The Cycle of Reversion - Save the Children

A Mother's Love

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Previously in the Cycle of Reversion:

The Cycle of Reversion struck, and technology no longer functions. Jack Adams, an American software consultant, traveled to Tokyo for a contract and stayed at the Emerald Palace Hotel. The Reversion struck before his work began, rendering all modern technology useless. In its place, Magic has returned, and now Jack is a wizard. He is working with the hotel manager, Satoshi Watanabe, to remove threats.

The team returned to the ground floor after investigating the explosion in room 7623. Jack returned to work on the anti-Dragon missile, and the others started working on their own projects.

At breakfast, Hiro introduced two children with magical abilities and showed his idea for the new currency—money that could fly. His treatment of the children was suspicious enough that Desert Wind promised Jack she would check in to see if they were being treated well.

She had Jack turn some lead into gold and fashion over 200 gold coins. To conceal her identity, she changed herself into a goblin and posed as someone wanting to enchant coins to fly.

Hiro and Kitsune were convinced, and in their apartment, she saw that the kids were being abused. She told Hiro she wanted to get more coins and left the room.

Hiro told Kitsune to follow her, kill her, and take the coins.

The Story Continues:

Once outside, Desert Wind crossed the street and hid behind one of the abandoned cars. Part of being a hunter was knowing when she was being hunted. She thought momentarily about deciding what her best form would be. Without much thought, she concentrated, her eyes lost focus, and a mist appeared around her.

Across the street, Jack watched, invisible and silent as he had been since Desert Wind left his rooms. How best to deal with the situation? They needed to save the children, and Hiro and Kitsune could not continue as members of their little band. But what to do with them? No matter where they went, these two were going to be trouble. He did not feel right letting them go. He also didn’t feel right either trying to imprison them or to kill them. So far, what they had done was evil and despicable but worthy of Death. He wasn’t so sure. He knew deep inside that both of them were perfectly capable of murder, but until he had seen them do something of that caliber, he would not attack them.

He knew what he had to do. He had to let Hiro’s ‘mother’ know what had become of her child.

About this time, he saw Kitsune sneak out of the hotel gate and cross the street, following Desert Wind’s footsteps and scent. That ‘fox’ was going to regret tangling with the lioness.

He could stay and watch, but he didn’t want to be accused later on of being any part of it. He went back to the wall and, muttering a few words, flew into the air, still Invisible, and over the wall into the courtyard. He looked up and walked around the hotel's base to the western face. He spread his feet apart and muttered a few more words.

At first, Jack began to levitate slowly up the wall. He knew where he was headed based on the story Satoshi had told him. After a few minutes, he saw what he was looking for. A broken window opened into apartment 4445, Satoshi’s old apartment, the one that had sustained damage from the plane crash.

Once he got there, he could see the hole the crashing landing gear had made.

Jack levitated through the broken window and into the apartment. When he was safely inside, he dispelled the levitation, the invisibility, and the silence. Crunching his way across the broken glass, he carefully stepped around the landing gear still lying in the room. It felt odd and invasive to be inside Satoshi’s old home.

Trying not to think of such things, Jack walked down the hallway to the central stairwell and descended four floors to the 40th story. There, he used his fingers to comb his hair down, tried to straighten his cloak, and politely knocked on the door. Almost immediately, the door opened, and Dahia stood inside as if she were waiting for him.

Jack laughed. “You know, it is disconcerting when you do such things!” he said to her. “It makes the rest of us feel like we are your playthings as you decide everything that will happen.”

Dahia laughed as well. “It isn’t that easy, I assure you. Would you come inside?”

Jack nodded and bowed his head briefly, following her to her quarters.

Jack said, “Seriously. How do you know when things are about to happen?”

Dahia was quiet momentarily and said, “This must stay between us.”

Jack nodded. “Of course.”

They reached the end of the hallway, and she turned into their dining area instead of the sister’s lounge. Dahia continued, “I may have been turned into a nightwalker, or vampire as you say, but my gift has always been one of precognition.”

Jack blinked. “Precognition? You can see the future?”

Dahia laughed and replied, “I knew you would say that. What I can do is see lines of probability leading into future events.”

“There is no way there was a ‘probability’ that I was going to levitate up the wall to enter through a broken window!” exclaimed Jack.

Dahia responded, “Is that what happened? That I did not see. I saw that you would be knocking on that door in about 3 minutes, with a high probability.”

Jack thought this over.

Dahia continued, “It is also stronger with some individuals than others. For instance, I can see what you will do, sometimes even hours in advance. Others may be longer or shorter. Satoshi almost always does exactly what I think he will do. I can see some of his actions days in advance. Yes, I had this gift even during the technology phase. Your friend Desert Wind, on the other hand, is nearly a black hole to me. I cannot tell you anything that she is thinking or doing. Don’t take it personally, either. I think it is more a sign of compatibility than predictability. Yes, Jack, sometimes you do surprise me. I never saw that shot against the Dragon, for instance. I might have warned you not to do it had I known.”

Jack shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Dahia also shrugged. “No matter. It is done now. For now, let’s discuss Hiro.”

Jack should have known better, but he was still surprised. “Yes. Hiro. I am afraid that your ‘child’ has been bad and is getting progressively worse by the day. At this point, he has enslaved and is abusing two young children who also happen to be mages. He is trying to run the Palace as if it were his playground, and I have no proof, but I strongly suspect that he kills whomever he pleases whenever he pleases.”

Dahia sighed and said, “It is such a shame. He had such potential. I knew his great ancestor, who placed me in the sleep of the ages during the last cycle. He was a noble and faithful member of the family. Too bad.”

Jack looked at her and asked, “Does that mean you will do something about him?”

Dahia looked at Jack and said, “You are learning, my Gaijin friend. You were about to add … ‘or must I?’ to your question. It was a wise omission. It is not your place to ‘do’ something about my child. On the other hand, everything that he does is my responsibility, and he has become an embarrassment. Yes, I will do something about Hiro.”

Jack nodded. He knew how hard such a course of action must be on her.

Dahia said, “Much as I would like you to stay and share a cup of tea, we each have compelling events that must be done before this day ends. Thank you for dropping by.”

Jack nodded to her, bowed his head, and got up.

As he was heading to the door, Dahia said, “Should you feel that there is anything that concerns you again, please feel welcome to come and chat at any time.”

Jack took that to mean that he didn’t need to wait for Satoshi to get permission to come up.

He could climb five floors to leave the way he came in or descend 15 floors to where the dragon had been. He decided to descend. Going down was easier, but he wanted to see the dragon’s lair again.

Fifteen floors later, he came out onto the 25th story. He could hardly recognize it. Satoshi had set the Orc maintenance crew on it, and the floor was cleaned. They had even repaired much of the corridor where the dragon had made the final blasting attack.

Jack went to the end where the dragon ‘cave’ had been. A new door across the corridor ended the hallway before you got to the cave. It had a heavy door, and a key was needed to enter unless you happened to be a mage, of course.

Jack used a spell to unlock the door and went to the cave. It was cold on the other side, exposed to the night air. Jack shut the door behind him as he entered. Inside, the room was still cavernous, and there was still a dragon-sized opening in the wall to the outside, but inside, the debris and wreckage had been cleared. It had bare walls and new drywall on the inside. He could smell the tape and plaster that was not yet dry.

Jack stepped towards the opening and could feel himself getting queasy. He did not like heights. He quickly cast the levitate, and the invisibility spells again. He didn’t think there was a need for the silence spell this time.

He was hovering above the floor when he maneuvered outside the window and slowly descended to the courtyard. It took a few minutes to get down, and he dispelled the levitation but not the invisibility. He walked around the hotel's base to the lobby entrance, dispelled the invisibility, and knocked on the door.

At once, the door opened to one of the blue-uniformed peacekeepers.

“Good evening”, said Jack to the guard.

Getting used to Jack’s late-night ventures, the guard nodded, said, “Good night, sir,” and let him in.

Jack considered. Where would Desert Wind be now? Hopefully, she wasn’t dead outside on the road. He had faith that this was never going to happen. But if she did confront Kitsune and won, where would she go? He had no doubt. She would have gone straight to Hiro’s room and retrieved the children.

Jack started over to the stairwell to head up to Hiro’s floor. Five levels up, he went up the hallway to Hiro’s room. As he approached, he knew there was trouble. The door was open. Inside, he could hear Hiro shouting.

“Get away from that Kid, or I’m going to kill you!” cried Hiro.

He could barely make out the reply of, “Never!”

Jack was about fifteen feet away when he saw a blur of movement flash up the hallway where he stood and into the door. He hurried the last of the distance and looked inside.

On one side of the apartment stood Desert Wind in human form, blocking access to the two children, Taka and Suki. She held Taka by one arm and blocked Suki from Hiro, who was standing in the middle of the room with Taka’s other arm and a long and jagged dagger in the other. As he moved to stab forward at Desert Wind, the blurred movement became Dahia as she seized the arm with the dagger in an iron grip.

She twisted Hiro to face her like he was a toy. “Now, son! Is this how I raised you?”

Hiro got a confused look on his face. “Mother? What are you doing here?”

Dahia had a sad look on her face. “I am correcting a mistake.”

Hiro looked at her again. “Me? You mean making me was a mistake! I am this hotel's richest, most powerful person. Probably in all of Japan. Maybe even the world! You cannot stop me!”

With that, he pulled out a dagger he had concealed, shaped like a cross, and pointed it at her.

Dahia laughed. “Really? How many Vampire movies did you have to watch to develop that one?”

Hiro grinned. “It isn’t the shape; it is what it is made of. I have done my research. You and all nightwalkers cannot touch anything radioactive. This cross is made of depleted Uranium.”

Dahia shook her head. “Who sold that one to you?” Did it not occur to you that you are a Nightwalker, too?”

Hiro kept nearly giggling. “I have the antidote!” he said, holding up a glowing vial on a chain around his neck.

Dahia said, “The way to kill a nightwalker is to completely drain it of all blood. And that can only truly be done by its maker.” With that in a blur, she stood beside him and held him in her arms, mouth against his neck.

He didn’t even cry out. It was like he could finally be at peace in his mother’s arms. She held him in this way for several minutes until, at last, his drained form fell from her arms to the floor.

The children continued crying, and Desert Wind turned to them, knelt to their level, and hugged them to her. She soothed them until they cried no more.

Jack looked down at her and said, “Kitsune?”

Desert Wind shook her head and continued hugging the children.

About this time, Satoshi appeared behind Jack in the doorway. He said, “Why am I always the last one finding out what’s happening in my hotel?”

Behind Satoshi came Akira and four of the ESS. They moved into the room and stood around the scene with Dahia, Desert Wind, the two children, and Hiro's body.

Jack spoke up. “Guard Desert Wind and the children. Take them to the hallway where I live and find two more rooms, one for the children and one for Desert Wind, if you don’t mind.” This last was said to Desert Wind.

She shook her head, “No, that will be fine. Please make them adjoining rooms if you can.” With that Desert Wind, the children and the ESS left the room, leaving Jack, Dahia, Satoshi, and Akira.

Satoshi asked, “Where is Kitsune? Wasn’t she staying with him?” He said this while motioning at Hiro’s body on the floor.

Jack replied, “I think she is probably dead. She attacked Desert Wind outside the walls earlier. Only Desert Wind returned. I will investigate to make sure. That is one where I want to see the body.”

Satoshi nodded. To Dahia, he said, “Mistress. I am sorry for your loss. How may we serve you?”

She rose and smoothed the wrinkles from her gown. Dabbing at a bit of blood from her lips, she said, “Give him a decent burial. He was family.”

At that, they all bade each other good night. Satoshi ordered the body taken to the hotel’s morgue and the Orc cleaning crew to Hiro’s apartment. Looking over at the table, I saw the profusion of golden coins half-covered with debris.

Jack said to Satoshi, “Ah yes, those. Well, I made some golden coins that I suppose belong to the hotel. You probably want to get those before the cleaning crew arrives.”

Akira raised his eyebrows and reached for a sack.

Dahia took Jack by the hand and said, “Walk with me for a moment.”

Jack said, “Certainly, my Lady.”

They left together out of the hallway, down the stairs, and out of the hotel.

Dahia turned to Jack and said, “You have done well, Wizard. This could have become quite ugly.”

“I’m just trying to protect the hotel,” Jack replied.

“And so, you have. Take good care of those children. I can see great things for them to come. This was a critical junction in the future of both them and the Midori. Your friend, Desert Wind, is special. Take good care of her.”

“Don’t worry, I shall,” Jack assured her.

“That is all. I will see you around Wizard. Take good care of yourself. Good night,” Dahia added.

Jack wished her a good night as well, and, like Desert Wind, a mist appeared around Dahia, and in her place stood a giant bat. The bat beat its wings and flew back to the hotel, and what Jack was sure must have been an open window somewhere on the 40th Story.

Now that Jack was outside, he checked where he had last seen Desert Wind and Kitsune.

He found the spot where Desert Wind had hidden behind the car and had shifted back into her lioness form.

He cast a tracking spell and found the footprints lit up as a pale green glow where Kitsune had stalked Desert Wind. He saw where Desert Wind had led her on a chase into a narrow alley behind one of the nearby shops, and Desert Wind had sprung her trap. He could tell from the confusion of prints that a battle had been fought there. Not far up the alley, he found the remains of Kitsune. Her body was ripped and torn, and her entire throat had been bitten out. There was blood everywhere. Jack searched the body and found a handful of his golden coins, which he kept for the time being. He shook his head sadly at the loss, pulled out his soap phone, called the ESS captain on guard, and told him where to find Kitsune’s body.

She may have been a monster, but she had been one of them for a time and deserved a decent burial, probably next to Hiro.

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