TW lots of religious references, like, a lot. Maybe don't read this chapter if you're easily offended by inaccurate religious stuff or stuff like 'this god is fake'

-----

━━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━━

|| "Go ahead! Become a true god and grant me freedom from this life!" ||

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

In your dreams, there was a hall that never ended.

You would find yourself walking, forward, forward, forward. There was light, there wasn't light, sometimes, only sometimes. The only constants at the beginning of the dream were that the walls were clean and the ground was solid. You never felt a single thing as you went.

A door showed up sometimes, grey and plain, the knob painted gold. There was a sign some nights, nothing on others. It was meaningless either way, you couldn't see the words even if you tried. You never opened the door but you always stared long enough for the hall to start feeling muddled.

Confusing.

The walls were getting roughed up. Scratch marks and blood. There was so much blood. Where was it coming from? If you kept walking long enough, you would see yourself. Your body laid on the ground, blood pooling around it, staining the clothes. Holes littered the body. Its eyes were closed. You kept walking.

You'd come across more bodies, all of their eyes closed. You'll end up like that someday. Dead with no one left to pick up your body. Water mixed with the blood was beginning to fill the hall. You couldn't feel a thing. How does one feel when they weren't alive? Slowly, it began to rise.

It was usually here that the world began to fade and shift. The water got colder, the water got hotter, the world was melting around you. Where were you? What were you? You didn't know. Sluggishly, you continued to wade through the water. You couldn't even see the bodies through the water anymore. At some point, you would stop.

You were tired.

And so, you let yourself sink.

When you awaken, the dream will be nothing but that. A dream. Or a nightmare, perhaps.

You didn't remember whether you lived or drowned.

X.x.X

You would like to have thought that some reality bender pretending to be god would be less interested in you. Clearly, you were wrong since an apple had arrived for you attached with a message. Well, when "God" called for an audience with you, what were you meant to do? Decline? Ha! You wished you could.

Rather obviously, you were less than pleased to have to meet 343, something that Smith picked up on during the walk to the containment chamber.

"Why are you so reluctant to see God?" they asked on the way there.

"Ugh." You grimaced. "It's complicated. You and the foundation don't really need to worry about it but it matters when it's what I know. Maybe you'll find out, maybe you won't."

"I hope you know that the "don't really" part is worrying."

"He's played nice for this long, you'll live."

"You are the least reassuring SCP with knowledge ever."

"Now that's just an exaggeration."

The walk wasn't actually that long since the containment chamber was in the Light Containment Zone like yours. You wished it took longer. Supposedly, this particular case of "testing" was just going to be you, 343 and Smith supervising. Given the way 343 was, it made enough sense for the foundation to just leave it at that.

It was funny how they claimed to have caught "God".

... You shouldn't be speaking this early on the nature of 343. Not when the matter of "divinity" in the SCP universe was so fluid.

The hall outside of 343's containment chamber was devoid of any people. Smith swiped their keycard, opening up the door. Right after that door was a blast gate. It was redundant, especially given how powerful the SCP behind it was. Were you ready to meet a fake god? Not at all but time had never waited for anyone.

343's chamber was as bland as you might have expected when you and Smith entered. The middle of the room had a lowered platform with pillars at each corner and in between the square. The elevated part of the floor had a checkered pattern. You frown. This was just the same room as in SCP Sedition.

In the center of the room was a table, three chairs and 343 himself.

"God," the doctor greeted as the two of you walked in. "A pleasure to see you."

"Good afternoon, Dr. Smith," he answered. "And (Y/n), welcome."

343 took the appearance of an old man with white hair and slightly glowing eyes. His voice was deep and echoed slightly in the room. You thought he was really pushing for a stereotypical image of "God". Well, you couldn't really judge him for it. When one wishes to play god, looking the part would help quite a bit.

"Good afternoon," you said. "I heard you called for me."

"Indeed, we have much to discuss. Please, take a seat."

You walked down to the center of the room. The doctor took the seat off to the side while you sat down directly across from 343. You scootched the chair closer to the table.

"The room is rather plain," he announced.

"If you want to change the room, go ahead," You waved your hand. "Anything's fine with me."

"Do try to keep everything relatively safe," Smith tacked on.

"When have I not?"

Oh, you could have given an itemized list if he really wanted an answer for that but you didn't. 343 clapped his hands together and a light filled the room. In an instant, the previously plain room shifted. Bookshelves lined the walls, each filled to the brim with various books. The places that didn't have shelves had paintings along with wooden tables tucked between bookcases. You recognized the flowers in the vases on top of the tables to be candytuft flowers.

The chairs you, Smith, and 343 were sitting on had been replaced with vintage single sofa chairs and the table became a low circular one. A dim chandelier hung above the three of you. Lightly, you dragged your foot across the ground. Carpet. To your left was something you hadn't seen in a long time.

A window with the sun shining behind it.

The sun cast a warm light into the room. A forest could be seen through the window. Your heart ached a little.

"Nice choice," you commented because even if you didn't respect 343 (or anyone here for that matter), you could still appreciate his aesthetic choices.

343 hummed. "Shall we begin then?"

"Sure. You're the one who called me here, so why don't you ask your questions first."

"What are your intentions here?"

"Oh?" Your eyes narrowed. "Are you referring to the Foundation?"

"You are not meant to be here," he continued. "Your presence is unwarranted here."

"Unwarranted? My, and here I thought God would be happier to see me. Are you sure you don't mean unwanted?"

The sky outside the window dimmed. "No."

Okay, liar.

"I don't think my intentions should mean anything to you," you said. "Besides, you're omniscient, aren't you? Shouldn't you know already regardless of what I say?"

"The difference between hearing and simply knowing is great. Like a parent hearing a child confess, wondering if they would tell the truth or lie."

"The punishment is dependent on the parent though. They may give a lighter sentence for telling the truth or give the same punishment either way. In which case, it would all be futile in the end."

"Do you see me as a cruel God?"

You crossed your legs, one over the other. "Incompetent maybe but cruel? Who knows. You doom people to their fate on a regular basis, don't you?"

"That is a product of the free will I have allowed humanity."

"And what about the things outside of their control? Is it fate for them to fall or do you simply decide to punish innocents at random?" Coyly, you smiled. "Then again, life is rarely merciful in this world so would it really be that surprising if it had a cruel god as well?"

"Do not speak as though you understand my intentions." 343's eyes glowed as the clouds gathered in the sky outside.

"You do not get to speak as though you understand me or humanity either then."

"Uh, [----], perhaps you should calm down a little," Smith suggested beside you. "I'm sure that God has its reasons for doing things."

"Well, I think you should question what god's reasons are more! You should hold anyone who claims to be the "One True God" accountable. A miracle or two isn't that hard to make now is it?"

"I am God," 343 thundered.

Wasn't it funny? What "God" would need to repeat so insistently that they were one! Why feel the need to prove they were one when the option of "lowly mortals" mattered not to such beings?

"If you want to play god so badly then why don't you erase me from existence!" you taunted, pushing your chair out and standing up. "Go ahead! Become a true god and grant me freedom from this life!"

"[----]-" the doctor began.

"Stay out of this," you harshly responded. "This isn't about you."

"You are being reckless. What could you possibly gain from provoking potentially, the creator of everything we know?"

"That? A creator?" Disbelief leaked into your voice. "Don't make me laugh."

Lighting struck outside the window.

"Do not mistake them for one of mine." 343 sounded like he was seething. "It is not one of my creations."

"One of your-?"

You scoffed. "Of course not. He would never be able to create me and I don't mean that in a narcissistic way. Humanity? The universe? Who cares what he says he has created. I most certainly was not born from his will."

Because 343 would be the filthiest f*cking liar if he even attempted to say he had created you. Not when you were quite literally from the universe that created this one, created him. This world was fake and so was the reality bender playing god but what about you? How real were you in this world of lies?

"Slow down, what the hell are the both of you talking about," the doctor said. "[----]'s creation? Existence? Who made them, then? And I'm not asking about their parents."

"I have an idea of where they have come from but the exact location is... shrouded."

"Ah," you laughed, finally dropping back into your chair. "You haven't even begun to grasp the true nature of this world, have you?"

"The nature of this world is not something for you to discuss so lightly," 343 said. "Like a bird that lives in a cage, the owner shalt not reveal the outside world so carelessly. I am protecting them from the cruel truth of this world."

He waved his hand and a light flickered. You raised an eyebrow in silent questioning.

"Merely hiding our conversation from mortal ears," he answered.

"Are you afraid, 'God'?" you murmured with words like sweet venom. "Are you afraid that I'll unveil your secrets? Your humanity? How you're just a little reality bender playing pretend."

The walls of the chamber shook as his eyes flashed white.

"Are you going to throw a tantrum now? You couldn't even erase me from this universe. Do you really think you have any power as god here?"

"You... are a pest," he said gravely. "A snake that has wandered into the Garden of Eden."

A universe like this was hardly a "Garden of Eden". Clearly, his delusions had gone on for far too long if he thought this was paradise. The possibilities, the past, the future, all of it had always been at the whims of authors. You sighed. This conversation was getting tiring.

"This is not paradise," you wearily told him. "And you are not God."

343 raised his hands slowly and clapped. In a flash of brilliant light, the room reverted back to its original state. The bookshelves, the window, all the decorations, gone. You weren't sure if you were relieved or not.

"This meeting is over," 343 declared sourly. "I am no longer in the mood to entertain guests for the day."

"Indeed." You stood up and pushed your chair into the table. Without waiting for the doctor, you began to leave. "Good day. Let's never talk again."

He disappeared as Smith hurried after you.

"What on earth did you and him talk about?" Smith looked a little haggard despite not doing anything the whole conversation.

"Nothing for you to worry about," you dismissed.

Yes. There was nothing for them to worry about because, in the end, the blame would rest on your shoulders. No matter what.

------

New SCPs in this chapter:

N/A

------

Published: March 31, 2022

Word count: 2,097

Death Counter: 12

------

Please don't ask me when updates are, they are typically on the last day of the month.