2 Brightness Above
It all began the day the white light descended. For Michael Bonandarte, a college student at the age of 21, life was more or less satisfying. He had a job helping out at his uncle's motor shop, and another, "all for that extra dollar" job at an arcade near his apartment. Another great thing was his amount of available leisure time. When classes were over and he wasn't hanging out with friends, he was immersed in his favorite hobby. Gaming. Michael, simply put, was a gaming fanatic.
He was not a fanatic to the extent that he was a bag of skin and bones in front of a monitor all day. Michael still managed to get in an average workout every day. His mother's last words were "Take care of yourself" so of course, he took it to heart.
His mother was of a mixed race, her father African American, and her mother a pacific islander. Michael's father was of a near completely European descent. He was a fraction of a few, but a majority English, thus his and Michael's light brown hair. Somewhere in his father's genes, there were prominent Asian cultured almond eyes. It had stuck through the line of men in his paternal family somehow, rather strange. However, all of this combined gave his skin somewhat of a lightly tanned appearance.
So, as the story goes, young Michael, on a cloudy Thursday mid-august, while exiting class, tripped and fell face first into a section of tall decorative foliage. Or began to fall. Midway from potential faceplant, everything froze, and a bright white light illuminated all.
...
Michael was confused for the longest time. Countless possibilities crossed his mind, some of them impossibly stupid from any logical perspective.
'Did... Did I gain powers over space-time?!' Michael thought in wonder.
*No, human. No, you did not.*
An amused voice floated about his conscience abruptly.
'Wha- ?! Who is this?' Michael asked incredulously into his own mind. He was half expecting the voice to reply with "your conscience", but was surprised to find the voice giving him a very brief introduction.
*This great one's name is Thetus, one whom your species would mistakenly identify as a "god".*
'A god?' Michael was dumbfounded beyond belief, his brain refusing to comprehend. It was all a bit too sudden to be meeting "god".
'Uhh... Umm... Uhhhhh...'
...
*Interesting, your reaction matches up with approximately 39.37% of the rest of your species.*
'The rest of my species?'
*Yes, I have contacted the conscience of yours and all other sentient species on this planet.*
'W-why?' Michael managed to blurt out. He had a bad premonition. Why, for any reason other than a colossal disaster, or catastrophe of massive proportions, would "god" contact all of mankin-
'Wait?! Every sentient species?!'
*Correct. From what I gather, multiple sentient species occupy this planet, yours being the most numerous and dominant.*
He would have spent hours mulling this information over in his head if it were not for the fact that he was in conversation with a self-proclaimed higher being that could freeze space.
*Human. I have come offering assistance in response to the current "universal predicament".*
' "Universal predicament"? "Assistance"?' He didn't understand.
*Yes... sadly... this universe will implode upon itself very soon.*
...
...
...
Michael briefly returned to a vegetative state where his mind freely wandered hazily in the clouds. Apparently, God had come to Earth offering humanity salvation from the universe imploding.
'Am I high right now?' Michael questioned... He had never done drugs, at least not non-prescribed ones. His mind began to wander, only to be brought back in dread by the voice of Thetus, determinedly continuing.
*I am offering all individuals residing here a chance at continuation.*
This piqued his hopes and interests, and most likely the interests of all other living organisms on earth.
*Higher beings of my level of power may convert and transfer your conscious will and every non-physically replaceable aspect of your being elsewhere and into a new host.*
He couldn't completely understand this being's logic, but Michael didn't doubt this being's capability if it could seemingly freeze time and space, plus he was curious.
'U-um where would this "elsewhere" be if, I may ask?'
*Er-well...this is difficult to explain so as not to completely fry that minuscule brain of yours, but it is more so another "reality" or "parallel universe" than another dimension.*
Michael wasn't the least bit offended at the comment made about his "minuscule" brain, that was so filled with game and simulator information, plus some other important stuff. Of course, he wouldn't be offended when it was a being like Thetus labeling him as such. But the words spoken by the voice: "another reality" and "parallel universe" left him halfway between a blank and wonder. If he could move he would be shaking at the prospect. It would probably be due to his excessive imagination, overheating his brain, and taking some sort of toll on his mind and body.
'What would such a place be like?' Michael thought, somehow forgetting the presence of the higher being in his conscious.
*It is actually very similar to the universe as is, with the exception of your species, or rather the Uminos Andii as your kind are called there, are a space-faring race with more or less mediocre technologies.*
'Wait. You said space faring-that implies spaceships and lasers, and stuff right?' Michael eagerly asked for validation.
*That is... correct.*
For a moment, Michael felt a pang of excitement resonate in his chest. It would be living the dream of all sci-fi fans to live in such a world. But then he paused warily.
Thinking back for a long moment, bent there awkwardly in frozen space, thinking of everything the voice had said in the past few minutes or however time was measured under these circumstances.
It was the perfect scenario for all the beings of Earth, almost too perfect. He hadn't at all taken into account Thetus' motivation. In mythology not all gods were good. Who knew if this being had no ulterior motives.
*Human, I find it hilarious that you suspect me, a higher being, of having some sort of secretive plot for your kind.*
'T-then if you don't mind me asking' Michael (tried to) gulped. 'How could one such as yourself possibly benefit from helping us humans?'
*Ah, to answer your question simply, your species in an object of my pity.*
...
...
Simple pity huh?
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*Human, the time nears where you must make your choice. Now. What will you choose: To remain here for a few cycles more and perish, or survive and endure in another dimension, might I add you may prosper more heavily there?'*
Michael thought it over in his mind. He had no real reason to decline this opportunity. But just to make sure, he asked:
'We have no time to think it over?'
*Human, I may be powerful, but not so powerful as to freeze space-eternal here. Also, once this conscious connection is severed like it already has been for billions of your kind already, there will be no second chance.*
...
'Alright then. I accept.' He chose the logical answer for if he wanted to live a longer lifespan, as well as fulfill his mother's wishes.
Michael's father, a figure distant to him after his mother's death, would likely choose to stay regardless of any type of persuasion. That was just the stubborn old man he was.
Michael's friends were people he knew would choose to transfer over and reincarnate, he just knew them that well. So there was not that much a reason for him to stay and perish.
Seconds passed, and Michael felt a tug at his conscience, slowly drawing his mind further and further away from his body. He gradually lost his sense of sight, blinding him.
He had almost lost all sense of being, that was until he felt a pain all over his face. The flattened tall greenery smothering his face as a last memory of Earth.
