Imagine, for a minute, that everything you’ve ever heard about the world was fact. Evolution, dinosaurs, mythical creatures, and Gods all exist and are as real as you.

When the world first began, the Titans reigned supreme over the world with their children, the Gods. After eons of abuse and war, the Gods rose up against the Titans and with the help of legendary forged weapons, finally ended their reign.

The first days of the Gods’ reign were the time of dinosaurs and strange creatures. The Gods were trying to create life so that they could share the world, but the creation of life is a bumpy path. Many of the gods tried to create beasts or creatures. Then one God molded beings out of his own likeness and the first primates were born. Unlike other Gods, he would make small changes that would be passed down to the next generation. Eventually, after some time, the first homo sapiens were born.

In an attempt to create knowledge, the God put information into the fruit of a tree. He led the first humans there to a garden that they came to call the Garden of Eden. That was when the Gods eradicated the dinosaurs by splitting the world into ten dimensions. Almost all of the humans were lost to the cataclysm, but the God was able to keep some safe in the garden. After the split was complete, the God let the humans leave the inter-dimensional garden and explore the new worlds that waited. In doing so, the magic that created the dimensional split started to morph the humans. Thus, dwarves, elves, halflings, centaurs, and all other manner of creatures came into being.

When the other Gods saw what he had accomplished, they named him God and made him King of all Gods. He did not want such power but the deed had already been done. Instead of reigning for eternity, he made it a religion of sorts for a human, of the top dimensions every other generation, to have a chance to earn his power and responsibility. They would have to face trials that would prepare them to receive the vast power. One from the top dimension, the dimension without magic, would have such a chance.

The story in this book begins with the last of those generations, the last because he will right all the chaos that has risen in the dimensions. His name is Seth Conwell and you are about to read how he became more powerful than God himself.

Seth jolted awake at the sound of his alarm going off. He fell out of his bed and hobbled over to the other side of his room and slammed a hand on the alarm. He had it there to make sure that he would wake up on time. Right next to the alarm clock was the light switch. Seth braced himself for the light and flipped the switch. He didn’t brace himself enough because he stumbled back to his bed and smashed his head into the wall.

Seth yelped when his head hit, his hands flew to the back of his head but as usual there wasn’t any pain. Slowly, he turned to see a crack the size of a football in the wood wall. “Shit! Mom’s going to kill me for that.” He grabbed a fresh shirt and a pair of gym shorts out of his dresser, before grabbing his back pack with all his swim gear inside. Then he ran out the door, into the yard.

Seth lived in the guest house on his parent’s property. It was a small one bedroom, one bath, with a tiny kitchen and living room. The water heater was always broken so he had to shower at the pool. As he ran across the yard, his mother came out of the side door to the main house. There was a small paper sack in her hand and she tossed it to him as he ran by below the railing on the outside of the house.

“Thanks Mom.” Seth more said to himself as he opened the bag to find a dozen hard boiled eggs, the same breakfast that he had every day.

He kept up the pace until he reached the main road. He went into an all-out sprint the moment his feet touched the pavement. For him, running at top speed was faster than the human eye could conceive. All his life, Seth had been exceptional, far more exceptional than he led everyone to believe. In school and at home, Seth held himself in check so that he wasn’t held as godly. If he ever slipped, Seth believed that he would be carted off to some military facility to be experimented on.

Then he wouldn’t be able to use his power to protect his family. To him, family is everything.

Seth’s parents may not have been there for him most of the time, but they were still there. His sister Austin may have gotten on his nerves but she was still his little sister. His family was the only thing that he wanted to protect and that feeling was at its peak.

As he ran, Seth thought about how his life had gone. In the last year, he’d gotten an A in every class and had made friends for the first time, on the swim team. The friends he had on the swim team may have been his only friends but they were good friends. His thoughts wandered to his sister Austin once again. She was annoying and always loved to push his buttons, but she was also the only one who could calm him down when she saw him truly irritated. Austin was the pretty girl with a fat rump in the family and she was always self-conscious of it, so Seth always reminded her of it. She was also the only one who had to dress up for everything, even war, but that’s for another time.

Seth’s mind was brought back to reality and became aware of how fast he was traveling. Everything around him seemed to be frozen. When he looked around, there was a squirrel soaring above his head, frozen mid-flight. He ran past frozen leaves, on their way to the ground. Then the pool came into view and Seth halted on a dime, at the corner of the building. He walked at a normal speed up to the front door, where the team was already waiting.

Seth checked his watch, “It’s five fifteen, why haven’t they opened the doors yet?” He sighed as he walked up to the group of swimmers, who were gradually banging on the door.

James Swanson, Seth’s closest friend, was at the back of the group shaking his head, “If you bang on the door, which is glass, you’ll wind up doing one of two things. One you’ll break the door and get arrested for damaging property. Or two, you’ll succeed in annoying them.” He said this every time the door was locked. Then he saw Seth and forgot about the door, “Hey Seth, how’s goin’ for ya man?” James stepped out of the group and gave Seth a good slap on the shoulder.

Seth pretended to rub where he’d been slapped and chuckled. James was six and a half feet tall and was heavily built. Seth would always rub the spot out of respect for his size. “I’m fine James, how are you?” He nudged James’s elbow and he acted almost as if it were broken. Seth just rolled his eyes. It was a course of events that they would play out every time they saw each other. “I see they chose not to open on time … again.”

James straightened and shifted his backpack. “Yep, it’s getting more and more consistent. I think they’re planning to open at five thirty instead.” He crossed his arms and turned toward the door. “How do you think that’ll blow over with coach?” He smirked as he said it.

Seth shot his hands into his pockets and rocked back and forth, from his heels to the balls of his feet. Standing next to James was like being a kid again because Seth was only five and a half feet tall. His eyes, staring straight ahead, were on level with James’s lower ribs. Seth had gotten used to the difference but he still thought of James as an elder brother, even though Seth was a few months older.

Then James did something he knew Seth loathed, he put his elbow on Seth’s head and leaned on him like he was railing. Seth brought his left hand out and elbowed James in the ribs. He made sure not to do it too hard because he could break ribs easily.

James cringed before chuckling to himself, “You know, for your size, you’re a gentle giant.” He threw his hands in his pockets and smiled to himself. “I think I’m the only one who knows you’re here.” James leaned forward a bit.

“James, don’t-”, Seth tried to get out before the inevitable.

“Seth’s here ladies!!” James shouted at the small crowd of swimmers, most of which were women.

The entire group stopped jabbering and slowly turned to James and Seth. For a few moments, no one said a word. Then they all screamed at the top of their lungs and ran for Seth. He turned and started jogging around the building, just out of reach. When he got to the door again, James tackled him to the ground and the horde of exotic women jumped on top of them.

It was a fury of hugs and kisses, as Seth tried to escape the pile he’d been trapped in. He had to admit, however, that the attention was quite nice. James had squirmed out of the pile of flesh and was standing off to the side with his arms crossed.

“It’s a masterpiece.” James stated as he made the iconic kiss of his fingers.

From the pile, Seth stammered in gasps, “I’ll get you back for this James.” The only sound James was able to hear was the uproar of twenty teenage girls giggling.

Then a single figure crept up behind James and tapped him on the shoulder. He nearly jumped out of his skin, from the touch. It was the head coach of the swim team, Denis Thompson. She was around five feet tall and had over twenty-five years of being head coach under her belt. Denis was very knowledgeable and was a fun coach to have. If you had a question about stroke technique, she could answer it and she always made practice fun.

“The doors open ladies.” Denis stated. All the girls shot to their feet and ran inside. Seth rolled to his shoulders and launched himself to his feet. “Shark, please shower before you get in the water.” She never called him Seth, always Shark. “By the way, where are Jade and Austin?” Jade was Austin’s best friend.

“They have their play date today, remember.” Seth stated as he walked by coach, wiping the lipstick off his face. “Some of this is going to stain and you know it James.” He grimaced as he walked inside.

At the counter, a tall, beautiful, blonde stood with her hair back in a ponytail and only wearing a red one-piece, with a white cross in the center of it. “Good morning, Seth.” She stammered as he walked by, cheeks flushed.

Seth froze and slowly turned to the girl, “Good morning, Cassidy, how are you doing today?” Cassidy was Seth’s current girlfriend and Seth could see the signs that it was coming to an end, not by any fault of hers but because Seth couldn’t feel anything in his heart.

“Good, how are you?” Cassidy said as she twiddled with her hair and bit her lip.

Seth went blank for a second and his vision flickered to a man in a flat white desert. Then he was in front of Cassidy again, “Uh …” It took him a second to find the words. “I put a dent in my wall with my head.” He blurted before retreating into the men’s locker room, leaving Cassidy standing at the counter giggling.

As he changed, Seth kept thinking about the vision he just had. Who was it? Where was it? What did it have to do with him? He shrugged it off as he walked out on the pool deck.

Denis was waiting for him, “I have a new warm up for you to complete today.” She said it as he grabbed his fins and other gear he would need.

Seth raised an eyebrow, “Another warm up, oh boy.” He wasn’t surprised; Denis had seen his strength the moment he got in the water. She kept coming up with new workouts and warm ups to challenge him.

“Yep, five two hundred-meter individual medleys, two five hundred meters freestyle, and a thousand-meter freestyle.” She crossed her arms with a maniacal grin. “I suggest you start now.”

Seth chuckled as he pulled his goggles over his thick brown hair. Since Seth was the top swimmer, he was in his own lane of the pool. There were eight lanes in total and the pool was twenty-five meters long. Seth dove right in and started the new warm up. He glided through the water and lost himself in the flow of the water. It was the most peaceful thing he ever felt.

James came out of the locker room and noticed Seth swimming. He smiled and walked over to the gear locker, “I bet he doesn’t even realize that he’s going twice as fast as my best day.” He hopped into an empty lane and turned to see the girls file out of the female locker room in their one-piece swimsuits. James sighed at the sight of beautiful bodies and bouncing curves, “Ho, one day a body like one of those will be my wife.” He put on his goggles and started the normal warm up, a two hundred individual medley followed by a one-hundred-meter free style, aiming for distance per stroke.

Denis watched as all the girls eyes fell on Seth and saw their shoulders droop with a sigh, “Oh, to be young and lust over a perfectly built man.” She eyed Seth for a moment, “One that hides his true ability and is wise beyond his years.” She chuckled to herself as she noticed the girls snapping out of their fantasies. They all dove into the lane next to Seth and started the normal warm up.

As Seth came to the end of his one-thousand-meter freestyle, his vision blurred and he saw the man again. He was standing alone in a flat white desert. He stood around seven feet tall and had pure white hair and eyes. The man frowned and poked Seth in the head, “Not yet.” He said, before Seth was catapulted back to reality.

Seth got to the wall and looked up at the clock. No time had passed. He turned around in all directions, looking for the man, but there was nothing. He pinched above the bridge of his nose and tried to convince himself that he hadn’t seen anything and that he wasn’t going crazy. He looked again and noticed that everyone was still working out. He looked back at his lane, the waves still calming down. When he turned back to the wall, Denis was waiting on the edge of the pool with a stopwatch.

Denis crouched at the end of the lane and showed him the time she’d gotten for his warm up. “One minute and thirty seconds.” She said. Then she saw the worried look in Seth’s eyes and saw how much the boy had changed over the years. “Don’t worry. I won’t share your secret with anyone until you decide to do it on your own.” She turned away from the pool and Seth got out of the water. She spun on him like a viper, “Where do you think you’re going?”

Seth gripped his head and fell to a knee, a headache driving nails into his skull. Denis stepped to help him but Seth waved her off. “It’s just a headache, no need to worry.” Slowly, Seth rose to his feet and grabbed his gear. “Though, I do need to sleep this headache off, before I pass out.”

Denis sighed, “You haven’t even had a sniffle in the six years you’ve been swimming with the team. You do what you think you need to do.” She turned back to the blank white board and started writing down the workout for the morning.

As Seth walked to the locker room, James finished his warm up and glanced at the staggering figure of Seth. “You’d better get well cause you’re my best friend.”

Seth took a quick shower, before pulling a pair of cargo shorts and a button up t-shirt on. He shouldered his bag and got out the brown paper bag of hard boiled eggs. He pulled an egg out and bit into it as he walked out of the locker room. As he did, the first thing he saw was Cassidy, leaning on the counter.

“Is everything alright?” Cassidy asked as Seth turned to her. She reached out and took his wrist gently. “You’ve never skipped out on a practice.”

Seth sighed, “I’m fine, only a headache.” As he said it, he took her hand in his and leaned on the other side of the counter. “On another note …”

Cassidy’s eyes softened and she smiled at him, “You’re breaking up with me, huh?” She didn’t seem angry or distraught, simply at peace with the fact.

Seth wasn’t surprised that she already knew. All of his past relationships had ended the same way. Seth just seemed to drift away from everyone who tried to love him. “Yeah, but I don’t want to hurt you. That’s why I need to break it off. If I don’t have feelings for someone, I’ll only end up hurting them in the long run.” He let go of her hand and started walking for the exit. Just before leaving, Seth turned back and said, “I hope you find a guy who can truly return your feelings, you deserve it.” Then he exited the building.

Cassidy sighed as she watched him leave. She sat in the rolling chair behind the counter. “I hope that one day you find a woman that you can love and I hope she loves you in return, because you’re worth it.”

On the outside of the pool, Seth walked to the corner of the building and started cracking the shell of another egg. He made sure to toss the eggshell into a spot of dirt so that it would decompose and nourish the soil. Seth bit into the top portion of the egg, once the shell was completely off. He liked to eat it that way, because it cut the yoke in half.

As Seth went to eat the other half, the headache intensified ten-fold. He froze as the headache continued to worsen with a vengeance. The egg fell out of his hand as he gripped the sides of his head with both hands. Slowly, Seth fell to his knees with a silent scream escaping his parched mouth. Then the pain ebbed and disappeared entirely and Seth face planted, drifting into the nothingness of unconsciousness.

Seth woke on the ground under a pine tree and a bright moon. When he sat up to look around, he gave a small sigh of relief. He was in Zone-28 of the forest next to his hometown of Salmon. It was the same place he went hunting every year. Off to his right, among the pines, was a large weeping willow that he’d been climbing since he was a child. To his left, Seth could see the cliff that he and his father would glass every year, while they ate lunch. It was all rather nostalgic as he looked around his old stomping grounds.

A twig snapped behind him and Seth was on his feet and ready for a fight. What he had expected was a wild animal, not a glowing astral being. It was a woman and she seemed to shimmer in and out of existence. It was, Seth thought, beautiful.

This was when Seth noticed that he was only wearing a pair of boxers. He also noticed that, even though there was snow on the ground and he was half naked, he wasn’t cold at all. The snow was knee high but his feet felt nice and warm, almost like he was in his snowsuit. “What…?” Seth couldn’t find words to finish the question.

“You are going through the first stage of receiving the power.” The astral woman stated. Her voice didn’t seem like it was coming from her however. It sounded as if her voice was resonating throughout the forest itself. It was as if Seth were talking with Mother Nature herself.

Seth straightened himself as he regained his composure, “What is this … power?” He stood his ground with his arms crossed as he waited for an answer.

“The power of Perfection is the power I speak of.” The woman slowly glided toward him until she was only a couple feet away. She raised a hand and placed it on Seth’s chest. A bright glow appeared and a shiver ran through Seth’s body. “It is time for your power to be completed. Prepare yourself. This is going to hurt … a lot.”

Before Seth could say anything, an arch of lightning shot through his body and he rose off the ground. For a few seconds, Seth was pulsing with power, unable to even move. Then, he was shot straight back and through the weeping willow. The top part of the tree slammed onto the ground and Seth shot to his feet. The woman appeared next to him but Seth didn’t have to look to know that she was there. He could feel her presence. When he looked down at his chest, there was a golden infinity symbol imprinted there, not tattooed, an actual gold inlay in his skin.

As he looked over his body, Seth noticed that many changes had occurred in those seconds of pain. His muscles had gone from thin and wiry to thick and toned. His boxers were stretched like a pair of briefs. He looked to the woman with a question in his mind. Had she gotten smaller?

“What are you?” Seth asked, calmly. He relaxed and stood to his full height, which he was two heads taller than the woman he’d been even with just a moment before.

She spread her arms and bowed to him, “I am Elania and I am your guardian angel.” When she stood back up, Elania could see the doubt playing across Seth’s face. “I know it’s hard to believe and if you need me to prove it, I have been watching you your whole life. I will answer any question you come up with.”

Seth carefully ran a finger along the infinity symbol before answering, “It’s not that I don’t believe you. I don’t think I deserve this power.” He looked to the moon and sighed. “I know I’m probably going to need to accomplish a goal for the world or something, but what if I’m not up to it?”

Elania’s arms dropped to her sides and she smiled, “That’s why I love being your guardian angel. In the fifteen years of your life, you have yet to leave me unsurprised. You have, without fail, surprised me your entire life. That’s one of the reasons why you do deserve the power.” She started to fade away but Seth stopped her.

“What happens now?” Seth could feel that dark times were ahead but couldn’t figure out what it might be that will cause it.

“Now the world needs you.” Elania said as she faded away.

Seth sighed as he was left to his own thoughts, which were swimming with unanswered questions. He started to wander through the forest. It was his home away from home after all. The first place he found himself was the cliff that he knew so well. It was over a couple hundred meters straight down and Seth used to fear the edge, as if a stray breeze would throw him over. Now, there was no fear and Seth stood with his toes dangling off the edge. The valley below was filled to the brim with pine trees and all sorts of wildlife and vegetation. Seth could hear them all, from a deer bounding across the ground, to a spider making its web in a tree. He could hear it all as if he was the forest itself.

When he looked up at the stars, Seth could see past the atmosphere and observe the surface of the stars. He could see the surface of Mars and even Pluto. He could see that the stars were really the deaths of planets and suns. He could have gotten lost in the vast void of space, but he knew that he had to stay on Earth. As his focus reverted back to the surface, Seth leaped from the edge and soared into the sky. He put out his arms as he felt the wind rush past him.

Then Seth heard a whimper down in the valley. He froze, mid-air, and shot to the ground like a bullet. As he got closer to the surface, Seth re positioned his legs so that he would land on his feet. The pressure from his landing created a crater the size of a football field. Trees were flattened and rocks were smashed, as if a giant hand had laid them all down.

Seth walked to the edge of the crater, to the source of the whimpering. He found a female timber wolf caught by her paw, in a bear trap. He shook his head as he walked up to the beautifully white creature. He squatted in front of her as she peeled back her lips to bare her fangs.

Seth made a small clicking noise with his tongue, “If you keep snarling at me, I’m not going to help you.” Seth twiddled with his thumbs as he waited for the wolf to calm herself. After some sniffing and whimpering, she lay her head down and gave a sigh.

Seth hopped forward and took a look. The trap had clamped down on her front right paw and there was blood covering most of the leg. He was able to get a good look at her now that he was right next to her. She was about six feet long from the tip of her snout to the end of her rump, with a tail that was half that length. Her pelt was more than pure white. It was immaculate, without a single blemish to be seen.

He patted her side, “That a girl, everything is going to be alright.” He took the clamps in hand and tensed for the resistance of the spring. As he went to pull it apart, he’d expected to slowly creek the clamp apart. Instead, he’d torn the two clamps apart, sending them flying in either direction.

The wolf hopped up to her feet and gently licked her wounded paw. She sat on her rear and stared at him. “Thank you, great one.” Seth heard it in his head but he knew that it was from her.

Seth inclined his head, “You’re very welcome, she-wolf.” He said it as a joke but her head tilted to one side, like she couldn’t believe that he’d understood her.

“You can understand me?” She said, a bit confused.

Seth sat on a protruding root and chuckled, “I guess I can.” He nodded his head toward her injured paw. “Mind if I take a look?” He held out his hand palm up to show that he meant no ill by it, urging her to let him help.

She licked the paw once more before hobbling over to where Seth sat and lowered the paw gently into his open palm. He took it gingerly and looked it over. He only moved the paw when he needed to and only moved it the smallest of degrees. The trap had severed a tendon and fractured the bone beneath the skin. He knew this because he’d paid special attention to his anatomy class that year. He also knew the procedure to fix it but there wasn’t any equipment around.

Then, as he thought of the process, light came from his hand and as he watched, the bone mended itself and the tendon reattached. The she-wolf gave a sigh as the pain ebbed. When Seth released it, she bounded around for a second before coming back to a sitting position next to Seth.

“Again, I thank you, Great One.” She said it as she took a wolf’s version of a knee. “My mind, body, and soul are indebted to you and I give them to your service.”

Seth hardly noticed her as he was staring at his hands. It was like he had a brand-new appendage with all new strengths and no apparent weaknesses. Then he looked to the wolf. Was she bigger than before? Seth decided he was going to have an interesting time with these new powers. “I hope you don’t mean that literally because I’ve never really had a companion.”

She took a step closer and sat again, “Yes, I mean it literally and I’m not going to be your companion. I am your servant in any way that you see fit.”

Seth stared at the she-wolf for a while before conceding, “Alright then, my name is Seth. What’s your name?” He held out a fist with a smile.

She placed her paw on top of his fist, “I’m Kerana but my pack calls me, Mother Moon.”

Seth nodded and looked to the stars, “Well, it’s nice to meet you Kerana. Would you be able to find my house by scent?”

Kerana stood from her seated position and barked angrily, “Of course I can!” She screamed in his head. “I’ve already memorized your scent pattern because you’re my master.”

Seth brought his hands up in defeat, “Ok, then I’ll meet you there. And Seth will do just fine, thank you. No more of this master business.” He stood and started walking in the direction of home.

Kerana fell in step beside him. She seemed to chuckle to herself, “Alright Master, Seth.”

He mocked a glare at her before chuckling to himself. “Fine, suit yourself.” He thought of his home and sighed. What are my parents going to think when I get there? He thought to himself.

Then there was a bright flash and he was standing just outside his little guest house. Kerana was still standing next to him. They both were a little confused over what had brought them there. Then the porch light to the back of the main house came on.

Seth pointed to the porch on the guest house, “Go sit up there. My parents won’t be too kind if they see me with a wolf.” The porch was on the side that faced away from the main house. Without any hesitation, Kerana bounded over to the porch and lay down in front of the door. Seth had to admit that she was even hard for him to see.

The screen door to the main house came open and Seth’s parents stepped out. His father was a very large man. Standing only six feet high, he weighed two hundred and forty pounds, most of which was in his upper torso, primarily his massive shoulders. Even with his new muscle, Seth didn’t believe that he was so wide. His mother was short and stocky, with massive thighs and arms. Seth knew that she was still stronger than she looked at five and a half feet tall. They both were wearing black slacks with a button up T and black sneakers. To Seth, this meant that they were done with their evening security detail.

Seth went to put his hands in his pockets and remembered that he was still in his boxers turned briefs. He made an effort to recover by awkwardly going to parade rest, with his hands clasped at the small of his back.

For a time, they all simply stared at each other. It was like a mental mexican standoff, whoever spoke first would start the gun fight. Then his father stepped off the porch and walked across the yard to stand in front of Seth. With Seth’s new height, his father’s bald head was level with his collar bone, which made him around seven feet tall.

A grin came across his father’s face, “You’ve met Elania, haven’t you?” He crossed his massive arms across his chest and chuckled, “She sure did a number on you.” He was looking Seth’s new muscular body over.

Seth could only muster a bewildered look, as he tried to process what his father had just stated. He knows my guardian angel? What does he mean she did a number on me? These were the questions flying through Seth’s head. He opened his mouth to speak but his father raised a hand to stop the avalanche of questions.

“First off, she’s not just your guardian angel.” His father began. “She was mine while I was growing up. To be absolutely correct, she’s our family’s guardian angel. Before Christ was born, guardians were appointed to every family. Now, the families are far and few between.” His father turned away and started back to Seth’s mother. “Looks like you won. I gotta make dinner.”

As Seth’s father went inside, his mother walked out to him. “I knew you were ready to receive your power.” She looked him up and down. “And what a power it must be. What did she say your power was?” She was still looking him over as she spoke.

“She said that it was the Power of Perfection.” Seth said dryly. He was still trying to grasp everything that was going through his head.

His mother smiled and started to walk back to the main house. “Get dressed and come to dinner. We can answer some questions for you.” As she walked through the door, Seth heard her whisper, “So it’s true, he’s the One.”

Seth was puzzled by the statement but decided to leave it. He strode up to the door of the little guest house. Kerana was still patiently waiting for him. He chuckled and rubbed her head. “Thanks for staying out of sight. I think you can come in for dinner, but mom may want you to bathe first.”

Kerana tilted her head to the side, “What’s bathe?” She was sitting on her haunches again, as her tail beat against the house.

Seth laughed to himself as he walked into the house, “A bath is when you clean all the dirt off yourself so that you’re clean.” He walked across the room and opened a dresser. “I’ll let mom decide and I’m telling you right now, if she says you need a bath. She’ll probably want to do it herself because she loves dogs.”

Kerana scoffed behind him, “As if I were some house pup. I will not be treated as such.” She puffed her chest out as she stated it.

Seth chuckled again as he tried to find clothes that fit him. “I don’t know. I think you’ll come to like it.” He pulled out an old hockey jersey and pulled it over his broad shoulders. It fit like a normal T.

Kerana didn’t have an answer for that. She just sat next to the doorway patiently waiting for Seth.

Seth had to scrounge in the bottom of his drawer to find a pair of gym shorts that fit him. He couldn’t find any shoes that could fit so he went barefoot. As he walked out, Kerana fell in step beside him. They strode across the yard and he opened the door for Kerana, before stepping in himself.

His parents were waiting at the dining table, filled with garlic bread and stroganoff. His mother was first to notice Kerana. Her face lit up and she strode over to her, scratching under her chin and stroking her side. “Who might your friend be?” She was giddy as a school girl.

“Her name is Kerana and she’s my new companion.” Seth chuckled at the smile on Kerana’s face and the heavy beat of her tail on the floor.

“Oh, let me make you a plate.” Seth’s mom took an extra plate from the table and filled it with stroganoff and a few slices of garlic bread. She set the plate next to Seth’s seat. Then she pointed a finger at Kerana. “No spilling and if you have to relieve yourself, go outside.” Then she was back to smiling and sat at the table.

Seth looked down at Kerana, “You get all that?”

She nodded her head, “Yes, I did. I’m perfectly fine with it as long as I don’t get a bath.” Kerana walked to her plate and froze as Seth’s mother spoke again.

“Don’t worry, I’m giving you a bath after dinner.” His mother giggled.

Kerana’s shoulders dropped as she quietly started to eat her food. Seth chuckled as he saw the interaction. “Could you always talk to animals?” He asked as he sat down at the table. He started shoveling stroganoff onto his plate as she answered.

“That was the power that I was given when I was sixteen.” She bit into a piece of garlic bread as she finished.

“Huh, that explains a lot.” Seth sighed as he dug into the stroganoff.

His mother gave him a sidelong glance, “Explains what exactly?” She sat up straighter as she waited for his answer.

“Really mom?” Seth looked at her accusingly, “You’re the only person I know who can walk up to a deer and ride it.” He said it as he continued to shovel food into his mouth.

His mother nodded to herself, “That’s right, that is all it should explain.” As she finished, she started to eat as well.

Seth was surprised to find his father silent. Normally, he would try to be the center or the mediator, depending on the conversation. Maybe he’s waiting for me to ask something? Seth thought. He cleared his throat and his father put up a hand to stop him.

“I have the ability to passively read people’s minds.” He answered the unspoken question. “And I’m a bit stronger than the average individual. I received this power when I was fourteen. I know I was a bit earlier than most but that was because I had to grow up a bit faster than most.” He looked up from his food to the bewildered look on Seth’s face. He smirked as he continued, “And before you ask, your sister has a guardian angel as well, but it’s not Elania. His name is Lekero, from your mom’s side of the family.” As he finished, he grabbed a slice of garlic bread and tossed some stroganoff on top.

Seth sat there, in the quiet of his own mind, trying to process what he was hearing. In the span of an hour, he’d gone from an exceptional teen to the most important teenager in the world, and he didn’t even want to be. They spent the rest of dinner talking about family and lineage. Seth was surprised to find that he was related to a lot of ancient rulers.

After finishing dinner, his mother offered to clean the dishes while Seth went to bed. She had grabbed Kerana by her scruff and dragged her to the tub. Seth, not wanting to anger his mother, resigned to his little house. When he sat on his bed, a light appeared in front of him. He didn’t even have to look to know that it was Elania. “So, what’s the word?” He asked.

“In three days, you will leave for Russia from Idaho Falls.” Elania stated as she stepped up to the window. “That is the time you have been given to decide.” She clasped her hands together behind her back and smiled, “So, how do you like your new power?”

Seth stood and walked to the full body mirror to look at himself. He could barely recognize himself. He had the same facial features but the rest of his body had changed. He removed his shirt so he could see the infinity symbol embedded in his chest. His muscle was just as tone as before, but it was more than three times thicker and denser. He’d gone from less than average height and weight to well above average all around, yet he felt no disarray from it. He was a new person but he felt like he hadn’t changed at all.

“It’s certainly interesting.” Seth finally stated as he sat on the edge of the bed. He was gripping his hands as he tried to figure out just how strong he was now. Then he noticed Elania smiling and shaking her head, “What?”

“You’re just always out of the ordinary.” She crossed her arms and seemed to lean on the window sill. “Any other person would be wondering what to do with their new power. You are trying to understand what power you have. That alone sets you apart from everyone.”

The door creaked open and Kerana came in sparkling. Her coat was as white as freshly fallen snow and she wore a wide grin. “I can get used to that.” She stated as she sat next to Seth’s feet.

Seth chuckled, “I thought you hated baths?” He scratched under her chin as he said the question. Then he looked up to Elania, “So I have three days to decide?” Seth fell back on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

“No, you have already decided. You just have to understand why you made it.” She smiled before disappearing.

Seth grimaced as he turned his body back to lying along his bed. He was disappointed to find from his knees down hanging off the edge of the bed. He only had a twin sized bed after all. He pulled the blanket over him and snuggled in. Then he noticed the anticipated thud of Kerana’s tail. He turned his head to see what was up.

She was sitting at the foot of the bed whining a bit. “Can I?” She threw a paw up on the bed.

Seth grimaced, “Alright, come on up.” He scooted over to the wall and shut his eyes. Kerana hopped up and lay at his back, facing the door.

Seth tried to find sleep but couldn’t. He just sat there waiting for sleep to come. Then it did, or didn’t, depending on your point of view. Everything went white and Seth found himself in a gleaming desert that was completely flat. There were no dunes or rolling hills, not even a lump in the sand that could be noticed.

Then there was a scrunch behind him and Seth turned ready for a fight. What he found was a tall man in a bright white suit with a black undershirt and a white tie. He had spiky white hair and red eyes that seemed to be ageless. “Hello there Seth. Mind if I join you?”