"Who are they?" Kane asks pointing to the three caskets.

"My guess...it's the Atlantean priests."

Everyone looks up at me like I just called Mother Teresa a bad name, but I'm serious about my a.s.sumption.

"They said that they are still here and so his he," I say gesturing to where Nannot is being held. "Kane, you asked me earlier where they were. Plus, they've only used their mental gifts to contact me. I'm guessing their physical forms died, or they're in a form of stasis or hibernation."

"So you think their minds are still active and that's how they contacted you?" Nicole asks.

"Yes, I do."

Kane walks up to the crypt and brings up his flashlight. He then begins to examine it.

"Not a single tool mark or seam anywhere. It's one solid piece of the orich-stuff."

"Amazing," Dad whispers.

I walk up to the ma.s.sive coffin and rest my hand on it. It may be just my imagination, but I could have sworn I felt a slight tremor underneath my hand.

Then the answer comes to me. I'm not sure from where though, "I think I know what they did..." I close my eyes now seeing another vision. I describe what I see while it happens.

"They sacrificed their immortal bodies, using the power in them to contain their brother longer, hoping for a chosen individual to come and aid them. They knew one day that Nannot would be set free and that this chosen one would be all that could save the world from his wrath."

"How?" Asks a distant voice. "How was he to be freed?"

"All he needs is a human host. The more willing the person is, the stronger his power would be," I answer, eyes still closed.

Kneel. A soothing voice resonates through my mind, coaxing me to listen. I do. I know who speaks to me.

"Rahji-itza, is that you?" I ask mentally.

Yes, it is I. You have been chosen by Lord Thoth himself to defend the world against his fallen son. Do you accept the burden of saving all of mankind?

"So I have a choice?" I ask honestly a little surprised.

You always have a choice. You chose to fight against our brother. You chose to let us into to your mind. And you have a choice to accept or deny us now.

"The will of the chosen to deny...so it's not just a prophecy against your brother, it's for you too."

Yes, you are correct. If someone with darkness in his heart wanted to free our brother then they would be able to. Like I said, you always have a choice.

You always have a choice, I think to myself.

I choose...to kneel.

43.

I kneel, touching my forehead to the orichalc.u.m sarcophagus. The light vibration I felt in my hand is now a buzzing in my head. I try my best to stay relaxed, but it's a little difficult under the circ.u.mstances.

Thousands of visions-no not visions-memories fly by. Every single one of them is being absorbed into my mind at light speed. And it's not just one person's memories, its three sets of them.

I see the four twins playing as children in the king's palace. I see Thoth educating the kids as well.

I see the brothers as grown men-maybe in their early twenties-arguing.

I see Thoth again, this time entrusting the four brothers with the elixir, making them immortal, like himself.

I see chaos and destruction.

I see heartache and loss.

I see Thoth on his knees weeping for his lost child, the three loyal defenders standing beside him, consoling their father...their king.

I see the king cry out in anger and frustration and strike down Nannot, the same way the priests did in my second dream. He used an unbelievably strong energy beam to subdue him and then used the very Earth itself to entomb him.

Then all at once, I feel the love these three brothers share. I feel their hope for healing and their continued forgiveness for their sibling.

Wow, they never stopped loving him, I think. Then a warm, tingling sensation consumes my body, almost like I'm fully immersed in the most relaxing hot tub in the world.

You are one of us now, son. You have been given a power-a gift greater than anything you could ever dream of.

This is a different voice...an older voice.

"Thoth? Is that you?" I ask continuing in my mind.

Yes, my son. It is I, Thoth. The Last King of An'tala. Use these gifts well and do this world justice. There's a pause in his statement. But, could you please tell him that he is forgiven. Please, tell him that.

"I will, my...king."

The last part was awkward and strange, but it felt like the right thing to say.

Then I'm released, back into the real world. I'm not even violently thrown back into reality this time. I'm just freed from the mental incursion, which included none other than Thoth himself.

He is forgiven. After all he did to his homeland and to his family, they still ultimately forgive him. Humanity could learn a lot from this.

I stand and remove my gla.s.ses, rubbing my eyes, removing some of the built of tension and face the others. They all gasp and take a large step back away from me.

"What?"

"Hank...your eyes," Nicole says her face pale. She stares at me with fright and what looks like a hint of wonder. I'm not quite sure what's happening. Everyone is just staring at me, mouth agape.

Nicole digs into her pack, producing a small compact mirror. She offers it to me, stepping back a few feet. I take it and look into its reflective gla.s.s and see myself, looking normal. That is except for my...

"They're the same," I say lost in a memory.

"What do you mean the same? Nicole asks. "They weren't like this before."

I look back down into the mirror, staring into my reflection. When the priests revealed themselves to me they all had wonderfully disturbing eyes. They swirled like storm clouds made of pure orichalc.u.m.

"I'm like them," I quietly say, staring at my reflection with astonishment.

"Like who?" Kane asks.

Click.

We turn as one.

"Omar?" Dad asks confused. "What is this?"

Omar is standing only ten feet from Nannot's prison. He must have been slowly making his way over there while everyone's attention was on me. And...he has a gun pointed in my direction.

"Shut it old man! I've dealt with you and your sorry-excuse-for-a-son long enough!"

"What the h.e.l.l, man!" Kane shouts. He still has his Desert Eagle in his hand about to raise it.

"Ah, ah, ah Mr. Kane, you wouldn't want me to accidentally pull the trigger and shoot Mr. Boyd would you?" Omar sneers. He takes another step back, towards the obsidian tomb.

"Omar, please don't," I plead. "You have no idea what you're doing. If he gets loose-"

"Who says he will get loose? He will be freed yes, but I will control him! Zero has plans for his power."

"Zero?" Nicole asks. "You're with Zero!"

"You son of a b.i.t.c.h, you set us up!" Kane yells stepping towards Omar. "That's how they got here so quick. You told them where we'd be and when we would be there."

Omar matches his stride and takes another large step back, now within reaching distance of the worst enemy in the known world.

"What happened to the excavation team, the men and women outside?" Dad asks concerned for his crew.

"Those who didn't flee would have been killed," Omar remorselessly replies.

Dad lifts his hands to his mouth, officially freaking out. I know what he's thinking. If he loses another team, like the one in Spain...

"Why would Zero want to set Nannot free? He will just lay waste to the entire world, killing billions. What could they gain from that?" I ask.

"We are Zero: The Beginning of All Things. We believe-I believe-that we can control him. That it is our right, our destiny to do so. He is The End of All Things, we will be complete together."

"You're insane..." Nicole replies looking like she's about to vomit. She's right too. The look in Omar's eyes is unnerving to say the least.

"You have completely lost your marbles," Kane says rubbing the frustration off his sweating face.

Omar reaches out his hand, never taking his eyes off of me and with a smile says, "It's been a pleasure Mr. Boyd, but you'll have to excuse me. I have a date with a G.o.d." He places his palm on the motionless fire and screams.

44.

The sound resonating from the man's lungs is like nothing I've ever heard. Its one part agony and one part pleasure. A look of anguish and ecstasy is slathered all over Omar's face. That's when I notice that the crazy zealot's body is suspended a foot off the ground, back arched, arms out wide. A slight breeze seems to be holding him aloft. The current of air suddenly becomes a strong gust and forces us to our hands and knees.

Kane tries to aim his weapon at the thing that used to be Omar, but can't hold his hand steady enough to take a shot. He gives up and lowers his gun.

That's when the wind dies down and Omar lands. He is gently deposited on the floor of the cave standing in a relaxed stance, head dropped forward resting on his chest. He takes in a deep breath, looks up and opens his eyes...his red, bleeding eyes.

"We are so delighted to see you again...slave."

It's Omar's voice, but it sounds like ten of him talking at once, all in different octaves. He stretches and yawns, like he just woke up. Actually, I guess part of him did just awake.

"Omar?" Dad calmly asks.

"Ahhh, you must be Dr. Boyd. No, I'm sorry Mr. Jafari is no longer with us. He is shall we say, out of town for a while. It's just me, The End."

"No! You selfish, s.a.d.i.s.t b.a.s.t.a.r.d! What did you do with him?" Dad yells.

"Where are your manners, William? You are addressing a G.o.d. And do you know what happens when someone disrespects a G.o.d?" Omar's body raises his gun. "They die!" He fires his weapon straight at my father's chest. One clean shot.

"Nooo!" I scream. I put all my emotion into the thought and thrust out my hand. The bullet covers the distance and hits my dad and...turns to dust.

Dust? No, not dust, sand. I turned the bullet to sand? Is that even possible?

"You! How?" Omar-I mean Nannot-screams. He actually sounds confused. He must not have put two-and-two together.

Now I'm freaking p.i.s.sed. This j.e.r.k.-.o.f.f. just tried to kill my father and is upset about it?

"No, not me...us!" I react with pure emotion and instinct. I leap the thirty foot gap between the two of us and unleash the strongest punch I've ever delivered. I throw a right uppercut straight into his jaw. I feel my hand accelerate as fast as his bullet did. The wave of pressure accompanies it as I lay into him.

I connect with a bone cracking thump, like he just got mule kicked by a herd of elephants. I send him flying a hundred feet to the stone wall with a crunch of bone. He hits with a disgusting smear of flesh and blood, exploding on impact.

"What the...?" I say.

Then the unthinkable happens. He starts putting himself back together. His spine, which was broken, pops back into place. His skull, crushed by the impact, which could only match getting hit by a semi going ninety, does the same. It's the orichalc.u.m. It's like the Atlantean Gorilla Glue. No wonder they thought of it as more valuable than gold.

The fully healed, former Atlantean priest stands holding his side. His grimace turns to a smile and he stands upright completely fine.

d.a.m.n, I think. I didn't put a dent in him. Well, I did for about thirty seconds.