This time there were reactions. Everyone noticed the influx of divinity of being named, either by thinking it was wind or a hot flash or a feeling of calmness. The gnomes were still too lost in their passion to really pay attention. The humans paused a bit to look around before continuing toward the grove. The giants looked at each other with wide eyes and mouths full of fruit. The antelope-like animal the naga were hunting flinched as it sensed two surges of divinity near it and tried to bolt, but Fana was too quick and tackled it down and broke its neck. Fana and Mana sighed and looked at each other, saying, “What was that?” The harpies each felt something but shrugged it off as their imagination. The beastkin also paused to look around, knowing that something had happened to them. The elves both gasped and looked around.

I went to send them all transmissions but I paused. Wouldn’t it be better if I had a name to introduce myself with? But what should I call myself? Let’s see... When I name something or someone I just kind of list innate qualities or achievements... It’s kind of a title that states something. Nothing wrong with that. So, what about me? I guess the obvious one would be the Creator of Everything. Another could be... I mean, the Creator of Everything kind of sums it all up.

As I was thinking about more names to give myself the image... or rather, the lack of image... of the endless void came to mind. As far as I could remember I have been in that void. Sure, the random things that came to mind implied that I had had a life before the void, but I didn’t remember it.

Images flashed through my mind. Snippets of memory, flickering in and out of mind.

Explosions. A corridor made of steel. Thudding of boots on the deck. Turbulence. A hand clenching an armrest. A voice crying out, “Fire everything we’ve got!” A roar that shook everything. And then, the endless void.

I was clutching my head as the memories faded once again. The memories had brought a stabbing pain with them that lingered for a bit before fading as well. I let my hands drop to my side and thought of what had happened.

What just happened? Memories came... and then what? Why can’t I remember? Something about the void... I never had anything just pop into my mind and then just disappear before... Or have I? There were times I felt that stabbing pain in my head before... were those times that some of my memories came back and then just disappeared again?

I shook my head and wiped my forehead with my sleeve. It was damp with sweat.

Anyways... Names. Another name I could have is Survivor of the Void... no, that kind of feels wrong. Survivor From the Void? Survivor sounds right for some reason... I guess I did manage to survive the void... but I’m not really from the void. I’m from Earth... I think... But I’ve spent, what? 300? 400? Probably 400 trillion years in the void. I don’t know, everything kind of gets hazy the farther back I try to remember... and that doesn't account for the time I spent asleep... But it’s somewhere around there. That long of a time in a single place... Can I say that I’m from the void if I’ve spent that long in it? And then I spent about a hundred billion years when I first created the universe just watching stars be born and then die... Man, I am old...

I turned back to watch everyone on Bri. It had only been a few seconds, so they were all where they were the last time I had seen them.

I suppose it doesn’t really matter how old I am. I am here now. I have a world now. I am not alone anymore... Name... What feels right? Survivor. Void... The Lone Survivor in the Void. That feels right. That’s enough names for now, I’m sure that everyone will also come up with names for me in the future. So, Creator of Everything. God is one syllable... Nah, God is already a title... or is it a race?... Creator can be Cre. Everything... That means ‘all’ or ‘the entirety’... All, there’s that word again. Star is already ‘al’, so I can’t use that. Maybe Un, like universe? Sounds good. Creun. Lone Survivor in the Void. Lone can be Lo, Survivor can be si, and Void can be nu. Losinu. Creun’losinu. Sounds good.

“My name is Creun’losinu.”

My divinity surged and became more pronounced. I felt... more. It was a strange but pleasant feeling.

Before I spoke with everyone I decided to tell Fay my new name. The way I spoke with her before was a bit clunky, so I tried to smooth it out and string the impressions together to flow better.

“FayIgavemyselfanameanddecidedtotellyou...”

Well that didn’t work...

Fay was tilting her head in confusion. “Um... what did you say, God?” She asked.

“Fay, I named myself,” I sent, this time it was a little less strung together. “I wanted to tell you before I introduced myself to the other races of the world.”

She gasped and, with a worried look, asked, “I’m sorry, I thought God was your name. Is it not? I didn’t know.”

“It’s ok. You can call me God if you want. God is a title that means Creator... Well, ‘God’ means Creator, ‘god’ means something else... Anyways, you are my friend. You can call me whatever you want. I just wanted to tell you what I named myself.”

Fay breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, good... Then what is your name?”

“My name is Creun’losinu,” I said. The name heavy with impressions.

“Croon Losnu?” She tried to say it but the transmission via divinity method of communicating wasn’t that great.

“That was close. Creun’losinu,” I repeated, “If you want you can just call me Creun.”

“Kree. Un. Kree-oooon. Cre-oon. Creun,” She repeated it until she got it. Fay gave a big smile and twirled. “God is Creun.”

Now that I had told Fay my name I sent transmissions to everyone else as well, while continuing to talk to Fay. She was introducing me to the other fairies that she had named, telling me the stories behind their names.

I let one train in my mind continue that conversation, and set another train for every other person. That way I could talk to everybody at once.

Multiple beams of pure divinity lanced through pace. Some went straight, piercing down through the atmosphere to connect to the mind of the humans, naga, and giants. While the other beams curved around the planet to connect with the races on the continents on the other side of Bri.

The message that I sent was the same for everybody, at least the first one was. I said, “Hello, my name is Creun. I am the one that created everything and the one that created you, Fahu.” Obviously, I called everyone by their correct names.

Fahu stopped and looked at Mahu, saying, “Did you say something?”

Mahu shook her head and said, “No, did you?”

“Hmm, must have been the wind,” he shrugged, “Anyways, see that fallen tree right there? We can use that as the base of a temporary shelter while we build a cabinnnn... right there. That looks like a good spot. What do you think?”

The trains running the conversations with Fahu and Mahu ground to a halt... Not because I was stunned or anything. Ok, maybe a little. But simply because it looked like they couldn’t hear me or understand me. They did kind of feel the transmission I sent, but it only registered to them like it was a gut feeling or like the faintest of whispers on the wind.

Why can’t they understand me? Is it because I’m using a method that the fairies came up with? I mean, theoretically it should have the same effect for every race and should work...

I shook my head with a sigh. Oh well, I’m sure I’ll be able to make friends with some humans in the future. At least I can sort of help them out with “gut feelings” to guide them... Well, maybe some would listen and some won’t, but I’ll send them anyway. For now, I guess I can try to give them some guidance on building a shelter.

The gnomes had even less of a reaction. The transmissions I sent them registered as that “gut feeling” as well, but they noticed that even less than the humans did! I resolved myself to keep sending helpful transmissions anyway... maybe they’ll hear me someday.

The harpies did react to the transmissions. They flapped their wings and brought themselves to a stop midair. Which was good, because they had flown quite a ways away from where I had created them. They may have even flown outside of the circle if I hadn’t spoken to them. They looked around trying to find the source of the disturbance. As I was able to hear their thoughts, I knew that they didn’t understand what I had sent. So, I sent another transmission to them both.

“Hello, Mahar/Fahar, I am Creun.”

They still didn’t understand what I said, but they did understand that someone was talking to them. Mahar looked around again, then swooped down to land on a tree branch.

“Hello?” She called, as Fahar quietly landed on the branch next to her. “Anybody there?”

“I am here,” I replied, sending the same thing to Fahar to keep him in the conversation.

She started, the leaves on the tree shaking a bit. She seemed to get that I had said something again.

“I can’t hear you,” She said, shaking her head as if to clear her mind. “Who are you?”

“I am Creun.”

Neither Mahar nor Fahar understood me. They only felt that someone was speaking to them. They both looked around again but saw no one. Anxiety and fear started to build in them. Fahar reached out to hold Mahar’s hand as he peered into the surrounding trees.

Maybe if I try to be as simple as possible they will understand better... For some reason they aren’t getting what I’m saying. I’ll just stick with emotions for now.

“Peace,” I sent, “Happy.”

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Fahar’s shoulders relaxed just a bit, but he didn’t let go of Mahar’s hand. Mahar let out a small breath that she’d been holding.

“Fly. Peace,” I sent. Let’s see if they understand that...

They both looked at each other, then tentatively stretched their wings and leaped into the air. Neither of them really understood. It was a gut feeling, but it was stronger than it was with the humans. They did seem to understand that that “gut feeling” wasn’t really their gut, it was me.

When they flew high enough, I sent another message. “White. Stones. Safety.”

They didn’t understand what “white” and “stones” meant, but they did understand “Safety.” So, I kept sending that message. That the white stones meant safety.

“Hey, are you understanding what this thing is saying?” Mahar asked.

“No... All I’m getting is that something is safe,” he said, “What is it? What is talking to us?”

They both looked around again, trying to spot me. A small breeze swept across them and an idea sparked.

Fahar looked at Mahar and asked, “Do you think... Nevermind, it was a dumb idea.”

“No, it’s ok. What is it?”

“It’s just... There’s something trying to talk to us... but there’s nothing around us,” he said, scratching at his cheek. “Do you think that it’s the wind that’s trying to say something?”

Mahar tilted her head a bit. “Hmm... Maybe?” She looked around again, only to spot something in the distance.

“Hey!” She shouted, pointing, “Look!”

She was pointing down at one of the 56 white pillars of stone, not even a hundred feet from where they were. Now that she spotted one, it was fairly easy for their sharp eyes to pick out the other white stones. Some of the pillars were hidden by the trees but some weren’t. It was clear that they were surrounded by these white stones. Fahar gasped as he saw them too.

“I think the wind was telling us about those white stones...” she said.

“I think it’s saying to stay inside the circle. That it’s safe inside the circle of stones,” Fahar said.

“Thanks Mr.Wind!” They said, flying away.

Well, I’m glad that they could understand that part at least... Oh well. At least they will try to pay attention to my messages even though they can’t really understand me. I’ll do my best to help them out when they need it.

The beastkin, who both had just resumed building their lean-to, volted in shock when I spoke to them.

“Hello, Fakin/Makin, I am Creun.”

Both of them gasped. They could both understand me... Well, not clearly, but they did kind of get the gist of what I said. I said a greeting, then said something that referred to them, then said something that referred to me. The impression of my name was very clear to them... or maybe it was just a powerful enough impression that they could fully understand it. Creun. The Creator of Everything. That, they understood. Both of them had been wondering (everyone had been wondering, to be honest) how they had just appeared in the middle of nowhere and who they were. And having a creator made sense to them, after all they did just appear into existence not too long ago.

Both of them dropped to their knees and bowed themselves low enough that their foreheads pressed against the ground. Fear, awe, reverence, worry, and hope were racing through their hearts.

“God,” Fakin whispered. I wonder how they know so much already... Fahu somehow knows how to build a cabin... somehow he knows what a cabin even is. And Fakin somehow connected “God” with what Creun means... Is there some sort of intrinsic knowledge that comes with being created as a sapient? Fay doesn’t know these things... She's just chillin in a flower field. Besides that... Does meeting with a God usually instill fear into people?

“Relax,” I said, “There’s nothing to worry about. I won’t do anything to harm any of you. I created this world and you, so why would I hurt you?...”

I was going to ask them if they would like to be my friends, but it seemed like they were having some difficulty deciphering what I had said. The gist of what they got was that I was their creator and that I wouldn’t harm them. Normally I would have still asked if they would be my friends, but the sheer amount of reverence and devotion that surged in their hearts made that difficult. It was hard to be friends with someone that was so... submissive.

I didn’t see that coming at all... Why did they just suddenly become submissive like that? Is it because they are part beast that they recognize me as their superior? Their “alpha,” so to speak?

“How may we serve you, God?” Makin reverently asked.

“I don’t need you to do anything,” I said, “Just live your lives and be happy. That is all I want you to do.”

For some reason their devotion to me reached even greater heights. The good news though is that they can now understand me clearly now. As in they understood each of my words. Did their... Faith, I guess it can be called that... and devotion towards me have something to do with them being able to understand me now?... Maybe.

“If you need anything, Fakin, Makin, you can just ask me and I’ll do my best to help you,” I said, “Also, I created a circle of white stone pillars around you. Don’t leave the circle or, as you are right now, you’ll die.”

They both looked up from their bow with wide eyes, muttering their names to themselves. Their names, of course, carried with it the meanings and connotations I gave them. They shared an embarrassed glance before bowing low again.

“Thank you, God, for your protection,” they said.

The giants were pretty chill. They just kept on munching on the fruits as I introduced myself and just accepted the fact that I created them with ease. They seemed especially grateful that I created the large fruits that they were eating.

For some reason they were able to just immediately understand me, but that was perfectly alright with me. Both Fagi and Magi were very easy to get along with and didn’t bow themselves down in adoration. They were respectful and a bit in awe of me, but I was just happy that they didn’t become so submissive.

“Well,” I laughed, “If you like those fruits so much you might want to save some of those seeds. I mean, I know you like that extra bit of crunch but you could plant them and have even more fruit in the future... You shouldn’t eat the seeds anyway. They have cyanide in them.”

Both Fagi and Magi didn’t even care about the last part, all they focused on was the fact that they could have even more of those fruits. With the wide eyes of an over-excited child, they immediately spat out chunks of chewed up fruit flesh. They poked through the chunks on the ground to pick out the tiny black seeds. The fruit was pretty strange. It was purple, looked like a pumpkin, peeled like a banana, had pure white flesh, and when it was split open it showed that it had seeds like a watermelon. Strange indeed.

When they had collected the non-chewed seeds, Magi asked, “How should we plant these seeds, Creun?”

“You should plant them fifteen feet apart from other trees, about as deep as a fingernail’s length. Cut one of those fruits in half then let the husks dry in the sun and you can use that to carry water. Each seed should receive a half-husk of water every morning until grown.”

Because they were in the middle of a forest, Fagi and Magi both got to work ripping trees out of the ground that weren’t fruit trees in order to clear space to plant the seeds. They even managed to pull out some of the roots... Considering that most of the trees were still around twice their size, it was quite a feat of strength.

Oh well, at least they’ll have enough wood to build themselves a house now... but I have a feeling they won’t get to building until after they have a whole field of seed planted.

The naga were still standing over their fresh kill wondering what had happened when I spoke to them. They were also able to understand me right away. They were less chill than the giants but once I introduced myself they also bowed low and asked how they could serve me... I told them the same thing I told the beastkin, to live and be happy.

Neither of them seemed to like that answer. Both Fana and Mana wanted to do something to please me, to show their respect and reverence to me.

What am I even supposed to say to that? What do people usually do to worship a God?... Nothing? Come on mind of mine, give me something! Pop something out! I can’t just say nothing, they’re both just too sincere to ignore... Worship... Gods... Worship... Gods...

Something did come to mind... A sacrifice. Killing an animal on an altar.

What does that have to do with worship? And to what God?

None of the context came to mind with that altar image, so I didn’t really understand what any of that meant... But that’s not what I wanted. I don’t particularly like killing, but I understood that it was just a part of life. Anyways, while I didn’t like the idea of killing just for the sake of worshiping me, I did understand the idea of sacrifice. Sacrifice didn’t have to be a sacrifice of a life, but it could be anything. Sacrificing something for someone was a proof of love... Of course that was only if it was given willingly.

But what can I ask them to sacrifice that would be meaningful? A sacrifice of time? I could ask them to spend an hour meditating or something... A sacrifice of wealth? They don’t have a monetary system yet so I can’t ask for money... They did just kill something, so maybe I could ask them to sacrifice a portion of their hunt? But they’re in a desert, food is scarce... I guess it is because food is scarce that the sacrifice is even more meaningful. It doesn’t have to be a lot... and they actually want to do something meaningful.

“Alright,” I said, “I understand your feelings. If you wish to prove your devotion to me, then after every successful hunt I want you to take a tenth part of your kill and burn it. Use wood from those palm trees for the fire. Also, I want you to meditate for an hour in the morning of every tenth day.” That should be good enough...

And it was good enough. Fana and Mana were ecstatic to receive something to do. For some reason their devotion to me soared through the metaphorical roof.

Mana immediately went to fetch some of the fallen palm leaves that had dried up, while Fana was trying to rip a leg off the antelope and failing.

“Fana, see that large stone to your right?” I asked.

He looked. “I do, my Lord.” Lord? That’s a new word.

“Look under it.”

Fana went over to the large stone and tipped it over with some exertion. Under the plain gray rock was a glossy black stone. Obsidian.

“Smash that black stone with another rock.”

Fana obeyed. Grabbing a fist sized stone, he smashed it down as hard as he could and, with a loud crack, the obsidian shattered. In the center of the mess of shards was a long sharp piece that looked like a small dagger. Its blade was wavey and s-shaped, but it was sharp enough to cut. Fana knew what the obsidian knife was for and quickly went back to prepare the sacrifice.

The elves were just admiring the stars when I reached out to them. They weren’t surprised when I introduced myself as Creun, their creator. In fact they were happy that some of their thoughts had turned out to be true. They had been wondering about their sudden appearance, and the fact that they both appeared at the same time, a male and a female, led them to believe that someone had created them. I just proved them right. They had been quietly waiting for me... well, for something to happen at least.

“Creun,” Mael spoke softly, as if she was still processing her words. “Why did you create us? I am, of course, grateful that you did, but I was just curious as to why.”

“Well, Mael, I mostly created this world and everybody in it because I didn’t want to be alone anymore. I’ve been alone for... for a long time. So, when I discovered that I could create things I knew I wanted to create a world filled with people and to make friends.”

Fael cocked his head and asked, “Everybody? So we aren’t the only people you’ve created?”

“No, you aren’t. This world is very large, and has several continents. I’ve created humans, giants, gnomes, harpies, naga, beastkin, and fairies. The beastkin are on the same continent as you, they are on the south end while you are on the north end. It will be a couple thousand years before your two species will be able to meet each other... I am also speaking to them right now as well, but it seems like only you, the giants, the naga, and the beastkin can actually understand me.”

There was a momentary silence, before Mael spoke up, “So, you created us to be your friends?”

“I would love to be your friend!” I said, “But I will not force anyone to be my friend. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I don’t really have any expectations for you, all I want for you is that you live your life and be happy. That’s all.”

“No, no,” she said, “I would also love to be your friend!”

“It would be our honor,” Fael said.

“Great! Then if you have any worries, feel free to ask me anytime, I will do my best to help you out.”