"Ahhhh!"

Dan leaned back. The weathered computer chair that held him groaned, a protest against years of abuse. Hand still on his mouse, he reached out and ruffed the oversized cat beside him.

"Stormy, I've finished the last chapter, it's finally time for bed!"

"Purrrrr..."

Stormy squawked and purred, paws wrapped around Dan's hand. The cat delivered a series of playful bites as Dan scratched at its belly.

"Come on bud, let's join your mother and brother in bed..."

Light poured in from the windows, a series of spotlights in the night. The world beyond the glass vanished in the brilliance. The glow extended, a creep that erased the edges of his home.

"MAY!"

Dan rushed toward the back of the house, where his wife and their dog slept. The light followed at his heels, cold and silent.

"WAKE UP, we have to..."

"BWUFF WUFF!"

Bear lept up, between his masters and the strange glow. Dan grabbed his scruff and hauled him into the bed. He tossed both cat and dog onto May's blanketed form, arms wrapped around the group.

"Dan, what..."

The light reached them. A cool touch that halted breath, its glow brought a stillness to the world. May's words vanished, along with everything else.

"MAY, STORMY, BEAR!"

Dan shouts hardly reached his ears. Even his own body was beyond sight, lost in a white haze. Soft cotton pressed to his thoughts, a sleep that promised peace.

"NO!"

A tremor ran through him, fueled by his will to find and protect his family. A fire within him burnt away the seductive warmth and replaced it with molten heat.

"AHHHHHH!"

His body returned, a transparent copper, streaked with blackened lines. Blood rushed through invisible veins, glimpsed through his skin.

"You should have just accepted the light..."

Cool waters wrapped his charred soul, a balm that eased the flame. A hand touched his back, and life returned. Breath heaved into his lungs, a jolt of lightning that started his heart.

"WHAT THE HELL!"

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Dan jerked up, a puppet to his fired nerves. He stood, rooted in an unknown space, white and featureless. Hand pressed to his chest, he slowed his breathing.

"I'm very sorry about that, the process should have been painless, but you fought it..."

"Damn right, I did!"

Dan spun, eye on the hunt for the owner of the voice. He was alone, with nothing but white space for company.

"Well, either way, I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't good enough when you've tortured someone!"

"No, not for your pain," Distress filled the voice. "I'm sorry, but I've accidentally destroyed your universe..."

"Oh, well that's... WHAT!"

Dan twitched, feet locked to the ground. His heart rate rose, the efforts to calm his breath wasted. He curled into a crouch, head between his knees as the world spun.

May...

His family, his home. He believed this voice, what he'd experienced was enough. They were gone, he failed.

"Why..."

"Why what?"

"Why would you do something that could take so many lives?"

"I was in a battle..."

The empty space changed. A vast expanse of stars replaced it. Galaxies, clustered so closely that they almost touched.

A woman, dressed in soft, grey robes, tended to the heavens like a garden. Her hands dispensed light, fertilizers to empower the life in her care.

"You're always so generous."

A man appeared, cloaked in black and edged with shadow. He offered a rose made of stellar fire, a star-shaped into form.

"I don't want your flowers, their twisted shapes scream for release."

"No matter" The man tossed the star away, into the void. "I've come for something else this time."

"Oh, something more important than your endless pursuit of my throne?"

"Ha!" The man barked, hands spread in a rueful shrug. "You've got me, that's always the issue, isn't it?"

He waved at the skies, his hands a taint against the perfection.

"You're so giving to the mortals, but to me..." A glint of orange clouded the depths of his eyes. "To me you give nothing!"

"Give it up, Owen," The woman stood to face the angry man. "A hundred of you couldn't hope to match me..."

"Then how about a thousand?"

Owen raised a heavy, iron bell in one hand. It shone with purple light, sinister and foul.

"You've made too many enemies, Leah," The bell shook, a tone that muted the sky. "And they're all here to collect their dues!"

Space blossomed with portals, gateways that led into the infinite parallels. They brought countless figures. Monsters, men, elementals, and giants. Representatives from all races across time and space.

"If I can't have all of your power, I'll settle for whatever scraps I can rip from the hands of the mob!"

The hoard rushed Leah, a tide that shattered the stars. Most went dark or spun out alone. Covered in enemies, defiance filled Leah's eyes.

"I'll destroy it all before I let you have it!"

A wave of white light filled the world. Dan's surroundings returned to an empty space.

"I was forced to fight, and I lost..." A bitter taste followed Leah's words. "Your universe was the place where my body landed."

Dan sat, numbed. Perhaps he would wake up, home and safe. This had to be a dream, a nightmare, fueled by his obsession with web novels.

"If you're dead, then how are we talking right now?"

"I'm not Leah," the voice replied. "I'm a system she created to help those impacted by her battle."

An interface window opened in front of his eyes, a complicated screen of options and text.

"It was supposed to be automated, a perfect life for each victim, but you refused to let the system choose."

"So, I'm the only one left?"

"Some remain in the buffer, awaiting their perfect resurrection, but all others have been processed."

"How about my wife... and my pets?"

"Your wife remains within the buffer," The system paused. "As for your pets... they're with her, their true souls are needed for May's perfect world."

"Ok, so do I get my perfect world as well then? Can I be with my family?"

"Such an option is possible, but automated functions are now completed."

"So what, I just sit here forever?"

"No, you can only remain alive here for one week, then the protective layer created by Leah will fail."

"So I'm dead then, like a true death..."

"No, you can still impute your choices manually, and I can guide you through the process!"

A spark of hope flashed in Dan's heart, a reignited fire that held a tinge of greed.

"So, I can have any life I want, no limits?"

"The limits are only your imagination!"