Chapter 3

Cyxdia opened another portal and pushed Lochlann, Jozie, and Cem out into a dark room, shutting the portal quickly behind them. Cem slammed his fists against the wall where the portal was, screaming his obscenities at Cyxdia.

"Please be quiet," a mechanical voice said. The lights turned on, revealing three white walls and a full mirror on the fourth wall. Lochlann recognised it as an interrogation room.

He stood up and walked over to the mirror, seeing his grisly reflection. Cem and Jozie were both looking around at the walls, noticing the metal door in the corner that Lochlann had overlooked.

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted her!" Jozie exclaimed, slamming her fist against the metal door and then yelping in pain, holding it tentatively.

"Step back from the door," the mechanical voice spoke again, "or we will move you away from the door."

"Do as the voice says, Jozie." Lochlann warned his wife, stepping back from the glass and staring at the door she had punched.

"No, don't step back from the door! We shouldn't let these people control us!" Cem shouted, standing next to the door. "I want to speak to these people face to face!"

Jozie adhered to her husband's words and stood back from the door. Soon after, an electric buzzing sounded and Cem was forced off his feet and away from the door. Cem groaned and sat up, staring at the door, which swung open. Three men stepped in, followed by a woman in a lab coat and thick spectacles. She stepped in, surrounded by the three bodyguards, each holding heavy batons in case Lochlann, Jozie, or Cem decided to attack.

She smiled at them with crooked white teeth and said, "Welcome. This is my lab. I hope Cyxdia was careful when dropping you off. Don't accuse her of being a traitor, I've had a long relationship with her. She was just being loyal to the long time relationship she already had. She's actually a great person. I picked through her brain once, found nothing abnormal from a human brain. You see, I'm a paranormal scientist–"

"Isn't that an oxymoron? Paranormal and scientist?" Lochlann interrupted. His comment was met with an icy stare from the scientist.

"As I was saying... I study the paranormal. A few years back, an alien shuttle landed peacefully here on this plant. I was the one to apprehend the species and pick its brain. It was quite an educational experience. I discovered that we're not the only intelligent beings in this planet. Soon after, Cyxdia showed up. Of course, I just had to have her brain, and she actually gave it to me. I was quite shocked when she returned, fully alive. But I discovered that we're not alone. There are gods among us and a multitude of other world with a multitude of intelligent life forms, and now I have the pleasure of meeting you three. "But I have no intention of picking apart your brains, I believe that would be a waste of three fine specimen. I'd rather have you assist me in this age's discovery. It will be a scientific advancement for the history books."

She stared expectantly at Jozie, Cem, and Lochlann, having to look slightly up due to her bad posture and humped back. "I can guarantee that you'll be free to leave before the year is out." Lochlann and Cem exchanged glances.

"Do we really have a choice?" Jozie asked from behind them both.

"No, you do not." the lady responded, smiling brightly. "I'll take that as a yes. Thank you all for your cooperation. Don and Lou will give you chips and you will then be escorted out by Cyxdia." She turned away and stepped out of the room, leaving behind her three guards. Two of them stepped forward, carrying three small syringes. Cem, Lochlann, and Jozie held out their arms, and the guards inserted the tracking devices painlessly. They stepped out of the room soon after the implanting of the chips, leaving Lochlann, Cem, and Jozie to themselves, awaiting Cyxdia's arrival. Lochlann stared at the glass, his reflection staring back at him grimly. Cem rubbed his arm, staring at the small black dot hidden under his flesh. Jozie stared at the ground, weeping silently to herself, praying to a god she didn't believe existed, praying for a better tomorrow.

Cyxdia's black portal opened, and a hand waved them in. The forest again surrounded them, only for a moment before they were pushed through another portal and back into their own world, back into their home. Lochlann hurried over to the ringing phone, grabbing it and asking who it was. He passed the phone to Jozie at the command of the man on the phone. Jozie took it at was instantly met by a swearing boss on the other end of the line.

"Chris, calm down! I can explain my absence from work today! I'm on my honeymoon!" Jozie tried to explain.

"Then why are you at home answering your phone, huh?" Chris responded skeptically, knowing she wouldn't have an answer. After a moment of silence he continued, "If you were in Turkey on your honeymoon, I'd be fine. But instead you decide to stay here in America and skip work? Well let me make this easy on you, don't show up to work tomorrow either. You're fired!"

Jozie hung up the phone and sighed heavily. "He'll get over it," she explained to no one in particular, "he always does." This hadn't been the first time Chris had fired her, and usually he called back, asking why she wasn't at work a few days later. But this time would be different, Chris wouldn't call in a few days to ask her back to work.

* * * * * * * * *

Roxane smiled to herself, staring at the entrance to the Tyrphilian Philly corporate office, home of the town's newspaper.

"Are you lost, dear?" A man asked, not even bothering to look up, absorbed in his own copy of the Tyrphilian Philly. He looked at least in his thirties, maybe lower forties, his head covered in thick brown hair. "You can't get into that building without a membership card." He tapped a small keycard slot on the wall.

Roxane thought for a moment, then her smile grew a bit wider. "Yes, actually, I just really need help finding a bathroom, perhaps you could escort me in?"

The man folded his paper and stood up, his dark black suit perfectly fit his body, and his eyes were perfectly locked on Roxane's tight ass for a moment. "Yes, I suppose I could let you in." He smiled and then pulled his keycard out of his pocket. He pushed it in and pulled out quickly. A quiet beep sounded and the doors swung open. He motioned for her to enter and they smiled at each other. Roxane's smile was a smile of triumph, she took her first step into the building. On the other hand, Mike's smile was one of lust, he stepped inside after her, staring at her as she followed the signs to the bathroom.

She stopped at the door and opened it, but stopped. She turned to Mike and asked him in a very seductive manner, "Could you please come in and hold my purse while I go to the bathroom?" Roxane held out her alligator skin purse for him to hold. He nodded and stepped into the bathroom after her.

She made sure the door was closed and locked the deadlock and turned to face Mike. Mike smiled and dropped her purse, hoping she wanted what he thought she wanted... he was wrong. She placed a single finger on his forehead. As she removed her finger, a wispy plum purple color followed her finger out. She placed it in her mouth and swallowed, absorbing his soul. Mike stood there, emotionless, speechless, unmoving. Roxane smiled at him, "What a waste of life." His shell crumbled to the floor.

She turned around, unlocked the door, and walked out, taking on Mike's appearance, clothing included, as she left the room. She began walking deeper into the building, hoping to spread terror at the newspaper's core.

* * * * * * * * *

Cem sat down on the couch and stared at the news, more stocks plummeted since the day prior. The economy was going down and down ever since whichever president took office. Typical politician though, Cem thought, always ruining the economy that hard-working, blue collared Americans work so hard for.

Cem gasped as the words "Breaking News" flashed across the screen and live video feed revealed the Tyrphilia Philly corporate headquarter building. The reporter said that it was being held up by a single person, no police had been able to go inside due to several purple stone sculptures of various creatures that appeared to have sprung to life.

Cem threw the remote down beside him and leapt off the couch, straight to the garage to get in his car and drive there, forgetting completely about getting a mask to shield his identity.

He parked around back and stared at the back entrance marked "EMPLOYEE ENTRANCE ONLY" in big black letters. Cem grabbed the handle and yanked, the door swung open easily, revealing one of the living stones. They stared at each other for a moment before the stone golem recognised Cem as an enemy. It took a step towards him and reached out a hand to grab for his neck, but Cem raised a hand, the golem stopped. Its eyes opened wide and looked around blindly, scraping at the walls and the door, it flailed and Cem deftly stepped out of its ways. Cem concentrated again, distorting the golems sense of balance, tipping it over effortlessly.

Cem stepped over the body and walked inside, laughing to himself at his power. Two and a half years ago, he had learned to hone his powers, refusing to use it unless it was a direct threat to the children he used to teach. Cem stealthed himself by blinding all the golems in eyesight of him. He waved a hand and the humans in the building were overcome with a sudden heat, taking off their clothes, Cem laughed again before waving his hand back and the confused workers put their clothes back on, realising the heat had only been a temporary rush.

Finally, Cem arrived at the main office, he heard a thump and the door swung open, the main editor thrown out soon after by a stone golem, Roxane stood behind it, her eyes glowed a bright purple from the souls she had consumed. She had shed Mike's appearance and was back to her read hair, bare chest, and tight leggings.

Cem cleared his throat and distorted the sense of balance of the golem, tipping it over easily, "May I speak with you?"

Roxane locked eyes with him and took a step towards him, but Cem distorted her feelings and she couldn't move, her leg weighed several thousand pounds. She looked down at her leg and tried to lift it, to no avail.

"What have you done!?" she exclaimed.

"Calm down and hear me out," Cem began, "who are you? Why are you here? Who's your employer?"

"Roxane," she growled her name out, "I've been sent here under orders of Daosum! He said I'd be rewarded better this time! Credited for my time with thousands of souls from his depths!"

"Okay, Roxane, that still didn't answer why you are here," Cem stated, stepping into the large board room, staring at the shattered remains of the cheap plywood table. Roxane shouted and a flying saw blade bolted towards Cem, he couldn't react and it cleanly sliced off his arm. Cem shouted in pain as his arm fell off and lost his concentration on keeping Roxane stuck. She lifted her leg up easily and stepped towards Cem, smiling now. A portal opened right before Cem and sucked both him and Roxane in. Cem and Roxane fell into Cyxdia's forest, the birds nearby flew away due to Cem's loud screaming.

"Shut up!" Cyxdia shouted, stepping out from behind the portal. She shut it and smiled at Roxane and Cem. "Roxane, I haven't seen you for over a century. You destroyed the economy back then, I remember that clearly."

Roxane jumped to her feet and put her back to a tree, getting away from Cyxdia as much as she could and then she hissed, "You are supposed to be dead!"

Cyxdia laughed softly, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Roxane, but it'll take more than what you can muster with your plebeian magic. I am a goddess!" Several of the squirrels converged at Cyxdia's feet and then became brown silk, wrapping themselves around her body.

"Let me out of here, Cyxdia! You have no right to trap me and torture me in this way!" Roxane shouted. Cem stood up, finally quiet after blocking off the pain by using his powers, but he couldn't stop the blood gushing out. He glared at Roxane, wanting his revenge. When Roxane noticed, she merely smiled. Cyxdia turned to him and frowned.

"Don't do anything stupid, Cem." She warned. In a moment, a bird dove at Cem's arm and bandaged his wound, she then turned back to Roxane. But it was too late for them. Roxane's eyes flashed neon purple for a second before a violent purple liquid was blasted from Roxane. Cem screamed in pain as the acid covered his body and seemed to swell, eating at his flesh, his organs, and his bones until only a small puddle of purple slime remained, which eventually disappeared on its own. Cyxdia's squirrels had morphed back into squirrels and had taken the blow from the purple acid as they slowly disappeared, eaten alive.

Roxane and Cyxdia stood in the clearing made by the acidic slime. Roxane's eyes were no longer neon purple, they had become a more dull shade and very faint. Roxane seemed to sway on the spot, but every time she nearly fell, her eyes pulsed and she remained standing. Cyxdia stared up at the trees and felt hurt, her own body was connected to the surrounding forest and connected to the parts that were destroyed.

"I must... recreate what's gone. And you," Cyxdia paused to turn her gaze back to Roxane, "you have brought upon yourself a beast that even I have troubles controlling." Cyxdia looked around for a second and a bird flew to her shoulder. "I must wish you good luck, and say goodbye. You'll be dealt with." Cyxdia turned around and began walking away. Before she left the clearing, there was a soft thump as a purple blade landed between her two shoulder blades. The bird flew off Cyxdia's shoulder as she collapsed to the ground, her last breath turning the remaining trees from their vibrant spring colours to a dark brown colour, fall had begun... the season of death.

Roxane looked around at the dark leaves, they were rapidly falling from their branches, landing on the ground before dissolving and deteriorating. All the trees also began to age rapidly, falling onto themselves and turning black with rot. Roxane looked around as all the fauna died with the foliage and the other greenery. Her eyes locked onto a small remaining pile of leaves. A soft growl was heard and Roxane took a step away from the pile, hoping it wasn't another one of Cyxdia's animals.

A wolf head popped up from the pile, its ears twitching about. Roxane took another step and stepped on one of the remaining leaves, the wolf's ear twitched to an erect position, aimed directly where Roxane was standing. Roxane froze, like a deer in headlights, scared that the wolf knew of her location.

The wolf rose to its feet, at fully standing up, it was only about the size of a four-week old bear. In about thirty seconds, the beast got bigger and swelled approximately to the size of a full grown bear. The wolf's fur was a solid silver, its teeth dripped saliva, and its ears were pointed directly at Roxane.

Roxane took another step back, unsure how to handle the wolf, out of spirits to spend in order to cast her magic. She stumbled backwards, catching her balance, keeping herself from tripping. The wolf took this moment to rush Roxane, head-butting her in the stomach, forcing her to the ground. The wolf then buried his head in her chest, ripping her open, ignoring her screams, and enjoying the meal.

As the beast finished its meal, it looked around for a way out, the leaves had all dissolved. The only things that remained in the world were the wolf, Roxane's motionless dead body, and a small child around the age of three months old, lying on the ground, crying. Fenrir stepped away from Roxanne's body to exam the small child, he pushed his nose to the small girl's cheek and jumped back as she cooed. A soft whirring sounded and a portal opened up. Curious, the wolf stepped through, appearing in a new room of some sort. He turned back to the portal, but it had closed tightly.

The wolf looked around the room. He saw a bed, a dresser, two doors leading to a closet, a shut door leading elsewhere, and a girl lying down on the bed. The wolf walked over to the dresser and saw a framed picture of a girl and a guy standing together, he looked back at the girl and then felt a change, his throat burned slightly. He bit at the handle on the dresser and pulled it open with a soft squeak. He shoved his nose into the drawer and quickly pulled back, repulsed by the unfamiliar smell of the underwear lying inside. The door flung open. Previously unnoticed, Kai raised her head, staring at the door that had burst open. Jozie sat up on her bed and stared at Lochlann.

"The news just officially announced that the corporate Tyrphilian Philly office is completely safe." Lochlann said. He reached down and patted Kai's soft head. Lochlann flipped on the lights and stared at the large wolf standing in his bedroom. The wolf growled, but the growls began to form together into words.

"I mean no harm," his words rumbled like rolls of thunder, "I'm here to help. I carry words from my protector, the goddess Cyxdia. I must warn you that Hilohr and Daosum have begun their work... soon, supervillains will inhabit the earth. It's my job to protect you while you learn your powers. And it's my job to assist you during the time it takes. Finally, I'll be here as long as you require my services, and as long as Cyxdia doesn't call me back home."