"But he won't coexist with someone who has more than him. He's trying to become a god. God means all-powerful." The Oracle's hold on Max had slipped a bit, and he bent to help Bella.

The Oracle made a fist and drew his spine painfully straight. "He will never reach that level. I will use him up and discard him."

"For what? To get yourself killed for free? Hell, I could have done that for you." Max grimaced as her invisible hand tightened around his spine. "If you're going to kill me, kill me!"

The Oracle relinquished her hold. "My vision is not clouded by lust for power. I will not fall as easily as him."

Max stretched his neck, hoping his back wouldn't collapse into dust. "Then what's your vision? Lay it on me, babe. I got time."

"You have less time than you believe." The Oracle pointed at him, but didn't use her destructive powers. "I am establishing a new order. With the Soul Eater's help, I will destroy all those who would oppose me. When he has exceeded his usefulness, I will dispose of him. Those loyal to chaos will reign."

"Chaos?" Max raised an eyebrow.

Seemingly pleased at his interest, the Oracle nodded. "The world will become a vampire's paradise. Mortals will weep in fear at our feet and tremble before us. The earth will become saturated with the blood we cannot drink for the abundance of it."

"Sounds… nice" He cleared his throat. "But that doesn't sound like chaos. I mean, you're using the term 'order,' you're talking about people worshipping you. Sounds kind of like what the Soul Eater is doing."

"Let me finish!" She held up her hand and snapped it closed, and his jaw tightened, teeth shifting against each other under the pressure. "Lowly ones will rejoice, powerful ones will seek more power. It will be as it is now, but only for a time. They will soon realize they are not bound by laws or sides in a never-ending war. They will begin to turn on each other.

"Vampires will hunt vampires, new Soul Eaters will rise. Others will kill them. No leader will emerge who can sustain his rule. All the earth will be lost in darkness and blood."

"Why would you want that?" Bella whimpered.

Tenderly, the Oracle reached down to touch her face "I would not expect a lowly werewolf to understand."

"What does the kid have to do with it? I mean, if you're superpowerful, why do you need a baby to help you?" Why do you need my baby? He fought to keep the unspoken question from surfacing. The bitch might get him, might get Bella and their daughter and everything important to him, but she wouldn't know it. He didn't know how, but if she didn't know what they meant to him, he got to keep a part of them. Just for himself.