Gods Are Real?

Alexander remained motionless, his mind a whirlwind of disbelief and confusion. He had never been particularly devout or inclined towards religious beliefs, and yet here he was, confronted by an individual claiming to be a deity. As he grappled with this revelation, Alexander recalled the overwhelming presence he had felt earlier, lending some credence to the man's extraordinary claim.

Before Alexander could gather his thoughts enough to respond, Richer spoke again. His voice carried a hint of mischief, and there was a playful spark in his eye as he said, “So, you’re the one who broke through, huh?”

At this juncture, Alexander felt utterly bewildered. His life had been dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, dissecting the universe down to its most fundamental elements. Yet now, he found himself in the presence of a self-proclaimed God, having been rescued from a soul-snatching entity, and engaging in conversation on an island made of clouds. The sheer absurdity of it all suddenly hit him. "Oh, I must be dead..." Alexander exclaimed, the bizarre nature of his current reality dawning on him. "Is this it, then? The final, delusional fantasy of a dying brain?"

As he spiraled into this realization, his world seemed to crumble, each thought leading him further into despair. Richer watched him unravel, an eyebrow raised in amusement and a faint smile on his lips.

"Calm down, mate," Richer interjected, halting Alexander's descent into madness. "You can't check out on me now; we've got so much to talk about!" His tone was light, almost teasing, suggesting that the reality Alexander faced was far from the grim conclusion he had drawn.

"Talk? About what?" Alexander's voice cracked, a mixture of fear and curiosity. "Am I... am I dead?"

"In a manner of speaking," Richter began, his gaze turning serious. "You did die, yes. But what stands before me now is your soul's recreation of your body. Quite a fascinating phenomenon, really."

Alexander's eyes widened, processing the gravity of Richter's words. "My soul recreated... How is that even possible?"

Richter chuckled, "In Avendor, souls transitioning into the astral plane sometimes encounter... let's call them complications. The entity that targeted you, for instance, is a vindictive spirit. They're rare but dangerously potent, capable of erasing souls entirely."

A shudder ran through Alexander. "And you... you saved me from that?"

"Indeed," Richter nodded. "I stumbled upon you by chance. What struck me was your aura—even in soul form, it had a perfect affinity for all elements. Shocking, really."

"Perfect affinity?" Alexander echoed, confusion lacing his tone.

"Yes," Richter leaned forward, his voice earnest. "Even among gods, complete affinity for more than a few elements is unheard of. Your potential is... immense. Right now, you might feel insignificant, a mere pebble in the grand scheme of Avendor. But given time, you could rival the most powerful beings here."

Alexander absorbed Richter's words, a sense of both awe and burden settling over him. "Rival gods?" he murmured, more to himself than Richter. "But how? I barely understand this world or my place in it."

Richter's smile returned, warm and reassuring. "That, my friend, is where your journey truly begins. You're not just a visitor to Avendor—you're a part of its very essence now. And I, for one, am quite interested to see where this path takes you."

Richter's smile lingered, but curiosity sparked in his eyes, transforming his demeanor from a mentor to an inquisitive scholar. "Now, tell me, Alexander, how did you come to grace Avendor with your presence? You're certainly not a native," he prodded gently, encouraging Alexander to recount his extraordinary journey.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Alexander took a deep breath, organizing his thoughts. "It all started with the fusion reactor," he began, his voice steady despite the surreal nature of the conversation. "My team and I were on the brink of a breakthrough in sustainable energy. We'd developed a reactor capable of mimicking the sun's power, harnessing fusion to generate clean, almost limitless energy."

Richter leaned in, fascination evident in his gaze. "Fusion, you say? Mimicking the sun's power... Intriguing. And how did this lead to your... transition to our world?"

"We were conducting the final test when something went wrong," Alexander continued, his hands unconsciously mimicking the reactor's containment field. "There was a fluctuation, an anomaly we hadn't anticipated. Instead of stabilizing, the reactor's core breached its containment. The last thing I remember before waking up here was the light... It was as if the sun itself had burst forth in the lab."

Richter's eyes widened, a rare display of surprise. "A breach in containment... leading to your arrival here. That's... remarkable. Your world must possess technology far beyond anything we've imagined here in Avendor."

Alexander nodded, a mix of pride and sorrow in his voice. "Yes, we've made incredible advances. But it seems our understanding of magic, of the elements and their potential, is rudimentary at best compared to Avendor."

Richter's intrigue grew with every word. "Your fusion reactor, it manipulated the very fabric of reality, didn't it? A bridge between worlds, however unintentional. Alexander, do you realize what this means? The principles you applied, they're akin to the deepest magics of Avendor—manipulating the elemental forces on a scale we've never dared."

The idea that his scientific pursuit mirrored the magics of a world he'd believed to be the stuff of fantasy was a revelation to Alexander. "I had no idea... In our world, it's science, not magic. We manipulate atoms, energy, but always within the bounds of physical laws."

"Ah, but that's where you're mistaken, my friend," Richter said, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "What you call science, we call magic. It's all a matter of understanding and perspective. Your reactor, it didn't just generate energy; it tore through the veil between worlds. And to think, you achieved this without the elemental affinities that define our magics..."

The conversation delved deeper into the technicalities of the fusion reactor, with Richter asking pointed questions that Alexander answered to the best of his ability. Each explanation brought a new wave of amazement to Richter, who was both shocked and immensely pleased to learn of a world that had accomplished so much without direct access to elemental magic.

"Alexander, your arrival here, it's no mere accident. It's a confluence of science and magic, of two worlds' destinies intertwining. Your knowledge, combined with the elemental affinities you possess, you could change Avendor in ways you can't yet imagine."

Richter's expression softened, a touch of solemnity mingling with his usual mirth. "While I'd love to delve deeper into the mysteries of your world and this fascinating confluence of science and magic," he began, his gaze locking onto Alexander's, "our time here is drawing to a close. Your soul needs to be reunited with your body, or you risk dissipation."

Alexander's heart sank. The implications were clear, yet the urgency in Richter's voice brooked no argument.

"I will now return you to your body," Richter announced with a hint of regret, a playful wink softening the gravity of his words. "It won't be easy, and you'll owe me one," he added, his tone light yet underscored with a serious undertone. "And be warned, I won't be able to perform such a feat again. Be a bit more careful from here on out."

The weight of owing a deity a favor hung heavy in the air, but Alexander accepted with a nod, understanding the precariousness of his situation.

"Don't worry," Richter continued, a mischievous glint returning to his eye as he produced a small, intricately carved token. "I'll be in touch. And remember, only I can reach out to you, not the other way around. Don't go thinking I'll pop up to save you every time you stub your toe," he chuckled, the humor in his voice attempting to ease the tension.

Alexander couldn't help but crack a smile, despite the surreal and daunting circumstances. "I'll try to avoid any toe-stubbing adventures," he quipped back, the absurdity of their banter providing a brief respite from the enormity of what lay ahead.

Richter stepped closer, and without further preamble, gave Alexander a firm shove. Unprepared, Alexander stumbled backward, a hole materializing beneath him in the cloud island's previously solid ground. He fell, the sky swallowing him whole as the wind roared in his ears, the sensation of plummeting through the atmosphere both exhilarating and terrifying. The world above receded into a speck, and as the adrenaline surged, so too did the realization of his freefall through Avendor's boundless skies.

Panic and awe tangled within him, the rush of descent overwhelming his senses. Alexander's thoughts raced — about Richter's cryptic words, the debt he now owed, and the uncertain future that awaited him upon his return. The ground below was a blur, details indistinguishable in the velocity of his fall.

Just as the fear threatened to consume him, darkness crept at the edges of his vision, the wind's howl dimming as consciousness slipped away. The last thing Alexander felt was the peculiar peace of surrender, the fight draining from his limbs as he succumbed to the void.