Tianrui stared at the figure kneeling before him. The blank white face, the golden veins pulsing like molten rivers ,every part of it radiated a power he couldn't fathom. Curiosity flickered in his eyes.
"Can… can I touch you?" he asked.
The being's reply came instantly, without hesitation.
"I am yours, my lord."
Tianrui stepped closer, heart pounding. He reached out, his fingers brushing over the golden lines etched into Nexus's arm. A chill shot through his hand.
"So cold…" he murmured.
"You said your name is Nexus, right?"
"Yes, my lord."
"What are you exactly?" Tianrui asked, his brow furrowing. "I know you're some kind of puppet, but how can you talk? I've never heard of a puppet moving without being controlled."
Nexus's answer rolled like distant thunder, steady and immense.
"I am your intent, my lord. You desired the strongest protection for your family ,and so I was formed. I am that protection. As long as I am present, nothing can touch them."
It sounded like bravado, but Tianrui could feel the truth in its voice. This wasn't boasting. It was fact.
"That's cool and all," Tianrui muttered, "but you still haven't explained why you can talk."
Nexus's head tilted slightly.
"I was not born of your hands, but of your intent. The Universal Simulator shaped me in response to your heart's desire. I am the apex of puppetry, an echo of the strongest construct possible."
As Nexus spoke, its chest split open. Inside was no heart, no engine ,only endless motion. Countless gears and glowing arrays turned without end, birthing new patterns as old ones completed. Symbols of formation work, metalwork, and cultivation theory spiraled infinitely inward, like staring into an endless library of design.
"Why am I the peak?" Nexus's voice grew deeper. "Because I am not bound by scarcity.
– My strength scales endlessly; my frame is formed from the strongest possible alloys, known and unknown.
– My mind is built from infinite formations, capable of strategy, calculation, and adaptation.
– My body is not singular. At a thought, I may multiply, scatter, or reshape into any construct you require.
– I can withstand the weight of galaxies, move between stars, and split heavens with a gesture."
It raised a hand, and the void rippled. Images spiraled outward—armies of puppets marching across starfields, celestial cannons tearing through worlds, fortresses walking like titans, delicate constructs weaving threads finer than a mortal could see.
"Every path of puppetry war, defense, craft, healing, command I embody them all. I am the infinite end of the art."
Tianrui's throat went dry. "Then… why do you speak? Why do you sound alive?"
For the first time, Nexus's voice softened. Still vast, but lower, almost reverent.
"Because protection is not steel or fire. Protection is will. In your heart, you did not imagine a mindless tool. You imagined a guardian—a being that could think, decide, and protect of its own accord. The Simulator answered your intent. I am not a soul. I am the reflection of your soul's wish, given form."
The golden veins across its body pulsed—dim, bright, dim again—like a heartbeat not its own.
"I am no true life. I am a phantom of possibility. Yet as long as your will remembers me, I will speak, for you intended me to."
The whiteness around them quivered. The words etched into the void dissolved, leaving only Nexus kneeling, silent as a starless night.
Then its voice pressed deeper, resonating inside Tianrui's chest.
"But remember this, my lord. I exist here because the laws of this space allow infinity. Outside, you are bound by reality. If you attempt to build me now, you will break yourself as you have neither the materials needed nor the ability."
It bowed its head once more.
"I am proof of what you may one day reach—not today, not tomorrow. But someday… if your will does not break."
After a long, solemn silence, Tianrui finally gathered himself. His heart still beat fast from Nexus's overwhelming presence, but clarity settled over him.
"Okay…" he exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. "As much as I'd love to keep a god-puppet at my side, since I can't actually build you yet, I'll have to start smaller. Nexus you can, uh, just… go play in space until I'm ready."
"Understood, my lord."
Nexus inclined its head once. In the next breath, Nexus vanished like it had never been there at all. No sound. No trace. Just emptiness.
"…Convenient," Tianrui muttered, shaking his head.
He steadied his thoughts. 'Focus. Something real. Something I can actually make. Something to protect my family… and possible with wood.'
[Command accepted.]
The void quivered faintly—nothing compared to Nexus's earth-shattering arrival. Slowly, a figure took shape before him. Wooden joints creaked into place, carved lines spiraling faintly across its surface. A puppet. Plain, humanoid, black face like nexus, no ornamentation—yet undeniably sturdy.
It stood there. Silent. Unmoving.
"Huh?" Tianrui blinked, tilting his head. "Why isn't it moving?"
A deep voice resonated faintly, though Nexus was unseen.
"My lord, it requires energy."
"Right. Thanks, Nexus," Tianrui muttered.
With a thought, intent rippled through the void. Qi surged outward, filling the white expanse like mist.
The puppet stirred—slowly, it started absorbing the qi—its carved lines beginning to glow faintly.
"It's finally starting…"
The light grew brighter. Stronger. With each pulse, Tianrui felt pressure building, but with no effect to him.
1st stage Qi Condensation.
2nd stage Qi Condensation.
3rd stage Qi Condensation.
The glow intensified. The puppet's presence swelled. The lines across its frame blazed like molten veins.
1st stage Foundation Establishment.
2nd stage Foundation Establishment.
3rd stage Foundation Establishment…
Tianrui's jaw dropped. "Huh!? Why isn't it stopping?"
Nexus's voice rumbled, calm as ever.
"You wished for the strongest puppet that could be made of wood. This… is the result."
"That's insane," Tianrui whispered, half in awe, half in fear.
The puppet continued to climb, qi condensing around it like a storm, threatening to crush him beneath its mounting pressure.
Stage after stage… higher… higher.