John's eyes fluttered open, but opening them didn't make much difference at first because everything around him was a swirling kaleidoscope of colors and lights that defied any sense of up or down or here or there. He felt weightless, like he was floating in some kind of cosmic soup, but without the warmth or the chunks. Nebulas stretched out in every direction, vast clouds of purple and blue gas illuminated by newborn stars twinkling like distant fireworks.
Galaxies spiraled lazily nearby, their arms dotted with billions of pinprick lights that could be entire worlds full of people or aliens or whatever lived out there. Universes overlapped in ways that hurt his brain to think about, like layers of reality stacked on top of each other, some expanding with bursts of energy that looked like exploding fireworks in slow motion, others contracting into dense points of nothingness that sucked in light and matter with greedy hunger.
The sheer scale of it all made John feel tiny, insignificant, like a speck of dust in a hurricane, but also oddly peaceful, as if the chaos was so immense it wrapped around into serenity. He tried to move his arms, and they responded, but there was no ground to push against, no air to swim through, just endless void punctuated by these celestial wonders. His body felt whole again, no more broken nose or claw marks shredding his back, no chains biting into his ankles. Whatever pain he'd carried from the cave and the chief's club was gone, replaced by a strange numbness that wasn't unpleasant, more like the afterglow of a really good nap. He twisted his head, taking in more of the spectacle: a comet streaked by close enough that he could see its icy tail glittering with frozen particles, and beyond that, a black hole warped space around it, bending light into rainbows that shouldn't exist. It was beautiful in a terrifying way, the kind of view that made you question if you were dreaming or dead or both.
And then he saw the guy. Right in front of him, or maybe beside him, since directions didn't mean much here. The figure was made entirely of pure white light, glowing softly like a human-shaped lamp that didn't cast shadows. No face at all, just a smooth, featureless expanse where eyes and mouth and nose should be, but somehow John could sense an expression there, like the light shifted in subtle ways to convey mood. The guy was around John's height, maybe five-foot-eight, with a build that was average, not muscular or skinny, just normal, but radiating this otherworldly energy that made the air, or whatever passed for air here, hum faintly. No hair anywhere, no clothes either, but the glow obscured any details, making him look more like a silhouette filled with starlight than a naked person.
He was packing a suitcase, an old-fashioned leather one with brass buckles that looked comically out of place in this cosmic backdrop. The suitcase was open on what seemed like an invisible surface, and the guy was methodically placing items inside: first a single Hawaii button-up shirt, the kind with loud floral patterns in reds and yellows and greens, palm trees and hibiscus flowers dancing across the fabric as if ready for a beach party. Then a fleshlight, plain and unassuming, the silicone exterior catching a bit of the nebula's purple hue as he tucked it in carefully, like it was fragile china. Some cigars followed, a bundle of five or six, thick and brown, wrapped in a humidifier pouch to keep them fresh, their aroma somehow wafting through the void, earthy and tobacco-rich even though there shouldn't be smells here. Finally, a deck of cards, standard poker size, the box worn at the edges from use, with a faded image of a joker grinning on the front. The guy closed the suitcase with a click, the sound echoing impossibly through the space, and latched it shut, giving it a little pat as if satisfied with his packing job.
The glowing white guy turned toward John, or at least oriented his featureless head in that direction, and spoke. His voice was calm, resonant, like it came from everywhere at once, echoing off the nebulas and stars without any distortion. "Ah, you're awake. Good timing. I was just about to head out." He hefted the suitcase in one glowing hand, the light pulsing slightly as if in rhythm with his words.
John blinked, his mind racing to catch up with the surreal scene. He floated there, surrounded by the swirling nebulas that shifted colors from deep indigo to fiery orange as if breathing, universes birthing stars in distant explosions of light that sent ripples through the void.
"Where... where am I? What are you? And why am I here?" The questions tumbled out, his voice sounding small and echoey in the vastness, but clear enough.
The guy set the suitcase down on that invisible platform again, the buckles jingling faintly, and tilted his head, the glow softening like he was amused. "Me? I've got a lot of names. Some call me 0, the beginning and the end. Others say Null, the void from which everything springs. Omega, the final point. But really, I'm just a god. A powerful one at that. I've shaped realities, woven the fabric of existence across countless dimensions. Billions of planets? That's just a Tuesday for me... Well its Sunday now. Stars igniting, galaxies colliding, life evolving from primordial ooze into civilizations that reach for the cosmos,I've done it all. I've orchestrated wars between gods, seeded philosophies that span eons, and watched empires rise and fall like waves on a shore. But honestly, it's all getting really stale. The patterns repeat, the surprises dwindle. I need a break. Hell, a vacation. So yes, I'm going."
John processed this, his eyes darting to a nearby nebula where gas clouds swirled into shapes that almost looked like faces, whispering secrets he couldn't hear. Universes overlapped in the background, one with spiraling arms of blue stars, another contracting into a singularity that pulled at the edges of his perception. He felt a mix of awe and confusion, the weightlessness making his stomach flip even though there was no gravity to speak of. "Okay, but... how is that my problem?"
The glowing white guy picked up the suitcase again, the Hawaii shirt visible through a slight gap where the latch wasn't fully secure, its vibrant colors clashing with the cosmic backdrop. He shifted his stance, the light rippling across his form like water. "Simple. I'm gonna make you god."
John's confusion melted into a grin, slow at first, then widening until it split his face, his teeth showing in the glow of the guy's light. The nebulas around them seemed to brighten for a moment, as if responding to his sudden shift in mood, stars twinkling faster in the distant galaxies. "I'm listening."
The guy nodded, his featureless head bobbing, and set the suitcase down one more time to gesture with glowing hands, the light trailing faint afterimages in the void.
"I'm leaving for infinity minus one years, which is basically forever. Eternity without the full commitment, you know? Gives me time to unwind, play some cards, enjoy the cigars on a beach somewhere beyond the multiverse. The pieces are flying together like magic."
John tuned everything out after that, his mind wandering as the guy's voice droned on, the words blending into the background hum of the universes. Nebulas continued their slow dance, colors shifting through spectrums of purple and gold, while galaxies spun in eternal patterns, stars being born and dying in flashes that lit up the void like fireflies. The suitcase sat there, packed and ready, the fleshlight tucked neatly beside the cigars, the deck of cards peeking out from under the Hawaii shirt. John's thoughts raced elsewhere, piecing together possibilities, the glow of the guy reflecting in his eyes as the cosmic scenery unfolded endlessly around them.
THIS IS A REVENGE STORY AT AN OP MC!