This chapter uses brackets to represent unspoken communication.
Fields of tall grass swayed along a mountainside.
At the center of it—
A young girl lay asleep.
Above her, clouds drifted lazily across the sky, shifting into endless shapes.
A setting sun cast layers of red, orange, and white—
Brilliant—
Yet unable to fully pierce the thick cloud cover.
On the opposite horizon—
Two bright blue moons began to rise.
Their cool, azure glow pushed against the fading warmth of the sun.
And when the two skies met—
Day and night colliding above the mountain—
A phenomenon unique to this planet unfolded.
Purple lightning spread across the entire world.
Not striking—
But flowing.
A constant storm that marked the transition between light and dark.
Thunder rolled in the distance.
Soft.
Deep.
Yet powerful enough to send faint vibrations through the ground—
All the way to the planet's core.
A core still under construction.
Small, floating orbs of varying colors moved across the land.
Working.
Building.
Refining.
Each carried a Spatial Inventory.
Each possessed a Processor capable of reshaping matter itself.
And all of them—
Were creations of the girl sleeping in the grass.
The others—Makers—considered her project a waste.
A childish distraction.
Still…
They allowed her one thing.
A single planet.
One world to create as she pleased.
What they hadn't expected—
Was for her to surpass them.
At her age—
She had already outbuilt their greatest architects.
And so—
They watched her more closely.
They remembered the day they found her.
Encased.
Frozen within a dark, reflective material—
Unlike anything they had ever encountered.
Not found.
Not made.
Impossible.
They spent five eons trying to extract even a fragment.
Five eons—
For dust.
And when that dust finally fell—
It screamed.
An overwhelming surge of bloodlust erupted from it.
Paralyzing.
Crushing.
Even the seven-foot-tall Makers—
Warriors of creation—
Were reduced to stillness.
Then—
She moved.
Inside the crystal.
Stretching.
Waking.
The material shifted with her.
Softening.
Melting.
It receded across her skin—
Forming a simple dress of the same dark sheen.
Her eyes blinked open.
Once.
Twice.
Awareness returned.
She looked at them.
Tall.
Muscular.
Armored only in fabric pants.
Bare torsos—
Defined.
Strong.
Curious.
But something was wrong.
She didn't know when she was.
That thought alone forced her still.
She tried to speak—
Nothing.
No sound.
She paused.
Watched them.
The Makers communicated in silence.
Subtle movements.
No eye contact.
Patterns.
She blinked.
Her eyes turned red.
Her vision shifted.
Pheromones.
Signals.
They spoke like ants.
She blinked again.
Her eyes turned gold-orange.
The Makers flinched.
She reached down.
Scooped up a handful of dirt.
Her hands began to glow.
White.
The dirt hardened.
Then—
Glass.
Then—
Something else.
A semi-liquid, shining material.
She shaped it carefully.
A perfect circle.
The glow shifted—
Green.
The object solidified.
At its center—
A design formed.
Two open squares.
Spiraling inward.
Three rotations.
Never touching.
She placed her hand over it.
Lifted—
The circle split.
Two identical pieces.
She waited.
Then extended one toward the Makers.
One stepped forward.
Slowly.
Carefully.
He accepted it.
She smiled.
Placed the other on her own head.
It sank.
Resting just above her brow.
She gestured.
The Maker hesitated.
Then followed.
The object expanded to fit him.
Settled into place.
A pause.
Then—
[Testing.]
A voice.
Clear.
Feminine.
Inside his mind.
He stumbled backward.
Fell.
[Giggle.]
Silence.
The others froze.
Confused.
{What happened?}
A wave of collective scent.
{It spoke. I heard words.}
{Impossible. We lost that long ago.}
A hand reached down to help him.
[Helloooo?]
The girl tilted her head.
[I know it's working. My crafting isn't faulty.]
A small pout.
[Are you going to respond… or do you not know how?]
He focused.
Strained.
[W… what… are… you?]
The effort shook him.
She lit up instantly.
[I'm Kyrniz!]
She bounced slightly.
[An Original! Nice to meet you!]
She leaned forward, hands behind her back, studying them curiously from her smaller frame.
[Who are you?]
A pause.
[And… where are we?]