>>6064088When your eyes open, it's cool again and you're no longer covered in sweat. You feel safe. So it was all dream. A wave of relief washes over you and the sense of panic fades. That is, until you realize you aren't in your bed. You're... somewhere? Or maybe nowhere? It's pure white in every direction, endlessly. You look down at your hands and... you don't have any hands!!! You don't even have a body anymore. Are you dead? I mean, what else could it be? So that gorilla-demon in the convenience store was real? You died at work.
And where are you now? The whiteness kind of seems like heaven but... isn't heaven supposed to be happy? It doesn't seem like hell either. After some thinking, you conclude it's probably purgatory, the perfect afterlife for a wallflower like you.
"Do not be afraid." A deep, masculine voice booms out reverberating throughout your whole essence. The infinite expanse of whiteness no longer seems empty, but instead overflowing with some presence. Wherever you look you still see nothing, but in the periphery of your "vision" you see millions upon millions of eyes, of various shape and size and color, all staring at you with neither benevolence or malice.
"W-who are you?"
In the center of your vision, between the infinite eyes, a humanoid figure appears. A man: tall, muscular, and beautiful. He looks like an angel ripped from some renaissance painting: long flowing hair, white robes, and a massive spear in his hand. "I am Gabriel, Archangel of the LORD." He responds.
"So I'm dead then." You conclude.
"You are not, for I have saved you."
"Oh. Thanks. So are we like, inside my brain or something?"
"Indeed." Gabriel responds. "I sensed your distress and rushed to protect you."
"Well... thanks. What was that thing anyway?"
"Hellspawn. Something like an animal, except native to the fiery pits of hell. I slew it when I came to protect you."
"Thanks..." You reply awkwardly, "Umm, that's my first time seeing one those. Did something happen?"
"Indeed. The prince of hell has ascended to the throne of the divine and has dominion over the heavens and the heavenly hosts. He has given the world to his demons to rule as they please."
"Oh." What the hell are you supposed to say to that? Is this a dream within a dream? Should you even entertain this madness? "So... what should I do?"
"My brothers and I, the first of the LORD's creations, have volition of our own, and need not obey the enemy's infernal commands. We seek to free the LORD from captivity and restore him to his throne. To do so, we will need to march on Heaven and strike down the enemy."
"... okay..." You mutter, feeling that your question has gone unanswered. "Umm.. good luck."
(cont.)
