(General POV)
It had been a few hours since the foundation of the Universal Habitat Core was laid. The framework was in place, the materials positioned, and every part of the plan had been followed to the tee. But even Zayne knew — that was the easy part.
Now came the part that separated a true engineer from a hobbyist.
Zayne stood in the middle of the floating construction platform, a massive silver ring around him slowly rotating in zero gravity. The core sat idle, framework exposed, materials prepped but not yet fused.
"Alright," he muttered, scrolling through the Grid interface. "Now to bring this thing to life."
Just then, the familiar chime of the Grid resounded in his mind.
[System Notification: User does not need to manually fuse materials. Construction can now proceed using the Simulation Holograph Protocol. Three attempts permitted before cooldown.]
Zayne blinked.
"…Wait, you're telling me I don't need to weld, bolt, or energy-fuse anything?"
[Affirmative.]
"…I could've skipped several hours of sweating over gravitational anchor points?"
[You have earned the right to use simulation functions. Efficiency is key.]
He stared flatly into the air.
"Gee. Thanks for telling me after I bolted myself into a floating structure."
Alpha 5 said nothing. Kara simply hovered near the control terminal, passive and nonchalant.
No emotions. No smirks. Just blank professionalism.
Zayne sighed and extended his hand.
"Alright. Load the Simulation Holograph."
A massive spherical display bloomed around him like a blooming flower of light. Blueprints hovered midair, flowing with runic markings and reactive subroutines. Three holographic versions of the core flickered into existence before him.
Simulation 1: Basic Functional Flow.
Zayne traced his finger through the design. Everything looked… okay. But not optimal. The energy channels were mismatched slightly. The divine circuit overlapped the aetheric root by 2.3 nanometers.
"Not gonna work," he said flatly.
With a wave of his hand, he reset.
Simulation 2: Reinforced Lattice with Void Buffering.
This one was better. Much better. The design pulsed with layered harmonics. The inner reactor had a stable flux matrix. But the moment he activated the time dilation module in the sim, the outer containment ring cracked.
"Still too fragile," he muttered, deleting it again.
He cracked his knuckles and stared at the third model.
Simulation 3: Multi-Energy Tier Stabilizer with Quantum Tether Lock.
Every layer was interlocked like a cosmic puzzle box. Aetherium perfectly spaced. Divine clusters evenly split. The Trionium Spine Rods formed a multi-dimensional pyramid formation — stabilizing both gravitational and metaphysical pull.
Even Kara gave a flicker of light.
"This simulation is… excellent," she said.
"Lock it in," Zayne said with confidence.
[Confirmed. Begin live construction.]
FWOOM—!!
The moment the words echoed, everything changed.
The materials stored around the platform started to rise, levitating into the air as though pulled by invisible hands. The crystals slid into slots with perfect precision. Alloy sheets twisted midair and snapped into place, glowing with electric-blue circuitry. Rings began to spin, one after another, each humming with growing power.
It wasn't just construction — it was art.
Zayne stood there, mouth slightly open.
"…Is this what it feels like to be Tony Stark with magic?"
Even Alpha and Kara didn't speak. They simply hovered, observing as the orb slowly came to life.
When the final component clicked into place, the entire structure trembled.
And then—
BOOMM!
A pulse of light erupted from the core, shaking the very fabric of the realm. Then — space around the orb tore open. Dimensional rifts spiraled out from its base, forming invisible tunnels of light. The sky itself seemed to shift.
Zayne took a sharp step back.
"What the hell—?!"
The core had opened dozens… maybe hundreds… of energy conduits to places unknown. Each one silently inhaling and absorbing different forms of energy — some from familiar planes like the Astral Realm, others from realms Zayne couldn't even comprehend.
Then, just as fast — the rifts closed, sealing with zero trace.
And that's when everything changed.
The grass turned emerald green, radiant with vitality. Trees began to glow faintly. Water from nearby rivers shimmered with traces of magic and qi. Elemental spirits were born — tiny creatures made of flame, wind, light, and darkness. Some formed vague humanoid shapes, others like rabbits, birds, and fairies. A few floated up, glanced at Zayne… and simply bowed midair.
Zayne's mouth was still open.
He didn't even try to speak.
The Universal Habitat Core had finished forming… and turned a simple realm into a microcosm of life itself.
[Core Complete. Beginning User Scan.]
A soft light scanned Zayne from head to toe.
[Universal Core Registration Complete. Recognized Master: Zayne Callahan. Authority Level: Absolute.]
[All future energy balance will align with user's presence and safety protocols. All newly born life forms within realm will acknowledge user as original progenitor.]
He just stood there for a solid minute.
He didn't even say anything.
"…I'm… a god?"
[No. You are just the owner.]
"…Right. Totally makes it better."
He finally chuckled and shook his head.
He brought up the Grid schematics of the core — and his jaw almost dropped again.
The energy levels were infinite. Not just in theory. The Grid didn't say "very high" or "extremely vast."
It said: INFINITE.
And not only that — the types of energy were beyond anything Zayne had ever studied.
Divine Energy
Mana
Ki
Aether
Chaos Force
Void Essence
Bloodline Energy
Chrono Particles
Technomatter Currents
Dream Ether
Fate Stream
Soul Fire
Celestial Code
Stellar Core Radiation
Psionic Pressure
World Will Particulates
Reality Weave
And the list kept going.
He was looking at the literal cradle of creation in blueprint form.
"…I can't believe I almost built this by hand," he muttered.
He swiped the interface and tapped a button.
"Let's try something," he said.
He focused on the terrain and commanded the core mentally: Form floating islands. Elevation: 3 kilometers. Structure: Hollow core. Trees. Waterfalls. Mini-ecosystems.
RUMBLE—!
With a low tremor, dozens of floating islands began rising from the earth, carved and shaped by invisible hands. Trees sprouted midair. Waterfalls cascaded into thin air and vanished before hitting the ground, caught in looped energy filtration.
The whole thing was alive. Breathing. Moving.
[Time Field Detected. Realm Time Acceleration: 1:100. External:Internal.]
The Grid voice echoed again.
[Time can now be manipulated within realm via core authority. Maximum ratio is 1:100 at current stage. Upgrades possible in future.]
Zayne watched as entire ecosystems began forming in minutes.
Creatures started to make homes in the trees. Energy-based animals roamed freely.
It was almost too much.
But he was satisfied.
Deeply satisfied.
He opened his Grid inventory again.
"Now then… time to bring out the rest."
He tapped the next two blueprints: Medical Bay Module and Omni-Tech Workshop.
Two massive blueprints appeared in front of him.
Before he placed them, he realized something.
"…I need a headquarters."
It was just something that clicked.
A central building. Something official. Something that would be the face of all future operations.
He opened the Grid store and searched: Base Headquarters
[Base Headquarters — Tier Listings]
G-Level (Basic Barracks) — 500 Points
F-Level (Secure Compound) — 800 Points
E-Level (Advanced Compound) — 1,200 Points
D-Level (Tactical Fortress) — 2,500 Points
C-Level (Command Tower) — 5,000 Points
B-Level (Multiversal Outpost) — 7,500 Points
A-Level (Cosmic Fortress) — 15,000 Points
S-Level (Reality Bastion) — 30,000 Points
SS-Level (Omni-Hall) — 60,000 Points
EX-Level (Creation Throne Citadel) — 100,000 Points
Zayne stared at the prices.
"Yeah… not even close."
[Current Points: 14,200.] (A/N: The points used would be fully explained in the coming chapters. They are very important to the story. Also, due to the grid's help, he will finish the base on the same day, albeit late)
He sighed.
"Well, guess we're buying the B-Level."
He tapped Multiversal Outpost (B-Level).
[Confirm Purchase? Cost: 7,500 Points]
"Do it."
[Confirmed. Construction Beginning.]
Right in the heart of the floating realm, a massive fortress-like structure appeared from beneath the terrain — shaped like a futuristic command center, with glass-like panels, fortified steel, floating drones orbiting the roof, and a main entrance with a shimmering emblem — Zayne's morph emblem. (A/N: Guys, please help with an emblem, I'm confused)
The HQ was massive.
— Main Control Room: Oversaw all systems in the base.
— War Room: Tactical simulation chamber.
— Data Core Vault: Storage of sensitive info and digital schematics.
— Guest Quarters: Fully furnished rooms for visitors.
— Armory Chamber: Full access to Ranger tech and Grid tools.
— Mini-Dimension Pocket Room: Room that could be customized into anything via mental command.
And the whole thing?
Unhackable. Undetectable. Indestructible.
The Grid didn't play when it built something.
"Alright," Zayne muttered. "That's one less headache."
He turned back to the Medical Bay and Workshop blueprints.
Instead of summoning them directly, he placed the blueprints manually and began constructing them with Alpha and Kara's help.
The Medical Bay was roughly the size of a football field. It had stasis pods, regenerative chambers, DNA analyzers, and even interdimensional disease simulators. The lighting was soft. The floors clean. Every wall was laced with self-repairing nanites.
The Omni-Tech Workshop was… Zayne's heaven.
Workbenches. Tool rigs. Drone stations. Hologram projectors. Weapon mod bays. Armor test simulators. He even found a compartment labeled "Experimental Junk Zone" and grinned.
Hours passed.
The realm slowly became alive.
[System Notification: New energy lifeforms forming.]
Zayne raised an eyebrow.
"Are they dangerous?"
[No. As user holds highest authority, all creatures view you as Creator. Some may have individual personalities, but none will disobey or harm user.]
He exhaled in relief.
"Good."
He stood at the center of it all. The floating islands. The HQ. The Medical Bay. The Tech Workshop. Energy lifeforms curiously watching from the trees.
He cracked his knuckles.
"…It's time."
He turned to the Grid.
"Let's build the Teleportation Gates."
--- ✦ ---
So guys, I had a lot of fun creating this, and I had to do research too, for the tech-savvy stuff. I don't want this section of the story to be boring. So, guys, I'll release a teaser summary for the Ultimate live streamer soon.
Power Stones guys!!!