As I ran through the streets the sun started to set. Clouds closed in at a supernatural speed,covering the sky.

I ran as fast as I could, my side burning. Shadows seemed to follow me as I ran.

I could finally see my home on the horizon. Suddenly I was hit from behind. I whirled around and saw a huge, black hound

I charged at me with eyes that looked like red coals. Fire streamed behind it.

My body took control as if it knew what to do. I jumped to the side. As it missed me by inches a ball of energy formed in my hands like Prometheus's. As the ball struck the hound crashed to the ground turning to shadows.

I finally made it to the house. I ran to my study and grabbed king Solomon's book.

Prometheus appeared out of the ring.

"Master, quickly let me in. Allow me to take control."

"No. Tell me how and let me do it." I was tired of being pushed around. I could feel the power in my veins and I wanted to use it.

Prometheus sighed in frustration and explained.

Feeling confident in myself I did as he had told me. I summoned the power I felt in my veins. I pushed it out around the house forming a pentagram within my mind's eye . I saw the barrier erect itself almost as if I was under a dome of light.

Everything went fuzzy then there was darkness.

I woke up in my study with a pounding headache, And a splitting pain in my head. I got up and as a pulled my hand away I saw blood. I must have hit my head when I fell.

I heard a knocking on the door.

"Sweetie, are you alright" came Dani's sweet voice.

"Yeah I'm fine," I told her. I wasn't fine. I don't know why I said that. My head hurt and, I was probably bleeding to death.

"Okay, I thought I heard something fall. Come to bed soon okay?"

"I will."

After Dani left Prometheus summoned a ball of white light and healed my wound.

"I still can't believe how powerful magic is," I thought to myself.

Prometheus just shook his head.

"You humans and your damned pride. Your lucky your spell stuck before you passed out or you would be dead. There are probably twenty black dogs out there circling the perimeter, searching for an opening. Someone wants you dead."

"I thought you said it was the magic drawing them?" I asked in bewilderment.

"Your magic probably brought the imp, but those black dogs are hunters. A very powerful demon had to have put a hit on you."

"We have to train you to fight and soon. You stand no chance right now, even with my help."

"Are you that weak Prometheus?" I asked.

"I was once considered a god among demons,only inferior to Lucifer himself. I only lost my power, and my legion of followers after my enslavement by King Solomon."

" So how do I become stronger? How does one fight things like this?"

So Prometheus explained about the about the astral plane. He told me how to project myself there. He told me how many of the great weapons in history were simply artifacts from the plane, and how it was all around us. The astral plane is simply another world that vibrates at a different speed than my world. It's also where every creature of spirit lives...

I went to bed resolved to enter the astral plane tomorrow.

***

I waited until Dani went to work before I began. Prometheus assured me that the black dogs would only be seen by, and would only attack me.

After I cleaned up the blood from my study I sat in a recliner.

I let myself relax. Closing my eyes and imagining myself climbing a ladder down an endless dark hole.

Once I felt a shift in consciousness, I stepped off into a movie theater. It was small and dark,with few chairs.

I sat in a chair up front and looked at the screen. Numbers counted down from ten getting more vivid each time. Once it reached zero the screen showed an unimaginable huge tree.

I got up and walked through the screen. Everything was extremely clear. While colors assaulted my eyes with brightness, my nose was filled with earthy smells.

Prometheus had told me this was the World Tree. It's the thing that binds all worlds. To travel the astral plane I would have to enter the tree.

Even though Prometheus had described this place, I felt I already knew it.

I walked towards the roots and searched for an opening.

After an hour of searching, I finally found a cave between the roots. As I walked through the cave the walls seemed to glow. I looked closer and saw ruins.

"Who else would come here?" I wondered.

As I neared the end things became more refined. Instead of dirty cave walls, they were cobblestone. Finally, I entered a brightly lit room.

In the middle was a pentagram surrounded by strange symbols. The walls were ornately decorated with the rare metals and gemstones. Something about this place felt like... Home