Chapter 21: Fate

Cole discovers his last moments while working with Fate.

Cole steps through the door into the black dream world. He’s aggressively yanked through by Pappa. Steadying himself he finds his friends with concerned expressions.

“What?” asks Cole, confused.

Justice shouts, “Why didn’t you at least come back and tell us you were ok!?”

“What’s the matter? We came back as soon as Pappa called.”

Justice now turning red in the face counters, “You were in there for at least eighteen hours!”

“What?! No way! What happened to you guys?”

“At first we wanted to follow, but Pappa thought it best not to. He wanted to allow you to come back on your own. We didn’t think you’d be gone so long, so we waited. It was fun at first sharing a collective flying dream, but after some hours we knew something was wrong...”

“I tried to open the door earlier but it is sealed by a vaarry mystical power. It is not a normal dimensional door. It took me some time to craft a new key to open it.” says Pappa.

Cole gestures behind him speaking, “For us it was minutes. Tell them Ktroll.”

Cole swivels his head back and forth not finding Ktroll. He quickly checks behind the door, “Where’s Ktroll?”

“We didn’t see him come through the door with you.” replies Journey.

“What?! I grabbed him. We were both going through the door together.”

“Do you think he’s still on the other side?” asks Justice with a concerned voice.

“There’s no way, he was right there with me. Maybe he already woke up?” replies Cole, quite sure of himself.

“Good because I doubt I’ll be able to open that strange door again. I used up all my tricks forcing it open.” says Pappa.

“There’s no need. I found what I was looking for.” says Cole.

“You found the answers you were seeking?” asks Journey.

“I did. I found my abilities, my will. I found my memories, and were all in danger. Once we wake up things will already be in motion, but don’t worry, we have a plan. I’ll explain when we wake up.”

“Very well. I’ll see you on the other side Cole.” says Journey smiling, just before disappearing.

Next, Pappa tips his hat to Cole before disappearing into the nothingness.

“Too bad I can’t stay and have more flying dreams. I guess I’ll be seeing you back in reality.” says Justice before disappearing.

Cole is about to close his eyes to wake up, but he finds Fate staring at him.

“What’s the matter?” he asks.

“Before we go, I wanted to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Do you wish to see your final moments? This is something my ability can grant you.”

“I’m, I’m not sure.”

“It’s true, it can be a blessing and a curse. The only reason I ask is because I think it can help you on your journey.”

Cole looks down pondering for a moment, “That’s a heavy question, but I think I have to know. I feel now that I have the ability to shape my destiny. So yes, please show it to me.”

“Very well, but remember, I can only show you your end. I can’t show you the journey of how you got there. I can’t explain the why’s or the how’s of what you see. I can only show your final moments, your fate.”

Fate holds her hand out in a fashion very similar to Justice. Cole clasps her hand. Again, in the blink of an eye he’s transported to a new place. He’s miles in the air hovering high above a large airship. He looks down to see his friends fighting for their lives against Cain. Cinder has collapsed gasping for air. Cain standing next to her has removed all the air around her, extinguishing her flames, and her life. Shado is protecting a seemingly injured Gaze with a power unfamiliar to Cole. It seems in the future, Shado has learned how to summon seven shadow wolves to come to his aid.

Shado screams in torment trying to rescue Cinder but he’s too late. With Cinder’s death she ignites into a colossal explosion. Cain looks up at Cole showing the rage on his face just before harnessing the power of the explosion, creating a vicious fire tornado. He pushes up with both hands sending the fiery vortex up to Cole. The flame engulfs everything around Cole. There’s nowhere for him to go. His vision becomes nothing but flame, his body being consumed. He counters with his wind ability but it only makes the vortex more explosive. Again, in the blink of an eye, Cole is back with Fate.

“What did you see?” she asks.

Cole can’t answer at first. He buckles to his knees panting from just waking from the nightmare, “I, I just saw my death. Cain kills me in a huge fire tornado after killing Cinder.”

“I see…” replies Fate with a grim look.

“I don’t understand. We were on an airship. Shado was there. Gaze looked like she was in trouble. How did we get there? Where was everyone else?”

“I can’t explain how you get there. I can only show you your fate.”

“I understand that showing people their fate isn’t the most glamorous power, but thank you. I’m glad you showed me because now I can stop it from happening. I just have to avoid airships.”

“It doesn’t work that way. You can’t change your fate.”

“No, I’m more sure than ever. I have control over my destiny, I can just feel it.”

Fate replies just before waking from the dream, “I hope so. I more than anyone want that to be true.”

Cole stands in the black of the dream, alone, thinking to himself, So I die by Cain’s hand? I refuse… Now that I’ve seen it, I’ll never let it happen… Now, how do I get out of this dream??...

You just have to wake up silly…

Huh? Who said that?

It’s me, Gaze.

You’re here with me??

Of course. We’ve always been tied together through our dreams.

I, I’m starting to remember!

I need to talk to you. It’s important… When you wake up, come find me.

**Queue Harp Dream Music Outro**

Cole awakes to someone wiping a wet cloth across his forehead. He speaks in a whisper, “I have lived on the lip of insanity wanting to know reasons, knocking on a door. It opens. I’ve been knocking from the inside.”

Shado cheers excitedly, “Bingo! Welcome back Cole! And you didn’t even shit your loincloth. I’m impressed!”

Cole quickly sits up clasping his face. The glowing handprint of Dimitri is burning intensely. Cole’s aura ignites like a raging fire causing some of the group to buckle to their knees just by the sheer spirit pressure. Shado nudges Cole, “Hey can you turn it down? Some of us here can’t handle that kind of spirit pressure.”

“Oh, I know how to do that now, sorry.” replies Cole, reeling back his power.

Pappa smiles speaking, “Ahh yisss, your aura is no longer raging out of control. It is powerful, yes, but condensed, mastered...”

Cole speaks groggily, still waking from the dream, pointing, “I had the strangest dream. You were there, and you were there, and you, and you, and you were made of white flames. What a crazy dream, but where is Ktroll?”

Ghyia chimes in with a worried look, “I can’t get him to wake. He’s, stuck in the dream.”

“Give him a slap. Throw some water on his face.” says Shado.

“I can sense, it’s not as simple as that. I… I think he’s in a coma.” says Ghyia while dabbing Ktroll’s face with a wet rag.

“What?! He’s the master of the dream world. How could that happen?!” cries Journey.

“What happened in there?” questions Ghyia.

“Cole, could he still be behind your dream door? I still don’t fully understand what that was.” asks Pappa.

Cole’s eyes go wide, “Oh no. If he never made it back through the door with me, then he’s still in another dimension. Which means his mind isn’t in the dream world, so he can’t wake up.”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean by, another dimension? Which dimension?” asks Ghyia.

“It’s hard to explain, but it was a place specially created for me. A place where I could train before coming to the afterlife. That was the place where I lost my memories. Now that I’ve crossed through the door of my subconscious I have my memories back. I know the plan. I know what we must do. I know my purpose, I understand my power, but I don’t know how to save Ktroll.

Pappa steps up to Ktroll touching his face, “This isn’t good. I don’t think I’ll be able to get that door open again. It’s not just a door to your subconscious, it’s not just a dream door, and it’s not just a dimensional door. Skeleton keys like that are not easy to come by.”

“Then what can we do? Ktroll will be stuck there forever?!” cries Cole.

Gin nonchalantly struts in between the group grinning while smoking a pipe, “Boy it’s times like these you wish you could have a genie with experience in the dimensions, eh?”

“Can you really help?” Cole asks Gin.

“Of course I can help. I’m a genie!”

“Then please help Ktroll!”

“Is this your wish? Remember you only have one, and no you can’t wish for more wishes. The wish thing isn’t some cosmic rule I have to follow. It’s just something I put in place or else I’d be doing wishes for everyone all day long.”

“Ok, I wish for you to help Ktroll come back to us.”

Gin wrinkles his nose before speaking, “Your wish is my command!”

With the words he disappears for a few seconds then materializes back into existence. Ktroll comes alive coughing in shock. Ghyia asks him, “Are you ok?”

Ktroll is in a daze hardly able to acknowledge where he is. Again Ghyia presses, “Ktroll speak to me. Are you ok?”

“I’m, I’m, yes I’m ok. It’s just, I didn’t think this day would come.” replies Ktroll with a raspy voice.

“What do you mean?” she asks.

“I’ve been in that realm with only Teacher and Cinder to talk to for centuries. I lost count of the years…”

Gin takes Ktroll’s hand speaking to the group, “It’s ok guys you can leave us. Don’t worry, Ktroll will be fine. I’ll take care of him. I understand what he’s gone through. I’ve lived countless lives and waking from something so earth shattering can take its toll. He just needs some time to decompress.”