Spence was so upset and angry that he shook all over. He hadn’t intended on leaving when he first stood. He had only been going to the opposite side of the fire. But now, he found himself walking into the dark forest. He struck the butt of his staff on the ground, and the glowing crystal provided a ten-foot radius of light around him.

“Spence, come back!”

Spence recognized Caleb’s voice. He couldn’t just return now, though. He had to keep going. He might rejoin the group tomorrow, but he had to spend tonight on his own. He had to make them regret being so cruel. He quickly walked away before they could follow, or he changed his mind.

“Spence!” Morgan’s voice yelled.

Hopefully, they’d learn a lesson. Spence’s fast pace caused his staff to bob up and down, and the effect of the light was somewhat disorienting. The light bleached out all color from the trees and ground, making everything shades of black and gray. Shadows danced on all sides. It appeared like he was in one of those low-budget camcorder horror movies. The Blair Witch Project immediately came to mind. That movie had always creeped him out. Now, he was in a dark forest, possibly housing real horrors.

He thought he might be out of sight of the camp by now, but he wasn't sure with the darkness of the forest and his bright staff. But he didn’t want to go too far away in case he decided to rejoin them in the morning. He stretched his right arm out and wrapped his hand around the crystal, which was surprisingly cool. The light now shone out between his thumb and forefinger, creating a flashlight-like beam. He could still see, but the light wouldn’t be as visible from a distance.

He soon spotted a thick bunch of what resembled laurel bushes growing around a huge pine tree. The bushes were the only nonpine vegetation he had seen other than ferns. He made his way to the foliage and poked his staff inside, ensuring no creatures hid within. The bushes’ limbs were thick, but they opened inside and around the tree's base. He dropped to his hands and knees and slithered inside.

He crawled into a perfect, human-size hiding spot. He would be impossible to spot from any distance outside. He struck the base of the staff against the tree trunk, and the pitch-black returned. He slid his pack off and leaned it against the bottom of the tree. He then scooted down so he could use it for a pillow. He clutched his staff in his left hand and placed his right hand on the hilt of his dagger. The burst of energy from the cake had waned, probably from a mixture of burning rage and his brisk walk. He was tired—both from the physical exertions of the day and the mental stress of the recent encounter.

He felt safe in his shelter. Nothing could get to him, at least not without making a lot of noise in the process. The space was warm and cozy, with pine needles providing a bed beneath him. Hopefully, he would hear the others approaching in the morning. They would be loud in the solitude of the woods. Despite a mind jumbled with thoughts, he closed his eyes and slept.

He awoke after an undetermined amount of time. A bright light shone in his face. He blinked several times and struggled to remember where he lay. When he recalled his sheltered sleeping place in the strange forest, he sat up and held his staff pointing in front of him.

He couldn’t discern the source of the light somehow knifing its way through the thick laurel leaves. It resembled sunlight, but he could see the forest was still dark. Then he thought it might be a flashlight or spotlight. He considered staying hunkered down in the bush. Maybe whatever created the source of light couldn’t see him. He waited for what seemed like minutes, but the light stayed fixed on him. Reluctantly, he crawled on his hands and knees out of the thicket.

He stood and shielded his eyes with his right hand. The light was coming from above, shining down at an angle to him. Despite no noise, Spence’s first thought was of a helicopter or UFO. The light slowly moved off him and retreated until it shone straight down to the forest floor. A humanoid figure suddenly stood bathed in the golden beam, looking like an actor on center stage. The light was too bright to make out the facial features of the being, and he could barely discern the silhouette.

The figure walked or moved toward him, and the bright light followed. Spence clutched his staff tightly but didn’t activate it. Somehow, he knew if the being meant to hurt him, it would have killed him while he slept. His legs shook, nonetheless.

The entity stopped six feet away. Now that it was much closer, Spence could see that it was male and wore a long white robe. His facial features were young and flawless. White hair cascaded out from beneath a golden horned helmet, falling to his shoulders. His eyes were black. The light bleached out the details of his other features and made the being’s skin look very pale. He crossed his hands before him, the long robe sleeves coming to his wrists.

“Hello, Spence from Earth,” the being said in a deep but not loud voice.

“Uh…hello…sir,” Spence stammered. His voice sounded high-pitched and weak.

“I am Enki, lord of water and lands of the South.”

“The talking statue?”

“That was I.”

“You rule the lizard people?” Spence asked. Curiosity slowly replaced his fear.

“They do not like that term; they are the Draconians or reptilian humanoids,” Enki replied. His face was expressionless as he spoke.

“What do you want with me?”

“We brought you here to complete a quest, the quest of liberating the races from the creatures separating them. If you are successful, we will allow you to return to your world. However, I know others do not respect you in your world. In fact, your fellow questers do not even respect you. You will also lose the use of your legs again and must depend upon others to care for you for the rest of your mortal life. If you complete the quest and return to Earth, what is your future there?”

Enki’s knowledge of his situation shocked Spence. He recalled having those same thoughts since coming to Nibiru. Although high school had sucked, Spence hoped to graduate, attend a good college, and find real friends and groups he could fit in with. Then maybe after he graduated and was in the real world with a real job, the bullying and teasing would stop. That was before his accident. But confinement to a wheelchair crushed all those dreams. It would be hard to go to college without his parents hiring someone to take care of him. And even if he could attend college and graduate, what job opportunities would there be for him? Who would care for him after his parents were gone?

“There is a very good chance your future will be no better than your present, and you will never fit in with your people or find meaning and purpose.”

“What are you saying?”

“The four races of Nibiru have coexisted for many years. For the most part, they have kept to their own territories and minded to their own affairs, mainly due to the creatures roaming between the lands. But in their hearts, they would like to expand outside their homes—first to explore and then to settle. Just think of your world and the great explorers and conquerors of old.

“My siblings and I believe once you have freed them from their unnatural constraints, they will encroach on each other’s territories. Nibiru is not a big world. Unfortunately, it is not in the nature of any species to maintain a peaceful existence for long. The resettling will lead to conflicts, eventually leading to war. One race, or perhaps all of them, will inevitably want to rule the others. It is not so different from your world. Peaceful coexistence is hard to maintain for long.”

“Why?” Spence lost all fear and absorbed every word Enki uttered.

“There is always a reason—politics, religion, resources, power. Again, think of the great wars in the history of your civilization. How long does peace ever last? Look at the Middle East on Earth. The people there have been warring for thousands of years. For what? We gods have tried to put measures in place to separate our peoples.”

“Like the monsters?”

“Yes.”

“Then why remove them? Just keep them penned in.”

“After much deliberation, we have determined each race deserves its freedom. In your world, the citizens of each city and land may travel to any other. Would you enjoy being confined only to your town or city or country for eternity?” Enki asked.

“Oh, yeah. I guess not,” Spence said, his mind still struggling to process the flood of information. “But why don’t you and the other gods just kill or remove the monsters?”

“We could, of course, but we try to avoid meddling directly in the affairs of our peoples. And true freedom must be earned. We had hoped the races would have the courage to defeat the monsters themselves. Alas, they are weak and lack leadership. Therefore, we leave the task to the questers and assess their courage and skills.”

Spence swallowed hard. “What do you think will happen when all the monsters are slain?”

“As I said, a war—a useless war. Four races will all be fighting each other. All lack direction and purpose. There will be many deaths, but nothing truly gained. No race is strong enough to defeat the other three and achieve a lasting peace.”

“How do I come in?”

“An all-out war can only be avoided in one way. One race needs to stand up and take dominion over the others. True power is the only weapon that can reign in chaos. Democracy might work within one race but not between the races. There has to be governance and guidance.”

“You think I could be that leader?” Spence asked incredulously.

“You have proved your worthiness. You have the power of your staff, and you have courage and intelligence. I could give you additional powers, and I could remove the limitations of your staff. If I presented you to the Draconians, they would follow you.”

Spence trembled again, but not out of fear. This had to be a dream within a dream. “What would I do?”

“You would have to strike quickly and decisively against one of the other races—subjugate them to the Draconian rule. The others would then mostly likely obey your leadership. If not, you would have an army comprised of the Draconians and the race you defeated. It would just be a matter of time before you and your people rule Nibiru. It would be quick and, hopefully, relatively bloodless. Then you could establish true, lasting peace. All would be free within their new society.”

Oh my God! Spence let his mind run wild with the fantasy. He could be the leader of an entire world? No one would ever tease him again, and he would never have to return to the wheelchair. He would put the Treys of the world to death or into hard labor or banish them to live among the monsters. “You honestly think I could do that?”

“I have seen power and courage within you. My people are strong too. The Draconians are the sturdiest of the races—strong, fast, and cunning. They combine the best of Nephilim and reptiles. I offer you something you could never even dream of in your world. And someday, I could possibly make you a god.”

Spence swallowed hard. “What about the other gods? Don’t they rule the other races?”

“They do. But they do not know I am here. If you agree to this, we will have to strike quickly before they can react. I am sure they will, or even have already, approached your friends to champion their peoples.”

Spence was overwhelmed. His mind went from racing wildly to feeling sluggish and numb, and his body was weak. He only wanted to lie down and sleep. “I don’t know what to say,” he whispered, unsure if Enki even heard.

“You may consider my offer while you continue your quest. I just hope you do not take too long and get slain, or one of your companions accepts their offer first.”

“How will I let you know?”

“Your pendant. If you are in a private place, squeeze it tightly and say my name, and I will appear. Or you can press the gem hard and be transported to Abzu, the sacred town of my people in the Forsaken Swamp.”

Spence reached inside his shirt and touched the smooth, warm stone. He remembered the others had pendants, too, probably with the same powers. “OK.”

“Think hard, human. This decision will be the biggest you have ever made. Until we meet again.”

The light suddenly disappeared. Enki still stood there for a moment, glowing white in the pitch black of the forest. Then he abruptly disappeared too, leaving Spence standing in the total, silent darkness. He was too overwhelmed to attempt to sift through his thousand conflicting emotions and thoughts. He dropped to the ground and crawled back into his sleeping spot. He closed his eyes and miraculously fell asleep.