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**Chapter 8: We Are All Born in Darkness

Newroads Docks, Private Warehouse**

So many thoughts were swirling around in Jason's mind... First was R3's betrayal... He knew whatever the Writer of Reality was planning, the continued existence of all Enria hung at the heart of it all. But... was it truly worth for countless people to suffer for a better future?

Isn't it better to have a few moments of light with those we love that will end abruptly than eternity living on without those we love?

It was through R3's machinations that Kyle was now Sloth... and Jen had lost her brother.

There were only a few ways to stop the Malefactors and that was either to convince the host to relinquish the aspect that the Malefactor fed upon, kill the Malefactor outright or...

Or kill the host... thus weakening the Malefactor enough for it to wither and die...

But that wouldn't help.

R3 had granted the Malefactors power to infect others regardless of the aspect that they portrayed and just killing the host would allow the Malefactor to latch onto someone else that Pride came in contact with!

So... there was only one way...

"You bastard!" Jason roared, flinging around to face R3. "You're ruining lives! What kind of 'Protector of Existence' are you if you're sacrificing people to meet your ends!? What happened to 'everyone deserves a happy ending'!?"

"Notice how I said 'happy ending' but not 'good ending'?" R3 answered with a faint cocky smirk. "Do you think people who enjoy killing others would be happy in a world where they can't? Everyone writes their own stories, Jason. I don't tell them how to write it. If they want destruction and chaos, if they fulfil the ends of their tales and reaches that level of understanding deserving of being given their own reality, then I hand them their book.

"Not everyone is good, Jason. Everyone is born evil. Some wander in the colourful existence in between. Others enter the light. I do not judge people by their choice of alignment just as I don't judge a person by their choice of sexuality. I judge people by their understanding of existence, that they are capable of seizing their own destiny and forging it as they will."

R3 gestured at the four supers that were nothing more than inky shadows of themselves. "Those four took it upon themselves to break away from the norm and reforge their own destinies. That is admirable and, after this, I will give them their books and let the rule as they see fit. I can see all four of them rallying together as powerful Elemental Gods. It is theirs to take."

"And what about Kyle!?" Jason barked. "What about him!?"

"What about me?" Kyle laughed, spreading his arms wide. His eyes had become burning, red orbs. "I know what I want!" He closed his fist and massive tendrils of darkness shot from the inkiness that covered the floor, shooting through the wooden crates and smashing them to bits. "I worked myself to the bone for that bank and then because some bastard decided to accuse me of something I did not commit.

"All that work just down the drain!" Kyle roared, making sweeping gestures with his hands and those tendrils. "I wanted what was rightfully mine! But more than that, I grew tired of working myself to the bone with no rewards! I wanted to be just like to fatasses up at the top of the corporate ladder that do nothing and get everything!"

Sloth, Jason thought bitterly.

But there was something odd about Kyle...

It was like he was talking with the Malefactor... Or rather...

Jason felt his heart sink.

Oh no...

"You've... You've fused with Sloth, haven't you?" he stammered. "You're no longer Kyle Rose... You are Sloth!"

Kyle snickered but it was R3 who answered.

"Unfortunately, that's true. They are one now."

"Then how am I supposed to save him!?"

R3 smirked again. "I think the better question is whether or not he wants to be saved."

What!?

He regarded Kyle... and couldn't fathom how or why someone would willingly turn themselves into a Malefactor... Why they would let that darkness in to consume them... But... Then again...

Was he really consumed...?

... or did he just become Sloth...?

He slowly lowered Genesis... feeling like he had just had his eyes opened for the second time that night.

Not everyone in the world wanted to walk in the 'light'... There were people out there that preferred the darkness... R3 had just told him there were people like that in the world... He didn't want to believe it but...

... here was proof.

While Kyle had been infected, he could've fought against it like Kevin had when he had been infected by the Fear Malefactor.

But he didn't... He let it in...

That doesn't mean I won't try convincing him otherwise!

"Kyle! What about Jen?" he demanded. "Don't you care for her!? She's your sister!"

"My sister?" Kyle scoffed, that darkness once again seeping in around him, forming that slug-like exterior of Sloth. "My sister is nothing but a petty brat who lives thinking the world is filled with nothing but hard-working, pleasant people who smile, laugh and play without a single trance of sin or darkness."

Kyle's entire face was once again consumed by that Malefactor shell and his voice reverberated throughout the entire warehouse. "All mortals are born in the darkness. No matter how much we coat ourselves in the light, we are all dark inside! I have simply accepted that darkness! And in that darkness, I have no sister!"

Jason winced and glanced over his shoulder at Jen.

She looked heartbroken, betrayed and, most of all, alone.

Alone...

... Just like how I feel...

They had both lost people they loved... and were now alone in the world. While Brett wasn't completely gone... Jason still felt that crushing loneliness. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him and she began sobbing against his chest.

"You're despicable, Kyle," he snarled, baring his fangs at the Malefactor. "Do you have any idea what kind of pain the Malefactors will bring the world if they succeed in their plan!?"

"Of course I do! I helped hatch it!"

That stung hard...

Kyle had helped formulate this plot... The very same plot that got him in such deep water... Rage began boiling up inside him but he couldn't bring himself to unleash that anger... Because if there was anything he learned from this experience, it was the fact that he had to consider those around him... those he cared about.

He had to think about the people he was affecting...

"Jen..." he whispered, turning to her and resting his muzzle on top of her head. "I'm sorry..."

Her hands clutched his shirt tightly. "I thought... I thought I was helping him... Pulling him from the mob... But it didn't matter... He was part of it... It had consumed him..." She turned her eyes to face him and he was shocked to see the grim determination in those eyes. "He's not my brother anymore, Jason... Do what you have to do..."

She means that...?

"Don't think I'll let you do that!" Sloth - since he was not Kyle Rose anymore - shouted. "Kill them!" The four shadows of the heroes charged forward, dark remnants of their powers flooding from their blackened bodies. Black lightning, ebony shards of rock, dark metal shards and inky gales of wind shot towards them.

In the instant before the projectiles hit Jason, he locked gazes with her and asked, "Are you sure...?"

"I won't pretend I know what a Malefactor is, Jason," she said. "But that's what that thing is... Is not my brother. Do it..."

He nodded grimly and hurled them both to the ground, the blasts of darkness zooming above their heads. Lightning, fast, he leapt to his feet and charged at the Malefactor and its pawns, Genesis splitting into two smaller blades that he used to slash into the darkness. Flurries of blue-white feathers and stars arced from the trail of his swords and left the bodies of the dark pawns.

Making a beeline straight for Sloth, he recombined Genesis into the single blade and swung at the slug-like creature. Sloth didn't move. Instead, its jelly-like body merely curved around the blade, dodging it completely.

Crap!

Sloth formed a fist from its body -

WHAM!

Jason staggered, surprised just how hard a fist made out of jelly could hurt.

"Jason!" Jen screamed. "Behind you!"

He spun around just as that dark-super crackling with electricity came rushing at him. Instincts took over and he ducked the super's attempt at a bear-hug. Quickly, shifted Genesis into its double-bladed staff and stabbed quickly forward and then back. He knew he wouldn't hit Sloth but he at least stabbed the super straight in the chest.

The electrified super screamed and fell back, his body dissipating into a shower of stars and feathers.

Heh, these guys aren't so hard.

"Jason!"

His eyes boggled as the rock-covered super grabbed Jen again.

Damnit!

"Behind you!"

"Wha -?"

He spun just in time to see another jelly-fist come hurtling towards him.

WHAM!

The cold, hard floor met him, stars flashing before his eyes.

Damnit! I'm outnumbered!

I need help...!

R3...!

He glanced towards the No One... but he only saw empty space.

On top of everything, the bastard had the gall to desert him!

With a frustrated cry, he rolled onto his back and jumped back onto his feet. The two other supers roared and charged at him, metallic blades and gusts of dark winds flying towards him in a terrible dance of darkness. Sloth raised its sluggish fist once more.

Inspiration struck him.

At the last possible second, he ducked.

THWACK! THUD!

Sloth howled in agony as the blades and sharp winds slammed against its fist. Jason immediately lashed out, Genesis cutting right through the arm and leaving it in two large chunks. The blobs began dissipating into stars and feathers, Sloth slinking back.

Jason grinned grimly and switched Genesis back into its single sword form. "One problem with having only one target and lots of troops. You end up hitting each other!"

"Don't be so cocky, Wolfe!" Sloth roared.

His senses screamed again and Jason dove to his right just as a massive, wooden crate slammed into the ground where he had been standing. The hovering crates descended upon him like hard rain, sending sharp splinters and nails in all directions. The wind-controlling Malefactor kicked up another dark gale, consuming picking up the splinters and forming a terrible, sharp tornado that broke right through the roof of the warehouse.

Jason, still grinning, dodged around the gale and ran straight for the rock-covered super holding Jen. She was screaming as the super slowly crushed her to death.

"Let her go!" he bellowed, leaping towards the super and immediately landing on the dark creature's shoulders. He plunged Genesis right down into the beast's collarbone. Jen was dropped a second later and he caught her in one arm, surging away as more crates slammed into the ground behind them.

"Jen!" he shouted, pushing her towards the upstairs office. "Get out of here!"

"But -!" she protested.

"Just go!"

He spun around, that titanic, black twister quickly approaching. With that tornado and the two supers between himself and Sloth, he would be hard-pressed to get to the Malefactor. There was no time to think of a strategy as more of those crates came hurtling down towards him.

Jason swung Genesis, slicing through the crates but the shards bit into his flesh. His regeneration wasn't fast enough to heal all the wounds and he slowly backed further and further away as the twister came closer and closer. Thousands of those tiny splinters were swiping at him from the tornado, causing small bites of pain to shoot across his body. He was afraid to completely open his eyes unless one of those splinters blinds him.

Damn it...

Suddenly, a sharp, shrill whistle cut through the air.

The tornado stopped advancing and all eyes went to where R3 stood just a little to the right of the entire group.

Relief washed through Jason but so did frustration. Frustration won over. "Where the hell have you been!?"

R3 shrugged absently. "Clearing your name."

"What?"

Thwack! Thwack!

The two dark supers instantly went down and the tornado dissipated. Floodlights flicked on and, for the first time, Jason became aware of the loud thump-thump of helicopter rotors. Ropes dropped down from the hole the tornado made. Armed men came zipping down the lines, dressed in jet-black armour and hefting large guns, menacing guns. Gunfire erupted all around them, peppering the fallen supers and Sloth. The bullets just seemed to sink into the darkness, forgotten in the shadowy embrace.

The fallen supers howled in rage and leapt to their feet, darkness seeping out of their bodies and lashing out at the men around them, piercing the thick armour and flooding into the men's bodies. A roar erupted from the upstairs office building and a fifth dark super came bursting out of the wall, covered completely in flames. That super crashed into a large group of the armed men, the darkness from its body erupting outwards in a burst of black flame and consuming the soldiers around it.

"No!" Jason shouted.

They were all going to get infected!

More lives ruined... More futures crushed and more stories ended abruptly.

He gnashed his teeth together, the pressure causing his gums to bleed. A titanic roar ripped through his lungs. Genesis shifted back into its shuriken form and he threw it straight at the infected supers. The spinning blade sliced right through the necks of the supers, dropping them instantly in a flurry of feathers and stars.

Jason rushed forward, leaping into the air and snatching his blade from the air as it folded back into its single blade form. That roar still bursting from his lips, he brought Genesis down upon Sloth. As before, the Malefactor's shape merely bent out of the way. A dark fist reformed on the slug-like body and swung at him.

He was more aware now, sharper. Dodging easily aside, he swiped at Sloth's body again and again, his sword only biting through thin air as the Malefactor continued shift its form around him.

"Give up!" Sloth bellowed. "None of you mortals can defeat me!"

Jason swung at the head of the creature, missing once more. Sloth swiped at his legs but and he leapt into the air, vaulting over Sloth and hacking downwards. Genesis bit into the darkness, bringing a howl from the Malefactor but little else. The small cut burned with heavenly blue-white light, stars and feathers drifting from the wound. Sloth didn't show any signs of weakening.

"You cannot defeat a Malefactor fused completely with his host!"

Jason landed and ducked an overhead swipe. He lunged forward, switching Genesis to its double-bladed staff form and spinning the weapon around like a whirlwind, the silver and gold blade cutting into Sloth's body.

"Insolent brat!"

A lance of dark slime shot from Sloth's chest and slammed right into Jason's chest, sending him sprawling.

Jason scrambled to his feet -

WHAM!

Only to have Sloth land directly on his chest, that slimy body crushing his ribs and his arms, forcing him to release Genesis. The Malefactor's slimy body wrapped around him, lifting him up into the air until his feet dangled off the ground and he was forced to stare directly into those burning, red eyes.

"The world will be consumed in darkness!" Sloth bellowed. "All mortals shall have their true beings exposed and the Malefactors shall rule once more!"

Jason tried to struggle free but his entire body was pinned together, completely unable to move. Sloth's body slowly closed around him, crushing him from all side. A cry of pain and agony was building in his throat but there was no air in his lungs. He threw back his head, feeling his mind hazing and the pain dulling due to the lack of oxygen.

"I will consume you in my darkness, Jason Wolfe! You shall be mine!"

He sensed one of Sloth's jelly-like appendages reach for him...

No...

The dripping tentacle was just a mere three inches away from his muzzle.

It can't end like this...

... two inches...

Brett... I'm... I'm so sorry!

One inch...

Suddenly, Sloth recoiled.

"What is this!? Why cannot I -"

He saw Sloth's eyes widen in shock.

"R3! You betrayed -"

SWISH!

...

The closing pressure suddenly stopped... and quickly eased.

Jason took a gasp of breath as Sloth's grip around him loosened and he dropped to the ground, falling to his hands and knees. Each gasp came with relief and agony. Slowly, he managed to bring his eyes up to Sloth...

The slimy, slug-like body began melting away. The darkness covering the floor dissolved into blue-white feathers and stars that drifted into the air. Those infected by the Malefactor fell to their hands and knees, the darkness seeping from their bodies and joining the rest of the inky blackness in a dance of angelic lights. Even the infected supers that Jason hadn't killed were freed from their dark forms and collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious. The crates still hovering in the air dropped to the ground, smashing into pieces around them and sending splinters showering all over them.

And Sloth...

... Sloth's body dripped away as Kyle Rose fell to his knees... Genesis sticking out of his chest. Behind him, Jen stood, her hands raw and red as if she had been severely burned.

Jen...

She...

Jennifer had taken Genesis and used it to kill her brother_... Genesis_ was Jason's weapon and his weapon alone. If anyone else touched it, they would become severely burned. If they held it for too long, they would be disintegrated.

And those that were injured by it...

Jason, still gasping for breath, staggered to his feet and shot past the shock Kyle, wrapping his arms around Jen in time to keep her from collapsing. She was sobbing openly against his chest. Suddenly... He was visited by another image... Another time when Genesis was used to slay the person the wielder truly cared about.

Tears welled up in his eyes and he let them roll off his cheeks, soaking into his jet-black fur.

"J - Jen...?" Kyle stammered, turning his head over his shoulder to face them. "I just... I just wanted... Wanted to stop worrying..."

"You wanted to stop working," Jen snapped, her voice hoarse. "You wanted to get something for nothing!"

"I..." Tears began rolling down Kyle's cheek. His eyes had gone back to their original green, the taint of the Malefactor having faded. "... I'm so sorry..."

For a second, Jen didn't say anything... Then Kyle tipped over, hitting the ground with a loud thump. His entire body became encased in eerie, blue-white light and exploded into a shower feathers and tiny, twinkling stars.

Only then did Jen speak.

"I am too, Kyle... I'm sorry too..."

****

Jen was slumbering quietly in Robin's bed back at the apartment. It had taken a while but she eventually cried herself to sleep beside Jason and Robin on the couch. Jason had carried her to Robin's room as she had offered it to her.

Jason shut the door quietly, feeling the tears and rage burning his eyes.

"I suspect Miss. Tara will drop the charges now," Robin said, leaning against the wall next to her door, looking terribly worried.

The armed force that had arrived on the scene when Sloth had fallen had indeed come from Alderon's military. Tara had been there and she said that she had been led on a rather merry chase through the streets by a 'human boy with blue eyes' that could apparently defy gravity very easily. When they arrived at the warehouse, they saw the battle and did the cleanup. They found traces of Descent-Technology in the offices where that Descent-Tech grenade had gone off as well as several files of use.

One such file was pinning Maximillian Devries to ownership of the warehouse...

... and the other was more shipments from the warehouse to countless other facilities not only across the country but all over the world.

Tara said she would reassess the charges, possibly re-recruiting Warren and working with the Blue Wolf to bring down Devries once and for all.

"I really couldn't give a damn," Jason growled. "R3 used me, Robin. He's using us all for some plan! How the hell are we supposed to trust him when he's hurting people like Jen and Brett for the 'betterment of all Enria!?"

"Lower your voice," Robin hissed softly, taking his arm and guiding him into the kitchen. There, she forced him into a seat and pulling out some ice cream, scooping the blueberry swirl flavoured dessert into a bowl and pushing it across the table to him. "I know... I heard the report... It's hard to be grateful to an entity who purposefully caused so much chaos to Enria for no conceivable reason."

"I know exactly the reason," Jason snarled, shovelling a large scoop of the ice cream into his muzzle and swallowing it in one go. He winced at the ensuing brain freeze. "He wants to prove D8 wrong."

D8 the Derelict was the No One who governed Energy and had been the first to create the Malefactors in response to Jason's birth. Being the only son of a No One ever, Jason's existence was a great controversy amongst the No Ones and it had been D8 who acted first to attempt to get rid of him by unleashing the Malefactors. It had been D8's stance that Enria be destroyed not only because of Jason but because of the ensuing rise of the Malefactors. A world that could cultivate the Malefactors at such a level was a risk to all existence.

"He intends to prove D8 wrong by unleashing the very darkness that he opposes?" Robin asked sceptically. "Forgive me if that sounds a little farfetched, Jason."

"It's not just the Malefactors," Jason muttered, taking another scoop and staring at his dessert sullenly. "It's us too. He wants us to destroy the darkness. Think about it, Robin. All mortals are spawned from darkness and it is our attempt to turn away from it that makes us shine of the light. The Malefactors are a culmination of our sins. Our sins. What better way to prove to D8 that we are deserving of existence when we destroy the Malefactors without the help of the No Ones."

And that, ultimately, was at the core of the deal that R3 made.

The Writer of Reality was hoping that the mortals of Enria could rise up against the darkness that they harboured and reject it, bringing them closer to the light and thus proving to everyone -especially D8 - that they could hold their own. That was why none of the No Ones were allowed to interfere.

Enria had to save itself.

"It hardly seems like R3 is adhering to his own rules if that is the case."

"And that's what's bugs the hell out of me!" Jason snapped, slamming his fist into the table and causing it to crack slightly. "He's not playing fair! He's bending the rules on purpose! Finding loopholes that he can exploit! He said the No Ones are only allowed to interfere if it directly involves them somehow. R3 is interfering indirectly. He's cheating!"

"Voice," Robin reminded gently, reaching over and patting his forearm. "I understand your frustration, Jason. R3 was... In all respects, R3 was your role model. Ironically, one could picture this as the same way those people out there see you when you were caught literally with your pants down."

Whack!

That was a big hammer with the word 'Crushing Realisation' engraved into its side slamming against his head.

Robin was right... Just like he had fallen in the eyes of the public, R3 had fallen in his eyes. He felt betrayed... crushed... and hopeless. The man he had looked up to turned out to be just like everyone else. No doubt all those kids out there admiring the Seraphic Swordsman thought the same...

"Damnit," he cursed. "It shits me that he's actually right about this thing..."

"That it is up to us to save ourselves?"

"Yeah..."

"And again, there is a parallel between you and him. In the eyes of the public, they know you are doing the right thing or will know eventually. However, you have still fallen and they no longer see you as a true virtuous entity as you once were."

Jason sighed heavily and scooped more ice cream into his muzzle, licking the sweet taste from his lips. "I guess there's no such thing as a real hero... huh?"

"No..." Robin answered gently. "I suppose not..." Slowly, she rose to her feet and patted his shoulder. "I will sleep on the couch."

"No," he said, seizing her hand. "You've done enough. Take my bed."

Robin smirked at him. "The same bed stinking of male-on-male stench and sex? I think not." Her smirk turned into a genuine, sympathetic smile. "Besides... I think you would like to be with Brett even in spirit right now."

He was suddenly glad that she was his friend.

"Thanks Robin."

"You are most welcome, Jason." She headed to the couch. "Incidentally, the report on Brett came back this afternoon. He will be fine. Your father has already begun repairs on him subtly and he will be back on his feet by tomorrow evening."

Jason sighed in relief. "That's good..."

"He will be awake by noon tomorrow. If I could trouble you, I would like to be there when he awakens."

He was really glad she was his friend.

"There was one place I wanted to go to first before I headed over there."

Robin's eyebrows lifted. "Where?"

Jason lowered his gaze, returning it to his empty bowl. "I'm going to see a therapist."

****

There was a soft ding and Jason looked up from where he was sitting in the small lobby at the private psychologist's practice. Westworth Psychologists had a record for dealing with sex addiction, sexual predation and sociopaths so they were the first people Jason went to. They weren't well-known but Dan had given him the reference number when he had asked.

"Mr. Wolfe," the receptionist said from behind the small counter. "Mr. Westworth will see you now."

"Thanks," he answered, rising to his feet.

Thankfully there wasn't anyone else in the lobby. He didn't think he could handle some other sex addict coming up to him and saying that while they were bad, he was far worse because he did it with two guys in a warehouse. He left the plain, white lobby and opened the mahogany door with the golden plate engraved with 'M. Westworth.'

"Um... Mr. Westworth...?" he began slipping through the door.

The entire room was what one would expect a typical therapists' room to look like. There were several shelves. Filled with books lining the walls, a big floor-to-ceiling window that allowed the gloomy light from Newroads' perpetual overcast to shine in, countless credentials hanging on the walls and a big couch resting in a seat occupied by...

He instantly froze.

Oh no...

"Hello, Jason," R3 the Writer of Reality said, sitting idly with one leg crossed over the other on a large couch. This time, R3 was in his full armour, no Avatar. Just as he truly was as a No One.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Jason barked, anger and frustration boiling once again over him. "I am not doing this!"

He spun and left through the door, slamming it behind him. He stormed through the lobby - the receptionist ignoring him completely - grabbed the door out onto the road and flung it open...

... only to find R3's therapy room on the other side...

"Back again so soon?" R3 asked with a mocking edge to his voice.

"Screw you!" he snapped, spinning around and trying another door in the lobby.

Again, R3's therapy room was on the other side.

"Sorry, Jason. Your father already paid for the hour and I'm inclined to give him his money's worth."

Realising there was really no point in arguing with R3, he growled and entered the room, sitting himself down on the couch, arms crossed against his chest and scowling at the No One.

"I'm not listening to you!" he snarled. "I don't trust you! Not anymore!"

"I don't expect you to, Jason," R3 answered, idly reading the book in his hand. "However, I do want you to understand that my motives are benign."

Oh that's it!

"Benign!?" he roared, digging his claws into the couch angrily. "You've screwed up my life! You've screwed up the lives of countless people! You've hurt Jen! And all this time I'm beginning to wonder if everything you've done has always been part of some plot to get what you want!"

"We all want something, Jason."

"What could you possibly want!? You have the all of existence at your fingertips!"

"I don't want all existence to be at my fingertips."

....

Wait... What?

"I want every soul to obtain their book," R3 explained, turning a page in the book he was reading. "I want every person in existence to have the opportunity to forge their own destinies, their own realities and their own paths through time. Good or bad, light, dark or grey, they all deserve the chance to seize the moment and be their own gods. However, are you familiar with the saying, 'If everyone gets what they want, no one does'?"

"Is that meant to be a reference to you No ones?" he scowled, baring his fangs.

"Clever. But no. Simply put, if I just gave everyone their books right now, they will all just destroy each other. They will attempt to consume one another in their realities, controlling others and forging realities where they control the realities of others. That is why I take extra care to ensure that people receive the right to forge their own reality when they are ready and realise that does not give them the right to control other people's realities as well."

Jason snarled. "You're a goddamn hypocrite then! You control people's realities!"

R3 lifted a finger at him. "No. I have the power, yes, but I don't. I always give people a choice. I play a part in their realities, yes. I manipulate, I guide, I alter fate and destiny but everyone will always have the choice to follow me or not."

"And if they don't, they'll die!?"

"Sometimes, suffering is necessary to come to the realisation that we are all mortals. A person who lives in nothing but bliss and the light is blind. A person who exists only in darkness is similarly as blind. People are complex creatures filled with colour but not everyone registers that.

"In order for everyone to embrace the colour in their lives, they must experience both light and dark. Naturally, this causes disorder and pain but by experiencing their polar opposites, they realise the diversity of their existence. Other times, they have to go through countless reincarnations before they finally learn that lesson. But I strive for that single goal of educating them all, in their own way, that we exist in a world of different people, different experiences and mindsets."

Jason grabbed a pillow and threw it at R3. The No One merely tilted his head to the side, avoiding the projectile easily. "Then why don't you just make yourself known to everyone and tell them!? Why don't you stop hiding and start acting like the god you are!?"

"I am not a god, Jason. I am mortal, just like you. And honestly, why do you think teachers give their students assignments? Why do you think parents let their children eventually leave the nest? It's because just merely telling someone a lesson isn't enough to teach it to them."

"It's better than saying absolutely nothing!"

He somehow knew R3 was smiling at him. "Who says I don't say anything? Why do you think I interfere, Jason? That's my way to showing people the way."

Crap... He got me...

Stupid logical conclusions...

Still, he grabbed another pillow and aimed for R3's body this time. It was useless as the pillow just bounced off that armour.

"Unfortunately," R3 continued, "while a mortal has not yet earned the right to forge their own realities, that mortal is tied to others through their heart and relationships. When you pull a mortal into transcendence, you tug at others and affect them as well. Sometimes, people get hurt. Other times, people die. It is very rare that everyone just moves on.

"Naturally, I have to keep an eye on everything and everyone. With my ability to see all possibilities, I try to guide everyone to the optimum path that causes the least suffering. But despite my guidance, people will always have the power to say 'No' and often do."

Jason remembered what his dad said about R3's philosophy of giving everyone the power of choice. In reality, if R3 wanted to give everyone their realities, he could just do so. Force them all to learn the same lessons he was trying to prove and just give them their books without a care in the world. But he was giving everyone the opportunity to earn that right... to make themselves unique and upholding freedom...

"There will be paths in the sand that will end in tragedy," R3 continued grimly. "No matter how much I may will it and how much I act, there will always be those paths. People will take them, have no doubt. In countless religions across the realities, the persistent question is, 'God, if you're so good, why do you let bad things happen?' And do you know what their deity's reply is?"

Jason shook his head. "No..."

"'Because you let them happen'." R3 turned a page again. "Mortal fate shall and always will be in mortal hands. Gods, No Ones and deities may attempt to forge history as they see fit but they are ultimately mortal as well. We try to change others as others attempt to change us but people will only change if they are willing to."

"So are you telling me that what happened at the warehouse was my fault!?" Jason demanded.

"Yes."

"You unleashed the Malefactors! It's your fault any of that happened!"

"Would you rather D8 have initiated the Apocalypse Protocol and destroyed Enria?"

He froze for an entire minute.

The... Apocalypse Protocol...?

"What...?"

"D8 has become obsessed with destroying Enria because of the darkness that prevails in it. The only thing stalling his hand is the possibility that the Malefactors may be destroyed by mortal hands, thus proving once and for all that Enria is capable of existing in balance. I unleashed and made that deal with the Malefactors to ensure that D8 was stopped and all Enria is given the opportunity to fight back."

It was hard to believe that 'unleashing the evils of the world' could be seen as a good thing so Jason changed the subject.

"So how is it my fault that all this went south?"

"I believe Tara explained that well enough, don't you?"

She had... No one told him to rush into battle with Warren... No one told him to ignore calling Dan and Chris... And if he had been stronger, if he had come to rise to a better mental state sooner... he would never have succumbed to the Descent-Tech...

"I'm still mad at you."

"I'm not asking for your forgiveness," R3 answered. He shut the book in his hand. "But I am going to try and help you with your sex addiction."

"I don't need or want your help..."

That was a lie.

He did need help.

Not necessarily R3's help but he knew that if he kept going on like this, he'd just make more and more trouble for himself. Thinking of how he had hurt Brett... all those times that he had done it in public places with someone he cared about... Every time he had been lucky that no one cared. But now, because of his lack of resistances... people had gotten hurt.

The words just came tumbling out of his mouth.

"I just don't know what happened... I feel like I'm some dirty slut that expresses affection through sex! I keep trying to tell myself that I'm more than that but... I'm really not... Maybe it was the hormones built up for so long but... It can't be... At least... I don't think it is..."

"It's not."

He snarled at R3. "And what makes you so sure?" It was a stupid question to ask but he still felt better for asking it.

"Because the reason for your addiction is a lingering sentiment... A memory that you have twisted unto itself thinking that is what that remnant wanted. It, like your three subconscious actors, are part of you as well but you let it take over, working behind the scenes, guiding every action and every movement you make."

Whether it was the fact that R3 was the one telling him about his problem or that it was the truth, Jason felt like he had been stabbed. Right in the heart... right where it hurt the most. As his heart continued to pump, the pain flooded his entire body and wracking shudders filled him. He lost all strength in his neck and his head slumped, tears rolling down his muzzle.

"I've... I've been living for Connor..."

"Why?" R3 asked.

Yeah... Why?

Connor told me to 'be happy' not 'have sex for me'...

... and yet... that's what I've been doing...

"I think it's because I was happiest when me and Connor were together... He told me to be happy... and doing it with someone... it simulates that... I... I'm not sure if I've even really moved on..."

"That is something for you to decide," R3 answered. "However, given the circumstances, perhaps this is about the right time to reassess your standings. Knowing that your actions have been guided by a single force perhaps it is time to stand on your own two feet. To start acting as 'Jason Wolfe' instead of 'Jason Wolfe featuring Optimist, Pessimist, Horndog and Connor Stark.'"

He flinched at the mention of that name...

... but understood...

Standing, he headed towards the door. "I have someplace to be."

****

Brett was his usual, cheery self again... Grinning broadly even as he was wheeled out of the hospital by Chris. Dan, Robin and Dominic were flanking him, smiling broadly, grateful that the Rottweiler was going to be okay.

They all stopped just after the entrance when they spied Jason standing a few metres away, a bouquet of flowers in his left hand and with his right hand clenched firmly. Silence fell upon everyone and those passing by merely attempted to ignore them. A few cast hateful glances in their direction but did little else.

Jason took a deep breath... and knew he was doing the right thing.

He approached Brett solemnly and gave the Rottweiler a shaky smile. "Hey..."

"Hi..." Brett answered softly, worry marring his features.

"I got you these." Jason offered the bouquet.

Taking the bouquet, Brett smiled faintly. "Thanks... Never thought you were the flower-giving type..."

"I wasn't." He straightened himself. "But the thing is, Brett, there's a lot about myself I have to figure out. What happened two days ago at the warehouse... That was just scratching the surface."

"It wasn't your fault. It was the Descent-Tech."

Jason shook his head sadly. "No... The thing is, I don't think it entirely was. Brett... I don't want to lose this... but what we have is built on a shaky foundation. There's... There's still someone between us. I thought I had moved on but..." Tears were welling up in his eyes and he shook them away. "... but I haven't. I... I'm not doing it on purpose... maybe subconsciously but... There's this part of me that wants to keep Connor alive."

He could see Brett's heartbreaking so he resolved to act quickly. "I love you, Brett. I truly do. I want to spend the rest of my life with you but you deserve someone who isn't so screwed up. Someone who can look at you without looking back over his shoulder and seeing his dead boyfriend. I just... I just need time to say goodbye.

"In the mean time..." He lifted his right hand and opened it, revealing the engagement ring that Brett had given to him. "I think you should have this back."

Everyone stopped breathing.

Brett took about an entire minute before he lifted his hand shakily. "O - o - okay..."

"I'm not saying I don't want us to be married," Jason said, closing his hand around the ring again. "I'm just saying that, right now, I'm not yet ready. I'm just giving it back to you to tell you that." He offered Brett a genuine, hopeful smile. "I'm just hoping that when I ask for it back, you'll say 'yes'."

The fear and hurt in Brett's eyes faded... and he broke into a small smile. "I'll wait for that day, Jase."

He handed back the ring. In the instant that their hands touched, Jason felt like a rift between them had been closed slightly.

If I want to be one with you, Brett...

... you need this part of the puzzle to be whole.

And right now... I'm still pretty broken up.

I just need time to find all the pieces and glue myself together.

"It won't be long. I promise."

****

Brett had opted to stay with Dan and Chris while Jason picked up the pieces of his life and put them back together. Everyone had remained somewhat silent as Jason drove Robin and Dominic back to the apartment. The duo had been whispering in the back of the car the entire time and he marvelled at just how close they had gotten.

At least someone's relationship is blossoming...

When they returned to the apartment, Dominic rushed straight to where Jen was sitting, quietly preparing dinner. The stag exchanged a few whispers with her and Jen's eyes went wide, turning to Jason with looks of sympathy and regret.

He offered her a faint smile and headed to his bedroom, sitting on the edge of the suddenly very empty bed. Thinking of all the time he had spent in this bed with Brett... he couldn't help but wonder how much of that was caused because he was just subconsciously trying to be like Connor... to live for the both of them. It was his love for Brett... but it was Connor's actions.

Overtime, he had grown bolder... more open about his orientation. While that wasn't a bad thing, it felt like he was just attempting to live how Connor would've wanted him to live. Trying to emulate the future that he and Connor had dreamt of and not really thinking of the future he and Brett would have.

Brett was smart, genius-level intelligence, and would one day be the rich head of a company that could take over the world's markets. Connor was a romantic at heart and was more suited to raise their children, very people-smart.

Jason's plan to marry and have kids was a plan forged with Connor...

... but would it be the same for him and Brett?

If... If I have to make plans with Brett... What would it be...?

He closed his eyes... and tried to envision himself and Brett ten to twenty years in the future. Bitterly, he realised he would just be like the 'trophy husband' to Brett while his Rottweiler went off and chased tail across the world. While he thoroughly Brett would never do that to him... It was the painful truth.

How did he deserve Brett who was so understanding and kind?

All this time, I've thought that I had to see him as an equal... That he had to hold himself back for me...

... but really... I should be the one to raise myself to be his equal.

A knock came to the door.

He glanced up and noticed that it was Dominic.

"Oh... hey," he murmured, never realising that he had actually started crying. He wiped his tears and stood up. "What's up?"

"Just wondering if you were alright," Dominic answered, looking at him worriedly. "I asked Robin and Jen to give us some time alone. I figured that you needed some guy-time..."

Jason laughed bitterly. "Actually, right now, that's the last thing I need."

Dominic sat down on opposite side of the bed, back turned to him. "I bet you're starting to think that Brett is too good for you, huh?"

He regarded the stag curiously and nodded even if Dominic's back was turned to him. "Yeah..."

"It's hard to find a guy like that. You're really very lucky. But you'd be stupid to think that anyone is perfect."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Yeah... Brett being a porn star... Far from perfect."

"Not only that..." Dominic replied. "But perfection is a flaw, you know. If you're perfect, people will get jealous. You'll start to get arrogant and when you're perfect, you don't continue to evolve and change. We can't be perfect. No one is."

Snorting bitterly, Jason said, "Doesn't seem like it. Just because I was a superhero at one point, everyone thought I'm perfect. Then, when I do something imperfect, they lynch me for being mortal."

Dom turned his head to the side slightly. "Are you talking about the fact that you screwed Brett on private property and severely injured him or you being gay?"

Jason sat down, his back to Dominic. "Why not both? That's what the world is accusing me of, a horny, gay sex-freak."

He felt Dominic touch his shoulder gently. "Well... Are you?"

"No!" Jason snarled, balling his fists. "Of course I'm not!"

But... For that brief instant... I was...

... and I wanted it to happen...

I let myself lose control because that's what I always do with Connor... I act like I don't want it... but I do...

That has got to stop.

No more lies.

"Then care to prove it?"

Jason went rigid and spun around. "What -?"

His heart stopped.

Burning, red eyes met his gaze.

"Oh shi -" Before he could resist, thick, black tentacles lashed out, wrapping around his arms, legs and waist. He was lifted into the air and slammed hard against the bed.

Dominic grinned at him, those black tentacles rising from the prongs from his antlers. His form became encased in darkness, his tawny brown fur melting into the same darkness around the room. Only his burning, coal-like eyes were visible in the shadows. Those tentacles pinned him to the bed and as much as he tried to struggle, they were surprisingly strong.

"You!?" Jason cried. "You're a Malefactor!?"

"I'm surprised it took you so long to realise," Dominic laughed, his voice surprisingly clear despite Sloth's sounding hollow and reverberating through Jason's entire soul. "I am Lust."

"Lust!? How -?"

"Mortals are so predictable," the Malefactor laughed, rising on another pair of tentacles and crawling over Jason like a sickening, black spider. "So paranoid. You mention 'lust' and they instantly think 'gay'. Just because they believe that having a gay relationship is an act of pleasure and goes against their deities who support procreation."

One of Dominic's tentacles slipped under Jason's muzzle and, to his horror, Jason realised the tentacle had a thick, dripping, black cock attached to the end, precum and the stench of arousal filling him.

"You are no different, Jason. You thought that just because I am 'dating' Robin that I cannot possibly be Lust. But the fact remains that there are an equal, if not more, straight people out there even more overactive libidos than you. Do you think the Descent-Tech would've been so successful if we simply targeted the homosexual community?"

Jason gagged as one of those tentacles slowly eased itself into his muzzle and pulled away spitting out the precum. "You bastard! You're using Robin as a cover!"

"That... and to draw closer to you," the Malefactor chuckled. "Sloth was a fool to think the No Ones would not come to your aid. You are the connection between them and this world. You are a bright, shining light that draws them and as long as you are in danger, they can interfere freely."

Damn... He's right!

R3 gave some compelling reasons why he was allowed to interfere but if the deal he made had been signed a while ago, many of the No Ones still visited him. He recalled N9 and V10's visits and how they had interacted with the world in a way or guided him. They hadn't hinted or given him much choices like R3 had.

They had interfered.

And it was because he was related to them...

His eyes widened in horror as two of Dominic's tentacles reached under his shirt and ripped it clean off his chest.

"That's right..." Lust sniggered. "You are the key to the No Ones' interference. While R3 may still meddle freely because he's just that smart, it is better than messing with all of them. Once we unlock the dark lust inside you, you will become nothing more than another pawn."

"Y - You can't!" Jason cried, fighting back a moan as two of Lust's tentacles played with his nipples, sending waves of pleasure up his body. "S - Sloth tried..."

"Of course he failed. The deal was that we can take anyone as our host but it doesn't mean we can't turn others into our pawns without them displaying the darkness that we represent. You are hardly slothful, Jason. But lustful..."

Lust grinned, showing white, pearly teeth against that black flesh.

No... I won't...

He threw back his head and gave a cry of rebellion, summoning Genesis and -

Thwack!

A tentacle knocked Genesis from his hand before it could fully form. The blade appeared but he wasn't clothed.

"None of that now..." Lust cooed. "Just let it take over, Jason. Like you've done so many times before."

Those slick, slimy tentacles all over his body massaged every muscle and every nerve, sending wave upon wave of stimulating heat through his entire body. The terrible stench of Lust's arousal and the precum was battering down at the walls of his resistance. Two of those tentacles slipping up his pant legs, brushing against his fur and covering it in their slick, precum.

A gasp escaped him as the tentacles tore his pants and boxers from him, exposing his half-erect cock to the air.

"That's it," Lust chuckled. "Let lust consume you." The Malefactor opened his muzzle. A long, drooling tongue slid out from between his smirking lips, curling through the air.

Jason sucked in a deep breath as he tried to pull his arms free but at that instant, a tentacle-cock shoved itself down his throat, causing him to gag. He tasted the salt of that cock but shook his head, fighting the arousal as much as he could. Something hot, slimy and surprisingly coarse wrapped around his cock and he moaned against the cock-gag in his throat.

I can't let him do this to me!

He lashed out with his legs desperately. There was a satisfying whack as he hit Lust's face but the tentacles around him only tightened further.

"I love it when they fight," Lust chortled, shaking his jaw slightly and a little muffled by the extended tongue. The Malefactor used his hands to press down on Jason's legs, forcing them apart and holding them firmly on to the bed.

Another wave of pleasure rocketed up from his groin as Lust's tongue began stroking his member, pulling it out of his sheath. The tentacle-cock in his mouth began thrusting in and out, forcing more of that salty goo down this throat and only increasing his arousal. He struggled as best as he could, throwing his head from side to side and trying to free himself from the grip.

Lust countered by shoving two more of those tentacles down his muzzle, pumping more and more of that precum down his gullet and smashing the walls of his resistance with a battering ram.

No!

I don't want this!

I don't want to be just a sex-freak!

A cry shot out his lungs and his eyes goggled as he felt the tip of Lust's tongue prod the slit of his cock.

"Hmmm... You taste good, Jason," Lust moaned, grinning broadly. "Stop resisting. You know how this will end. You fight and pretend you don't want it but you do. This is who you are. You're a horny beast. The only thing you think about is sex. It's what you live for! This is the darkness in you! Release it!"

The walls of his resistance were starting to crack and his mind was hazing over like it always did when he was succumbing to the lust.

A revelation hit him hard...

He's... He's right...

I am like this... I am just a sex monster...

Deep down... this is what I am... I keep fighting... That's my light... but... How brightly can a light shine when, at its core, is just darkness?

He closed his eyes and arched his back, moaning softly.

"Ah... Good boy..."

He felt something cold and wet poke his virgin as... and he knew what Lust was about to do...

"NO!"

His eyes snapped open.

Optimist came leaping over the wall of his mental defences, lashing out at those tentacles beating down the barrier with his Dual Harmonious Frost Marlins +1. Unlike the former Optimist who was just a plain miniature-version of himself with a shirt, this one was a bright, shining knight dressed in glimmering silver and gold armour.

"This is not you Jason!" Optimist shouted, valiantly fighting back the imaginary tentacles. "You are more than that! Remember what R3 said!"

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Flaming Frying Pans of Doom came hurtling from above, smashing the tentacles against their titanic, burning weight as Pessimist stood on the top of the wall, his Wildfire Wok of Wrath in his hand. Like Optimist, he had undertaken a makeover. Now he was dressed in thick, red armour and sprouting webbed wings.

"You are more complex than that. You are mortal and no one mortal is just light or just darkness!"

"You are bright and colourful!"

All eyes flicked behind the wall and there, Horndog stood, dressed in grey armour with his Dildo Chain-Gun in one hand and the Infinite Bukkake Cannon looming behind him.

"Where the hell have you been!?" Pessimist shouted.

Horndog grinned. "Bringing in the troops."

Jason gawked as, in his imagination, countless miniature versions of him stormed past Horndog, each dressed in differently coloured armour, each wielding unique weapons and each one fighting for his right to be mortal. Massive gates attached to his wall of resistances swung open and his troops charged through, beating back Lust's dark tentacles.

They're right!

I won't lose!

He opened his jaw slightly and bit down hard.

Lust howled in agony and pulled back, the tentacles restraining Jason instantly falling limp and Lust's tongue retracting. Jason scrambled off the bed and lunged for -

What the -?

Genesis was gone!

Swish!

The sound of metal cutting through flesh made him freeze... At first, he did a quick check all over his body, making sure he wasn't the one getting stabbed by his own weapon. Legs... were still attached... Torso was still intact... arms were definitely still there... and his head was still receiving blood from his heart.

So if...

Slowly, he turned towards Lust...

... and saw his white and gold sword sticking out of the Malefactor's chest reminiscent of his battle with Sloth.

"N - No..." Lust stammered, his form melting away and revealing a horrified Dominic. "How... Why...? T - T - Traitor!"

The stag pitched forward, dead and with his body disappearing in a shower of stars and feathers.

But he revealed his assailant.

No...

"No..." Jason gasped.

"No way..." Optimist blurted.

"I am so out of here!" Pessimist cried.

"Jason..." Horndog began and all there rest of his subconscious parts voiced their disbelief.

Jason crawled backwards, his back pressing against the corner of the room, pulling away from Lust's assailant as he drew closer. "It can't be... You can't... I..."

A nose pressed against his.

Bretty Sykes grinned, red eyes gleaming in the darkness.

"Hey there, Jase."