Unification is Key

Travel is beginning to be my biggest expense. Trying to get from one place to another across these long distances is draining on what little money I have. Madam Odette gave me more than enough but until I get access to my funds again, I'm still trying to make every movement I do meaningful. I'm back at the old church where Phinnis was operating. There is still a group of rats running the church in his absence. I approach the entrance where I'm greeted peacefully but forcefully, "Welcome, we are not accepting visitors at this time." I dispel my illusion showing the many tails, "I think you'll make an exception for me, no?"

His eyes widened before bowing his head, "Yes! Please! You honor us with your presence." It's amazing how quickly their tone shifted. I set inside and all eyes begin to change. There is a sense of despair in the air. My money would be that they are still mourning the loss of their "leader", Phinnis. Word got around quickly as more started coming out from the many different areas of the church. They all want to get a look at me. To see the deity figure to whom they've dedicated themselves. "Who is in charge?" They all look at one another before one answers, "You are."

That question may have been too general. "Who is in charge of ensuring that this place runs smoothly?" One steps forward from the others, "I have been since the pastor's passing."

"I'm going to need your help with a few things…"

He and I go back into the late pastor's office. The box of books was moved back into the safe and locked. I'm not sure any of them have the combination. I was never told it but a safe would be no challenge for me to break into should I need those books. He offers me the chair behind the desk. I decline and take the seat across letting him have it. He's nervous but doing his best to be polite, "How can I assist you?"

His voice is shaky. I'll take over and let them do their own thing from there. "Phinnis was working with many different churches. I need you to find them and send them a message. There are those that wish to do me harm. You need to send them a warning that they can either work with me or be removed from the Earth." His eyes seemed to light up at the thought of my righteous declaration. "Second, there is another church similar to yours that wishes to see me bring about destruction. As much as I don't like their ideology of me, I will also need their assistance in some matters. You will have to search for them and send the message that I need them."

He grabs a notebook from the desk drawer to quickly scratch down notes of my requests. "What else can we do?" His nervousness is now mixed with excitement. "You are aware of my magical prowess, yes?"

"Of course we are!"

"You will need to begin rigorous recruitment. Not just here but in any church willing to help. Target magic users who are in hiding with the promise that soon they will be able to practice openly. But you need their support."

The more I talk, the more he begins to fidget. Getting orders from their God must be an experience. I just need them to assist me with a new plan. Magic needs to be unrestrained. It needs to come out from hiding and into the world. "What else?!"

I chuckle at the enthusiasm, "Find someone who is smart. We need to send a broadcast to the world. I hope to do it in two weeks but the timeline is flexible."

"Equipment for a broadcast… Someone smart to…" He looks at me quickly, "Hijack signals?"

I point at him to confirm his assumption. He grins as he continues to write stuff down. "What else?" I stand up from my chair, "That is all for now. I need to figure out how to source some cash to continue traveling."

"We have coffers! They're yours to use as you need!"

He was eager to provide me with what I needed. "How much is in the coffers?" His eyes continued to light up. He pulled out a small safe from the desk quickly undoing the lock. There were stacks of larger bills that must have summed up to a couple-hundred-thousand dollars. "We have a lot more stashed across the many different churches. They're all yours." I can feel something welling up inside of me. I have resources again. I can feel a weight lifted off my shoulders. And something else as well.

I take a deep inhale. As I exhale I sense a familiar feeling. A new tail. The power that is inside of me fills me with a warm feeling. This is the first time a new tail has formed under circumstances that weren't stressful. It's almost ecstasy to feel this shift. The rat falls backward to the floor as the sheer power radiates out. "I'm honored to witness such an event!"

The others must have heard the commotion, They were bunched up around the door as I stepped out. They all scattered to give me distance or were afraid of what I may do to eavesdroppers. I need to take control of the situation. From here on, I am in charge, "You have requests from me that need to be done. Please, do them to the best of your ability. They are critical to my plans to allow magic to prosper." Their faces quickly change from fear to excitement and they get to help. The rat that was taking notes comes out with excitement in his voice as he addresses those around us. They're ready to get going on recruitment. They already have leads of people that are magic users.

I'll leave them be and let them do their own thing. The leader of the group comes back, "I'll get you a list of the churches that don't want to assist so you can um… Persuade them." I don't like how he said that. But he's not wrong. If they don't want to assist them they'll only be a liability. Those that want nothing to do with this though, I will let them be. They can operate on their own as long as they don't get in my way. The key is going to be to get people before the broadcast. The more that support me, the better chance I have to convince others.

I will also have to learn more about my power. There is a lot of untapped potential locked away. I have three more tails to go but no idea how to unlock that potential. I don't know if it's at milestones in my life or when I train myself to where my body can handle it. Or if it's just willpower to manifest them. This power is so weird. Even Madam Odette couldn't fully understand it. She could only provide a base for it. It's up to me to find the rest of it.

I'm wondering what else is in those journals is hidden away. There may be some more information buried in those that will help me. The last one I looked into, the one with the warning, had clues to some location. I can feel the focus of the writer. They were focused on spreading the warning and not their environment but there was still something there. I think if I can find this place, I can find out more. There was a feeling that they had found something that startled them deep in this place. There was knowledge there that sparked this frantic scribbling.

I head back into the office and pull out the box of the journals that had been collected. Just by looking at what's here, there are a lot of gaps in the history that's recorded here. The more I can learn from my previous lives, the better prepared I think I will be. There was also a deeper fear in the writing. I don't think that Phinnis was the only one that would apply under that warning.

If I worry about it now, it will only be a distraction. I will revisit it. I need to focus on the possibility that I scared General Parson into taking action. I have no doubt that he's going to try and tie up this loose end. But! If he comes after me, then I am free to take equal action. I just need to be ready. I have a general plan for dealing with him when that time comes.

The next step relies on these folks doing their portion. I need to get a broadcast out to the world. There's so much I have to do. For today, I need to take a break. I need to hammer out how I want to go ahead with this. I have to carefully plan this out. Once it starts, there is no stopping it. But that's the idea.

I use some of the funds from Madam Odette to get me a room for the night in a cheap motel. I just need a place to rest my head comfortably. As I stare at the ceiling while the sun sets I can only imagine what else I need to do. My tails have been coming in at a rapid pace. It took quite a while for that first tail but the circumstances that it grew were stressful. What else do I have to go through to bring this power out? And what kind of power will that bring?

First and foremost, I need to bring magic to the forefront. There are people out there that have this ability and have to hide it. Right now, I am one of those people. I hide my power, I hide who I am from the world through a thin veil of an illusion spell, and there is so much that can be done. I want to be able to practice and learn. There are so many out there that have so much information that they have to hide.

The university that I attended was one of these places. Front he outside to the public eye, it looks like a private school. Once you are inside, you learn that it is a private school but there is a strict vetting process to ensure that those who do not know of or are born into magic are not allowed in. How many people have an ability or an affinity for magic with no idea how to tap into it? Or are in a state of denial that it's just a story or fantasy that they deny their own abilities the chance to grow and flourish?

I know that once I blow the top off of this there will be no stopping it. There are so many people that will have their world opened up and so many more that will be able to be free. I have to bring magic forward. My goal is to progress magic forward. If it stays hidden, it'll grow but it will be crippled in its ability. If it's open and if it's out there, there will be unfettered growth. It will come in due time…

In due time…