. Seeing your condition frightened me to my core before I realised you weren’t actually dead. But I felt that I had too little time on my hands to actually call for any help, so I did the first thing I could. I made you consume this.” Saying that he procured a pill and held it between his fingers so that I could see it. The pill was oddly familiar to the one Emma and Frank had given me in different instances, although I could tell it had some subtle differences.

“What is that?” I asked him, wondering how he had come across such a pill, as I knew these were rare.

“I don’t know the specifics. I just know that it’s used to stabilise and re-energise your core.”, he said in wonderment, as if it were the most fantastical thing he had ever heard of.

“How did you get your hands on one anyway?”, I asked, incredulity evident in my tone.

“Oh, the guys who healed me after our encounter with the gryphon gave to me, saying that if I ever felt myself in a precarious situation, I should take it! I have more, don’t worry. Although I don’t know what I would have to do if I wanted a refill.” Samuel said, amazement still present in his voice.

I couldn’t help asking him, “Those were for you then. Why did you give me one anyway?”

Samuel had a look on his face I couldn't quite decipher. “What do you mean? As I said, you were in dire straits and seemed to need it more than me. I couldn’t just let you die on me, could I? What kind of mentor would I be?”

At the risk of sounding corny, I was touched. I think Samuel realised it too because he swerved the topic before I could comment on it.

“Anyway, what happened man? Did the gryphon do that to you?”, Samuel asked curiosity and worry abundant in his words.

And I was suddenly at a crossroads. Do I tell him my experiences from the time of our encounter with the gryphon? Or even the truth that this was my second go-around of the same day? About Frost? Would he even believe it? I mean, to everyone I knew, Frost was their benevolent leader, their guide, their saviour, their guardian in this unforgiving world that is so different than the mortal world.

Frost was a charismatic leader, capable of inspiring such trust among the other Untethered that to speak ill of him would be treason in the eyes of the Untethered. With all these thoughts jumbling in my mind, I was quite unsure about this decision. But I decided to hedge my bets on the fact that I believed Samuel trusted me just enough to at least listen to my tale before making a decision.

Frankly, I did this out of desperation. Last time around, I didn’t have any help. No one who shared my suspicions or my secrets. And Samuel was the first casualty of my inability to manage the situation. And I was determined to not let that happen this time. Even if I was unsuccessful in my venture to convince Samuel of Frost’s wrongdoings, it would still plant a seed of doubt in his mind that would at least make him wary and have him looking over his shoulder.

So, I told him everything. Even the things that the council had deemed too dangerous to let him know. I told him about the grim reaper and his death, my reversing of it, the council and my subsequent training, the suspicions of Emma, the truth about the gryphon and my familiar and finally ended it with the events of last night.

During my entire retelling of the events, Samuel had a blank look on his face, making me wary about his reaction to my news. When I finished recounting my story, Samuel just looked at me for a moment before just muttering, “Huh!”

We looked at each other in silence for a few moments after that. I was too nervy to break the silence as I didn’t think I could handle Samuel’s rejection of my call for aid. It was finally Samuel who decided to spare me the awkwardness of asking for some input.

“You do realise that your tale is completely ludicrous, don’t you?”, he asked me in a tone that suggested that he was unsure how to tell me that I had lost my marbles.

“I do, yes! If someone told those same things to me, I would be reluctant to believe them too.” I said, hoping that Samuel didn’t just walk out of the room right then and there.

“Reluctant doesn’t begin to cover it, David. You’re telling me that Frost is some sort of evil overlord intent on conquering this world or some other stuff like that. How do you expect me to believe that?” He all but shouted those last words to me.

I sighed, knowing that this was a lost cause. “Okay, man. I just wanted to tell you even if you don’t believe me. Just look out, will you? Wouldn’t want you dying a third time around, huh?” I couldn’t help keeping the bite out of my voice, feeling somewhat hurt at his denial, even if I knew that it was the most likely to happen.

I got up from the bed and made my way towards the window, wanting to get out before this situation escalated any further. I stopped in my tracks when Samuel asked, “Where are you going? You’re in no state to go anywhere.”

I answered him, “I need to get to the council. They might be as sceptical but I could probably convince Emma. I need people on my side. I am not about to let anyone die, not when I have got a second chance at doing this right.”

I made my way to the window after saying my piece. Before I could jump out of it and be on my way, Samuel stopped me once more, saying, “Wait up, I am coming with you.”

I turned around and asked him, “I thought you didn’t believe me.”

He plied, “I still don’t. But I can't, on good conscience, let you go out by yourself when you were in a near-death condition a few hours ago. It also gives me a good opportunity to say, ‘I told you so’ when all this turns out to be false.”

I just nodded at him before we both proceeded to exit. We made our way to the desolate area of the city that I knew served as the entrance to the whereabouts of the council. But it seemed that Frost had prepared so that nothing or no one could interfere in his ascension to ‘ultimate power’, in his words, for guarding the entrance were a group of eleven people who didn’t seem like they would let anyone pass through.

We just stared at them from the spot we had chosen to hide ourselves in before I asked Samuel, sarcasm lacing my words, “Believe me yet?”

Samuel didn’t respond for a long time before responding slowly, “I have to agree that this is fishy. What do we do now?”

I contemplated on our next course of action for a minute before saying, “Frank. We need to get to Frank and warn him of Frost.” I was convinced that Frank would believe me, given our years of friendship.

Samuel was quick to curb my enthusiasm though. “David, do you really think that Frank would believe you when you say that Frost is a traitor? Look at how much trouble I am having believing you and I am not as close to Frost as Frank. Do you honestly believe that Frank will want to listen to anything you have against his mentor?”

That was a punch to the gut. But the fact was that Samuel was right. I didn’t have much proof of Frost’s betrayal and convincing anyone of his motives would be a tall task, let alone convincing someone who considered Frost his brother in all but blood.

Samuel sensed that I was dismayed as he quickly sought to console me. “Don’t worry though. I am sure we will think of something and save Frank if what you say is true. I think it’s imperative that we get to the council so that we have some backup if we have to take on Frost.”

I nodded at him, before saying, “I don’t think it can be done right now, not when we’re outnumbered by such large margins. I think we should wait for the night. If I remember correctly, I think three of those guys were with Frost in the club. I think these guards will be pulled at night when they decide to execute Frost’s plan.”

Samuel still had an incredulous look on his face before nodding at me, hopefully, to agree with my plan. He eventually said, “Okay, I will be the one carrying the message to the council so that you can interrupt whatever evil plans Frost has concocted.”

I was quick to reply, “After we take care of Tom.”

“Of course.” This was said in a humouring tone by Samuel as if he was pandering to the whims of a petulant child.

I decided to ignore that for the time being, instead deciding on focusing on more important things. My mind couldn’t help but wander back to the topic of Frank. I thought it prudent to warn of the coming betrayal even if there was a huge chance of him just ignoring my words. I decided to voice my thoughts to Samuel.

“Look, I really think that I should tell Frank. He is the first person that Frost will target when he finally decides to move,” I said adamantly, hoping to get my point across to Samuel.

Samuel considered his words for a moment before replying, “Okay, man. Your call. If you think that it’s the best thing to do, then you should do it. I will come with you, if only for moral support.”

We quickly rushed to the club, intent on delivering my message to Frank before we ran out of time. I frantically looked around the club, intent on finding Frank as soon as possible. It was Samuel who spotted him though, nudging me in his direction. I looked up to see where he had indicated to see Frank sitting in a booth at the corner, with Lucy for the company.

We quickly made our way over to his booth. He was startled to see us before he asked us, “Hey guys. What brings you here? I thought you guys would be preparing for the patrol tonight, given what you guys had to go through the last red Luna night.”

I found myself struggling for words when Samuel decided to come to my aid. “Yeah, we are actually here about that. David would like to talk to you in private, where no one can hear us.”

That caused Frank to grow concerned and it was reflected in his voice as he asked, “Why, what’s up? Is everything alright?”

I finally gathered my courage and said, “Frank, we need to talk. Right now.”

That didn’t help matters as Frank said, “You guys are really freaking me out right now. What’s up? Let’s talk.”

“Not here. Somewhere private. Lucy can come too.”, I said, refusing to budge on the matter. I decided to let Lucy in on the matter when I remembered her tear-stained face from my previous go-around.

“Okay. Let’s go.” Frank got up from his chair before leading us out of the club and into the alleyway behind it.

“Okay, what’s so important that it couldn’t wait for tomorrow?” Frank asked, clearly perturbed by my behaviour.

“Look, I know what I am about to say sounds completely insane,” I decided to ignore the snort from Samuel before proceeding, “but it’s very important that you hear me out.” My words held a pleading note to it that I hoped got Frank to listen to me.

“Okay, what’s going on? I am kind of fearing the worst here, mate.”, asked Frank.

The sarcastic part of my brain couldn’t help but exclaim mentally, ‘This is so much worse than what you are fearing, mate.’

“Frank, let me get this out before anything else. Frost is a traitor; whose sole intent is to kill us both and steal our powers. And he going to carry out his plans tonight.” I paused after that, preparing myself for an angry outburst or even a punch or a hit of some sort.

But my comments elicited no response from Frank. While worried at his lack of reaction, I decided to carry on, time being of immense value in this instance. I told him everything I had told Samuel, ending with the massacre Frost had committed last night.

Throughout my explanation, Frank’s face didn’t shift or show any emotion, almost as if it were carved out of marble. I finished my explanation, waiting for some sort of reaction. Instead, Frank just turned around and proceeded to walk into the bar.

I tried to stop him, saying, “Hey, Frank...”

Frank cut me off right there. “No more, David,” he exclaimed in a steely tone, “I have heard enough out of you as it is. Leave before I do something I will regret.” With his piece said, he proceeded to walk into the bar, leaving me looking at his back with despair.

Lucy hurried to follow him with a concerned look on her face before I stopped her by saying, “Hey, I know you guys don’t believe me but please be on the lookout, will you?”

Lucy looked at me for a long moment before proceeding to enter the bar herself, without saying a word to me. I could only stand there, feeling that I had failed in my endeavour once again, even after I had been gifted a second chance.

I was broken out of my musings when Samuel grabbed my shoulder from behind. “Hey, man. It’s time for us to get our patrol assignments from Frost. Focus on the situation right now. Frank will come around if what you are saying is true.”

I couldn’t help but nods at his words. He was trying to cheer me up even when he didn’t fully believe me himself. I looked up to see that Luna was indeed up in the sky, bathing everything its light touched in red.

It was finally do-or-die time and I wasn’t willing to die this time around!