The white chamber he opened his eyes to was grand.
As grand as a new canvas. The comforting thought faintly filled Kal's mind.
Where was he?
Groaning, he sat up, his vision slowly leaving the overhead murals. They showed a scene of a flood, of a shattering world.
His fingers curled about smooth sheets.
Silk. He was in a bed.
Startled, he pulled at his chest. His clothes had been changed too. He was in a simple thin white bedgown. His chest was unblemished: there were no sign of injuries from the crash. He had been certain the impact from the minivan had shattered his ribcage.
In disbelief, he sharply pinched his arm. Red nailmarks blossomed immediately.
He did feel the pain.
Not a dream?
He does not know how long he sat until he calmed. The covers were light and airy and yet filled with comfortable warmth. Some sort of strange material that he had never seen before: as if the fabric existed between two states. The room he was in was beautiful: in an otherworldly way in its pristine yet simple setting. It smelled something like fresh grass, petrichor after a rainstorm, or spring flowers.
The murals above phased, showing a different image now, startling him as he stared at the painting of a rainbow about a golden sky.
The room too began altering, becoming more familiar, smaller.
His apartment room?
No. The mural above was still there. He was not in his own apartment in the city.
A voice floated from above.
Awake now are we? I see the room is already accommodating you.
He looked about for any sign of a hidden speaker.
Ah ah, right, your generation distrust what you cannot see.
There was a pointed sigh.
Very well. I'm quite busy but I'll be there soon.
He waited.
Kal was unsure of how much time passed, but it didn't feel long at all before footsteps echoed to the door of the strange room.
"Welcome to Mortise." A woman said as she entered, the aide by her side holding the door open for her. "Cradle of myths."
Kal recognized her as the same entity he met under the rain. The young boy by her side, no older than early teens, perhaps fourteen or so, was also golden eyed and golden haired. The boy was not smiling, just diligently at attention. The pair were both dressed in robes that seemed Roman, but upon better focus, he noticed that was not so.
Like a mix of different cultures. He thought he could pick elements from the east out too.
"Who are you?" He asked. "I don't think I was wrong when we met."
"Hmn," She hummed. "No, you weren't wrong."
Her golden gaze looked amused, observing his room.
"More importantly, are you really going to stay in a dull setting like this?"
Kal blinked.
"What?"
"This room adjusts to you." She said, smiling brightly. "An Architect needs to have a good studio to work in. Why not think of something nicer?"
Nicer. What would be nice?
He thought of the space he woke up to and blinked in surprise as the room shifted.
She looked mildly surprised too.
"Ah? You liked my Ark? That's rare."
He looked away.
"It … smelled peaceful."
It was not long before others came to the room. Golden haired and eyed children, carrying small plates of breakfast. Warm oatmeal in a silver gold holding vessel, fresh fruit extracted juice, toast that filled the pristine space with tantalizing sweetness, and all sorts of plump fruit.
His stomach grumbled.
Kal does not understand how he comes to having breakfast with God, but here he was. The terrace they eat on oversaw a splendid city that gleamed as white as marble or limestone. He stole a glimpse of flowing springs, perfect gardens, set in a backdrop of golden sky and cradling white clouds.
Golden haired folk went about by their lives below.
"Thank you." He mumbled. "For saving me."
She looked amused.
"Aren't you going to ask why you are here?"
"Nothing in the world comes for free," He replied evenly. "Not even from the Creator. I understand if you require something of me."
"Creator..." She sipped slowly from her crystal goblet before languidly turning it, watching the red wine within shift. "That sounds so impersonal. I am but an Architect. You can call me Elise."
"Elise…" He spoke the name slowly. "Elysea. So, this place is Heaven?"
"No." She replied. "At least not in the way you think about it. Let me put it in a way you can understand."
She extended her goblet towards him.
"I am a developer, and you're a beta tester, who is going to test for me a game. Naturally, if you make it to the end of the game, there will be a reward."
Her smile widened as his gaze sharpened at the mention of a prize.
"I see you do seem well read enough." Her tone became teasing. "You know of legends of a holy grail?"
"A … a wish?" He asked cautiously. "The reward is a wish? I can ask for anything?"
"Anything." She replied. "Like the great heroes of the past. Whether it's for yourself or for others, it doesn't matter. So long as you win."
Kal thought of his life in the States. The choking poverty of struggling in a major city, how everything could vanish so easily. The inability to help himself, much less those he loved. How easily people betray each other the moment they see any signs of weakness.
"You won't punish me for selfishness if I end up making a wish for myself?"
"I do not deceive." She replied serenely. "We will be making a Covenant. A contract. We can sign too if that makes you feel better."
"I accept." He spoke without hesitation.
Amusement sparkled in her golden eyes as she laughed.
"You won't ask at all what's the worst thing that can happen in the game? Or if you can not sign?"
"If it's dangerous," Kal met her eyes. "That's only to be expected to exchange for any wish. If it's not signing… I already owe you a life debt."
"No fear of wagering your life. Honorable too. I like that." She placed her goblet down. "Perhaps you can do it."
She extended her hand. As he reached to shake it, images flood his mind.
"Then, let me teach you how to play."
As his consciousness blurred from the overwhelming rush of information, he thought he heard her also quietly say.
"But don't call me your God..." The look on her face was serious.
She was not smiling at all.
He gripped tighter to her hand, unwilling to pass out yet.
"…I am but a humble Architect."