It was three days after the Ghost Rider's flames had turned blue. Three days since the incident that resulted in him sending the Devil back to hell. Three days, and the Ghost Rider had not given him any trouble at all around those he once strived to punish. Johnny wasn't sure what game it was playing at, but was thankful for the reprieve. He took the time to rest and recuperate. Although he healed fast, he still felt pain like a normal person and his wounds had been severe enough that he felt comfortable just laying in bed for a while. Of course all good things had to come to an end.

He awoke in the middle of the night, wreathed in blue fire.

"Oh, fantastic." he thought. "Here we go again."

"Quiet." the Rider admonished in his head. "Something's not right."

"Huh?" he wondered. The Rider had never spoken to him before. This was new. He watched as the Rider pulled his body out of bed and pulled his clothes on. He stepped out into the night. It quickly became clear what the matter was. An angel stood before the door, waiting for them. Well it wasn't standing, exactly. It was floating in midair, suspended on golden wings of light. It was humanoid, as angels were typically depicted. It's figure suggested it was male, but it was hard to tell with so much armor on it.

"Zarathos." it said. Yep, definitely male. At least he had his pronouns straight.

"...Are you Imperius?" the Ghost Rider asked. The angel laughed.

"You do not remember me, old friend? I am wounded." Imperius said. "Come, the others are waiting."

The angel offered its hand. The Ghost Rider hesitated, then took it. Imperius flew upwards, seemingly unaffected by gravity. They soared upwards together, ever faster. Until, at last, they broke through a cloud layer, and glimpsed their destination. A majestic city, floating atop a large cumulous cloud. Gold and silver spires adorned the skyscrapers within. Moonlight glinted off of reflective surfaces. It was the most beautiful thing Johnny had ever seen. It was obviously Heaven. What else could it be? Imperius flew up to a tall tower near the center of the city. They entered through a window. He gently deposited them on the floor before retreating to a high platform above them.

Looking around, Ghost Rider could see that there were other platforms, each with an angel standing on them. One appeared female, although each was different from the others; all stood with authority, although one seemed a bit nervous. There were five altogether, forming a circle around him. A feeling of unease set in. This felt too much like a court setting. Like he was about to be judged.

"I don't like this." Johnny thought to the Ghost Rider. The Ghost Rider shushed him.

"Are we ready to begin?" Imperius asked. The other angels nodded.

"Very well." Imperius said. He looked down at the Ghost Rider.

"Zarathos. The Angiris Council has decided that you are no longer fit to hold the title "Spirit of Justice". The title has been passed on to Tyrael. Furthermore, it has been decided that you cannot reside here any longer. The humans are fearful. There is an active manhunt for Blaze, your human host. Any further supernatural activities on Earth may cause mass panic and worldwide conflict. We have spent centuries quelling human belief in the paranormal. All of that work will be for nothing if you blow our cover." Imperius said.

"Excuse me, what?" Johnny demanded inside the Ghost Rider's head. Ignoring him, the Ghost Rider looked around at the Council.

"Where would I go?" he asked. Imperius sighed.

"We are sending you to another part of the multiverse, Zarathos. I'm sorry." he said. Ghost Rider stared at the floor.

"Will I ever get to come back?" he asked.

"Maybe, someday." the female angel said, gently. "We're not banishing you, Zarathos. We just can't have you running around, stirring up trouble on Earth."

Ghost Rider sighed.

"You know I didn't mean it, right? I wasn't exactly in my right state of mind." he said.

"We know, Zarathos. But in your current state, you cannot stay in the High Heavens for too long. Your body has become accustomed to large amounts of negative energy. The shock of being in a place of so much positive energy could destroy you." An angel in grey robes said.

"Without a human host to reside in, you would soon dissipate entirely, as angels cannot persist on Earth in our natural form. With the human laws the way they are, there is a good chance that Johnny might be sentenced to death for the murders you have committed." the angel in grey continued.

"In other words, you need to disappear for a while." the angel in grey finished.

"It will be safest for you to go to another world for a while." the female angel said, albeit sadly. Johnny was starting to get the feeling that there was some history between this female angel and "Zarathos". Were they just friends? Or something more? Pondering this sudden new love interest, he missed the next part of the conversation.

"I suppose you have a point." Ghost Rider was saying. He seemed to be addressing Imperius.

"But if this is God's will, how come he didn't come tell me himself?" Ghost Rider asked. "I don't remember much of my former life, but if I was part of this Council, don't I at least have the right to speak to God?"

"You have every right. But Blaze does not. Just having him here, in Heaven, breaks protocol." Imperius explained. Johnny felt somewhat annoyed.

"What did I do?" he demanded, in thought. "I know you're not supposed to sell your soul, but I was tricked! And didn't I get it back in the end?"

Imperius, as if reading his mind, said, "Johnny Blaze is still alive. Only the dead may set foot in Heaven. If he returns to Earth with memories of this visit he might tell others of his kind. We don't need people committing mass suicide trying to get in."

"Don't suicides go to Hell?" Ghost Rider asked.

"Yes, but that doesn't stop people from trying." Imperius said, sighing. "If they know Heaven is real, they'll become even more desperate to escape their lives. Just knowing that there is something better afterward will give them incentive to try."

"So we both have to leave?" Ghost Rider asked.

"Yes. For the sake of everyone." Imperius said. "And who knows? Maybe God will forgive your sins, Johnny Blaze. Play your cards just right, and you may get into Heaven after all."

That got Johnny's attention. Up until now he'd mostly been hanging in the background, as this meeting seemed mostly for Zarathos's benefit. Now he spoke up, saying aloud, "What can I do to make that a reality? Is there some mission I can take on? Some work I can do, to get God to see I deserve it?"

The angels looked at each other. They murmured softly to one another in another language. Latin, maybe? Old English? Some strange angelic language no human has ever spoken? Zarathos didn't seem to understand it any better than he did. Finally they stopped, and returned to staring at him.

"We are sending you to a world full of super-powered beings. Some are heroes. Many more are villains. The world they live in is plagued with dangers beyond the scope of anything that has ever happened on this world. Live among these heroes. Learn from them. Fight evil by their side. If, when you return, you are virtuous enough, you will be allowed into Heaven. We will hold no grudges for your past misdeeds." Imperius said.

Hope swirled within him as he took in Imperius's words. All he had to do was be a superhero? That was easy. He already had superpowers. All he needed was maybe a headquarters. It would be nice to have a place to return to every night, instead of constantly seeking new places to stay. Just having a proper bed and shower would be OK. He'd have to get a job, or some financial backing, to pay for food and clothes and whatever else he might need.

"What world are we going to?" Ghost Rider asked, while he hovered in the background, thinking.

"Earth-12041." The angel in grey said. Seeing his confusion, the angel shrugged. "All the universes have numbers associated with them."

"I see... When do we leave?" Ghost Rider asked. The angel glanced at Imperius.

"Unless you have other business to take care of, I would suggest you leave immediately." Imperius said. "The longer you stay, the higher the chance of you being damaged by the positive energy of Heaven."

"...OK." Ghost Rider said. He glanced up at the female angel. She looked back at him, then looked away. Yep, definitely some history there. Too bad they had to go. She was hot, even under all that armor. Johnny might have been tempted to push Zarathos into trying to get some, both for his and Johnny's benefit, but unfortunately it seemed like God had other ideas. Damn.

"I guess we'll go now." Ghost Rider said. Then, in thought, he told Johnny, "Knock it off, dipstick. Those are very sinful thoughts."

"Have a safe journey, my friend." Imperius said, before raising a hand. As his hand rose, an archway appeared out of the floor. Inside of it was a wall of swirling smoke, obscuring any view of the other side. Ghost Rider stepped through without any hesitation.