CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Sam stood in the Roman Colosseum. He was dressed in full battle gear, armed from head to toe, wearing a helmet. He looked out through it to see another warrior facing him, also dressed in full armor.

He charged, and the two of them sparred furiously.

The warrior facing him was bigger and stronger, but Sam parried with him blow for blow. Sam was getting more and more tired with each strike, and finally, his arms were too heavy to lift. He sunk to his knees, as the warrior raised his sword high, ready to plunge it into Sam’s chest.

Sam blinked and opened his eyes to see that he was standing in the desert, the hard-baked sand stretching beneath his feet as far as his eye could see. In the distance was a giant mountain, and Sam found himself slowly hiking up it, using his sword as a staff. He was now dressed in a white robe.

Sam pulled back his hood, dying in the heat, and looked up the mountain. There, at the top, was a man outlined by the sun. The man also wore a white robe and hood,