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Episode 8: Song of the Siren

Mary, Mary quite contrary

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells and cockleshells

And pretty maidens in a row

---

Nursery Rhyme

Triton was going down but there was something Jacob needed to do before it was lost forever in the seas. Numbers of various laboratories whizzed by him and he paid them only a brief moment of attention as he desperately searched for the one lab he was truly looking for. In his paws dangled the heavy satchel of grenades. His Light Element would be a great advantage against Oculus but the scientist was an analyst by profession. No doubt he had come up with various ways to overcome his weaknesses.

A backup never hurt.

Shouts came up from ahead of them and Jacob skidded to a halt, pressing his back against the nearby wall. Rex staggered up to him, panting softly.

"Just where are we going?"

"To an abandoned storage facility nearby."

"What for?"

Jacob paused a moment, watching as the ANVIL soldiers marched purposefully by towards the elevator leading back to the surface. It would be hell trying to escape that way and if they didn't eliminate Oculus, going via the suits provided by Joanna and Canis would be very dangerous. He also wasn't sure about telling Rex about his true intentions for going to the room.

So he lied.

"When I was stuck down here with Leo and Canis, we found that place and it was filled with manifests and lists of all the people who were educated and raised in Angelsea under Sierra's guidance. It had evidence of Sierra signing off on various kids, ensuring that they would be used to be part of the Drowned." He fixed Rex with a fierce stare. "I figure when this is all over, the families and friends of those kids will want to know."

"Jake, they were orphans. They didn't have family."

His features darkened. "It's evidence, Rex. Evidence we will need if we're ever going to convince Nathan and Natalia about what's really going on here."

"Nathan was just back there helping us! Do you really think he needs convincing?"

Does he...?

"I think he needs convincing that we're on his side not that Oculus is bad news."

The adjacent laboratory was clear of ANVIL and he flicked his ears in its direction. Rex took the cue and followed with a dismissive grunt. The silver-haired wolf led with his Seal Weapon, Shimmering Hope, in paw. Jacob flung his paws to his sides, summoning Radiance and Requiem to his sides. He was a little amazed that they came. After his conversation with Walter, he had thought the Doberman would have cut him off.

Maybe I should keep these around instead of sending them back all the time...

"Walter means well, Jacob. He raised you like I never could. Don't lose that trust. It's typical for a child to rebel against their parent's wishes," said Spectre.

You and me included?

"Well... Our case is a little different. I'm not your biological father."

Touché.

They rounded a corner and a familiar hallway presented itself. To his right, he could see the caved in laboratory where he had lain buried for a while and unconscious. That could only mean that to his left was the path to the storage facility.

"Rex! Left!"

They hurried down the glass hallways, red lights flashing across their vision as the alarm continued. His heart leapt to his throat when he spotted the abandoned storage room. Jacob was first through the door and was quickly rifling through the countless files stacked on top of one another there. It only took him a few moments but he eventually he pulled out a single file. After tucking the file into his coat and patting it through the fabric a few times for safety. "Got it?" Rex asked impatiently.

"Yeah," he replied, suspecting his half-brother knew exactly what he was looking for. "Let's -" As he turned, he froze.

"My, my," Manfred Oculus said, his words oozing with malevolence. He stood in the hallway, shadows seething around him. The glass frames of the room began to crack ominously. Small leaks of water began to spray onto the metallic floors. "What could you two possibly want in this old, filing cabinet?"

Rex eyes Jacob, eager for the truth.

"It makes sense," Jacob responded softly, reaching for his coat. He grasped a grenade he had secreted there. "I'm not saying I don't believe you about Sierra and Siren. But I can't just let you destroy Angelsea. Countless people will die. I'm going to do this right. I'll bring this evidence to light. Sierra cares about the people and her children more than anything. Once I tell everyone about this, they'll rebel against her and she'll be forced to stop."

Oculus threw his head back, laughing softly. More cracks crawled against the surface of the glass, the water no doubt pushing against it under Oculus' command. "You honestly think Siren truly cares for her 'children'? That is just a front! She cares for none of them! If she truly cared, why would she turn most of them into Drowned? Why would she build the Seagate with the explicit purpose of creating an army? Answer me that!"

That's right... It would mean she was planning this from the very beginning... But... why?

Slowly, his paw released the grenade in his coat but at the same time, his arm brushed against the file he had secreted in the opposite pocket.

Canis...

Of course!

"Balthazar..." he whispered softly.

Oculus' features wavered. "What?"

"Balthazar," Jacob repeated, looking directly at Oculus. His paw gripped the grenade again. "When did the Seagate start being constructed? When did the orphanage first start up?" Jacob gripped the grenade, his thumb lingering against the pin. "Think about it. When did Angelsea suddenly start focusing on housing orphaned kids? Don't you think if Siren had been after this very outcome from the start, she'd have finished the Seagate by now? She's ancient remember?"

But I don't think that's the whole picture...

There's something else here...

I just don't know what and I'm only going to get that if I talk to Sierra... or Siren.

"Talk to her?" Spectre asked cautiously. "You're going to talk to the insane relic of the Seal War who has been jumping from body to body to preserve herself?"

Yes.

"Jake, you're a bigger man than I ever was."

Thanks... I think.

Oculus' smile disappeared completely and his brow furrowed. "That is a very good point." In that moment, he turned away and the shadows began to recede. His brow furrowed and a frown formed on his features.

Jacob took his chance.

He pulled the pin off the grenade he was hiding and threw it at Oculus' feet. The Lieutenant's eyes widened with shock, tracing the bouncing projectile. Before the crocodile could even register what was happening, Jacob was already on the move. With every soft clink of the explosive, Jacob was already speeding past the crocodile with Rex's wrist firmly seized by his paw.

BOOM!

When the explosion hit, they were both back in the adjacent lab. Jacob slammed his fist into the control panel, forcing the doors shut just as -

Whoosh!

An enormous rush of seawater doused what little flames had generated from the grenade's explosion. Some of its sprayed between the teeth of the door before it slammed shut. Jacob pressed his back against the wall, his heart racing but his breathing surprisingly calm.

"Are you crazy!?" Rex exclaimed, his eyes widened in horror. "That was insane!"

"Rex," he replied bluntly. "It's me, remember."

His half-brother gave him a sour look. "Point taken."

Loud screeching suddenly filled their ears. Both wolves turned towards the laboratory to find dozens of the Drowned standing there, their bright, unholy icy-blue eyes regarding them hungrily. Jacob snarled and recalled his swords to his side. Rex held Shimmering Hope with a shaky paw and regarded the children with disbelief.

"Jake... They're kids..."

"They're monsters," Jacob snarled through clenched fangs. "Just think of sticking your sword through them."

"You sound like a paedophile."

His ears perked in horror, giving his half-brother a horrified look. His muzzle was halfway to opening when the Drowned let out a unified screech. Tearing his attention away from his half-brother, he turned back towards the monsters coming towards him. As he did so, he spied an undefended tunnel.

Calling upon what he had learned from Natalia, Jacob focused his powers over light and materialised a glimmering wall of light in front of himself and Rex. The Drowned slammed against the wall, snarling and snapping with their sharp fangs as their tiny fists pounded against the wall of light. Jacob reached into his jacket, pulling out the remaining grenades he had.

"No!" Rex suddenly seized the satchel of explosives. "No more grenades!"

Before Jacob could protest, Rex threw the satchel over his shoulder. It bounced against one of the many, large portholes and nestled on the windowsill. Jacob stared at the flying satchel in horror before lifting his paw and revealing a metal pin.

"Oh..."

BOOM!

Both wolves were thrown mightily through the air as the tremendous explosion ripped through the reinforced glass. Water instantly came rushing in, filling the lab. Jacob yanked Rex off his feet and bolted straight for the exit.

"What were you thinking!?" he barked, speeding into the adjacent tunnel. The Drowned followed them along the wall of light. He could feel the barrier start to falter with distance.

"You did the same to Oculus without thinking about how we'd escape!" Rex shouted back. "I still can't believe you did that!"

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

They rounded a corner in the tunnel. Jacob tore his heated gaze from his half-brother and spied a familiar figure ahead. A wolf that was about his height but scrawnier in frame and with the same golden-blonde hair as he had. His sapphire-blue eyes made it seem like he was looking into a mirror.

Spectre was oddly silent but Jacob could sense his father's shock and reservations.

Don't worry, dad. We'll get him out of here too.

"Thank you... son."

That felt strangely reassuring though a spark of jealousy rose up in Jacob. For some reason, he didn't like the idea that his father, Spectre, might have feelings for the son he abandoned. The wolf ahead of them turned and smiled.

"Sam!?" Jacob exclaimed, remembering Rex was right beside him.

"Hi," answered the smaller figure. "What are you -?"

Like the brothers that they were, both Jacob and Rex seized one of Sam's arms each and half-carried, half-dragged him down the tunnel.

"Did you just come out of the women's bathroom?" Rex asked

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

"Evil cannibal children," Jacob replied shortly. Some part of him was reassured, at the very least. If this Sam was here that means the other Sam that had so brutally murdered those bigoted bastards that had attacked Leo was someone else. His heart clenched in fear, however. There was another Sam running around...

Dad...?

"I don't know, Jacob. I don't know..."

Sam shook himself free from the two bigger wolves and began running beside them, somehow keeping pace. "What?"

A loud screeching hit Jacob's ears as they rounded another corner. More Drowned poured into the tunnel ahead of them. Their eerie, icy-blue eyes stared on hungrily, their lips peeling back in malicious snarl. The creatures scrambled over one another, claw-like paws and hands raking against the metal floors with enough force to form ragged gashes.

"Evil cannibal children!" the Rex cried, flicking up Shimmering Hope.

"Now who's the paedophile?" Jacob mocked, a smirk on his muzzle.

"Quiet you."

Their screeching turned into hissing as they drew closer. Jacob gripped Radiance tightly, gathering light towards the blade. Sam was quicker. He flicked up his guns and pulled the triggers.

Click-click.

Jacob was partially reassured at the same time. This Sam - the Sam he knew - had these guns; they could be merged together to make an ethereal blade. The smaller wolf did just that. Watching the sizzling energies coming from the strange weapon, Jacob remembered Leo's description of the other Sam's laser-like weapons that could take any multiple shapes that sprang from his palms.

Yeah... This Sam isn't that Sam...

Jacob spun around first and let out a barking order that brought the other two wolves to spin around and follow him around the corner.

Thwack! Thwack!

Hot bullets slammed into the reinforced glass above their heads. Suddenly, they were sandwiched between two equally horrific forces with little cover. Sam pressed his back against one of the metal ribs that held the glass tunnel in place.

"There they are!" an ANVIL soldier shouted.

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

The Drowned were relentless in their assaults. Jacob swung both his swords at them, taking the forefront of the battle as he needed more room with both his swords. Their bodies were frail but they were just so numerous. A Drowned clamped onto his shoulder, its claws digging into his flesh while its fangs flashed. It threw its head back and bit down -

Thwack!

Shimmering Hope slammed against the side of its head. The Drowned's eyes rolled into the back of its head and it dropped off Jacob's shoulder. Rex spun around, slamming the flat side of his sword into the faces of a group of Drowned. Jacob wanted to yell at his half-brother to stop being so reserved but another hail of bullets reminded him he had no time to spend berating his family.

"They caught up with us?" Rex asked. "Damnit! We're cornered!"

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

"Shut up."

Sam chuckled. "You guys act like brothers."

Jacob rolled. "Yeah, well he is my half-brother."

The storm of bullets suddenly stopped and Jacob cast a gaze over his shoulder. They heated projectiles had stopped in midair, held by Sam's strange powers. They went soaring back at the ANVIL soldiers, bringing screams from many of them while two went down with bullets to their brains.

Dang... I never noticed how strong he is...

"He comes from a world where there are superheroes and supervillains. Gods are well-known and are constantly active."

You guys had superpowers?

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

Yeah... you guys had superpowers.

"How'd you discern that?" Spectre questioned.

When you look at it, my relationship with Rex is really comic-book-worthy. Sam sounds almost bored. He must be used to that kind of stuff.

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

"Jake... He's being sarcastic."

"Next thing you're going to tell me is that you two have had sex with one another."

Oh...

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

There was swearing from where the Anvil soldiers had ducked behind one of the metal doors leading into the next laboratory.

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

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

Sam gave him an exasperated look.

Dad... Your son is sick.

"Yes," Spectre laughed softly. "He most certainly is."

He wasn't sure who he was talking to but it made him feel warm inside. Returning Sam's look of weariness, he said, "You are such a horndog."

Sam wore a cocky smirk on his features and turned back towards the soldiers. "Which way is out?"

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

"Then we go around," Sam answered confidently. A crystal appeared in his free paw "Hold on!" He threw it over Jacob's shoulder. It soared well past the line of Drowned. At the same time, the soldiers fired off another few rounds. Streams of hot lead came screaming towards the trio. Some unknowable force veered them off course, slamming them into the glass panes of the tunnel. Cracks formed from the impact, growing with each bullet that struck.

Crrrrack!

"What was that?" Jacob asked softly.

"Our way out," Sam replied, seizing both of the other wolves by their shoulders. The world was suddenly consumed in a flood of darkness. In a moment, Jacob felt like he was floating in midair. Then, he was suddenly back on his feet, back in the tunnel on the other side of the Drowned with Sam bolting ahead of them.

Whooosh!

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

Jacob glanced over his shoulder and his heart leapt to his throat. A wall of water rushed towards them, brought on by Sam's redirection of the bullets. Alarms were screaming all around them and explosions rang out from somewhere else in the facility. He could only guess that the continued destabilisation of the facility was causing some massive damage. Water suddenly erupted from the left and knocked Sam to the ground. Jacob quickly seized his shoulder and yanked him back to his feet and kept moving.

The water level reached their ankles. Not a good sign.

Relief washed over Jacob when they reached the elevator chamber. A barricaded squad of ANVIL soldiers stood in front of the machine. The black armoured men took notice of them and instantly began firing. Jacob ducked back into the tunnel, the water around his ankles seeping into the atrium like some ominous water feature.

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

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

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

I hope... And besides, Nathan is with them. Not sure how the hell he got down here in the first place but I hope he can get everyone out_._

Click-click.

Karma was a bitch.

After all the times Jacob had used a grenade, one came rolling to his feet. Before he could shout a warning, the grenade was suddenly lifted into the air by some invisible force. It flew back straight at the soldiers.

BOOM!

Men screamed.

"Don't you guys have some crazy superpowers or something?" Sam demanded, pointing at Jacob. "Didn't you use to summon swords made out of light and fire lasers? That sort of thing?"

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

Jacob felt the back of his neck prickle at those words.

Okay... so maybe it was a bad idea to use a grenade in close quarters...

BOOM!

"Doesn't seem like anyone else is concerned about that," Sam muttered.

True... Glad I'm not the only one...

The remaining ten or so soldiers had ducked behind their makeshift barricade of crates and Oculus' deranged sculptures. A head-on assault would be suicide. Jacob considered creating a barrier of light but he wouldn't be able to hold it for long. Maybe a sonic boom? Or a few animals of light that could distract them?

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

Sam tossed another one of his crystals in an arc over the soldiers. The soldiers all looked up like turkeys caught in a rainstorm; mouths agape. When the crystal landed in their midst, they just stared at it, baffled.

Sam vanished in a burst of darkness before bursting out of a flash of light where the crystal had dropped. The soldiers all gave a cry of shock as they were momentarily blinded. The wolf's ethereal blade raced out, slicing through armour and spraying blood across the barriers. The waters around his feet quickly becoming a sickly pink.

The few that remained flicked up their guns before they were suddenly pulled from their hands and levitated above Sam's hand. The metal gave a horrendous screeching noise as it was compressed all into a tiny ball and dropped to the floor with a thud.

Jacob was starting to get a good picture of Sam's abilities. He bolted down the atrium while ANVIL was occupied with the superpowered wolf. He pressed Radiance against the neck of one of the soldiers who dared to pull a knife.

"Think that's a knife?" he growled dangerously.

The soldier lifted his paws and let his weapon drop.

Ding!

The elevator arrived.

"Come on," he urged, bolting to the elevator. Sam followed with Rex trailing.

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

Wait... Does he seriously want us to let the guys who just tried to kill us into the elevator? The very same guys who follow Oculus on his mad plan to abduct kids, make them into more Drowned to destroy Angelsea?

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

"They're just doing their job!"

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

And that they willingly agreed to!

"You're one to talk!"

"Hey! I have my boundaries!"

Sam stepped in between them. "Hold up!" The wolf paused for a second, a strange smile crossing his features. "There was a time I would agree with you here," he continued. "These guys chose to do their job. At any time during the exchange, they could have stopped firing and let us through. There's room enough here for all of us." He gestured at the elevator. "There's a price for every action we take. We can't expect to keep walking out roads without treading on other people's feet. Someone has to suffer."

A price for every action...

Just like there's a price for the creation of something.

Angelsea had to come at a price.

But was it worth it?

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

"Only the gods can save them now."

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

Rex gave a cry of protest, spinning around and slamming against the closed doors. The elevator began its steady ascent once more. Rex looked at Jacob as if he was about to explode. But then Sam quickly slammed his gun against the base of his neck and the brown wolf slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Wow... Nice move.

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

Sam turned back to Jacob. "Is that so? How exactly?"

Damn he's cocky...

Was I like that?

"Worse," muttered Spectre

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

Sam chuckled. "Right."

Jacob eyes narrowed at the strange wolf. There were a thousand questions he wanted to ask. He wanted to ask about his father, if he knew about their relationship and who they really were. However, he didn't want to shatter the wolf's perception of the world. This wasn't just his world at risk here.

"Who are you, exactly?" he asked.

Sam lifted the strange golden key he wore around his neck. There was a gong-like sound and a flash of light. A broad, golden door sprang up behind him.

"Let's see," he began, his tone full of mocking. "I've got black fur, golden blonde hair and blue eyes. Oh, and I've also got chest fur shaped like a heart." He winked at Jacob, his smile growing cockier. "Also, I can use this little trinket to conjure up a door to take me to a predetermined place. Sounds pretty familiar, doesn't it?"

With one more taunting wink and he took a step back, pushing the door open

"See you later, Jake."

Jacob swallowed hard as those golden doors shut.

Does he know...? Dad?

Spectre... was oddly silent.

*****

The activations of the Seagate could be heard all the way from where the ocean battle was occurring. Joanna watched as the massive rings started to rotate around the floating city slowly. Her heart was filled with joy. With the Seagate active, they wouldn't have to worry about collateral damage and endangering the city!

That meant...

"Don't hold back!" she shouted, pointing straight at the thrashing Unsealed. "Bring them down!"

"You're the boss!" Canis growled. "Hydros!"

The enormous half-canine, half-centaur Animus gave a thunderous roar. The massive launchers on its back seemed to arm themselves. The Animus didn't even quake as it began its assault and sent dozens of rockets streaming out of the launcher and riddled Leviathan's flanks with fire. The massive Unsealed roared, arching its back. Up in the air, Polaris and Prometheus took advantage of the moment and pounced on it, driving their weapons into the creature. Joanna saw Kerry as she leapt off Polaris' shoulders and swept her spears upwards. The water around the Unsealed instantly froze before sweeping upwards in a jagged spike.

Sssshing!

The blade of ice pierced Leviathan's flanks, making the creature roar in agony.

Not too far away, black lightning cascaded from the otherwise clear skies. Behemoth grappled with Hydra, his mighty claws seizing one of the enormous Unsealed's heads and pushing it under the waves. His tail lashed wildly to the side, catching another head before it could seize the Animus' flanks. One of the Unsealed's heads had jammed itself into Behemoth's shoulders but before it could clamp on, a bolt of dark lightning pierced its right eye. Cerberus and Leo appeared in the ensuing blast and they ran side by side along the serpentine head of the creature, slashing and biting at everything they could see and sending bolts of lightning across its body. Amidst the chaos of the multiple-headed Hydra, an armoured figure could be seen, sending blasts of light that pierced flesh and armour - Joul.

"Get us closer," Joanna instructed.

"In case you didn't notice," Canis rumbled. "I'm not really that geared towards short ranged combat."

"Just get us closer!" she insisted.

"Hey! I don't take orders from you!"

"Who's the boss now?"

Canis shot her a foul stare and she just gave him a cocky smirk. Sighing, he nodded towards Hydros. The Animus stopped its assault for a brief moment as it lifted them both up on his palm to level with one of his rocket packs. "Get on one of these bad boys. If you somehow survive the explosion, you have my undying respect."

She gave him a roll of the eyes and jumped onto one of the enormous rockets almost as large as a bus. "You're a coward, you know that, James Canis?"

"Yeah," he replied sarcastically. "Here I am risking my life for my beloved city but just because I can't go up in the face of the unholy monsters that are terrorising these seas, I'm a coward."

"No. You're a coward because you can't even tell your boyfriend you love him." She spun around on the rocket, smirking at him. "Just like now, you're sending a messenger to tell him for you."

"Wait... What?"

She flashed him a sinister grin. "I am so going to tell him you're head over heels about him."

His eyes went wide. "Don't you dare -"

The rockets then sprang to life and suddenly, Joanna was gripping onto the metal face of the projectile for dear life. Still, she could see Canis' horrified stare and knew, in her heart, that Jacob and this foul-mouthed sergeant could make it work. Never before had she seen such honest expressions on any person - both James and Jacob were so... sincere when they spoke about one another. Sure, maybe it was out of hatred sometimes but it was honest.

And yet... despite that hatred, they were able to mould that into love... or at least were starting to.

Smiling to herself, she closed her eyes and let herself roll off the side of the rocket. Feeling a blossoming confidence in her chest, she spun in the air until she was upright. Her feet touched lightly on something solid and when she opened her eyes, she spied Behemoth's tail supporting her. Taking that courage in her chest, she charged down her Animus' tail.

Hydra snapped its enormous fangs just above her head. She stabbed at its chin with her sai and held on for dear life. The world was suddenly a blur of colour as the Unsealed thrashed its head wildly. She let herself get carried by the momentum, soaring through the air with her arms spread wide. Her feet touched one of Hydra's long necks and like lightning, she was bolting up the length of its head.

Not too far away, she spied Leo and Joul racing up two other heads.

"Just keep him busy," she instructed Behemoth. "We're almost there."

Her Brand on her thigh began to glow brightly. She felt the power of the magical symbol spread throughout her entire body. Like relaxing an old, unused muscle, her Brand Form came out with a sigh. She then began to harness the raw power that filled her veins and she quickly channelled it into the vast swathes of earth that lay at the bottom of the ocean.

She seized a sizable chunk and called it to the surface.

At the same time, Leo let out a fierce war howl, his own form changing into his multi-armed Brand Form. The head of Hydra he was scrambling towards abruptly jerked around and he was thrown off. Black lightning lanced out of his paws and stopped a on the Unsealed's forehead. An orb of sheer darkness appeared and the Tribal suddenly sprang from it and latched onto Hydra's face. He scrambled off the creature's forehead and leapt high into the air on his powerful legs.

Joanna took that as a cue and threw herself off the creature's neck.

Hydra's heads curled around and came hurtling towards the two Branded. A row of huge, car-sized fangs came within an inch of Joanna when...

... a huge spire of rock shot out of the waters. The tower ripped right through Hydra's torso, bringing a scream from the creature and sending its heads arching back in agony.

Joanna gripped the spire when it passed and let a floating piece of earth carry her into the air. Leo was right beside her and she heard a faint thump and metallic clank, indicating Joul had joined them.

They each shared a knowing nod.

Joul disengaged from the spire of rock. The waters from around Hydra began to bubble and foam as shimmering tentacles of light began to form. They lanced out and wrapped around the spire, holding it in place as a nimbus of light wreathed it. At the same time, Leo let out another tremendous howl. Dark clouds gathered above the spire, swirling together in a spinning vortex just above the peak. Black lightning lanced out and slammed against the rock. The conflicting touches of Light and Darkness caused the surface of the rock to shatter and break, shaking the crude earth into the sharpened blade, a cross shaped hilt and a winding, tall, proud pommel.

Hydra, with all its unholy strength snapped its heads at the weapon. Behemoth seized its assaulting heads with its mighty paws and threw it down.

"Now!" the Animus roared. "Do it now!"

Joanna froze.

Her Animus... It just spoke.

Her eyes went to Leo who was staring back with a wide grin. "I knew he could talk!"

"Joanna!"

She shook the shock from her body and scrambled up the crackling spire as it lost its ragged shape, becoming more refined. She launched herself off the hilt of the mighty, glimmering sword of rock. Focusing her power on the waters that surrounded them, she manifested her power into the shape of massive, watery paws that seized the grip of the blade. Joul's watery tendrils released the blade, allowing the light emanating from the rock to shine freely.

Leo's lightning came arching out into eight, massive bolts that arced down in a continuous stream, surrounding Hydra in an electrified prison. Behemoth threw himself into the waters, leaving the Unsealed to its fate. The air sizzled with Leo's power, ionising the air and preparing for the final strike.

Joanna landed on the pommel of the earthen blade. Beside her, Joul landed and Leo beside him.

They shared one last nod.

At the same time, all three of them leapt into the air and in unison, shouted, "Sea Shattering Sword!"

They slammed their paws straight into the pommel of the blade. Joanna's watery fists came roaring towards them, striking the sword and passing over them harmlessly. The shinning blade was sent hurtling downwards in the prone, screaming Hydra. The Unsealed desperately trying to prevent its descent, clamped its heads onto the sword. However, all eight bolts of Leo's lightning merged into one, igniting the ionised air. A tremendous burst of the ebon lightning erupted from where they met, throwing back Hydra's heads with a scream of pain and scorched flesh.

The sword slammed into Hydra's chest, directly over its heart. The Unsealed let out a dying scream, its entire multiple heads thrashing in agony. The blade dug through its flesh, driving a ragged hole into its form. Waves crashed around the flailing Unsealed as the might of the sword pushed it deeper and deeper into the ocean. The hilt of the blade jammed against the creature's ribs, halting progress. The sheer force of the thrust, however, plunged the blade even further, forcing the blunt edges of the hilts to drive through the ragged flesh. Bolts of black electricity raced all across the field of impact, electrifying the waters and lancing out of the crashing waves like a thousand, thin arms clamping into Hydra's dying form and dragging it beneath the surface.

With one last dying scream, Hydra plunged into the ocean. One of its heads, in a vain attempt to grip onto life, snaked out of the water and snapped out at Joanna, seemingly uttering a curse before it vanished in the frothy surface.

The waters were calm for a brief moment...

BOOM!

Brilliant, blinding light erupted from the source of impact.

Joanna suddenly felt the pull of gravity and remembered she was hovering several hundred feet into the air! Even as the light began to fade from all around her, she could still feel herself falling towards the rough oceans!

"Behemoth!"

"I've got you!"

Thwump!

She landed softly on Behemoth's outstretched paws. The massive Animus caught Joul and Leo as well before hitting the ocean with a tremendous splash.

Gasping for breath, her heart racing, she stared up at her Animus' bright, intelligent eyes.

A question formed on her muzzle.

"How -"

Kerry's cry cut her off.

An enormous torpedo shot past them. She spun her head so fast, it made her dizzy and caused her to wince.

That was no torpedo...

It was Leviathan... and he was heading for Angelsea!

"No! Behemoth!"

"On it!"

The massive Unsealed was blindingly fast. No matter how fast the Behemoth was, Leviathan was far faster. Joanna could only watch in horror as it peeled further and further away from them. Angelsea came into view, the Seagate starting its rotation but still without that shield that Sierra had mentioned. It was far from ready! She also thought one of the rings were missing for some reason...

Leviathan reared out of the water, letting out a tremendous roar...

... just as another monster came leaping out of the waters.

"Hydros!"

Both creatures slammed into each other, sending Leviathan crashing backwards...

... and right into Angelsea's Seagate!

*****

The heavy grinding of metal and dull humming was far from encouraging. The moment the elevator doors swung open, Jacob instantly knew something was wrong. It felt like someone had stuck a straw into his chest and was slowly draining away his blood. However, some force inside of him was tugging back.

His eyes lifted to the many interlocked rings of the Seagate and found his jaw dropped.

It's active!

A loud moan of discomfort made him turn around to where Rex lay unconscious. Right before his eyes, a soft, blue, gaseous aura began surrounding his half-brother. As the aura grew stronger and the thicker it became, the shallower Rex's breathing became.

"Oh no..."

Jacob thought fast.

He seized his right shoulder, his Brand glowing against his flesh. "Spectre!" The glimmering crystal in his paws shot forward and Spectre erupted from the burst of light, looking around in confusion.

"Jacob! What's -?"

Jacob didn't waste a second and seized Rex, hauling him onto Spectre's shoulders. "Take him! Get him out of the Seagate's influence! The other Branded should still be out fighting Leviathan and Hydra! Bring him there!"

"But what about you!?"

"I've got to save Max!"

Never thought I'd say those words...

He didn't wait for Spectre's reply and bolted out of the elevator, charging down the walkway towards the main beach area. Eden stood proudly amongst the white buildings of Angelsea but all over the streets, there were countless people toppling over and moaning in pain. The same blue aura surrounded them, growing stronger with every passing moment.

I can't let her win!

Jacob staggered abruptly. His shoulder slammed hard against a nearby wall and he let out a pained gasp. Looking at his bare paws, he was barely gripping onto his swords. The blue aura around him was growing stronger and his vision as blurring.

Damnit!

He took a step forward. The ground beneath his feet buckled abruptly.

Angelsea was falling apart!

He crashed to the floor. His chin bounced off the concrete ground, stars flashing before his eyes. The immense pain building inside of his body threatened to steal away his consciousness. Jacob forced himself to remain awake, focusing on something - anything - in front of him just to keep his mind from drifting into nothingness.

He found that... in a pair of metal boots standing stoically in front of him.

"Huh. I must say, I like the new look."

Slowly, Jacob forced his head to rise and found himself staring at a pair of cold, hard, sapphire-blue eyes framed by snow-white fur. His eyes widened at the sight of that jet-black armour and the ripped cape.

"You...!"

"I'm surprised you still recognise me," the Sam imposter said, reaching down and hoisting Jacob up with incredible strength. Jacob found himself staring at the incredibly muscular white wolf. They were almost a match for build but it was hard to tell beneath this impostor's armour. "So what is it this time? Where is the Unsealed that is about devour your world or what not?"

Jacob gasped as the blue aura round him drained the water from his body. A headache began throbbing against his temples and he was starting to feel very weak. The back of his throat was incredibly dry and his tongue felt like it was covered in thick fur. "Seagate... killing... everyone..."

Sam turned his gaze upwards. "Oh. Those rings? Then we better get you to safety then, shouldn't we?"

"Can't... Must save..." He couldn't finish that sentence. Max wasn't a friend... not really. Teammate? All he could do was lift a finger towards Eden. "He's in there..."

"You're boyfriend, huh? Alright. Come on then."

Just like the other Sam, this one gathered a crystal in his armoured paw and tossed it towards Eden. His firm grip seized Jacob's shoulder, making him gasp. There was that familiar darkness that wrapped around them but instead of that sensation of floating in mid-air, Jacob found himself firmly standing on solid ground. In fact, the ground beneath his feet was a solid, panel of light. Behind him was glimmering, white door and another one matching it stood in front of him.

"What...?"

Sam opened the door ahead of them. "Are you coming?"

Jacob, freed temporarily from the grip of the powerful Seagate, found his regeneration quickly replacing the water lost. He staggered forward but the moment he stepped out of the door and onto the sandy beaches, the Seagate took its toll again. He gasped, seizing his chest and falling to his knees.

"That tough, huh?" Sam asked dully. "I guess there's nothing left to it, then. Oh hey, I remember those guys."

Wearily, Jacob turned to where this wolf was looking. Fear gripped his already weakening heart. Drowned began emerging from the waters. No blue aura wreathed them and they all grinned hungrily at them as they pulled themselves from the waters. Not too far behind them, shadows began seeping through the waters like black ink.

Oculus.

Oh no... Come on...

"Convenient. I needed fodder."

Before Jacob could protest, Sam marched up to the Drowned. One of the foul creatures threw himself at the wolf but like lightning, the armoured wolf seized its face and dug his claws into its eyes. The beast screamed but that quickly ended; its body going rigid with a look of horror planted on its features. Glowing, blue feathers began emanating from its body. began to surround the two of them. After a few more pained gasps, the Drowned instantly exploded into a burst of blue light and stars. The light was sucked into Sam's right paw which the wolf lifted to eye level.

The Drowned paused and even Oculus' darkness froze its advance as the light took the shape of three concentric rings with arcane runes drawn against each ring. A symbol like three swords crossed against one another appeared against the ring.

With a grunt, Sam seized the Seal in his paw and absently pointed two fingers upwards, making a gun with his paw. He 'pulled the trigger' and a silent, thin beam of sparkling blue light shot upwards from his fingertips. The laser-like beam shrank into the distance, seeming so insignificant against the titanic face of the Seagate. It vanished against the ominous, rotating structure, little more than a blip.

Jacob blinked a couple of times. The pressure on his chest had eased. He gazed at the nimbus that had surrounded him. It had faded slightly. When an ethereal, blue feather landed on his muzzle, he turned his gaze back upwards. His jaw dropped. One of the rings of the Seagate looked like it was... dissolving!

The entire metallic structure was peeling away bit by bit into a flurry of those feathers.

Finding his strength quickly returning to him, Jacob leapt to his feet and bolted past the Drowned. He barged straight into Eden. The ANVIL soldiers inside were in agony. He could only imagine how they must feel when he was in such pain. However, it didn't look like any of them were dead... yet.

He found Max slumped against one of Eden's walls.

"Max!"

"Reaper...?" the dragon asked wearily. "What is... What's going on...?"

"Sierra," Jacob answered shortly. "Listen, you've got to get Eden to move out of Angelsea. Outside of the Seagate's influence!"

"But -"

"Just do it! Please!"

For a second, Max looked like he was surprised at something. Then, he gave a quiet nod. His head dropped and Jacob feared he had fallen into unconsciousness. However, Eden began to move and hope filled his system. Max was still breathing but there was no time to dawdle.

Jacob pulled himself back to his feet. With one of the rings disabled, it was significantly weaker. The rate of drain was slower than his rate of regeneration. Max and the other Branded probably weren't as lucky and the civilians even more so. But he was stronger now. He could destroy the Seagate.

Racing out of the Eden before it hit the ocean, he was surprised to find Sam standing in front of the gathered Drowned. Oculus was nowhere to be seen.

"Speak of the devil," Sam said, his eyes cold, dead and emotionless. "Can I kill these kids?"

Jacob shook his head as he stepped back up to the alien wolf. "No. Give me a second."

"Didn't I just save your life? Don't I get to at least kill someone? You owe me."

A third voice cut through their conversation. "Perhaps you can kill your friend there?"

That voice gave him chills. Slowly, he turned around.

Sierra stood a few feet away, her back hunched and her cane in paw with one paw folded against her back. The motherly stare was gone. A cold, calculating monster stared back at them with a mixture of amusement and disappointment.

"Siren..." Jacob whispered. The Drowned all hissed behind him. Sam raised his paw over his shoulder, calling a halt. Strangely, they obeyed.

She ignored him, her eyes fixated on Sam. "You are unaffected by my Seagate. You possess a powerful Seal that destroyed one of my Seagate's rings. Has SWORD finally come to interfere in the affairs of us mere mortals?"

Sam folded his arms against his chest. "Lady, I don't know what you're talking about. Except this thing." He lifted his right paw which was encased in a glimmering, blue light that produced a few blue feathers here and there. There was a cynical smirk on his muzzle. "This is the Seal of Desolation. I get to destroy absolutely anything but to activate it, I need to kill someone." He hiked a thumb over his shoulder. "The way I figure it, I've got cannon fodder behind me and judging by my friend's tone, you're the bad guy here. So, I can kill all those kids and destroy this whole floating city with you in it or we'll do this the old fashioned way." A dark smile crossed his features. "How do you feel about a slow agonising death through being exposed to extremely depressing poetry?"

Jacob shot Sam a puzzled look. "What?"

"The best kind of death torture," answered the white wolf. "You make a person want to kill themselves by listening to terrible poetry and deny them that right. Living is the worst kind of hell there is."

Sierra snickered darkly. "You, I like." Only then did her eyes turn to Jacob. "So how much do you know?"

"Everything, but your perspective," Jacob replied. "Why?"

She laughed softly but there was bitterness and sadness in her voice. "Once I would have said self-preservation. I jumped from body to body just to keep myself alive." Her eyes grew sharp. "I had no intention of ever raising an army. The Seagate was merely meant to be used as a means of creating a vast supply of bodies for me to use. I would jump from one to the other until the end of time." Her features darkened. "But then you told me about Realmbreaker and I realised exactly what Balthazar - no, all of MODD wanted. I could not simply stand idly by and watch this world be destroyed!"

What...?

"You are confused," Sierra chuckled softly. She extended her free paw towards them. "You must trust me when I say I now only want what is best for Mortaelis. MODD is the true enemy. Balthazar is but a pawn in a much greater game." Her eyes flicked towards Sam. "If you are not from SWORD, then I am relieved. Jacob..." Again, her eyes found Branded. "I was there during the Seal War. I lived through it. I know what a Seal truly is. With the revelation of what Realmbreaker truly is, I know what MODD wants."

"Then tell us and stop this madness!" Jacob shouted desperately.

"Not going to happen," Sam said unhelpfully.

"No. I need an army!" Sierra answered fiercely. "We will not be able to defeat MODD with our power alone! Don't you see? If you oppose me, you will lose the one chance you will have at defeating Balthazar, freeing this world of MODD's control and saving this world from itself! I can help you!"

Jacob shook his head defiantly. "You'd kill all the people you've worked so hard to nurture and keep safe all in a last ditch effort to defeat MODD? You didn't start the Seagate until after you took over Sierra's body. That was just because you were after revenge against Balthazar!" He shook his head again. "No! You may have changed your targets but you haven't changed your heart!"

"Corny," Sam sighed.

Jacob ignored him. "You're still the same, black hearted bitch that robs people of their bodies just to keep yourself alive! This is all for vengeance! There is no 'noble cause' behind it all!"

Sierra dropped her hand with a disappointed sigh. "Can't you see? I am trying to help you!"

"I am not going to accept that help when it costs hundreds of thousands people their lives!"

"What is the lives of a few compared to the billions of this world!?"

Strangely, it was Sam who spoke next, slowly unfolding his arms. A crystal formed in his paws. "If we start making that kind of decision, then we're starting on a slippery slope. Everyone deserves a chance to live, to suffer through life. We don't have the right to take that away from them. We can make them go through hell throughout their lives but we can't tell people that they should die so that others should live." He tossed the crystal at Sierra. "Catch."

The squirrel seized the crystal with surprising dexterity and regarded it curiously. "What is this?"

Sam made a slicing motion with his paw.

There was a sudden burst of darkness and a burst of blood. Sierra's arm from the elbow down vanished and was suddenly in Sam's paws, appearing in a blast of dazzling light. Sierra screamed as blood poured out of her enormous wound.

"Stupid..."

Sam whispered. He dropped the arm and began throwing crystal after crystal in rapid-fire succession. Sierra could only stare in horror as the shining gems of light no bigger than her thumb attached themselves to multiple parts of her body. Her eyes went wide especially when one crystal dropped on her nose.

Silently, Sam lifted his paw into the air... and clicked his fingers.

Jacob could barely watch as burst after burst of darkness erupted from all over Sierra's body while matching blasts of light appeared over Sam. Chunks of flesh mixed with the internal organ or bone began showering the white wolf and covering his armour in blood. Sierra's shrill scream was suddenly cut off when her throat was torn out by the macabre teleportation technique. It then appeared on Jacob's right foot, making him let out a faint squeak and kick it away in horror.

The Drowned cheered in their horrific, screeching fashion.

The remnants of Sierra's body dropped to the sand, her blood seeping into the golden beaches and tainting it a dark pink.

"Done," Sam rumbled darkly. "Can I kill the kids now?"

The Drowned fell silent.

"I do not know what power you possess, wolf..." The terrible, disembodied voice rang out over a thousand other, softer voices; a choir of pained cries overruled by a single, dominating voice.

Jacob's heart froze. He spun back towards Sierra's body, watching as streams of water began rising out of the corpse. To his horror, he found the same tendrils rising from the chunks of flesh that surrounded Sam. Before he could shout a warning, the tentacles wrapped around the armoured wolf, holding him in place. Sam let out a choking gasp as several tendrils curled around his neck. The majority of the water leapt out from Sierra's remains, forming the vague shape of a frightening skull attached to a serpentine body that hovered in front of Sam's open muzzle.

"... but it shall be useful in my war against MODD!"

Siren plunged herself down Sam's throat, the wolf's eyes going wide.

No!

Jacob threw his palms forward. A blast of sound strong enough to shatter bone erupted from his paws and struck Siren's amorphous form. Most of the water was thrown away, releasing Sam but Siren's tail disappeared into the wolf's throat.

Oh god no...

Then... Sam's armour began to glow. Arcane swirls that looked suspiciously like a Brand began to glow against the black metal. A faint sizzling sound came from the white wolf and Sam threw his head back, letting out a cry of agony, his voice tainted by Siren's dark voice. The watery serpent shot back out of his muzzle, coiling in the air and thrashing about in pain.

Sam fell to his knees and paws, gasping.

Jacob knelt beside him, patting his back gently. "Are you alright?"

"Considering how I was just almost drowned by a weird watery serpent?" Sam gave him a shaky grin. "Just peachy..."

"Actually, she was going to take over your body and trap your soul in a horrible alternate dimension of your own mind."

"Oh... In that case. I'm fucking great."

Both of them turned towards Siren's curling form. "What is this power? How can you resist me!?"

Sam tapped his armour lightly. "Never thought I'd be thanking that bastard but... Anti-Seal Steel. Anything with a Seal can't touch me."

"I should get me one of those," Jacob laughed softly.

"You shouldn't. Otherwise, you'd be coated in ASS."

He couldn't help but laugh and Sam actually shared in the mild mirth. In that moment, he thought he saw a fragment of that cocky, scrawny wolf that had helped him just a few minutes ago.

"No matter!" Siren screeched, floating into the air. "All of Angelsea is mine to command! Soon, every body in this city will be drained of water, water that will be for me to use! I will have hundreds of thousands of bodies to place my essence in! Then I will begin my war!"

BOOM!

Even from a distance, Jacob heard the thunderous boom from far behind them. He turned around just in time to see a flash of light in the distance easing the storm clouds.

What was that...?

The Drowned suddenly sped past them, screaming and screeching. They hurled themselves at Siren's serpentine form. The Elemental Lord of Water hissed at them in return, lashing out with her tail and sending them sprawling. But the sheer number of the Drowned was slowly driving her back. Jacob slowly rose to his feet...

WHOOSH!

Leviathan burst out of the waters not too far away.

Oh hell no!

WHOOSH!

Just as another creature erupted beside it... a sort of weird hybrid between a canine and a horse... Jacob saw a familiar figure wielding a scythe on the new creature's shoulders and grinned. The two massive beasts crashed into each other and -

BOOOM!

"NO!" screamed Siren

They both slammed into one of the Seagate's rings. The enormous metallic structure creaked and buckled under the combined weight of the two massive creatures. The hybrid creature then began slamming its fists into Leviathan's face, causing it to smash against the gate and nearly bending it in half.

BAM!

Two rocket packs on the creature's shoulders levelled themselves at Leviathan.

Then...

BOOOM!

The whole ring of the Seagate shattered in a fiery explosion.

Siren's unholy screech filled the beach. Jacob spun and watched as the slithering watery serpent leapt back away from the masses of Drowned and watched with her hollow, watery eye sockets as the majority of the Seagate began to crumble. Jacob felt the pressure on his body ease even more, his strength returning faster than before.

"You have been defeated, Siren."

Oculus emerged from the waters, wreathed in Darkness. Beside him came another dark-skinned figure Jacob hadn't expected.

Jenkins...

The Orca was alive! He looked heavily wounded, however. His entire chest was wrapped in bandages and he was staggering forward. However, he still held his trident powerfully in one hand while the other held the wound to his chest.

"Your Seagate is crumbling," Oculus continued, his face grim. "You have lost."

"That is where you are wrong, Oculus." The serpent hissed and hovered further into the air. Jacob noted that water was dripping from her form and, slowly, the length of her serpentine body was getting smaller.

She can't maintain her shape... It's just a matter of time... Unless.

His eyes widened.

"Oculus! Jenkins!"

The Drowned seemed to have exactly the same thought as he did. They suddenly spun around and went rushing straight towards the two lieutenants. Jenkins, despite his weakness lashed at them with a cry. Oculus, however, just spread his arms wide and let out a sigh.

"Yes..." the crocodile whispered. "Take me... for the sins I have committed."

The Drowned threw themselves at the lieutenant, tearing into him with their claws and pulling him down into their writhing masses. Jacob watched in horror as many more of them went streaming into the city, no doubt to destroy any other potential hosts Siren may have.

I can't let them!

But Siren had other plans.

She instantly threw herself at Jenkins. The orca gasped as Siren plunged herself into his throat. However his eyes suddenly turned to a look of determination, as he reversed his trident on himself and plunged its three-pronged edge into his chest. Thousands of volts worth of electricity began to ripple all through his entire body.

Siren's screech was deafening and the Drowned stepped back from the thrashing orca as his flesh began to burn and his body was wracked with spasms. Siren's tail shrank considerably before she pulled herself from the suicidal orca, writhing in the air.

"Bastard!" she screeched. "This was your plan all along!" Her eyes swept across the Drowned, Jacob and Sam, desperation in that skull of hers. "Please, Reaper! I can still help you! Give me a body! Any body! I can infiltrate MODD's ranks and destroy them from the inside!"

And there was Siren's true motivation.

She had no intention of saving the world. Or perhaps she did but it was all in the name of self-preservation. MODD posed a threat to her with whatever it hoped to do. Despite her semi-immortal state, she couldn't let that continue especially if MODD held the upper hand. So she was hoping to go on the offensive, a pre-emptive strike so that the threat to her continued existence could be eliminated and she could just keep jumping from body to body as she saw fit for all eternity.

"No."

Siren screeched loudly and suddenly bolted into the air. Jacob snarled and bolted after her but when she shot towards the top of the crippled Seagate, he found himself stranded. An armoured paw rested on his shoulder. Sam shot a crystal after Siren and shot him a shaky grin.

"Going up?"

They were suddenly gone and bolting down that short hallway in the darkness. After leaping through the door of light, they landed on the top of the Seagate, just where the rings would have interlocked. Siren reached the top, thrashing and angry. Her form was no longer than about a metre in length.

"Nowhere to run, Siren!" Jacob shouted.

"I am not running," she responded grimly. "I knew you would follow me."

"In case you tried taking over our bodies again, I'll let you know now I won't hesitate to kill this guy to kill you." Sam hiked a thumb at Jacob, making the latter flinch.

"No," chuckled the body-snatching beast. "I came here to give you one final piece of information before you both sank to your graves at the bottom of the sea."

What...?

"Reaper, the Seal War. What was it?"

Jacob frowned. "A conflict between those people who hoped to control the Unsealed and those opposed to it... Why?"

"Good. And how did it end?"

"It ended at Hox at the Graveyard of Doors. No one is really sure how it ended. MODD had something to do with it, though."

"It ended because several brave people activated their Seals to the fullest and opened massive doors. Where do these doors lead? Well, they lead into one's very soul. They unleash the very might of a person, their very essence turned into a weapon." Siren thrashed a little, sprinkling more water around her. "Now listen well. You told me once that Realmbreaker was the unification of two beings that are opposite but at the same time, similar enough to make a connection. A stable paradox given form."

"Yeah...? So...?"

"So... consider this. Where do Seals come from?"

Jacob snarled loudly, gripping his swords tightly. "They come from your bastards turning people into them!"

"Exactly. Now, do you remember how when a person is given a Seal, their effectiveness is measured by a 'synchronisation rate'?"

A realisation was dawning on Jacob.

Seals are made from people... And they are given to other people...

"What happens if a Seal Wielder overuses their Seal or their synchronisation rate is too low?"

"They become an Unsealed."

"Yes... And Unsealed evolve, do they not? What is the final stage of an Unsealed's evolution?"

Jacob's eyes widened. He remembered one particularly powerful Unsealed he faced just a month or so ago. A ram... that was so incredibly powerful that even at his fullest, he could not scratch the guy...

"A Puritan... No..." His eyes widened as he stared at Siren in horror. "Are you telling me that..."

"Yes!" Siren laughed. "Every single Unsealed is the stepping stone to creating Realmbreaker! Each Puritan created is an imperfect Realmbreaker but still so close to the real weapon that they are frighteningly powerful!" Siren threw her head back, laughing bitterly. He could almost see tears rolling down her watery face. "I realised this too late... MODD is creating these Seals and actively searching for the perfect combination... They are mass distributing these Seals, turning people into Unsealed with the hope of making Realmbreaker... And we... We, the Elemental Lords? We are just the front! We are the failures! Their creatures who have synchronised so well with their Seals that we are rejects because we are too similar with the original personality of our Seals!"

She turned back towards the two wolves. "And now... Now, you have ruined any chance of ever destroying MODD and stopping this madness."

Sam huffed loudly. "So I don't suppose you can't just give it all up and turn over a new leaf, can you?"

Siren let out another bitter laugh.. "Look at me! I am barely a worm! I don't have the strength or time to take over a body anymore! But..." Her eyes flashed with malevolence. "I do have the strength to do this!"

She suddenly charged at the two, turning into an enormous blast of water. Jacob didn't have the time to throw up any defences before he was hurled off the Seagate with Sam right beside him. They both hurtled towards the ground, arms flailing.

Jacob growled and summoned the full power of his Brand. His ethereal wings sprang up from his back as his form erupted into its new, muscular shape. He quickly seized Sam and easily glided back to the beach.

"Wow... You transform?" Sam asked, a slight blush coming from his cheeks.

"Yeah, I gain two hundred pounds of muscle and wings," Jacob grunted. "Jealous?"

Sam rolled his eyes and pushed himself away though there was no denying the bulge in his pants. Before either of them could say anything more, a thunderous rumbling shook all of Angelsea. Jacob realised the city was still sinking but that was not the problem.

His eyes went to the distance... where a huge wall of water erupted from the ocean and was coming right for them.

"You're kidding me!" he cried.

"Now that's just a sore loser," Sam muttered.

"Appropriate."

They both turned.

The Drowned were gathered behind them. Jacob feared they had torn the city to shreds but there wasn't a trace of blood on them.

"We have moved all the citizens to Oasis," one of the Drowned said. "We do not think they will survive this assault but if there is any place that they will live, it is there. However..." They nodded towards the oncoming wall of water. "This city is doomed. I suggest you all make your escape while you can."

"Did I miss something?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. Jacob noted that there was a speck of black on his fur and droplets of white water were falling from his cheek ruffs onto his armour and cape. "When did the evil cannibal children decide to save people?"

"We only wanted Angelsea to sink and Sierra destroyed. The people... as you rightly pointed out, Jacob Reaper, were innocent and unaware. We are... sorry."

Jacob only wished they had realised that sooner and turned towards the oncoming rush of water. He heard shouts from around him and watched as the other Branded came pouring in from all directions. Eden was parked not too far in the distance and several ANVIL soldiers came rushing forward from her on small boats. Max leapt off the first boat and came rushing towards them. Joanna and her team came from the opposite direction, their Animus beside them, Canis was amongst them much to Jacob's relief.

"Anyone got any ideas on how to stop that wave?" Joanna asked.

"You're the one that controls Water!" Max shouted back. "Do something!"

"That thing is huge! All my power wouldn't be enough to stop that thing!"

"Try!"

Sam suddenly strode away from the pack, making everyone pause. They watched him approach a bloodied figure on the beach. Jacob saw a ragged chest rise and fall. He realised it was Oculus. The lieutenant was still alive!

Bolting towards the crocodile, he saw tears on the mangled face of the lieutenant, a content smile on his features.

The man nodded and said, "Do it." Then with a weary grin, added, "Water you waiting for?"

Sam seized the crocodile's head in his paws just as the wave began to loom over them, blotting out the sun. With a sickening snap, Sam snapped Oculus's neck and he fell limp onto the ground. Jacob made to protest but the glowing Seal in Sam's paws said it all. The white wolf rose from where he knelt and levelled his paw at the rushing wave. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The very ground they stood on shook ominous, rising in tempo and ferocity until Jacob could barely keep his footing. With every passing second, the wave drew closer, growing taller and taller until it all but blotted out the sun. The ominous shadow of Siren's final desperate gambit shadowed all of Angelsea, threatening to consume the entire city.

From the face of the oncoming wave, the water twisted and contorted into the terrifying visage of a serpentine skull, grinning and roaring with its mouth wide open, ready to consume them all. Across the entire wave, thousands of other smaller faces wailed alongside Siren's deathly visage, all of them seemingly urging the waters on to consume the city.

Sam snapped his eyes open, fierce and unwavering. "No rest for the wicked." He took a breath. "No peace for the dead."

A beam of dazzling, blue light erupted from the wolf's paw and struck the wave head on. Time just seemed to slow.. The wall of water continued to crawl towards them, its roar rising and rising to the point where all else was drowned out. No screams, no cries of fear. Just the roar of the sea and all of its wrath.

Then the first feather fell.

Jacob held out his paw and watched as a feather fell onto his palm. The main body of the wave suddenly just peeled away in an explosion of the ethereal feathers. Glorious sunlight burst through the break. Thousands of screaming visages seemed to scramble away from one another in a desperate attempt to flee from the gaping hole that greedily consumed the entire body of water. Siren's features contorted into a look of horror, her hollow eyes briefly flashing towards the gap. With those empty eye sockets, she gazed at Sam and uttered one last, silent curse. The wave crumbled before their very eyes, the whole wall dissolving into a gentle rain as its base vanished. Siren's face was eaten away from the right, her eye disappearing and with it, her look of anger. Desperation filled the remaining eye and her half-dissolved lips formed a wordless plea of mercy. The last anyone saw of her... was that one last, empty socket that became a flurry of glowing blue feathers that descended onto Angelsea. Gasps of awe rang in his ears as the winds carried the glittering feathers all over Angelsea.

He turned towards Sam who lowered his paw with a sigh.

"You saved us..."

Sam opened his eyes and gave Jacob a hard stare. "Yeah. Can I kill the kids now?"

Unable to hold back his laughter, Jacob said, "What is it with you and killing kids?" But the seriousness on Sam's face killed all mirth. The Branded who had started to approach with smiles on their faces stopped. Even Leo's bright expression died. "Sam...?"

"I need... to kill a lot of people," he said softly, his eyes turning towards the Drowned. He lifted his left paw this time. An emerald green Seal appeared hovering over his palm, this one marked with a demonic skull over the concentric rings. "If I don't... someone dear to me is going to die in turn."

Jacob couldn't believe his ears. Here was Sam - the very same Sam - who preached about not killing a few to save the masses and now he was talking about killing the masses to save a few!

"What the hell!?" he cried.

"It's complicated!" Sam shouted, regarding the green Seal with disgust. "I need... I need to kill people... or... or..."

"That's doesn't make it right!" He shoved Sam roughly causing the white wolf to stare back at him viciously. "How could you be so selfish!?" A realisation hit him. "Is that why you were trying to help me? You were trying to get on my good side so you'd think I'd let you kill people so that you could save a few people!?"

"If I recall, you weren't that opposed to letting a few people drown not too long ago."

Shit... He's right...

"I'm still not going to let you do it!" Jacob drew his swords just as Angelsea gave another thunderous lurch. "I know the Drowned are seriously messed up but I am not going to just let you kill them for your own selfish reasons! They've had it rough already!"

"Please, no." A Drowned representative stepped forward. "Let us die. This world is not for us and we have suffered enough..."

"See?" Sam barked back. "They want to die!"

"So what? Just because your lives were made into the shithole that it is, it doesn't mean that it always has to be like that!" He was talking both to Sam and the Drowned. "The world is open to interpretation. Your fate is yours to mould. If you let people start dictating what you should be looking at or how you should be doing things, then you're no better than those husks Siren used as hosts!"

"You just don't understand," Sam growled, closing his fist around the green Seal. He flicked his paws and twin blades of sizzling energies sprang out of twin discs on his palms. "Get out of my way!"

Jacob threw himself in front of the Drowned just as the white wolf came charging forward, blades flying through the air with frightening speed. Jacob saw the other Branded start to step forward but he couldn't let them interfere. He didn't want to kill Sam. Not when he could be some other Isaac Reaper's son. Even though it severely reduced his power, he summoned a barrier of light around himself and Sam, forming a circle that blocked off everyone else.

"Jacob!" shouted Joanna, pounding on the wall.

"Stay out of this!" he barked back, bringing up his own blades of light. His Brand Form was significantly stronger and he was sure Sam knew that as well. But the smaller wolf was blindingly fast. Jacob flung his swords in a horizontal arc but Sam just leapt on them and let himself get carried to the right where he jammed both his swords into Jacob's shoulder.

Roaring in agony, Jacob flung his free sword at Sam who merely leapt off the blade, throwing him off balance. Sam somersaulted in the air and hurled his laser blades at Jacob. Pain exploded across Jacob's back and his legs buckled. He couldn't feel anything below his waist and was pretty darn sure he was just paralysed.

"You're not match for me," Sam growled.

Grimacing in agony, Jacob quickly released his Brand Form, letting his form shrink back into its normal shape. The laser blades slipped out of him and his regeneration quickly repaired all the nerve damage. He rolled away from Sam as the wolf pounced on him, swinging his swords with expert precision. A multitude of burns and cuts split across Jacob's entire body until he felt his back pressed against the very same barrier he had erected.

"Game over."

Not yet!

Jacob took a deep breath and unleashed a ferocious bark. The blast was amplified by his control over Sound, sending Sam hurtling back and slamming against the other edge of the barrier. Jacob leapt to his feet and pounced on the wolf. He seized Sam around the shoulders and threw him boldly into the water.

Sam was about to leap to his feet but not before Jacob slammed hard into him and pushed him under the waves. Bubbles quickly formed in front of the wolf's face as he struggled against Jacob's superior weight. That heavy armour probably didn't help either.

A flash of something swept past Jacob's right ear and then suddenly, Sam was gone in a burst of darkness.

Damnit! His teleportation!

Jacob jumped to his feet and manifested a dozen blades of light around him. He spun around -

...

... and froze.

So did everyone else.

The white on Sam's fur... and the brown in his hair... It was all just some temporary dye. Suddenly exposed to all that water... it began bleeding off... revealing golden-blonde hair... and jet-black fur. Sam panted, his sapphire-blue eyes piercing Jacob's and his features contorted in a look of dark concentration.

"Who are you...?" Jacob whispered softly.

For a second, Sam blinked then he lifted a paw against his cheeks. Seeing the dye washing off, he quickly spun around and saw the horrified looks of all the onlookers. Even the Drowned looked startled. James Canis, Rex and particularly Leo all looked like they had been slapped. He focused on Leo more than anyone else. Spectre, of all them, looked the most heartbroken.

Then, strangely, he began to laugh.

Sam tore the cap off his shoulders and with the press of a button, his armour let out a loud hiss. The chest plate and metal pants all fell off. He had to kick off his boots and gloves manually by when his broad, muscular shape was shown, Jacob felt like he was looking into a mirror with much shorter fur. The suit beneath the armour was decorated by a network of bright, blue circuitry. That, he tore off as well to show off his impressive physique. He wore nothing but a pair of blue shorts that hugged his big thighs.

"Tell you what," Sam said, lifting his fists up in a typical kick boxer's stance. "You beat me, and I'll tell you."

It didn't take a genius to know what he wanted if he won.

Jacob dismissed his blades of light and tossed aside his coat. Stepping out of the water, he readied his own fists and let out a growl. Judging by weight alone, he probably had Sam beat. Sam was fit and looked very strong but Jacob was still bigger. They charged at one another and, as always, Sam used his speed and nimble form to his advantage.

The slightly smaller wolf ducked beneath Jacob's opening punch and sent one of his own crashing into Jacob's diaphragm. Grimacing through the pain, Jacob caught the wolf in a massive bear hug, spinning them both around before smashing Sam onto the sand. Naturally, he was on top. He pulled back his fist and -

Whack!

He gasped as Sam's fist dug into his stomach -

Whack! Whack! Whack!

... a total of four times. Jacob dipped forward slightly, doubling over. Sam seized the sides of his head and -

WHAM!

Slammed their foreheads together. Jacob saw stars.

WHACK!

Sam followed up with a punch that dug hard into Jacob's left cheek, sending him toppling to the ground. The other wolf leapt to his feet, bouncing on his toes even in the thick sand.

Jacob spat, a globule of blood dripping from his muzzle. His regeneration was healing all wounds. He knew he would have the advantage eventually. He was sure Sam couldn't regenerate. It was just a battle of attrition. Eventually, Sam would tire out and he could pin down the wolf to -

WHAM!

A strong leg caught him on the side of the head and he was hurled to the side. A paw seized his collar and before he knew it, he was being dragged across the beach and being plunged into the water! His eyes went wide, burning with the touch of water. His lungs were already burning and through the choppy waters, he could see Sam grimacing down at him.

He was going to die!

Screw attrition!

His paw lanced out, seizing Sam's neck and with his other paw, he slammed his fist into Sam's ribs. Even through the waters, he could hear ribs crack and break. Sam's paws around his neck loosened and Jacob quickly pulled himself free, gasping for breath.

Offensive... I've got to go on the offensive!

Jacob threw himself at Sam but the wolf was still quick despite having his ribs broken. He spun around, gliding easily around Jacob. Sam slammed his foot against Jacob's back, sending the bigger wolf staggering. Using the same momentum, Sam dropped to the ground and lashed out with his legs, his feet slamming against the back of Jacob's knees.

Forced onto his knees, Jacob slammed against his own barrier. He felt Sam seized the back of his head and -

WHAM!

His skull smashed against the barrier.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

The barrier cracked slightly from the force.

Can't... lose!

As Sam pulled his head back for another smash, he lashed out with his right paw, taking Sam's tail right between his legs. He gave that a big yank, making the wolf yelp and loosen his grip. Jacob scrambled to his feet and unleashed a dizzying roundhouse kick. The blow connected and Sam was sent to the ground gasping.

Too weary to catch himself, Jacob hit the sand, gasping for breath. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sam starting to get up.

He couldn't let him get up!

Using what little of his strength he had left he scrambled to his feet and swept up Sam's chest plate. Just as the other wolf was rising -

CLANG!

... Jacob slammed the piece of armour down on his muzzle.

Sam stared blearily up at him as Jacob lifted the armour and -

CLANG!

Sam weakly lifted his arms up over his head in a vain attempt to protect himself.

CLANG!

No good.

Just... Give up, damn you!

CLANG!

Give up!

Yet... Sam's eyes still stared at him defiantly.

DAMNIT!

CRASH!

"STOP!"

...

Jacob froze.

A burly, brown-furred figure knelt in front of him, emerald green eyes looking up at him pleadingly while his arms were spread out wide.

"Leo...?"

"Please," the Tribal begged softly. "Enough..."

Jacob... wasn't sure how to feel. The bloodied chest plate dropped from his paws and he watched Leo relax. The Tribal turned around, concern framing his features as he knelt down beside Sam. Slowly, Leo bent down and ran his tongue over Sam's muzzle. At first, Jacob thought Sam would push him away but the wolf just closed his eyes wearily.

With most of the blood washed away from Sam's features, Leo slowly hauled Sam to his feet and carried him towards the hold in Jacob's barrier he had managed to break through. Jacob noticed that it was where Sam had almost caved his head in.

Suddenly, Sam pushed Leo away with a grunt. Light exploded in front of him, making everyone gasp.

A white door appeared in front of him... slowly creaking open.

"Wait!" Leo exclaimed, staggering forward. "Let me come with you!"

Jacob wasn't sure why but he felt a stab in his chest like a dagger sunk straight into his heart. He cast his gaze around the crowd and spied a heartbroken expression on Max's features.

Oh...

"No," Sam murmured softly, staggering forward towards the door. Then, he suddenly straightened and offered Leo a bright smile. Suddenly, he was that thin wolf back down at Triton. "Maybe when you're all grown up." His gaze met Jacob's, his smile turned to one of respect. "And hey... Thanks."

"For what...?" Jacob responded.

"For knocking some sense into me," he replied softly. His left leg shuddered and he grimaced. "Sacrifice sucks, huh? No one needs to die."

Jacob nodded firmly. "Yeah... No one does..."

Sam took one more step back, his body halfway through the shimmering, white door. "And you won... So you get my name..." He took a deep breath.

"I think I already know..."

"Yeah... but you earned it, anyway." Sam smiled, opening his eyes. They shone like true sapphires. "My name is Jacob. Jacob Samuel Reaper."