The egg began to shimmer and pulse with life as flames enveloped it. The fire spirit’s instincts were already manifesting, raw and untamed. It drew in mana voraciously, like a starving beast devouring its first meal, and then it happened—what was born wasn’t a physical creature, but a formless, writhing mass of pure mana. The entity glowed in hues of red and orange, like molten magma, with no definitive shape or form. Its presence was overwhelming, a chaotic whirlpool of energy that sucked in mana from its surroundings.
The creature, driven by instinct alone, sought to solidify itself. It attempted to pull fragments of the ground and nearby materials into itself, trying to construct a physical body. This was how they were designed to use the elements to build themselves basically puppet bodies. However, before it could succeed, Zero stepped in, his sharp eyes glowing with power. He raised his hand, manipulating the mana around the creature with an iron grip. The entity froze mid-process, its attempts thwarted as Zero created a dark mana cage around it, trapping it within.
The cage shimmered, binding the creature’s formless mass and halting its progress. Zero turned to Valna, his lips curving into a faint smile. “Take it to a volcano,” he said, his tone calm and measured. “Its instincts demand that it be surrounded by fire mana to fully form and understand itself. It’ll need a few days to absorb the mana and settle. Only then will it comprehend what it is.”
Valna nodded, stepping forward to retrieve the pulsating cage. As she held it, she could feel the chaotic energy within thrumming against her fingertips, eager to break free. She turned her gaze to Zero, her expression a mix of intrigue and understanding. “It’s unstable now, but this is progress.”
Zero smirked, his satisfaction evident. “It’s more than progress—it’s a success. This confirms that the process works. However,” he added thoughtfully, “it’s clear that activating the eggs here is inefficient. They’ll respond better if they’re awakened directly in their intended environments. For example, the water cradle should be activated underwater, and the time and space cradles will require special attention. I’ll need to take those two into my Chaos Dimension, where I can better control the mana flow.”
Valna didn’t respond, instead taking to the skies with the mana cage in tow. She would deliver it to a volcano, as instructed, leaving Zero to focus on the remaining cradles.
Zero returned to the table, his gaze shifting to the seven remaining eggs. Each one radiated its unique elemental energy, waiting to be infused with a soul. He placed his hand on the water cradle, its cool, blue surface gleaming under his touch. Closing his eyes, Zero activated his mental manipulation ability, delving into his vast pool of stored memories that he mixed with his imagination to extract the one he had chosen for this spirit.
The creature he selected was known as the Sea Siren, a mythical being said to embody the power of the ocean itself. In its original form, the siren was a formless mass of water, but Zero altered its memory to give it a humanoid shape. The new Sea Siren appeared as a womanly figure made entirely of water, its translucent body shimmering with the movement of waves. While it had no fishtail, its legs were distinctly human, giving it a graceful, ethereal appearance. Its glowing yellow eyes and sharp, golden teeth exuded a mix of beauty and danger, while its physical strength rivaled the raging waves of the ocean.
Using Soul Forging, Zero shaped the memory into a soul, crafting it with meticulous precision. The soul materialized in his hands, a glowing blue orb that radiated calm yet immense power. He inserted it into the water cradle, watching as the crystal absorbed it eagerly. For now, he refrained from using Life-spark, ensuring the cradle remained dormant until it could be placed underwater for activation.
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Next, Zero moved to the air cradle. The creature he had selected was a Sprite, a small, bird-like humanoid known for its speed and agility. The Sprite had a pale, humanoid form, its pointed ears and feathery wings giving it an elf-like appearance. Its skin was soft and pale, with tufts of feathers covering its chest and lower body, giving it a delicate yet wild look. Though the Sprite was sexless, its slender frame gave it an inherently feminine quality. Zero imagined it flitting through the skies like a bird, its movements graceful and near-invisible.
Once again, Zero used Soul Forging to create the Sprite’s soul, altering the memory to refine its form and instincts. The resulting soul was a soft green, glowing faintly like the first light of dawn. He placed it within the air cradle, repeating the same process to keep it dormant for now.
For the earth cradle, Zero chose the Gorgon, a towering figure embodying the duality of creation and destruction. The Earth Gorgon’s humanoid body was infused with the essence of the earth itself—her skin a blend of deep brown and green hues, cracked with veins of glowing minerals. Her hair was a writhing mass of vines and flowers, constantly in motion, and her glowing amber eyes had the power to turn those who met her gaze into stone.
The soul Zero forged for the Gorgon pulsed with vitality and resilience, its deep brown with bits of green glow reflecting the spirit’s connection to the earth. He carefully placed it within the earth cradle, ensuring it would remain stable until its activation in a location rich with earth mana.
For the light cradle, Zero selected the Radiant Lynx. This majestic creature had a beige-white body marked with golden spots, and its glowing golden eyes radiated warmth and brilliance. Its tufted ears and graceful movements gave it an air of regality, and its light-based abilities made it a perfect fit for the light cradle. The soul Zero forged was bright and luminous, almost blinding in its intensity. He placed it into the light cradle, marveling at the way the crystal seemed to pulse with life.
The darkness cradle would house the Shadow Wolf, a haunting creature of pure blackness. Its fur shifted like liquid shadows, its golden eyes piercing through the darkness like twin beacons. The Shadow Wolf’s form was fluid, constantly shifting between tangible and intangible states, making it a master of stealth and fear. The soul Zero forged for it was a deep, obsidian black, absorbing all light around it. He placed the soul into the darkness cradle, the egg seeming to thrum with quiet menace.
For the time cradle, Zero forged the soul of the Chrono-Owl, a being that embodied the flow of time itself. Its feathers shimmered like clockwork gears, and its luminous eyes held the knowledge of diffrent timelines. The soul he created was a swirling vortex of silver and gray, its energy complex and layered. He inserted it into the time cradle, already planning to activate it in his Chaos Dimension, where time and space were under his control.
Finally, for the space cradle, Zero crafted the soul of the Stellar Leviathan, a colossal whale-like creature made of cosmic energy. Its body shimmered with the light of distant stars, its black-hole eyes pulling in all who gazed upon them. The soul Zero forged was vast and incomprehensible, a swirling nebula of blues and purples. He placed it into the space cradle, knowing it would require the unique environment of his Chaos Dimension to fully awaken.
As Zero finished his work, he stepped back, surveying the seven inactivate cradles with a sense of accomplishment. Each one radiated a unique presence, a promise of the powerful beings they would one day become. For now, though, he refrained from activating them, knowing that their birthplaces would play a crucial role in shaping their final forms.
Yoko entered the room, Avarus now calm in her arms. She raised an eyebrow at the sight of the completed cradles. "Impressive," she remarked. "But are you sure about leaving them dormant for now?"
Zero nodded. "They need to be activated in their respective environments to reach their full potential. The fire cradle is already on its way, thanks to Valna. The others will follow in due time."
Yoko smirked. "You’ve outdone yourself, Zero. These spirits will be extraordinary."
Zero’s amber eyes glowed faintly as he gazed at the cradles. "They will be more than extraordinary—they will be the catalysts for a new era. Soon the souls of the mortals of this world will start getting strong and we’ll be able to reap the benefits. Dahlia and Azalea said they should be able to hack into this world’s cycle of reincarnation. Soon all souls in this world will instead pass through their Nether World."