Capítulo 1: Death
Death is a sad topic for many.
It is the end of the road of opportunity, the closing of the final door, the final goodbye.
Death can also be a good thing, for some, it is the final resting place or a paradise- the ultimate reward for a well-lived life.
These thoughts and others flowed through Julian's mind as he lay on the dirty floor of a gas station bathroom. It was funny, he would have never thought after all the years he survived in his shitty neighborhood he would die once he finally started college.
College was the end goal, after all, 2 years of education coupled with classes then he would be a certified EMT. It really seemed like a good idea, use the scholarships he won to go to community college for free, and either graduate and work as an EMT or transfer to a pre-med program at a university. He thought about what it would feel like to read the certificate, National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Hereby Certifies Julian Antonio Rodriguez... What his mom would say as she reads it, her face as he defies her expectations and succeeds despite her cruelty. How his friends would celebrate when he got it. The pride his dad would have when he read it, knowing that his son was truly making the world a better place like he promised as a young child. The look in a man's eyes as he saved his daughter from choking, a memory that sparked his purpose. The look in the man's eyes was unlike anything he had ever seen, relief and gratitude at knowing his loved one was okay, a look he wanted to see again, people he wanted to help, lives he wanted to save.
But alas, his dreams of being a real-life hero would never come true, death was imminent. He had been shot 4 times and had lost enough blood to become delirious; if his morbid philosophy session was any indication. Then again that could be from lack of oxygen, his lungs had long since filled with blood and he hadn't taken a breath for several minutes. This wasn't how it was supposed to end, but that was okay. He had fun in this life, he had moments of joy so pure no traumatic experience could poison them. He had friends and family that would miss him, sure, but he also knew they would carry on, and maybe, just maybe one of them would go on to become the hero he never had the chance to be.
So as Julian reflected on his life, he closed his eyes and embraced death with a smile as darkness overtook his vision, comfortable silence settled in his ears, and a soft comforting feeling floated him off the rough ground.
Julian stayed in that state for a while, he wasn't sure how long but for what seemed like an eternity he floated through nothing. Bliss filled his mind as he recalled every one of his good memories over and over in a trance-like state. Though melancholy and regret surfaced from time to time they never lingered for long.
After another eternity of nothing, a sudden blinding light filled the endless void, waking Julian from the slumber of death with a sudden gasp.
"Hello there mortal" a colossal being made of pure white in the shape of a person greeted Julian. A smile formed from a shadow plastered on its featureless face.
Julian's eyes widdened as he looked around with astonishment at the sight before him as he straightened his posture. He was still floating but he felt a weird tingling in senses that allowed him to maneuver somewhat through the zero-gravity environment. It was strange but he felt better floating upright than on his back.
Julian took a second to observe the entity before him. It was made of bright white light, featureless in all ways except for shadows on it's face that made the form of a mouth and eyes. Julian wondered if God had come to judge him like the bible said.
"Hmm, I guess you could say it's something similar to that, though I am not the god of your bible, I am an existence well beyond your comprehension." Julian's expression shifted as he realized the being before him could read his thoughts, a mix of wonder and caution. "You may refer to me as Lux, a little on the nose, but the noises that consist of my true name would drive you mad." Lux said with a grin.
"Who-" Julian began to ask as Lux but was interrupted with a tut
"Let me finish my introduction before you ask any questions" Lux said as he clapped his hands, a whiteboard and chalk appearing at his left.
"Like I said you can call me Lux, you can think of me as a celestial angel of sorts, a being of immense power but ultimately, I am a servant of a greater, all-powerful entity, and I exist to carry out His will" Lux explained as he drew an angel on the chalkboard. Comparing the image to the being before him Julian noticed the white feathery wings extending from the angel's back.
"My job is to find souls that have for whatever reason crossed into the void and deal with them" Lux said. "Normally that would mean erasing your soul-" the angel paused, as if though waiting for an outburst from Julian. But the soul shrugged his shoulders, he was already dead and he couldn't imagine soul erasure would be noticeably different from an endless black void.
"Aren't you an interesting one?" Lux questioned as his smile turned into one of curiosity. "Soul erasure is the ultimate end no paradise or comforting void, most in your position would be cowering and begging to be spared, or at least somewhat afraid" Lux explained as the the angel on the chalkboard poofed away. Lux waited again, but seeing no reaction from Julian frowned for a second before his smile returned. "Regardless, that's not why I'm here. I'm here because not only have you existed in the void for a prolonged period of time, but you did so without becoming a deranged maniac. So I've come with a reward in mind for such a valiant display of human spirit."
Lux snapped his finger as he shrunk to stand at Julian's height, a table forming between them with a chair on each side. Lux sat down and pulled a deck of cards from nowhere, as Julian followed him to sit on the other side.
"What's the reward you mentioned?" Julian asked with a hint of curiosity as Lux shuffled the cards in his hands.
"An opportunity to become everything you dreamed of" Lux said as his smile dropped into a more serious expression. "A chance to show the world the meaning of hope, a chance to inspire others, a chance to make the world a better place. A chance, to be a hero! Lux exclaimed as the deck of cards changed to represent the symbols of various heroes. First, the symbol of house El, then an image of Spiderman's mask, the bat symbol, a green lantern ring, Captain America's shield, Goku's gi, and many others flashed across the back of the cards as they were shuffled.
Julian smiled as he looked at Lux. Sure he had accepted death, but a chance to live again? To become a real-life hero, who would pass that up? Not Julian that's for sure.
"What's the catch?" Julian asked with the tiniest hit of doubt, good things never came for free and Lux's personality gave off the vibes of an eccentric entity more than a benevolent angel.
"Very little I assure you, just something I like to call the hero's curse." Lux said as a hint of something darker crossed flashed across his face. "Although your reincarnation is all but guaranteed, I decided to add a bit of flair to it. The curse can come in many forms, it can cause tragedy to your loved ones, give bouts of strength or genius insight to your enemies, it can make you hated and shunned, or it can do nothing at all. The curse is relative and will hit you where you're weakest. The curse is a fire, and you will either be tempered or melted by it!" Lux exclaimed as his expression turned manic.
Worry spread across Julian's face as Lux broke out into laughter "Ahh don't worry Julian, the curse is tiny, an itty bitty little thing. I like you, and I wouldn't want to hurt you, just... add a little motivation, plus I'll be sure to give a real sad backstory so it all evens out." Lux said as he laid out twenty cards, the bottom ones were black with white and gold symbols adorning them. The top ones were pure gold with a white border and light blue glowing symbols.
"Make your choice, three weak cards..." Lux said as he pointed to the black cards "... or one strong card." Lux said pointing to the golden cards.
"Hold on, do I get to know where I'm going, you said I'm reincarnating but does that mean back on Earth or somewhere else?" Julian asked, worried at the lack of information, he had sat still and quietly and honestly expected a better explanation.
"The details will be revealed after you make your selection." Lux said cryptically, his face turning perfectly neutral again "Though I will say this, you will not return to the Earth you knew" Lux hinted.
Julian spent a few moments trying to coax more answers about the cards, what exactly "strong" and "weak" meant, if he was going to a superhero world, and all other manner of details but was met with non-answers or silence. Sighing, Julian looked over every card, after a moment of thought he decided to pick one of the strong cards, go big or go home right? Eventually, he chose the middle card, hoping for neutrality in whatever ranking they were in because he did not believe for a second they were truly random. The second Julian touched the card all the others disappeared, picking it up to look at it he was met with a face he vaguely recognized. On the card was an animated young superhero flying through the sky wearing a blue and yellow suit, a bright smile plastered on his face as the wind whipped through his hair. He looked up from the card to ask Lux about it, but the second he took his eyes off the card it exploded in a golden light that blocked his vision.
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This chap is longer than the others will be, hope you like it. lmk if there is any mistakes or if something doesn't make any sense.
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