Chaos

Waking up, I saw stars and galaxies—many of them—scattered everywhere, from the sky to beneath my feet.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

I turned toward the voice and saw everything and nothing at once: my mom, my father, my neighbor, my sister—all in one fleeting moment.

I immediately turned away, refusing to look at the thing behind me.

"Haha, that's a good reaction," said the thing behind me.

"W-what are you?" I stammered.

"Good question, David. A very good question, but one that will never have a real answer. I am many things: the world, the universe, the people. Some have called me 'god,' others 'mother.' But in the end, I am everything—which also means, in a way, I am you. Though, you probably know me by the most popular name people have given me. I am Chaos."

"C-Chaos? Like from Greek mythology?" I asked, my voice trembling. "That Chaos?"

"Yes," it said, a hint of amusement in its tone.

"You know, I haven't spoken to anyone in eons. It's kinda rude not to look at someone when they're talking to you, don't you think?"

"I-I'm sorry, but I'd rather not look at you. You're… terrifying. The few seconds I did, I saw fifty people at once. It was too much for me. I really don't want to experience that again," I replied, my voice barely holding steady.

"I see. Well, it can't be helped. You're not a god, so you can't really perceive me properly. When your eyes saw me, your brain tried to make sense of what it couldn't comprehend, so it showed you what you know best—the people you see the most."

"I see... well, I don't really see, but I think I understand," I said hesitantly.

"I know this is late, but where am I? And how did I get here?"

"You're in me right now," Chaos answered.

"Wait… inside you?"

"Yes. The form you briefly saw is a part of me, but it's not my true form. I am a location, and you are inside that location," Chaos explained.

"I guess I kinda get it… I think."

"But why am I here?" I asked, confusion creeping into my voice.

"You don't remember? You died."

"What? When?"

"Try remembering what happened right before you found yourself here."

Flashback:

A young man, around 19 or 20, with short hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and very dark skin, walked home from work after a six-hour shift at a clothing store. It was raining, but this rain felt strange to him. Looking up, he saw flashes of green streaks across the sky, which filled him with unease. He had no idea why the lightning was green, nor did he want to find out. He started running, desperate to get home faster.

But after a few minutes, he felt static electricity tingling across his skin. In the brief moment he realized what that meant, a bolt of green lightning struck him. As he tried to dodge to the right, another version of him appeared to dodge to the left. Looking down at himself, the lightning didn't seem to do any damage. But when he glanced to his left, he saw… himself.

A few seconds later, the thunder roared directly above him, and his body disintegrated into nothing, leaving behind only a confused boy who had just seen himself appear… and then disappear.

Flashback end:

"I was struck by a green thunderbolt… then I heard the thunder, and I felt my body being torn apart, piece by piece. After that, I woke up here."

"Yes, that was temporal lightning and spatial thunder," Chaos explained.

"The lightning made a time duplicate of you, and the thunder tore one of you apart. You were just unlucky."

"So... am I a time clone?" I asked, bewildered.

"Nobody knows if you're the clone or if the one left behind was the clone. After all, at the end of the day, you're both the same—same memories, same life, same heart."

"So what happens to me now?"

"I'll send you to my world, but you know it as the Riordanverse," Chaos said calmly.

"Wait… that book series is real?!"

"Oh, yes. Many don't realize it, but all living beings who can dream aren't actually dreaming. They're seeing into another world. When you wake up, your brain just can't register those visions as memories, so you forget them."

"So, that time I dreamed I was fighting a giraffe on a pogo stick… that was real?"

"Maybe. Or it might have just been a random dream your mind made up. Like I said, nobody really knows."

"I see... so I'm going into your world? The one filled with gods, monsters, demons, and other mythological beings?"

"Yes."

"Do I get anything for this trip to your world?"

"Oh, yes! You get three wishes, like in those isekai anime you love so much."

"Is there a limit to the wishes?"

"Don't worry, I'll deny any wish that's too powerful or overpowered, or I might just change the wish slightly."

"Okay, for my first wish, I want the powers and abilities of the seven heroic spirits from Fate/Stay Night! After all, what better way to fight monsters than with the heroes who killed them first, right?"

"That's a nice wish, but I can't allow all seven. I'll change it so you can choose two heroic spirits from either the Caster, Archer, or Assassin class."

"Oh, man! But at least I get to choose the servants, right?"

"Yes, but no Grand Servants."

"Damn it! Fine, I choose Medea for Caster and Emiya for Archer."

"Good choice. Now, what's your second wish?"

"My second wish is the same as the first."

"Okay, I didn't say you couldn't wish for the same thing again, but you can't repeat it for your third wish."

"Okay, fine." I paused, thinking for a moment. "For my second wish, I choose two Assassins:No Name Assassin and Yu Mei-ren."

"Wonderful choices! But the last wish has to be different."

"Alright, what better way to deal with monsters—or avoid gods—than to be a god killer?"

"I'm not giving you Kratos," Chaos said, almost proud of the response.

"I knew you'd say that," I said, grinning slightly even though I still wasn't looking at Chaos. "But it's not Kratos. I want the powers of Godou Kusanagi, a Campione. I watched that anime years ago and just remembered him."

"Godou Kusanagi? Okay, but I'll only give you the first three Authorities: the Persian Warlord, Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi, and Dawn's Secret Archives."

"I thought I'd get the full package… but I'm okay with that."

"Good. With that settled, it's time to send you to my world. Also, I'll be changing your name from David to Dan Blackman."

"Why are you changing my name?"

"Names hold power, especially to gods. If a god knows your true name, they can uncover your history. I'm changing it to protect you from letting them find out more than they should."

"Alright, but I have one more question—about my family. Are they okay?"

"Your family is fine."

"Okay. I'm ready."

"Alright, then. Off you go—and make sure to live a good life. Your descendants will be of great help in that new world."