Chapter 4: The Creator’s Voice

  Everyone's attention was on me as I stood still, blood c my naked body. The realization of my nakedness didn’t occur until much ter. For now, I focused on projeg fear—on making them hesitate. With only one hand, a couple of them could take me down if they had the guts to attack. My presence alone had to be my shield.

  After a moment of silence, I thought to myself, 'Bunch of cowards. How you let a one-handed man frighten you like this?' Then, it hit me. The throne was mine.

  Someone began approag. I readied myself, gathering my remaining fingers into a fist, prepared to strike. But the figure k before me and spoke.

  “How I serve you, sir? I watched you closely during that attack, and I believe you are smart and strong enough to lead us.”

  I hesitated, l my hand. “My hand... How is it back?”

  “This world is different from Earth,” he said. “You should hear a voice soon. It expins the general rules. It starts about five minutes after you leave your shell and sts for around ten minutes. Everyone here has experie.”

  I turo the others and asked, “Is this true?”

  Several nodded hesitantly. “Y... yes,” came the murmured reply.

  I faced the man again. “Stand up. Show me your face.”

  He obeyed, revealing a sharp-featured face, bck hair, aangur gsses.

  “I want this to be the st time anyone kneels before me. Uood?”

  “Yes, uood,” he replied firmly.

  “What is your name?”

  “Akira,” he said.

  “Akira,” I repeated. “Listen, everyone. While I’m busy with this ‘voice,’ Akira will oversee a different task. I want all of you to start expl the boundaries of this ptform. Map the surroundings, look for any hidden pathways or structures, a back. Akira, ehat no one goes too far or acts recklessly. And give Selia some clothes—she’ll stay here and help ahe findings.”

  Selia was on the ground, ed in pieces of a broken shell. Her distant expression told me she was hearing the voice already. 'My turn will e soon.'

  “Ray,” came a whisper in my mind. 'Is that it?'

  “Akira, what are you waiting for?” I ordered.

  “Yes, sir,” he nodded and walked away.

  “Ray, wele to my world.” The voice was clear now, yet I felt disected from my body.

  “You don’t o worry about your body,” it tinued. “Focus on the information I’m about to share. Unlike Earth, you will not feel hunger here. Food repleamina and mana but isn’t necessary for survival. You’ve already experiehe sed rule: killing others allows you to heal, provided the body part you wish to restore is inta their corpse. Finally, the ‘awakening day’ will begin once everyone is prepared.”

  'As I thought, killing isn’t forbidden here. But what’s this awakening day? And mana? Magic? Why hasn’t anyone used it yet?'

  “The awakening day is when you will gain magical abilities. To ensure fairness, you choose your power, but it will e with a curse tailored to your choid personality.”

  “What if I choose the power of a god? Or no power at all?” I asked.

  “The price of godlike powers is your life, as the curse would kill you instantly. Any power be chosen, but the curse it brings will always match its magnitude. Choosing no power spares you from a curse, but the test at the end of awakening day will require a power to survive.”

  “ you give me an example of a power and its curse?”

  “I’ve given you enough information. Farewell, Ray.”

  uro my ears as my vision cleared. I was ba the ptform, fully clothed and armed with a long one-handed sword. Akira approached me.

  “Everyone receives clothes and a on aligned with their fighting style after hearing the voice,” he expined. “The perimeter exploration you requested is underway.”

  I nodded, mulling over what I’d learned. 'Exploration will tell us more about this world. Knowing our surroundings is essential to survival.'

  “We have 83 people here,” Akira tinued, “and 40 more still in their shells.”

  “Good. Let me know the moment anyone finds something unusual.”

  While Akira supervised, Selia approached me.

  “Boss... or King Ray?” she asked hesitantly.

  “I’m not your boss anymore, and I don’t pn to be a king. Call me Ray.”

  “Thank you, Ray.” She took my haween hers and said, “I know, deep down, you’re a good person.”

  After a pause, I asked, “Have you thought about your ability?”

  “Yes, I want to read minds.”

  'Crap. I fot about that one.' “That’s not a good choice.”

  “Why? It seems useful.”

  “It won’t help you survive in a world full of magibsp;

  She frowned. “Then I’ll choose something else.”

  “What about curse breaking? If you get it, I’ll protect you.”

  She released my hand and turned away. “Sounds b, but I’ll think about it. I came to tell you Akira’s team has discovered a potential exit point on the edge of the ptform.”

  Akira returo report findings from the exploration. Standing before the gathered crowd of 119 people, plus Akira, myself, and 2 more still in their shells, I addressed them.

  “We have much to uand about this world and little time to waste. Akira has identified a potential exit point, but before we act, I need everyoo remain vigint. This is not a pce for pcy. Learn your strengths. Prepare yourselves. Survival here demands focus and discipline.”

  The urmured in agreement, their fear evident but tempered by resolve. Then a deep, powerful voice cut through the noise.

  “You think you’ve found a? Foolish. There are no such paths here. Humans, this is the awakening day."

  The sky darkened as the voice tinued. “You will gain an ability of your choosing but must live with a curse tailored to your poersonality. Here are the rules:

  How your ability works will be tied to how you imagi and to its given name. Powers evolve based on your initial imagination. You must pass a survival test with your new power. Curses be broken by fulfilling specific tasks or ditions tied to your power. Beware: some choices may lead to immediate death. You have five mio decide. Farewell.”

  'I know what I’ll choose,' I thought, a smile f.

  Five minutes passed. The ptform disappeared, and we found ourselves free-falling.

  “Everyone, activate your abilities, please!” I shouted. 'Did I just say please? Doesn’t matter. Let’s see what they’ve chosen.'

  Elemental powers filled the air: fire, water, lightning, ice, earth, and wind. Many froze, uo react. Akira soared above with eagle-like wings, gliding effortlessly through the chaos. He flew to me, his wings casting a anding shadow.

  “Need help?” he asked.

  “No. Help Selia instead.” She anig, clearly struggling to make sense of her situation.

  “Anyone who fly, assist the others who ’t!” I ordered.

  The air swirled with chaos as powers collided and people scrambled to survive. I chose not to myself with them. Instead, I increased my speed, plummeting toward the ground like a meteor. I nded with a thunderous impact, bending nearby trees with the force. The dust settled as I straightened, smirking. Then, without warning, a voice echoed in my mind.

  "Magnifit, Ray. Look at them falling—weak, desperate. Their lives already belong to you. Soon, so will their wills."

  I froze, my smirk fading as I ched my teeth. 'Who’s speaking to me?' Silence followed, but the uli of the words lingered. I looked up, the chaos above a stark trast to the stillness within me.