The silence lingered.
Ariana remained floating above the newborn world, watching young continents, restless seas, and skies that were slowly beginning to gain color.
Her gaze settled on the new skill displayed by the system. Instinctively, she knew how to use it.
"I need to be careful…" she murmured.
Ariana descended.
Her feet touched the soft grass, and she knelt on the ground. She studied the soil for a few seconds, lost in thought.
"Maybe… if I do it like this…" she whispered, focusing.
She pulled at the earth with her hands, shaping it as if she were playing with clay. Her fingers moved carefully, caught between hesitation and curiosity. Gradually, a shape began to form.
It was small.
Misshapen.
It vaguely resembled an animal—something like a dog—but far too low to the ground, a little chubby, with an odd body and two hollows far too large where the eyes should be.
Ariana tilted her head.
"Maybe… this will work."
There was a trace of cautious pride in her eyes.
She placed her hand on the sculpture.
A gentle glow spread from her fingers.
In the next instant, Ariana felt the cost. Her body weakened, as though she had worked an entire day without rest. Her chest tightened, and she had to steady her breathing.
The light fully enveloped the sculpture.
There was a dry cracking sound.
The glow vanished.
Where there had been clay, there was now something alive.
The creature had smooth skin, with no fur or scales, and an unusual bluish hue. Its eyes were far too large for its face—completely black, with no visible pupils.
Ariana blinked.
"…That's not exactly what I had in mind," she thought silently.
She observed it for a few more seconds.
"But… it's cute."
The creature remained still, staring around without focus, as if it had no idea where it was. Then, suddenly, it turned its head toward her.
Their eyes met.
Ariana smiled faintly.
"Hi…"
At that exact moment, the creature panicked.
Its body tensed, and it tried to turn and flee. It took a few clumsy steps before tripping and falling sideways into the grass.
Its breathing grew uneven.
Shallow.
Ariana's heart tightened.
She took a step forward instinctively—then stopped.
The creature struggled to its feet, backed away a few steps, and stared at her with those enormous eyes, trembling.
"You don't need to be afraid," Ariana said, noticing just how wary it seemed.
Ignoring her words entirely, the small creature turned around and started walking away.
Ariana stared.
"That's… bold," she thought.
The creature vaguely resembled a pug—a type of dog that had existed in her past life. But it was far stranger. Ariana had tried to make something familiar yet different, and the result was that disproportionate, unique little being.
She began to follow it wherever it went.
Sometimes, noticing that Ariana was still there, the creature would stop and glance back over its shoulder, as if asking, "What do you want?"
Ariana found it adorable and let out a quiet chuckle. She was genuinely excited that this was the first living being in her world.
Even so, she stayed alert.
She watched closely, afraid that something might happen if she took her eyes off it for even a moment.
The small creature wandered about curiously, and Ariana followed at a distance, careful not to disturb it.
Eventually, it entered a small forest. Scattered across the ground were fallen fruits.
Ariana was surprised. She remembered creating fruit trees when she used Terraform, but she hadn't expected them to turn out so perfectly.
Apples were scattered everywhere.
She knelt, picked one that looked fresh, and took a big bite. Her eyes lit up.
"So good!" she exclaimed.
The creature had been watching from afar. Up until then, it had ignored all the apples along the way—but when it saw her eating, it opened its mouth and took a large bite of one.
It chewed.
Then chewed some more.
Before she realized it, the creature was stuffing multiple apples into its mouth at once, drooling everywhere, as if it had found paradise itself.
Seeing the scene, Ariana couldn't hold back her laughter.
The little creature shot her a judging look, spat out some of the excess apples, turned its back on her, and sat down, determined to enjoy the fruit with dignity.
Soon after, its movements began to slow.
Ariana noticed before she fully understood.
She frowned.
"Hey…?" she called softly.
The creature tried to bite into another apple, but froze halfway. The fruit slipped from its mouth and rolled across the grass. Its legs trembled.
Then it collapsed.
It wasn't a hard fall. It was as if the body had simply given up on staying upright.
Ariana's heart clenched.
She hurried closer, stopping just a few steps away before kneeling. She didn't want to scare it.
The creature was breathing with difficulty.
Its small body rose and fell unevenly, as though the air itself were too heavy. Its enormous eyes were open, but unfocused.
"No…" Ariana murmured, her throat tightening. "Not now…"
She slowly extended her hand, gently touching the creature's body.
It was far too warm.
Ariana pulled her hand back, alarmed.
"Easy… I'm here…" she said, more to herself than to the creature.
She carefully tried to move it into the shade of the trees, thinking the sunlight might be too strong. The motion was slow and cautious, but there was no response.
For a few seconds, the creature lay completely still.
The world felt unbearably quiet.
Ariana held her breath.
Her chest ached—not like before, but in a different way. Deeper. Closer.
"Please…" she whispered.
Then, almost imperceptibly, the small body moved.
The creature crawled a few centimeters on its own, instinctively seeking the shade. Its breathing was still weak, but no longer as erratic.
Ariana didn't move.
She only watched.
Relief came—but not fully. Her body was exhausted, her legs trembled, and weakness finally caught up with her.
The creature was alive.
For now.
Ariana sat down on the grass nearby, close but without touching, simply staying there.
"Rest…" she murmured.