Chp. 4, True Sentients

I wake to the chatter of birdsong, and a faint rustling breeze. I open my eyes to admire the puffy white clouds meandering in the cerulean sky, with waves lapping at the shore of my True Glade. A daffodil’s petals lay near me, stripped from their old body, and picked away by the wind.

I float up, out of the massive boughs of the True World Tree. Gazing around, I stare at the simplistic beauty of the planet I have created. It seems a few trees have been planted, making the island more full.

The Menu is telling me to listen, and it’s commands resonate in my thoughts, telling me there is an itch, something important, that I must observe. I acknowledge the urge, and begin the process of floating over, admiring sights I can see.

I notice the ambient mana, floating around, playing in the breeze, and note that the mana seems to have formed life, a sort of semi-sentient, that decorates the lands, barely there, but bestowing its power to beings on my planet.

The ocean is now teeming with life, seaweed flowing in the neverending current of the ocean, schools of fish flitting through brilliant coral. A shark snaps at a small clownfish, trying to fill it’s stomach before it’s true meal.

Blue waves lap at pure white sand, leading to a lush green carpet of grass, interwoven with daisies and other small wildflowers. Palm trees with green coconuts flow in the wind, waving their large leaves at something unseen.

The beach melds into forest, oak and birch filling the land, ferns and sage hiding small mice that flit about, searching for seeds, so they may feed. Sparrows flit overhead, eyes glancing about, searching for their prey.

The trees grow sparse, and wildlife grows rarer, with few creatures on the wild wheat fields. Golden hills roll, and prairie dogs and marmots scatter into holes, sensing my pure mana, their senses far stronger than less mana-reliant creatures.

I eventually begin hearing singing, just as it becomes darker, and the sky is scattered with pink richer than sakura flowers, and an orange as bright as fire, the clouds flowing through the sun, breaking up the picture with white.

In a clearing, stripped of its wheat, I see a small circle of odd creatures. They stand on their hind legs, with no fur, yet covered in the hide of other creatures. They jump around a fire, clapping, and making noise.

They seem to be saying something, but I do not understand it.

[ Would you like full comprehension of the language, Human Common? ]

Yes, I would like that.

[ Giving knowledge…]

My head felt like something was invading it. It was… terrible. Incredibly uncomfortable.

[ Knowledge delivered ]

And then it stopped, and I knew what the creatures were saying.

‘Thank Ereos, thank Ereos,

She has blessed us with this kill,

Thank the System, the Menu,

For giving us strength,

Thank the Mana, her Blessing,

For allowing us Magic,

And thank the creatures, the Beasts,

For letting us grow.’

I was confused. First, how did they know my name?

[ When the first Sentients were made, and could reason, I introduced myself as the system. ]

That doesn’t answer my question.

[ They wanted to know what made everything, so I told them the Great Ereos, Mother of Life, created them. ]

But I’m just the Planet, not the Mother of Life.

[ You are the Mother of Life, you created this land. You are also the planet, but if they worship you, you may work for longer and stay awake longer before needing rest. ]

I see. So, what are they, and what are those odd contraptions?

[ These ones are called Humans. Further in the forest, near the Tree of Water, are the elves. By the Tree of Earth are Beast-Kin, and the Fire are Demons. The Air houses a creature that calls themselves Angels, but are mainly just winged Beast-Kin. The contraptions are tents, they keep humans safe from weather. ]

I see. So, will they ever meet?

[ I believe so. They will likely war, in the beginning, but they have their own strengths, so they will likely come to a shaky peace agreement. ]

Tell me about each Sentient’s temperament.

[ Angels are ‘pure’, but slightly… overdedicated. They believe they are purer, as they have pure wings, and already have puzzled out how to use Healing Magic. They believe you are theirs.

Demons are trigger happy, and enjoy fighting. They may be considered Semi-Sentient, but they learned to use Fire Magic rather quickly, and are therefore Sentient. They have very bestial instincts, and will likely attack other sentients on sight. They think you belong to them.

Humans believe that you are great, but that they are the superior species, only blessed by you. They have very flexible temperaments. They can learn almost everything, but are not quite a master of anything.

Elves believe that you are theirs because you created their Glade first. They are very ranged and magically inclined, preferring to not be hurt, and attacking from a distance.

Beast-Kin are very physically strong, with many variations, but there is minor discrimination between species. They fight close up, but occasionally fight ranged, mostly for more delicate species. ]

Thank you. Is there anything else I should be doing?

[ I would suggest waiting a bit longer, for the Sentients to branch out, and meet. Once they do, give a second World Blessing to hopefully allow them to stay out of conflict, though the Demons will likely hate the ‘Angels’. However, the second World Blessing will have them dive into magic, letting them develop a bit more, so they hopefully stop fighting earlier. ]

I guess. I will survey the other species later. Humans are interesting, they simply have so many colors and looks! That one is near-black with blonde hair, that boy is peach-looking with brown, they're just so colorful!

Even the old ones are colored, but they have lines, and can’t walk much. That reminds me, which race was first? Why wasn’t I woken when the race formed?

[ You told me to wake you when they accomplished something major, like society or fire. I did just that. No race was first, they formed at the same time. This is the 6th generation of Human children, the 4th of Beast-Kin, the 2nd of Elves, and the Demons just managed to get into tribes, and are barely on the 2nd generation. The children of the Demon King and Queen have just been born. Same for the Angels, though they simply did not wish to have children, and formed up rather quickly. ]

I see. I suppose I’ll stay here for another day, or so, and get a feel for how Humans interact. Maybe I can materialize as one, and greet them. Thoughts, thoughts.