My eyes opened to a sea of nothing, but pure everlasting white clouds. The space was almost blindingly bright. But, I felt no pain nor fear, just utter confusion at the sight that beheld me.
As I inhaled, I noticed that the air was fresher than anything I had ever experienced.
"The Fuck?! Where am I?" I looked around frantically trying to get a grasp of my situation.
There wasn't a person, place, or thing in sight for me to call upon. I stood still not wanting to do anything to make my situation worse.
"Aye Yoooo, I don't wanna be here anymore!" I expressed to no one in particular. "Hello?! Anybody?!"
"Hey pal, relax, I was just running a little late." said a ball of pure light that descended from above me, seemingly out of nowhere.
I look at the thing with perplexity on my face for a moment. "What the hell are you?!"
"I'm what you call a guiding light, for those who have passed on from the world of the living." It said with no visible mouth in sight.
"Passed on?! What do you mean passed on?! I'm still a living breathing individual, I just closed my eyes for a while." I said starting to sweat a little.
"Oh you closed your eyes alright, but it was of the permanent kind. " It said.
"Nooooooooo!" I cried out and fell to my knees. "Why do good people have to be punished like this! Whyyyy!"
"Good?!" the being interrupted.
I stood back up. "Yes, good. You saying I'm not good bitch?!"
"That's correct." the being stated as it brought out a giant bar and hovered it where I could see it.
"The hell are you gonna do with that, you gonna do some pull ups or what?"
It proceeded to strike me on the head with the bar. "That sharp tongue of yours is also one of the reasons why you're here. " then, it pointed at the bar. "This is a tool for measuring karma within people from your planet, everyone has good and bad karma; we use this to determine where you go based on how much of either you have accrued in your life."
"Tch, this sounds like some bullshit. Quit playing and tell me the real reason why I'm here!"
"I've already told you, you passed on from the world of the living and now you're here to be judged."
"Judg- Ain't that a bitch! I can't even remember how I died; how's this fair?"
"You really want to know? It asked in a tone that told me I probably shouldn't have asked. "It's one of your greatest fears; you never wanted to ever go out like this."
I think for a moment, trying to guess what it meant. "I got struck by lightning, three times?!"
"No."
"I tripped and fell from a very tall building?"
"No."
"I got eaten alive by a pack of hungry hobos?!"
"No, but on the same level of idiocy."
"Same level? What could it be, what coul-" my eyes widened. "Noooooo! You don't mean."
"It seems like you finally got it."
"There's no way I went out like that!"
"Right on the toilet, after consuming 15 Popeye's biscuits as a dare. You popped a vein in your head trying to push out the substances from your body."
"Oh my goodness!"
"The various doctors and medical practitioners had a good laugh while operating on you. They even went as far as labeling the surgery after you as part of a new operating treatment."
"DO NOT SEND ME BACK TO THAT PLACE! PLEASE!"
"Oh worry not, you will not be going back there. Your thread in that particular place has run its course, it's now time to figure out where you belong now." the being said as it turned the bar on.
I watched as the bar began to fill with numbers on each side, until they both landed on the same number. "50?! What's that mean?"
"Oh my, it seems you may have accrued both good and bad karma, but just at the lowest of levels."
"How's that possible? I've never done anything monstrous."
"And you've never done anything good either. Anytime you were faced with doing something like being generous to someone else without a reward in mind, you just wouldn't do it; It's true that you weren't inherently evil, but your actions were way too neutral to be considered good."
"So I'm being punished because I mind my own business? That's bullshit! Who made this shitty ass rule up?"
"No one person or being made it up, it's just how the laws of your universe function." the being said putting the bar away.
"So what happens now? I just die and turn to what? Nothing?"
"Of course not. You'll get the opportunity to acquire karma in a new plane of quintessential existence."
"Huh?"
"I'm sending you to another world you twit."
"Aye, take it easy. No need for name calling now." I laugh. "What world is it gonna be?"
The being brought out a large wheel with various names I recognized. "This is a wheel filled with every and all forms of fiction you've encountered or interacted with in your life. I'll spin this wheel and you'll tell me when to stop and you'll automatically get dropped into that world."
"Really?! That sounds awe- wait a minute, do I have to stick with the events of that world's story?"
"No, not at all. You can effect as much change as you want in that world. In fact, the moment you step into the world, it will already be affected in one way, shape, or another. However, it is imperative that you do what is natural and not what you think is right."
"Huh? What does that mean?" I asked in bewilderment.
"Do not try to do good or positive things because you can build up good karma; you must do things naturally based on your desires and not because you may potentially have a reward at the end of this journey. Do things right or there will be negative ramifications when you end up here again. Trust me we'll know. It said ominously.
"Aye man, let me just spin that wheel already." I said, trying to usher away from the conversation.
"Alright, just tell me when to stop." It said as it began to spin the wheel.
I watched the wheel spin about 6 times before I called out. "Stop!" and with that, the arrow attached to the wheel stopped at a bright blue and yellow sign with the word 'INVINCIBLE' embroidered on it.
"Invincible?" I tried to think of what it could mean. "Like Mark Grayson Invincible?"
"Correct."
"Oh shit, I was just watching that some time ago. Who am I gonna be? Someone completely new? Or Mark himself?" I inquired.
"You will be placed in the body of Mark Grayson, alias Invincible."
"Oh shit! That's gonna help a lot with-" I thought about the pick some more. "Whoa, hold on now. I'm gonna get my fucking ass beat."
"Yes, Mark Grayson does end up in uncomfortable situation."
"Uncomfortable?! That bastard get's his ass beat man, stop beating around the bush. He's going up against the strongest beings in his universe after just getting his powers, like what the fuck."
"It is up to you to determine how you will handle those situations."
"Up to me huh? Well, I'm not gonna get my ass whooped in a manner like that. I can tell you that." I say then I remember something the being said. "Funny, I recall you saying I'd be sent to the world automatically, yet I'm still here."
"Oh yeah? Then what's that behind you?" It asked as I turned around to find absolutely nothing there.
"Hey! I don't see nothing back there you bit-" I got cut off by a fist landing straight into my face, sending me tumbling backwards.
Beep.....Beep...…Beep.
When I opened my eyes up again, I was nearly blinded by an intense set of lights.
"Are you feeling okay sweetie?" the voice of what sounded like a woman asked.
"Sweetie? You talkin to me, lady?"
"Lady? Oh my god, that hit must have been worse than we expected." she said worriedly.
"The Doctor said he should be fine, he's just experiencing a state of a slightly fractured mind." said the deep voice of a man.
"Aye who are you people?"
The lady placed a gentle hand on my head. "It's us Mark, it's mom and dad." she said as I got a closer look at the two.
The lady was a young woman of asian heritage, she had short black hair and brown eyes. She had a slender yet athletic build and was of average height.
The man on the other hand, was tall and racially ambiguous, he had blue eyes, a thick yet well-groomed mustache, and trimmed black hair. He had a well-built and powerful physique.
"This is Debbie and Nolan."
I grabbed my head. "Right, what happened to me?"
"You and your father were at the batting cages, and a ball from the pitching machine hit you." Debbie answered.
"What?! How'd that happen?!"
"Well son, when the ball was about to come out, you tried to time it, but you swung early and got thrown off balance. And that's how you ended up here in the E.R." Nolan responded.
"Wow, I suck."
"No you don't, it was just an avoidable accident." Debbie said as she patted my head affectionately.
"Your mother's right, think of this as a lesson you could learn from." Nolan said.
I nod my head at them. "When can we go home?"
"The doctor said whenever you're ready." Debbie answered.
"So this is my new life, huh? I step in and I'm already getting my ass beat."
"I'm ready. Let's go home."
As the two of them gathered our stuff to leave, I can't help but wonder about what steps I could take in this new world with new possibilities.
I can't help, but smile because in the future I'm going to be….. [Title Card] (Invincible).