Chapter Seven: it's all in the wrist.

"you can change the world... by the simplest gestures."

-"the entity"

zenef snapped his fingers, and the air itself seemed to shake, the water hanging suspended in the air rushed to him, spinning and collecting into a massive maelstrom, the tides below him rising up to join the raging column of water.

the light covering zenef morphed, changing to a distinctly humanoid form, hovering above zenef.
this 'entity' seemed to push its 'arms' out toward the maelstrom, and the water surged away, crashing back through the burst dam.
zenef splayed out his palms, and the debris of the wall trembled before rising into the air.
in unison, zenef clenched his paws, and the entity threw its 'arms' in the air.
the broken dam started crashing back into one piece, cracked, but seemingly prepared to hold the water back.
the entity made an odd motion with its 'hand' that resembled snapping its fingers, and zenef snapped his own.
the cracks closed up in the dam, making it seem as if it had never broken.

finally, zenef became fully aware that he was suspended in midair, and of the masses below who were still frozen in place.
except for a few, who he noticed staring at him from the roofs of two separate buildings.
the entity seemed agitated, and changed into a spherical coccoon around zenef as he descended, breaking away and reverting him to human form once he reached the ground.

time started to move again, and he ran, hoping that nobody else had seen him, before suddenly blacking out.

---

-at Carl and Syrus' apartment-

the children were off in Radin's room, while the adults sat around the lounge area, trying to understand what they'd seen.
"he just came out of nowhere and undid everything?... what kind of creature has that insane power?!" carl asked in disbelief.
patrick nodded "yeah, but... didn't it seem familiar somehow?"
kevin looked at the black canine "how's that?"
"i dunno... i can't place it, but i'm sure that's happened before, everything suddenly stopping like that..." patrick mused.
"and that... light-thing..." benson groaned "i know i've seen something like it before..."
"he kept snapping his fingers before using his powers!" syrus gasped "sound familiar?!"

the adults went wide eyed.
"it... it couldn't be..." carl said, but didn't sound convinced with his own words.
"is there anyone else it could be?!" kevin barked
"no," syrus groaned "there isn't."
"but," benson interjected "he died!"
carl growled "yeah, but--"
benson's eyes widened, and his expression became one of annoyance.
"it just can't be him, we know he died!"
Patrick bit his lip "Ben... one of his powers was regeneration..."
the fox stubbornly shook his head "Can't be! people can't come back from the dead!"
Carl groaned, his ears folding "not without Ian, at least..."
Syrus sighed loudly "I spoke to him after we got back, y'know, before the mass exodus up here."
the irritable fox nodded "and?"
"he said reviving him just wasn't doable."
Kevin grumbled "but we all have to admit... that show the little guy did today..." the german shepherd paused to rub his eyes before continuing "...looked Damn familiar."

Benson sighed "that it did..."

---

Zenef found himself in the eerie factory from his nightmare, but this time, the silhouette didn't run when he approached it.
"what are you? why do you always run away?"
it said nothing, but its shady form seemed to think about the answer.
as he got closer, zenef realised that it wasn't a silhoutte at all, aside from the distinctly canine shape, its body was utterly featureless, and as black as the abyss.
the only exception were its blazing, bloodred eyes glaring at him.
the thing's muzzle seemed to move, and a distorted voice spoke in zenef's head.

what am i? this, i cannot yet tell you... why i run? that is simple.

"why...?"

it is to lead you 'out' of here... to try and keep things you must not know from your knowledge.

zenef got within a metre's distance "but why?"

this is complicated... there is more to you than you have been told, more even than Dyson witholds from you.

"please," zenef begged "what are you?!"

the thing seemed to sigh
okay, you win. this, i will now tell you...

the next words he heard shocked him...
I am... no, the correct way to answer that, would be... that you were once me...
"WHAT?!"
slight textures began to form on the thing, white clothing, brown fur, gold boots, a red vest, and its eyes changed from completely red, to normal, green eyes.
"who... who are you?"
the odd lupine sighed, and finally spoke...
"like i said, i'm you... from your previous life... and my name," he said with a grin "is Nine-Ninety-Nine."

---

back on earth, a cloaked lupine dashed between shadows, ducking behind any cover he could find.
(Dammit...) he thought as he saw the huge crowd at the futuristic-looking Astroport (i'll never make it through without being spotted!)

a red-haired, blue-clothed humanoid with blue wings on his back and a curled blue horn on his head passed him.
he cursed under his breath, he knew that person, but now wasn't the time.
or was it?

moving quickly, he ducked behind the odd humanoid, following him, hidden as he passed through the terminal and boarded a shuttle.
he managed to maintain his stealth until the human entered his suite, and turned, not looking very impressed, but nonetheless smiling.
the lupine made the 'oh damn' face beneath his hooded cloak.
(shit.)

"well, fancy seeing you here." the human chuckled.
the lupine groaned, and threw off his hood, exposing his light brown-furred face and red-irised eyes.
"what," he asked the lupine "can't pay for your own?"
the lupine didn't answer.
"hello? you in there?"
he refused to answer.
"stop with the silent treatment... what was that name you used? ... '999', wasn't it?"
he groaned "sorry lightningblazer... please, don't tell anyone..."
lightningblazer looked him over "thought you died."
he nodded "i did, and please, call me Beta."

now with his cloak removed, Beta stood by the window in broken, dented red armour, looking out into space as the shuttle traveled.
"you should really ditch the armour," lightningblazer suggested, moving to stand beside him "everyone knows what you look like."
Beta groaned, and the armour evaporated, leaving him in his frilled white shirt, white gloves, white pants, and gold boots, but he still clutched a damaged yellow staff in his paws.
"now, how about explaining how you're alive?"

Beta sighed "okay, fine... my DSBIWO body was destroyed when i protected Dyson, and i bet the real me took over then, but remember, DSBIWO can regenerate... so, i woke up in the ruins of the facility, and well... it didn't take long to work things out once i found my own corpse."
"eurgh..." lightningblazer recoiled.
"so, from what i've worked out, my memories and everything about me stayed locked in this DSBIWO body, and i can't use human form anymore, so it must be damaged... and i can't remember anything between being blown apart and waking up, so i guess my mind isn't synchronised anymore."
"probably 'cause you died." lightningblazer laughed.
a smile spread across Beta's muzzle "yeah, that's the most likely thing, LB, guess it should've been obvious."
the wolf looked over his shoulder to his friend "so, why're you headed to Xlenari?"
lightningblazer scoffed "Festival of The Wolf, of course."
"hm?" Beta tilted his head to show confusion "what do you mean by 'The Wolf'?"
he recieved an 'are you serious?' look from his friend.
the adolescent lupine's eyes widened "no way... me?"
"no, a Duck." he replied sarcastically "of course it's you! you saved both worlds, you idiot!"
"shut your face, you horse."
"shut your lupine face, and by the way," lightningblazer put his hands on his hips "i'm a pony-morphic!"
"that's still a kind of horse." Beta said with a smart-alecky smirk.
lightningblazer scowled "stop trolling me!"
Beta sighed "seriously though, what's up with the human form?"
"you really have to ask?" lightningblazer sighed, pointing at a black earring stud in his left ear.
Beta chuckled "no, i guess not."

---

zenef reawakened in a hospital.
a human nurse walked up to him "oh, you're awake. you were found passed-out in an alley, are you okay?"
the translucent-gold form of 999 stood beside the bed, seemingly invisible to her.
'you're fine, Zenef, now come on, you should get out of here, before Dyson gets here.'
she couldn't hear him either, it seemed.
"i'm fine, thank you... i need to go, though--"
"nonsense, you should wait until your legal guardian arrives, which should be any moment now."
'you cannot trust Dyson!' 999 urged him 'we must leave now!'
"no, miss, i really have to leave now--"
"you will stay until Mr Albert Dyson arrives."
'this is not helping!' 999 shouted 'just get up and leave!!'
zenef tried, but the insistant nurse prevented him from getting up.
rather irritated, the specter of 999 snapped his gloved fingers.
Snap!
everything froze.
'now,' 999 groaned 'you must escape, Dyson is immune to our powers, he will know i have stopped time, hurry! he cannot know of my existance!'
zenef ran, followed by 999's specter as it flew alongside him.

"Apprentice!"

zenef ran faster, as dyson chased him
"Apprentice, stop!"
'interesting...' 999 mused 'it appears he cannot see me.'
dyson was closing in.
'Zenef, copy me!'
zenef mimicked the wolf, turning around and swinging his arms as if they were swords, and shockingly, two large energy blades slashed as Dyson.
"woah!" zenef gasped, shocked at this new ability.
'do not stop! keep running!' 999's specter barked 'i will keep him at bay while we do!'

each time Dyson tried to get closer, a bolt of gold light slashed at him.
this didn't make sense, his apprentice wasn't even making the right motions anymore, how was this happening?
"Apprentice! what is this? how are you attacking me?!"
zenef stopped and spun on his heels, gold light starting to emit from his body, and his voice distorted...
"The Successor allows the council of his Predecessor, giving him the experience to protect himself as he awakens to his true identity... THE PRINCE!"
the light grew brighter for a moment, and then dimmed again, leaving Zenef in his white-striped, black-furred, Canine form.
Dyson snarled, his eyes turning red and blue respectively "so! this is how you possess such power, you are a Pseudo-Herald, are you?!"
a golden apparition formed above Zenef, the waist up of a person he remembered with anger.
"What the--?!"

"Dyson, shut the hell up." the apparition snarled.
Zenef roared, shaking the building with his new level of power.
then he leapt out, crashing through the ceiling.
"Bastard..." Dyson muttered, as time began to flow again.

As zenef glided high over the city, he asked the specter of 999 a question.
"hey, what's a Pseudo-herald?"
'you mean what Dyson called you?'
zenef nodded
'A herald is someone like Dyson, a mortal who carries the power of a Diety in their soul, able to summon and transform into what Dyson calls an 'eidolon', meaning 'phantom'... and at one time, he personally helped to create artificial Heralds, or 'Pseudo-Heralds', the thousand soldiers of Project Legion... of which i was one.'
"could they turn into..." zenef gestured to himself "this?"
'only those who were given a special mutative power by myself, 'Gliloutation', it means 'the beast of fate', but yours, no, you are no herald, your powers stem from what they were in your previous life.'
"when i was you?" zenef asked.
'yes,' 999 chuckled 'exactly'

"hold it!"

zenef stopped in midair, turning.
atop a nearby building he was passing, stood a white wolf clad in black ninja-armour.
999's specter sighed 'ah, another person we knew'
"shut up goldie, and get your tail over here." he said gruffly.
zenef went wide eyed "he can see you?"
'of course, he was someone i gave the power to, he is trustworthy.'
"damn right i am... now get over here!"

"okay, but if you're a G-Soldier, where's your G-Artifact?" the white wolf asked after the golden spectral wolf had explained things to him.
999's specter then filled zenef in 'A G-Artifact is what supports the beast-like transformation; his is a mask, another's was an earing, mine was a crown'
zenef nodded, finding it rather fascinating "okay... i don't think i've got one of those..."
'you do.'
"i do?"
999's specter nodded 'but, it isn't a physical object.'
the white wolf groaned "it's you, isn't it? you're his G-Artifact, aren't you?"
'in a sense. my spirit contains all my power, and my spirit is his spirit... now, my old friend...'
the white wolf growled "yes?"
'don't you have somewhere to be? hmm,' he grinned 'Col?'
his eyes went wide "SHIT!!"
'oh, and my existance stays a secret, got it?'
"sure, fair enough!" the white wolf called back as he leapt away.

zenef glanced over to the spectral wolf "who was he?"
'oh, just an old friend of 'ours'... Collin Bolt.'

---

collin silently padded into the darkened house on all fours, hopefully they'd gone to sleep by now.
but it was not so, as the lounge light came on, revealing a very displeased Oriado.
"where the hell've you been?"
collin whimpered and tucked his tail.
i'm sorry... i was...
"look, i know you chose to be a pet of your own free will, but the least you could do is not to 'run away' like that, you've really upset bailerich, you know, he thought you'd never come back."
collin hung his head and his ears folded.
"get your tail up there and apologise." oriado growled "and just so we're clear, no food for you tonight."
ashamed, collin padded quietly up the stairs, recieving an angry glare from kevin, who sat at the table in the kitchen on the second floor.

collin looked at him, then down the stairs, then back at kevin with his head tilted.
"he's in his room." kevin huffed "and don't you DARE pull this stunt ever again."
collin nodded, and slinked off to the room on the right of the staircase.

inside, he found bailey clutching his pillow atop his bed, sobbing.
uh... Master?
bailey raised his head, still sobbing, and saw collin.
"c-col...? COL!!"
Bailey leapt from his bed and hugged collin
"col... i thought you ran away..."
run away? i'd never do that. do you know why, master?
bailey shook his head "no..."
i'm important to you, yes?
"yes..."
well, you are just as important to me as i am to you.
collin licked bailey's face until the young wolfdog laughed "hey, stop that! my fur'll get all matted!"
i think not! you're still not cheered up enough!
bailey hugged collin tight, scratching him behind his left ear.
ohhh, thanks a lot, that spot's been bugging me for a while...
bailey chuckled "anytime, col"
i am sorry to have scared you. but i had... something i needed to do...
bailey rubbed collin's nose "are the girl dometsics in heat right now?"
collin looked surprised, throwing his head back
no! no no no!! why would you even suggest that?! that isn't funny!
bailey laughed "sorry! but what else would make you run off?"
there are plenty of things!
"name one!"
simple! i needed excersize!
"not good enough!"
um...
collin couldn't say the real reason he'd left, he'd been forbidden from mentioning anything related to 'the world crisis' from five years ago, nor was he allowed to reveal his true form...
"i knew it, you haven't got a reason! you were out after girls!"
no! i wasn't! i can't tell you what i left for, because i've been forbidden from telling you!
bailey went wide eyed.
oooh... i just said that, didn't i?
"why can't you say?"
collin whimpered
i'll be punished if i tell you... please don't make me tell you, please!
"okay, okay... i'm sorry, col..."
the white wolf sighed
don't be. you're a good person, and i'm sorry i left without telling you.
bailey smiled, and scratched collin on the head.
ohh... that's nice...
"you like it? how much?"
trust me, master, if i was a cat, i'd purr.

(next chapter: Arrival.)