Insert greeting here! Late merry Christmas to you, dear readers! Apologies if I didn't finish this in time, I got lost with scheduling, so expect the next chapter anytime before Dec. 31, 2014.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and KEEP CALM AND READ ON!

"You don't really talk that much." Tom told the spirit, as they walked the changing streets

No response, as usual, for the spirit of his Christmas Future was silent, hooded in the same color of his hoodie, slightly taller than he was, and had cold glowing eyes that peered from the hood. It bothered Tom as the only sound that came from it were sounds of chains.

The spirit stopped Tom at a scene of an accident with cars, hover cars, for after all, this was the future. (Let's hope the future is actually cool as they say it would.)

The scene was quite bloody, as if anyone involved had passed (well, died) because of it.

Then Tom saw a familiar object in this indescribable scene, but before he could make it out, he was pulled away by the spirit.

"Matt, stop it. Matt!"

The two now found Matt and Tord in a room, gloomy as hell, as if no life was left in it.

Matt couldn't stop crying. He couldn't. Gripping pain consumed him.

Tord was there, hinting that he returns in the future or maybe visited, comforting Matt, holding back his own tears, tears he has always been ashamed to show.

"If you're still not accepting the fact he's dead-"

"I DO!"

"T-then stop!"

Matt stomped. "I CAN'T!" Then he rubbed off his tears.

Then Matt got up. "I'll just do what needs to be done."

When Matt left, Tord couldn't keep the act.

He broke down silently.

"I hope you're happy, now that we're no longer together!" He said to the ceiling.

He sobbed in his speech. "I-I hope y-you are!"

Tom turned to the spirit. "Who is he referring to?"

No response.

"I-I'm sorry,"

Tom turned back to Future Tord. (This is the future, remember?)

"I'm so sorry about those days, t-those days, those days where we never got along..."

He sighed, rubbing off his tears, then softly said something in Norwegian, so softly that Tom didn't realize he said something.

Then the spirit pulled Tom elsewhere.

Paul was down on his desk, doodling, like a typical artist would.

He was drawing something that related to how he was feeling.

Then when he finished, he didn't seem so happy with it, so he crumpled it and threw it into the trashcan, already filled with more crumpled paper.

He slouched in his chair, his futuristic chair, groaning as he banged his hands on the table.

He grabbed his mug and sipped a little coffee. After all, that always calmed his system.

"Incoming Call"

His, well, futuristic phone alarmed.

However, he didn't bother using voice command. He preferred using the old style of things, just like how he animates.

He rubbed the coffee off his mouth as he picked up the phone. Same sized as a smartphone, but was thin as paper.

Touchscreen? Yes.

He answered without even knowing who called.

"Hello?"

"Hello."

"Matt? Why do you sound, um, well, you sound weird."

"Uh, well, I have something to tell you."

"Please don't tell me he-"

"He is."

"No..."

"I'm so sorry. T-they said there wasn't anything they could do!"

Paul heard sorrow in Matt's voice, and Tom noticed, as he watched.

"Well, condolences."

Silence.

"Paul, we need you."

"But why?"

That line confused Tom. As much as pissed, or patient Paul always was, he would never turn down an offer, unless of course, if he's busy, but he appeared to look like he wasn't, unless he procrastinated, which was a rarity.

"Because you did so much for him. For us!"

"But he didn't do anything for me back!"

"What?!"

"For over 20 years of animating for myself and for Eddsworld, for joining in his sketch videos and films, what do I get back, huh? What do I get back, Matt?"

"Well, uh-"

"See? Not even you could answer. All because the people I've BEEN FRIENDS WITH were really self-conceited!"

"Self-conceited? SELF-CONCEITED?! Paul, I'm in no circumstance of being self-conceited! And I never was!"

"Really? When I first saw you, you were literally staring at your mirror!"

"I was trying to make sure you think I look good!"

"See that?"

"See what?"

"What you just said."

"What about that?"

"That proved how self-conceited you are, Ginger."

"*gasp*How dare you!"

Tom couldn't help but feel distressed at this conversation.

Then the spirit alerted him as he pulled him somewhere else.

Tom was being led to this graveyard. Fresh from renovation, yet awfully familiar to him.

Then he saw Matt, with Tord and other dear people behind him. They walking towards a certain grave. Well, certain graves, for that matter.

Tom noticed that Matt was holding a box.

"Wait,"

Tom turned to the spirit.

"Isn't that Edd's ashes?" He pointed.

The spirit graced him to the crowd in response.

When he got closer, he saw not 2 but 3 graves.

Matt placed the box of which was Edd's ashes on top of the 3rd grave.

The 3rd read Tom's full name, his birthday being June 27, death at December 25, with a quote engraving "I LOVE IT!"

Then after the crowd left, Tom took a closer look at the grave that belonged to himself.

He felt creeped out a little bit looking at it, but he knew that was the future, and he knew he was gonna die anyway.

"I don't get it." He told the spirit, approaching him.

"Why do you have to show me how am I going to die? I'm already aware that I'll die anyway."

Then the spirit pulled him back to the scene of the accident.

He pushed Tom closer.

That familiar object right there, it was part of his clothing.

It led to the body of his future self.

His dead future self.

Tom was still confused, yet in a fearful way.

"Okay, I die in a, well, futuristic car accident and what does that have to do to change me?"

Then the spirit pulled Tom away, to a place where they could be alone.

Tom sensed negativity from the spirit. He didn't like it, but somehow, he could relate well to it. Too well.

"Wait!"

Tom tried to stop the spirit.

"What are you trying to tell me?! I'm sorry that you'll have to bear with this but I can't understand these messages really quickly!"

The spirit stopped. His back faced Tom. His grip stronger than ever.

"Why can't you just tell me directly?!"

The spirit let go.

"I was about to."

Tom took a step back. It wasn't that the spirit could actually talk that scared him, but rather the voice of the spirit.

Tom had second thoughts on what to say. (It's between Play-it-Safe or Risk-it-All)

Well, he took the risk.

"Well, w-what do you m-mean?!"

The spirit cried in frustration. "YOU JUST DON'T GET IT, DO YOU?!"

(Ok, big mistake.) Tom stepped away from the spirit, regretting what he just said.

"Don't you realize that if you don't change," The spirit then began to pull off his hood.

"You're going to suffer!" It revealed brushed spiky hair, colored like Tom's.

"You'll suffer, for so, so long!" Then a blue collared-shirt, a vest and the same chessboard-patterned tie appeared.

"You may not realize it now, but think about your DAMN FUTURE!" Trousers and chessboard-patterned shoes, all covered in chains. Same goes for the descriptions above.

"WHAT WOULD EDD THINK?!" The spirit finally turned to Tom, far back into a corner, nearly tearing up out of fear.

His future self, a spirit, a suffering one, was a fate Tom didn't want to be in. Yet, he saw himself in that certain fate calling out to him, literally.

Tom had no idea what to say, or to do. Will he be trapped in that part of hell forever?

"*sigh* He has no idea what I've been going through."

"But you had no idea what he had gone through either!"

"Until tonight!"

"And until tonight did he realize that you were suffering too. He realized how hard you tried to show kindness to your friends, by trying to forget him. Now that he knows this, he wants you to do more."

"In his place? Yeah right. I don't think I have the ability to do so."

"Then you've failed. Right from the beginning. Yet, what I'm trying to do is prevent that."

"And cause a paradox?"

"Didn't he tell you not to question logic?"

*facepalm* "Damn it."

Silence, again.

"We're wasting time."

"I know."

"*sigh* These chains are too damn painful, y'know?"

"Really?"

"Want to regret asking that question?"

"Uh, never mind that."

"Good."

More silence.

"Just a question,"

"Yeah?"

"If I actually succeeded, well, succeed fulfilling that promise, that promise w-with Edd, what would happen to you?"

"I'll change, stupid."

"Let's hope it's a good change."

"*chuckle* Yeah."

Then Tom notice the chains glitching away.

"Wait,"

"What?!"

"You're changing right now!"

The spirit gasped.

"Y'know what? I think you should be on your way." He said with a smile.

"Well, how?"

*giggle* "Check your pockets." Then the spirit waved, and walked away.

Tom did. When he pulled out the lucky can, his body changed again and he was back at the street, with a couple of suspicious people surrounding him.