In a place between where there is nothing and everything, a god sits relaxing in his favorite setting, a stone temple with flowers everywhere, drinking a cup of tea.

“Ha, this isn't real.” The voice of a man sounds inside the between. The god searches around for the voice finding nothing. He is alone. The god wonders if one of the other gods is playing a prank on him when suddenly a man appears, eyes glassy as they look around the god's domain.

“Whoa, trippy.”

“What?” The man who appeared as the hero he had summoned a few years ago. The god was panicked, thinking the hero had found a way to enter his domain to take revenge for taking him. It had occurred before and was the only thing the god could think of. Though there should be no reason why he would want revenge other than when he first appeared. The god quickly composed himself, “How did you get here?”

The hero turned to the god drawn by his voice, becoming intensely fascinated by the god, “What are you?” the hero asks with wonder.

The god realizes the man is not here or capable of fighting him, gaining back his confidence, “I am a god, and how are you here?”

The hero laughed, fascinated with the god's domain walking around the fields, “I'm on a trip.”

“A trip?”

“A trip through the universe.” The hero said then gestured to his head, “My mind is expanding.”

“What? You are a hero for my world, your not on a trip.” The god shook his head still confused, “How are you here?”

“We are all one.” The hero says falling in a bed of flowers.

The god started to notice something was off with the hero, “What is going on with you? Why aren’t you answering?”

The man looks back to the god and falls into a fit of laughter, suddenly vanishing from the between.

The god was beyond confused and scared. The hero had somehow left his domain, the place where he was at the height of his power, without his permission. He shouldn’t have been able to do that. In fact, the hero shouldn’t have been able to enter the domain either. The god looked upon his world searching for the hero, to see what he was doing. He quickly located the hero, smoking a hallucinogen made from the poison from the excretions of a toxic toad. Did he get so high he literally entered the between?

——

In a place in between, a man, a woman, and a god stand arguing surrounded by flowers. Some of the flowers look suspiciously squished.

“You what now?” The man asked completely taken aback.

The god reiterated annoyed, “I would like to lodge a complaint.”

“They can do that?” The woman asks the man quietly.

“Uh…” The man uncertainly answers, “Apparently, was wondering why I felt a pulled here.”

“Yes. I would like to lodge a complaint.” The god reiterated.

“Ok. Shoot, what's the problem? Hero join the other side?” The man guessed

“What no...” The god suddenly looked concerned as he followed up with, “that can happen?”

“Sometimes, really depends on the hero, the world, and the reason.”

The god went distant for a minute checking the hero making sure he wasn't joining the other side. The god found the man in his room smoking his new favorite drug. He began to search for any sign of him joining the monsters but found no evidence anywhere, “No he did not join the other side.”

“Then what's the problem?”

“He keeps getting high.”

The man looked at the god dumbfounded by his answer, “...you got me that's a new one, and your the first one to lodge a complaint.”

“Well, are you going to do anything?”

“Is he not helping?” The man asked still not understanding what the problem was.

The god reluctantly shook his head, “Strangely he is. He's pushing on the front lines and he's actually living up to a hero.”

“Then what is the problem? Don't want a stoner as the face of your people?” The man asked the only thing he could think of.

The god let out a long sigh, “While it's not something I care for, that's not the problem.”

“Then what is?”

“Watch.” The god point to a man-shaped indention in the field of flowers.

And right in front of the two the hero suddenly appeared. “Whoa, this place again. It's amazing the cradle of the world.” The hero said falling into a fit of laughter.

“Why did you summon him?” The man asked trying to understand.

“I didn't.”

“...” The man looked to the god, then back to the hero, realizing, “He got so high he came here?”

“Yes.” The god said triumphantly finally seeing the man understand.

The man stared in disbelief, “What the fuck is he smoking?”

“Poisoned toad poison dried and treated.”

“How?

The god tiredly said, “I don't know, but I want to lodge a complaint.”

“This is noted. By regulation, what would you like done?”

“I don't know, keep him out of here or something.” Still wanting to use the hero, since he was doing a good job, besides getting high.

“Why can't you do that?” The woman asks, not seeing what they can do.

“I tried. I don't know how he's getting here.”

“He gets high.” The man said.

“Yes, and it shouldn't work like that.” The god yelled.

“Um...gonna be honest don't think I can control that. Does he always appear in the same spot?”

The god thought to all the times the hero appeared, “Yes?”

“Then just make a place for him to appear, like a fake room or something.” The man gave a solution.

“This is not a glaring endorsement for heroes.” The god said staring down at the man.

“Hey! How was I supposed to know.” The man pulled out some paperwork. “This guy was as straight-laced as they come. I had no control over him finding hallucinogens on your world and using them.”

The god threw up his hands, “Whatever.”

“He's doing his job.

The god let out a long-suffering sigh, “Yeah yeah. Honestly, I was just hoping for something.”

“I would recommend getting rid of the frog if you can, or the poison. You know to keep others with power from coming here.” The man suggested.

“So you need enough power, to get here when high?” The god asked

“Would explain why it's just him.” The man said then added, “An archmage might have enough to get here. If they got high enough.”

“Fuck.” The god snapped.

——

In the between on a highway between worlds, two people drive away from a gods domain.

“Are there really regulations?” The woman asks.

The man lets out a laugh, “Nope.”

“Why say that then?”

“People get off your back when you start spouting official-sounding things. Even gods.” The man said emphasizing the last part.

“Oh”

“Yeah.”

Not liking the silence the woman asked, “So, this happen a lot?”

“oOoOO yeah.”

“Really!?” The woman was shocked that heroes randomly appearing in a god's realm because they were high was common.

“Yeah, heroes tend to get into that stuff especially when things go to shit, but rarely do they end up in the between for more than a second or 2. Even when it happens the gods seldom even notice.”The man laughed adding, “ They're usually over getting high by the time they reach that level of power. I was just surprised they pulled me into it.”

“Ha, get high enough, and you meet God.” The woman imagined smoking something then suddenly being right next to a god, then being too high to even realize it. She let out a snort.

“I know right.” The man laughed with her.

After getting herself under control she asked, “But really why or better, how?”

The man calmed, “To put it simply, momentarily they reach a higher state of being, and when they have enough power they are recognized as a god.”

“Holy shit.”

“No, a holy high.”

The two laughed at the absurdity.

“Drunk rituals are even better, especially if it's an enthusiastic group. The party in the between freaking the god out then return no memory of it.” The man said his eyes looking far off in the distance.

“How often does that happen?”

The man snapped back, “Very rarely, but the stories are pretty funny apparently one god joined in and had a ton of fun getting drunk. While they were partying, he moved a mountain. The entire world made a new legend for it.”

“Seriously?”

“That's the story.”

“Drunk, and high are ways to meet god. Who knew?”