Chapter Nineteen: Inner conflict and sacrifice.
"if we see things only as we want to see them, does that make reality an illusion we all trap ourselves in? or are we just too stupid and immature as a species to accept things as they truly are beneath the surface?"
"so, if life is a dirty piece of coal, we should actually look at that piece of coal as the diamond it could be, instead of a grimy lump of coal?"
"... that's a good way to put it, yeah."
-emperorwolf, Collin, emperorwolf.
Bedlam Sillias, although currently at their own size, was an imposing figure to Alpha and Zenef, his demon-like crimson red fur and cruel demeanor were enough to put the two of them into a state of terror.
Zenef could only imagine how petrifying it would be if they had to face sillias at his true size... he shuddered at the thought.
the red canine smiled evilly "well? not game enough to save your friend?" his words were taunting, but he had good reasons to be so arrogant, he not only held the highly strong-willed Beta prisoner within his own mind, he had power to back up any threats he made, he was far stronger than either of them.
Alpha growled "you psychotic... you won't get away with this!"
"oh, but i will. and from this host, i've learned of the creature that will kill all of you, there is no hope for you even if by some impossible miracle you manage to stop me!"
a low groan came to their attention, and they turned to the still chained Beta, who was now consious in his unconsious mind.
"you... bastard son of... a damned... harlot..." the weakened lupine growled at sillias, his ruby-red eyes flickering between feral and civil as he glared at him "i hope... you writhe and... rot... in the worst... circle of some... godforsaken hellhole...!"
"and why would i? i'm a devil, am i not?"
"no... you're just... a fucking Cu-- UGH!"
sillias had hit him in the face with a thrown brick "and do not insult my mother, worthless wolf."
blood leaked from Beta's mouth, but he was managing a smile "izaquo mildonafa... 'Whore's Bastard son'"
the chains tightened on the wolf, further drawing blood, but Beta just kept going, providing many synonyms for the insult.
"shut up!" sillias ordered, but Beta just scowled at him.
"here's an idea, why don't you shut up?"
the chains became so tight that they groaned under their own pressure.
and with little effort, Beta broke free, shattering the chains to pieces.
"moron! you overstressed them!" he yipped triumphantly.
Zenef changed into canine form, and the three facets of the emperor readied themselves to fend Sillias off.
"i won't forget this." sillias said darkly, before vanishing.
Zenef returned to reality, but Beta was still comatose.
his brainwaves had settled down though.
the doctor hummed in intrigue "illogical... but the meters don't lie, you did that didn't you?"
as Zenef was about to answer, a loud electrical crackling could be heard.
Zenef's white-streaked left ear swivelled, locking in on the source of the sound.
he turned to see a spectre like Alpha floating in the air, but it was coloured blue, shaped like a devil-horned husky with fiendish purple eyes.
"what the?!" the doctor gasped, causing Zenef to realise that it was visible beyond the spiritual plane, unlike Alpha.
the spectre-husky grinned, and raised its paws defensively "woah there, i'm not your enemy."
Alpha eyed it curiously 'how can she see you?'
the blue specter rubbed its muzzle thoughtfully, tail swaying behind it.
"you know, i have no idea, Alpha, good question."
that surprised the spectral lupine 'you know me?'
"i do. i am lothis, a guardian."
Zenef cocked his head "guardian?"
the husky smiled kindly "as in: Guardian Spirit, AKA: Daemon. i've been assigned to you, Zenef."
"assigned by who? who could possibly do that?" the canine asked with a groan, throwing his arms out to the sides in a display of annoyance.
Lothis eyed Zenef confusedly "you... don't know?"
"no."
the cobalt-blue spectre crossed his arms and leaned back in the air "it was someone you know, someone who cares about you..."
a hopeful gleam came to zenef's sapphire eyes "who?!"
"I did."
they turned to the bedside desk, where a previously hidden little canine bearing black with white streaked fur just like Zenef's stood, dressed in a white coat with gold trimming and with a heraldry crest of a rose adorning the space on his back, a blue choker around his throat.
Zenef grumbled at the sight of the canine "hello, Gar."
Gar prodded himself in the chest and leapt from the desk, expanding to normal size in midair.
the doctor gasped.
Gar chuckled "like that? i improvised one of the wolf's resizing harnesses, it's not perfect and only works between very small and normal, but it works."
Alpha looked at Zenef 'who is he?'
Zenef bit his lip, and answered through clenched teeth "Gar is my older brother."
the canine nodded "ildellessian, just like Zenny, here."
"Zenef! it's ZENEF!" he angrilly barked back "DON'T call me Zenny!"
Gar's brown eyes lidded as he smirked at his sibling "lighten up. i finally find you after four years, and this is how you greet me? and how the heck did you get halfway 'round the world?"
Zenef sighed, looking at the doctor with downturned ears and an exhausted expression.
"could you give us a moment?"
she nodded and left.
Zenef and Gar sat down on the chairs nearby as the younger canine started explaining.
"it all started when i went into the catacombs..."
elsewhere, Collin lay down beside Bailey in quadripedal form as the wolfdog read a book beneath the shade of a tree outside their home.
is the book good, Master Bailerich?
"it's okay..." he replied to his pet "...could be better."
you aren't worried about Kori returning... are you? asked the white wolf's voice with concern.
"i... i am..." Bailey admitted.
the wolf snuggled up to him to provide comfort.
if he does, i won't let him hurt you.
Bailey still seemed agitated, prompting the wolf to inquire further with a hesitant whine.
you aren't worried only about him, are you? there's something else bothering you, i can tell.
Bailey groaned and put his paws to his eyes "how'd you know?"
animals know these things. they read the emotions of those around them.
"am i really that obvious?"
yes. anxiety is practically wafting off you... like a nervous stink.
"nervous what?"
it's an analogy.
"pff. c'mere"
Bailey tickled Collin below the jaw, and he seemed to smile.
hey, stop that, stop tickling me!
"hey, you're just a pet," Bailey taunted "i can do what i want."
collin let out a short growl then i think i want to shift
the wolfdog smiled and hugged him "fine with me. Friend or Pet, i like you as either."
under Bailey's happy gaze, he morphed into bipedal form, dressed in a simple beige pair of shorts and a green T-shirt.
"y'know, i've wondered something," collin commented as he was raised to Bailey's shoulder "how do you think giants came to be here? Homunculi and Megaliths, too."
Bailey set the little white wolf down gently on his shoulder, letting his little legs dangle over the edge.
"i dunno, we haven't learned about that stuff yet."
Collin scratched his ear in thought "i wonder how it all happened... did some people grow or did everyone else shrink? if it's the second one, we should be called 'littles' or something, not calling you guys 'giants', y'know what i mean?" the white wolf chuckled hesitantly at the last part, clearly a bit nervous with the subject he spoke of.
Bailey gently hugged Collin to his neck "hey, whether we're big or you're little, you're still my friend!" he stated reassuringly.
collin felt anxious, moreso than usual, as if something was supposed to happen.
"Bailey... if... if our roles were reversed, if i was the master and you were the pet..."
"yes...?" bailey asked hesitantly, unsure where the conversation was going.
"would you... be okay with it... i mean... would you be happy?"
the wolf/shepherd thought about it carefully, considering the theory of it.
"well... only if you treated me just as good as i do for you."
that made collin smile "Bailey, if i treated you half as well as you treat me, understand me when i say you'd be living a good life, a REALLY good life!"
Bailey bellowed in laughter "i had no idea you liked it so much! i'm not always... nice to you, all things considered!"
"nah, i know you're just playing when you bully me, it's no big deal." Collin replied dismissively.
bailey's laughter trailed off nervously, and his ears dipped "you don't like it though, do you?"
"honestly, i don't. i really hate the bullying."
Bailey winced.
"but, if things were reversed between us, i wouldn't bully you."
that won a worried scoff from the wolfdog "not even for payback?"
"no," the white wolf sighed "it's just not how i am. i don't hurt people i care about."
Bailey smiled wryly "guilt-trip much?"
"hey, you deserved it." Collin chuckled.
"i guess, but that doesn't--"
DZZT!
a loud electric crackling sound rang out, and Bailey froze up in terror as the horrifyingly familiar huge red specter appeared before them.
"now," Sillias boomed "surrender your body, hybrid!"
collin quickly got to his feet on Bailey's shoulder, his gold-hilted katana manifesting in his paws.
"back off, Sillias!"
the red spectre frowned, squinting to see the comparitively tiny white wolf.
"you're a herald... i can see it!" sillias gestured his huge paws at a boulder, lifting it up and aiming it at the Ghast household.
"i have a deal for you, herald. one: become my host and your friend and his domicile stay in one piece... two: your friend becomes my host and i leave the building in ruins... three: you both refuse and i destroy you both along with the structure and its inhabitants."
looking back, collin saw kevin and oriado on the porch, looking on in helpless terror.
Collin hung his head as sillias readied to launch the boulder.
"you win..." he submitted, hanging his head "option one."
sillias grinned evilly, Oriado's and Kevin's protestations could be heard as they urged him to reconsider, and Bailey barked in fear "no! don't do it!"
"Maste-" he cut himself short, sighing "... Bailey... you mean more to me than anything else in the world, i'm not going to let him hurt you... even if it means sacrificing myself."
"NO! YOU CAN'T!"
Collin gave a forced smile "didn't i say i'd do anything for you?"
the wolf leapt from Bailey's shoulder to the ground, craning his neck to look at the sinister grin on the apparition's muzzle.
the red specter broke apart into a crimson haze, flowing through the air into Collin's nose, mouth, ears, and eyes, causing him to choke.
his pristine white fur flowed with new colour, staining itself a vibrant vermillion red, a blackness filled his eyes, devouring his sclerae and turned his irises golden and his pupils closed and dissappeared, and his voice distorted, sounding demonic as he was strangled by the red mist.
his body size increased, until he stood at the height of an adult giant.
Bailey gasped in terror as he realised he knew that visage, it was the monster from his nightmare.
Sillias had posessed Collin.
the vermillion wolf clutched his head in pain, loosing a distorted howl as the yellow globes of his irises disolved into the blackness in his eyes.
"WhAT's HapPEnIng?!" he roared "mY MinD iS bREakINg aPArT!"
Oriado and Kevin rushed over to get their son away, as collin's voice broke through the vermillion wolf's roaring with a single command.
"GeT aWAy!"
Bailey got up and bolted to his fathers as the wolf that was no longer collin expanded to Megalithic size.
Kevin whimpered "Sillias? Collin?"
the mountainous wolf shook his head "sillias is dead, his mind is broken. i am still Bedlam, but i am now Bedlam Collin."
the wolf turned and walked away, shaking the ground with each quaking pawstep.
the Ghasts panicked, Oriado realised Bedlam's destination.
"HE'S HEADED FOR THE CITY!"
(Next Chapter: Bedlam's Rampage.)
chapter 19