It was said some time ago that death is an evolution of the chaotic danger one leaves behind. This is an established truth, as Johnny himself discovered in his stay in The Expanse, as well as his visit to the Gates of Heaven. However, the narration failed to mention that this also applies to the second life gifted to certain individuals after their untimely demise. The trip to the first of the worlds Johnny needed to cleanse of the Chaos was no exception.
It was a blur of motion through countless worlds he couldn't possibly describe. Fantastical creatures, those that resembled humans with animal-like features, battles, touching romances, and cataclysmic catastrophes of epic proportions streaked through his consciousness. The overwhelming amount of imagery would have made Johnny faint if it weren't for the searing pain that kept him conscious. He felt immense pain all over his body. As he blasted past the worlds, his body was gradually reforming into flesh and blood over the ethereal shadow he had resided in previously. Tendons spiraled and twined together, muscles and sinew spliced together and wrapped their red tendrils around and between the bones of his newly grown skeleton. Colors became richer as his eyes took shape in their sockets. God, was it painful.
Ahead of him, the rift in space came to an end. It must be his destination, as he slowed to a stop directly in front of the window to a world. He peered through, but it was too blurry to make anything out. He reached to touch the wavy surface of the world's window. In response, a blinding light flashed on the other side, overwhelming his new, sensitive eyes. He could feel a tugging sensation on his finger, then his arm, and finally his whole body. Nausea and exhaustion overtook him, as the entire ordeal had been too much of a strain on his newly reformed body. He let himself be pulled through the window. Blinded, sickly, and weak, he lapsed into unconsciousness before he could witness his entry into the world.
-
The journey of a small, white butterfly led it to land directly on an unconscious man's nose. It perched on the tip of his olfactory organ with impunity, and slowly spun around, its wings fluttering in a gentle breeze. It sat there for several minutes, slowly flapping its wings as it basked in the sunlight. It quickly took to flight, however, when the shadow of a flying creature cast its ominous outline from overhead, but it was too late: the butterfly's fate was sealed inside the beak of a small bird. Tall grasses swayed in rhythm with the thrum of the wind's waltz, and a lone tree that stood nearby quietly observed the tragic yet tranquil ballroom dance of nature that unfolded beyond its canopy of leaves.
These events went unnoticed by the young man who lay upon the ground. His eyes twitched in the brightness of the sun. He stirred, and a hand reached for his eyes. Warm, the sensation of a warm, living body.
He was alive.
The sensations of life flowed into his consciousness once more. He had no idea how long he was dead and was unsure if there even was a way to determine it. However, he was sure of one thing, that is, he survived the trip to wherever he was now.
Johnny sat up and uncovered his eyes to view the world around him.
A gentle wind caressed his cheek in passing, as it wound its way through the tall grasses, playfully tugging the blades to and fro. Small, white butterflies flitted about odd blue, purple, and cyan flowers the likes of which he had never seen before, and bee-like insects, silver in color, followed suit. The sun gazed down upon the scenery with a warm, light orange smile.
It must be Spring here, he surmised, after noting the climate and creature activity around him.
Johnny recalled what the goddess had told him, that The Chaos would accelerate the destruction of the worlds it affected. He had imagined that the worlds would be dystopic, post-apocalyptic war zones similar to what he had seen in the rift to this world. But it didn't seem this world was affected at all. On the contrary, it was peaceful. The order inherent in nature reigned supreme; Chaos was nowhere to be found.
After a few moments of contemplation, he attempted to stand. He wasn't entirely recovered from his previous ordeal. His legs quaked underneath him, and sweat beaded on his forehead from the strain. He struggled for a few moments but finally managed to assume an upright posture. Upon standing, he noticed his body seemed more muscular than when he had died; his arms were toned, his chest was rounder, and his legs felt as though they were near to twice the size they were before. He ran his hands across his body in admiration. It was only in dreams that his body was this trim.
His hand stopped at his right-hand shorts pocket, where the Divine Shard had been. Upon close inspection, its color had changed, from the rainbow gleam it had in the afterlife, to a dull brown color. He wasn't expecting it to be particularly useful, but he hoped it would at least be an interesting ornament. Now it looked like an ordinary chunk of bark from an exceptionally old tree.
Johnny pocketed the piece of bark once more, returning his focus to his immediate situation. He still wore the clothes he had when he died, still with the complimentary bloodstains left from his previous life's accident. The shirt he wore was a size too small now, his now impressive body strained its fibers ever so slightly. While he was weakened from his reformation and the journey here, he could stand, but it would be quite some time before he could walk around any appreciable distance, let alone start the world-saving quest the goddess had commissioned him with.
With a disappointed sigh, he flopped back onto the ground. His stomach was empty, and he was parched, but without the strength to walk, he could only rest.
He closed his eyes.
"Welcome, Johnathan Rivers...!"
"WHODAFUCKISDAT!!!"
Startled by the sudden loud voice that blasted into his ears, Johnny yelled at the top of his lungs. The echoes reverberated in the distance, and the birds that were nesting in the nearby tree exploded from among its branches in terror.
Johnny looked about him in search of the voice's owner. However, not a soul was in sight. The tree, the grasses, and the variety of insects that crawled and flew about him were the only objects within sight. He wasn't entirely convinced of his solitude, but he hadn't the strength to worry about it. So he laid down yet again.
His eyes closed, for the second time.
"...to the Divine Menu!!!"
"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, YOU"RE GOING TO BLOW MY DAMN EARDRUMS OUT!!!"
Johnny clapped his hands to his ears and scrunched his eyes. He rolled around on the grass in agony as the voice continued to violate his eardrums.
"When blue message boxes appear, please carefully read their contents and follow the instructions where necessary!!!"
In the darkness behind his closed eyelids, a blue message prompt appeared in his vision. It read.
"Welcome to the Divine Menu. Please select "Continue" to begin your initialization routine."
Huh!? How do they expect me to select anything when they're raping my ears.
"Gaah, select continue already, damn it!"
It was selected. A new box appeared.
"What do you wish to name yourself? Default: Johnathan Rivers."
"Default!"
Yet another box after that one.
"Beginning calibration, please wait..."
Suddenly, he felt himself stand up. He opened his eyes to witness his body moving on its own.
"What the hell?!"
He tried to control his arms and legs, but it was no use, he had no influence over their movements. Before he could even get a single word of complaint out, he was engaged into a full sprint. The tree whizzed by him as he ran, and the wind pulled his cheeks back from the sheer speed. He was faster than he ever was in his previous life. So much so, that it was almost dangerous!
"What...is...this!!!!"
Finally, his body came to a stop in the middle of an empty portion of the field, where he was left sweating heavily, and gasping for air. In the back of his mind, he could sense a faint beeping.
"Please close your eyes, Johnathan Rivers."
Reluctantly, he complied. He closed his eyes to find a green message box this time.
"Calibration successful! Please select continue to complete the initialization routine."
"Continue, let's get this over with..."
The green box disappeared. In its stead, a yellow one materialized. The deafening voice from before finally ceased.
"You may open your eyes now."
And so he did. A transparent window dominated his vision. On its surface was what appeared to be a menu, littered with numerous buttons and text fields. To the left, the titles "Inventory", "Objectives", "Friends", "Status", and "Map" were listed. Along the right edge, a scrolling feed of text slowly rolled its way upward. It was in a language he couldn't understand. After a few minutes of studying the curious letters it displayed, he lost interest, largely ignoring it in favor of the Inventory option on the left-hand side.
"Inventory."
The word came almost instinctively to him. The inventory inflated and filled his vision. There were only four options. His shirt, shorts, sneakers, socks... and boxers? Those count as an item too, he thought, with a soft chuckle. But the last option surprised him. Its description appeared when his eyes focused on it. It read, "Depleted Divine Shard: This item was used, granting its owner the power of the Divine Menu."
So the shard was the most important thing he owned. He laughed at his own stupidity. Why would he doubt the deity that gave him a new life here? Of course, anything she gave him would be useful. He kneeled on the grass in a prayer position and lifted his gaze to the sky in gratitude.
"Well well, it seems I have a lot to thank that goddess for when I get back to heaven."
He whispered. Yes, he did. Now he had another chance to live, afforded him by a faceless, nameless deity. This time, he wouldn't waste it alone in a bedroom. This time, he wouldn't do anything that would disappoint his parents. This time, was his second shot at life, in a parallel world.