(First person)
Everything began when I was run over. Nothing heroic. I didn't try to save anyone or chase after a criminal in the name of justice.
I simply crossed the street without looking at the signal and got hit by a Porsche that was speeding. It hit me full force—obviously, the mistake was mine.
I didn't feel pain or anything else. Just death. And then I woke up in a white room.
—
There was an actor there—the one who played in the series Supernatural.
"Seriously, is my hell going to be the Supernatural series?" I asked jokingly, and the actor laughed.
"Of course it's not hell. It's more like a dream. However, your afterlife will be in the Supernatural world," he said in a calm, mature tone. "The good thing about having made a series about that world is this: I can handpick those who know enough."
Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying you're God and you portrayed yourself as a complete idiot like Chuck and even acted as yourself?
No way. I must be hallucinating. Why would God make such a pathetic version of himself like Chuck?
"You're not hallucinating," Chuck said with a mischievous smile. "I didn't make my version pathetic. That's just what I wanted you to see."
"Wait—why would you want us to see you as a pathetic god?" I asked, shocked. What the hell is this?
"Of course I would. I wanted to make a joke about myself, a satire proving I'm not perfect. And I also used that specific universe to test a few things," Chuck replied playfully.
"How can a multiverse exist? Aren't you unique?" I asked, still in shock. And yes, I accepted that the man in front of me was God.
"Well, you adapt quickly. That's good," God replied gently—and wait…
Damn. He's reading my mind…
"Actually, the other versions of me, the archangels, and the primordials of other existing universes are just avatars influenced by beings from the original timeline," God said, pointing upward. "That is, they're beings with their own minds, but manipulated by our will without realizing it."
"Wait… weren't the deities just… weak beings created by you?" I asked, curious.
"No. When I created the universe, I created the archangels—my personal army—and the primordials, the guardians of the universe," God began explaining how powerful beings were made. "I gave the power of creation and destruction to the archangels, and dominion over the universe's concepts to the primordials."
"I understand. That makes sense," I said, beginning to grasp what God meant.
"My primordial children were responsible for keeping the universe functioning," God said with an irritated look. "And my archangel children were responsible for defending the universe and policing it."
"I can already see why it went wrong."
"You understand? The primordials joined my sister and abandoned their duties. The archangels split into factions—some tried to overthrow me, others simply deserted… leaving only the most irritating ones at my side."
"What does any of this have to do with me?"
"Well, you're a rare case. All divine beings are immortal until their concept ceases to exist, but sometimes a divinity reincarnates into a human body. Your soul belongs to a descendant of a primordial," God said with a sigh.
"I don't understand," I asked, confused. "Are you saying I'm a demigod?"
"No. You're a divinity," God replied with a chuckle. "Second generation."
"What does that mean?" I asked, even more confused. "How am I a god? I never felt like one. What do generations have to do with it?"
"Unlike the archangels, whom I made nearly infertile," God began, "the primordials I made fully fertile—but I limited their bloodlines. The further the generations go, the less access they have to the universe's conceptual domains."
"So… I'm a god who ended up dying?" I asked. "Instead of regenerating in my original body, I was reborn in a human one?"
"Exactly. You learn fast," God snapped his fingers. "You were Zeus, lord of Olympus. But when Cronos—your father—returned and awakened the primordials and then my sister, you died in the war. I think she liked your charm and allowed you to continue existing by keeping the concept tied to your domain alive."
"Wait… what?" How was there a war? Was there an apocalypse in this universe?
"Exactly. We lost. I wasn't at full strength to defeat my sister. I loved her and couldn't fight her with everything I had. But she didn't win either. The universe is disappearing, and she died along with me," God said with a sad grimace. "What you're seeing now is just a remnant of my existence, trying to keep the universe running until the end."
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, confused and heavy with sadness. So everyone I loved and knew is already dead?
"You were the only being who managed to draw empathy from her—not a brother's empathy like the one she has for me, but the kind born from attraction. You lived up to your name, Zeus," God joked. "So maybe you can change the fate of the next universe."
"What do you mean? The universe won't disappear?" I asked, understanding the implication. If this is the original universe… then the entire multiverse dies after it.
"Exactly. But if you change the events of the next universe, that one will become the original," God said, clicking his tongue. "Unfortunately, the next universe is the one where I messed everything up—unbalanced the power levels and made my avatar an idiot."
"So… you're saying the fate of the multiverse depends on Chuck?" I growled. Damn it. Who could depend on that useless man?
"No. The fate of the multiverse depends on you," God snapped his fingers, and my body glowed. "I don't have the power to turn you into a primordial, but I can return you to your old body."
"What would I gain from that? I'd still be a second-generation divinity, wouldn't I?" I asked. What could I even do?
"In this universe—the original—yes. In the next one, there are only avatars of primordials, me, my sister, and the archangels. You would be equivalent to a mid-tier primordial," God smiled, his skin turning pale. "Good luck, my great-grandson. Stop Cronos and the primordials, and I'll use my last energy to modify Chuck and make him at least useful."
And then the world shone.