Chapter Twenty Three: Grace

"not even the almighty holds a grudge forever"
-emperorwolf

kevin and his friends lay on the ground outside his home, looking up at the stars.
benson spotted Ursa major.
"where?" the little yellow cat on his chest asked
"there, see, it's the 'bear' looking one" he pointed at the constellation.
lily squinted, looking past the pointing paw "uh... OH! i see it now!"
kevin, carl, and oriado lay beside him, their friends perched upon them.
syrus lay between carl's eyes "what i wanna know is, why're the constellations only 'mighty creatures' why're there no... humbler creatures up there?"
ian scoffed from carl's chest "the constellations are what they are, because you have to do something pretty impressive for your body to become one."
everyone looked at the angel
kevin raised an eyebrow "was that supposed to stay secret?"
ian slapped himself in the face "ahh, you're right. i'm going to be down here even longer for that one."
amelia put her paw on his shoulder "well, good. you aren't allowed to just ditch us, mr oh-so-important-angel"
ian rolled his eyes "well, please, by all means, keep me from my real home, not like i've been missing my family for millenia(!)"
patrick, who lay beside lily, spoke up "you have a family?"
"i have a sister, Tarikel, and i had a fiance; Tythiel... i also have three nieces and two nephews."
collin, on oriado's chest, sat up "wow... do they watch over you?"
"actually, they are right now." he waved at the sky " can sense when they're watching... i've been able to for the past month."
collin smiled "i remember my own family, my friends... my pets... i'll never be able to see them again." he turned to look at the angel "you're lucky, you'll see them again one day... i won't see mine... ever again"
ian stood, looking over at the white wolf "you'll see them... one day."
"well... i can't dream... it's impossible... i can only astroplane back to earth... watch them living on, ... without me."
kevin noticed a blue light in the sky "what's the blue one?" he asked, pointing at it.
colin sighed "home."
"that's earth?"
"yes." he answered sadly "it is..."
benson noticed something "what's... the purple one?"
collin and ian froze up "purple?!"
they frantically searched for the light, finding it as the fox pointed it out.
collin covered his muzzle "i know what it is! it's a gateway!"
"gateway?" everyone asked
"basically, it's a hole in the distortion around this planet, it can be used to get through to earth."
ian smirked "not just earth... also, into grace..." he said cheerfuly
but then they both became depressed again "but... only big enough for one..."
oriado was confused "can't you just wait for it to get bigger?"
"it's not the actual mass that matters, only one thing gets through a gateway before it closes." ian said depressively.
collin's ears splayed "if there was an active summoner here, and on earth, more would be able to get through... but there isn't." he looked at the angel "you should use it, i can't go back to them as a wolf."
ian spread his wings, they'd healed just enough "i won't forget this, i promise."
amelia stood and grabbed his hand "no! please don't go! i just said...." she bagan to cry "...you're not allowed to ditch us, ian..."
he smiled warmly "it's okay." he pulled out a black and a white feather from his wings, wincing as he did.
he handed them to her. "take them, they can perform miracles." he turned away as she took them.
"oh, and by the way..."
she looked up at him "i'll miss you all, specifically you, amelia. you remind me of how tythiel once was"
and then he lifted off, spiralling through the air, leaving golden trails in the wind.
"goodbye, my friends!"
just before he reached the gateway, it opened up massively, and they saw an angel in golden armour, and two beautiful female angels reaching out to him.
his halo reappeared, his black wing whitened.
he turned back to his friends, waving a finger "and don't follow me up here for at least a good thirty or more years! i mean it!!"
purple light flashed, and they were gone.
collin looked at the rest of his friends, and they looked at him.
"he's home." the white wolf said calmly.
they nodded, benson moved his paw to pat him on the head "yes he is."

"well, that was unexpected."

they sat up, cupping their paws to catch their smaller friends.

they saw 999 standing nearby... but... well, they could tell it was 999 from his voice, but a human stood there.
"the universe bows to the ruling one, as he hides away his identity from the world, keeping even his true name a mystery to himself, entrusting his destiny to the tides of fate as they churn and toss him around in life... EMPEROR!" he recited the incantation, and a small wind whipping up, dissapating to reveal his wolf form.
collin stood in oriado's paws, taking a battle stance, and drawing out his mask.
"easy there... collin... i'm here as a mortal. not as a demigod"
his crown appeared in his grasp, nonetheless.
"Mr Palmer, have you recieved any odd messages lately? ones that bared incomprehensible sender names?"
his mind flashed back to the day he was captured.
"how did you...?"
"because when i'm in the crown, i know everything that happens on this world... also... that message came from your parents."
he glared "don't you DARE lie about that!"
he put on the crown, and collin donned the mask.
"NUMBER 999: THE EMPEROR!" he cried as his nobleman's garb appeared
"NEOWOLF: THE WHITE TERROR CLAD IN SHADOWS!" collin yelled as the ninja suit materialised.
collin tensed, ready to strike.
999 sighed "i promise you i'm not lying. but there are a few people after them; the harbinger, Zedin, Densro..."
"who are?" collin asked, without lowering his guard.
"the man who brings armageddon, the embodiment of positive energy, and the embodiment of negative energy... i also asked zachary of the skyrippers to help find them, but i don't trust him"
"why should we trust you?"
999 snapped his fingers, and started reciting a spell...
"the fear regresses from white, taking with it the shadows, into it's heart... you are collin bolt."
the same wind whipped up, leaving a surprised white haired human standing in oriado's paws.
"let the fear in white cloak itself in darkness.... let the enemies fall before your blade.... NEOWOLF!"
the wind billowed again, leaving the white wolf back where he stood. "you... just..."
"i took back the curse that is imbedded in the gliloutation, leaving you with Neowolf, and everything that he is; power, mind, body, and spirit, as well as the soul of collin Arisius Bolt."
everyone looked on, shocked.
"now, you are like me, a master of your power... do you trust me now?"

he cleared his throat, and removed the crown "the Ruling One submits to his lesser self, entrusting his identity to those present... revealing all but his name."
his human body resurfaced, wearing his casual clothing.
he smiled at them, his eyes closed, before donning a pair of shades.
"enjoy the meteor shower." he said politely
everyone gasped, they'd forgotten that.
999 walked away, as they settled back into their stargasing positions.
and then, millions of lights streaked across the sky.

---

ian knelt before a blinding white light, the creator himself
"Kenziel" it said in a booming, godly voice "thou hast returned before thy sentence was concluded"
he bowed "if i may, almighty one, as my disgrace has been forgiven, i believed it would be fine to return"
"this be true... but has thy jailer forgiven thee?"
zeitiel stepped forward and bowed "i have, my lord. Kenziel only acted out due to his sence of justice, and, he has assisted in bringing down the monsters known as the Shays; the corrupted ones."
"be this the truth?"
a mechanical-looking angel stepped forward from beside the light "yes, my lord, Zeitiel speaks truthfully."
"i bid thee thanks, Metatron, thou may depart at thine wish"
metatron bowed, and flew away.
"Kenziel, dost thou believe thou hast gained thy rights to return to mine grace?"
"that is not my choice, it is yours to make, great creator. my existence belongs to you, as does all."
"thou art incorrect. i prithee thee, reconsider thy answer"
"i don't understand..."
"thou hast earned thy free will and soul, thou art in the position of both the angels and the mortals."
ian looked up, surprised "you're joking? i... i cannot be anything more than a class two... likely less, now"
"no, thou hast earned thy freedom, thou hast attained enlightenment during thy time as a human"
"does this mean...?"
"correct, thine crimes hast been forgiven, thou art a new angel, beyond human, thou hast become an enlightened being." the divine entity boomed "i only ask that thou act as watcher for Xlen."
he nodded and bowed "my lord, i accept your benevolent offer!"
his halo turned purple, his golden glow turning violet.
"then go, my child, take thy position thou hast been offered on Xlen"
purple light flashed, and ian vanished.

he reappeared on top of a cloud, overlooking a lush, green continent.
"okay, i'm above Fira Deralo" he looked far to the east, seeing the corner of a modern looking continent, and, to the north, another continent somewhere between futuristic and primal.
Gentiki and Virada.
he smiled.
Virada.
he saw the meteor shower still coming down magestically above him.
he saw a small meteoroid go down near him, and grabbed it.
it burned at his hand, but he didn't feel it ... it didn't hurt.
it didn't even leave a burn mark.
he remembered amelia had always been interested with space...
he pulled out one of his quills, wrote a message on the stone with it, and tossed the meteor towards Virada.
"go to her."

---

lily sat on benson's nose, as he sat under the stars, still watching the meteor shower.
everyone had gone inside to give them some time alone
"this is so beautiful." she commented, mystified
benson chuckled "yeah, but not as beautiful as you, lil~!"
she slapped his nose "you can't mean that!" she laughed.
he lifted his head, causing her to roll back onto his face "oh, but i do, i do!" he insisted.
"you think i'm prettier than a million shooting stars?" she blushed.
"yes, because you're my own personal little star." he joked.
she smiled into his huge green eye, and caught a glimpse of a red light behind her.
"what's that?!"
he looked past her and saw it "everyone! get out here!"
everyone ran out onto the porch just as the red streak crashed down a meter away from the fox.

kevin ran over with everyone in his arms, carl with syrus on his head, of course. oriado stood next to kevin.
amelia leapt from kevin's arms onto the fox's head, grabbing her sister "Sis! are you okay!?"
"i-i'm fine!" she protested to her sister's grabbing "just shaken."
everyone's attention was drawn to a faint gold glow on the fallen meteor.
amelia climbed down and went over to the meteor.
"there's.... writing on it?"
oriado raised an eyebrow "what's it say?"

she read it aloud "i'm watching over you from on high, my friends, i've not ditched you. - Kenziel"
everyone looked at eachother
"ken...ziel...?" oriado said, confused
amelia leapt to her feet "that's ian!"
and as she said it, a white feather glowing purple drifted down from above.
"ian...?"
kevin knelt and put their friends down "wait, his feathers... don't they glow gold?"
some more of the glowing plumage came down, and the body above them made itself known.
"who?" collin asked, grabbing his mask.
the creature descended, its large wings flapping slowly "hello."
they didn't recognise his appearance, but they knew that voice anywhere.
"IAN?" they all exclaimed
he descended, touching ground with a slight purple glimmer.
"yeah, it's me."
amelia shook her head "but... i... we saw you go back..."
"i did. but i've been assigned as... well, to put simply, your world's babysitter, just a lot more important."
"pff." benson blew "i can't see you as much of that."
"well, i'm basically in the position of... what does it get called? god?"
everyone stared.
"well, actually, no, i'm not 'god' he's back in the heavens, i'm titled 'watcher' which means i take care of this world for him."
collin stared, eyes wide, mouth agape "holy ... you're serious..."
kenziel smiled, and lifted off "well, i can't hang around, but know that i'll be watching over you... and, amelia..."
she looked up at him "keep the meteor."
he flew away, the meteor shower ending.

"well..." benson started "... guess we've all got an 'older brother' watching over us..."
oriado tapped the wolf's shoulder, he held up a sheet of paper, emblazoned with a red pawprint and a purple feather behind it "we need a name for ourselves, we talked about it, and we want to help others."
benson looked at the emblem, and smiled "we'd need the permission of the law..."
kevin smiled broadly.
"oh, right." the fox realised "well then... name?"
oriado and collin smiled "the Pack"
benson sighed annoyedly "as in 'Wolf-pack' ?"
they looked away, whistling.
he looked at them with narrowed eyes "idiots."
kevin cleared his throat "how about... ich--"
"nothing german."
kevin chuckled
"i guess 'the pack' is fine..." benson said, sighing "...but NO calling yourselves, or us, WOLFpack"
the wolves sighed, submitting.
carl stepped forward, avoiding the little people. "well, it symbolises us; the paw, and ian; the feather."
syrus stood on carl's head "it kinda fits, i mean, we're a lot like a pack."
"suppose we are..." he patted lily on his nose with a finger "kind of"

"what'll happen next?"
999 sat in a tree, watching the whole thing. but his eyes were glowing yellow behind his shades, and he was coloured monotone grey.
another 999 landed beside him, in human form.
the grey one recited the spell "the empty universe bows to the ruling one, as he hides away his dark identity from the world, keeping even his true name a mystery to himself, entrusting his destiny to the turbulent tides of fate as they churn and toss him around in life... SHADOW EMPEROR!"
he entered wolf form, eyes still golden.
the other one sat down "we cannot continue being seperate, my shadow, your little excursion you had us take earlier was not appreciated, but you and i cannot survive seperately."
"after only a few hours?"
"i'm afraid so."
Shadow 999 stood "but we can if we stay close enough."
999 stood as well "you know that zachary cannot be trusted."
"and that is why you tried recruiting them"
"they seem to have accepted, the 'new world's true order' will assist the pack."
his shadow snarled "your Elites?!"
"OUR elites, because we are the same being."
"bah."
"very well, if you won't, i'll subjugate you, and take my true power... the universe bows to the ruling one, as he hides away his identity from the world, keeping even his true name a mystery to himself, entrusting his destiny to the tides of fate as they churn and toss him around in life... EMPEROR!"
he entered his wolf form, already donning his crown.
"prepare yourself."

they snapped their fingers at the same time, ending up in a far corner of the blackroom, many miles away from where heritos was.
999 immediately shot forward and impaled his shadow with his left arm, his right was behind his back.
shadow 999 spat blood. the blood spattered onto 999's upper body.
"i am what you are, and you are what i am, we are the same, you are part of me, and the opposite is also true"
his shadow glared viciously, trembling from the attack.
"fuck... you... you... cheated"
"there are no rules in Shadow Combat. i already know this, so you should as well."
his shadow growled weakly, before exploding into millions of black shards, which proceeded to soak into 999's body.

his eyes flashed gold momentarily, before returning to green.
"so... this is the real me..." he smiled "i like it."
he returned to the grey room seamlessly.
nobody else was there.
"ah, i've stained my white clothing with ... well, technically my blood, i guess..."
he floated over to a doorway, and went to clean his frilly shirt.
Bordos was inside.
"m-master... you're bac- AGH! you're covered in blood!"
"yes, i tarnished my perfectly white shirt and glove, but, it's technically my own blood"
"your... yours? how...?" bordos was frantic, and frightened.
"i defeated my own shadow. impaled it."
"w-with your...?"
"my arm, yes."
bordos gagged, and ran off.
"poor guy, although... i guess it'd be a bit offputting." he admitted, looking down at his reddened arm.
he removed his vest and shirt, throwing them into a washing machine, along with a load of cleaning product.
the blood had soaked through his clothing, covering the brown fur on his chest.
he removed the gloves, and tossed them in as well.
he removed his gold greaves, his feet were somewhere between a human foot and a beast's paw.
and then he walked into the bathing room.
it was basically a sparse, steaming, white room, with a huge bubble of water levitating in the middle of it.
he cracked his knuckles, and removed the crown, he didn't need it to maintain the transformation in this dimension.
the crown vanished.
he stretched, then leapt into the bubble.
the water had a spell on it that continually purified it, so the blood on his body was removed and vanished.
the bloodstains on his fur gone, he meditated inside the water, not needing to breathe while inside it.
a faint golden aura began to radiate from him.
bordos, and helior walked in "master?"
he paid no attention.
"master?" helior asked "we are concerned, you've defeated your own shadow... and you are also just giving up on Neowolf?"
the gold energy expanded, and his voice was heard, although he said nothing
"Helior... Bordos... i've asked you before, please don't interrupt my meditation."
bordos stepped forward, 999 sensed his anger, but he was hiding it "sir... you've freed Neowolf from the curse and not us... we've been with you longer than the traitor had..."
"quite true, bordos... do you feel the same way, helior?"
helior turned away. "i know what will happen to you if you uncurse us..."
"very well. do not move."
a black vapour left their bodies, gone.
"the curse is gone... but you know what this means, you must leave the grey room."
they nodded nervously.
"the unbreakable protector leaves his fortress. gerald beck" bordos said, vanishing.
"bordos has returned to human form, and therefore left the grey room" 999 recapped.
"master... i do not wish to be human..." helior protested.
"please leave, helior."
helior called for kierran, and was warped out.

the meditating wolf concentrated, locating every assistant, even those retired, and drew in the curse.
freeing them all... but there was a catch, a price he had to pay for this act.
he coughed blood into the water, the price for not cursing others who had been given the gliloutation was his own injury. he choked and thrashed in agony.
and that was why he'd used the bubble, it sustained him as well as purifying him, removing the gallons of blood he brought up from the water whilst keeping him alive.
once he was done, he felt his bones begin working overtime to create more blood.
it was painful, but soon his body filled with cold, then warmth.
he coughed underwater.
he was out of mortal danger now.
if he exited the bubble now, he would not die.
but he remained for a while, collecting his thoughts.
would they trust him?
would they help him stop both the doom-man AND densro?
none of it made sense, but he knew one thing.

he was hungry for a nice cheesecake... or maybe a carrotcake...
maybe both.
yes, both.
he'd have both.

also, he'd have to deal with the skyrippers.
and by 'deal with' ...
well, i'm sure it's obvious what that means.