---

Dexter was lying in a drunken stupor against the wall of a dark alley when a blade suddenly appeared in front of him, just inches from his nose. His eyes opened wide as he watched it slice upwards, seeming to cut through the very fabric of reality as it went. Bright light spilled through the rift as the blade withdrew. A shadow in the middle of the rift resolved itself into two delicate, gloved hands, which grasped the sides of the rift and pulled them apart like paper. He was blinded by the light for a moment, but it was mercifully blocked by the body of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen as she walked through it.

She didn't seem to notice him, as she turned and pulled the rift back together again. It disappeared without a trace, leaving them both in darkness. Only, it wasn't as dark as it had been, as this beautiful creature seemed to glow from within, softly illuminating the alley around her. As his eyes adjusted to the light he saw that she was wearing thigh high white boots with a metallic sheen to them. Her arms were encased in satiny white gloves with the same look to them, from her hands to halfway up her upper arms. She wore a short skirt made from the same material, which seemed to be made up of many overlapping sections, like the petals of a flower. Her top was also the same material, but only covered her to the top of her breasts in front, and sloped down sharply in back, leaving most of her upper body bare.

One hand rested lightly on her delicate silver chain belt, her fingers touching but not grasping one of a pair of silver wands that were threaded through it, as she glanced around the dank alley where she'd appeared. Her long satiny white hair flowed around her like a cloak, reaching all the way down to her knees. There was no sign of the blade, or anywhere where she could be hiding it. She didn't seem to notice Dexter lying there as she delicately stepped over an overturned garbage can and glided out of the alley and out of his sight.

Dexter shook his head to clear it and thought, When you start hallucinating, that's when it's time to stop drinking!
 

---

 
The woman in white stepped out of the alley and looked around herself curiously. It seems just like my world was, not so long ago. she thought. Now, where is that traveler I've sensed? She seemed to catch some sense of what she was looking for, and followed it at a brisk pace. There were few people about at this time of night, but the ones she encountered didn't even glance at her as they walked by.

She looked around with interest at everything around her as she went, comparing it to what she had known. She stopped to look at a newspaper and was amused to see that the name of the president was even the same as it was then. As she followed her senses they took her farther away from the commercial area of the town and into the residential area. Soon she found herself at an apartment complex, not so different from one where she had once lived.

Almost immediately upon entering the complex she became aware of the presence of several magical beings, and one Null. She was surprised to find a Null among these first awakened people. She also noticed that someone was watching them. She'd intended to introduce herself to the traveler, but she decided to investigate this watcher, first.

Deciding to keep a low profile lest she be detected, she swapped her clothes with something that would fit in a little better. The long black skirt and black velvet top were quite comfortable, and she simply changed the color of her boots to black. That taken care of, she stealthily entered his apartment, careful to use only her telepathic abilities to hide herself from him lest the traveler detect her. He was on the balcony, adjusting a camera that was pointed at the traveler's apartment.

This will give me a perfect opportunity to observe this traveler, and see what kind of person they are. she thought as she watched the video feed on his computer. However, his cameras couldn't see much inside the apartments, and it soon became evident that he was watching someone who was shadowing the traveler more than he was watching the traveler, herself. With a quick touch to his mind she realized that he was likely to cause this traveler a great deal of trouble if he continued as he was.

Perhaps I should provide a distraction for him, while I do a more in depth investigation of this traveler. she thought. But I'll need an audience for that, so I think I'll wait until morning. I haven't slept in a while anyway. With that she left the apartment and found a park nearby. Changing back to the clothes she wore when she arrived, she climbed up a tree and made herself comfortable, making sure her stealth ward would keep anyone from noticing her while she slept.

In the morning she made her way back to the area where she arrived, as it was a busy business district and would provide plenty of witnesses for her 'distraction'. Hmm, what to do? It should be flashy, but not too flashy. Don't want the entire world to know about magic all at once, after all. Maybe a super strong guy doing some damage would do. she thought. She spotted a large SUV sitting across the street from a bank.

I'll use illusion for this, I don't want to take a male form again. she thought as she formed an illusory man, big and muscular enough that some would be able to fool themselves that he was just hyped up on steroids or something. She directed this illusion to walk up to the SUV. She made the illusion solid and had it pick up the car and throw it at the bank. She realized she might have overdone it, when the SUV smashed right through the bank wall and landed inside on its side.

Oh well, what's done is done. she thought as she had her illusion knock down a couple of streetlights and then run away. Once it was out of sight of everyone she simply let the illusion fade away.

After that she returned to the apartment building to see how this affected the watcher, or if it did at all. Sure enough, he was called in to investigate it and spent all day running around trying to figure out what happened, and who did it. She kept a magical eye on him and went back to observe the traveler. She was disturbed to see that she'd been abused as a child, and was transsexual until her magical transformation. Just what this world needs, a mentally disturbed person with more power than everyone else on the planet combined! I'd better watch her closely, I don't want to leave this world with a woman who can take over the entire world at her whim once she's fully developed her powers. she thought.

While she could understand where the traveler was coming from, she was not happy to see her transform her father into a teenage girl. I think your watcher needs another distraction tomorrow so I can find out what kind of person you really are. It's too bad I can't just look in your mind, but your shields are too strong to do that without alerting you to what I'm doing. she thought as she went back to the park to wait for the next day.

At dawn she was up again, touring Main Street. Does every city have a Main Street? she mused as she looked around for ideas for her next distraction. That's when she saw the woman in a wheel chair. A quick look confirmed that this world's medical technology was insufficient to repair her body.

Hmm, a healing angel sounds like the sort of thing that would attract plenty of attention. And there are security cameras all over this street, so the watcher will have plenty of evidence to keep him occupied. she thought as she grew wings from her back and clothed herself in a white robe as angels were often depicted to wear. Flying up into the air she removed her invisibility enchantment and flew down to the wheel chair bound woman.

The woman gasped when she landed next to her, and again as she laid her hands on her and healed her body. With a smile she launched herself into the air and flew away. After a short flight she resumed her invisibility and landed, reabsorbing her wings upon landing. That should get his attention! she thought in satisfaction as she headed back to the traveler's apartment.

She knew the mutated imp would detect her if she didn't cloak her magic, and her mind, very carefully, so she took her time getting there while she layered spells upon herself that would make it seem as if she wasn't there to all senses, even magical and psychic ones. Once she was sure nobody could detect her, she made her way inside the traveler's apartment.

She stayed glued to the traveler's side throughout her day, carefully observing everything she said and did. She was clearly worried about her father, which she found comforting. She also had a soul bond with her lover, the Null ironically enough, and their behavior was also reassuring. She has learned only a few 'tricks' so far, she's still quite a ways from achieving her potential. And she has good friends and her soul mate to keep her balanced. I think her watcher is the biggest problem this girl has at this point. I think I'll turn my attention to him, for now, and see what I can do to make things easier for her. she thought as she reviewed what she'd seen of her over the day.

---

 
To Be Continued…
 

---

« Venus Cursed! - Chapter 90 »