“You cannot carry out fundamental change without a certain amount of madness.”

Thomas Sankara

By the time Bethany arrived at the library just after supper, the back of her Civic was packed with food and water, spare towels and a thicker blanket, knives and utensils, drinking glasses, toilet paper, and matches and newspaper for starting a fire. She had spent the day scrounging it all from discount stores, spending all but the few remaining coins that now jingled in her pocket as she strolled over to her library workstation.

She had tried to keep herself occupied. Tried to forget the events of that morning. It had not worked.

She sat down and logged onto the computer. She knew she should check her e-mail. There may be responses to her job applications, or even an outright job offer. But her mind kept drifting to the dream and to the plaque that the woman could not see.

The words on the plaque sat heavy in her mind. G.A. 1-32, Dolos.

“Jobs can wait. I need to know what this is,” she decided. She opened the search bar and typed in ‘Dolos’.

It did not take long to find what she was looking for. In Greek mythology, Dolos was the spirit of trickery. He was a master of deception, even to the point of tricking his fellow gods. He was apprentice to the Titan Promethius, a companion of Pseudeo, the god of lies, and sister to Apate, the far more powerful personification of deceit itself. He was a minor god, barely worth a couple paragraphs on Wikipedia.

“A minor god of trickery and deception? What's his name doing on an invisible plaque on the entrance to a washroom?” whispered Bethany.

She was about to search for more information when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. It was there for only a moment before it ducked behind a bookshelf. But she had seen enough to notice the knotted brown fur and a long-pointed nose that she had seen at the washroom earlier that day.

She dashed up, pushing her chair back with a loud scrape across the flood. The other patrons looked up and stared at her, but Bethany did not care. She needed to know what it was. She dashed over to the bookshelf, drawing even more glares and a harsh whisper from library staff.

She rounded the corner, skidding to a stop. And stood there stunned.

In the corner stood a humanoid figure, three feet tall and covered in mangy brown fur. It had a hairless snout that looked as if a man’s nose had been twisted and stretched beyond recognition. It had hooved feet, a thick tail, and two small horns that jutted out of its forehead. It was humming to itself as it lifted a plaque against the door to the library’s basement. There was a flash of green light, and the plaque hung there, permanently affixed. The plaque read G.A. 1-102, Thoth.

The creature gave a satisfied grunt, then turned around. Its gaze fell on Bethany. Bethany wanted to scream but she only managed a slight whimper, her brain not knowing how to process the sight before her.

The creature seemed just as shocked. “She shouldn't see me,” it said, fear in its voice. “It's not time. It doesn't start until tomorrow.”

“What…. what are you?” Bethany managed to say, feeling like she needed to force each word past her own shock. She must have sounded rude, but her mind was not contemplating politeness in the moment.

“Never…. never you mind, human,” it spat, though it did not seem confident in its own words. Its eyes darted around. It was afraid, but not of Bethany.

Bethany inched closer, her hands held high to show she meant it no harm. “I won’t hurt you. I just want some answers.” Then Bethany noticed the side of the creature’s face had been burned, as if its head had been thrust into a fire and held there.

The creature’s hand went to its burn, as if it were meant to serve as a warning. It drew back from Bethany, as if she were a rabid dog. “Answers? If you survive tomorrow, you may find your answers. Or not. The odds are not in your favour, human.”

And with that, the creature leapt towards the wall. Its body passed through solid stone as if it were thin air. Bethany just stood there, mouth open in shock.

“Miss…are you okay?” came a concerned voice from behind her. It was one of the library’s security guards. He was standing beside one of the patrons, an elderly woman who looked like she enjoyed getting deeply involved in other people’s business. The woman was pointing at her, whispering something she could not hear.

“Me…oh, I’m fine. No problems here,” Bethany stammered. She put her hand into the pocket of her jeans, pretending to put away a cell phone. “Sorry, I just had to take a call, and I didn’t want to step outside. I’m really sorry. I know it is against the rules. Kids and their cell phones these days, am I right?” She smiled at the old woman, who scoffed and turned away.

The security guard raised an eyebrow, but her excuse must have been enough. “That’s fine, miss. Just don’t do it again. We’ve had troubles with drug use in the library lately, and Mrs. Green has made it her mission to sniff out each one. I’m just doing my job.”

“I’m glad you are…um…officer. I’ll just go back to my station and be quiet now?”

He nodded and moved aside. Bethany took the opportunity to duck past him, trying to appear calm. Inside, her mind felt like it was spiraling out of control.

“Does no one else see them? The creatures crawling on this building? Crawling all over so many buildings. They manipulate the very fabric of reality!”

The words of the crazy man from the previous day came unbidden to her mind, and she glanced up at the ceiling. There were dozens of creatures scaling the walls, pulling material out of nothingness and shaping them to modify the library. Creatures shaped like birds, lizards, and mammals, and others that looked like no animal she had ever seen.

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She collected her belongings and headed straight out the main door, job applications abandoned, trying not to stare at the ceiling.

“Don’t notice me. Don’t notice me,” she silently prayed. She exited the library and headed to her car but could not help but look up at the office towers around her.

The towers were covered in creatures, as was every street, restaurant, and storefront in the downtown core. The creatures moved frantically, ignoring her stares, as if rushing to meet an impending deadline.

She drew her gaze from the buildings and stared at the concrete ground below her, quickly walking to her car and slamming the door shut. She drove away as fast as she could without drawing attention, her heart beating wildly.

“I’m not crazy. I’m not crazy,” she muttered, trying to keep her eyes off the road and away from the buildings that flew past her.

Only when she reached the safety of her day-use site did she let her psyche collapse. The tears came in an uncontrolled torrent, and they did not stop until she passed out late in the evening from exhaustion.

* * *

Bethany found herself on a hilltop that rose high above Wascana Park, staring out at the city below her. She could see all four corners of Regina. She could see the Legislature building at the other end of the lake, surrounded by a deep moat of pale green water. She could see the downtown office towers rising into the sky, black fortresses of stone and iron. She could see the medieval-style wall that encircled the city, grey stone rising a hundred feet into the air. Four heavy metal gates were the only exit from the city, one leading in each cardinal direction.

“Wait, that’s not right,” Bethany whispered. She felt groggy and disoriented. “This must be another dream. Please let this be another dream.”

Bethany’s gaze fell beyond the wall. Gone were the fields of golden wheat and purple flax that surrounded the city. In their place, the landscape was divided into four completely distinct terrains, each stretching far into the distance.

To the south grew a tropical rainforest, lush green canopies rising high into the sky and thick undergrowth covering the ground below. Storm clouds dropped heavy rain onto the jungle below and flocks of colorful birds flew out of the trees into the sky. Bethany could feel the heat and humidity on her skin, so different from the dryness of Regina.

To the west, great plains stretched far into the distance, covered in stunted trees, bushes, and long prairie grasses. It was not the tamed fields that served as the breadbasket of North America. This was an untouched prairie. She could see great herds of bison roaming in the distance, and countless songbirds, ducks, geese, and hawks flew across a cloudless sky. Wide lazy rivers wound their way across the landscape, carving out gently slopped valleys. Bethany could feel the pleasant, dry heat, and the gentle wind that blew through the grasses, carrying dust and seeds into the air. Bethany nose itched, and she sneezed. The dust always triggered her allergies.

Bethany fell backwards in utter shock when she turned towards the north. Majestic mountains towered above the city, so high that they pierced the thick snow clouds with their peaks. Dense coniferous trees rolled up the steep slopes and filled the valleys between the mountains. Gigantic glaciers fed hundreds of waterfalls that cascaded into rapidly flowing rivers that ran through the valleys and formed deep, crystal-clear lakes. Bethany could smell the pine in the air, feel the chill on her skin, and hear falling boulders in the distance that splintered trees as they tumbled towards the ground.

Bethany took a deep breath and steeled herself, turning east towards the final terrain.

Regina was as far from the ocean as you could get. Yet there it was. A Mediterranean archipelago spread out as far as the eye could see, its gentle waves breaking against the countless islands that dotted the ocean waters. Palm trees spread out along the sandy coastline, and Bethany spotted a pod of dolphins breaching the surface of the water. She gasped and felt the spray of the ocean on her face, the salty scent filling her nose. She had never seen the ocean. She had only read about it in books. But she felt at peace as she stared towards its blue waters and watched the clouds drift across the sky and reflect on the light blue waters below.

She sat down in the middle of the hill and let the breezes from all four terrains swirl around her. She kept her gaze on the ocean, holding onto the moment of peace as long as she could, and quickly lost track of time.

Bethany heard footsteps behind her, but she did not turn around. She knew who it was. She just kept staring out at the ocean, until Diana sat down next to her.

“Am I going crazy?” Bethany whispered, tears flowing down her cheeks. “Will I end up like the man in the library?”

“You aren't going crazy,” reassured Diana. “Though at times, you may feel like you are. The God Contest isn't fair. It isn't kind. It'll stretch each participant until they break, and only the strongest will be able to pull themselves back together. In the contest, you'll see a person’s true nature, brought out when life and death are at stake.”

“That’s not very comforting,” replied Bethany, burying her head between her knees. “It sounds cruel.”

“It is,” admitted Diana, and she lay back on the grass, staring up at the intersections of the terrain’s four skies. “It always has been. At the core of the Contest lay the belief that the worthiest rise to the top through pain and suffering, fear and conflict, starvation and disease, betrayal and loss. And it makes it more entertaining for those who watch.”

Bethany buried her head deeper between her shaking knees.

“It’s not all bad,” comforted Diana. “There are gifts for those that succeed in the Contest. For those that take risks...”

Diana lifted Bethany’s chin. She placed her finger under Bethany’s left eye.

“…like this. My Oracle Eye. My gift to you. A guiding light for the dark days ahead.”

“It’ll make me go crazy,” mumbled Bethany.

“It'll let you see what should remain unseen. For some, a great blessing. For others, a horrible curse. Which it will be for you rests on your shoulders, and your shoulders alone.”

Bethany glanced towards Diana, startled, suddenly recalling their last meeting. “You were swallowed by the storm. In my last dream.”

Diana nodded. “I was. I am a memory of Diana, implanted within your Oracle Eye. Diana violated the rules of the God Contest when she gave you that talent early. Authority does not take kindly to those who interfere in the Contest. But we five decided it was a necessity. If I am lucky, I am merely imprisoned. If not…”. Diana did not finish the thought.

Bethany didn't understand. She just sat there, rocking in place.

Diana placed a hand on Bethany’s shoulder. “Let’s go someplace less…chaotic.” Diana snapped her fingers, and suddenly they were sitting on a sandy beach, the rolling ocean waves breaking against the shoreline. Palm trees lined where sand became soil, gently blowing in the breeze. The salty air was more pronounced here, and it helped bring a calmness to Bethany.

Bethany gave a final sniff, brushed away her tears, and stretched out her legs, running her toes through the sand.

“Our time grows short, Bethany. This dream will fade soon, and the Contest will begin.”

“Why me? Why any of this?” asked Bethany, feeling exhausted. It was all so much to take in.

Diana leaned over and pressed her finger to Bethany’s nose. “You must survive long enough to figure that out. We shall speak again when the time is right.”

Bethany blinked, and Diana was gone. Even her footprints left in the sand had disappeared.

Bethany looked out at the ocean, and let her mind get carried away on the waves.

* * *

And in the depths of night, the City of Regina drifted off to sleep.

Oblivious to what lay before them.

Their final night of peace.

For tomorrow, the God Contest would begin, and their lives would change forever.