The morning of Tomas’ sacrifice began like any other morning. The sun rose, birds sang, and a pair of metaphysical hands made from destiny, reached out to grab the concept of time and rip it into two.

STEP 3: SPLIT THE UNIVERSE INTO TWO TIMELINES.

Head priest Roy practically skipped on his way to collect Tomas. Two acolytes of the church were hurrying to keep up behind him. The dangerous weather that had been plaguing the world for weeks was absent from the church compound today. Instead, it was a wonderful sunny day. To Roy, this was a sign that the universe itself favoured him. The sacrifice ceremony was going to be perfect!

He knocked on Tomas’ door before unlocking it and letting himself in. Tomas had fallen asleep late, playing games on his sofa and didn't even stir upon Roy’s entrance. Roy shook his head. The boy was practically royalty and yet wasted all his time on vidjyo games and tickle tock. Roy had banned all regular church members from such sinful activities.

He clapped his hands in front of Tomas’ face, “Wake up, brother Tomas. It’s time to get ready!”

Tomas had slept all of maybe 2 hours the previous night. With a painful, strained effort, he raised his head and looked at Roy with a bleary and unfocused gaze. He couldn't hold his head up for long. It drifted slowly back down, onto the sofa, his eyes closed long before his head landed, and he fell back asleep immediately.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Roy grabbed Tomas by the robe and yanked him off the sofa. Tomas fell onto the floor with a thud, mumbled incoherently, and then rolled over to begin sleeping on the floor.

If Roy hadn't been expecting as much he’d have lost it. However, this wasn’t his first time waking Tomas. He snapped his fingers towards the door and one of the acolytes who had come with him entered the room carrying a bucket of ice water. Roy stepped back and gave the acolyte room to upend the bucket onto Tomas. Tomas gasped and snapped upright in confused, icy surprise.

Roy thanked the acolyte who took their leave, then greeted Tomas again, “Good morning, brother Tomas! It’s time to get ready.” He snapped his fingers again and a second acolyte entered the room carrying fresh robes and a set of heavy chain manacles.

Tomas was still having a hard time processing his surrounding. He stared at the bundle they held in confusion for several seconds before asking, “Chains? Really Roy?”

As usual, he addressed Roy without any titles. The acolyte gasped at Tomas’ display of insolence. Roy, however, completely ignored the insult. Nothing was going to take away from his happiness today. He gestured for them to hand over the bundle and leave.

“Yes! Aren’t they wonderful? They’re traditional. Here you are,” he passed the robes and chains down to Tomas, “Hurry and get dressed; we don’t want to be late.”

Tomas reluctantly accepted the bundle, “What do you mean traditional? Isn’t this the first time we’ve ever done something like this?” Tomas stood and started to remove his wet robes

“Every tradition must begin somewhere,” Roy cheerfully explained. He averted his gaze as Tomas changed.

With fresh robes on, Tomas picked up the chains, “They’re heavy! Couldn’t we wait until we’re at the uh.. place before putting them on? Where are we even going?”

“It’s traditional to put them on in your room,” Roy helped clasp them around Tomas’ wrists and ankles. His smile grew wider, “Actually, I have good news about the location. The weather has cleared up so we'll be performing the ceremony in the sacred outdoor courtyard.”

Tomas had never heard of such a place, “Huh? Where? And wait up… I thought the whole reason we're doing this was because of the crazy weather?”

Roy chortled and shook his head, “Ohohoho, oh Tomas, I told you yesterday: this is the next step in the church's universal conquest. You're so forgetful sometimes. Right! The chains look good. Let’s go!” He took a hold of the chain and pulled Tomas along joyfully.

Did he say that? Tomas groggily trudged behind Roy lost in thought. He let himself be guided by the yanking of his chains until they reached the ‘sacred outdoor courtyard’. A place that had been called the ‘outdoor rec area’ until earlier that morning. It was an open-air square in the centre of the compound used for meditation. Almost all important members of the church were lined up on either side of the square waiting for them.

Tomas just then woke up enough to realise that he had just let Roy drag him to where he was to die, ‘Gah! I was out of my room and alone with Roy this entire walk. That was my best chance to escape! I wasted it!’ he admonished himself. ‘Maybe I can make a run for it now.’ He looked out across the courtyard and saw the Matriarch, ‘Oh… never mind.’

The legend of the wolf and the lioness was based on a true story. The Matriarch was that wolf. She was the greatest huntress to have ever lived. This was in no small part due to the fact that she was one of the greatest creatures to have ever lived. She was a wolf-shaped giantess of lean, powerful muscles covered in silver fur. Her long jaws were filled with razor-sharp teeth. Wicked claws made for tearing through flesh tipped her elongated hands and feet. Just a glance from her piercing yellow eyes was enough to send shivers down the bravest of spines. Her tail, however, was surprisingly cute, fluffy, and waggly.

She stood on her hind legs, slightly hunched forward. If she were to stand straight, she would be just under three meters tall. She was almost as tall as the compound they lived in, so she had to be careful indoors not to damage the ceiling or door frames with her head. They were specially designed to be extra tall and sturdy with her in mind, just in case.

Her being the greatest hunter meant that if Tomas ran, she would hunt him down with ease. She could track his scent from miles away, listen for his panicking heartbeat from behind walls, and even taste his fear in the air. It was a well-known fact that there was no escaping the Matriarch. She was the pillar of absolute power that held the Church up for over a hundred years. Upon seeing her, Tomas let go of hope and resigned himself to his fate.

She had dressed up for the occasion today. She wore an elaborate white ritual dress tailored to her size and features. Bit of a waste, Tomas thought, as it would undoubtedly get stained with his blood during the proceedings. The top of her head was adorned with flowers to give her a more 'feminine' feel. Tomas could see that her eyelashes had also been done up nicely and her claws were freshly polished.

In the stories of the wolf chronicles, she could change forms between wolf and woman. Tomas felt that since she always took pride in her appearance and commanded such respect, It was safe to assume that she was a very classy, and quite tall lady when she wasn’t a 3-meter tall wolf monster. Presuming she was able to transform at all. Tomas had never seen her leave wolf form, so he wasn’t 100% sure if she even could.

Roy also looked at the Matriarch. Something was bothering him, so he called over a nearby, lower-ranking priest. His face turned icy as he hissed, “Where is the Matriarch’s crown!?”

“Head Priest, I’m sorry, sir. It’s missing. We have acolytes searching everywhere but it's gone. We didn't want to delay the ceremony any further so…” the frightened priest explained.

Tomas ignored them and stared at the sky. The weather was indeed beautiful today. The last few weeks had been chaotic. Snow, rain, fog, and even tornadoes had hit the compound, so these peaceful skies were welcomed by all, “It’s a good day to die.” he said reaching an acceptance.

Tomas spoke too soon. As soon as the words left his mouth, as if to mock him, it stopped being a good day to die. The magical rebound from Weather Fish’s death hadn’t run its course yet. The sunny morning they had been experiencing was just another randomly generated magical weather that was now finished. A strong wind blew through the courtyard and the sky that was clear a moment ago filled with dark clouds, seemingly coming from nowhere. Roy stopped harassing the poor priest and looked up, feeling very concerned for the ceremony as thunder rumbled in the sky.

The Matriarch also raised her head and looked to the sky at that same moment as a bolt of lightning fell down and hit the highest object in the area; the roof of the compound. The light was blinding and the thunder that soon followed sounded like a cannon. The sky went beserk, hundreds of bolts followed moments after the first, striking the compound again and again. Everyone fell to the ground screaming and covered their eyes and ears. Then, Everything went silent. The lightning stopped as suddenly as it started and was replaced with heavy rain. Looking shellshocked, they picked themselves up and stared wide-eyed at the destroyed compound around them.

With their ringing ears, they heard a panicked voice call out, “Matriarch! This is a sign! We need your strength! Consume the boy now and protect us!”

The Matriarch’s dangerous yellow eyes opened and stared coldly at Roy. He should know better than to make demands of her. But this time, she decided to listen to him. She stood, crossed the courtyard quickly and halted in front of Tomas. He was curled in a ball on the ground trembling. She picked him up like a small child and held him in front of her. He finally opened his eyes and looked up at her, crying. His face broke her heart. She closed her eyes so she didn't have to see. She brought him up into her mouth and bit down.

A sickening crunch sound was heard over the rain. Followed by another, then another. Finally, there was a clanging sound as she spat out the iron manacles. Her beautiful white dress was now soaked by rain and blood.

The Matriarch twisted and bent over as if she was in pain. Something intensely unnatural was beginning. The still shellshocked onlookers watched in horror and awe as the Matriarch changed. At first, her shoulder twitched, then her leg. Finally, her entire body began to jolt, warp and grow.

At the time of the story from the chronicles, when she ate the lioness, she had been no larger than a regular wolf. On that day she grew from that natural size into the giant who had just consumed Tomas. As had happened then, she was now growing unnaturally larger, stronger, and deadlier at an exponential rate. So great was her size increase, that everyone had to back away to make room for her mass.

Time went on, and the onlookers began worrying as she showed no signs of stopping. She grew larger than any living creature on earth. After an hour passed, and she was at least 30 meters tall, finally, her body stopped expanding. She was as large as the largest dinosaurs to ever walk the planet, yet she lost none of her grace and agility. Each of her individual claws was larger than a man. Her fur was as thick as ropes; her mouth large enough to swallow a horse in one bite. She was magnificent. A goddess of the hunt.

Roy fell to his knees. Everyone in the courtyard quickly followed suit, “Oh great Matriarch! We are your loyal servants. The universe is our prey to hunt!” He called out.

The Matriarch howled and the ground trembled.

Approximately 25 years in the future, outside of a hidden bunker, on the moon, church soldiers lined up outside preparing to breach the front gate. Inside, deep underground, the walls shook as explosives rocked the surface outside. The last remnants of the rebellion rushed furiously to finish their work.

Ricky, the vice leader of the rebels, bolted in the last component on the complicated machine they were working on. He looked over to the Smarty, Einstien who had just finished calibrating into her console. She gave him a thumbs up.

"I'll go get the leader. Everyone get ready!" Ricky called out to the room

Everyone rushed to clear the area and get to their assigned computers as Ricky went to knock on the leader's door, "We're ready." He called out.

The door slid open and out swum the last living magical fish. He wore a patch over one eye. His face and body were covered in horrific burns and scars. Almost none of his beautiful, original gold scales remained. His fins were mangled and he was missing half of his tail. Despite all that, he looked undefeated. He swam like a king.

He looked out with his remaining eye upon the last of the rebels. The room was silent, staring back at him expectantly. When Destiny Fish spoke, his voice came out as a croaky whisper, "Thank you, everyone, for never giving up. This is it. We will never get another chance to make things right." He swam up to Ricky, "You understand the consequences should you succeed and the consequences should you fail?" He asked the rebel’s vice leader.

"I do, sir. Either way, I'm not coming back. It doesn’t matter, this is for all the brave men and women in this room. It’s for all the brave people we’ve lost. I swear to you, I won’t fail my mission." Ricky said with heroic stoicism.

"You are the bravest amongst us." A tear rolled down Destiny Fish's face. "I only have one spell remaining. I shall cast it on you in hopes it may help you, even if only a little."

Destiny spat out his wand and spoke the magic words: “Destined to Wield the Destined blade of Destiny!” magic surrounded Ricky and now he was destined to find an item of significance. Destiny swallowed the wand back and coughed, “Don’t let the spell’s long name fool you, it has nothing to do with blades. It’s a spell for finding spare change and lost keys heheh…” *COUGH COUGH COUGH* Destiny held up a mangled fin to ward off Ricky’s concern, “Still, I hope it serves you well.”

“Thank you, sir! I am deeply honoured” Ricky bowed. The bunker shook again from another explosion outside.

"It’s time dudes! Ricky, get into position. You may give the go order yourself. May destiny guide you… bro."

The room collectively gasped. Everyone knew that there was only one other non-fish in all of history whom Destiny Fish had called bro.

Ricky just smiled, jumped into the machine, stuck his chest out, and shouted. "Einstein! Hit it!"

The machine whirled to life and began spinning around Ricky. Faster and faster and began lighting up the room. Sparks flew and the sound reached a crescendo. The ceiling lights dimmed and flickered until finally there was a blast of kinetic energy out from the machine, knocking everyone in the room back.

The lights came back on. The machine and the computers were completely ruined. In the centre of the room. Ricky was gone.

Everyone was silent as they stood to their feet. From above a new sound began. It sounded like giant paws digging through Earth.

"So she came personally. Perfect. Everyone to arms! It's time to make our last stand!" Destiny roared.

The room cheered.

That was of course only what happened in timeline A, where

STEP 4: HIDE THE MATRIARCH’S CROWN.

occurred. Over in timeline B however…

Roy’s Smile grew wider upon entering the courtyard and seeing the Matriarch. She was wearing an iron crown shaped like long teeth, pointing to the sky. It was adorned with flowers to give her a feminine feel. With her crown on, she towered over even the rooves of the compound, “She looks so wonderful in her crown. I designed it myself, you know!” Roy bragged to Tomas.

Tomas ignored him and stared at the sky. The weather was indeed beautiful today. The last few weeks had been chaotic. Snow, rain, fog, and even tornadoes had hit the compound, so these peaceful skies were welcomed by all, “It’s a good day to die.” he said reaching an acceptance.

Tomas spoke too soon. As soon as the words left his mouth, as if to mock him, it stopped being a good day to die. The magical rebound from Weather Fish’s death hadn’t run its course yet. The sunny morning they had been experiencing was just another randomly generated magical weather that was now finished. A strong wind blew through the courtyard and the sky that was clear a moment ago filled with dark clouds seemingly coming from nowhere. Roy stopped bragging and looked up, feeling very concerned for the ceremony as thunder rumbled in the sky.

The Matriarch too raised her head and looked to the sky at that same moment as a bolt of lightning fell down and hit the highest object in the area; her crown. The light was blinding and the thunder that soon followed sounded like a cannon. The sky went beserk, hundreds of bolts followed moments after the first, striking the Matriarch again and again. Everyone fell to the ground and covered their eyes and ears. Then, everything went silent. The lightning stopped as suddenly as it started and was replaced with heavy rain. Looking shell shocked, they picked themselves up and stared wide-eyed at the Matriarch.

A voice was heard through their ringing ears, “Matriarch! This is a sign! We need your strength! Consume the boy now and protect us! Matriarch?! Oh no! NONONONONO! MATRIARCH!!!”

Tomas was curled in a ball on the ground. Hearing Roy’s panicked screams, he got up and rubbed his eyes. Roy was rushing over to where the Matriarch was sizzling, having been cooked by the lightning. Streams of black smoke rose off her body through the rain. He was still a bit stunned so it took him a moment to realise, this was his chance.

He looked down at his chained hands and feet. It was such an odd thing. Surely Roy knew that he could have escaped the chains at any time. He transformed just his arms and legs into long slippery tentacles. He wriggled them around a little and the chains fell off onto the ground.

“She’s alive!! Get Tomas!” Roy screamed.

The blood drained from Tomas’ face. He shifted his arms back to normal, turned around, and bolted away through the compound. By the time people started to look for him, he was already gone. There was panic and chaos everywhere, which he used to his benefit. With his head down, he fled unhindered until he reached the outside gate of the facility. It was too tall to climb over for a normal person and he had no idea how to open it as it had always been done for him by security. He was not a normal person though.

Tomas fully transformed. It took a few seconds for him to change. First, his hands and feet became long thick tentacles as his head and torso shortened together into a large blob. Four new tentacles sprouted from the body and wriggled their way down to the ground growing to full size. His features became smoother as his face shifted and rearranged. His mouth moved down to below his body with his teeth fusing together into a sharp beak. Finally, his bones dissolved and his skin became slimy and red. His transformation was complete. He didn't look quite like an octopus, he didn't look quite like a man. He was a were-octopus!

With his body transformed, he stretched himself up and grabbed the top of the wall using his sucker pads for grip. Pulled himself up and over and landed outside in a squishy heap and transformed back.

That had gone much better than he had expected. Now that he had escaped the facility it was time to consider what to do next. Roy was undoubtedly rallying more people to come to hunt him down. Which meant escaping along the road was not an option. He fled offroad into the wilderness.

If the Matriarch did indeed survive, eventually she would be strong enough to hunt again. This meant that hiding was not a possibility. It seemed like he really had to go with that option, “Chooks creek, Madame Wanda” he recited. He was going to have to sacrifice his powers so that he could live.

With a destination in mind, Tomas the were-octopus fled into the Australian bushland. He didn’t know it, but he had an old drunk and a magical fish to thank for his life. The universe had big plans for him.