"I never really liked people."
"I don't hate them or anything grand like that, I just find them exhausting to be around."
"Every morning, it's the same boring routine, forced smiles, useless small talk about the latest drama or whatever is going on that month."
"Everyone always has something to do."
"And that somehow makes them think they're more important than they really are."
"That probably makes me sound harsh."
"After all, we all do it."
"But just think, someone out there is getting married to the love of their life, and someone else is sitting at a funeral having the worst day of theirs. Whatever it is, at the end of the day, the world couldn't care less."
"And it just keeps on spinning. For some reason, we like to grasp onto the belief that we are in control."
"And for all our flaws, we convinced ourselves that we are the masters of our story. That's why I write stories so I can have a world that only I can control."
Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you thanked God for something-not something big, but something small, like your heart beating without you having to think about it... "Been a while huh?"
In a two-room apartment, a man falls off his bed and hits his head on the floor, scratching his now throbbing head. He looked around, confused about where he was, and then he remembered.
"Shit, I overslept."
He was late for work. Lucky for him, on that particular day, it didn't matter much, for that was the day the world as we know it ended.
In a matter of moments, the words that changed the world were spoken: "How predictable you've all become," his voice whispered at the back of everyone's heads all at once. "So boring."
"I'm abandoning you. Suffer and write a new story in my absence... make it good this time."
Although no one knew what was going on, they all knew one thing-akin to a child knowing its mother's heartbeat-the voice they heard was the voice of God himself.
The collapse was instant.
Soldiers pulled their triggers, but their bullets turned to dust mid-air.
In fact, all modern weaponry was rendered useless.
Engines roared, then melted into useless heaps of metal.
Aeroplanes fell from the sky.
The laws of existence no longer bent to humanity's will. Instead, the world bent humanity until it snapped.
The sky ripped open. Other worlds bled through-realms of demons, dragons, and horrors born from forgotten myths. The strong devoured the weak. And with no divine shield to protect them, humanity crumbled.
Years passed. The once-proud race dwindled to nothing.
Until only one man remained.
He stood among the ruins of his people. The last human. He wasn't the strongest of his time, but he still remained.
His eyes burned with defiance. On his shoulders, he held the hopes of his entire race. As the ground shook beneath him. Before him stood a beast.And without the power to even put up a fight, he died.
As darkness closed around him, he expected nothing.
Instead, a familiar voice chuckled.
"You were... amazing."
God's voice, akin to a child at play.
"Everything else bored me, but you... you might be worth watching a little longer.
I'll give you another chance, as many as you like... Oh yeah, you're dead. You can't hear me, can you? Whatever, I'll just etch what I said into your soul then."
As light engulfed him, he opened his eyes-And found himself in the past, staring at the ceiling of a place he once called home.
"This place looks just as bad as it did back then."
Was it a dream? It must have been a terrible nightmare.
No-the screaming, blood, that thing that killed me, choking on my own blood. Nightmares shouldn't feel that real.
"What happened to me?"
Groaning, I pushed myself upright. My body feels young again. Too young. My joints don't hurt, no scars. No proof I ever lived a life at all. Just smooth flesh, a clean slate. But then I felt it. it felt like I was telling myself the words God spoke to me.
"Oh, that's what happened."
People would call this a gift, right? A second chance. Maybe I'm just ungrateful, but-
But I didn't know how to feel about this. This is so strange, but from what I understand.
God wants amusement, and I became his clown.
This is so stupid...
Muttering, "Fine, then."
Rubbing my face. "What day is it?" Fumbling around in my pockets . "I could have swore i used to have it in this pocket,huh its been a while. Maybe im mis remembering? Where's my phone? I know I always kept it in this pockets back then... oh, there it is, I just need to -"
"Hello."
I jolted up, heart hammering against my ribs. The room is empty. Just shadows and old furniture. Where could it be coming from?
"You forgot my voice so soon? That almost hurts."
My stomach is churning. I feel like I'm about to puke. That voice-I know it.
"It's me," chuckling. "Your God. I thought about leaving you to your own devices, but that would be boring, don't you think? So let's make it interesting. So I decided to add some rules."
Snapping his fingers, the walls melted away. I couldn't see anything until I was standing in a void surrounded by five glowing blue screens.
Blinking. "You really dragged me out here just to show off? What, no tutorial fairy?"
Silence. Then, laughter.
The screens lit up.
RULE ZERO: Don't bore me
RULE ONE: ???
RULE TWO: ???
RULE THREE: ???
RULE FOUR: ???
RULE FIVE: ???
Brows furrowing. "Wait. That last one-say it again."
A wicked smile pressed into his mind.
"???"
"That's stupid. Pointless. There's no -"
The screens shattered one by one until only those glowing words remained.
What the hell, that is the dumbest rule I have ever heard ??? Even just looking at it is pissing me off... I just have to be careful then. It's simple, I just can't-
"That last one is my favourite you know." He sounds so delighted with himself after making me panic.
"Out of all the divine punishments, you went with that?"
Silence. Then, a chuckle shook the void.
"You humans have a habit of breaking your word. I think it'll make things... entertaining."
"Im so Glad my suffering makes you happy."
The last screen shattered. God's voice turned cold.
"Make this fun. I don't like being disappointed."
The void i..it's twisting on itself. it looks like it's about to collapse. Wait, I'm still inside. How could he just leave me here
blinking-oh, I'm back in my apartment. That had me scared for a moment... "The first thing I see is that stupid water stain again. I'm going to complain to the landlord about this.
This time, though, something was different.
Glancing over, I see three weapons leaning against the far wall: a longsword, a black pistol, and a staff etched with glowing runes.
"A starter kit ? Where's the NPC to hand me my first quest? "
I thought you wanted to watch an entertaining story, not write one."