The four companions used a portal directly to Elvaria, rather than bother with another lengthy sea voyage. Justaria had agreed to return the chartered Dolphin ship back to Kingsville harbour and collect her horse from the stables there before going to do something about the damage to her home. Cat had promised to help with repairs when she was free.
As they entered the crypt, there on the northernmost tip of the Elvarian Peninsula, Dreya and Mandalee were suitably awed by the interior of Michael’s Tomb, which would soon become Daelen’s Tomb, instead. Catriona felt a little guilty about leaving her late friend’s body more-or-less where he fell for so long. From a purely Tempestrian point of view, it had only been a couple of days, but with all the Time manipulation and the different time flow rate on Earth, it had been a lot longer for her. Still, from a practical point of view, she stood by her decision to focus on the living first.
As the druidess looked around at her surroundings, she was no less impressed than the others, just because it was her second visit.
Michael paused for a moment at the foot of the stairs.
“What’s wrong?” Cat asked him.
“Oh, nothing, my dear, nothing,” he assured her, patting her hand, affectionately. “It just occurred to me that I’ve never actually walked in the front door like this before. Every other time, I’ve been dead, carried in Daelen’s arms. Next time, I will be carrying Daelen,” he added, sadly. “You seem to have turned the world upside down, young lady, and I think that’s a good thing, despite the cost.”
Cat put a sympathetic arm around him – or at least as far as she could reach, given his generous frame – as they climbed the steps towards ‘The Tower of Dreams’. She supposed the lower chamber, ‘The Wishing Well’, was now empty, but she had more restraint than to look, lest she trigger some additional security.
At last, they reached the top and entered through the door into the chamber that contained the Regeneration Casket and related technology.
Once inside, Michael did a ‘thorough diagnostic on all systems’ to make sure everything was working right. As soon as he confirmed all was well, Catriona once again gently reminded Mandalee that this did require her to be naked.
As she undressed, Michael turned his back to focus on the information on the screens, promising he would not look any more than was necessary. Mandalee would have been lying if she claimed she wasn’t a bit nervous and uncomfortable, but if her friend told her this was essential to what they were trying to do for her, then she would swallow all that.
*****
At this point, gentle reader, I feel compelled to clarify something: I am not a voyeur.
As I gaze through Time, some things I can see clearly, while other things are hazy, depending on privacy settings as agreed under Council rules. Then there are moments like this, which are protected with ‘Category 1 Content Filters’. That means time travellers can’t see anything at all. In effect, it’s like someone has turned off the screen, and all you’re left with is the audio. Now, in this case, this is my Aunt Mandalee I’m talking about – we’re family, and as such we’ve talked about her gender reassignment many times. Between her and Dreya, I understand the technicalities of how my mother achieved this for her friend, sealing forever what I’ve previously described as their ‘friendship for the ages’.
That is how I can write this next scene – it’s a reconstruction of events, rather than observation in the strictest sense.
*****
The first step was to create a Mirror Image copy of Mandalee’s body. This was just a facsimile of her body, not her mind, and certainly not in any sense sapient.
Next, all three Guardians used their combined Temporal powers to gaze through Time, along Mandalee’s own Timeline. Not specific events, but just a sympathic impression, the concept of her body’s development, back through childhood, a baby, a foetus. Here, knowledge from Earth helped them enormously as, through their science and technology, they had a better understanding of that process than Tempestrians yet knew. Through that knowledge, they knew there was a moment when a kind of trigger signal was sent, which led to instructions for development along the biological male line. It was like a general giving an order to his second, to be passed all the way through the command chain. To stop it, all they needed to do was stop the original order, then the army would do nothing. Together, they could conceptualise that moment. Of course, this was all within nature’s domain, so all Cat had to do with her druid magic was ask nature not to send that signal, don’t give that order. Then development would continue according to the default female settings. It was a tiny change, far too small to be seen, but it could have a profound effect on Mandalee’s Timeline. It could change practically every experience her friend had ever had.
Except, in this case, it could do no such thing, because they were only applying the changes to a Mirror Image copy.
The copy’s body changed in front of their eyes until it was unquestionably biologically female. The changes to the face were subtle, so it was still recognisable as Mandalee.
It was as if the White Guardian were looking at the almost-identical twin sister she never really had. Or, to put it another way, it was the exact image of how she saw herself when mirrors weren’t lying to her.
“I’ve done it this way partly for safety,” Cat told her, “and partly so that you can see the end result before you commit to anything. This isn’t about cosmetic changes, Mandalee, it’s about bringing out the real you. I need to know you’re going to be happy with this version of yourself. Nothing more will be done until you’re sure this is what you want.”
In truth, the moisture in her best friend’s eyes spoke volumes, but she needed absolute verbal confirmation of consent before she would take one more step.
“This is what I’ve wanted my whole life. It’s like I’ve always had this image of myself and now, for the first time, others can see it, too. What’s next?”
The next step was the very first idea she’d ever had about this: shapeshifting. She’d never shapeshifted another real person before, but she knew she could do it. The only reason she hadn’t done this for Mandalee previously was that she couldn’t make it last for more than a few hours, and it had seemed cruel to give her what she wanted so badly, only to snatch it away again. This time, the temporary nature of this magic was the whole point: It would give Mandalee a chance to feel the changes as well as see them. The opportunity to get to know what it would be like to have that body as her own.
“I have to warn you,” she cautioned, “this is going to hurt. A lot.”
“I’ve been hurting all my life, Cat. Every time I see myself, I hurt. This will end that forever, so this pain is a price I’m happy to pay.”
“Alright, just try to stay calm through this, breathe normally, and relax. Ready?”
Mandalee nodded, and Catriona began shaping her body to match that of the copy. The assassin felt like she was on fire. The only times the White Assassin had felt pain like this were when Shyleen was almost fatally wounded. Now, as then, she had to put that aside, focus on her training and not allow herself to panic. She shut her eyes against it, reassuring herself that everything was fine. The changes only took a moment, but it felt like hours before the pain faded. She’d known for years that her friend experienced pain when she shapeshifted, but she’d had no idea it was that bad. Yet she did it so freely. Her friend was truly indomitable.
Mandalee opened her eyes when Cat gently touched her arm.
“I’m done,” she announced, unnecessarily, as the assassin could feel the changes.
“Anyone got a mirror?” Mandalee requested, realising that was the first time in her life she’d ever asked that.
“Allow me,” Dreya volunteered. “Make me feel useful.” Conjuring a full-length mirror so her friend could see everything, was child’s play. It wouldn’t be strong enough to deflect one of her beam cannons like one of Catriona’s conjuring. It was just a simple mirror. “We can give you a moment to get used to your new body without us ogling you if you like,” she suggested.
Mandalee shook her head. “On the contrary, I want you to look.”
“Hey, are you making a pass at my girlfriend?” Cat demanded, indignantly, hands on hips.
Her friend laughed, “No, don’t worry. I just want Dreya’s eye for detail. I want to know if this body as perfect as I think it is.”
“Looks great from this angle,” Dreya assured her.
Michael remained fascinated by the technology directly in front of him.
Mandalee began to slowly turn around, to let the sorceress see all of her. “Feel free to keep saying things like that, Dreya.”
Meanwhile, Cat continued to pretend to be annoyed.
“So, you want my girlfriend to stare at your naked body and compliment you as she does it? I’m beginning to think this was a bad idea. I’m creating my own competition.”
“Tough!” Mandalee shot back. “I’m not backing out now. I want this to be me. Not just for an hour or two. Permanently. Please tell me you can do that.”
“We wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t,” Cat assured her. “At least, I can if Michael will actually turn around,” she added, pointedly, “because this bit’s down to him!”
Turning around, reluctantly, still trying desperately not to see what was now right in front of him, he guided Mandalee over to lay down in the Regeneration Casket, surrounded by its banks of flashing lights.
Clearing his throat, he explained, “This machine will do a deep scan of your body and store the pattern in its memory.” Mandalee felt she understood at least some of those words. Enough to get the gist, anyway. “It can’t scan Catriona’s copy; it needs to be a real body to work. Don’t be alarmed at the noises it makes, I assure you it’s harmless. Please just stay completely still, or we’ll have to do it all over again. One pass will take thirty minutes, which is a long time, I know, but unless you want to be here all day, I recommend you try and stay still. Dozing off is fine. Don’t worry, I won’t let you cook.”
Mandalee smiled and assured him that while she wasn’t the biggest fan of technology, she trusted him.
After pressing some buttons, he placed his hand on the palm sensor. In response, the machine sprang to life, buzzing with higher planar energy. Words and numbers scrolled down a screen like some kind of incantation. Cat and Dreya left the room so they wouldn’t distract her and cause her to move.
About half an hour later, Mandalee woke up with a large, bony hand gently stroking her forehead. She opened her eyes to see Ossian Miach Kaidool standing over where she lay. She refused to let herself be startled. So what if he looked like a walking corpse with horns growing out of his skull-like head? He was kind and he was helping her, that was what mattered about him.
She smiled and quipped, “Am I cooked through already?”
Michael returned the smile. “Yes, my dear, you’re all done.”
Dreya, who had returned with Cat, remarked, “You certainly look pretty tasty from where I’m standing!”
Mandalee groaned at the terrible line.
“Will you stop flirting with my best friend, please?” Cat complained, cancelling Mandalee’s copy, as it was no longer necessary.
Ignoring the banter, Michael told Mandalee what he’d done. “The scan was perfect, and I’ve stored it as the new default template.”
Mandalee shook her head. “Yeah, all I’m hearing is blah, blah, blah. Just tell me what to do next.”
Michael handed her a small box with two buttons – red and green.
“The red button completely and irrevocably erases all of your biological information from the memory banks.” Seeing Mandalee’s look of incomprehension, he rephrased that as, “It forgets everything we’ve just done.”
“Why didn’t you just say that in the first place?” Mandalee wondered. “What does the green button do?”
“The green one tells the system to analyse the stored changes and apply them to your body at a genetic level.” Mandalee got that look again, so he clarified, “It will make this body permanent.”
“See? Didn’t hurt, did it?”
“Sorry, but it’s important that you understand. Think carefully about your decision because this is a one-time-only deal. With Daelen gone, there’s no way to recharge the system with higher planar energy with his signature. I had thought there might be enough for one more go after this, but I must have miscalculated because according to the readings, there’s only enough for this one. Even purging the buffers will take energy, so you can’t cancel now and then do it later. You can take all the time you need to make the decision, but—”
He never got any further before Mandalee hit green. The technology whirred and bleeped and flashed. Information on the display screens whizzed by so fast, she wondered how anyone was supposed to make sense of it.
At last, the hum dropped in both volume and pitch, as the Regeneration Casket powered down for the last time.
It wasn’t easy to characterise the feeling. The closest thing she could think of was like a kind of tightening up. As if Catriona’s shapeshifting magic had already begun to slightly wear off, and the technology of this Regeneration Casket had put everything back where it was supposed to be in her new body.
“—But you could also ignore everything I’m saying and do that,” Michael finished.
“What?” Mandalee asked, incredulously. “Were you expecting some huge speech where I agonised over the decision? My old body sucked, this new one’s awesome – what’s to decide? Can I get up now?”
“If you like,” he replied, “but you might want to take it slowly. Here, take my hand,” he offered, but Mandalee was having none of it.
“I think you’re forgetting who you’re talking to,” she insisted, jumping up and out of the machine, dancing around, feeling the exhilaration of finally being herself. “I’m the New Improved Mandalee: White Guardian, Cleric of Nature, assassin, demon hunter extraordinaire, fantastic dancer, phenomenal kisser, terrible cook, and I have the grace and agility of—” she was going to say, ‘a cat’, but she lost her balance and fell down. “—a drunk giraffe,” she finished, having injured nothing more than her pride.
“As I was trying to tell you,” Michael sighed, patiently, helping her gently to her feet. “Your body’s different now. Your centre of gravity is different, your muscles are different. You can’t just expect everything to work like it used to. Give yourself some time, and you will be all that you were and more. Just don’t rush into it.”
Mandalee blushed and forced herself to calm down. “OK, I promise I’ll take it slow.” She couldn’t fight the smile of joy, though, as she declared, “Right, hugs all around!”
She started with Catriona.
“You finally did it,” she whispered. “So many years ago, you promised you would, and you have. I can never, ever thank you enough for this.”
Cat whispered back, “You’re my friend. If turning the world upside down is what it takes to make you happy with who you are, then clearly the world is the wrong way up, and I need to fix it. Because that’s what friends do.”
Moving on to Dreya, she maintained, “I know you helped with this, probably more than you’ll let on. Thank you.”
“Just so you know, Dreya,” Cat called out, “I’m watching where you’re putting your hands.”
“Best break the hug, Mandalee,” the sorceress advised. “Girlfriend’s getting jealous.”
Moving on to Michael, she flung herself into his arms and thanked him over and over. He clearly had no idea what to do with a naked woman pressing against his body, but he took it in good part. “Yes, well,” he flustered, clearing his throat. “Not that you don’t look amazing, but perhaps you’d like to put some clothes on now?”
Nodding, she pulled her old familiar white leather out of her travel bag. As she unfolded it, something dropped out onto the floor: her mask. She hadn’t worn it for so long, she’d almost forgotten about it. “Well, I don’t need that anymore,” she declared, emphatically.
Turning to Dreya, she asked, “Fancy giving one of your power words a workout?”
Dreya smiled. “I’ve got just the thing.” Focussing her will on the mask, she unfolded her power word, “DISINTEGRATE,” and it broke into a billion pieces that further broke into dust and vanished.
“Perfect,” Mandalee approved with a sharp nod.
*****
With that, it was time to attend to the fallen shadow warrior.
Back outside, Dreya opened a portal and maintained it while Michael stepped through to have a few moments alone with his body before returning with him cradled in his arms. At last, Michael carried his old friend inside and up the steps as Daelen had carried him so many times. He finally lay Daelen down upon the bed at the heart of the machine that was now as lifeless as its occupant.
Dreya popped out for a moment to retrieve Sara and Jessica, and then they all spent a few moments paying their last respects, before returning back down the steps of what was now Daelen’s Tomb and sealing the entrance. Then they walked through the grounds and went their separate ways, leaving the last shadow warrior to finally rest in peace.