The 10th Cycle

Hope agreed to follow Chase so they could talk about what she still doesn’t know, not yet agreeing to join him. He is currently staying in a one-bedroom apartment above a deli located in Mayfair. He’s been in the area for just over 2 months, all in an effort to search for her.

After entering, she observes the room containing all the essentials; a small kitchen counter with a sink and plug-in stove, a couch and recliner surrounding a coffee table, and a dresser beside the only closet. It doesn’t seem like anything special, but she still asks,

“Did you create this space?”

“No, I haven’t gotten that far yet. I simply pay my rent.”

After discovering that classroom 313 disappeared, Hope tried thinking back to whether or not it felt any different from a normal room. But, even right before the sacrifice when Kahler raised his forcefield, she didn’t notice any difference. It’s a very efficient ability.

Chase takes a seat on a lounge chair and directs Hope to the couch across from him. Once settled, he begins explaining everything Kahler neglected. He doesn’t understand why nothing was said until the end. Maybe he couldn’t think of the best way to do so? It is true that shapeshifters only know a certain amount about the ritual, not the full extent, sometimes making it come off as not having enough info to matter. It’s another frustrating aspect to them.

Hope initially racked her brain, trying to figure out the remaining mysteries. Since there was no way to do any research, she gave up, choosing not to think too much. She grips the sword, preparing for whatever he may say.

Chase notices and feels a chill run down his spine, believing he’ll be attacked if there’s even one thing she doesn’t like. He tries to calm down before beginning.

The ritual occurs every 100-150 years, depending on those sacrificed. Over time, without any explanation, the shapeshifters were assigned the mission to stop the cycle alongside humanity.

That much was easy to figure out. The rest contains completely new info.

“Shortly before the ritual is scheduled to begin, our kind births a child to carry on if they should fail. When our fathers pass on, we gain their memories so we can improve next time.”

Their sole purpose in life is to prevent the ritual. They have no choice in the matter and don’t question it either, simply doing what they’re told. Going by his appearance, their aging must stop at some point, similar to the effects of the strange sword. Eternal youth.

“So you know what happened before?” Hope asks.

“Yep. I have memories of his entire life, including before he met the saviors.”

Hope never asked about Kahler, leaving him as a mysterious man who attempted to help them. He didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives and his generally friendly nature made him easy to trust. It was later that she discovered one thing he always lied about; his appearance. She never got to see what he actually looked like. Since Yuuki knew about the ritual, did she know about this too?

“Do you look similar to him? To Kahler?”

“Somewhat. We are typically born with the same features.”

“Then, why did he take on Michael’s appearance?”

The burning question in her mind. The face of your enemy is the face of your ally. When she first met Michael, she started to doubt Kahler’s intentions. Didn’t he consider other people would feel the same? To her surprise, Chase is sympathetic.

“I kind of understand his reasoning. Unlike with me, his father raised him until he was 4 years old, leaving him with many fond memories. The ritual occurred during high school and he gained his father’s memories, including his final moments.”

He continues to explain that Kahler having to watch his father disappear broke him. Even though he was abandoned, he still admired his father as he grew older, remembering him as a kind, hard-working man who helped those in need. In addition to being sacrificed, he had to watch his father get beaten to a pulp by Michael.

As he grieved, Kahler vowed to take revenge in every way possible, including sullying his appearance. This also meant he would have to see Michael’s wretched face almost on a daily basis, but his agitated reaction each time they met was so gratifying, making it worth it. This probably isn’t the first time one of his kind has done so.

“...do you plan to do the same?” Hope hesitates to ask.

“No. While I understand it all, I find it to be tasteless.” he says with a shrug.

She’s relieved to hear that. If she had to continue to see Michael’s face, she wouldn’t be able to contain herself in Chase’s presence.

“You don’t happen to know about this sword, do you?” Hope asks.

This is another mystery she had no way to research. How would you look into something from another world? It’s not like there’s a way for people to travel abroad like such.

Chase crosses his arms and stares intently at the strange weapon, trying to remember if it was ever mentioned in his father’s memories.

“I think she said it came from a game? Some type of fictional world? Sorry that’s all I got.”

Yuuki’s mother was seen as a strange individual so none of her allies thought to question her further. They assumed it was a regular sword that was designed after a weapon from a game or something along that line. None could have guessed how lightly they took that bit of info.

Even if you considered the year of that ritual, which was 2018, it would be impossible to narrow down the source with its simplistic design. Only the original owner, Yuuki’s mother, knows the details of its origin, and that disappeared along with her.

Now for the next sacrifice, the question is when and where will it occur?

“We have one year to prepare. As for where, I haven’t been able to locate it.” Chase is blunt in stating.

The ritual can occur in an area with a high amount of death. However, it’s been relatively peaceful across the globe. There are wars in Eastern Europe and South America, but it’s never in a war zone. As such, the area will most likely be chosen at random, with the only indication being where he finds their first ally. The first person to have an ability awakened.

Hope was told that souls of the dead aid in the ritual, one reason why Philadelphia was chosen. The actions of the saviors each night, releasing the souls, was to prevent Michael from utilizing them. Kahler did the best he could with the difficult endeavor and put a decent dent in the number of years as a result.

Judging from what Chase knows of the past, there are other situations that can be considered even more difficult.

Disgruntled, he adds, “We may have a tougher battle ahead of us. Michael can bestow humans with a portion of his power, giving them the chance to fight before sacrificing their own lives.”

Although the idea should strike fear in a person, fighting more ‘Michaels’ makes Hope more excited. All this time, she’s been training, waiting for the opportunity to take him down. Now there will be more for her to practice on before the real battle.

Chase can see the excitement in her eyes and, although it’s worrisome, it’s better than depression, which is the only emotion he’s seen from her until now. Well, that and murderous rage, but he wants to forget about that moment.

He can already tell that compared to the ‘Jessica’ in the memories he received, ‘Hope’ is a completely different person. He will have to get to know her if they want to succeed.

“So after hearing all of that, do you want to join me?” Chase asks with a gentle smile.

He plans to travel within the next year until he finds the determined area. If she goes with him, it will be easier to communicate once they find what they’re looking for.

After traveling alone for so long, Hope feels uncomfortable with the idea.

“I’ll go with you, but I’d rather stay by myself.”

Hope will travel to the same areas he does, having little interaction, communicating only when necessary. Since Hope has been staying off the grid to hide her identity, she doesn’t have a cellphone, watch, and certainly not a chip either, so their only option is to talk in person. There may be no point in hiding anymore, but she won’t take any chances.

Chase glances at her left wrist and sees a small scar. Just like he suspected, she removed the chip. Although it’s more widespread these days, it could still be considered a liability since Michael can differentiate between those who have one and those who don’t.

Around the time Chase was born, implanting chips in newborns was a regular thing, especially in the safer areas. However, both his mother and Kahler decided against it. Their home didn’t utilize chips and they had no plans to change that anytime soon.

Regardless, whether they have one or not has no effect on their travels. Although reluctant, Chase accepts her terms.

“As you wish.”