BOOK 2/58 - Fresh Start

She hissed in outrage, glaring at her experience bar. "Triple the previous experience? That’s almost a hundred thousand points!" Hilde grumbled internally, though she begrudgingly acknowledged that the increase felt somewhat reasonable.

Meanwhile, Cole remained exactly where he had been, sitting with his eyes closed, his expression calm and unreadable.

“I could’ve done this anywhere. Why bring me here?” she snapped, her frustration bubbling over.

Cole’s eyelids fluttered open, and his piercing gray eyes locked onto hers like a storm brewing. "You might not perceive or detect it yet, but what you just went through was a qualitative change. Doing it anywhere else, with your aura out of control, would have been disastrous."

His head shook slightly as if he could already see the disbelief forming on her face.

“Creator gods are more dangerous than you think. While you and your ‘siblings’—” he air-quoted with a smirk, drawing an exasperated groan from her— “aren’t deadly enough yet, you’re still incredibly powerful in your own right.” His gaze shifted off to the side momentarily before continuing.

“Some, though, are more powerful than others—at least in your planes. And in the Rifts, the secrets that are hidden could make a difference. You’ll need to move if you want to find them.”

Ignoring his cryptic words as usual, Hildelith chose to focus on the rewards she had just earned.


[STAR TITAN: The next step in one's basic form, an evolved version of the Godform, where one embodies the might and grandeur of a star in humanoid form. In this state:

Physical Amplification: Strength, endurance, and durability are magnified to cosmic proportions. Each step can shake worlds, and every strike carries the weight of a collapsing star.

Size and Presence: The ability to grow to a towering celestial size, radiating the luminous glow of stars, exuding overwhelming divine authority—or remain dainty if preferred.

Celestial Affinities: Manipulation of starfire, supernova heat, and gravitational forces becomes an extension of your being.

Immense Stamina: Sustained by pure star energy, granting near-endless endurance.

Weakened Abstracts: Abstract abilities, such as illusions or temporal manipulation, are significantly diminished, prioritizing physical power instead.]



She sighed, shaking her head at her earlier rashness. She had almost missed this form entirely in her rush to erase the Winter Realm dwellers, choosing the first ability she found “cool” without much thought. AUM.

Realizing her error, she resolved to focus on the insights she had gained. "Getting more insights before hitting a milestone will be useful," she mused. "But... is it possible to create an Existential Core without reaching the milestone first? Is that why I need the Dome runes?"

She sighed again, pushing away the thought and bringing up something else—the devil template.

Cole’s voice interrupted her thoughts. "Interesting," he remarked, now sitting beside her. She hadn’t even noticed when he moved.

"So, you do realize that a devil is technically on the opposite spectrum of a god," he said casually.

"Bali made sure to hammer that in," she shrugged, her attention fixed on the template.

“Right. So, you know they can only survive in certain realms, correct?” He gave her a pointed look, as if testing her understanding.

“I survived the Nether Realm. Why can’t they?” she shot back. “Besides, I’ve already got devils of my own. Plus if it's divinity we're talking about, there's only like one realm I have with that.” She decided it was best to ignore his exasperated expression.

“Gods are filled with divine energy—holy, pious, and ‘good,’” he explained, air-quoting the last word. “But that doesn’t mean they’re inherently good beings. Devils, on the other hand, are nefarious and chaotic. Nether energy is their domain. While you can survive as a Creator God because you’re independent of divinity, gods and devils are not as lucky. And your Elder Devils aren’t technically the same as these ones.”

She tilted her head, crossing her arms. “We both know that doesn't exactly matter for me".

He blinked, nodded and stood. “Point is, if you tried to put a Silver Fire Devil in Netherheim—or even Murhil, for that matter—it wouldn’t end well for them.”

"Why? There's no divinity there?".

He nodded again. "The dungeon, what did it look like?".

Hildelith frowned. Mentally sighing she didn't bother arguing. Cole always did this. Throw out seemingly unrelated questions instead of answering. It was only like the second time, but she was certainly used to it now. Thinking back to the dungeon, floors, the demons, well those that had mattered she didn't understand what he wanted her to figure out yet.

'They can't exist in divine realms. That's clear enough. Only Torheim and arguably the Mortal realm even have divinity. I'm guessing Cole's not referring to them then'.

Eyeing the silently waiting figure she frowned. 'Something obvious. It's always obvious. Something clear, something present, something I'm looking at and yet....'.

She sighed. The devils had come from those pits. Why?. In the winter realm the netherlings had broken their way from below. Why?.

"The silver pits. The Ice". Glancing at Cole she watched his expression "Silver Fire Devils need an environment with Silver fire don't they?". The boy grinned.

"That means I'll need to create a whole new realm for Ayarat. One with Silver fire". Hildelith felt a hint of excitement. Her urge to create things rearing its head.

"Yes." She glared at his lack of answers but turned back to think.

"I need to form a completely different realm. If Silver fire is just as corruptive as I remember, then getting it anywhere close to my realm would be bad." Next to her Cole was nodding along.

"How do I even begin to create a new realm?". Thinking back, she'd never physically done it. The System had handled that matter. The closest she'd gotten to building something was Vaustaris.

"Could I build it like Vaustaris?" She pondered aloud.

“You could....or...” Cole trailed off, snapping his fingers. A thick ball of primordial chaos materialized in his hand.

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, eyeing the black and purple ball of destructive matter. "What are you going to do with that?”

He smirked, the edges of his silver-gray eyes gleaming like the edge of a blade. “Not me. You are going to do something with it.” Then, without warning, he tossed the volatile ball at her.

Hilde barely caught it, her shock and panic evident. She held it at arm’s length, glaring at Cole. “Not funny,” she hissed. While she could use Primordial Chaos it didn't mean she was invincible to it. Her palm clutching the ball without even a bit of stress argued that fact.

"You've crossed a point where such a little ball of chaos would do anything to you.” Hildelith's anger dissolved slowly as she admired how she could hold the ball. Before, it would be impossible without having Divine Purity working double time to heal her erasing parts. Now, she just held it like a baseball.

Motioning for her to do something with it drew her out of her thoughts. Scanning the sphere, she froze when she recognized it.

"This..."

"Yes. Last time we're helping with that." Hildelith didn't try to understand what he meant by we, as she was focused on how to use this to forge something useful.


[MATERIAL]: PRIMORDIAL CHAOS
Cut from beyond, this ball contains pure primordial chaos. It can be used for Form Creation.

[Options]:

1. Expand an existing realm
2. Create a new realm


"Just like the beginning?"

She hesitated. "But won’t creating a new realm affect the others? And the players, too? Besides, a realm just for Silver Fire Devils feels... excessive. Like I’m creating hell."
She paused, then sighed. "Right. I already have a hell and even if I didn't Munoron is working on making NILHEIM into one. One more won’t make a difference. Besides, it offsets Ozai’s two realms."

Nodding to herself, she decided. She knew Freyr wouldn’t be the one in charge of this realm.

Cole interrupted her thoughts again.

“Having gods battle gods is good for gaining experience. But it’s not just Creators and your Elders you need to worry about. Bali will come,” His tone having an edge of steel. “You’ll need an army to hold his back, while you deal with him.”

“I’m glad you think so highly of me,” she mocked.

He grinned and winked. “Getting your gods ready against devils will pay off. And having devils that can corrupt your enemies? That should sound nice.”

“And what if other Creator players get devils too?” she asked skeptically.

“Get?” he scoffed. “Hilde, you erased an entire dungeon out of boredom. Destroyed an army of Netherlings without lifting a finger. If another Creator could do that, then you could worry. But odds? Since when have odds ever bothered you?”

"It always did!" she snapped, frustration creeping into her voice. She wasn’t some reckless battle maniac. "Harsh battles just seem to find me," she added defensively.

He chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Fair enough.”

“I guess you’re right. Besides, with my new Star Titan Form, I can hold my own physically." Her words were calculated, a subtle jab to see if Cole had access to her template. His indifferent nod gave her the answer she sought.

"Let’s see what I can do with this." The World Forge vanished around her, leaving her floating in the void of her creation. The nine realms revolved with their bands at the center of her universe, forming a sight she never tired of, despite its familiarity. Her focus shifted among the realms, seeking the perfect location.

"There."

Her gaze settled on the Abyss. While creating a new realm—perhaps even a Tenth Ring—was tempting, she deemed it unnecessary for now. Since this realm was intended for Silver Fire Devils, it was best to place it near their kin, making them neighbors to the other devils.

"If the Alpha Players can’t handle an invasion from them, that’s their problem," she thought. Creating challenges and enriching the story for the players aligned perfectly with her goals. 'It does, right? I do have a goal, right?' Shrugging, she began.

Like with Vaustaris, her vision slowly took shape. Unlike before, it wasn't the game system forging her realms. It was her mind doing the work.

She watched, in awe, as the realm materialized before her. A red, inky dot appeared within the Sixth Ring, hovering above the Abyss. It expanded outward, forming a rapidly growing spherical realm. As it neared the blue sphere of the Soul Realm, the bands adjusted, making space for its growth. The entire structure of rings and realms shifted like a living organism—contracting, expanding, and settling into harmony.

The realm expansion was vast. A separate piece of land emerged from nothing, frozen white seas flowed through carved channels, and purple vegetation covered the landscape. Massive rocks and hills dotted the terrain.

Finally, at the center, she added her crowning creation: the Coliseum. A grand stadium forged of purple and ice blue stone, its tall spire loomed at the edge, where Ayarat would preside.

Though Cole had been right, she had a better idea of what to do here. Mythology always provided endless inspiration. With her vision implemented, she descended into the realm.

Naming it didn’t interest her; that task would fall to Ayarat. Nor would she grant this realm a Monolith. As far as she was concerned, it was subordinate to and part of Netherheim.

"I guess it does have a general name," she muttered.The realm orbited around the Abyss within the ring. It was now a part of Netherheim.

The realm’s oppressive chill washed over her, an environment minimally trying to freeze through her fiery form. Her status as Creator, her Silver Fire Insight, and her Star Titan Form shielded her from its effects. Not even her Elder Titan Form would be able to defend against it.

"I wonder if I can use Silver Fire in this form or only as an Elder Devil. Hmmh, could my Titan Form use it," she mused.

A ball of divinity coalesced in her right palm, and the realm’s energy immediately reacted, seeking to corrupt it.

"The system did make this environment hostile to divines, as I imagined," she nodded, watching the interaction. Her thoughts wandered to the mechanics of corruption. Bali’s attempt to corrupt her had failed, burned away by divine purity. Yet, when she unleashed her cosmic beams on the Winter Dwellers, they had been annihilated completely.

This raised a crucial question: what made corruption permanent?

As she observed the energies assaulting the divine orb, her will sharpened. She saw how the invading energy burned and converted the divinity, piece by piece, until only the core remained. There, at the center of the orb, was something she hadn’t truly noticed before.

The Spark.

It was the same energy she had seen when purifying the Unborns and the Joundk. The Spark, undiluted and unyielding, burned away the corrupting forces.

‘If it can’t corrupt the Spark, then…’ A chill ran through her. The realization dawned. Without mastery over divine purity, she could see herself trapped in an endless cycle of corruption and suffering. The Spark would fight back but never fully purify the body.

It was both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

"Alright, I need to create a ball without the Spark," she resolved.

Her first attempt to separate the divine energy from the Spark resulted in an explosion. The realm shuddered as a blinding charge hurled her across miles, slamming her into the purple and red ground of the Fourth Realm.

‘At least it doesn’t harm me,’ she thought—too soon, as her body seized up the moment she climbed out of the crater, dropping her face-first into the dirt.

‘Thank the lords the children aren’t here,’ she thought wryly.

Lying there, she revolved Divine Purity through her cells, mending the damage. Even with her new form, the Spark was dangerous. Thankfully, her proficiency with Divine Purity had improved, and she recovered quickly.

"Let’s try again," she muttered, determined.

Using Spark Splitter, she carefully extracted the Spark. This time, she shielded herself from the explosion, containing the energy and holding the Spark in her grasp.

It was small, undiluted, and raw, yet brimming with immense power. This tiny fragment had the potential to unleash realm-wide devastation.

The vibrations in her will strained under the Spark’s intensity. For a moment, she marveled at its raw beauty and potential.

‘Focus.’ She shook her head, pulling herself back to the task at hand. The Spark could not be held indefinitely. Its energy formed a void around her, repelling the realm’s energies within three feet.

"What would happen if I tried to incorporate it into a weapon, another divinity ball, or… absorbed it?" A shiver ran down her spine at the thought.


_


Universe - Star Rings


It was an hour till mandatory log out. No one knew if logging out would be forced but no one wanted to have unfinished business or be in a dangerous spot when the time arrived.

Under the rusty red skies of Sol, golden stallions galloped through the magma plains and through the volcanic mountains of the 1st Realm. Their riders, Elder Titans, yelled and shouted in excitement as they raced each other. A helpless and floundering Horkirk followed behind as he tried to get accustomed to this strange new ride. To the Divine Realm Dwellers it would be more familiar, but up here it was as strange as its makers.

Even Mera and Stryder, who could arguably be the fastest of the Five, enjoyed the race. The separation from their destination, still great but nearer than earlier, was cut down with each stride made.

Under the beautiful night sky of Torheim, Elder Divines stumbled out of a dungeon. For the three already with domains, it was more a hunt of essence orbs. For Rhal and Isis, it had been an opportunity to get that which eluded them. The downcast expressions on their faces though, was the evidence of their failure.

"We try again." Ghar's words were met with murmurs but no arguments. Trying again would have to be when they logged in again, so it was no problem at the moment.

The Elder Psions were the most scattered in the universe. All hunting and going about their own business.

While the Players had their own activities or Ascensions pending, the time till logout counted down over their heads. It was time to face reality once more.