Fox Wheeler cruises down the highway. He reminds himself to slow down before hitting the town limits. Small town cops are always looking for someone to bust. And then there is the mountain weather to deal with. His truck had come off the line a long time ago. Fortunately it hasn’t started really snowing up in the mountains yet. It is close though. September has just begun and he’s seen plenty of signs of winter’s approach along the way.

The timing of the plan couldn’t be more perfect. It’s the combination of the coming winter weather and Tyr’s medical advancements. Since Tyr’s branching off from Var centuries ago they have finally made their own major breakthrough. Behind the veil of their pharmaceutical company they are a few months away from perfecting chips that allow the Psyren to control any creature from the Abyss. Although with his natural ability to control the creatures he will not get to be one of the Psyren testing out the chips on the field. They want to test his ability against their chip.

The near perfection of the chip is why he pitched his plan on how to take over now. It’s much easier to get the creatures to go along with Tyr’s plan if they have no choice in the matter. There would only be five Psyren needed around the globe for his plan to work. Carefully knocking out the seals surrounding the Abyss, combining the two worlds. Since it is a slow moving plan, Fox initially believed the elders would overlook it. They always act like they want to swoop in and destroy all the seals in a few hours. Whoosh, bang and a new world order. But that never works for them, and somehow Fox has managed to convince the old geezers at Tyr to go with his more realistic plan to take over the human world.

With the elders acceptance of his plan Fox’s rise to the top is now complete. It’s hard to believe just two months ago he was a nobody when pitching his plan to take over. And he has the older generation inside of Tyr to thank for it. All that listening about the history of the creatures and the Abyss has paid off. Fox blends Tyr’s desire to open the gates between Earth and the Abyss with his own desire to destroy the humans and Var.

The credibility with the elders inside Tyr comes with doing what no one else does. Fox actually reads the reports coming in with the various informants. He’s learned about a lone Astro with a connection to Var, yet they never brought this Astro into the organization. Or are even monitoring the Astro. For Var to do something so careless, it seems too good to be true. It’s an easy decision to pitch a plan to the elders giving them what they wanted while also getting his revenge on Var through this Astro. There isn’t a better calling card to the enemy.

All he had to do is convince the elders to go along with him, and they have. To all of it. Now less than a month after approval he is on the road. On his way to open the first gate into the Abyss. Soon he can get revenge for his sister. And the new world order can begin. Let the filthy humans be devoured by the creatures from the Abyss. Maybe he can swing by his old town and try to break the seal around the gate. Let the creatures destroy the town. If some creatures destroyed the town a second time those religious nuts might not rebuild a third time. The thought of blood-filled streets causes him to let out a twisted laugh. Almost like a snarl.

However that will be far in the future. It will take several open gates before the creatures are able to leave the Abyss. As of right now there isn’t one open gate. This mountain town, Solace, would be ground zero. The only kink left in Fox’s plan is Var. Usually Var just sticks to the shadows throwing money at the media from their hedge funds to keep any knowledge of the Abyss secret. Their defensive nature grows stronger as the number of Death Walkers keeps shrinking. But Fox knows that messing with the seals will force Var to go on the offensive, causing them to toss their money around in other places. While most of their Death Walker agents are useless, with bloodlines more human than creature, there is one exception. A ‘pure’ Death Walker. Zen Kros, a fifty-fifty split of human and creature. How the Kros family has managed to do that with access to the Abyss cut off is a mystery for the ages. It’s been hard for Fox to get Zen where he needs him for the plan to work. Zen has fallen in the ranks since an accident when he was much younger. The accident that involved the lone Astro that no one is remembering to watch. If all goes well both this Astro and Zen would end up in Solace around the same time. Tyr has already sent a Psyren, the best at emotional manipulation, to go convince the Astro to come to Solace. Fox is banking on the Astro’s powers to once again attract the creatures necessary to finish destroying the seal. Even if Zen somehow survives, he’ll be broken and changed.

A glance at the GPS tells him he is getting close to Solace. Fox tries to focus on the present. He could revel in his brilliance later. The fog is getting pretty thick for this time of night, and he needs to focus on the road if he is to not fly by his destination. He still doesn’t trust the accuracy of the GPS, but it beats a map.

It is the witching hour. Midnight. The perfect time to begin a new project. A small sign peeks through the fog. The truck flies through Solace. What a small town. A few seconds and he’s through the main street. If he had blinked he would have missed the town. The people of Solace have no idea what is getting ready to hit them. None of the remaining families in the town have any bloodlines linked to the Astros or the Psyren. They won’t be able to see any of the creatures. At least not the weak ones that would be coming out of the gate first. It is part of the beauty of the whole plan. With hundreds of gates to be opened, Fox doesn’t want anyone around that could sound an alarm. He wants a head start before Var gives chase.

The GPS screen begins to flicker. The little icon spinning out of control. It is enough to make him dizzy. The truck coasts to a stop on the side of the road. He slams his fist on top of the box. Nothing. A sigh escapes his lips. He is going to have to do this the old fashioned way. At least the cemetery is supposed to be on the same road as Solace. If he goes slowly enough hopefully he will see something from the road. With the fog thickening, it is hard to know for sure.

Fox pulls back onto the road, looking for any signs of the cemetery. This is not the time to lose his cool. He does not need to attract attention before he attacks the seal. It’s too early in the plan to have to play cat and mouse with Var. And even though the elders have given his plan the green light they would be just as quick to replace him if Fox catches too much attention. The only thing they care about is recreating the Heinzer event. Successfully this time.

He squints out the windshield. Willing any sign of the cemetery to emerge through the fog. His excitement is wearing off. The longer he is out here, the chance to run into one of Var’s Death Walkers increases. Somewhere between town and the cemetery is one of Var’s outposts. A big fight isn’t something he wants, especially so close to the humans. It was a stunt like that which caused his sister’s death and the reason he turned to Tyr. They allow him to express his hatred of all humans. The humans are more twisted than the demons they fear.

A rusted piece of metal appears on his right. He slams his foot on the brake. The truck lurches to a stop. It looks like a fence. A tiny red imp runs into the fog. One of the creatures coming back from a prank. He wonders what it is doing to choose that form. Usually when the creatures pull their pranks they prefer to take on a more human form.

With the creatures running around Fox decides to walk the rest of the way. He can’t risk flying right past his destination trying to spot the entrance. He has already spent too much time up in the mountains. Pulling his jacket closed, he glances down at his wrist. A slight adjustment to keep the bandage in place. The tattoo artist had tried to go through his arm. Somehow the triangle actually came out looking normal. As he slides out of the car he slips his sunglasses on. With this kind of weather there is still a chance he could run in to someone, like a lone cop. He is in no mood to get in a fight tonight over his red eyes.

As he steps out of the car he is greeted by the fresh crisp air. And then there’s the sweet silence. Fox runs his fingers through his hair, wiping extra gel on his pants. He could get used to the cool mountain air, but he has to move. The gravel crunches under his boots. Approaching the twisted metal he finds a fence, or what is left of it anyway. And on the other side are tombstones. He has found the cemetery. If he remembers the layout correctly, the seal is somewhere in the back of this place.

Fox doesn’t feel like finding the entrance. He launches himself over the remains of the fence. Once on the other side he takes small steps. Listening for any movement other than his own. A few crickets chirp in the distance, the only other living things in the area. Maybe the fog isn’t so bad after all. It’s become a natural layer between him and the human world. Such an ugly world. Dirty. Soon that will all change.

As he strolls towards the back of the cemetery, the green glow of the seal comes into view. He reaches the back of the cemetery, the old gate screeching open. It seems like the humans built a cemetery onto the old Death Walker cemetery. Irony at its finest. He trips over a half buried tombstone. Focus. His goal is so close. Fox walks through the Death Walker cemetery reaching the other gate. Why this cemetery is broken into three parts is a mystery. The seal is completely in view. The four statues, representing the four directions, surround the seal like silent guardians.

His mind wanders as he looks up trying to find the highest part of the seal. A perfectly shaped dome sitting between four statutes. Rumors had it that there is a fifth statute near the center of the seal near the gate, but only an Astro would be able to see it. It’s amazing to think that the seals have survived centuries unchanged. A single Psyren centuries ago created the first seal, cutting off the Abyss from Earth. It’s hard to believe something like the seals around each gate into the Abyss is what ended the Heinzer event. It almost seems a shame to even try to break the seal. Thousands of gates around the world sealed all at once by one person. And not one has failed. It is amazing.

Though the Astros are truly the lucky ones. Sure he can see the creatures, but he can’t communicate with them. And the Astros can freely walk in and out of the Abyss. Yet so few of them took advantage of this gift. Most choose to help Var keep the humans safe and the worlds separated. Sacrificing themselves to protect the seals. Fox can’t understand why they squander their gift, siding with Var. He would love to see inside the Abyss without fear of being trapped.

Fox sighs, running his fingers through his hair. It is time to get started. To crack the seal, but not destroy it. He has to have control. This is the main difference between his plan and those before him. He doesn’t want to break the seal completely. If time has proven anything, it is that it takes a great amount of power to break a seal. More than one Psyren could possess. Even one as powerful as him. No he is just going to crack it, and make it easier for the weaker creatures to escape. To explore Solace, and find the Astro he has coming to town. Maybe cause a few more pranks than usual. The creatures’ desire to consume the Astro would cause more of them to come through the gate, eventually breaking the seal. The magical power from the lower level creatures of the Abyss should be enough to shatter the seal. No reason not to use that power to his advantage.

Fox lifts his hand towards the seal. Closing his eyes. He holds his breath. Listening. The sound of glass breaking. He opens his eyes, coming out of the trance. A tear has formed down the seal. But it is still standing. Pulsing as it tries to mend itself. He waits for a moment to make sure it can’t completely repair itself. It’s still pulsing but a two foot tear remains, its rejuvenating power dried up. Fox checks one last time that it isn’t fixing itself before he starts the jog back to his truck. Time for the games to begin.