As Alexander was consumed by the impenetrable darkness, a strange sensation lingered. It was as though he were neither fully alive nor fully dead, suspended somewhere in between. His consciousness clung to the edges of reality, teetering on the precipice of oblivion. Slowly, with an effort that felt like it came from a place deep within him, he opened his eyes.
What he saw was not what he expected. He was no longer in the cold, rain-soaked alley. Instead, he found himself standing in a vast expanse of semi-darkness, an endless plain that stretched in all directions. The air was thick with a strange, heavy stillness, as if the world around him was holding its breath.
"Hello?" Alexander's voice broke the silence, his words echoing back to him in the emptiness. His heart beat with a sense of unease as he waited for any kind of response, but none came. The thought lingered—Would there be anyone with me, even in death? The idea was absurd, and despite himself, he chuckled softly. The sound was hollow, swallowed by the void.
"Hello there."
The voice was calm, deep, and carried an unnerving weight to it. It echoed like the distant rumble of thunder, yet it was somehow… closer than that. The words sent a jolt through Alexander's body, causing him to stiffen, and his mind went blank for a moment. He spun around, his breath catching in his throat.
Standing before him was a man—tall, imposing, with a regal presence that radiated an aura of power so oppressive it felt like it could crush him. The man looked exactly like Alexander—exactly. His features, his build, the shape of his face, all of it was a mirror image of Alexander's own. But there was one glaring difference: the man's eyes. They were a glowing, unnatural golden hue, and they gleamed with an intensity that sent a cold chill crawling down Alexander's spine. The mere sight of him was enough to make sweat bead on Alexander's forehead.
The air around the man seemed to distort, as if his very presence warped reality itself. It was a presence that didn't belong to any human being. It was something ancient, something otherworldly.
"Who are you?" Alexander asked, his voice barely more than a whisper, filled with a terror that he couldn't mask. His usual confidence had evaporated, leaving only the hushed tone of an employee in front of an unapproachable superior. He couldn't help it. Something in the man's presence demanded submission.
The figure didn't respond immediately. He merely stood there, observing Alexander with those piercing golden eyes. It felt like time had slowed, the silence stretching longer than was comfortable. Then, in a voice that resonated in the air itself, the man spoke.
"I am God."
Alexander stood frozen, taking in the weight of God's words. The truth stung more than he anticipated.
"I didn't know God looked like me," Alexander thought to himself, his eyes still avoiding the man's golden gaze. His mind raced, trying to make sense of what was happening. But no matter how hard he tried, the situation remained beyond his comprehension.
The man seemed to read his thoughts without a hint of effort. "I don't look like you," he said, his voice carrying an unsettling calmness, "but the concept of God is beyond the grasp of the human mind. That is why I took this form—looking like you."
The words struck Alexander like a hammer. His heart skipped a beat as his shock deepened. The concept of God? He could barely comprehend the idea, let alone the implications of what the man had just said.
"You can read my mind?" Alexander asked, his voice shaking. A mix of disbelief and awe filled his expression. His mind felt open and exposed, as if every thought he had was laid bare before this being.
"I can do more than that," the man replied, his golden eyes glimmering with a power that seemed to ripple through the air.
Alexander felt a cold sweat on his brow as the weight of the man's words settled in. What else could he do? The question gnawed at him, and he finally blurted out the one thing that had been haunting his thoughts since this strange encounter began.
"Like what? Take me to heaven or hell?" Alexander asked, his voice tinged with a mixture of fear and curiosity.
The man stood in silence, his gaze still fixed on Alexander. "I can get you to heaven since you lived a good life. But your soul is still strongly attached to the earth. You'd never find peace in heaven without your deepest desire fulfilled."
Alexander stood there, the man's words sinking in. True, he thought, I deeply regret not spending enough time with my parents, my wife, my children. The thought gnawed at him, a regret that had plagued him in life and now in death.
"If that's what you desire," the man said, his voice calm yet filled with an unearthly authority, "then I shall grant it."
A smile spread across the man's face, one that seemed to glow with a strange radiance in the semi-darkness around them. It wasn't a smile of kindness, but one of knowing—an understanding that made Alexander shiver.
"By the way," the man continued, his voice shifting slightly, "I will give you three more wishes. You are the first human of such a unique mentality I've ever met. Think carefully, and I shall grant whatever you desire."
With a simple snap of his fingers, a blinding golden light erupted from the man. It flooded the vast plain of semi-darkness, the light so intense that it seemed to seep into every corner of the expansive void, illuminating it in a way that was both awe-inspiring and terrifying.