The Once Caged Now Given Freedom

For as long as I could remember, I've always been in this hospital, stuck to this bed, and never able to leave it. The only thing I have to keep me from going crazy was the times one of the doctors, a nurse, or a nice custodian would teach me something, and the TV that they let me watch in my room.

I don't even know exactly why I'm in this hospital, other than my body is very weak and sick. However, I do know without a doubt, is that I don't have any true family members, since no matter how much time passes no one ever comes to visit me, that doesn't work here.

Once, I asked a doctor why others had people to visit them, but I didn't, and she didn't have an answer, all she gave me was a look of pity. I continued to not know, until a year(?) after I asked the doctor, and the answer came from one of the nurses that was gossiping with a new hire, apparently the new person asked why no family ever saw me, or something like that.

The nurse talking to him said, 'It's because, apparently, his family just dumped him here after he got diagnosed, and they just never came back, but they do still pay the hospital bills.'

So, I was unwanted because I was broken, my own, supposed, family didn't even want me. 

After that day, I became more aware of the pitying looks of those that either walked past my room, or came to check up on me. I soon came to hate those looks of pity, with a passion. Because I don't want those looks of pity that will do nothing, I just want to get out of here, and see the world, like the characters from my favorite cartoon.

Ben 10, it wasn't the first show I ever watched, that goes to Power Rangers Mystic Force, but it was the show that I enjoyed the most out of everything that I have watched. The growth of Ben as he went from an arrogant child, to a force to be reckoned with, the amazing species of aliens that each had their place in the universe, and the environments that they explored in the show.

It was all something that I quickly fell in love with, hell, the only bad thing about it, in my opinion, was that shitty reboot that they made. Why the hell would you reboot the whole series, instead of just rerunning the show, or exploring the stories of one of the HUNDREDS of characters in it?

Sigh, anyway, all I have ever desired was to be free of this cage that my 'parents' stuck me in when I was around three years old, at least I think I've been here since then. I want to live my life my way, not trapped to a bed for the rest of my life, which may be coming to an end soon.

You see, ever since I heard the nurses gossip, I think it's made my health take a nose dive, because those pitying looks have increased with each day, and so have those drugs they put in my IV. I think they are trying to make it as painless as possible for me, by making my body become more and more numb, until death will feel the same as falling asleep.

So, I guess, since I can't really do much, I'll end up dead at the age of seventeen, probably not even being able to make it to my eighteenth birthday at this rate. Will they even tell me that I'll be dying soon, or will they just try leaving me blissfully ignorant, till the moment I'm at death's door already?

Hm, the doctor that usually watches over me is coming, and she has a solemn expression for once, instead of that pity smile. Guess this will be the day I die, 'cause that looks like the face of someone readying to give bad news.

"Hello, Adam, I hope you are feeling well today." Looks like she's starting off with small talk before giving the news.

"I could be better, Doc." I say with my raspy, and weak voice, that sounds like someone that hasn't drunken water in months. I hate this weak voice and weak body.

"Well, that's something. Umm, Adam, I have some bad news for you today." There it is, the poor excuse for a segue to the news of my death.

"It's about my death, right?" Might as well get to the point, 'cause if I have to hear her beating around the bush in my last moments, I am going to be livid.

"I- y-yes, it is." Seems I caught her off guard, did she seriously think that just because they try to get me high as a kite with all these painkillers that I wouldn't notice the increase in doses, or the looks of pity towards me?

"*Sigh* Just, tell me how long I have, Doc." I can't really fight against my own life coming to an end, I never really got a choice when it came to anything in my life. So, there's no point in acting angry, or sad, as far as I'm concerned it's just another day that I have no say in anything.

"Well, today is actually your last day..." Damn, they really did wait until my last moments to tell me this. I can't even tell if that was to protect me from the news, or because they didn't want to deal with how I would, possibly, react to the news.

"Of course it is. Then can I just watch Ben 10 in my last moments?" Since I'm going to die either way, might as well die while rewatching my favorite show. 'Cause it's not like I can ask them to give me even more drugs, so I can go out feeling a buzz from what they give me, for once.

"Yeah, sure." She goes and turns on the TV, then puts on the first episode of Ben 10 on it. I wonder if I can get past season one before I pass? Or, maybe I'll die before I even finish the first episode, who the fuck knows.

As I watched the show, my breathing felt more strained with each passing minute. I wonder if this is how it feels to slowly die, while high on so many painkillers.

Until, during the seventh episode, my vision started to darken, to the point that all I could see was the TV that was right in front of me. I believe the doctors called this tunnel vision.

Slowly, I also began to lose whatever feeling was left in my body, I think the doctor tried to tell me something, but my hearing also started to become nonexistent. Damn, now I can't hear the show too, and did my breathing stop?

Shit, now everything else is going dark, fuck, that means I won't get to even finish watching the episode where Kevin showed up for the first time. Well, at least I get to see what the hell even happens after someone dies.

For a while, after my death, there was nothing, no feeling, nothing to see, nothing to hear, and there was no one here. I wonder if this is normal, or if I'm even supposed to be able to still think? Are the dead supposed to still be aware of everything after they've passed the realm of the living?

I guess I'll just stay in this colorless void, until something happens, but if this is all that happens, then I suppose I could get used to not having to feel anything. Especially since I at least don't have to see those pity filled looks anymore.

_____________

I wonder how long it's been since I died, has it been seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades? I don't know, maybe I'm going insane, or maybe time is actually meaningless here, and the human mind is incapable of dealing with that, like I said, I don't know worth a damn.

Wait, something feels different now, it feels like I'm standing on something. But, I've never stood on anything, and I thought I wasn't supposed to feel in death. I'm even beginning to feel like there is a bit of wind, and like I just have my eyes closed right now.

Instinctively I reach my hand up to my eyes, but before I didn't have hands, or eyes, so how is this possible? I can even feel my eyelids with my fingertips, how is this happening?!

"Child, you can open your eyes, you aren't in that blank waiting room anymore." The hell, I don't recognize this voice, it sounds like a mother talking to their child.

Wait... did she say I can open my eyes, and what did she mean by waiting room? Was that void just a waiting room for the dead or something?

Slowly, I open my supposed eyes, and what I saw feels like it came straight out of a drug fueled dream. In front of me was a giant woman, who looked bigger than anything I have ever seen.

She had red eyes with strange symbols for pupils, caramel toned skin that was only a bit darker than mine, but was definitely clearer than mine and had a certain glow to it, her hair was white like fresh snow, and finally she had these lines that came from her mouth that reminded me of a Loboan's mouth where it is capable of splitting open its maw.

Everything about her was different from anything else that I've seen, honestly she looks like she could easily be a a hybrid of an alien in Ben 10, or even as a variant of an Osmosian.

"Hehehe, I see you've finally opened your eyes. It's nice to meet you little one." I'm pretty sure that her calling anyone little one is just a genuine fact, given her massive size.

"Where am I? Who are you?" Those may be some pretty basic questions, but what did you expect me to say, 'Sup I just died, how was your day?' actually that would've been a good response now that I think about it.

"Well, I am the Goddess Seria, and you are currently in my domain, little one. And, before you ask what I am the goddess of, it is of stories, whether it be a song, a show, or a book, it all falls under my rule." I don't know how to feel about a literal goddess bringing me into her domain.

"Okay, I don't know how to react to that, but can you tell me why exactly I'm here?" Hopefully there is an actual reason, and she didn't just bring here for shits and giggles.

"Ah, well I want to give you an opportunity at a new life, and complete freedom from what you had to deal with in your past life!" She said to me with the warmest smile I have ever seen, and she didn't have that look of pity that I became used to in my life when she mentioned my past.

"What's this 'opportunity' you're talking about, do I have to do anything for it?" Usually when a powerful person wants to 'give' you something, that means they want you to do something for them, before you can even get what you want.

"I want you to be my apostle, or a better way of saying it, would be to say I want to adopt you!" She said with an expression that showed joy, but also showed that she was completely serious.

.

.

.

"C-can you please repeat that?" Did she actually say what I think she said, yeah, she mustn't have, 'cause why would she want to adopt me?

"I want you to be my apostle, meaning I want to adopt you, little one!" Holy fuck, she actually did, but why would she want to do that, my own parents didn't even want me?

"I can tell you're confused, if you wish, I could explain what being an apostle means, and why I want you to be such, while you digest that information?" All I could do was nod, because this entire situation was completely foreign to me.

"Well, being my apostle would mean that you would, essentially, become a demigod that could eventually become a full fledged god in my currently forming pantheon." So, she basically wants to help me become a god eventually in her pantheon?

"As an apostle, you would be sent to another world to get stronger, fight a couple other apostles, and I would give you certain benefits that can only be given to an apostle of mine." So, I'd have to fight others like me? Well shit, if it means living a free life, than that's an easy price to pay!

"Now for the adoption part, which requires a bit of history. You see due to some of the gods of the Olympian Pantheon, it has been outlawed for all deity's to have biological children. For most pantheons this isn't exactly a problem, but it is for me, as I have no one else in my pantheon, and I have always longed for a family of my own."

So, let me get this straight. Because of some shitty bastards fucking practically everything that could breath, a goddess that wants a family is incapable of ever having her own children. And, yeah I know my mythology, one of the custodians brought me books on the stuff at one point. Wait, I'm confused about something here.

"How don't you have anyone in your pantheon?" Don't all gods belong to some type of pantheon, I mean hell, there's even the biblical pantheon that only has one god in it.

"Oh, that's because of what I am the goddess of, you see eventually all the other gods will become nothing but stories, so none of their pantheons can hold me. So, the only way for me to be in a pantheon is to create my own, either by having children, or making apostles."

Basically, everyone else is too weak to handle her, so the only ones that can handle her are those that she helps make. I guess that's understandable, though I wonder if I'm the first of her attempts at getting an apostle.

"By the way, I should mention that you aren't the first apostle, as you died a while after she did, so if you accept to be my apostle you would technically have an older sister." So, if I accept I get a new life, a mother, and an older sister as my new family that might actually care about me. Damn, that's actually a pretty decent offer, and all I really have to do is fight some people, probably to death, but still.

"I agree to be your apostle and son then, mom!" Some would say that I agreed to this too easily, but when you live a life where you couldn't do anything at all, then you would jump at the first chance to get to live a better life the second it showed itself.

"Perfect, now that you've agreed, we can figure out what world to reincarnate you to, what body to give you, and what benefits you will have!" She looks more excited for this than I do, I wonder how many people turned down her offer before me and my, now, sister accepted?

"If possible could you send me to the Ben 10 world?" Who wouldn't want to live in their favorite show, unless that show is one where everyone dies or something.

"Oh, absoluletly, little one! Is there anyone in particular that you want to be reincaranated as there?" So, that's what she meant by body to give me, well I guess it makes sense, since my old body was pretty shit in every aspect.

"Could I be Kevin E. Levin?" Don't get me wrong the omnitrix that Ben is fated to have is tempting, but Kevin had the potential to be the strongest in the world, if the show didn't center around Ben eventually becoming the most powerful and important person in the omniverse.

"Yes, you can, but I can't put you in the original universe, so we'll have to find a suitable variant of him for you to be." That's actually good, since that means I might not have to live on the streets for a couple years like Kevin did.

"What about one where he's adopted by the Tennyson's, and maybe has a different name?" Can you blame me for asking that, the Tennyson's would be a great family to be adopted by, especially since that would mean Max would be my grandpa too. I also don't want to be named Kevin, because that was the name of one of the nurses that gossiped a lot, and I didn't really like that guy.

"Absolutely, is there any name in particular that you favor?" I shook my head no, as I had no name that I absolutely want to be called, I only have names that I know I wouldn't want to be called.

"Then how about, Nicholas, you would end up with the nickname, Nico?" Hm, Nicholas... I like it, especially since I don't remember anyone I dislike with that name. I nodded my head to her to show that I accepted her idea for a name.

"Wonderful, now we just need to figure out what to give you to make you surpass most of the characters in that world." Oh, I almost forgot that part. I get to become an Osmosian, I get adopted by the Tennyson's, and I become a demigod, so getting something more than that feels like it'll be overkill on my enemies.

Though, I guess it makes sense, since mom is possibly the strongest deity in existence, so her children also need to become some of the strongest to even hold a candle to her.

"What about cryokinesis?" One of my favorite aliens was always Big Chill, Ben may have preferred the physically impressive aliens, but the Necrofriggian's have an extreme amount of potential with their abilities.

"While I can give you that, it feels like it would be cheap in comparison to what I gave Eve, your sister." Huh, I wonder what my sister got to make mom feel like what I'm getting is cheap?

"Well, what do you suggest mom, 'cause I can't really think of much more than this." Hell, even what she's already going to give me already feels like a lot, so I don't really feel like I should be too greedy with what I want.

"Hm.... Oh! How about spatial manipulation ability, but I would have to limit it to only affecting four things at a time?" That means I could make my own pocket spaces, I could probably even make the inside of the Rust Bucket bigger too.

"That'll work, mom." Now that I think about, maybe death was the best thing that could've happened to me.

"Perfect, now let's send you on your way, little one!" With those words, she reached out her hand towards, and sent a small ball of white light to me.

As the ball of light came towards I could feel a sense of warmth, and strength, from it. Then the light went into my chest, and that feeling of strength and warmth grew, until it felt like it would completely envelop me. After a while, the light was gone as it went entirely into my chest.

"I hope you finally get your happy life, my child!" Those were the last words I heard from her as my vision became dark, and I felt like I was going to sleep, but unlike death, this sleep wouldn't be permanent.