Second Chance.

Raylan once again opened his eyes with a start.

At first he thought that he had somehow survived, and was now in hospital, but as he got up and looked around, he realised the truth.

"So Hell huh.!! Well I guess it makes sense. I haven't exactly been a honest soul.!", Raylan spoke to himself.

He just woke up in a seemingly endless land. Everything was on fire here. The cries of misery and howls of the beasts could be heard among the neverending cracks of falling thunder.

"To think that Hell was real.! I was never a believer, but I'm still glad that I didn't simply just cease to exist after death.!", Raylan spoke.

He was really shaken by this scene before him, and a little excited at the endless possibilities.

It seemed that he was so fixated on the fact that Hell, Heaven and possibly all the fantasies and stories relating to it were real, that he unconsciously ignored what being in Hell, really meant.

But after a while, as minutes passed, Raylan got his bearings right, and started to really think.

For some reason, Raylan could observe really far, and the fire didn't prevent his vision. It seemed like he just had to will it and he could see thousands of miles ahead.

And what he saw gripped his heart in sheer terror.

At first, he just seemed scared. Then as he looked around, he was horrified. It filled him with primal fear.

Then came the despair as he fell on his knees. His eyes were dead and hollow.

He had a sudden earge to laugh. He had forgotten all the struggle and determination that his previously naïve, ignorant self had. He had now completely lost all his will.

Then as time passed and minutes turned to hours, expression once again appeared on Raylan's face.

What he had just seen, were souls getting tortured in various different ways, countless howling beasts hundreds of stories tall, even demonic looking beings crying in despair, souls getting annihilated, getting erased from existence, dragon like beings dragging what appeared to be clouds of fire containing souls.

Raylan was just a normal man. He had a normal job and a normal life. Now sure, he was never a honest man, and did take advantage of his profession to earn some little extra money on the side, but he never got in any trouble. He broke some laws, sure, but never did anything against his conscience.

Now all of a sudden he discovered that he had to spend the eternity in a place like this, and possibly get tortured in all those horrifying ways.!? And possibly the only escape was to get annihilated and completely erased from existence.!?

At this moment, something inside Raylan changed from a fundamental level. A new feeling emerged. The feeling of defiance.

He wasn't going to just give up. He wasn't going to get erased. It was fine when he just died, as he had no regrets in his life. But this was a whole new chapter of his existence, because if the great beyond existed, then he had every right to exist, and he was willing to fight for it.

He didn't know how, but he had decided to rise above such a flawed system. Laws of Hell.? Heaven.? Men.? God.? Fu*k that.! He will never follow the laws of this flawed system. He will only follow his own laws.

At that moment, a new willpower beyond logic and reason sprouted within him and he took a step forward, to walk towards the direction where all those souls were getting tortured.

After all, if he could see them, then they could also observe him. There was nowhere else to run away to.

All his life, he was just a normal office worker who kept his head down and stayed in line, and look where that got him.

So now in this afterlife, in this world of endless suffering and misery, yet countless possibilities and Magic, Raylan had decided to not just survive like some sort of vermin, but rule this damned place. To become the strongest existence.

He didn't know how, but he knew he would succeed. Because he would never give up. It was the matter of principle for him.

______________________________________________________

.

Against all his expectations, as soon as Raylan took a step forward, the world around him changed.

He found himself in a seemingly endless white space. In front of him was a well built, twenty something man, sitting in a chair behind the coffee table.

"Hey there Raylan.! Sit over there. Quickly.! I've got other shit to do.", the man spoke casually.

Finding himself in such a weird situation, there were thousands of thoughts going around in his head. Raylan didn't know what to think anymore. he hesitatingly sat down in the empty chair and observed the man carefully.

He was sitting casually, wearing modern clothes. White shirt with a few buttons loose, and sky-blue pants.

"Hello.! You are.!?", Raylan broke the silence.

"Me.? I'm just you. But another version of you, from an alternate reality. Name's Edward. You can call me Eddie though.", Eddie explained.

What followed was a short silence as Raylan comprehended the implications behind it.

Raylan finally broke the silence, "I see... So how am I here.!? I was dead, and in what I assumed to be Hell.".

"Oh it was.! You were in Hell alright.! But I didn't pull you out. It was my wife. She was roaming around, and she just happened discover you and found you interesting. So she brought you here. Most likely to put us in this very same awkward situation we currently find ourselves in.", Eddie explained embarrassingly.

"Oh honey please.! Like it's not obvious already.!? I want you to pull that whole, wish granting, Isekai, reincarnation routine with this guy.", a voice came out of nowhere, followed by a beautiful woman appearing out of thin air.

As she spoke, she walked slowly towards Edward, and sat down on the arm pad of his chair.

Seeing this woman, Raylan was astonished, but not for the fact that she appeared out of thin air, but because Raylan knew who she was, and it didn't make any sense. She couldn't be here. She should have still been alive.

The woman was blonde with perfect figure. She was wearing black and white evening dress. And she looked exactly like Erin Richards, who played Barbara Kean in the T.V. show, Gotham.

"She's not Erin Richards, but Barbara Kean. And most of the works of fiction that you know about are in fact, alternate realities.", Eddie answered the question that was in Raylan's mind.

At the same time, Eddie comfortably leaned backwards towards Barbara, and put his arm around her waist.

Raylan then realized that he didn't speak just now, so how did Eddie know what he was thinking.!?

"Of course I know. I'm an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent being. I'm the living embodiment of annihilation and Evolution. Of course I know what you're thinking.!", Eddie explained.

"So let's make this quick. You can ask for a wish, then I send you off to the world of your choosing. It can be any world of fiction and you'll keep your memories. It doesn't really matter.", Eddie continued as he spoke hurriedly. It was apparent that he wanted Raylan gone.

Barbara then interrupted, "Actually, I'm doing the reincarnation, and I already have a world and role I want him to reincarnate in. So he can only choose the wish.", she looked at Eddie as she spoke.

"Oh.! And, also.!", she continued.

As she spoke, she leaned forward, grabbed Eddie by the collar, pulled him closer, and kissed him passionately.

Their kiss lasted for whole two minutes, not minding Raylan who just sat there awkwardly. Hell, they could at least offer some beverages. It's common courtesy.

Barbara then pushed Eddie away, looked him in the eyes, and spoke, "Feeling motivated yet Ed.!? Offer him the whole deal. All the options. It's important.". She spoke with her face really close to him in Barbara Kean style.

Raylan had done his fair share of behaviour analysis during his career, and he noticed that her behaviour was slightly different from Barbara Kean in the T.V. show. She didn't seem to have all that rage behind her eyes.

It was more like somewhere in the middle of her character in season one and season two. She probably never encountered the Orge due to Eddie's involvement.

"Yes mam.!", Eddie replied to Barbara.

Then he turned to Raylan, "Alright Raylan. I don't know why she's doing this, but it seems really important, so you have five options.

1.- I send you back to Hell and we forget this ever happened.

2.- I can simply erase you from existence and relieve you of all that pain.

3.- You make one wish. Any wish. Then my wife will send you off to reincarnate. You get to keep all your memories.

4.- Three wishes, can't be too over powered, and has to be only from one fictional world, but you will not keep any memories.

5.- Five wishes, but you can only ask for specific objects, or the knowledge of specific people from any one world of your choosing. You'll get to keep your memories.", Eddie finished speaking.

After thinking about his options, Raylan replied, "I choose the last option. I want to keep my memories, but I wonder if you could please erase all the feelings attached to my memories.? Especially, the feelings for my wife and daughter. If I keep them, then I'll never stop wanting to go back.".

"Alright, I'll do that, now about your wishes.!?", this time, Barbara spoke. She seemed pretty eager.

Raylan really wondered about her intentions, but he knew that it was useless to ask. So instead he replied, "Can I ask for the Heart of the Universe or Infinity Stones.!?".

"Of course you can.! Is that your wish.?", Eddie asked immediately.

But before Raylan could reply, Barbara interrupted, "I would advise you against that Ray. You're not Thanos. Trying to use those things will kill you. Think clearly before you ask for your wishes. It'll decide your future.".

She was right, so Raylan really started to think. He didn't know where he would be sent, so he had to make himself, self sufficient.

Five minutes later, he asked, "Alright.! So there was an official comic book series where the source wall was broken, and DC and Marvel worlds were combined. Assuming that it was an alternate reality, can I ask for wishes from that universe.!?".

"Yes you can. What are your wishes.!?", Eddie replied, and asked back.

Raylan replied back, "My five wishes are,

1. Codex of Life, from DC.

2. All the knowledge of a Kryptonian scientist who had the most scientific knowledge in the history of planet Krypton. Especially related to the Codex of Life, but not exclusive to it.

3. All the knowledge of Odin from Marvel.

4. Genetic samples containing the complete genetic makeup of Darkseid, from DC.

5. Power stone - One of the infinity stones from marvel.", Raylan finished speaking.

"Ok then.!", Eddie spoke,

"Click.!", then he snapped his fingers,

and said, "It's done.".

Then he continued, "All the knowledge will be in your mind. It'll be like a mental library. You can access it whenever you want. As for the items, you'll just have to will them to appear once you've been reincarnated, and they'll appear.".

Then Barbara spoke, "Alright Raylan, off you go.! See you later.", then she snapped her fingers, "Click.!", and Raylan disappeared.

______________________________________________________

.

Edward Nystrom didn't just appear out of nowhere. He is the main character of my second novel.

The events of this chapter took place a century after all of the major events of the second novel had already happened. So Eddie didn't bother to conceal about the whole Isekai situation. He simply didn't need to anymore.

There was a good reason why Barbara wanted Raylan to reincarnate. It had something to do with the plot of the second novel.

Edward was unjustly sent to Hell after his death, where he struggled to survive for hundreds of years, only to discover that he was in wrong Hell. The DC world's Hell, and not the Hell of his original world.

Then he used his knowledge to reincarnate in Marvel world, gained power, got stronger, and went back to DC world. Eventually becoming the living embodiment of Annihilation and Evolution.

I haven't yet written many chapters of the second novel yet, but I'll probably release it after this novel is complete.