Chapter 15

Saturday morning arrived, and we were discussing how to add Karl to our group if he decided to join us. Jesse was also considering the best way to tell him without frightening him. We agreed that the spirits would remain here, and if Karl accepted, we would ask him which of the guys helping out at our party he would prefer to be bonded with. Whoever that was would join us as a spirit, and we could go from there.

At 10:45, a limo pulled up to our building. I waited to see if it was for us. I had seen Karl arrive at the party in a Cadillac, but did he get chauffeured around in limos? By 10:50, the driver exited the vehicle and began climbing the stairs. I opened the door and said, "I guess you're looking for us. I was expecting a black Cadillac, not a limo. Sorry for making you wait."

The driver smiled and replied, "Mr. Hodgkin likes to make his friends comfortable."

Now I knew his last name, although I couldn't place it. He must just prefer to keep a low profile. I made a mental note to remember it for some research later. "Jesse, our ride's here. Hurry up." I walked down the stairs, and the driver had the back door open, inviting me in. Right on my heels, Jesse came rushing down the stairs, making quite a bit of noise. "Jesse, I told you not to stomp on the stairs. You're being so loud that all the neighbors are going to complain. One of these days, you'll break them."

Jesse replied, "Sorry, I got so excited when I saw the limo." As Jesse joined me, the driver looked surprised—perhaps at the size difference between us or at how impressive Jesse's bicep appeared when he raised it to scratch the back of his head. I noted that for later as well.

After we got in, the driver said, "It seems you have never been in a limousine before." He pointed to some buttons. "If you want to speak to me while we travel, you can press here. The other controls should be familiar; they will drop down a TV that you can control from there. There are compartments in the armrest with refreshments for your enjoyment. Our ride will take about one hour." He waited for questions before closing our door, and we were off.

"An hour's drive means he must live outside the city limits or on the other side of town. But if that's the case, why would he choose our gym?" I questioned.

"Maybe he doesn't like the wealthy crowd. Remember what he said when we spoke to him? He sees his employees as family. He probably feels more comfortable with us regular folks," Jesse replied.

"Yeah, you're probably right." As we drove east, it became clear that Karl lived outside the city. After leaving the urban area, we exited the highway onto a two-lane road. Very few cars took this ramp, and the ones that did all turned left while we turned right. The road had many twists and turns but became less winding after about a mile. Initially in good condition, it now felt freshly paved. The limo accelerated to freeway speeds, and after passing through a gate, the road climbed into the forest. The driver slowed down to navigate the switchbacks, which were challenging for a vehicle as long as the limo. That must be why Karl used an SUV—after all, even a Cadillac is shorter than this thing.

As we completed the last switchback, we spotted a house—the only one since we passed the winding part of the road. This must be Karl's place. It wasn't a mansion, but a large cabin-like house. I thought, 'Can a cabin be considered a mansion?'

'If it's grand enough, but most cabins aren't regarded as mansions.' That voice must have belonged to Omega; it didn't sound like any of the guys.

The driver stopped under a covered entrance, reminiscent of a hotel or motel check-in, though this structure was built entirely from timber and large rocks. He got out, opened the door for us, and said, "Mr. Hodgkin is waiting for you. Please head inside, and someone will greet you." He closed the limo door and drove away.

"He must need to keep the entrance clear," I speculated. "Let's go in. From what he said, there should be a butler or someone here."

"This place is massive. I expected a mansion, but this is a beautiful cabin in the woods. It's hard to believe a place like this is so close to the city," I remarked.

"It is impressive and very quiet," Jesse added. Just before we reached the doors, they swung open, revealing an older lady standing there, motioning for us to enter. "Hello, Karl is waiting in the sitting room. Please follow me."

'Wow, the driver is so formal, and she's not. We know Karl is not married, so is she a sister or something?' Jesse thought as we were led to the sitting room.

'It does make me wonder. This place is tranquil—nothing opulent, just... I don't know, very homey. I would feel comfortable living here if we owned it,' I thought back.

It so happened that the sitting room was in the back of the house, with large windows showcasing the beauty of the forest. It was more than a sitting room; they should call it a library with all the walls lined with bookshelves wherever the many windows allowed. The room had no pictures or artwork, just a good amount of seating and some end tables. There was no TV and no curtains to obscure the view, which made you want to sit there and enjoy the scenery or read a book.

Karl got up as we entered and greeted us. "Hope your trip was enjoyable. The reason I wanted to bring you here is that if I gave you the address, you might not have found my place."

"We see that now; your home is very secluded, even being just an hour away. Can I ask you a personal question?" I asked.

"Let me guess, my driver was very—let's call him formal—and yet Nancy was acting like she was family. Is that your question?"

"You must get this question a lot," Jesse said.

"Yes, I do. James is like that when he picks up new people. He wasn't formal enough for a stuck-up businessman. The guy asked me why I kept a man like him in my service. Right then and there, I decided that he should leave and told him that if my driver was not good enough for him, he could call a cab. I was going to negotiate a deal with the guy, but I would never work with the likes of him. James saw this as his fault, and ever since then, he has always been the perfect chauffeur. He is more than that; he has been my—well, almost everything. The only other employee I have is Nancy. She's just the way I want her to be. Her job is cooking and cleaning. If it has to do with the house, she's in charge. As I told you before, I feel as though they are part of my family. Any other questions?"

"Just one... well, a few more questions, all on the same topic, before we tell you why we asked for this talk. You made it sound like you investigated our backgrounds. Did you? If so, could I ask why?"

"I did. I felt a connection with you two, and I wanted to make sure you weren't con artists. After leaving the party, which was very relaxing by the way, I kept thinking about the big show and how you pulled off all those sleights of hand and magic tricks."

"It may have looked that way, but we will explain everything. It's going to seem unreal and maybe a little crazy at times, but please listen until the end and then ask your questions. You mentioned that you have been searching for your destined one, the one man made for you, but as you approach your golden years, you fear that it is not going to happen. Jesse and I felt the same. We have only known each other for a few months, and both our worlds have been turned upside down," I stated.

"Can you make sure we won't be disturbed until we are done? What we are going to tell and show you is for your eyes and ears only. If, after we're finished, you think what we told you is a dream or nightmare, so be it. It needs to be between the three of us," Jesse requested.

Karl picked up a phone and said, "Please give me privacy until I tell you otherwise." This message was broadcast throughout the house. After placing the phone back, he added, "It was also sent to their phones in case they didn't hear it."

Jesse began recounting to Karl what had happened to him. Karl raised his eyebrows at certain points during the story. After we reached the point of our first meeting, I took over. There were more raised eyebrows, but he did not say anything or stop us. "When you were at the gym, Cetus, and Jesse were having that contest with all those gym members standing around. Did you feel something abnormal?" I asked.

"I did. It was like a jolt of power entered me. I was somewhat shocked by how it happened, but over the next few days, I felt really good, like I had the strength of my youth back."

"That was me. I did that to three people that night."

"George, Tim, and me."

"Correct. The five guys at our party were helping us out. Did you feel a closer connection to one of them over the others? Or did you not feel anything at all? I guess what I'm trying to say is, do you like one of them more than the others?"

"If I had to pick, it would be between Leo and Cetus. I guess Leo would be the one."

"Leo, can you come here, please?" I asked. A ghostly image of Leo as a lion began to appear, but as it became more solid, he took on more and more aspects of the man Karl knew.

"You called for me, Master," Leo said. Before speaking, he kneeled on one knee and placed a hand on the ground.

"What did I tell you? Just call me Keith. Stand up and introduce yourself to Karl."

"Hello again, Karl. My name is Leo. I am a spirit from another plane of existence. I am not a ghost. Where I come from, all life is only energy." Leo then transformed back into his lion form. "This is the form I normally carry. Is it to your liking?"

Karl showed his arousal. "Yes, it is; you are very much to my liking."

"Leo, please isolate this room from the rest of the world and create a portal to the cave," I commanded.

"Yes, Keith," Leo replied. He positioned himself in a spot where he wouldn't disturb the furniture but would be in the middle of the room. He flexed his arms, which grew larger than any human's, and veins popped out all over his upper body. He then shot both arms out, releasing a wave of energy that spread from the center of the room to the outer walls. As it passed, everything in the room changed colors and then returned to normal. Leo, being like Cetus, was most likely showing off. Either for me or for Karl, I'm not sure.

Karl's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What just happened?"

Jesse answered, "This room is now isolated from the rest of the world. As long as we don't open any doors or windows, anything that occurs within this room will be unheard and unfelt by anyone outside. But Leo isn't finished yet."

He stood there, arms spread, eyes glued to the doors, like he was holding something invisible. Slowly, a swirling hole began to materialize, gradually enveloping the doors until a clear view into a cave could be seen through the aperture.

Turning to Karl, I said, "Come, and we will show you the very cave Jesse spoke of. If there are any lingering doubts, I assure you that the experience inside will undoubtedly dispel them." Karl stood up and tried to hide his erection, but ultimately gave up, knowing we had all seen it.

Both Jesse and I told Karl all about the cave as we ventured deeper. When we reached the statue section, Karl was introduced to each spirit one by one. Just like Leo, each one formed in the same way, eventually transforming into the man Karl remembered from the party or the gym.

"Follow me to the party room," I said.

As Karl entered, he remarked, "It's the same room under the apartment."

"Yes, it is. Leo connected your sitting room to our cave," Jesse replied.

I decided it was time to explain to Karl why we had the party. "We told you how we came across these spirits, but not why they are on Earth. On their plane, they feel and experience nothing, yet they live for centuries, possibly hundreds of centuries. That is why they travel to different planes and leave these vessels." I pointed at the statues. "These statues are different from the ones Jesse and I saw back then. I initially called them statues because they resembled them. They were all vaguely like the animals on Earth, but with subtle differences—something out of place or missing, or too small or too large. What I thought were statues were, in fact, vessels. I was corrected by Jesse and the spirits as they appeared. The vessels hold their essence when they are called here. When Jesse found these vessels, he was awed by them, and while examining Ursus, he made contact with the vessel, and Ursus spoke to him in his mind."

"Of course, this made me think I was having a hallucination. I went home and, over the next few weeks, as I worked and went to the gym, I experienced a strange phenomenon. I began to grow and grow. Initially, I thought I had finally broken through a plateau in my training. However, at the back of my mind, I kept hearing a voice urging me to return to the cave. Each time, it was the same voice. He claimed he was real and not just a product of my imagination. The details of that experience are a story for another time, but after that, I believed him," Jesse explained to Karl.

I continued the story from here. "This was the moment when I first encountered Jesse. We crossed paths in a public washroom—can you imagine? A washroom! I was taken aback by his confidence and his attempts to flirt with me. I found myself both intrigued and apprehensive. Jesse possessed an incredibly impressive physique—the most muscular I had ever seen. Somehow, he managed to persuade me to join him for a drink at his place."

When we got there, he started showing off his body and eventually got me into his bed. I thought it was a one-night stand, but a week later, he called me and asked if I wanted to go to a special camping spot. That was when Jesse showed me the vessels and did this." I pointed at Jesse, and he started to bend and grow until his clothes were torn off; he was now a large grizzly bear.

"I'm not going to bite you, Karl. It's still me inside," Jesse said in a deeper voice, the words coming out a bit strangely.

"Well, when I got to the vessel cave, I heard someone say, 'It took you fellas long enough!' Jesse asked me if I heard that, and the bear-like vessel said, 'Of course he can. He is your chosen, is he not?' He then appeared and explained that they place these vessels on every planet they visit but hide them in secret areas. Only men compatible with the spirits would find them. The reason they do this is that the only way for them to feel and experience things is to link with a real being. Jesse was the first, and after entering me, I became one."

Ursus spoke: "You sell yourself short, Master. He is unlike any other in all our existence. When he touched two of us, we changed in front of both Jesse and Keith, and this has never happened before. Keith touched two vessels because we told him that when we first make physical contact with a being, we feeling like no other. Master Keith changed immediately—not like Jesse, but instantly. The feeling caused the two spirits being touched to transform. It resonated in our home world. He has done things that have made all of us here ascend—not once, but twice now. There are many of us in a world full of spirits that crave the feelings and experiences Jesse and Master have sent to our plane, but they require more." Ursus finished.

"This brings us to our discussion. I have been concerned that these spirits may want to invade our world," I said, raising my hand toward the spirits. "They claim that even if that were true, these five could hold their kind back due to their ascension. I believe that if we do not keep the spirits satisfied in their plane, they will eventually seek to come here, and we cannot predict what may happen to our world.

The party we held was to determine if your feelings and experiences could be communicated to their realm, and they can. However, it will require many more individuals connected to satisfy all the spirits. The energy I directed to the three of you was only temporary—I ensured that before we proceeded. Meeting you and Tim felt like encountering kindred spirits. George was, and still is, a candidate, but after discussing matters with Jesse, we both agreed that you should be the first to have this opportunity. Should you choose to accept? You see, neither the Spirits nor I can know if your binding will be as a member or if you will become like Jesse and I. We could all become bound as partners and equals. If that were to happen, Jesse and I believe there would be no downside to having you with us."

I concluded my thoughts.

At that moment, the Spirits merged, and Omega, now floating above us, spoke. "What you see before you is our second ascension. We are Omega, a name given to us by our Master. There are many benefits if you choose to join us. Your life will extend, and you can become anything you can imagine, just like Jesse. If, when you bond, you are mated with Jesse and the Master, you may live forever—not in your current body, unless that is your desire. Whether you merely join the Master's pack or become a mate, you can continue your search for your true mate. As the pack grows, many more will be sought. Through them, you will feel the presence of your mate, no matter where he is." The Dragon then dispersed, and the five spirits reappeared.

Leo approached Karl and said, "It has been decided that you will only have contact with one of us spirits in order to make you a pack member rather than a mate. So, do you accept the Master's offer? And if you do, do you still desire me, or now that you see the others, do you want someone else?" Leo then stepped back in line with the others and waited.

Karl paused for a moment before asking, "What happens if I say no?"

Ursus replied, "We have been with you since the start of your conversation at the cabin. If you say no, your mind will forget these thoughts as if it were all just a dream. Now, what is your answer?"

"Karl, if you accept our offer, nothing else in your life has to change. You can still be yourself. However, since you will not experience a natural death, we will need to stage one in ten to fifteen years and then transform you into a different person. We plan to create a hidden sanctuary, which we're calling the Oasis, where we can express our emotions, feelings and experiences as we send them on to the Spirit plane. Jesse and I, with the help of the Spirits, have built a portfolio that currently amounts to seven million dollars for finding a suitable location..."

"Master, it's actually grown to fourteen million as of this morning," Cetus corrected.

"Okay, fourteen million then. I'm not sure how much we need, but we'll figure it out. And to ease your mind, everything we're doing is legal. We're not using any mystical or magical means to make the money grow. So, do you accept?" I asked. The guys were now flexing their muscles, their arousal evident as they tried to get Karl's attention.

"I do. While I appreciate all the men in the lineup—my excitement shows that—I still want Leo." With that, everyone except Leo disappeared. Leo walked over to Karl, while Jesse left the statue cave, leaving just the three of us. Leo invited Karl to touch him. "Just hold me wherever you want. Master will send his energy to you, and we'll see if you are their mate or if you will become our first human pack member." As Karl grabbed and hugged Leo, he felt Leo's energy enter him—it was an amazing sensation.

I asked, "How do you feel different?"

"Yes, I feel great! All my aches and pains are gone again. I have this urge to follow you, Keith, but also to follow Leo. If you asked me to do something and Leo said no, I would still do it for you."

"Well, that answers our question. I guess each spirit will have a cave or group." I thought, 'It worked, you can come back now.' Jesse came running back in, in his bear form, and grabbed me in a hug. "This is fantastic! I still have you to myself."

Leo asked, "Can Karl and I celebrate our bonding now?"

"Yes, but only for a few hours. Jesse needs to get back home afterward," I replied.

Leo picked up Karl and asked, "Where do you want to go to have fun?"

Karl answered, "The hot spring." Both of them disappeared.

The other four appeared, and Ursus said, "Well, Master, I believe we need to find some land quickly. I have a small favor to ask regarding the land. Please find a location with stone mountains. We can create a vast cave system there, sealing it like this one, and then we'll build the property up. This should make the endeavor easier for you two."

"That's a great idea," Jesse said.

I replied, "This might sound strange, but we've known each other for over six months. You live with me, and we even sleep together every night, yet you've never told me your last name."

"What brought this up? You never asked for mine, either," Jesse questioned.

"That's true. I never thought about it until I heard Karl's name mentioned by his driver. But I would like to know now. My last name is Mooi. My ancestors were flower growers and merchants in Holland, and it translates to 'beautiful.'"

"That name suits you because you are beautiful to me. Mine is Smith. I like to think it comes from my heritage of blacksmiths, but it's probably not. I'm just your very common Mr. Smith."

"I can picture you all sweaty and grimy, wearing nothing but a leather apron and wielding a huge hammer," I said with a grin.

"When we have our pack and throw a celebration party, I might just do that," Jesse replied, flexing his muscles and making me laugh. "I'll be in my biggest human form, with a long beard and an anvil tattoo on my bicep. Come over here and hug your Daddy-bear blacksmith, you beautiful flower."