The beginning of the end

Chapter 1

I think The Creator of the universe constructed a lie so all beings do not sense the permeating reality of endless nothingness that we are damned to repeat the cycle of, this nothingness being space.

I cannot hear, feel nor see, but I have a hunch that I'm in space. "Huh, I must be dead then."

The funny thing about me dying is the process of going through my entire life's accumulated memories, which are filled of feelings of regret and dissatisfaction of my many inadequacies and failures during my pathetic existence, that was without any love or accomplishes to speak of.

During my life I had more money than a beggerman but less money than your average commoner. Shelter homes are alright to stay in, but it can be hard to manage when you absolutely have no support from anybody close with you. Schools provide educational enrichment, but they fail in providing life experience, they say you need a,b,c marks for passing, while gaining education like a machine that's in a simulation. Wake up, eat, study, sleep and repeat until you manage to finish high school.

All of that for some students to have mediocre results and experiences, that do not provide much in the ways of life lessons. I have an opinion about high school, that school is an institution that facilitates brainwashing of students, as well as a campaign of making students submit to the culture of wage slavery, and employer dependency, but that's just my theory.

This then returns me to my younger years of my life, where I would need to steal from others in order to provide for myself. Through selling some of my proceeds, to neighbourhood gangs, I'd manage to earn myself some money and protection. I had to go through hell in order to get by, or what I lovingly call the baptism of those who life in the jungle. In those years I didn't think myself as much of a leader, but just a survivor in this big world.

From the age of 18, when my last exam marks came through, I enrolled into a community college that was located in a separate city. The college provided boarding (which was a god send), where I tutored other fellow students for the purpose of earning compensation that I'd use to pay some of my tuition costs. After spending 4 years acquiring my law degree, in order to avoid returning to my loathsome home city I committed myself to remaining in college and furthering my studies in the fields of business, economics and science. And so after spending a commendable 16 years of my life reading books, you'd think that I'm a formidably smart individual, but then you would be wrong.

My key motivation for remaining in college wasn't to actually improve my understanding of things and systems, but it was so that I wouldn't have to return home and in turn would avoid any chances of reverting back to my bad habits of thieving and dealing.

Back then I found myself stealing books from the local libraries, only to pawn them of soon after, in turn subsequently starting a bootlegging book selling scheme.

My favourite books were always comic books, the magnitude of the worlds they covered was always prodigious. Things like multiverses and fourth dimensions were routinely explored, to my absolute pleasure. I favoured either hero or villain depending on the story, but the one party that I found myself praising most curiously happened to be the neutralists, it seemed I had a natural affinity towards neutrality. While reading these novels I'd ask myself "why be a hero and endanger my life?", and "why be a villain and forsake my scruples and ideals?" but I could never come up with any answers, and this somehow further strengthened the allure of these comics. Comics that have such resolved characters that have motivations that were clearly beyond me, and my understanding.

If I had a kingdom it would be a neutral one, it would be an advanced civilisation that stimulates growth in inventive ways, with the aim of bettering each of my kingdom's citizens.

I understand ruling kingdoms is difficult, exhausting and laborious work, but even with all of that I'd commit myself to ruling my loyal subjects with mindfulness. In most popular media, empires and kingdoms usually end in revolt from the commoners, the former ruler is overthrown and exchanged for a new one who upholds the commoner's ideals. In all the chaos bandits from surrounding areas begin raids, capturing and trafficking people, stealing resources and selling all of these proceeds to rivalling empires, these empires then taking advantage of the weakened state of the kingdom, then declare war and invade countrysides. Religious revolts spark and traditional beliefs are questioned, changing social norms.

I always disliked medieval social structures and hierarches. A hierarchy that is topped by the King, followed by nobles, knights, clergies, and tradesmen. But anyways I digress. My life was a truly underwhelming one, having died as an old man, at the age of 85, without a family to call his own, nor friends to grieve my demise, not even a companion to continue my memory. Truly a shame of an existence.

Waking up after what seems to be an eternity, in a dark void, I hadn't noticed the cloaked figure that was right in front of me. Growing increasingly disorientated, afraid and confused, all I saw was a seemingly endless abyss, but then suddenly there erupted a cough.

Pluto sensed the being after the moment it coughed, Pluto was so shocked he jumped in surprise upon hearing the sound.

"My child, don't be afraid, for I am only hear to help you."

Pluto too shocked and frightened, simply stood frozen.

"I am the Messenger God, the Messenger of the Gods who brought you here, so that I could explain to you your current circumstance" the Messenger God explained.

Pluto still grasping what he's seeing and hearing prepares by steeling himself for the craziness he was about to face.

"Allow me to fully explain. As you have already noticed, you have died in your previous existence, and you are here because the Gods saw you aimlessly sinking into the abyss. For over a billion years this was your fate, lost and ever exposed to the depths, but somehow never consumed by it. This anomaly caused your soul to become stronger and more robust. To make an analogy, imagine a ball that someone is constantly inflating with air, but in spite of that the ball still manages to preserve it's shape and size, in fact the air seems to have the opposite effect by solidifying the ball's original form, that's you in the depths. And because of that anomaly you caught the God's collective attention- Wait…I'm lying, you only managed catch two Gods attention, my bad, I'm still new to this whole Messenger of the Gods thing. OK, so back to the TOTALLY super original character exposition. The Gods, well two of them at least, didn't want to waste such an abnormal soul drifting into the abyss, and so they decided to reincarnate you in a world that shows no sign of life at the moment. So rejoice child, for you have been saved!" proclaimed the Messenger God.

Pluto was elated by the news because of it's similarities to some stories he had read in his comic books. One of his deepest desires was to one day be reincarnated, forever leaving his dreadful previous life, in favour of now start completely anew.

"So will I be blessed with a roster of special abilities that will help me with my new beginning?" eagerly asked Pluto.

Pluto anticipating that he would be provided with unique powers that would help him on his new journey, with a renewed look on life.

"I think you misunderstand Pluto. You will not be granted any special abilities. The Gods had only instructed me to provide you with another chance at the opportunity of life, this does not entail you have any sort of unique abilities." Said the Messenger God.

"Wait, what! Do you want to me to die on a died planet on my own!" Pluto yelled, feeling once again forsaken and frightened.

"Wow, 2 minutes into this discussion and your already bitching…no wonder you died alone." comments the Messenger God.

"What was that you swine!" Pluto says, insulted by the Messenger comments.

"Alright, alright geez. How about if I gave you 20 "random" summons, which will be loyal to you, will that stop your ceaseless bitching?"

"Wait, summons?"

"Yeah summons, they are basically fledglings that will only follow their master's command."

"So…slaves" Pluto says with a clearly disapproving tone.

"No…they are just people that are sworn to following your lead, and, and they're totally cool with it."

"Really?" Pluto asks, completely unconvinced.

"Yeah man, The Messenger God doesn't play with no slaves, I'm just cool that way." The Messenger God says, incredibly self-praisingly

"Wow, how benevolent of you." Pluto says, sarcastically.

"You know it. Now back to the summons, they are absolutely obligated to follow all your bidding, and when I say all your bidding I do mean all your bidding, if you catch my drift, eh. Wink-wink nudge-nudge"

"You disgusting, perverted God, not only were you trying to push slaves on me, but you're now pushing sex slaves, just how bottomless is your depravity?!"

"Depravity? You try to help somebody and this is what you get. No good deed, am I right."

"No good deed? No good deed?! Am I actually hearing that right, you despicable God."

"Yeah that's right! Ah, forget this, it's about that time anyways where I transport you off to your new world."

"Wait, what about my summons?" hurriedly asked Pluto.

"Wait, you still want them?" baffled asked the Messenger God

Pluto meekly nodded, embarrassed by himself, with him having to now accept the offer he was just bashing a second ago

"Oh-my-goodness you are such an unbelievable hypocrite", the Messenger God said while laughing at Pluto's fickle moral convictions.

"Alright, it's time to go, and don't worry I set you up real good, young Pluto. Goodbye and goodluck." said the Messenger God, as he's already faint mirage began to completely disappear.

Pluto disturbed by what the Messenger God just said in setting him up "real good" began rethinking his decision in taking the God's unethical offer, but before Pluto could think about recanting everything rapidly began to be engulfed in light, with that light surrounding everything, and before Pluto even knew it BAM he finds himself slammed up against something wet, when he looked closely he saw mud.

Pluto quickly making his way to dry ground, groaned and moaned, having been completely slathered, and he suddenly heard multiple animals (mostly birds) singing and calling out to each other. Pluto then realises was surrounded by wildlife.

"What the heck. I thought that depraved Messenger God said that this planet was lifeless, so what's up with this wildlife and flora. Don't tell me he sent me to the wrong planet by accident." Said Pluto,

who was becoming increasingly concerned because of the major differences in his expectations and the new reality he was now facing.

What Pluto was failing to realise was that his transportation from the abyss, to his new world had occurred over hundreds of millions of years, and in that time the lifeless planet that Pluto was told of then started to sprout life, and eventually biodiversity.