Anyone watching could tell that Lee wasn’t having a wonderful dream. He tossed and turned, covered in the fluffy furs of the animals he killed. Cold sweat covered his body as he murmured and jerked to and fro. 

A phantasmagoria of flashing red, brown, and black was all he could see. His voice didn’t work. Nobody could hear his silent pleas for help over the blood-curdling screams and clanging of metal. He didn’t know where he was, only that he was lost in an ever-shifting landscape of confusion. 

Twisting and turning about, he could gleam nothing—only the instinctual sense of dread and loss. He was stumbling and being knocked about by dark silhouettes which rose and fell as they collided with one another. 

Then everything paused. 

Lee stood frozen, surrounded by dark silhouettes frozen in time. All sounds ceased, and a new instinctual fear arose from within his very soul, emanating from where his eyes were locked in place. His heart pumped fear and adrenaline faster and faster from the intense feeling of utter dread. His frantic pupils dilated to round points and shook minutely as he heard a low and deep thud from off in the distance. 

Thud. 

Thud. Thud.

The only sound available to him paused, and the feeling of dread and despair slowly began to fade away… Then, the very next second, those very same feelings turned all the way up to eleven as the thudding began to grow even louder and more numerous.

Thud.Thud.Thud.Thud.Thud.Thud.

I am going to die. 

That was the single thought that managed to make its way into his brain as the thudding grew ever closer. 

The dark silhouettes shattered like glass in the distance, creating a trail of black fragments and showing a path—a path directly toward his location. 

The very last thing Lee saw before he ‘died’ was the elated green visage of Klob the Hobgoblin, mere inches from his face, as his head became encompassed in Klob’s open mouth. The mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth that closed upon Lee’s head. 

------------------------------------------------------

Lee arose with a horrific wail of fright while flailing his limbs in utter terror. After a few seconds, he calmed down enough to realize that everything had been a nightmare. 

He blankly looked down at his sheets, which were drenched in sweat, and the fur he often used as miniature blankets. While attempting to grab the furs to dry them out, Lee paused. Looking down at his outstretched hand, he saw it shaking uncontrollably. Quickly pulling his hand back, he stared around his small, relatively unfurnished room in the dark.

Lee sat there on his bed for a few seconds in silence, thinking about... everything.

He didn’t want this. 

Slowly, tears began to drip down his cheeks and land on his shaky hands, blurring his vision. He just sat there, watching his tears fall as he took shuddering breaths and began to sob quietly. 

He knew what was wrong. 

He just didn’t want to believe that it could happen to him. But, he knew, deep down inside himself. So he lied. 

Everything is fine. 

But he knew that wasn’t the truth. He had been down this path before. Thinking everything was okay because it just had to be. It’s not like it could happen to him; these things happen to other people. The people you heard about from far away, but never you.

He was supposed to be the one to help others now. He didn’t want this. It wasn’t fair.

Lee grimaced, then jerked and threw his bedsheet, furs, and pillows across the floor, tugging the mattress off its frame slightly in the process. He sat back down, hands on his head, still sobbing and wishing his hair was long enough to pull. 

But again, he knew. Life isn’t fair. It doesn’t matter what world you’re on. That was about as much as a constant as you could get, like death and taxes. 

Why couldn’t he just be the one to give help now? He… He could magic this away? Not yet. 

And so, he had no options. None that he wanted, at least. 

He could go to Anya?

No. She doesn’t deserve this burden. He… He was too ashamed. 

Shame. 

Shame and embarrassment. 

Lee slunk down the side of the offset mattress and sat on the floor, back resting against the rough wooden bedframe as he covered his face with his hands and knees. 

He was in over his head. He embarrassed himself everywhere. He didn’t fit in here. 

The bath.

Oh, the bath. The looks on the Dark Elves' faces were enough embarrassment and shame for the rest of his life. They even pitied him. They knew as well. 

Did Ruven know? He knew. He had to have known. He had to have seen it. He had to have…

Lee slowly raised his head when a lightbulb of thought shined bright. Ever so slowly, Lee sat up as his glowing tear-riddled blue eyes widened. 

Throwing on his Robe of the Genesis and putting on his leather boots, Lee left his home. The hood was up, and he attempted to hide his face as he traveled across Neldam’s ever-busy streets. And after a few minutes of walking, Lee reached the ‘home’ of the person who could help. He climbed the long stone staircase and, once at the top, opened the large stone double doors.

Entering the Cathedral, Lee was greeted by the constantly smiling priest. Almost as if he had been waiting for him all along. 

Lee gave him a slight nod while entering the silent cathedral and received one in turn, unsure of what he was supposed to do exactly. 

“I… Can I meet with…?” Lee unconfidently asked. 

The priest’s facial expression never changed as Lee tried to stammer out his question. Placing a hand on Lee’s shoulder, the priest spoke. 

“It’s not up to me.”

Lee paled and was about to turn and storm back to his home, shamed and embarrassed once again, but the priest spoke once more.

“But, I think they will be willing. Try the doors.” 

Nobody else was currently in the cathedral. It was something Lee was very happy about at the moment. Lee walked left past some of the wooden pews toward a closed door—A book-shaped door. 

Lee ran his hands along the numerous spines of books that made up the outer wall of Xander, the God of Knowledge’s religious abode. 

Pausing at the closed book-like door for only a second, Lee took hold of the ornately carved handle and attempted to open it. 

It didn’t budge at all. 

Lee’s hope came crashing down upon him like a mountain as he ducked his head. It was a silly thought anyway, hoping that the God of Knowledge could take his ‘knowledge’ away. 

But he was out of easy options. He didn’t want to go about this the normal way. The healthy way. 

As he slowly shuddered, hand still placed upon the handle, he heard an ever so faint click from off in the distance. 

Jerking his head toward the sound, Lee saw a door slowly opening, almost as if the door itself was unsure. He looked at the small attached building connected to the door and saw that it was a log cabin—a log cabin in which the grain of the wood made a map. 

He released his death grip from Xander’s door handle and began to move towards the slowly opening door when he heard a few other clicks. He paused and glanced around the room. Looking at Arcani’s door, Death’s door, Love’s door, and War’s door, slowly opening. 

He was turning away from the travel door to head for Arcani’s when it swung open quickly, knocking its iron handle roughly into the side of its own building, denting the wood slightly from the force. The priest, who was watching calmly, even jerked in apprehension at the loud sound. 

But Lee was still unsure. 

As he slowly walked to Arcani’s door, he noticed that the door was closing. Almost unwillingly. This alarmed him. Lee didn’t know much about the gods and goddesses, certainly not as much as he should, but he assumed that his connection to Arcani would hold some sway. 

He slowed in his walking and glanced at the other doors now closing, some slowly with apparent effort, like Arcani’s, but some more peacefully. 

Lee glanced at the priest, unsure of what was actually happening or what any of this meant. But, the priest also looked extremely unsure himself. 

The only door open now was the door to which Lee assumed the God or Goddess of Travel resided. Tentatively, Lee strode toward the wide open door. Peering inside, he could glean nothing of what was past. It just appeared to be black. 

Ever so slowly, Lee placed a foot past the doorway and watched as his leg appeared to disappear. Not feeling any pain, just an immense amount of wariness and weariness, he stepped fully past the border. 

What was past the border was, actually, quite pleasant—a large grassy field with a singular dirt road leading over a low risen hill. The sun was out, which was something Lee didn’t see much of anymore. Lee began to walk down the dirt road, inspecting the real, or realistic, animals roaming about the grass. 

He walked the dirt road alone and thought about how a God or Goddess of Travel could help with his… problem. He didn’t think of any immediate answer and assumed that the god or goddess wanted to talk with him about his soon-to-be journey out of Neldam. Which, to be fair, Lee probably should get input on. Just… maybe not today. 

After walking for a minute, Lee crested another hill and saw a large apple tree standing stalwart in its solidarity. A squirrel traversed the long healthy branches and knocked down a juicy red apple, which landed in a small miniature pony’s mouth. It chomped down happily on the juicy fruit, spraying a bit of it outwards in its glee.

Lee nearly stumbled down the hill from the absurdity of the situation. At least this God or Goddess seemed to have a positive outlook. That was… reassuring in a weird nostalgic way. 

Behind the tree, he could spot a humanoid arm reaching upwards, palm up. Lee watched as another apple was knocked loose by the squirrel. The apple fell directly into the open palm, and the arm retreated back behind the tree. Shortly after, Lee heard a loud crunch. 

Lee continued forward, about to crest the tree, which would give himself a full vision of the God or Goddess. Lee assumed at this point that it was a God, as the arm looked masculine, but he still could be wrong. He never fully made it, though, as he heard a voice and stopped, frozen in disbelief. 

“They’re fine. I took care of them just like I said.” 

Lee instantly fell to his knees as he lost all the strength in his body; more tears sprang to his eyes. He looked up as the God of Travel came out from behind the tree. 

Lee needed no introduction to this figure. After all, they knew each other well. 

Shane, the God of Travel, rushed forward and yanked Lee off the ground, then embraced him in a firm and loving hug. Shane’s salt and pepper beard rubbed against Lee’s wet cheek as Lee hurriedly wrapped his arms around his uncle and began to sob, this time in happiness. 

He was reunited with his family.