Bran’s shoes squeaked and left a trail of water behind him as he climbed the steps to the porch while Jack grinned and chewed on the end of the weed in his mouth. He was very much satisfied that his thunderstorm had soaked not only all the Bran’s, but had also splashed on the Embers. Ember was waiting at the top of the stairs and glared at Jack. “You should be ashamed of yourself, picking on girls and little boys,” said Ember. “You’re a jerk.” Jack shrugged. “He started it.” “You do know that weed you’re chewing on is poison ivy?” said Ember. “Yep, he threatened us, so I made it rain on him, then he made poison ivy grow under us, and we made a salad out of it.” “Seriously? You’re immune to poison ivy?” “It has a tangy taste, nummy good.” Ember narrowed her eyes and held her palm upwards with a little glowing flame in the center. “Are you immune to fire?” Jack grinned. “Are you immune to a waterfall dropping on your head?” Ronin walked between Jack and Ember, and blew a chilly northern wind across Ember’s hand and extinguished the flame. “It’s bad enough the boys are being stupid, now you’re going to start?” Ember relit the flame a little larger than it had been, and Ronin created a stronger wind and blew it out. “We can do this all day,” said Ronin. “No dreamer is really stronger than the next.” “Oh make up your mind,” replied Ember. “First you said Bran was the strongest, then you said Jack was the strongest, then you said the new boy, Talon, was the strongest, and now you say nobody is the strongest. So which is it?” The Tarlock boy thumped his tail lightly on the porch. “Ronin Dreamer is correct. No crayon of creation is stronger than any other, it is the discipline of the mind that might make one Dreamer stronger than the next.” “How would you know?” said Ember with a flick of her hair as she turned away to enter the farmhouse. “What are you, nine years old? What’s with all the baby dreamers?” Ronin followed Ember into the house. “Ember! That’s not nice.” The other Dreamers were already in the living room waiting. Ember went to stand next to Akot. “I’ve never even heard of his species before, what do we know about him? Why is he the only boy in his entire group?” “Even I must admit that is odd,” said Akot. “All the Tarlock appear to be the same age, except him.” “Yeah, you got an answer for that, Tarlock… if that is your name?” said Jack. “Everyone arrives at the age they died, and you all arrived together, so you should all be nine. What gives?” “Jack!” exclaimed Ronin. Jax stepped in front of Jack. “Leave him alone.” “Who’s going to make me, you?” said Jack, grinning and ready for a fight. “Stop fighting, please,” said Tarlock Dreamer. “I’ll tell you.” “Go ahead, tell us how you can be a soldier, and a monk also, and all at nine years old,” said Jack. The Tarlock boy took a deep breath and lowered his tail to the floor. “In my species, the mommy lays an egg, but the egg is too fragile to live in the open, so it’s given to the daddy and placed inside his stomach pouch until the baby is born. Some men came to the monastery and killed my daddy, with me still unborn inside him. The Lord of Death shattered my daddy’s soul, as he did all of you, but it is forbidden to shatter the soul of the unborn, and so I was considered as one of my daddy’s fragments. The Lord of Chaos then took us to a world here in the Crystal Universe to live until I was nine years old. Do you see? I am one with my daddy in death, and life. We are all the Yellow Dreamers.” “Holy cow,” said Jax. “One son, twenty-three hundred fathers. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.” “It is good,” said the Tarlock boy. “I always have a father watching over me.” Ember, always an emotional girl, broke out in tears and ran across the room to scoop the Tarlock boy up in a hug. “You poor, poor, dear.” Ronin turned back to Jack. “Satisfied?” Jack shook his head. “That story doesn’t make…” Akot stepped forward. “Jack, shut up. Tarlock, go upstairs, Jon Black is waiting. We’ll be up in a moment.” Jack’s eyes blazed with anger as Tarlock ran up the stairs, not so much out of obedience, but more that he just wanted to get away from the fighting teenagers. “So you think you’re big enough to tell me to shut up?” hissed Jack, his hand dropping to the hilt of his sword. Akot ignored the implied threat, and the danger of a very angry Jack. “In the story he just told us, he used the word, daddy. That’s because it was a story he memorized very young, as told to him by his father, he doesn’t know the true story of what happened. I heard Tigress Valiant say that his father was a soldier that tired of war and became a monk. But, I don’t think that’s the whole truth either. His father didn’t find the egg in a monastery full of men. No, he had the egg when he arrived there. There was something important enough about the egg that he left his life as a soldier and tried to hide in a monastery. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. I can think of dozens of possible scenarios for what happened, but it is not for us to uncover.” Ember nodded. “Cael probably knew, but if he didn’t tell us, then it’s none of our business.” Jack’s hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. “Cael abandoned us, we’re on our own.” “Jack, you know that’s not true, the new Cael will be here in a few minutes,” replied Ember. “They’ve been saying that for days.” Jack’s hand began sliding his sword from the scabbard. “All of this was for nothing, there’s no hope.” Everyone in the room knew if Jack drew his sword, it would be a blood bath. Jack was too strong, even Bran wouldn’t be able to stop him. Akot took a step back, he saw what was coming. Ember made her crayon appear in her hand and took a fighting stance. Ronin and Bran both drew their crayons and prepared to join Ember in battle. A wind grew inside the room, swirling like a cyclone. Flames joined the wind and circled around and around the Dreamers. Nobody was paying attention to the two Cole Dreamers. Cole Dreamer lifted his hand and parted the swirling wind as if he were creating a road to Jack. Talon Dreamer walked calmly through the parting of the wind and fire to Jack, and gently placed a hand on top of Jack’s sword hand. Jack was the Dreamer of the Ocean, and that ocean was a tumultuous hurricane ready to destroy everything in its path. “Tell me who the enemy in this room is and I will release you to destroy them,” said Talon, the fresh scar on his face glowing a brilliant throbbing scarlet. Jack strained against Talon’s hand, trying to draw his sword, but though the smaller boy didn’t appear to be straining himself, Jack was unable to lift his hand. “There’s no hope, it’s over,” said Jack through gritted teeth. Alani Dreamer spun around to face the twin Dreamers. “Hope, that’s the answer, he has no hope. Taku, use your crayon!” Taku, the Dreamer of Hope, lifted his golden crayon. Palpable golden waves rippled outward and the room began to glow. Every object in the room began to sparkle as if touched by golden stardust. Jack visibly relaxed and Talon pushed the sword back into its scabbard. Jack lowered his head. “I don’t know what’s happening.” Alani waved a hand at Ronin and Ember to stop the fire-wind storm circling the room. “Jack, I think it’s Cael’s crayons doing this to us. Cael is gone and their looking for their Dreamer, so they’re pushing on us and it’s making us crazy.” “I agree,” said Akot. “When my crayon wants something, I can hear it whisper to me, but right now I’m hearing a lot of crayons I shouldn’t be hearing. We need to get upstairs, the new Cael can’t arrive until we’re present to witness the transition of power.” Talon slipped his hand into Jack’s and tugged. “Come on, you’ll be okay.” “Who are you?” asked Jack. Akot followed Ember and glanced at Jack. “That’s Talon, a last minute Dreamer that showed up, specifically for you.” “What?” “He’s the Dark Dreamer,” replied Akot. “He was sent because you’re too strong for us to handle when you go berserker on us. Meet your boss, the God of War.” Jack followed meekly up the stairs with Talon leading. The hall at the top of the stairs was carpeted with a light green carpet and clashing yellow striped wallpaper. Framed photographs of Cael and Dreamers Jack didn’t recognize hung on the wall. Jack stopped to look at one of the photographs, he did recognize one of the Dreamers; Jonathon. These were the Dreamers Cael had spent 10,000 years with, these were Cael’s Dreamers. Jack finally understood. The old Cael had been finished with his work for a while now, and had only been getting the new team ready. They hadn’t met their Cael yet. Jon Black stood next to an open door guiding everyone inside. The door to a room across the hall stood open and Jack pulled away from Talon to peek inside. There was a big four-post bed with a mattress big enough for four people to sleep in. The bed was stacked with big fluffy pillows, and covered with a blue-checkered quilt. There was also an oak dresser, an ornate desk with engravings of vines and leaves running down the legs, and a big chair next to a window, and on the floor was scattered at least a hundred crayons, and drawing paper. Talon tried to re-take Jack’s hand, but the magic had worn off and Jack pulled away. “You’re not my boss,” said Jack. Talon shrugged. “Okay.” Jack walked past Jon Black and to the next room. The door was closed. Jack put a hand on the doorknob. “I wouldn’t open that door if I was you,” said Jon Black, now leaning against the wall and facing Jack. Jack defiantly pushed the door open and looked inside. It was dark, and empty, and… a man appeared in front of him. The man wore dark robes and his eyes glowed. Jack knew the man, it was the Lord of Death. “Have you come to witness your death again?” said the man. “Give me your hand.” Jack stood, frozen in fear, this was the god that had shattered Jack’s soul and set his brother’s on a path of endless war and death. The Lord of Death reached out. Jack tried to turn away, tried to run. Then Talon moved past Jack and pushed at the dark robed figure. The Lord of Death staggered back. Talon used the moment to shove Jack back into the hall and pull the door shut. “I warned you,” said Jon Black. Jack glanced at Jon Black, and then at Talon. “You’re really the God of War?” Talon shrugged. “I don’t know.” Jon Black pushed himself off the wall. “No, he’s not, he’s a Dark Dreamer, but I don’t have any more time to deal with it. Jack, this will be the last thing I can teach you, pay attention. The gods are immortal beings, but through the curse of the Lord of Death, are now dead and imprisoned in this house, save one, the Goddess of the Night. Dreamers, however, are mortals that have either taken, or been given the discarded powers of the gods. Talon is the Dark Dreamer that possesses the powers of the God of War. And you, Jack, are the Dreamer that possesses the powers of Poseidon, the Ocean God.” “I thought your father was the Ocean God,” said Jack. “He is, but he is also a false god. He is an Aeden, like you, but from an age five billion years from now and used the formidable technology of the Aeden’s to ascend to a god.” Jack shook his head. “This is so confusing.” “You only need to know one thing,” continued Jon Black. “If you open doors you shouldn’t and even one of the old gods escape, the Age of Mortals will be over and you will once again be slave to the gods.” “Okay, I get it,” agreed Jack. “Don’t open closed doors. But Talon isn’t my boss.” “I’ll let you two work that out, but understand this. You are both Dreamers with the powers of two of the most powerful of the ancient gods, and in that you are equals. However, Jack, you are also a mortal soldier, and Talon does have power over you in that. Whenever you are acting in the capacity of a soldier, Talon will always have power over you.” “How can I ever stop being a soldier? I was literally made to be a soldier.” “It can be done, you’ve done it before.” Jon Black raised his hand and… Jack felt the change in the air. Jon Black had frozen time. There was no sound, no movement, everything was still. Jack looked at Talon, he was frozen in a moment of time, unable to hear the instructions Jon Black gave him next on how to prevent Talon from controlling him. “That won’t be easy to do,” said Jack when Jon Black had finished explaining. “No, it won’t, but Cael never wanted any one Dreamer to have power over another. The others think they can’t defeat you, and so they support Talon being here, but it isn’t true. They can defeat you, any of them can, if they learn to use the powers that were given them. Don’t ever forget that you are not the strongest, nor is Bran the strongest – none of you are. Fighting with each other is pointless. By design Cael ensured all of you were equal.” Jack shook his head. “No, I’m the strongest because I’m the smartest.” Jon Black sighed. “You’re arrogant, and that will be your undoing. I’m an old man, Jack, and because of that, I have learned the patience to deal with you, but my successor is me at nine years old, and he won’t have the patience for your nonsense. Don’t cross him.” “I’ll be okay,” said Jack. “I smell apples?” “Jon and Cael are almost here.” “They’re bringing apples with them?” Jon Black dropped his hand and time resumed. “Let’s go.” Jack and Talon followed Jon Black into the room with Cael sleeping peacefully in his bed. Bran was standing at the foot of the bed, and Ember was next to him with a hand on his shoulder; Bran’s wet clothes were steaming as if he were standing in the sun. “My socks are still wet,” said Bran. Ember squeezed his shoulder and Bran did a little dance. “Ow, hot, hot, too hot.” Ember giggled. Jon Black went to stand on the other side of the bed, while Talon went to stand with Cole, and Jack found a place next to the desk. They felt the air pressure change of a portal opening in the room across the hall, then voices speaking. Jack tipped his head to the side to hear, but the scent of apples was getting stronger and distracting him. Jack leaned over to Alani. “Do you smell apples?” whispered Jack. “Shhh… I’m trying to listen,” Alani whispered back. Jack frowned and concentrated on what was being said across the hall. “A long time ago, the Lord of Chaos’ immortality was stolen from him, and so as he neared death, he chose a nine-year old mortal boy to be heir to the powers of the Lord of Chaos. The boy’s name was Kae - later to become Cael. The boy was only a cave boy. The boy’s mother was their tribes Magic Woman, and she knew the most ancient of human magic. She drew an image of a sun above the place her son slept, and then cast the spell of Mother’s Magic to protect Kae from harm. The Lord of Death tried to kill Kae, but only managed to fragment his soul into endless shards of the boy. The Lord of Chaos gathered the shards together, and then threw them out into the universe to each wait their turn to be born. And since then, every Kae/Cael born has had the image of that sun manifested on him. Mother’s Magic is the most powerful magic in the universe, and it is what allowed me to find you, and save you.” “I don’t understand.” “Neither do I, I’m only nine. I’m just telling you what I was told to tell you. Come on, you have to receive your inheritance now.” Jack saw the two… and his mouth dropped open, one of the boys was a girl. The boy was dressed just like Jon Black, but the other wore a white blouse, a long white dress with the smiley face patch sewed onto the blouse, flowers in her hair – and she was barefoot. She could have been Cael’s twin sister. Jack looked around at the other Dreamers, the boys had the same shocked expression on their faces as Jack, but the girls were all grinning. “Cael is a girl?” exclaimed Jack. Jon Black shot Jack a withering glare to silence him. The new Cael whispered to the new Jon Black. “Is that your father? You look like him.” Jon shook his head. “No, that’s me, when I get old, and I’m him, when I’m nine.” “I really don’t understand what’s happening. I want to go home.” Jon Black spoke. “Jon, come here.” The new Jon ran around the bed to stand in front of the big man. Jon Black unbuckled his gun belt, then knelt, and wrapped the belt around young Jon’s waist. He had to wrap it three times to make it fit. “They’re yours now,” said Jon Black. “I can hear them!” said Jon. “Yes, they will guide you, and warn you when there’s danger. Take care of your Cael, as I have mine.” “Yes Sir, I will,” said Jon. Jon Black patted Jon on the shoulder and turned back to Cael. “Come closer to the bed.” The new Cael edged closer to the bed. “I don’t want to wake him up.” “You can’t wake him,” said Jon Black. “He will never wake again in this life.” A sob escaped from Ember and she covered her face. Ronin put her arms around Ember to comfort her. “I don’t know what all this is about,” said the new Cael. “In his hand is a box of crayons, do you see it?” said Jon Black. Cael nodded. “Yes.” “The Lord of Chaos was the equivalent of a toddler when he created that box of crayons with all the imagination of a child with the nearly infinite power of an immortal. And with those crayons he created the Universe…” Jon Black’s eyes blazed with all the stars in the sky as he spoke. “…and many eons passed with the Lord of Chaos watching over the Universe, but as he grew old, he knew that soon he would be gone, and the Universe would have no protector. So, before the Lord of Chaos died, he brought twelve mortals together, and to eleven of those mortals he gave each a Crayon of Creation, and to the 12th mortal he gave all his power. Each fragment waits to be born in the correct time, and it is that fragment that holds the power of the Lord of Chaos. You, Cael, are the 12th Dreamer, and it is your turn. Take the box of crayons from your predecessor’s hand.” The new Cael reached out and did as she was told and lifted the box of crayons from the old man’s hand. “It is done,” declared Jon Black. “In this room are the Dreamers your predecessor selected to help you in your task. Trust them, take care of them, and they will take care of you. Many years from now you will select your successor’s Dreamers, and so it has always been, and always will be.” Jon Black slipped his arms under the old man and lifted him from the bed, and together they faded away like a memory being forgotten. The new Cael turned her head to the Dreamers assembled in the room. Bran, standing at the foot of the bed, gave her a little wave. “Hi, I’m Bran Dreamer, I’m Father Nature, and this is Ember, The Living Flame, and Ronin, Dreamer of the Wind, and… well, you’ll meet everyone. The whole Crystal Universe has been waiting for you. Cael tipped her head to the side. “What’s the Crystal Universe?” “You’re a girl!” said Jack. Cael grinned. “Umm… yeah.” “How are you a girl?” said Jack. “Oh grow up, Jack," replied Ember. "It was bound to happen sooner or later, every boy has a girl fragment in them. I’m just surprised it hasn’t happened before.” "I do not have a girl inside me," said Jack. Ember rolled her eyes. "Males have an X and a Y chromosome, females have two X chromosomes. Grap a biology book, it was only a matter of time before it happened." “I smell apples,” said Jax. Ronin looked at Bran. “Bran, did you make apples?” Bran giggled. “Someone made apples…wasn’t me, he who smelt it…” Ronin rolled her eyes. “You’re so immature sometimes.” “I smell it too,” said Ember. “Guys, something is happening outside,” said Jack, looking out the window. “It’s Cael,” said Jon. “Her memories are arriving, better find something to hang on to, this is going to be epic.”

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