The mist parted to a hazy rain as the column of Coles approached the edge of the Crystal Universe. Ahead was the Infinity Road that marked the border, and beyond a canvas of black with more stars covering the sky than Cole had ever seen before. He lifted his head as a sweet scent arrived on a wind that wasn’t wind. He lifted his hand and watched it sparkle in the night. “Stardust,” whispered Bran. “It’s coming in on the solar winds.” “Oh! An aurora borealis,” exclaimed Ember as green and blue and purple ribbons of light formed over their heads. “I smell something sweet,” said Cole. “That is the scent of creation,” said Bran. “Stardust is really thick here at the edge.” Bran scooped a handful of stardust out of the air. He opened his hand and a yellow flower grew from his palm. He held the flower out for Cole to smell. “Yeah, that’s the smell,” said Cole. “That’s what everything smells like when it’s first created,” said Bran. “Give it a few weeks and the flower will develop its own scent, unless I give it one.” Bran tossed the flower into the grass at the edge of the road. The flower rooted itself, and began spreading out until the ground was covered with a blanket of yellow flowers. “I’ll call it the Cole flower, what’s your favorite smell?” “Mustard,” replied Cole. “I like mustard on everything, especially hotdogs.” Bran grabbed another fistful of stardust and held it out to Ronin. Ronin blew the stardust from Bran’s hand. The stardust rode out on the wind to fall on the field of new flowers. “There you go,” said Bran. “The flower will smell like mustard from now on.” “He makes everyone a personal flower when they first arrive,” said Ronin. “You should see the one he made for me, it has white fluffy things that float on the breeze.” A cold wind swept over the group and they all turned in time to see the Night Dreamer flow out of the darkness, and in her hands was another infant. “If you’re done littering the ground with more of those ridiculously ugly weeds, I have another infant for you to take to the Gates.” Bran stepped between Ronin and the Night Dreamer. “I don’t like you,” said Bran. “But, since you’re helping us this one night.” Bran snatched another handful of stardust out of the air. He held his fist out to the Night Dreamer, then opened his hand slowly to reveal a white, luminous flower resting in his palm. “I call it Belle Fleur. The flower will only bloom on this night once a year.” Bran flicked his hand and the white flower landed at the Night Dreamer's feet. The Night Dreamer looked down at the glowing white flower as it spread out around her. Akot stepped forward and held his arms out for the infant. The Night Dreamer handed the infant over, and without another word, stepped carefully over the white flowers and fled into the forest. “What just happened?” asked Ember. “She knows Bran is the strongest Father Nature there’s been in a very long time,” said Ronin. “I think she’s afraid of him.” “She shouldn’t be,” said Bran. “I need the night for my plants as much as I need the day. We could be friends, but it’s up to her to stop being mean all the time.” Akot went back to the center of the road and opened his own portal of purple crystal. A Tarlock saw the portal open and came to retrieve the infant. Akot turned the infant over to the large demon, then closed the portal and faced the others. “A wise man once said that no man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he is not the same man." “What’s that mean?” asked Ronin. “He’s mad because he thinks I’m bullying the Night Dreamer,” replied Bran. Akot kept his expression neutral. “Let’s keep moving.” The column continued with Akot leading. Cole came up alongside Akot. “I like the night lady too,” said Cole. Akot looked down at the boy. “It isn’t so much that I like her, as I do not think it necessary to be cruel.” “My mom used to say if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” “Yes, exactly that,” said Akot. “This is all so weird. Hey, is that a statue?” asked Cole, pointing. Akot already knew the Titan was there, but he blended so well into the dark sky that Cole was only now seeing it. “That is a Titan, he will take you to your new home.” The conversation abruptly ended as Akot and Cole jumped back from the appearance of a watery replicate of Jack Dreamer swinging a sword. Akot held a hand out to steady Cole. “It’s okay, it’s just a message from the Ocean Dreamer.” They couldn’t see who Jack was fighting, but he was obviously in a fierce battle with an unseen opponent while he attempted to send a distress call. “That herd caught up… too many… call Scholar…” Jack broke off his sentence as a giant claw swung and Jack was forced to leap away. The watery replicate collapsed into a puddle of water on the road. Akot spun around. Ember already had a fiery portal open to Jack’s position and was going through with Bran and Ronin on her heels. He could see a herd of Lightning Claws, and Jack in the middle of them swinging wildly with his sword. Akot raised his hand to open a portal to the Jack army at the Gates, then hesitated. The Jack army at the Gates were led by Jack Warrior. Akot had met him once, but Jack had specifically said, Scholar. The name was familiar, but he couldn’t remember which Jack that was. Akot concentrated on the word, Scholar, and opened a portal of purple crystal. A man much younger than Jack Warrior, but just as powerfully built, was leaning against a palm tree reading a book. The man looked up, closed his book, and bowed. “Lord of Crystal, to what do I owe this honor.” Akot was momentarily surprised, he didn’t know the man, but the man knew him. “We are escorting the Brown Group with Jack guarding the rear of the column. He just sent a distress call, but all he said was call Scholar.” The man handed his book to a boy that came into view of the portal. “Who is the enemy?” “A large herd of Lightning Claws,” replied Akot. The man spoke to someone Akot couldn’t see behind the portal, “Assemble the Company.” The voice from out-of-sight replied, “Yes, Sir.” Akot flinched as an ominous drum began beating out a Call-to-Arms. Akot was not a warrior and the sound of drums sent a shiver up his spine. All the memories of the night a year ago when he had led the disastrous attack against the Sand Walkers flooded back. Akot wanted to throw up and run away. The man’s eyes bore into Akot. He felt the man was assessing him, and he wasn’t passing the man’s test. The man stepped through the portal, casually glanced at the column of boys, then towards the waiting Titan. “Keep the column moving, but do not run. The back of the column will already be panicked and pushing forward. There’s going to be injuries from boys trampling over each other, but I’ll deal with that. When you get to the Infinity Road, do not attempt to load the boys onto the Titan. It would cause a choke point and there would be more injuries. Spread the boys out left and right and form a defense line along the road.” “They’re just boys, they’ll be slaughtered,” said Akot. Scholar looked back through the portal. “Bring that wagon,” he shouted, and then to Akot, “widen this portal.” Akot did as he was told, and eight soldiers pushed a wagon stacked with pikes out onto the road. The man grabbed a pike from the wagon and faced the boys. “Take a pike when you pass the wagon. When you get to your defense position, stand with one foot forward, and one foot back and perpendicular to your body. Then put the butt of the pike against the inside of your foot and lower it to thirty degrees.” The man’s voice boomed out over the boy’s at the front of the column. “Tonight you become men… Tonight you defend your brothers!” If the man was expecting the boys to cheer, he didn’t get the effect he wanted. The boys’ only stood, pale, uncertain, and frightened. Akot had an idea and stepped up next to the man and shouted, “Peter Pan is in trouble, he needs your help.” There still was no cheer, but there was murmuring, worried expressions, and a lessening of the fear on the faces of the boys. Boss came forward and tried to lift a pike, but it ended up being too big for him to manage. “Make it three boys per pike to hold it in place,” shouted Scholar. Spike and Brain ran forward to Boss. It was awkward and took a moment for the boys to figure out, but eventually they lifted the pike out of the wagon. Boss looked up at Atok. “We’ll help Peter Pan, where do we take these?” “I’ll show you,” said Akot, his stomach turning and wishing he were somewhere else, then shouted, “For Peter Pan!” The boys rushed forward and started pulling the pikes off the wagon. Scholar patted Akot on the shoulder. “You have forty minutes to get ready,” said Scholar. “Close this portal after I’m through, Dr. Alani can provide the portal for us to get to Jack. Good Luck.” Atok clenched his jaw and looked at the boys; an army of terrified nine-year olds to stop the murderous charge of vicious dinosaurs. If he wasn’t certain before, he was now – the Jacks were insane.