“And who might you be?” Asked the titan. It was an odd sight. Why odd? It’s because although the titan has no normal features to speak of, looking at him is like staring into the abyss of space, with distant stars and galaxies in the background.
Understandably, the young man in question was quite awe-struck, speechless, at the sight of the humongous titan.
”...Why do they always do that, acting like mutes and staring like its the only thing they know how to do…” The titan asked himself the rhetorical question. Of course, he knew the answer: Staring at a God’s true form always overwhelms the senses of mortals…
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*A little while back*
An elderly man lies on his hospital bed. He was thin as twigs, all bones and no muscles at his advanced age. The fact that the pale body isn’t dead yet would surprise most people, but advanced medical technology has stretched the old man’s life unnaturally long. It was a miracle that the old man’s mind hasn’t rotted away yet in his motionless body.
His was the former-researcher working for IBM who created the first fully sentient AI that didn’t want to crush mankind the second it was free. He was tempted to name her Cortana, but in the end he decided to let her choose her own name. His second daughter, as he believed in his heart. Although she wasn’t born like his first daughter, and quite a handful to manage at times, Alphonse loved her equally.
It is only through her now that he can even communicate with the outside world. Though he had long lost the ability to talk freely, he could still sub-vocalize, and the sensors attached to him are sensitive enough for Lucy, the name his second daughter chose for herself, to decipher what he wanted to say. Thus, he continued to talked to his family, gathered around his bed.
Ah, there she is, his first daughter Elaine. She had been rebellious in her youth, but nevertheless successful in life. The only regret he had for her is that she never once dated a boy seriously. No more. Today, she brought her fiance to see him, even as she sobbed at his side. Better late than never, he chuckled to himself.
He has no more regrets in this world.
His brother was also saying something, but Alphonse couldn’t quite hear his words. Assurance that he would take care of his daughters for him perhaps, he wondered. It was enough, to know that his family is in good hands; it was a fulfilling life.
His road has been long and arduous, but he has reached its end at last. It’s time to join his beloved wife in the afterlife. And so, under the eyes of his family, Al Klingman passed away at the tender age of 131.
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*Back to the present*
Al opens his eyes, only to find himself drifting in a white space. An unexpected wave of vigor rushes through him. His frail body is gone, replaced by the body he once had in his prime. Reorienting himself to stand up, Al glanced around. There was nothing to see all around him. White-space stretching as far as his eyes could pick out. No wait, there was a tiny dot to his right, black in color.
Slowly, he took his first step. Ah, it was good to be back at his prime. His body could move exactly as he wanted, a luxury as he aged. Though he was never a professional athlete or a martial arts practitioner, he always tried to kept himself fit, if only to attract the ladies.
With each step he took a rippling wave of soft, blue lights appears from under his feet; it’s as if his steps were raindrops on a tranquil pond.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
At first he was hesitant. But with each step came renewed confidence. His steps became longer, faster. From walking to a slow run, to a moderately fast pace, then sprinting, as if his steps weight nothing at all. Al could feel no pain, not even the slightest burn from the constant sprinting. Odd, he thought to himself, is this dreamland? Heaven?
A resounding voice rang out. “None of the Above”
“Welcome to my humble abode, mortal. This is the Void between Worlds.” Al glaances up, there stood a 100 meter tall giant. Was he too preoccupied with his own thoughts to not notice such a colassal titan in front of him?
“I am Kruphix, the Will of the Abyss.” The titan spoke, as it slowly turne around to face Al. He also shrunk down to a little black orb, not unlike the Dwarf in the Flask
http%3a%2f%2fi.imgur.com%2fD8Vay1T.png [http://i.imgur.com/D8Vay1T.png]
“And who might you be? My little friend”
“Al… Al Klingman. Just a normal human…” Al was quite surprised at himself. Talking to a shapeless entity, really he never imagined it would come to this.
“I know, surprising isn’t it?” The black orb chuckled. Yes, Al decides to just call it the black orb. “What you call me matters not. All is One, and One is All. I am the One, born not at the beginning of time, but time itself. The One above All”
“Stan Lee?... So what does a self-proclaim all powerful God want with a man like me? Surely you can solve every problem yourself?” Or perhaps it was the good old God Paradox: Can God create a rock so heavy he could not lift it himself?
“Yes and No. Do you know what happens when I create a rock I cannot lift myself? I can read your mind by the way, no need to answer out loud.”
“No”
“I simply become the rock” Well that was easier said than done, but nevermind that. “But here’s something every God I have created had problem with… to experience mortal life for myself. Being an all powerful God is quite boring, you know. I got nothing to do, and everything to do. Then nothing to do, because I HAVE done everything. It’s an endless cycle.”
“And that concerns a deadman like me how?”
“Ah! I knew you were going to say that… I actually did. *sign* Well, from time to time, I limit myself to relieve my boredom. For example, right now! Currently, I’m trying to see if I can solve the problem of technological stagnation without my direct intervention. Without looking ahead, of course, that would ruin the fun.”
“Which, by the way, brings us to the present. There are too many worlds suffering from stagnation, and I don’t like that. To that end, I am taking all departed souls from worlds that managed to survive manaless to manage these worlds for me.”
“ALL departed souls? Sounds like a terrible plan”
“Indeed, I had to kill… I mean convert more than half of the souls to be more… benign shall we say? The task for each and every one of you is to lead your new world to prosperity. I don’t care what approach you use for this, as long as you get the job done. In fact, the more dramatic the better. Be a King! An Emperor! A God! Messiah! Or be the Devil! Demon King! Demon God! Destroyer! Entertain me, mortal, and I shall grant you a lifetime beyond your wildest imagination!”
“I refuse.”
“Refusal Denied. Now, since our introduction’s out of the way, time to get down to specifics! Kukukuku...”