when that happened it was as if the infinite branching possibilities that extended their delicate tendrils into the future had all been slashed away ; there was nothing left but death or glory or possibly both , and there was a wonderful certainty in that moment , an utter certainty that you might find in sex or the moment you crossed the finish line in a race , or ( and he still felt his pulse stammer as he thought of it ) in the fire of prophecy .