Despite the calm effect on him, Rexford felt something was wrong somehow. Not just because of the shifting cloaks. Or what was just said. He finally felt cold. Not a physical cold but the gut-wrenching kind when one was close to death.

"I.. am not dead... I know what is like to get to the danger zone for that. God knows I had a lot of close calls...." A flex of the hand by instinct to calm himself brought a surreal feeling. The constriction reminded him of gripping his first toy that could be rembered. "A stuffed spear toy. Uncle Sango bought it for me.."

The memory was decades old but came in with crystal clarity. With such clarity, he saw flames dance inside his Uncle Sango's eyes. Of course, it was chalked up to the silliness of a child when he said it. Now he was not so sure.

"That Man-God has different troubles to worry about, so do forget him for now. I am sure you have questions but I will tell you a few right now of my own "Design". Such as what is happening to you."

"What is happening?" He ignored some of what she said to try and gain control of the situation.

"Your Soul has been extracted from your body. Not all of it of course. Just enough to put you into a coma over time."

"A coma!?"

"Well, the place you are going to is in the somewhat past of what you experienced and mirrors the Prime Dimension a little. However, its "Time" ratio is quite the thing. Currently, an hour in Prime Dimension is about a year there. So all the time in the world to succeed."

"Succeed in what?"

"Saving that Dimension of course. See it was going to survive but... the various moments of Destiny were not grasped fully. Those chosen faltered and just could not live up to the standards Designed." Seeing the strange look, the cloak figured clarified what was meant. "I am Destiny and I shaped their future and paths available. When they failed to grasp the opportunities, it went to someone else. But their is a problem with that."

"Like what? Don't tell me it is some craziness that the same opportunity is not the same for everyone kind of thing."

Rexford wanted to scoff but for some reason, this all felt to real and right. A sweetness passed in his mouth but nothing changed when he swallowed. A bit of a phantom feeling of swallowing a mouth full of blood.

'I shouldn't just believe all of this, right?'

"That is right." Destiny smiled under its cloak. "Ah, so it is happening already."

Rexford caught sight of the smile a little and froze again. Something tore inside himself and brought a bit of the cold sensation back briefly. Then it was gone, causing him to wobble on the spot.

"What in the hell is that!?" Looking down at his chest a swirl was there. A bit of some type of sphere of darkness with a gold light around it. It looked to be moving but he was not to sure as the visual was hard to understand fully. "What is going on with me!? I am not at the age to go into Dementia!"

"That dear boy is the power of your Soul Awakening. It looks to be a Vortex, so kudos to you. But then again... that does eliminate you from developing Outside Soul properties ever." Destiny floated looking at Rexford with a critical eye. Literally, a critical eye as the other was closed under the cloak. "Self-harm though, a part has been cut off and turned into the Internal Space already. Instinctual preservation all to go against losing something."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

The tone was somber as something ate away at Destiny. A peer look inside Rexford and it was able to see the "Unending" quality of the Vortex that permeated more than what it thought before.

"Alright.. I want out of here!" Rexford snapped at Destiny. The situation was weird and he needed to gain control somehow to keep from going off the deep end mentally. "I want out and need to be out of here! I don't care who is behind this..."

*Woosh!* Black & Gold pressure weighed down him. Destiny's cloak billowed out with its figure looking larger than anything else. Rexford felt a sinking feeling of "Fear" that caused his instincts to want to lash out in "Violence" terribly!

"Back off!" He didn't know where the strength came from but he took a swing. Fist shattering the weird larger than life cloak. It fell away into the surroundings and felt solid before crystalline. "What!?"

The cloak shattered revealing a regular size figure. But the face was revealed more to him. The image of a woman briefly then that of a man. Changing then between various ages of life. Then that of death in seconds before slowing down to reverse.

Something inside was breaking and changing to accommodate what he was seeing. But with change came understanding that he did not like at all.

"Still such a propensity to Violence, some things have not changed at all. Put the weapon down and we can talk civilly." Destiny's voice sound no different than a parent talking to a petulant child.

In Rexford's hand was a Black & Gold spear. It was composed of what he thought was light and did not feel real at all on first downwardglance. The sensation of something being in his hand was not there either. In fact, it felt as if it was a part of him that could bend a little with the movement of the wrist.

"Why does this look familiar...?" Rexford remembered seeing this somewhere before. Somewhere recently at that. Then it hit him, literally. "I bought this.. I bought an artifact like this from my contact in the World Heritage Organization. Ran tests and... William confirmed..."

"That there was a DNA match was not odd. You were meant to come across it as a child of the Maccabeus Family. But..." Destiny stopped talking watching the Black inside the Spear grow at the mention of the Family name. A change in the Soul somewhat in a certain favorable direction. "..do you hate them for leaving you alone all this time?"

"Hate is such a weak word. I despise them and God for taking them from me!" Rexford's words had venom almost tangibly forming with the word. The sweetness that lingered in his mouth turned sour and hot. Despite the state of his body, one could tell the anger in his entire body pulled around the nerves. "Something good came out of it, my friends who were my family already became even closer to me!"

"All but the one Meranda." Destiny said the name slightly detached. As if trying to keep feelings from being entwined within. A look of disgust briefly passed on what the woman Meranda had done to him. "Her death did not bother you.."

"Because I knew she would be killed. It had nothing to do with her leaving me at the altar." Rexford shook his head and the spear disappeared to parts unknown. Anger was replaced by sadness and the hint of betrayal. "Leroy would not let her put in danger everything we were trying to do. Especially when we were doing what she dreamnt of all our lives."

Not there fault she got cold feet.

"You knew but didn't stop him or attempt to. What about loyalty to an old friend and someone who served with you? What about your love for her? Did it really burn out back then?" A slightly concerning tone could be heard if one listened closely.

"Tch! That stopped the moment she decided to build a case against us and try to take down the Organization. She didn't even try to talk to all of us to understand the darker side of the work. Had no problem when our government's military had us do it though. The world can't change with out bloodshed." A thought came to him about that. Details wouldn't fit with if he was in some type of fever dream. "Why do you know this?"

"Just a Deity that is paying attention is all. It was a save I suppose.... since most don't think Spiritual Siblings should get together anymore. They forget how strong the Shinto and Greek Pantheons were because of it in times of relative peace." Destiny shook its head at the loss chance only. "Then again, your Pantheon is in danger anyway."

"Spiritual Sibling? What Pantheon? I am just another guy..."

"You are not. You are a Champion, the same as your friends are. Oh, you do have regular blood family left. Just not in your Dimension." Destiny threw that at the end but it only confused Rexford more. "If you do not go to this Dimension and start saving it... well, the others are just going to have to go then."

"Others?" Frowning, Rexford decided to just shut up and listen to what had to be said. The more he heard the more angrier he turned.