Shawn remained in complete silence.
His eyes were fixed on the words he had just read.
[Yes, I offer you this path, so that you do not go to Hell]
'Hell?' Shawn thought, feeling his breathing grow heavy. 'How is it possible that I deserve something like that?'
Shawn wasn't a murderer, nor was he a criminal, so to him, ending up there made no sense.
Shawn took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down.
He couldn't scream. He couldn't insult. He couldn't provoke an entity that claimed to be God.
"Uh… Father," Shawn said carefully, choosing every word. "Could you… tell me exactly what sins I've committed to deserve a fate so… extreme?"
The content of the book changed.
[Of course, my son. Let us start with the most recent]
Shawn swallowed hard.
[You spend hours insulting people on the internet. You make death threats to other users "as a joke." You mock others from behind a veil of anonymity, knowing there will be no real consequences]
Shawn felt a shiver.
'He really knows about me,' he thought, feeling fear begin to take hold of him.
"Wait, wait," Shawn said quickly, holding up his hands. "That… those were just words thrown at strangers who probably don't even remember those messages. Everyone does that. Nobody takes it seriously. I wasn't really hurting anyone."
The book's content changed.
[The fact that you hide behind a screen does not make your words weigh any less. Anonymity does not erase the intent with which they were spoken]
Shawn clenched his fists, feeling frustration begin to mix with fear.
'This can't be happening,' he thought.
But the book continued.
[You also constantly mock women on social media. You comment on their bodies on their profiles. You attack girls with short hair, and above all, you make fun of women who do not have large breasts]
Shawn felt the heat rise to his cheeks.
"That was just humor!" he exclaimed, his voice trembling slightly. "Nobody should take it so… personally. People put themselves out there voluntarily on the internet and get criticized for it. It's part of the game!"
The content of the book changed.
[These are not jokes, my son. This is repeated and normalized contempt]
Shawn fell silent.
[You are also very lacking in empathy. You sin through laziness by leaving everything to the last minute. You are arrogant. You show no gratitude. You lie frequently. You envy others. You desire things that do not belong to you. You mock the weak. You ignore those who need you. You waste your time on empty things. You do not honor your parents. You do not—]
"Stop, stop, stop!" Shawn shouted, throwing his hands up. "I get it! I get it!"
The book stopped changing.
Shawn let out a long sigh, feeling the weight of everything he had just read crushing him.
"Can you… give me some time to accept the job?" Shawn asked in a weary voice.
The book's content changed.
[You may take your time]
Shawn felt a momentary sense of relief.
But at the same time, it confirmed something.
'This entity… knows a lot about me,' Shawn thought, looking at the book with suspicion. 'Maybe it really is God...'
Shawn sat in a chair, feeling his legs shake a little.
"Why did you choose me?" Shawn asked in a low voice.
The book's content changed.
[That, you will discover in time]
Shawn clicked his tongue, annoyed by the ambiguity of the answer.
"What is that other world like?" Shawn asked, trying to change the subject.
[It is a world a bit more backward than the one you live in. But there is magic]
Shawn felt his heart race.
'Magic?' he thought, remembering the books he'd read about traveling to other worlds.
"Are there dragons?" Shawn asked, excited.
[Yes]
"Are there monsters?"
[Yes]
Shawn smiled for the first time all day.
"So… what kind of message do you want me to spread there when those people already have magic?" Shawn asked, confused.
[You go there to spread my word]
Shawn's smile vanished.
'Back to that again,' he thought, his excitement fading.
But the mere idea of going to Hell terrified him.
"Do you have any way to prove you're God?" Shawn asked carefully. "Like… performing some kind of miracle or… manifesting something."
The book's content changed.
[You have my blessing. You can already perform miracles on your own]
Shawn froze.