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Chapter 73 - Char Char’s Path

A tingling feeling coarsed through Char Char’s veins as she reflected on the transformation that she had just undergone. She didn’t feel stronger or energetic. Instead, she felt worn out and exhausted.

As she settled into the chair, she remembered how she had nearly been consumed by rage at the thought of being betrayed by Goro. She had never felt such raw, intense emotion in her entire life as she had in that moment. If Goro’s words hadn’t pierced through to her and calmed her down, what would have happened?

“That anger...” Char Char said quietly, “That wasn’t me, was it?”

Goro looked impassively at her as he took his time in answering, “Perhaps, but perhaps not so much. The catalyst tunes your body to a different state of being. It amplifies certain feelings and mutes others. At the height of the transformation, the feelings in you that most prominently aligned with the catalyst would be exaggerated to their max.”

“If you were truly filled with rage, then my words would not have reached you. Your desire to help people overcame the feelings that were enhanced by the catalyst.” Goro said, then added, “An interesting choice.”

Char Char couldn’t tell if he thought her stated goal was good or bad. His expression was as stoic as ever.

“You tricked me.” Char Char couldn’t help but let out a small cynical chuckle, “If I knew it would be so painful, I wouldn’t have agreed to do it.”

“Then it’s a good thing I didn’t say anything.” Goro said calmly. “Now all we have to do is see if your body will be strong enough to fight off the Keeper’s Gaze.”

Goro stood up and walked past Char Char over to the door. As he reached it, it opened and Firuzeh was there with a bundle of clothes in her hands.

“Firuzeh will help you get settled and check on your health for the night.” He said, then left.

The tanned girl with long black hair entered the room, her brown eyes examining Char Char briefly before she smiled, “I have some clothes for you, these are spare clothes from our storage. I grabbed the smallest ones we have, hopefully they fit.”

Char Char’s brows knit in confusion. She adjusted the oversized coat around her shoulders as she glanced at the door, “How did you know I needed clothes?”

“Ah.” Firuzeh’s reached up and touched the pendant around her neck subconsciously, “Goro can speak to me from afar. He asked me to gather it for you after your... ascension.”

“Ah.” Char Char said. There was a hesitation in Firuzeh’s answer that stopped Char Char from questioning further. She received the pile of clothes from the girl, changing the topic, “When I saw you I thought that maybe everyone’s clothes um... burned off, after taking the catalyst.”

Firuzeh shook her head, “There are characteristics that are shared depending on the domain, but the main determinant of the effects is the pathway.”

“How did yours go?” Char Char asked.

Firuzeh paused, then nonchalantly said, “My body split into multiple parts, each part contained a different personality that tried to kill the others.”

“Did.. did they succeed?” Char Char asked, then immediately facepalmed, “Sorry, stupid question.”

Firuzeh offered a small smile as she stepped back to the door, “You can change in here, I’ll be waiting outside. If anything happens just call for me and I’ll come.”

“Okay.” Char Char nodded. The other girl left the room and shut the door.

Char Char sighed, sorting through the pieces of clothing. Even though she was alone in the room, she still felt extremely uncomfortable being naked in a strange place. She quickly changed while exposing as little skin as possible. When she had finally covered up, she breathed a sigh of relief. To her surprise, the clothes actually fit quite well. There was a white linen button up short sleeved shirt, a pair of black slacks, a pair of black leather flats and a black trenchcoat. From the looks of the stitching, the clothes had been tailored to fit a woman.

“I wonder who this was made for...” Char Char muttered. It wasn’t a perfect fit, in particular the shoulders and hips were a little on the baggy side, so she discarded the idea that this was some sort of set up that had been planned ahead of time. It couldn’t be for Firuzeh, the other girl was much taller than Char Char.

As she put on the jacket, she noticed several spots of red on her arms that were sore to touch. She felt intuitively that she was still infected by the Devileyes. It was something like a gut feeling, a sixth sense that she now had access to.

The wound on her arm from the wolf bite had somehow healed over, but was still tender. Jagged scars were carved into the skin that looked like they were there to stay.

The uniform was starchy and sharply pressed. When she finished putting it on she looked at her reflection in the window. Her hair, which she usually kept tied up, now hung loose past her shoulders. Staring back at her reflection it felt like she was looking at a different person.

“Oh, it fits well.” Firuzeh said as Char Char exited the room into the corridor. “How are you feeling?”

“Worn out.” Char Char said, “I can feel the Devileyes beneath my skin, it feels like there are tiny roots curling through my veins.”

“With rest your body should fight it off.” Firuzeh said.

Char Char nodded, then paused as she thought of how to phrase the question she had thought of asking. “Um, earlier you said something about a pathway. What did you mean by that?”

Firuzeh led Char Char back to Goro’s large office with the sofas. “The pathway describes the specific attributes and powers of an Exalted. It’s kind of like a specialization. Right now you are on the first stage of the path called Candidate. As you progress in strength you can advance further to other levels on the path. Each rank has its own catalyst that must be ingested.”

“What’s your pathway?” Char Char asked.

“Aren’t you more curious about your own path?” Firuzeh grinned, opening the door.

“Then what’s my pathway?”

“Rebel.” A deep voice came from inside the room.

The pair stepped in to see Goro sitting behind his desk on his massive chair.

“Rebel...” Char Char frowned. For a good girl that followed the rules, went to a prestigious boarding school and listened to her elders, she didn’t think the name of the pathway suited her much at all.

“The Domain of Chaos is about freedom and expression.” Goro said, gesturing for Char Char to sit back on the couch. “And the Rebel pathway embodies that most of all.”

“How?” Char Char asked.

“That is for you to discover.” Goro said. “Your body has only just begun to change. As you digest the catalyst over time you will better come to understand the essence of your path.”

“Where’s Kai?” Firuzeh asked, looking around.

“Scouting.” Goro said, “The threat has been taken care of and the city seems to be calming down. I’ve sent Kai to see if we can discover what the source of the danger was.”

“As for you, Char Char, I wish you a speedy recovery.” Goro said, intertwining his fingers on the desk in front of him. “Perhaps I needn’t say this, but it would be best if you kept your new powers a secret. Being an unofficial Exalted can get you in trouble if you catch the attention of the wrong people. I will teach you and help you develop your abilities, but for now be very careful about how and when you use them.”

~

When Char Char had somewhat recovered, she decided that it would be best if she head home. To be honest, she was dreading the scene when she showed up at the manor. After all, she’d already run out into the woods the night previous, and then she’d disappeared for the entire day without letting anyone know where she was going.

At the very least, she had to let her grandfather know she was okay.

With Kai still out, Goro assigned Firuzeh to watch over Char Char on her way home. It was past midnight as the two walked out onto the street.

“Goro told me to tell you that you can come visit the office in a few days, after you recover. If you run into any trouble or your infection gets worse, come sooner.” Firuzeh said. “Your health is the most important.”

“Alright.” Char Char nodded.

The tall, thin girl was wearing a long military-style coat over her dress. It was black with gold trimmings and buttons, and bore an embroidered red lion on its left breast.

“Do you... Do you like working for this company?” Char Char asked.

“I wonder...” Firuzeh said, looking off into the distance, “The pay is good. The work is honest. It’s mostly extremely boring, with spurts of panic and life threatening danger.”

Char Char nodded, not knowing how to follow up with the conversation. Normally, she’d be asking excitedly to hear stories about the ‘life threatening danger’, but after the events of the evening she was just feeling worn out and tired.

They walked across the city without any major incidents. Like Goro said, the danger seemed to have passed. Policemen patrolled the streets, helping people and blocking off areas that had been overtaken by vines. They were stopped several times to answer brief questions, but were quickly allowed on their way.

When they finally reached the gas lit streets close to Whitehare Crescent, Char Char’s spirits lifted a little. This area did not seem affected at all. There were no signs of turmoil or unnatural growths of vines.

As they walked up the hill, Firuzeh suddenly asked, “About earlier tonight-“

“Yes?”

“How do I say this... Do you know if you have a someone watching over you? Whether it’s a person, or a spirit...”

Char Char’s eyebrows knit in confusion as she shook her head, “No... Not that I know of. Why do you ask?”

“Just before we saved you, Kai and I had a vision of you. It told us to save you, and showed us where you were.”

“R..really?” Char Char was surprised, but she suddenly recalled the mysterious voice that she had heard. “Actually- now that you mention it, I did hear a voice telling me not to approach the theatre... That I would die if I went.”

Firuzeh frowned as she said, “And you don’t know who or what this voice was?”

Char Char shook her head. “If it told you to save me, then maybe it was like a guardian angel or something... If such a thing exists...”

The Zhao manor came into sight as Firuzeh contemplated quietly. After some deliberation she said, “In the world of mysticism, evil spirits and beings are plentiful. One must be extremely careful not to cross paths with unknown entities. They might appear benevolent, and provide assistance, only to turn on you later.”

“Be very wary of this voice. If you hear it again let me know.” Firuzeh said, “If it’s within my power I will protect you.”

Char Char smiled and nodded, “Thank you, I will.”

Firuzeh fell silent as they approached the doors, giving Char Char a look to indicate that the time for talking about such matters was over for now. As they walked down the path, she mulled over the strange voice that had spoken to her. The hazy image of a woman in white lingered at the edge of her imagination.

Just as they reached the doors a thought lit up in Char Char’s mind as she realized who the voice belonged to!