At the heart of a black cube, a space that contained a universe within its darkness, floated a young man with hair as white as freshly fallen snow and eyes as blue as the purest sky. That place, a hidden paradise, was a dream world: mystical trees, their branches pulsing with life, rose toward a firmament studded with stars. Millions of luminous points flickered like cosmic fireflies, illuminating the void without the need for sun or moon. The light emanated from the air itself, as if the atmosphere were an infinite source of energy.
The young man, fully aware of his surroundings, knew he had been asleep for at least a month. Thirty days floating in that limbo, plunged into a deep sleep. However, when he awoke, he felt neither fear nor confusion. He knew why he was there. He had paid the price for exceeding his limits in past battles, and that cube was both his refuge and his temporary prison.
Half an hour had passed since he'd opened his eyes, and what he discovered took his breath away. The interior of the cube wasn't a sterile void, but a vibrant Eden. Giant trees with emerald leaves stretched as far as the eye could see, while deep green grasses carpeted the ground. The air was so pure that every inhalation revitalized him. Rivers of crystal-clear water wound through the vegetation, and in the midst of it all, mana shone: not just any mana, but mana so dense and powerful it would drive any mage mad.
"So this is what the cube was hiding," the young man murmured, his voice echoing in the vastness.
In response, a deep, reverberating voice emerged from nowhere, as if the void itself were speaking:
- YES. THIS PLACE IS OURS.
The young man raised an eyebrow. "Are we alone in this dimension?"
- NO. HERE LIVES A RACE WHO CALL THEMSELVES FAIRIES, the voice replied.
"Fairies?"
- YES. ACCORDING TO THEIR QUEEN, THE CUBE'S PREVIOUS OWNER ALLOWED THEM TO TAKE REFUGE HERE TO PRESERVE THEIR SPECIES.
The young man frowned. It wasn't common to encounter mythical creatures in a place like this.
- MY LORD, THE THIRTY DAYS HAVE PASSED. YOU CAN LEAVE THIS PLACE WHENEVER YOU WISH.
"I understand. But how the hell do I stop floating?"
No matter how hard he tried to move, an invisible force kept him suspended. However, after a few seconds, a subtle energy gently guided him to the ground. As he stepped onto solid ground, he took a deep breath and scanned the horizon.
"How the hell do you fit an entire world into a cube?" he asked, more to himself.
- IT WAS NOT FORCED INTRODUCED. IT WAS CREATED FROM SCRATCH IN THIS DIMENSION.
"What?" He blinked, puzzled but fascinated. The idea of creating a world out of nothing was beyond his comprehension, but in this place, where the laws of reality seemed malleable, anything was possible.
"Looks like this cube is more than I imagined," he murmured, watching with renewed interest.
- WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?
A laugh escaped his lips. His companion's question had a double meaning. D was no longer a simple artificial intelligence; he had evolved into something more, a being whose reasoning surpassed any conventional logic.
"What changes did you make while I was sleeping?" he asked, noticing a strange sensation in his body that he couldn't define.
- I'VE UPDATED. AND I DISCOVERED SOMETHING INTERESTING: BY ABSORBING A HUMAN SOUL, WE CAN GROW STRONGER.
"What the hell did you just say?" The young man froze.
- IT'S AS YOU HEARD IT. SOULS ARE A SOURCE OF POWER.
"Y… you're a danger when you act on your own," he whispered, with a hint of disappointment. If anyone heard him, they might mistake him for a monster.
- MY LORD, the voice called him differently this time.
"Why the change in treatment?"
- It's the most appropriate course of action, given our relationship. Furthermore, the data obtained from the bodies confirms that it's the correct way to address the person to whom one's existence is dedicated.
"Well, whatever you prefer," the young man conceded, although something in that explanation unsettled him.
- THERE'S MORE. THE GIFT FOR THE ELF PRINCESS IS READY.
"Oh, that thing?"
- YES. I MADE IMPROVEMENTS.
"Again?"
- YES. DO YOU WANT TO SEE IT?
"Clear."
In an instant, he was teleported to another sector of that world. When he regained his sight, he found himself standing before a structure that could barely be called a 'tree.' Or perhaps a 'flower' would be more appropriate, though its size defied classification. The creature, its human face grotesquely fused to its stem, had grown to a height of 25 meters, its roots extending underground.
"What the hell did you feed him?" he asked, astonished.
- SOIL NUTRIENTS AND CONTROLLED DOSES OF VITAL ENERGY.
"I understand... and why are you so quiet?" he inquired disdainfully, noticing the creature's abnormal silence.
- HE COULDN'T ENDURE THE TORTURE AND DIED. SO I EXPERIMENTED WITH RESURRECTION. IT WORKED: HIS BODY REVIVED.
"And the soul?"
- I CONSUMED IT. THANKS TO IT, I UNDERSTOOD THE ORIGIN OF ITS POWER.
He remained silent. Who was the real monster here: the anthropomorphic flower or his own ally?
Looking up, he noticed something hanging from the stem: a black chrysalis, pulsing like a dark heart.
"What the fuck did you do now?"
- I used the flower's womb to empower the gift. The resulting creature will be able to choose its powers at will.
"So that was her secret," he murmured, observing the chrysalis cautiously. Although it seemed inert, his eyes discerned what lay within: a being of a species that didn't exist in that world.
"I hope that thing doesn't rebel."
- HE CAN'T. I IMPOSED AN 'ABSOLUTE ORDER' ON HIM. HE'S UNABLE TO DEFY US.
"Good. But… what kind of creature is it?"
- I DON'T KNOW. THERE ARE NO RECORDS.
"How? You have access to thousands of memories."
- DNA doesn't come from this world. We acquired it during our journey through the void, when we were just a soul.
The young man's face twisted.
"Explain yourself."
- OUR CURRENT APPEARANCE IS DUE TO THAT DNA PREDOMINATING OVER THE OTHERS. IT'S SOMETHING... FROM THE OUTSIDE.
"Enough. I don't want to know any more," the young man interrupted, finally understanding the nature of that being. It was something that didn't belong to his reality.
After a long silence, he whispered:
"How am I going to give the elf girl a creature that looks like something out of a nightmare? Just looking at it makes you want to run away."
The chrysalis, motionless but ominous, seemed to smile in the gloom.
The white-haired, blue-eyed young man, still absorbing the disturbing revelations about the chrysalis, felt a sudden change in the air. A subtle vibration ran through the air, as if the world inside the cube itself were responding to an alien presence. D, his faithful servant, issued an alert:
- MY LORD, THEY ARE COMING.
On the horizon, hundreds of tiny, flickering lights emerged between the mystical trees, moving forward at impossible speeds. They were like shooting stars, but with a warmer, more vivid glow. As they approached, the young man could make out their shapes: tiny creatures, no more than four inches tall, with translucent wings that flashed with rainbow colors—fairies.
The first to arrive was a figure larger than the rest, radiating a majesty that overshadowed her companions. Her hair was a rainbow of colors, and her eyes, which had no set color as they seemed to change every second, shone with an ancient intelligence. She wore a crown of carved crystal that seemed to contain the firmament within.
"Welcome," his voice was melodious, but with an authority that resonated in the air. "We have sensed your awakening."
Upon observing that small fairy, the young man immediately understood that he was no ordinary creature. The density of magical energy emanating from her was insane, an almost tangible pressure that distorted the air around her. And most disturbingly, she wasn't alone. Her companions, though smaller, radiated a similar power, like sparks from the same storm.