The Choice of Faith - chapter 5

Alex's POV

"God?" I said, completely surprised and full of questions. In the situation I'm in, I shouldn't be too surprised, after all, I died and as a result, I should meet a higher being, right?

I let a few seconds pass as I continued to process everything that had happened this day. But I realized that now wasn't the time. The being who created everything, the being who is everything, stood right in front of me and spoke to me. God had appeared before me.

Once again, I looked at this wall of light that had appeared before me. My mind filled with all sorts of questions, I tried to say something, but I didn't know what. What could I ask God? In the end, I gathered up my courage and looked up.

"Why am I here? Why have you appeared to me, and why are we both here?" I felt like I asked too quickly, but that didn't matter, right? Various thoughts and scenarios ran through my mind, so much that I still didn't know how to express myself, what to say, or what to ask.

Once I finished my thoughts, God continued to speak, just like before. I could hear a voice echoing as if it came from everywhere.

["Before I answer your inquiries, it is appropriate for me to humble myself before you."]

"Uh? What do you-" I couldn't finish the sentence because as soon as I started, a bright light appeared in front of me. A light that emanated from this yellow wall, or rather, from God. For a moment, I couldn't see anything. It's not like when I close my eyes, because even then, I see "black" or the absence of light. But this time, I really couldn't see anything, as if I were trying to see something with my hand. After this effect disappeared, I could see again, but this time in front of me wasn't God, but a person. It was me.

"I thought that if I took on the form of your body and a little bit of your vocabulary, we could converse better, don't you think?" I said, or rather, God said. And it was true; the person in front of me looked exactly like me. With the same features, the same black hair. But the only difference between me and him is that he has green eyes. Eyes open as if they hold all the life on Earth within them.

Again, I got lost in my thoughts for too long and made God wait.

"Uh... I'm sorry? I don't want you to wait so long for me, but everything is so overwhelming, and I still can't grasp it all." I said, a little embarrassed but I didn't have a choice.

God shook his head in disagreement and then continued to speak.

"Don't worry about it, Alex. I'm willing to wait here with you until you're ready." Here I realized that the voice from before had dramatically changed, not only that, but it sounded very similar to mine. And another question popped into my head, ready for what? What are we going to talk about? Or the fact that I'm talking to God?

I realized that if I kept pondering, I wouldn't get any answers, so I had to ask what was happening. I opened my mouth to speak, but as I did, God took a step forward. No sound was made as he stepped, surrounding me, studying and analyzing me. With each passing second, it felt like he was judging every cell and transparent hair on my body. When he completed a full rotation around me, he stopped in front of me.

"Is this the moment when you judge me and decide if I deserve heaven or hell?" I asked curiously. Maybe that's what it was all about, observing my reaction and judging me all this time?

"Not quite, I do judge you, but not if you deserve heaven or hell. I don't decide that." God replied back, a straightforward and sincere answer as if he knew I would ask that.

"You don't decide? But if you don't decide, then who? Who else could have that authority if not you?" I asked again. He didn't answer me right away, but he started to smile. A smile I had never seen on my face. A genuine smile, a smile of joy.

"I've wanted to meet you for so long, Alex. You have no idea how long I've been searching for you, and finally, I've found you." He said, still smiling.

"A lot of questions, and the answers are rare and mysterious. I'll tell you everything. But I think we'd better take a seat, don't you think?" He continued. And after he finished his sentence, God raised his hand. He held it up slightly until it was close to his chest, and then he pointed it towards me. When his hand was between us, he snapped his fingers. When I did, I didn't realize it because I didn't hear anything; there was no light or effect, but everything changed.

Where everything was white, now it was lush with fauna. The dimension transformed into a planet full of life, sounds, and smells without me realizing it. Around me was grass, trees a few meters away from me, and the sky was as blue as on Earth. The sun was above us, and the wind blew through the branches and leaves of the surrounding trees. Here, I could truly feel something real since I arrived here. I could feel the wind on my skin and hair. Not only that, but I could hear the sounds of birds and smell the scent of flowers continuously entering my nose.

I hadn't felt this sensation even on Earth when I was still alive. I didn't know how to react, so I just stood there with my mouth open, amazed as I looked around.

"I created a small pleasant planet for you so we could have a more comfortable conversation." God said as he sat down on the soft grass. Looking at me, he gently patted the ground as a sign for me to sit beside him. I did as he suggested and sat on the soft grass.

I looked up at the sky. The sky was blue, and white clouds could be seen in the distance. He created this planet? In a millisecond? I wondered in my mind. But here, I thought about how insignificant I and the people on Earth are.

Most likely, God noticed this because the smile on his face turned into sadness.

"You know, Earth is my favorite planet." God said. Unprepared, the only thing I could do was to open my mouth, but the words didn't form for me to say anything, so silence was the answer I gave.

"And out of this favorite planet of mine, you are my favorite human, Alex." He continued without looking at me but at the forest with the animals in it. Am I God's favorite? I wondered in my mind.

"Why me? I can't say that I'm the best person on Earth, I don't even believe I deserve to go to heaven." I asked. Seconds passed, and the warm wind continued to touch my body. I breathed deeply, waiting for his answer.

God stood up from where he was sitting. With his hands behind his back, he walked around me. As he continued to look at me, he began to speak.

"Do you know what the Big Bang is, right? People assume that the Big Bang occurred at the birth of the universe 13.7 billion years ago. They say it was an expansion of an incredibly dense singularity of matter that caused the expansion of matter in the observable universe." He explained to me as I watched him and listened carefully.

I didn't expect him to tell me about this or to explain the Big Bang. Does this mean that scientists were right? As much as I wanted to know this, I had to wait because the being who created this universe we're talking about right now is in front of me.

"Mostly that's how the universe was born, but they don't know why. Before the universe was born, I was in a battle," God continued. A battle? Did he fight someone or something? I couldn't continue my thoughts as God continued to speak.

"Before the Universe, there was nothing. There was no time, no space, no physics, or rules of the universe. Only I and Nemesis existed. I, being the embodiment of light and goodness, Nemesis is the embodiment of darkness and evil. The two of us fought in eternity forever." He paused for a long time to let me understand what he was saying.

"So, once you're here, you've defeated Nemesis, right?" I asked curiously. God turned to me and looking into my eyes, he continued to speak.

"Unfortunately, no. I cannot destroy him, and he cannot destroy me. We are opposites, but the most we can do is to neutralize each other. Like two shields colliding with each other," God replied gently.

"If you two fought for eternity, how come the universe was formed only 13.7 billion years ago? Why didn't it form earlier? Or how did it form in the first place?" I asked God, this is the best time to ask these questions. Until now, I had no way of knowing, and now that I can learn these things, it's better to ask.

"We fought in eternity, and neither of us knows how the universe was created. Most likely it was the creation of our battle. Sort of our child from our magic and essence. That's why in this universe, we cannot fully control it. Light and darkness cannot use each other." He replied again. I began to believe if this is really all real. Everything seems so new to me.

Because I didn't ask anything else, God continued for a while and turned his back to me.

"Because the universe was created, we both realized what our destiny is. Mine is to protect it, and Nemesis's is to destroy it. At that moment, I built my kingdom. I created my first soldiers to help me destroy Nemesis. But the opposite of light also thought about it, creating hell and his demons."

That somehow makes sense. I thought to myself. But that means...I didn't continue my thoughts and asked directly.

"Does this mean that this battle will come in the future? And what will happen to the people?" After I asked, I stood up and went to his right. He stood still next to me while looking up at the sky. His eyes were fixed on the blue expanding above us. After a while, God said something, something that turned my stomach upside down.

"It won't be just any battle, it will be a war. A celestial war, and because this time there are angels and demons, the battle will spread throughout the entire universe." A...war? I wondered in fear. I wanted to ask why a truce couldn't be made, but I backed off. The opposite of light would never accept that.

"Now a long time ago, one of my angels showed me Earth. I saw how from my battle with Nemesis, something beautiful was created, something without my intervention. Because of evolution, humanity was created. This motivated me to continue and protect the Earth. Some high-class angels took on the role of helping the Earth and humans. These angels, Elders, created mythical guardians. Mythical guardians are divine beasts who are beside their humans and guide them in life and protect them from the seven sins."

God continued to give me information. I tried as hard as I could to retain this information, but it still seemed like a lot. Slowly, I begin to understand the situation.

"I think these seven sins are powerful demons whose purpose is to manipulate humans? Or to make humans be on the side of demons?" I asked confidently, but God raised a finger.

"Close, Alex," he said smiling, and continued. "Except for one small mistake, these demons don't want to control humans, there are other demons who do that. The seven sins want to instill lies in people's minds so that people don't believe in me. The less people believe in me, the harder it is for the Elders to give them divine power."

Here I fell behind, and I didn't quite understand. Why would they do that? I scratched my head and said, "I don't quite understand, can you develop that more, please?"

God nodded and said, "Of course, let me tell you again. Humans being from my essence can access my power. This power is divine, and with the help of mana created once with the universe, it is used as a thread for divine power to be transmitted. Does that make sense?" God asked to make sure I was keeping up.

"Yes, I think so," I replied slowly, thinking about how complex the world I lived in was, and I didn't know anything.

"Good. Nemesis knows this, and knowing, like me, that we cannot confront each other directly, he started putting his demons to deceive people so that they have a weak connection with me. With that, not only do I have fewer soldiers on Earth, but he can also bring people to him after they die. When they die, their guardians will take them to heaven or hell. And if the guardians lead them to hell, they will die from the swords, magic, or traps of the demons. He increases his power to my disadvantage."

Now I understand what he means. It makes sense, and it's a little sad that God isn't actually as omnipotent as I thought. With that thought came another question, and without waiting, I asked it.

"But aren't you omnipotent? Omnipresent? Wouldn't you have known all this beforehand and made a plan?" I asked directly. This question made God thoughtful. With a hand on his chin, he said, "This is one of the most well-known things about me among people, isn't it? Demons started with this saying that I am omnipotent and omnipresent, but the fact is it's a lie. I am omnipresent and omnipresent only in Heaven, in my world where there is only light. But once the universe has both light and darkness, I cannot control it as I do Heaven, the same goes for Nemesis." And he lowered his hand.

"That... makes sense," I said slowly as I continued to process. I clenched my fists a little as I gathered the courage to ask the thing I was most afraid of. I took a deep breath and asked, "Then... why are you telling me all this? Why am I here now, and what will happen to me?"

I felt myself starting to sweat from the emotions, but that didn't bother me; I needed to know this answer.

God smiled again and without waiting another second, He responded to me.

''Because you, Alex, will be the key in this entire war. You will be the center of attention and will have the greatest authority here.'' This answer amazed me. I could have expected to go to purgatory, to disappear forever, but... I really hadn't thought about something like this. Playing a word game? Or does He say this to everyone who enters heaven? A lot of thoughts started coming to my mind, and other questions were already forming in my mind.

''I'm aware that you have a lot of questions, and I'm willing to answer them, even before you ask.'' He said before pausing, then continued. ''Now you know that darkness cannot affect light, and light cannot affect darkness. That's why I didn't know that a high-class demon came to Earth 20 years ago. That demon lived on Earth, ate with humans, laughed with them, and lived with them.''

His words made my heart beat fast and hard, but I didn't stop him and didn't ask any questions. I let him continue.

''That demon found a woman, that woman is your mother, Alex. Which means that Astaroth, the demon, is your father.'' And he paused. Until now, since God came and I spoke with him, I hadn't thought about him at all. I hadn't thought at all about how much I had suffered because of Astaroth. But once I heard his name and understood that he is a demon, I began to hear less well. Anger and hatred began to build up more and more in me.

''W... why did you let Astaroth do that? Why did you let him kill Mom?! Why did I have to go through those things, God?'' I started to shout as I asked. A feeling of pity formed on his face, on my face.

''Even if I wanted to do something, I couldn't, I didn't even know this was happening. If I knew that a demon of his class was on Earth, I would have sent an army of angels to capture him and keep the Earth clean. But I couldn't, Alex.'' He tried to explain the reason. That's not enough. I want to destroy Astaroth. I want him to die, I want him to disappear! I want to with my own hand-

''It's okay, Alex, everything will be fine. I understand your hatred well; I carry all the hatred of mankind on my shoulders. I understand you perfectly. That's why we're here; all your suffering so far will be rewarded with the gift I will give you.''God said while holding me in his arms and putting his arms around me while trying to calm me down. That helped more than anything. These words are the things I wanted to hear from someone, from a parent. Finally, I let go of my anger and hugged God back.

''Okay, I know mostly everything now. What's the plan? Do you have a plan with me?'' I asked after I let go of the embrace with Him.

God nodded. ''Yes, the fact that your father is a demon means that I can't read your mind and feelings. But the good part is that you are half human and half demon. That's why you could control divine power from angels and demonic power.''

''That means I'm capable of using demon abilities and infiltrating their society, right?''I asked calmly, my mind being much clearer, I could think more clearly.

''Exactly! Not only are you the only entity in the universe with divine and demonic powers, but you can also destroy them from within.'' God exclaimed, at my response, He seemed happier than ever.

''And how can I do that? How do I discover these powers?' I asked curiously. But as soon as I asked, I could see my sad face, God seemed sad for the first time.

''That takes time, Alex, a lot of time to develop these powers. But before that, I want to give you a gift. A gift for you and humanity.'' He said in a sad but excited manner at the same time.

''The fact that you are one in a universe makes you more valuable than any man, any demon, and any angel. Even more valuable than me. That's why, Alex, in the last 20 years, I've decided to give you my powers. All my abilities, all my power, all the light from me will be powers for you to command as the leader of humanity and angels in the next war.'' Seconds passed slower and slower as I heard His words. I thought I knew everything, but now, this turned my thoughts even more.

''Wait, wait. What do you mean?'' I asked directly. Starved for answers, curiosity was eating me.

God continued without any objection. ''Since I knew about your existence, I knew you had the most important role among all of us. Since then, I created a system to help you guide my powers. I made a system like in a video game with levels, inventory, experience points to understand better and help you more. With this system and with my powers, you will become the new God.'' Even though his explanation was very clear, I still couldn't believe it. Me? Become the new God? It's impossible.

''But why should I have your powers? I don't know-' I couldn't continue because God started to respond to me already.

''With only divine power and demonic power, you won't win. You will need all the help, and I am all the help. You will have power from me, the key to enter the world of demons, and the human mind that I love. You are the perfect vessel for my creation, Alex.'

Time began to stop, the world around us began to become colorless. Everything around us stopped moving and became black and white. At that moment, a slightly transparent screen appeared between me and God. The screen was directed towards me. It had golden edges, and the background was black. Only when God started to speak, letters began to appear on the screen, and with the letters, words formed.

''With the help of the system, you will become the leader and the savior of all.''

[With the help of the system, you will become the leader and the savior of all.]

God said, and what He said appeared on the screen. Astonished by the screen, by all the information, I remained a little open-mouthed.

''This... still seems too much to me, seriously... this is really too much for my human mind.'' I said sincerely.

God smiled again and said. ''You don't have to accept, Alex. It's your choice, I've thought about the most result of what will happen in the future, and since we're both here, you realize what conclusion I've come to, right?''

[You don't have to accept, Alex. It's your choice, I've thought about the most result of what will happen in the future, and since we're both here, you realize what conclusion I've come to, right?]

I took another breath and thought as clearly as I could. Why am I thinking so much? I always wanted this to happen, something interesting to happen in my life. Is it fear somehow? Fear of the unknown? I don't know what to say because I've already died to the unknown, haven't I?

Now that I have the opportunity, and God stands right in front of me asking for my help why should I give back? I don't think that's going to happen.

"Alright, I accept this role. But... I have two questions before we proceed," I said, looking at the screen and then at God.

"Of course. I'm listening," God said, and at the same time, the system responded.

"What was with that dream I had earlier today? The one with the battle and the Archangel Michael?" I still hadn't forgotten the weirdest dream I've had so far, so I needed to know what it meant.

"That dream had no intervention from me at all. What I believe is it's a possible future or even what's happening in another dimension. I can't know that because we're in this universe, so theoretically, it's not possible for us to go to another dimension. Which means it's not important for us."

God replied, and this time, I ignored the long message that appeared on the digital screen in front of me. Did it just seem to me, or did his response become colder? So far, the things he said were gentle and warm, but the fact that he's not interested in other worlds makes me think more, but I didn't have time now to think about that.

"I understand. And the last question is, what will happen to you once I become God?" I asked curiously. Because it would be weird if there were two gods in one universe, right? I couldn't think more because God was already starting to speak.

"That's simple, I won't exist anymore. Once you accept the power, I will become the light that enters you so you can control it and evolve."

"I see... and you don't regret it?" I asked again.

"No, I don't regret it at all. It seems to me like it's a sacrifice and a huge risk, but if it works, it means it's worth it, because your salvation, the salvation of my creations and humans, is worth the risk. That's why I would like to ask you, when you return to Earth, to live your life okay? To enjoy the life I gave you and to protect your people and our kingdom" God replied without pause.

Hah, after all, he's not such a bad being. I thought to myself. I looked around once again, looking at the animals, plants, and the frozen landscape. I turned back to God and nodded, signaling that I was ready.

At that moment, God nodded again, and a new text appeared on the screen.

[Do you accept to become the leader of humans and angels? To be the light in life and the answer to people's prayers? To be the fighter for life and the victor over death? Do you accept to become God?]

I read carefully what was written on the screen, and then I closed my eyes and said, "Yes."