Coming out of the nap, the first thing that Blake felt was wet. After centuries of burning arid atmosphere and land it was strange to be moist for once. Blake had almost forgotten what it was like to be coated in liquid. The almost foreign sensation was unpleasant at first. Yet as the tiny waves slipped past the solitary stone, the comfort it imparted was relaxing.
"Ah, water. It's been so long since I've...HAD A NEW FORM OF EROSION TO WORRY ABOUT!"
Leaping out of the puddle at breakneck speed and crashing into the ceiling, Blake hastily examine their form.
Thankfully, it seemed that the otherworldly toughness of their body had prevented the waters from destroying Blake. At the same time, Blake saw that the clear coating had grown a bit thicker. Easily reaching ten percent at present, it seemed that the transformation was proceeding smoothly.
Now that the present situation was accounted for, the surrounding had drastically changed when Blake looked. Instead of a dry flaming ball, the planet had transformed into a shallow ocean. The Mapping Module seemed to update itself on the current situation, so there was no need to have another round of exploration. The water that covered the planet was only a few inches deep. Stones dotted the landscape, forming mushroom shapes as far as the eye could see. The pavilion that Blake had rested on was now just a few meters above the surface. A pool of water had somehow managed to coalesce inside the shelter and stood still once again.
It seems that the world had more quickly developed than Earth had. Magic clearly was the only difference. Elements that were rare before were now plentiful. It was quite the drastic change.
Interrupting the tranquility, a ding rang out. Expecting the System, instead a message popped up.
"Participant is being contacted by Administrator. Accept?"
"Oh s***! I completely forgot to call back. Wait, if 100 years was like a day, then I haven't returned the call for...over 2,000 years! I've ghosted people before on accident but never to this extent."
Worried to keep the other end waiting, Blake accepted the transmission. After a few moments of silence, a calm voice creeped forth.
"Ah, so you finally woke up."
The simple phrase carried behind it a mountain of emotions. Disappointment, hurt, disbelief, and scorn being just a few of them. A chill ran through Blake as they had never felt before. Ripples in the water were the only physical thing that betrayed the fear they felt. Slowly, the only word that felt appropriate was muttered as a reply.
"S-sorry."
A few more moments of silence between the two grew into a solid minute. Dumbly, Blake realized too late that it might have been a perfect chance to follow up with some honest feelings. However, the rage from the other end cut that thought short.
"That's all you have to say for yourself!? A single apology after so long? I gave you that module at the expense of my points so I could have someone to chat with. Do you know how many intelligent species there are in this universe? Millions! And not a single one can be conversed with due to the rules. You are my first Participant on my first job as an Administrator, yet you threw my good intentions in my face! I considered myself lucky you didn't die after your grace period was over. Maybe you would have even thanked me for choosing your perks that enabled your life to be longer than a day. But nope, you just took a nap in a geyser. You're worse than a rock, Blake. You're dirt."
Each of the statements laid bare from the Administrator felt like nails in Blake's guilty conscious. Being absolutely right, Blake simply waited for the angry manager to finish their rant before speaking. While the tirade continued, Blake's magic worked overtime preparing the apology. The elements began forming an image that felt even easier to manipulate due to the panic. Physical objects were put in place to prepare the more obvious movement in case the Administrator didn't have Magic Vision. Once finished, Blake responded.
"You're right. To be honest, I didn't realize your intent was genuine. Could you come over so I can apologize properly?"
Suddenly, the sky darkened. The Administrator covered the entire planet. Eyes opened everywhere, replacing the stars with eerie curiosity. Blackness shrouded the entire world. It was as if a creature from Cthulu lore had stepped out of the book to greet Blake. As the temperature plunged only a single thought went through Blake's mind.
"I'm glad I made such a big apology."
Seizing the opportunity, several things occurred. Within Magic Vision, a massive animated apology composed of the elements played. It looked like something from a cheezy card one could buy at the store. On such short notice for a near stranger it was the best choice. At the same time, hundreds of stones stood on end. Falling simultaneously, a loud clang echoed across the planet. Blake was going for a Japanese style dogeza. Without a body, it was the most literal way to go about it. Coupled together an area the size of a football field was used for the apology. After doing so, silence reigned again.
"...Well, at least you have some sense. Here. Let me condense and come down."
In a blink, everything returned to normal. In its place, a black basketball covered in eyes was in front of Blake. Averting their gaze, the Administrator seemed to take an embarrassed tone.
"None have seen my form before in this universe. Neither the regular one or my compact form. Is it fine?"
"Of course. Thanks for trusting me enough to reveal it to me. Here, come sit."
With a guest in the pavilion, Blake realized that there was nothing for hosting an interdimensional being. Conjuring some furniture out of ice and rock, the two beings gathered around. A rock and a black, eye covered sphere sat and floated by the furniture, respectively. For once, Blake was glad to not have a body, as not having tea to serve seemed completely natural. As the hours went by, the duo conversed.
"So, you were expecting my call. Again, sorry about that. Being an Administrator, you must have a busy schedule."
"Ah, not so far. Once a few more species make it past a certain point, then I'll have to start collecting data, finding Participants, filling out the proper paperwork, and doing all the tedious parts of my job. Not to mention bringing in other Participants like yourself."
Being quite the chatterbox, it was definitely possible that the inner workings of an Administrator were normally off limits. Time and solitude would loosen anyone's lips after experiencing either long enough. Hoping to push their luck, Blake asked if any Participant could become an Administrator.
"Nope. All workings of The Council are done in-house. Only immortals can apply for the lowest positions and climb the ladder from there. I actually used to be quite the rare beast back in the day. My species could see the future to avoid danger. I just happened to also be really good at-"
A massive boom interrupted the two. Streaking across the sky, a black bullet shaped object covered in fire sped past the two. As it disappeared over the horizon, Blake could see that the mysterious entity slowed down and floated above the surface of the world. The fire was extinguished by simply being absorbed into the strange shape. When this happened, the elemental particles seemed to be sucked towards it as well. Then the water and stones followed. Lazily at first, then accelerating until they were invisible to the naked eye, the world seemed to be sucked up into the invader. More booms followed, and the scene in front of Blake was repeated across the world. The Administrator gave a low whistle at the event, then gave a worrying statement.
"Ah, you got yourself a group of Harvesters. Nasty business for ya. But it's just the way things are for a dying civilization. I already wrote these guys off a few millennia ago, but I'm surprised to see a few stranglers." The composed manner of the Administrator betrayed the scene unfolding in front of the pair.
"Should I be worried? They'll just skim off some extra and leave right?" Blake squeaked out.
"Oh no. They'll start with the surface, strip it down of anything useful, keep peeling the world layer by layer until the core, slurp up Magic Source, then leave. I imagine the Core can last a few centuries being used as fuel before it sputters out."
None of that sounded good. Suddenly Blake's world was being stripped mined and left for dead. Now that the magic of the world gave them a possibility of a new form, there was just one solution.
Kick these rude aliens off the planet!