The pain was a swarm of metaphysical wasps stinging every inch of her nonexistent nerves. Alex hadn't imagined becoming a cosmic entity would hurt this much. Or that it would hurt like this — as if her soul had been unraveled and stitched back together using constellations as thread.
When she finally opened her "eyes," the world had transformed.
Blue.
It was the first thing she noticed. A blue so deep it stole the breath she no longer had, interlaced with whirlpools of pink and green. The space around her flowed like a **living watercolor ocean**, undulating in hypnotic patterns.
"ROB, you son of a—"
The curse died in her mind as she saw herself.
Her body — if it could still be called that — was a continent of translucent crystal, veined with pulsating strands that shimmered between sky-blue and petal-pink. Spirals of golden energy rose from her surface like cosmic trees, and for a moment, Alex felt... dazzling.
"At least he didn't lie about the space whale part," she murmured, her voice echoing through the void like ice bells.
But vanity faded quickly. There was work to do.
Closing metaphorical eyes, Alex dove inward.
The [Data] came as an avalanche — stolen memories of dead worlds, equations from parallel realities, and something... organic. The knowledge of how to be an [Entity], laid out in instructions colder than stars.
"Alright," she whispered, feeling mana flow through her crystalline veins. "Let's start with the basics."
---
Creation of the [Architect Buds]
She needed helpers. Tiny shards to build, repair, and expand her network. Mechanical coral fish — the idea surfaced from a hazy memory. An aquarium visited in another life, where colorful creatures danced among pink rocks.
But details escaped her. How many fins? What colors? It didn't matter. Magic would fill the gaps.
A fragment of her body detached, glowing like a diamond under blacklight. Slowly, it shaped into a hundred crystal fish, each unique:
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
- Sea-green with silver filigree fins;
- Shocking pink with eyes like miniature quasars;
- Deep blue with scales etched in unknown runes.
"Swim," Alex commanded.
The school darted away, leaving luminous trails in their wake. Almost immediately, requests flooded her mind:
"[CONSTRUCT] [PRIMARY NETWORK]
[INSUFFICIENT MATERIAL]
[SUGGEST: COLLECT [BLUE DATA] IN SECTOR 5]"
Alex laughed — a sound that made the cosmic ocean tremble.
"At least they're efficient."
---
The [Anodite] Trap
The second part of the knowledge was more dangerous. [Anodite]. The term burned in her essence, bringing visions of beings made of pure magic, capable of twisting realities with a thought. But there was a void there.
"I need more data," she muttered, watching a green fish collide with a stream of purple mana. "Without understanding their magic, I can only... mimic."
Her first attempt was simple: a beam of pink light, woven from fragments of Ben 10 memories. The beam sliced through the void, dissolving into tiny stars.
It had worked. Barely.
"[PRIMITIVE ANODITE] [EFFICIENCY: 0.7%]"
"Great. I'm a knockoff goddess," she grumbled, ignoring the pink fish now nibbling her "shoulder."
---
The Shards' Song
Then she heard it.
A melody.
The architect fish had begun to sing — or something close. Mechanical sounds, but rhythmic. A high-pitched note here, a low hum there.
"Is that... *Just Keep Swimming*? Seriously?"
ROB appeared then, his mask reflecting the scene with sarcastic gleam.
"Congratulations," he said, voice crackling with static. "You've invented the first **intergalactic shard-band. I'll be collecting royalties."
Alex spun to face him, but he was already gone — leaving only a floating note:
