World

"Haha. Isn't it interesting how two slashes that cut the world result in a gateway to another world? I certainly think so?"

I felt a blank.

What was I talking about?

Where was I?

Who was I?

An odd pain hit my head as new information hit my brain. It felt like it was tearing open my brain. 

My eyes opened to reveal the deep green hue rooted deep within the veins within the sclera and I saw the world around me. A new world where grass and only grass was present. Nothing could be seen other than the blue sky. There wasn't even a star nor any artificial light illuminating the place yet light was still present.

I am Isao Arai.

I arrived here after fighting Sukuna.

And I was talking about debating with the being before me on what humanity's greatest strength was.

Yes... I remember.

"I kept telling you. A conversation with me isn't something anyone can have. You'll keep losing memories and then regaining them. After all, this is a place of dreams and reality." 

The man... no creature before me said.

It was no man... or was it a woman?

No... it keeps changing at every moment. A man with dark red hair, a woman with bright silver hair, a baby with no hair, an artic fox licking its paws, an eagle scratching its claws, a gold-plated boat with a sail lifting its flag, a space station that exploded from its side creating a vacuum of air.

They kept changing forms. 

Organic, inorganic.

Yet its essence kept being the same.

I saw all, I saw it all.

But its form always remained as an outline in human shape, with a smile on its face.

Its smile was creepy. It seemed like they had an endless amount of rows of teeth in its mouth yet... it also felt like there was an end. It was hard to describe, but the closest thing he could say was that the answer before him was ⅓. And an endless amount that kept going even past a plank length.

Continuously smaller and smaller than the state before.

Does that make any sense?

I couldn't answer that because I did not have the answer.

"Now where were we? Ah yes, we were on the subject of imagination. That's right, what is imagination to you?"

"Imagination..."

"Imagination is very important, especially to a Jujutsu Sorcerer. Let me ask you this, Arai. What births cursed spirits?"

I knew the answer to this, every sorcerer did. "It is when the cursed energy from humans leaks and unites into one. This eventually creates and forms a new creature we call cursed spirits."

"Indeed, but what makes the cursed energy from humans leak? It's fear, anger, sadness, despair, and all sorts of negative emotions. Isn't it interesting how what kills humans is at the end of the day a product humans have made? Although it is unintentional for the most part." 

What was interesting about that? All I see is disappointment in that fact.

Humans killing humans because of their creation? 

That is an everyday occurrence. There is no surprise there.

"And yet humanity is innately compassionate and loving. Evil, good, all that is in a human." He spoke as if he read my thoughts. Well, he most likely did.

"Kenjaku, Sukuna. Compassionate? Loving? Like hell they are."

The man laughed a bit. "They do have good in them. It is simply so little and so dormant that it has never surfaced. Good always exists and so does evil."

That was the excuse I hated the most. 

'There is always good in someone'? That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

People using that excuse to spare someone like the justice system are simply idiots. 

Although some people deserve a second chance, some shouldn't.

"You seem angry."

"If you know what I've been through then you would be too." I argued back.

"That is where you are wrong. I will never get angry nor anything for that matter."

Suddenly, a sense of unease came upon me. Those words... they felt true. They were not lying.

The being clapped his hands bringing my attention back to them.

"If it seems as if you hate the world."

"I don't hate it. I dislike how it turns into shit."

The being tapped his finger on the air and a jade table suddenly appeared below. "If you hate, love, are interested, or feel any other emotion in something, then you have to know its origins. How it came to be, why it came to be, what or who is it, where is it. That is important to give a reason for how your judgment was formed.

With that said, how, do you think the human world came into being." The old man smiled slyly.

"You mean earth or do you mean the universe." No answer was given as they still smiled with closed eyes. Yet it felt like they could see everything within their sight.

And now I knew why I felt this way.

It took me a while to understand it.

"The answer remains the same. You. You created the world."

This was no ordinary creature. They were an existence far beyond me.

This was the creator of the world.

Yahweh, Ra, loads of names can be attributed to the one who created all.

But the most known modern name to be attributed to that entity was God.

God was before me.

The one who is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. 

That was what God was.

This was God. Not a god but simply God. As in the one who created, knew, and seen the entire world.

"You're wrong. I didn't create your world." God said as he sipped his tea. "To be more specific, I originally didn't create your world."

"What? Originally? What do you mean?" I asked confused.

God laughed as he expected this. "What do you think is humanity's greatest strength?"

I pondered the question. It certainly wasn't an easy one since I never bothered to ask myself that. "Greed. That's my answer."

"An interesting answer. Mind explaining."

"Why? You already know what my reason is." I asked puzzled.

"One often learns when one explains it to someone else. Just like teachers in school do." God shrugged his shoulders while gazing somewhere else.

I sighed bothered but went along with it. I could not understand God.

"It's simple really. Humanity as a whole always goes to greater heights to grow stronger. Power, wealth, vengeance. All those things accumulate in humans. They want more so they find methods to get more. Their greedy nature is why they're the most dominant race in this world. Because of their greed.

I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad thing—I wouldn't even be here if my ancestors hadn't been curious enough to wonder what happens when a rock hits another rock. But the issue is, that we humans always strive for more, for greater heights. And that... that's where the problem lies. Sometimes, we go too far, pushing the limits without enough caution."

I mimicked a finger gun and pretended to fire at my head. "We might just end up losing a few lives. Except, those 'few lives' actually number in the millions. You've seen it happen countless times, haven't you? Every. Single. Day. But on the bright side, we've made some pretty cool stuff—like phones and the internet—that have advanced humanity."

"An interesting thought process. But I have one too," God said. "Here's another question: what causes a human to possess the sin of greed?"

I was beginning to tire of these questions, but I had no choice but to indulge Him. "Hm... isn't it the mind? One needs to think to crave material things. Even animals have minds of their own, though theirs aren't as refined or developed as ours."

"Bingo!" For the first time, God seemed genuinely happy. "You're right. It's the mind. Yet what do you humans have related to the mind that the animals you speak of don't?"

Another riddle. How annoying. I thought knowing full well that God could hear me. "That sure is a tricky question... thought process? No, that isn't it. Knowledge seems like the only answer here."

God shook His finger. "True. But that only applies once a human is old enough to gain that knowledge. Is a baby more knowledgeable than a wolf that already knows how to survive, hunt, and protect its pack? I don't think so. Yet, a baby is still human. So that answer doesn't quite fit, does it?"

I gritted my teeth, reluctantly agreeing. The logic was flawless, and he had no rebuttal. It was a tough question—one I couldn't find an answer to. "Then what's the right answer? What answer are you looking for?"

"There are many possible answers," God replied, "but the one I had in mind was 'imagination.' Imagination is the key to the development of the human mind. And everyone has it."

I disagreed with him. "You said it yourself earlier, intelligent animals have knowledge and use that knowledge in their every day to day lives, they need imagination as well. The wolf analogy still works as they use clever tricks to hunt down their prey. That is imagination, is it not?"

"Indeed. Some animals have imagination, but what sets humans apart is their ability to view themselves from a different perspective. In other words, self-reflection and self-awareness. Humans are aware of their surroundings—both physically and metaphorically. A wolf, for example, will focus only on its immediate needs: feeding the pack, playing, and defending. It doesn't think beyond its instincts. But a human will. Is music essential to humanity's survival? Are entertainment shows truly necessary? Even things they consider critical—like education—aren't strictly needed to live, yet they pursue them."

"But do you know, imagination is more than just that. It's more than just basic material needs." God wasn't done with his answer as he continued. "Imagination can change. Let me ask you this. The world you perceive is through your senses-well your senses, correct?" I nodded making him continue. "What is a pencil to you? It's just what your brain perceives the object to be. A pencil is a word that you categorized that object to be."

"I'm sure I've heard that analogy from a philosopher."

Ignoring my response, God continued. "What would happen if we changed the name of the word 'pencil' and replaced it with something else—let's say, 'pocky'? What would happen to the word 'pencil' if everyone believed 'pocky' had always meant pencil?"

"It would disappear." I answered.

"Close, but not quite." God said. "To 'disappear' suggests that something existed before. But if the word changed, reality would no longer recognize what a 'pencil' is. It would only know 'pocky.' That's the power of imagination—the ability to shape reality itself. Just as you humans have shaped me."

God's eyes narrowed. "You created me, born from the cursed energy of people calling out my name. At first, I was merely a cursed spirit, unable to intervene. You humans have always imagined a creator as distant, an unreachable being, so I became just that—unreachable. But through my own power, I was able to generate positive energy and transform into something more—a being made of both and more."

"But you said you created the universe. If you were created because of us, then you didn't."

"I didn't—originally." God replied. "But you humans imagined that I did. That's why I explained the power of imagination earlier. Curse energy is just a power that derives from imagination. After all, curse energy is born from emotions. That is-"

I cut him off. "Hermeticism. I've read about it."

A philosophical tradition that dictates the world is a product of the mind. The world is made by how our senses dictate it is. The same pocky and pencil analogy works here.

"A similar story you know illustrates this perfectly.

Sandman- Dream of a Thousand Cats.

Where the world was once dominated by giant cats that devoured humans. Humans used the power of imagination to change the food chain of the world. They changed the origin.

Now humans were the dominant species and never was there a world where cats dominated.

Only humans.

"That is the most powerful attribute that humans have. No other race can even come close to humans because of this power."

God looked around him. "This realm here is a world of dreams and reality. Where dreams can turn into reality just like your innate domain."

I frowned and looked around. 

The world was turning and twisting. Lines kept being drawn all around the world until they started being compressed. Compressed into a single sphere that landed into God's hand.

I now understood what he was saying. What he was insinuating.

All this time I was wondering what this was all about. 

Why was he telling me this?

I now understood it all.

God was showing me the way to my dream.

But to achieve my dream, millions- no, billions of people will have to support me. That was an impossible task. Not even an elected leader like the president of the USA will have the complete support of their people. 

I would need to lead not only a country but one that has over a billion people.

But need... is not something I want to stop at.

I want to achieve my dreams. A dream that can not be stopped at a single country.

The only choice I had left was...

God looked at me with a knowing smile. "Is this what God should really be supporting?"

God shrugged his shoulders. "I do not condone any action. Humanity has been gifted with free will, they should decide what to do with it. I showed you the way to you. I've given you hope. What you do with it is not my matter. Besides, there are multiple ways for you to do it. It is your choice, remember that Isao Arai."

The sphere in God's hand turned into a triangle, yet it seemed odd as it was shaped in a way that seemed impossible.

It was an optical illusion, something that could be drawn in perspective but could never exist as a solid object in ordinary three-dimensional Euclidean space.

The Penrose Triangle.

"To mark your arrival in this realm, I've prepared a gift for you."

The triangle floated toward me, hovering above my hand before gently dropping into my palm.

"What is this?" I asked, studying its impossible shape.

"An item that will allow you to remain unregistered by fate."

"What?"

God chuckled softly. "In other words, you'll no longer be bound by the world's fate. You've seen the situation with Tengen and Kenjaku, haven't you? 'A [Six Eyes] user will always thwart Kenjaku if he ever tries to stop Tengen from merging with a [Star Plasma Vessel].' It is their fate. This item will make it so that fate will not bring you into its equation. Think of yourself as another Toji but with cursed energy."

I looked down and clenched the triangle tightly. With this item, there was a better guarantee for my plan to work.

But do I think it will really work?

A plan so absurd that even I was starting to doubt whether I could really achieve it.

"Do what you must. Achieve what you believe in. Rid yourself of doubt for that is what you must do to become what you desire." God said before walking away not looking back.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

God smiled before pointing to the sky. "I am not going anywhere. Just simply staying in the same place I've always been. I'll be watching Isao Arai from afar yet from so close.."

"You won't intervene in the world?"

"No, I don't think I will anymore. The last thing I'll ever do concerning the world is what transpired today. Nothing else."

His figure disappeared into golden particles of light.

There was an audible silence before a loud boom was made. I turned back to see the same portal I and Sukuna made appear behind me. It was telling me to go back.

I marched towards it yet every step I took felt heavy. 

His words echoed inside my head. Rid myself of doubts.

Yes, I need to get rid of these doubts.

I will achieve my goals.

I'll make this world a better place. Ridding itself of evil like Sukuna and Kenjaku.

And I'll do it for my family.

For my precious daughters.

Even if I have to make the world my enemy.

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{AN: If I have to suffer through philosophy classes then so do you.}