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CHANGE OF POWER IN A PLACE NOT QUITE IN THIS REALITY... She glided through the realm, no one who watched being quite sure whether she was walking with her feet or just moving through effort of will. Either was possible. She was one of the major Incarna, a pure force of nature, the living essence of pure feminine power. She was second only to the major trinity whose interplay kept the universe moving, who were in turn second only to the one who created all. All who were in her way sensed her presence and intent long before she got to where they were and moved out of her way. She stepped up to the receptionist and stated, "I am looking for the Akashic Master." She could have easily taken the knowledge she needed from the man's mind without any harm to him, but this way was more polite. A necessity for what she needed to accomplish. The man accessed the computer on his desk and quickly said, "He's in the gym. Private workout." The woman smiled and went through the door into the rest of the Realm. She went through the long hallways which were the building that served as the headquarters for the coalition of mages which had created this mini-universe. She went straight to the gym. Standing in front of the gym was a young lady in her mid-teens. The youth blanched when she saw who approached. It was her job to stand in front of the gym, and politely refuse entrance to all who wished entry. As the Akashic Master's personal attache, she had the power to refuse entry to even the other Grand Masters in a non-emergency situation. But this? A major Incarna? How could she refuse? The Incarna stepped up to her and said, "I wish to speak to the Akashic Master. Announce me." The woman paused, torn between her duty to the Master and her natural urge to wish not to antagonize Her. Finally she decided it would be best to err on the side of caution. The Master may be stern, but he was fair. She had no idea how the Incarna would react to refusal. She exercised the small amount of Forces it would take to open the door and preceded Her inside. Inside, the Master was working out with his students. The Master, a Caucasian (rare for the Akashic Brotherhood, most were of oriental descent), and three students were on the mat, surrounded by a ring of lesser students. The three students were all attempting to strike the Master, using only Do, THE martial art. No Magick was allowed, although all the students were Awakened. The students were striving valiantly, but no matter where they threw their punches the Master was not there. The young woman smiled. These students had yet to figure it out. One on one, none of them could touch the Master. Even when it was three one on one battles at once. Only by working together, two forcing the Master to move in such a way that the third could strike him, would they ever succeed. The youth looked up to Her face and saw Her waiting impatiently, clearly not used to being kept waiting. The youth cleared her throat loudly. "Master?" The Master held up his hand signaling stop. Two of the students froze in place, but the third kept his last swing going. The Master caught his fist in mid-flight, and gave him a withering stare. The youth simply said, she felt unnecessarily, "You have a visitor." The Master stared at Her for a few seconds before saying, "Class, it appears we will be adjourning early today." The youth could feel the relief run through the class. Relief quickly dashed when the Master said, "To make up for it, our next class will run fifteen minutes long." The class voiced their disappointment with a collective "Awww." The Master cut them off with a quick, "Class dismissed!" and a clapping of his hands. The class got up and quickly bowed and left. When it was only the three of them, the Master, contempt evident in his voice, asked, "What do you want?" The youth blanched. How could anyone, even the Master, treat Her with such disrespect?! The Lady ignored the contempt and said, "I have a favor to ask of you." The Master continued his arrogance by turning his back on Her and walking over to the makiwara, the padded striking board. As he started a series of blows to the board he said, "Ask." The youth felt Her grow angry, but She contained it and said, "One of my worshipers has recently Awakened. I'd like you to retrieve her." "Fine." To the youth, he said, "Janice, arrange for a couple females of the Brotherhood to make a trip to the consensual reality." The Woman quickly said, "NO!" then in a more placatory tone said, "I'd like you to handle this personally." The Master stopped. He turned his head and looked over his shoulder at Her. "Why?" Janice blanched again. The Master would dare to challenge Her? She knew he was powerful, but was he really that powerful? The Lady said, "It seems that she is being followed by a Weaver construct. She has yet to demonstrate any control over her new abilities in public, so they're just watching her, but she could be in real danger." The Master stared at her for a while. Finally he returned to beating on the board, and said, "Fine. A while back, I did a favor for your husband. The cost of me doing this for you is the same as for what I did for him." She looked at him, and said, "That seems a rather steep price to pay. Somewhat inappropriate." The Master stopped. Turning to face her, he said, "I am the premiere Akashic mage on the planet Earth. I am one of the most, if not the most, powerful mages in any realm. I am the head of the Akashic Brotherhood in this Realm. And you want me to interrupt my vital schedule to chase down an Orphan? You're right, it is inappropriate. I think what I've asked for plus an undisclosed favor to be granted later willingly and without hesitation should be an appropriate payment. Further, I want a promise from you not to attempt to manipulate me in any way to call for that favor before I want to." Janice stared at Her. The Woman was clearly angry, and Janice feared for her very existence right then. The Lady said, "I could make you do this for me." The Master replied, "No, you can't." The Lady seemed to contemplate this and said, "I could make it very hard on this Realm. Collect the Major Incarna together and attack you." The Master extended his hand and a towel flew across the room into his grasp. As he wiped his forehead, he said, "And I could resign my position and return to the consensual reality. Without the "offending mortal" being present in the Realm, you couldn't get the Major Incarna to agree on what color the sky is out there." "You would do that? Abandon your allies?" "Great Lady, I am a Spur. That alone scares most of the mages here. The nature of my Spur makes me immune to Paradox. That terrifies them. Were it not for my mastery of the Soul Blade, most would assume me to be a Marauder working on the "good guys'" side. I took this job out of respect for the wishes of its previous holder. The other Akashics accept for the same reason, and the other factions accept because they have no choice, but most have made it clear that they would rather me not be here. Hell, you might be doing me a favor by driving me out." "It still seems a steep price." The Master slung the towel around his neck. "You don't want to pay the toll, don't try to get through the gate." The Lady glared at the Master, but before she could say anything, he said, "Of course, there is another payment I would accept." "What?" "The truth. The complete, unvarnished truth. You can't convince me that a newly Awakened Orphan, no matter how powerful, rates anything other than a moderately powered H.I.T. mark. Why do you want me? What do you expect to accomplish with this?" The Lady and the Master stared at one another for awhile before She finally said, "Alright. I will pay your toll." "Which one?" "The favor." "I thought so." "When you get back-" "In advance." "That is not what you agreed to with my husband.""It is not when I agreed to accept payment. When and what are two different things." "But-" "NO! Lady, you have no credit in my bank, and you know why!" Janice trembled in fear, sure that She would strike both of them down any second now. "Now I have offered my terms. Accept them or get out." The Lady said, "Alright." She stepped up to the Master, and placed Her hands on his temples. After a few seconds, she said, "It is done. Now I hold you to your end of the agreement." The Master smiled. "Hun, I may officially be the enemy of the Syndicate, but, like them, I would die before I break a deal." "Your mercenary attitude is unbecoming of an Akashic Master." The Master considered that for a while, before saying, "Perhaps. But as the youths of my universe would say, 'Bite me.'" The Lady glowered at the Master, before fading from view. When she was gone, Janice blurted out, "Are you mad?!" before remembering her place, and saying, "Forgive me, sir, but are you crazy?" The Master smiled broadly. "Quite possibly." "Sir, why would you treat Her in such a manner?" "The Goddess and I have... a history. Enough of that. Has your mastery of the Spheres of Prime, Matter and Forces progressed to the point where you no longer need your Foci?" "I have freed myself of the constraints on Matter and Prime, but I still need to focus my Forces through the Do." "Show me. Shower me." The Master snapped his fingers and his clothes disappeared. The snapping was nothing more than a dramatic affectation of his. By sheer force of Will, the Master could command any sphere but Spirit. Janice closed her eyes and concentrated. A bubble of water appeared over the Master's head. She then struck a pose and went through a carefully chosen kata. As her hands moved, the water broke apart into a spray of water and proceeded to rain down upon the Master. When her hands changed movement, the water flowed with them, quickly cleaning the Master. When she completed her motions, the water dropped to the ground. The Master then snapped his fingers again and the water was gone, and he was clothed in loose fitting slacks and a shirt. He said, "Master Nakayama will take my place, both in training apprentices and, if necessary, on the council until my return." "The students won't be happy about that." Master Nakayama was perhaps one of the best trainers in the Realm, in his own way, better even than The Master. But he was also a stern task master that everyone hated to train under. "Neither will you." "Master?" "You lost focus on the third and fifth movements of that kata. Have master Nakayama work with you on that." "Yes, sir." "And make sure to inform master Nakayama of the extra time the students must go through in their next class. And inform him of Jason's lapse." Jason was the boy who had not stopped instantly when the Master called halt. "Yes, sir." The Master snapped his fingers and returned to his room. There he picked up the Soul Blade, before teleporting to the exit portal. The portal master asked, "Where to?" "San Bernardino." "Yes, sir." The portal master used the crystals to re-align the portal to its exit point in San Bernardino, and the Akashic Master stepped through into a glade under the star filled sky. ************ Jacqui walked to her car, her brow furrowed. In the 4 months since she had ended the threat of Eric Lancaster, saved her mother's life and decided to remain as Jacqui, her magic had been... erratic to say the least. For some reason, most of her magic was totally untrustworthy. The Transformation spell, shape shifting, even the simplest of illusions refused to work properly. She had discussed it with her mother and Bronwyn, and although each assured her that it was probably just an after effect of the battle with the Brotherhood, that intuitive sense which was so powerful in her told her that they were as mystified by this as she was. The only thing that still worked was her healing powers. And, perhaps a bit ironically, they had never been stronger. With only the most minimal links, she could dispel even the most intense pain, and even some minor injuries. There were even some times when her healer's senses told her that the injuries she saw were bad enough that she wanted to make them better, but when she formed the healer's link, they already were better. Her mother told her that she was probably just imagining things, and that the injuries weren't as bad as she thought. Of course, that would've meant her senses were all screwed up as well. But today, the evidence was undeniable. She had gone to watch the practice of her friends on the team. The school's women's team was one of the best in the state, and she would've loved to play, but she had decided that, due to her pregnancy, she wouldn't try out for the team. But that didn't keep her from watching. Lisa, the team's star forward, had jumped to catch a pass gone wild, and when she had come down, she slipped and sprawled headlong into the bleachers. The bleachers collapsed under her. Jacqui, with her healer's senses, felt the wood smash apart and shatter the back of Lisa's head. She felt Lisa's life force start to depart from her body, and part of Jacqui, afraid she was already too late, determined that it shouldn't be, mustn't be as bad as it was. Then something happened and it wasn't as bad as she thought it was. Lisa pulled herself out of the rubble of the bleachers and staggered about a bit, before she was helped to a chair, as someone went to get the nurse. After the nurse checked her out, she thought she was only badly bruised, but just to be sure, they took her to the hospital to get checked out. Jacqui waited for the ambulance to leave and for everyone to clear out before heading to her car. She had to talk to mom and Bronwyn about this. As she pulled the keys out of her purse, she heard a strange, almost metallic voice say, "Reality deviant." Since there was no one else around, she turned and saw a man, about 6' tall, bald, and with a pale pallor to his skin that gave her the impression of a corpse. He was dressed in a black overcoat that covered all of his body except for his head. And for some reason, every sense Jacqui had screamed, "RUN!" It was such a powerful compulsion, that Jacqui took two steps backwards away from... it (for that was how she was thinking of it), bumping into the car. The thing told her, "You will come with me." Since the very concept of going somewhere with this thing filled her with a sense of nameless dread, Jacqui replied, "I don't think so." The thing strode towards her. "You have no choice." Jacqui was terrified. She fell back on the only weapon she had, the Transformation spell. She summoned forth the energy and cast the spell. Somehow she managed the spell for the first time in four months. She envisioned the man turning into a kitten, and released the spell. The energy lanced out towards the thing and struck him. Jacqui expected him to start changing into a small ball of feline fluff, but was surprised as the spell unraveled like cheap cloth, leaving it untouched. The thing moved up to her with a speed no human should have and backhanded her, knocking her to the ground. Jacqui looked up and saw the thing's right arm, now out of the coat, was some kind of metal construct. Some kind of metal construct with a barrel! Jacqui did the only thing she could think of. She mentally screamed, "MOM!" ************ Bronwyn and Laurie sat at Laurie's table, discussing Jacqui's problem with her magic. "I don't know, Bron. It's like everything she learned is gone. She knows what to do, but when she tries to do it, it just doesn't work." "I don't know what to say, love. Maybe... Maybe her training is gone." "What do you mean?" "When Jacqui cast the spell that we thought would give her back her life as Jack, but instead gave you your life back, she had more power than anyone in the history of the Sisterhood. Maybe it destroyed what she already had." "I'm not sure I understand." "You're a healer. To use a mundane analogy, if a person suffers a serious blow to the head, after they've healed, they may have to relearn to walk, talk, read, et cetera. They know what they're supposed to be able to do, but can't do it anymore. When Jacqui had all that power within her, it may have scrambled the controls she already had." "So she may have to start over from scratch?" With strong sarcasm in her voice, Laurie said, "She's going to love that." Bronwyn smiled. She took a sip of her coffee and then looked up, intending to continue her discussion, but, when she noticed that Laurie had grasped the table, shaking visibly she asked, "Laurie, what's wrong?" Then she felt it. Jacqui's scream of terror and desperation. Bronwyn grabbed Laurie's arm and cast the spell that would take them to the youngster's side. This was farther than she had ever teleported before, but she had no choice. She HAD to make it. She cast the spell, and... nothing. Laurie looked at her, fear and desperation in her eyes. "What's wrong? Why didn't we go anywhere?" "The spell... was blocked." The two women looked at one another, and Laurie grabbed her purse as they ran to her car. ************ Jacqui lay on the ground, trembling in fear as this half-machine man advanced on her. Suddenly, she heard another voice say, "Excuse me!" A man leapt, seemingly from nowhere (of course, Jacqui was a bit preoccupied, so he could've come from her own car and she wouldn't have noticed), and landed three reverse kicks to the thing's torso, knocking it back on its ass. The man landed smoothly and spun so he was facing the thing. "Didn't your momma ever tell you not to hit a woman?" As the thing got up, the man whispered back to Jacqui, "Don't try to run. That thing might get around me, and I might not be able to protect you." It was a needless warning. Jacqui was so terrified that running had never even entered her mind. The thing said, "Depart now. This is no concern of yours." "I beg to differ. A man always seeks to protect an endangered woman." "I will give you one last chance. Depart or die." The man smiled. The thing charged him. The two then fought with dizzying speed, moving so fast, Jacqui was barely able to follow their movements. But despite the thing's claims, it was clear that the man was the superior fighter. He knocked the thing on its back three times. Once with a clothesline, once with an uppercut, and finally with a spinning back kick, knocking it back a good twenty feet. As the thing got to its feet the last time, the man said, "Damn. You're not even a good workout." It stood and pointed its metal arm at him. A rocket shot out of the end of the barrel. Jacqui expected the man to move out of its way, but instead he reached out and caught it. He tossed it over his shoulder and over Jacqui's car, where it exploded. The man then brought his hand up and pointed his index finger and thumb out, like the way young boys did when they wanted to pretend their hands were guns. "My turn," he said. He pointed his "gun" at the thing at depressed his thumb, saying, "Bang!" A beam of energy shot from the man's finger, striking the thing in the chest. It flew back into the wall, the continuous stream of energy (looking like the energy stream from the proton guns from the movie "Ghostbusters") playing upon its chest. Finally, the energy stopped, and the thing dropped to the ground, a big gaping hole where its chest used to be. The man then turned and walked back to Jacqui, extending his hand to help her up. Jacqui just looked at it, and with real fear in her eyes, said, "You're a Brother, a worshiper of the Dark One." The man smiled an honest, open smile. "Not even close, hun. You didn't think your Sisterhood and the Brotherhood were the only two organizations capable of working real magic, did you?" Then, looking at her expression, he said, "I guess you did." Jacqui looked from his hand to his face and back again. Finally deciding to trust her feelings, she placed his hand in his. He gently helped her to her feet. He then swept her into his arms. She was about to protest, when he nodded his head back to the thing's corpse, saying, "His backup will be here any second, and we don't want to be here when they get here." Jumping and bouncing off the hood of her car, Jacqui found them flying through the air to the rooftop. Jacqui then held on for dear life as he ran across rooftop after rooftop, bridging the gap between them with a single leap, no matter how great the distance between them. ************ Laurie and Bronwyn drove up to the college parking lot, not sure what to expect. Jacqui's terror had remained intense for a few minutes, before abating slightly, only to return after a few minutes worse than ever. It then went went away almost entirely, only to come back seconds later. But the last time was different. Where before, the terror was that of someone fearing for her life, it had been replaced by the terror one experiences when, despite being safe, one was at the mercy of powerful forces beyond their control. Like being on a roller coaster. The two pulled up to the entrance, only to be stopped by a man in an orange vest. "I'm sorry, ladies, but the college campus is closed. There's been a large gas spill and we need time to clean it up." Laurie tried to scan the man's mind, but it was shielded. Even his public mind was shielded against her. "Excuse me, sir, I was expecting to meet my daughter here. Would she still be here?" "Nobody here but the clean-up crew. Sorry. Maybe she already went home." "Maybe. Thanks, anyways." As the two women drove away, their concern over Jacqui caused them to fail to notice a man in a lab coat taking inordinate notice of them. Laurie quested out mentally, trying to locate Jacqui, but something was still interfering with their contact. But then, something slammed up between them, like a door being closed. Laurie could still feel that her daughter was, or at least felt personally, safe, but couldn't zero in on her. She turned to Bronwyn, hoping that her friend could sense something she couldn't, but could tell by the look on her face that Bronwyn was having no such luck. The two returned home, terrified for the young girl. ************ Jacqui rode with her arms around the man's neck, her eyes tightly shut, for a while. Then she felt a strange sensation, and everything stopped. The man said, "We're here. You can open your eyes." Jacqui opened one eye, and seeing she was in a room, opened the other. The man set her on her feet. She was in a small, sparsely furnished, economy apartment. The man asked, "Would you care for something to drink? A soda? Herbal tea?" Jacqui started moving towards the door. "Uhm, no, I think I better get home." The man went over to the small fridge, saying, "Your choice, but you'll only be putting your own family at risk." Jacqui stopped cold. "What do you mean?" "That thing that attacked you tonight. It's called a H.I.T. Mark, by the way. It's part of a larger organization. They would not have attacked you without identifying you first. I have no doubt, that, having failed, they are now watching your home, waiting for you to return. You go back, they will attack. They will either kill or take hostage anyone else there in an effort to get to you." "But... why? Why me?" "How do I explain this? My own paradigm explanation probably won't be something you can relate to. Do you know anything about computers?" "A bit." "Well, think of reality as a huge mainframe, where everyone within it has their own terminal. Now most people are like your average computer-phobe. Barely understand enough to function with what they've got. Content to let the computer tell them what to do, and if a problem arises, are totally mystified, and have to wait for help." Jacqui couldn't help but smile. The man was describing her mother in perfect detail. The man continued. "Then you've got a few, like those in the Sisterhood or Brotherhood, who are capable of a bit more. Think of them as professional computer operators. They know more about the program that is reality. They also have access to hidden tools that most people don't. Like the control panels or extension files in a computer. "Then there is a rare, rare group. These people... Think of them as system programmers. They can go in and change the basic programs that run reality. This is my level of magic. This is... your level of magic." "Me? No. You... You must have the wrong person." Jacqui started edging towards the door. The man dug in the refrigerator while saying, "Your magic has been out of control. Things that used to be easy now seem impossible to accomplish, but what you do accomplish has a strength and power that scares even you." Jacqui froze. "How... How did you know?" "One of the drawbacks. A human can only walk one path of power. Now that you're on the upper level, the lesser paths are inaccessible." He came out of the refrigerator with a couple cans of grape soda. He pointed one to her. "Sure I can't offer you one?" Jacqui returned to the center of the room. He met her half way, and gave her the soda. "So what does it mean? Being on this upper level?" "It's called Awakening. It comes from the fact that the lowest level act like they walk through life sleepwalking. First off, all the old rules you understood don't apply anymore. You can heal without shielding. There's no difference between shape shifting and Transforming. For that matter, you could transform yourself to a male and back again without losing your power. The only limits you have are your experience, skill and level of spiritual awakening." Jacqui felt a pang of emotion. For most of the time, since being transformed unwillingly from Jack to Jacqui, she had desired nothing more than to go back to being a man. Even now, when she accepted being and actually wanted to remain a girl, this man telling her she could have both struck a chord in her. "So what're the drawbacks?" "Well, there's the one path rule I mentioned before. But I'd have to say the biggest drawback is Paradox." "Paradox? What's that?" "To continue the computer analogy, think of it as the ultimate Conflict Catcher program. The Sisterhood that you used to be a part of uses stuff built into the system to accomplish what they want. You're changing the system software. In order to prevent a crash, there's Paradox." "What does it do?" "Reality, the system software if you will, is the combined belief of what all people in reality think is possible. When you do something that most people think of as impossible, you build up a bit of Paradox within you. Too much Paradox, or you mess up too badly when trying to reprogram reality and things start going wrong." "Like what?" "Well, I know one man whose left hand is gone, replaced entirely by flame when he messed up in controlling the Forces Sphere." "Forces Sphere?" "There are 9 defined Spheres of Influence used by a Mage in controlling reality. In alphabetical order, they are Correspondence, the Sphere that deals with space and spatial relations; Entropy, the sphere of chaos and breakdown; Forces; the Sphere of force and energy, everything from sound through light and even gravity can be controlled with this sphere; Life, the sphere of biological control; Matter, control of physical stuff; Mind, control of mental stuff; Prime, control of the basic essence of magic; Spirit, control both of spirits, and of the spiritual reality that lays alongside our own; and finally Time, control and perception of time itself." Jacqui thought about what he was saying. "This Paradox you mention. Is there anyway to avoid it?" "Yes. There are two basic types of magical effects. Those that blatantly defy the rules of what can be done, called Vulgar magic. And magic that just causes the unlikely to occur, called coincidental magic. If you use the latter, you really have to screw up before Paradox gets involved." "Like what? What's the difference?" "To give you an example, let's say a man pulls a gun out and shoots at you. If you were to stop the bullet in mid-air, or cause the man to suddenly explode in flames before he could pull the trigger, those would be vulgar. But if you were to make the gun jam or throw his aim off, or even reduce the effect of the bullet by making it pass through your body missing all the vital organs, that would be coincidence." Jacqui thought about it and said, "But none of this explains why that, what did you call it, H.I.T. Mark wanted to kill me." "Killing you was what it would've done if it had no other choice. It's first mission was to capture you." "But why?" "Another one of those drawbacks. You see, at our level, there is a war going on. A war for the fate of the human soul. There are four factions. The largest faction is a group called the Technocracy. Their goal is to make all of reality predictable, controllable, and definable, so as to make it utterly safe for all of its inhabitants." "Doesn't sound like too bad a goal." "There's one problem with it though. The single most unpredictable, uncontrollable, indefinable thing in reality is the human soul." "But you can't destroy the human soul." "Can't you? Tell me, do you know of anyone who just goes through life, waking up at exactly the same time, eats breakfast at exactly the same time, goes to work at exactly the same time, does the same half-assed job every day, comes home, complains to their significant other, then goes to sleep, only to wake up and repeat the process all over again? All without doing thing one to change it?!" Jacqui considered what the man was saying. Although her mother, Bronwyn, and the entire Sisterhood weren't like that, she knew far too many who were. "This sounds like something out of the X-Files." "It should. Most of the stories in that show, at least the ones along the "shadow government" story arc, are based on real events." "You're kidding." "Nope." "So what about the other factions in this war? What about you?" "I am a member of a loosely knit coalition of Mages called, collectively, the Traditions. We represent, I guess you could call it, the old ways. Wizards who follow the old formulaic magics. Witches with their life magics. And ironically, also modern technomancers who want technology and information to be free and unrestricted, instead of controlled by an elite few. We want things to be a little freer and more individually controlled." "And the other two factions?" "The other two, thankfully, minor factions are the Marauders and the Nephandi. The Marauders are... nuts. Literally insane. They want a return to the days of unrestrained magic and chaos. They'd like nothing better than to have anyone capable of anything, anytime, anywhere." "I guess they have the most problems with Paradox." "Actually, the exact opposite. There is something about their insanity which makes them immune to Paradox. They are some of the most dangerous opponents you will ever face." "And the Nephandi?" "The less said about them the better. Where the Marauders are the madness of pure chaos, the Nephandi are the madness of pure evil. Their souls have literally been ripped apart, purged of anything good, and put back together again by forces so evil, that to look upon them is to risk madness." "So now I'm a part of this war whether I like it or not?" "Pretty much. You could theoretically maintain a neutral position in the war, but that takes a certain amount of skill and finesse. It's not an easy road to travel. The Technocracy will think of you as a wild card to either be countered or used for their benefit. The Nephandi will destroy you or recruit you. Of course, they'll try to do that no matter what faction you join. The Marauders won't care one way or the other." "And the Traditions?" "The opinions run the gamut. Some feel that neutral Orphans are just cowards too afraid to get into the war. Others feel that they should just be left alone. But no matter what stance they take, being neutral means not having the support of being part of the factions." "So I've been drafted?" "Kind of. You ready to go?" "Go where?" "Regardless of what stance you take in the war, you will need a certain minimum level of skills. I currently reside in a place not even on this planet where Paradox doesn't hold sway. There we serve two functions. One is to be an active militant arm for the traditions, the other is to be an active training ground for the newly Awakened. It's easier to train a person when you can cast reality altering magics without fear of reality kicking you in your teeth." "But... what about my mom? What about the Sisterhood?" "What about them?" "I can't just leave them. Particularly with what you've told me. I have to warn them." "That would be bad. Did you ever see that movie, "Men In Black"?" Jacqui nodded. "Well, it was a good comedy, but a bad representation of the real Men in Black. But there was one part of it that I did agree with. The character K, played by Tommy Lee Jones looks to J after he's used blatantly overpowered technology and says, 'There's always a death ray, or an intergalactic plague, or something threatening to wipe out life as we know it on this planet. The only way these people can get on with their happy lives is if they do. not. know about it.' I know the Sisterhood. You tell them about this and they'll try try do something about it. And they'll fail." "Is the Technocracy really that powerful?" "Individually, no. The Sisterhood could probably take on a small group, easily. But the Technocracy is not a small group. The Technocracy ignores the lesser paths because they're just not worth expending the energy to eliminate. But if your Sisterhood makes themselves a viable threat, they'll get stomped like a bug." "I don't think they'll find it that easy." "Really? The Technocracy may define all their magic in terms of technology, but anything you have read in any science fiction novel, except for the most fantastic, they can do. You use a mind-reading spell, they use a telepathic scanner. You use mind control, they use advanced brain-washing. You use the Transformation spell, they use a 'genetic realignment virus.' And if they ever find out that the women of the Sisterhood lose their powers if they become men, one genetic virus later, phhht, no more Sisterhood. One less lesser path to worry about." "You keep calling them that. Why 'lesser path?'" "I suppose it is a little arrogant. But believe me, it's one of the less derogatory terms. Most of my peers refer to them as Hedge Wizards, and you will hear the sneer in most of their voices when they say it. But it's a reflection of power levels and abilities. One of our level, trained, has the power of four or five of those of your previous group." "Previous group?" "I suppose technically you're still on their rosters as one of them, but you no longer wield the power of the Goddess. You wield a power completely of your own. Short of its utter decimation, it can't be taken from you. And in case you haven't figured it out yet, your power will not suffer one bit from killing. Whether your conscience will is another matter entirely. Now are you ready to go?" "But... my mom?" "Look, I can't make you come with me. Well, I could, but I'm not going to. But I've told you your options. You contact your mother, call her on the phone, even contact her telepathically, and you might as well sign the death warrant. Now, as long as your mother doesn't try anything stupid, she'll probably be safe." "Probably? You mean they might do something anyways?" The man shrugged. "Anything's possible." Jacqui was quickly growing frantic. It seemed she had an option of doing nothing and putting her mom at risk, or doing something and ensuring her death. Then she said, "You. You could protect her, watch over her." "Could, but why would I want to?" "Please." The man got up and walked towards the fridge. "I'm a busy man, Miss Donovan. I don't have time to cater to every apprentice's worries." "But what if it were your mom?" The man froze and tensed up. With obvious tension in his voice, he said, "I'd like to think I'd protect her anyways, but far too much of me wants to say I'd leave her to her fate, no matter how bad it is." Jacqui could hear the pain in his voice and every healer's urge she had wanted to help him, but didn't know how. Finally, the man relaxed, sighed, and said, "Alright, I'll do it." He then turned to Jacqui, and said, "But I do it on my terms. MY way." "But what is your way?" "Close your eyes and open your mind." Jacqui did as she was told, and felt mental probes scanning her mind. After he was finished, Jacqui heard a strangely familiar voice say, "Okay, done." When Jacqui opened her eyes, she saw a face she had not seen in a very, very long time. ************ Laurie was frantic. The night before when she had lost track of her daughter, every Sister in San Bernardino had been mobilized in a vain effort to find Jacqui. But a little while later, Laurie's sense of her daughter had gone out almost entirely. She could tell that Jacqui was still alive and unharmed, but other than that, the distance her senses were telling her Jacqui was at were impossibly huge. At that point every sister on the planet had been alerted to be on the lookout for the youngster. At nearly five that afternoon, Bronwyn came running into the house. Laurie, sitting at the kitchen table, asked, "Any news?" Bronwyn sat beside her. "Some. One of the sisters who was watching the college campus was in one of Jacqui's classes when the teacher called roll. But then he got to a Jack Donovan, and a young man ran into the room, yelling, 'Here.' A young man that looked exactly like Jacqui before her Transformation!" Laurie thought about it for a second and said, "No. It's not her." "Laurie-" "No. Even if she had decided to go back, and had found a way, she... he'd be a lot closer than my senses tell me he is." "Are you sure? I've gotten the impressions from our Sister. She's been watching him all day. The impressions are exactly like those of Jacqui before her Transformation." Suddenly, a strange (yet familiar) voice said, "That's because I scanned her mind to get all the information I could before doing this." Both women bolted upright and turned to be confronted by the image of a man who had not existed for over two years, Laurie's son, Jack. Laurie was suddenly besieged by guilt, the guilt of having transformed her son unwillingly into her daughter; a guilt she thought she was over. Bronwyn said, "Who are you? Where is Jacqui?" "Who am I?" He smiled. "For the time being, I am Jack, her son. Not telling you my real name will keep you from using it by accident." "But where is Jacqui?" "Safe." "Safe where?" "In case you're not getting it, I don't intend to tell you." Before either lady could object, "Jack" continued, "Here's the scoop. Your daughter, sometime in the last half year I'd guess, underwent a massive spiritual transformation. It was something that pushed her to a whole new power level. A power level you couldn't hope to deal with, much less train. So she's someplace where she can now be trained." Suddenly he switched tracks, and yelled, "Incoming." Bronwyn then felt a mental message. It was Dana, the woman who had been watching "Jack" at school. "Bronwyn, I've lost the boy! He went into the locker room after practice and when he didn't come out, I cast an illusion and went in after him. But he's gone! I have no idea how!" Bronwyn sent back, "It's okay, Dana. He's here with us." "He's... How?" "I'll try to find out. Check back later." Closing the link, she said to Jack, "Alright who are you? One of the Brotherhood?" Jack snorted in derision. "Hardly. Shape shifting, mind scans, and teleportation under the direct observation of a Sister with her being none the wiser are all beyond them." Laurie, a plaintive tone to her voice, asked, "Why are you here? As Jack? Why not send a girl to be Jacqui?" "This is not usual behavior. Usually the erstwhile apprentice simply disappears for a while, then returns later. Your daughter implored me to come here. As for why I'm Jack and not Jacqui, the reasons are twofold. One, I don't do the girl thing unless I have to. Private reasons. And two, to make going back to Jack a real option." Laurie desperately said, "But she decided to stay Jacqui!" With a disgusted tone, he said, "Oh, big surprise. You destroy HIS life, Jacqui spends two years rebuilding it as a woman, then doesn't want to rebuild her life as Jack all over again? Yeah, big surprise." Hearing the guilt inspired desperation in her friend and lover's voice and becoming quite angry herself, Bronwyn said, "Look, you! Why should we put up with this? Why should we help you?" Jack looked at Bronwyn with apparent honest surprise. "So I should just go back and tell Jacqui that Jack never really mattered to either of you? I'm sure she'll be real happy about that." Angrily, Bronwyn said, "How dare you?!" But before she could go further, Jack snapped his fingers. Suddenly there was a very realistic image of Laurie and Jacqui in the kitchen talking. It was a replay of the events shortly after Laurie had made the Transformation of her son. After that, he snapped his fingers again, and the first illusion was gone to be replaced by one of Jacqui and Bronwyn. In both cases, the illusion showed both of the elder women apologizing for having taken Jack's life from him, and pledging to do what they could to help him get back if he wanted. After both were finished, Jack snapped his fingers, and the illusions were gone. "So what's it going to be? If you want, I'll go back and tell Jacqui that you meant those words only as long as you didn't think you'd have to really follow through on them." Both Bronwyn and Laurie stewed a bit before Bronwyn said, "We want to talk to Jacqui directly. Find out what she wants." "And I want world peace. I don't see either happening real soon." Bronwyn was quickly growing enraged. "Now look here! Do we get to see Jacqui or...?" "Or what?" "Or things get really ugly." Jack sighed. "I can see this is going nowhere until you get a confrontation, so..." Jack snapped his fingers and suddenly all three were standing on top of a wind swept plateau. Bronwyn asked, "Where are we?" "On top of a mesa somewhere in the American southwest. New Mexico, I think, but that's not really relevant." Laurie asked, "Why are we here?" "Well, I figured if the High Priestess there was set and determined to provoke a confrontation it would best be held far away from your home where we wouldn't be risking your house or possessions." Both women were shocked. This was further than any woman in the Sisterhood (except maybe Jacqui) could've teleported without being totally exhausted, and this man did it without the slightest stress. After a few seconds, he said, "Well?" Bronwyn pulled herself together and cast a "Stun blast," an attack directly on the mind of a person designed to render them helpless. The spell lashed out, struck the Jack look-alike, and did absolutely nothing. In fact, judging by the look on his face, had he not been watching, he may not have even noticed the spell being cast. He looked at her in disbelief and asked, "Is that the best you've got?" Bronwyn then proceeded to cast a series of spells against him, each more powerful than the last, but each doing absolutely nothing. When she took a brief break, Jack asked, "Are you finished yet?" Bronwyn took a deep breath, and said, "Not quite." She then used the Transformation spell on herself. She grew to about seven feet tall, with a hard carapace, and claws for hands. Jack looked at her and sighed. He then back-flipped. As soon as his hands touched the ground, his body lengthened and grew. His hands became huge claws, and his head became a super-sized lizard's head. When his feet landed Bronwyn and Laurie found themselves looking at an oriental dragon. His head alone was bigger than both of them combined. He then put his head right up to Bronwyn (his eye was as big as her head) and said, "Take your best shot." Bronwyn just stared at him for a few seconds before taking a couple steps back, signifying her submission. He said, "Good plan." He then brought his claw up and snapped it like fingers, and all three were back at Laurie's in their normal forms. "Now that we've had the obligatory 'See how powerful this guy is' confrontation, we can get on with our lives." Bronwyn could feel the pain and guilt in Laurie, and asked, "How could you be so cruel and arrogant?" "Cruel and arrogant? If that doesn't fall under the category of 'Pot calling the kettle black,' I don't know what does." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Your Transformation of Jack into Jacqui. It was unprovoked and done without full consideration of the effects upon him." "We did what we thought was right!" "Really? Let's put that to the test, shall we? Three quick questions. One, when you scanned Jack's mind to see what he'd be losing, how many things did you find?" Both women suddenly got a sheepish look on their faces. Jack asked, "You didn't bother scanning his mind before you transformed him, did you? It's real easy to convince yourself that the life he's got isn't worth letting him keep when you don't actually take a good look at the life he's got. "Second question. When you gave Jack fair warning that asking for more time after that first hour would mean staying a woman, how long did he have to fight before finally giving in and losing total control?" After a few seconds, he said, "That's right, you didn't actually give him fair warning, did you? It's real easy to convince yourself that it was her decision when you make sure she's got only the data you want her to have. When she has no idea the full ramifications of her decision. "Third question. Doing what I'm doing, living Jack's life for him so that he'd have HIS life to come back to if he wanted to, would've been a lot harder for you than for me, maybe even impossible, but how long did you consider it before deciding it was impossible?" After a few more seconds, he said, "It wasn't even a consideration, was it? It kind of increases the likelihood that she won't go back to being Jack when the life isn't really there to go back to, doesn't it? Let's face facts, ladies. You were so interested in creating Jacqueline, that for a brief while Jack ceased to matter." Bronwyn felt stab after stab of guilt inspired depression roll off of Laurie. She growled, "Damn you." She was about to try something, despite the consequences, when he said, "Oh, go away," and waved his hand at her, teleporting her away. Laurie sat there at the table, tears rolling down her cheeks, unable to look up and face the image of her son. But then she felt a hand on her shoulder, placed there with a soft, tender touch. She looked up into his eyes to see a very concerned look. "Damn," she thought, "did he have to look SO much like her son?" "Believe it or not," he said, "I'm not doing this to be cruel." She looked down at the table. "Could've fooled me." He sat beside her in the chair recently vacated by Bronwyn. He turned her face to his. "I'm doing this because you have never confronted the guilt over what you did to your son. You have never confronted the reasons why you did it." "I did it because the Sisterhood thought that Jacqui's power would be necessary in the upcoming fight against the Brotherhood." "No, that's the excuse you used." When he said those words, he said them so matter of factly that it shocked her out of her depression. "What're you talking about?" "Looking back, can you say, with absolute certainty, that you couldn't have handled the Brotherhood without Jacqui? Granted, her power made victory almost totally certain, but can you look back and say that she was totally necessary? Again, with absolute certainty?" Laurie thought about it. "Not with absolute certainty." He placed his hand on hers. "You are too good a mother, too loving, to have destroyed your son's life on a hunch. At least not without having undergone at least one of the precautions I mentioned earlier. There is another reason, a reason you must discover and deal with. And, in so doing, you will undo a serious wrong done ages ago." Laurie was confused. "What do you mean? Do you know the reason?" "Yeah." "Can't you just tell me?" He considered it for a while before saying, "Technically yes. But the fact of the matter is that it is so unbelievable and so... unkind a revelation, that if I reveal it to you, you'll assume I'm just making it up and get nasty and defensive, making both of our lives miserable for our time together. No, you have to discover this on your own. I can give you clues, and prod you along, but it has to be your discovery." "Thinking along those lines, how long are you going to be here?" "Until Jacqui finishes her apprenticeship." "How long will that take?" "Depends on whether or not she decides to join one of the sub-groups in our coalition of Mages. If she doesn't decide to join a formal group then she can attend a variety of classes to get the training she needs. Problem with that route is that there are special trainings available only if you officially pledge to a group. Trainings that could theoretically speed her training time." "And if she joins one?" "Then her training time could last anywhere from 6 months to 12 years, depending on the group she joins." "12 YEARS?!" "Yeah, but I don't see her joining the Hermetic Guild. They're a little too... anal for her, I think." "Then how long do you think?" "Well, I checked the records. Jacqui is not the first Sister to awaken to the higher level. Before this, most have joined the Verbena, a group of Life and nature mages, and a few have joined the Celestial Chorus, religious mages. But I don't see her joining either of those. Most likely she'll join the Virtual Adepts, computer mages who hack the reality code." Thinking of her daughter's skill with computers, Laurie said, "I don't know about 'hacking the reality code', but computers make sense. How long till she comes back if she joins them?" "Totally unpredictable. They're one of the most freestyle learning forms. Could take as little as 6 months, or as much as 5 years." "But however long it takes her, she won't be here when she gives birth." "Sorry, no. But she will be safe. There are more than enough Masters of Life magicks to ensure a safe and healthy birth for mother and child." "But a birth without me." Jack said nothing, knowing that nothing he could say would do anything to make it better. Laurie sat for a while, contemplating the words of the man who had taken her son's face. Finally, she pulled herself together, and, looking around, said, "Wait a second, where's Bronwyn?" "She's fine. I just sent her to-" Suddenly Jack's eyes went wide, and he said, "Oops." "Oops? What oops? If you've done anything to her!" "Oh, no, at least not anything she can't handle. I just made a little mistake." "What mistake?!" "I sent her to the bathroom of a casino in Vegas." "And?" "Well, I've never actually been to the women's room, and it was just kind of an unconscious thing. Wave my hand, send her away, and I sent her to the one I was familiar with." "Are you saying...?" "I sent her to the men's room. It was an accident and I didn't mean it. I am sorry for any embarrassment I caused her." Laurie tried to keep from smiling, she really did, but, after the intense emotion of the past day, this was just too funny. Jack said, "Now that's the smile I remember from Jacqui's memory." Laurie asked, "Uhm, Jack, you scanned Jacqui's mind. Do you really think she'll go back to being Jack?" "From what I scanned, probably not. But who knows what she'll decide after mastering her new level of power. She could stay Jacqui, and decide to be Jack for a few days out of the week. Or vice versa." "But if she goes back, won't she lose her power?" "Nope. All the old rules don't apply. It all depends on how much skill she gains during her training. Although I doubt she'll be able to manage full body transformations fresh out of apprenticeship, but I could be wrong. Stranger things have happened. Now if you don't mind, I've got some studying to do. Your daughter had a pretty heavy class schedule. Sheesh!" Laurie smiled. He sounded like Bronwyn had after she found out what her school load would be following Jacqui around for her senior year. "Wait a second. You said you'd give me a clue. To help me confront why I did what I did." "That I did. Okay, clue one. Look for a common thread running through all those of the Sisterhood who decided to make the return to manhood. The thread will be present in some who did not return, but all those who did have at least one thing in common." It was kind of vague, but at least it was a starting spot. Jack got up and went over to the fridge. "Want a soda?" "There's none in there. I meant to go shopping today, but with Jacqui's disappearance things have been too hectic." Jack returned with a couple cans of soda, and set one in front of Laurie. "Don't worry about it. I handled the shopping. One of the advantages of having one of the world's most powerful mages living in your household. As long as we're together, as long as I'm here, I'll take care of the food." As he walked towards the staircase, he said, "I've got to warn you, though, some of my tastes can get pretty extravagant. Expect to eat well for a while." After he left, Laurie opened the can of soda and sipped at it. Then she got up and checked her cabinets. All of the ones with food were stocked, mostly with expensive gourmet foods. "Well," she thought, "it's not my daughter, but it is something." Then she heard Bronwyn mentally calling to her. "Laurie, are you okay? Is... whoever he is still there?" "He's up in Jacqui's room doing her... his homework." "Do you think it's safe to talk mentally?" "I think so, but I also think if he wanted to eavesdrop, that no place that we went to, no steps that we could take would prevent it." "You think he's that powerful?" "Yes, Bron, I do. I have been sitting at this table all day, and have felt no magic used in my house, but I, as we speak, am looking at cabinets filled with expensive foods of all types." "You sound impressed by him." "Well, after you... left, we got a chance to talk. He's not really a bad guy." "That's another thing. Do you have any idea where he sent me?" "The men's room of a casino in Vegas. He explained that. He's never been in the woman's room, and he just sent you to where he was familiar with. He did apologize for any embarrassment." "Well, even if I believe him, we still need to get together and see if we can find a way to get rid of him and get Jacqui back." "No." "WHAT!? Are you crazed, girl? Don't you want your daughter back?" "Of course I do! But if this man's organization can train her where we cannot then she deserves the best we can give her. Besides, he was right." "What are you talking about? Jacqui accepted her womanhood and decided to stay one of us." "And he told me that, from what he scanned in her mind, that she would probably not return to being Jack. But if any part of her decision was based upon the reason that Jack wasn't there to go back to, then we owe it to her to let this man rebuild that life so that she has a decent choice." "But-" "No buts, Bron. In our arrogance to determine what we thought was right, we stole Jack's life from him, we both admit that. And we both promised to do what we could to help her get her life back if that was what she wanted. If this man can do what we can't, can give Jack back the life he would've had if we hadn't Transformed him, we have no right to interfere. We owe it to Jacqui." Bronwyn was silent for a few seconds before saying, "I can't just sit back and do nothing." "Yes, Bronwyn, you can. You must." Bronwyn was silent for a little while longer before saying, "I'll be back as soon as I can. We can discuss it in person." "Okay, love." ************ ------------ He wandered through the empty building, questing with his magical senses. The building was empty, thanks to those bitches in the Sisterhood. Thanks to them, one of the greatest strongholds of the Brotherhood was now an abandoned husk of a building, some of their greatest members lost. He expanded his senses, looking for the tool that would provide both revenge and domination. Finally, he found it. He walked over to the computer terminal, pressed a button and the ZIP disk ejected. He felt the disk with his senses, feeling the mating of magic and technology that was the creation of Eric Lancaster, the previous head of the Brotherhood, his brother, now an emasculated bitch brat. He held the disk up. "And so it begins anew. The Dark One be praised." ------------ ************ Excerpt from the journal of Miss Jacqui Donovan, Vol. II Day 1 I know it seems strange to say Day 1, but it just seems right. I'm trying to think of something to put after it, like the A.T. (after Transformation) in my original journal. Maybe A.A. (after arrival) or I.T.O. (in the otherworld). I'll decide later. After he got finished explaining my new status in the world, and transforming himself into... Jack (I can't even say that it really is me anymore), the Akashic Master brought me here to this... Otherworld. I can't think of another term for it. We just stepped into a mirror, and we were here. From the explanation they gave me, there's a world side by side with our own. A spirit world. I guess the closest analogy I've got in my experience is what human mystics call the Astral Plane. Of course, when I use this analogy, most of the people here just smile knowingly. Patronizingly. They make me feel like a five year old trying to figure out nuclear physics. Anyways, this spirit world outside our own has a boundary. They call it the Horizon. And when I say boundary, I don't just mean a limit, I mean a metaphysical protective field. That's where we are. In a man made mini-universe placed on a gate between what's inside and what's outside the Horizon. They won't tell me what's outside the boundary, and when I ask, they just say, "Pray you never find out." I hate it when people keep me in the dark "for my own good." They plan on taking me on a tour of the base tomorrow. There are, in their words, nine and a half groups in the base. Nine full blown groups of magi on their Council, and one up and coming group of youngsters. They plan on introducing me to all of them. They say I can join any group I want to, or none at all. But I get the feeling that they expect me to join a group, regardless of whatever else they say. The thing that strikes me most about these people is their total arrogance. Maybe they deserve it. Maybe their powers are greater than anyone in the Sisterhood, and a few of them maybe have more power than all of the Sisterhood combined. But do they have to act like this makes them better than all of humanity? The thing I'm most surprised about is the Akashic Master. I had no idea that he was as powerful as he was. It seems that he is the head of one of those groups I was talking about earlier. With a snap of his fingers he could've had a half dozen of his men positioned around home within an hour. That he would handle this personally flabbergasts me. It flabbergasts everyone else, too. But what really seems to shock them is when they ask me what I had to do to get him to do it, and I tell them that I just asked. Apparently he's got something of a mercenary reputation around here. Well, tomorrow is another day, and I need to get some sleep. ************ Excerpt from the journal of Miss Jacqui Donovan, Vol. II Day 2 Oh, Goddess! I don't know whether to cry or jump for joy. I was waken early this morning by a lady about my age. "Good morning," she says with a cheeriness I definitely didn't feel. "I'm to be your escort today." "I don't suppose you could escort me in about an hour, and let me get some more sleep?" I asked. "Feeling a little groggy? That's transition lag. Kind of like metaphysical jet lag from arriving here." She then reached into her belt and pulled out a dagger. I must've gone bug-eyed, because she just smiled and said, "Relax." She then pricked her own finger. She waved her hand a bit, and sung. The blood on her fingertip became a mist that flowed towards me. I backed up a bit, but when I breathed it in, all my exhaustion dissipated. I got up and thanked her. After we left my room, I asked what the blood and song was for. "They're my foci," she said. When I asked her what that meant, she said, "Oh, I forgot. You're an Orphan." "Orphan?" "Somebody who didn't awaken due to the training of one of the Traditions. You see, each Tradition takes promising Sleepers who might understand the universe from their viewpoint and trains them, hoping they'll Awaken to their higher potential. But there are a few, more and more these days, who Awaken without any prompting from the higher orders, an Orphan. And a focus is a casting aid to help control the universe around you. As you follow the path to Ascension, you're able to shed more and more of those aids. As an Orphan, you either have your own foci or no need at all. Me? I use the foci of my own Tradition, the Verbena." "The Verbena?" "One of the groups I'm to introduce you to today. The Verbena are the modern day descendants of the Pagans and Druids of the Pre-civilized world. I use things like blood, song, dance, herbs, and such as foci. Verbena are the masters of Life magicks." She then took me to her section of the base, showing me some of the rites and rituals of the Verbena. Some of it, like the chanting and singing were like what mom had taught me as one of the Sisterhood. But some of it, like the blood magic, was kind of creepy. The next group she introduced me to was the Celestial Chorus, masters of Prime. These people focus through things like prayers, fasting, sacrifice. They believe that their magick is actually a gift from the Supreme Creator. The next group were the Dreamspeakers, masters of the sphere of Spirit, the modern-day descendants of the shamans of old. They get their power through beseeching the spirit world. Then she introduced me to the Cult of Ecstasy, masters of the Time Sphere. How do I describe the Cultists? You know when people who experienced the drugs of the 60's say that they experienced new worlds and mind-expanding vistas? For the Cultists it was true. I suppose that's not an entirely fair assessment, but it was the impression they left me. For them, their foci are anything that provides sensation. Drugs, sex, even pain. Definitely not for me. The next group was the Akashics, or more formally, the Akashic Brotherhood (although from what I understand, more and more the word "Brotherhood" is being dropped when referring to these folks), masters of Mind. This was when I discovered who my strange rescuer had been. The Akashics are descendants of Oriental mages who focus their power through discipline and their martial art. Next I was shown the Order of Hermes, masters of Forces. The oldest formally established order (although the Verbena and the Akashics both can trace their lineage back much further, the Hermetic