The next morning, Stevan was having a wonderful dream. In his dream, he was eating a giant slice of pepperoni pizza while riding a very slow, very safe roller coaster.
Then, a voice boomed inside his head.
"Awake, Stevan. The sun is high. The universe requires your attention."
Stevan groaned. He grabbed a fluffy white pillow and put it over his head. "Five more minutes, Nabu. Fighting space aliens makes a guy really tired."
"Chaos does not hit the snooze button," Nabu said. The voice was coming from the golden helmet sitting on the glass coffee table, but it echoed right inside Stevan's brain. "Rise. Your training must begin."
Stevan slowly sat up. He rubbed his eyes. He was wearing the gray t-shirt and jeans from yesterday. On the table next to the golden helmet was an empty pizza box. Stevan had ordered a large pepperoni pizza the night before. He ate the whole thing by himself while watching the news on Tony Stark's giant TV. The news was completely crazy. Everyone was talking about the Avengers, the aliens, and the mysterious new "Gold Wizard."
Stevan stretched his arms. His muscles felt a little sore, but not too bad. He walked over to the bathroom. The bathroom in the Stark Hotel penthouse was bigger than his entire old apartment. The shower had six different showerheads.
After a long, hot shower, Stevan felt like a new man. He walked back out to the living room and looked at the Helmet of Fate and the Amulet of Anubis.
"Okay, Nabu," Stevan said out loud. "I'm awake. Where do we start? Do I lift heavy rocks? Do I do magical push-ups?"
"First, you must put on the helmet," Nabu instructed.
Stevan picked up the heavy gold helmet. He took a deep breath and slid it over his head.
Instantly, the magic washed over him. The gray shirt and jeans turned into the bright blue and gold suit. The yellow Cloak of Destiny dropped onto his shoulders. The world lit up with glowing magical energy lines. He felt powerful, calm, and very awake.
"Alright," Stevan's double-voice echoed in the quiet room. "I am ready."
"You cannot train here," Nabu said in his mind. "This building is filled with technology. Tony Stark is a genius of machines. He has cameras and hidden microphones everywhere. Magic and machines do not mix well. If you practice spells here, you will blow up his televisions and set his expensive rugs on fire."
Good point, Stevan thought. Tony would probably charge me for the rugs.
"Where do we go, then?" Stevan asked. "I don't think there's a gym for wizards in New York."
"We will build our own sanctuary," Nabu replied. "A place of perfect Order. We must establish the Tower of Fate."
__________________
Stevan smiled behind the mask. He knew about the Tower of Fate from his comic books. It was Doctor Fate's secret base. It was a giant tower filled with ancient books, magical weapons, and endless secrets.
"That sounds awesome," Stevan said. "Where do we put it? We can't just drop a giant magic tower in the middle of Central Park. People might notice."
"We must find a place where the magical leylines of the Earth cross. A nexus point. There is a strong point of magic north of this city. A place humans call Salem, in the state of Massachusetts."
"Salem? Like the Salem witches?" Stevan asked.
"Yes. Magic has deep roots there. The ground will hold the Tower well. But first, you must learn how to get there without flying through the sky for hours."
"Teleportation?" Stevan asked, getting excited.
"Yes. It is called the Spell of the Golden Door. Close your eyes, Stevan."
Stevan closed his eyes.
"Feel the energy of the Amulet on your chest," Nabu guided him. "Picture the magic as a golden thread. Now, push that thread out of your mind and throw it across the world. Picture a quiet, empty field surrounded by trees. Feel the cold air of the north."
Stevan focused as hard as he could. He imagined an empty field with green grass and tall trees. He felt the magic in his chest get very hot.
"Now what?" Stevan asked.
"Step forward."
Stevan took a step forward.
ZAP!
It felt like someone had shoved him into a washing machine on the spin cycle. The world spun in a blur of gold, yellow, and blue. His stomach flipped upside down. He felt like he was falling at a million miles an hour.
A second later, his boots hit solid ground.
Stevan stumbled forward and fell right into a large, prickly bush.
"Ouch!" Stevan yelled, pulling his cape out of the branches.
He stood up and looked around. He was no longer in the fancy hotel room. He was standing in a massive, empty green field. Tall pine trees surrounded the field on all sides. The air was much colder here, and it smelled like pine needles and dirt instead of car exhaust and hot dogs.
"Your landing was very clumsy," Nabu noted dryly. "A Lord of Order does not fall into bushes."
It was my first time! Stevan thought back, rubbing his arm. Give me a break. Next time, I'll try to stick a superhero landing.
"Focus, Stevan. The leylines here are strong. It is time to summon our home."
_____________________
Stevan walked to the very center of the empty field. The grass was tall and wet with morning dew.
"Raise your hands," Nabu commanded. "Push your magic down into the dirt. Connect with the Earth. Ask the ground to open, and ask the magic to build."
Stevan held his golden gloves out in front of him, pointing down at the grass. He took a deep breath. He let the power of Nabu flow down his arms like a river of warm water.
Golden light shot out of his hands and hit the ground. The earth began to rumble. It felt like a small earthquake.
"Arise," Stevan commanded in his deep, echoing voice.
The ground split open. But it wasn't dirty rocks and mud that came out. It was smooth, flawless, white stone.
Slowly at first, and then faster and faster, a massive building pushed its way up out of the earth. It was a giant, round tower. It looked like it was made of solid, polished marble. It grew taller and taller, shooting up past the tops of the pine trees. It kept going until it was at least ten stories high.
Stevan lowered his hands. The earthquake stopped.
He looked up at his new home. The Tower of Fate was beautiful. It was perfectly round and completely smooth. But there was something very weird about it.
Stevan walked all the way around the bottom of the giant tower. He touched the smooth, cold stone. He frowned under his golden helmet.
"Uh, Nabu?" Stevan asked. "I think we made a mistake."
"The Tower of Fate makes no mistakes," Nabu replied.
"Well, it forgot something pretty important," Stevan said, pointing at the smooth wall. "There are no doors. And there are no windows. How are we supposed to get inside? Do we climb up to the roof?"
"A door is a weakness," Nabu explained calmly. "A door is a place where enemies can enter. The Tower of Fate has no physical doors because it does not follow the physical laws of this universe. Only a master of magic can enter."
"Okay. So, how do I get in?"
"You walk forward."
Stevan looked at the solid stone wall. "You want me to walk into a brick wall? I just fell into a bush, Nabu. I don't want to break my nose on a magic rock."
"You are wearing the Helmet of Fate, Stevan. Physical matter cannot stop you unless you allow it to. Believe that the wall is not there. And step through."
Stevan sighed. He backed up a few steps. He closed his eyes, braced his shoulders, and walked quickly forward, expecting a loud BANG and a lot of pain.
Instead, he felt a strange, cold tingling feeling all over his body.
He opened his eyes. He was no longer outside.
He had walked right through the solid stone wall. He was inside the Tower of Fate.
____________________
Stevan looked around, his jaw dropping inside the helmet.
The inside of the Tower did not match the outside at all. The outside was a tall, straight building. The inside was a completely crazy, impossible maze.
It looked like a giant, endless cavern. Floating candles hung in the air, giving off a warm, yellow light. There were staircases everywhere. But the stairs didn't just go up and down. Some stairs went sideways. Some stairs were completely upside down on the ceiling.
There were giant bookshelves carved right into the stone walls, filled with thousands and thousands of old, dusty books and glowing scrolls.
In the center of the massive room was a floating golden table, and above it, a giant glowing hourglass where the sand slowly dripped upward instead of downward.
"This... this is incredible," Stevan whispered. "It's like a painting by M.C. Escher, but real."
"The Tower exists slightly outside of normal time and space," Nabu explained. "It is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Here, the laws of gravity, time, and distance are commanded by us. This is your training ground. Here, you will learn everything."
Stevan walked over to one of the giant bookshelves. He pulled out a heavy book covered in strange symbols. When he opened it, the pages were glowing with blue light. Because he was wearing the helmet, his brain instantly translated the weird symbols.
"The Book of the Vishanti?" Stevan read the title. He remembered that name. "Wait, isn't this Doctor Strange's book? The Sorcerer Supreme of this universe?"
"This is a copy," Nabu said smoothly. "The Lords of Order collect all knowledge of magic across all realities. The sorcerers of Earth are powerful, but their knowledge is limited. Here, you have access to the magic of a thousand worlds."
Stevan put the book back. He was excited, but he was also a modern guy. He looked around the giant, floating, magical library.
"Okay, I love the books and the upside-down stairs," Stevan said, putting his hands on his hips. "But I have a very important human question."
"Speak," Nabu said.
"Where is the bathroom?" Stevan asked. "And where is the bed? And the fridge?"
There was a long silence in Stevan's mind. If Nabu had a face, Stevan was pretty sure the ancient god was frowning.
"Lords of Order do not require sleep, Stevan. We do not require food. And we certainly do not require... plumbing. The Tower is a place of study and meditation."
"Yeah, well, I am a twenty-two-year-old human man," Stevan argued. "I like sleep. I like pizza. And I definitely need a bathroom. I'm not going to teleport to a gas station in Salem every time nature calls."
Nabu let out a deep, magical sigh that made the floating candles flicker.
"Very well. The Tower responds to the will of its master. If you desire these mundane human chambers, you must create them yourself. Consider it your first test of reality-bending."
Stevan smiled. "Challenge accepted."
Stevan walked over to a blank spot on the stone wall. He closed his eyes and imagined exactly what he wanted. He pictured his dream apartment. A huge, soft bed. A modern bathroom with a great shower. A refrigerator.
He held out his hands and pushed his golden magic into the stone wall.
The stone shifted and bubbled like thick mud. A large, heavy wooden door appeared in the rock.
Stevan opened the door. Inside was a perfect, modern bedroom. It had a massive bed with blue sheets, a mini-fridge in the corner, and a door leading to a clean, white-tiled bathroom.
Stevan took off the helmet and walked into his new room. He opened the mini-fridge. It was completely empty.
"Okay, note to self: magic can make a fridge, but it can't make groceries," Stevan laughed. "I guess I still have to go to the supermarket."
________________
Stevan walked back out into the main magical chamber and put the Helmet of Fate back on.
"Alright, Nabu," Stevan said, floating up in the air and sitting cross-legged on a hovering golden cushion. "I have my room. The base is set up. How do we start the real training? Are you going to teach me how to shoot fireballs?"
"Fireballs are crude tools for beginners," Nabu's voice echoed. "A true master of magic does not just destroy; he controls. First, you must learn to read the universe."
Suddenly, a dozen thick, heavy books flew off the shelves. They zoomed through the air and stopped in a circle around Stevan's head, floating gently.
"You will read these," Nabu said. "They contain the history of the cosmic realms, the languages of the ancient gods, and the fundamental laws of magical energy."
Stevan looked at the floating books. There were thousands of pages.
"All of them? Today?" Stevan asked, feeling a little overwhelmed. It felt exactly like being back in college right before a huge final exam.
"Time moves differently inside the Tower, Stevan. A day outside can be a week inside, if we wish it. You will read them until you understand them perfectly. Then, we will begin physical practice."
Stevan sighed playfully. "I died fighting a giant truck, got superpowers, fought aliens alongside the Avengers, and now... I have to do homework."
"Order requires discipline," Nabu said firmly.
Stevan reached out and grabbed the first book. It was titled The Flow of Chaos and the Anchor of Order. He opened it to the first page.
"Okay, Professor Nabu," Stevan said, focusing his glowing white eyes on the ancient text. "Let's get to work. The universe isn't going to save itself."
And so, high in an invisible tower in the snowy woods of Massachusetts, the young man from another world began the long, difficult journey to truly become Doctor Fate.