God's Proposal

"What the… how did you get here?" Rosa asked.

"You can't do it!" Turen shouted looking up from the floor, "You can't… oh wow, pretty angel."

"What the…"

Rosa went up to Turen inspecting his expression.

"Turen are you drunk?"

"What no nah not me. Are you drunk!?"

"Who's he?"

Rosa sighed.

"My apologies Eve, this is the unalive human I reported about."

"The one in a coma?"

"Itsssss nott myyyyy faaaullltttt" Turen said, "Also you can't end the world, you caaaannnn't"

He went up to Eve and began begging in front of her.

"Oh for crying out… Eve, can you spray him?"

"Uh… sure."

The goddess manifested a bottle out of nowhere and sprayed Turen. Immediately, Turen sobered up.

"Huh? What the…"

He looked up to see Rosa shaking her head and Eve looking at him curiously.

"I am so sorry about this Eve, let's just wipe his memory and bring him back to hell."

"Wipe my…" Turen took a moment to gather his thoughts remembering the conversation he just overheard.

"Wait no, you were discussing ending humanity right? You can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Why not… it's evil that's why."

"Urgh, this is a waste of time."

"Hold on," Eve said still looking at Turen curiously, "let's hear him out. Why is it you find ending humanity to be, as you say, evil?"

"What? Isn't it obvious?"

"Is it?"

Turen took a moment to think.

"Us humans, we have dreams, emotions, and ties to others on earth. Things we want to accomplish too."

"Sure, some do, but the data says otherwise. It's not as if I am erasing human souls. Think of it more of... what do your religions call it, a rapture? The souls of the people on Earth will simply be placed here now in heaven where everything is nice and taken care of. What's so wrong with that?"

"It's wrong because… because…"

Turen tried his best to find words but upon further thinking, he began to find his logic flimsy.

"It's… it's just wrong. I don't know. I mean don't get me wrong, I've had a great time here and think you've built an amazing place. But…"

"Would you stay here if you could?"

At the question, Turen suddenly thought back to the conversation with the old man at the nursery home. He paused for a good minute going into deep thought.

"Well, would you?"

"No... No, I wouldn't."

"That didn't sound very convincing. May I ask then Turen, why is it you wish to go back?"

"Because well..."

"Yes?"

"I have dreams."

"Oh, but if you stay here, you'll be given all your dreams. You want to be a writer right?"

"Ye… Yes, how did you know that?"

"I know everything about your world young Turen. If you want, there can be an official position for you in this realm. How great would that be? You can have your books front and center in every library, guaranteed."

"It's not the same," Turen replied without hesitation. The goddess raised an eyebrow at the quick response.

"And why not?"

He thought back again to the old man's words. They were finally starting to make sense.

"To just be given what I desire without having to work for it... that's just too convenient. I wouldn't feel like I earned it at all or really did anything of significance. I'd rather suffer on Earth for my dream. I must suffer in order to live."

"Interesting, so you believe 'suffering' is what makes your human life worth living?"

Turen paused for a moment before firmly nodding.

"That's correct, suffering is what makes life worth living."

"You're wrong!"

Like a bullet piercing through the air, a loud familiar voice boomed from behind Turen. As he turned around there she was opening the door. The green-haired devil girl standing alone, tears in her eyes.

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"Eve, I am so sorry," Rosa said, "I don't know how they found this place but…"

Eve held out her hand.

"It's alright, I have a suspicion as to who led them here."

"You're wrong Turen!" Xing Yue shouted again. Mixed in her tears, Turen could see emotions of rage on her face.

"You don't understand anything. Suffering is what makes life worth living? HA! Ahahahahaha that's ridiculous. Only those privileged enough to have never experience real suffering believe that nonsense."

"Xing Yue, that's not what I meant. I…"

"And dreams? Dreams? Another joke. Dreams only come true when you're born for them to come true."

She walked up to Turen, her glowing green eyes burning fiercely as she glared at him.

"Xing Yue, I don't want to argue with you," Turen said putting a hand on Xing Yue's shoulder. "But you have to tell me what happened in your life if…"

"Why do you care!?" Xing Yue shouted slapping his hand away.

"Xing Yue…"

"Why do you care?" she repeated looking up at him. As Turen looked into her eyes, his heart shattered seeing her tears.

"You don't know anything about me. And even if you did…"

She looked down at the ground

"Even if you did, you're just going to go back to earth right?"

The statement silenced Turen as he looked at the ground as well.

"You'll just abandon me like everyone else."

The room fell silent. This was a new feeling for Turen. He had disappointed many people but to see someone cry because of him... that hit different.

"Devil girl," Eve finally said breaking the silence. She walked up towards Xing Yue. "I'd like to know your opinion then. Do you think I should end humanity?"

"You want to know what I think?" The devil replied staring now at the goddess, "Humanity can continue to run its shitty course, or waste away in the heavenly realm, or burn in a hell for all I care. Do whatever, I couldn't give less of a shit."

Eve chuckled.

"I take it your apathy means you have no intent in exiting our agreement?"

"What? What agreement," Turen asked.

Eve raised an eyebrow looking over at him before back towards Xing Yue.

"Why I'm surprised devil. I would think this would be one of the first things you told your little guest. Did you not explain at all why you do your job?"

"She didn't even explain what her job is," Turen said looking at Xing Yue who looked back down at the ground. She put her hoodie up to hide her face.

"Oh is that so?" Eve replied, "Well that's not very polite. You really ought to tell companions these things you know?"

Xing Yue didn't respond.

"I mean who knows, maybe Turen's opinion of you would be completely different if he knew. Maybe he'd even feel pity and want to stay instead. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Xing Yue still didn't respond again remaining motionless looking at the ground.

"Well, you do seem a little troubled right now. Tell you what, how about I tell him instead so you don't have…"

"I kill people." she blurted softly.

She looked up at Turen.

"Every week for my job, I kill people."

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The room stayed silent for a moment.

"Kill? What do you mean?"

"Oh she's just being dramatic," Eve answered instead, "What she really means is perform population control."

"Population control?"

"No, you can call it whatever you want. But at the end of the day, I'm ending the lives of others, just like when I was alive."

"True, but you're doing it for humanity's sake."

"That's what they told me when I was alive too."

"I'm so confused," Turen said, "how exactly do you 'kill' people if you're a soul?"

"Well, you see…"

"Please Eve, allow me," Rosa said stepping in front of Eve. She took out her tablet to show a page full of human population statistics.

"Currently there are roughly 8 billion people on Earth. Of those 8 billion, 5 billion are over the age of 25. At the current exponential rate of growth, the resources on earth will not be able to sustain everyone within 100 years."

"Can I see that," Eve asked taking the tablet from Rosa. She clicked a few buttons before popping up another chart. "Not only would there not be enough resources but look at this chart as well."

60%. That was the current morality dissatisfaction rate of people over the age of 25. When the numbers were broken down by age, they were even higher amongst younger generations.

"That's very sad, but what does that have to do with Xing Yue? How does she kill people?"

"You ever wonder how people can commit suicide and homicide every year?" Eve asked, "It seems impossible for any human to do due to…"

"Fear of death," Turen said finishing the sentence.

"Precisely," Eve replied turning to Xing Yue. "that's where she comes in."

Eve turned back to look at Turen.

"Are you familiar with the call of the void Turen?"

"That's when you have intrusive thoughts telling you to do something morbid right?"

"Correct again Turen. It's those intrusive thoughts you hear when you're on the edge of a cliff, holding a child, or driving a car. Those intrusive thoughts are a part of you. And most don't know just how close people really are from acting on one of them. Sometimes one just needs a little push."

She pointed back at Xing Yue.

"And that's where she comes in. She gives people that little push to drive them to suicide, or homicide or decisions that lead to unfortunate accidents."

"How?"

"Through their dreams," Rosa replied. She looked over at Eve who nodded allowing her to explain before turning back to Turen.

"You see; at the Realm 2063 purgatory labs, and other purgatory labs, each week we send devils like Xing Yue into people's dreams on Earth in the dream rooms. She can't control the dreams of the people she goes into, but she can say to those people she's a messenger from god who wants them to die, murder, or do something that causes an accident. Population control."

"That's horrible. Willingly ending people's lives. That's so…"

"So what Turen?" Eve interrupted, "Evil? Tyrannical? Do you see this chart? Mortality satisfaction is at an all-time low. If anything, I am simply following the will of humanity. What's wrong with that?"

Turen had to pause again to think.

"Don't have an answer?"

"People… people can change," he finally said his voice shaking with uncertainty.

"Can they?" Xing Yue replied. She was still looking at the ground when the room turned to her.

"Do you really believe that?"

"Yea… yeah of course. People can change, people change all the time."

"In stories maybe…"

She looked up glaring at Turen, a bit of rage returning to her eyes, "But from what I know, real people don't. They seek out what they want to see, and what they want to believe. In the short term sure, they might appear to change. But it's all a front. People, can't change. I'm proof of that."

She looked over at Eve.

"Our agreement still holds even if you "end" humanity correct? In fact, that seems like the perfect time to honor it."

"But of course," Eve said, "Your wish will be granted when the rapture is complete as there will be no more need for population control."

"What is this damn agreement?" Turen asked. Xing Yue did not respond

however, and instead looked away.

"Xing Yue?"

"She wants to die," Rosa said.

"Die? But…"

"Ohhhh once again, that term just doesn't seem quite right." Eve interrupted, "I'd say she wants to mmm… be erased?"

"What!?" Turen looked back at Xing Yue, "Xing Yue please, what does she mean by erased?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Eve replied, "Xing Yue's soul will no longer exist and she will no longer be a part of my realm or any other one. Her soul will simply, as you say, disappear. We usually only preserve that for the most-rotten of souls. But it is her request so…"

"Why?" Turen asked turning back to Xing Yue. "Why do you want that? Aren't you scared?"

"You know nothing about me!" Xing Yue shouted. She looked up at Turen breathing heavily as rage returned to her eyes.

The room silenced again as they stared at each other. A whole minute passed before anyone spoke again.

"This… this isn't right. All of it, it's wrong, wrong, wrong!" Turen shouted turning to Eve. "I understand you created us but humanity can't just end, not like this. What about exploring space, curing cancer, and world peace. What about history. My history. Our history. Are you saying all of that is worthless? That my life, the lives of everyone that ever lived, and the lives of everyone that would have ever lived. They were all meaningless?"

"Does it matter if people are happier?" Rosa asked.

"…"

Turen didn't have an answer. He searched through his mind for a response but he didn't have an answer. He was just one man trying to fight the overwhelming statistics presented to him. How could he? It would be arrogant to think otherwise.

"You've got nothing else to say?"

"…"

Turen looked down at the ground. He didn't.

"Well alright then," Rosa said turning to Eve, "so how should we…"

"Hold on a minute," Eve said. Turen looked up at her as she looked down at him with a hand on her chin pondering.

"You said something interesting Turen, that people can change. Could you elaborate further on that?"

"Yea… yeah," Turen said trying to gather his thoughts. "It's like… well… in a story characters don't start and end the same. They go through trials, challenges, and all sorts of different obstacles along the way that changes them. In a way, a human life is a story. No one is ever the same from birth until death. The environment changes them, other people change them, and experiences change them. It would…"

"Shut up, you know nothing about humanity," Xing Yue interrupted. "You know how many times I wanted to believe that? Do you know how many times people have told me those exact words along with other nonsense like "hope", "everything has a reason", and "god has a plan"? You've met god now; does she look like she ever had a plan?

"Definitely not." Eve said shrugging her shoulders, "Devils aside, I usually don't interfere with human matters. All the other gods of their worlds are the same. It just makes things easier. It's what you humans call Deism I believe?"

She turned to Turen.

"That said, it would be selfish of me to not consider your feelings. After all, unlike me, Rosa, and even this devil, you are the only one directly affected by the end of humanity in the near future Turen."

She rubbed her chin again.

"So tell you what Turen. How about we test this little theory of yours, the one that humans can indeed change."

"Test my theory?"

"Yes, I just thought of right now a way to determine your claim. As Rosa explained before, we routinely send devils to cause deaths on Earth. However, do understand we are very fair about whose dreams we send them to. We only wish to send devils to cases where the human is already prone to suicide, homicide, or an accident. We simply give them as I said before… a little push. They might have caused a death anyways even if a devil did not intervene, in fact, it was almost inevitable they would have. We simply sped up the process. That is unless…"

She looked down at Turen.

"You are right and people truly can change their viewpoints. If that were the case, perhaps this whole system is flawed. So how about this. We send you into people's dreams then, people we have already determined likely to cause death, and we see if you can change them. We'll do this for 4 cases and if you can change the minds of all 4 people, I'll reconsider my position."

"What!" Rosa spoke up looking at Eve incredulously, "Surely you can't be serious Eve, you're going to let a single soul decide the fate of humanity?"

"Mmm… I would say he's a very unique soul though no? Not many have had the privilege of seeing the afterlife before their actual death. Such an experience just so happens to put Turen in the perfect position to be able to judge if a rapture is worth it. Even with the fear of death out of the equation and the paradise offered here, he still believes his human life is worth living. Wouldn't you say we should at least consider his opinion then dear Rosa?"

"I see…" Rosa said putting a hand on her own chin, "It is an interesting thought."

"It won't matter," Xing Yue said, "It won't matter one bit. You can't change people I'm certain of it, especially not those about to cause death. Do the trial or whatever, humanity would still be better off never existing again."

The group turned to Turen waiting to see his answer.

"I'll... I'll do it," he said, "I'll prove humans can change. People just need encouragement; someone to tell them good things."

"If only it were really that simple…" Xing Yue said.

"Right well," Eve began, "in any case, you will be given 5 nights with each subject starting tomorrow night. During the day, you are free to do whatever you wish in the heavenly realm though I suggest observing your subjects inside the observation room. Well, I did say 5 nights but some subjects do have… unusual sleep schedules. And they're all living in different time zones anyways. You are free to enter their dreams even for just a moment from the dream room though you will be transported right out if they wake up so use your time wisely."

"Understood," Turen said.

"Good!" Eve said, "Tomorrow right as hell closes at 9 O'clock, come to the purgatory labs of this realm with Xing Yue and I'll have Rosa give you a detailed report of the person whose dreams you will go in then."

"Urghh, more work for me…" Rosa said, "But fine, I am quite curious as well how this will go."

"Right then! I will be needing you two to go back to hell now. It may be awkward but Xing Yue, could you continue guiding Turen around everywhere?"

"Sure, whatever…"

"Perfect! Off you go then."