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chapter 2 the judge has a lot of monitors

  I fell through the portal out of the limitless void for what seemed like hours but also only a moment before I came out the other side, landing with a rather harsh smack. Taking a second, I gained my bearings and began to look around and see what I'm sure is the biggest used electronics store in existence.

  Still just a floating blue flame, that seemed to make the shadows darker that were cast by my light. I slowly begin to float down the wooden floor while seeing what were two massive display racks to either side of me. Each one looked like it went on forever while being, I guess, about 30 feet tall.

  The shelves are filled with electronics, from TVs to radios and even with what I'm guessing are remote-controlled cars. The problem is I've never seen toy cars like those before. The main body looks like a regular car; it was the weird eight legs sticking out where there should be tires that made it weird. Not only that, but the further I floated down, the stranger the devices lining the shelves got. I'm pretty sure I saw a virtual reality helmet built for a crab's head on one of the shelves.

  What really creeped me out was what was being played on some of the devices. The TVs showed images of different TV shows, which was normal. It was the shows themselves that were strange, anything from everyday people I'd just never heard of to what I'm guessing was a unicorn family sitcom.

  A few of the radios were speaking in languages I just didn't understand, though most spoke in sounds that couldn't be spoken through a human throat, and a few spoke in languages I wouldn't repeat if I could because I'm pretty sure I'd be sent straight to hell if I did. Then there were the record players playing strange music with instruments that sounded like nothing I'd ever heard before. Though those were the more tame ones, some of the other record players were playing things so dark and sinister they had me looking around for a gentleman in some dark robe who would like me to offer my blood for religious purposes.

  So thoroughly creeped out and wondering if this was one of those places where you could end up in some strange hell depending on the device you interacted with. I had read about those horror stories. I think someone tried to make it into a horror movie.

  Ignore my own dark thought. I began to move faster through the vast aisle while trying not to look at what was going on with them lest I prove my earlier theory right. Then I finally saw the end: a huge red curtain that stretched from one wall to the other.

  I somehow pushed through the curtain without setting it on fire and saw there standing on a wooden stage was a man holding a microphone next to a game show wheel. He saw me then started waving me over to a stand in front of him. Having no idea what else to do, I float over to where he wanted me while getting a better look at the man.

  He was about 6 feet tall with graying blond hair, wearing a 3-piece black suit with a red tie, and the wheel he was next to had strange symbols on it that seemed to shift and change as I looked at them.

  "Hello, would you mind telling me who you are, and would you happen to know where we are or what is going on?" asked Robert. As he gazed around him, confused from the contestant stand.

  "Well hello to you, my lost lamb. The first answer is I'm your host, Simon Dilas, and the second answer is you're in the stage after crossing through the halls of entertainment. Good on you for being able to avoid being sucked into one of the many devices. That wouldn't have ended well for you if that had happened, and well, to answer your third and final question, you're now a contestant on my show, The Second Start. said Simon

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  "Really the lame joke. Alright, and lucky for me, I know better than to stick around when strange devices started yelling at me in inhuman languages. Well anyway, what is this Second Start show, and why have I been selected? If you don't mind me asking," said Robert.

  "Well, it's quite simple, my new contestant. You see a few souls such as yourself qualify to come on to my show and spin my wheel here." said Simon as he pointed at his game show wheel.

  "What happens after I spin the wheel, and why would you want me to spin it?" asked Robert curiously.

  "Well, Mr. Lamb, you see, after you spin the wheel, you will be reborn into another world as a being known as a lesser greater. The reason I do this is I'm a being of opportunity, and as such, I dislike the status quo as well as anything that threatens complete destruction; a little destruction here and there keeps things watchable, but complete annihilation is an end to all things, including opportunity. So my show will allow you to be reborn as a lesser being, giving you a second chance at life but only in another world. After your rebirth, you will be expected, my dear Mr. Lamb, as a contestant, to help steer the world in a way that keeps it interesting and safe from the boredom that is oblivion. While I film the whole thing for my multidimensional audience." Said Simon.

  "Wait, there are other worlds, and what kinds of worlds are we talking about, and what is a lesser greater? I'm also not sure how I am supposed to influence worlds to keep them interesting and safe." Robert asked, well, being very confused and doubtful how he could pull off what was being asked of him.

  "You see, besides the world you originally came from, there are other worlds coming in all shapes and sizes, some you couldn't even interact with because they would drive you insane, but for right now I think I'll have you help with the worlds with the theme of heroes and villains." Replied Simon.

  "Wait, heroes and villains? You mean like people that fight in spendax stopping doomsday devices?" Said Robert, shocked that such worlds where the world is threatened by mad scientists on a regular basis, actually existed.

  "Exactly, my good Robert, you'll be helping many such worlds. Which, as you know, are suffering from many problems that can cause massive extinction, leaving them a boring husk. You can help prevent that while also making sure everyone interesting can survive as long as possible to boost ratings. So once you are reborn as a lesser greater, you will also be given a method of influence to better do this task." Said Simon.

  "You still haven't explained what a lesser greater is or what exactly it does." Asked Robert, confused about such a contradictory name.

  "A lesser greater is a form of rebirth where you will take the form of a greater being. A being usually known for creating planets or warping reality, but you will be reborn as a lesser version of it. When you are sent to a new world to help steer it from destruction. So, Mr. Lamb, will you take the plunge and spin the wheel?" Asked Simon while looking at Robert, wondering his answer.

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