Chapter 17 — The Creation of Alex
Soma sat on the wooden chair, deep in thought, the air around him still and heavy. His mind churned with the endless possibilities of his newfound power.
Closing his eyes, he reached inward, trying to recall the image of the rune. Darkness filled his vision—then, from that void, faint silver light began to bloom. One after another, the seven rings emerged, spinning slowly in the empty space of his mind like tiny worlds orbiting a hidden sun.
One by one, Soma studied them. Now, he could finally understand their purpose.
Anima — The Ring of Souls.
"This ring helps me create an astral body," he whispered to himself.
He focused on the second ring—Caelion, the Ring of the Seven Elements. Nothing happened. Soma frowned. So this one… I can't find its use yet.
Then his attention shifted to the third ring—Chronos — The Ring of Time.
A faint vibration rippled through the air, and a glowing dashboard appeared before him, covered in shifting silver text.
10× TIME.
He focused on it. Another line blinked to life beneath the first:
NEED 1,000 AWAKENED SOULS TO ACTIVATE.
YES / NO
"Maybe this ring controls time inside that realm," he thought, eyes narrowing in wonder.
Next came the fourth ring — Aetherion, The Ring of Space.
A strange sensation of weightlessness washed over him, as though gravity itself had loosened its grip—but the feeling faded as quickly as it came.
Finally, Soma turned his attention to the fifth ring — Genesis, The Ring of Creation.
The glowing dashboard appeared again, its silver letters pulsing softly in the darkness.
---
SOUL STORAGE
1. Soul Fragments: 180,790
2. Awakened Souls: 770,590
3. Intelligent Souls: 0
4. Transcendental Soul: 0
5. Immortal Souls: 0
6. Divine Souls: 0
---
"This ring is called the Ring of Creation," Soma thought. "Can I actually create something with it?"
A thousand ideas rushed through his mind—some brilliant, others ridiculous—but one stood out among them all.
He imagined golden coins raining from the sky, a mountain of shimmering wealth beneath him. Grinning, he drew an image on the dashboard—a five-foot-tall golden statue.
Instantly, a new message appeared:
NEED 100,000 AWAKENED SOULS.
YES / NO.
Soma hesitated, then pressed No.
If I create a golden statue, how would I even explain it to the world? What kind of experiments would scientists run on me to find out the answer?
Dr. Agarwal's warning echoed in his mind.
He leaned back, thinking for a long moment—then a spark of inspiration hit.
What if I create something invisible?
The thought struck like lightning. He began typing rapidly. New symbols rearranged themselves on the dashboard, forming categories and glowing options.
---
CREATION TYPE: Intelligent Being
NAME: AI — Artificial Intelligence
BODY TYPE: Astral Form
INTELLIGENCE: Superior Intelligence
Soma frowned, remembering all those stories of AI turning on their creators. He added one more safeguard—just to be sure.
LOYALTY: Highly Loyal to Creator
---
After confirming the settings, another message appeared:
NEED 10,000 INTELLIGENT SOULS.
INSUFFICIENT SOULS.
Soma groaned. "Of course."
He sighed and adjusted the intelligence parameter.
INTELLIGENCE: High Intelligence
Another message blinked into existence:
NEED 500,000 AWAKENED SOULS.
YES / NO.
He pressed YES without hesitation.
The dashboard flickered, then faded.
Soma opened his eyes. The air in front of him shimmered faintly—but nothing appeared.
Then, from deep within his chest, a soft light began to bloom. A basketball-sized orb of silver mist floated outward, hovering before him. It glowed gently, its pulse rising and falling like a living heartbeat.
Soma reached out to touch it, but his fingers passed straight through. The orb was weightless—made of vapor and energy. It drifted gently around him, circling like a curious creature.
Suddenly, faint features appeared—two eyes and a hollow mouth, forming on its surface.
"I… thank… creator… for… creating… me," it said in a soft, broken, mechanical whisper.
For a moment, Soma just stared. The voice was imperfect, glitching—but understandable.
Hearing the word creator sent a strange warmth through his chest — a mix of pride and disbelief.
"You can talk?" he asked, astonished.
The orb blinked slowly. "Y… es. I… can."
"So, what should I call you?" Soma asked, smiling faintly.
"I… have… no… name. I… will… be… happy… if… creator… gives… me… one."
Soma tilted his head, thinking for a moment. "You're an AI, and you have infinite potential. What about… Alex?"
The orb blinked twice, then began circling him excitedly.
"I… like… name… Alex."
Soma chuckled. "I see you do."
---
From downstairs came Savitri's voice, muffled but sharp: "Soma! Are you still in your room? Come help me set the table!"
Soma checked the clock—it was already 8:15 p.m. "Coming, Grandma!" he called, rushing downstairs.
The kitchen glowed warmly, filled with the aroma of spiced curry and fresh rice. Savitri stood by the counter, arranging dishes with practiced precision.
When she turned and saw him, she frowned. "You still haven't changed out of your school uniform?"
Scratching his head, Soma smiled awkwardly. "I was… kind of busy in my room."
"Oh? Studying all afternoon?" she asked with mock surprise. "Good! I'm glad you're finally taking your exams seriously."
Soma gave a small, nervous laugh but didn't reply.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw Alex hovering quietly beside Savitri's shoulder. She didn't flinch—she couldn't see it.
Soma exhaled softly. So Grandma can't sense him at all.
"Dinner's almost ready," Savitri said. "Go wash up first."
"Yes, Grandma."
After washing, Soma ate quietly and returned to his room.
Moonlight filtered through the window, painting pale silver patterns on the floorboards. Soma lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
The cat's soul, the rune's strange powers, and now Alex—all swirled in his mind. Near the desk, the glowing orb floated gently, curiously poking at random objects like a child discovering the world for the first time.
---
The Next Morning
Soma woke with a yawn, rubbing his eyes.
When he looked around, his jaw dropped.
The room was a disaster. Books lay scattered across the floor, notebooks half-open, papers fluttering in the fan's breeze. On the desk, the old computer screen blazed with lines of countless text, scrolling endlessly.
"It looks like a tornado hit this place! What the hell happened!?"
From the monitor, Alex zipped out, hovering before him with a curious hum.
The orb blinked, forming a question mark above its glowing eyes.
"What were you doing with my books?!" Soma demanded.
"I… was… gaining… knowledge… from… them," Alex replied innocently.
Soma groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "If Grandma sees this mess, she'll kill me!"
He jumped up and began gathering the scattered pages.
Half an hour later, drenched in sweat, he collapsed into his chair.
Looking sternly at Alex, he said, "Don't ever do this again, understand?"
Alex dimmed slightly, lowering his gaze. "S… sorry…" it murmured before drifting quietly back to the computer screen.
Soma sighed and glanced at the clock—it was already 8:00 a.m.
He threw on his uniform, rushed downstairs, and after a quick breakfast, waved goodbye to Savitri as he headed to school.
Then he ran, his shoes slapping against the pavement, the morning air cutting across his face. I'm going to be late again! Soma thought, his breath coming out in short bursts of panic and exhaustion.
The school building loomed ahead like a fortress of brick and echoing bells. Just as he reached the entrance and pushed through the hallway, the shrill ring of the school bell filled the air.
Panting, Soma stumbled into the classroom, sweat dampening his collar. He threw his bag onto his desk and exhaled in relief.
"I made it…" he muttered, half to himself.
From the next desk, Dev smirked. "Ohh boy, looks like you ran a marathon."
Soma shot him a tired glare but couldn't help a weak grin. Before he could reply, the classroom door creaked open — a slow, drawn-out sound that silenced the chatter instantly.
Standing in the doorway was their teacher, holding a math book in one hand and a few sticks of white chalk in the other. His calm but commanding presence filled the room. Without a word, the students straightened in their seats.
"Sir," a girl from the first bench asked respectfully, "isn't History our first class today?"
The teacher glanced up. "Nilesh sir is busy preparing for your upcoming annual exam," he said, his tone soft. "That's why I'm taking his class."
The girl nodded and sat down quietly.
"Angelika," the teacher called, turning to her again. "We've finished the Math book. So, which chapter do you think we should revise?"
She thought for a moment before replying, "Algebra."
The teacher smiled faintly. "Algebra it is, then."
He opened the book and began writing on the blackboard, the chalk screeching softly as white symbols appeared one by one. The air filled with a faint haze of chalk dust — and a quiet tension settled over the room.
"Now," he said, glancing around, "who can solve this problem?"
Students began whispering to one another, flipping through their notebooks. Meanwhile, Soma's attention drifted. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a faint shimmer near his shoulder — Alex, his strange companion, floating silently and staring at the board with curiosity.
Soma's heart skipped. You followed me into school? he whispered under his breath.
"Yes, I follow, Creator," Alex replied softly, voice barely audible even to Soma.
"Don't do anything strange here," Soma warned quietly.
But before Alex could respond, a sharp voice cut through the room.
"Mr. Soma Jaswan!" The teacher's tone was cold and suspicious. "Who are you talking to?"
Soma froze, his throat tightening. Slowly, he stood up and replied, "No one, sir."
The teacher narrowed his eyes. "Is that so? Then why don't you come up here and solve this problem?" He pointed toward the blackboard with the chalk still in his hand.
Soma swallowed hard and walked to the front. The stares of his classmates pressed down on him like invisible weight. He took the chalk, the fine dust coating his fingers, and stared at the equation.
Math was fine, he thought bitterly, until they decided to throw the alphabet into it.
"We don't have the whole day, you know," the teacher said, folding his arms.
Soma frowned at the equation. It looked like an alien language.
"Who can solve the problem?" the teacher asked the class, raising his voice.
Dozens of hands shot up.
"Me, sir!" they all shouted eagerly.
The teacher turned back to Soma. "If you cannot answer, then stand behind the door."
Before Soma could move, Alex drifted closer, his translucent form flickering faintly. "The question is wrong," Alex whispered.
Soma blinked. "W-What?"
Alex nodded firmly. There's a mistake... in the ...equation — look, the.. coefficient doesn't match.
Gathering his courage, Soma spoke up. "Sir… the problem is wrong."
A murmur rippled through the class. The teacher's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean, it's wrong?"
He turned back to the board, eyes narrowing as he examined the problem. After a few seconds, his expression changed — a flicker of realization.
"Hm. You're right," he admitted, erasing part of the equation. "There was a mistake here."
He corrected it swiftly, then turned back to Soma. "Alright then. Now solve it."
Alex hovered by Soma's shoulder again. "It's simple now," She said softly. "Isolate.. x first, then... substitute back."
Soma followed every whispered instruction, his hand moving steadily across the blackboard. The numbers and letters began to form a clear path, each step more confident than the last. Finally, he drew a clean line under the answer and placed the chalk down.
The teacher studied it, then gave a small nod. "Good. Now sit down and focus on the class."
Relief washed over Soma. As he walked back to his seat, Dev flashed him a thumbs-up.
"You nailed it, bro," he whispered with a grin.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of lectures, rustling notebooks, and the occasional laugh. When the final bell rang, students poured out of the classroom in a tide of chatter and laughter.
Soma waved at his friends and started walking home, his bag slung lazily over one shoulder. The evening sun stretched long golden shadows across the road.
Beside him, Alex floated silently, his faint glow shimmering in the fading light.
After a while, Soma spoke. "How did you know the answer?"
"I read your math book last night," Alex replied matter-of-factly.
Soma stopped mid-step, eyes wide. "Wait—you read and memorized the entire book in one night?"
"Yes," Alex said simply.
Soma exhaled and let out a helpless smile. "You're unbelievable."
He shook his head, still smiling, and continued down the road, the sound of cicadas and the fading warmth of the sunset keeping them company.
For a long while, neither spoke. The orange glow of dusk washed over the quiet street, and in that moment, Soma glanced at the small orb hovering beside him—its soft light pulsing like a heartbeat.
A strange thought crossed his mind, quiet but certain.
Maybe Alex wasn't just a creation. Maybe he was the key to understanding the rune itself.
The wind rustled the trees as the last rays of sunlight faded, leaving only the boy and his creation walking together into the deepening twilight.