Alternative Stories

         _ _ _3rd Person Pov_ _ _

There was a void, a baron, perfectly spherical dimension where only darkness existed, and it had been like this since it first came into existence not long ago. It was nothing but an empty world with no sky, no ground, no stars, there was simply nothing to be found within this empty place...at least that was until a great shift began. A shift that first started on a more unseen and microscopic level, oxygen, Nitrogen, carbon dioxide and other such things began to fill the void creating an atmosphere, one similar to what you'd probably see on Earth just on a far smaller scale.

What occurred next was, well, far more noticeable to put it simply. Tons upon tons of dirt, rock and various types of minerals began to materialize out of nowhere, and within moments the bottom of the void had been filled. A fact that was soon followed by the release of millions of tiny bacteria that quickly multiplied in the new space they found themselves within. Now where there had once been nothing but empty space there was now hundreds of kilometers worth of flat barren land, however it wouldn't stay that way for long.

Soon massive sections of this newly created landscape began to rapidly change, it was as if some unseen force was molding it to their liking. Some parts rose upwards while other parts sank, what had once been a perfectly flat land now became far more irregular and natural looking. Cliffs, hills, plateaus and even deep cavernous canyons had all begun to form at a speed impossible in nature. Dirt and rock shifted out of the way to form channels and deep basins, such things were quickly turned into streams and lakes however as rain began to flood down from the large black thunderclouds that formed in mass above the still lifeless lands below.

The rain didn't just linger on the surface however, oh no, large amounts of it began to flow through the earth, seeping through cracks and dirt as it flowed deeper and deeper downwards. This whole process ended up creating an interconnected and multi-layered maze of underground chambers and tunnels that stretched out for miles in every direction. 

This whole process should have taken possibly thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years, yet despite this fact it was all happening in the blink of an eye. In the end though, the now subterranean waters began to settle not long after, a fact that created large pools and underground streams while also leaving massive sections of this newly created cave system completely bare and dry.

Back on the surface however the rains had finally stopped, leaving the lands ripe and ready for what was to come next. And fortunately, thankfully, what followed after was truly something to behold, a true marvel of creation. 

Plants of all kinds and sizes began to sprout and grow within moments, trees erupted from the earth as green grass covered the ground while various underwater ferns and algaes began to appear within the lakes and ponds. Within the span of only a few fleeting moments the once empty landscape had become an eden of life, one of calm yet untamed beauty.

A fact that was soon followed by the appearance of various small yet simple earth born animals such as insects, fish, birds and mammals. Of course the creatures that appeared seemed to depend on the environment they manifested into, for example a wooded area would have a different ecosystem compared to areas of open grasslands or mountainous terrain. Surprisingly though no large animals such as wolves, bears, deers, boars, eagles, wildcats and so on appeared during this time.

And while all of this was happening, as this small world began to take form, two beings watched on from a place unseen. In fact one of them was even taking an active role in this world's creation, all the while the other continued to simply watch and advise.

             _ _ _Carmen Pov_ _ _

"Okay...I'll admit it...this is $#$!%@* cool."

[I'm glad that you're enjoying yourself.]

Yeah, if you hadn't guessed from the smile on my face I was having a great time currently, in fact this is the most fun I'd had in awhile. I mean I've created terrariums and paludariums before but this was on a whole other level, I was literally creating and designing a tiny segment of what could possibly one day become a whole planet. So yeah, I was loving this to put it mildly.

As for the layout of the Sanctuary itself, well, I had split the three thousand kilometers worth of space into four sections, a task that had taken several long hours of work mind you. First was the underground, a labyrinth of tunnels and interconnected cave systems filled with several dozen types of minerals and ores, things that I may actually end up having some use for later down the road. Secondly, would be a large open area in the surface that took up most of the eastern and southern most sides, it was a large, somewhat hilly, field covered in grass and other such shrubbery. 

The north side was made up of small scattered forests with a much larger one in the north west corner of the Sanctuary. Finally the far west side was made up of a somewhat mountainous and rocky area that got steeper the further westwards you went. 

Additionally, however, to hide the fact that there was nothing actually beyond the three thousand kilometers worth of space, well, I had put into place two things that would temporarily solve the issue for now. Firstly, I had surrounded the edges of the Sanctuary with a several mile high wall of fog that was constantly shifting ever so slightly. Secondly, I had also bought a kind of artificial sky template thing, or whatever you want to call it, from the System.

As for where exactly I'd gotten all the plants and animals, well, I had purchased them all from the TSMS of course. Unfortunately however, I was only able to buy small critters for the ecosystems I had set up, apparently I'd have to get any other creatures I wanted personally. The cost of all of this, all the rock, dirt, water and everything else included, was around five hundred RP all together, honestly it was shockingly cheap if you really think about it.

Anyway, I could have used the plants and other such things I had gotten from that prison planet but for now I decided to just stick with things that I could get from the store for one major reason. I didn't want to deal with any kind of alien bacteria or other such things that may affect my thralls down the line, I mean I could have just removed all of that crap myself or simply asked the system to sort it all out for me but I couldn't do either at the moment.

Firstly because you never know how important something is to an ecosystem until you take it out of said ecosystem and secondly, well, because the System actually charges far less when I don't rely on it to do everything for me. Of course I still need the System's help to figure some things out, for example, how do I control temperature in a place that currently has no sun? Or how do I somehow create a working tidal system without a moon? Turns out such things can be sorted out rather easily through the System, at least temporarily anyway.

Moving on though, for the most part I could actually create a relatively similar environment to what you'd see on Earth thanks to my knowledge on such things. Unfortunately however, creating what is in a sense a completely alien environment that I have little experience with overall is not only far harder without the help of the System but also it is far more expensive as well.

That didn't mean I was going to just leave all those animals and plants I had been given just lingering in my storage forever like a bunch of forgotten pokemon that had been stuffed into a pc. In fact I had a plan on where exactly to put them, however that idea will have to wait for later unfortunately, mostly because I currently don't have the assets, manpower, or RP to pull it off successfully.

(Hopefully Decker isn't too annoyed that I'm taking so dang long in here.) I thought to myself.

[You don't have to worry about that, after all time moves differently here.]

"Of course it does..." I muttered while shaking my head in a mixture of relief and annoyance.

[Actually by the time you are ready to leave, only around ten or so minutes would have passed outside.] Cyan added.

"Well...whatever..." I grumbled, I was starting to get used to all this physics defying crap to be honest.

[I must say though, I'm surprised you were able to create such a place, most who enter their Sanctuary for the first time either go completely overboard or barely create anything at all.] She hummed, causing me to shrug.

"It's not like it's perfect, there are still quite a few holes in the ecosystems as well as various things that could be improved upon overtime."

[Still, it's rather impressive for your first attempt.] I really wasn't expecting the sudden praise to be honest.

"A-anyway...errrm...there are still a few things I need to add but before that I gotta ask something." I muttered not exactly used to people genuinely complimenting me and my efforts.

[Go on.]

"Can I create something like a house or a satellite using the Sanctuary Menus?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

[No and yes, something like a road or a very simple house shouldn't be all that difficult for you to pull off, however creating something really intricate like a satellite is impossible.] She explained before continuing. [If you want something like that you'd have to make it yourself or have one of your followers do it for you.]

"Or I could steal it from some random universe?"

[Correct my dear.] She chuckled.

(I expected as much but the fact that I can create a bloody planet from basically nothing yet I can't make something like a computer is kind of annoying.) I sighed a little in frustration.

[I can understand that point of view, especially when you consider that you may one day end up creating entire galaxies. Unfortunately however, it's no fun for Chaos if everyone can just create whatever they want without even somewhat working for it.]

"Right...wait a minute?" I paused for a second after realizing something. "If I actually do manage to make a literal galaxy wouldn't that technically make me a god?"

[No, you are not a god, nor will you ever be.] I breathed out in relief at that but she wasn't exactly finished just yet. [Alternatives actually have the ability to surpass most gods by leaps and bounds, if given enough time to grow their power anyway. Also just because you're not a god doesn't mean mortals won't try to worship you down the road at some point.]

"God #@¥&^_! damn it..."