Unexpected

Darkness… It was all that I could see.

Silence… It was all that I could hear.

Days, months, years.

Time is what I couldn't perceive, but I knew that it was in motion. Just how quickly it was moving was an enigma.

Isolation. Was this non-existence? Was this my punishment? I had no idea. It was cold, yet warm. Terrifying, yet calming. Alien, yet nostalgic.

All that I could do was wait… wait… and wait.

'At this point, I would rather be bathing in fire right now.' I thought to myself.

To be in this domain of isolation was beyond mind numbing. When left alone for such a span of time, one could only self-reflect as a means of entertainment and slight mental stimulation. And my, did I have a lot of reflecting to do.

I have done many things. Some deeds that were just, some that weren't. An example of my misdeeds that could have possibly led me here was that I was guilty of selling narcotics to anyone in need. Now, this was but a short period in my life, but it was one of the ones I was most regretful for.

During my delinquency, one of the deals that I had made assisted a kid no older than my brother, to his own demise. Because of me, a 16-year-old boy by the name of Julian Hernandez lost his life on February 21st, 2006 by means of an overdose.

The autopsy said that it was black tar heroin. As the one who provided, they were 100% right. I gave that little boy enough to kill two grown men for the sake of money. Because of me, he wasn't able to reach adulthood.

Julian died alone in an abandoned house 3 blocks away from his school. I knew this before it even hit the news. Why? Because it was my younger brother who found him strung out on a lawn chair. It was his best friend after all. After Dante devastatingly came to me with the news of him losing his closest friend, that was the moment I decided to stop dealing.

My brother and I had lost our mother to drug abuse… so addiction ran in our blood. And when Dante was inflicted with the passing of his friend, that abuse kicked in for him. To dull the pain, he had started to buy painkillers from one of my old college friends. Long story short, I discovered what was going on and was infuriated. Mainly because it was my fault, to begin with. In my anger… I made sure that my old "friend" wasn't able to deal anything ever again. Not drugs, or cards for blackjack.

With my hands stained red and my soul tainted, I decided that it was time to repent. In doing so, I fought for justice by joining the force. I never wanted a home to experience what my family had. It was the best way for me to help my community and so I did.

No one had ever discovered what I had done… but history was written in stone. I knew what I did. Perhaps it was the reason why I was here. I wasn't camouflaged to God's all-seeing eye. The boy that I inadvertently killed died alone, so my hell was to be alone.

'Maybe… I should just accept my-'

"*Snap*"

Before I could finish my thought, an explosive snap rang through my ears. Simultaneously, the void that I was once in instantaneously shifted from black to blinding white. The weightlessness that I had previously experienced was now replaced with gravity that forced me down to the… ground?

"Agh," I grunted as I had landed on… nothing. That's right. I landed on an invisible ground. Not only that, But I could now hear and see.

"Hello, Drake… or whatever your most recent incarnation is." Said a charismatic and sarcastic voice coming from behind me. Quickly turning around and getting to my feet, I see a 6'3 blond-haired man with amber eyes. To my surprise, this man had golden metallic wings on his back that shone a beautiful golden color. He was outfitted with an all-black suit with a black pocket square. He lacked a tie of any sort and fashionably chose to have the top button of his shirt underneath his suit jacket unbuttoned. He looked quite dapper, to say the least.

'This… This man. I saw him before. I know that face…' From his chiseled face to his wardrobe. From his wings to the color of his eyes. I had seen this man before. I know I had. I may not have met him personally. How would I have? After all, I had only seen this person in fiction.

'Is that...'

"Lucifer?" I uttered in shock, curiosity, and intrigue. This man was the fictional devil from the DC universe. The same detective comics that I had on my nightstand next to my death bed. To be precise, There was Spawn, Invincible, Sandman, Batman, and Shazam on my reading quota. Those were comic books that helped me get by while I was at my worst… was I somehow transported into one of the books I was next to?

"That is I, in the ethereal flesh… I'm surprised you remembered." The man stated while giving me a slight bow.

I was nervous, and probably shaking from anticipation. Just what in the hell was going on? Why was an omnipotent god acting as if we had a prior relationship? I couldn't help but hold a complex expression on my face.

"Ah… So you don't remember judging by that face you're making." Said Lucifer.

"I don't know what you're talking about… You and I have never met from my memory." I stated wearily. Lucifer then rested his hand on his chin and walked towards me while I stayed stationary.

"Allow me to take a peek… will you?" He asked as he put his index finger on my bare chest.

"At what? Aren't you seeing everything?" I asked. As far as I knew, dead people didn't have clothes, what was he referring to?

"At your soul. If you allow me access, I'll be able to tell why you don't have any of your previous memories."

"I'm guessing you're not referring to the memories that I have already regarding the past 80 years of my life, are you?" I asked while raising a brow of suspicion.

"How astute." He said melodically.

"Well… seeing as I hold no power here and you turned the void that I was presumably living in for years into this… white space, do whatever you deem necessary."

With a nod, Lucifer fazed his hand into my chest causing a feeling of dread and despair that made me fall to my knees. As he was poking around my chest, I felt an odd sensation internally.

"I see…" He said while frowning his brows. Pulling his hand from my chest, I started to regain strength, slowly picking myself up.

"How crude my father was to punish you in that manner." He stated while pulling out a handkerchief from his back pocket to wipe his hand. From what I could tell, it didn't look dirty, but I wasn't the god.

"What… What do you mean?" I asked.

"What I mean is you have been cursed to live the life of a human, losing your memories every time you proceed to reincarnate. Punishment for your misdeeds from something you did a very long time ago."

"Wait… are you implying that I'm not human?"

I asked.

"I'm not implying, but directly telling you that you aren't."

"Then… then what does that mean? Why was I reincarnated? What happened to the memories of my past?"

"It means what I said. Your soul is of divine origin. The memories you should have accumulated over all the different lifetimes, including the ones where you were once divine, don't exist within you anymore. And like I said previously, the reincarnation was the punishment you received."

"But, weren't you able to check more in-depth as to what was going on with that hand magic?"

"The result is that all memories of your past have been deleted. Whatever you did to upset my father is the reason you were tossed into the cycle of life and stripped of your authority… but lucky for you, my father is no longer in charge, meaning that your punishment is over, hence why I'm here today."

"..." For a moment, I was silent. I didn't say anything. I needed to digest the man's words.

"..." Lucifer stood patiently with his hands behind his back.

"So… Are the past actions that I committed the reason I was tossed into this hell? I'm referring to the life that I spent 80 years living."

"You mean this place?" He asked? I nodded my head.

"No… No-no-no. This isn't hell. Far from it. I would know… I used to be the ruler of it… You ended up here because someone with a government over the omniverse wasn't paying close enough attention and allowed you to end up here… which is understandable due to your affinity, but still is inexcusable. You wandered away from the life web subconsciously which led you here. As the new ruler over this fraction of the omniverse, I feel as though I have to take accountability as well."

"And how will you do that?" I asked.

"By allowing you the opportunity to gain your godhood."

Luicfecfer declared.

"... Omniverse… Godhood… Reincarnation… I'm just an old man. I have kids and grandkids. Can I just move on to the afterlife? Is it really necessary that I become a god?" I asked. I had lived a full life. I saw and went through a lot. It was time for me to move on.

"Well… It isn't. Another god could take your place with ease… but where would you go?"

"Since you're here, there is confirmation of heaven… can't I go there? You said I have no divinity. Can't I live the rest of my days there?" I asked.

"Just because I said that you had no divinity earlier does not imply that you are a normal human… even with you living the lives of many… your very foundation is that of the primordial. You have obligations that you must uphold. You have obligations that you will uphold."

With his words, I frowned in frustration… then sight accepting defeat. I had no choice but to listen to this deity before me. He was all-powerful… and I had no power. Deciding to think logically, I asked what was necessary.

"Okay… What is it that you want from me?"

"I told you… Ascend to your original level of power."

He stated.

"How do I do that?" I asked.

"By going to your homeworld."

"You mean… I get to see my family again?"

"No… That's not the homeworld I'm talking about. I'm talking about your true homeworld. Earth 0. The origin world."

"What is Earth 0?"

"Well… It's the world that has those little superheroes you like so much. Batman, Superman, etc."

"So… you want me to go to a universe with magic, aliens, zombies, ghosts, mutants, and other gods? How in the fuck do you expect me to survive?" I asked while not being able to hide my frustration.

"With the memories that you have, of course. Also, I'll aid you with the compensation for you being imprisoned here." He said with a devilish smile.

"..."

"..."

"Looks like you are just absolutely thrilled."

"Exhilarated."

"Delightful! Now, your compensation will be three wishes within a certain threshold. It's the most I can grant you on your journey. Think of it as a little starter pack."

"What are the restrictions?"

"You can only wish for tools or abilities that will aid you on your path to power."

He said while shrugging his shoulders.

For a few moments, I began to think to myself as to what I wanted. I was going to the DC universe. A place that was unpredictable. A place where a crazy clown could walk up and shoot me in the back of the head while in broad daylight with his reason being, he didn't like my haircut.

The world that I would travel to contained magical artifacts and scientific anomalies. They would be immensely useful if I were to gather them under my control. But they would prove to be a deficit if they were used against me. There were deceitful people everywhere… Hypothetically, what if I made allies and these allies were to use artifacts on me because they feared my power, what then? I needed something to prevent that.

"My first wish would be a sword that is indestructible with the capability of absorbing weapons and artifacts. My second wish… I want the ability to read the intentions and minds of the beings that I come across while making my mind impenetrable. And my last wish is to-"

"Hold it… That's 3."

"What do you mean? I only asked for-" Before I could finish, I was interrupted again.

"Mind Reading, Mind invulnerability, And an artifact-absorbing soul weapon. That's three."

"But-" While my jaw was open, I was cut off once more.

"Nothing. You have your 3. Now, let's move on, shall we?"

'What a dick.' I thought to myself.

"Oh? Am I? You know I haven't given you your invincible mind yet, right?"

Lucifer said while raising an eyebrow while I could only nervously rub the back of my neck.

"... You were saying?"

"I was saying this concludes your wishes. The next time I reach my hand into your chest to edit your soul, you'll be in the world you fantasized about since you were a child. Are there any questions that you need to ask before you leave? This is your last chance."

For a moment, I thought… and thought… and thought. I thought so much about my next questions that I began to suspect that Lucifer was becoming impatient… but the more I thought, the more blank my mind became.

"I assume you already have an idea where I'm gonna end up once I enter the world, right?"

"Oh, I have a plan for you, alright. The devil always has a plan." He retorted.

"Then… I guess my life is in your hands… or, reincarnated life."

"Correction. Transmigrated. But I understand your sentiment." I nodded my head mentally preparing myself for what was to come as he laid his hand on my shoulder.

"Allow me to give you an incentive… If you manage to arrive at a sliver of what you once were, you will be able to see your family once more…. Well, the one you remember anyway. It might take a while for you to achieve that level, but once you do, you can travel universally as you please." As he finished speaking, my heart began to palpitate.

"Now… are you ready?" He asked.

Giving him a final nod, yes was my answer.

"This is gonna sting a tiny bit." The man's hand began to glow so intensely that I began to feel my very existence quiver.

"On 3… 3"

His fist was launched inside of my sternum burning my insides with the power of a sun.

"AHHHH!!!" I screamed in agony. I was experiencing the worst pain I ever felt in my life. Soon, My entire body was enveloped by it.

"I told you that it was gonna sting slightly." He said in his melodic tone.

"This isn't a slight sting!" I screamed.

"Okay, perhaps I may have downplayed. But it will be over in just a few seconds." He smiled.

Soon, it became too much to bear. My eyelids became heavier and heavier. Then, everything faded to black.

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