"Let's begin."
Reiji's voice was quiet, almost lost in the open stillness of the world around him.
No sky above. No earth below. Just a floating vastness of light and silence.
He stood alone—yet not entirely.
Something was with him. Watching him. Listening.
The silence wasn't empty. It was... patient.
He looked around, turning slowly. "What now?"
The question wasn't meant for anyone in particular.
Just a thought spoken out loud, floating into nothing.
But then—
A voice answered, soft and knowing.
> "Now, Reiji… you must listen. Reach out. Not with your hands. Not with your eyes. With your essence. This world breathes through you—because it was born from you. Let it speak to you."
He frowned.
"This again? I don't even know what I'm doing. I'm not some enlightened god. I don't even know what this place is."
> "You are more than you think. Trust in what you've already become."
Reiji hesitated. Doubt still gripped him—but so did curiosity.
Slowly, he closed his eyes.
Nothing happened.
At first, there was only black.
But then…
Something pulsed.
Not in his chest, but around him.
Like a heartbeat. Faint. Distant. Ancient.
Then he felt it.
As if his body had dissolved into threads of light, stretching across a vast tapestry. His senses expanded—not in distance, but in depth. He wasn't just standing in this world anymore. He was inside it.
And it was alive.
The warmth of stone beneath soil.
The rhythm of leaves trembling against the breeze.
The hum of mana flowing deep under mountains.
And far, far away… flickers of life.
Reiji's eyes snapped open. His breath caught.
"…I feel something," he whispered. "Something's out there."
> "Yes," the World replied, her voice calm, proud.
"This world is not as empty as it seems."
He blinked in confusion. "But you said nothing was here. No people. No races."
> "And there weren't. But the moment your divine energy touched this world—something stirred. What you left behind… it bloomed. Your pain. Your memory. Your longing. It became rain to this realm, and from it, life took root."
Reiji floated higher into the sky, his gaze sweeping across the distant terrain. Green hills rose gently from the clouds, rivers shimmered like silver threads. And then—
He saw it.
A glimmer of smoke.
A settlement.
He drifted closer, guided by instinct.
Hidden in a valley wrapped in forest stood a small village, carved directly into nature. Huts made from bark, leaf, and vine were strung between towering trees. Crystals of soft blue light hung from branches like stars. A stream ran beside it, quiet and pure.
Figures moved below. Dozens of them.
They looked… humanoid.
Reiji narrowed his eyes. "Are those… people?"
Their limbs were slender, graceful. Their ears long and curved back, twitching slightly to sound. Their hair shimmered like the moon—white, green, silver. Their eyes glowed softly with gold or jade.
He watched in silence as children splashed in the stream, while elders weaved clothing from vines. Their robes were simple—wrapped leaves, linen dyed from crushed petals. There was no metal. No stone. Yet they moved with elegance, with meaning.
"They look human… but they're not."
He spoke low, almost in awe.
"What are they?"
> "Elves," the World said gently.
"A race born from nature and spirit. The forest raised them, but your essence gave them soul."
Reiji stared. "They're… beautiful."
> "They are your echo."
He floated closer but remained hidden behind the clouds.
"Are there more? Other races in this world?"
> "Not yet. But they can be. Anything you imagine can take form. Humans. Beastkin. Djinn. Spirits. Dragons. Kitsune. Vampires. Even demons. Each race has a shape. A story. You need only will them."
Reiji's curiosity deepened. "Beastkin? What's that?"
> "A blend of human and animal. They wear fur, tails, and claws. Some are born in packs. Some in kingdoms. They love fiercely. Fight harder."
"And Djinn?"
> "Whispers in flame and shadow. Spirits who grant wishes, but bend them with riddles. Born of chaos and will."
Reiji smiled faintly, eyes still fixed on the tribe.
"And all of them… can exist here?"
> "If you wish."
He watched the elves laugh, cook, play—so unaware of the sky watching them.
His heart, which had felt cold for so long… stirred.
But then—
A scream shattered the harmony.
Reiji's gaze whipped toward the edge of the forest.
The trees snapped.
From the thick woods, a thunderous roar shook the air.
Then—they emerged.
Massive wolves, gray as ash and bone.
Seven of them.
Each easily twice the height of the elves.
Their fur was matted with black veins and armored scales along their spines.
Eyes glowed like lanterns of rage.
Their jaws were split, wider than they should be—unnatural.
They didn't walk.
They hunted.
Elves shouted. Mothers ran with their children. Spears were lifted, but they were only sharpened sticks.
The wolves pounced.
One slammed into a hut, reducing it to splinters. Another lunged for a group of children—
A male elf dove in front, spear breaking uselessly as he was crushed under a claw.
"NO—!" Reiji shouted, floating forward.
"They're going to be slaughtered!"
> "Do you wish to stop them?"
"Of course I do! Can't we do something?!"
> "Yes. But not directly."
"If you descend into the world in full form… your power will tear it apart. Even your presence is too great for this realm to contain. That's why I did not summon your body."
He froze. His fists clenched.
"So I just stand here and watch them die?"
> "No."
"Create a servant."
Reiji turned slowly. "A servant?"
> "A being born of your intent. Shaped by your will. They can act in your name… walk where you cannot. Save those you wish to protect."
Reiji looked down again.
One of the wolves cornered a group of children, their eyes wide with terror.
A heartbeat passed.
His voice was low. Steady.
"…Then let's create."
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To be continued in Chapter 4...
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