Just as suddenly as it had gone, Alex felt the control come back to his body. He found himself able to move his legs and swing his arms once more. Which meant that this person truly didn't mean to harm him, but why was this person waiting? And how did they know that he would show up?
"You have already passed the Keepers inspection," The person stepped to the side, no longer barring the door that had opened. Behind them was a glowing golden opening that Alex couldn't see the inside of.
"Many come here who have weak or damaged souls, you are not the first to walk this hallowed ground, and you will not be the last."
Despite this person's words, Alex was tense. He didn't know if he could trust this stranger. Anyone who served the gods blindly would never be completely trustworthy.
He knew it was somewhat hypocritical, considering his own entanglement with the gods, but he didn't worship them or just follow them blindly. His plan was to use them to get stronger, the same way they used him as a warrior in their endless war.
"Come forth Hero," The stranger kept talking, unaware of Alex's internal thoughts. "And test the resolve of your soul." Alex was immediately pulled forward by some invisible force, his autonomy lost once more.
In an instant he was standing in the precipice and gazing directly into the golden opening. He still couldn't see what was on the other side, but if this temple was the only way to heal his soul… what choice did he have?
It didn't really matter at this point whether he wanted to or not, he had walked upon the sacred ground of the temple. He had unwittingly called forth a servant of the pagoda. His soul would be tested, and if it was found lacking, he would be erased from existence.
The same invisible force that drew him to the opening shoved him on the back and Alex fell forward into the golden doorway, twisting his body to curse at the stranger for pushing him in. But when he turned all he saw was gold, and a voice whispered in his head.
"Good luck."
***
Alex was falling? Floating? He honestly couldn't tell. All he saw was streaks of golden light that kept flashing by him at impossible speeds. The only thing he could feel was a strange pull, guiding his body towards a specific direction in this endless abyss of gold.
Occasionally he would catch whispers of awesome and terrifying powers beyond his comprehension, but he just focused on where he could feel himself being pulled. He was here to fix his soul, nothing more and nothing less.
As he drifted Alex thought about Amanda. He hoped she was doing okay, though knowing her she was probably fine. She was never much of a gamer when they were kids, but given her inner strength and the way she carried herself? Yea, she was probably on top of the world and enjoying herself.
Argus and its members were a different story altogether. Could he trust them? Probably not. Alex had learned that no matter how nice and kind people were, they always had secret agendas.
If they offered a helping hand it was because they expected something in return. In their defense though, it was a matter of the literal end of the world, so he couldn't really blame them.
He just hated being the one everyone was relying on. The gods were relying on him to be their tool to fight in the war. Argus was relying on him to save Earth from turning into a sandwich with another realm. Even the people of Vorcast were relying on him to save their land and defeat the invading forces. The only person he didn't mind having rely on him was his sister.
It was a lot of pressure for someone who wanted nothing to do with any of it. To him, Earth was barely worth saving. Nobody had ever done anything to save him, why should he put himself on the line to save billions of strangers?
Not to mention the gods and their selfish ways. They probably thought of him as a perfect warrior who would hang on their every word and do whatever they commanded. He didn't care. They could all rot.
And then there was himself. Was he even worth saving? He had killed dozens of men in order to get to his sister without batting an eye. Their blood was on his hands. Their screams echoed in his mind if he wasn't actively forcing them out.
Each of their deaths would haunt him forever. Could he ever forgive himself for being that kind of monster? For being a person that didn't blink in the face of death? Was he already too far gone and walking a path from which he would never return?
The truth of the matter, and something Alex would come to eventually realize, is that nobody's hands are clean. Earth, and the universe beyond it, is a dangerous place filled with dangerous beings.
Beings and people that take what they want, when they want. So what if he killed a dozen or so men to protect his sister if these entities killed thousands just for the fun of it? Those who have power and those that are strong enough to use that power are the ones that survive. The weak suffer and the strong prosper. Alex knew that all too well.
He steeled his heart and his mind as best he could, trying to shake the thoughts ruminating around his head. The cold reality was that if he hadn't done what he did, him and Amanda would either be dead, or worse, by now.
If becoming a heartless monster was the price to pay for protecting someone he cared about, then he would pay it a thousand times over without a second thought. The screams of the dead and the faces of the men Alex had ripped apart faded ever so slightly, allowing him a moment of peace. He had stopped tumbling through the endless golden abyss and came face to face with a reflection of himself
Without thinking, he reached out towards the reflection and was immediately sucked into it, disappearing from the golden abyss in an instant.
***
Alex woke up freezing and cold to the bone, shivering under a relentless assault from cold air. Snow crunched under him as he sat up and took in his surroundings. All he could see was an endless white.
Snow, falling ever so lightly, had blanketed the ground and no matter where he looked it was the same. It was just an endless expanse of white. Just where was he? The last thing he remembered was getting shoved into that stupidly bright gold opening and now he was here?
He rose up to his feet and shivered once more under the onslaught of cold. If he didn't find a way to get warm soon he would freeze to death here. And so, he began walking.
And walking. And walking. And walking.
The snow and the cold was never ending. No matter how far it felt like he walked, he hadn't gotten anywhere. He was still stuck in this snowstorm. And so, he kept walking.
And walking. And walking. And walking.
Eventually he stumbled upon someone else's footprints, which meant someone else was out here with him. He shouted until his voice cracked and his throat was dry, but no response was forthcoming. And so, he followed the footprints.
He walked until his feet ached and his calves burned, and even then he pushed himself to the limit. He could feel it. If only he managed to push himself just that extra bit further he would find the other person out here with him. And so he dredged on.
Until his legs gave out beneath him and he collapsed into the snow. Still, giving up wasn't an option. Safety and warmth was just around the corner, if only he could reach it. And so, he crawled.
Eventually he reached what appeared to be the markings of some manner of being that appeared to be crawling in the snow. Maybe it was that other person out here. They were in the same predicament as him, but that didn't mean he couldn't give it his all. And so, he kept pulling himself along the snow covered ground.
His arms gave out and his breathing was ragged. The cold had finally begun to win, taking over his body and shutting down its functions. But he was so close to salvation. If only his body wasn't so damn weak, he could reach it.
Snow continued to fall onto him, covering his arms and legs first. Was he really going to freeze to death out here? Was this really how it was all going to end for him, just mere feet away from being safe?
His chest was covered next and the snow began to settle on his face, eventually covering that too and burying him underneath its cold weight.
***
"You… you monster!"
"Your sister needed you and you abandoned her!"
"You're a good for nothing piece of trash."
"Dirt is worth more than you are."
"How… How could you do this Alex? How could you kill all these men so horribly? How could you become this monster?"
A cacophony of voices barraged Alex. His sister. His mother. The men he killed. The people who had made his life a living hell. Each of them was shouting, burying Alex in his own self doubt.
They were right.
He might have been reborn. He might be stronger now. But he would always be that same weak Alex on the inside. He would always be worth nothing.
Even as the thought crossed his mind, he dismissed it. So what if all of those things might be true? It made him who he was today. He might be weak. He might be a monster. But he could live with all of those things.
All that mattered was that he kept pushing forward. All that mattered was that he kept trying, no matter how hard things got. All that mattered is that he doesn't give up, and that he keeps fighting for what he believes in.
All that mattered was that he got a second chance to be better.
***
"Hah. Never thought you'd find your way here, boy." A raspy deep voice pulled Alex to his senses, finding himself sitting in a cozy chair with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. "Not many humans are worth saving these days, but you're different."
The soft crackling of a fire brought Alex back fully and he took in his surroundings. He was in some sort of log cabin. It was neatly decorated and furnished, but it felt lifeless, as if nobody actually lived here.
"Your soul was severely damaged. So much so that I had to step in to help repair it a little bit just to keep you from getting destroyed." There it was again. That voice. Where was it coming from? "Don't worry though, I didn't change anything. You're a mess enough as is."
Alex focused his eyes and looked around, adjusting to the light of the cabin's interior. He was shocked to find that he was the only person here, no one else was in the cabin with him. So then how was someone speaking to him? How was- He flicked his eyes towards the fireplace and the smoldering flames burning there.
"And you figured out where I am. Impressive. Not many can detect the presence of a divine being." The fire flickered and embers floated up from it as the voice spoke, the words registering a second later in Alex's head. A divine being? Then that means he was sitting before some sort of-
"Yes. I am a god. Varos. And I deal with those who seek to improve or fix their cracked souls." The voice, raspy as it was, spoke with an undeniable hint of power. Alex didn't need any further proof that this being was indeed divinity.
He didn't know what to do. Should he be grateful? Should he be outraged that he was finally meeting one of the beings who had a hand in his eternal servitude as a hero?
"Ease up boy. I am not here to cause you trouble. Nor am I one of those idiots that believes bringing more heroes to the war will ensure our victory." Something akin to anger filled Varos' voice, and the fire started crackling with more intensity. The fire that resembled the god flared brightly before dying down, but Alex was shaken to his core in his chair by the display.
This was the power of a god? A being who with but a thought could change millions of lives? It was terrifying. But it was amazing. Alex found his voice, despite the outburst from Varos. "So if you're not here to hurt me, and you weren't one of the ones responsible for my rebirth, then why are you here?"