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Chapter 12.0: Why

Shell Stadium

"You're lying!" I protested.

Cliff Thornton, former best friend, ex-boyfriend and probably my greatest torment over the past few months, lay in my arms dying. Yet, despite the blood soaking into his simulation suit from a gut wound and the blood dripping down the side of his muzzle, the coyote still found the strength to laugh at me.

"Jake, you're not dumb." He coughed, splattering blood onto my cheek. His fangs were bloodied, a million-dollar smile tainted by the last breaths of his life. "Think about it."

I didn't want to.

But as always, there was something about Cliff that made me conjure up thoughts and ideas that I never wanted to venture into.

Dev had posed the question about people using Seals for good... and he seemed so nervous when entering the stadium just yesterday. I had never given it enough thought. Surely it was all just coincidence. He was just worried.

Right...?

Right?

"That's impossible! Dev would never -"

"I don't know what he would or would not do," Cliff muttered, resting his head back. His emerald eyes gazed longingly off into the distance. "But there are cold hard facts that'll have to cool off your bleeding heart. Remember when I first shot you?"

"I still have the bullet," I chuckled faintly. I was trying to find humour in the situation. It was that bad. I couldn't believe my heart was actually bleeding for Cliff. The guy that shot me!

"My superiors put the package in Dev's locker. At first, I thought it was just a stupid coincidence..." He coughed. Half the blood in his system must have spilled right out onto the floor there and then. "But when I thought about it..." Cliff shook his head again. It looked like he was fighting for consciousness. "The second time I almost shot you... Why do you think I aimed at Dev?"

I blinked. "What? So Bosch really wasn't...?"

He let out a bitter laugh. "Bosch was just as crooked as your boyfriend. The drugs he dealt were different but he still dealt them. I used him as bait."

"I got that bit... But... You shot Dev because you knew he was the one?" My voice was rising, reaching near hysteria. "Why didn't you shoot him dead?"

A bloodied smile graced his lips. "Would you have wanted me to?"

"Of course not! But..."

His paw gripped mine tightly. He was shaking. "Jake... Everything I did... I did it for you. I wanted to win you back. If I killed Dev, you would've hated me for the rest of your life."

"That doesn't mean I don't hate you now!" I barked.

His smile was weakening, his grip shaking more and more. "Will you hate me forever?"

I didn't want to answer that... mostly because my reply wasn't to my liking. But... Cliff being Cliff, coaxed it out of me just by being there. "No..."

"See?" he chuckled softly. "It worked..." He closed his eyes slowly, leaning back against the bloodied and wet floor. "My superiors knew all along who it was. After I escaped, they ordered me to flat out kill Dev. I thought it was because they wanted to make you suffer... But in the end... it turns out, he was it... Dev distributed the Soma. He killed two people at the start of all this. He framed half the football league with drug dealing and blamed the Vipers."

"But why?" I demanded. "Why would he do such a thing? Football is his life!"

Cliff gave the faintest, weakest shrug and his fingers slowly slipped from between mine. "I... I don't know, Jake... I don't know... Shit... I'm tired..."

My eyes desperately appraised Cliff's injuries. A gut wound was a painful way to die. With the blade still stuck in his intestines, he had two options: either bleed to death or the fluids in his gut would seep into his bloodstream and he'd die a slow, painful death as his entire system was poisoned. He was probably too tired from our fight to really feel it but he would be alive for some time yet.

"Cliff..." I whispered softly. "Cliff!" I escalated my words to a sharp bark. "Damnit, don't die on me!"

He didn't reply but he was breathing softly.

"You asshole!" I screamed, slipping my arms under his armpits and lifting him up to his feet with what strength I had. "After all you've put me through, you are not going to die on me that easily! You hear me!?" I like to think that as I shuffled over to the door, his head bobbed up and down in acknowledgement. "When this is all over... You, me, Chad and Dev... We're going to leave Rillotia. We'll be out of here. Leave all this behind. We'll all start again. I don't care what it takes. I don't care who we piss off. We'll be that family of gay canines next door who can kill someone with their bare paws!" I was laughing through my tears.

"Then, a kid is going to come knocking on our front door, ask us to train them and we're going to comply after some reluctant refusals. Then we find out the kid has horrible parents and when he wins the martial arts tournament, we're going to save him from our pursuers and we're going to try and push him away because living with us, knowing us will be a risk. As we leave on the plane, he's going to come running down the tarmac, jump on our plane and tell us to adopt him. Then we'll have a real family!"

My words might as well have been a defibrillator. Cliff snorted and cracked his left eye open ever so slightly. "That sounds like the script for some crappy feel-good movie."

"Hey, the last few months have been like a rollercoaster ride... Come on, I'm going to flash us to the hospital."

"'Flash'? You call teleporting 'Flashing'? Ever done it naked?"

"What?" I laughed, bending down and picking up Razor from the floor. "No, why?"

"Because you'd be 'flashing'."

I had to laugh at that one. "Maybe we'll go on a streaking run in the future. Evade the cops while we flash our junk in front of a little old ladies across the city." I grabbed his free arm and wrapped it securely around my chest.

"Won't you risk ruining your writing career?"

"It's amazing what you can do with a bit of fur dye and when your powers allow you to put on hundreds of pounds of muscle easily."

"I saw that... You look hot in white."

"Going to paint me with your cum?"

"Wasn't thinking of it but now I am." He offered me a shaky grin. There was a slight twitch in his lips and I knew he was in agony.

With him clutching onto me tightly, I flashed back to the Shellington Hospital. We appeared at the atrium where I had last left a crystal. There were security cameras everywhere and I suspected my mom would have a lot to cover up... Though, in reality, why would I want to hide anymore? Wasn't that what got me into this mess? Lying?

The nurse at the reception desk looked up and let out a shrill cry. "Oh my god! Is he alright!?"

Seriously... Cliff still had a dagger embedded in his gut and she asks 'Is he alright'.

"Get him help," I snapped. "Now!"

The nurse immediately called for doctors. Cliff was put down on a gurney and carted away. I told him everything would be alright but when he disappeared through those doors into the ER, I hardened my heart.

"Jake!"

Chad came running up to me, tailed by my parents. He caught me in a tight hug before holding me out at arm's length.

"What happened? Was that Cliff?"

I nodded slowly.

"Did you...?"

I shook my head just as slowly.

"What happened?"

"I'll explain on the way."

I told them what Cliff told me. Everything. From when Cliff first shot me to the point when we fought. Everything he did was somehow connected to Dev's part in this drama. He wasn't just some poor civilian caught in the middle of a war. He started the war.

Now... I just wanted to know why.

Was I angry?

Yes.

Was I angry at Dev?

... I don't know.

We marched straight up to Dev's ward. I burst through the doors. Of course, it was never that easy.

Dev was gone.

"Fuck!" I cursed.

"You should keep your voice down. Mortals would rather die in piece than hear profanities shouted in their ears."

The bone-chilling voice was one I recognised and one that froze my blood. A large, cloaked figure drifted through the window, hood concealing his features save for the blazing, green eyes that shone with a sinister light. In one skeletal hand, Grim the Avatar of Death held a wicked scythe.

"What are you doing here!?" Chad demanded, reaching for his pocket. He fished out his phone, flicking it towards Grim. I'm guessing it had the same function as mine.

"I frequent hospitals. While these walls save many lives, in any given city, they are still the epicentre of death. Many mortals breathe their last here."

"You didn't answer my question."

"I am here to deliver a message... To you." He lifted a bony finger towards me. I imagined this would be the time he'd say he had come for me. "Your pact is fulfilled. You have failed to kill Cliff Thornton. You are now the property of the gods."

I clenched my fists, my jaw set tightly. "You guys knew, didn't you?"

"Pardon?"

"When Chad was demanding the gods made sure that Dev came out of this safely, they stalled! They knew Dev held a Seal and was the centre of all these problems! They were debating whether or not to save the lover of their own Avatar or letting him suffer!"

I was stupid... I realised just how stupid I had been again. I should have seen it! The gods wouldn't hesitate to make a deal like that with Chad. Why would they stall like that over the life of a mortal like Dev? They had a reason... and now I knew...

"Do not blame the gods for your own flaws."

"Just answer me!" I snapped. "Did the gods know Dev was in on this?"

The malevolent entity paused.

"Yes."

I spun on my heel. "Then no deal."

"The bargain has been struck! You cannot defy the gods!"

"Yeah?" He spun around, my own phone levelled at Grim. "Fuck you."

Click!

The Avatar of Death vanished in a flash of light.

Chad was staring at me, open muzzled. "Jake... You just told the gods to fuck off..."

"Wouldn't be the first time."

"Jake, where are you going?" my mother asked worriedly.

I wondered that myself.

"To end one road... and start another."

Chapter 12.1: To Perceive and Deceive

Shellington Football Stadium

The grey of dawn lit the sky. A fitting colour for my sombre mood. Police officers lay crumpled on the ground unconscious. None were bleeding thankfully but I could only imagine what kind of power Dev possessed to be able to do that to a squad of twenty officers and forensic investigators.

Standing at the centre of the stadium, looking up at the sky... was Devlin Reaper.

Beside me, Chad strode proudly, his fists shaking. My mom and dad walked behind us. My father was oddly cheery while my mother was grim and looked heartbroken. At the same time, I could sense the anger deep inside her. Once again, Dev had hurt me and she had sworn to hurt him back if he ever so much chipped my heart.

We came to a stop a good twenty metres away from Dev.

"I'm so sorry..."

He was dressed in denim pants, a white shirt and a lettered jacket. Around his neck hung the little medallion his mother had given him. I had the sneaking suspicion I knew what the Crux was.

"Why?" I asked. It was odd that my voice was so firm and collected. My entire being shook with a mix of rage, pain and loss. It was a wonder I could form coherent sentences.

His ice-blue eyes drifted downwards until our gazes met. "For us, Jake... Everything I did, I did it for us."

"Frame the Vipers? Frame the entire Football League? Get me shot and Bosch killed?"

"I didn't want any loose ends!" Dev protested. "Jake, I was trying to make sure that Cliff would find reason to leave us alone! After that first encounter, I knew he would dog us for the rest of our lives! I saw the look in his eyes. He was still in love with you... So I tried to make sure that he would have no reason to keep following us..."

"By getting me shot!?" There was the anger.

"That was never my intention!" Dev clutched the sides of his head. I could see his eyes starting to water. "Look... It... It started out simple... My mom... she possessed this... this Seal before I did. I don't know what it did but it made everything around her see her in this weird way. Like it was messing with how they saw everything she did and said. I didn't know it at the time... but the moment she gave it to me, her whole life just fell apart."

That's right... I remembered Dev telling me how his mom had been so obsessed with her own little world and everyone just seemed to let her get away with it. Then... when Dev left, all she had seemed to crumble. Dev even mentioned she begged Dev to come back to her but he outward refused. At the time, I thought it was a perfectly un-Seal-related experience. But apparently not...

"I didn't know what I had," Dev muttered. "I thought... I thought it was just a lucky charm... But then, I started realising I could control how I mess with people... I learned things about others because they were so... open to me. I learned some of the guys were dealing with the Vipers. That they were actually former Vipers who won the Dark Nexus and had new identities. But they still worked with them. I didn't want them anywhere near me and I thought this was my chance to be a hero!"

He looked up, smiling shakily. "Jake... I stopped them, you know? I was a hero!"

"You murdered two people!" Chad shouted, drawing an ornately decorated, gold and silver dagger from his belt.

"They were fucking criminals!" Dev roared back. "Tell me you wouldn't have done the same!"

"Only if that were the gods' judgement!"

Dev shook his head furiously. "It doesn't matter. I fought and won. I thought I had gotten rid of them! But then Cliff turns up and suddenly, I have the Vipers getting in the way of my relationship with Jake! So I took steps." His gaze hardened, a frown crossing his features. "I led them on. Making them think they could trust me while I framed them continuously. I wanted them and Cliff brought down for the criminals they are!"

I slowly shook my head. "No Dev... You just wanted Cliff out of the way, didn't you? You were jealous..."

"Of course I was jealous! This was your ex-boyfriend!"

"But you're my boyfriend now. You have to know that I'd never choose him over you."

Dev let out a soft sob. "I know... But... I just wanted to follow your idea, Jake... To start again. I wanted to leave this all behind. I ruined the football league because all those bastards had crooked ties in one way or another. Either with the Vipers or the Dark Nexus. I couldn't believe how many of them were actually former fighters in the Nexus and they just somehow slipped back into normal society!"

Cliff mentioned that was the grand prize for the Dark Nexus. At least one of them. Just how long had they been at this?

"I... Got rid of them," Dev muttered. "One by one, I implicated each of them in drug dealing. That led to other investigations that were never made public but I got rid of them. It would've given me reason to quit the league. I could just say the Rillotian league was just 'too corrupt' and we'd move to Crescenta and start all over."

He gave me a shaky smile, holding out a paw. "Isn't that what you wanted, Jake? To start all over?"

I stared at his paw for a long while... It didn't pass my attention that he was talking only to me... and only about me.

"What about Chad?"

Dev dropped his paw and cursed, eyes blazing at Chad. "I only want you."

Chad looked positively heartbroken. "But... your proposal... That month we spent together..."

"I messed with how you saw those things," Dev growled. "It never happened. I just made you believe they did. You really think I could hire someone to rig up 'flower cannons' on top of a hospital roof? It's a goddamn hospital for crying out loud!"

My claws dug into my palms. I couldn't believe Dev's powers. He made someone actually believe something happened without it ever happening. That was insane... I glanced over at the fallen police officers and wondered if Dev had actually fought them... or they just knocked one another out in a mess illusions and hallucinogenic mind tricks.

"You bastard!" Chad snarled.

"Whatever," Dev answered dismissively, turning towards me. His eyes softened. "Jake... I know what I did was wrong. But we can make things right again." He clutched the medallion around his neck, holding it up. "Break my Seal, Jake."

I staggered back. "What?"

"Break it. I remember what you said. When you break someone's Seal, everything plays out like we never had the Seal in the first place. I don't know what that'll do but none of this will have ever happened! I'll still remember what happened, right? Chad won't so we can just meet up and we'll start all over!"

"A naive and short-sighted solution." My father placed a paw on my shoulder, coming to stand beside me. His cheery mood was gone. "Devlin, you mentioned that your mother used that Seal. Where do you think your life will be had she not? Do you think everything will still have played out had she neglected you? Would you have spent so much time with us if she loved you like she did? Will you have fallen in love with Jacob at all?"

"What do you know, old man!?"

"More than you'd think," Isaac Reaper answered darkly. "All the Seals Jacob has broken so far were used in the short-term. Do you honestly believe everything will be better if you got rid of that Seal? You're focusing only on the bad and forgetting the good. The Seals are shortcuts, not solutions."

Rage boiled in Dev's eyes. He knew my dad was right. "Shut up!"

"Don't you dare talk to my husband that way, Devlin!" My mother stood protectively in front of us. "I welcomed you into my family! Into our home! And this is how you repay us!?"

"I just wanted what was best for Jake!" Dev protested. "Everything I did was for us to be together!"

"And now you want to throw that all away because things didn't go your way!?" She crossed her arms and huffed loudly. "Still a child after all these years."

My dad and I had this discussion before... and now I was starting to wonder... was it worth destroying Dev's Seal? Couldn't we just brush this under the rug?

But... He still lied to Chad and I... could we forgive him?

And once again, I was torn... Chad... or Dev?

Chad who had always remained faithful to me, who had done everything in his power to make this work...

... and Dev, who had broken my heart yet again and who had caused so much strife for me...

Who do I pick?

The sun peeked over the field's stands, golden rays washing across my fur. A soft ringing welcomed the dawn.

Chad picked up his phone and held it to his ear.

"Hello?" His brown eyes darkened. "Yes, I understand. Consider it done."

He hung up.

"Who was it?" I asked softly.

"The gods," Chad answered darkly, hanging up. "Since you backed out of their deal, good choice by the way, they defaulted to the previous one." Loudly, he said, "I wished for Dev's safe recovery from that bullet wound... and in return, I offered them any price. Now, they have claimed that price."

My heart froze. "No..."

"They want your life Dev!"

Dev's eyes narrowed and a low growl escaped him. "Bring it on, you wolf wannabe!"

Chad suddenly froze and spun around. His dagger whistled through the air. I screamed for him to stop.

He was aiming right for my mom!

My mom snarled and immediately seized his wrist. "I should never have let you back into my son's life!" She unleashed a vicious kick that impacted with Chad's gut. Her superstrength hurled the husky halfway across the field, tearing up the grass upon impact. My father remained rigid, his paws clasped tightly behind his back. His lips were quivering.

"Jacob," he said slowly, "I don't know if you can hear me... but Devlin is altering our perceptions. Right now, I see him standing right next to me..."

My mother was standing next to him.

"He is attacking me and I can feel the pain... I don't know what's real or not. I don't know if what you're seeing is real or not. But we don't have much time. I won't move. I don't want to hurt anyone I don't mean to. But you remember the old saying, right?" A wry smile crossed his features as a bead of sweat rolled down his muzzle, sliding to the tip of his nose and sliding off. "You chop off the head, the body will follow."

I understood him clearly.

I spun to face Dev. "Stop this, Dev!" I cried.

"No!" Dev shouted back. "Not until you break my Seal! And you know what'll happen if someone dies before the Seal is destroyed, right? Break my Seal, Jake!"

He had me.

It was either I destroyed his Seal or my boyfriend and mom killed one another. I winced when I heard one of Chad's ribs break from one of my mother's devastating punches. He retaliated with a slice from his dagger. My mom easily dodged but something around the dagger caught the light of the rising sun. It was the faint halo around the blade. This same halo sliced through my mom's left arm. Her blood dribbled down an invisible edge to the blade and I realised Chad's blade was not a dagger at all but a full-blown sword with an invisible edge! The visible dagger was there to make people misjudge the weapon!

Sinister.

"You really think I could love you after this!?" I demanded, shifting my attention back to Dev.

His features softened. "Could you?" he asked softly.

I wanted to say 'no'.

I wanted to tell him that I hated him for all that he had put me through. But in reality, what had he put me through? Everything he did, he did for me. I couldn't blame him for everything that happened. If his plans had gone off without a hitch, we would be happily married by now.

Cliff's actions, Chad's and even my parents all had their parts to play.

And me.

If I hadn't been so headstrong, I wouldn't have ruined Dev's plans.

I wouldn't have ruined Cliff's plans to come back and sweep me off my feet.

Who could I blame when there were so many paws found guilty?

"I'll always love you..." I murmured softly. As I did so, I reached behind my back and pulled out one of my handguns. Dev's eye boggled as I levelled the barrel at him. "But you're not the only one I love..."

"Jake!" he screamed.

The cold metal of my gun pressed against my temple. "Make them stop, Dev," I warned slowly. "I know what you want. Even if you somehow get to break the Seal, I'll be damned and you know it." I took a deep breath. "Make them stop," I repeated.

"You wouldn't..." Dev whispered, paws reaching for me slowly. "Jake..."

"Would you take that chance?" I responded, feeling a shaky smile on my features. "I mean, I've already been shot once, right? Think I'll make it this time?"

"What about your family!? You're going to throw that all away to stop me!?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "I think this should say a lot about how much I want to keep you alive, Dev. I don't want to break your Seal... but at the same time... I just can't let everything that's happened go under the rug."

He took a step towards me. I flicked out my other gun and levelled it at him. "Why not?" he begged.

"Dev... Could you live with the knowledge of what you've done? Could you live with the fact that you've murdered countless people? Even comic book vigilantes just got their worst enemies imprisoned. Hardly anyone died. You've had a paw in killing people. Can you honestly say you can start again without that looming over your head?"

Dev's eyes hardened and he straightened his back, puffing out his chest. "Yes... Yes I can."

Slowly, I lowered my guns. "Then... That's where we differ... I've gotten people killed too, Dev. I've damned countless people to their doom. Friends have died when a Seal was broken... and then they had to die again even without the Seal... I've had to live with the guilt of being unable to prevent their deaths twice. I've been living like that for too long...

"I'm sorry, Dev... I can't just let this pass."

I opened my muzzle and shoved my gun into the back of my throat.

"Jake! No!"

BANG.

Chapter 12.2: Death Toll

????

Okay, that did not go as planned.

I did not just commit suicide.

I knew Dev would be focused more on the gun in my muzzle and less on the gun I had in my other paw. The instant he tried to lunge for me... Well, needless to say my plan was never to blow my own brains off.

So...

Why the hell was I dead... again!?

All I saw was blackness. This time, however, I could feel my limbs. I tentatively reached for the back of my head, searching for the tell-tale sign of my brains having been forcefully ejected out of my skull by a supersonic bullet. Nope. Still whole and no hole.

So... what...?

"Hello, Mr. Reaper."

That voice sent chills down my spine.

A spotlight sprang on somewhere above me and a short distance away. I found myself looking at an egg chair. Slowly, the chair swivelled around and there, sitting in the black, leather cushions stroking - of all things - a baby fur seal, was the Sixth Chaos Lord. The entity wore armour of the most brilliant white gilded with gold. A cloak that panned through the cosmos hung from his shoulders and a three-pronged helm hid his features save for the alien, sapphire-blue eyes with eight-pointed pupils.

"I've been expecting you," the Chaos Lord said ominously.

"You had me shot?" I demanded.

"No. That was Devlin's mistake. He altered the perceptions of everyone around you to make it seem like you were Devlin Reaper. He never counted of Cliff breaking out of hospital, still bleeding, mind you, and sniping you. That coyote still cares a lot about you, you know."

"I know..." I whispered. A bitter laugh escaped my lips again. "Oh god... Wait until I tell him he shot me... again!"

"Such is the danger of the world. You can only see through your own eyes and interpret with your own mind. In Cliff's eyes, he saw Devlin as you, about ready to commit suicide. Devlin had hoped your family would see the act and stop you before you did anything. Similarly, no one else saw the gun in your other paw just as you had hoped. Not even Devlin saw it so the illusion he cast did not include it. Perhaps had Cliff seen it, he would not have been so quick to pull that trigger."

I clutched the sides of my head, letting out a frustrated cry. "What was he thinking!? Didn't he want me to kill Dev myself!?"

"He did but I believe he loves you too much for this to be a simple student-teacher relationship. Again, we return to perceptions. He saw you about to kill yourself and simply thought you could not go through with the heavy burden. So, he acted."

I sighed heavily, letting my paws drop limply beside me. "This is a mess..." I glanced up at the Sixth. "Don't suppose I get a free resurrection again, do I?"

"Off so soon? I would've thought you'd have some questions for me."

I did, as a matter of fact. However, I wanted to get back to the battle as soon as possible. Who knew what was happening while I lay unconscious?

Still... How often do you get to pick the brain of a 'Chaos Lord'... whatever that is.

Actually, that made a good question.

"What's a 'Chaos Lord'?"

"A lord of Chaos."

I gave him a sour look. "Little more detail, please."

The Sixth chuckled mildly. "There is a line of thinking that theorises there is one, primary, fundamental element that all things spawned from. I'm not speaking of matter or anti-matter. Something more... primordial. This philosophy rules that the substance is known as 'Chaos'. The basic state of all existence. It also believes that 'What begins in Chaos, must end in Chaos'. Chaos Lords rule Chaos."

"So you're the god of gods?"

"Well, the term 'god' is simply a matter of perspective. You could be seen as a god to a microscopic society that you brewed in a Petri dish. You would provide them with food, nourishment, riches, land and whatever else you wanted or they prayed for. To the Chaos Lords, all the worlds they have created are merely those microscopic societies that they created all for some grand experiment."

"And what experiment is that?" I asked, not too keen about the idea of being some test animal.

"Oh each of them has their own agenda. One simply wishes to see as much pain and suffering as possible, believing that returning people to Chaos is the greatest joy she could ever experience but is, herself, deathly afraid of the process. Another seeks to understand Chaos. A third aims to just destroy everything including himself. A fourth believes the opposite, that Chaos can be controlled and is aiming for that. The fifth... well... she seeks the greatest and grandest experiment of all."

I inclined my head to the side, crossing my arms. I didn't pass me that this 'Chaos Lord' was referring to the others as if he wasn't one of them. Or that he was saving his own motives for the last. "What's greater and grander than the primary element of all existence?"

"Why, whatever lies beyond, of course."

Should've seen that coming. "Great. So what do you want?"

Somehow, I knew the Sixth was smiling at me. "Simple: to keep everything as it is."

"What?"

"Why mend what isn't broken, right? People will return to 'Chaos' at their own pace. There really is no need to rush them. Ultimately, if they want to be reduced to a mess of base materials, that's their own choice but quite frankly, I would prefer getting to live, breathe and die at my own pace." He turned to the baby seal he had and absently tickled its chin. "Isn't that right, Flippers?"

I frowned at him. "'Flippers'?"

"Yep!" the Sixth replied cheerily. "His name is Flippers the Exploding Baby Seal!"

"Wait... What?"

"Here, I'll show you!"

Before I could protest, the Sixth Chaos Lord tossed Flippers into the air. The spotlight followed the baby seals ascent. The cute little ball of fluff game me a goofy grin and even clapped its flippers together.

Then -

BOOM!

... it exploded in a hellish fireball.

My jaw dropped.

"What the -!?"

"Oh don't worry. He's fine. See?"

My eyes flicked back towards the Sixth as he reached into his cloak and pulled out another baby seal.

"Is that even the same baby seal!?" I cried.

The Sixth exchanged glances with the seal who regarded him curiously. I could have sworn the little guy shrugged. "You know... I actually don't know." I felt him grinning again. "I propose a test... for science! Let's blow up as many seals as possible!"

"What will that accomplish!?" I demanded to the cheery applause of the baby seal.

A shrug was my answer. "I don't know... Maybe after cycling through a hundred or so baby seals, we'll find one that looks distinctly different, thus proving I'm bringing in new Exploding Baby Seals. If anything, it'll be endlessly amusing."

"And what if you don't find one that's different? When will you stop blowing up the poor little critters?"

"Never."

I was dumbstruck.

This guy was just sadistic!

"But I digress," the Sixth said, absently tossing the baby seal over his chair. There was another deafening boom followed by a third seal cheerily jumping out of the Chaos Lord's cloak and resting on his lap. "Any more questions?"

I really wasn't sure I wanted to ask... but...

"What should I do... About Dev?"

"Why are you asking me? You know my solution would be to nail Flippers to his face and watch as he flailed around hilariously before exploding in a fiery conflagration mixed with a triumphant symphony and fireworks."

For some reason, I did suspect that would be the case.

"Fine, fine. But what will happen to me now?"

"Oh, that's simple. Turn around."

I did.

Three spotlights illuminated three doors. One was pure white and decked with gaudy jewels, standing to my right. A second looked like it led to a janitor's closet in a rundown, rusty building and sat to my left. In between the other two, the third... well, it was blood red and was attached to the grinning skull of a demonic wolf. Oh and the skull had glowing red eyes.

"Ummm..."

"The door to your right, the white door, leads back to your world. You'll get up and face your problems again. You'll have to deal with Chadstone West, Cliff Thornton and Devlin Reaper all the same. Your father will have knocked your mother unconscious and tending to her wounds. The police is rapidly approaching.

"The door to your left, the plain old, rusty door, will lead to your counterpart's world."

I glanced over my shoulder. "My counterpart?" I repeated. "You mean the other Jacob Reaper? What is he?"

"As you suspected. He is you. Only a different you in a different world. He grew up in circumstances that are entirely opposite to yours."

"Why am I constantly dropping in on his world?"

The Sixth chuckled darkly. "Because the Chaos Lords want that to happen. Surely you've figured that out."

Considering what I heard about the Chaos Lords, I wondered if that was such a good thing. Then again...

"And why should I trust you?"

"I'm not asking you to trust me."

Point taken.

"And the third door? What happens if I pass through that?"

"You die."

I froze. "What...?"

"It's that simple. You die. No more having to deal with the Seals. No more Chaos Lords messing with your life. No more gods pulling the strings of those around you to get your allegiance and certainly no more exploding seals. It'll all end."

I swallowed loudly. "Where will I go?"

"Beats the hell out of me. It's your life. I figure you'll go wherever you want to go."

"Don't you know?" I asked him.

"I have some guesses but I don't think you'd want to know them. If I tell you where the possibilities of where you could possible go, then it wouldn't be your road, now would it? Can't truly start a new journey when you have someone else telling you what's out there."

It felt like I had just been smacked by a novelty squeaky hammer.

"I see..." I switched my gaze from door to door. A small smile crossed my features as I glanced backwards at the Sixth. "Hey... If I choose one door, does that stop me from choosing another?"

"If a door appears, I don't see why not."

My smile grew into a grin. "Thanks."

A though crossed my mind. "Hey, can I ask you a favour."

"If you do something for me."

I had a feeling I was making a deal with the devil here but I was practically on Death's doorstep anyway. "Fine." I turned completely around, facing the Sixth once more. "When this is over... can you erase Devlin's memory?"

The Sixth seemed amused. "You don't want him to remember any of this?"

"No."

"I can do that. Chadstone West will forget as well. So will everyone. Only you and the gods will remember."

My smile obtained a dark shadow. "Exactly."

The Chaos Lord threw his head back, letting out a cheery laugh. "Ah, seems that you learned something from that Cliff fellow. Well done. Now, for your end of this trade."

Was he going to ask for my soul now?

Maybe he'd have me as his servant or something. Honestly, this guy didn't seem that bad. I didn't trust him but he certainly wasn't what I was expecting.

His terms just proved to surprise me all the more.

The Sixth held up Flippers. "Pet him."

I blinked for a few short seconds. "Um..."

"Go on. Pet Flippers. It's not that hard, is it?"

Considering how the little guy could blow up in my face, it was a steep order. But hey, I was dead, right?

I tentatively stepped up towards the seal, the spotlight following my every movement. As I reached out towards Flippers, the baby seal's big, round eyes shone with glee. Part of me expected the mammal to suddenly sprout devil horns and leap at me with jagged teeth. My paw inched closer to him... closer... and closer... until...

My fingers pressed against his cute little head. The baby seal let out a bark of approval and nuzzled my paw. All tension left my body. I petted him more affectionately and the seal let out a soft purring.

"See? Not so hard, right?"

"I kind of expected him to blow up," I laughed nervously. "I still do, in fact."

"I'm pretty sure he'll explode once you leave." Flippers barked his approval.

"You guys are really weird."

"Weird to you, maybe."

I smiled and gave Flippers one last pat before I turned back towards the door of my choice.

"You sure you don't want to take him with you?" the Sixth offered.

I gave out a laugh as my paw rested around the doorhandle. "No thanks. I'm having a hard enough time explaining my powers to everyone without having to add the unexplainable, respawning, exploding baby seal that keeps trailing me."

The Sixth shrugged. "Hey, if anything he'll be a neat companion if you ever find yourself unarmed. Guy coming at you with a knife? Throw Flippers at him and watch them both go up in a glorious pyre. Being chased by blood thirsty mercenaries? Set Flippers down, watch the guys give an 'awwww' at just how cute he is and then scream as their limbs are blown clear off. In fact..." The Sixth snapped his fingers. "I just had an idea! How would you like to see an entire continent scream in mercy as exploding baby seals rain down from the heavens?"

I was laughing but for I was also praying for those souls that would have baby seals slamming into their faces before having their bodies blown to bits. "I think I'll pass. See you later."

"Count on it."

Chapter 12.3: Wash Away

** 'Triton' Research Lab**

I stepped through door to the sound of alarms and a mechanical female voice warning me about a security breach. My surroundings were very... alien. To my left was a long tunnel made almost entirely of glass. The scene beyond the glass was that of a sandy, ocean floor. To my right were smooth, sleek metal hallways.

I glanced at the door I had just left.

"Really?" I asked absently at the sky. "The women's bathroom? Geez."

Voices rang out from the glass tunnel.

"... -lieve you did that!" That was a voice I didn't recognise. It sounded masculine though.

"The guy was a psychopath and you expect me to just stand around and do nothing!?"

That was the voice I was after.

Two figures rounded the corner. One was a wolf with brown fur and odd, silvery hair. He was dressed in a black and gold uniform that seemed quite decorated with a few medals. The other was none other than my counterpart, Jacob Reaper.

I smiled and waved at them... and realised the urgency of their flight.

"Sam!?" Jacob exclaimed, his eyes wide in shock.

"Hi," I answered. "What are you -?"

I never got to finish as both men seized an arm each and yanked me down the hallway. My legs flailed out in front of me as I was carried off my feet.

"Did you just come out of the women's bathroom?" the brown wolf asked, regarding me with the same sapphire-blue eyes that Jacob and I shared.

"You could say that," I answered cryptically. "What are we running from?"

"Evil cannibal children," Jacob answered.

I gave him a puzzled look. I leapt away from their grasp and quickly followed them as they fled down the hallway. "What?"

My answer came when we rounded the corner. All three of us froze.

Standing a short distance away, all their fur a pale grey and their eyes glowing with an eerie, icy-blue stare... were children. Perhaps no older than ten years of age.

"Evil cannibal children!" the new wolf cried, flicking up a sword with a star-shaped hilt.

"Now who's the paedophile?" Jacob mocked.

I didn't get it.

"Quiet you," the wolf snarled.

The children all opened their muzzles, letting out a loud, unearthly hissing. They lunged at us, claws outstretched and eyes hungrily eyeing us. I instantly flicked out my guns and pulled the triggers.

Click-click.

Crap! I forgot to reload after my fight with Cliff! I guess shooting myself would have been out of the equation anyway. So would have shooting Dev...

Thank god that little detail went missed.

I hastily joined my two handguns together, calling up Razor's ethereal, white blade. Together with the other two wolves, we scrambled back around the corner.

Thwack! Thwack!

Bullets slammed hard into the metal walls and I ducked back behind the corner.

"There they are!" a heavily armoured soldier cried.

"When were you going to mention you were running from heavily armed men too!?" I barked.

The other two wolves were beating back the children. Jacob wasn't holding back, using his two swords to mercilessly hack through the evil-eyes kids. The other wolf was more restrained, stunning them and using the flat side of his blade.

"They caught up with us?" the brown wolf asked. "Damnit! We're cornered!"

"Any bright ideas, Rex?" Jacob asked. "I had one but you threw that one out the window. Literally."

"Shut up."

I chuckled. "You guys act like brothers."

Jacob rolled his eyes at me. "Yeah, well he is my half-brother."

I lifted an eyebrow at them as more bullets slammed into the corner. I growled and flung back around the corner. Several bullets came racing towards me. I quickly seized them in my gravitational grip, sending them straight back to their owners. Two soldiers went down, bullets to the brain. The others ducked behind the corner.

"Imagine you, a notorious criminal with a half-brother. What, is he some sort of law enforcer or something so that you two are constantly at odds. Having to fight between your ties of family and your ties to your own nature, you've had to make decisions that you regret?"

"Pretty much," Rex answered. "He's a criminal, I'm one of the Elemental Lords."

Wow, and I was just trying to be sarcastic. "Next thing you're going to tell me is that you two have had sex with one another."

Jacob smirked. "I would be insulted if it weren't -" He gave out a cry as he kicked two kids to the ground and impaled them both with his swords. As he rose, he continued with, "...if it weren't true."

I flicked my ears at him, keeping my eyes on the soldiers. One man poked his head around the corner. I mercilessly seized it in a gravity grip, crushing it like a tomato in my paws. Swearing ensued from the other side.

It was strange... Two half-brothers could find affection despite being on opposite sides of the law. I could tell that they were attached to one another. They fought to cover one another, one always protecting the other. Love, despite all the odds, was possible.

Maybe... it wasn't so hopeless between Dev, Chad and I after all...

Maybe if I just looked past my own preconceptions... I could make this work...

I grinned. I found what I was looking for. "That would be so hot if we weren't caught between twenty armed soldiers and evil cannibal children. God knows, we might need the extra sword."

"You've got an extra sword?" Jacob demanded. "Goddamnit, what are you waiting for!? Pull it out!"

I gave him an exasperated look, one eyebrow raised.

He returned to look. "You are such a horndog."

I turned my gaze back towards the soldiers. My eyes fell on the glass walls of the tunnel. "Which way is out?"

"We have to go this way," Rex answered. "Through these - urgh -" He grunted and swept his blade upwards. A sparkling wave of energy swept upwards, knocking the children back but more just seemed to take their place. "There's too many!"

"Then we go around," I answered confidently, gathering a crystal in my free paw. "Hold on!" I flicked the crystal past my two companions, watching it soar over the heads of the ravenous, ice-eyed youths. At the same time, the soldiers fired off another few rounds my way. I stopped them.

And shot them right into the glass.

Crrrrack!

"What was that?" Jacob asked softly.

"Our way out," I answered, seizing both of their shoulders. We flashed right to my crystal, crashing behind the wall of insane children. I caught a glimpse of their backs, finding an odd growth just at the base of their necks.

There was no time to waste and I quickly scrambled to my feet, bolting down the hallway. There was a deafening whoosh. I didn't need to look behind me to know where that came from.

"Holy -!" Rex exclaimed. "Move!"

We bolted down the tunnels, alarms screaming all around us. Pipes exploded as the entire structure began to crumble. Booms echoed down the hallway, explosions ripping through the structure's hull. Water suddenly erupted from my left, knocking me down. Strong paws seized my shoulder and yanked me back to my feet.

The water level rose quickly, rising up to my ankles within a minute. We burst into what seemed like a big atrium of some sort. The broad, circular area was domed by glass, showing the distant, shimmering sunlight above us. An elevator of some sort sat opposite to where we emerged.

Our way out.

Bullets slammed into the wall beside my left ear. I dove for cover, ducking back behind the door. Water was already flowing down around us.

"Damnit!" Jacob exclaimed. "They've called the elevator! It takes ten minutes for one tip! If we don't make that trip, we're screwed!"

"What about Joanna's team?" Rex protested. "What about them?"

"We let them at the submarine bay. Hopefully one of them will know how to pilot a sub."

A small, cylindrical object bounced to my feet.

A grenade.

Bad idea to throw a grenade at a guy that can control gravity. I picked it up with an invisible hand and tossed it right back.

BOOM!

Men screamed.

"Don't you guys have some crazy superpowers or something?" I demanded. I pointed at my counterpart. "Didn't you use to summon swords made out of light and fire lasers? That sort of thing?"

"In a confined place like this, that be suicide," Rex answered. "One wrong move and we drown."

BOOM!

"Doesn't seem like anyone else is concerned about that," I muttered. I glanced at what must have been about ten soldiers guarding the elevator. They had set up a makeshift barricade as they waited patiently for the elevator to descend.

"Guess it's my time to shine," I said. "Sit tight, boys. I got this one."

I tossed a crystal in a high arc towards the troops. The soldiers all looked up as I expected they would. When the crystal landed in their midst, they just stared at it, baffled.

Now.

I flashed straight towards the crystal, erupting in a flash of light that blinded those around me. Razor sang out, slicing through armour and severing limbs. I flipped the blade backwards and plunged it back between my side and armpit. I felt the soldier behind me go rigid. I pulled the blade back out, kicking at the foe in front of me before I spun and sliced his chest wide open.

The soldiers lifted their guns.

I grabbed their guns in my gravitational grip. I crushed them all into tiny, metallic spheres.

Swearing could be heard all around me.

One soldier dared to bring up a combat knife and lung at me.

Jacob's sword was suddenly at his neck. "Think that's a knife?" he growled dangerously.

The soldier lifted his paws and let his weapon drop.

Ding!

The elevator arrived.

"Come on," Jacob urged, bolting to the elevator. I ran after him, holding the door for Rex.

"What about them?" Rex asked, nodding towards the soldiers.

"What about them?" Jacob snarled. "They're part of all this! Drowning is the best thing that could happen to them!"

"They're just doing their job!"

"A job that run by a psychotic scientist who no morals!"

"You're one to talk!"

"Hey! I have my boundaries!"

I stepped in between them before they came to blows. "Hold up!" I barked, pushing them both back. My eyes met Rex's. However, just beyond him, standing at the entrance to the atrium with a baby seal in his hands... was the Sixth. The Chaos Lord gave me a thumbs up and a smile crossed my features.

"There was a time I would agree with you here," I continued. "These guys chose to do their job. At any time during the exchange, they could have stopped firing and let us through. There's room enough here for all of us." I gestured at the elevator. "There's a price for every action we take. We can't expect to keep walking out roads without treading on other people's feet. Someone has to suffer."

"But no one has to suffer!" Rex protested. "Like you said, there's room! We can save them all!"

My eyes locked with the Sixth's once more. "Only the gods can save them now."

With those words, I pulled Rex into the elevator and hit the 'close' button.

Rex gave a cry of protest, spinning around and slamming against the closed doors. The elevator began its ascent once more. I sensed Rex was about to strike at us in rage. I quickly slammed Razor against the base of his neck and the brown wolf slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Good call," Jacob muttered. "Though, if it weren't for you, I would've gotten out of here with Rex without any of this."

I glanced at him, watching the wounds on his body slowly closing up. He had regeneration too, apparently. "Is that so?" I answered. "How exactly?"

"I have the power to use any door to teleport to another door as long as I know which door I'm talking about. I was going to use that female toilet door but you were there."

I chuckled. His attempt at machismo was cute. "Right."

His eyes narrowed at me and I returned his gaze with a cocky smirk.

"Who are you, exactly?"

I turned to face him fully. I lifted the Celestial Key which hung around my neck and activated it. His eyes went wide when a golden door appeared behind me.

I had learned from this place... now it was time I gave something back.

How Jacob or Rex used that knowledge however... well... That's their road. Their streets.

Me... I was ready to hit zero again.

"Let's see," I began with my best, taunting voice, "I've got black fur, golden blonde hair and blue eyes. Oh, and I've also got chest fur shaped like a heart." I winked at him, my smile growing cockier. "Also, I can use this little trinket to conjure up a door to take me to a predetermined place. Sounds pretty familiar, doesn't it?"

I gave him one more taunting wink and took a step back, pushing the door open as his face become completely dumbstruck.

"See you later, Jake."

Chapter 12.4: End of the Road

** Shellington Football Stadium**

The field around me was a mess.

Gunshots echoed out in the morning and I could hear the police rapidly approaching. Slowly, I took in my surroundings. I spied Dev, Chad and Cliff engaged in combat not too far to my right. Dev was wielding what looked like an ethereal mockery of Razor, lashing out at Chad's own trick blade. Cliff was firing with his sniper rifle at a ridiculously close range. His stomach was bandaged but blood was seeping into the bandages and he was coughing up blood with every shot he made. Chad had cuts and bruises all over his body. The tears in his eyes impeded his fighting ability.

Slowly, I got to my feet. My arms felt weak and my legs like jelly. Still, I persisted and picked up Turmoil and Tumult. I joined the two weapons, forming Razor. I gathered a crystal in my paws... and threw it straight at Dev.

The crystal whizzed past his ear and I flashed straight to it. His eyes went wide.

"Jake..."

"Hey..."

He dodged my strike just in time, rolling to the ground and coming up in a crouch.

"You're alive!?" he blurted, half in relief and the other half in disbelief. "And... And you're going to break my Seal?"

"No Dev," I answered, standing tall and confident. "There's a price for everything we do. Even when we want to start again, we have to pay the costs. Above all others, you should know that. You want to start again?" I levelled my sword at him. "Well guess what it costs."

His eyes widened and he shook his head wildly. "But Jake... I love you!"

"I love you too, Dev..." I replied softly. "But I can't just let this go..."

"Why not!? We could live happily ever after!"

"No Dev... We can't. Just because history gets rewritten, doesn't mean people will forget. I won't forget. I'm sorry, Dev. But between you and I, it can't happen as long as we both remember what you've done!"

I charged. He let out a pained wail, throwing his head back and letting out a scream of sheer agony.

I threw myself at him -

... and threw Razor to my left.

Chad's eyes boggled as my blade dug deep into his chest.

I crashed into Dev... only for his face to fade and for Chad's to take his place.

"What...?" Chad whispered, looking up at me in surprise. "How...? When...?"

I grinned at him and kissed him lovingly. I gave him no reply and got to my feet, gazing at Dev who now had Razor embedded in his chest.

"How... How did you know...?" Dev gasped, falling to his knees.

I glanced first at Chad... then at Cliff who stood to my left. Dev was at my right.

"My choices led me there," I answered, turning my gaze back to Dev. "Game over."

Dev grimaced, clutching Razor. "Like hell it is!"

The earth shook and the sky abruptly blackened. I remained still, not letting the world's change affect me just like my father had. Chad, Cliff and my parents vanished from view, consumed by the darkness that seeped out of Dev. The wolf got to his feet, his form suddenly devoured by shadow save for his icy-blue eyes.

"If can't have you, no one will!"

"Famous last words," I chuckled.

My senses screamed and I immediately dodged to my left. A shadow Dev swept past me. My instincts were on overdrive and I quickly dodged again to my right as a second shadow zoomed by me. All three swept towards me, attacking with claws and punches. I grunted when one of them slashed my right shoulder, ripping right into the flesh.

A shadow threw itself at me. I ducked and rolled, bowling it over. I jumped to my feet, lunging at the next shadow. My feet found purchase against Dev's chest where I gripped the invisible hilt of Razor. Dev roared in agony as I yanked at the blade, threatening to bring it straight upwards and slicing him in two!

"No!" he cried.

A blast of darkness flung me off him. I crashed to the ground, tasting grass despite the floor being concealed completely in darkness. Another two shadowy clones of Dev appeared. All five charged at me, bellowing challenges.

I scrambled to my feet and took a blow to my right cheek. I was dazed for a moment. I pressed my paws against the clone's chest and pushed him away. A second one caught me from behind, catching me in a submission hold. A third charged at me from the front. I kicked the clone's chest and as I landed, I hurled the one holding me over my back, sending him toppling to the ground.

I threw a crystal and flashed towards the fourth, punching the image's chest three times before kicking its groin. The fifth remained and I quickly flashed towards him, seizing the hilt of Razor and once again, painfully bringing it upwards. I heard bones and flesh rend and Dev's agonised cry.

"I won't let you!"

Boom!

I was hurled back again. Another two clones appeared. Shadowy tendrils lashed out, seizing my wrists and ankles. I was lifted into the air, the tendrils pulling at my limbs and threatening to rip me apart! I held my cry and gathered crystals in my paws.

The seven Devlins loomed beneath me.

I hurled my crystals straight down. The homed in on each of the Devlins.

"Time to open your eyes!" I shouted.

I flashed.

My paws slammed against a clone's chest.

One.

I flashed again, sliding behind another clone and kicking its knees out from under it.

Two.

A third flash and a firm kick to the collarbone.

Three.

The fourth -

And I felt my paws brush against Razor's blade.

Now!

I seized the blade and threw a crystal straight upwards.

I flashed one last time, blade included. Beneath me, Dev gasped as blood poured out of his massive wound. The darkness around me faded, one again revealing the early morning at Shellington Stadium. I soared about a hundred metres into the air, Razor above my head.

My path was clear.

Dev looked up.

Our eyes met.

And in that instant... I knew what he wanted to say.

'I'm sorry.'

I crashed to the ground.

Blood rained around me... and in the grisly scene... I watched Dev's medallion fall into two, neat pieces.

Game over.

Epilogue: Zero Street

** De'Chappellion**

It was a new dawn, a new day.

I sat at our usual booth in De'Chappellion, patiently watching for Chad's reaction. He looked neither stunned or horrified. Just... impassive... Unreadable.

"Are you sure...?" he asked softly. "Is this... is this was you really want?"

"It is," I answered with a firm nod. "This is my zero street."

"No room on that street for one more?" He broke his mask to offer me a desperate, cute little smile.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Chad. But I can't risk endangering you anymore."

"You know I'm an Avatar of the Gods, right?" he asked in a soft whisper. "You know this... You told me everything that happened with Dev. I... I know about it all. We can fight this together..."

Again, I shook my head. "No, Chad. You're working for the Gods. There are others out there above the gods that are messing with this reality. I don't want to risk your position with them when I am out potentially undermining them... again. Besides, I don't think they've forgiven me for screwing them over last time."

He offered me a soft chuckle. "Still couldn't believe it when you just came out and told me you knew. It sounds like it was better the last time I 'came out'."

I returned his chuckle. "Yeah... That's the risk of breaking a Seal, isn't it? The bad stuff goes away... but so do the good." I tapped the side of my head. "Honestly, I'm finding it hard to remember what's what anymore. I just hope Dev is alright..."

"Never had any reason to look him up until now," Chad answered. "Last I heard, he just bought a nice new house for his mom and dad. He's living in that warehouse though."

"I'm glad it worked out for him."

"Aren't you afraid he'll die a little too soon?"

I reached out and gripped Chad's paw tightly. "I am... And that's why I'm asking you to please take care of him."

Chad whimpered, ears flattened against the back of his head. "Jake... I hardly know the guy..."

"I know... But you knew him and up until the point where he betrayed you, you loved him. Please, Chad, for me. Make sure he lives a good life. If the gods demand his life again, I won't stop you." I gave him a cocky wink. "Just remember, though, I may have to step in and stop you."

He laughed. "I'd love to see you try."

"Hey, I seem to recall a couple of times I've been on top."

We both laughed... but it was tinged with sadness as well.

When the awkward silence settled in, Chad gazed into my eyes earnestly. "Jake... One more time... Why?"

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, collecting my thoughts. "Because... Every thought... every theory is a product of individuality." I locked gazes with him. "Think of your earliest thought, Chad. Where did it come from?"

Chad shrugged. "Um... My earliest thought...? It's my mom holding me... and me sucking on her breast for milk."

"Sometimes I wonder why you're gay," I sniggered. He kicked me lightly under the table. "Anyway, I continued, I want you to clear your mind, Chad... Empty it completely. Now, think of that thought... and ask yourself... 'What inspired that thought'? Or better yet, 'who'?"

Chad shrugged at me again. "My mom...?"

"Right. Each of our thoughts is inspired by someone else. Ultimately, the road that we walk it paved by others." A frown crossed my features. "My road has been plagued by these Seals constantly. It's time I stopped following their road and started making my own... towards them." I bared my fangs, my paws clenched. "I'm going to find out who they are and put a stop to them."

Slowly, Chad lowered his gaze in the faintest nod. "I get it... Can't start again without having somewhere to go, right?"

"Right..." I replied, offering him a faint smile. I patted his paw again. "I'll see you again, Chad. I promise."

Both his paws clasped around mine tightly. "Just... Take care of yourself, Jake... Please come back to me." He was sobbing and his eyes were cast down. I didn't get to see his tears.

I wanted to kiss him, to hold him and tell him everything would be alright. But that would just make the parting so much harder. Slowly, I pulled my paws free of his. I got out of my chair and gripped the handle of the travel bag that sat next to me.

"See you later, Chad."

"Later," he croaked. He couldn't look at me. I don't think I could have stayed on my path if he had. Especially if he threw a Puppy Dog Pout at me.

I turned, taking my bag with me.

Wham!

"Whoa! Sorry there!"

I looked up at the enormous tower of muscle in front of me. Part of my heart broke when I saw that it was Dev.

"Hey!" the big wolf exclaimed, his face was so bright and cheery now. That shadow of a scowl that seemed to permanently mar his features was gone and the iciness of his eyes had faded. They were warm, shone like crystals. "You're Jacob Reaper aren't you?" He stuck out his paw. "It's me! Devlin Pinsk! We went to high school together, remember?" He laughed brightly. "I caught that rotten tomato hurtling at you and threw it back!"

"Oh right..." I replied softly.

"Oh come on, you remember, right?" he said, wrapping an arm over my shoulder. "I led the whole football team to beating up those bigoted assholes, remember?"

"I think I do," I said, peeling his arm away from my shoulder. "Sorry, Devlin. I've got to be somewhere. Nice to have met you again."

"What? Come on, man! It's been years since we last saw each other! We were neighbours! Just have coffee with me."

"Tempting..." I answered with a faint smile. "But... no. I've got an appointment. Maybe next time."

His ears lowered slightly. "Um... Okay man. Hey, let me give you my number."

"No thank -"

Before I could reply, he pulled out a card and slipped it into my breast pocket, patting it securely. "Just in case, you know?" He offered me a wink.

"I know," I answered softly to his back.

I turned away, leaving the café and my previous life before.

Every step we make comes with a price.

I paid mine.

Now, it was time to see where my new road took me.

I gazed down the street, travel bag in paw.

This is my road.

My zero street.