Jayden floated in the soft gray nothingness, the edges of his awareness dissolving like mist. The tether that had once pulled him toward the world of the living had weakened. The voices…Evan’s, the kids’, Jonah’s … had grown faint.
He felt… tired.
Not the exhaustion of battle. Not the pain of wounds.
A deeper tiredness.
A soul-tiredness.
They’re safe now, he thought, the words drifting like leaves on still water. The demon is gone. The children are protected. Evan… Evan will be okay.
He wanted to believe that.
He needed to.
A ripple disturbed the stillness.
Jayden turned or the soul-version of turning and saw a figure approaching through the twilight. Tall. Calm. Familiar.
Chris.
The reaper’s presence didn’t bring fear. Only a quiet gravity.
“You’re drifting,” Chris said gently, his voice echoing without sound. “You’re letting go.”
Jayden exhaled, though he had no lungs. “It’s time.”
“No,” Chris said, stepping closer. “It isn’t.”
Jayden shook his head. “I’ve done what I needed to do. The kids are safe. Evan is strong. Jonah is healing. They don’t need me anymore.”
Chris’s expression softened with something like sorrow. “That’s not true. They need you more than ever.”
Jayden looked away, the twilight pulling at him like a tide. “I’m tired, Chris. I don’t want to fight anymore.”
“You’re not fighting alone,” Chris said. “They’re fighting for you.”
Jayden’s voice dimmed. “They shouldn’t have to.”
Chris reached out, placing a hand on Jayden’s shoulder “Jayden… if you go now, they will break. Evan will break.”
Jayden’s form flickered. “He’ll heal.”
“No,” Chris whispered. “He won’t.”
Jayden hesitated.
For the first time, doubt cracked through the acceptance.
The series finale of Sealab 2021 aired on April 25, 2005. The series ran for 5 seasons and 53 episodes as part of Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim". The final episode of the tongue-in-cheek continuation of the Hanna Barbera 70's cartoon Sealab 2020 was done in an interview style retrospective. They also included a tribute to Harry Goz, who had played Captain Murphy until his passing in 2003. ("Legacy of Laughter" Sealab 2021, TV Event)
Chris: Thank you. - he didn't know if Hayden and Vy would wait with their wedding or not, but at least he knew he could go. - You felt it too then I guess? - he looks at Jael, it had been so small in Rylan, but it was there. which told him it had probably happened just before the attack.-
Jael: -nods with a smile- Of course I did.
Chris: The rest works about the same as on our side, I will know when I am needed, or will I be told? And is there somewhere I can learn like a library or so? -he looks at the building, admiring the gardens. -
Jael: -smiles- You will be called when you are needed. In the common room there are books you can read on time, myths, rules. So on, so on. You can also ask the ankou. Oh... -they face Chris, their eyes calm- They might ask payment or trade for knowledge. They trade for goods, knowledge, currency and objects, collectibles for example. As an Ankou you will be paid, we have our own currency and economy. But if they ask your eyes as trade for, let’s say for example, free pass to go visit your family, do not accept it.
-Chris lifts a brow, surprised at what Jael was saying.-
Jael: The trade of eyes are permanent and it will scar your spirit. Your spirit only has so many eyes it can give before it looses power and stability. Though it is not forbidden to trade eyes, as we find loose and shattered eyes in our work, I quite am against ripping an eye out of a perfectly healthy and stable spirit for such purposes and it will be punishable. Oh, and, don't be fooled, red eyes are not worth that much. You’d be amazed at the amount of alien entities with red eyes. Rarest are actually green and purple, -they wink at Chris- I shall take my leave. I'll come meet you at the end the cycle... -they hesitate- Day, I mean, and we can talk more.
Chris: Thank you. - he gives a nod to Jael. - I'll keep it in mind, they will probably find me boring though. - he looks once more at Jael, then he walks away, already decided to find some books to read and then just wait for his first round off work. His conversation with Hayle still so clear in his mind. He knew he could learn a lot from this, and perhaps even find a way to lock the tear between the universes, if they were lucky.-
(And this is what Chris will be up to for a while and we will see why.)
“Chris…” Hayle began, his phone vibrating with urgency.
Chris shook his head, his voice low but steady. “I’ll tell you later.”
Hayle hesitated, torn between pressing for answers and answering the call that could not wait. He lifted the phone. “Hello?”
“That was Evan,” he said quickly as he put his phone away. “I need to get the kids to the hospital.” He moved closer to his husband, searching his face. “Are you alright? Or…” His heart lurched, fearing Chris was trying to say goodbye, fearing another long separation.
Chris offered a faint but resolute smile. “Don’t worry. This is not goodbye. There were consequences, but nothing I cannot bear.”
“Are you certain?” Hayle asked, his voice tight with concern.
“Positive,” Chris affirmed.
“Once we’re home, you’ll tell me,” Hayle pressed.
“Everything,” Chris promised.
At the hospital, Josie and Ryan rushed to Evan, voices overlapping in their desperation.
“How is he?”
“Can we see him?”
“What about Uncle Cecil and Uncle Jonah?”
Evan raised his hands, trying to calm them. “One at a time.”
Josie’s voice trembled. “How is Papa?”
“He’s,” his voice broke, as tears threatened to undermine his self-control. Clearing his throat, he continued “he’s in a coma…”
“But…but Ryan healed him,” Josie sobbed, falling into her father’s arms.
“I’ll do it again,” Ryan said “he’ll get better. I know he will.”
Ryan took off towards the emergency room doors intent on finding Jayden on his own. He had to heal his papa. He did it once. He could do it again.
“Ryan no,” Evan said torn between stopping his son and holding his sobbing daughter.
Hayle was the one who decided things for him, moving swiftly to stop the boy. Hayle knelt down beside Ryan “little healer you did well bridging your papa back now it’s time to let the doctors do their job.”
Tears ran down Ryan’s face “but it’s not working. Papa needs me.”
Gently Hayle placed his hands on Ryan’s shoulders, “sometimes it’s not enough to heal.”
Ryan let out an anguished cry “I’d done it before….”
“You’re young and inexperienced,” Hayle explained “you gave your papa everything you had to bring him back but it may not have been enough…”
Looking at his hands Ryan glanced up at Hayle confusion written all over his face. “I don’t understand…”
Death was a difficult concept for most adults to understand and it was even harder for children. Hayle sought for the right words and settled for the truth “your papa was being drained by energy demons for a long time. He gave all he had to protect his family. He was hurt more than you were able to fix in healing him.”
“But I can do it again,” Ryan repeated, balling his hands into fists determined to do it as long as he had to.
“I know you want to” Hayle sighed “but you gave too much to bring him back. You don’t have any more to give.”
Ryan knew Hayle was right. He was tired and still hurt from the day before. “I don’t want papa to die,” he said in a small forlorn voice.
“Don’t give up hope, little one,” Hayle encouraged “the doctors are quite good here. You gave your papa the strength to fight…”
“And he’s a fighter,” Ryan added, wiping tears away with the back of his hands.
“That’s right,” Hayle said, taking his hand and leading him back to Evan and Josie who were still standing with Chris.
Josie pulled away from Evan to take Ryan’s hand “can we see papa?” she asked.
Evan nodded “I think he’d like that.”
Once the kids were gone Evan turned to Hayle and Chris, his shoulders sagging with grief. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“We would have been here sooner,” Hayle said quietly, “but I wasn’t sure if you wanted me…”
“Of course we do,” Evan said with conviction. “You’re family.” His gaze shifted to Chris. “And thank you for what you did. You saved him.”
Chris shook his head. “Ryan saved him. I only allowed him to try.”
“Yes, but… what about the law, about not interfering?” Evan pressed.
Chris’s voice was calm, resolute. “That is not for you to worry about. I will bear it.”
Evan frowned, unsettled. “Are you sure? I feel like I’m missing something.”
“I’m sure,” Chris repeated, his tone firm, leaving no room for doubt.
“Good,” Evan said, exhaling like a man who was already carrying more weight than he could.. “Now that you’re here, Hayle, perhaps you can help the staff with something.”
Hayle blinked. “Help with what?
“Cecil,” Evan explained. “He was badly wounded, but he refuses to stay in bed. He keeps trying to get to Jonah.”
“Why can’t they be in the same room?” Hayle asked.
Evan’s expression darkened. “Jonah is still in the ICU. His injuries were severe.”
“I’ll talk to Cecil,” Hayle promised. “But it would be best if they were together. Cecil’s healing could aid Jonah. Some dragons carry that gift.”
Evan nodded, hopeful but uncertain. “Perhaps you could explain that to the staff. Right now, they think Cecil is delirious…talking about Heartlights and sharing hearts. But from your face, I can see it’s not just crazy talk.”
Hayle’s voice was steady, carrying both caution and hope. “It is possible. But such a process is best done under safer circumstances. I’ll speak with him.”
A pressure in the air. A wrongness. A ripple that shuddered through the world like a breath sucked sharply between clenched teeth.
He froze mid‑stride in the hospital corridor, one hand braced against the wall as the fluorescent lights above him flickered.
“Chris?” Hayle’s voice came from behind him, low and cautious. “What is it?”
Chris didn’t answer at first. He couldn’t. His pulse hammered, his reaper instincts recoiling like a startled animal. The air tasted metallic like lightning before a storm.
Something had shifted.
Something ancient.
Something forbidden.
He swallowed hard. “Someone opened a door.”
Hayle’s expression tightened. “What kind of door?”
Chris turned slowly, eyes wide, “The kind that should never be opened.”
Hayle stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Tell me exactly what you felt.”
Chris pressed a hand to his chest, fingers trembling. “A tear. A pull. Like the veil between worlds just… thinned. No…. it was ripped open.” He shook his head, breath unsteady. “This wasn’t an accident. Someone invoked something powerful. Something old.”
Hayle’s jaw clenched. “A death ritual?”
Chris nodded once, sharply. “Yes.”
“Where?” Hayle asked.
Chris closed his eyes, reaching out with senses most people didn’t have names for. The world around him dimmed. The hum of machines faded. The chatter of nurses dissolved.
There—
A thread of cold.
A tether stretching from the hospital into the distance.
A familiar signature tangled in the magic like a heartbeat he knew too well.
His eyes snapped open.
“Oh no,” he whispered. “It’s Evan.”
Hayle’s breath caught. “What did he do?”
Chris didn’t answer immediately. He couldn’t force the words out. His throat felt tight, his stomach twisting.
Hayle grabbed his arm. “Chris. What did he do?”
Chris met his eyes, horror settling into his bones. “He crossed the veil.”
Hayle staggered back a step. “No. No, he wouldn’t….”
“He did.” Chris’s voice cracked. “He’s in the netherworld.”
Hayle ran a hand through his hair, panic flashing across his face. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing. He doesn’t understand the cost.”
Chris shook his head. “He understands. That’s the worst part.”
Silence fell between them, heavy and suffocating.
Hayle’s voice dropped to a whisper. “He went after Jayden.”
Chris nodded, throat tight. “He’s trying to bring him back.”
Hayle swore under his breath, “We have to stop him.”
Chris looked down the hallway toward Jayden’s room, toward the place Evan had stood minutes before making the most dangerous choice of his life.
“We can’t reach him,” Chris said softly. “Not where he is.”
Hayle’s eyes burned. “Then what do we do?”
Chris swallowed hard, feeling the echo of Evan’s essence fading into the void.
“We pray he remembers who he is,” he whispered. “And that he doesn’t give the god of death more than he can afford to lose.”
Hayle closed his eyes, grief and fear twisting his features.
“Evan won’t come back alone,” he said quietly. “He’ll bring Jayden or he’ll bring ruin.”
