Nomus

"Excellent. My name is Nomus. I am the God of economy, wealth, and all things of that genre," the voice said as the beautiful lady transformed into a small ball of energy and disappeared into the darkness.

In her place appeared an elderly man. He looked wise with age and as ethereal as one would expect of a god, but somehow David felt the same vibes from him as when he was with some of his accountant friends.

"Yes, I am the accountant of the universe, and I have chosen you to be my mortal apostle," Nomus said.

"What?" David asked, shocked.

Looking at the elderly man—God—David couldn't tell whether he was joking or serious. First, he was dragged here without knowing if it was real or just a dream. Now, he was being told he'd been chosen as a god's apostle.

"You know, I really thought he would be jumping at that announcement," another voice said from the background.

"No!" David shouted, seeing the elderly God about to speak.

Whether it was a dream or not, David didn't care at this point. Technically, no one would care in his position. Everything felt real—even the water beneath him. His friends couldn't have set this up; they barely found food to eat the day before, so there was no way they'd have the money for such an elaborate prank.

"I accept... I was just confused. Why me, though?" David asked.

"Eh? We searched high and low for one who is worthy, and after searching your heart, we found you worthy," Nomus said grandly as lights turned off in a certain part of the darkness.

Before they did, David could make out a large wheel resembling the kind used on game shows.

"You guys spun for me?" David asked, looking at the god with eyes full of disdain.

He didn't care that they were gods—they had literally created a "Wheel of Fortune" show to select someone for such an important position. David couldn't even begin to describe how irresponsible that was—and above all, dangerous.

"Ahem," Nomus cleared his throat, trying to escape the awkwardness. "So, what is my duty?"

"You see, since the dawn of time, the concept of money has always existed as something to gain something else in exchange."

"Makes sense," David replied, nodding.

Even in a barter system, whatever object one offers in exchange could technically be termed as 'money.'

"However, in our universe, there is no such thing as 100% efficiency. Some money is always lost in transactions. We call that 'Lost Money.'"

"Okay, and where do I come in?"

"Your duty is to reintroduce that lost money back into the economy."

"Is this what I think it is? Is that why I have an envelope from the World Bank?" David asked, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

"Yes, it is," Nomus confirmed, smiling.

"Yes!!" David shouted, celebrating and dancing in the space.

"Now, wait—are there any rules? What can I and can't I do with the money?"

"We do not care what or how you achieve this, David. We only care about when. You have a deadline of two years. If not, all of this... everything... ends."

"What do you mean 'ends'? Do I die?" David asked as all excitement drained from his face.

"Technically speaking, everything ends. The whole universe ends."

"Because of money? That's a man-made structure! How could it affect the entire universe?"

"You really think we'd select an apostle over something only related to humanity or petty cash?" Nomus laughed.

"Then what do you mean?"

"Understand this: in our universe, everything is bought. The great God exchanged his power with the void to create the first light—his power, in this case, was 'money.' These transactions have been happening for untold years, though invisible to you."

"So I'm charged with reintroducing all of that back into the economy?" David asked, realizing the gravity of the situation.

"Excellent, it seems you fully understand. Now, as your patron, you will receive a handful of blessings, but I warn you—don't expect miraculous powers."

"You guys were lazy enough to just spin a wheel to select someone; I don't expect any power-up from you guys," David mumbled.

"I can still hear that," Nomus replied, snapping his fingers.

Almost immediately, David felt a burning sensation on his finger as a mark appeared. Even at a glance, he could tell it was some kind of mark left by Nomus.

Taking a deep breath, David decided to focus on the benefits of his situation instead of the consequences.

"So, all I need to do is spend money?"

"Yes. I deal with the supernatural; you handle the physical. We'll make quite the team."

"Then thank you for this opportunity," David replied sincerely.

"You're welcome."

"It's almost time for you to wake up," another god said.

"Oh, and remember to call the number on the envelope. Those people would do anything to be in your good graces," Nomus said as everything slowly faded away.

Before he knew it, he was back in his room. The envelope was still in his hand, and he was sitting exactly where he had been.

Looking around, everything looked as it had before he blacked out. It felt as though he had just blinked, even if he didn't know how long he had spent in that other place.

"Was I really hallucinating?" David asked himself.

"Is it because I tried to smoke?" he wondered again.