Author's note: I am happy to announce that I have found a new job so that I can get back into my writing again. I am looking forward to sharing my new ideas with all of you.

Lilith heard her name being called behind her as she walked through the city. She stopped and turned around to see who was calling her. Margret came around the corner out of breath, like she had been running a marathon.

Margret bent over, trying to catch her breath and slow her heart as she stopped before Lilith. "Lilith, I need to ask you something before you head off to China. Let's address the UN first. Not you, though; I think it would be better if this came from someone like me."

"Margret, why do you think you can get through to the leaders when everything else we have tried just put them further away?"

"Because Lilith, I can relate to their fear more than you can. When you have talked to the world's people, you speak with indifference rather than respect. I get it; you don't live in the same world as the rest of us humans. You can afford to live outside the societal norm that keeps this world chugging. I know this world, and I have not been as ingrained with magic's superiority as many of the adults down here."

"But what do you hope to accomplish? The Chinese government needs to pay for the attack on our people."

"Yes, but we need to explain to the world why we are not a threat to any of them before we attack China. Right now, China is a hero to many countries because of their actions. We need to show the world that we were never the aggressor in our fight with the Chinese. This way, when we attack, it is seen as righteous rather than another flex of our might over humans."

Lilith thought about what Margret was telling her. She was right about my attitude toward humans. They have always been nothing but a minor blip on my radar. My superiority over them made me less concerned about their feeling than mine. I just tried to force acceptance of me onto them without accepting them. I blew off their concerns and reacted harshly whenever they fought against taking me and my own.

"Margret, when would you like to go talk to the UN? I can easily transport you there."

"I know you want to take me there, but if you show up with me, they will see this as a farce than what it actually is. Let me and my classmates go alone. You can open the portal for us and be ready if we need any help, but this needs to be seen as something you are not involved in."

"You must ask Elizabeth's permission if you want James to accompany you. I do not want this to change minds, and I will be ready to pull you all out if you are all in danger. You have my permission to go."

Margret ran off to prepare for her mission while Lilith continued checking with the citizens under her care. Lilith understood where Margret was coming from and hoped she could change some hearts and minds. That still did not let China off the hook, and she needed to prepare her people for the attack against Beijing.

Margret's Path

Margret stood next to James and Justin from her class. He was already an adult. His magic was also on par with James so they would be safe from gun attacks. She hoped that even with the disruption they would cause by teleporting right into the UN General Assembly. Several speakers were planned for the day, so most countries' representatives should be in the assembly room.

All three of them were dressed professionally and looked ready to go. Lilith opened a portal to the front of the General Assembly as the three walked through confidently.

The assembly members were all started by the portal and the arrival of the three mages. Justin locked the exit doors with a wave of his hands so that none of the members could leave without hearing what they had to say. They hoped this would not cause more problems but wanted this message to be noticed.

Margret walked up to the dais and addressed the representatives. "Three days ago, a nuclear weapon was launched at our city. The Chinese fired this weapon so that, as most of you probably know by now. The atomic blast killed thousands of American troops and many of our people. This was a senseless attack against people who were trying to live their lives.

The nations of the world have continually sought to harm us just for existing. I am only sixteen years old, and I have experienced the hate you threw at us. I have never done anything to harm anyone, yet I get attacked by world governments just because I have a power that they can not control. More than a million of us have lived with you our whole lives. We were friends, neighbors, and lovers.

Yet we are labeled bad guys because Micheal, an Angel, argued with Lilith. I understand that you are scared of us, just as I am scared of you. You all dropped a nuclear bomb on us, killing a member of Lilith's family. Why should we not fear you and what you can do to us? You already have murdered us in labs and prison camps and on the streets. Now, you bomb us as we segregate ourselves from you. Lilith has only attacked in response to an attack on us. Your citizens and governments started the fight against us.

Like the other children, the three of us just wanted to live like normal kids, and you have taken that away from us. How can we trust any of you after what you have shown us? I just wanted to be a girl and grow up to have a family and friends. I am not a violent person. I don't want to hurt anyone.

Lilith doesn't want to hurt anyone; she feels she is being driven to do it by the actions of others. She wants to protect us from betrayal and death at your hands. We want to coexist with you peacefully. We want to make this world better. My friend James would like to say some words to you." Margret stepped down from the dais.

James took the stage and cleared his throat. "I have known Lilith for longer than most people. Lilith is my grandmother. I was born human, just like all of you. Until Lilith came to live with my parents, I thought I was an average human with no magic. My parents both could use magic, which caused many problems in my school. Lilith changed all that for me; she saw that my magic, like those two with me, was different from that of other wizards.

My mother and father were both historians. They both taught history at the University in the city I grew up in. That was taken away from them by the government and the citizens of my city. Why? I was because they can use magic. They taught at that University for seventeen years. You took away something they loved when they had done nothing wrong.

You have taken more away from me with your fight against us. I lost my home, my sense of safety, and, recently, my father. That bomb China dropped on us caused the death of my father and several of my friends. We were not interacting with the outside world, yet you all continued to attack us.

You broke my mother's heart; my father was the only man she ever fell in love with in her tens of thousands of years alive. Not only did you break her heart, but you ignited a fire of rage in Lilith and her wife, Shar'li. You almost killed their girlfriend as well. They managed to save her, but it was only just so.

So when Lilith strikes back at China, know this. They brought it on themselves. Unlike Margret here, I felt hurt personally. I would prefer that we did not have to fight against you, but you started this war. You have no one to blame but yourselves. You may come to your senses and work with us to make a better world. I don't hold much hope for you; you all carry too much hate toward people unlike you." James turned, and a portal formed behind them. They all proceeded to walk through.

China

Military vehicles were rolled out in front of the Zhongnanhai building in Beijing, hoping to protect China's central hall of government. A country-wide lockdown was initiated. No trains or planes moved across the country.

Lilith and thirty other wizards teleported onto the center of Tiananmen Square. Lilith yelled to soldiers, "Bring out your leaders, and we will not kill you along with them."

These soldiers were committed to their country and opened fire on the group. None of their munitions could get through their shields. The arrival of Changhe Z-10 attack helicopters made fighting back for the wizards tricky. With all the dust and debris, the guns and rockets kicked up around them.

Elizabeth flew out from inside the shield and ripped the attacking helicopters apart. Her screams of rage echoed throughout the square. Tears flowed from her eyes as she worked through her heartache. Helicopters came crashing to the ground, smacking into buildings surrounding the square. The Forbidden City and the Great Hall of the People were hit. Fires started to ravage the buildings.

Lilith and Sara tore into the soldiers on the ground. Vehicles were flipped over. Soldiers' screams overcame the sounds of the guns. Rivers of blood were flowing down the street. It was a massacre. The soldiers didn't stand a chance. The remaining wizards were casting fire and earth spells at the Zhongnanhai building.

The building was surrounded by fire as stone walls crumbled against the assault of the spells striking it. Unless tunnels were out of the building, no one would survive the destruction. The collapse of three structures that served as the symbols of the Chinese government were destroyed, and the wizards teleported away.

The Underground City

There was no celebration when all the wizards returned. It was a solemn mood around the city. Lilith's family gathered together to mourn the loss of David. They all comforted James and Elizabeth, letting them let their grief out.

The news described the destruction in Beijing. Many were not happy about the destruction of the Forbidden City. The White House Press Secretary stated to the President,

"We here acknowledge the destruction in China; we feel that they got what they deserved for killing nearly two thousand of our soldiers in that unprovoked attack on US soil.

We communicated with Lilith about who had launched the attack on her city. She had asked us to let her retaliate against China, and she would also punish China for our loss of troops. We pray that the families of the soldiers lost that day can find peace with the knowledge that their deaths were avenged. The President is communicating with Congress to create a support package for those soldiers' families.

After the speech was given at the UN, White House officials discussed what new strategies we can employ to deal with wizards. Currently, we are leaving all laws in place until further notice."