Dash burst out of the cornfield with one of the picket signs held firmly in his mouth. The sign flashed, ‘HELP, MURDER, HELP’, across its white poster board as Dash quickly ran across the dirt lane and disappeared into the cornfield on the other side of the road. Several dozen picket signs followed out of the cornfield Dash had just run out of with their poster boards flashing, ‘BAD KITTY, STOP, BAD KITTY’. The signs hopped across the road in pursuit and vanished into the opposite cornfield after Dash. “Should we do something?” asked Dreamer. “Naw, let them work it out on their own,” replied Climber. Dreamer closed his eyes and lifted his head to feel the warmth of the sun on his face. He breathed in the mix of corn and alfalfa that drifted in the air. The breeze was a perfect end-of-summer temperature that felt like velvet cloth brushing across his skin. The lane from the barn opened onto a wide yard in front of the house. An odd assortment of random objects were scattered across the yard, but not in a clutter, but more as if they had been placed purposefully – a child’s red wagon, a crate with three rocks stacked on top of the crate, a can with a faded label that identified the now long gone contents had been peaches, a left shoe with its laces missing, a rusted lamp that looked much like the lamp from the story about the Genie in the Lamp, a box that looked like the box Jonathon had stored the diamonds in. Dreamer reached down to pick up the lamp, but Climber grabbed his arm. “Don’t, leave it. I don’t think we should touch any of these objects. I feel… I feel like they’re magical items that shouldn’t be tampered with.” “There is no magic,” insisted Dreamer with a roll of his eyes. “After everything you’ve seen and you still don’t believe?” said Climber. “I would think the Dreamer would be the first to believe in magic.” “I dream about science,” said Dreamer. “Perhaps science and magic are the same thing,” said Climber. “Perhaps there is science so advanced that it appears as magic, but either way, I don’t think we should touch anything here.” They arrived at the bottom of the red brick stairs leading up to a wide porch supported by white columns. A bench-swing hung from the porch with several rocking chairs nearby. The house was white with green shutters, but the most surprising feature of the house was the sun tree that stood to the side of the house with its bright orange and yellow leaves reflecting the sun like a gemstone. Dash came running from around the side of the house, he must have circled around in the cornfield and come out at the rear of the farmhouse. He now held three of the signs in his mouth. Dash slid to a stop next to Dreamer. Dreamer looked down at the young tiger. “Take those out of your mouth, you don’t know where they’ve been.” Dash dropped the three signs, but kept his paw on top of them. The front door to the house swung open, and in the doorway stood a young blonde-headed boy of around nine years old. Behind the boy stood Jon Black. The boy was barefoot and wore light-blue denim overalls with the pant cuffs rolled up around the ankles and a green-checkered shirt. A pocket on the chest of the overalls had a bright yellow sewed on patch of a sun with a smiley face. The pocket bulged with the tips of various colored crayons peeking out over the top of the pocket. The boy raised a finger and shook it at Dash. “Bad kitty, bad kitty, I made those, get off.” Dreamer felt the psionic blast wave before it arrived. He didn’t have Aya to help, but he wasn’t completely helpless and threw up a mental barrier between Dash and the blast wave. Just as the psionic wave hit, something familiar wrapped itself around him and Dash and deflected the blast wave away. Dash lowered his ears and hissed as he backed away from the signs he was holding down. Dreamer heard the distinctive beckoning of a Sunth entity brush against his mind, but the call wasn’t for him, it was for Dash. Dash had never met a Sunth of the Sun trees, but the young tiger didn’t hesitate and ran to the Sun tree. A branch lowered from the tree like a ramp. Dash shot up the branch and disappeared into the tree. The wavering figure of a teenage Sunth boy appeared swinging upside down from a lower branch. The Sunth boy waved. “Hi, I’m Gusun. Sorry about that, I was sleeping and didn’t know you’d arrived already.” Dreamer glanced past the blonde boy to Jon Black. “What just happened?” “Perhaps Gusun should explain,” said Jon Black, then raised his voice and shouted. “Gusun, can you explain why you didn’t catch that before it hit Dash?” Gusun dropped down from the tree, and ran to the porch so he could see Jon Black in the doorway. “I’m really sorry, I’ve been up for the last two days shielding Jonathon-Warrior while they negotiated the… you know… the thing… Cael did a lot of shouting, I’m exhausted.” “That explains nothing,” said Dreamer. The Sunth boy gave Dreamer an apologetic smile. “Dash will be okay, I caught the worst of that psionic blast. He’s just a little shaken up. I’m going to ride along in your mind if that’s okay with you. That’s my purpose here, I shield mortals from direct contact with Cael’s mind; Cael is the strongest mind in the universe.” The boy laughed at his own joke. “Get it? Strongest mind in the universe.” “Yes, we get it,” said Climber, understanding what was happening first and switching to telepathy now that the Sunth boy was providing a connection. “Is he God?” asked Dreamer. “Oh, no, no, nothing like that,” replied Gusun. "He’s a Universe… well… one of them anyway, our universe, and he’s very young, sort of… I mean, you know, by our perspective he’s nine billion years old, but by the perspective of the universes, he’s nine years old, and… he’s not so good at using his inside voice and tends to shout a lot. Don’t worry, I’ll be there to shield the worst of it. Okay, good luck and have fun. Dash and I will be here if you make it out alive." Dreamer’s eyes widened as Gusun ran back to his tree. “Wait? What...?” “Leave it,” said Climber. “I think he was joking.” The signs had decided to take advantage of Dash’s scolding and Gusun’s temporary absence to surround the Sun tree. Every sign was looking up into the tree and read: Bad Kitty, Bad Kitty. Gusun waived a hand at the signs. “Oh go away, the lot of you. Did you forget what happened the last time you made me mad?” The signs all went blank, then hopped away in every direction – their white poster boards changing to read: Bad Tree, Bad Tree. Dreamer narrowed his eyes and stared at Jon Black. “I’m tired of all the lies, what’s happening.” “I’ve never lied to you. I didn’t know what Cael was doing until two days ago, and I wasn’t here yet during the last transition to recognize what was happening.” “Then perhaps you or Cael can explain it to us now,” said Climber. “Everything will be made clear today,” said Jon Black. “Cael, invite your guests in.” Cael’s eyes had become vacant, staring off into the distance at something only he could see. Jon Black laid a gentle hand on the boy’s shoulder. Cael’s eyes focused again and looked at Dreamer as if only just becoming aware that he was here. “Do you want to draw with me?” asked Cael. “You can have the blue crayon.” The blonde boy retrieved a blue crayon from the pocket of crayons on the front of his overalls. He held the crayon out to Dreamer. Dreamer let out a breath of exasperation and stared at the crayon. It wasn’t just blue, it was an ocean-blue of the deepest hue of blue, the color of the vast oceans on Aeden. Dreamer realized at that moment how much he missed his home, with its endless islands and beaches. He had a seashell collection in his room that occupied an entire bookshelf. He wondered if his seashells were still there… probably not, they’d probably emptied his room when he’d become a world walker. It seemed so long ago now. “Jack, when the Universe offers you a crayon, take it,” said Jon Black. “I don’t want to draw, I want answers,” said Dreamer. “You will get your answers,” added Jon Black. Dreamer reached out and took the blue crayon. “Okay, fine, now what?” “Cael, why don’t you show Dreamer the drawings you’re working on,” said Jon Black. Cael had gone back into his thousand mile stare. Jon Black gently turned the boy around and guided him away from the door. Dreamer shrugged and followed. “What’s wrong with him?” Jon Black took Cael to a low coffee table next to a high backed sofa of soft yellow with a pattern of flowers and leaves on it. The coffee table was strewn with drawings and at least a hundred crayons on and around the coffee table; some crayons had even spilled onto the floor. “He’s in human form because he wanted to interact with you directly, but the mind of a human is too finite to contain the vastness of a Universe.” Cael’s eyes focused again and he smiled when he saw his drawings. He dropped to his knees and grabbed a yellow crayon. Dreamer dropped down opposite the blonde boy and looked at the drawing. Cael was drawing a sun, but… Dreamer held his hand out and felt heat coming from the drawing, and… the colors were swirling and moving on the paper. Dreamer looked up at Jon Black. “Is…is he drawing a real sun?” “Yes, he is, and you will be drawing the planet that will orbit that sun.” “What…?.” Jon Black bent down and pushed a blank piece of paper in front of Dreamer. “Other than Cael, the only mortals that can use those crayons are living Dreamers.” Dreamer set the blue crayon down on the table. “No, I’m not doing whatever this is. I only want to know how to fix all this. How do I save Mara, and how do I stop the Eroden, and how do I put Jack Aestar back together?” “Show him,” whispered Cael as he continued to draw the sun. Jon Black’s expression looked like he wanted to argue, but instead he bowed his head and waived his hand in a motion like he was brushing aside reality. The walls, the furniture, the ceiling, and even the pillows on the couch with their sunflower patterns became leaves blowing away in the breeze. It was as if the house was a mighty oak tree in a strong autumn storm. Only the table and drawings Cael was hunched over remained as they appeared on a grassy plain of rolling hills. It was night, and the stars shown bright in a twinkling pattern that cast a pale light on the grass. Cael set aside the yellow crayon and lifted his drawing to view it. He smiled and nodded, then showed the drawing to Dreamer. “It’s very nice,” said Dreamer. Cael tossed the drawing into the air. A breeze caught the paper and lifted it into the sky. Dreamer watched as the drawing of the sun grew brighter and ascended until it was above the clouds. And it became day, and the drawing was now a sun shining warmth down on everything below it. “Well, you don’t see that every day,” said Climber. Cael raised a hand and pointed at a tree on top of one of the hills. “Your answer is there.” Dreamer stood, and with Climber, obeyed the command to go to the tree. The grass was tall and rolled in waves like an ocean as they went to the tree. Beneath the tree were two grave stones, and Dreamer wept. Climber knelt and took his brother into his arms. On one stone were engraved the words, Jack Aestar, and on the other stone, Mara Tiger. “We died,” cried Dreamer. Jon Black had followed them up the hill and stood looking down on the two stones. “No, you did not die, Jack Aestar died.” “We are Jack Aestar, how is this… what happened?” asked Climber, tears of anger flowing down his face. Jon Black waved his hand and the grass plains were gone, and they were kneeling in the vastness of space looking down as Jack Aestar walked through the Event Horizon and into the rip in time and space, and at that moment, in a place no mortal could survive, Jack Aestar died. A man in long flowing robes took up the body. Dreamer knew instinctively that the man in the black robes was Death, but then Cael was there as bright as a sun and seized onto the body of Jack Aestar. “This one is mine,” screamed Cael. “He died in my Realm, he is mine,” shouted Death. “I will not give him to you.” “Let go,” shouted Death. “You will tear creation apart.” “I am creation,” shouted Cael. “You will not have this one, little Universe,” shouted Death, and in a rage Death brought his fist down on the body of Jack Aestar, and as a precious stone shattering, Jack Aestar shattered into thousands of bright shining shards. Death stepped back. “Noooo!” screamed Cael as he collected the shattered pieces. “You have stolen what is mine.” Death waved his arm and brought the fleets of the Eroden across space to the Pyramid world. “You will fight me on the Plains of Reality for every shard you have stolen.” “All Dreamers are mine, all souls are mine,” shouted Cael. “I won the power of death from you long ago, and I will not give it back.” “Not this time, you crossed into my realm and broke the deal.” Death swept his cloak up and blotted out the infinite stars standing witness to the battle of the two primal forces. “The Dreamer will be the last shard you find, and if even one of his brothers before him turn away from their death, I win back dominion over the dead and will take all life from you.” The vision faded and they were again on the grassy hilltop. Jon Black stood expressionless and stared at the two head stones. “Jack Aestar died beyond the borders of Cael’s domain, all that could be saved were the fragments of his soul.” Dreamer stood and wiped a hand across his eyes. “What now?” “It’s over,” said Jon Black. “You will return to the Ruk as a fragmented but living Jack. The Jonathon fragments are healed and their purpose completed. The Jack fragments will be taking over as the Traders – the Princes of the Crystal Universe.” Climber pushed himself to his feet. “All of this was because we were pawns in a cosmic tug-of-war? And you knew nothing of this?” “I have lived here since I was a boy, but so many things here are still a mystery to me, but I can tell you that The Lord of Chaos is a much better master than the Lord of Death.” “The Lord of Chaos?” asked Dreamer. “The universe was born in a state of chaos, that is his true nature, but he welcomes you to forge whatever order you desire from that chaos, and even to pass through the Gates of the Living again and again for so long as you still cherish the desire to experience life. The Lord of Death, however, rules over a realm of eternal darkness and suffering.” Climber laughed. “Have you ever tried to get to the Gates of the Living? They’re blocked by all the primordial beasts raging because they are no longer permitted through the Gates. I’m going to make a run for the Gates, but it’s a long shot.” Jon Black shook his head. “You would be disappointed even if you made it. You are a fragmented soul, and Cael will only allow one fragment to pass to the Lands of the Living, the others will have to wait until their souls are healed and whole.” Climber narrowed his eyes. He had no desire to remain a moment longer in the Crystal Universe then necessary to see Dreamer to safety. “The Jonathon’s are fragmented souls, are they not?” asked Climber. “How are they going to pass through the Gates?” “Jonathon was a pioneer on his world forging trails on a new continent; he comes from a much earlier time where the highest technology was the telegraph. A natural rip in time and space occurred and he fell through. Cael fought Death for his soul and brought him here to forge trails between the Crystal Worlds. They have completed their task, and their souls are healed. Cael is now rewarding them by permitting them to go anywhere they wish.” “And the Jacks?” asked Dreamer. Jon Black held up the blue crayon. “As Climber has said, the trails the Jonathon’s forged are blocked by the primordial beasts. Cael brought a warrior here this time to clear the trails and make it safe to travel. The only task left now is for Dreamer to draw the world the Jack-Traders will live.” “Is that our reward for throwing our lives away, more war?” Climber’s voice was starting to rise in anger. “I’ll have nothing to do with it, maybe the others are interested, but I am not.” Dreamer took the crayon. It felt heavier than it should. He held it up to his ear and listened, and within he could hear the ocean. Jack closed his eyes, something still wasn’t right. Jon Black wasn’t telling them everything yet. “Is the Dreamer always the last fragment found?” asked Dreamer without opening his eyes. The sound of waves crashing inside the crayon were almost too loud now for him to hear Jon Black’s reply. “Yes, always,” said Jon Black. “And what color crayon did Jonathon Dreamer have?” asked Dreamer. “The brown crayon,” replied Jon Black. Dreamer lifted the heel of his foot and dug it into the ground, pulling a tuft of grass away and exposing the dirt beneath. He opened his eyes and took the crayon away from his ear. “The color of the earth,” said Dreamer. “We’re on the Jack-Trader’s new world, aren’t we? Jonathon Dreamer didn’t go back home, he stayed and spent thousands of years drawing all those trails, and he drew the foundation for the Jack-Trader world I’m supposed to…” Dreamer looked at the blue crayon. “…to add the oceans, and the lakes, and rivers. And… much more. I’m from an ocean world… Cael wants me to draw a vast ocean between the Crystal worlds, and on that ocean my brother’s will build and sail great trading ships to move supplies to distant worlds.” “That is correct,” said Jon Black. Dreamer waved the crayon at Jon Black and rain began to pour from the sky. “Careful where you point that thing, it’s very powerful.” Dreamer ignored Jon Black’s warning and continued to wave the crayon. “Jonathon Dreamer drew the base of our new world, but the grass is on top of the dirt. Who has the green crayon?” “Peter Dreamer,” replied Jon Black. “And who has the red crayon, and the yellow crayon, and the black crayon?” asked Dreamer. “You are very clever, Jack,” said Jon Black. “The Yellow Dreamer hasn’t been found yet by his group, but soon I think. As for the others, they’re out there, doing what Dreamers do. The Crystal Universe is far too big for only one group of Traders to handle everything, and they all need their Dreamer to function correctly. No Dreamer has ever gone back.” Lightning cracked across the sky and the rain continued to fall. “And I’m not going back either, this is where I belong,” shouted Dreamer. “Jack, don’t throw your life away,” shouted Climber. Dreamer ran his hand across the headstone of Jack Aestar. “I’m the dreamer, all I ever wanted to do was explore worlds. I was the small voice in the back of Jack Aestar's mind that kept saying I didn't want to be the Captain of the RS-40. You’re the oldest of us, you’re what the RS-40 needs, not me. Go now, take my place… and take care of Luca and Tan.” “Mara won’t leave you,” shouted Climber over the thunder and rain. Dreamer continued to wave the crayon like a conductor directing a great symphony. The rain filled the valleys and places between the hills. An ocean began to rise and waves crested up around Cael at the bottom of the hill. “I know, take Dash with you, he deserves a chance to live in the real world.” Cael stood, his blonde locks of hair plastered to his forehead in the rain as he began throwing his drawings into the air. The drawings caught on the wind and spread out across the new world, and where the drawings fell, mountains rose up to become islands on the rising ocean. Jon Black grabbed Climber’s arm. “He’s decided, let’s go.” An apeirogon door opened and Jon Black pulled Climber through the door, leaving the Lord of Chaos and Dreamer to the maelstrom they were creating.

This chapter ends Book II.”