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Episode 7: Sinking Feeling

"Some think love is easy. Far from it. People change over time and if the same definition of love exists between two people for years without ever changing, then that is not love. That is merely fear of change. Love - true love - is a constant struggle."

_ _

Miss N. Ewe

An excerpt from a radio segment, 'Relationships and Ewe'

When the door shut, it let out a resounding boom that sent quakes of unease into Jacob's heart. He was far from scared. Sierra had given this knowing smirk when Canis had spoken and called upon the Shade Twins. Natalia seemed excited at the prospect of encountering the notorious Branded that had divided ExIT while Nathan was quiet and unresponsive. It had been Sierra's suggestion that they retired to a private room to discuss their next steps. Her manipulation made Jacob nervous but he had no doubt she was on their side.

At least... he thought she was.

The five of them stood in a loose circle inside an empty room. Jacob sniffed the air and detected the faint stench of death in the air. It was covered up by a lot of lavender scent and potpourri but he detected it nonetheless. The way Canis and the Shade Twins were sniffing the air indicated that they could smell it as well.

"What is this room?" Natalia asked, her voice musical and light even though it was marred with worry.

"This was my mother's room," Sierra answered sadly. "She died here."

"Explains the smell," Canis murmured. His eyes flicked towards the Shade Twins. "Okay, so now that we're here in private, I need you guys to listen for a second."

Nathan's eyes narrowed. "And you are...?"

"I'm a sergeant in ANVIL. Also, until recently, a Branded."

The Elemental Lord of Darkness was unusually stiff but Jacob felt this sense of dread crawling in around him. The shadows in the room seemed to lengthen and crawl towards them.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't just kill you now."

Whack!

Nathan yelped and danced back, clutching his shin. Sierra's cane vibrated from the impact. "Because he is not the enemy. Balthazar is."

Natalia gripped her brother tightly, letting him lean on her. "The head of ExIT? I love you, Sierra, but what proof do you have?"

That was the problem. What proof did they have?

Everything we have is based around what my dead dad told me through his ghostly avatar... Everyone around me is just trusting me on blind faith when I really don't have any solid proof!

"Often," Spectre said softly, "faith is all the proof you need."

"Were you aware of Balthazar's obsession with Hox and the Graveyard of Doors?" Sierra asked. "Did you know that he has had people killed just to get what he wants?" She nodded at Jacob. "His father was Balthazar's partner and the jackal had him killed to obtain his research. Jacob was then imprisoned, experimented on and then demonised to prevent people from learning the truth."

"That is one side of the argument," countered Nathalia. "He may have had you convinced, Sierra, but please see this from our perspective. We'll need more than just your vendetta against him." Her eyes were then filled with sympathy. "Please, we all know how you hate Balthazar for what he did to you but you cannot let your emotions get the better of you."

While Sierra seemed calm, her paws were tightening around her cane. "I understand..."

Canis stepped forward. "I didn't ask you here to help us with Balthazar. We can duke it out after we solve the problem that's threatening all of Angelsea." Everyone gave him a startled look and he wore this smug smile like he was saying, 'See? I can be manipulative too.' "One of Sierra's lieutenants, Manfred Oculus, has gone rogue. He and another lieutenant, Alexander Jenkins, were conspiring to work with the sentient spirits inside of the Seal maintaining Angelsea to bring down the entire city."

Nathan raised his eyebrows again. "You realise how absurd that sounds, right?"

"Don't believe me?" countered Canis. "Then come with us to Triton tomorrow."

Jacob gave the Alsatian a started look.

Say what now...?

"I have this eerie feeling this is a trap of some sort," rumbled the Darkness Lord.

Canis grinned. "It is. By the end of it, you'll end up realising how you can trust Jacob, that Sierra was right and that we need to stop Manfred Oculus from bringing down Angelsea."

"And we should be taking the word of a criminal and s lowly sergeant?"

"You should be taking the word of a fellow Elemental Lord."

The Shade Twins turned to Sierra who was regarded Canis with an unreadable expression. It took a moment for her to turn her gaze back towards the Twins. "I concur. I am asking your help against Manfred. If, however, during the course of the battle you see things my way, I will be more than grateful."

A bright grin crossed Natalia's features. "That's really evil of you, Sierra." She slapped her brother's shoulders. "Okay, we'll help!"

Nathan shot her a dark stare. "We will?" he asked blandly, clearly showing his disproval.

"Yeah! But..." She lifted a finger. "We won't be heading the assault. Not that we don't trust you but... we don't. We'll help keep the city secure for you."

Canis' ears folded back against his head. "Gee... two of the most loyal Elemental Lords reduced to guard duty. You want to swap titles? I bet I'd make a kickass Elemental Lord. I can control two Elements too while you're just restricted to... how many?"

Nathan snarled and made to step towards Canis. The Alsatian puffed out his broader chest just as Natalia pulled her brother back.

"Oh? What's that?" Canis asked, cupping his ear and turning it towards Nathan. "Just one? Wow... That's just like... I dunno... Having one nut. What kind of man are you? Or did you share your balls with your sister over there?"

"James," Sierra warned calmly. Again, she turned back to the Twins. "Thank you for your assistance. We appreciate it." Jacob suddenly found himself the object of her gaze. "Jacob, you have not said anything."

Of course not. There's nothing I want to say out loud.

"And what is going on in that head of yours, son?"

A lot of things... But I need to give them something...

"You have three lieutenants, right?" he asked.

Sierra opened her jaw to respond but immediately shut it tight. "Joul... I had forgotten..."

"Always hated that guy," Canis muttered, crossing his arms grumpily. "Stinking, Tribal asshole."

"He's a Tribal?"

"Yeah. Can't tell by it, though. Migrated over here by himself when he was just a kid."

"I will need to ask Joul about his involvement in all this before things escalate," Sierra said. "He has always remained loyal ever since he was chosen to be the host of his Seal during his time at the orphanage but I believed Manfred and Alexander to both be loyal as well." She nodded several times. "Thank you for reminding me, Jacob. Was there anything else?"

He shook his head. "Nothing comes to mind."

... that I want to talk about.

She nodded firmly. "Very well. Tomorrow, we shall convene during breakfast to plan our assault on Triton. That is the only possible place Manfred could be hiding. My soldiers have combed the city."

"I shall send my shadows to do their own search," Nathan said in his dark, ominous tone. "Nothing can hide from their eyes."

Canis' eyes sparked with that familiar, predatory flame when he found an opening in a person's defences. "Ooooh!" he cried, waving his paws into the air with an exaggerated look of fear on his face. "The shadows! Please, don't send out the shadows!" He dropped his paws and crossed his arms again. "What're you going to do with them? Blur their vision?"

A frightening roar ripped out from somewhere behind Nathan. The entire room behind him turned jet-black, making both Natalia and Sierra jump in fear. From the shadows, enormous, red eyes opened, not all of them horizontal. Massive, sharp fangs appeared to form maniacal grins, dotting the spaces between the eyes.

Jacob wasn't afraid. He had encountered Dark-based Seals before and with his powers of Light and Sound, the darkness held no sway against him. Even if he was utterly blinded, using Sound as a form of echolocation could win the day. If not, then his light could pierce the shadows. Beside him, however, he saw Canis' tail slipping between his legs and his cocky smirk fade.

"I can do more than blur their vision," Nathan uttered darkly. "When I am done with them, they won't have eyes." Dark tendrils snaked out from the shadows and hovered over Canis' eyes. Each tendril became a hissing, black, eyeless snake and the Alsatian was very visibly shaking.

That's it!

A sword of light sliced through the snakes, leaving them hissing and dissolving under the brilliance of the blade. Nathan and his shadows shrank back. The light-sword in his paw, Jacob turned towards the wolf. "Let's cut the machismo act, okay? Manfred is out there and there are millions of people on this floating island. If we succeeds on freeing the Drowned, the whole place goes down. If your shadows can somehow keep that many people from drowning and carrying them to the mainland, hats off to you. Otherwise, send those peeping bastards out there and look for Oculus."

Nathan snarled but Jacob increased the glow of his swords. To add further insult to injury, he mentally summoned twelve more blades of light behind him, the swords forming an array of 'wings' that illuminated the entire room. Only a single eye of Nathan's shadow was left and the wolf was left hissing and hiding behind his sister who gazed at the display with shining eyes.

"Wowie! That's amazing! You're solidifying light! How did you do that? I can't do that! I can just form lasers and apparitions! How is it that you're not burning yourself?" She bounced towards him and gripped one of his swords. She squealed when her fingers ran over the sharp edged. "Awesome! It's really like steel! You have got to teach me how to do this! Oh! Oh! Can you make other weapons? An axe? A shield? Oh! Oh! How about wings? Can you make real feathery wings?"

Jacob shied away from her, one eyebrow raised. "Um... Okay."

"Wait!"

What!?

"Jacob, this is the Elemental Lord of Light! You have any idea what you can learn from her? Ask her to train you too!"

...

Good point.

"But!" he said. "Only if you teach me some of your tricks too."

Natalia grinned brightly and poked his nose. "Okay but you first, cutie!"

He heard Nathan grumble not too far away. The temptation was there to make him suffer but Canis was also standing a few feet away, looking like he had seen a ghost.

"It's a date," he said as a happy medium - for him. Nathan's eyes boggled. "Sierra, mind filling these two about the Drowned? I'm going to take the big, bad sergeant away before he pisses himself."

It was a little worrying that Canis had no countering remark and continued to stare into space. Jacob took his arm and had to drag him out of the room. Sierra had begun explaining about the Drowned when Jacob shut the door loud enough for Canis to snap out of his semi-coma... only to fall to the ground, gasping for breath.

"What the hell happened to you?" he asked.

The Alsatian just shook his head. "Snakes... I fuckin' hate snakes."

"Seriously? You're not afraid of swimming out into the middle of the ocean and facing a massive Unsealed whale monsters but when it comes to snakes you can't even make a mention of how often you've had a 'snake' inside of you?"

Canis shot him a piercing look. "Hey. We've all got our fears, okay? I bet you've got yours."

Used to be that I couldn't look myself in the mirror... Or that I could only take thirteen minute showers... But I got better.

"You want to know my greatest fear?" Jacob asked.

"You realise you're just giving me more ammunition against you, right?"

"Not when you realise what it is."

He was given a curious look from the newly made Branded. "Okay... What?"

Jacob knelt down beside the canine and wrapped his arms around those broad, muscular shoulders. "My greatest fear... is losing you..."

...

"Fucktard!"

Jacob laughed and peeled away before Canis could punch him. He was leaping nimbly away while the Alsatian chased him halfway down the hallway with a big, predatory grin on his face. An evil thought crossed his mind as they entered a hallway flanked by dozens of doors. Diving towards one of the middle doors, he quickly muttered a few directions and leapt through, shutting it behind him. When he entered the room, he spun around and opened the door again.

Several doors down, Canis opened the door he had just entered through, looking puzzled.

He gave a shrill whistle.

The Alsatian turned around, eyes filled with confusion. "Whut...?"

"Remember how I can teleport through doors?" Jacob replied.

"You sonofa -"

Canis lunged at him but he quickly ducked back, muttered a few more instructions and reopened the door. Again, he entered another room and again, he opened the door. They were on opposite sides of the hallway.

"Missed me!"

"That's not fair!"

"Yeah. I know."

He was ducking between rooms again, disappearing between doors and taunting the Alsatian like some cartoon chase scene. All the while, they were both laughing, enjoying themselves thoroughly and with their tails wagging.

At one point, he played a nasty trick on Canis. He ducked between doors, appearing in the room right beside the one Canis was trying to pin him in. The moment he opened the door, the Alsatian turned to him, ears perked. He instantly dove for the canine, planting their lips together in the faintest taunt of a kiss before using the same room the dog held open to disappear.

"Come on! I don't have a power like that!" Canis complained.

"Actually, he should."

Huh?

"It's something I implanted in the Brands. Each of you should have some form of Anti-Seal technique as well as a sort of 'utility' technique. Did you notice how Taylor could fly?"

Oh yeah... But if you could implant that sort of technique, why didn't you just give us all the same power?

"To be honest? I didn't think the Brand could multiply. I only gave you the teleportation via doors technique and your ability to shatter Seals because I thought yours was the only Brand that would be in existence."

Jacob poked his head out from another room. "My dad says you should have some form of Anti-Seal technique and a 'utility' ability. I guess mine is the ability to teleport through doors."

The Alsatian pounced at him with a faint growl but Jacob ducked behind the door, teleporting himself to another room. He leapt out onto the hallway a second later, muttering some directions against the door behind him as he pressed his back against it. Canis saw him and approached cautiously.

"How do I figure that out?" he asked.

Dad?

"Not sure. I designed your Brand, remember? I didn't design theirs. I have no idea how to discern their abilities. If I had my equipment and thumbs, I could help."

An idea entered Jacob's mind and he held up his finger, turning back towards the door he had enchanted. "Warehouse 37, North Heartholme City, Industrial District, manager's office, outgoing." He opened the door to reveal darkness beyond and gestured for Canis to follow.

Curious, the Alsatian followed him through and shut the door behind them.

Jacob found the light switch and flicked it.

"Holy shit!"

Stacks upon stacks of weaponry lined the walls and overflowed from dozens of crates. The entire warehouse was filled military and experimental weaponry. Canis' jaw dropped when he saw a massive plane sitting in the middle of the facility.

"Is that an ASP-613 Stardust?"

"Yup... I think."

"Where are we?"

A third, gravelly voice boomed out from behind them. "You're in my warehouse."

Jacob turned around, a bright smile crossing his features. "Walter!"

A tall Doberman with a cigarette stuffed into the side of his muzzle looked down at them from where he was perched on top of a stack of crates. His right eye was unusual. It was made entirely out of machinery with a red light emanating from the pupils. Some of the wiring cut through his fur and wound towards his mechanical right ear. His right arm was also entirely mechanical.

"Who?" Canis asked softly.

"Walter Kauffman," answered the Doberman, working his way down a ladder. "Formerly General Walter Kauffman."

The Alsatian gawked a little. "I remember reading about you... You were a General for SWORD. But then you turned traitor..."

"Because of this little troublemaker," answered Walter, hiking a thumb at Jacob. "Lost my arm saving him."

"And the eye and ear?"

"Training him."

Jacob couldn't help but blush a little. A cheeky smile crawled onto his muzzle. "In my defence, I was a vastly different person back then."

Walter fixed him with a narrowed gaze. "Clearly." He coughed, blowing some smoke into the air. "So what do you want, Reaper? You never come to visit me."

Clasping a paw on Canis' shoulder, Jacob said, "I need a weapon for my buddy here. He said he's a heavy weapons specialist but I think we need to make sure he has something that's good at short range as well."

The Doberman rubbed his chin with his good hand and gestured for the two to follow him. They wandered through the aisles of weapons in crates, Walter murmuring something underneath his breath.

After about five minutes, Walter spoke up. "Been hearing all the good you've been doing, kid. Killed the Elemental Lord of Wind. Made the Elemental Lord of Earth go 'missing' and from what I hear, you've converted the Elemental Lord of Star."

Alarm bells began ringing in Jacob's head. "How did you pick up on all this?"

"I've got eyes and ears everywhere, kid. You should know that by now." Walter waved absently over his shoulder. "And don't worry about this being common knowledge. The official story is that Gale went nuts and began using Unsealed until he was terminated. Rocky died with the plague and Rex is 'undercover'." He threw his glowing, red gaze over his shoulder. "Is that far from the truth?"

"Not really. Gale did go nuts and we had to kill him. Rocky is still active and is going around trying to get as much support against MODD as possible. Rex is travelling with me. He's... erm... He's my half-brother."

Walter pulled out his cigarette, letting out a slow stream of smoke. With a sigh, he put it back in his muzzle and began climbing a nearby ladder. "Always knew that Rebecca bitch was a piece of work. Your father was devoted to you and to the greater good but her... She was a worthless piece of shit. She was sleeping around before you were even born. Hell, wouldn't surprise me one bit if she was getting some on the side even while she was carrying you."

Jacob wasn't sure if he should be insulted or not.

"I would be insulted but she wasn't my Becky," Spectre murmured. "Still, she was your mother... At least genetically."

The Doberman paused about halfway up the ladder and threw Jacob a suspicious stare. Jacob met the stare with a confused expression. The look went as quickly as it came. After climbing a few more rungs, the canine dug into a crate and pulled out what looked like a very large rifle. It was mostly square-shaped and about twice as tall as Jacob or Canis. It was also coloured silver and blue.

"Here, catch."

The weapon was heavy and it took both of them to catch the mighty device. Canis grunted as Jacob let him heft it. It certainly did look ungainly.

"What's the use of carrying this thing around if I can barely move!" the Alsatian shouted.

"That's because it's in its 'gun mode'. That damn thing is an anti-tank rifle." Walter leapt down the last couple of rungs and landed beside Canis, gripping the cannon with one hand. "It can be fitted with different types of shells. I'll have Jacob send them over to you. It's designed to take down big things."

"And how is this supposed to help me against guys that are all up in my face?"

Walter smirked and pressed a button just above the first grip.

Click!

Jacob leapt back in surprise as the entire front-half of the gun sprang open. A wicked, curved blade sprang forth, biting into the ground. He blinked several times as the other end of the gun came off in the form of a chain and a small, automatic handgun.

"This is its 'scythe mode'," Walter explained, handing Canis the handgun. "It's lighter, faster and is designed for short to medium ranged combat. But..." He gently pushed the scythe end of the weapon down. "It is still equipped with the anti-tank capabilities. Be careful about this though. It doesn't have as much of a counterweight. The recoil is enough to dislodge an arm."

"I can take it," rumbled the Sergeant, his eyes gleaming at the sight of the weapon. "Where'd you get this, anyway?"

"Friends in the Rebellion."

Canis' fur stood on end. "You're with the Rebellion?"

Walter pulled his spent cigarette and tossed it aside. He then plucked another one from his breast pocket. They were made to wait as the older Doberman stuck the cigarette into his muzzle and lit it before an answer came.

"You think I helped Jacob and got all this equipment for shits and giggles?" Walter fixed Jacob and Canis with his fierce stare. "We're in the middle of Rillotia. I've got a stockpile of weaponry and a matter transporter up there." He pointed above them. There was a whole network of tracks where several guns were mounted, all of them blinking with soft, blue lights. "When the time is right, the Rebellion is going to be transported right into the middle of MODD territory, arm themselves to the teeth and wreak havoc upon this country... all in the name of freedom."

Canis spun around angrily to face Jacob but before he could blow up, the wolf spoke.

"Jo would get a kick out of this plan."

Walter cocked an eyebrow. "Jo?"

"Yeah. Joanna. She's another Branded like me. Canis too. There are seven of us in total."

The Doberman's eyes lit up. "Seven people just like you. The Rebellion would benefit from -"

"Having Jo on your side. She's a Rebellion nut. Leave me out of it."

It was an odd sensation to have Walter's eyes darken and Canis' light up. For as long as he remembered, Walter was like a father to him. A rough, no-nonsense father that was big on discipline and military-like doctrine. Of course, Jacob went in the opposite direction; becoming a rogue, stealing and destroying wantonly. Still, they were like family... until a few years ago when they had a falling out.

"You're not siding with MODD, are you, kid?" Walter asked, sort of half-growling really.

"No. But I'm not going to go out of my way to destroy MODD either." Mostly because he wasn't sure who or what was truly pulling the strings of the enormous mega-corporation. If the Chaos Lords were in play, who is to say that MODD was just not one of their puppets? Who is to say that the Rebellion wasn't?

His mind kept going back to Realmbreaker, the union of two opposites becoming somewhat stable. What better way to incite that sort of scenario than all-out war?

"Wise move, Jake... Walter has a good heart and good intentions but I don't think he understand what role he is playing..."

Neither do we.

"No. But at least we're playing it safe."

"Suit yourself," Walter muttered. "Send this 'Jo' here when you get the chance. Offer still stands if you want to help out. Just take care of yourself, Jacob."

Nodding, the wolf said, "Yeah. Thanks. You too." Despite his reservations about the Rebellion, he found himself saying, "If you get into trouble, just call me. I'll come and save your ass."

For the first time in their entire conversation, Walter smiled. "Thanks. Now get out of here. I've got work to do."

Jacob led Canis back to the managerial office door and used his ability to bring them back to Oasis; halfway across the country and back into Canis' bedroom. His own was still showing the signs of their previous lovemaking. Sierra hadn't allowed anyone inside to clean it and the cum was still probably there.

Canis set down his gun-scythe on the floor, regarding it with awe.

Unsure what to do, Jacob shuffled towards the Alsatian and gingerly wrapped his arms around the canine's waist. His loins stirred at the touch of that hard, bubble butt against his crotch and the gentle brush of those rock-hard abs through the thin fabric of his tacky, gala clothing.

"I'm going to call it 'Tempest'."

Jacob gentle nuzzled Canis' neck, taking in the canine's heady musk and scent. "Tempest, huh? I like it."

"I didn't ask for your opinion." The Alsatian slipped out of his grip and flopped on the big, king-sized bed.

For a second, he thought Canis was angry at him when he realised it was just another playful jibe. Especially when Canis lay on his side, patting the mattress beside him. Jacob stripped off the heavy black cloak that he had been wearing the entire night and slipped in beside the sergeant. They faced each other, one paw instinctively on their other; Jacob's was on Canis' thigh while Canis' was on Jacob's flank.

Both of them were fighting very hard not to smile like a love-struck idiots.

Fighting and losing.

"So..." Jacob began in an attempt to make sure his lips didn't end up curling upwards.

"So?" countered Canis.

"Are you going to wail on me for being raised by an anti-MODD surrogate father?"

"Only if you promise not to use the fact that I'm terrified of snakes to your advantage."

He pretended to think about it. "No deal."

Canis laughed and poked his chest lightly. "Should've known. Would've been disappointed if you did, though." Then his tone turned serious and that growing smile faded. "Walter has a hell of a lot of guns down there. Hell, he's got one of the fastest planes in there. You realise that if the Rebellion were to strike..."

"They'd be crushed," Jacob countered. "All the guns in the world are nothing compared to the power of the Elemental Lords and the Primarchs. Plus, remember SWORD? You can't fight Seals with conventional weaponry."

"And that's why they're depending on you, aren't they?"

"The Branded, yeah. " He sighed softly and leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. "Walter read all the research on me and saw an opportunity. I have the power to break Seals. A power insofar unknown to MODD. If I went up against SWORD and the Primarchs with their Seal-dependency, they'd be crippled... at least so they think."

"You don't believe that?"

Jacob sighed heavily. "I used to dream about being the big hero that could free Mortaelis from the evil grip of MODD. But when it comes down to us, MODD's troops are trained killers. Even without a Seal, they're deadly. If the Rebellion crippled SWORD, ANVIL would just swoop in with far superior weaponry and not to mention the experimental weaponry that ExIT comes up with. You saw the Purge Device, right?"

They remained silent.

"So if a fight between the Rebellion and MODD does come up... whose sight are you going to take?"

Jacob frowned and shrugged. "Still deciding on that." His eyes gently turned to Canis. "What about you? Going to stick with MODD?"

The Alsatian waved a paw absently. "Nah. I've been a sergeant for two and a half years. I'm long overdue for a promotion and I didn't get one. I think it's about time I struck out on my own. Do something else."

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure. Private security? Maybe I could open a bar. I know what guys want and I've got the whole 'psychoanalysing' bartender thing going for me."

Jacob laughed softly. "Really? You as a bartender?"

"Oh yeah? And what about you? What are you going to do after you beat the Big Bad Balthazar?"

Strangely, he didn't hesitate when he answered. "I'm going to go to college."

Canis' eyebrows raised. "Really?"

"I want to start over. Get a good education, get a job and support myself without having to resorting to teleporting into banks in the middle of the night, burning through safes and stealing millions of credits."

"And how are you going to start at college? You realise people are going to ask for past education right? You've never even gone to school."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Okay. So maybe some forgery will be required."

"Why don't you just come work for my club? If anything, I can sell off your sweet ass for some cash."

He fixed the Alsatian with a firm stare. "Uh-huh. So from military grunt to club owner. Gay club no doubt. Is that really the path you want to take?"

"Why not?" Canis replied with a shrug. "Better than dying old as a sergeant."

"Maybe you're just not a good soldier."

Whack!

Jacob saw stars for a second. In the moment of dazzling lights, he found himself unable to breathe... but for a good reason. Soft, supple lips roughly ravaged his muzzle, a hard, chiselled body pressed up against his own and their burning groins pressed against one another, barely contained by thin fabric.

Canis pulled away with a playful growl. "I'm going to make you regret saying that."

"What? Going to stick me with your 'snake'?"

The Alsatian groaned and seized the collar of Jacob's borrowed, black shirt. With a loud growl, he tore off the fabric. Jacob gasped at the brush of cool air against his exposed chest. Before he could fight back, Canis seized his flanks and flipped him around.

"Wait! Wait!"

The sergeant paused. "What? I was just getting into the mood!"

Jacob looked over his shoulder. "I'll stop mentioning snakes..."

He was met with a suspicious gaze. "If...?"

"If... If we do this like a couple."

Canis looked aghast. His jaw opened and just multiple times. Then, he was suddenly leaping off the bed and hurriedly pulling his coat back on.

"Wait! What did I say?" Jacob exclaimed, scrambling to his feet.

The Alsatian stopped at the door, growling loudly. "Why the hell would you want to do it like a 'couple'? I thought we had fun when we beat each other for a bit before I stuffed you full of cock?"

Jacob winced and rubbed the side of his head. "Yeah, I know, and while I do have supernatural regeneration, I'll have to admit that all the bursts of pain is a bit of a boner killer."

"Then why do you just go along with this?" demanded the canine, spinning around to face him.

"Because I love you..."

It looked like it was Canis' turn to be hit hard but this time with the face of reality. "I... I know... but... I can't... I just... Um..."

Jacob bounded over to the Alsatian, coming nose to nose with him. "I love you," he said firmly.

Canis doubled over like he had been hit by a physical blow to the stomach. He staggered back, pressing his back against the door. Jacob pinned him there, pressing his paws against the door to keep it firmly shut.

"I love you."

"Stop it!" Canis shouted. "Stop saying that!"

"Can't help how I feel," Jacob responded with a shrug. "You smacked some sense into me, proceeded to violate me over and over again and then I gave you a Brand. From experience, I think that means I have feelings for you."

"Does that mean you've got feelings for Max too since he's Branded as well?"

"I may have been drunk on anaesthetics at the time so I'm not sure what I was thinking," answered Jacob. "But I don't love him. I love you."

Canis snarled and tried pushing him away. The blow was weak-half-hearted. "You're just trying to slip that into every sentence to make me feel uncomfortable."

The Alsatian never even noticed that their muzzles were just an inch from one another.

"Is it working?" Jacob asked softly. "I lo -"

He was interrupted by their lips pressed together. It was not a wild, ravaging kiss. It was tender, soft but no less passionate. Their tongues brushed tenderly against one another. Canis' pulled back like a shy puppy but Jacob dove straight back after it, gently caressing it and coaxing it to come back out. His paw on the door gently migrated onto the Alsatian's shoulder, gently tracing the hard lines of his shoulders. Their bodies were pressed up against one another, hard chests rising and falling in tandem as they shared a breath.

Suddenly, Canis tore his muzzle away, gasping and with his eyes filled with worry. "I'm... I'm not sure how to do this..."

Jacob gently grasped the sergeant's paw. "Then I guess I've got something to teach you." Slowly, he led the Alsatian towards the bed and lay down first. He pulled the canine on top of himself. It was adorable just how nervous Canis seemed. Jacob pulled on his past experiences with Taylor, Leo and Rex. Slowly, he sat up, cradling Canis' this legs between his own, their cocks pressed up against one another only restrained by their clothing.

Gently, Jacob pressed his muzzle against Canis' neck, sending soft kisses along the thick, veiny muscle there. A soft moan was his reward. With his right paw, he gently caressed that broad, muscular back and with his left, he slipped it underneath that all-too-tight shirt and ran his fingers through the mountains and valleys of the hot canine's chest.

He found the fleshy nub of Canis' right nipple and gave it a very light squeeze. A growl came from his partner, the same feral, lusty growl of the animal rising up and ready to be the dominant, wild dog that he was. Jacob reminded him of the tenderness of the moment with a gentle lick along the length of his neck. A shudder ran through the canine's body. Taking that as a cue, Jacob hooked both his paws around pesky shirt and slowly pulled it over Canis' head.

A whimper was his reward and Jacob just pulled the Alsatian close to, hooking his muzzle around the Alsatian's shoulder. With their bodies so close together, it was impossible for their boners not to become incredibly uncomfortable. Slowly, he pulled them both back onto the bed. Despite having such big paws, he was able to deftly grip the canine's belt and undo it. Canis was all too eager to be rid of them, his dripping bright red cock dripping precum all into Jacob's thick, chest fur. Jacob did the same with his pants and pressed their two members against one another, bringing as gasp from the Alsatian.

Jacob pressed his lips against Canis'. The Alsatian melted in his lips but hardened all over his body. Large, hungry paws gripped his back, claws lightly digging into his fur. Jacob rolled them over to the edge of the bed, forcing them both to bend a little awkwardly over the edge. He tore their lips apart, peppering the hard neck with kisses and leaving a trail down onto those mountainous pecs. At the apex of those mounds were the dog's bright, pink nipples. He gripped the right one in a tender kiss, gently tugging at it while his left paw teased the other.

The canine was moaning, humping his chest. Jacob sensed the need in the Alsatian and gently moved down further. His tongue lathered Canis' hard, perfect abs with saliva over and over again. He made a beeline for his true goal and touched the tip of Canis' cock with his tongue.

The canine shuddered and let out a loud whine. Jacob wrapped his lips around the hot rod, relishing the waterfall of precum that was pouring out from the source. The salty taste made his head spin and like Canis, there was a primal beast yearning for release, rattling the cages of his mind from deep within his subconscious. But he told it to back off and dove deeper along that monstrous cock.

His nose brushed against Canis' crotch-fur, filling him with the musky scent of the canine and the need for sex. Those thick thighs that taunted him on either side gripped onto his shoulders and pulled him closer. Canis' hips bucked, pushing that cock deeper into Jacob's throat. A knot was already forming. Jacob reached for it, pressing down on it slightly. The pressure forced the canine to whimper and a greater burst of thickened precum to shoot down Jacob's throat.

"Wait!"

Jacob looked up. "Urf...?"

With incredible self-control, Canis pulled his cock out from Jacob's muzzle and straightened himself on the bed. He was sitting up against the headrest, breathing heavily. It took him a second to regain his composure and meet Jacob's gaze.

"Okay if we try something new to me...?"

Oh god... He's been around and his idea of sex is bordering upon rape... What could be 'new' to him?

A slew of thoughts crossed Jacob's mind.

Dressing up as a girl...?

Bondage equipment...?

Whips...?

"Um..."

"Don't be such a baby," Canis growled and lunged at Jacob.

The wolf let out a yelp but suddenly found himself with his back on the bed and a warm muzzle wrapped around his cock. He gasped and got a muzzle full of Canis' balls. The Alsatian's cock bounced against his nose.

"Well?" Canis mumbled through a mouthful of Jacob's cock. "What're you waiting for?"

Following the canine's lead, Jacob wrapped his muzzle around the canine's cock and found himself in a sixty-nine. The twin pleasures of having his cock sucked off and sucking off a manly-man's cock was overwhelming. His mind was reeling. Canis was very skilled with his tongue and he sucked like a gentle vacuum that coaxed every droplet of cum from Jacob's balls. Their hot bodies were grinding against one another, the heat in their bodies rising as each of their rock-hard muscles pressed gyrated and filled them both with the sensation of unity.

That heat grew and grew until Jacob found himself unable to contain himself.

"Oh god..." he rumbled.

But release did not come.

Instead, white light spilled out of his right shoulder just as a matching light blue spilled out from Canis' chest. All the pleasure emanated from his cock spilled all across his body and seeped into his muscles. Raw power and strength poured through his veins, injecting his calves with their might. Jacob let out a deep grunt. His pecs blossomed outwards, pushing Canis upwards. At the same time, those thick, muscular legs that framed his head swelled in size, obscuring his view of the world around him with the thick, fluffy tail brushing above his head.

The glowing tattoos spread all over their bodies, adding girth to their arms and adding height. Like stretching old, unused muscles, their legs stretched out and their spines twisting with a mix of new height and pleasure. They both squirmed, massive biceps and forearms shaking in the face of such overwhelming lust and power. Jacob felt his jaw pop and lengthen as the cock deep inside of his muzzle doubled in size and girth. The occasional squirts of precum became a flood of and Jacob found himself forced to constantly swallow lest he drown. At the same time, his own cock was pouring his pre-orgasmic fluids into Canis who was lapping up every drop without pause.

Jacob felt Canis' massive knot pressing up against his muzzle. His own was being shoved into Canis' maw. They were instinctively shoving their dicks into each other, their undulating, muscular bodies causing the bed to squeak and shudder. Jacob suddenly felt a lot of pressure building across his back just where his shoulder blades came close to his spine. He had to twist them both to the right as his wings exploded out of his back, filling the room with their light. Canis squirmed beneath him. His long, aquatic tail came into being, thrashing wildly around them and slapping against the bed.

He never heard Canis utter a muffled warning. The cock in his muzzle suddenly seized up. Half a second later, a deluge of the Alsatian's canine cum came pouring out of the red tip. Jacob choked for the briefest second. Canis shoved his dick further into the back of his throat, sending the semen straight into his belly. That sent him over the edge and his cock shot his own impressive seed straight into the Alsatian.

Canis never stopped sucking once.

Jacob found his head growing dizzy and his body changing into autopilot as he lay there, suckling at the sergeant's cock and taking as much seed as he could. The thick, warm man milk filled him with a strange sense of contentment and affection. He wasn't sure if he drifted off or not but time just seemed to skip to the point when the flood from his cock stopped and Canis' own was reduced to a faint drizzle.

He pulled his muzzle out of Canis' crotch, lapping up the last drop of cum that came out of the tip. His muscles ached for some reason and he pulled his enhanced bulk back to level with Canis. The Alsatian was regarding him with a goofy smile.

"Thanks," the sergeant said.

"For what?"

"For doing that with me."

"Hard to think that was your first sixty-nine."

"Oh it wasn't. I've had dozens of those."

Jacob pulled his head back in shock. "Huh? But you said this was the first time...?"

"For me sucking off the dick of someone I actually, maybe, sort of, perhaps, 99% chance have affection for."

I think he just said he loved me...

"Huh... Pity we didn't break the bed."

Canis grinned from ear to ear, his cock back at attention. Jacob's rose to meet its brother, already drooling in anticipation. "We can fix that."

Jacob matched that grin. "I'd have been disappointed if you didn't suggest that."

*****

To say that the other Branded and Rex were confused was an understatement. They came to breakfast the day after the ball - only Rex being hung over - to find Jacob seated beside Canis across from the Shade Twins. Sierra sat at the head of the table. Jacob and Natalia were talking excitedly about various light-based techniques while Canis and Nathan were having an 'evil staring contest' between them. Occasionally, both parties would break their activities to take a bite from the vast array of breakfast dishes before them.

"What the hell is going on here!?" Max exclaimed.

"Not so loud..." Rex whispered, waving down the dragon. He shuffled towards a seat on Jacob's other side and poured himself some coffee.

"We are merely socialising," Sierra answered, sipping some tea delicately. "Jacob, I believe you were telling Natalia about how you solidify light?"

Jacob smiled back at the Elemental Lord of Light. He liked her. Admittedly she was just as hyper about knowledge as Leo was about sex but she had a charm to her. She had modern manners. He went on to explain how he manifested light to become solid and form weapons while the other Branded gave them both a myriad of expressions.

Joanna looked pleased and began shovelling food onto her plate. Kerry bore a worried expression while Max was his usual loathsome self. What worried Jacob, however, was the frown that crossed Leo's face. That look was becoming far too comfortable on the wolf's features and it worried him.

I hope he's not hung up on our breakup...

"I doubt it," Spectre answered, seating himself on his shoulder. "I think Leo is worried about the affection he bears 'Sam'. He knows Sam is bad news but can't help how he feels. Much like you and Canis. Except I don't think the affection is mutual."

Hey, you're back. I missed you last night.

"No offense, son, but no father wants to have watch their offspring make sweet, passionate, wild love to another person for half of the night in semi-bestial states. Especially when you both make such a mess."

Where do you go when you're not around me, anyway?

"The Seal."

Oh right... We should visit that again. I have a few questions for the Drowned.

"Knock yourself out. I'll take you there."

Jacob bit into a piece of bacon to ensure he kept up the illusion that he wasn't having a private conversation with his father.

Why does it have to be only when I knock myself out?

"Jacob, I only take your mind there. If I just took you any time I wanted, you'd have narcolepsy on top of all your other quirks."

I'm getting better.

A flood or pride came from Spectre's words as he said, "Yes, yes you are."

Sierra clapped her paws together. "Now that we're all together, let us discuss how we are going to assault Triton." She was given a startled look by those who did not know about their plan. "Yes, we defeated Jenkins the day before yesterday but we must keep up the assault. Manfred Oculus is still at large and from Nathan's scouting efforts, he is indeed in Triton."

"So you used your freaky eye think to spy on the old man?" Canis asked, a cocky smirk on his features. "Wow, I knew you were gay but I didn't think you were into old, wrinkled flesh, Nate."

Shadows exploded out from behind Nathan, the shadows coalescing into multiple black snakes that lunged out at Canis. The sergeant was instantly paralysed. Before the snakes could gouge out his eyes, a glistening, crystal-like mongoose came leaping out from nowhere and hovered in the air in front of the Alsatian, growling fiercely. The light from the creature's body pushed the shadows back.

"Hey!" Jacob exclaimed brightly, grinning at Natalia. "I got it!"

"Brilliant!" she asked, mirroring his grin. "Except... I think you wanted to make a mongoose. That's a ferret."

"Damnit!"

Both Nathan and Canis eased back into their chairs, letting Sierra continue.

"Nathan confirmed he is there," she said. "Accompanied by Hydra and Leviathan unfortunately. They are both guarding him. We cannot risk a frontal assault as those two enormous Unsealed will crush anyone who is foolish enough to brave the high-pressure environment of the deep sea. So... after consulting with my remaining lieutenant, a plan has been formulated."

Joul suddenly sprang out from nowhere beside Sierra, his form shimmering into existence. Jacob jumped and watched the other wolf smile at him broadly.

"The advantages of using Water and Light," the lieutenant said. "I can refract light around me and make a sort of invisibility. I'll teach it to you sometime."

"Yes please!" cried out Jacob.

He was given a few stares of surprise even by Spectre.

What? Surprise sex just took a whole new meaning.

Spectre shook his head and continued to pad towards the food, sniffing at them eagerly. He gave Jacob a begging look. Just for his father, he conjured the mental image of a big plate of breakfast. Spectre eagerly went at it.

Joul cleared his throat to catch everyone attention. "The plan is that a large group of those of us capable of aquatic travel will assault Triton from the exterior. We'll draw Hydra and Leviathan out and possible to the surface as much as possible. From there, those with aerial capabilities and another support team on a ship will lend their support. We'll subdue the creatures and any other Unsealed Oculus may send before us.

"At the same time," the lieutenant said, raising a finger, "a small strike team will take the elevator and go into the depths of Triton, find Oculus and dispose of him."

"A two pronged strike," Canis said. "I like it." He winked at Nathan. "Bet you do too, huh Nate?"

The shadows began seething behind Nathan again. His sister rolled her eyes and just stuffed a few more eggs onto her plate, sunny side up. Before the shadows could rise, she slammed her plate into Nathan's face. When she pulled it away, the wolf was coated in egg juices and had sunny side eyes. Canis burst into a fit of laughter.

Shadowy tendrils picked the eggs away from Nathan's face and he was left growling, his left eye twitching in anger.

"The only thing that remains is the distribution of the groups," Joul said. "Joanna, considering you previous experience fighting in the open waters, I would like your assistance drawing the Unsealed out."

"You'll accompany me?" she asked.

"Yes. Besides, your Animus will be hard to miss."

Canis slapped his paw onto the table. "Let me go too."

"What?" Jacob asked, turning to his... boyfriend. That still felt wrong for some reason.

"Hey, I've got powers over Water and some other Element, right? Plus, I've got an Animus too and a kickass gun-scythe. I bet I could help."

"Do you even know how to summon your Animus?"

"Let me guess..." His voice grew really deep, his eyes half-closed. "You look really deep into yourself, search for that thing that keeps you going, grip it tight in your paws and with all your heart, call out to it." He brightened, a smirk on his muzzle. "Am I close?"

"Shut up. I bet you choke on the day."

"I bet you don't want me to."

Crap...

Canis wore his smug smirk as Joul continued.

"Alright. I'll take James and Joanna. I was hoping to have Leonardo and Kerry on the surface. The powers of Electricity and Ice are a great advantage against water-based creatures like Leviathan and Hydra. Taylor, you're the only one with real aerial capabilities so I request your help as well."

Jacob did the quick calculations.

That left himself, Rex and Max of all people to be part of the infiltration team.

"I'm not going down there," Max said, rising to his feet. "No way! Not after the last time I was stuck in a laboratory!"

Is he referring to that time he pseudo-raped me at Pollenburn...?

"I thought you might say that," Joul said. "I'll require you and Eden on the shore just in case either of the Unsealed break through our defences. You'll be our last line of defence."

Or the one guy that won't be fighting... Then again...

His eyes went to the Shade Twins who were still out from the fight. He would have preferred to have them both fighting beside him. If Nathan could send his shadows all the way into the Triton, that would be a great advantage. Natalia's master of Light would also be great asset. Besides, he wanted to learn more from her.

"So Rex and I will infiltrate Triton and bring a stop to Oculus?" he asked.

"Does everyone agree?"

There were a few murmurs of agreement.

"Good. We deploy at noon. We need to act immediately before Oculus can discern what we are hoping. Nathan, he controls Darkness as well and though his powers of reaching through the shadows is limited, I need you to make sure he doesn't spy on us."

Nathan nodded wordlessly.

A growl came from Canis. The sergeant was out of his seat and storming out of the dining room. Jacob chased after him and only caught him once they were out of earshot range.

"Let me guess," Jacob said sharply, "Joul and Nathan were in the orphanage with you. Best friends forever until they both got a Seal and left you behind?"

Canis sighed heavily and spun. He planted his lips against Jacob's before pulling away. "Leave the psychoanalysing to me, okay? But yes... You're right."

Jacob held him close. "Hey, forget about them. You're a Branded now. They're MODD. There's dozens of them. You, only one out of seven. Sometimes two."

He got a roll of the eyes for that and a poke on his chest. "Be careful down there, okay? If you get into trouble, scream like the little girl I know you are."

"You can count on it, sir!" He flashed Canis a grin. "So... We've got a couple of hours before noon... Want to sneak in a quickie... or four?"

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't want to."

*****

The elevator doors shut and suddenly, they were trapped again in the slow ride back down into the depths of the ocean. Jacob summoned his two swords, Radiance and Requiem, holding them tightly in his paws as he watched the glorious beauty of Angelsea's coral underside pass before them. Such a beautiful city... with such dark secrets.

Rex was unusually silent. They were alone together for the first time ever and they hadn't spoken since he had effectively dumped his half-brother in front of Canis. Jacob felt a pang of guilt in his heart but he couldn't find the words to say what he felt.

Instead... he spoke just said something... anything.

"Hey, if you make a literal piece of shit into a beautiful sculpture, does that make it art? Or just well-crafted shit?"

Rex gave him a startled look.

"Just making conversation," Jacob offered lamely. When Rex turned away, Jacob found himself sighing in exasperation. "Rex, what do you want me to say? That I choose you over Canis? You know that can't happen."

"All my life, I've been treated like an outcast," Rex said with a sigh. "I was the child of a top MODD officer and a woman who was supposedly dead and married to a 'traitor'. I was taught in MODD sanctioned schools but everyone bullied and teased me because I was given the Elemental Seal of Star. Even worse when my mother left us... They called me 'Twinkle' my entire childhood and teased me when I couldn't muster my powers on cue.

"When I found out I liked guys, it made things worse. I couldn't tell anyone about who I really was or I'd be giving them even more ammunition against me." Rex's eyes turned to Jacob, pleading. "But then I met you, Jake. You're my half-brother. We almost look the same and we're both pariahs in the world. Hell, we're both gay! I thought that meant something!"

"It meant we're half-brothers that are both gay," Jacob responded. "It doesn't mean we'll be mates or anything."

"Why not!? I love you, Jake!"

Jacob winced at those words, suddenly realising just how Canis felt in some way. He loved Rex too but just... just not the same way he loved Canis. With Rex, it was so easy. They already had that brotherly bond and Rex was always so complacent, happy to go along with whatever he suggested. Canis had a mind of his own, constantly challenged him and... just fit with him perfectly. It would be so easy to just choose the safe route but Jacob didn't want to feel safe. He wanted to grow and become stronger, to really experience the world beyond his veil of hatred and vengeance.

"Rex..."

"What will it take?" Rex demanded. "You want me to give up my Seal? I'll do it! I'll gather all my resources and help you take down Balthazar!"

"You're already going to do that," he countered, shaking his head. "Rex, listen to me. I love you, I really do and... Yes, maybe in that way but I love James Canis more."

"Why can't we be a pack like with Leo!?"

"You know that wasn't real. We and Leo are different. From different cultures. We were just using that 'pack' idea as an excuse to have constant threesomes. And don't tell me during all that time, you didn't feel like you were playing the third wheel."

Rex's ears folded back against his head and he let out a whimper. "I just don't want to be alone, Jake..."

"You're not going to be alone. You'll still have your brother." He wrapped an arm around Rex's shoulder, pulling him close into a hug. "You're still family. And, okay, if Canis allows it, we can go at it like wild dogs. Though Leo called dibs on the threesome."

Rex laughed softly. "Thanks... That sort of makes me feel a little better." He sighed and rested his chin on Jacob's shoulder. "I just want what you have, you know? Guys throwing themselves at me and professing their love to me... I want to find that love."

"Well... one of those 'guys' was you and Leo... I'm pretty sure he'd hump anything that showed him their cock. And Canis... Well... He hasn't told me he loved me..."

Rex pulled away, surprised. "He hasn't?"

"Not... in so many words. I know he wants to just..." He narrowed his gaze at Rex. "Now don't go taking this as an opportunity to try and break us up, okay? I know you're better than that, Rex."

The wolf raised his paws to show his compliance. "I swear. No schemes. Doesn't mean I won't stop trying to woo you into my arms."

Jacob groaned. "Rex..."

"Jake, just give me a chance." His half-brother seized his paws. "Look, I'm with you 100%. All the way. No matter what. I'll be happy with whatever you choose but I need you to swear to me that you won't choose who you want to marry at least until we beat Balthazar."

Jacob pulled his paws away in surprise. Rex's heart broke at that moment. "Marry!? I know I have fantasies about having people's pups and living together but... Marry!?"

Rex blinked several times, his heart's pieces leaping back together in a confused jumble. "Wait... What? Jake... you want to have another guy's pups through some unknown procedure and live together with him and yet you don't want to get married? Jake, that is getting married!"

He knew it was completely illogical. Having kids. Moving in together. Having a joint bank account. It was the formula for marriage. But... for some reason, at the mere mention of marriage, he got squeamish.

"I... don't know," he muttered. "All my relationships have sort of been beating around the bush around marriage. Being a pack with Leo wasn't really marriage. One night stands with Taylor definitely wasn't marriage. And with Canis, he hasn't proposed to me so I'm good. But... actually getting married. I don't know... I get this horrible feeling that if I so much as stepped into a church, God will personally come down from the Heavens and smite me."

Rex broke out into riotous laughter accompanied by Spectre.

Stop laughing!

"I... I can't! It's just too funny_!"_

Dad!

"Jacob, I know I of all people shouldn't be giving you marriage advice considering how I was married to my one true love's interdimensional counterpart for the sake of the universe but..." Spectre stopped giggling. "... Marriage is just a piece of paper. A legal document. It's what's in your heart that counts."

"You can stop laughing now," Jacob muttered.

Rex was on the floor, clutching his stomach. He slowly reduced his laughter to giggling and finally into a few snickers. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I promise I'll stop laughing when you flinch at the word 'marriage'."

Jacob jerked away.

"Marriage! Marriage!"

"Stop that!"

Rex snickered and held his paws up. "Alright, alright. I swear, I won't laugh anymore." He took a few deep breaths, trying to fight the rising grin on his lips. "Okay... So you don't want to tie the knot. That's fine with me. But promise me you won't choose you you'd like to spend the rest of your life with until we beat Balthazar. Deal?"

Jacob nodded and gripped Rex's paw in turn. "Deal."

Boom!

The elevator came to a halt.

The doors sprang open.

Overhead lights sprang into life, leading a path through the devastation of the earlier attack.

"Welcome, Rex Nebula, Jacob Reaper," Manfred Oculus boomed from the speakers. "Apologies for the mess. I didn't have enough time to clear up all the mess left after the attack. I may have left a few blind spots but I didn't see them."

Both wolves groaned.

Jacob plugged his hears with his paws. "Oh god... He's going to try and kill us with bad puns, isn't he?"

"I wouldn't put it past him," answered Rex as they trudged through the lit path.

"Please, follow the lights. I have much to tell you. I am sure you will find it illuminating."

They both groaned again.

Somewhere in the distance, the thunderous roar of Behemoth rattled the station.

As soon as they stepped a few feet away from the elevator, more lights sprang to life. A sculpture to their right was shown. The twisted metal looked like it was shaped like... a fifteen poles arranged in a circle around five smaller ones.

"Nearly five hundred years ago, the Great Seal War ravaged all of Mortaelis. Mortals who had been using Seals for millennia always had to contend with the Unsealed but in a daring move, many of them sought to use the Seals to destroy the Unsealed while another part hoped to control the Unsealed.

"Naturally, this led to a great battle between them. Brave individuals, however, seeking peace used their powers at what is now the Graveyard of Doors in an attempt to stop the fighting and banish as much of the Unsealed as they could from the world. This, is how the Circle was formed."

Jacob was a little surprised Oculus hadn't fit a pun in there and wondered if that was a good or bad thing. It made him nervous that Oculus knew they were here even as Behemoth battled the Unsealed under his control.

"MODD was formed from the travesty of the War. Or perhaps they already existed before then but whatever the case, this company rose and immediately took the greatest Seals from the devastation and used it to further their agenda."

As they passed through the devastation of the atrium, he realised that the wreckage had been arranged in such a way that it became impossible to move anywhere else except for the path that Oculus had designed. That made him even more nervous. As they stepped into a connecting tunnel, his eyes were drawn to the glass walls were a massive, long painting was erected. It showed the Great Seal War and the rise of fifteen figures... and then the rise of a crystal sphere hovering over Mortaelis...

Central, the artificial planetoid that served as a massive train station to the rest of the world.

"MODD was quick to elect the Elemental Lords as part of its ExIT initiative. Over the centuries, there have been many generations of Elemental Lords. Each with their own stories and tragedies."

They came to a connecting laboratory where massive, well-sculpted images of seven beings rose. Only one of them Jacob recognised and that was Rex.

"The first Elemental Lords of each of their respective Elements were proud, noble beings. Even you, Rex Nebula, first bearer of the Elemental Seal of Star."

Both wolves ignored Oculus' ranting and continued down the indicated path.

"But none is more tragic than the tale of the Elemental Lord of Water."

They both stopped in their tracks.

"For you see... Sorry, please keep going down the path. The next visual aid is in the tunnel."

Jacob hurried down the path and, like before, there was a long mural that barred most of the glass. A beautiful cougar with flowing, amber hair was shown dressed in the attire of a MODD Elemental Lord.

"Here name was Siren. A born soldier. Raised from infancy for her loyalty to MODD. She lost her parents when she was just very young and MODD took her in. During and after the Great Seal War, she fought bravely to preserve the peace of Mortaelis. However, all things must come to an end."

The mural showed the Siren's plight. To when she was abandoned as a child, raised and trained by MODD, fought against countless Unsealed and finally to when she lay old and decrepit, dying.

"Time ravages us all as it must. Siren was no different."

They passed into the next facility. Jacob's eyes caught sight of the massive words 'Laboratory 17' marked on the walls. Jenkins had mentioned that they had to go to Laboratory 18 to 'find the truth'. Was Oculus leading them to that truth?

The lab was actually clean. The walls were unharmed by the battle and there wasn't even a single desk or piece of laboratory equipment around. The only thing that occupied the white, pristine dome was a coffin standing vertically at the centre of the lab. Jacob's eyes went wide.

A familiar scene of the world of the Seal played back in his mind.

A desolate, inky ocean... with a small island in the middle. A coffin stood at the centre of the island.

No way...

"Why don't you open the coffin, boys?"

"Are you kidding me!?" Rex shouted. "We are not going to disturb the resting place of the first Elemental Lord of Water!"

Jacob marched straight towards the coffin, bringing a shout of protest from Rex. He seized the sides of the casket and with one, might shout, pulled it aside.

Emptiness greeted him.

"Is this some sick joke, Oculus!?"

Jacob spun to face Rex. "Rex, knock me out."

"What?"

"As my brother, knock me out!"

"But -"

Jacob gazed into the ceiling. "Dad, I need a narcoleptic moment."

He blinked once and suddenly he was back in the world of the Seal. His father stood at the shore of the island. Beside him was the Drowned but he didn't seem to notice it. Jacob waded through the oily water and took his father's offered paw.

"Jake, what's this about?" Zack said in his angelic form.

"He has learned the truth," the Drowned whispered.

Zack jumped, noticing the child for the first time.

Jacob stormed up the beach and reached the coffin. He yanked it open.

His jaw dropped.

Inside, eyes wide in horror, jaw open in a silent scream and hands outstretched like she had been trying to claw her way out... lay Sierra.

Jacob instantly slammed his forehead into the casket door and he found himself staring up at a concerned Rex.

"Jake! What was that? Are you alright?"

"Oh my... Does he really suffer from narcolepsy? I can recommend a drug. It's a real knock-out."

He groaned and leapt to his feet. "Oculus!" he barked. "Get to the point! What's with the empty coffin? Where is the real Sierra Seasinger?"

There was a pause from the other end.

Then...

"Proceed to Laboratory 18. I will be waiting for you there."

Jacob flicked his ears at Rex, beckoning him to follow. A confused Rex followed him as they marched through the connecting tunnel that was marked with more murals. He was only partially paying attention to them. It looked like it showed Sierra's recent history.

Bursting into Laboratory 18...

His jaw hit the ground.

"No way."

Manfred Oculus stood in front of a shining pillar of bright, blue light. At the centre of that light hovered a woman. A squirrel. She looked like Sierra but a little younger. Still elderly. All around them were thousands upon thousands of mechanical pods with children trapped inside; from all species but never more than ten years of age. There were tubes filled with blue light that connected to a central pipe and was connected to the woman's spine.

Oculus turned around, his features grim. "This is the truth beneath Angelsea... and the Elemental Lord of Water."

Jacob was afraid to ask but managed to break through his dried throat to say, "What truth...?"

"This," Manfred said, pointing at the woman hovering in front of them, "is the previous Elemental Lord of Water, Sierra's mother."

Rex took a step back. "Is she... alive?"

"More or less. Her body is constantly pumped with drugs that keeps her catatonic but accelerates her cellular regeneration to maintain her body. Her mind constantly screams for release. But if we release her from her flood of medicine, she will surely die."

"She's keeping Angelsea up... isn't she?"

Oculus nodded grimly, his reptilian features twisted into a frown. "Years ago, there was never really an 'accident' that took Penelope Seasinger's life and the lives of countless others. No. What happened was that the Elemental Lord of Water staged a 'disaster' to stageher own death so she could pin Penelope's body to this machine and maintain Angelsea forever.

"The city was constantly plagued with the risk of sinking every year as it continues to expand and we constantly needed children to empower the Drowned Seal to accommodate. However, The Elemental Lord of Water created this device that allowed her to use a single, incredibly strong body to maintain the city. That is why she believed we would no longer be creating any Drowned."

"But you still did," Jacob said, shaking his head. "For what purpose?"

"To finally bring her down!" Oculus shouted.

"What? You're creating more Drowned so they can mentally overpower her?" Rex asked, pointing at Penelope's body.

The lieutenant threw his head back, laughing. "Haven't you been listening? This is not the Elemental Lord of Water! This is Penelope Seasinger!"

"But you said -!"

"Jake!" Spectre cried as they both hit the same conclusion.

Sierra's form trapped within the Seal... The true reason why Jenkins and Oculus rebelled... Penelope's body hovering in front of them... Everything Manfred Oculus said during their trek here... and the Drowned...

"Sierra..." he murmured, interrupting Rex. "She's dead, isn't she? That woman who has been assisting us... She's the Elemental Lord of Water... the First Elemental Lord of Water! She's Siren!"

Rex's eyes went wide and Oculus threw his hands into the air in triumph.

"Yes! You understand!" he laughed. "Siren has been transferring her consciousness from host to host for generations! The drawback is the supernatural 'aging' that all Elemental Lords of Water suffer! The 'curse', if you will! But make no mistake, that woman up there" - he jabbed his finger upwards - "is the same Elemental Lord of Water that fought in the Great Seal War! That is Siren!"

Jacob felt his knees go weak.

Siren... Sierra...

Oh hell...

"What does she want?" he asked.

Oculus took a deep breath. "The Seagate. She is constantly with being forced to leap from body to body using her shapeless, liquid form and each time she does so, her current host degrades even quicker than the last. The true purpose of the Seagate is to deprive everything and everyone contained within its confines of water. This will kill everyone in Angelsea. The Seagate will then transform the gathered water into the same that maintains Siren and from there, she can transplant a little bit of her essence into each of the dehydrated husks in Angelsea! She will have a large enough army to conquer all of Mortaelis! And each one of her 'clones' will have the same strength as the original!"

Millions of Elemental Lords of Water... All with the same power as Siren... Even the vast power of MODD could not match such power.

"But you said that every time she jumps, the bodies age," Rex said. "If Sierra sends her clones out, won't they all die eventually?"

Manfred chuckled softly. "Oh yes. Eventually. But Siren has been using Sierra's body for decades! Even if we cut that time in half, Siren will have an army for years! Certainly large enough to force all of Mortaelis into submission! And who is to say she won't just drag those she has captured back to Angelsea to be 'converted'!?"

Jacob's eyes gazed across the room full of the Drowned. "So you were working with the Drowned... They controlled Hydra and Neptune. They attacked Angelsea to stall the completion of the Seagate. All the while, you were gathering more Drowned... Why?"

A dark smile crossed Oculus' lips as he spread his arms wide again. "For this!"

Abruptly, all the lights in the room died. The pulsating blue light filling the room faded. Penelope Seasinger's body dropped from where it hovered. There was a sickening crack as her neck was snapped against the hard, metal floor. Loud hissing filled the room. The tubes that had been pumping that blue light into Penelope's back suddenly went in the opposite direction.

Steam exploded from one of the containers beside Jacob.

The pod slowly opened.

A small paw rose from the mist. Bright green eyes stared back at him.

Oh hell...

The world began shaking around them.

"Angelsea has begun to sink," Oculus said. "And I have finally freed the spirits of the Drowned, giving them the same powers that Siren had hoped to use to fuel her army of immortals!" He raised his claw towards the two wolves. "Now, Jacob Reaper, Rex Nebula, will you join us in our fight against the machinations of the true Elemental Lord of Water?"

Click-click!

They both turned around.

A squad of ANVIL guards no doubt loyal to Oculus lifted their guns.

Shit...

"Or shall we kill you here and now?"

Jacob exchanged glances with his half-brother.

They both shared the same thought.

"Hell no!"