As Walker examined the three systems for the third time, a tremor began in his hands. This was it, the power they had harnessed from the Omniverse. He couldn’t help but wonder at his place within the timeline he’d established and what the Evolver's true nature really was.
The Creator considered the sheer magnitude of the power he now possessed, a power that could reshape everything.
Never before in all of human history had such power been held by one like him. Even in the vast expanse of the versi he had traveled, only a select few had ever come close to this level.
In the Evolver Multiverse in particular, one person had reached this point in the past, but that was then, and here he was in the now. While the ramifications of what he could now do settled in, it did make him question one thing. How did they use the systems?
He’d received these as a set for his Omniversal achievement, but as far as he knew, they couldn’t do what he could. It was likely that the Evolvers had achieved something different for the same rewards, but how did they use them if it was all tied to strandbinding?
Either they found a workaround, which seemed likely due to how he gained his resources, or they had their own Strandbinder. He wasn’t sure, but it was something to be leery of. Shaking off the unnatural feeling of empowerment that had overcome him, Walker looked at his overlay again and clicked on each System’s description.
The Communication System
Designed by the Explorers of the Omniverse, this system allows any entity marked by its Creator to communicate with each other across vast distances.
Communication is the lifeblood of a just and fair society. Without the ability to communicate over large distances, including crossing dimensional barriers, the Omniverse would collapse with expeditious haste.
Containing a large number of individual settings, to include popular options, the Communication System allows for the building of a true communal feel within each verse.
This system is empowered through the personal interface of your entities and has a one-time cost for activation within a singular verse.
The Creation System
Designed by the Engineers of the Omniverse, this system allows for Creators to expand their versi, and investigate all of the different life the Omniverse can provide.
Diversity within the Omniverse cannot be underestimated, and thus, the Creation system enables its Creators to sculpt and nurture their worlds to their heart’s content.
This system is intended as a means of creating the ideal reality. As such, it is facilitated through an intuitive interface that adapts to the needs and preferences of each individual Creator.
The Creation system has a one-time cost for activation within a singular verse.
The Universal System
Designed by the Architects of the Omniverse, this system enables the generation and design of new verses, further expanding the tapestry of life across infinite realms and realities.
Further expansion of the Omniverse is imperative for all Versal citizens by Divine Mandate. Spreading the joys of the order across all realities, including those never before seen, is a joy for any citizen and is justly rewarded.
However, not all Architects are Strandbinders, as Primordial entities are difficult to come by. Thus, the Omniversal authorities have learned to modify their Cosmic Life Engines in order to allow for the inclusion of this particular system.
The Universal system’s activation will greatly weaken the abilities of the Cosmic Life Engine, which will require constant use to maintain the allocated repository of Primordial energy.
Walker worked to control his breathing. A Communication system, allowing him to speak with, and possibly watch, all of those within his control. A Creation system, one that allowed Walker to forcibly give power to others that were similar to his own. And a Universal system, that would allow him to further spread his systems, his plans, and his people further out than ever before, with the only cost being a reduction in the power of his engine, and a need to constantly build more versi.
Renditions.
He could make his own renditions.
He could make his own Alpha Protocol, and escape the one that currently bound him in place.
Looking around the black walls of his throneroom, perhaps he wasn’t as bound as he had once been. But the systems gave a return to the idea of his own enhanced power, magnified to an unbelievable scale.
He could make his own Creators.
It was crazy. Ludicrous. Just the idea that a single person could have that kind of power didn’t sit right with him. Walker understood that he could make monsters, giants, could even empower the souls of others. But to make more Creators, others with the same starting powers as he had. It didn’t sit well.
How many other “Architects” had gained this power? Were there dozens, hundreds of universes out there? Multiverses? Was there a thousand alpha protocol’s happening at this very moment?
Walker felt an abrupt mental shift occur as he considered everything. He moved from thinking about how much power he had gained, to being very small in the eyes of the Omniverse. It was a petty feeling, driven by his anger at the Evolvers and their actions. It was also something he didn’t enjoy experiencing.
And yet, it continued on.
Walker wasn’t like them. He didn’t need power, at least not in that sense. Power was something earned, but this didn’t feel like that. This felt like a handout to further someone else’s goals and needs.
According to the system’s he’d just read, the Evolvers had modified their engine, that machine Kwaya had been working through. They’d taken on the Universal system, and thus, renditions and the amount that they had made were logical.
The Evolvers were never going to stop. They couldn’t. If they did, their Primordial energy would stop. It was easy for him to see what that white beam firing into his engine was, now. More than a connection to the Omniverse, it was his Primordial energy allotment. The Neon-haired man didn’t tell him, but he already knew as a Strandbinder, he could feel it.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The Evolvers would continue plucking people like him out of their worlds. They’d snatch the next “Creator” up, throw them into the Alpha Protocol, and if they failed, wipe out all of their Creations as failures. Then, they’d move on to the next, all with the ultimate goal of defeating the Awakened in the Origin.
That was his problem and why these intrusive thoughts were so powerful. But what was he going to do? Make his own protocol and renditions? Fight the Evolvers with the same ideas that they had?
The Book of Souls exited his chest as those thoughts came forward. Walker noticed it and was about to speak, when instead of diving into a vision as it had done in the past, it settled itself behind him. Walker looked back and noticed a book-like depression had opened itself in the throne. His Icon settled itself firmly in the throne, a brief pulse of green and black washing out as a clicking sound echoed through the room, then a projection appeared in front of him.
He watched as the image flashed white before showing a woman with strawberry blonde hair standing up on a grass-like planet. She stood up and spoke with someone Walker couldn’t see. Time flashed forward, and Walker watched as a cube-like world began to form in front of her.
Another projected image appeared simultaneously next to the blonde woman. It showed a creature that looked similar to the Blitzburg, which had lost its Spirit Tree to him in the first battle. It, too, was speaking to someone Walker couldn’t see. Then, a flashforward occurred, and a spherical world was taking shape.
Two more projected images appeared next to them, and even more besides. As Walker continued to sit on his pristine white throne, dozens of projections played in front of him. When he pushed his hand out toward the original projection, a connection was made, causing it to grow in his field of vision while he could now hear what was being said.
“Cascadia, you know that this is not a good idea.” a tree with a branch for a mouth said, obviously the Creator's version of an Assistant.
“That may be so. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to be controlled by whoever the Conductor is. I didn’t ask to be here-”
Walker pushed the projection back to its place, stopping the audio. He felt his breathing quicken again as he stepped from the throne. With a second click, The Book of Souls pulled itself from the throne, re-entering his chest and settling within.
“Th-thank you.” He told it, receiving a warm response in return.
The Book of Souls had sensed what he had wanted and supplied it with gusto. The Throne adapting to what his Icon could do was a surprise, but a welcome one at that. The ability to watch, and hear his visions without having to live them was a great boon. He lost some of the emotional connection with the new projections, but that wasn’t all bad. It was hard to experience someone else’s life. The ups and the downs.
However, his mental state wouldn’t allow him to truly recognize any of these things until later. For now, he was focused on the words the blonde woman, Cascadia, had said. The Conductor…that sounded like the Conduction system—the thing he had requested from his second battle rewards so very long ago.
His Icon had the power to give him brief glimpses of the future. He’d seen it once before, with the child who liked to run, when first considering what the Skill system should do. But this was far beyond the previous example. Looking back at the throne, the place where the book had sat remained. A rectangular deposit, empty in the pristine whiteness of the throne. Even his mark had shifted, allowing the leaves of the tree to extend from the cover of the book itself.
“Pretty powerful.” He said with a tweaked nod, the words falling from his lips without thought.
Walker stepped from the room, feeling a sudden energy in his legs. The need to move and keep moving couldn’t be contained. This was his territorial seat, and he knew almost nothing about it. He needed to explore.
Walker created a quick David, getting a nod on his exit, then asked the Book of Souls to come out again. Together, the three of them exited the throne room and into a long hallway.
As they moved through the area, Walker's bare-footed slaps resounded, creating an echo that reverberated within his chest as they traveled across the seamless black stone. The area, unlike the throne room, had long tubes attached to the ceiling on each side. A white light emitted from it, creating a short shadow that seemed to follow him and the Icon along. David, naturally, had no shadow to speak of. Dimensionally, he was barely a part of this reality, which he found endlessly amusing.
He continued to tell jokes, trying to lighten Walker’s mood, but he was far less responsive to his reflection than normal.
“What do you get when you Awaken an Evolver?”
Walker was silent.
David picked it up regardless, “A Pokemon with an existential crisis! Get it!”
“Good one,” Walker said in a monotone. The reflection didn’t stop, of course, until a bright light could be seen at the end of the hall. Stepping forward, Walker exited the hallway and found his brand on the stone at the entrance. Taking a breath, he walked across it and onto a small grassy field. Within seconds, a notification struck him.
Hello Architect Dante
As you have requested a restricted Territorial Seat, this notification will appear anytime a non-Omniversal order entity attempts to speak with you.
…
You have a communication request from the Symphony Universal Personality, Ulysses
Would you like to accept?
Yes/No
Walker wasn’t in the best of moods. But, since Ulysses was trying to speak to him, it wasn’t something he should deny. Even though he had gained more power, it wouldn’t be smart to piss off the Universal personality.
Walker accepted and a moment later, Ulysses voice crashed in.
“Hello, Walker. Where did you go?”
Walker looked around, “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I couldn’t see you, which is strange.”
Walker looked back at his mark on the floor again, before turning around, “But you can see me now?”
“Of course, I’m not blind. Well-” A pause, “Not really.”
“Interesting. How are you feeling?”
“Much better!” The space around him roared out, “Whatever you did was really helpful. That strange feeling that something was missing is gone. We still need to make a Supreme A.I. for the systems, but for now, this will do. However, something keeps buzzing in my mind.”
“Oh?”
“It’s like someone is talking to me but doesn’t know how.”
“Hrmm…” Walker said as he scratched his chin, momentarily forgetting what he’d seen in the throne room, “It’s probably the Cosmic Life Engine trying to talk to you. You may want to hear what it has to say. It was pretty excited when it found out that you were here.”
“Really? I have a fan.”
Walker swished one hand back and forth, “Fan would probably be too strong of a word. I think it considers itself your partner.”
Walker felt Ulysses leave him for a moment, so he continued his walk with David prattling in his ear and his Icon floating behind him. It was only the tenth step away from his Domicile that he stopped as he felt the personality return.
“You were right. He said he had a lot to show me. But first, can I ask a favor?”
Walker shrugged, “Sure, man. How can I help?”
“Two things. One, I need you to put on some clothes. That’s for everyone else, not just for me. Two, I need you to use that Pocket Dimension thing a few times.”
Walker nodded, “I can do both, I think.”
Walker went into his new Systems menu and clicked on the Item system.
Error
The Remote System is not active yet
Error
“Fucker.”
“What?” Ulysses boomed out.
“I can’t access the Item system from here.”
His voice roared out at a higher volume than usual, “Will that be a problem?”
Walker looked around as he tried to think. The environment on the planet was ideal for a boy from California. There was a slight cloud cover, and it wasn’t overly humid. Oak and Eucalyptus trees could be spotted all around the area, and every piece of grass seemed to be perfectly cut, like it couldn’t grow any further than the exact length it had reached.
“Wizard shit,” He mumbled to himself, remembering the words he’d said long ago. That led him to another memory from his initial time in the protocol. Walker looked up at the sky, “Ulysses, I’m going to get the lay of the land right now. Give me a little bit of time to figure things out.”
Walker heard a few pounding noises, like someone rattling their fingers on a massive desk, “Alright, Walker. But don’t take too long.”
Walker didn’t know what the rush was, as this universe was already accelerated. Either way, he looked out at the green foliage in front of him and smiled for the first time in a while. Maybe he could finally catch a small break.
He took his first step out onto the Territory.