Chapter 55

We were back where the attack had started. The inner circle couldn’t think of a better plan than the one I had proposed. Grey came to me and admitted as much. The creature became more agitated, and the spirits feared it would soon attack humans. It was inching closer to the shore the longer we waited. I was wearing the same suit as before, retrieved from the boat by my bound without Jasper’s brother noticing its absence.

All around me, sharks of every imaginable size circled and waited. Ursus's group was tasked with luring the creature away from the shore and closer to me. But these weren’t ordinary sharks. Word had spread about my plan, and every member of the Oasis had begged to help protect me. The strongest and fastest among them were given the honor of assisting. To prevent unnecessary casualties, the inner circle allowed them to intervene only if the omegas and spirits failed to contain the creature, leaving me in mortal danger. In that case, they would attack en masse to ensure my safety, even at the cost of their lives.

‘Are you luring the creature to us, or do you need me or the newest bound to help?’ I asked Ursus.

‘No matter what we do, it won’t change course,’ Ursus replied. ‘It cannot be you who comes here. Send your newest bound.’

‘Master, we fear that in his new form, the creature will not recognize him for who he is,’ said Rin, one of my bound—now an oversized dolphin.

‘What can I do about it? I’ll go and lure it here,’ I insisted.

‘You mustn’t, Master. It is too dangerous. Command the one in the rooster to leave his body and come to you in his spirit form. He is strong enough now to survive the separation. We will carry him to the creature and return here once it begins moving toward us,’ said another of my bound—one of the offspring of my two bound, a normal-sized dolphin.

‘Rip him from his form? That would be a betrayal. I gave my word,’ I thought.

‘I understand their reasoning. I will do it, but I cannot act without your command,’ the rooster said to me.

‘I promise to place you in another body when this is over,’ I told him.

‘No, it is better if you place me inside the creature’s mind. I will join it. I am strong enough to succeed,’ he replied.

‘Very well. You must make it go further out to sea once you have control of its body. Tell me if you fail or succeed in joining, and I will pull you both out and place you in the orb I found you in. If joining is impossible, we will have to kill you and the creature,’ I said.

‘If it comes to that, I will hold it while you destroy its body. Do not cry for me—it will be an honor to finally end this unending nightmare,’ the newest bound said.

Summoning all my resolve, I commanded, ‘Leave the body of the rooster you now inhabit and come to me.’ A glow appeared in front of my face, brighter now than when I first held it in the orb.

‘Master, the creature is turning and heading in your direction,’ Ursus told us.

‘You did the right thing,’ Jesse said. He was... how to describe him? A shark-man hybrid. He had arrived in shark form like the others but had since changed. His body was longer and more muscular, with arms instead of fins. Other than that, he was still all shark. His massive arms, nearly as thick as his lower body, ended in fists larger than my head, supported by bulging pecs beneath his smooth, rippling skin.

‘Why? Because I made him the bait? Are those arms even useful? They’re probably going to slow you down in the water,’ I said.

‘Oh no, they’re not. I took this form as soon as I learned about your plan. Tried out different mods.’ Jesse flexed, his biceps doubling in size. ‘Watch what I can do with these. See that old shipwreck down there? Probably from the Second World War. Watch me.’’

Jesse shot away and approached a door on the wreck. He pounded it until the door broke free, then hauled it back to me. ‘My fists are reinforced, and my arms are so strong I can do this.’ He folded the steel as though it were cardboard.

Other sharks watched, some beginning to shift into Jesse look-alikes, though none as large. ‘You’ve made your point,’ I told him.

‘The creature will be here in moments, Master,’ Ursus said as five omegas came into view. I felt someone attaching a new air tank to me, replacing the one I was wearing. The air pressure increased slightly, then stabilized as the old tank was detached. I glanced back to see Grey, in octopus form, heading upward with the used tank.

I also noticed three dolphins speeding away, accompanied by the now-bodyless unbound.

‘We will keep it safe until you are ready, Master,’ Lassie said.

The water grew turbulent as I watched the omegas and many enormous sharks, other spirits in shark form part of Stones group, engage the creature. Meanwhile, Ursus’s group formed a living shield in front of me, with the Oasis members positioned behind them to complete the barrier. Energy flowed from Ursus’s shield, striking any member of Stone’s group or the omegas whenever their reserves began to falter.

‘We are sending energy from our world to the fighters so they can focus on containing the creature without worrying about their strength,’ Cetus said to me.

The omegas grew larger and larger as the fight continued, their power amplified by the excess energy. I noticed, however, that Stone’s group wasn’t making much of an impact on the battle.

‘Stone, pull your group back and do as Ursus’s group is doing,’ I instructed.

Stone’s group retreated in small units and began channeling energy as Ursus’s group was. The omegas continued to grow, soon becoming large enough to nearly wrap around the creature. Yet, even at their massive size, they fell short.

If I went now, I wouldn’t be able to get close enough.

‘Think you can send energy to help?’ I asked Jesse.

‘Won’t know until I try,’ Jesse said, extending his hands.

I watched as he concentrated. A small beam of energy shot out, striking one of the omegas. ‘Everyone, focus on one omega. At the same time, feel the energy inside you—the energy you sense when changing form. Think: I want to send this to the omega while still keeping it within me. That will let energy flow from their world through you as a conduit.’

The members who had transformed like Jesse successfully sent energy. Seeing this, others followed suit, shifting into hybrid forms and adding their energy. The bound, however, focused solely on protecting me.

The omegas began growing again. One by one, they each grabbed their own tails, holding steady. Like massive rubber bands, they encircled the creature until it stopped moving.

‘Now, Master, do it,’ Ursus and Stone said in unison.

The three dolphins carrying the unbound spirit swam up beside me. I grabbed onto one as we circled the living ball, searching for the creature’s head. A fourth dolphin joined us.

‘Here, Master,’ the unbound spirit said, floating above what appeared to be a blob near the head and tail of one of the omega dragons.

‘You’re sure this is the head of the creature?’ I asked.

‘Yes,’ was the only reply.

I placed my hand above the spirit’s position and summoned all my bound. ‘I order you to enter this creature,’ I commanded with all the force I could muster.

The bound left their bodies, hovering above me. For a moment, time seemed to stop. Then the unbound spirit vanished, and everything resumed as if nothing had happened.

‘Did it work?’ I asked, though not to anyone in particular.

‘Yes, Master, it did. What should we do with the empty shell?’ one of Ursus’s omegas asked.

I looked at the creature’s lifeless form. Without a mind, the murkiness surrounding it had disappeared, revealing a massive armored octopus. It must have used its ink to obscure its true form. Despite the intense battle, the body showed no visible damage. Jesse interrupted my thoughts.

‘So, are we sending it to the spirits’ realm or what?’ Jesse asked.

‘Ursus, can you keep this body alive without a brain?’ I asked.

‘Not for very long, but yes. Is two days enough?’ Ursus replied.

‘I think I have a better use for it,’ I told Jesse, and he looked at me, surprised.

‘Rin, if I pull one of your offspring from its body, can I place it inside this creature and later retrieve it to place the now-melded one in once it’s healed? The offspring can then return to its original body, right?’ I asked.

‘Yes, Master. The animal it inhabited will revert to what it would have been naturally. However, we cannot guarantee it will be docile,’ Rin replied.

‘Can you ask the bound in house-cat forms if any are willing to enter this creature temporarily until the melded one heals?’ I asked Rin.

‘If you ask, Master, any and all will agree,’ Lassie responded.

‘I am asking all bound with house-cat forms to meet me at the portal at Joshua’s house,’ I said to the bound.

‘Ursus and Stone, leave an omega here to guard the creature. The rest of you return to the Oasis. Jesse and I will head to the portal at Joshua’s house to speak with the bound,’ I instructed.

‘Master, we insist that at least two of us accompany you. We will not interfere, but we must ensure your safety,’ Stone stated.

‘Alright, but Grey will come along since you spirits won’t be attending the meeting I’ll be having with the Bound. Grey will serve as your proxy,’ I told the spirits.

‘We have shown that we accept your Bound as equals. Is that not enough? Do you still believe we harbor malicious intent, Master?’ Ursus asked.

‘If you hadn’t asked to come, that would have proven you truly accept them. By asking, you’ve planted doubt—not only in Keith’s mind but mine as well,’ Jesse said to the spirits.

‘We understand. We only wanted to come to protect both of you. We do accept the Bound as equals and hope that, in time, you will see that our words are true,’ Ursus replied.

‘What I tell the members of the Oasis, the Bound, or even you spirits is between me and them. Sometimes it’s very private, sometimes it’s not. None of you are privy to all my thoughts—not even Jesse, though he knows more than most. You all have to accept that. You can bring as many as you like, but the meeting will remain private. Meet us there,’ I said firmly.

‘Take the three of us to Joshua’s portal,’ I told Rin and Lassie.

*****

Jesse, Grey, and I stood in the large meeting room inside Joshua’s old house. In front of us sat twenty-one cats, patiently waiting for me to speak.

‘The room is sealed, Master,’ Rin informed me.

“I called you here to ask if any of you are willing to leave your current form and enter the creature we just fought. I intend to use it to patrol the sea around here when Jasper and his brother’s boat is out. To do that, it must stay alive until the Bound that melded with the creature recovers. Your task would be temporary, though I don’t know for how long. Is any one of you willing to make this sacrifice?” I asked the cats.

All the cats rose and moved forward before sitting again. ‘As I told you, Master, we will do anything you ask,’ Lassie said.

“Alright, that leaves the choice to me.”

The group included many black and multicolored cats, some with stripes resembling leopards. Among them, only two were white. I pointed at them. “You two—do either of you have a second form?” I asked.

‘I have the form of a bear. It’s the fantasy of the man I was given to,’ one replied.

‘I do not have a second form. The man I serve only wants me to be a cat—his cat,’ the other said with a little disdain.

‘Step forward. You will be the one to enter the creature. Your cat body will remain just a cat until the melded one recovers,’ I instructed.

‘Thank you for this honor, Master,’ she said.

‘I command you to leave this body,’ I said, holding my hands above the cat. Its body went limp as the unbound spirit emerged, which Rin immediately swallowed. The other cats gathered around the now-empty body.

‘They will care for this one until it adjusts to its body again,’ Lassie reassured me.

Ursus and Stone entered the meeting room.

“We’re heading back to the creature. Take us there, please,” I told Rin and Lassie.

*****

I found myself back in my suit, standing before the creature. Jesse was transforming into his shark-hybrid form, and Grey mirrored him. Ursus and Stone, along with two additional Bound in dolphin forms, stood ready. Rin opened his mouth, and the cat’s spirit emerged. I cupped it in my hands, locating the area where the melded spirit had exited the creature.

The four dolphins formed a circle around me. ‘I command you to enter this creature,’ I said. As I spoke, the dolphins’ spirits momentarily left their bodies, and the commanded spirit entered the creature. Time seemed to freeze—air bubbles hung motionless before me. Then, suddenly, I was being lifted out of the water atop the creature’s armored shell.

The dolphins swam above me to the surface. Jesse and Grey appeared, alongside the two omegas and Ursus and Stone, now in their shark forms.

Removing my helmet after we surfaced, I asked, “Are you alright?”

‘Yes, Master. This body is stronger than I had hoped. I will do your bidding, no matter your command. May I make a request, Master?’ she replied.

“Go ahead.”

‘May I have another name? I tire of being called Missy,’ she said.

“What name would you prefer?” I asked.

‘Something strong, fitting for this body. I can feel energy from the spirit realm pouring into me—more energy than I’ve ever known. Please, Master, name me.’

“How about Kraken? It’s a mythical sea monster,” I suggested.

‘Yes! May I have that name?’ she asked eagerly.

“I name you Kraken. When you return to your other form, you may keep this name if you wish,” I said.

The waters around us began to bubble violently, and I realized the creature… Kraken’s armored shell was rising. Kraken’s body had doubled in size, lifting all of us out of the water on her back.

“You were already named. I didn’t think naming you again would have such an effect,” I said, marveling.

‘Be at eaze Master, I am still yours, I will do as you command.’ Kraken roared deeply.

“For now, stay hidden. Let no one see you. When the boat with Jasper’s brother goes out to sea, stay far enough away not to be seen, but close enough to keep sight of it. Protect it and the people on board. Do this without their knowledge. Understood?” I asked.

‘Yes, Master. It will be done,’ she promised.

“Let’s head back to the Oasis, then. Things seem fine out here. There are three of us now—can you still take us back to the Oasis?” I asked my two Bound.

‘Yes, Master. With the help of these two, we can take you there. The spirits are the problem, though!’ Rin told me.

“Ursus, you and the others will need to head back to the Oasis. The Bound can’t take all of us that far. We’ll see you back there,” I told them.

“Yes, Master. See you back at the Oasis,” Ursus replied.

‘Not a hint of doubt. Maybe they really do accept that the Bound are their equals,’ Jesse said to me.

‘I hope so,’ I replied.