‘What happened?’ Was the first thought that came through his mind. He couldn’t remember, his mind was blank and his memories nowhere to be found. Nothing. He attempted to remember, but failed miserably. He tried again, and again, and again.
He couldn’t remember, but he wouldn’t surrender. He needed his memories.
Again, again, again, again. He kept on it for a long time, until he finally found something. His name, Elias.
He was Elias, a lesser noble who lived with his parents. He was fourteen years old, his family wasn’t particularly rich, and were just minor nobles of a town.
But how did he end up here? What was here? Elias looked around. Nothing. An empty, endless, black void. ‘I am asleep?’ He wondered, what other explanation could be for this?
He attempted to wake up, but failed. He tried again and failed, again again and again. He failed each time.
If this wasn’t a dream, what it could be? Elias had no idea. But then another memory, this time like if someone had forced him to remember, came to him.
While they were traveling, they were assaulted by bandits. His father was killed, and they took his mother. The bandits knocked him out, and when he woke up… He was being buried alive.
That was a distant memory. Like those that happened a long time ago and you barely remember them. Then it had been a long time since it, right?
Now his questions were answered.
He was dead.
…
…
…
‘I’m supposed to be scared now.’ He thought. Elias didn’t feel anything. He was dead, so he should be in panic or in shock. Even if he was a cold-blooded assassin he should be affected by this. But the scarier is that this didn’t scare him.
“So? I am supposed to pass my whole un-life floating in a black space?” He said loudly, more bored than worried.
“No.” A voice said. It was monotone, like a robot.
“Who are you?” Elias asked, not really curious.
“That doesn’t matter.” The voice said annoyed by the question. How it showed annoyance while having a monotone voice? Who knows.
“So… What I’m supposed to do the rest of my un-life?” Elias asked the voice again. Not because he was particularly curious, but because he had nothing else to do.
“You are to be reincarnated, like everyone.” The voice like if it had repeated this process Thousallions of times.
“Like everyone?” Elias said again.
“Yes. Everyone gets reincarnated but most don’t retain their memories, you are a special case, however. You are to be reincarnated as one of the most complex, simple lifeforms.”
“Complex simple life-form. You are contradicting yourself.” Elias said, but the answer came almost Immediately.
“No, I’m not, simple lifeforms are simple lifeforms, the most complex simple life-form, is still a simple life-form when compared to…” The voice said flustered, but stopped abruptly at the end.
“Compared to…?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Okay…? So, what I’m going to be reincarnated as?” Elias asked, showing a tiny glint of curiosity that faded as quickly as it came.
“As a World Core.”
“I’m going to be reincarnated as the core of a world?”
“No, you are going to be reincarnated as a powerful crystal in the deepest parts of a world, that will control most aspects of it.” The voice answered.
“So I’m going to be reincarnated as a magic rock.” Elias said.
“No, you are going to be reincarnated as a complex-but-not-so-complex life-form that is created when an astral object acquires enough mass and mana to gain sentience and materialize it conscience as a magic crystal at its center.” The voice explained again.
“I’m going to be reincarnated as a magic rock, that also happens to be the core and conscience of a world.”
“Exactly.” The voice said.
“I’m going to be some kind of god?”
“Not the kind of god that is omnipotent, but yes.” The voice said to him.
Then it came a tomb-like silence. It lasted for a good ten seconds before Elias broke the ice.
“Good, something else? Or I can reincarnate now?” Elias asked.
“First you will have to learn how to control your new body, many lesser simple lifeforms will seek the power of a World Core.”
Then, the black void began twisting and changing, color began to appear in the previously peerless black, and then, slowly, the black void turned into an empty, perfectly square cave with no visible exit. At its center, a perfectly round gem about the size of a head illuminated the room.
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It changed color constantly, giving a mystical feel, and it floated three feet above the ground.
“This is my body?” Elias asked, looking at the crystal.
“Yes.” Said the voice on his mind.
“Then why I’m looking at it from another perspective?”
“Because your conscience isn’t tied to your physical body, and you can freely move it around. But not outside your domain.”
“And how big my domain is?”
“The whole planet.”
Elias was almost stunned by this. Almost.
“Your core absorbs the heat of the world’s center, making it survivable. Now, you first need to know how to manipulate your domain.” The voice said, and it began to give Elias instructions. Elias didn't understand the first part but shrugged it off. Why would the center of a planet not be survivable?
“Focus on a specific part of your domain, imagine it like it is, and then imagine the changes you want, that way you’ll be able to change it.”
Elias did as he was instructed, and focused on a specific wall, he imagined how the carving of a winged warrior appeared on it, and it did. The wall shifted loudly as the carving was formed, and after a second, it was done.
“Good work, now try to make another room.” The voice said.
“Isn’t that a bit much? From carvings to entire rooms?” Elias asked.
“Don’t object me, young soul.”
Elias just followed the voice order, and attempted to make another room. The result was… Better than he expected.
He made an exact copy of the room besides it, and connected them with a simple passage. The copy didn’t have the giant magic floating crystal nor the carving of a winged warrior, though.
“Good work. Now you know how to manipulate, it’s time to learn how to create. Focus in an empty space within your domain, and imagine a simple object like a rock or an iron sphere appearing on it.”
Elias attempted to do it on the empty room, but he couldn’t resist the urge of imagining an exquisite marble table with many diamonds encrusted in complex patterns. The result being an angry voice.
“I said something simple, young soul! If you do it wrong the result could be catastrophic!” The monotone-yet-angry voice nearly yelled at Elias.
“But you did a good overall work.” The voice commended him.
“Now, tables won’t protect you from greedy mortals, so now it’s time to learn how to make your own underlings.” The voice said. Elias would have been excited weren’t from the strange condition that he was in.
“Voice, why can’t I feel emotions?” Elias asked the question he should have first asked, to which the voice replied:
“Your emotions have been temporally removed to make the reincarnation process easier and smoother. Now, focus, try to make a… Rock golem.” The voice said. Elias didn’t ask more and just did as he was told.
After several failed attempts, Elias finally did it. A clump of several rocks appeared on the floor, scattered, but after a moment they began to float and clump together into a humanoid shaped. The result was a clump of rocks sticked together into a humanoid shape, and that somehow was ‘alive’. A rock golem.
“Good work.” The voice said.
“As a last thing you must learn, how to destroy your creations. You can only destroy things created by you. Now, focus on the thing you wish to destroy, and imagine it disappearing up to the last atom.” The voice said, and seconds after, the rock golem disappeared in many blue-ish particles.
“You have done well, young soul.” The voice said to Elias.
“But, what I’m supposed to do as a World Core? What would be my purpose?” Elias asked the last, vital question.
“The purpose of each World Core is different, and I can only tell you so much, but for now, your mission will be that of keeping the mortal races alive.” The voice said.
“Now my mission with you is completed, I wish you luck, World Core #675.536.951.512, I have 5.132.677.521.655.397 more souls to reincarnate. This is our farewell, complex-simple-lifeform.”
Then the voice banished, and Elias was left alone. Then, suddenly, a flow of emotions came through him, and he shouted at the top of his not existent lungs.
“I DIED!?!?!?”