A/N: I couldn't stay away! Welcome back, folks! Brand new story! Hope you enjoy it!

By the way, I'm posting this on, May 11th 2013... why is that special? IT'S THE DAY AFTER MY BIRTHDAY! And this is the first story posted since I turned 25! Yay, me!

It's rated T for a reason! Like the game, language and violence! I hope you guys like it!

DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own inFAMOUS or the characters. However, the original characters and the story idea are from my head. Awesome, right?

Chapter 1: The Afterlife

The power surged through him… all the power in the world, it seemed. It coursed through his body like a nuclear explosion. A million explosions erupting through every cell of his body every half of a second… and it must've been at least ten seconds since the activated RFI began coursing power through his body.

Then he saw a white light.

And nothing.

Cole MacGrath sacrificed his life to save as many as he could from the Beast and the Plague, while simultaneously killing all Conduits on Earth.

But that included himself.

But it was sacrifice Cole knew would be worth it. That was why he made the choice. And he was not ashamed of it.

It was over. The fight, the struggle was decided. The war was won.

Cole MacGrath is dead.

And so… he is.

But… when Cole became aware of himself again, he found himself somewhere he didn't recognize. It definitely wasn't New Marais.

"What the hell?" he said in a daze.

It was an area completely white with a light mist rolling along the ground. He found himself just standing there with no idea as to how he got there. He looked around and realized that he couldn't feel any pain anymore. He looked at his hands and arms and saw no tattoos. He felt his face. His scars were gone, too.

"Whoa…" he breathed. He looked around, "Where am I?"

"Safe, Cole MacGrath. At peace."

The voice almost scared Cole but… it sounded calming… not threatening.

"You've earned that much."

"Who's there?" Cole asked, calmly. He was still in a bit of a daze.

Suddenly, in the mist, someone started walking forward. It was a blurry figure, at first, hard to make out. What Cole could see was that it was a bald headed man dressed in a robe but… Cole thought he saw wings coming from his back but as he got closer he saw a man and he didn't have any wings. Cole thought his mind was playing tricks on him. The man walked forward, his arms folded behind his back. His walk and position of his arms reminded Cole of Laurence Fishburne's portrayal of Morpheus from "The Matrix" movies. He was a full foot-and-a-half taller than Cole and his skin had a glow to it. He had perfect, bright electric blue eyes and gave the impression of being powerful, just by standing there.

"Who are you?" Cole asked.

The man smirked. "I've gone by many names over the centuries. But, there is one I was called that had a certain poetic ring to it. You can call me the Judge."

"Judge. Huh. Okay, then." Cole looked around, "Where am I?"

"Like I said… at peace." He motioned for the prime Conduit to follow him. They started walking along.

With so many people coming to him at random since his journey began, the master of lightning was questioning the motives of this entity. "And what do you want?"

The Judge quietly chuckled. He understood why this man, who was used to everyone wanting something from him, would ask him such a question. "Nothing, Cole. Nothing at all."

They walked a little while longer when a door started to slowly appear in the mist. Once they got closer, Cole saw the door was made of pure gold with intricate, beautiful designs on it. There was also large chair placed next to the door, upon which the Judge sat down.

Cole chuckled. "Oh, let me guess… this is the part where I'm judged for my sins?"

The Judge chuckled. "Normally, yes."

"Normally?"

"Well… I would be very condemning if I cursed the man who saved the world."

Cole looked a little forlorn at that statement. Such a compliment seemed unmerited at this point. "Saved the world? No… no, I killed all the Conduits…" He groaned. "I should be damned for that…"

The Judge could see his inner turmoil. "You didn't hunt them all down and mercilessly kill them. You made a choice, Cole. And that is what it came down to. It came with consequences, like every choice does. But even you couldn't have known how far the effect would stretch when this began. You did what you knew to be right… and you were right."

"Just doesn't feel like it…"

"Often times, doing the right thing? Doesn't. I find it interesting I have to tell you this, given how many situations you've run into that were similar."

"But… like this…" Cole looked down. He swore he could still feel all of the hearts of the Conduits stop. "So many people…"

"I never said the consequences of your choice wouldn't bring pain… I said it was right. And it wasn't the first time. Your very life had been riddled with choices… and, despite all of the pitfalls, you made the right one… every time. You didn't make the choice that made the RFI necessary. You made the choice necessary to rectify the wrongs and sins of others."

That made Cole feel a little better. The Judge was right, after all. He didn't really start any of this. He really was just caught in the middle. Between Kessler, the First Sons, Bertrand, and the Beast, he really did everything he could to make the best out of every situation. And that was pretty much the point of his future self's arrival in the first place. Kessler needed him to make those hard choices… Cole just never imagined this would be the end result.

"And for your heroism…" the Judge continued, "you are being granted… a choice."

Cole looked up at him, perplexed. "A choice?"

"The Choice, really. It's how we refer to it." The Judge lifted his hand and the golden door open a bit.

Cole couldn't see anything but he sure did feel an immediate calm feeling just from the little bit of the door opening.

"Here… is Paradise," the Judge said. "You can go… and be in peace forever. Your time as a warrior will be nothing but a memory."

The Prime Conduit smiled as he stared at the door. "Sounds good."

"However… if you desire… I can give you the chance… to live again…"

Cole's eyes grew wide and looked at the Judge. "Say what?"

"My…" The Judge paused and smiled, "…boss… said because your actions you are allowed the opportunity to live again."

"You have a boss?"

"Doesn't everybody?"

They both chuckled.

"Alright," Cole said, "so, I can go be in Paradise or return to an awful life?" He chuckled. "I'll take Paradise please."

The Judge chuckled. "I find it funny when people say things like that… because the ones that do didn't have such a bad life at all." He smirked. "This is proved since you are still considering the Choice."

Cole chuckled. "Okay, maybe not so terrible."

The Judge chuckled. "Most lives usually are not. They're just rough periods that make it seem unbearable. Getting through them is the hard part… but the reward is always worth it."

"True." The hero's mind went back to the matter at hand. Paradise… being free of all of the pain of life would be fantastic. But… with the Beast gone, he could live again and experience a free life… with an entirely new perspective. Life was not the same… here or there, everything was different. So much to take into account. He sighed. "Not exactly an easy choice."

"For one such as yourself, I'd imagine not."

Cole sighed, rubbing the back of his head. There was a lot to consider. While he was a bit sick of life as it was, it wasn't without its good points. Plus… there were some people he had grown to care about. And those people came to his mind immediately. "Hey… can I ask you something?"

The Judge inclined his head, "Absolutely."

"What happened to the others?"

"Are you referring to those who fought alongside you?"

"Well, yeah. I mean… not just them. But… like John…"

The Judge's expression changed to a much harder one, far more fitting for his name. "John White is a murderer. After becoming intoxicated by the power of the Beast, his life was dedicated to genocide. He was judged as he should be."

Cole was a little afraid at the Judge's tone. It definitely wasn't what it had been. "That's a little…"

"No, Cole. You don't understand. John White had more potential than even he knew. It would've been possible for him affect a change that could've saved everyone. But, instead, he fell victim to the supposed supremacy of the Beast."

Cole was standing in disbelief. John could've saved everyone? "Seriously…"

"Yes. He could've found a way to make his curse a blessing. Like yours, his powers were more boundless than he thought. Had he put some thought into it… his actual powers could have spread and he could have become a cure for the Plague himself. But he believed in the Conduits being a superior race and the successors to humanity. For his foolishness… for willing ignorance… he has been judged." The Judge paused, seemingly not wanting to speak his next words. "The same goes for his ally at the end."

The lightning master's eyes grew wide. He instantly recognized who the Judge was referring to. "Kuo…"

The Judge nodded.

"Yeah… yeah, what happened to her?"

The Judge fell silent. He looked away.

"What was it?"

"Please, Cole…" He looked back at the Conduit, "you do not wish to know."

At those words, he started to understand. "No… no, c'mon… don't… don't tell me…"

He paused. "I had to judge her…"

Cole knew what the meant. "No…"

"She betrayed you. She betrayed humanity. She betrayed everything she stood for. And, for her crimes, she was judged… and she was damned."

A/N: So... that's how it is... alright... things are just getting started folks! Get ready for quite the ride.

Next Chapter: The Deal

Cole and Nix are reunited and debate the pros and cons of going after Kuo.

Be here for it!