Endless nothingness—this is where consciousness drifts. A black void teeming with countless copies of yourself. These copies are not the real you; they are perceptions from others, your self-image, and snapshots of who you were at various moments. Each fragment, stitched together, grasps for existence, convinced its reality is the only true one. As these consciousnesses float aimlessly, some begin to merge into a single entity.

This new entity of consciousness starts to question itself. 

Who—no, what—am I? 

In this space of nothingness, this void or abyss where only consciousness exists, this entity reflects: 

I am an actor. No, I am an action star. I fight international criminals and have one hot bod. Huh? … Why is that important? Why is my body such an interval part of my identity? I don’t understand. I’m from the movie Perilous Agent. It is an action romance movie, where my love, Sophy, is on the opposing side. I must save her and protect the world. Or did I protect the world? Wait, no, but I am an actor. I am not a spy, but someone playing a spy. Why do both feel so real?

As fragments of consciousness and individual identities surge together, an electrifying transformation begins. Light erupts! Everything bursts into a blinding white, like a creature of the shadows seeing the sun for the first time. In an instant, nothingness turns into overwhelming everything, engulfing Archie's thoughts and silencing his very essence. Yet, the dazzling light is fleeting; it gradually recedes into darkness. When Archie finally opens his eyes, he is met with a bewildering spectacle that defies all logic, and all he can think is,

What is going on?

He looks down, expecting to see his hands, but instead, he sees hundreds of tiny blue lights. These little blue orbs cover his entire body, not just his hands. Then, a blue light pops like a bubble, revealing skin underneath. The popping continues, exposing more and more of Archie. 

In complete silence, he wonders, Where am I? With that thought, he begins to look around.

Surrounding him is a crowd of people who appear to be talking to each other, but Archie can’t hear anything; the lights are still dissipating. The only sense he has gained is sight. In front of the crowd is a woman with bright, hot-pink hair, staring at him with an obnoxiously colossal smile, looking at him expectantly. 

She feels dangerous—that’s all he can think.

Not wanting to look at the expecting woman any longer than necessary, he continues his search. Archie finds himself inside a grand hall resembling a cathedral. Marble pillars with steady pulsing azure lights spiral upward toward the high ceiling, which features an integrated gemstone design that tells the story of this world’s founding.

The first image depicts an individual ripping open space, staring into an abyss of darkness. The following image shows them cradling a globe as if creating something from scratch. The third image illustrates the city growing from the ground, with a towering chapel at its center. The fourth portrays the very room Archie is in, with the creator welcoming others. The fifth reveals the creator's betrayal by those invited into this world, raising arms against them. The sixth depicts the creator leaving the city.

The azure lights not only follow the pillars but also line the walls and floors. They look like they are breathing, slowly flowing toward Archie and then exhaling toward a marble opening on the opposite side of the cathedral.

Archie sits atop a marble altar, feeling the rhythmic lights around him pause as if the entire building is taking a breath. The lights draw in and then exhale, making the space feel alive. Witnessing all this leaves him feeling overwhelmed, filled with awe and uncertainty. All he can ask himself repeatedly is,

I don’t understand; what the hell is happening?

Then—

Pop, pop, POP!

Startled by the sudden sounds, Archie flinches violently, slamming himself against the cold stone behind him. In an instant, everything goes pitch black, leaving him surrounded by a void where only muffled, fragmented memories echo in the silence.

“Agent Alpha, your mission is to eliminate everyone involved with the organization …”

“The winner of hottest man this year is …”

“With you, my lovely Sophia, by my side, my plans for the end of Europe will succeed!”

After returning to his senses, Archie thought, 

Were those my memories? Why are they so fragmented? This makes no sense.

Suddenly, he heard a loud voice exclaim, “Ouch! That must have hurt!” It was coming from the pink-haired lady nearby. 

Of course, it hurt. Slamming into stone as hard as Archie had done would undoubtedly cause pain. Sitting there, dazed and confused, he could hear the crowd around him murmuring. While he couldn’t make out most of what they were saying, he did catch a few comments.

"Look at his eyes! Are they obsidian or silver?"

"I think he's going to be another human. What do you think?"

"It's too early to tell. Those amniotic lights are still popping."

"Another new god, huh? They seem to be popping up every day now."

"He looks so confused. Poor guy."

Hearing this, he thought, 

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Amniotic lights? Is that like amniotic fluid? Wait, am I some kind of baby? No, clearly my body is that of an adult male, I think.

Confused, he began to examine his body again.

Then Archie’s eyes widened as a sudden realization hit him.

Where are my clothes?!?!

With this thought, panic surged through him. While he may have had a few nude butt scenes in the movie he starred in, Perilous Agent, being on display in front of this crowd of strangers, was entirely different. He felt uncomfortable under their scrutiny and thought, 

I don’t like the way they’re looking at me. 

He quickly covered his crotch with his hands, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity.

No way.

As more bubbles popped, Archie was getting closer to his worst fear. While his sense of smell, taste, and touch began to return, he was far too focused on the fact that he was without clothes. Now, he wished the bubbles would stop popping and exposing him to this crowd.

Noticing the palpable discomfort on Archie's face, one crowd member walked up to the pink-haired lady and whispered into her ear. Cleena then gasped and chuckled to herself. Realizing she was laughing at him, Archie looked down and justified his feelings. He thought, 

What a jerk. Who would want to be naked in front of a bunch of strangers? I know I have a great body, but people must pay to take photos of me, and I always wear at least underwear!

Thump! 

A blanket-like, hot-pink robe landed on Archie. Upon landing on him, he could feel the weight immediately. It was soft and plushy, with a faux texture that glided against his skin. Realizing the pink-haired lady had given it to him, he quickly put it on. With the thick, cozy fabric wrapped around his body, relief washed over him. 

Thank goodness, I guess this lady isn’t so bad after all. 

After receiving the robe, he began assessing her. 

She looked like she was in her mid-20s, with bright, hot pink hair adorned with a ghostly teal bow. Her teal dress had little hot-pink ghost silhouettes, and she wore matching hot-pink heels and a belt. Her style was so eccentric it was jarring, but she did give him the robe, so maybe she wasn't so bad.

Feeling more relaxed, Archie took a moment to enjoy the air. The air was crisp and cool, almost too clean as if there was no pollution or allergens. Archie took a moment to appreciate his surroundings, feeling a brief sense of calm. And without realizing it, his body formed entirely from those popping little blue bubbles.

Noticing that all the bubbles had popped, the pink-haired lady spoke again. “Looks like you're all there! WELCOME! To the Realm of gods, or nirvana or heaven or paradise— some call it the promised land. Ehhh, you get the point. My name is Cleena, Queeeen of the Banshees, Goddess of looovve. And I am here to guide you, a newly born god. You’re welcome!” Her vast, expectant smile was wide as she awaited some sign of appreciation. She stood there, patiently staring at him. 

However, Archie just sat there, jaw dropped open, completely bewildered. This "Cleena" person was only making things more confusing, and his thoughts were nowhere near what she seemed to expect.

God? What the hell is she talking about? I’ve never read about God playing dress-up. Are those small ghost silhouettes on her supposed to represent banshees?

Archie continued to stare at Cleena, bewildered.

“Ummm, are you listening? Oh! Maybe they are deaf!” Cleena remarked.

What? He thought. What is she even saying! Who is this woman? … She must be crazy. 

Archie, wholly lost, responded, “N-no, I am not deaf. Are you some kind of fan? Have I been kidnapped? Let me go home. I won’t tell the police, I swear. We can both go home peaceably.” He tried to smile a comforting, friendly smile. However, it did not fool anyone, let alone himself. 

“Ehh?”

“Ehh??”

…

…

…

…

They both stared at each other for a few minutes in utter confusion. Cleenas mouth was slightly agape. She looked like she was backtracking, trying to figure out what went wrong, until she finally spoke with utmost confidence, 

“Oh! I know!”

Archie thought, Thank God. This lady was about to make sense and explain what was going on. 

A moment of relief washed over him, but that did not last long. To his extreme disappointment, Cleena started sounding out every syllable, “I am Cleena, the Goddess of Love, also known as the Queen of Banshees!” With each emphasized word, she nodded at him expectantly, as if the terms “goddess of love” or “queen of banshees” held any meaning for him. 

He thought, how would this clarify anything?

Instead of finding clarity, Archie now believed the lady was out of her mind. First, her response to his offer not to call the police fell on deaf ears. Second, she wore what might have been the most obnoxious outfit anyone could imagine. Third, she was claiming to be some sort of god. Nope. This lady was not in her right mind. 

Now understanding this, Archie looked to the crowd, who were all listening to the conversation and staring at him. Seeing them, he thought he could reason with someone there. There was no way all these people were like this Cleena woman. Surely, someone in the crowd had to be rational.

Giving up on Cleena, Archie focused on the crowd and said, "Uhm, hello." They fell silent. “If anyone can help me out of this situation, I will tell the police you are innocent. You help me, I’ll help you. Sounds like a good deal to me.” He nodded at the end of his sentence, hoping someone would agree with him. The silent crowd stared at him for a minute, and then, almost simultaneously, the murmuring picked up again, louder than before.

With that, Pink Hair said, “Can you guys leave so I can do my job?” The crowd dispersed just like that. Every. Single. One. 

FFUUUUU was all Archie could think. 

With his anxiety spiking, the room seemed to grow. Now, he was left alone with the crazy lady who looked lost in thought again. Archie just sat there on the stone table, staring. His mind was almost entirely blank; he could not process what had just happened. That entire crowd abandoned him.

Then, breaking the silence and Archie’s single thought, Cleena said, “I have an idea! I will show you. Follow me!” She waved him towards her as she started walking toward an exit.

Although unsure, Archie followed her. 

He thought to himself, once we reach that door, I can just run; I doubt she can catch me. 

This exit was his escape. He could get away. His workout routine was vigorous. After all, you had to look at the part in the movie industry and “look the part” meant to work out. He and his precious body took that quite seriously. You see, he just landed his first major role. He was a spy protagonist who could do anything, including his own stunts. He could run fast enough to jump onto moving trains and chase down an escaping villain, hopping roof to roof. On top of these displays of his physical strength, he had complete faith in his agility. After all, 

Do you see this chiseled body? It is the definition of perfection.

He followed behind her, preparing to bolt the second they were outside. However, once they reached the door, Archie could only stand there with his mouth wide open, his eyes darting rapidly. He could not understand what he was seeing. It was just too much. 

Where the hell am I?