Jerome awoke on his back, in a bed, facing a ceiling.

He leaned up instantly, looking around to find himself in a makeshift bedroom. He looked down to see his coat and shirt removed. He took off the sheets to see his pants still intact, only his pants leg was rolled up above the cuts from Kali's claws.

The injuries were properly medicated and bandaged.

At that moment, the bedroom door opened. Jerome held his breath.

Azrael stopped in the doorway, a pen and a journal in his left hand. The old man smiled and stepped in.

"Ah, perfect timing. Seems I still have it, as you youngsters would say."

Jerome looked in the corner of his eye at a nightstand to his left. His holstered revolver sat along with his knife.

With unerring speed, he snatched the gun and aimed at the elder's head.

"I'm only gonna ask this once, old man. Where is Father?"

"Always with the violence," Azrael replied calmly.

The senior raised his right arm, his right hand in a fist. He uncurled his two left fingers and thumb. 

Jerome's eyes went wide as a dim halo formed over Azrael's head. Suddenly, all thoughts vanished from the fox's mind except for a single intruding phrase.

'Put that gun back where you found it, young man.'

With a blank face and in perfect motion, Jerome slid the gun back into its holster and placed it on the nightstand. He then remained in a leaning position in the bed, his face still blank.

The old man lowered his arm.

Jerome blinked and scowled. His gun was gone. He looked to see it back on the nightstand.

"How did you do that?"

Azrael smiled. "Trident wasn't the only one who had secrets, I'm afraid."

Jerome looked away, bewildered at the fact that Azrael seems to possess telepathy as well.

"I suppose Father gave you this power, too?"

Azrael frowned and sighed. 

"Your upper clothing is on a hook behind the door here. When you are properly dressed, we can discuss this in the living area. With haste!"

Azrael slowly walked into the next room.

Jerome stood up and looked at his injured leg. Pain was no longer felt as pressure was exerted.

Looking into the next room, Jerome grabbed his gun before heading for the door to grab the rest of his clothes.

* * * * *

Stepping into the living room, Jerome saw Azrael sitting in a cozy lazyboy sipping on a cup of tea. A plate of sugar cookie spears sat next to a teapot on a table between him and a wooden chair.

Believing that Azrael had no hostile intentions, Jerome approached the empty chair and sat down.

"Please, help yourself," Azrael offered, motioning at the tea and cookies.

"Thanks," Jerome replied. "How long have I been out?"

"Three days. You haven't stirred once through your recovery." 

Jerome eyed one of the cookies, then nibbled on it as he glanced at Azrael.

'If his telepathy is THAT strong, then he should've killed me minutes ago.'

'Now why would I do such a barbaric thing?'

Jerome cringed. "Your telepathy is that strong, huh? I kept that thought in the deepest part of my mind and you still heard it."

"Indeed. I've had much time to perfect it. Unlike your 'father.'"

Jerome fixed a cup of tea for himself and stared at the steaming liquid.

"And exactly how long have you known about your Power?"

"Since I came of age. Age thirteen, to be precise. It was during the darkest days for our people. For many months now, I've compared myself at that time to you during these dark times. And I discovered a cruel reality that we both share."

"And what reality is that?" Jerome pried.

Azrael slowly turned his head towards Jerome. His eyes were weary, but his face was stern.

"We will never trust anyone ever again."

Jerome chuckled. "Well, knowing that's the only thing we have in common, I'm not surprised that's all you could come up with."

"Not exactly. There is one other thing that makes us similar."

Jerome flattened his eyebrows in confusion.

"We want to destroy Trident," the old man added.

Jerome said, "You're scaring me, Az. I thought you were on his side. I had my suspicions that you weren't, but I figured he would've gained your loyalty by now. In fact, I thought this whole little teatime we're having right now was nothing but a trap. Are you telling me you've turned on him after all this time?"

"No. I've had my back turned on him and his turmoil for approximately seven months now. The man has gone mad. It is known that the brain is the most powerful organ in the body. However, not even the vastness of the mind is capable of containing the infinite knowledge and wisdom that the First Halo has provided our friend. The destruction of the Nightmares was the last straw for his psyche. The power has made him strong... and unstable. For the past two short weeks, he has slowly been losing control of the First Halo."

Jerome scowled, looking away as he looked into the recent past.

With widened eyes, he said aloud, "We are what we are. Hell Hybrids."

Azrael smiled, nodding. "I see Mephisto was generous enough to pass on that phrase to you."

Jerome nodded. "Yeah. And that guy with the scythe on the mountains. That was..."

Azrael nodded again. "Old I may be, but being a Hybrid has left me with a few muscles to work with."

Jerome looked away. "So, you must've talked to them before they came after me. Manny, Meth, Kali; you convinced them that Trident's plot was pointless."

"Yes, but to a point. Seems they had doubt about his plan right from the start. I could hear the doubt in their minds when they confronted me to say their good-byes."

"I see."

Jerome looked down at the floor. "I can't believe they're gone now. All for nothing. And... I just can't believe what Kali told me before her death. A ring... the First Halo, created by the gods? Does this mean...?"

"To an extent, the gods were just like us at one time," Azrael confirmed. "I'm sure she briefly explained the reasons for all that has happened through history. The Nightmares, the Extollo; it was all because of a goddess's greed and thirst for power and domination. These would be her undoing, of course, as Nethers is all-powerful. Serapis was banished from the heavens above and eventually destroyed. The Extollo are all that's left of her legacy. Void, an embodiment created from her evil, was defeated quite some time ago by Nabonidus and is now permanently banished from existence all together. Strange how all of this makes sense when you finally figure it out."

"No kiddin'," Jerome replied. "So, what do we do now?"

"Must you ask?" Azrael answered. "We must stop Trident before he manages to proceed with the destruction of reality. In his current state of mind, it shouldn't be too difficult to reach him and engage him in combat."

"Are you sure about that? If the First Halo is that powerful, what makes you think he can't just make us disappear in the blink of an eye?"

"As I have mentioned, he is not in the proper mindset to be performing such acts. Even with years of tedious study and practice, using it takes a great amount of focus and concentration. It is a miracle he has not caused a catastrophe elsewhere in the Dreamworld after he dealt with the Nightmares."

"You mean a catastrophe that we don't know of?" Jerome corrected slyly.

"Hmmm, good point, boy."

"All right, then. Where is he now?"

Azrael sighed. "The Sabbaton Towers."

"What?!"

"He has taken control of everybody in the city, in order to prepare for your arrival. Seems he does not intend to unveil the transformation until you are either dead or you manage to reach him in time to witness it all with your own eyes. He has made the antechamber his home now; the place where it all began for us."

Jerome sneered. "Damn it! This just keeps getting better and better. By the time this is all over, there won't be much of a Dreamworld left to save. Who knows how messed up everyone will be when we free them from his control."

Azrael rose from his seat. "As harsh as this may sound coming from me, but we can't worry about the well-being of Andurunas' citizens. The entire world is at jeopardy here. We will worry about the people later when the threat has been neutralized."

Jerome smiled reassuringly and stood up as well. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go pay Trident a visit!"

"Don't you mean 'Father'"?"

Jerome scowled, looking away. 

"He's not my father. Never was. I once had a father. Trident merely took his place. But that doesn't make him my father. And, because of that,... I am NOT going to have a single repercussion when I have him in my grasp, strangling the life out of him as slowly and painfully as possible. I am going to take his life. Not for me, not for you, not for our family; for everyone! Because we're all the same! And, this is how Nethers wants it. I'm going to make sure it stays that way."

Azrael nodded. "If that is how you truly feel, then I suggest you stay true to your word. Go now! Defeat him and you will have done a great deed for us all."

Jerome smiled, then frowned. "Aren't you coming?"

Azrael grinned. "Oh, don't you worry about me. I will join you when I am ready."

Jerome grinned back. "Suit yourself, old man. Just don't take too long. My Power is speed, now. This could all be over in five minutes if you don't hurry."

"Don't rush yourself, young fool," Azrael warned. "I've learned very quickly in life to enjoy the time I have as slowly as I can. You will never have those precious seconds back."

"Hey, look on the bright side," Jerome said, walking to the door. "At least I'm wasting my time for something worthy."

"And that is?"

Jerome turned with a cocky expression. "Saving the world."

Turning to the door, Jerome's halo appeared as he phased through the door.

Azrael laughed, shaking his head as he fell back down into the lazyboy.

Continuing to smile, he grabbed his journal and pen from the table.

Putting on his glasses, he opened to the very last page in the journal and started writing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jerome walked into a desert, facing a hill that was slightly taller than the house. The winds were blowing hard, but not much sand was being kicked up.

'What a coincidence I was just in this desert a couple of weeks ago and Trident's hideout was right here. But, which part of the Dune Sea am I in?'

Jerome approached the hill and began the short climb. As he reached the top, he saw a disturbing sight.

A swirling mass of grayish black clouds loomed over the Sabbaton Towers, stretching all the way past Anduruna's borderline walls. The very north-northeastern edge of the clouds sat in the sky above Jerome's location. The clouds completely blacked out the city, the Towers and other tall structures nothing but dark silhouettes against the sunlight coming from the southern horizon. Lightning flashed through the clouds and down to a lightning rod on the Towers, one out of hundreds of rods. The sunlight began to dim as a downpour of rain fell from the swirling blanket. Slowly, the clouds moved farther out of the city, dominating more and more light as the Dune Sea, Starfall Mountains, Alchera Ocean and every other location surrounding Anduruna was slowly engulfed in darkness.

With the winds picking up, Jerome realized there was no more time to waste. Keeping his Power active, Jerome took a step towards the city and was gone in a mere second.

* * * * *

'Do it... do it... I'm gonna do it... yes, do it... do it....'

An unmasked Trident with wide, bloodshot eyes looked out over the quiet city from the antechamber windows. The antechamber never had windows, only a stone wall going all the way around the room.

Until Trident replaced the wall with stained windows using the First Halo's power.

Trident closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, taking in the air of the dark chamber, lit only by the flashes of lightning streaking past the windows. He exhaled hard, opened his eyes, and frowned.

'I think I'll get some fresh air.'

Trident raised his right arm and snapped his fingers.

In a blue flash, every part of the tower above the antechamber exploded instantly. Years of arduous craftsmanship and architecture rained upon the city along with the downpour.

Trident looked around to find himself standing in the middle of the raging elements, in what was left of the antechamber. He looked up to see fifty whole floors of the tower gone.

He inhaled, then exhaled. 'That's better.'

Now standing on the edge of a perilous drop, Trident smiled down at Anduruna from over a hundred and fifty floors above ground level.

'Now, for some entertainment.'

Almost instantly, over the pouring rain and the rumbling thunder, cries of battle, pain and death echoed throughout the entire city.

Squatting like a gargoyle, Trident looked on with bulging eyes and a tooth-baring grin.

'Do it. Do it. Just do it... come on, do it... do it....'

* * * * *

Gasping hard, Jerome barely stopped in time to keep from smashing into the borderline wall. In the one second it took to get from Trident's hideout to the wall, Jerome almost paid dearly for it.

Regaining his breath, Jerome concentrated and pushed his right arm through the wall, phasing through it.

Suddenly, a distinct explosive sound echoed over the wall and into the desert. Jerome recognized the sound as one of Trident's more destructive attacks.

Jumping into the wall, Jerome flew through and skidded to a stop on the other side. Two unbelievable sights greeted him.

Hordes of Andurunan civilians beating each other senseless and the top of the central tower had vanished. Debris was still falling from the top of the center tower.

Jerome looked at what was left of the Towers and saw the new top of the tower. He predicted the antechamber was somewhere in that area.

Even more disturbing was the groups of people in the street before Jerome. Dozens of civilians were punching, kicking, using random objects, doing what they could to harm each other.

Friends, family, neighbors, strangers; they were all trying to kill one another.

Keeping his Power ready, Jerome raced towards the crowd and phased right through the scuffling psychopath's.

Remembering what was at stake, Jerome sprinted for the Towers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Jerome made his way through the streets and alleys, he saw nothing but carnage and fighting. Some people were convulsing on the ground, foaming at the mouth. Others simply fell to their knees, shouting as they pressed their wrists into their skulls. Everyone else was fighting to the death.

Within minutes, he made his way onto a very long avenue, which led all the way from the borderline wall straight to the inner wall surrounding the Sabbaton Towers, making this one of the few longest streets in the entire city.

Realizing that time was not on his side, Jerome readied himself and vanished in a yellow streak of light.

* * * * *

Only a mere second had passed when Jerome stopped in front of a plaza, which sat before the dwarfing defensive wall and the even more dwarfing Sabbaton Towers.

Jerome looked in every direction to see debris from the top of the central tower scattered around the area. Huge chunks of stone had decimated small buildings, iron beams were embedded into the ground amongst the plaza, and other miscellaneous objects from the various apartments and offices of the political system at the top of the Towers lay broken and shattered everywhere.

Of course, there were dozens of citizens in the area who were completely oblivious to the devastation as they continued to fight one another. Some fell victim to the raining debris from the tower.

Sneering menacingly at the Towers, Jerome looked back at the wall and flashed right through it. He stopped right in the middle of the central tower's main lobby. Attendants, guards, troopers, and citizens were all fighting. The lobby was full of various objects that could be used in a brawl, ranging from posters on tripod mounts to ball point pens.

Not wanting to deplete his Power, Jerome willed it away as he shoved his way through the crowd towards the stairs. No doubt, the elevators were out of order, since the cranks in each shaft were destroyed with the top of the tower. Each elevator is probably at the bottom of the shafts, in the subterranean levels. The elevators were too slow, anyway.

To his right, a City Guard trooper ran towards him, rifle already aimed. Jerome brought his Power back as the trooper fired. The bullets flew through his head and tagged an occupied civilian in the back several feet away.

The trooper discarded his rifle and grabbed onto Jerome.

"Speak!" Jerome demanded. "What's going on here?"

The two fighters wrestled as they spun around in circles.

"I will not fail him! I will NOT fail him!"

"Fail who?"

"The great Lord of All, Trident! He demands for your blood before the Rebirth begins! I will not fail him!"

'So it's true,' Jerome thought, almost amused. 'Trident really has gone insane. Not only has he driven all these people crazy, he's got them thinking that HE is the god of creation! When it's really Nethers. I've got the feeling things are not going to be the same after this is over.'

Jerome shot his knee into the trooper's gut, then delivered a swift uppercut to the trooper's jaw. He froze for a second, then fell to the floor hard. 

The Dreamkeeper forced his way through the crowd as he kicked the stairs door open. Voices echoed through the seemingly endless stairwell as Dreamkeepers fought.

Seeing as conserving his Power was only going to slow him down, Jerome willed it to full power and vanished in a yellow flash, flying up the stairs.

* * * * *

Three seconds later, Jerome stopped on the second flight down from the antechamber floor. Wind was ripping down the stairs. A steady stream of rainwater poured down the steps. No one else had been spotted on these stairs for at least fifty floors. Normalizing his Power, Jerome continued up the stairs.

As he approached the flight leading to the door, he confirmed his prediction. The next flight of steps going past the antechamber floor stopped dead in midair. The antechamber floor is all that's left of the top of the central tower.

Sighing heavily, Jerome touched the door leading out of the stairs and the door fell straight to the rain-soaked hallway floor.

He was amazed to see the wall of the antechamber, from the hallway, still intact. So were the doors that led inside, as he turned left from the stairs and walked up to them.

Jerome realized that Trident must be somewhere beyond these doors. The Dreamkeeper could not imagine what he could be facing should he walk through the doors. Maybe he would face a horde of possessed Dreamkeepers. Maybe he would face a swarm of Nightmares. Maybe the doors would lead him to another world, the doors serving as a gateway to that world.

Maybe, he would just find Trident. Waiting for him to arrive. To finally put an end to this 'family' feud.

Jerome tilted his head down, glaring at the doors.

'I... will not... fail.'

Placing his hands on the doors softly, he shoved them open.

Had he been told before now that Trident had once used others to fight his own battles for him, Jerome would have been laughing about that statement for weeks. He understood why he sent the others to hunt Jerome down, but any other time would have been a joking matter.

What happened after Jerome entered the chamber ensured that he would never laugh at that statement ever again.

Never, ever again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~