Last time on "The Lokian Way":

Mercy grew desperate to find a way to become a boy again. The reason was something most girls dread: her period. Mercy dealt with it in one of the worst ways possible. By using magic in an attempt to suppress it.

Cornered by Victoria Mercy had leashed out against her. But, in the end, Victoria's determination broke through to Mercy and managed to pull her off from a path of self-destruction.

But not all was well in the end. Mercy might have ruined her mentoring deal with Mavis, who just had shared a story of her past with Mercy.

At last was the harrowing sight at Mitch's house. He and his sister had been missing for days now and finding fresh bullet holes made Mercy and Victoria think the worst.

***** Thursday *****

"I am sure they will be alright," Victoria said to calm down Mercy.

Both were standing on the wide stairs leading to the front entrance of the school. Mercy was stressing out over the fact that both had visited the house of Mitch Jenkins the day before. Just to find it taped off by the police and the messy remains of the impact from a shotgun blast in wood.

"There were freakin' bullet holes," Mercy shot back.

"Shotgun," Victoria corrected. "Just one impact. No blood. They will be fine. What are you looking at?

The last question was needed as Mercy suddenly appeared distracted.

"I think I saw Melanie."

"Who?" Victoria asked.

Mercy grabbed Victoria to chase together after the girl she saw. "Melanie. Mitch's sister."

"See? All good. Would they send them back to school so soon after something happened to them?"

"My parents send me back two days after an obscure aspect of magic turned me from boy to girl," Mercy countered.

"Okay, you've got a point ..."

"There!" Mercy exclaimed and pointed. Just in the moment as two girls entered the principal's office.

"Who was the older girl?" Victoria wanted to know.

"I have no clue," Mercy admitted. "Don't think I have ever seen her around school before."

"Me neither," Victoria agreed. Then she pulled Mercy to the side. "Well, unless you want to burst into the principal's office just to satisfy your curiosity, you are free for other things, right?"

"Well, we have classes in a few minutes," Mercy reminded her. "This sounds a little like Miss prim and proper want us to ditch classes. Though now that I think about it. You haven't been very prim and proper lately."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "Of course I am. Just not in my free time. And I do not want to ditch classes. I wanted to show you something." She pulled out a small leather-bound book out of her bag.

"The book Mavis gave you?" Mercy asked. "Did it do the trick? Make you immune to tinkering with your mind."

"What? No, not yet," Victoria admitted. "Here. Look. The whole book is written by hand. See?"

"Yeah. So it's unique? Who wrote it? Mavis?"

"That is the freaky part," Victoria said while paging towards the front of the book. Just to show it to Mercy.

"Wait. Loki wrote it? The Loki?" Mercy asked baffled.

"Do you know any other Loki?" Victoria asked back. "And Mavis admitted she knew him."

"To be honest I thought she made the story up. You know. Invent a good story to get me to listen to her."

"Apparently, it might be true. So my theory that Mavis and Loki had been a couple is still possible. Why else would she have something from Loki after all these years?"

"Really?" Mercy asked. Doubt tinted her voice. "You know the way she talked she might not having been a woman at all when she met Loki."

"Maybe the first thing Loki did when he learned the body changing spell was to change into a woman. Maybe that's how they were a couple then? And don't forget, we know nothing about their sexuality. If they like men or women or both. Just imagine a romance between them with constantly changing genders on both parts and ..."

"Mavis is Loki!" Mercy proclaimed.

"What?" Victoria asked shocked.

"Ha. You should see your face. I mean it is possible, right? Who says it isn't so?"

"You just saying it to break my theory," Victoria accused her.

"Yep," Mercy admitted.

"Besides," Victoria mused. "If Loki is still alive why hide all these years. I mean when was Loki last spotted? A century ago? And why would he hide in a small town like this one?"

"To raise his next prodigy!" Mercy half shouted and earned a few glances from other students who passed by.

"Sure," Victoria deadpanned. "And I am the legendary sorceress Freyja who's beauty is unrivaled to this day."

"Okay. Okay," Mercy admitted. "Mavis being Loki is a long shot. As is Mavis and Loki being lovers. So that's it? You showed me the book just to speculate about Mavis love life?"

"What? No! I am not some girl who watches desperate sorceresses of northern past. It is about the book itself. I need a favor."

"Sure," Mercy agreed. "What do you need?"

"Don't be so quick to accept. This favor might reveal your spells to the school."

Mercy fell silent for a moment but eventually nodded. "Soon or later they may find out anyway. Besides. After last Tuesday I think I owe you all the favors in the world."

"Yeah. About that. Latex mermaid. Pretty cool idea. If you get the choice. Which I didn't."

Mercy cringed as if being slapped. "I am really sorry about that one."

"Water under the bridge," Victoria replied. "Okay. If you are in then here what you need to do. The book states that in order to develop a resistance to mind alteration one has to be exposed to it. I mean there are exercises and stuff in there, but this is a vital part. So I need you to change clothes on me. Not subtle. Things I can notice if I think about it. Stuff that defies logic. So no changing the color of my socks or lame stuff like that..."

"I got it," Mercy said with a nod.

Just then the bell rang for the five-minute warning that classes were about to start.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Just make sure you run into me between classes."

"Will do. Now off to classes," Victoria said. Then confusion showed on her face. "Well. Locker for me first. Why did I wear a sweater to school anyway? Winter was months ago."

"Oh and keep an eye open for Melanie or Mitch," Mercy reminded her.

"Sure."

Then they hurried off in opposite directions.

*****

"Someone is looking grumpy," Victoria noted as she joined Brian and Mercy at their usual lunch table.

"I saw her two times," Mercy grumbled.

"Who?" Victoria asked while shrugging out of a cardigan and stashing it in her bag.

"Melanie," Mercy replied. "Always gets pulled aside by that other girl before I can catch up to her."

"Soon or later you will catch her," Victoria said while pulling a scarf off herself. "When the time is right."

"Do you have anything more productive to add?" Mercy asked Brian. "Brian!" she repeated as he ignored her.

"Yes? What?" he asked confused looking up from his smartphone.

"What's so interesting that you ignore Mercy's personal end of the world drama?" Victoria teased.

"The actual end of the world?" he shot back.

"What?" Victoria snatched Brian's phone out of his hands before he could react. "Let's see. The headline is this: Seer mages of Delphi making a new prophecy." She looked to Mercy. "Sounds serious," she added in a mocking tone.

"Can I get my phone back now?" asked an irritated Brian.

"Hey. If the world is going to end I wanna know about it," Victoria shot back.

"Let me see," Mercy said and together they read the prophecy.

The age of ignorance will end as what was promised will blossom.
So the seed will reveal the harbinger to be.
Mankind will know its own as it's mirror is revealed.

"That doesn't sound very doomsday-ish," Victoria commented.

"Mercy?" Brian asked as he saw Mercy growing pale in the face. "Everything alright? Does this mean something to you?"

"The prophecy no. But the article below sounds more like doomsday to me," Mercy said while her eyes darted around between her both friends. "Listen to this: Yesterday at around five a highway robbery took place. The robbers took the whole truck with all its contents. Apparently said content is secret, but sources of the reporter claim it was a trickster magic collection run. A full tank of trickster magic to be transferred to a neutralization facility."

"Why would anyone steal trickster magic?" Brian asked.

"Well. Remember how I become a trickster mage?" Mercy asked. "They told me that a part of a tank had to be vented in an emergency. Part of one. Imagine what a whole tank could do!"

"You think someone stole it to become a trickster mage?" Brian asked. "I don't think someone would be crazy enough. Unless... Victoria. Did you steal a truck full of trickster magic?"

"Oh no. Not me. No offense Mercy, but being a trickster mage sounds like a lot of work," Victoria hastened to reply. "Besides. All these compulsory pranks sound tedious."

"Oh, it's not so bad today," Mercy added with a grin.

"Why? Because you keep putting me into sweaters?" Victoria asked while shrugging out of another one.

"So you figured it out," Mercy remarked with a slight smile.

"Well. The first was strange, but I remembered wearing it to school. So did I remember the next three. But it is obvious when they pile up in my locker or now in my bag. So yeah. Sweater and cardigans are out. As are scarfs," Victoria said while pulling yet another one from her neck.

"Did you do something to make Mercy angry?" Brian joked.

"Believe it or not she asked me too," Mercy stated.

Not trusting a word out of Mercy's mouth Brian looked at Victoria.

"It's true. Supposed to help me learn to resist mind alteration via magic."

"To expose yourself to a bunch of it?" Brian asked.

"Well, I got this book from Loki's lover..."

"She got it from Mavis. My mentor," Mercy corrected her. "And I doubt she is Loki's lover."

"Fine. Ex-lover," amended Victoria and earned herself rolling eyes from Mercy. "Speaking of 'ex-'. Are you sure she is still your mentor? She looked pretty pissed."

"Yeah. Maybe I should go and apologize," Mercy admitted.

"Maybe? Look you ... What now?" Victoria asked as Mercy's eyes wandered elsewhere.

"Melanie!" Mercy said while pushing herself up from the table. "Please put my tray away. Thanks."

And just like that Mercy was gone.

"So. On another note," Brian started. "The plans for the weekend are still on?"

"Sure," Victoria agreed. "Unless I have to fix another Mercy emergency..."

*****

"Stop giving her the stare," Victoria hissed to Mercy while they were supposed to be drawing in art class. "She looks like a frightened deer spotting a huntsman."

"She is the key," Mercy whispered back. "Whenever I get close to Melanie she is pulling her out of my reach."

"Well done Michelle," the art-teacher beamed. "Everyone. Take a look."

Eager to spy on her enemy, Mercy got up to take a peek. Only to got her eyes riveted to Michelle's drawing. It was a pretty good rendition of the bowl of fruit they were supposed to draw. Yet something irked Mercy. Somewhere she had seen the drawing style before.

The sound of the school's bell made Mercy look up. This small moment was enough for Michelle to vanish from the classroom. Mercy cursed under her breath as she saw her supposed enemy duck out into the hallway.

"Someone is popular with the ladies," Victoria teased from behind.

"Very funny," Mercy said in resignation as she picked up her stuff.

***** Friday *****

"Mercy!"

"Yes! What?"

"I dare you to repeat anything I just said," Victoria challenged her.

Both stood on the wide staircase that led to the school. Mercy's head had been practically been on a swivel. Trying to peer in all directions at once.

"Something about ..."

"The favor. You know? The one I asked you about."

"Oh, right. What about it?"

"Did you come up with something new?" Victoria asked.

"Not yet. Let me think."

Mercy gave her friend a critical once over. Victoria was wearing a pretty standard outfit. Polo shirt and a skirt. Socks and trainers. Not to forget her buttplug. For a moment Mercy thought about doing something with Victoria's favorite secret, but then again changing her plugs had been become a stable of Mercy's too. Her head slightly turned to the side as she narrowed in on the skirt. It looked a little limp. Maybe Mercy could change that.

"Got something," Mercy proclaimed proudly.

"Good. Ah. There is Brian coming."

"And there is Melanie and whats-her-name?"

"Michelle," Victoria reminded her.

But it was in vain. Mercy already stalking away.

"Where is she off to again?" Brian asked Victoria as he arrived.

"Hunting Melanie again."

"You know. I think I figured something out. Based on what you told me I bet you five bucks that ..."

*****

Mercy was snickering when she spotted Victoria heading for their table at lunch break. Alerted by her, Brian turned around just to chuckle too.

"What?" Victoria asked her friends.

"Why is your skirt so puffy?" Brian eventually asked after his amusement settled down.

"A few underskirts," Victoria remarked as she put her tray down. However, sitting down proved to be more challenging, as the volume of the underskirts interfered quite a bit.

"A few?" Brian asked. "Looks more like a dozen."

"Don't be ridiculous," Victoria huffed. "Only five."

"How many?" Mercy asked.

"Still distracted by your hunt?" Victoria asked. "I just told you. Six. It's just a test. You know. Get a feeling and judge the look of wearing seven underskirts at once."

"Didn't you just say six?" Brian asked.

"What?" Victoria asked perplexed. "I just said eight. You both deaf today?"

Brian gave Mercy a small knowing grin. "Oh, now I get it."

"Anyway. Mercy. I think I spot your chance to finally interrogate Melanie," Victoria said to distract the other two.

"And why is that?" Mercy asked.

"Because she is coming over. Pushing her friend," Victoria smugly replied.

True to her word Melanie was indeed pushing Michelle in their direction.

"I don't want to." They heard from Michelle as they came closer.

"I have enough of your game of hiding!" Melanie half shouted.

Soon both stood before Mercy, Victoria, and Brian. There was an awkward silence. One only to be broken by Melanie who elbowed her friend in the rips.

"Fine!" Michelle gave in. "Hi. I am Michelle. This is Melanie. We met at a women's shelter. Mitch is fine. He and Melanie had trouble at home and..."

Melanie stomped on Michelle's foot to make her shut up. "Michelle is Mitch," the younger girl revealed.

Another awkward silence settled over the group. This time it was broken by Victoria who fished out a five dollar bill and pushed it to Brian. "Can't believe you were right," she muttered to him.

"You bet on me?" Michelle asked in shock.

"Nevermind that," Mercy interrupted. "You are really Mitch? What happened? Why did you avoid me?"

"Shhh!" Michelle said to quiet her down. "Not here. We could be overheard. Let's eat outside, okay?"

"Fine," Mercy agreed. "Let's."

Mercy and Brian pushed up, but Victoria had more trouble. "Wait! I think I am stuck. Why the hell did I think wearing nine underskirts was a good idea?"

With some help, they got Victoria up and about. Then they looked for a secluded spot outside.

"Now spill," Mercy commanded as they had settled down.

"And start from the beginning," Victoria added. "Oh. Make it juicy."

"The beginning? You mean the day Mercy made me a crossdresser?" Michelle shot back with a pout.

"A crossdresser? How did that happen?" Victoria hastened to ask.

"Was that her first day back at school?" Brian asked more patiently. "The day she changed your boxers to panties?"

"Yes!" Michelle hissed and looked accusing at Mercy.

"T-to be fair I asked you if you want it to be undone," Mercy defended herself.

"Yes, you did. And I declined" Michelle admitted and her anger visibly deflated before their eyes.

Victoria's chuckling made her the focus of the group's attention. "Oh Mercy," she said between her bouts of laughter. "You really should keep your hands off of other people's underwear. Have you learned nothing from the cheerleader debacle?"

"That was before the cheerleader thing!" Mercy exclaimed.

"What did she do?" Melanie asked.

"Mercy made them all gay," Brian stated in a somber matter of fact voice.

"Wait. That was you?" Melanie exclaimed.

"Yes. I am to blame. But please keep that a secret," Mercy admitted. "Now stop avoiding the elephant in the room..."

"We are not in a room," Victoria interjected.

"... and tell me what happened. I was worried about you two," Mercy finished. Then she pointed at Victoria. "I was with her at your house. There were police tape and freakin' bullet holes!"

"Oh yeah. That is ... complicated," Michelle volunteered.

"I listened to your advice," Melanie took over. "Had a nice chat with Mitch. We sort of came to an agreement. I try to tolerate his cross-dressing and he keeps the bullying away."

"I already had stopped," Michelle added.

"Anyway," Melanie continued. "Mitch was showing me his designs when our father was coming home."

"And he caught you with the drawings?" Mercy asked.

"Not at first," Michelle admitted.

"You see our father wasn't doing so well. Financially," Melanie said while looking embarrassed.

"He just had learned that the bank is foreclosing our house. That's when he saw my drawing block," Michelle explained.

"I tried to say it was mine, but he didn't believe me," Melanie said.

"He was about to hit her. I knew it. So I punched him," Michelle admitted. "Still can't quite believe that myself. I always feared my father's temper. Especially when he was drunk."

"When he ran for the garage we knew it was to get his shotgun," Melanie added. "We knew we were in trouble so we ran."

"The bullet hole..." Mercy whispered.

"He nearly hit me when we stormed out the door," Michelle explained. "And then we ran like hell. We didn't know where to go and had no phone on us. We hardly knew anyone around. But then I remembered how angry my father had been about you, Mercy. About a trickster mage at school. I realized that it was because my father was scared. Of trickster magic!"

"And I know where the self-help center of the lokian way was," Melanie added proudly.

"It was Saturday. I knew it was a long shot, but I hoped you would be there," Michelle said with a nod towards Mercy.

"Instead there was this girl. Mavis," Melanie said.

"More like an old crone," Victoria added.

"She took one look at us and then at our father who was about to storm into the center," Michelle took over again. "She did something. Not sure what, but when our father came in he didn't see us. Didn't even hear us. Mavis freaking called the police right in front of his face and he didn't react at all."

"Illusions maybe?" Victoria asked.

"Must be," Melanie agreed. "Because when he was about to leave the door was gone. There was only a smooth wall."

"Then he started to shoot around randomly and Mavis dragged us into her office," Michelle continued. "Thankfully he ran out of shots fast and just then the police arrived. He was taken into custody and we were safe."

"Of course Mavis asked us some pointed question," Melanie said. "Why we came there and so on."

"Told her I know you," Michelle said to Mercy and a hint of anger snuck itself into her voice again. "That's when she told us what you did to me."

"I am sorry, okay? I didn't mean to. I was made a trickster mage not two days prior. I didn't know how much I could do. I am sorry," Mercy pleaded.

"Mavis said the same," Michelle volunteered in a more emphatic voice.

"But how did Mavis know? I didn't tell her about you," Mercy mused.

"She did some spell I think," Melanie said. "She said she had run into trouble with mages who use mind magic before. So she researched it. She could exactly tell how you changed him."

"Speaking of him," Victoria interrupted. "Why are you a girl now?"

"Well there was this thing that we had no place to stay," Michelle started. "There was a women's shelter for Melanie, but it would mean we would have to split up for now. So Mavis offered to change me into a girl. Which I accepted."

"Because now you can wear as much girly underwear as you like," Melanie teased.

"T-that is not true!" Michelle protested. "Well, maybe a little."

"And what now? Where will you stay?" Mercy asked.

"The shelter for now. Long term we have no clue," Melanie admitted.

"And all of this is my fault," Mercy said with tears starting to form in her eyes. "Without me, none of this would have happened."

"Maybe part of it," Michelle agreed. "But unless you had a hand in the bank foreclosing our home, then we would still be homeless without you."

"Still. I am willing to do anything to make this right!" Mercy begged.

"Anything?" Michelle asked.

"How about some clothes?" Melanie asked. "Michelle currently only has some ill-fitting clothes from donations and a trip to a second-hand shop."

"Sure. Yes," Mercy agreed in a heartbeat.

"Well, we can't carry much now," Melanie mused.

"We can do it after school if you like," Mercy offered.

"Can't," Michelle shot her down. "We have a meeting with a social worker. Tomorrow the bank lets us get stuff out of the house. Private things you know. Not sure how much we can take with us yet."

"How about Sunday?" Mercy inquired. "I really wanna make this right. Whatever you need."

Melanie and Michelle nodded. So Mercy wrote down her address and time for them to meet.

"You know I would donate some clothes," Victoria added. "But all I can offer in the moment are some sweaters in my locker and a bunch of underskirts."

"How many are you even wearing?" Melanie asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Just eleven. So I am short one too..." Victoria broke up for a moment as she looked confused. "Where was I? Oh, yeah. A clean dozen. Damn, they are unwieldy. This was a bad idea. Mercy can you get rid of some?"

"Yeah," Brian agreed. "Clean up your mess."

"What do you mean?" Victoria asked. Just to open her eyes wide in realization. "The favor! You are adding underskirts. With how many did I start with?"

"None," Mercy admitted smugly.

"You are doing it on purpose?" Melanie asked. "That is horrible. What did she do to deserve you playing around with her like that?"

Mercy was stammering a reply while Victoria was lost in a fit of laughter. It was Brian who solved the puzzlement of Michelle and Melanie. "Victoria asked her to. As a favor for some stupid reason."

"Not stupid," Victoria cut him off. "One day this will help me be immune to mind alteration. You know. Preferably before Mercy makes me gay or a crossdresser by accident..."

"But!" Mercy started to protest.

"Hush you," Victoria hissed. "Not another word."

"Fine," Mercy grumbled in agreement.

"Well, this was an entertaining lunch break," Victoria admitted. "But I gotta go strip off some underskirts before next class."

"Need to head off to class too," Brian threw in.

And just like that their little group dissolved. Leaving Mercy alone and to ponder what to do next.

*****

"So. Are you free this weekend?" Victoria asked Mercy after school. "My parents are gone till Sunday."

"So you want to do naughty stuff again?" Mercy asked nervously.

"That or train my super awesome mind in resisting foul magic," Victoria agreed.

"I can't," Mercy admitted while letting her head hang. "I want to try a new approach to my spells based on Mavis suggestion, but..."

"So you did listen to her," Victoria said with a smirk. "Well, if you can come over I'll help you."

"The thing is. If the whole debacle with Mitch or now Michelle has taught me anything then that I have to come clean to one other person. And I fear I might be grounded for weeks then."

"Sucks to be you then," Victoria replied with a shrug.

"If anything changes, then I'll call."

"You do that."

They said their goodbyes and Mercy walked away. As Mercy was out of sight Victoria fished for her phone to send a short text message.

#Mercy isn't coming. Looks like it is just us two again.#

*****

Mercy nervously paced the living room till she heard the sound of keys in the door lock. Dreading what was to come, Mercy walked to the door to greet her mother.

"Mom, we need to talk," Mercy started without much preamble.

"What about?"

"Kind of a long story..."

"Then how about we brew us a cup of tea and you tell me all about it?"

A few minutes later both sat in the kitchen. Mercy stared down at her slowly cooling cup of tea.

"So?" her mother asked.

"Do you remember the day the principal asked us into his office?"

"About those accusations that you made this boy crossdress?"

"Yes. I was so proud how you defended me."

"Well, you were innocent."

"The thing is... I found out that it was me. I did that. At the moment I hadn't known, but it really had been me. And it started a whole avalanche of events that ..."

"Calm down," Mercy's mother gently said as tears started to dwell in Mercy's eyes. "Tell me from the beginning."

A half-hour later Mercy finished her tale.

"So are there any other unintended consequences I should know about?"

"Well," Mercy said while avoiding her Mother's eyes. "About those shoes you like. The ones with a heel. They had been flats."

"I see. You changed them and now I remember them differently. As something, I can tolerate. I guess that isn't too bad. Sometimes on social gatherings, it is expected to wear heels. Even modest ones. Having one pair I like is kind of good. Anything else?"

Mercy cringed as there was another little thing she had to admit. "I made the whole cheerleader squad gay."

"Mercy!"

"I didn't mean to! They were bullying that one girl I knew who is a lesbian and I tried to get them off her back.

"Can it be undone?"

"Maybe. Victoria said I shouldn't try."

"Why not? How would you?"

"Well, I did change them by accident by placing slogans on their panties. So all I did would be to change them to say things like: I totally like dicks!"

"Mercy! Language!"

"Sorry."

"Well," Mercy's Mother mused. "That might work too well. Wording like that could make them ... Well. Nymphomaniac."

"Oh. I haven't thought about that."

"Sounds like your biggest mistakes happen when you don't think about the consequences first."

"I try to be better. I swear."

"Good."

"Am I grounded now?"

"Would that make you feel better?"

"Sort off," Mercy admitted.

"Then no," her mother replied with a smug grin. "Punishments aren't to make you feel better. They are there to firm up lessons learned. You did learn your lesson, right?"

"Yes!"

"Good. Then go do homework. I'll talk with your father about something fitting as penance for you."

"Okay," Mercy agreed. She was halfway out of the room when she stopped for a moment. "Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Thanks."

"Anytime," her mother said with a gentle smile.