DIFFERENT WORLD

Chapter 24: FREEWILL

Chapter
XXIV
Freewill

***

"I received your file," Zhang Rishan said conversationally, "thought we might go over it." In the blink of an eye, Zhang Rishan held a white folder in his hand. Leaning back into his seat, he casually flipped it opened, thumbing through the pages.

"Your file?" Wu Xie said. "You mean our file? The 'on the desk of the Ultimate' file?"

"Yes, yes," Zhang Rishan replied. "Interesting stuff." He hummed to himself, flipping through the sheets. "Can't say I didn't see of this coming," he said, talking more to himself than his two visitors.

Several minutes ticked by and Zhang Qi Ling sat in his chair well aware that Zhang Rishan didn't share anything until he was good and ready. Zhang Qi Ling had an eternity of practice at waiting.

Wu Xie... not so much.

"What the hell?" he finally snapped, looking between the two gods like they were crazy.

"Heaven," Zhang Rishan sing-songed without looking up and Wu Xie growled before he made to stand. Zhang Qi Ling yanked at Wu Xie's own white sleeve, noticing for the first time that they were dressed exactly the same. Well, better than how they left the land of the living.

Snapping the folder shut, Zhang Rishan leaned an elbow on the armrest of his chair and tapped his fingers against his chin. "First of all, Wu Xie has been classified as a Divine Being."

Zhang Qi Ling looked at Wu Xie, eyes wide. Wu Xie fidgeted under his stare and finally burst out with, "What? What does that mean?" When Zhang Qi Ling failed to answer, he made an angry noise and slammed his hand on the desk. "Well?"

Zhang Rishan closed his eyes and rubbed his temples as if Wu Xie's very existence gave him a migraine.

And, perhaps, it did.

"I'm sure you are aware of the Ultimate's plan?"

"Yeah, starts with 'let there be light' ends with eternity in Paradise for all good boys and girls." Wu Xie drummed his fingers against his knee. "All in accordance to 'the plan'."

"And God knows everything?" Zhang Rishan prompted like a preschool teacher to a squirming toddler.

Wu Xie's eyes narrowed suspiciously and he nodded slowly. "Yes?" He said the word as more of a question than a concrete answer.

Wu Xie looked from Zhang Rishan to Zhang Qi Ling and then back. "You have to be kidding me, what does that have to do with..." Both gods arched an irritated eyebrow. Wu Xie glared and pressed his back into the chair behind him. "No, but I know what they are." Any uncertainly disappeared from his voice. "If this is where you tell me we are all ants in the glass case of life, I swear to..."

"Oh no, no, no..." Zhang Rishan said shaking his head as if the notion alone was horrifying. With one hand he motioned between himself and Zhang Qi Ling. "Not we... you."

"What?" Wu Xie asked flatly.

Ignoring him completely, Zhang Rishan leaned back in his chair and crossed his arm in front of his chest, he continued with a grin. "In the beginning..." Zhang Qi Ling knew a lesser god would have groaned at the cliché phrasing. He also knew that was exactly why Zhang Rishan used it. "You get some ants and dump them into a glass case filled with sand. Everyone knows how it ends."

Wu Xie nodded. "A maze of tunnels."

"Exactly. But the enjoyable elements is that although the beginning and end are foregone conclusions, how it happens is up to the ants."