As I teleported to the small island of Tristan Da Cunha, the storm loomed ominously in the distance, dark clouds swirling with an almost malevolent energy. The air crackled with tension, and I could feel the weight of the impending confrontation pressing down on me.
I started walking toward the ocean when one of the residents still on the island frantically rushed up to me, urging me to get onto the last boat headed away from the storm. I told him to get on the boat and go, then I quickly teleported closer to the water. After the initial shock wore off of seeing me teleport, realization hit, and he smiled before jumping on the boat and leaving. Because I had hidden my identity during the messages, most people thought I was just another person looking for trouble. My doppelgängers ran into this quite a few times.
I knew I could probably just take the beast out in one fell swoop, but it had formed so fast and so large, I wanted to see if it had any intelligence at all.
With all the books and movies from the past 50 years, I had a feeling that eventually, we would find some creatures that were capable of reason. If I could get it to understand it could have a place in the new world as long as it didn’t become a problem, I would allow it a portion of the ocean to live and thrive.
As I walked across the top of the water, the surface rippled beneath my feet, reflecting the eerie glow of the creature. Its luminescent body cast an otherworldly light, and each step brought me closer to its towering, menacing form. The air was thick with the scent of brine and decay, making every breath a challenge.
With divine sight activated, I could see the entire beast. It had to be 500 feet tall, with each of the 20 tentacles extending out 1,000 feet past the base of the body. It was by far the most massive alteration that had been witnessed on Earth. It was floating inside the eye of a storm. Not quite enough to be called a hurricane, but it was getting close.
As I watched the mana, I could see it extending a tendril every so often to push the storm in the direction of the island. The mana coalesced in the center of a gigantic eye. Hundreds of little eyes surrounded the body, but in the center, about mid-mass, was a 50-foot multicolored eye.
As I walked closer, I could see it pushing mana into the closest tentacle to my position. I raised a hand and froze the tentacle in place. I made sure not to hurt the creature, but I wanted it to know that violence would not be tolerated. As I immobilized the tentacle, the main eye focused on me, and all the little eyes facing my direction immediately turned, moving extremely fast, looking in all directions to check for other combatants. I quickly teleported up directly in front of the main eye. I needed to assess its intellectual capabilities and see if it was just a mindless beast or something capable of coherent thought.
“Hi,” I said. “My name’s Mike.”
The eye looked around for a few seconds before the pupil seemed to focus directly on me. As I stood there waiting to see if it would react to my presence, the smell hit me again. This time it was so horrific that I started to gag. I didn’t know I still had a gag reflex but this was horrendous. It was a mixture of rotten fish and a meat processing plant. Maybe throw in a fertilizer farm as well. I couldn’t tell if it saw me gag but the eye squinted a tiny bit after I did and seemed to become more angry. I teleported back about 50 feet further before I continued talking.
“Can you understand me?” I asked. The monstrous main eyeball partially squinted in response.
“I’ll take that as a yes. I had some reports that you destroyed a ship and killed almost all the people on board. I’d like to talk about that. Maybe discuss your options to make sure coexistence is possible. If it’s not, I’m afraid I’ll have to destroy you right now.”
The main eye squinted even more in anger, and with a sudden, violent motion, another tentacle lashed out at me, slicing through the air with deadly precision. With a disappointed look plastered across my face I stood my ground, unmoved, without concern.
As the tentacle was mere inches from my body, I raised my hand, channeling a small amount of nullification mana. The moment it made contact, I absorbed the mana coursing through it. The creature let out a deafening guttural scream as the tentacle withered, shriveling into a lifeless husk before falling away from its body.
I started to shake my head in disappointment.
“This is your last chance,” I said. “I will destroy you right now if you don’t stop. We need to have a little chat.”
The monster focused on me again before I heard a booming voice.
“How you so strong?”
My eyes lit up with a mix of excitement and apprehension. The new development thrilled me. I had never spoken with a giant monster before, and the prospect was exhilarating. The creature’s immense form cast a shadow over me, but knowing it couldn’t hurt me added a strange sense of confidence to the encounter.
“Ah, good. You can speak,” I said. “Let's not worry about my power just yet. I want to know how long you've been around and why you killed all those men?”
As the monster spoke, I noticed that his mana was cycling through his core and out some of the tentacles. These tentacles were moving in a geosynchronous pattern. As they reached certain spots, the storm was strengthened. The only time the monster spoke was when a mana cycle was completed, after which I could see some mana shoot to the top of its head.“They attack me. I defend space.”
“Okay, so this is a good start. You were just defending yourself?”
“Yes. They see and shoot stick.”
“Alright, so they attacked first. Probably because they were scared. Now, let's talk about how long you’ve been here and why you think this is your space?”
“I know little your language. I been here 16 cycles. Boat men see me and stab me sharp sticks. I destroy boat to stop hurt me.”
“Sixteen cycles,” it rumbled, its voice resonating with ancient sorrow. “Sixteen years?” I asked, my mind racing to comprehend its existence. “Yes, big energy hit me, and I started to remember and grow. I made my home and claimed this space.”
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“Seriously?” I said, my voice tinged with awe. “So you were essentially born when mana first hit our world, before the shield went up? You’ve just been living out here, undetected, all this time?”
“Was here before,” it rumbled, its voice like the echo of distant thunder. “Just grew big and made space home after big energy. Don’t remember before energy.”
“Why did they never see you before now?” I asked, a hint of disbelief in my voice. “People have been fishing these waters for over 16 years. How did you stay hidden?”
“I move little,” it replied, its eyes narrowing. “Only find food.”
“So you intruded into their fishing grounds,” I said, my tone growing serious. “They didn’t encroach on yours. You attacked them as they defended their territory. Do you see the problem here? Are you alone?
“Friend smart but stays small,” it said, its voice tinged with an almost melancholic note. “Left two cycle ago. No return. I stay till return.”
“Do you know where your friend went?” I asked, my curiosity piqued. “Maybe I can help find him.”
The giant squid type creature pointed one of its tentacles to the north west. “There.”
“Well, You can’t stay here and wait. This is someone else’s home. Hey Sim, isn’t that the direction of the Bermuda triangle? I asked
“Yes, there are no detectable anomalies there but there has always been speculation on the cause of multiple issues. I know that they are not related to anything mana related. However, if the creature has been around since the core alteration, it may be another hidden mutation that I can not detect.”
I stood there for a moment contemplating all the new information. “Perfect!”
I decided to address the monstrous sky squid once again. “If I make sure that everyone leaves you alone will you stay away from all humans?”Before it could respond I continued.
“The people who live on this island need to fish to survive. I don’t want them running into you again and someone else getting hurt.”
“Okay” it boomed.
“How far away can you go without leaving your space? So your friend can still find you?”
“I move, follow food.” It said.
I pointed to the north. “So move that way.”
I thought for a second, then made a split-second decision. I decided to teleport us 750 miles to the north. Without waiting for consent, I grabbed onto the creature’s enormous form and jumped us immediately, the world blurring into a kaleidoscope of colors before settling into a new, distant location.
“Actually, you can stay in this area,” I said, surveying the vast, empty expanse of ocean. “It’s far from humans, and you can eat all the food you want. If humans pass through, go deep underwater or hide in a storm. But remember, do not kill anyone else, or I will return. Understood?”
It took a few seconds before the mana cycled back up and then it replied. “Yes.”
I teleported back to the island. After ensuring there was no lasting damage from the storm, I teleported to one of the boats the inhabitants had left on. As I materialized, the villagers dropped to their knees, bowing in reverence. Their eyes were wide with awe and fear, their murmurs of gratitude barely audible over the sound of the waves.
“Get up guys. I took care of it and you can return home now.” They all slowly looked up and glanced around at each other. Then they all put their heads down and bowed again. I rolled my eyes and just teleported back to my house.
As I arrived back home, I noticed Peaches lying in the backyard, her usually vibrant and bubbly demeanor replaced by a look of utter exhaustion. I walked over and gently petted her, feeling a pang of concern. She barely moved, only managing to lift her eyes to meet mine as she spoke softly.
“Daddy, can I go to sleep yet? My belly is really full and I think I got all the bubbly water. I’m really tired.”
I snuggled down with her on the ground and gave her a big hug. I teleported us into my bedroom. As we appeared on my bed, I got up and tucked her in under the blanket. “Go ahead you big baby.” I told her. She didn’t respond. She just closed her eyes and was asleep in seconds.
I quietly closed the door and turned to Sim. “How long will this take?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Sim hesitated, a rare sign of uncertainty. “It may be a few months,” she said finally. “Her body is undergoing the most powerful metamorphosis it has ever experienced. The upgrade to legendary will grant her an order of magnitude more power but will also require significant genetic alterations. I will assist as needed, but she has managed most of her upgrades independently.”
….
Inside the mana chamber at Cookie’s compound, Cookie finally started coming to. Months had passed in absolute stillness, her body absorbing every bit of origin mana to replenish what had been spent creating Yggdrasil. As her core began to spin again, she slowly regained consciousness, her mind a haze of disorientation and urgency.
“What’s going on?” she murmured, her voice echoing in the empty chamber. Realizing she was alone, she sat up, her surroundings spinning as she tried to recall where she was. A sharp stinging sensation in her chest made her gasp. She clutched at her heart, feeling a strange hum, a vibration instead of a heartbeat, like an electric motor trapped in her chest.
Still completely unaware of what was happening, she struggled to stand. Suddenly, a horrifying blast knocked her back down. Her core had begun producing white mana again, and she arched her back, writhing in agony as the searing energy surged through her ravaged channels.
Instead of the glorious pathways that once facilitated streams of mana, she now had to force a single type of mana through fragile, ruined channels. Her pathways were destroyed, mere husks compared to the superhighways they once were. Hours passed in excruciating pain. As she finally completed pushing the white mana through, finishing its cycle back to her core, another explosion rocked her. This time, it was an empty, dark void with an insatiable hunger. It devoured imperfections as it traveled through her channels, attempting to consume everything but failing to breach the outer parts.
Jeff’s assistance in fully expanding her channels for the first time created a solid base, holding the void at bay like a fierce sentinel. Her profound, intrinsic knowledge of how to repair and expand her channels was unlocked when she awoke and read Jeff’s mind. The presence of devouring void mana hastened the repair dramatically, as it consumed the damaged parts with voracious hunger. As the darkness reached each node, it began its relentless consumption. The previously perfect pathways had formed a sturdy barrier against complete annihilation, but the void, insatiable and ever-hungry, persisted in its attempts to penetrate. Her core, in a desperate bid, had to double the output of white mana. The darkness consumed it faster than her normal output could compensate, turning every node into a fierce battleground. The white mana fought valiantly, striving to expel the darkness. The void was a relentless force, always hungry, always devouring.
As all three energies completed their first synchronized cycle since the expenditure, the Tri-Mental-Union bloodline surged to life, and Cookie began to glow with an ethereal light. She floated gracefully out of the bed, her memories flooding back with a torrent of clarity. Her purpose, burning brightly and yet unfinished, sat at the forefront of her mind. She activated her ability, absorbing all the knowledge that had amassed since her recovery began. Hannah’s strategic progress, the hero candidate’s burgeoning abilities, the world’s struggle against the monsters unleashed by Hannah’s release of liquid mana, the collected plasma and solid mana used in her recovery, Yggdrasil’s growth, and the fate of her bird creation designed to keep Peaches and her father preoccupied—all of it rushed into her consciousness in a mere second. A small, confident smile crossed her lips.
“At least they haven’t realized the end goal and attempted to stop me,” she mused aloud, her voice tinged with satisfaction. She mentally shut down the chamber, then strolled over, disabled the door lockout, and teleported directly into her office. There, she found Hannah asleep at her desk, exhaustion etched into her features. Another smile, this one warmer and more affectionate, spread across Cookie’s face.