Chapter 2- An Answer
My brain seemingly slows down as I fall asleep. My head feels like it’s soaked in honey and struggling to push through. As darkness finally settles in, I feel a rush in my mind like the feeling of a plane taking off. With sudden and intense pressure, I find myself standing in a sky-blue room. There are a table with two chairs and a large screen on the wall that looks like a window facing outer space. My eyes catch on a woman that’s maybe twenty years old. Her long, golden hair flows like running water spilling over her shoulders before draping around her hips. She’s wearing jeans and a Las Vegas tourist shirt showing the welcome to Vegas sign and lights. She looks curiously at me and says “You asked for someone to listen. Here I am.”
I stare unabashedly at her for what is probably an uncomfortable amount of time. I’ve thought through this scenario more times than I could count as I read books and wished for my own escape, but never once did I believe I’d get the same chance; I didn’t even think it was possible if I’m being honest.
“Hi” I say, more for the chance to buy time and end the awkward silence I’d created.
“Hello” she replies with a coquettish giggle.
“Sorry, I didn’t know what to say for a moment there. Still kind of don’t honestly, but my name is Jason. You probably already know that with the whole being able to bring me to wherever this is. I’m assuming this isn’t a hallucination, but it, well, it honestly could be. I’m on a lot of medication…” I trail off momentarily.
“Not a hallucination. And I’m Faith” she says.
I laugh for a moment “Faith. For real? Are you a goddess named faith? Sorry, sorry. I shouldn’t laugh at things that can smite me but holy hell that’s ironic.”
“Laugh it up, Jason. And yes, I could smite you with less effort than it took to bring you here and still have enough magic left over to recreate and smite you again about a hundred times, but I prefer diplomacy to smiting and I have a purpose for you.”
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I realize while she’s talking that the ever-present pain I’ve endured for what seems like forever now is suspiciously gone. My eyes water a little and I swing my arms in a way that would normally have me groaning in pain. ‘It’s gone!’ I think. I tune back in somewhere around the end of her sentence.
“A purpose? What does a mighty goddess as yourself need from me? I’ll be honest if it frees me from pain like this I’m a hundred percent down for practically anything that’s not downright evil. What do I need to do.” I ask emphatically.
“You’re going to shift between worlds and live many lives. Doing so will allow you to collect powers and abilities and bring them back to your main body. You’ll retain a portion of what you earn, and I’ll claim the rest for myself. I’ve found my main limit when gathering the power I need is I’ve only got one body and not enough believers with a strong enough reason to keep going once they’ve lived a few lives. Your conviction is why I chose you. You’ve lived in hell and not given in to suicide because of your family. I’m counting on that to keep you going.” Faith says.
She’s refreshingly honest. I only have a few questions, which I voice quickly.
“I’ve got a few quick questions. Will it heal me? Will I remember these lives? Can my mind take the memory of multiple lives if I do? Finally, how will I get back to my family each time and will they notice I’m gone?” I ask the questions burning in my mind.
“You’ll remember and be fine; it’ll be like waking from a dream. Each life will pass in the course of your time sleeping. Time dilation nonsense being what it is, you could live for hundreds of years on a world before a single night’s sleep would pass for you. That’s why gods rarely come to Earth, too much time passes in our worlds while we’re here. I’m kind of the exception to that rule, I don’t need many believers because of all the idiots saying they have Faith in whatever; all the misplaced devotion comes to me if not given directly to my compatriots. It’s a pretty nifty name for a goddess honestly; It started as a joke but it turned into my greatest decision ever. Anyways, it’s practically a dream come true for you. You’ll be like the fellow who worked for Morrigan for a while, but you’ll gain power bit by bit instead of starting so OP. Are you ready?” Faith asks me.
“Now? I mean, hell yes, why not now. Let’s go!” and the world turns black again. I forgot to ask about the window to space and if it was real. I assume it was. I’m likely one of the few men to ever see outer space so closely and it wasn’t even the major part of my day.