Chapter Thirty Seven: Agonofinis response.

"one cannot truly ever cheat death. he is inescapable... even if we are saved once or twice, he gets us all in the end. this is the truest fact of life."
-Bastion.

Carl's body was going cold dispite the warmth radiating from Syrus, his otter looked desperate as he clutched him to his chest and sobbed. he remembered his first death; it had been instant, painless. this however, was awful. he could do nothing to stop the blood slowly but surely draining from his body, as if he was an hourglass measuring his own time until death.
and the pain, oh, there was so much of it. the wound from the astral plane had carried across into the real world; the place where the mongoose's blade had stabbed him was leaking blood and the pain was unimaginable.
he looked up into Syrus' big brown, sad eyes.
"hey," he wheezed "it's okay, Sy... let it out..."
Syrus sniffled, then threw his head back and screamed in sadness, tears streaming from his eyes.
Carl hugged at Syrus' paws weakly "I'm glad... you're here..."
Syrus, still crying, looked down at him "why?"
Carl squeezed the paw as hard as he could manage "I want... the last thing... I see... to be you..."
the others began crying as Syrus lifted his partner to his face.
"I love you, Carlito Blenin."
"I love you, Syrussimus Revino."
they moved in for a kiss, as it seemed it would be the last one they would ever share.

as he locked lips with his otter, Carl shed both blood and tears.
"I'll miss you." he said with a trembling voice as they broke the kiss.
Syrus hugged him to his face, ignoring the bloodstain developing in his fur "what am I supposed to do without you?!"

Radin stood in Ian's palm, distraught.
"this can't be happening! it's just wrong!"
Carl understood how he must have felt. he was losing another parent.
"bring him... over here..."
Radin was brought to Syrus and the otter hugged the both of them as Carl felt death getting closer by the second.
"Radin... never be.... ashamed..... of who you are......"
the snow leopard sobbed "I won't..."
"Sy," he turned his head to the face of the otter "don't follow....... me......... okay?"
"Carl..." he sobbed.

the leopard felt his consiousness fading away "I'm glad... my last sight...... was you guys....."

Carl closed his eyes and went limp, his last breath leaving his body as the final bead of blood dropped.
Ian bit his lip so hard that it drew blood.
"I'll... I'll appeal for him... I'll make sure he doesn't go down," he said through gritted teeth "I promise you that."
Radin clung tightly to Carl's body "it's not fair... he didn't deserve this."
Syrus growled "That albino bastard will pay for this."
the otter looked down at Radin and noticed small chrome embers on him.
"Radin... don't bother keeping it in, let it out. all your pain... let it out."
the snow-leopard sniffled and nodded.
he threw back his head and cried, bursting into chrome flames momentarily.
everyone stared.
Radin looked different.

there were now two ebony-black ram-like horns potruding from his head, his front fangs had elongated in a sabre-tooth fashion, his claws were extended monsterously, and a pair of chiropteran wings stuck out of his back.

Ian's jaw dropped "well I'll be... you two adopted a Cambion."
Syrus hugged Radin closer now "it doesn't matter what he is."
"but it does!"

everyone looked at the angel.

"see, while Cambions can't raise the dead, they can do amazing things on their own! and with help from a Nephilim..." he looked at his son and his son's future self "who knows what could happen..."
Radin looked at the Velian from his own timeline pleadingly, and the young ancat nodded.

they both meditated beside Carl's body on the floor, Velian had started to glow and Radin was generating his firey aura.
a mortal-angel hybrid and a mortal-demon hybrid had never cooperated before.
they each carefully touched Carl's body.

---

Carl found himself in limbo once again. the endless darkness surrounded him, and this time Ian wouldn't be coming to his rescue.
he couldn't feel his body anymore, nor could he see it.
he was nothing more than a consiousness now.
(so, this is how it all ends for me, huh? after all that, I'm just an idea lost in blackness... what a way to go.) he thought sadly.

a vast presence made itself known.

welcome, Carlito Blenin.

Carl was overwhelmed (A-Are you God?)

I have many names.

a light shone nearby, illuminating Carl's ghostly body.

Kenziel vouched for you. shall we ascend?

carl went to say 'yes' when his arm was grabbed.
he turned to find a frightful creature holding his arm, but he could tell it was Radin.
"Dad, please don't--!"
Carl stopped him with a tight hug.

the entity seemed amused.
I see you still have those that need you.

Carl turned around "please... I know I shouldn't ask, but... can I please have just one more chance?"

on one condition.

"Name it! anything!!"

you must return with the size of a Homunculus as your default, and pay a great cost. do you accept?
Carl nodded fiercely "Anything."

---

Carl's eyes opened to find Syrus' face in front of it, smiling broadly and shedding tears of joy.
"welcome back, you idiot."
he hugged the otter's muzzle "good to be back... but how am I alive?"
Ian grinned "he wants you to make sure Radin doesn't end up an evil Cambion."
Carl strained as the otter and snow-leopard hugged him "n-no prob, I think I can manage that...ow, okay Sy, that's a bit too much."
Syrus scoffed "you sayin' I love you too much?"
"uhh.... no?"
Syrus playfully, but gently, poked Carl in the chest and said with a smile "you're adorable, hon."
Carl just hugged the musteline paw and replied "I think that's my line."

everyone laughed.

-meanwhile-

Sillias tore his helmet off as it malfunctioned, and then ripped the cord for Kori's out of the wall.
the fennec sat up quickly and threw his helmet away, panting.
"oh god, I feel like my head's gonna explode!"
Sillias growled and stomped the headset to pieces "of course it does! that fucking mongoose hacked our brains!!" the red canine grabbed the other helmet and smashed it on the floor "if I never see him again it'll be too fucking soon!"
Kori rubbed his head "urghh... it's like a migrane crossed with a hangover while on fire..."
the Tv flickered on, showing the white mongoose.
""well well, I see you made it back.""
Sillias glared at him "shut the fuck up! you tried to go inside US as we got outta there!"
Uron narrowed his eyes.
"plus," Sillias continued "now your 'creator' guy's all in one piece! we're screwed!!"
""I don't care for the tone you're using.""
Kori growled and drew a knife "muzzle it!"
""but how will we--""
"WE?!" the two canids said at once "there's no 'WE' anymore!!"
Kori threw the knife and broke the Tv.
"we ever see you again and we'll delete you."

a crackled ""you'll regret this."" came through the damaged appliance before it went dead.

---

Carl stood in the terminal with Radin and the Ghasts, just ahead of them was the veil.
Carl gulped.
"after what he said... I'm not sure I can go back to normal..."
the others went through first and regained Giki size.
""it's okay Carl... be brave."" said Syrus through his earpiece.
"but what if I'm stuck like this forever...?"
he looked out to the otter that was now standing in Radin's paws, who looked back lovingly ""it'll be okay... I'll always be there for you.""
Carl took a deep breath, and passed through the veil.

his eyes were tightly shut.
"did it work?" he asked frightenedly.

there was no response for a few seconds.
and then, he felt a gentle brushing against his stomach.
he opened his eyes.
Radin was in front of him, holding Syrus to his stomach as the otter hugged his lover.
"yes, Carl. it worked."

Carl trembled as he took the otter and hugged him to his chest.

"um..."

all eyes went to Bastion, who sat on Collin's head while he was in feral form.
"he's not quite normal" the wolf chuckled as he pointed to a little glowing 'X' shaped scar on Carl's chest "I'd recognise that anywhere."
Syrus eyed it curiously "what is it?"
"that's a Malegh."
"A what?"
he pronounced it "Malegh; ma-ley. it's a sign of magic being imbedded in your DNA."
everyone looked at it.
"what's it do?" Carl asked.
"well it must already be doing it, it's glowing, meaning it's active. so you should try cycling it off."
"how?"
"you just say your first name backwards."
the leopard hesitated, then spoke "otilrac"
there was a white flash and suddenly he was lying face up in Syrus' paws.
the brown wolf laughed "well, guess that's what he meant by your new default!"
Syrus placed him atop his head with a giggle "how's he turn it on?"
"same way. but the veil affects it, too."

everyone said their goodbyes and returned home.

Bastion headed back to Dyson's lab, quickly arriving and was greeted by the blue equine and Zenef as Dyson spoke with a squirrell in a wheelchair a few metres away.
Bastion looked at Zenef and smiled "now that we're seperate, it seems you've changed."
Zenef chuckled and nodded, his form had altered slightly when Alpha and Beta united on the Astral plane.
when the two became one, their soul reunited with its body, and all their powers were released and removed from them, and they'd sent that mass of power to the only person that deserved it; Zenef Fiest.
when he recieved it, he'd felt a rush of energy and he gained features that had changed him from a basic dog into a husky, along with his irises having turned silver, and something he especially liked was that he'd also grown a full two inches taller! "yup! lotsa changes, but I still feel like me!"
Bastion ruffled the husky's headfur "I'm sorry if you're lonely without 'Alpha' now."
"it's okay..." Zenef sighed, his ears drooping a bit "it just feels like his mind's gone into you."

Lightningblazer poked the wolf with his horn "speaking of you, are you still a DSBIWO or not?"

"I'm not." the wolf said with a grin "when body and soul reunited, I was reborn. I'm totally real flesh-and-blood now, plus, I'm not a G-soldier anymore, either."
the equine smiled "plain old Bastion again."
"yep, exactly."

Dyson and the squirrell came over.
"Bastion?"
he looked up "yes, Dyson?"
the man gestured to his guest "he has a request."

the squirrell looked him in the eyes and boldly asked "I'd like you to help me make mister Dyson's shrinking collar technology more efficient, like that harness you designed."
the wolf unzipped his jacket and revealed the cross-torso harness bearing the purple-glowing black pearl.
"you mean this? my resizer?"
Zenef eyed him curiously "isn't it 'G-sizer'?"
"name change since it's not just for G-soldiers anymore."
the squirrell examined it "yes, this device. can you improve Dyson's collars so they are as useful as this?"
the wolf rubbed his mustache thoughtfully.
"I-I can pay!" the squirrell panicked.
"no need," Bastion replied "those collars are eyesores, but I'm only improving the things cosmetically, comfort-wise, and they're only gonna be for making giants 'normal' sized. my Resizer's still gonna be better overall."
they shook paws "I accept. thank you mister....?"
"Bastion," he answered "Bastion Emperorwolf."
"Jeremiah Aflix. it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Emperorwolf... but honestly, how old are you?"
"22, I think."
"you think?"
"yeah, five years've passed since I was 17... so I should be about 22 biologically."
Jeremiah nodded "ah yes, all that drama five years ago, I remember now, I understand what you mean."
Bastion nodded "yeah, it's all really confusing... but I'd be happy to improve Dyson's shitty work for you."
"I'm right here." Dyson grumbled.
"I know, and I also know you made them from my research on size alteration that I used for the original 'G-Sizer'... you had no right to use that research, by the way."
Dyson sighed "I suppose it should technically belong to you..."
he shook his head "it was for Zenef, but yes, it is mine to do with as I see fit."
the squirrell clasped his paw tightly "thank you very much, Mr Emperorwolf!"

-elsewhere-

back in their home on Virada, Carl, now at Giki size, sat in bed beside Syrus, who lay against his thigh.
the leopard poked at the 'Malegh' on his chest with a claw as his ears drooped, in all seriousness, it scared him that his own size wasn't really his anymore.
"Carl?"
he looked down at the otter, finding him snuggled close against his leg.
"Carl, it's alright. don't be so worried."
the leopard grimaced "am I that easy to read?"
"yes, to me anyway."
Carl sighed "you know me too well."

Carl looked into his otter's happy brown eyes and muttered "so um... how should we... sleep tonight?"
he could see there was something Syrus wanted to do, but answered "whichever way you're comfortable with."
"Sy, I know that's not what you want to say." he muttered.
the otter sighed "you're right, it's not."
Carl's tail thrashed a bit and his ears went flat to his scalp.
"woah, woah, calm down..." syrus said, raising his paws defensively "I can't and won't try to force you, but..." the otter blushed beneath his fur "I... I'd like it if you were little tonight." he said meekly, followed by a panicked "A-As long as you're okay with it, I mean!"
Carl gulped, and Syrus gave him a reassurring look "it's your choice."
Carl buried his nerves deep down inside, took a deep breath, and said "otilrac"

now in Syrus' shadow, he looked up to find Syrus lay out his webbed paws for him. boarding them, he was carried to Syrus' face as the otter lay down in the covers on the giant pillow.
"I love you, Carl."
the leopard hugged his lover's muzzle "I love you too, Sy"
Syrus moved him to his bare chest "well, I love you more."
as he was pressed into the soft fur of the otter's chest Carl felt his anxieties melt away with the help of the otter's warmth enveloping him, and his scent filling his lungs and pushing out all his worries.
"not possible, hon." the tiny leopard yawned tiredly as he snuggled into the soft fur all around him.
Syrus hugged him lovingly "you're just as nice to hug as I imagined you'd be."
"well, I learned from watching how you hugged me... so you've only got yourself to thank."
as the now small leopard hugged at him, Syrus smiled and relaxed in the giant-sized bed.
"doesn't matter... as long as you're with me, I feel perfect." he yawned.
"same for me..." Carl replied sleepily.
as consiousness left the both of them, they held one another close.
they wouldn't let go until the morning light forced them from this wonderful embrace.

(Next Chapter: Election)