Chapter Sixteen: shattered familial bonds.

"our family... is our salvation!"

• some guy in a mask (not draco or isello)

Patrick khyber and his mother looked up at his father's crying face.
"now now, Aeon, i've missed you greatly, but do please stop crying. this old girl wants to look into your eyes after so long"
Aeon opened his eyes "i'm sorry... i should've done... something..."
she looked at him comfortingly "there's nothing you could have done, Aeon."
Aeon picked patrick out of his paw, and placed him on his knee, then he placed his paw over his other, cocooning verona.

a dim light came from within.
Aeon trembled, then he uncovered her...
"A-Aeon... you didn't...?"
he nodded weakly "i...did, verona."
verona's arms quivered... then lifted to her face.
she could move them. she hadn't been able to for at least twenty years.
she pushed against the armrests of the wheelchair... and stood up.
patrick gasped "oh gods, mother... you... you can move!!"
Aeon sighed contentedly "i shared my strength with you, verona. just enough to cure you."
she looked herself over as she took her first step in two decades, and nearly fell.
Aeon stopped her fall by offering a finger to help her balance.
he helped her walk around on his paw.
patrick climbed up onto his father's paw. "this... this is... incredible..."
verona hugged Aeon's finger "thank you Aeon, thank you." she wept in joy.
Aeon looked at patrick "patrick... go on."
he walked forward and embraced his mother, she hugged him tightly, wanting to make up for years of being unable to embrace her son.
"i'm sorry patrick. i'm so sorry, about everything!"
he sighed "it's okay, mother. i don't blame you, i want you to know that."
"but..." she wept
"i know you did what you had to. i always respected how strong willed you were, mother."
she stepped back, and looked at Aeon "i always... knew where you were, Aeon, i could always 'feel' where you were..."
he brought his paws to his face "i understand. i'm sorry we had to go through all this."
she embraced his muzzle "Aeon..."
patrick smiled "i've... missed this... missed us being together..."
his parents looked at him kindly, and Aeon spoke "patrick... we can never repay you for this..."
patrick shook his head "you already have, you both brought me into this world, you gave me a great life, it's time i payed that debt back."
"patrick..." verona wept.
"i mean it. neither of you owe me anything, but i think that i still owe you both in spades."
verona looked up at Aeon, and he looked down at her "Aeon, is it just me or did..."
"...we create the greatest son ever?" he finished.
patrick blushed.
Aeon laughed a little "it's okay son! don't be modest, would any other kind of son do what you have?"
"i..."
"your father is right, Patrick, but i was sure it was impossible to improve on perfection... guess we were wrong."
patrick looked away, embarrassed "i... i... i don't know what to say..."
verona walked over to him and embraced him "you don't need to say anything."
patrick remembered something "oh... i just remembered that i have to get back to trenga..."
Aeon smiled "work?"
"work..." patrick said sadly.
verona smiled at her son "it's okay. there's nothing left for me there. that 'assistant' was very creepy."
patrick looked up at his parents "you're staying here, mother?"

she nodded. "i'd like to catch up with your father."
patrick smiled "okay... i'd better get going"
he waved goodbye to his parents, searched for the thread home...
whump
and he was gone.

---

he reappeared in his home.
"greetings, Mr. Khyber"
patrick spun around to see a blue feline standing in his living room
"who are you?"
"my name is Heritos. i'd like you to come with me."
patrick stepped back "hell no, i've been warned about you... i'm not joining the order."
heritos sighed, and drew a knife.
"don't make things difficult."
patrick had an idea:
he pictured the mountaintop he'd been at earlier, but he wound the thread around heritos only...
he tugged. heritos frowned...
"DON'T YOU DA-!"
whump
heritos vanished.

patrick fell backwards.
these powers were incredible.
he could not only send himself and others, he could also send others away.
this was the kind of power that corrupted it's user.
(i have to be careful... i shouldn't overuse this thing...)
he stood, and looked around, he hoped nobody else was in his home.
the fur on the back of his neck prickled.

he swung around and threw a punch
the white wolf caught it.
"easy! easy! i'm not here to hurt you."
patrick sent a kick
he blocked it with his scabbard
"calm down. please, listen; if the order comes again-"
partick knocked him back "shut up! YOU'RE part of the order!"
the white wolf raised his paws defensively "but, i'm here to help, you need to know how to use your power." he knelt, and placed a heavy book on the floor
"what's that?"
"celestis abnormis; a full compendium of the celestial and abnormal... you'll learn to control your power with it."
patrick stepped back instictively "did you?"
"i did not, but your father did... in fact, i'm the only order member who didn't."
the wolf opened to a page reading "jumping" and pointed at a passage of the text.
"for example, you can use it for a kind of telepathy... basically sending your thoughts to others."
patrick nodded and read the passage...

"link the trail of thought to the thread that binds the universe, wind the message onto it, and send it down the line..."
he frowned "is that what i've been doing? pulling myself across the universe?"
the wolf smiled "pretty much... and also..."
he read a passage "others may be linked to the chain belt worn by the jumper, and the binding links will transport them, too."
"so that's how it works, i'm tying others to me, then attatching the...chain... to the thread?"
"yes... but this is the first time i've read this book."
"wait..." patrick grew afraid "...then how'd you explain it to me last time?"
whump
the white wolf winced.
patrick turned around...
heritos stood, shivering "d-damn you..."
the wihte wolf panicked "do it!"
patrick tied the blue feline to the thread...
he lunged at him, fangs bared...
whump
he sent him away just in time.

the white wolf nearly fainted. "fuck... he's going to be pissed... where'd you send him?"
"i... i felt a connection... between him... and you..."
the white wolf stood, panicking "the grey room! quick, read this!"

patrick read what he'd pointed at "constructing a warp barrier... with the jump power, it is possible to build an interference barrier to prevent jumping into an area, the barrier is imbued with the caster's spiritual energies, and will only allow a jump in or out by that individual..." patrick smiled "that's... amazing!"
he began to set up the barrier with the white wolf's help.

---

heritos landed painfully on the hard floor of the grey room
"AGH!" his right arm was broken from the impact.
Helior walked toward him "hello, sir..."
"SHUT UP-! and FIX me!"
"i cannot."
heritos glared "WHY?"
"healing is not my ability."
"create something, then!"
"you will calm down first."
heritos glared "Neowolf betrayed me"
"incorrect; Neowolf believes in a fair fight. he is meerly preparing young mister Khyber so that he stands a chance against us, it is honourable"
bordos appeared "don't blame Neowolf, sir. you ARE quite overly powerful."
heritos growled "gods DAMN it!"

heritos didn't calm down, he let his rage fester.

---

Aeon and verona sat in the dining area of the old home, looking through Aeon's photo album.
"ah, remember that time?" Aeon pointed to a photograph of patrick, in front of him was a cake, a '4' candle sat atop it.
"oh, yes... patrick's fourth... i dropped the cake meant for him, and you gave your slice to him, your ... huge slice."
"i remember, i made a whole extra one for myself, but it was really only one or two slices to me."
"but you gave it up for us. you were simply MEANT to be a perfect father, Aeon."
"and you, the perfect mother, dear."

whump

they turned to see an enraged blue cat.
Aeon gasped, then glared "verona, run."
she bolted.
"why are you here, heritos?"
the blue cat drew dual knives.
"simple, to get revenge on your son, by murdering you both."
Aeon gave himn the deathstare
"whatever patrick did, he probably had a reason."
"he refused to join the order."
"see?"
heritos lunged at him, but froze in midair
his knives had stopped moving.
"Forget that i'm the duke of blades?"
heritos grinned viciously "no, forget my original title? the 'Immense Destruction' hmm?"
Aeon realised his mistake too late ... seconds before the blast enveloped his home...
he dove for where verona hid...

(PATRICK-! HELP!!)

a humungous explosion ripped through the surrounding area, tearing up the landscape, uprooting trees before vaporising them, annihilating the entire forest in a three mile radius.
patrick heard it in the back of his mind.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Neowolf panicked "what happened?"
"my parents... their home... i heard him scream..."
neowolf grabbed him "jump us, now!"
whump

they reappeared in the middle of a smoking crater... ash rained down from the sky
"MOTHER!! ... FATHER!!"
Neowolf focussed "i... i can't sense them... at all..."
patrick snarled, his canine features showing "who... did... this...?"
he sounded vicious.
"i'd guess... heritos. he's able to convert his pain into pure destruction."
"then there'll be a lot more explosions in his future."

"pat....rick..."
they both froze up.
"it's them!" Neowolf exclaimed, turning around and seeing the brutalised canine grasping his chest, he was missing every limb but his right arm.
patrick's heart practically broke "D-DAD!!" he bolted to him.
as he got closer, he could see why his father held his chest.
"Aeon... please no... don't go..." verona wept in Aeon's paw "...not again..."
patrick reached his father, and Neowolf fell down, crying "this is my fault... i should've known kierran would be able to detect us warping here before!!" he beat the ground "DAMMIT!"
Aeon coughed "no... you aren't at fault... the 'emperor' would never have allowed this... the blame is all ... heritos'..."

"oh, Aeon... i'm hurt, how could you say such a thing?" came a familiar, mocking voice

patrick swung around, and instinctively tied himself to the voice's location.
WHUMP SLAM!
his fist connected with heritos's face.
Neowolf drew his katana "you... BASTARD!"
within seconds he was plunging his sword into heritos' arm.
WHUMP
patrick jumped the three of them a mile into the air.
patrick screamed "FUCK YOU!" as they fell.
but suddenly everything stopped.
they stopped falling.
they stoped everything except consiousness.
a purple cloaked figure hung in the air, somehow walking across it to them.
"heritos-!" it snarled in pure rage.
heritos went wide eyed
the figure removed its hood.
a brown wolf stood on the air before them, a small golden crown hung over his left ear.
he looked furious.
"e-emperor..."
he clicked his fingers, and they were suddenly on the ground.
Aeon stared helplessly.
the 'emperor' discarded his cloak.
"heritos... dishonourable discharge, effective immediately. your punishment: rebound of thy own power."
heritos screamed as he vanished.
time started flowing again.
patrick stared, as Neowolf stood, and cowered before the other wolf.
"worry not, Neowolf, i'll appoint Zelorn to replace him."
he looked at Aeon "but... i cannot save you... Aeon."
he nodded weakly "i...know... you need your... power back from... me..."
patrick stood, angry "why not?! you're some kinda Diety, arent you?! why won't you help him?!"
"i cannot interfere... this is his fate... because he has gone over Gliloutation's limit, ever since he passed the point of no return, his life has been forfiet."
patrick punched him in the gut, making him double over "WHO GIVES A FUCK?!" he yelled "any one life is just as important as another! even yours!"
the emperor snarled "this doesn't ... concern... you..."
patrick kicked him in the face "like HELL it doesn't! you're talking about my FATHER! how DOESN'T it concern me!?"
a flapping of heavy wings alerted patrick to a newcomer.
ian landed a few meters away.
"ian! can you-"
he shook his head. "i'm sorry... but... it's too late."
patrick stomped over to his friend and grabbed his collar "YOU BROUGHT SOMEONE BACK FROM THE DEAD! how is this 'too late' then?! he's still alive!"
ian sighed "khyber... his soul belongs to the emperor... there's nothing i can do."
patrick threw ian down before collapsing in despair "we were finally all together... this... this isn't FAIR!!" he screamed "i WONT ACCEPT THIS!!!"
the emperor stepped back...
...afraid?

"i- i..." the wolf sighed "if Aeon returns his power, i can save him. i will trade his soul for the 'Duke Of Blades' power..."
patrick looked at him hopefully, but Neowolf stepped in between them "there's a catch, he could either die from losing the power, or become his true, human self."
verona's crying caught everyone's attention "i wouldn't care... if he became human... he'd still be him... but..." she wept, distraught "... i couldn't handle it if you died, Aeon!"
Aeon offered a shaky smile "no... no... verona... he's right... i'm likely to die... my soul... doesn't belong to Aeon Khyber... it... belongs to..."
the emperor floated forward "have you chosen, Aeon ... or ... Dylan?"
"make... the switch... number #999..."
a blue light left Aeon's body, and a purple vapour left the emperor, and the two forms swapped, the vapor to Aeon, and the light to the emperor.
Aeon's eyes closed.
his breathing stopped.
he remained Aeon Khyber...
but he was dead.

patrick and verona cried out.
partick, tears streaming from his eyes, jumped to the emperor, and savagely began to attack him.
"you BASTARD why?! WHY? WHY?! WHY?!?! WHY?!?!?!? WHY?!?!?!?!?!"
the wolf just let himself be hit.
"patrick..." he said between blows to the face "...i'm sorry."
patrick's blows became weaker, until he only slumped over, tears raining down.
"i hope you... burn in hell, wolf."
"it is likely that i will. but... your father will not." he offered "he acted justfully throughout his curse. there is no way he will not get into the sanctuary of souls."
verona climbed down from Aeon's broken body "sleep well... my love..." then she slowly walked over to the emperor... a twisted piece of metal in her paws.
he stepped away "don't do anything you'll regret..."
she threw the shard, and it hit the wolf in the shoulder.
"AGH!" he fell down, gripping the wound.
ian looked at Aeon's body...
"wait a minute... it's just a corpse now..."
he turned to everyone "i think i can save him now!"

everyone could only watch helplessly, as the angel climbed atop the giant's body to begin.
"alright, old dog..."
he began to glow
"...let's see if we can't teach you some new tricks..."

author notice: i'd like every reader's opinion.
do you prefer Patrick khyber being referred to as 'Patrick' or 'Khyber' ?
i made the change when i included his parents, but couldn't think of a nickname for him.
what i'm asking is: how would you like me to refer to patrick khyber, and can anyone suggest an appropriate nickname for him?
art of canine Patrick Khyber coming soon... if i can get a scanner working