Chapter 8 — The First Breath of Life
Arsere lingered in the quiet of her domain, her thoughts still drifting between the warmth of her small home and the vast, unfinished Crevalis suspended in the void. After exploring everything, one desire kept returning to her mind:
It was time to create life.
But not recklessly—not like before.
She floated the orb of Crevalis into her hands and frowned.
"No guides… no instructions…" she muttered. "How am I supposed to begin?"
A few seconds passed before she slapped her forehead.
"Wait—aren't there guidelines?! How could I forget something that basic?!"
She opened the system's inner help manual and read every line with full concentration, absorbing each rule and caution with a seriousness she hadn't shown before. When she finally closed it, her expression hardened into determination.
"Alright. No shortcuts this time. If Crevalis wants to give birth naturally, I have to set the stage and let it grow at its own pace."
Adjusting Time
Her first change was simple but crucial.
She extended Crevalis' internal time flow:
1 second in the system = 1 million years in Crevalis.
"Life needs time. Lots of it," she whispered.
The Eternal Sea Realm
Arsere's attention shifted to the vast new plate she had created — the Eternal Sea, a near-endless ocean with scattered islands and mineral‑rich trenches.
She raised her hand.
"First, let's make this sea… rich."
Using her creator authority, she infused the waters with minerals, dissolved energy particles, pressure gradients, and heat pockets. Then she stepped back and watched from afar.
Minutes passed.
Then tens of minutes.
But nothing grew.
The sea remained silent, peaceful — too peaceful.
Arsere's brow tightened.
"Why…? Thirty minutes in system time is 1.8 billion years there… but nothing?"
She replayed her process step by step. Something wasn't adding up.
Suddenly she stiffened.
"The sea is too calm… There's no conflict. No stimulus. No change."
She clicked her tongue.
"I can't add a second Chaos Law; the world already has one. So how do I increase chaos only on this plate…?"
A New Tool
She thought for nearly another half hour before her eyes lit up.
"Right! If the laws affect everything equally… I'll just build something that focuses them onto one plate!"
Thanks to her creation title, assembling the device was almost effortless. She crafted a ring‑shaped controller that could:
amplify any law on a specific plate
weaken laws on others
adjust their flow like energy currents
She merged it with Crevalis, and the system accepted the modification instantly.
Then she increased the Chaos Law's influence on the Eternal Sea.
The waters began to churn — storms forming, volcanic vents erupting, lightning surging across the ocean's dark surface. She watched closely, silent but hopeful.
Fifteen minutes later (900 million years inside the world):
The tiny soul‑particles drifting above the sea began disappearing one by one.
Arsere leaned forward, eyes wide.
Then—
Something shimmered in the abyssal depths.
Green filaments.
Thread‑thin strands wavering like ghostly hair.
The first algae. Primitive life.
Her lips parted in a small breath of awe.
"We… did it."
She immediately used the device again, maximizing the Law of Adaptation on the sea plate, boosting the chances of evolution.
Satisfied beyond measure, Arsere collapsed onto her bed.
"So tired… but worth it…"
Her eyes closed. She drifted into sleep.
Nightfall in Crevalis
But in the eternal dark of the Nightvail Plate…
A ripple formed.
A shadow.
Then a second.
Two unknown visitors silently stepped into Crevalis, concealed within the fog‑soaked realm.
And the newborn world welcomed them with shivers.