Changes

Changes (Chapter Six)

Cassi was shocked, to say the least. Her mind reeled at all the new information that it was trying to process. Things that had previously only existed in books and her own imagination were now standing in front of her, calmly smoking a cigarette. Her brain struggled to assimilate the new knowledge with the old- she wanted badly to just reach out and touch the cigarette, to confirm it’s reality by the burn that would appear on her fingers.

But at the same time, another part of her brain wasn’t surprised. Deep down, somehow she knew it was all true, and that she had even suspected it all along. After all, how else could one explain the power she’d been given? She cursed herself for even thinking that she was that unique.

She couldn’t stop floating back to the conversation earlier.

* * *

Stepping away from the icy mess in front of her, she had fallen back down to the couch, having no words to say. Sorcha had walked over, detached the formerly liquid statue from the carpet, and held the glass upright. Remus then held his hand near the topmost part of the carbonated pillar, and it began to melt slowly, trickling back down into the glass. Sorcha sat down next to Cassi before continuing.

“There’s more than just these parlor tricks. There’s a war going on.”

Cassi looked at her, alarmed. “A war? What kind of war? I don’t understand! I don’t want to be some kind of soldier!”

Sorcha put her hand on Cassi’s shoulder. “No, no, hun. Not a war like you’ve heard or read about, guns and bombs and airplanes. It’s a war going on underground, not right out in the public, though at times it breaks the surface and humans become aware on some level. Usually, though, it is naturally just covered up, ironically, by the humans themselves.” Sorcha couldn’t help but smirk. “Basically, humans believe only what they want to believe. Sometimes, something happens that challenges their understanding of the world, and unless it can be explained rationally, even if incorrectly, humans just pretend it didn’t happen. That they imagined it.”

Cassi silently nodded. It had taken her a long time to accept her gift, once she discovered it. At first, she had put the confusing situation down to just pure luck, surely there had just been a hole in her pocket. But her thorough search upon return home led to her finding not even a stitch loose, much less a hole. Then, she’d simply assumed her imagination had run ahead of her about the ring and that the security man had only thought he’d seen her take something. This belief survived for a few days, before she accidentally turned her fork into a spoon at the dinner table. I just picked it up, is all, she thought to herself. Nothing wrong.

This had continued for months, until she finally changed something important- and needed it back. She spent hour searching for it, in hopes that her imagination had simply been playing tricks on her once more, before she gave up. In desperation, she decided to just play along, and focusing on her imagination’s creation, she thought about it turning back to the object she desperately needed- and watched as it did exactly what she wanted.

Sorcha drew Cassi out of her memories. “But the war itself isn’t all. It’s who’s involved.”

Cassi looked at her curiously.

Sorcha sighed. “You, my dear, are smack dab in the middle of a war between angels and demons.”

* * *

Sorcha had gone on to explain much of the war, an ever-continuing battle between the angels and their fallen comrades, the demons. Demons, Cassi soon learned, were nothing more than fallen angels, those who had in some way or another broken the Creator’s decree.

Then there were half demons and spawn, not full demons (nor were they former angels), but instead were born from full demons. Any being with demon blood in him was referred to as ‘tainted’.

Cassi sat on the couch, alone in the office, going over all this in her head. The boys and Sorcha had left her to herself for the time being, to let her come to grips with this eye-opening development. However, she decided that she’d spent enough time alone in the dark. Striding over to the door, she threw it open, “Ok. I’ve got some questions.”

The three came back into the room, and settled in. Cassi sat on the edge of the couch once more. Sorcha broke the ice. “Ok. What is it you want to know?”

Cassi hesitated. “Am…am I…”

Romulus jumped in. “No, I don’t think you’re of demon blood.”

Cassi visibly looked relieved. “Oh. Oh, ok. Good. But…where does my power come from?”

Sorcha shrugged. “That’s a fine question. One that sadly, I can’t exactly answer. However, Romulus is right. The chances of you being tainted are very slim. Demon blood, no matter how little, tends to corrupt. Despite this cloud I see around you, you seem quite pure.”

“Many humans have certain powers, as well.” Romulus continued. ”For some, it’s barely noticeable. Some simply happen to have been blessed with good luck, and think of it as exactly that. What they don’t realize is that it’s engrained in their blood. They just end up living their lives blissfully unaware.”

Remus snorted, and the act caused the end of his cigarette to shake and throw ashes and small embers to the ground.

Looking back at him, Romulus sighed. “However, for some of us, those gifts make themselves shown in some rather unpleasant situations.” He sat back in his chair, throwing his legs up to the table. “Ever read those comic books, ‘The Amazing X-Men’? Well, ironically, a lot of what goes on in them is not too inaccurate. Like their ‘mutant powers’, in real life, the powers don’t reveal themselves until puberty.”

Cassi was suddenly reminded of her own first discovery of her power- she realized he was right, it had happened only a week after she got her first period.

“Myself, I discovered that I had some kind of freezing power when I breathed on a window, and the window cracked from the cold.” Romulus grinned. “Which, in itself, wouldn’t have been that bad, but it was a side window in an airplane at the time. Needless to say, we made a quick landing. Though, thankfully, no one saw me do it, so I wasn’t ousted.”

Romulus then turned towards Remus, but when his mouth opened, nothing but stuttered laughter could come out. Remus glared at Romulus, then gave his own story. “Ah ahccideantly burned mah house down.”

“Ah, that’s not all, come now. Tell the whole story.” Romulus prodded.

Remus glared at his friend, his look lingering on him for more than a few seconds. Cassi watched, and assumed he was mentally rehashing Romulus for making him share whatever he was about to share. Eventually, he turned back to Cassi, and his head hanging, finished the tale. “Ah was uh…hahving sex aht the time.”

Cassi felt her own smile turn upward, but struggled to maintain her straight face. Don’t laugh, it’d be mean, don’t laugh… “Oh…I’m so…sorry.” Her smile began to get the upper hand, so she quickly put her hand up to her mouth to cover it, while pretending to be thinking.

Remus gave her an odd look. “Why is yoor hahir turning pink?”

Cassi couldn’t control the smile anymore, so she instead focused on the laugh that was slowly building in her chest. This wasn’t the first time that her emotions had done more than just tint her hair color. Actually, if Mary was right, Cassi thought back, then that’s the second time in the past hour or so. “Uh…I…felt like changing it.”

Remus shook his head and went to get out another cigarette, and while he did so, Cassi shot a glance at Romulus. He grinned sheepishly at her, and her heart skipped a beat. However, before she could think about anything else, another question popped into her head. “So, why was this person after me? Was he even a person?”

Sorcha spoke up again. “That’s what’s troubling me. I can’t understand why anyone would bother to attack a human, powers or not. Ruling out defense and personal vendettas, of course. You didn’t piss off any demons, right?” She looked sarcastically at Cassi, who missed the look and simply shook her head absentmindedly.

“Wait. Aren’t we forgetting someone here?” Romulus asked. “What about her friend?”

“Who? Sven?” Cassi put her hands up in the air. “I don’t really know that much about him, actually. I only just met him earlier today. I decided to move into the same warehouse he was staying in.”

“Ah think we might hahve to find out ah little more ahbout our lahte friend,” Remus stated between drags on his cigarette. “It might help us find out whaht’s going ahn.”

Sorcha nodded, and got up from her chair. “I agree. But first, we need to get a night’s rest. We’ve been up for far too long.”

Cassi searched for a clock in the room, and upon finding one on the wall above her, her jaw dropped. Nearly two in the morning! “Then I’d better get-“

“Not a chance.” Sorcha interrupted. “You’re not going back there, because whoever it is that’s after you would clearly have the place under observation.”

Romulus stepped forward. “She can come stay with us.”

Sorcha looked at him for a moment, then smiled. “Yes. That will work well, I think. That way, you’re not alone, and you’re away from that place. And these boys are more than capable of keeping good care of you, I think.”

Cassi gazed at Romulus, his unmoving face showing that he too thought it was a fine idea. “Ok. But I need to go back and at least get my stuff.”

Sorcha rolled her eyes slightly. “If you must. But take them with you, you can just head straight home with them after.”

Cassi nodded, and turned to the boys. Each nodded to her, and the whole group headed out the office door.

Sorcha watched them go. Such a nice girl, she thought to herself, watching as Cassi made a point to stop in the bar and speak to Mary before she left. Such power in her, too. Is that why whoever is after her wants her?

Cassi kept to herself for the majority of the trip to the place she had only just called home earlier that day, only nodding and muttering one word answers to the boy’s questions and comments. She was far too busy trying to process everything.

* * *

Shunjii knelt before his master. “I am yours to command, my liege.”

The chair before him shook as the being upon it laughed. “Of course you are, Shunjii. Of course you are.” The hand appeared from within the dark folds of the robe, making motions for Shunjii to stand. When he did so, the hand disappeared once more, enveloped in the dark cloth ones more. “Now. Have you taken care of your predecessor?”

“He had failed you, sir. I shall not. I have split him from this realm.” Shunjii’s lips turned upward in an evil smile. It gave him pleasure to think of the flayed carcass that once filled the position Shunjii now did- ‘split’ did not describe it as beautifully as it had been done. Merely thinking of the putrid smell caused by the combination of melted skin and freshly killed human gave him a wave of euphoria.

“Good, good. Hopefully, his failure will be your shining star. Bested and mutilated by a mere woman. Disgusting.” The robed figure shook once more with laughter. “Though, I must admit, not the first time in the history of humans.”

Shunjii’s lips changed from the smile to an angry scowl. He needed nothing to be reminded of the disgrace that was the female. Humans in general were an ugly, revolting species, but the feminine side was rife with sin and impurities. To think that Shunjii himself was in part human, his whore of a mother the epitome of human kind, nearly made him retch. But instead, he twisted that repulsion to give him greater strength, for it was his mission to cleanse the earth. “Yes, my liege.”

“Now, my son, I want you to finish what that would-be assassin began. Find her. Kill her. And bring me her body.”

Shunjii bowed once more. “Your command be done, my liege. No Tyosoto has failed their master before, and I shall be no exception.” Shunjii then backed away from the enthroned figure, disappearing into the darkness of the doorway. The last image the master had of his servant leaving was a glint of light that reflected off of the protruding handle of his sacred katana.

The master kneaded his forehead with his palms. It was unexpected changes like this that could jeopardize his carefully crafted plan. However, in this case, the master felt it was a positive change, for Shunjii was the among the best of what he does. Unilaterally devoted and loyal, Shunjii Tyosoto had been recommended to him by one of his biggest fans and careful watchers.

Surely, the master thought, Lucifer will be pleased.


Meanwhile, the servant was traveling the streets in search of a warehouse. His footfalls were silent, and he blended in with the very air around him, slipping from shadow to shadow- the product of years of training and experience. Finding the warehouse, he scaled the side and inserted himself into the building through a blackened window. In the night, he was a ninja. No- he was more than that.

He contorted his body, throwing arm over arm and swinging himself over to a ledge above the doorway. Landing silently, he hesitated for a moment to listen to his surroundings. From his perch, he could hear two men standing by the main doorway, talking with one another. Scanning the open air of the warehouse, it was evident the girl was not there yet.

Shunjii did not have to wait long. His muscles were just beginning to relax when the doors swung open, and a girl walked into the warehouse. From his angle, he could see her perfectly- shoulder length dark hair, average height, nice chest. Slowly, she made her way around the various machines and boxes and clutter that occupied the abandoned warehouse, and Shunjii silently climbed down the wall, stopping only momentarily to check that the door had, in fact, shut behind her.

Satisfied, Shunjii leapt to the floor, landing without a sound. He strode quickly up to the girl, and drew his blade. The katana made the slightest of sounds as it was removed from it’s sheath, and he drew it back. His action quickened as he saw the girl turn around at the sound, and he swept the katana straight across in front of his body, aimed directly at her neck.

However, his move was not quick enough- she emitted a screech for half a moment before the blade parted the surface of her neck. A gash, merely an inch perhaps deep, appeared, and instantly gushed crimson blood.

* * *

Remus and Romulus stood guard outside the warehouse while Cassi went within to retrieve what she had come for. Remus lit up once more, while Romulus simply occupied his time with his thoughts. Surprisingly enough to him, they were mostly of Cassi. However, he was just trying to push those aside to focus on the problem at hand when a cry arose from within the building.

Remus’s cigarette was still twirling in the air as the boys shot into the warehouse.