Consider it

The priest bent down and picked me up from the ground.

Next thing I knew I wasn't there.

Again I was assaulted by a barraige of concepts. A dragon with butterfly wings. A cock roach with a large… well it's in the name. And the same old time travling kung fu fighting butterfly. He had just beaten god in a arm wrestling match. Which was impressive given the fact that butterflies don't have arms.

And then I was somewhere else.

My jaw slammed into the soft dirt ground and the sound of leaves rustling and birds chirping was crisp in the air.

"Okay. Time to nail you to the cross." Said the priest.

He lifted me up and stabbed a nail into my hand. I thought feeling pain would be inconvenient for me then. So due to my divine will it didn't hurt at all.

Quickly my arms and legs were nailed to the cross as well.

"Now. Where did I put the stake?" Said the priest

The priest turned around and started to walk away from my cross in pursuit of his stake.

I could only scowl as he did so. Only my arms functioned so it would take me an eternity and a half to run away. On top of that I had no idea where I was. Where would I even run to?

It was a horrible situation.

"Greg." I turned my head in the direction of that voice.

There standing before me was a man with tanned skin and analytical eyes.

It was Joe.

"Get me out of here." I whispered.

I couldn't waste time questioning how he suddenly appeared here.

He nodded and pulled the nails out of my hands and feet.

He then propped me over his back and started to speed walk away. He couldn't maintain a faster pace than that due to my weight.

We were situated atop a large hill that looked over the tribes peoples settlement.

Around us in every direction were tents, huts and campfires.

"How'd you even get over here. And better yet. How did you know where I was?" I asked him

Joe paused in thought for a momment.

"I sneaked in. Although it's going to be much harder to sneak out." He said

"Okay then how did you kn—"

Standing before us on the hill was a tribesman. He had a muscular body tanned skin and he was covered in scars.

"Why here? Why wear so much? It steal cloth from others."

Not knowing what else to do I reverted to back to my charming smile.

"We wear so much because we deserve so much. We here because we chose here. Did you chose here?"

The tribesmens brows furrowed in contemplation.

"I. I do not think I chose here." He said.

I smiled.

"Do as I say. I know the here you want chose."

He smiled and nodded.

"Yes!"

I must say I spoke excellent tribesmen! Was that what they were actually called? I don't care!

And so after being seduced by my incredible charm the tribesmen decided to sling me over his shoulder and carry me with him.

Soon I would convert the whole tribe into my followers! I would rule! I WOULD RULLLLLE!

"Why are you off your cross?" A voice echoed from behind me.

Oh shiiiiiiiiiii. I turned my head to that voice.

And sure enough. Standing there with a cocky grin and pitch black eyes was the priest.

"Because I don't want to get murdered dumbass! Now guys start running!" I yelled.

Me and my converted tribesmen started to sprint away.

But we didn't get far. Dark tendrils rose from the ground and began to encirle the arms and legs of everyone present.

We were pushed into the ground.

The priest walked over to me. He lifted my head up by the chin so I had to look straight into his dark lightless eyes.

"Back to the cross fool." He said.

He lifted me up while leaving the other people constricted to the ground.

He then hammered new holes in my hands and feet.

I watched as he placed the steak at my chest.

He wasn't going to do this. He couldn't do this. I didn't want to die. I didn't want to meet that thing ever again.

With one mighty swing he pierced my chest with the stake.

Blood welled up in my throat. It dripped from my nose and eyes as I tried and failed to close my hands. The nails had broken my hands

I was dead.

🐐🐖🐐🐖🐐

I awoke in darkness.

For an instant I saw a flickering white figure.

"Mother?"

The figure vanished. And my memory vanished with it.

The void shifted and flowed for a few moments.

Then he appeared before me. He was somehow illuminated in the darkness. He had dark tanned skin. A fat corpulent form. And a bulbous nose.

I don't remember his name. Or I never learned it. I knew him only as the jailer.

Just like the last time that I saw him this time he wore absolently nothing.

"The inside of death is quite nice right." Said the man.

I couldn't help but furrow my brows at him. Death doesn't have shape. And this place couldn't be death. Death is something that you never come back from. And I've come back from here many times before.

"What are you talking about?" I asked

He smiled

"The inside of death. Where we are right now. It's nice right. It's warm. Comforting. It's a great place." Said the Jailer.

I couldn't help but scowl.

"How do I get out of here? What do I have to do this time?" I asked

He grinned.

"But why would you even want to leave. It's so warm. So comfortable. Such beauty."

I decided to do the jailer the kindness of granting him a moment of contemplation.

Why do I want to leave. The answer to that is quite simple. Life is a series of chains that drag you forwards into your future. Your attachments, hopes, joys, how you look. Everything the defines how you interact with the world. Because those things also keep you grounded too the world.

Hopes, joys those made me feel the need to pursue conquest. The high of victory was just transcendent.

Attachments. That was Craig. I had to create the world that he had strived for his whole life. I had to do his existence at least that justice.

"I want to leave because I still have things yet to do. I still have goals to achieve."

The bulbous nosed man smiled.

"Well you're in luck. Because if that's the case then death will not give you any trials." Said the Jailer

I smiled.

"Okay. Then send me back."

The jailer raised a single finger.

"But if you want to leave then you do have to agree to death's request."

Was it going to ask for my soul? For me to kill someone I loved? I could give the former but I don't have anyone available for the latter.

"What does it want?" I asked.

"The times going to come soon where you'll be given an option between continuing as you are. Or letting go of something. Death want's you to at least consider letting go." Said the jailer

But what did death want me to let go of? Was it my life? My power? What did it want?

"Let go of what?" I asked

The jailer shook his head.

"You'll know when the time comes. Death just want's you to consider it." He said.

~Well it's not like I'm getting out of here any other way.~

"Okay. I'll consider it." I said.

The jailer smiled.

"Good."

Silently and without any announcement the darkness vanished.

I opened my eyes.

*Shlup*

A stake fell out of my chest.

I was alive.

"So you really are the messiah." Said the priest.