Chapter 8: Humans
Alicia focused on the strange fluctuation she had sensed earlier.
It was faint.
Almost hidden.
But now that she was fully awake—
She could feel it clearly.
"…There."
Her awareness zoomed toward a dense forest near the edge of a vast ocean.
The trees there were taller than the rest.
Their leaves shimmered faintly with energy.
The air itself felt… different.
Thicker.
Richer.
At the center of the forest—
Something moved.
Alicia froze.
"…Is that…?"
A small figure stepped out from behind a tree.
Two arms.
Two legs.
Standing upright.
Unstable.
Shaking.
Then—
It tripped.
Flat on the ground.
"…Yep. Definitely human."
Alicia paused.
"…Why is my first human so clumsy?"
The creature slowly got back up, wobbling like it had just learned how to exist five seconds ago.
Its eyes looked around in confusion.
Its movements were awkward.
But inside its body—
Alicia could feel it.
A faint flow of Life Energy.
And deeper—
A tiny spark of Soul Power.
"…It worked…"
Her thoughts softened.
After one million years—
After all that effort—
Life had finally taken form.
But it didn't stop there.
More figures appeared.
From behind trees.
From the forest floor.
From shallow caves.
One of them tried to walk—
…and walked straight into a tree.
"…Okay."
Alicia paused.
"…Maybe I need to work on coordination next."
Some looked similar.
Others were slightly different—
Stronger limbs.
Sharper eyes.
Different builds.
"They're evolving differently already…"
Alicia observed carefully.
Each of them carried:
Life Energy → forming their bodies
Soul Power → strengthening them
They were weak.
Very weak.
But—
They had potential.
One of the humans suddenly looked up.
Toward the sky.
Toward… her.
Alicia froze.
"…Wait."
"…Can it sense me already?!"
The human tilted its head.
Then scratched it.
Then sat down.
"…Never mind."
Alicia let out a small mental sigh.
"…You scared me for nothing."
She watched them quietly.
Some touched the ground.
Some stared at their hands like they had just discovered them.
One tried to pick up a rock—
…then dropped it on its foot.
"…Ouch."
Alicia winced.
"…Do I… feel bad for them?"
Her core pulsed gently.
For the first time—
She felt something different.
Not just excitement.
Not just curiosity.
"…Did I… actually create them?"
Silence followed.
A deep, quiet realization settled within her.
She wasn't just shaping land anymore.
She wasn't just managing energy.
She had created life that could grow.
"…So this is the beginning."
Her thoughts became steady.
Focused.
But still—
"…My first batch is kinda dumb though."
She paused.
Then corrected herself:
"…They'll improve."
"…Probably."
Her attention sharpened again.
"If they grow stronger…"
"If they learn to use soul power…"
"Then one day…"
"They'll become cultivators."
The forest felt alive now.
The world felt alive.
Everything was moving forward.
But then—
Alicia sensed something else.
From deeper within the forest.
A stronger presence.
Heavier.
More stable.
Definitely not clumsy
"Now what is that?"
Author:What do you think Alicia found next?