In the vast darkness of space, are points of light. From a distance, they look tiny.

It's only when you look closer, that those points of light seem bigger than life.

In the darkness, lights shine out and give man the gift of hope, for a new tomorrow.

It is the fate of the heavens to give birth to these points of light. It is the fate of these points of light to burn bright against the darkness. And it is their expected fate, to burn out and be seen no more.

But what if you had the chance to decide your own fate?

What would you do, and where would you go, with that kind of power?

When I got up one morning, I had no idea I would soon learn the answer to those questions. And more.....

Darjeeling, India

I grunted, as I continued the climb. Up ahead, I saw my dad and the rest of the tour group. I sighed, and wondered why I had said I'd rather live with my father after the divorce. I should have known, that his idea of our first summer vacation would involve something outdoorsy like mountain-climbing in India.

I had to admit it though. The view from Mount Kanchenjunga was breathtaking. Of course, the lack of oxygen would do that anyway. Still, I was getting some good pictures on my digital camera.

Spotting a bird, I went to take out my camera when I noticed something shiny half-stuck in a nearby glacier wall. "What the....?" I began to ask myself as I snapped a picture of the object.

I could still see the rest of the climb group making their way up, and figured I could spare a minute to investigate the strange object. Cautiously, I tapped up the zoom on my camera, to get a better look. "That looks like some kind of helmet," I mused to myself. It looked like it would be a little extra effort, but I could reach it and use my ice pick to carefully chip it loose.

Frequently stealing glances at the rest of the group, I began chipping away at the ice. The helmet finally came free, and dropped into my free hand. I gasped, feeling a kind of tingling sensation. I glanced up the path at the tour group, and the tingle became a lot stronger.

"Someting's... wrong," I whispered into the air. I looked down at the helmet, really seeing it for the first time. I KNEW this helmet. I'd seen it before. My eyes got as big as saucers as I remembered where I'd seen it. "You're... Dr. Fate's helmet, aren't you?" I asked the helmet. It remained silent.

The tingle came again, more urgently this time. I considered my options. If I was right, I was holding onto a very powerful item. And I also had a feeling, that the tingling sensation was some kind of warning. A warning of danger.

I looked askance at the helmet. "Either what I'm about to do is very, very clever... or very, very stupid. If you're really Fate's helmet, then let's let Fate decide whether I'm clever or stupid."

I slowly turned the helmet around, and slid it over my head. I gasped, as my world turned inside out. "Nabu..." I muttered, as I saw the final battle between Nabu and the Spectre. I grunted as I saw images of Kent, Inza, and Hector. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. That's when I noticed my clothes. I was wearing the costume of Dr. Fate!

"Holy shit. You ARE the helmet of Fate!" I said in awe. That's when I heard the screams.

I gasped, as my instincts kicked in. Whatever that 'download' was, it told me how to fly. In moments, I could see the problem. An icy avalanche up ahead the trail was bearing down on my dad and the rest of the hikers.

"No!!!" I cried, reaching out blindly. Mystic bolts shot from my hands, conjuring up a giant catchers' mitt which caught most of the falling snow and ice. The catcher's mitt dumped the snow over the side of the mountain safely, and then came to rest on the ground in front of the path ahead.

I blinked. "Huh... well, that works." I muttered. I felt connected to the helmet, as if the helmet was reacting to my thoughts and wishes, and making them come to life. "Cool...."

"Is everyone all right?" I asked aloud. I was amazed, how different my voice sounded coming from the helmet.

"Yes, thank you for the help, Dr. Fate." My dad said, shaking my hand warmly.

"I suppose I was fated to be here, Mr. Dixon." I joked.

"My son. Bryan. Where...?" My dad began to ask.

I paused. I hadn't thought about that. I never more wished I could be in two places at once.

"Dad!!!" I heard someone cry out from behind me.

I did a double-take. I was so glad that the helmet covered my entire face. My jaw was about to drop to the ground as I saw... ME, running up the path.

"Bryan!" My dad called.

The other me ran up, and gave my dad a big hug. "What happened?"

"It seems that some of the ice ahead came loose," I observed, doing my best to act calm even though the rest of me wondered what the heck was going on.

"Dad..." the other me said, "Maybe we should skip the hike. I've gotten some good pictures already."

The tour guide came towards us. "The path isn't safe. We shall have to turn back."

Dad reluctantly nodded. I raised an eyebrow as both versions of me did parallel smirks, and my double gave me a knowing look. My dad hated to give up, on anything.

"Dad, can I get an autograph?" My counterpart asked.

My dad smiled. "Sure, son. We'll start heading down now."

The minute the group went around a bend in the path, I tore off the helmet and opened my mouth to ask my double what the heck was going on. As if everything else wasn't strange enough, my double and the catchers' mitt vanished right in front of my eyes after the helmet came off. And so did my Fate costume.

"OH. I get it...." I shook my head in amusement, and looked down at the helmet. "You're going to be a handful, aren't you?" The helmet remained mute.

I slipped the helmet back on, and changed back into the Fate costume. "Hmm... not bad..." I mused, looking at my reflection in the glacier wall. "But.... I really wish there wasn't a cape." The cape vanished. I looked at myself, thinking over what it meant now that I could wear the helmet. I took it off, and changed back into my regular clothes.

"Nabu said that with him, the 9th Age of Magic was to die. And that the new wearer would be part of the 10th Age of Magic." I thought to myself as I stuffed the helmet into my backpack and started following the group back down. "I'm no Dr. Fate. Not yet. Not anywhere near it. It's a new age. I think I'll call myself... Sirdar." I decided silently.

I couldn't wait to get back to the States.

Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole. .....I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.


"Invictus,"
by William Earnest Henley .....