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Ghostbusters: Daybreak Chapter 2 (The Bug and the Beast) Written by Leo_Todrius Commissioned by Draikoth

[Highlands of Peru - 13th Century]

The glow of sunrise filled the heavens with a pinkish red glow, spreading slowly from one horizon toward the other. It crept over the sharp, pointy peaks of the mountains and washed over the wide, flat green and gold fields below. The highlands were like a perfect bowl nestled high above sea level, tucked away from the bulk of humanity. In the distance the humans were proving to be quite industrious, forming an Inca Empire, but they were not the only ones exerting influence. Here, at least for now, was the domain of Cohila - the god of the Earth, the god of fertility, the god of insects.

The supernatural being had come in the shape of a man to the village, earning the heart of his beautiful queen before he revealed himself as an insect king. He and his queen had sired many children, both insect and supernatural. The villagers had been scared at first, but as Cohila's empire grew, so too did their bounty.

Their crops were fertilized by majestic bees, their fields plowed by giant beetles, their crops carried by crickets and mantis. Visitors from distant lands were shocked, but it was hard to ignore how well off the humans that worshipped Cohila were. They were taller, stronger, more beautiful. Each day, more showed up to pledge themselves to the god.

As the days passed, a step pyramid made out of Cohila's royal amber had been built. Each brick was formed by the god and placed by his worshippers. The translucent material shimmered faintly in the dawning light, throbbing with the power of the Earth. It had been enough of a marvel to draw the attention of another spirit. The humans were advancing, but they were centuries away from understanding the complex influence of thought, belief, emotion and conviction on the world around them and the worlds beyond. That was the true power of Cohila's empire - an empire that Cilehe would one day inherit.

The demigod sat on the steps of the pyramid, watching the dawning light rising in the distance. He wore his human guise at the moment for convenience, blending in with the locals. He appeared to be an eighteen year old Peruvian teenager, a Wayna as the locals called it. His skin was a rich cinnamon tone, his black hair spiky in the middle, coming down to a point on the back of his neck. His naturally copper-red exoskeleton had shifted into the appearance of a human textile, but it was all for show.

There was a weight on Cilehe's shoulders, the weight of nature versus nurture, the weight of a destiny plotted out for him. His father expected him to take a human queen, to spread the empire, to help him conquer the human world. Somehow it just didn't feel right, it didn't feel like... him. He spent his time with the humans looking at the males, not the females. The males were more appealing; big, strong muscles glistening with effort, impressive features, strong personalities... but he couldn't tell his father that, he could barely comprehend it himself. Males did not make heirs...

A deep rumbling began spreading across the heavens. The clouds shuddered and the morning light started to dim. The humans began to panic, to drop what they were doing and look around in shock. A darkness spread out across the highlands, a shadow. Cilehe's eyes turned solid black, his skin taking on a metallic sheen as his paranormal form started to bubble toward the surface.

As quickly as it started, the darkness disappeared and dawn light returned. The humans were so relieved at the turnabout that they didn't realize something had appeared in the darkness, something had appeared in their midst. Another shout came as someone noticed the new beast hunched over on all fours.

The being was immense, the size of a bull. Its hide was thick and leathery, a grayish brown. Broad horns stuck out from its bear like face, and solid red eyes glowed with their own ferocity. Thick, sharp claws dug deep into the soil as the canid beast struck terror into the hearts around it. It let out a thunderous growl and broke into a sprint, bounding and leaping across the fields with a speed outpacing any natural creature... but as it approached the pyramid, the beast reared up onto its hind legs.

Musculature, bone, flesh - it all warped as the beast took on a semblance of a human form. Tall, thick, powerful legs led up to the broad, stacked torso with meaty pecs and a firm gut. The arms were powerful, the shoulders wide, but the head... the head remained that of the beast before; red eyes, sharp fangs, broad horns. The beast even had horns down the back of its head... and some similar bumps on its most prodigious manhood as well.

Cilehe's human form vanished, cast aside in the face of this sudden display. His human shape stretched upwards, climbing to almost eight feet tall, his body covered in coppery red chitin. His big, black glassy eyes looked at the intruder as a massive, spiked scorpion tail arched up behind him. His mandibles fluttered as he opened his mouth wide, feeling the back of his throat tingle with the sacks of spores and venom he had, other natural defense. The beast slowly smiled a fearsome and terrible grin, looking at the prince on the steps, ready to defend himself and his human pets. The two met eyes, feeling a strange connection... and for the first time, Cilehe knew what destiny actually felt like.

[Portland, Oregon - Modern Day]

Sunlight poured in through the three semicircle windows that spanned the living area of the Portland Ghostbusters Firehouse building, washing over the wood floors and catching on the various statues and ornamental art situated around the space. It was good there was so much sunlight as it was the only light - it seemed that while the containment unit was running on a separate grid paid well in advance along with countless redundant systems, the rest of the building had no power.

Even without lights, Nine felt elated to be in the building of his heroes. After being grounded for a week by his parents for being out all night without telling them where he was, he'd spent every free moment in the firehouse pouring over files, records, data, schematics, everything. Miguel had been there just as much as Nine, partly out of excitement and partly because he didn't have any place better to go.

Angel sat on the couch, reading through a red leather bound copy of Tobin's Spirit Guide, his caramel colored eyes engrossed in the variety of spirits and ghouls they might eventually encounter. He was so focused on the reading that he didn't even look up as Nine made his sixth trip up the steps from the first floor, laying out yet another piece of equipment on the floor.

Nine huffed a bit from how heavy the equipment was, but without light downstairs he had to get a good look at the stuff. He'd made a spread of their options; a mark one proton pack with its black chassis and four lights on the cyclotron, the packs they had been using with the proton cartridges, a big metallic tank with a blower like weapon, and an assortment of smaller tools.

"Those... things... are heavy..." Nine panted.

"That's probably why the Ghostbusters always have a tricked out car." Angel said, finally looking up, though he noticed Nine wasn't looking at him or the equipment. He was looking at the kitchen. Angel's perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched as his jaw dropped, "Are they STILL in there? What are they doing?" he asked.

"Is... everything okay?" Nine called into the kitchen. There were a few more thumps, a shudder, the sound of breaking glass and then Miguel came barreling out of the kitchen, a handkerchief covering his nose and mouth for filtration and another covering his hair as he all but ran with two huge garbage bags.

"Coming through!" Miguel said, nearly gagging as he moved to the stairs and down. Angel and Nine's faces scrunched up at once as the smell hit them. Angel sprung off the couch, trying to get away from it. Nine's eyes watered and he felt his stomach protesting the odor.

"What is that?!" Nine coughed and sputtered, looking green around the gills. Rerun floated out from the kitchen, wearing an old bleach stained t-shirt, yellow kitchen gloves and science goggles.

"If I still had my powers, I could turn back time and make all the food fresh... But let's just say the fridge wasn't too pretty without power for a month." Rerun said. Angel gagged, retching slightly as he moved to open the window. He popped the locks and opened some of the panes, letting in the ambient noise of the street below filter in along with some fresh air. It was Nine who was staring at Rerun, as if replaying everything he had said in his mind.

"If you still had your powers, you could just... make the food good again?" Nine asked. Rerun looked mildly irritated.

"Yeah, it was kind of my thing... I mean, maybe not in so many words. At first it was just instinct. I didn't understand this human world... But yeah, I could turn things and people back into previous versions of themselves, I could loop time, stuff like that." Rerun said.

"It must have been pretty cool, and useful." Angel said, moving back over, looking at the blue skinned time wyrm. Even without irises or pupils, they could tell Rerun's white eyes were sad.

"Useful, I guess... Saved the world a couple times over with it. I couldn't talk though." Rerun said. Nine moved to sit on the arm of the couch, facing Rerun.

"Really?" Nine asked. The time wyrm nodded, pulling off the yellow gloves.

"Yeah. I picked up sign language though, and my friends learned it too. It wasn't until I lost my powers that I could... talk." Rerun said softly. Nine and Angel were both quiet for a moment at that, though they could hear the metallic clang of the dumpster outside. Miguel had reached his destination, depositing the bulk of the rotten food.

"How did you lose your powers?" Angel asked. Rerun grimaced more and turned around, pointing at a hexagonal piece of stone clasped around the root of his three wings. It was an old looking rock, engraved with ancient runes.

"The monster that took my friends away put this on me so I couldn't go back and save them." Rerun growled, "He locked me to this stupid timeline." Rerun nearly snarled. Nine hopped off the couch and moved over, looking at the stone cuff before he pulled out his cell phone and took a careful picture of it, then the side, then the next angle.

"What are you doing?" Angel asked.

"I'm going to see if I can figure out what these mean. Maybe it'll help us figure out how to get rid of it." Nine said.

"And then?" Angel asked.

"Then we do whatever we can to get Rerun his powers back. It's the next thing on our saving-the-world checklist." Nine grinned, submitting the glyphs to a search engine.

[13th Century]

The dining hall of Cohila's pyramid was a testament to his influence over the locals. Rows of casks and cases lined the walls, holding grain and maze and herbs and spices. A very long, hand carved table ran the length of the room, covered in Cured meats. Piles of cloth, gold, and other treasures spilled over from offering boxes. It was a tribute that Cohila treasured, and it was something that he let his 'children' enjoy as well. Ants tore some of the meat, crickets burrowed in the grain, spiders spread webs from one statue to the next, and small pincer bugs with almost human like faces wriggled and swarmed across the floor. It was a busy room, but they spread and scattered out of the way as Cohila's guest would move his large, clawed feet.

The canine demon sat at one end of the table, his red eyes looking down at the rack of lamb before him, his goblet full of the finest wine. His leathery hide had been washed by servants with exquisite oils and salves. If anything, he had been pampered by the hospitality of the resident god. The beast looked up, looking first across the table.

Cohila himself sat at the other end, his green shell coating his powerful body. He had the head and arms of a praying mantis, and the spiked tail of an earwig. He was immense, muscled and strong. It was something to see, taking in the god himself, but the canine demon slowly turned, looking back at the prince, at Cilehe. His red copper hide, his scorpion form, he was smaller than his father, more elegant, more... receptive.

"So, Draikoth was it... You could sense our empire all the way from your realm?" Cohila asked curiously. His voice carried the accent of the local humans, and as he lifted some of his feast to eat, his green shell shrank away, his form squishing and shrinking until he appeared mortal. He had slicked back black hair, long sideburns down to his jaw and a fine mustache that was meticulously groomed. Even his clothes were green and gold, brightly colored but complimenting his natural tones.

"I... could." Draikoth replied, a but surprised how easily these bugs could shift forms. At whim they could blend in, or revel in their natural powers. Draikoth shifted.

"Normally it is my power that others sense..." Draikoth explained, "It is a power others have tried to harness. Gozer the Gozerian has taken some of my brood to try and 'tame' them and impose the might of the terror dogs on those that stand in the way." Draikoth said before grabbing a hunk of meat, bringing it to his lips. His fangs made short work of it, tearing in and rending the protein from the bone.

Cilehe watched with wonder as the powerful beast went at it, having no social morays, no restrictions or fears. His father, however, was a bit dismayed at how uncivilized the demon was. He sipped his wine until none remained, lowering the goblet to the ground.

"And what is it that you wish to do in my kingdom now?" Cohila questioned. Draikoth looked up from his meat, thinking for a moment before he set it down. He licked his lips clean and leaned back in his seat. His broad shoulders, his powerful arms, his huge legs - he filled the chair as if it was a throne for him, rather than a chair for a guest.

"I want to learn, to observe, to see how you interact with these humans. It has been several centuries since our kind took such a direct hand in human culture. My question... is what will you do?" Draikoth asked. Cohila took a napkin to brush at his lips, making sure they were clean before his fingers came together.

"My son will take a queen to tend his own hive. He will form a city of his own, and raise an army. Together... together our forces will be unstoppable." Cohila said. Draikoth nodded, though his red eyes drifted from Cohila to Cilehe. The prince's gaze had drifted down tot he table, looking away from his father. The black, shiny orbs seemed so distant, so remote. Draikoth smiled slightly despite himself. He could sense the conflict, the hesitation, the opportunity... and he had to test things.

"May I be permitted to explore your kingdom?" Draikoth asked, a slow grin spreading across his muzzle. Cilehe looked from their guest to his father. His father wiped his mouth again, setting down the cloth.

"Of course, of course... But you would understand that... it would be confusing for my worshippers to have you wandering around... unattended. We would need to provide some sort of escort for you." Cohila said, trying to sound as charming as he could.

"Then what of your son? If he is to be the king of his own realm someday, he should learn how to interact with other spirits." Draikoth said. Cilehe sat up in surprise, his insect form contracting and constricting into that of a teenage human, his hair spiking up again, his eyes a little surprised. Cohila grinned wider, though how much of it was for show was uncertain.

"A fine idea..." Cohila said, not sure exactly what Draikoth was up to... but he swore he'd get to the bottom of it.

[Modern Day]

Night had fallen, the street lights outside snapping on. The second floor was high enough to see them. Nine sat at the dining room table with two battery powered lanterns at each end, generating a modest amount of illumination as he stared at his phone, trying to match up the pictures of the glyphs on the stone cuff. There was faint movement, though Rerun generally made no sound when he floated from room to room. He floated in the doorway, his white eyes generating a faint amount of their own light as he looked at the human that remained.

Angel and Miguel had gone home as the sun started to set, but Nine lingered. Rerun felt very conflicted. It was the first companionship he'd had in a month, but... these kids weren't his family. Still, their hearts were in the right place, and if Rerun had any hope of seeing his friends again, he'd need help... and he'd need his powers. Rerun took a breath and floated out to the table. Nine looked up and smiled softly.

"Nothing yet, sorry." Nine replied. Rerun shrugged.

"Gray tried for ages after it got put on me to figure it out." Rerun replied, hoping it was some consolation. Rerun stretched out a bit, wriggling his shoulders as he eyed the red headed human curiously, "Do you mind if I ask... about your name?" he smiled. Nine grinned a bit.

"Ah, I wondered how long it'd take." Nine chuckled, "My parents were sort of hippies when they were younger. Into numerology and stuff like that. Nine means wisdom and initiation, emotion and spirituality. They didn't want another name someone else had. They wanted their special boy to be... special." Nine smirked.

"Well, I think it worked. You're the only person to get past the third lock of the black box." Rerun said. Nine looked up at that.

"You knew?" He asked. The time wyrm nodded.

"Yeah, anytime anyone broke through one of the ciphers, I got an update." Rerun said. Nine blushed a little.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." he said.

"Well, it seems like I have nothing but time on my hands." Rerun shrugged again. Nine laughed at that before he hesitated and looked back at his phone.

"So you said that the time lock was put on you by a really nasty super-ghost?" Nine asked. Rerun nodded.

"Yeah, we were calling him the Grey Eyed Boy, but he's the one that made all the Ghostbusters disappear. My friends were trying to trap an ancient bug ghost and he showed up and locked my powers." Rerun explained.

"So he just showed up while you were dealing with this other ghost? What was that ghost?" Nine asked. Rerun tilted his head a bit.

"Cilehe... A class seven South American entity discovered in the Suslaw forest. He produced a subharmonic tone that controlled all bugs in the area, and summoned several humans to him to turn into his protectors and... mates." Rerun replied. Nine shuddered a bit.

"I think I remember that, my window got covered with millipedes. It was the creepiest thing ever." Nine murmured, "But it happened at the same time?" he asked.

"Yes..." Rerun answered, his eyes narrowing a bit, "Do you think they are related?"

"Maybe... It's the best lead we have to go on. I assume the Ghostbusters trapped him to end the bug threat." Nine said, refining his search on the glyphs from the cuff to compare to South American languages. Nine's fingers drummed on the edge of the couch in thought.

"What if... you could ask him questions?" Rerun asked softly.

[13th Century]

The days had trickled by, one more amazing than the next. Cilehe had seen his father's empire in a different light, showing it off to Draikoth. The terror dog came from such a different realm and he had lived such a bold life. Cilehe was a bit envious of that. In his life he had only known his father's influence, to be fertile, to grow his hive and have a queen to tend to it. Cilehe didn't know anything other than that, but he knew he didn't fit. Draikoth only made the difference more apparent.

"And you co-exist with the humans?" Draikoth asked, continuing their conversation as they walked down the path. They were several miles from the pyramid and the human settlements had fallen away, leaving nothing but wilderness and the path between villages. Draikoth still held his bipedal form in a poor attempt to match Cilehe's human guise, although the teenage demigod had allowed streaks of red into his otherwise dark hair as an homage to his heritage.

"They think of us as gods, and they help nourish his hive." Cilehe explained.

"And... there is no resistance?" Draikoth asked. Cilehe shrugged.

"There is a tribe that calls themselves the Inca, they are not... as receptive to my father's ways." Cilehe explained.

"And Cohila will not tame them?" Draikoth asked, still trying to understand these strange peers of his. Cilehe laughed gently, a faint insect chitter mixed in with his human laugh.

"I think the only one my father wishes to tame is me." Cilehe said.

"There are some who once attempted to control me... to tame such power, such raw primal lust. They failed." Draikoth said. Cilehe stopped walking and turned to look at the deep crimson eyes of the canine beast by his side.

"You are unlike any in this realm. You have such power, such freedom." Cilehe said. Draikoth lifted a clawed hand to Cilehe's chin.

"You could have that power too." Draikoth murmured, "All you must do is choose to embrace it, to embrace what you already feel."

"I... I must..." Cilehe murmured, his eyes turning black and glassy, his skin shifting to its coppery state as his human guise weakened.

"You must what?" Draikoth whispered, "You must imagine the hellish empire we could rule over as humanity serves their new gods. Cohila and his queen can only dream of the world you and I could create... together." Draikoth whispered. Cilehe inhaled sharply. While he was far from human, he swore he could feel his heart racing in his chest. His breath went in and out so rapidly, so quickly.

"Me?" was the only response he was able to let out. Draikoth's muzzle warped into a sinister grin.

"Why not? The demon prince of a fertility god, one that understands there is more to eternity than male and female... one that will soon understand the pleasures only I can offer." Draikoth grinned. He looked into the prince's eyes, his own turning from their steady red to a darker burgundy, then pitch black. Cilehe's mouth slowly hung open as he gazed into the void, the darkness, the deep and black and... welcoming eyes.

It was as if a weight was being lifted off of his chest, a pressure gone that had been there for so long. There was no need to keep up the pretense, to pretend, to live in his father's shadow and to be the good boy that would take a queen. He was his own being, his own entity, his own royalty. He was Cilehe, and he was proud. A slow, modest grin started to cross his lips as his own eyes turned darker and darker, returning to their natural insect state.

The faint red flare in his hair became brighter, a thick red streak growing out from his scalp and down the length of his mane - although his human mask didn't last long, his form rippling and growing as his skin turned to exoskeleton. His face distorted and stretched out, his arms and legs expanded. Muscle turned to sculpted chitin, his abdomen tightened and segmented. His back shuddered as his scorpion tail emerged, stretching out, the barb plump and bulbous.

"There he is... the handsome prince." Draikoth whispered, "The envy of the masses, the pride of the otherworld... So beautiful." Draikoth said, grinning. He reached out, running a claw along the armor of the prince, guiding it down before he reached his partner's groin. His claw found a groove and punctured in, slicing down through it. A gush of clear pre sloshed out as the slit was opened, dribbling to the ground. Cilehe gasped sharply but Draikoth plunged his leathery hand inside, grabbing onto Cilehe's manhood.

Cilehe's back arched and he let out a hiss as his long, sharp shaft was pulled from his slit. The tip was textured like a cluster of overlapping arrowheads, the tip blunted ever so slightly. It looked almost like the barb on the end of his scorpion tail. The prince's shaft was engorging fast, growing and slithering, stretching to lengths it never had before. Draikoth started to massage it, to fondle it, to admire it as it grew... and he started to pour his own energy into it, summoning his rebelliousness, his fury, his darkness, and giving it to that single point of his would-be lover. It slowly turned from its natural red color to a darker purple, touched by Draikoth's darkness.

Cilehe's body ached with need, drool leaking from his mandibles as his cock continued to grow unchecked... but Draikoth was far from done. The terror dog licked his lips as he reached down with his other paw, giving his fat, plump sheathe a few rubs. The leathery pouch had grown quite prodigious in the last few minutes, Cilehe unaware, but now that the moment had come, it was time for it to emerge.

The pepper shaped tip slowly slithered out of its sheathe, pointed, tapered, red and sloped. It grew wider with each inch that emerged, looking more like a battle club than Cilehe's spear. Draikoth stepped closer, closer, coming chest to chest with the prince. He was everything the bug was not. Cilehe was tall and lean, Draikoth was built like a tank. A strong, muscled arm wrapped around the prince and Draikoth stepped forward one final time.

The head of the terror dog's shaft glided along Cilehe's manhood, finding the slit in his carapace, and plunging inside. Cilehe hissed again, but Draikoth went right to thrusting. He slammed in and out, in and out, deeper, harder, faster. He panted as he fucked the prince's slit, trapping his aching cock against his chest. Cilehe started to cum at once, but Draikoth didn't care. He was going to take the prince as his own. He slammed down in harder, deeper, faster, grinding and humping and rutting and fucking.

Cilehe thrust back, grinding as much as he could, feeling... liberated. The pretense was gone forever. This was his life, this was his purpose. He was drawn to males, he desired this pleasure. He would make a hive of men, there was no other way. And strangely, it had always been this way. He knew he had been waiting, yearning, thirsting for this sort of release... and he wanted it all.

In a flash, Cilehe's tail came striking down into Draikoth's back. The terror dog grunted as his tough hide was pierced, but then his black eyes widened as an incredibly potent serum began flooding his system, taking over his own will, flooding him with endorphins and hormones and drives. His rational thought melted away, leaving only the need for sex. Drool leaked from his mouth more freely as his jaw cracked and popped, his muzzle stretching outward longer, his teeth getting sharper.

Cilehe watched as Draikoth lost control of his humanoid shape. His shoulders rounded, his legs started to contract. He was compacting into the bear of a beast he had been when he first arrived, a true and feral terror dog. The horny beast lunged at Cilehe, using his body weight to knock the prince to the ground. He came down on him, thrusting as his canine cock continued to grow. It seemed in feral form, he was an alpha ready for breeding.

Cilehe thrashed against his aggressor, grinding up, shuddering as he felt the terror dog's size and weight against him. All humanity drained from Draikoth until he was a pure beast, a terror dog, a demon of the underworld bent only on fucking his prince. His fat, huge, red cock slipped in and out of the hole as the minutes became hours until finally he came, releasing pent up cum so bountiful that it sprayed out of Cilehe's slit, but still they fucked... unaware that in the distance a great darkness was growing, a wrath, an enmity of a king whose plans had been destroyed forever.

[Modern Day]

The sound of metal scraping against metal was unpleasant to say the least, but Nine had no other choice as he dragged a piece of equipment across the metal grated floor of the firehouse basement. The device was almost seven feet tall, the bottom and top portions looking to be modified orange versions of the disc traps the Ghostbusters often used. Nine nudged it into a central position in the room before running the thick cord over to the containment unit, plugging it into the receptacle.

"So this is some kind of recall device?" Nine asked. Rerun nodded where he was, looking an odd shade as his blue skin was washed over with the yellow light radiating up from beneath the floor.

"It allows one to talk to ghosts that were previously trapped, to bring them out of the Containment Unit's synthetic reality." Rerun said. Nine made sure everything was locked into place before he looked up.

"Do you have some kind of photographic memory?" Nine asked. Rerun shrugged.

"I don't know, I haven't tested it." he answered, looking a bit worried, "And I've never said this much out loud."

"You have a very nice voice." Nine smiled. Rerun shook his head.

"I'm just... worried, if we remove the cuff, I won't be able to talk again." Rerun said. Nine looked at the time wyrm with sympathy.

"When the time comes, it'll be your choice to make. And if you do remove it, and you lose your voice, then we'll just learn sign language so we can keep talking." Nine smiled. Rerun grinned at that, bringing his hand up to his chin and drawing it down in an outward facing arch.

"Thank you." Rerun said as he made the sign. Nine repeated the sign before he gave a nod and looked back at the recall device.

"Okay then... Time to see if this is a wild goose chase." Nine said, standing up. He moved over to the device's control and started moving through the frequencies. There were several thousand distinct patterns in the Containment Unit, though Rerun had said that Cilehe was a class seven. Nine sorted by power and looked down the top of the list. Some of the signals were identified, though others were not. He bit his lip, sorting through until he reached his lucky break.

Parameters were entered, safeties checked, and then the commands were sent. An orange light flooded the recall chamber with ions, forming the containment field before a slot in the bottom plate opened up. A swirling mass of energy spilled out, spiraling and coalescing, taking shape and forming into a huge red scorpion beast. It was almost too big to fit into the chamber, but the form started to change again, contracting and shrinking.

It only took seconds, but Cilehe shrunk down to a human height, his insect form morphing seamlessly to that of a latino man in his twenties. His black hair was shaped into a fauxhawk with red streaks, and his chin was adorned with a slick black goatee curved into a sharp spike, hinting at his tail. His thick exoskeleton had turned into a red leather jacket and black jeans. His feet had toughened and shifted into boots with a scale like texture, hinting at his true form.

The bug prince looked around, spotting Rerun, but then an unfamiliar human. His face had initially been one of irritation, but it slowly became intrigue. He held up a hand to the containment field, pressing against it. His face softened a bit more as he wondered if mock compassion might be a better approach to his apparently new captor.

"H... How long have I been imprisoned?" Cilehe asked, his voice tinged with a faint accent. Nine swallowed a bit, looking at the record on the screen.

"Five months." Nine said. Cilehe shifted some.

"A small amount of time for one imprisoned so long... First by my father, and now you." Cilehe said. Rerun bore his teeth.

"You were turning the city into a hive, we had no choice." Rerun said. Cilehe gave a weary, tired smile.

"My father said something similar... defying the laws of nature, he had no choice." Cilehe sighed slowly, "But to what, or whom do I owe this small reprieve? You are an unfamiliar face to me." Cilehe said, looking at Nine.

"We need more answers, and you are the primary witness." Nine said. Cilehe's shoulders slumped.

"More questions about the mysterious boy..." Cilehe sighed.

"Not quite, though related." Nine said, "Rerun, show him your cuff." he said. Rerun hesitated before floating forward and turning. The stone ring around his wings was tucked tightly between his back and his appendages, but turning just right, Cilehe could see it. His eyes widened in surprise.

"That... is Incan, the language of the people... of my people." Cilehe said in surprise, "It is a spell... To keep the flow of the river on its natural course..."

"The flow of time." Nine said softly, "The grey eyed boy must have... siphoned the ambient energy that was around at the time to form it, feeding off the chaos that Cilehe was making."

"That creature made the lock with my powers? That devious..." Cilehe muttered.

"If it was made with your powers, could you remove it? Restore Rerun's powers?" Nine asked. Cilehe's eyes darted up, looking at the human for a moment before he looked back down at the floor.

"Not... like this, not... trapped." Cilehe said. Nine grimaced.

"I... I can't just let you free, you'll start trying to change humans again." Nine said. Cilehe looked up slowly again.

"The humans before you, your predecessors... they once made an arrangement with me. I gave answers to the questions they sought, in exchange for more comfortable imprisonment. Perhaps we could come to an arrangement as well." Cilehe smiled, "After all, if my crime wrought this punishment, perhaps there is some way I could be trusted not to do it again."

"What, probation?" Nine asked, "I... wouldn't know how to do that with a ghost."

"A ghost... what an unfortunate term. I am very much alive, even if I behave with the power of the natural universe." Cilehe replied. Nine murmured, already imagining Angel talking to him about species identity rights.

"I'll need time to prepare... If you step out of line, we'll be forced to take action." Nine said. Cilehe nodded.

"Of course, it is only proper as defenders of your world... But I must warn you as well, I cannot release the spell alone. We must find another with greater power over this kind of magic. He, too, has been imprisoned in your world." Cilehe said. Nine's heart sank some.

"We can't trust him..." Rerun said softly.

"If we don't, we can't restore your powers, it'll be that much harder to find your friends." Nine said. Rerun grimaced more before nodding weakly.

"We need Angel and Miguel." Rerun replied. Nine nodded at that.

"It's only a few hours until we can call them... In the mean time, Cilehe, who is this spirit with greater power?" Nine asked.

"His name is, or was, Lord Draikoth... and I have no idea where my father banished him to." Cilehe said. Nine knew he'd need more energy drinks... He had to find a missing spirit, round up the team, and then go to who knew where. It was going to be a long night.

**** Dawn had come, and thankfully with it the weekend. Angel had been a little reluctant to get up so early on a Saturday, then even more reluctant when he heard Nine's plan. He slung on one of the more complex proton packs, adjusting it on his back, locking the straps into the right length. He shifted his weight from side to side before reaching back, clearing his dreads so they wouldn't get trapped between the pack and his back.

"This is heavier than the ones we picked up at Dakota's house." Angel mused.

"Unlike those packs, these have a power supply that will last thousands of years. No need to change out cartridges... and they have a pretty nice suite of upgrades and abilities. The Swiss army knife of ghost trapping equipment." Nine said. Miguel grinned from where he had pulled his on. It was so big compared to his frame that the round cyclotron nearly sunk down past his posterior, but he had a grin on his face.

"And this time we all get one." Miguel said, flipping the switch to activate his pack. The heavy resounding hum snapped to life as the four red lights on the cyclotron blinked, but his fingers slipped to another portion of the blaster and hit a breaker. The red lights suddenly turned orange.

"What... What is that?" Nine asked. Miguel grinned.

"You guys didn't read the manual? It's the Meson Collider... Tag an item, send a particle stream to the target?" Miguel asked. Angel looked at Nine and Nine blushed a little and looked at Miguel. Miguel showed him the breaker and Nine flicked it. His own pack hummed as the lights turned from red to orange. Cilehe watched from his chamber with mild interest. The humans seemed woefully under-prepared, but Cilehe... could feel a difference in the world. Things were out of balance. Somehow he felt safer with these novices than testing the world on his own, at least for the moment.

"So... we let him out, and what?" Angel asked.

"To release the spell, we still must find Draikoth." Cilehe said.

"About that..." Nine murmured, "I... found a hit on the name."

"You have? Where?" Cilehe asked.

"Florida, a museum in Sarasota... The farthest end of the country. I'm... I'm not sure how we can get there." Nine said.

"Is this place clear in your mind? Can you focus on its location?" Cilehe asked.

"I think so, I mean, if you want me to think about what it actually looks like, we have loads of pictures and stuff." Nine answered. Cilehe purred slightly, nodding.

"And your predecessors, they had the ether of the masses at their disposal in great tanks, we need some of that." Cilehe said.

"Wait, wait, wait... What are you talking about, dude?" Angel asked. Cilehe bore his sharper than normal teeth.

"I will form a bridge between here and our destination. We cannot wait for your meager forms of transportation." Cilehe said.

"You're going to make some kind of... portal? That wasn't in your file!" Nine said, going back to the computer. Cilehe sighed.

"It is an ability I learned from one of my fellow captives." Cilehe said, indicating the containment unit. Nine's brow furrowed. He didn't know much about the micro-universe inside the massive red machine, but the idea of the ghosts learning from each other in there was mildly terrifying.

"What is the ether of the masses?" Miguel asked.

"Slime..." Nine said, bringing his attention back to the present, "Ectoplasm. The goo that most ghosts are made of. These packs have a small reserve." Nine said, looking at the breaker that Miguel had shown them, flicking it past Dark Matter generator to slime. The lights on his pack snapped to a deep green color and a nozzle oppened on the underside of his blaster.

"So... we know where we're going, we have a way there, now we just need him to lead us?" Angel asked.

"We're going to have to tag you with a meson bolt, just to be sure." Miguel said. Cilehe said nothing but nodded weakly. Nine exhaled slowly.

"Alright, here goes." he said before pulling the lever, releasing the containment field on the recall device.

**** It had been a rather slow day at the Sarasota Museum of Cultural Heritage, before finally the museum had closed. Five o'clock had come, the doors had been locked, but still the sunlight from outside poured in through the floor to ceiling windows, splashing across the warm colored wood floor and the pristine white walls. Outside there were a few palm trees, swaying back and forth in a gentle breeze. It was the sort of peace and quiet that fine art deserved, a quiet that was interupted as a ring of oozing green slime began to form on one of the bare walls, sizzling and snapping and bubbling until the wall became a hole.

Cilehe stepped through the gap elegantly, his leather jacket, tight jeans and textured boots seeming somewhat out of place in such a refined museum - though far more fitting with the aesthetic than the trio of Ghostbusters stumbling after him. Nine slid a little, having some slime on his shoe. Angel bumped into the back of Nine, and Miguel had to come out of the portal at an angle because everyone in front of him had abruptly stopped. He spun to the side and looked around, raising his blaster.

With a deft flick of his finger, the lights on his proton pack snapped from orange to green. A small slime tank on the side gurgled and Miguel let out a blob of slime to splash across the camera mounted to the ceiling. Angel looked at it and then Miguel, giving a nod of approval before patting Miguel on the shoulder. Cilehe took a step, then another, sniffing the air before his eyes fluttered shut.

"He is here..." He murmured.

"You can smell him?" Nine asked, brushing one of his bangs out of his face and tucking it behind his ear.

"Oh yes, I will never forget that smell..." Cilehe said. Miguel looked at Angel, a bit surprised by the spirit's words. Nine turned and looked back at the portal where Rerun waited, keeping the gap open, waiting for the right moment.

Cilehe led the way, the Ghostbusters following. The exhibit on display seemed to be one on architecture and sculpture. There were replica castings of statues from across the Americas and Europe, there were new pieces inspired by them, pictures of pieces so precious they couldn't be moved or duplicated.

Nine had to smile a bit, thinking back to the night in the natural history museum in Portland, the night they had all become a team. It had been pretty wild, and not completely successful - after all, he had been possessed by a saber tooth cat... but it had been a defining moment for them. Now they were on the opposite end of the country, in another museum, looking at fine displays and a terror dog.

"SHIT!" Nine cursed, bringing up his weapon as he laid eyes on the massive form of a stone bear-dog frozen mid-snarl. A loud hissing came from Cilehe as he bashed Nine's weapon to throw his aim off, his eyes turning black. Miguel and Angel snapped their packs to Meson mode, ready to unleash a flurry of fire.

"He is Draikoth! Do not harm him!" Cilehe said. Nine recovered from the impact and looked back at the statue, aghast.

"That is a terror dog... That's like, one of the first monst- uh, ghosts, that the Ghostbusters ever fought..." Nine said. Angel moved over, looking at the placard beneath the statue, crouching down.

"This stone gargoyle was found buried outside of Munich in the 15th century, remarkably well preserved..." Angel said. Cilehe's snarl became a growl, reverberating so loudly that all present could feel the vibration in their chests.

"How dare my father tear us apart like that..." Cilehe muttered, "If he weren't already trapped by humans I would do so myself and turn him in as bounty."

"Tear... you apart?" Miguel asked, looking at Cilehe and then the statue, "You and... uh, this?" he asked. Cilehe moved over and ran a hand across the stone muzzle of the terror dog.

"Draikoth... was so much to me. He showed me the true path, he liberated me from a life of lies, he gave me such... lust." Cilehe said. Angel blinked a bit at that, though Miguel smiled softly. Nine, however, was getting more nervous.

"So this trip, to find him? It was to reunite you with your love?" Nine asked. Cilehe turned, nodding.

"I understand your fears, human. I did not go back on my deal. Draikoth's power is needed to break the lock on your wyrm's powers." Cilehe said, crouching down. He leaned in and softly kissed the stone lips of the snarling terror dog. The Ghostbusters looked at each other, but attention snapped back to the statue as there was a creaking in the stone, then an explosion as one paw of rock erupted, revealing wriggling, flexing clawed toes beneath.

Rock fell away next from another paw, then the face cracked. As chips fell away, a red eye glowed from within. The trapped form struggled and flexed before the entire gargoyle casing cracked and crumbled, falling away. The terror dog lunged from its platform, knocking Cilehe back, coming down on top of him. Cilehe's human mouth was filled with a huge, slithering reddish purple tongue plunging in and out. Cilehe gleefully welcomed the kiss, his arms wrapping around the beast.

Draikoth started to grind against his prince, his lover, to relish in their reunion until Cilehe pulled back slightly. Reading the tension, Draikoth reluctantly pulled back his libido. He reared back as his legs began to contort and grow, his torso compacting, his ribs reorienting as his shoulders shifted. Angel, Miguel and Nine watched in utter shock as the terror dog rose up to human height, taking on vaguely human proportions. His head creaked one way and then the other before those red eyes looked back to Cilehe. A clawed hand reached out, stroking the goatee hanging from his chin.

"Very nice..." Draikoth murmured, "And very nice for you to have saved me, my prince."

"The pleasure is mine, lord Draikoth." Cilehe said, "But... there are conditions to our freedom." Cilehe said. Draikoth turned and looked at the humans, his eyes narrowing shrewdly before he sniffed the air and tilted his head again.

"This world is... different than it was." he murmured, "Wounded, wounded by a great creature... All of its living things are more malleable, yearning for what they lost... But such potent... freedom as well."

"What's he talking about?" Angel whispered.

"I don't know." Nine answered back. Draikoth chuckled.

"Such youth, such innocence, but already touched by our realm." Draikoth murmured, looking back to Cilehe, "What are the conditions to our freedom, love?"

"We must break an ancient spell trapping a Time Wyrm. We must not harm the humans... and when it is over, they have another realm for us to inhabit, an ethereal realm where those of our kind can exist without being hunted." Cilehe said. Draikoth ran a tongue over his fangs.

"The humans have grown most powerful, then... But if this is the path you have chosen, it is far better than being imprisoned again. We can be together." Draikoth murmured.

"Then we better get back through the portal before it closes, and before anyone thinks we destroyed a 15th century artifact." Nine said, "Come on." Draikoth watched the red headed youth turn, then looked at Angel and Miguel with a bit of fascination. So young, so innocent, and yet wielding such authority. It was oddly... stimulating.

****

Draikoth walked slowly up the steps of the firehouse, leaving the basement behind. He looked at the cavernous garage, the tools on the wall. He looked up out of the windows on the second story part of the wall. He listened to the sounds of cars, busses, people, life. Thousand s and thousands of humans, a populated world, an advanced world, and... a buzzing of ghosts. A flurry, a plethora... a storm.

"What has become of this world?" Draikoth muttered softly, reaching up to rub at one of his ears.

"Life was normal until a few decades ago, and then what few ghosts found their way to our world began to intensify. More and more showed up, so humans... had to find a way to defend themselves. The Ghostbusters sought our malevolent spirits... but then something fought back, another ghost kidnapped the Ghostbusters and made them disappear." Nine said softly.

"Releasing those trapped by them in the process, mostly." Cilehe supplemented. Draikoth was conflicted.

"May I see this city of yours?" he asked. Nine nodded, gesturing for the stairs to the second floor. Draikoth moved up the stairwell with Cilehe just behind. The Ghostbusters were still wary. They had tagged Draikoth with mesons as well, but they were dealing with two very high level ghosts, well out of their league. Miguel felt an anxiousness in the pit of his stomach, but for some reason, Nine felt as if he could trust them... Somehow he could feel a connection, an ability to read the ghosts. Something was worrying them as much as the humans.

Draikoth stepped out onto the second floor, engulfed in sunlight, looking out across west Portland. He blinked a little as the light washed over his leathery hide. He smiled slightly.

"Look at the humans... This is what they did without our influence?" Draikoth asked. Cilehe chuckled slightly, coming to nuzzle up against the larger demon.

"Amazing, isn't it? I..." Cilehe hesitated, "When I first awoke here, I started making a hive. I gathered the strongest warriors and guardians I could, I summoned the forces of nature, the insects, I... failed to find you." Cilehe said. Draikoth reached up, petting Cilehe's head.

"You were gathering your strength, you were in a strange land. We are so much further north than your Kingdom. Your father banished us very far from one another." Draikoth said.

"But now we have a chance to be together, to be free from persecution." Cilehe said. Draikoth let out a slow, lingering pur.

"All we must do, is break one spell, yes?" Draikoth asked. Cilehe nodded.

"And then we will escort you to Refuge." Nine said. It seemed to be the most humane thing to do, and his friend Simeon had given them permission to bring them to the archway. He just hoped it was incentive enough to honor the deal. Draikoth took a breath.

"Then let's begin." he said plainly.

**** The dining room had been cleared of furniture, the tables and chairs and couch pushed against the bookshelves. The large wood floor was dominate by all those gathered for the event; Rerun floated in the middle with Draikoth and Cilehe to either side, and the three Ghostbusters stood by the windows, backlit by the golden setting sun. Draikoth ran his clawed fingers over the stone, getting a feel for the cuff that locked the time wyrm's powers.

"It is a lock... and we need the key." Draikoth murmured. Nine shivered a bit at that, thinking about the key master in the old Ghostbusters files. Draikoth smiled a bit, looking at Cilehe, "As much as I would love it to be you, my love, I must channel this power through someone else..." Draikoth said, "The time wyrm is touched by humans, I must use a human vessel." he said.

"I volunteer." Nine said, stepping forward. Draikoth pursed his lips a bit.

"A bold offer, and I feel the power of a hellhound flowing through you already... But that is precisely why I cannot use you. I need one untouched." Draikoth said, turning his eyes to meet Angel's, "I need you."

"Me?" Angel asked. Draikoth nodded.

"Do you submit to my power, to my dominion, to the strength and infinite drive of the terror dogs?" Draikoth asked. Angel looked at Nine who had been so brave to volunteer before he even knew what it entailed.. Angel nodded.

"I do." he replied. Draikoth felt a bit of shiver down his spine. He might not harm the humans, he might not get to make a kingdom out of theirs, but he would enjoy his work where he could. Draikoth turned next to Rerun.

"And you, to free yourself of this prison, you too will have to submit yourself to my power, to the power of the terror dogs." Draikoth said. Rerun was a little more nervous at that.

"Really?" he asked. Draikoth nodded slowly. Rerun felt selfish, or even worse than that. He felt vain. He'd lost his friends, his powers, and he'd lived all by himself in a locked up firehouse for months. Now was his chance to turn back the clock, to get his powers back, and he was afraid. But he couldn't be, not for his friends. He'd do anything to save them.

"I'll do it." rerun said finally. Draikoth purred again.

"Cilehe, the music of nature?" Draikoth asked. Cilehe's human guise fell away as he grew and stretched, skin becoming exoskeleton, hair becoming spikes, limbs becoming appendages and a tail spreading out from the back of his body. He began to chitter, producing an ever climbing vibration until it was just outside the human spectrum. The windows and the artifacts in the room rattled from the tone, but so too did the cuff.

Nine moved over to Angel, helping him slip off his proton pack, setting it tot he floor beside him. Angel stepped forward, his caramel colored skin and light brown dreads backlit by the sunset. A tiny tuft of bushy hair hung down from below his chin. Draikoth turned and looked at Angel, his red eyes boring into him. Angel's back stiffened, but so too did his nipples.

Draikoth murmured, growled, smiled. He found the parts of Angel most receptive to his power... The mischievous spirit, the rule breaker, the horny teenager, the man with a secret... with an intriguing secret. Draikoth's eyes bore deeper and he planted his seed. Angel closed his eyes and stumbled back. He grunted softly, then moaned, then threw his head back. His head throbbed and ached. Two lumps formed on his forehead, growing more furious and irritated, getting red and then purple and then black before two horn nubs pushed out through the skin, tinged with drops of blood.

The horns began to ooze out of his skull, pushing out inch after inch, sliding out to the sides like those of a bull... but each inch they grew, the hornier and more powerful Angel felt. His eyes slipped open, the irises red, a grin on his face. The horns kept coming, slightly curved. Angel's head throbbed as two tiny horn nubs pushed up between the two large ones. His caramel skin began to toughen, turning leathery.

Nine and Miguel watched in conflicted horror and intrigue as their friend's shirt grew tighter and tighter until the sleeves split out along the cuffs, revealing leathery biceps and triceps. His belt groaned and stretched before it snapped, the belt loop clattering to the ground. His pants split out around his firming butt cheeks, his legs thickening. His hardening manhood jutted outward, flinging to full mast as the tip tapered to a point and bloated at the base, getting wider and wider. His balls sagged lower and lower, growing heavier and thicker.

Draikoth licked his lips and looked to Cilehe, seeing his lover's approval as well. Angel panted and huffed as his mouth filled with sharp fangs. His fingers flexed as his fingernails darkened and stretched out into claws and more claws pierced through the tips of his shoes. Draikoth reached out and ran a claw along the tip of Angel's terror dog dick, collecting some pre to taste it. He murmured happily and nodded.

"A fine vessel for my power..." Draikoth said, "But now to channel it into the subject."

"Into me... That's... That's going to happen to me?" Rerun asked.

"Embrace it, Rerun... It feels so good, so amazing... So powerful." Angel said, his voice deeper, one clawed hand starting to work his shaft. Rerun was so torn. He'd seen his friends turned into amazing, strange and wonderful creatures before, he'd even coaxed it out of them from time to time in curiosity before he matured and understood the dynamics of it all... But this? This was...

"Rerun. I know it's scary, it's scary for all of us." Nine said softly, "We're so far out on a limb here... It's your choice to make. We can't force this on you." Nine said. Rerun turned and looked at his friend and then exhaled before nodding.

"Okay, I'm ready." Rerun said. Draikoth nodded and reached out, taking Angel's hand. He put it on the top of the lock, and then put his other down below. Outside there was a deep resounding thunder as dark clouds began to build and gather. Then there was a flash of blue lightning, then another. The electricity started to jump between Draikoth and Angel's hands, passing through the stone. The glyphs illuminated, then the cuff started to jostle and jiggle, suddenly very vulnerable to Cilehe's vibrations.

Draikoth nodded to Angel and Angel moved, kissing Rerun suddenly. Rerun murmured at the lips, then even more at the tongue but he received it, kissing Angel, feeling his squirmy tongue and his fangs and his lips and... that power. Rerun broke the kiss, throwing his head back, snarling and growling. Claws erupted from his fingers, the spade tip on his tail grew to a sharper point. His pointed ears slowly stretched out from his head more, and white ivory horns burst from his forehead, sliding out to full size in moments.

Rerun continued to snarl and buck as his teeth grew into fangs and the blue drained from his skin until he was grey and silver, only his hair retaining its dark blue color. His face contorted, taking on faint hints of a muzzle before a gush of fluids came out of a slit from below his waist. His flesh parted, letting out a vibrant blue, very pointed shaft. It oozed out, covered with pre, plump and thick, throbbing with need.

The power of two terror dogs was focused on the lock, and the power of a terror wyrm was trapped inside. The lightning outside increased, the lock shuddered more and more until, just like the stone trapping Draikoth, it exploded outwards into a cloud of dust and pebbles. A ring of white light swept out, knocking Draikoth off his feet, slamming Cilehe into the bookshelves. Rerun floated there, motionless for a moment, his eyes glowing a bright white.

Ever so slowly, his smallest wing began to rotate backwards, then the second, and then the third. The color returned to Rerun, his flesh turning blue again. The canine features disappeared like sand falling away through an hourglass. Angel reverted next, his clothes mended, his form human. The furniture in the dining room appeared where it should have been. The light spilling from Rerun's eyes grew brighter and brighter until he disappeared in a flash.

Cilehe coughed, still feeling the impact from the bookshelf as he forced himself up. He moved over to where Draikoth had fallen, reaching down to check him. Draikoth grunted in dismay at having such an undignified completion to the ceremony. Angel grabbed onto the proton pack he had set down, pulling it back onto his back, powering it back on.

"So now we finish the deal." Angel said, bringing his blaster up. Draikoth clicked with his tongue.

"You turn so swiftly from the gift I gave you? Do you not want another taste, my pup?" Draikoth asked.

"I am no one's pup..." Angel snarled. Draikoth chuckled at that and sighed.

"It seems, my love, our time in this realm has come to an end." Draikoth said.

"But a new chapter awaits us." Cilehe said. Nine shook his head, moving forward, proton blaster at the ready.

"Not just yet, what about Rerun?" Nine asked. Cilehe looked at Nine and reached up, using his hand to lower the weapon.

"He is a Time Wyrm... He just got his powers back. He could be any time..." Cilehe said.

"Maybe he's... looking for the Ghostbusters, trying to get them back?" Miguel asked softly. Nine looked around, his brow furrowing.

"If he'd succeeded, we... wouldn't be here. We wouldn't have had to... take over for them." Nine said. Miguel and Angel were silent at that. Wherever Rerun was now, they had to hope that having his powers was enough.

**** The drive to the Oregon coast had been a strange one. Angel had borrowed his uncle's mini-van and filled it with a terror dog, a bug demon, three teenagers and a fair amount of Ghostbusting equipment. The drive had taken almost an hour and a half to get down to the Devil's Punchbowl, the gateway to another realm. The hike down to the beach had been pleasant, though Nine was realizing how well traveled the trail was. It seemed many people were coming on their pilgrimage down to the doorway to another world.

Nine walked across the sand, following just behind Draikoth and Cilehe. Draikoth looked out at the ocean as if he'd never seen one before, but Cilehe massaged his leathery back as they walked.

"It's kind of weird." Miguel commented, breaking the silence that they had shared since getting out of the mini-van.

"What is?" Nine asked. Miguel laughed.

"Well, all of it, but that this was kind of like Romeo and Juliet. Two star crossed lovers, forbidden love defied by the system... They were torn apart, left to spend an eternity divided. But it had a happier ending." Miguel said, watching Cilehe and Draikoth approaching a stone archway that rose out of the water, large flat stepping stones floating to lead a path out to it, and a doorway to another world beyond.

"It is also a big risk. There's a reason the Ghostbusters still use containment units even when a place like Refuge exists. There's nothing keeping what goes there from coming back." Nine said softly. Miguel nodded.

"Maybe... they'll be happy enough to stay there. I've seen the pamphlets, it's a world of thought and emotion." Miguel said. Nine nodded.

"Might make for a good vacation, I have a friend there. Well, maybe a friend... I kind of pissed him off by taking away his world altering notebook. But I think he's happy now." Nine said with a sad smile, "But there's a lot of work to do still."

"Oh yes... and a lot of tests." Miguel said with a smile. Nine winced.

"I haven't even studied, oh god... I'm going to fail." Nine whimpered. Miguel patted Nine on the shoulder.

"It'll be okay. Just enjoy this moment for now." Miguel said, pointing. Cilehe and Draikoth stood by the archway, looking through. The realm beyond was amazing... floating islands spanned by bridges, ethereal waterfalls and lakes, flying creatures and houses. Draikoth was wide eyed.

"It looks like... home." he murmured softly. Cilehe grinned.

"And it will be, our home." he said, stepping through the archway. As he did, his human guise fell away, revealing him in his insect glory. His hand lingered, waiting. Draikoth took it in his, his clawed fingers wrapping around the pincers of his love as he stepped through the archway and entered the next chapter of their lives.