Khonshu didn't speak to me the rest of the evening. Neither did Savage, but that wasn't a surprise. Like I had said earlier, Savage really only said what was necessary. It was like the words were hard for him, despite his lack of accent and perfect grammar, almost as though his brain wasn't meant for any sort of language.
We ate with no words. I went to bed that night without hearing any words. I felt completely alone. I missed Megan desperately. I hoped she was ok.
Though I hoped for a dreamless sleep, unfortunately, I couldn't have that peace, even in my sleep. That night, I wasn't even allowed to have a normal dream.
Everything around me was black, but it wasn't dark. I could tell because I saw my clothes very clearly: The white and gray robes that Khonshu had worn when I met him in the underworld.
There were six others standing in a circle, some of whom I recognized. Dr. Fate, Secret, a paralyzed man in a wheelchair, a blind woman, a very old woman, and finally, directly to my right, stood my twin brother Kameron.
"Arbiters." Fate spoke finally, in a strange language. Despite the fact that I had never heard it, it was as though it were English to my ears. "The world is out of balance. There is a new devil, Ra's al-Ghul. Khonshu has failed to carry out his duty, and has perished at the hand of this demon king. This is the reason I have called this council."
Everyone, including Kameron, turned to me. It was then I realized that Khonshu wasn't with me here. I was the only one in my head.
"Um… I don't know what to say." I finally admitted, in English.
"Daniel?" Kameron said. It was then when I realized that it wasn't Kameron standing next to me. He had Kam's looks and voice, but his tone, the way he spoke, was completely wrong.
"You're… not Kam." I said to him. "You're Vashu."
"Where is Khonshu?" The man in the wheelchair asked, with a computer generated voice.
"In all my years…" Fate said, truely astonished, "This has never happened. What kind of pact have you and Khonshu made?"
I shrugged. I really wasn't sure what to say. This was as confusing to me as it was them.
"Allow me to explain." Secret, aka, Layla said, smirking. She really did know all the secrets of earth, including Khonshu's.
"Khonshu gave up his own life, rather than departing from Daniel, when he and the demon fought. In doing so, Khonshu kept Daniel alive as they both departed to the realm of the dead. Khonshu intended to steal control of Daniel's body, and in doing so, break his curse and finally return to control a body of his own. Daniel, a mortal of strong will, did not allow this, and made a pact with Khonshu to give up his own life in part, to allow them both to come back to the vessel. In turn, Khonshu is keeping Daniel's body alive, and the pair both have partial control of the vessel."
"Is such a thing even possible?" The old woman asked.
"It is so." Vashu responded stepping towards the middle of the circle. All went silent while he spoke.
"My friends," he started to say, "We owe Daniel Wilson a great debt. Had Khonshu been able to return to the control of a body, it may have been devastating for the world. Also, in doing so, Daniel has also created a way to defeat the Demon."
"Khonshu's hubris is too great!" Said the old woman again, "it is his own purpose to prevent the very thing that he has created with Daniel. He has just made a mortal, immortal."
"Daniel Wilson is an honorable man, Indila." Nabu spoke up after being silent this whole time. Despite the fact that he was defending me, he spoke about me as though I weren't there, "If he and Khonshu can defeat the Demon King, he will give up his own life afterward, to prevent Khonshu from ravaging the world."
All turned to me again. Vashu looked me in the eyes. Despite the fact that I knew it wasn't Kam, he still had the same eyes.
"I… will." I stammered out. "I vow to you all that if I can defeat Ra's al-Ghul, I will give up my own life to prevent Khonshu from causing more destruction."
"I vouch for him." Vashu said, turning to the others.
"As do I." Nabu added, nodding his head.
The blind woman finally spoke up.
"Will any other vouch for him?" She said, "There must be three."
The motorized wheelchair man rolled slightly forward. The voice erupted from the computer speakers.
"I, Rhodu the Corageous, will vouch for him. I have seen his deeds and I know that Daniel is an honorable warrior. If he makes this pact, I will stand behind him.
"It is settled then." The blind woman said, "You, Daniel Wilson, will give up your life once you have defeated Ra's Al-Ghul. In doing so, this council will remember and honor your deed forever and ever.
All said "amen," which I had to assume was also a remnant word from the ancient tongue. There was a strange, religious feeling that the last part of the council meeting gave me. If I hadn't believed Khonshu before about the Arbiters being gods, I definitely did now.
All the Arbiters disappeared in an instant, save Vashu and me.
"Daniel, you did wonderfully." He said, in an excited tone. He ran up and hugged me. It felt odd but familiar all at the same time. It was like hugging Kam.
"Vashu, is Kam with you?" I asked in a desperate tone, "can I speak to him?"
Vashu gave me a grim look, which gave me my answer. Despite seeing that I already knew, he still spoke.
"When an Arbiter's vessel dies," he explained, "Their soul is separated from the Arbiter spirit. Kameron is somewhere in the realm of the dead. The only reason I am still in his form is because I haven't reincarnated yet."
"I see…" I said, trying not to sound disappointed.
"Daniel." He responded, placing a hand on my shoulder, "in a way, I am your brother. For 16 years, I grew and stayed by your side, in the form of Kameron. It is too complicated for you to comprehend, but while we are with our vessels, we are the same person. Separation only happens in death. Kam is just as much a part of me as I was of him."
"That explains a lot about Khonshu." I said, looking Vashu in the eyes, "The person you all were talking about, the evil Arbiter of Death, is not the same person as the Khonshu I know."
Vashu smiled at me. Despite his intonation and mannerisms being different from Kam's, his smile was exactly the same.
"That is exactly what I wanted to hear, Danny." Vashu said, "being with you has done exactly what I wanted to happen to Khonshu. You have changed him. After you and he defeat the Demon, I may finally get my brother back. If you can save Khonshu from himself, I will owe you everything."
There were tears in his eyes. I nodded my head and bit back tears of my own. Hearing this from Kam made me feel sentimental.
"I promise, Vashu." I finally spoke up, "I will bring your brother back to you."
Vashu nodded and everything faded into a white light.
I thought the dream was over. I woke up. I was in my tent. I went outside to get a drink of water, but outside wasn't outside. Instead, I was in an office. It looked like a psychiatrist's office.
An older man, with neatly trimmed gray hair and a white goatee, was sitting at a desk, reading a newspaper. He was dressed nicely, with a button up shirt and slacks, but he wasn't wearing a coat. His sleeves were rolled up too. On the desk, sat the helmet of none other than Nabu.
"Dr. Nelson?" I asked, putting two and two together. I was speaking to Dr. Kent Nelson, a former psychiatrist and currently known as Dr. Fate. This was the first time I'd ever seen him without his helmet.
"Ah, Mr. Wilson!" He said, smiling. He stood up and shook my hand. "Have a seat."
I did as indicated and took a seat on a comfy loveseat. He sat in an armchair across a mahogany coffee table from me.
"Nabu and I thought this would be easier… well you know him. His people skills aren't exactly up to par, so to speak."
"I thought that he never let you take the helmet off."
"That's because he doesn't." Dr. Nelson smiled a somewhat grim smile, "As long as I have the helmet on, he has full control of my body."
"So what's different this time? Or are you dreaming too?"
"No, no. Only you're dreaming, this is very much real for me. Well, you're an illusion, technically, but other than that, I am sitting in my office at my home. It's different because Nabu knows that I will put the helmet back on after we are done here. The world unfortunately needs me to do so. The world needs Dr. Fate, now more than ever."
It must've been hard for him. He could see everything that was happening, but couldn't even control what he said. If Khonshu ever took control of my body, that's probably how I would be.
"Well, We didn't bring you here to chat about my existential crisis." Nelson said, half joking, "We need to know where you are located. The world is going to flames and it is going to get worse. I imagine you have been recovering from your near-death experience, but we need to defeat Ra's al-Ghul as soon as possible."
"I don't exactly know where I am, to be frank." I told Dr. Nelson, "and I can't come back yet."
"Why not?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"There is a swordsman here. His name is Vandal Savage. He is teaching me to defeat Ra's."
Dr. Nelson turned to the helmet, then nodded, as though it had spoke to him. He lit a cigar and took a puff.
"It has been too long since I had one of these." He chuckled. He stood up and walked over to me. I stood up as well. "Nabu has never heard of anyone by the name of Vandal Savage. You are training to defeat Ra's, and that is good, but we need you now."
"I'm almost done with my training." I objected, "I'm not ready to fight Ra's yet. Give me just a few more weeks."
He took another puff of the cigar, then placed it on the coffee table in an ashtray.
"We don't have a few more weeks." He grabbed the helmet off the desk. "Let Nabu show you."
I placed both my hands on the helmet, and a series of images plowed through my vision. Images of destruction. Cities on fire. Gotham turned into a war zone. The Titans' Tower in ruins. Dead bodies. I saw my friends and loved ones dying. Vic, Gar, Dick Barbara. All the titans. Including Megan. I saw a little boy, 5 years old, who looked exactly like Kameron, face down in the dust.
I backed away from the helmet with a sudden jerk. I was breathing heavy. Dr. Nelson placed the helmet on the coffee table and picked up his cigar. He took a long drag and puffed it out in rings while I recovered.
"Is… that all real?" I asked, apprehensively.
"It will be. Fate showed you what is going to pass if we don't get you to San Francisco by Friday."
I felt myself fading from the dream. I didn't have much time
"What day is it?" I asked, hurriedly.
"Wednesday. Where are you, Daniel?"
"Nanda-" I started to say, before waking with a start.