THE MOMENT
"Why me?" Paul asked. The question had been on his mind a lot lately and it came easily in this newest circumstance. He stood nowhere, in absolute darkness, before a lovely pale woman with bone-white ram horns twisting out of her head. He was mildly terrified at first, his depression helped keep him calm. She introduced herself as Ballisea, an ancient sun god, and wanted to play a game with him. Well, she presented it as a game, but from his perspective, she was threatening to end humanity. At that particular moment, he was okay with that.
"Who knows?" Ballisea laughed, without moving her mouth. Somehow, her amusement echoed in his ears and the darkness all around him. "I am all-powerful and cannot be bothered with trifling details. On a whim, I summoned a representative, and then you appeared. If you don't want to play, I'll just do it again to get someone else. But, since you are here, it's worth pointing out you're part of humanity. Surely you'd like a say in your own fate even if others don't have the same courtesy."
He was part of humanity. A tiny, insignificant portion of the greater whole. That's how he'd been feeling lately, and now he had the fate of the greater whole entirely in his hands. It was a much-needed shift in perspective. It was easy to feel like the world was against him when his immediate circle was giving him friction. But now, he had to think of the billions of strangers that had nothing to do with him. The wider scope also gave him a deeper insight. Maybe it was the pressure of the situation, or maybe his mind was simply ready to make the right connections. In the space of a few moments, reminding him that he was part of humanity opened his mind to the possibilities. He was part of the whole. But, what if that whole was part of something bigger? He'd never heard of Ballisea before, but not for a moment did he doubt she was on the level of a god. What did that mean? Where did she come from?
"When you say 'wipe humanity from existence'..." he looked up into her golden eyes as he tried to find the right words. He didn't want to insult her, and she seemed capable of misconstruing anything as an insult. "...what does that mean exactly? Surely not ALLL of humanity, right?" He wasn't sure what he was asking, but her golden eyes sparkled with amusement and she smiled.
"That's a very clever observation," more laughter echoed around him. "And yet, it's still not very clear what you mean, is it? I wonder if you can elaborate for me?"
Paul was generally bright and quick-minded. A run of bad luck had formed a cloud of doubt that slowed him down, but he was clearing up again thanks to the necessity of it. He'd relaxed around Ballisea because she seemed genuinely playful, even if on a ridiculous scale. But now, he was painfully aware that he'd become the game. She said she didn't know how it worked, but thought he had an idea. If she was looking for entertainment when she summoned him, she found it. The realizations all fell into place as if he'd had them long ago, and he was waiting for the right trigger. The biggest realization was the knowledge that he was in danger, independent of his decision. Did he have multiple guesses? What happened if he was wrong? The one thing he had working in his favor was pop culture.
The more he wondered about Ballisea's origin, the more he decided she wasn't an alien. She decided to refer to herself as a sun god and likely originated from Earth. But, if he wasn't familiar with her...
"Are you going to wipe out all humans in every universe too?" He asked. He needed to present it as a confident question. He had no idea if there really was a multiverse, but being in Ballisea's presence was already stranger than that would be, so it seemed plausible. He hoped he wasn't actually betting his life on it.
"Aren't you completely unexpected?" Ballisea giggled, and suddenly there was light in the darkness. An oblong portal hung in the air with reflected sunlight flooding in. It surprised Paul, but not as much as it surprised Ballisea, her laughter stopped instantly. He thought her laughter and the sudden light were related until someone walked out of portal to invade Ballisea's void. A woman in a crimson suit wearing heels that clicked hollow in the blackness.
"You... were expected days ago...," Ballisea sighed. It wasn't strictly disappointment, but very much a 'parents just got home' vibe. "Now you have to wait until I'm done playing," Ballisea said, then turned to Paul.
"That's Ruby, she's from another universe," Ballisea introduced her to confirm Paul's hopeful assumption. "So, you are correct. I am only threatening to destroy all humanity on your Earth. What is your judgment?"
"That's easy," Paul shrugged. "Humanity's fine. Seems to be working out its issues at least."
"It's a good thing you were entertaining enough prior to your decision," Ballisea giggled, then made a gesture. Another portal opened beside Ruby's to show him his living room. "You may leave."
"Wait!" Paul said. He looked over at Ruby, who only stared back through him. "I mean, if that's okay..."
"You may speak," Ballisea nodded. "What is it?"
"Well, you're all-powerful, right? You said? Since you kind of inconvenienced me, can I ask for something in return? Two somethings! One of them might even be fun for you!" he said. He'd already worked out how to keep her interest, and it was obvious she was willing to drag out any interaction in that moment.
"You may ask, at least," Ballisea nodded.
"So, I don't want all humans on my Earth to die.. but, I don't really want to go back there either. I've got nothing to go back to, can I go to a different Earth instead?"
"I don't care where you go," Ballisea shrugged. "There are two portals open before you, take whichever one you find appealing. Ruby represents Chroma Corp. If you find yourself in their offices, they will explain the multiverse and deliver you to any Earth you prefer," Ballisea replied. Paul wasn't sure, but he glanced at Ruby and she nodded.
"I have chosen not to grant your first request, what is your second?" Ballisea asked. It was an interesting way to put it, but Paul wasn't going to complain. Instead, he moved closer and dropped his voice to a whisper. He didn't know how good Ruby's hearing was, but he had the sense that he should be embarrassed about his next request if he was about to take her hospitality.
"Well, you said you don't worry about details, right? But, it's not a bad idea to keep the skills warm, know what I mean?" he asked. "Instead of wiping out all of humanity, what if I just gave you three specific people?"