Ethan Vale was dying.
The world around him was fire and thunder — a city tearing itself apart under the sky's red pulse. Sirens screamed somewhere behind the smoke, but Ethan barely heard them. His vision was fading to static, his mind flickering like a broken signal.
> "Subject #092, containment breached!"
"Seal the lab — now!"
He tried to move, but his legs wouldn't obey. The glass chamber he'd been thrown into was cracked, spiderwebs of crimson light crawling through it. Energy hummed inside his veins, wrong and alien.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
He'd been a systems engineer, working on simulation networks for the government. The project was simple — digital universes that could evolve by themselves. But something went wrong. Someone uploaded him into the core.
Now, the core was melting down. And so was his body.
"Shut it down!" he croaked.
No one answered.
There was only the hum, growing louder, until it became words.
> [SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
[ERROR: HOST DYING.]
[EXECUTING EMERGENCY TRANSFER.]
"What—" Ethan gasped, but the world was already dissolving.
He felt himself stretch, pulled like data through a network of stars. A tunnel of light swallowed him whole. For a moment, he was weightless — then a voice, mechanical and serene, echoed through the void.
> [Welcome, Architect Candidate.]
[Transferring consciousness to Root Space.]
[Binding complete.]
Darkness. Then — creation.
___
When he opened his eyes, he stood on nothing.
A black ocean of data spread out beneath his feet, lines of light curving like galaxies, and above him shimmered countless spheres — each one pulsing with color, alive with storms and lightning. Worlds.
"What the hell is this…"
> [Root Interface Activated.]
[User: Ethan Vale.]
[Designation: World Seed 0017.]
[Mission: Construct and evolve self-sustaining realities.]
[Failure Condition: World Collapse = Host Termination.]
He blinked. The words hovered in the air like holograms, spinning around him.
"…You're kidding me."
He waved a hand, and the interface followed his movement. One orb pulsed closer — a small planet of rock and fire, half-formed, floating in the void.
> [Tutorial World Available.]
[Would you like to begin creation?]
Ethan hesitated. The logical part of his brain, the engineer, whispered that this was a simulation. But everything felt real — the pulse of energy, the hum of space. And the pain in his chest was gone.
He was alive again. Somehow.
"Yeah," he muttered. "Let's begin."
___
Light burst from his hands.
The void folded, twisting into shape. He felt rules form — gravity, matter, temperature — like he was dragging sliders in an invisible editor. The planet below solidified. Volcanoes roared. Clouds formed. Rain fell.
> [Planet 'Aion-01' initialized.]
[Atmosphere: Breathable.]
[Biosphere: Stable.]
[Estimated Survival Duration: 1,000 years.]
Ethan exhaled shakily. "That's… impossible."
> [Proceed to Civilization Phase?]
Civilization. The word hit something deep. He was a builder, not a destroyer.
"Proceed."
The world shimmered again. From the dust, primitive creatures crawled — humanoid silhouettes of stone and light. They blinked, confused, and began to move.
> [Species: Protohumans created.]
[Intelligence: Rudimentary.]
[Development Path: Fire Discovery → Shelter → Agriculture.]
[Objective: Guide civilization growth to Level 1 status.]
"So I'm their god now," he whispered.
A laugh bubbled out — half disbelief, half hysteria. He'd spent years coding simulations of life, but now he was the simulation.
He watched the protohumans stumble through their first night, huddling near the heat of lava flows. He could feel their fear like a low hum in his mind. Instinctively, he reached toward them.
Light descended. A spark ignited in their camp.
Fire.
> [Milestone Reached: Fire Discovered.]
[Reward: +100 Divine Energy.]
[Skill Unlocked: "Inspiration" — Accelerate learning of lower beings.]
Ethan's pulse quickened. The system was rewarding him — like a game.
But the implication was terrifying.
If they failed to grow… he'd die.
___
Hours — or maybe days — passed as he guided them silently. He couldn't speak to them, not yet, but he could inspire ideas: shaping dreams, nudging instincts. They learned to build walls, to hunt, to gather.
> [Civilization Level 0.3 → 0.8]
[Energy: +500]
He smiled. For the first time since his death, he felt purpose again.
Until the sky cracked.
A ripple tore through Root Space. The black ocean around him distorted — and one of the other floating orbs exploded in the distance. A world, dying.
> [Alert: Adjacent World Collapse Detected.]
[Source: World Seed 0016 Terminated.]
Ethan froze.
"Terminated?"
The voice returned, calm and merciless:
> [Warning: Nearby gods may attempt resource absorption.]
[Recommendation: Strengthen world defenses.]
Another pulse — this time closer. One of the shattered fragments drifted toward Aion-01, glowing red. Something was inside it.
A shadow tore through the sky of his world. His protohumans screamed and ran as a burning creature fell among them — black wings, molten eyes.
A divine invader.
> [Hostile Entity Detected: Remnant of God-Seed 0016.]
[Initiating Defense Protocols.]
Ethan's heart hammered. "How do I stop it?"
> [Command: Manifest Avatar.]
The light around him condensed into a body. His body.
Armor of starlight wrapped around his limbs, and a blade of code and energy solidified in his hand. The system's voice whispered:
> [Avatar online. Power limited to local parameters.]
[Warning: Death of avatar = Energy loss.]
"Fine." Ethan looked down at the burning creature. "Let's see what happens when gods fight in their own worlds."
He descended in a flash.
___
The battle was chaos. The creature lunged with a scream that shattered mountains. Ethan countered, his blade humming with energy. Every strike tore space, every impact sent ripples through the world's fabric.
> [Integrity: 97% → 88% → 76%]
"Damn it!" He was protecting his own creation and killing it at the same time.
He pushed harder, forcing the energy to focus. The world trembled, lava split the earth — and with one final blow, he drove his sword through the creature's chest.
The invader dissolved into particles.
> [Hostile Entity Eliminated.]
[Energy Absorbed: +2,000.]
[World Integrity Restored: 93%.]
[Title Unlocked: Defender of the First Flame.]
Ethan collapsed to one knee, gasping.
The sky cleared. The protohumans looked up in awe — their god descending in light.
They knelt.
And in that moment, a connection formed. Faith.
> [Faith Energy: +3,200.]
[New Ability Unlocked: "Divine Link."]
The system chimed softly, almost like approval.
> [First World Secured.]
[New Mission: Expand Civilization Beyond Origin.]
[Warning: Rival Seeds Aware of Your Existence.]
Ethan's hands trembled. His first world was alive, but so were his enemies.
He looked up at the infinite expanse of worlds, millions still dark and waiting.
"Fine," he whispered. "If this is the game… then I'll play to win."
Above him, the void stirred — countless eyes opening across the dark, watching the birth of a new god.