There was a dark and empty void. It lacked the presence of any visible creature or object.

In this void, there were two entities. They were both unseen to the eye, invisible in this emptiness but they felt each other. Despite their lack of describable traits, one of the unseen entities was clearly more felt than the other. This larger entity was the first to speak of the two.

"You died. There's no point mincing it."

The other entity did not reply.

"..."

The larger one continued to speak.

"You were driving home and you were hit by a truck. The paramedics tried their best to save you but to no avail. But trust me, it is better this way."

Reminded of their death, the smaller entity spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"Surviving would have meant a lifetime looking at a window while lying on a bed, hoping for the sweet release of death."

"..." 

The smaller entity was silent again.

"I meant paralysis, Michael."

The smaller entity, Michael, responded with slight sarcasm.

"Yes, I got that."

The larger entity seemed to be amused by that.

"Did you?"

Michael immediately nodded. He didn't have a body but he felt as if he nodded. 

Weird.

“What’s weird Michael?”

Michael fell silent.

You can hear my thoughts?

“Do you have a mouth right now?”

“...”

The entity felt even more amused.

“Thought so.”

Michael ignores that and asks a question.

"So, am I dead?"

"Yes."

The entity didn’t speak after that, causing Michael to ask another question.

"Where am I?"

"In the life after your life."

"Couldn't you just say afterlife?"

"No, because you aren't fully dead. True death means to disappear into nothing. As you are now, you still have life."

"This isn't much of a life."

"Oh, your new life hasn't come yet."

Michael waited for the entity to continue speaking but like before, it just stopped speaking.

"And???"

"What?"

Michael would have sighed if he had the organs for it.

"My new life hasn't come yet. What does that mean?"

"Oh, I'm just preparing it."

"Preparing wha-"

A bright light suddenly flashes and Michael finds himself above the skies. Looking around him, Michael sees a planet below him. Seeing the lush unmarred green planet with its beautiful and colorful oceans, Michael thought to himself.

Beautiful.

"This. I am preparing this. And yes, it is beautiful. Thank you."

Michael turns his head towards the voice but finds himself alone in the void. Looking downward, Michael notices that he still doesn't have a body.

"What is this?"

"Ultima Teremarae or just Teremarae."

"Teremarae? Sounds like a made-up word."

"All words are made-up words."

Michael metaphorically shrugs.

"You'll be living here Michael."

"Oh... you could've bought me dinner first."

The entity chuckles.

"Always coping through humor right, Michael?"

A bit irked, Michael raises his voice.

"Ok, that's it! How do you know my name? Who are you? Are you God?"

"Yes, I am God."

Almost immediately, Michael loses all of the energy he used to shout.

"Oh. Please forgive my impertinence."

God scoffs.

"Don't do that. I don't care how people think of me. Now, I'll be sending you down there. Good luck Michael."

"Wai-wait!"

"Hmmm?"

"Can't I ask a few questions?"

God didn't reply for a bit. Michael assumed he was thinking.

"Sure."

"Is heaven and hell real? Is this heaven? Or is this hell? Is buddha re-"

"Michael.”

Michael quiets down.

"Ask questions important to the situation at hand."

"Hmmm, you don't seem like God."

"Well, tell me, Michael. Do you know God?"

Michael was silent. He was never a bible reader nor did he have any strong beliefs.

"You do not. Now, do not assume I am anything. I am more than a religion, and I don't care much for infinitesimally small mortals’ petty wants and desires. I prefer looking at the bigger picture, universal at minimum. Do you understand?"

Michael nods.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Now, ask important questions. I'll give you three."

Michael nods again. God waits.

"What is this world? Tell me more about it."

"Teremarae is a world I finished creating. Its basic physics and laws are similar to the ones I applied to your universe with some big changes."

"What additions?"

"Is that your 2nd question?"

"Ummm... No?"

God chuckles again.

"Then I won't answer it."

"Fudge. Okay, will I get anything when I go down there?"

"A gift from me but otherwise nothing."

"A gift?"

"Is that your third question?"

"FUDGE. No..."

Michael was quiet. He had one last question and he wanted to make it matter or at least make it good. Looking around, Michael was curious about this new world. Since he didn't have a body, Michael didn't know how to move or traverse the void so he had to stay put.

God didn't speak either. He simply waited which annoyed Michael.

Due to the lack of physical sensations, Michael did not notice the passage of time. He couldn't tell unless he manually counted. Looking up and away from Teremarae, Michael saw a sun and two moons.

Are those worth asking about?

Michael internally shook his head. The celestial bodies would not help him once he was on the planet. He also didn't know where God was. He couldn't sense or feel God's presence. 

Ughh... This isn't enough. I need to see more. Maybe that can help me with my final question.

Michael tried to move but his lack of a body prevented him from doing so.

"Hey, how can I move? And before you say ‘is that my 3rd question?’, it's not connected to this world. I just want to move around."

God didn’t reply. In the midst of silence, Michael felt tense.

“So is that a yes?”

“Without a body, you do not need to feel the movement as you did when you had it. Without a body, just will yourself to move. Use your mind to move yourself.”

Michael nods internally.

With instructions to follow, Michael tries to move. Instead of moving himself as if he had a body, Michael wills his body to move by imagining himself moving.

Within a few seconds, Michael finds himself rapidly traversing the night sky with blinding speed. 

Woah!

Michael quickly found himself on the other side of the planet. Before Michael could admire the beauty of the planet’s dark side, he heard God’s voice.

“Having fun?”

“Oh shit! You scared me.”

God didn’t reply.

“Can’t you take a physical form? So I don’t get spooked when you suddenly talk?”

“I can.”

“Can you please do that?”

If Michael wasn’t so focused on the sheer insanity of the situation, he might have heard God chuckle. Michael continued to watch the world in awe as God suddenly manifested. At first, there was nothing but then in the center of where God was supposed to be, appeared a small infant which then grew. Michael turned to his side to see a quickly growing infant. The infant was pure and lacked any negative features. It was like staring at a perfect marble statue. Quickly, the infant grew to that of a young child. The young child had, for a lack of better terms, heavenly features and if an individual took the time to study its features, they would be sure that the child would grow up to be beautiful without any equal.

Huh? A girl?

The child continued to mature. Slowly, the child’s body fills out as she quickly reaches adolescence. Within mere minutes, the adolescent transforms into an extremely beautiful woman with perfect proportions and other equally perfect traits. 

Michael’s eyes were wide in surprise. He came from a world where women of all types, beauty, renown, and ability were everywhere. The internet allowed everyone to showcase their uniqueness but all of those paled in comparison to the feminine entity in front of Michael.

What was the word… Perfect?

Michael concluded that this was God if God was a woman. Perfect in whatever way he… or in this case, she wants. Aware that Michael was stunned into silence, God spoke. 

“Does this satisfy you?”

Oh, that voice…

Michael was speechless. 

God’s physical appearance was perfect and her voice was perfect as well. Each vocalization seemed to strike a part of Michael’s mind which made her so much more beautiful than she already is. 

Despite the absence of a body, Michael swallows the lump in his throat and nods internally. God nods and she seems to take a seat.

Michael looks away. He felt weird. He had a horrible feeling that if he continued to look at God, he would never be able to look away. Steeling himself, Michael asks a question.

“Why a woman though?”

“... Is that… your 3rd question?”

Michael suddenly felt weak.

What is this?!

Michael was never a popular guy with women but he has enough experience to know what it is like to be with one. Despite that, he knew that no woman was able to make him buckle or feel physically weak.

Is this an effect of Goddess’ power?

“Now, do you see why I do not take a physical form?”

“Ye-yeah… but… why a woman? Isn’t God a man?”

Michael was looking away from God but he felt her raise an eyebrow. God chuckled and then lightly laughed. Michael felt weak again. Her laughter was so rich and infectious that Michael started laughing as well.

“It’s truly hilarious for humans to attach gender to something that doesn’t reproduce.”

“Don’t you have children?”

“That’s a symbolic meaning rather than a literal meaning Michael. And as I said, why attach a gender to an entity who is so far above a sex organ?”

Michael felt better. He still felt a blissful sensation in his being each time he heard God speak but it was better now.

“I… I don’t know. I guess I’m used to the notion that God is a male… We had a lot of stories of you being a man or taking the form of a man. And you also made sure that all your prophets and priests were males so you know… you can’t blame me for being curious.”

“Free will Michael. I had many female prophets and priestesses and even had a daughter but for some reason, humanity decided not to include them. I believe they call it blasphemy.”

“Oh? Ummm… Well, would you prefer being called Goddess?”

“God or Goddess. It doesn’t matter. I am both and not both at the same time.”  

Michael nodded.

“I’ll call you Goddess while you’re in that form then…”

Goddess did not reply. Michael continued to fly but noticed that he could not leave the atmosphere of the planet. After asking Goddess, she replied.

“This is where I plan to put you, why would I let you leave?”

“Ominous but okay. Can I enter the world to see it?”

“Its name is Teremarae. Use its name, it is to respect the entity itself.”

“Planets aren’t entities. They can’t think.”

Michael hears Goddess chuckle again.

“Oh… sorry. I forgot who I was talking to… So are all planets entities or is this one special?”

“All planets are living entities but most are asleep. This one is special in its own right.”

Looking down at the lush blue and green planet, Michael felt amazed.

“This is Teremarae?

“Yes.” 

Michael felt that he was getting away with a lot of questions being asked but he knew that he hadn't asked anything truly meaningful. 

Stuck in a rut, Michael decided to float a bit. He studied the world and felt a sense of majesty and at the same time, apprehension. It was such a grand thing to observe and see.

What weirded him out the most was his lack of reaction. Despite the terrifying knowledge that he died and is now at the mercy of an entity that claims to be God, Michael felt extremely calm.

But… I’ve always been like this. In my previous life, I’ve always gone with the flow. There’s nothing different here or before. I just followed the path my parents, teachers, and boss put me on. Now… it’s just Goddess, the creator of the universe… Huh…

Michael turned to Goddess. Michael almost fainted when he turned to look at Goddess’ perfect visage.

Still too much… Too perfect…

“Why did you pick me?”

Goddess smiled which would have killed Michael. If not for the fact that he didn't have a body, Michael would have been a drooling mess.

Goddess continued to smile as she spoke.

“Have you not noticed Michael?” 

“Noticed what?”

“Michael. Have you noticed that you are too rational?”

“That was always a part of me but aren’t there other people more rational than me?”

“Yes but you have traits that will allow you to survive in Teremarae.”

“Like what?”

Goddess chuckled.

“Michael, the knowledge I have cannot be understood by a human.”

“Oh, God works in mysterious ways, right? Typical.”

Despite his disrespectful tone, Goddess was not offended.

“No. People tend to forget that I am omniscient, well at least as omniscient as I want to be.”

“And? Doesn’t that mean you would know how to explain to me in a way that I would understand?”

“I do but you are not omniscient. Explaining it to you in a way you would understand would take an inordinate amount of time, time that I am not interested in spending, explaining to you.”

“But… doesn’t that mean, there’s a way for you to tell me all of this stuff in a way that I would understand and feel satisfied with?”

Goddess chuckles.

“I don’t want to.”

Goddess seemed to emphasize her words which sends a sliver of fear in Michael’s invisible body.

“Okay okay, I won’t force it.”

Michael and Goddess were silent. There was some tension in the space between them. Despite his hesitation, Michael was already prepared.

“Are you ready, Michael?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Good.”

Michael felt a sudden implosion within his invisible body. His vision seems to blur as it disappears in a veil of black. What Michael didn’t know was that he was undergoing the same transformation that Goddess did earlier.

Specifically, Goddess started to create a new body for Michael. She would create a perfect body for Michael, far above Michael’s original one. She intended a body that would be fit for the new world she created. 

With his body returning, Michael first felt nothing but then he felt grateful as familiar senses slowly flooded his newly created body. Despite not feeling it earlier, Michael felt his soul be engulfed with the familiar fleshy case of a human body.

Ahh… that… feels nice… real nice…

Within a few minutes, similar to Goddess, a body appears for Michael. 

Looking at himself, Michael studied his body. 

Compared to his old body, he was a bit taller and leaner. He lost most of the fat he had in his previous life. Touching his head, Michael felt a healthy amount of hair.

Oh wow, that’s smooth.

Michael felt his body and he noticed his new muscles.

This feels amazing!

Michael continued to study his body and he found more impressive things to admire.

“That’s enough Michael. You can admire your body more when you go to the planet.”

“So-Sorry! I was just surprised. I feel great!”

“Yes, I removed a lot of your old weaknesses. You are considered to be physically and mentally more capable than your time period’s Olympic-level athletes and geniuses.”

“Oh wow! I’m sure to get all the ladies now… but…”

“But what?”

“Are there people down there?”

“Define people.”

“Are there humans down there?”

“Hmmm… I can’t answer that.”

“Why not?”

Michael felt Goddess smirk.

“You already asked your three questions.”

“Okay.”

With his new body, Michael was now capable of rolling his eyes so he did.

“Okay, how do I do this? Do you throw me to the planet? Do I teleport towards it?”

“Oh before that, I was going to make you choose.”

“Choose?”

“Yes, choose between many gifts.”

“What?! Why are you only telling me this now?”

“Is that really a tone you should use against your creator? And I already told you this earlier.”

“My creator is going to throw me into a possibly hostile planet, so forgive me if I’m a bit agitated. And I forgot okay? I was focusing on the questions.” 

“That is true.”

Michael is silent when Goddess doesn’t get angry at his shouting.

“You are so much more chill than I expected. I always expected you to be holier than thou.”

Goddess chuckles.

“I am holier than you but I choose to act this way because it helps you.”

Michael ignores that last part.

“Anyway, gift?”

“Yes. You will be given several gifts to choose from, depending on your previous life.”

“Okay? So, what are my gifts?”

“In your previous life, you were a clerk, a bookkeeper, an accountant, and eventually an accountant manager. You handled important information for people you worked for.”

Michael nodded. Despite being told his boring life, he had no problems with it. He helped the people around him. He graduated with normal scores and no bad records. He was a normal person who had a simple and boring life.

“So, what’s the gift? Well, what are the gifts?”

“Your choices are the following.”

Michael’s mind was assaulted by a variety of images, each one with names and titles in a language he didn’t recognize. Despite the language barrier, Michael felt familiar with all these images. Unconsciously, Michael started speaking out their names.

"Curator. Librarian. Assessor."

Michael continued to utter the names of the gifts he was allowed to choose from. Eventually, Michael mellowed down as he arrived at a choice.

"I want the librarian gift."

"Oh? Good choice. It will be interesting to see you carry the knowledge of humanity."

Michael was still looking away from Goddess. She was far too stimulating and perfect. 

"I shall now pass on the gift to you."

Michael felt a chill go down his spine as Goddess hugged him from behind. Almost immediately, his body buckled under the sheer weight of perfection. 

Fortunately, Goddess' hug lasted only for a short while. Michael quickly recovers. 

Wha-What is this?!

The overwhelming knowledge of how to access his gift suddenly assaulted Michael. 

For what seemed like an eternity, Michael's mind was dead to the world as it assimilated all the knowledge the gift needed to tell him.

"So, are you ready Michael?"

Michael took one last long look at the planet and he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Good."

Then Michael was gone.

Goddess' form disappeared as she returned to her original invisible form. 

I wonder… when shall I add the next one?