The darkness was absolute.
It wasn't the darkness of a room with the lights turned off; it was the heavy, suffocating weight of nothingness.
No sound. No air. No ground beneath my feet.
I was just... drifting.
"What... where am I?"
I tried to speak, but the voice didn't come from my throat—it echoed directly in my mind.
"Clearly, this isn't my room. Is this heaven? Or hell?"
I looked around, but there was nothing to see. Just an endless, silent abyss.
How long had I been floating here? Minutes? Centuries? The lack of stimulus was enough to drive anyone insane.
"Hello, mortal."
The voice vibrated through my very soul. It was calm, ancient, and terrifyingly powerful. I whipped my non-existent head around.
"Who's there?! Wait... are you God?"
"In a way, yes. I can be called what you humans refer to as God," the voice replied.
A faint, shimmering light began to coalesce in the distance, forming a silhouette that defied human comprehension.
"The short version? You died."
A cold realization washed over me. "I thought so. So... what happens now? Where are you sending me? Heaven or Hell?"
"Normally, mortal, that is exactly where your soul would belong," the Being stated, its tone shifting to one of mild curiosity.
"But there is a rare case here. You are stuck in the void between the passages. You've been drifting for quite some time, and frankly, I've grown curious. I have an offer for you."
I narrowed my eyes. "An offer?"
"Considering you were an 'Otaku' in your past life, how does this sound: a second chance in another world?"
I froze. My pulse—if I still had one—would have been racing.
"Another world?" I looked at the Supreme Being skeptically. "What's the catch? In all the fanfics I've read, there's always a catch. You don't just hand out tickets to a new life for free."
The Being let out a booming laugh that rattled the void.
"You are smart to judge, mortal. The catch is simple: my satisfaction. I want to see what you do. How about... the Marvel Universe?"
My heart plummeted. "Wait, the movie version or the comics?"
"The movie version. Primarily."
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Oh, okay. That was a close one. If it was the comics, I'd be dead in five minutes. So, what's my cheat?"
"You choose," the Being said.
This was it. The moment that would define my entire existence. I didn't even have to think.
"I pick Animal Man. But I'm talking about the comic version—the one connected to the Life Web, The Red. Not the weak movie-tier versions. I want the real deal."
"Haha! I understand, mortal. You indeed are very greedy," the Being mused.
"To grant that, I must alter the fabric of that reality—adding 'The Red' and the Morphogenetic Field to the Marvel Verse. But there must be balance."
"Balance?" I asked, feeling a bit nervous.
"You will not awaken your memories or your power until your 16th birthday. And when you do, you will start at the 'Movie' level of power. You won't be a god on day one."
I frowned. "That's... manageable. But I want more. I want the ability to grow. Is the comic version the limit?"
The Being sighed, though it sounded more amused than annoyed.
"You indeed are a greedy mortal. Fine. I shall grant you the 'Path of Infinite Evolution.' As long as you train, as long as you seek knowledge, your animal forms will have no ceiling."
The Being leaned in closer.
"You can evolve a common gorilla into a King Kong. You can take the speed of a cheetah and push it until you're outrunning light itself. You will gain every attribute of the animal—their strength, their senses, their instincts."
"You can even shapeshift into them entirely, though it will require immense focus and consume your energy. As long as you keep me interested, your potential is limitless."
A grin spread across my soul. "Deal."
"Now, off you go, young one. Let us see if you can survive the coming storms."
Before I could say another word, the darkness shattered like glass, and I was sucked into a vortex of white light.