Choosing one's race was a relatively responsible task. Usually people would pick something like half-vampire plus half-god plus half-elf plus half-demon to scare the world with their awesomeness. But Kyra had a prepared set of requirements.

“First of all, filter out all short-living races like humans.”

“Thousand years at least then?”

“Ten. Next, filter out vampires, gods and any other entities who need specific food or sources of power to exist.”

“Done.”

“Now leave only races with top potential to growth. And by growth I mean personal strength.”

“It seems most of them are, since all have the longest lifespan.”

“Good. Next, choose ones with human-like appearance starting from their childhood. I’m twenty something years old now, pretty much an infant.”

If one thinks that picking race for Kyra in the different world was an easy task, then he would be wrong. ‘World’ here could easily use capitals for each letter. It did not stand out for a big round stone in the middle of space, but for the whole new Universe. Number of sentient races was beyond enormous to study in detail every one so the only choice girls had was to filter them out with formal reasons.

Thanks control panel for bearing with them!

“You don’t want to check out non-human forms of life?”

“I really want, but not that personally, save me from it. I was born with two legs and two hands so let me keep them.”

“Okay… we still have surprisingly big pull.”

Actually Kyra had no idea about this so-called pull of races. Or what and how Sara was pulling off with the control panel. Kyra actually not much cared from the moment she discovered she had not only existing now races to choose hers from, but from the beginning of all times.

Whatever Sara was doing she was making the screen blink so Kyra only had to instruct her properly in the beginning.

“Kick out every race with dominant instincts before mind of any nature and average intelligence lower than humans.”

“You mean...?”

“Modern humans of Earth, of course. It’s kind of a gamble, but I’d like to keep this fine head of mine.”

What Kyra meant she had no idea how averages of human intelligence in two worlds correlated with each other so she basically prayed for the best.

“Hum. What else, what else?”

“Pick out five percent with the lowest reproduction rate. Our gem would be hand-picked from them.”

Both Kyra and Sara where genially exited. Zubazillion number of sentient being was finally transformed to a few dozens.

“Still three thousand five hundred forty-nine entries.”

“…”

“It’s an old world, you know! And big! Even your purely materialistic universe has billions of them to show off!”

“I know, okay? The bigger, the better. Do three lists: life expectancy, power level, reproduction rate, sort them with the same rules. Fold numbers of each race, then create new list and place them by ascending sums.”

“And here we are.”

“Theoretically, the first place would take local God – immortality, omnipotence, zero offspring.” Kyra murmured to herself while closing her eyes. “Hey, Sara. Take out unique beings from here. Thanks.”  

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The screen blinked the last time and showed a long register. Name, plus very short text presentation for each entry. Kyra immediately touched one randomly just to see steel-like human being(?) with some additives.

[Android MK. Z4-0 “Avatar”: The last piece of art of ancient Geugrunt (Third Empire), created in limited series just before the end of Last War of the Fall. Was never active...]

“Wow-wow, spoilers. That is just too different setting to my liking. Sara, I want genuine magic or something and not magic-like-technology for myself, please.”

Kyra decisively dismissed all-powerful machine and waited a moment before the register was reorganized and then the girl touched the screen the second time.

“Hm.” She eyed the ceiling. “Sara, is this thing have a low reproduction rate? I honestly can’t believe it.”

“It is. Actually a very low one. To ensure appearance of descendants Cluhtumu engages in orgies with multiple suitable partners.”

“…of course it is, it’s the damn tentacle monster, I… it… they EXIST? Billion and zigzillion races from the times immemorial, they do. I mean, there exist all-powerful tentacle monster in this world? Seriously? What kind of web novel you think we are in?!”

Kyra could not help herself as she was throwing the tantrum in full power. Would she imagine THAT as her next incarnation? She refused to describe it even inside her mind, so ghastly that thing was!

…well, people longing for such certainly existed, but Kyra wanted not to have anything in common with this kind of perverts.  

“I don’t quite get you, but last Cluhtumu disappeared a long time ago.”

“They better do. Exterminate...!”

“Feel better?”

“Yea.”

With a sigh, Kyra returned to the register after all abominations were successfully purged from it. With a heavy hand, she picked yet another record.

“Oh, some dragon.”

And another.

“Phoenix.”

And again.

“’Hell Calamity Serpent? Finally, we have some choices for a young wise girl. But why all of these beasty guys have a humanish appearance?”

“It depends on their parents. If a mother had a human form at the birth moment or even was a human herself, then a child would have human form at first.”

“I see.”

“You can just read it yourself, you know, they do have that much of description.”

“Nah, later.”

Kyra fondly scrolled the list down. No one made for her any time restrictions so she could do it slowly and steadily… and so few hours later she finally hit the last entry. Her mouth was dry and her stomach growled but her eyes were pure and bright as ever.

Few dozen candidates in her mind required another hour and a half to view closely. At last she rejected them one after another. Mostly with nonsensical reasons, truthfully. Who would ignore dragons because they are too generic but let phoenixes be? Kyra would!

[Nine-Tailed Fox]

Or this one.

[According to a legend, a wild fox once fell into the Well of Creation during the Primordial Chaos Era. Many beings tried to find secrets of the Well but found only their demise. The simple fox did not die however but was enlightened with a baptism of pristine energies.

Later the fox managed to establish his heritage. Descendants inherited his wisdom and during their era slowly reached the peak of their destiny. Nine-Tailed Foxes existed only shortly, no more than nine generations, shocking the world with their strange prowess.

The same legend says Nine-Tailed Foxes never cared about rankings, authority and power after reaching their peak. They were not exactly spiritual beings or Divine Beasts but creations of pure magic. So they were bound to disappear and so they did in the edges of our worlds.

Only young children can notice sometime young foxes inside their dreams. Nine-Tailed Foxes are sleeping in everyone’s dreams.]

“Vaguely to say the least.” Commented Kyra thoughtfully while scanning long list of details and descriptions. But the line ‘not exactly spiritual beings and Divine Beasts but creations of pure magic’ was particularly to her liking. There was many of beings and beasts in the list, but only one creation. Did fairies were too small or too weak for it?

In reality, most of ‘magic creations’ were unique or ended up pathetically weak. Magic was not synonym to ‘strength’. Magic beings existed to fulfill very specific purposes at the time the world was yet to establish itself fully after all. Obviously, Kyra was yet to know any of that.  

“And she is cute! Which means I will be cute too!”

“Is it so important?” Asked Sara a little sleepily. “Are you not free spirited young modern woman?”

It seems Sara is slowly learning sarcasm. Or is she?

“Of course am I. Treat it as a lesson. If you have a choice to be born knowingly, choose only for yourself. Like me. I want to live forever. I wish not train desperately to exceed limitations of humankind. I desire not to be ruled by my instincts. And some chemical reactions in my brain should not tell me who is the best mate for me.

I will traverse this world, lone and proud. Oh well, I do have an impossible mission already prepared behind the corner. There is a reason a have this chance after all. It’s better this way too.

Still, no one knows the future. Well, I don’t know for sure. There can be a ship and a crew, ready to follow me loyally so not alone? But still proud. Always be proud, Moyra. Do you like your new name?”

Kyra checked her appearance last time with one gaze. Fortunately, this 3D editor was easy to use. She did not have to change much. Just here and there. And a nose, perhaps? And this little angle of eyes. This much is enough. She never liked mirrors after all.

“I’m ready.”

And the white room fell into the darkness.