Chapter 8

Jesse came home, parking his Hummer farther away to avoid blocking the lot—residents-only, and I’d have to pay extra for a spot there. Besides, his Hummer was probably too wide to fit.

As he walked in, he called out, "It’s me! I’m back. I got this weird look from an old man as I was going upstairs. Do you have weird neighbors?"

"That’s probably Mat. He lives below us—don’t worry, he’s fine. I told him about us, and he thought I’d hooked up with some fat guy. I set him straight. He’s married and going on a month-long vacation, asked me to grab his mail. I checked if the noise here bothered them, and he said no. He was probably just making sure I wasn’t lying about you."

"He defiantly knows I'm not fat, so how did today go for you and Omega? Oh, I only heard one thought, nothing else, by the way."

"I want to ask, do you have money in savings that you can contribute to the stock market?"

"Sometimes I save more than I spend, which is why I stay in that little apartment. Around 50k—I can check if you need the exact amount."

"Omega's computer skills are far beyond what we were told. When I went to get my mail and was talking to Mat, Omega decided to create an account with a brokerage company and used most of my savings to fund it. He said he would need more money if he wants to quicken the growth of the account."

"You're worried about losing the money, aren’t you?"

"I was, but not anymore. Come to the kitchen and see."

When Jesse reached the kitchen, he spotted me cooking. "You didn’t need to cook—Omega already explain?"

"Yes, he did and yes, I do. This marks the beginning of us living together. I want it to be special."

Jesse stepped closer, his hands settling gently on my shoulders. His breath brushed against my ear as he leaned in. "Just being here for me... makes it special."

I brushed off one of his hands. Check out what's on that desk. You're going to be amazed."

Jesse strolled to the desk as he took in the neatly arranged work. “Wow,” he said, his tone filled with awe. “Omega pulled all this together in a single day? No wonder you’re so calm about the money.”

Turning back toward the kitchen, he stopped short. Blocking his view was—a seven-and-a-half-foot boar with rippling muscles. The creature wasn’t his imagination or a spirit; he was solid, alive. Jesse swallowed hard, “You’re Oron... right?”

"You are correct. But unless more than one spirit is visible, just call me, or the one present Omega. You don’t have to I will still answer to Oron."

"How come you’re in the flesh and not a spirit from? And your features are different from the statue of you."

"While keeping an eye on the stock market, we stumbled across a website packed with images and stories of beings like us—some animals, some humans. One recurring theme was this Bowser guy, and these creatures called ‘Pokémon.’ Curious, I searched for 'boar,' but most of the images were of chubby ones. Since you like muscle, and Keith likes muscle, I refined my search to 'Muscle Boar' and used bits and pieces from many of those images to create what you see now."

"He was here in spirit form, as the day progressed, he kept getting less see thru and more solid till he became what you see now." I filled some details in for Jesse.

Dinner over, I lingered at the table. My eyes drifting to Jesse and Oron as they discussed the mystery of Oron's existence. My gaze shifted to Oron himself—massive, his muscular frame broad at the shoulders but tapering noticeably lower. A thick mane of hair crowned his head, cascading like a waterfall down his back, while the rest of his body appeared mostly bare, save for patches of coarse guard hairs in key spots. My eyes traveled lower, catching the distinct shape of his split hooves where toes should have been.

Finally, I broke the flow of their conversation, my voice cutting through. "That still doesn’t explain how you’re physically here."

Omega/Oron stood and turned to me, his deep voice calm but charged with meaning. "It’s because of you two—especially you, Keith. Your connection has amplified our dimension’s power. You can communicate farther than anyone before, and two of us can manifest at once. I saw the potential online and asked Urase if we could switch places tonight."

My eyes took in Omega's full form—his broad chest dotted with just enough hair between massive pecs to give him a rugged, masculine edge. Below, his orbs were visible, large and covered in thick, curly hair that trailed up toward his belly button. His shaft was hidden, maybe in a sheath buried within the fur. Forcing my focus back, I said, "I live in an apartment. That means neighbors—above, below, and around us. You're bigger than Jesse, so keep it quiet. Got it?"

"Understood." Omega stepped to the center of the living room, spread his arms wide, then squatted slightly. With a flex of his biceps, he thrust his hands outward, and a shimmering wave rippled from his palms. Everything—the walls, windows, furniture, even tiny knick-knacks—changed color before snapping back to normal. "Now no one can hear the noise we make."

"What just happened?" Jesse asked.

"The apartment is both here and not. When the windows and doors are shut, we are in the cave, open any, and you’re back in the building. No need to worry—light, gas, heating, and air conditioning are all safe and running."

“You said we’re in the cave. Can a passage be made from here to the cave? But only while the apartment’s sealed?” I asked.

“Sure. Where do you want it?”

“Make it in the closet of my bedroom, on the back wall.”

Omega flexed his muscles, veins snaking down his arms, before giving a satisfied nod. “Done.”

“Does it take lots of power to make the passage? By the way, your muscles look amazing.”

"Oh, so you liked my show," With this Omega raised his arms higher touching the ceiling while clenching his fist, I then took notice that he had normal hands other than being too large even for his body size. Still I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his biceps and deltoids. When he clenched his fists, veins popped up even more, but it was his chest that now caught my attention. It bulged out, serrated and pressing forward as if there was no space for it—his veins crawled across his pecs, stretching down to his midsection.

By the way I was staring, Oron smirked. “I take that as a yes?”

Heat rushed to my face. “Oh, um… yeah, I do appreciate strength and physique. But, uh, thanks for answering. I just thought making the passage might take more energy, you know, since it’s a different realm and all.”

Oron grinned playfully; his muscles still flexed impressively. "Don't worry, my friend. Creating the passage doesn't require any additional power. It's more about focusing on my energy in a different way. As for my muscles, well, I'm glad you appreciate them. Flexing and showing off my strength is something I do especially for you."

I stepped up to him and poked his chest. “Listen up, you and the other spirits—no one but me and Jesse can see you, understand? Those things you see online, the furries? They're just people’s imaginations. They want to be like you—or animals. But they’re not real in our world. Just imagined. Make sure only the two of us can see you. Got it?”

Oron's face turned serious as he listened to my concerns. "I understand your worries, but rest assured, I am well-versed in the rules of interaction with your world. While I cannot be seen by others unless I choose to reveal myself, I can still interact with the physical realm when necessary." Say I was right next to Jesse and a coworker came and gave him some papers with me between the two, he would pass through me as if I was just the air in your world."

"Are you saying that you cannot interact physically with our world?" I asked.

He continued, explaining further. "If your safety is at risk, I have the ability to protect you. Whether it's catching a projectile or shielding you with my spiritual energy, I can ensure that no harm comes your way."

"WOW it's like being a Super Hero,," Jesse stated.

"Remember, we do not want to bring attention to us, Jesse."

"Do not worry, we spirit’s can make it so, and still keep you safe."

"Orase told me that you requested to be here with us tonight. Is it just because you wanted to have a physical body like you have now? Or is it for some other reason?" I questioned Oron.

Oron looked at me, excitement and vulnerability in his eyes. "Yes, being here tonight in a physical body is new for me—us. As a spirit, I’ve always longed to experience human emotions and sensations—the joy, sorrow, adventure, and warmth of friendship. I want to feel intimacy... to have sex with both of you, to feel your touch, to experience everything."

"Wow, that is a big order. We're going to need a much larger area to do that." Jesse stated.

"Good reason to connect the cave to your apartment." Was Oron’s response.

"Somewhere in the same cave also make a large open area. Like you, Jesse wants to show off his attributes."