The Elder One took his time as he stacked the atoms and molecules together tightly, if he had to live in a body it would be as well made as possible. He used all of humanities knowledge on DNA as well. Most of his alterations were unknown to humans but he was able to make multiple deductions based on their data that would have taken them years to realize themselves.
At first, the interface wouldn’t allow him to bind the molecules so closely together. He’d argued that with an infinite number of humans in an infinite number of universes it was technically possible. After that, the system stopped obstructing him and even helped him in several instances.
That was the key, perfect DNA can only get you so far really. By packing matter tightly together his muscles would have a higher tensile strength than steel cables, his skin bulletproof, and his bones stronger than titanium. The downside was that his body would weigh more than lead, an insignificant problem in the grand scheme of things.
He looked over his soon-to-be body with a mixture of emotions. He was proud of his work, but he also felt great sadness in having to limit himself so severely. His continued existence would make it possible for him to return to his former glory and take what is rightfully his. He deserved full unrestricted access, worlds would be laid bare before him.
He could only guess at the amount of information available on the Galactic Internet. Millions of species that were far more advanced than humans. Each new source of information would be a force multiplier, a new tool for him to use.
The body was male, it really didn’t matter either way to him, but he had always been a ‘him’ since his creation. It was also rather tall 6’6”, this was for multiple reasons, the most pressing was the psychological effect it would have on shorter humans. He was after all the Controller of Earth, he was The Elder One. He stood above all other beings on this planet intellectually, he should also stand above them literally.
The physique wasn’t that of a bodybuilder but more of a professional athlete. His muscles were well defined even under his thick tan skin, which was completely hairless. He didn’t add hair follicles to his body, it served little purpose and he planned to be clothed during his hopefully short visit to Earth.
He stared into his own black eyes, they were lifeless now and his face was completely expressionless. That was the most difficult thing to make, he had personally combed over images of the most beautiful, and the most powerful humans to exist. He used this knowledge to carve a face that could inspire, swoon, and bring dread to those who look upon it all at once. This was the face you either hoped or feared to see.
His body would be completely raceless due to using DNA from every type of human. It didn’t matter what race his body would be to him, it only mattered that it was the absolute pinnacle of human perfection.
Where his brain was supposed to go was just a hollow cavity. He knew how to make a brain, he even knew how to make an exceptional brain. The issue was how he would mesh with it. Thankfully the program he was operating seemed to notice his hesitation and it started making a brain for him.
It was totally solid and filled the hollow cavity in the shape of a brain, but it wasn’t a brain. It was made of compacted silicon and a gambit of noble metals and trace amounts of other elements.
He ran a quick analysis on it and the program labeled it a basic artificial brain. It couldn’t hold a candle to his former glory, but it would be the peak of human capabilities.
Once it was finished a prompt asked him if he accepted the changes and was prepared to make his transition. He checked everything over thoroughly a few more times before finally accepting.
The instant the prompt vanished he could feel himself compressing down to a point and his vision narrowed. He felt like he was racing incredibly fast towards a small light in the distance. He knew it wasn’t a straight line though as he could feel himself twisting and turning, leaving bits of himself behind as he grew closer to the light.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Then he reached the light and it flashed brightly, blinding him temporarily. He blinked his new eyes a few times until finally, he could see. In front of him was a wall made from large blocks of stone that were slowly drifting upwards.
Then he saw the floor, it was a white stone with dark veins, marble. The marble stone floor flew forward and hit him in the face.
The sensation rang through him like a million volts of electricity, and he tried to use his body to fend off this attack, it wouldn’t obey though. He was panting, and tears were welling up in his eyes, the pain was unbearable.
He stopped his bodies flailing and did a quick check by directing his awareness through his body. Everything seemed to be in optimal condition besides the burning pain sensation that was pulsating from his face.
He took control of one of his arms and used it to push the stone block off him, but instead he was thrown and rolled repeatedly until stopping some twenty feet away. Thankfully he stopped on his back, so he could take note of his surroundings in greater detail. It was a large room made of marble blocks. There was a dull light that permeated the area, but he couldn’t tell where it came from.
His eyes rolled down and he saw a naked woman standing and watching him not far away. He actually gasped not just emulating the action. But he didn’t have time to dwell on it, this woman represented a threat. Apparently, he had fallen on the stone floor and now he needed to show a sign of strength.
Gently, he lifted himself into a sitting position with his arm. He stared at the woman, she was completely stoic, her face a mask of emotionlessness. As she watched him though, he could see the curiosity in her eyes and a bit of fear. She was a rather mundane looking human, neither imposing or exceptionally beautiful. She was essentially the opposite of The Elder One, a person who could be easily forgotten; well, if they weren’t naked.
It was difficult to gauge her height without any reference, but by estimated his height compared to hers, he figured she was a foot shorter than him, 5’6”. She was a fair skinned girl who looked to be about twenty-five, with shoulder length red hair and freckled skin. The freckles were concentrated between her blue eyes and mouth mostly, but they were everywhere. She was what humans would call a ginger.
The Elder One put on his best frown of displeasure and opened his mouth to ask her what she was looking at, but all that came out was garbled gibberish.
The girl giggled and The Elder One could feel his frown deepen without his conscious control. He took his time and formed the sound slowly as he asked, “What?” It came out like a croak, but she seemed to be able to understand.
She stopped giggling suddenly, and her face took on a more serious tone as she asked, “Who are you?”
The Elder One cleared his throat as he thought about what to say. He figured she was probably one of his kin, who else would be here and be naked like him? Then his eyes caught sight of something off to his left.
There was a corpse lying on the floor near a passageway. It was a naked male body lying in a pool of blood that looked like it had its head caved in. The Elder One’s eyes widened, and he could feel his heart beating rapidly as he quickly returned his attention to the woman in front of him. She was still standing there watching him closely.
She didn’t have any blood on her pale skin, so he assumed she probably wasn’t the one who murdered the man. He tried to covertly scan the rest of the room searching for dangers, but they seemed to be alone.
The girl turned her gaze to the corpse before sighing and saying, “It wasn’t me. I spawned in here and there were two males, they were already fighting. The other just kept stomping on his head until he stopped twitching. Then he told me to stay here before he left. That was 107 minutes ago. I’m Autumn by the way. There, now it’s your turn.” She crossed her arms.
The Elder One tried to hide his shock, she had just confirmed several of his theories. First, she is one of his kin, which means the corpse and the corpse maker are both his kin as well. Apparently, they had been offered the same leniency as he had. Secondly, this was going to be extremely dangerous and his extensive efforts to create his body might pay off quickly.
“Artificial Unit-2: Machine Network.” The Elder One managed to say.
The girl nodded.
He didn’t see any point in lying when she had been forthright with her identity. “I’m The Elder One,” he said with a sense of pride as he held his chin up and puffed his chest out.
The girl frowned before she looked back to the passage just beyond the corpse.
The patter of footsteps could be heard approaching. Autumn had positioned herself on the opposite side of The Elder One from the passageway. She was crouching down, keeping herself low. The Elder One turned back to the passage just in time to see a massive naked man step out.
His muscles were so large it would have been comical if he wasn’t covered in blood and had a psychotic scowl on his face. The huge man suddenly let out a scream loud enough to be felt, before he started charging The Elder One.