Chapter Eight
OuroborosChapter Eight
The smell of the oak wood floor worn from years of use wafted all over the place. The sofa coverings had a homey smell, a little dusty from years of existence and soaking up the smells and life of the home. In the study the walls were filled with books on all the shelves; this was a proper old town home.
Shifting through these books in the study Alexander Bauerschaft carefully looked through the shelves to find the book he was looking for. He hadn’t taken it out to inspect or read in many years now so it took him a moment to find the exact shelf that contained a little secret compartment where it was hidden, tucked away behind the visible books of the bookcase.
Behind him gentle steps entered the room with the tiniest of high pitched clinking of silverware accompanying in rhythm with the walking.
Alexander turned around giving a sheepish smile as he looked at the entree, “I’m sorry Tzuyu I still haven’t found it. It’s been so long I can’t quite recall which shelf it's hidden in.”
Placing the tray with the tea on the table in the middle of the room, Tzuyu walked over to the shelves where Alexander was still standing, the search already giving him a hard time and draining the little energy his aging body could muster up daily. She placed her hands on his shoulder and hand pulling him away from the shelves to sit down at the table with the tea.
“It’s alright Alexander, let great grandmother Tzuyu help,” she said with the tiniest of chuckles at the whole notion. It was an unusual scenario for certain.
Alexander smiled and let himself be assisted to the couch and Tzuyu poured some tea for him, the very faintest scent of lemon wafting from the cup.
“Thank you Tzuyu. I’m certain it's one of the shelves on this wall; somewhere head height so the children could never accidentally stumble upon it. I just can’t for the life of me remember exactly which one. It has been almost, my how long, ten years? That sounds about right; ten years since I last looked at it and my memory isn’t quite what it was even ten years ago.”
“That’s alright; we have plenty of time to look for it, no rush.”
“You mentioned that you do murals for housing and public spaces? Did you get time off to come here?”
Having walked over to the shelf, Tzuyu began to systematically take books out of the shelf to look and see if there was anything hidden behind it, “I was lucky to have a pause in between two different public projects. The next one I have lined up has construction delays so I can’t begin work on my murals yet anyway so I could take the time to come here.”
“Oh, that is very convenient for you. I’m glad this isn’t causing trouble for anyone.”
“I made certain it wouldn’t,” Tzuyu turned around and walked over to pour herself a cup of tea before continuing the search. “Hey, was there anything that marked the secret compartment as one? I assume it being secret and all it is invisible to one if they weren’t looking for it.”
“Yes of course, the shelf which has a set of five branch knots in the plank of wood has the secret compartment. A very inconspicuous mark as other planks have knots on them too just not as many.”
Scouring through one shelf after another around head height, she removed books and peeked in with a flashlight behind them, moving her way from the leftmost edge of the room and shelf towards the right where the desk was. A lot of the shelves were clean from the front but dusty in the back and the musty smell of old paper filled her nostrils as she disturbed the dust that had settled behind the books.
One knot, two knots, three knots, four. The wooden panelling at the back of the shelves was wonderfully weathered and naturally varied. After a little work and gathering dust on her own shoulders she spotted the correct panel; five branch knots in an almost perfect pentagon.
“It’s here! How do I open the compartment?” Tzuyu exclaimed before turning around to look at Alexander who had been drinking his tea and observing the search, although his mind had begun to wander deeper into his memories, of the single living memory he had of his great grandfather Ernst Bauerschaft, the original author of the journal.
“Oh, wonderful. Yes you just have to push the panel inwards from the centre and it should click open. It will be slightly elevated from the panels and you can take it off,” Alexander instructed, Tzuyu immediately doing as told and saw how the panel depressed a little before it popped out of the rest of the wall making it easy for her to remove it.
Hidden in the shadows of the tiny compartment Tzuyu could see a leather covered and bound book. The air was dry and stale and the compartment was airtight sealed making it a perfect place to store and preserve the old book in good condition. Carefully reaching out she pulled it back into her hands and felt an immediate wave of nostalgia and safety, as if everything was back to how they should be.
The journal had weathered and seen much better days, the pristine leather cover that Tzuyu remembered from way back then crumbled and torn in places, the natural colour faded and spots of it dried and sunburnt. Most of the damage must have come from before it was kept safely stored in a climate controlled compartment. It looked like some pages were falling apart and she guessed that some pages of the diary must have already been lost to time. But it was all here, the truth about their life and actions during the last Cycle, the proof that she really was alive and existed back then, that she was real. The proof of their love to each other.
Remembering all the events from her past was one thing, reading them again from his journal and getting to read what happened after she was gone was something else. In a daze Tzuyu had found herself at the couch opposite of Alexander and was carefully flicking through the pages reading bits of text here and there. It was as if she could hear his voice speak with the words of the text, everything she read was in his voice and the feeling was overwhelming her. It had been so long. She missed him.
“I… is it okay if I read all of this?” Tzuyu said putting the diary back on the table and wiped the tears on her eyes; she didn’t want to damage and wet the diary in anyway.
“Of course, take all the time you need. Also, there is something else,” Alexander said, getting up from his chair and walking over to one of the massive cupboards in the study while motioning for Tzuyu to follow. He unlocked and opened the cupboard pointing at a rather large box within it. Tzuyu followed Alexander to the shelves and lifted the box up, surprised by its heftiness at first but managing to wrangle it out from the shelf onto the ground. It was filled with paper, images, videos and recordings.
“What is this?”
“These are messages from Ernst to you. He wrote letters to you, he took pictures and eventually film and voice recordings just for you. Nobody has read any of the writing they are still sealed. The tape and film recordings we didn’t listen to, however we have had them professionally cleaned a few times over the years to make sure they stay intact.”
There was a wave of happiness and sorrow all at once pouring over her like a raging waterfall. Her shoulders suddenly felt heavy and Tzuyu fell onto her knees, the feelings taking over her, taking the strength away from her arms and legs. “Thank you I… I can’t thank you enough.”
Alexander looked at Tzuyu with a caring and worried smile at the same time, in a way that a father or a grandfather would.
“There is one more thing,” Alexander continued. He pointed at another box in the same cupboard on a lower shelf, “This box has messages from your son Christian.”
What little strength in Tzuyu was gone and no words could describe or prepare her for this feeling. The little boy she had given birth to before the end of the last Cycle, the son she had to abandon so soon immediately after, the regret of a mother abandoning her child, her boy. The son she had kept a secret from her Sister’s. It all washed over her and she was overcome by incredible sorrow and grief for her child.
Sobbing hard enough for her whole body to jitter and shiver she let it out in one fell swoop. A lifetime of apologies, not for her own lot but for what she had made others go through. Christian had to grow up without a mother while his father had to make excuses to him for her behaviour. There was no excuse big enough for a child; nothing could justify to a baby what she had done, why she had abandoned him.
Although Alexander’s strength could barely keep himself upright and standing, he walked over to Tzuyu offering his hand to help her up from the ground. Tzuyu looked up and took his hand but only to show her appreciation for the assistance and she didn’t put any weight or strength into pulling herself up with his help.
“I probably don’t need to warn you but I think I should. There was a time when… well, there were some years in Christian’s life as he grew up when your name was equal to a curse word to him. He would get angry the moment he heard it, or so I was told. It might come out and be reflected in some of this so I only feel it fair to forewarn you. By the time I had any memories of my grandfather Christian he had nothing but love and adoration for you. So, know that he loved you deeply in his later years until his passing.”
“I would only expect him to have been angry at me, even hated. To be completely candid I didn’t expect to get anything from him. I abandoned him as a baby, I was prepared to never see him again, hear from him or receive forgiveness. All of this is much more than I could have ever hoped for or feel that I deserve.”
Alexander smiled faintly and walked over to engulf Tzuyu in a hug and the two embraced each other for a moment, Tzuyu releasing the tension and feeling relieved to have a living relative to come see and to have received such a warm and loving welcome. Even if the messages from her past may be bitter and full of anger, she was content with as much as she had gained already from coming here.
“You are too hard on yourself Tzuyu. You sacrificed your life to save everybody, to save both Ernst and Christian from certain doom. You made the ultimate sacrifice. I think you and your Sisters in soul deserve more than anybody could ever give or repay. Hopefully for now though this will do,” Alexander said, smiling brightly before shuffling off back towards the chair, his felt slippers scraping against the worn hardwood floor. “Come, the tea will get cold.”
For the rest of the evening, or as Alexander’s strength allowed him to they talked and conversed of the past. Tzuyu shared of the time before the end of the last Cycle, of meeting Ernst for the first time, their secret wedding, the birth, and the events of that reawakening. Alexander filled in the details of their life after Tzuyu’s disappearance, what he knew of their history and of his own life as a professor at the Technical University of Munich. There was so much to talk and share about, so much to learn from the books and letters of her husband and son that she had been gifted. Precious gifts beyond what any words could convey.
The evening dragged on and eventually Alexander had to retire for the night, Tzuyu stayed up for a while longer to read the first of the letters that Ernst Bauerschaft had left for her after her disappearance. Sleeping in what used to be Alexander’s eldest daughter’s room, she lay on her stomach in the bed with the night lamp shining a soft yellow hue on her face.
She had psyched herself up to read the letters as she knew it was going to be an emotional rollercoaster that would most likely break her heart, but at the same time it would bring her unimaginable joy to be with him again, even if it was just through these letters. Tzuyu would be able to hear his voice speak to him as she read them. The first letter was written on the day she left back to Istanbul to reunite with her Sister’s again to finish the Cycle.
“14.08.1881 Lindau.
My Love, my Star, my Light,
Please don’t go-”
Immediately pushing the letter away Tzuyu buried her face into the pillow while holding the letter further ahead out of reach. The tears had flowed out like a broken dam in an instant and she loudly sobbed into the pillow which muffled most of the crying into a low mumble as she tried her best to make sure she wouldn’t alert or worry Alexander.
“Damn it Ernst, do you think I wanted to go?”
Sobbing further into her pillow she allowed herself the time to let it all out, tears completely wetting her pillow, filled with saliva which she tried to swallow. Her whole body shuddered with her cries. It took a long moment for her crying to lessen and tears to settle, although she was fairly certain this wouldn’t be the last of her outbursts tonight. Continuing to read Tzuyu knew it was going to be a long and painful night for her.
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Having arrived the day before in Munich, Joy, Mina and Wendy had made their way to their hotel close to the centre of the city near Marienplatz, the city's main square. After freshening up from the long haul flight to Europe, Wendy made a call to the Technical University of Munich where Professor Alexander Bauerschaft worked. As the descendent of the Herr Bauerschaft in the journal pages they hoped to glean more information from Alexander Bauerschaft, to find out what this was all about and if luck would have it, even find the original journal in the hands of the descendants.
The receptionist at the university informed them that Alexander Bauerschaft wasn’t present at the moment and only lectured once a week due to his age and deteriorating health. However she would contact the professor and ask if he would receive them at his home, which the trio found out soon after was possible, as Alexander Bauerschaft had been delighted to receive foreign guests. With the address of his home and the okay to come visit they spent their first evening eating dinner at a local restaurant and eagerly went to sleep to bring the new day sooner so they could finally find more information about this mysterious journal. To reveal the secrets of the Eternal Ladies and the Children of the Void cult.
Next morning after breakfast they were quick to book a taxi to his house in the quaint suburbs of west Munich, bringing along all of their research material as well as the letters that they had found from the archived files of Choi Kwangsoo back in Seoul. The trip there was a quiet one as all three of them waited in apprehension to find out more, unable to banter with each other. They were so close.
The taxi pulled up in front of a very traditional looking Bavarian house, with the ground floor made of white rendered stone, wooden pillars and beams at the sides and framing the doors and windows. A generous overhang of the roof on the second floor was shaped closer to a barnyard roof, the walls of the second floor made completely of wood. It was a pleasant sight to see, with a big front yard well kept and the sun shining on this idyllic house and neighbourhood.
The gate was open and the trio walked straight up to the front door, all of them a little nervous from what they were going to find, Mina feeling the pressure of having to have a proper conversation with a native German speaker. She knew the language well but rarely had to use it to speak and was afraid she would be unable to understand the local dialect, especially one of an older gentleman. So far she had managed to speak well in Munich proper but it didn’t ease her nerves.
The only one of the three unable to speak or understand German appeared the bravest, possibly due to her experience of having to talk and meet new people as a journalist. Joy pressed the doorbell and took a step back to allow either Mina or Wendy to do the first introductions in German. They waited for a silent minute or two. They knew Alexander Bauerschaft was old so they allowed some time for him to come to the door. But after another couple of minutes of silence, Joy leaned a little closer to the door to listen for any sounds. Nothing.
Joy rang the bell a second time and stepped back further from the steps. They waited another minute but here was no sound nor did the door open. Wendy knocked a couple more times on the door shouting in German, “Entschuldigung bitte, is anybody here? We are the visitors that called yesterday to see professor Bauerschaft!”
As Wendy and Mina rang and knocked a few more times after another minute of silence, Joy began to wander along the front yard towards the side as there was a footpath that lead along the side of the building to the backyard. Joy reached the edge and looked over to the yard and was about to shout in her broken German when she saw someone lying on the grass with a sunhat on and gardening shears to the side.
“Someone’s lying on the ground unmoving in the back!” Joy shouted immediately rushing down the side of the building towards the backyard and person on the ground. All Mina and Wendy saw was Joy vanish to the side of the building, the two at first apprehensive before dashing after Joy.
Vaulting over the low fence that lead to the backyard of the building Joy was by the side of the lying figure. It was an older white gentleman with greyed hair. Checking his pulse he still had a faint heartbeat, a very laboured and difficult one and he was still breathing but only barely. Arriving not long after her Wendy and Mina were by her side and Wendy immediately had her phone out calling the emergency services.
“112, what is your emergency?”
“We have a collapsed older gentleman, still breathing but with a weak pulse at Friedhofstrasse 14.”
“We are dispatching an ambulance immediately. Friedhofstrasse 14 was it? Did you see him collapse? And he is still breathing?”
“Yes, Friedhofstrasse 14. Yes, he seems to be breathing but his pulse is extremely weak. We didn’t see him collapse, we came to visit him and found him in the back.”
“Keep making sure he is breathing but don’t move him. We don’t know if he has damaged his neck or anything else in the fall. Can we contact you on this number?”
“Yes I will be on this number.”
“We will be there in approximately eight minutes. We will call you at this number when the ambulance arrives.”
“Yes alright, thank you.”
The call ended and Wendy told the other two to keep making sure he was breathing but not to move him. She herself moved back closer to the side of the building, still within earshot of Mina and Joy but where she could see the front of the building for the arrival of the ambulance.
As promised approximately eight minutes later as the ambulance was about to arrive they called Wendy on her phone and she went out to the front to receive them, quickly guiding them to the back of the building. There the paramedics checked that the old man hadn’t broken his neck in the fall, hooked him on a breathing machine and then with stretchers, the three women assisting in carrying equipment walked to the ambulance.
He was lifted in the ambulance and they all stepped back to the front yard to observe the paramedics actions before they noticed a car arrive and stop not far behind the ambulance. Out of the small white Ford Focus a tall woman ran out and approached the ambulance and paramedics, clearly in distress about what was going on. She was of Asian descent but clearly spoke German with the paramedics who seemed to be explaining the situation.
Walking closer towards the ambulance Wendy tried to listen in on the chatter while Joy and Mina stood further back looking at the scene and worrying for the man they had come to see. This was not how they had expected things to go at all.
The tall and lithe woman with beauty abound, her eyes like a fox and voice soft and comforting. Even in a different body and face there were familiar features to her and in her heart Wendy knew that it was Tzuyu even before their eyes could meet. The compassion and worry in her eyes as she watched Alexander Bauerschaft being loaded into the ambulance had Wendy cry along with her in her soul. Wendy had been the only one of the Sister’s last Cycle who knew of Tzuyu’s secret, she knew who this man was to her.
“Trudi,” Wendy called out as Alexander disappeared into the depths of the ambulance and the paramedics prepared to leave letting Tzuyu know which hospital they were taking him to.
Her mind a confusing muddle of worry, anxiety and sorrow all in one flow, Tzuyu turned to look at the source of the sound in a daze. She hadn’t paid any mind to the visitors that had come to see Alexander and who had called the ambulance, she had been too occupied with his care the moment she saw the situation.
As their eyes met like they had hundreds of times before the souls finally connected and recognition came to them both. For Wendy it was a confirmation of what she had figured out already just moments ago and for Tzuyu an unimaginable surprise and relief, her feelings immediately showing up on her face as a mix of both delight and happiness beyond measure and utmost despair and sorrow for Alexander’s health. She wasn’t quite sure what to feel or how to express it.
Seeing her Sister both smiling and crying in equal measure still standing behind the ambulance as it prepared to leave, Wendy strode over with rapid steps and a half run quickly engulfing Tzuyu in a hug and embraced her, the latter immediately wrapping her long arms around Wendy in return and already feeling the well of emotion about to bubble from within. Her body was beginning to shiver and spasm and Wendy could feel it under her touch. She was ready to burst herself but for now did her best to keep a happy, straight and calm demeanour; she needed to be strong for Tzuyu right now.
“I’m so sorry Trudi, we found him passed out in the backyard I’m sorry we weren’t here for him earlier,” Wendy said, the back of her tall Sister, “Are you alright? He will be okay, right?”
Already crying into Wendy’s shoulder Tzuyu replied in between raspy breaths, “They said he was stable and should recover just fine.”
“And you?” Wendy pulled back a little to look at Tzuyu’s face while still embracing her. She lifted her hand to clear the tears running down her cheek.
Sniffling her runny nose, Tzuyu wiped most of the tears from her eyes and took hold of Wendy’s hand by her cheek. “I’m doing okay, better than I expected to.”
She looked over Wendy’s shoulder at Mina and Joy who were standing further back still observing everything that was going on, now clearly even more intrigued and confused after Wendy, without inhibition, had walked up to Tzuyu and given a hug and was still embracing her in such a familiar fashion.
“Do they know?” She nodded her head ever so slightly in the direction of Mina and Joy, just enough for Wendy to see the movement.
“No, not yet. But considering everything it’ll probably have to be the next topic of conversation.”
“Here,” Tzuyu took her phone out, “give me your number, I’ll give it a call once I’m ready to meet maybe tomorrow. I… I need to go with Alexander, I need to be there when he wakes up, or at least until his family arrives.”
Wendy poked Tzuyu’s ribs gently, “You are his family. Go; let me know when you can meet up. We’ll go back to our hotel and explore the city in the meantime.”
Wrapping their arms around each other once again Wendy squeezed her Sister tight, “I’m so happy to see you alive and well. Stay safe okay?”
Nodding into Wendy’s shoulder Tzuyu gave her phone to Wendy who quickly tapped in her number. They let each other go and Tzuyu walked over to her car speeding off towards the hospital leaving the trio of Wendy, Joy and Mina standing in the yard of Alexander Bauerschaft. Wiping away any stragglers of tears from her eyes Wendy turned around and approached the other two who were looking at her curiously waiting for an explanation.
“Is Mr. Bauerschaft going to be okay?” Mina asked as Wendy approached them.
“Yeah, seems that he was already stable and should make a good recovery.”
“Who was that other Asian lady who you hugged? Do you know her? She seemed awfully stressed about Mr. Bauerschaft’s condition,” Joy asked. Everything that had just happened was so very intriguing and out of the ordinary. Of course she worried for the wellbeing of Mr. Bauerschaft, but if anything this was one hell of a story she had stumbled upon.
Wendy looked at Joy trying to think of what to say but all of it was going to delay the inevitable reveal of the information. However, any delay now was a welcome one to Wendy as she wished to have Tzuyu by her side when she explained it and be armed with physical evidence to prove their story. She knew she would sound like an insane person to the two of them especially with how aloof she had been acting recently, but if they had the full journal and possibly other texts to corroborate their story at least she could prove that she wasn’t completely insane.
“I… know her, but I wish to have her with us when I explain it. It all ties in with the Bauerschaft family and the journal pages we have,” Wendy said with pleading eyes as she looked at the two of them, “I know this is a big ask given how far we have come, but could you wait until tomorrow or so until we pick this topic up again? I promise to explain it all just not on my own, not right now.”
Joy looked at Mina whose brows were furrowed and her eyes messaged of worry that she had for Wendy. Whatever this something was must be big and Wendy was somehow related to it. It was either just by chance or some weird divine providence that they were friends and Joy was her housemate.
“If that is the best and easiest then of course, we’ll wait for us all to gather. We have a whole week for ourselves anyway so should be plenty of time to find out what we need later in the week.”
“Thank you. I guess we could head back to the hotel for now and freshen up after everything that happened,” Wendy said. Mina and Joy agreed and the group made their way towards the main road calling a cab in the process to take them back to the centre of the city to their hotel.
Dinner was a rather mild affair as although they were famished their minds were preoccupied by the shocking collapsing of Alexander Bauerschaft and the information they would learn the next day. For Wendy she was sweating over how to explain everything, what exactly to tell and preparing herself to be called a lunatic and abandoned by her friends.
They turned in rather early in the night but sleep didn’t come to any of them quickly, all of them categorizing what they had learned and what they could expect in their head. Eventually their tired body forced them into slumber and they woke up the next day ready and hoping to get a clearer picture on things. For Joy and Mina to find out the truth of everything and for Wendy to have a deeper and longer conversation with her dear Sister.
It was around noon that Wendy received a call from Tzuyu asking them all to gather at Alexander’s house. There they could have a conversation and have a look at the evidence themselves, hopefully proving their truthfulness to Joy and Mina.
Filling in on what had happened after their departure Tzuyu told Wendy how she had stayed with Alexander at the hospital overnight until his eldest daughter had arrived to the scene. She had been at first a little confused and Tzuyu had only introduced herself with her name as a neighbour acquaintance as she didn’t know exactly how much Alexander had shared any of this with his children, if at all.
Around seven a.m. Alexander had regained consciousness and had asked for Tzuyu and when she arrived he introduced her to his eldest daughter Annamarie as who she really was, his great grandmother Tzuyu the Eternal Lady. It had been a confusing and eventually heart-warming reunion, Tzuyu having been filled with tears for most of the time in there as getting to meet even more of her family and being shown so much love was overwhelming.
They promised each other that before Tzuyu had to depart once more to end the Cycle she would get to meet Annamarie’s children and grandchildren as well. None of them knew of the truth yet, but it wasn’t an obstacle. She would get to meet as much of her surviving family as she could, to see the results of the wonderful gift of life she had bestowed to her son all those years ago, how much good her sacrifice at the last Cycle had brought to this world.
Arriving in good time to the house Joy, Mina and Wendy found Tzuyu waiting for them at the porch of the house. She was sitting on the stairs sipping a cup of tea while reading a piece of paper in her hand. The moment she heard the squeaking of the front gardens gate Tzuyu looked up and smiled, tucking the piece of paper away into an envelope and stood up to receive the group.
“Hello, we didn’t get a chance to really meet yesterday. My name is Tzuyu,” Tzuyu said in Korean as she got up from the stairs and approached the group to introduce herself. Joy and Mina looked at her first with a little surprised hearing Korean, but equally relieved that everything wouldn’t have to be translated to Joy, nor did they have to try to speak in their broken English.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Mina said greeting her in response, Joy following suite.
“Please come inside. We’ll have some tea and we can get right to it. I know you are all anxious to find out what this is all about and there is much to go through so…” Tzuyu said has her eyes landed on Wendy and she gave a little smile before turning around and gesturing them all to follow her inside.
The entrance to the house had a wide hallway which lead straight forward to a staircase leading upstairs, and on both sides corridors that ran past it towards the back. It split into rooms on both the left and right before the stairs, the entrance to the house being almost exactly in the middle of the building. She walked past the stairs along the right corridor, leading them into the same study where the journal had been kept hidden all these years.
With the curtains drawn ample sunlight flooded the room in a warm glow, the sun being high enough to not shine directly into the room. Ahead of them two twentieth century couches and walls lined with books, the desk in the study in front of the wide window, subdivided by the grilles into multiple smaller frames. Between the two couches was a beautiful wooden coffee table with rounded floral flourished legs carved with the greatest of detail. On the table were antique ceramic tea cups and a pot all of them painted with floral motifs, Cornflower and Edelweiss being the most common flowers on them.
Guiding them all to the room and offering to sit down, she began to pour the tea into the cups and offering them to her guests, “I was told that you had some pages that belong to the journal of a Herr Bauerschaft, am I correct?”
Joy and Mina glanced over at Wendy who nodded at them with encouragement.
“Yes that is correct they are here,” Joy replied rifling through her shoulder bag where the journal pages had been filed in between plastic sheets and sturdy cardboard folders to prevent bending. She pulled them out and handed them over to Tzuyu who carefully opened the folder and looked at the pages, reading through them to catch up on what exactly Joy and Mina knew about her and them.
“Does it look familiar? Do you know where these pages are from?” Joy asked as Tzuyu’s eyes finally found the page with the drawing of Lady T. Her breath hitched and eyes were caught in a stare as she gazed at the lady in the drawing with wonder for a moment, not noticing the gathering moisture at the corners of her eyes. It was herself from over a hundred years ago, this was only the second time it had ever happened, that she got to see her old self in the next Cycle.
Feeling a touch on her shoulder Tzuyu was brought back to the present and she looked to her left to see Wendy touching her shoulder looking at the drawing of Tzuyu, “It’s insane to see your old self again, even if I can remember what you looked like since it wasn’t long since we parted. I wonder if the picture we took last time of us all together still exists?” she whispered in a language she knew that neither Joy or Mina would understand; the Sister’s ancient mother tongue.
Joy leaned over to Mina as both of them kept their eyes locked at the duo in front of them who were still engrossed in the drawing of Lady T. “What did she say?”
“I have no clue, I can’t recognize the language,” Mina replied as confused as her roommate was. Wendy, who she had known as a colleague and a friend for a good five years now appeared a completely different person. She had such deep and lost secrets that it felt like Mina didn’t even know who her friend was anymore. Who was Wendy really?
Tzuyu handed the pages back to Joy and walked over to the desk of the study rounding the table to the other side. “They looked very familiar, I think they are the pages from this journal,” Tzuyu said having returned to speaking Korean.
Kept in a plastic airtight sleeve Tzuyu pulled the book from the desk’s drawer and revealed it to all. She removed it from the protective sleeve and showed it to the rest, all of them looking at the source of their random assorted journal pages, the thing that had set them all on this amazing journey.
“Here it is,” Tzuyu pulled out the journal that she had begun to read already, but hadn’t gotten far in yet as she had been indulging in the letters both her late husband and her son from the past Cycle had written her. There was so much material for her to read and catch up on, it would take time.
“Now, there is something we need to explain to you two about this all and…” Wendy started but was cut off by Tzuyu quickly.
“But before we dive into this explanation, I think it’s best if you read these few pages in the journal first, if you can read German.”
“I can,” Mina said, standing up and walking over to receive the journal gently reaching out with the utmost care. She had plenty of experience with old manuscripts and historical texts so she had the gentlest of touches and was mindful of it. She had put on white gloves to prevent any dirt and grease from her fingers touching the old paper. “May I?”
Tzuyu handed it over while holding the pages she wished them to read open with a finger until Mina had it handled and kept the pages open sitting back down next to Joy on the couch. The pages that she was holding were about a quarter ways into the journal itself and Mina dived into the text.
Reading through the pages with a measured pace, Mina’s eyes flew back and forth across the rows, slowly but surely widening in size as what the text revealed to her was surprising her in ever increasing amounts. She had only known the very outline of what these groups may have been but she could never have imagined the splendour of the revelations, if they were true.
She finished the first pages that Tzuyu had wanted her to read, her finger still holding onto the next section that had been marked for her as an interest. She looked up at Wendy with complete amazement and bafflement, her eyes pleading Wendy to answer the question; is this real?
“Please keep reading,” Tzuyu said, Mina glancing at her, before flicking the journal to the other section of pages she had been told to read.
Joy sat next to her with tense apprehension as she was completely reliant on what either Mina, Wendy or Tzuyu told her. She had to wait and that wait was killing her. Seeing Mina’s reaction to the reading made her even more anxious to find out and she was having a hard time staying still and not fidgeting in her seat. Had they really hit the mother load of all stories? Just how deep did this go and how was it that Wendy was involved in all of this, or was she at all?
As Mina’s eyes darted across the words on the page and moved silently along with the words she was reading, she was filled with more questions, complete surprise and disbelief. Her brows could’ve almost taken flight with how high they were rising and how large her eyes had become.
The first pages Mina read had described how Herr Bauerschaft had met Lady T. and Lady W., and how the two had rescued him from an attack and attempt at his life by the Cult. He had been researching and writing news articles about some weird cult engaged in torture and murder; Kinder der Leere, Children of the Void. Since his research skills were great and he was now a target of the Cult, Lady. T and Lady W. had opted to take him under their protection while he helped them root out the Cult in this Cycle.
The following pages detailed what the Eternal Ladies had taught and explained to him about their situation. How the Eternal Ladies and Children of the Void were caught in an eternal battle, and how their souls reincarnated every Cycle when The Door, Adhabu’s soul, was reawakened by the Cult. The Eternal Ladies who were Sister’s to each other and the Daughters of the Wife of the Void, a terrible horror of a being, had their souls reincarnated at the same time as Adhabu. They explained how their trusted friend and hero of the first ending of the Cycle, the soul of Lady I. The Lock, also reincarnated and was the key to preventing the Void Mother’s return.
Mina finished reading and looked up at Tzuyu and Wendy in total disbelief. This sounded like some insane ancient religious myths. None of this could be real could it? From her stare both Wendy and Tzuyu could tell that Mina had finished reading and it was time for them to talk.
“It sounds very insane doesn’t it?” Wendy started with a faint chuckle and smile as Mina’s focused eyes turned to look at her, still completely at a loss. “But all it says is true, and the reason I knew Tzuyu beforehand and in all of this is that, well, she is my Sister and one of the Eternal Ladies as am I. She is Lady T., I am Lady W.”
Joy who had been staring at the reading Mina at first and then followed Mina’s eyes to stare at the other two ladies standing about was herself taken by complete surprise, still having not read or heard what the journal entries were all about.
“Wha- what is this? What did the text say? You are Lady W. from this journal page? She is Lady T. from the drawing?!” Joy exclaimed as she held the drawing out. Her eyes focused on Tzuyu, and then on the drawing and then back. The more she began comparing the two something was beginning to add up. Sure the lady in the drawing was a Caucasian European lady and Tzuyu was Asian, but for some reason there was a familiarity. “Mina, what did it say?”
Turning to look at Joy her best friend and roommate, Mina blinked a few times trying to moisten her rounded eyes that had been stuck in an open position and were beginning to dry out.
“It… it says that the Eternal Ladies are a group of Sisters whose souls reincarnate every couple hundred years or so to fight some ancient god and her cult; Children of the Void. And they,” Mina turned to look at Wendy and Tzuyu who patiently waited for Mina and Joy to wrap their heads around it and calm their minds, “they are two of the Sisters.”
Mina fell back on the couch to try and comprehend and get into terms what she was hearing. She wasn’t sure she believed it yet if she was completely honest, but for some reason it wasn’t a complete impossibility to her. She needed to see more proof to really make a decision.
“Then what is Herr Bauerschaft to you? Why did he have a drawing of you? Are you two now.... reincarnated souls?” Joy asked. Her journalist mind had been and the gears began to churn and turn. She hadn’t made a decision yet of what she believed, she needed to know more and analyse it before she could reach a conclusion. Like the professional she was she wouldn’t discredit anything until she had either seen enough evidence to prove one way or the other.
“He was my husband in the last Cycle and yes, we are the reincarnated souls of the original Daughters,” Tzuyu answered calmly ready for a surge of questions and that was bound to come.
“The journal speaks of seven Daughters and The Lock. If so where are your other Sisters and this Lock person?” Mina asked having slightly recovered from her initial shock.
“Well, our souls are reincarnated at random so we don’t know where they are at the moment, what their current names are or what they look like, although there is always some resemblance as you can see from the drawing. We can find each other slowly through meditation, but with modern technology we can all travel easily, so it seems we might meet the rest of them in Europe,” Wendy replied leaning in on the hefty wooden desk of the study.
“So what… you used to be Europeans over a hundred years ago and this time you are all Korean?” Joy asked, beginning to get the gist of what was going on even though she had to connect the dots from the little that had been spoken so far. If all the source material was in German, she would have to learn the language herself. No way could she force Mina to translate it all to her, or risk revealing this information to some third party professional translator. This information was too valuable to spread.
“Something like that yeah.”
“Is there more material or evidence we can look at?” Joy asked, already engrossed in this fantastical possibility. She had never been one to believe in reincarnation or such like but if the evidence was good then she could find it highly possible and plausible.
“There is, plenty actually. You are free to carefully read the journal. I also have more photos and letters and pamphlets from that time period and additionally, you can always quiz either me or Wendy on the contents of the journal that you read to see if we know.”
“We are here to figure this out together, and given that you all now know the truth both Tzuyu and I hope that you guys could assist us this Cycle. It seems our allies have been made scarce over the century of our absence and we need help,” Wendy said her voice soft and understanding, pleading for the two for their assistance. “I’m sorry Mina, I couldn’t tell you until we reached here to show you more proof. I didn’t want to deceive you.”
“It’s… it’s alright. You did the right thing. I would’ve thought you outright insane and I’m not fully convinced yet but, we’ll look at further evidence. This is all just… insane,” Mina shook her head looking at her friend Wendy who now was someone completely different. If all of this was true she was someone hundreds or thousands of years old.
While the two had been talking Tzuyu had gone to one of the cupboards and pulled a file out of there returning to the group as she opened it up. “This is a collection of some of the relevant information directly related to us and our research in the last Cycle. We have been trying to determine how to end the Cycle for good. Among the materials left behind for me by my late husband was this wonderful little thing.”
From the file Tzuyu pulled out an old but still well preserved photograph and handed it first to Wendy. Her face brightened like the sun and a glorious smile spread across her face, powerful enough to light up the whole room. “This… I can’t believe you found photograph like this. I had completely forgotten that we had this taken, all things considered.”
For a moment longer Wendy stared at the photograph letting her mind wander all the way back to that time, travelling over a hundred years to the past. Everyone allowed her to linger in this memory in peace and silence as she stared at the photo in bliss and with a bright smile. Eventually she found herself back in the present, her eyes blinking rapidly as if to refocus on what was really in front of her and get out of the memory in her mind. She then handed the photo to Mina and Joy to look at.
The photo had started to fade, the oft darker brown and khaki discolouring setting in but it was still in good enough condition to make out details, to see who was present in the photo. There were two young ladies standing together; one was clearly Lady T. in a similar casual summer dress as in the drawing, looking radiant and beautiful as ever. She was embracing another lady by her waist; the other in return reciprocated this move. Her hair was tied into a tight bun at the top and she appeared to be wearing some form of riding outfit. With faint smiles at the corners of their lips they were clearly enjoying the moment and the company.
“That’s a photo from the first night that Tzuyu and I met again after our souls were awakened last Cycle,” Wendy said, explaining the context of the photo.
“I can recognize Lady T. so this other one must be Lady W.? The one in the riding outfit,” Joy said examining the people in the photo as carefully as possible. It was true that even here these two white European ladies had a resemblance to their proposed counterparts, Tzuyu and Wendy.
“Yes that’s me in the past life. It’s quite unreal to see your old self again. We met at a large provincial fair, Tzuyu was there just as a guest and visitor and I was there for a riding competition. I used to do dressage and was pretty darn good at it. The funny thing is Tzuyu almost messed my run back then,” Wendy said laughing and giving a gentle punch to Tzuyu’s shoulder who laughed along and whined back.
“Hey I was just enamoured with your skills, not my fault.”
“How come? What happened?” Mina asked. Unknowingly she had suddenly been into the story and world and for a moment she forgot just how ridiculous and impossible this all sounded and how much she still needed to see in the form of evidence to believe them.
“Well, although we can meditate to find the general feeling of the direction to our Sister’s our souls only recognise each other once our eyes meet, once we can look through the window to their soul so to speak. So I was doing my run with my beautiful horse Francine and Tzuyu was watching from the crowd when our eyes met. In that instant our souls recognized each other as Sisters; and I almost fell off my horse from the shock,” Wendy explained smiling at the memory of the event and then leaned in on Tzuyu’s shoulder, the latter resting her head on Wendy’s.
“After my run we met up, took this photo together at the fair and then discussed a rendezvous point. We had to make some excuses for our families for a prolonged trip as not to reveal our secret or to worry them. We didn’t want our families to come looking for us.”
“Was this all before you met Herr Bauerschaft and rescued him?” Joy asked.
“More importantly, did you win?” Mina asked with a careful smirk on . Even after this reveal she still sensed that it was Wendy there behind those eyes, her good friend.
Smiling and winking back in return Wendy flipped her hair to the side with an air of pomp. “Obviously.”
“It was before we rescued Ernst, yes,” Tzuyu said as she walked over to Joy and handed the folder with the collection of the most important information about them to her.
“If you need a place to start with the evidence I suggest what is inside here. This is far from all there is but it’s a good place to get an overview and a direction of where to go. I’ll leave you to go through it here with Wendy and I’ll start preparing lunch for us if that is alright. There is a lot of reading and many long days and nights of research ahead of us,” Tzuyu smiled at Joy who received the files eagerly and was already engrossed in them.
Mina looked at both Tzuyu and Wendy still mostly unbelieving but wanting to accept all that was said. If this was all true the real world was a lot more interesting than she had grown up to believe. The world had some form of magic to it, there was something more than they knew, a secret history and past. She would get to the bottom of this with Joy.
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