Madam Serenity's curse, though she didn't know it, also gave her immunity to cancer, since
this too was a form of transformation.
When Serenity returned to the church, she thought if she'd want to go back to having the
body she had before now... after all these decades. And firmly decided, 'After going
through the tears, pain, and misery of getting myself back together when my DNA was
screwed with ONCE, you couldn't PAY ME to go through all that again!!'
Serenity spent the rest of the evening helping the brothers to make enough of the cure so
they'd reach their quota within a week's time. Though she did go over mentally what she
wanted to say to the mayor the next morning.
Meanwhile, the cascade of the leoman transformation continued to spread via the bounds
of Love Between Partners, Love Between Family, and Love Between Friends... Of course,
Madam Serenity had to always remain human, so there would be always at least one line of
humanity left in the history of the world.
Of course, the Wyes and the Waynes didn't have this power, haven't been born from
Penny's power to restore object victims of the game rather than as part of the case cascade.
Of course this meant there had to be a logical reason for them to be Leomans, and so the
transformation began the slow reverse down their blood lines into the past.
+++++++
"And the fairies were left to themselves to debate and discuss weather Marie Cruz was
right, or weather Linus Sure was right."
Maddex said, "Of course we all know what their verdict was."
"We'll get to that." Marie-Eliza rose her paw for silence. "But a lot can happen in an hour.
And everyone involved had their own thoughts on things."
+++++++
1689 August
Linus Sure looked at where his hands used to be. He didn't feel sadness or dread, only a
powerful frustration! All his hard work, all his experience, much of it rendered useless! 'I
almost might as well have remained a naked armless woman statue!' Linus Sure thought of
embracing that suicide, of embracing that simple, blissful existence of being just artwork
to be simply admired and looked at, no other purpose. But his sense of duty would not
allow that, he would not be a muted nothing! And he would not grant these witches
another mark on their trophy scores!
Linus Sure looked at the chairs, nicknacks, pitchers, art, and other things in the witches'
house hold... and wonder how many of them had been people, reduced to nothing more
than material objects that happened to have souls with no clue they had been anything
different or still remembered and were silently screaming. One was murder, one was Hell.
He looked at a smiling monkey statue, and wondered if it was screaming inside, had no
mind, or thinking repetitive perky tripe. And the soul of the grandmother's killer continued
to experience what could be for him best described as Heaven.
'I only worry those fairies aren't going to be unbiased as they say and are going to declare
the witches not guilty out of loyalty for being their creations or sympathy for being
creatures of magic as well.'
In their privacy as the jury discussed, Hermia the fairy thought to ask, "Do you think it's
true? That were once humans?"
Gruoch the fairy answered first, and the others consented, "It doesn't matter. This is the life
I have now. This is the life I remember. This is the life I am living. And this is the only life I
want. If what the human said is true I don't know if my life is better or worse than the one I
had before if what the human said was true. We do not know if it is true or not. Do any of
you want to be human?"
They all shook their heads.
"Neither do I. We are with our families, that is what matters... and it does NOT relate to
weather the witches are guilty or innocent of what they have been charged with."
Hermia nodded as did the other fairies.
Sister Kathrine looked in a mirror. And remembered her short time before Maria had struck
down the witches' power and restored her, Draco, and Linus to normal from what they had
been while they bought time. Sister Kathrine shivered remembering the sweet purity and
innocence of being a child again among the familiars, of seeing the world in much simpler
and peaceful terms. She could be perky and happy and not be pretending. She could have
friends who didn't judge her.
How easy it would be to just have accepted that paradise and let everything else go. 'I
wonder if that is a form of paradise... but if it is... the witches aren't the ones to bring it
about... ' Sister Kathrine thought of those the witches had made into minions, protectors,
slaves, objects, all in the name of tearing down oppression and bringing them happiness...
'They aren't the ones to bring it about... I doubt any mortal is the one to bring it about...
only the Lord is the one fit to bring it about.'
Father Draco Fire sitting with Marie Cruz unlike Linus and Kathrine shivered with absolute
disgust at the memory of being made a feral dragon with the attitude and brain of a puppy!
Reduced to the mentality of a loyal pet! It disgusted him, being reduced to nothing more
than animal! The witches had given him a DISEASE among dragons! The dragons of legend
who never stopped growing, went on all four like the animals they could no better reason
as, and sought the flesh of that of Man. Yes, there was a very good reason like Father
Draco Fire had no desire now or ever to discuss what the familiar had turned him into.
'Forced Salvation is no Salvation at all... ' Was all he thought of the witches her wish to be
queens of the world even if in their madness they didn't recognize that was precisely
they'd become even as they shouted they wanted only a world that was flawlessly fair and
perfectly equal.
Sister Marie Cruz merely looked at the Witch Pride, Child familiars, and the human
retainers who served the witches, most as far as they were concerned of their own free will.
Their unconscious bodies organized and categorized as best they could be. 'Will killing the
witches really wake them up? Or will that kill them utterly? Are we just telling ourselves
they'll wake up so we don't have to think that killing them wouldn't have any price that will
be paid by anyone but them? Will killing the three of them just doom their creations to
sleeping forever? Are the witches the only ones who can actually wake them up? ... I'm
sorry you had to become a killer like me Kathrine, I'm just so sorry... ' Marie Cruz looked at
her hands, clean, but with little scars, she thought of the criminals, spies, assassins,
monsters, horrors, abominations, and other dangerous things that went bump in the night
she had killed over the years and how many had ben before being made pawns had been
innocent people who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time... Maybe at the end,
I'm a thing of the dark that belongs stalking the shadows as much as they do... '
Dr. Azrael merely stood observing. Of course he was several places at once, in fact, he was
many, many place at once, whenever a creature that had a soul, sapient or not, he came
when their fate had run it's course. The world didn't stop for this trial. A war was still be
waged. People were still dying, killing each other, some calling out for him to end their
misery, others screaming for him to visit their enemies so they themselves might go home
and return to their loved ones. These three witches of course would face a completely
different judgement when the time came for their death. And that judgement would be
final and decisive, each of them individually judged.
"What shall we do with their familiars?" Father Draco Fire asked Linus and Marie even as the
two were on opposite sides in the current decision.
"Nothing." Marie Cruz said simply, "With the witches dead, their familiars will have no
power. A familiar's power come from their master. They'll be but stupid, mindless,
mundane beasts again."
Linus looked at Marie Cruz, rather vexed she'd over speak him when his experience in
such matters out stripped hers.
Father Draco Fire asked, "Then why did you go to all the trouble of talking of the children?"
Marie Cruz, "Because from what I understand, you aren't supposed to use something that's
already a person, already self aware, and not a dumb animal, as a familiar, otherwise they
develop and grow magic on their own... or that's what I've been able to dredge up."
Linus said nothing for the moment.
Herodias also known as Princess in her early years by her master, thought of her sons,
daughters, and their litters, and their litters litters... she had become quite famous among
them... but animals could smell death. And Herodias smelled it on the thing claiming to be
human and claiming to be a doctor. And Herodias knew none of her family would dare
come within a mile of this place as long as the so called Doctor remained. She didn't
mention this to her master... least it upset her... 'Damn you Marie Cruz, you were
supposed to be one of us. There were supposed to be four witches! Not three! How did this
happen?'
Lilith thought of Lucky, or rather Solome... at least that damn dog got what was coming to
him! Her one hope was if the fairies proved to be idiots like Lilith suspected they were was
that a great and terrible revenge would befall her master's that of her master!
Gaal thought of where she had led her sisters... her only regret was that she had failed... if
only they could have worked a little faster... be a little bit stronger, 'We were the most
powerful witches to have ever existed... we were going to topple a jealous and unfair god...
and we fell to a mere human with bones stolen from our own grand mother... it's not... it's
not... IT'S-NOT-FAIR!!!!'
Golgtha thought of what little her sixth sense could tell her through the fog of whatever it
was cutting off her power from the reset of her... 'She'll pay... they'll all pay.. and our
paradise WILL come about...'
Gomorrah meanwhile thought of when she had been adopted into her sisters' family, her
own family taken by sickness. She thought about it, and came to a very simple conclusion,
'I don't regret any of it. I'd still be their sister if I could have it all over again...'
Monica, Rosa were the only real adults native to Glendale currently awake and aware, even
if their bodies created the illusion of them being children. They collected the children who
had fallen off purple horses when the geass shattered.. the ones who had been dancing on
the top of stairs. Grave digging would take time. They had no idea that the silver twins
were doing much he same thing with the pack members who had fallen where they stood
when the geass had lost it's effected. The Glendale Wolves were known for only traveling
into town when they wanted, the Big Bad Wolf Estate was nearly an entirely different
community!
Mal'Akh Bialyk on the other hand... stayed close to Armisael... there was no Army on Earth
that would make her leave her sister's side, telling herself over and over her sister would
perfectly sane and whole when the witches were killed and she woke up.
+++++++
"Was Armisael sane when she woke up?" Abbey asked worried.
"Moving on." Marie-Eliza said pretending to not even hear the question.
+++++
Joella thought again and again of her mothers, and their fate, and wished she had a god to
pray to for their safety... the witches had mocked all religions as just bowing to those more
powerful than you were... 'But... my mothers are more powerful... and a lot bow to them..
and they just want to help everyone... having power, isn't bad in of itself right?'
Vatican merely escorted the girl home as was his request by Marie Cruz.
Joseph Running Bear meanwhile sat in his chair, and felt the pain in his chest. 'Maybe... I
won't have to see them die after all...'
+++++++++++
"All hunters of course were present during the witches' hanging, and all five were struck by
the game. Thus why the limit of people who can be effected by the game at once is five
and anything over that causes the turn to fizzle..."
"What was the Transform or Dare for each of them?" Lilly asked.
Maddex's heads asked above his twin daughter, "I assume that each of them, or at least
some of them, then used the game eventually? After all, if the game had ended with them,
we wouldn't have had the mess with curse!"
Marie-Eliza said, "I'll get to that in due time. But before that, we have the Verdict to go
over."