FLASHBACK.

HELEN'S POV

[UNIVERSE FORM]

The form of a universe is the basic configuration and setup it follows. Even transcendent figures need order.

I really didn't know what to do here. I'd not been prepared for this and didn't really know what I wanted for my universe form. Fortunately enough, the system had given us an example of how a form could be. So while I had a basic idea, I still didn't know what I wanted.

I must have taken quite the while thinking up what to do at this point when a thought hit me.

'If I can't decide why not just blend the ones I have an idea of''. I looked at little Haero shaking his crib bars like a prisoner. He caught my eye and babbled at me. An attempt to free him.

"Good boys stay in bed". He must have smelt my grand lie as he slammed the crib in a show of unacceptance. The crib and the floor shook just a tiny bit. It was more than enough to prove his more than normal baby status.

"Back to this". Turning back to the template in front of me I sighed. I had the idea but how to implement it. An eye out the window showed Sol hanging up there. Doing absolute nothing. Little bits of lights and colors spread all over the borders of my universe.

I turned back to my template. Looked at my little boy then back to it. The more I thought they more I realized that maybe the game was asking me the wrong question.

What kind of life did I want in this game?. That was the proper question. I would say I came here initially to fight my fears. To try and brave a supposed new world. Building an entire existence had done wonders for me.

It has been as exhilarating as it had been eventful. I wanted more and needed more. So what did I want?.

"Working on the possibilities that this game has only my universe then I must create all the form I can in here. Maybe one day the other Creator's worlds would be available for exploring. Something I might unlikely do. But..." I looked to Haero. "...I want to make my universe one of immense joy, beauty and wonder. A true sight for me to see. A sign of ..." I looked at my palms and then up. "... a sign of my struggles. It might never end'.

I thought of family. 'It may go on forever. This fear and disgust, but I'll fight it". I looked at Haero. "For my little Haero that taught me how much family is worth more than pain. How much one can do do push forward. Every moving, ever mobile. Like a wheel. A spinning wheel. No, a ring".

I jumped up a bulb lighting in my eyes.

I focused on the template then sat my ass back down. I made the template like a page and began typing or writing. Or... whatever the hell it was like to use your thoughts to type in words. It was more than that though.

I was sharing feelings, imaginations, pictures, scenes to the template. With each words and each picture an image was formed. Slowly and surely I came up with something that I hoped was outstanding. Something interestingly crazy.

At least that was how I hoped it would be seen.

There was my universe. From what I could sense of it , of me. It was shapeless and formless. But the closest to any shape it had was luckily spherical. The borders the know energies that made up part of me. Primordial Chaos, Aether and Nothingness.

Next came the Form.

Nine rings. Not separate though. I wanted something to illustrate the ever moving scene of my path through life. So I imagined a sort of slide shaped like rings, each interconnected and intersecting. Sloping and running downwards, leftwards, rightwards or upwards.

It was all dependent on how you saw it. On what you knew and how you knew it. For me it was simple. It was all going downwards. The symbolism of life to death. But there was no loop back. No return. The only return was done by want the rings themselves held.

See, I imagined the rings as the carriers of everything that would be important in my universe. "The Star River". A golden, yet transparent and beautiful rush of water that carried everything through it.

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It shared all it brought with everything. How , was a question that the 9 rings could answer. Each ring was a divine, aetheric, Primordial and abstract metal looping around a single reality.

"Realm sounds better". I nodded and changed the names to realm. While it indeed was realities it didn't mean saying reality sounded cool in my ear.

The first reality was no reality. The Sol, the Alpha point, the blocking sun. The system Haero ate. It was the light to the realities or for those who would exist beyond it. Hanging right beneath the nothingness it was basically the Light in the Dark. Spot table from a mile off. Technically so would my rings be once I was done.

Shining in all directions it's light was carried downwards even better by the transparent and yet reflective surface of the star river. It served the purpose of hiding the only entrance left to my Lunar palace.

Next in line was the first and main recipient of light. The Divine Realm. Home of the Divines, The Heavens, The Core Accusatory of all Divine Powers. The Fields of Golden.

"Aish, that's a lot of names". Point was the place was the technical first reality. The home of the gods. I snickered. "I'll have a pantheon. How cool".

Waterfalls flowed from the Rings above unto this reality and then flowed through till dropped back into the second rings . The Star River carrying this energy rushed down to the next realm, reality.

"Is this getting complicated?". I frowned. "Nah, they can figure it out".

Dream Realm. Or the Reality of Dreams. Here was where the dreams of mortals were stored. Given form and made real by the power from the divine that flowed into this reality via the streams.

"Also wondered if my dreams were being made real somewhere else. Well I can make NPCs dreams real here. Not the night mares or the boogie man dreams. Not those".

"The Land of wishes, dreams and wants. The Mortal wants made physical, their abstracts given life. I could take some of this dreams too and make them into something when my universe tries to get boring. Hopefully not. My very own well of inspiration". I pondered if some real God was actually doing this too.

'What if they get this idea from me?'. I frowned at the idea of suing a god for copyright. 'Can I even sue a god?. Who's gonna lead my case. A devil?'. I chuckled at the thought before focusing back to my work.

"Now, to make the dream realm work. To give it inspiration and designs. The Mortal Realm. What do I do here. Well obviously can't be a creator without mortals. Should I make humans. Nope".

"It's my realm for relaxation. Last thing I need is them dropping a nuke once it's entered the technology age. Still, who's to say any other race won't be like that too". I kept the thought of smiting them if they did it away.

"Could make a great Vacation spot too for me and my boy and the other coming kids. I sound like Aunt May when she was expecting. Focus girl". I slapped my forehead.

"Alright Uhm, obviously home to the mortals. Playground of the gods, just not too much. The streams will flow down into them... Hmmh. I don't think that's quite normal, right?. Hmmh".

I relaxed back and looked over the entire plans. I tried thinking of how to incorporate the streams without spoiling the rivers thing. It sounded nice to me.

"Wait, most games and books have that thing about Uhm... Yes, ley lines. Yes". I exhaled in relief and moved on to the next.

The Spirit Realm was actually an obvious next choice. After all mortals died and then need somewhere to go. Maybe I'd work out something more with all the things I knew some or most gods did from stories later but for now this was it.

"Home of the unwanted. That actually makes sense. Not all mortals might choose a god and if that thing happens where gods take their chosen then the unwanted come here". I felt extra flew and relief at the idea and plan coming together without jinks.

"The next to be reincarnated. The Nexus point for judgement. That's the spirit realm ".

Next up was the Abyss. Unlike its names sounded though it definitely wasn't for mortals. Maybe some god would do that shit of creating a hell but it wouldn't be me.

Okay maybe this was a hell. Just not for mortals. A villainy chuckle escaped me. I pushed the laugh to be more believable until it got weird and I coughed awkwardly. A look to my left showed Haero giving me a weird eye.

"What?".

Of course he said nothing. I shook my head and turned back. "Honestly, this , at the end of the day is a game. And I doubt most players will be civil. Not gonna risk my fun being ruined by stupid players in the skin of gods". So yeah this was for them.

"Home of the Daemons, Punishment of The Divines. Hey wait if I punish Divines here then why not..." I went right up and slotted in punishment of the Daemons to The Divine realm.

Nodding at a good job I went back to work. Only problem was, my juices were dry. Nothing was left in my inspiration. I sighed. Cracked my brain to think and came up with nothing. Finally I sighed and skipped to the next ring. Turning. The next was same.

The last and final ring would have been same if I didn't get the idea of letting other beings utilize the Abstract as I did. It sounded powerful and a good way to make the gods and the mortals grow faster.

Like the rivers did with the rest of the energies from all realms it did the same with the Abstract. Flowing through it and out the other way beginning the cycle of return as it took all this energies to the beginning.

Each cycle of the river was the time of my universe. A cycle being a complete day.

The moment I was done with it I sat back and looked it over. The ideas for the 7th and 8th Ring or reality was cringe and cliche. Fortunately I didn't like the use of them anyway so they were a no go.

"I'll hopefully think of something". Several moments later I was still blank. I groaned.

"Can I fill in this spots later?". I was so frustrated at having nothing else.

[Universe Form - The Star Rings (9 Realms)]

The Rings - Star River, River of the Dead, Ley lines, Power Amplifier, Source Point, Power Conveyor, Time Rings, Reality Bind.

1st Ring - Sol

The One Sun, Bond of Haero, Light of All Reality, Light in the Dark.

2nd Ring - Divine Realm

Home of the Divines, The Heavens, The Core Accusatory of all Divine Powers.

3rd Ring - Dream Realm

Land of wishes dreams and wants. Mortal wants made physical, their abstracts given life. The Mother's well of inspiration.

4th Ring - Mortal Realm

Mother's realm for relaxation, The Vacation spot of the Deities, Home to the mortals. Playground of the gods.

5th Ring - Spirit Realm

Home of the unwanted. The dead, the next to be reincarnated. The Nexus point for judgement.

6th Ring - Abyss Realm

Home of the Arch Fiends, Den of Miscreants, Punishment of The Divines.

7th Ring - UNSPECIFIED

8th Ring - UNSPECIFIED

9th Ring - Abstract - The Will of Transcendents

[APPLY]

[Y/N]

[Warning - Application of template will be permanent. While unspecified regions can be updated, specified ones will be unchangeable. While the core idea remains permanent other changes can be set within this idea for a broader utility]

I smiled. Both in relief and curiosity at what more I could change within a core idea as the system had called them. Either way this was good. With a thought I clicked yes.