Alex leapt to his feet, his heart pounding in his throat. Time seemed to have stopped in midair at that moment. A pair of deep, black eyes stared at him from within the aquarium.
That lasted for a few seconds that felt like an eternity. Then Yogurt and Sour Cream blinked and turned away, ignoring him as if he were nothing more than empty space. In truth, they probably couldn't see him at all, as they were separated by invisible walls of space and time.
It was only by coincidence that, the moment they first opened their eyes, their creator happened to be standing before them.
Alex gulped and slowly inched toward the aquarium, studying the newly formed eyes on the fleshy jellyfish.
To make sure they couldn't see him, he waved his hand in front of them. When they didn't react, Alex nodded and consulted the Manual.
[All worlds exist in separate spatial pockets relative to the Manager. Their inhabitants cannot interact with the Manager's world unless they possess Level 8 Power. In such cases, the device will initiate a defensive protocol.
Several tools enable interaction between the Manager and their creation:
Extractor (I) — Allows the Manager to retrieve any object (inorganic) from a created world. Unlocks at Manager Rank 3
Extractor (II) — Allows the Manager to retrieve any living being from a created world. Unlocks at Manager Rank 6
Transfer — Allows the Manager's physical body to enter a created world. Unlocks at Manager Rank 4.
Avatar 1 — Transfers the Manager's consciousness into the body of any inhabitant of a created world. Unlocks at Manager Rank 3.
Avatar 2 — Creates a unique vessel for the Manager's consciousness within a created world. Unlocks at Manager Rank 5.]
Alex slowly relaxed, a smile of relief forming on his face.
Soon, however, another smile, one of anticipation, took its place. At some point he would be able to take things from another (his!) world and even walk there on his own legs! Once again, fierce determination flared within him, urging him to unlock every tool as quickly as possible.
What's more, Manager Rank 2 was just around the corner; all he needed was for either Yogurt or Sour Cream to produce offspring. Wondering who would do it first, Alex glanced at the aquarium… and froze.
A lone jellyfish was driffing across the water's surface, slowly devouring the remains of its sister…
…
…
…
After that, Alex waited in restless anticipation for the next S1 to be born. But after all the changes the jellyfish had undergone, he could no longer predict when it would happen. Waiting for something that might occur at any moment was agonizing; every minute became a torturous blend of hope and disappointment.
Alex wore himself out devising new ways to pass the time. At one point, he tried to distract himself by building a doghouse for Michael. Several days of work ended in disappointment when the dog rejected its new home in favor of the cozy spot by the radiator.
Morning after morning, Alex climbed to the attic, stepped into the dark space, glanced at the aquarium, shook his head, and approached another shimmering square.
This was the very first world he had created. Alex treated it like a sandbox, shaping different landscapes within it. He was like a child who'd gotten hold of his father's computer: there were no games to play, so he amused himself by drawing overlapping shapes in Paint.
It was quite fun, actually.
Alex squinted as he refined the terrain around a massive black volcano that loomed over half the world's surface. Beyond its shadow sprawled mountains, rivers, lakes, and valleys, scattered in chaotic fashion as if nature itself had staged a surreal exhibition.
He named the world Rough Draft, planning to eventually reuse its landscapes as set pieces for a full-fledged realm.
From time to time, he paused to imagine what it might be like for humans (or other creatures) to inhabit the diverse environments he had shaped. The volcano was especially compelling for that kind of thought experiment.
It wasn't merely big—it was colossal.
As a child, Alex had read about a Martian mountain nearly three times the height of Everest. That image had set his young imagination ablaze, planting in his heart the dream of becoming an astronaut, a fantasy so common among children that its eventual demise needed no explanation.
Alex was about to resume his work when a clear light suddenly flared before his eyes:
[Congratulations! You have completed your mission. Would you like to continue?]
He blinked, then ran straight to the aquarium…