Chapter 5: Knowledge is Power

"Bastet...Who is she?" Haru asked.

Natori turned away from the wall to face the rest of the company. "Bastet is the founder and creator of the cat world. According to the depictions displayed on the walls, she originally ruled the desert regions of the human world. To the humans, she was known as the goddess of cat protection."

"Father never told me about the origins of our world. I wonder why he never mentioned this?" Lune pondered to himself.

Natori adjusted his large glasses, "It's not surprising Your Majesty, since the crimes of Renaldo Moon had somehow eluded from his mind."

"What else can you tell us about her?" Haru asked, trying to get back to the subject at hand.

"Not much, Im afraid, under her protection, cats and humans were inseparably bonded until the jackal took reign and the humans became acceptable to dogs. In order to protect her people, Bastet used her powerful magic to transform a new dimension for felines who no longer wanted to stay in the human world. She even built the castle, maze, and this tower before choosing one of your decedents Your Majesty as the appointed leader of the feline race."

"What happened to her?" Yuki asked.

"No one knows Your Majesty, she completely disappeared as soon as the palace was finished."

Haru wanting to know more; asked, "What about her symbol?...You mentioned earlier that it was a...musical instrument?"

"The sistrum, you are referring to was one of Bastet's favorite instruments. Besides her incredible power, she was well known for her love in music."

After a few minutes of digesting Natori's information, Haru looked through the scroll she brought along; carefully analyzing the black drawings. 'If what Natori says is true and this being her writing. Why would she come back after all this time? If she really contacted the Bureau, why would she need their help if she has so much power?' Getting the answers she was desperate for had only left her with more unsolved questions. She still couldn't read what the darn thing said, but she now had a name and possibly a lead. She rolled up the parchment before directing her attention to her companions. "Thank you Natori for telling us her story. You've been a great help to us." She bowed from the waist up to show her appreciation, Natori nodded in acknowledgment. Turning to the royal couple, "Thank you for helping me with the letter. If you hadn't helped me with the translation, I don't know what I would have done."

Yuki walked over to Haru in order to embrace her dear friend, "Don't be silly Haru, your our friend and we'd do anything for you, all you have to do is ask."

"Thanks Yuki, that means a lot to me. Well I'll see myself out now, I'll need to get to the library before it closes. If Bastet really did live in my world before coming here then I might find more information in the history catalogs."

"You'll let us know if you find anything right?" Lune asked.

"You'll be the second to know if I find something."

"The second?"

"If I did the research then wouldn't I be the first to know and then telling the next person as second?" Haru couldn't help but smile as she gave Lune a gentle nudge, earning her a smile from him.

"If you say so, just make sure to tell us what you find."

"No problem." With the final farewells, Haru made herself another portal with the power of her ring in order to return to her world; there was work to be done.

Only thirty minutes after leaving the tower, Haru made her way to the library and was now skimming through the spines of books in the history section. 'History of Machines...Leaders of the Ages...World's Pangaea...Oooh, Legends and Myths Encyclopedia, maybe this will help.' Haru pulled out the book and added it to the pile in her arms before heading towards the checkout, deeming that six books would be a good start.

"Hello dearie, what can I checkout for you today?", came a sweet, elderly voice from behind the desk as she got out her date stamp and accepted the young lady's card.

"Hi Mrs. Togachi, I'm just borrowing some history books for today."

"I'm surprised, usually you go for the exercise and sport books."

Haru just shrugged her shoulders, "It's something different."

"Alright dearie, here's your card and the books are due two weeks from today."

"Thank you Mrs. Togachi, have a wonderful evening." Haru collected the books back into her arms as the elderly woman smiled while replying, "You too dearie, you best be getting back home now before it gets too dark out."

"I will." Haru left the library and hurried herself down the familiar path. Unlike the direction the librarian had advised her to, Haru made her way back to the Refuge where she could comfortably research and keep a look out for her friends; should they come back tonight or early morning.

With the chandelier lit up and the books laid across the small coffee table, Haru selected one of the books from her pile and began to research. The first book narrowed down the locations for deserts; with her trusty pen and paper, she wrote down the Goby, Mahabi, Sahara, and etc. before moving on to the next book. By the third book, Haru managed to pinpoint an exact location to Bastet's ruling; Egypt and found that the jackal Natori had mentioned was called Anubis.

By the time she completed her collection, she had written a page full of notes and key points concerning Natori's information. Haru had learned that Bastet was worshiped in the Delta city of Bubastis around 3000 B.C. She was known as a happy and benign deity who brought good fortune, music, dance, and joy to all. Even the symbol of a sistrum was found in one of the books. What really concerned Haru was the fact that Bastet had nicknames like the Devouring Lady and The Tearer.

'If she's supposed to be a protector, then why have nicknames of consuming and breaking? Were the humans terrified of her before taking the jackal's side?...It's obvious that she protects her feline people, but would she harm others in order to do it?' She looked at the clock on the mantle and saw that it was past midnight. She set the books and notes aside before walking towards the window and found the Refuge shrouded in darkness like a thick blanket. Hoping to catch a sight of Toto's graceful flight or Muta being dangled by his claws as though he were disguised to be a second moon in the sky.

Nothing.

"Come back safely." she whispered a silent prayer before turning her back towards the window as she headed towards Baron's wide variety of books on the shelf to find more information while passing the time as she waits.

Despite her constant worries, she was willing to wait until morning for their return ; if not, she would have to take matters into her own hands and make it her mission to help her friends, even if it meant the cost of her own safety.

Authors Note: I would like to congratulate those who reviewed my story and gave their opinions on the identity of the mistress. In a way you all unintentionally guessed right, even though you guys had said Louise. Kudos Yay You!