Arora Nova walked through the emerald forest, the hybrid creatures trailing behind him like silent guardians.
The lion-eagle — which he'd started calling Liora — paced at his side, her wings folded elegantly against her golden fur.
The system screen still hovered in his peripheral vision, a constant reminder of the power he couldn't yet grasp.
God.
The word taunted him.
He clenched his fists, staring at the translucent interface.
"How do I use this?" he muttered. "Change reality? What does that even mean?"
The screen flickered, but no answers came.
He'd tried shouting commands, pleading, even threatening the system.
Nothing worked.
The creatures watched him with patient curiosity, as if waiting for him to understand something obvious.
Three Days Later
The forest gave way to a grassy plain dotted with strange, bioluminescent flowers.
In the distance, smoke curled into the sky — the first sign of civilization Arora had seen since awakening here.
His heart raced.
People.
Maybe they could explain this world. Maybe they knew about the system.
Liora growled low in her throat, her stained-glass wings twitching.
The other creatures hung back, uneasy.
"It's okay," Arora said, more to himself than them. "I need to find answers."
He crested a hill and froze.
Below, a makeshift market bustled with life.
Humanoid figures bartered at stalls selling glowing fruits and shimmering fabrics.
But his relief shattered as shouts erupted from the crowd.
The Bandits
Five men surrounded a vendor's cart, their faces twisted with cruelty.
They wore mismatched armor stained with dried blood, and their leader — a hulking brute with a scarred face — slammed a meaty fist onto the cart.
"You owe us double this week, old man!" the leader snarled. "The Black Claw doesn't tolerate excuses!"
The vendor, a frail man with antler-like horns growing from his temples, trembled.
"P-please… business has been slow. The demon beasts—"
"Don't care!"
The bandit leader flipped the cart, sending glowing fruits rolling into the mud.
The crowd scattered, too terrified to intervene.
Arora's breath hitched.
Memories flashed — his comrades begging for mercy as enemy soldiers raised their guns.
The vendor's terrified eyes mirrored theirs.
Not again.
Never again.
"STOP!" Arora roared, charging down the hill before he could think.
The bandits turned, grinning at the sight of an unarmed man in tattered clothes.
Liora and the other creatures stayed hidden, watching from the treeline.
"A hero?" The leader laughed, drawing a jagged black blade. "Kill him. Slowly."
Two bandits lunged.
Arora sidestepped, muscle memory from the war kicking in.
He disarmed one with a wrist lock, but the second bandit slammed a club into his ribs.
He crumpled, gasping.
The system screen flashed red:
Vitality: 84/100
Pathetic.
He'd survived years of war only to die here, powerless.
The bandit raised his club again — and Arora's vision went white with rage.
"I SAID STOP!"
The air crackled.
A golden pen materialized in his hand, its surface etched with glowing runes.
The system interface transformed, now showing a blank parchment page titled:
Reality Edit (Beginner)
Write your will. But remember — all power has limits.
Arora didn't hesitate.
He scrawled a single sentence as the club descended:
The bandits are torn apart by beasts.
The pen resisted, burning his hand like molten iron, but he forced the words onto the page.
The Price
The ground trembled.
A chorus of unearthly roars shook the market as three massive wolf-like creatures burst from the forest.
Their bodies were armored in bone plates, their jaws dripping venom.
"What the–?!" the bandit leader screamed.
The beasts ignored Arora completely.
In seconds, the bandits were reduced to gore.
The vendor stared, trembling, as the alpha beast turned its glowing eyes toward Arora… and bowed.
Then the creatures vanished, dissolving into golden dust.
System Alert!
New Title Gained: Judge of the Black Claw
Morality Updated: Chaotic Neutral
Ability Level Up!
Reality Edit (Beginner) → (Apprentice)
New Limitation Discovered: Cannot create impossible outcomes. Energy cost scales with request complexity.
The pen disappeared.
Arora collapsed to his knees, nausea overwhelming him.
The vendor approached cautiously, clutching a strange fruit like a weapon.
"Y-you… controlled the Vulkara?" the old man whispered. "Are you a god?"
Arora opened his mouth to reply — and vomited blood.
The Rules
He awoke hours later in the vendor's hut, the scent of herbal poultices thick in the air.
The system screen hovered stubbornly:
Reality Edit (Apprentice)
Current Energy: 12/100
Recovery Rate: 1/hour
Recent Edits:
• Summon Vulkara Pack (Cost: 88 Energy)
Warnings:
• Overuse may cause system failure.
• Reality rejects illogical commands.
The vendor — Gerren, he'd learned — entered with a bowl of stew.
"You've been out two days. Whatever you did… it drained you."
Arora stared at the pen, which now lay on the table.
"I don't even know what this is."
Gerren's antlers trembled.
"That's a Creator's Quill. The legends say only the Worldshaper can wield one.
But the last Worldshaper died centuries ago, and…"
He trailed off as screams erupted outside.
The Demon Beast
A creature stood in the village square, taller than the huts.
It resembled a tyrannosaurus rex, but its scales were blackened and cracked, oozing molten lava.
Six bloodshot eyes glowed on its face, and its tail ended in a spiked ball of pure obsidian.
"Harbinger!" Gerren whimpered. "Run!"
The beast roared, and a hut exploded into flames.
Arora grabbed the quill.
The system flickered:
Reality Edit Requested: Destroy the Harbinger.
Available Energy: 15/100
Suggested Edits Within Budget:
• Summon localized rainstorm (5 Energy)
• Enhance physical strength x10 (10 Energy)
• Create fire-resistant barrier (8 Energy)
Prohibited Edits:
• Nuclear missile (Insufficient Energy/Understanding)
• Delete Harbinger (Reality Rejection Likely)
• Teleportation (Unknown Coordinates)
"Think, Arora!" he hissed.
The Harbinger charged, villagers fleeing in terror.
He remembered artillery strikes from his old world — precise, overwhelming force.
No missiles.
But maybe…
He wrote swiftly:
[Grant me a spell to pierce the Harbinger's heart.]
The quill glowed, burning through 12 Energy.
Arora's hand ignited with golden light.
He thrust his palm forward, and a lance of pure energy screamed through the air.
The beam struck the beast's chest, vaporizing scales and flesh.
The Harbinger collapsed mid-roar, its corpse shaking the ground.
System Alert!
Level Up! (2 → 3)
New Ability Unlocked: Energy Sense
Morality Updated: Lawful Neutral
Villager Reputation: Revered
The villagers stared at Arora like he'd hung the moon.
Gerren fell to his knees, weeping gratitude.
But Arora barely heard them.
He stared at the quill, now cold and inert.
I killed again.
Faster, cleaner… but still killing.
The bandits' screams echoed in his memory.
Is this power just another weapon?
Liora nuzzled his hand, her wings casting prismatic light over the dead Harbinger.
In the distance, storm clouds gathered — unnatural and green-tinged.
The system flickered one last time:
Warning:
Reality destabilization detected.
Adaptive protocols engaged.
Prepare for corrective measures.
Arora Nova closed his eyes, the weight of godhood settling onto his shoulders.
This time, he vowed, I'll learn to do better.