Malek cleared his throat and stood up, "Follow me then, Marcus. Let's get you squared away." He glided across the room towards a far wall. With a wave of his hand, the wall crumbled away like ash, revealing a long, dark corridor. I followed him quietly as I thought about my actions. I feel as if I made a somewhat hasty decision about becoming an administrator. But it beat the alternative. Malek seemed like a good enough being that it wouldn't bite me in the ass. Hopefully, at least.

I marveled at the architecture that surrounded me as we pushed further down the corridor. It looked roman, with all the high arches and columns that decorated the side leading into small enclaves decorated with a statue. Each statue was a noble presentation of powerful beings struck in various poses. Some were human, while others were clearly not. One statue in particular, however, caught my attention.

It was that of a woman. Whose hair was as black as night and wore an ornate kimono that stretched and flowed around her. Her eyes were a brilliant orange and burned like a pair of angry stars. Firmly in her grasp was a strange sword that gleamed softly and behind her was a mirror-polished to an absolute shine. I stared up in awe at the statue until I felt Malek's presence behind me. "Who is that?"

"That is Amaterasu, The Goddess of the sun. She's actually one of my favorite children. Valiant, brave, if not a tad full of herself, but that is beside the point. We are in a hall of remembrance. Each time a new god, or godlike being, is born, I erect a statue in their honor here. More than likely, they will never see, as it is for my eyes alone, but it's a gesture that I have grown fond of nonetheless." He reached forward and gave the statue a loving pat.

"You said gods or godlike beings; what did you mean by that?" I felt like a newborn asking these questions. Well, to be fair, in theory, I was a newborn. There was so much that I didn't know about being an Administrator.

"As an Administrator, you will start with three paths of power. Each grants you a unique ability to create a leader or commander, whichever you prefer to call them. I can actually create far more than just three types, though, for simplicities sake, I usually stick to Gods, Archons, and Monsters." He pulled his hand away from the statue and walked down the hall once more.

I quickly stored it to memory and asked another question as I scampered along behind him. "I know what gods are and monsters, but what is an Archon?"

"An Archon is a being who makes sacrifices in exchange for power. Sometimes, it's a soldier who turns his back on his brothers; others, it's a professor who gives up his family in pursuit of long-lost knowledge. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the power. It's a path that I will warn you from taking. No one is ever truly ready for the cost, for they quickly multiply." So you have to make great sacrifices to get stronger. I wonder what Malek had to sacrifice to get as powerful as he was. But I wouldn't pry. Sometimes it was best to let old ghosts rest.

"I see. Thank you for the knowledge, Malek. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for the future?" He walked towards a door and waved his hand, quickly dematerializing it.

"For the next part of your conversion, think about your choices wisely, as well as your races. As for Paths, well, choose whatever you would like. That's the beauty of being an Administrator. Anyway, for now, go through this door to start your conversion. I will wait for you." He flashed me a smile and gestured for me to walk through the door.

Marvelous, what dull advice, but I would work with it. I gave him a curt nod and stepped inside of the dark chamber, and a blue script appeared before my eyes.

Registering a new Administrator… Current Designation… Marcus McLaughlin.. Would you like to change your current designation?

At first, I recoiled, unsure of what to do with the text, until I realized I could manipulate it with my thoughts and hands. Now, it was asking if I wanted to change my name? I stared at it for a moment quickly, deciding to get rid of it. I did not know who I was or what I had done. There was no need to keep a name that held no meaning to me. The only thing that I had to remind me of my old life was the memory of my mom and dad. I deleted my old name and left the screen blinking as I tried to work out a new one without further thought.

What did I want to go by? I wanted my name to have meaning and represent what I wanted to become. This was a moment of change, a moment in time where I would craft a new image of myself, unbidden by whatever life I once had. Wait a moment in time? There was a word for that. I rifled through my thoughts as I tried to think it through. There was a word in Greek for time, right? Chronos? Yet that didn't sound right. There was another word, and it sat at the tip of my tongue.

I racked my brain for quite some time until, at last, it came to me. Kairos. A word that represented a moment in time, the perfect moment in time. This was my Kairos. I typed the name in and hovered over it once more. Perhaps I needed a last name. After all, I had one in my previous life. After giving it considerable thought, I left it be. Kairos was enough for now. Short, sweet, and straightforward.

I confirmed my choice, and the blue script flowed once more.

User designation has been accepted. You are now known as Administrator Kairos. Checking user's race….The user is registered as Human..Would you like to update this?

Hmm, I think I will. A part of me, albeit a small part of me, wanted to remain human, for if I returned to Earth one day, I could see my parents again. But the rest of me couldn't really see the logic in that. I didn't desire to return what I knew would be home. I couldn't even remember where it was. All I had were my parent's faces. I confirmed my choice to shift my race.

The dark chamber lit up with azure lights that lined the circular room. In the middle was a large glass pod that was open and waiting for me to step inside. I took a deep breath and took a few tentative steps forward, and entered the pod. The lights flickered, and the door slowly slid shut. A quiet hiss filled the pod as the glass darkened and my vision blurred.

As it darkened, the blue script appeared once more.

Connecting to the Administration interface… Connection established…. Analyzing user…Analyzation is now complete.. Display recommend system options.

System type A: The realism system. This system variant can only be accessed at a terminal. There is no quantitative display of any attributes.

System type B: Game System: This system variant focuses on quantitative elements and pinpoint control over development.

System Type C: Hybrid system. The system variant allows the user to keep the best aspects of type A while displaying only critical information from the type B system. Options can be toggled on and off at will,

including the quantitative display of attributes and any visible display.

System Type D: Realism Akashic variant: This system type removes all system traces outside the primary Administrator's modules, manipulations, and control channels. On top of manipulating the world at will with your mind, you are granted a unique chamber in your control room, where books will be written non-stop, compiling every fabric of information that occurs within your realms. Any document written, placed, and changed inside the room will alter the effect of the target planet. However, events that have already occurred can not be changed. This room will grow and change as more planets are added to your index. Only those with proper permissions will have access to the room.

Oh, well, more choices for me to make. Let's see here, Type A would allow me to see the world without an underlying system. Type B would be rife with these blue screens, which I didn't inherently mind, but they seemed like they would annoy me if they displayed all aspects of my life. The following system looked like a fairly excellent choice. As it would give me the best of both worlds. But the final one caught my eye.

It would compile everything that happens in the world into books. The only downside is that I would have to create someone to manage the library. But other than that, it stood on the same level as the Type C system. I bounced between them both for a moment before deciding on type D. The upsides of having a room like that were just too good to pass up. With my choice confirmed, I went onto the race selection screen, eager to see what was to come.