[Congratulations. You have been selected to become a god of your own world.]
The words echoed in my mind long before my eyes opened. At first, I thought I was dreaming but then the silence hit.
As my eyes began to shift open, I didn't find my tiny one room apartment. No bed, no familiar clutter. Instead, I floated in an endless void. Darkness stretched in every direction, infinite and silent, and I couldn't see any horizon. The air felt nonexistent or maybe there was no air at all.
I blinked again. My breath caught. Looking all around me, I saw there was only one thing in this nothingness: a perfect sphere, one meter by one meter, hovering in place. It rotated slowly, like a tiny planet suspended in space. Its surface rippled like water, though there was no sound of waves. I couldn't tell if it was solid or liquid. It shimmered with an unnatural light.
A cold unease crept into my chest, but curiosity pulled me forward. I began to stand, uncertain. My legs felt weightless, but somehow my feet settled on something firm. I glanced down. There was nothing beneath me, yet I stood as if on solid ground, wood, concrete, stone, firm enough that I could balance there forever. A faint hum reverberated around me.
I took cautious steps toward the sphere. Every movement felt strange, like walking in a dream. My fingers reached toward it. Just before contact, a sharp resistance halted me, an invisible force. I could feel it pushing back. My skin tingled.
Before I could try again, a glowing blue screen materialized in front of my eyes. It floated there, translucent but sharp, words appearing in bold white:
[Welcome to your godly realm. Please select your God name and the name of your starting planet.]
Below the message were two blank fields:
[God name: ....]
[Planet name: ....]
The sphere rotated lazily, untouched, as the words hung in the air. My mind raced. Before I could think, memories flashed in my head, fragmented images of my life before that moment: my apartment, the sound of rain against a window, the sharp pain in my chest before I blacked out. Then, an understanding settled like ice. I had been chosen. I had become a god.
A laugh escaped me, quiet, almost disbelief. "A god," I murmured. The word tasted strange. Hollow. Impossible. Yet the proof floated before me. The sphere. The message. That place.
My heart beat faster. I studied the message again. This was more than a dream. This was something beyond human comprehension. The sphere in front of me was the world I now governed. Everything, every choice, every action, would start there.
My eyes drifted to the first blank: God name. Naming myself felt heavier than I expected. It was not just a label. It was an identity. A declaration of who I would be. This name would echo for eternity. It would define me in that endless void.
I stared at the field. Hours felt like minutes. My mind raced through possibilities, names of power, of strength, of divinity. Names from myth, from fiction, from dreams I had long forgotten. Yet none felt right.
Finally, a name came to me. Simple. Strong. Mysterious. Nexus.
I typed it slowly.
[God name: Nexus]
The moment I confirmed it, the word felt heavy, alive. It hummed softly in my mind. Nexus, a center, a connection, the hub of everything. It felt right. Perfect.
Next, the planet. I stared at the sphere again. A name should carry weight, but nothing seemed enough. I thought of thousands of possibilities, names of wonder, names of strength. But none fit. The sphere was not just a place. It was mine. My world. My responsibility.
Finally, I stopped. I knew what to do.
[Planet name: Nexora]
The moment I confirmed it, the blue screen shifted. New words appeared:
[Every god has officially chosen their name and the name of their world. With this, we can truly begin.]
[First, some background information.]
The screen pulsed. The words shifted and expanded:
[The sphere in front of you is the world that you now govern. Time on that world passes differently: one day in this void equals one hundred years on the planet.]
[For the first ten days in this void, the evolution speed of species on the planet is accelerated by tenfold.]
[To interact with your world, you must use "divinity" a currency earned through the faith of its inhabitants. Every god begins with ten divinity.]
[Finally, every god will awaken a talent ranked from F to SSS, which will aid in the development of their world.]
I stared at the words, my mind spinning. Divinity. Talents. Ten days. A god's name. A planet. Everything I knew of life was gone. My old world was gone.
Somewhere in my chest, a spark ignited, curiosity, fear, and something greater, ambition.
I glanced at the sphere again. My world. My creation. Then I looked back at the screen in front of me but it had changed.
[Status]
[Chat]
[Marketplace]
[Store]
Looking at the four tabs in front of me my mind instinctively went to all the novels I read back on Earth all the different systems but they almost all had the same function [Status]. The corner stone of every system. My hand reached out and lightly touched the status tab.
[Name: Zane Mercer
Age: 20
Talent: System creator (SS)
Divinity: 10]
I was estatic as I stared at the holy letters that were SS. Sure it wasn't the fabled SSS but it still held the legendary letter S. Still excited I reached out towards the talent causing a description to appear.
[Talent: System creator (SS)
Talent Description: The user can create systems for the inhabitants of his world using divinity. Depending on the functions of the created systems, the amount of divinity used changes. Additionally, the stronger the being the system is bestowed upon, the greater the divinity needed.
Note: Those that are bestowed a system will instinctively know the functions of the system and how to use them, no matter their intelligence.]
Staring at the description of my ability endless possibilities flew through my mind. But before I could even think of how to use my ability I had to establish life of my currently lifeless planet.