The Lokian Way (7/7) free porn video

* * * * * * * * * * Saturday (Part 2) * * * * * * * * * * "Victoria?" Mercy asked again and again. Only silence answered her. In her trembling hands, she held a large red ball-gag. It was wet with tears that had fallen down. Mercy and Victoria had been fooling around. In order to stop Victoria's teasing Mercy had tried to use her magic to force a gag on her friend. But she had been hasty and unfocused. Now Victoria had paid the price. Mercy let her fingers softly glide over the gag's surface. As even it could vanish in a moment. Erasing the last trace of her former friend. Her mind was spinning and in her disorientation, she wondered what to do. Call Victoria's parents? Her own? Brian? What could they do she couldn't do herself? Her mind wandered further and settled on Al, her first mentor in trickster magic. Would he understand? Al was soft-spoken and with a strange sense of humor. But could he deal with this? Mercy thought she would get even less compassion from Mavis. A mentor most useless. She would just tell some story of old and let Mercy figure things out. Mercy's eyes flew open in shock as she thought back. "Stupid stories," she muttered aloud. The last one Mavis had told her came back to mind. She practically could hear Mavis say the moral of the story again. "Trickster magic doesn't kill. In fact, it is the only aspect of magic that can't be used to kill someone on purpose." She looked down on the ball-gag again that used to be her friend. It hadn't been on purpose, but maybe there was still hope. It took all her strength of will left to calm herself down. To concentrate on the item in her hand. To overlay an image of Victoria as she knew her. The prim and proper self she had known for years. The naughty side she showed Mercy in private. At last the vulnerable side she had exposed when she was bound together with Mercy not an hour ago. Even remembering the last mark she got from Brianna. All this she pushed into the gag and then waited. Nothing. The gag in her hands as solid as before. No Victoria who popped up and made jokes about Mercy's newest mistake. Despair threatened to overwhelm Mercy's mind. Numb hands let go of her friend's inanimate form and let it glide onto the bed covers. It was time to face the truth. She had failed. Killed her friend. Her eyes fell on her phone near the door. Where she had discarded it as she shifted int her BDSM garb. She knew what she had to do. Tell everyone she was a murderer. Her legs nearly buckled under her as she stood up from the bed. She didn't manage to place a single step when warm hands pulled her back. Enveloped her into a tight hug. "I am still here," a voice said that Mercy thought she would never hear again. "You haven't killed me." Turning around Mercy saw Victoria. In flesh and blood. Her face somber. She was back! Mercy pulled her in. Hugging her as if she might lose her again the moment she let go of her. "Took you a while," Victoria whispered while rubbing Mercy's back. "I couldn't tell you. That you hadn't killed me. That I was still alive. That I could feel, hear and strangely enough even see." Then Victoria pushed Mercy at arm's length away but didn't let go of her. Instead, she made eye contact with her. "You know what?" she asked Mercy with a wry smile. "As soon as that mind magic resistance thing is done I am learning telepathy magic! Given the track record with you, I really need it." Mercy snorted. Then a laugh broke out from deep within her. As if a dam had burst open. Victoria joined in and both did go down in a heap. Laughing until their stomach hurt. It wasn't that funny. Far from it. But it drained the tension away. When their giggling ceased they laid on the bed in silence. Catching their breath. "I really thought I lost you," Mercy admitted. "You will never lose me," Victoria assured her. "But that's just it," Mercy said with anger tinting her voice. "The lokian way. Trickster magic. They all said with time I would learn to control it. But the more time goes by the more powerful I become. Where does it end? Now I can make people into objects! What's next? I am afraid Victoria. Afraid of what I can do." "I am not," Victoria said with vehemence. Gently pulling Mercy's head around so they could look into each other's eyes. "I know I am safe with you. Believe me. I do. Once I had been at the mercy of someone abusing trickster magic. Back then I had been feeling helpless. Never with you. Not even now. Trapped as a freaking ball-gag. Not a single moment. I knew you would figure it out. That you wouldn't leave me. Because I know deep inside you are good. Do you understand?" Mercy nodded. Not just a nod out of reflex. She saw Victoria's eyes. In there wasn't the usual deviant spark. It was all seriousness. Victoria trusted her with her heart. That she understood now. "Thank you," Mercy whispered. Victoria pulled her closer. Drawing her into another lazy hug. For some time they just laid there. Snuggled against each other. Enjoying the silence and the presence of each other. The next time Mercy looked over she saw Victoria absent-minded. "What are you thinking about?" Victoria looked at Mercy but then turned away. "You'll get angry when I tell you." "I won't," Mercy promised. "I know you will," Victoria corrected her. "Because I know you." "So you don't trust me after all?" Mercy asked. That prompted Victoria to turn back around. "I do. Fine. I'll tell you. I've been wondering how it feels to be worn." "What?" Mercy exclaimed while pushing herself off the bed. "I can't believe you." "See? I knew you would get angry," Victoria said with a sigh. "How can't I?" Mercy shot back. "I reduced you to an object. Robbed you of every freedom you had and you want to get back to it?" "Mercy. Sit down," Victoria said calmly while patting the bed beside her. "Let me explain. Please." Grumbling to herself Mercy plopped down. Victoria knew this would be a hard sell, but tried anyways. "When you made me a gag I was confused at first. It is as you said. Everything was taken from me. I was helpless. Confused. Frightened. But I calmed down because I knew two things. I was alive and that eventually you would figure that out and free me." "Then why do you want to go back to it?" "Because-" Victoria broke off with a sigh. "I knew all I should've been feeling was trust in you to turn me back and the vague plan to learn some form of telepathy in the next five minutes. I really need to learn telepathy. But there was something else and I couldn't shake it. Mercy, do you know your purpose in life?" "I am starting to get a feeling I might," Mercy admitted. More musing to herself than to Victoria. "But not really yet." "No one knows their life's purpose off the bat," Victoria continued. "It is for us to figure out. But a gag. A simple gag. It has an equally simple purpose. To be worn. And for a moment I shared that purpose. I knew I wanted to be worn on an instinctual level. Now being human again I don't feel that purpose anymore. But still, it leaves me yearning. How does it feel to not only know your life's purpose but to have it fulfilled too." "That's-" Mercy started, but broke herself off. "Surprisingly deep," she admitted with a frown. "I expect some deviant reason of you." "Oh, you want a naughty thought. Let me think," Victoria said before assuming a theatric thinker pose. "Hmm. How about that I finally could make you shut up. Or even better. You would be drooling all over me. This time literally instead of figuratively." "Okay," Mercy cut her off slightly giggling. "I'll get it. That's the Victoria I know." "I know it is a lot to ask for," Victoria said while returning to a somber note. "Especially after the shock we both just had." Mercy nodded and thought about it for a moment. "I guess it's my fault that you have these feelings. These longings to explore this." "It's not your fault," Victoria assured her. "And if you don't want to wear me then I am sure I can find someone else. I guess I can get Brian to do it. Although I can't imagine Brianna going for it." Mercy chuckled, but then sat up straighter. "No. I'll do it. That I owe you." "Really?" Victoria asked. "Thanks." "Maybe this time though we should do some ground rules," Mercy mused. "I'll simply turn back when I had enough," Victoria suggested. Mercy thought about it for a moment and couldn't find a flaw in the logic. Still, something nipped at her mind, but she couldn't figure out what. Maybe a detail she missed. "Fine," Mercy agreed. "Yay," Victoria half shouted and bounded off the bed. Instead of landing on it in her human body a red ball-gag with black leather belts settled down. "You don't lose any time, do you?" Mercy asked with a wry smile. Shaking her head she picked up the gag. For a moment she had a deja-vu. Her hands and the same gag. Both marred with tears. She shook her head to clear the image. "Here goes nothing," she muttered before opening her mouth wide. For the second time in this day, she felt a huge invader spread her mouth. She made a note to herself that maybe she should make all ball- gags so big. Already Victoria in her gag form stretched Mercy's mouth wide. While Mercy buckled the gag tight she soon noticed that she couldn't keep her mouth open for a longer time. So far she had tried not to relax her jaw or worse bite down on Victoria. Then again maybe she could persuade Victoria to end her curiosity by applying a little pressure with her teeth. When Victoria didn't return to her human for Mercy took it as a sign that it was okay. After all, a gag was designed to be bitten down. Just to make sure Mercy bit down more and more. Until her jaw arched. Nothing. Huffing in annoyance she looked around. Items of their lovemaking and Brianna's little test of trust still littered Victoria's room. Having nothing better to do she started to tidy up. It wasn't long before she noticed something peculiar. She couldn't help but drool. It annoyed her even more that Victoria probably would get a kick out of it. After all, she had mentioned fantasizing about it. While Mercy stuffed ropes and other BDSM items away she glanced at the clock. Again and again. What took Victoria so long? It bothered Mercy to no end. The whole situation was strange. After half an hour she heard a sound she didn't know she dreaded until she heard it. Peeking out of the window she saw a car pulling up the driveway. With haste, she unbuckled Victoria the gag and popped it out of her mouth. Holding her at arm's length. "Your parents are back. Playtime is over." But Victoria stubbornly refused to turn back. "I mean it Victoria. They'll find out if you don't turn back." When only silence was the reply Mercy grew worried. Maybe something was wrong again. Had Victoria lost herself in her new purpose? Was she too happy to be just an object? mercy shook her head. "Enough! You better turn back or else!" Mercy threatened as she dumped Victoria on her bed. At once Victoria popped back into her human form. Before Mercy could demand answers Victoria burst into a flurry of activity. "I really need to learn telepathy!" Victoria exclaimed while rummaging through her drawers for underwear. Catching Mercy off guard at the same time. "Mercy, get presentable." Frowning in confusion Mercy looked down and saw that she still wore the leather bodice. When Mercy was done shifting her clothes into something appropriate she saw that Victoria had managed to slip into a dress herself. "We talk later in detail," Victoria urged her. "Just know this. I tried to turn back. As long as you wear me or hold me I couldn't." Mercy nearly groaned about her own stupidity. There was the small detail she had missed. After all, the time she had given Victoria back her human form she had only turned back when Mercy had let go of her. "It was fantastic," Victoria blurred forth. Surprising Mercy with her intensity. "Just imagine what we could do with this. Oh! Once I learn telepathy maybe I'll be your blindfold. Robbing your eyesight while at the same time replacing it with instructions. That could be fun. I wonder what Brianna will come up with." Before Mercy could reply there was a loud shout for Victoria from below. "I am upstairs with Mercy," Victoria yelled back. "You are staying for dinner, right?" she asked Mercy with a big grin on her face. "Sure," Mercy replied stunned. While Victoria practically ran downstairs, Mercy followed her down with a murmur on her lips. "Why keeps my life getting stranger and stranger?" * * * * * * * * * * Sunday * * * * * * * * * * Mercy waited not very patiently on the steps of the library. Wondering if her friends would show up. She spotted Victoria first. Feeling relief at seeing her. The day before so many things had happened that Mercy's mind was still spinning. "Do I really have to do research on a Sunday?" Victoria complained after greeting Mercy. "How about this? You make me a little vibrator. I could be your naughty little secret and keep you entertained while studying." "Victoria!" Mercy exclaimed. "No way!" "You should see your face," Victoria said through chuckles. "Don't worry. It was a joke." Just when Mercy relaxed she added a little. "This time." "Hey, guys!" The shout belonged to Brian who joined them. "What did I miss yesterday when I had to go?" "You didn't tell him?" Mercy asked. "I thought he would be the first you called with the news." "I thought he deserved to hear it from you," Victoria defended herself. "Hear what?" Brian demanded to know. "I can -" Mercy started, just to break up and hunt for the right words. "Turn people into objects. And back." "I think there is a story behind it," Brian commented dryly. "Oh, I'll tell you all about it," Victoria promised. "I am curious what ideas you will come up with." "I don't think that many," Brian replied. And just when Mercy relaxed he added more. "Brianna, however, brings my creative side out. Bet she comes up with a few things." "I am doomed," Mercy howled. "You are only noticing this now?" Victoria asked with a grin. "So?" Brian asked. "Do we torment Mercy the whole day or do we go in?" "Time to study!" Mercy half shouted. Her friends followed her in. Both with grins on their faces. "Okay. We need a plan," Mercy said as they reached the checkout counter. "Maybe we should split up," Victoria suggested. "Each one of us focuses on a subject. We meet in a few hours back here to compare notes." "Sounds like a plan," Brian agreed. "Who takes what subject?" "I am curious about trickster magic itself," Mercy spoke up first. "Where does it come from and how is it created? I mean I know something must shift it from neutral mana to trickster magic. But what?" "Good luck finding out," Victoria told her with a pad on her shoulder. "I will look into those stolen trickster containment vessels. Something irks me about those. All this sounds familiar, but I can't remember from where." Both girls looked at Brian who shrugged. "Maybe I do some general research? I also could be looking into greek trickster mages." "What makes greek trickster mages so special?" Victoria asked. "You'd be surprised," Brian said with a grin that reminded Mercy of Brianna. Maybe he had been right and there always had been a Brianna slumbering under his surface. "Meet here again in four hours?" Mercy asked. When both of her friends nodded she added something else. "And you behave," she spoke up. "I am not Brianna right now," Brian protested. Thinking Mercy spoke with him. "Not you. Her," Victoria corrected while pointing behind Brian. "How boring," came the shout of a female voice. "Hey Carissa," Mercy greeted the librarian. "Fellow trickster mage," Victoria whispered to Brian. "Hey, Mercy. Victoria. And who is your friend?" Carissa greeted back. "Brian," he said to introduce himself. "You all behave too," Carissa warned them. However, Mercy saw the wink in her direction. Shaking her head Mercy headed into the library. * * * * * * * * * * Victoria and Brian did find Mercy sitting at one of the study tables. Surrounded by many books. Many open and put aside with a specific page showing. "That looks promising," Victoria asked while taking a seat. Jumping in her seat Mercy looked up to see her grinning friends. She frowned and pointed at the books. "No. It is not. I barely found anything. Are the four hours over soon?" "We passed the four-hour mark a while back," Brian remarked. "So we came looking for you." "Now we can compare notes here," Victoria suggested. "Fine," Mercy grumbled. "I might as well start first. As I haven't found much." "Can't be that bad," Victoria remarked. "It's worse," Mercy said with a sigh. "There is nothing, but guesswork. No one knows how trickster magic is created. The experts can only agree on one thing. It is growing. As in the average level of trickster magic is rising in the world. And more so in the last century than in the rest of the millennium." "Wouldn't that mean more trickster mages in general?" Brian mused out loud. "it does," Mercy agreed. "And the numbers back it up. There are more trickster mages in general but get this. The overall ratio of trickster mages to the general population is consistent." "You are suggesting that both are connected?" Victoria asked. "It's just a hunch," Mercy admitted. "I can't prove it. However, I have one more clue that cements a relation between both. You know that sometimes magical aspects manifest in animals, right? It mutates them into an enhanced form. Like those thunderbirds the tribe's revere. What are they called? Rocs? Or those deer that soak up plant magic. Called dryadic deer or also guardians of the woods." Mercy leaned forward as if to share a secret. "We can see those mutations in fossils. Ranging millions of years back. However, never has been a fossil found of an animal infused with trickster magic, because never has there been an animal in our time mutated by trickster magic. But here is my theory. What if trickster magic isn't infusing animals. Instead, it mutates humans. That might explain why we can't find evidence of trickster magic existing before humans existed." "Does that mean trickster magic is created by a human? Maybe an experiment went wrong?" Victoria asked. "I don't know," Mercy exclaimed in frustration while throwing her hands up. "All I do is to speculate based on the meager things we do know about trickster magic. Like everyone else before me. Anyway. That's all I got. What about you both." "What I found is exciting," Victoria piped up. "But not the positive kind. You remember how Al confessed that there had been four stolen containment vessels of trickster magic? Well, he was right. In this state. If you add the states surrounding us the count rises to thirteen." "A lot of trickster magic," Brian remarked with a whistle. "Can't be good." "You have no idea," Victoria said while her face took a haunted look. "I found out why it sounded so familiar. It happened before. Seventeen and a half years ago three containment vessels were stolen. It wasn't easy to find these photos, but they are from the side where all three had been blown up at the same time." She spread out a bunch of black and white pictures. Most of them grainy and of low quality. Some blurred as if taken in a haste. It showed a clearing in the woods. Littered with blown up chunks of steel. Mercy noticed something particular. Runes or pictograms carved into the dirt floor. They were kind of chunky, squarish and carved around the craters were the vessels might have been. Some had been overblown, but most could be still seen as they had been filled with something dark. Maybe a liquid. "And this is what worries me. Mercy. Mavis tells us that trickster magic only binds to persons of good character. Those who can control the impulses of the magic, right? At this time and this site, a person not fitting those criteria managed to bind himself to trickster magic. That's how I remember this. Because I researched the mage before." Mercy's mind didn't have to jump far to make the connection. "Gideon. The mage who took you hostage." Victoria nodded gravely. "He was there. Stole those containment vessels. But it gets worse. Some sources I dug up claim that he wasn't successful. Not entirely. Some speculate he tried to ascend to a higher form." She paused for a moment to give importance to what she said next. "To become the avatar of trickster magic." Mercy had to suppress a shudder. Since she learned of avatars she had this nagging feeling that it meant something. But her mind refused to go there. Her mouth felt dry when she opened it. "You think Gideon is trying again?" "No," Victoria said with determination. "I check regularly. He is still locked up in prison. Believe me, I would know if he breaks out. Besides. All hell would break loose if he did it again. Last time was already a spectacle. Even before he came into my life. But it doesn't mean someone else might try to do the same. Maybe a disciple of Gideon. And whoever it is he is ramping it up. Go big or go home, right?" Mercy felt the eyes of Brian resting on her. When he asked Victoria it was while he still looked at Mercy. "That day seventeen and a half year ago. It wouldn't happen to be the twenty-first of December, right?" "It was," Victoria confirmed. "How did you know?" "Because there was a prophecy about that day in that year," Brian explained. "It foretold the rise of a trickster avatar. It caused a lot of panics. That's why I dug the old prophecy. It was made by the oracle of Delphi. What makes the prophecy special is that it is the only one that hadn't come true." He took out photocopies and handed them over to the girls. # # # # # On darkest night she will be born. Shrouded in mischief. Rising to be a paragon of her equals. # # # # # "Prophecies are nonsense," Mercy exclaimed and pushed the copy away. "I don't know," Victoria mused. "A lot of them come true." "Just some people making things up!" Mercy exclaimed and confused Victoria with her outburst. "You see Mercy's birthday is the twenty-first of December," Brian explained. "Oh, that's right," Victoria said with a nod. "I am not the avatar of trickster magic!" Mercy hissed at them. "Do I need to remind you that I was born a boy? And I didn't have trickster magic for over seventeen years. It can't be me. Don't spread such nonsense. Someone might hear you." "I am just teasing," Brian said to calm her down. "I know rumors of trickster magic avatars can cause panics. Exactly that happened back then. Can you believe that the president ordered the national guard to move out? They were stationed in every maternity ward in the country. There was a real kill order in case one baby turned out to be the avatar. Madness. And back then the people had approved of it." "Why are you giving a crap about prophecies anyway?" Mercy demanded to know. "Looks like I know something that you don't," Brian boasted. "You see the oracle of Delphi changes. It is a position for a lifetime. But once an oracle dies a new one is chosen. And if rumors can be trusted the chosen oracle is always a trickster mage." "Huh. That's why you wanted to research greek trickster mages," Victoria mused out loud. "I think we got off track here," Mercy threw in. "All that is in the past. We should concentrate on the present. If what Victoria said is true then we may have a copycat on our hands that try to surpass Gideon in ambition. Maybe we should warn someone about it." "I can do it," Victoria volunteered. "I'll meet Al for training tomorrow anyway. But I am pretty sure others came to the same conclusion as us." "I think we are done here," Mercy said while rubbing her forehead. "Thanks for coming. I think I need some time to stomach all this. See you both tomorrow at school." Victoria and Brian exchanged a worried look as Mercy left them. * * * * * * * * * * Mercy was picking at her dinner. Now and then glancing at her parents. It was just those three at the dinner table left. Melanie and Michelle practically had vacuum their portions in to get back to some special project of theirs. "What is it young lady?" her mother finally asked. Mercy winced, but then put aside her fork and looked openly at her parents. "The night I was born. Did there happen anything special?" Her father broke out in a merry laugh. "Of course!" Earning a cringe of Mercy. "You were born. That was pretty special." "Special to you, right?" Mercy dug deeper. "To everyone else, I was a normal ... boy, right?" "According to the nurses and doctor," her Father confirmed. "And aside from me?" Mercy asked. "Well, there were those soldiers and mages," Mercy's mother mused out loud. "Those were scary. I remember the girl next to us. So young and so scared. She was very pale. I was worried she might faint even before she would give birth." "Did everything turn out alright?" Mercy wanted to know. "Come to think of it I don't know," her mother admitted. "You were a little more eager to come out than her child. And once you were there I had only eyes for you." Mercy gave her a weak grin and returned to her food. "That reminds me," her mother continued. "I never asked the girl where she got her fancy dress. It was an older style and quite elaborate. And custom fitted for a baby bump. Must have cost a fortune." Mercy nearly dropped her fork again. She knew only one girl that wore old-timey clothes. Mavis. But it couldn't be her, right? Too big of a coincidence. It had been years ago. Had Mavis even lived here at the time? Then again maybe a trickster mage avatar must be born by a trickster mage. Did Mavis have a daughter? Mercy vowed to find out. * * * * * * * * * * Monday * * * * * * * * * * Mercy was changing at her locker for P.E. when she heard a snicker coming from Sonja. "Hey, Victoria," Sonja shouted. "Yeah?" "Who is Brianna?" Sonja asked with a smirk. "Just a friend," Victoria said dismissively. "I don't think so," Sonja remarked. "Your tattoo suggests otherwise." "Tattoo?" Victoria asked confused. "I don't have a tattoo." "Then it must be an elaborate birthmark on your butt," Sonja suggested. Mercy had to suppress a smirk as she saw Victoria contorting to look at her own but. Then she shocked look on her face as she saw her 'tattoo'. The imprint of a lipstick kiss with the words 'property of mistress Brianna' around them. "What the-. Mercy!" Victoria half shouted. Now Mercy lost it. Laughing out loud. "Not my idea," she managed between laughter. "I only followed instructions." Meanwhile, Victoria tried to rub it off without success. "You can remove it, right?" "Sure," Mercy agreed with a grin. "But you explain why it is missing next time you play with Brianna." She practically heard the gulp of Victoria. "You know what?" Victoria asked. "I think I keep it for now." Smirking Mercy got back to change into her P.E. uniform. But back in her head she still heard the whisper of Brianna. "One day, when you are ready, I hope you wear my mark too." * * * * * * * * * * "How come Melanie and Michelle aren't walking with us?" Victoria asked as they left the school. "Well, because they are lazy," Mercy mused aloud. "Since I told them of the school bus that stops just a street away from our house they prefer to take it. That and they complained too much about wearing high heels." "They didn't wear high heels today," Victoria remarked. "Yet," Mercy added and earned a chuckle as a reward. They walked a while doing small talk when Victoria suddenly looked ahead and frowned. "That's not normal." Mercy saw the light of sirens down the road. Right where the self-help center for the lokian mages was. Both girls glanced at each other hurried towards it. They found several police cruisers parked along with ambulances, firefighter trucks, and even a big rig for transporting stuff. The whole procession was cordoned off by police officers. "Nothing to see here," one officer told them. "Move along." But they could see plenty. A crane heaved a containment vessel onto the big rig. Paramedics roled stretchers out of the center. Mercy was pretty sure it was Al and Mavis on them. Both unconscious. "Mercy!" Victoria grabbed painfully her arm. As Mercy looked at her she saw pale. Staring ahead. Mercy followed her line of sight and saw that it was fixed on one of them. A police officer that was surrounded by others. He looked familiar. And just when she recognized him Victoria said it out loud. "I was wrong. That's Gideon! He's free!" That moment Gideon turned around. His gaze caught Mercy's and to her horror, she saw him recognize her. "That girl! She is one of our targets," Gideon bellowed. "Tranq her!" Time warped for Mercy in a funny way. She saw many police officers draw strange guns. Bulkier than normal. They all turned towards her. It was as if in slow motion, yet still too fast. Mercy reacted by instinct. Lashed out with her magic. Dozens of officers going down as they suddenly found themselves in straight jackets. "You girl!" she heard Gideon shout. "Restrain your friend." For a moment Mercy was worried that Victoria would turn on her. Falling under Gideon's spell. To make her a puppet like everyone else around here. A loud shouted "Fuck off!" destroyed that worry. But the moment of distraction was enough. Something painfully bit Mercy in her stomach. A glance down showed her a dart or something similar. She managed to put more police officers down in restrains, but it got harder. She felt weak. Sank to her knees. Victoria tried to pull her away, but Mercy had no strength left to help. She collapsed on the sidewalk. Then there was this pull. Steadily increasing. And with a yank she was free. With horror, she adjusted to her new view. Mercy saw everything around her. Gideon bellowing orders. Officers struggling in the garments Mercy had put them into. Victoria being pinned down by policemen. But what frightened Mercy the most was the body lying on the sidewalk. Unresponsive. As if sleeping. It was her own. * * * * * * * * * * Mercy floated around. Helpless to observe what transpired around her. Just below her, she saw paramedics rush to her own body. It looked so fragile from up there. Wherever that was. She didn't feel anything about her own body. Not the hard ground below her or the paramedics checking her out. "Still alive," one said and relief swept through Mercy. "Unconcious as intended." "Put her on a drip and place her with the others." The harsh voice reminded Mercy of Gideon, who came closer. He was the evil mastermind who was behind all this. A trickster mage who bound himself against the wishes of the magic aspect. Mercy and her friends had thought he was still in prison. Clearly, they had been wrong. And Victoria and Mercy paid now the price for their mistake. Victoria was still close by. Struggling against policemen twice her size. Never giving up her fight. Victoria knew better than Mercy what Gideon was capable of. She had been his prisoner before. Knew the perverse twist of trickster magic Gideon wielded. Making people obsessed with ideas. He used it to bend peoples minds to his own goals. Below Mercy, her body was put on a stretcher. When it was rolled away Gideon took the space. Looking down at Victoria with a sneer. "I hate charmed up people. Search her for the talisman that protects her from my influence." Mercy had to watch helplessly as the police officers practically stripped her on the sidewalk. But sure enough, the fight never left Victoria's eyes. "I don't need a protective charm to resist your foul mind games," she shouted out loud. "I swore I'll never fall under your influence ever again." "How refreshing and rare," Gideon remarked. "And annoying. But now I see. You were the girl from the last time I made a stroll in the wild. A challenge for me. I am looking forward to playing more with you." While Victoria wildly cursed him out he ordered his minions. "Gag her and bring her with us." Then they all left. Victoria was heaved into a police cruiser. Gideon walked away and slowly the crowd of uniformed person around the self- help center dispersed. Leaving Mercy floating around alone and without a body. Even the crane and big-rig drove off after the last containment vessel had been loaded. Mercy wondered what to do. She couldn't even move her ethereal self. It took some time until another person walked by. Mercy tried to shout out, but without voice it was impossible. She raked her brain and then had an idea. She could change clothes. All she had to do was write warnings on the shirt of the person below. Warning everyone of Gideon and his sinister plans. But her try only left Mercy with more disappointment. Her spells eluded her as much as the control of her own body. She tried each of them and none worked. However, Mercy noticed something else. Each time she tried the person below her flashed up in lights the color of rainbows. The person didn't even notice it. Mercy knew she did something, but not what. With nothing to lose she tried again and again. Each time the glow lasted a little longer until it stayed. Marking the person with a soft glow of changing colors. When the person walked away Mercy could still see the glow for a while. To her surprise, the next person who walked by had already the same glow. Clearly, it was something they all possessed before Mercy met them. Maybe she just developed the ability to see it. But what was it? Was it magic? That struck Mercy as wrong. Mages stored mana, be it neutral ones or as an aspect, inside their bodies. The glow surrounded them, so she concluded that both pedestrians couldn't be magicians. The chance that two practicing magicians walked past her was rather slim. And why was the glow only around the people. Not the world around them. Magic was everywhere. That she knew. Her mind searched for a reason and soon it stumbled on a theory. She was a trickster mage and maybe that is what she saw. Trickster magic in its raw free form. But if she was right why did it cling to people. Shouldn't it be everywhere? Again she concentrated. This time on the glow itself. It brightened and now she saw. The world was tinted in it. Like a fine fog, it was everywhere, but so faint that it was outshined by the auras that people carried around. Abandoning the thought, for now, she concentrated on something else. If it really was trickster magic then she, as a bond mage of it, should be able to manipulate it. With the will of her mind, she stretched out to grab the aura of the nearest person. Hoping to twist it into something useful. Instead, she snapped. Like a rubber band, she flung through space until she was practically glued the aura of the person. Being dragged around as the man moved along. When she let go of the aura she stopped moving. She finally had found a means of moving herself. Again she grabbed the aura of the man. Hoping to ride him further. Closer to her own body. Wherever it was. But she had no such luck. The man stopped at a mailbox close-by. Opening it he grabbed the mail. "A letter from the city?" he sneered. "I bet to inform me how they squander my taxpayer's money this time." And at this moment Mercy saw it. A small tickle nurtured the rainbow aura of the man. What stunned her was that this small tickle didn't come from the world around them. It came from within the aura. From inside of the man. Most of it radiated off into the surrounding area, but some stuck to the man. Nurturing the aura. If Mercy had been right and she saw trickster magic then she knew now its origin. People were the catalyst. Changing neutral mana to those of trickery. But why? Mercy couldn't dwell on the question. She needed to move on. To find her own body and somehow gain control of it again. To rescue Victoria and foil the plans of Gideon. The man walked into his home and Mercy knew he wouldn't carry her further. Instead, she concentrated and searched for other auras. The houses were ripe with them. Grabbing an aura further away was harder and her rapid acceleration was nauseating as she snapped to the person the aura belonged to. Each person was a stepping stone that brought Mercy closer to the inner city. The direction she had seen the police cruisers had driven off to. It was her seventh move that made herself snap to a little girl. "I don't wanna wear a skirt," the girl protested. "Honey. All the girls in your class wear skirts," the mother tried to soothe her. "What does that have to do with anything?" the girl demanded. And again a little tickle of newly made trickster energy strengthened the aura surrounding the girl. Mercy saw it but couldn't stop. She had to move on. For a while, she clung to someone driving down the road. A sudden curse made Mercy look at the man. "Damn potholes! Why isn't the city fixing them already?" Again more trickster magic made it into the world. It shouldn't surprise Mercy anymore, but it did. Enough to let go of the aura and strand herself on the road. Close to downtown. She needed to orient herself. Find out where her body was. Then Mercy would have facepalmed herself if she had been inside her body. She could see trickster magic and she knew at least one body brimming with trickster magic: her own. Moreso she had reasons to believe all the stolen containment vessels would be close to her body. All she had to do was to concentrate on the trickster magic and look for the brightest spot. Her mind was nearly blinded by the intensity and she had to dial it down a few times before she could comprehend. Something shined like a beacon from the 'silver speer'. A skyscraper that was currently constructed in the heart of the city. While only twenty of the planned forty floors were finished the bright glow from the top reminded Mercy of a lighthouse. She had no doubt about it. This was where Gideon had made his lair. As she moved closer she saw a spectacle hard to miss. Police surrounded the tower. One inner ring - people brainwashed by Gideon - and an outer ring of policemen free of mind control. Mercy even saw SWAT cars and Feds milling around. She soon noticed that both sides were at an impasse. Those free of control hesitant to storm against friends and co-workers. Mercy didn't remain and explored the upper levels of the skyscraper. On the highest floor, she saw the containment vessels standing on the raw concrete floor. Brimming with trickster magic and positioned in a ring. Providing cover for those behind them. There she saw Gideon. He was busy carving runes into the concrete. Filling each with parts of a blood pack. Human blood to fuel whatever he was up to. It made Mercy shudder. She could already see dozens of discarded empty packs and a pile of others yet to be used. Mercy now saw Gideon in a new light. He had stripped everything above his pants and she saw scars the shape of runes. The very same one he carved into the concrete. But that was not what drew Mercy's gaze. It was the trickster magic within him. Like a reverse aura, it clung to the inside of his skin. It was a lot less than she had expected and somehow she just knew that the trickster magic left in him wanted out. Loud cracking noises drew her attention and she looked around. Flashes of light streaked through the air. Not a few feet away from Gideon. They impacted on something Mercy couldn't see. "Sniper fire!" one policeman yelled. He was sweating and staring out into the city. Mercy reasoned he must be a mage who projected some kind of shield. Maybe the forces outside had spotted Gideon and tried to take him out. Mercy couldn't be sure. She looked around again. She already saw dozens of bloody runes drawn as lines into concrete. They all lead to a circle of runes in the middle. Close by Mercy saw something that confused her even more. A woman dressed in a dark orange overall. Smiling into a camera. Mercy knew her well enough. After all; Mercy had been once her. For about fifteen minutes. It was May O'Connel. From Channel Six news. Now curious Mercy pulled herself closer. "And it is here we will witness his ascension of the master to be the avatar of trickster magic," May told the camera. "Isn't this exciting? Finally, we will have the avatar we deserve. One who will bring chaos and tear down our society!" Mercy turned away. What hubris of Gideon. To brainwash even a reporter team just to stand in the limelight once more. Mercy could hardly believe that the studio of channel six would air this as a live event. Then again she wouldn't put it past Gideon to have brainwashed them all too. Mercy needed to do something and do it quick. Again she concentrated on the trickster magic around her. The containment vessels flared up around her in a blinding light, but it was nothing compared to a source a few floors down. Mercy shook the blinding sight and made her way down. Snapping from one patrolling guard to the next. She found herself in what looked like to be a makeshift hospital. Stretchers filled the unfinished room. She didn't even have to rely on her new sight to know that each one of the patients was a trickster mage. Within them, trickster magic pulsed. Evenly spread out through their body. She found Al and Mavis. Alongside Davis and Carissa and a dozen others. Here Mercy finally found her body and it was a sight to behold. Were others glowed she shone in blinding light. If she hadn't known before then she knew it now. Her level of trickster magic was beyond compare to others. Eager to put an end to all this Mercy pulled herself to her body. Trying to get back into herself. But something pushed her back. Denying her soul entry to her own host. The answer came as a person dressed in white checked an IV drip on her arm. They pumped her full with something. It must be the source of what kept her out. Frustration set in. She needed to remove that drip, but how? Mercy knew she needed help and her mind knew where to look for help. Victoria. She must be close- by. Mercy found her a floor below. Handcuffed to a chair that Victoria already managed to topple over. Fighting with intensity to file the handcuffs of against a rusty pipe. A fruitless endeavor, but Mercy knew that Victoria must be desperate. Mercy knew that she could help. All she had to do was to go to a place her mind had refused to wander before. But now the evidence was overwhelming. Mercy's destiny was clear and she had to accept it. With it came the knowledge what to do. Mercy grabbed Victoria's aura of trickster magic. Not to pull it away, but to push. To pierce Victoria's skin and tie it to her heart. Below her Victoria stopped her struggle. Her eyes grew wide. Clearly feeling what Mercy was doing. The handcuffs on Victoria vanished. With shaking hands, she stood up. Looked at herself. Her torn clothes swirled with change. A moment later Mercy saw her dressed in a strange mix of leather and protective hard patches. Dressed like a badass heroine from some action movie. But Victoria didn't look as confident. Her eyes spoke of panic. "Oh no! He succeeded," she whimpered. "I am a trickster mage now. I can't. Shouldn't be. It's beyond my control." Mercy couldn't correct her. Waiting for the first pang of panic to ebb away. "Mercy!" Victoria exclaimed. "She will know what to do. Need to find her." Victoria rushed out of the room. Nearly running into a guard. Before he could react Victoria did. Going down in a heap as he suddenly was dressed in the fursuit of a sports mascot. Victoria jumped over him. The next guard found himself imprisoned in a hard shell of a female mannequin. One who toppled over as it had giant breasts. The third one found himself in a costume of bowling pin moments before Victoria barreled into him and pushing him over. Victoria's run of panic turned into one of a rampage. Guards fell left an right as they found themselves trapped in unwieldy costumes. One rolled around as a giant breast - with his head as nipple - while the next floated to the ceiling as his clothes turned to a myriad of helium-filled balloons. At last, she jumped over a guard caught in the unyielding prison of a giant dildo costume. Barreling into the makeshift infirmary the doctor and nurses did go down as they found themselves in pink latex straight-jackets and the highest of heels. "Mercy!" Victoria cried out. She rushed towards her friend. Thankfully she deducted fast that the drip in her arm was wrong. She pulled it out and then fitfully waited until Mercy woke up. It took Mercy ten minutes before she finally was able to slip into her body. By then Victoria had managed to bring down two more guards. Now sitting in the corner dressed in a diaper, white bondage mittens and pacifier gags. Mercy groaned as she opened her eyes. Not that she minded the slight pain. At least she could feel her body again. "Mercy!" At once Victoria was at her side. "I need help. It's horrible. I am a trickster mage, Mercy. That's wrong. I can't control it." "Really?" Mercy asked with a strained smirk as she sat up. "Show me." Victoria pointed to the guards in the corner, but nothing happened. "I swear. I was. Changed them all. I was out of control." "Sure," Mercy said with a grin and patted her baffled friend on the shoulder. "I believe you." "It really happened," Victoria insisted. "I know," Mercy said in a softer tone. "I explain everything later, but time is running out." "Where are you going?" Victoria asked as Mercy walked towards the exit. "To stop Gideon," Mercy said over her shoulder. "I have to remind him that he already lost." "What? I am coming with you." Mercy turned around and looked at her friend. "If you do then you have to follow my lead. You have to trust me." "Always!" "Then let's go." * * * * * * * * * * Holding hands, Mercy and Victoria climbed the last steps to the highest floor. There they were greeted by a sight to behold. Policemen stared at them but didn't act. They all waited for word of the man in the middle. Gideon, who stood in the circle of bloody runes. Now complete with tendrils that spread out to each containment vessel. There Mercy spotted new additions. Explosive devices to blow the vessels up. "I knew someone escaped downstairs," Gideon boasted. "I could say a little bird told me, but it was one of my men dressed up as a female pony. Not that it matters now. It is too late to stop me." "Who says I am here to stop you?" Mercy asked. Earning a gasp from Victoria. "Then why come here instead of fleeing?" Gideon boomed. "For one to give advise," Mercy said with a knowing smile. "And on the other hand, I think it is time that the world gets to know what it feels like. To have an avatar of trickster magic walk among them." "No!" Victoria shouted. Now fighting to slip out of Mercy's hand. "I can't believe you. He is a monster. You can't let him win." "I am sorry Victoria," a calm Mercy said. "This is for the best. One day you will understand." "Mercy, don't-" Victoria begged, but was cut off. Her clothes fell to the ground as Mercy freed a golden circlet from them. For a moment Mercy looked down at her friend. "You should have followed my lead," she murmured. Then she lifted the circlet up and placed it on her head like a crown. "Shall we proceed?" she asked Gideon out loud. "Curious. Most curious," Gideon remarked. "Finally someone else who sees the truth. That this is the time of reckoning. It is time for this society to fall and make a place for something new." Mercy just gave him a mysterious smile. Waiting patiently for his ego to simmer down. "Now then," Gideon continued. "What precious advise do you have?" "I get it," Mercy piped up. "Blow up the vessels and release all the trickster magic at once. Those runes pipe it all to you. What you don't catch will flood the area. Create dozens if not hundreds of new trickster mages. And those mages you captured downstairs. They will be driven into a rampage by having to much trickster magic. A clever plan, but it has one ... flaw." "And that would be?" Gideon asked while narrowing his eyes. "The main goal is to make you the avatar, right?" Mercy asked. "Surely you must have a technician under your control. Wouldn't it be better to activate every vessel's emergency venting protocol at the same time? A higher concentration of magic for you to scoop up and there won't be a chance the detonation of those bombs would damage your runes." Silence settled over the crowd as Gideon was thinking. Finally, he smirked and waved over a guy. Who then grabbed cables to connect all the vessels to a central terminal. "If you try to play for time, then you made a big mistake," Gideon shouted to Mercy, who just smiled. "I am not here to stop you," Mercy repeated with an enigmatic smile. Not five minutes later everything was set up. Gideon once again stood in his circle while Mercy leaned against a concrete pillar. "It is time for the world to know unlimited power," Gideon shouted. Posing for the camera. "To feel-" "Flip the switch already," Mercy interrupted him with a shout. For a moment Gideon lost his footing. He growled in annoyance at her and then turned around. "Whatever! Active the venting protocols," he commanded. For a moment nothing visible happened. Then everyone around them felt a presence pressing on them. Trickster magic. Invisible to everyone but Mercy. Then, with a hiss, the bloody runes turned black. Burning up in black smoke and it raced towards Gideon who cried out in agony. The following silence was pierced by laughter. Not the one in triumph by Gideon, but by Mercy. "What did you do?" Gideon shouted and coughed out spit and blood while doing it. "I told you," Mercy said with a smirk. "I am not here to stop you. Because I am here to remind you that you lost. Not today, but over seventeen years ago. I said the truth. It is the time the world knows that there is an avatar of trickster magic walking this earth. But it is not you. It is me!" "Impossible!" Gideon boomed while dragging himself to his feet. "The prophecy. They would have killed you if it had been true." "The prophecy was real," Mercy said with a grin. "'Shrouded in mischief'. What did you think what it meant? I was born a girl and as an avatar, but I wasn't alone. A trickster mage was there who hid me from the world who wasn't ready yet." "And you think you have won?" Gideon challenged her. "There can be only one avatar? Then all I have to do is kill you and then I will ascend." Hughe fireballs form in his hands. With a mighty roar, he threw them at Mercy, who didn't even flinch. Flames engulfed an invisible wall between Mercy and Gideon. Thrown shards of ice and chunks of rock were thrown next. Mercy only grinned. "You asked me what I did," Mercy reminded him. "What I did was to gather every trace amount of trickster magic in the area. Not just those from the containment units. Everything. Even those shreds of it you used to control people. These men you gathered to defend you are now free to choose on their own. And they chose to defy you." Gideon looked around and saw only hostile looks around him. Furious he ripped at the air with his hands as if they were claws. Scraping the ground beneath him with his feet. Spit dropped from his mouth as hey drew in air for a shout. "I command you to kill her!" But no one moved. They all kept staring at him in hatred. "Told you," Mercy mocked him. "Every sliver of trickster magic. I collected it all. Except those hidden in trickster mages. Then again you never have been a trickster mage, right? I stuck me as odd. Trickster mages need to use their magic. Yet all these years in prison and you didn't use yours. Not because the guards wore protection. No. It was because you stole only so much. You managed to catch trickster magic and bend it to your will. But we both know the magic itself rejected you. You will never be a trickster mage, avatar or otherwise." "No!" Gideon howled. "I will prove you wrong. I will teach you all. Trickster magic will be mine to wield. I may have underestimated you. But don't think you are my equal." Elemental magic burst forth from him. Slamming into the shield before Mercy. Now she had to step back as heat and small sparks found cracks in it. "I've lived for centuries. I help build empires. Slain thousands of enemies. You. Are. Nothing!" "Kill him!" Mercy didn't know who shouted it, but the police officers around them took initiative. The air filled with fire and lightning. Cracks of bullets could be heard. Gideon was forced on the defense but held his own. Gradually the fronts shifted. Gideon was forced against a containment vessel by the police forces that drew in as a half circle between him and Mercy. A big explosion shook them all as two vessels fell over the edge. Stray magic or bullets must have hit the explosive devices attached to them. Everyone but Mercy and Gideon was down to their knees. She stared him down. The enemy who wouldn't surrender. "Is that all?" Gideon challenged them. "You are just maggots beneath me!" A loud bang rang out and Gideon stumbled as a white trace hit him from behind. It streaked his magical shield before ricocheting off and drawing a deep furrow into the concrete floor. Not a heartbeat later a second streak appeared and forced Gideon to his knees. For a moment his eyes found Mercy's. Full of hatred. Then a third shot rang out and Gideon collapsed as his head burst open. The once proud mage falling down in a puddle of growing blood. "That ... was kind of an underwhelming end for someone like him," Mercy remarked dryly. Her comment drew the eyes around her. Now with the big bad mage defeated they remembered what she was. The avatar of trickster magic. They had grown up stories and speculations about how bad it would be if ever one would walk this earth. In this weary moment, Mercy stepped forward to speak again. "Right now I am filled with trickster magic. More than just that of these vessels and more than you could imagine. But even I, as Avatar, can't hold so much forever. I didn't persuade Gideon to use the emergency evacuation protocols for no reason. I suggest you reset them so I can let go of some." "What will you do now?" one of the officers asked. "The age of ignorance will end as what was promised will blossom. So the seed will reveal the harbinger to be. Mankind will know its own as its mirror is revealed," Mercy cited oud loud. "This is the last prophecy the oracle of Delphi made. And I intend to fulfill it. With the help of Miss O'Connel over there." Eyes wandered to the small tv-crew that had witnessed everything. For a moment Mercy showed a wry lopsided grin. The whole fight had been seen by an audience at home. Probably not just of this city, but countrywide. And Mercy was sure after what she said it would be viewed in the whole world. As she walked over, the men around her moved aside. "Miss O'Connel," Mercy greeted the reporter. "A-avatar," May O'Connel replied. Mercy never had her seen like this. May had reported on company conspiracies and mobster dealings. Even once on mutated turtles. Always professional and calm. Not now. She looked frightened. "Please," Mercy said. "Call me Mercy." "You want to address the nation?" the reporter asked. "If you don't mind," Mercy said with a nod. When the cameraman moved into a position of advantage, May gave her a thumbs up. "I know you all must be scared," Mercy started. "I know because I was. While I had suspected that I was the avatar of trickster magic I hadn't known for sure until just now. I grew up the same as you. Fearing trickster magic. Even as I awakened as trickster magic I never could shake this fear completely. But now I can, because now I know what it really is. And it is time you know too." Mercy took a short break. Just the span of two breath in and out so the audience could stomach what she said. "Today I witnessed how this magic is created. Something no one could explain to me before. It is you. Every one of you. Each time one of you feels caged in by our society - our civilization - you create a little what we know as trickster magic. But the very name is misleading. It is not an aspect trickery and mischief. It is the aspect of mankind itself. As a mirror to our own ambition and strife. It is the incarnation of our will to evolve further. To prevent stagnation. To fight the unjust and move us all into a brighter future. This is what Gideon never understood. Trickster magic isn't meant to bring down our civilization as it is the very manifestation of it." "But why did we mistake it as an aspect of trickery and mischief?" Mercy asked her audience. "Because in the grand scheme of things mankind is still young. Our society is not quite in its infancy, but we are far from maturity." "Yes, the aspect that represents us all is a juvenile rascal," Mercy stated with a smirk. "Just like humanity is. A few of us are chosen to represent you. To fulfill your wishes. But those are chaotic and hard to read. I myself made some mistakes. At least I thought so. They always worked out. Not just for me, but for those, I thought had been my victims. Their lives turned out for the better. I hope now you understand as I do." May took her cue to jump in. By now she had shaken off what had ailed her. "So we have nothing to fear from you?" "Let me say it like this," Mercy said with a wry smile. "If you have a good heart and work at making the world a better place for us all then you have nothing to fear. But those who work to bring us all down, bad man like Gideon, then yes. Be afraid. Not just I, but all trickster mages are champions of the people. We will fight for you as best as we can." "Is this what you see as your duty as an Avatar?" May asked. "The world doesn't need an avatar," Mercy explained. "Humanity isn't so broken that one is needed. I was born for one reason and that was as a placeholder. It was your collective fear of Gideon or someone like him to become the avatar that made me necessary. But even then, I was hidden away. Because there wasn't a need for me. Until now when Gideon made his insane plans. With him defeated I have no purpose, but to keep this spot occupied. I cannot choose not to be the avatar anymore. It will be part of me until the day I die. All I have left is to educate those who are willing to listen. I will tell you all more soon. Everything I know, but for now I have to tend to my friends." Mercy turned around as May took over and addressed the audience. She looked for a quiet spot, which wasn't hard to do. Most people avoided her. In some eyes, she still saw a hint of fear, but in many, she saw also hope. Once alone she lifted up her golden circlet. Victoria, who after a moment was flesh and blood again. She jumped into Mercy's arms and squeezed her in a heartfelt hug. "I am sorry I doubted you," Victoria sobbed into Mercy's shoulder. "It was a lot to ask for," Mercy admitted. "So me, running rampage downstairs. That was you?" Victoria asked. "You gave me your spells with your power as the avatar?" "Only my first spell," Mercy admitted. "I trust you, but not enough to give you my other two." That lured out a laugh from Victoria. "Neither would I." "I guess I should make you something to wear," Mercy said to point out that Victoria was naked. "I don't know where your fetish garb had been blown away to. Any wishes?" "I could be your circlet again," Victoria mused out loud. "Seriously?" Mercy asked in surprise. "What?" Victoria replied. "Everyone looked up at me as I throned on your head. Which, by the way, is a really comfy throne." "You are incorrigible," Mercy laughed. In the end, Victoria ended up in a very figure-hugging dress. Just in time too as someone in military fatigues stepped close. "Mam. There is a phone call for you." Mercy looked bemused for a moment. No one had called her 'Mam' yet. "Who is it?" she inquired. "The president, Mam." Her eyes grew wide. "I think I better take this call," she told Victoria. * * * * Three days after Mercy revealed herself as the avatar * * * * "They aren't really inconspicuous," Mavis remarked as she looked to one of the agents behind Mercy. "I don't think they are meant to be," Mercy remarked. Around them, a dozen secret service agents had spread out at the city's main bus terminal. Mercy was sure there were at least another dozen in civilian attire and mix with the bystanders. Now and then someone looked at Mercy and wondered if she was the avatar. Most people of earth had seen a recording of her reveal by now, but many didn't believe it. And her, standing among them, was rather strange thought to them. Rather not believing it was her than trusting their eyes. "They already are talking about a special branch of protective agents for me," Mercy said while rolling her eyes. "Do you really have to go?" "I don't have to," Mavis said with a sigh. "But it feels like it is time. I am one of those restless spirits who need to roam the earth. For over seventeen years I had been stuck in this city. It is time to move on. Provided trickster magic allows me to." "How can it stop you?" Mercy asked. "Well, trickster magic talks to me. In a way," Mavis explained. "Do you see this bus ticket? For centuries I have this little understanding with trickster magic. I purchase a ticket and then cast an illusion spell on it with the same destination. However, if I am being needed somewhere my illusion will show a different destination name on it. For years now I come once a month to this bus terminal and buy a ticket. And every time it changed to the name of this city. What does it say now?" "It's still for Boulder," Mercy confirmed. "That means I am not needed here anymore," Mavis revealed. "But you haven't even been my mentor for a month," Mercy protested. Mavis laughed out loud. "Mercy. You had discovered more about trickster magic than I had in over a millennium." "There are still things about the lokian way you can teach me." "Maybe. But then again maybe it is time for the lokian way to end. This is a new era. 'The way of Mercy' has a nice ring to it. Doesn't it?" Mavis said with a wink. "Now for the real test that I have been waiting for a long time." To everyone but Mercy, nothing changed. However, she, who now could see trickster magic and the illusions it could make, saw a man standing there in Mavis dress. While he looked like he was in his thirties with his blond hair and blue eyes, he gave off the vibe of being around for centuries. "Let me give you a hand with this," Mercy said with a smirk. Shifting the dress into an old fashion gentleman's suit. "Much obliged," Mavis said in her new male voice. "Do I still call you Mavis?" Mercy asked. "For now," the man agreed. "I am sure you figured out my real identity by now. Yet someone as old as me has gathered a lot of enemies. While the fear of the avatar is veining my name is still associated with trouble incarnate." "Actually I joked with Victoria about your real identity. I had no idea how close I was," Mercy admitted. After a sigh, she continued, "But I will see you again, right?" "For mages like us it is only a matter of time," he said while bowing. "I owe you, Mercy. You don't know how much. One day I will pay you back. This I promise." Mercy nodded and silently watched as the legendary mage walked away. Then she turned around herself. A lot of work waited on her as the avatar of trickster magic. * * * Nearly five years after Mercy revealed herself as the avatar * * "She should be here by now," Victoria protested. It was a nice day in the park and she shared a picnic blanket with Melanie and Michelle. Brian was close by and operated their little charcoal grill. "I am sure she'll be here any minute," Michelle threw in. "She did say she wanted to visit her parents first." "Don't be selfish dear," Brian chided her. "Or I may have to punish you