I woke up in a place that felt like nothing. There was no light, no shape, no sound—just endless, suffocating darkness.
It was like floating in a void, weightless, disconnected from everything. My mind raced, trying to make sense of what was happening, but it was like I was reaching for something and grabbing nothing.
"Am I... dead?"
The thought hung in my mind like a heavy question, one I didn't want to answer but couldn't avoid.
I reached out instinctively, trying to touch something—anything—but there was nothing. It was as if my hands were passing through air, or worse, passing through nothing at all.
I tried to stay calm. Slowly, as if my mind was waking up from a long sleep, things started to become clearer.
It wasn't just darkness anymore. It was like I was in a place between everything—some kind of threshold, hanging somewhere outside of time and space.
"Okay..." I whispered to myself. "So... I'm dead. Now what?"
Before I could even finish the thought, something shifted. The darkness cracked, like glass shattering, and a sudden, overwhelming light flooded the void.
It wasn't just bright—it was blinding. It felt like it was pulling me in, urging me to focus on it.
I squinted, trying to make sense of what I was seeing through the light. And there, standing before me, was a figure. It wasn't human.
There was no face, no body, just a glowing silhouette, shining against a backdrop of stars and infinite space.
The presence felt... immense, like it was more than just one thing, but the sum of everything.
Then, the figure spoke.
"Hey there, looks like you kicked the bucket," the voice echoed around me, distant yet everywhere at once.
It wasn't like hearing a sound in your ears—it was like the voice was inside me, like it came from deep within my very being.
I froze. My heart raced in my chest. "Wait. I'm... really dead?"
"Yeah," the voice said, casual, almost bored. "You're dead. But that's not the end for you. Not by a long shot."
"Then what the hell is this?" I managed to say, still feeling dizzy. "Who are you? Where am I?"
The figure's light pulsed, shifting as if it were considering my question. Then it spoke again, its voice still calm but carrying a weight I couldn't understand.
"I'm what you might call a superior being. A higher entity, if you will. And you? You've got a role to play. Something big."
I blinked, trying to catch up with the words. "A role? In what, exactly?"
The figure didn't answer right away. It hovered there in the void, its light swirling like a nebula, stretching out in every direction.
"You've just crossed into something vast, Kai," it said finally, the words filling me with a strange sense of gravity.
"The multiverse. An infinite web of worlds, each one unique, full of possibilities and dangers. There are beings out there, creatures, gods, even entities that could destroy your planet in the blink of an eye.
You've never even imagined the scale of it all. This is where you fit in now. You're part of something much bigger than anything you ever knew."
I swallowed hard, my mind spinning.
"Wait, hold on—gods? Destroyers? You're telling me there are beings out there that could wipe us out like that?" I snapped my fingers for emphasis.
"Exactly," the figure said, its tone serious now. "If there's good, there's evil. And the evil is on the move.
You might think your Earth is safe, but it's just a tiny speck in the vastness of the multiverse. Threats are coming, forces that are far beyond anything you could imagine."
I stood there, frozen. My old life felt so... small, so insignificant in comparison.
"So, what? You want me to stop all that? I'm just... a guy, you know? I didn't even have special skills when I was alive."
The figure's light pulsed again, brighter this time.
"You do have potential. You've always had it. Your essence, your soul—it stands out. Like a beacon. And now?
You're being given the chance to grow, to tap into powers you never dreamed of. You'll be able to create things, bring magic and skills into existence just by thinking about them. But more than that, you'll have the power to travel between worlds."
"Wait, what?" My voice cracked a little. "Travel between worlds? You're telling me I can just... go anywhere? Like a... a portal to another world? Like some kind of anime protagonist?"
The figure chuckled, and the sound was strangely comforting, as if it was trying to ease my panic.
"It's a little more than that, but yes. You'll have access to the entire multiverse. Every realm, every world, it's all open to you. You can gain abilities, materials, and knowledge—everything you need to survive, and to protect those worlds."
I could barely process what I was hearing. The idea of hopping between worlds, gaining powers, it all felt... like a dream. Or a joke.
"But..." I paused, shaking my head, still trying to wrap my mind around it all.
"What do you mean by 'protect'? What exactly am I supposed to do?"
The figure's voice turned more serious, more insistent.
"The multiverse is delicate. If the wrong beings find their way into your world, your Earth—your home—it could all be destroyed. It's happened before, and it'll happen again. And it's up to you to stop it.
You will be the guardian, Kai. The one who holds the balance. The one who makes sure the good doesn't fall to evil."
I took a step back, my mind racing. "Me? A guardian?" I shook my head. "I'm not some hero. I'm just... me. How do I even start?"
The figure's light flared brightly, and suddenly, I felt a pull deep inside my chest. "That's what I'm here for.
To help you start. I'm giving you a world—a place where you can train, learn, grow. It's your domain now.
It's where you'll begin to understand your abilities. And when you're ready, you'll take your first step into the multiverse. It's a long journey, but it starts here, with you."
I swallowed, my throat dry. I had no idea what to say next. This was too much—too big, too strange.
"You've got it in you, Kai. I'm not asking you to change the world all at once," the figure said, its voice softening. "Just... start. And the rest will follow."
I nodded slowly, though I didn't feel ready at all. "Okay," I said, more to myself than to the figure. "Okay. So, I train. I learn. And then I fight... to protect everything, right?"
"Exactly," the figure replied, its voice tinged with something close to approval.
"And remember, the choices you make now will shape not just your destiny, but the fate of countless worlds. You're not just protecting Earth, Kai. You're protecting everything."
Before I could respond, the light around the figure pulsed once more, and the world around me began to shift. The darkness dissolved, replaced by a strange new world—a world I couldn't even begin to understand.
"Your journey begins now," the figure's voice echoed one last time, fading into the distance. "Don't let fear hold you back. The multiverse is waiting."
And with that, I was standing in a new place, one that felt alien, full of energy and potential. The air was thick with power, and I could feel it—like it was all around me, waiting for me to tap into it.
I looked around, still trying to process what was happening. "Okay," I whispered, my heart pounding. "any cosmic beings here to give me a tour?."
Far away, across the fabric of the multiverse, a figure watched over Kai from the shadows. Her eyes, like glowing blue stars, tracked his every movement with quiet intensity.
It was Amara, but not the Amara he had known. She had always been more than she seemed, more than even Kai realized.
"Do you think he's ready?" a feminine voice asked, its tone echoing through the endless corridors of time.
Amara's gaze remained fixed on the world where Kai stood. "He's my brother," she whispered. "And I believe in him."
The voice behind her—the goddess of time—watched in silence. "When will you tell him who you really are?"
Amara's expression softened. "When the time is right. This is his journey now, not mine."
The goddess nodded, understanding more than words could say. "The bond between you is stronger than you think. It will guide him, even when you cannot be by his side."
Amara's eyes glimmered with a quiet, knowing strength. "I know. He'll find his way."