"Older" Jigui wasn't interested in such a young frame, She stood there looking like a College freshman. He needed someone closer to his own age, then she aged a few years. Instantly he no longer felt so terrible about seeing a naked female human in front of him. One he had willed into existence.
Hoping that no one saw what was going on, he took a few feels to make sure the woman actually felt like a woman. It felt like what he remembered, she didn't react.. She barely blinked and merely stood there.
Jigui looked at her with sternness.
She looked over to him, changing the direction of her head; He too noticed this, and was happy that half the work was done. She had some basic instinct, but lacked personality.
Since this was a made up world, and this was the woman of his 'dreams,' not much stopped him from having his lustful fill. Every time, she instantly reset.. it was a little depressing. Jigui couldn't form any sort of relationship with that sort of being and so he moved on, putting her aside.
Not once in his previous life did he prefer his women to be quiet and obedient; but strangely this wasn't too bad, he had to come up with a way to make personalities.
He remembered the hit that the first 'Boy' had thrown towards him. Despite him having obtained all sorts of magic, he didn't cast any or have any magic active.
'That fist from the boy had been quite powerful.' Jugui never considered deleting the girl after he moved on, she didn't do anything wrong.. so he left her idle and continued to try to make more humans.
Soon he had 500.
Since everything was like a sim-game setting, he dictated that Life there should have an abundance of attitude and adversity. He created magic power systems and handed them to the automatons he created, instructing them to make more terrain, animals, and plants. These custodian like beings did rather well; They filled up the landscapes with texture, life, diversity and soon made their way to the seabed and riverbeds.. creating turbulence for water flow. The fish matured and the wild world seemed like it was full of life.. except it was still devoid of 'life.'
These immortal custodians seemed to know no bounds and kept changing the world at an ever growing pace.
Jigui lost interest.
For a while he receded into an increasingly 'hard to live' lifestyle with no one to talk to.
He created another version of 'Boy' and renamed him, 'Munidod'. He tasked the boy to do only two things 'nod and follow.'
With that, the Munidod followed Jigui for what seemed like Eons.
Trees grew thick, Animals grew big and even things that looked like Dragons flew in the Sky from time to time.
The New World was truly amazing but lonely.
Talking often of the World in his past, Jigui prattled on and on to Munidod, telling him of his previous World and encounters, problems and life. Slowly he divulged just about everything from his past, save a few chance encounters and it brought him to the point of exhaustion.
There were so many rapid changes in the World he had started, slowly it resembled what he began with less and less. He kept finding himself in situations where he's run across herds of Animals he'd never even seen or thought of before, all thanks to his 'Custodians'.
Jigui sat down by a creek side and began thinking about why he ever bothered creating another Human who couldn't even speak, we was wishing his personality would rub off onto Munidod so that he could talk to him directly, then It happened.
Munidod Spoke, "Why did you make me?"
"Well, for starters..." Jigui had never considered there being an immediate result. He had been in this realm of his own, alone and without communication for so long that he figured it was a problem of his own creativity.
He did not know that it required focused effort and legitimate desire for him to alter the mind of his creation. Munidod's brain wasn't a rock, despite acting like a brick wall for countless years.
Startled, Jigui finally responded again, "I was alone! Sorry, could you say anything again? Please, I've surely lost my mind."
A few moments passed, and Munidod responded once more "Master, This water is clearly salt water."
Still stunned at words coming from Munidod's Mouth Jigui still couldn't believe it.
"FUCK! What took so long. This is nuts, I've been here for what seems like an eternity and just 'NOW' you respond" The joke was on him though, Munidod had brainwaves, he knew how to respond but clearly never had the ability.
He coughed slightly to break up the silence, a tactic he'd noticed Jigui use while speaking to him. His mannerisms and speech patterns were firmly instilled in his vocabulary and repertoire. Grudgingly Munidod asked again "Why did you make me?"
Rather than waiting for him to space out again, Jigui answered quickly. "Like I said, it was only me for a long time. I felt it would be awkward having Woman One following me around like a zombie, It was less Awkward to have you by my side." He shook his head and sighed, "I wish I had known it was as simple as talking and tasking my mind to it long ago!"
"Life never goes the way its planned, what do you want from me? I've answered your question, so now answer one of mine; Even though it's about you, I'd still like to hear someone else, besides myself and my own thoughts. Have I done you wrong?" Jigui asked Munidod, there were things he was unsure about and he really was alone for far too long.
"I do not find fault." The words were very clear, it appeared that Munidod was calculated and unburdened by his existence. Though, the next sentence threw Jigui into a commotion, he surely should have seen it coming.
"Make me a Female." Munidod's request stopped Jigui, stunned for a moment.
"...," Jigui
"....," Munidod
"No" Jigui finally spoke.
"There isn't a need, in addition you are the way I have made you. This should be firm, and undisturbed. You are a Custodian, you are completely independent and able to make changes to yourself and appearance; But ultimately, all settings will remain the way they are set by me. There is a need for this, I will elaborate." Jigui began discussing Advanced AI and Turing's concepts on Robotics, letting Munidod know that it was not about a personal reasoning.
"Master, I am not asking you to change my appearance to that of a Female" Munidod paused between words.
"I desire"
"....I desire a Mate."
"You are not my type." Munidod added.
The question left Jigui completely at a loss, his 'Creation' just questioned or rejected his sexuality.
Jigui got to his feet, dusted off his pants and looked Munidod in the eyes before nodding.
It was finally his turn to do so.
Jigui sat back down on the ground and began concentrating.
Soon, a youthful apparition started to form. She, it, had turned into the appearance of another girl from his high school days that he never had the luxury of interacting with much. She was wholesome with a rounded face and a cute smile if not for her stark nakedness, Jigui would have assumed he had succeeded, but she did not move or react in any way yet.
He gave her a name, just has he had done for Munidod and he named her Dottie. She was about shoulder height to Munidod and their appearance looked fitting together. Having no issues with how she looked, he started thinking about how all the innocent, wholesome girls in his hometown acted, how his mother acted and how the emotions of women would run wild at times.
A small glimmer came from Dottie's eyes and she blinked while turning to look upon Munidod and then she spoke. "What is this?" It sounded smooth and in no way harsh, there was a dramatic difference between her voice and Munidod.
"This is the World. I have created you for the sake of my dear companion, Munidod. He is to be yours, and you are to be his." Laughing hysterically, Jigui couldn't believe it.
He made a legit woman, and she wasn't even for him.. 'Years, countless years and the first woman that could even speak accounted for someone else.'
Irony and Jealousy were clear for Jigui but alas it left his heart. He could, if he so chose at that moment to make another for himself. Upon closer thought he sighed, 'Would this 'woman' I create for myself just be a figment of my own creation, a toy, devoid of truth and unable to surprise me even in the slightest?'
'If you create something, is it not just something inanimate, or a mimicry.' He argued with himself in his mind for a while the stood up.
Jigui straightened himself up and looked at the child-like couple to wish them luck. He then walked up to Munidod to give him a hug. He said, "Thank you, if not for your request I would have wandered. "I believe I have some more things to attend to, and will dismiss you from my side. Live your life, and fulfill your own passions." Dust swarmed around his body.
Munidod blinked, and Jigui was gone, traversing a great distance.
Jigui calmed his mind, sat in thought and the time slipped away from focus. Sitting in harmony with his surroundings, Jigui was left in a serene mode of thought. The seasons passed and came again, there was little for him to worry about. He was making preparations, biding his time, and wondering why he would never die.
The existential questions of the Universe flowed through his brain like a roaring Thunderstorm.
With the exception of little changes in the environment such as rain, floods, and the traffic of animals there was not much activity in the vicinity of Jigui. A young green sprout appeared nearby, a large thicket of trees slowly followed, inching up his body and swallowing him up to be forgotten in the world, remaining in his forever sitting posture.
Soon the branches intertwined and he vanished from all sights. With all senses cut off, Jigui found himself in a state of joy, peace, relaxation and somewhat satisfaction. If he could not have death, he would take the darkness and the void for his own consolation.
Amid the darkness, despite the total lack of sense, a spark of interest would never expire. The hamster wheel in Jigui's brain went into overdrive, not accepting a vacuum-like sensory deprivation as a consolation prize in finding a sudo-death.
There were too many things he never experienced, too many things he never got to enjoy. Quanli Jigui had been a gamer, a teacher, a programmer.. and even now he was a God.
But had he ever lived.
"I haven't lived until I have died"
"I haven't lived, and so I must"
"I have not died, so I cannot".
"I will choose to change"
"I will be the architect, I will create a path for my own."
Creating a path for himself wasn't the problem, the problem was what should he do?
If he chose to create something for himself, wouldn't he already know every outcome?
As the God of the realm, not much surprised him. Even things that were not his creations directly wouldn't necessarily give him surprise. Wouldn't it all be in vein to know the results of life? Not being able to die was just one of the problems that Jigui had to go over and consider.
Time did not stand still, instead it had fast forwarded for many millennium. Jigui had been deep in his thoughts, arranging and organizing.
An Unknown amount of time had passed, his eyes opened.
Jigui summoned Munidod.
Munidod was confused. "Master, why have you summoned me? I thought you had gone from this World long ago." He came up and looked like he was about to hug Jigui.
Jigui did not flinch, he only took a deep breath before explaining to Munidod about what he wanted.
Since Munidod could now finally explain his own desires, Jigui had him listen closely. Munidod could only nod, there were so many things he wanted to know but Jigui was explaining.
Munidod was far from his home and Jigui was shocked to learn he and Dottie had started a family and not just that, the family had grown significantly.
"Master, my family. Do they know what has happened to me?" It happened shortly after Jigui stopped speaking, before he was summoned, he had been next to Dottie's side. "Will I ever see them again?" Munidod was a little impatient with his reply, he seemed worried and frustrated.
Jigui was astonished and lost on exactly what had happened. "What happened? Explain it to me, in detail." Munidod was one of his most important creations, he had to make it right or try to.
Munidod and Dottie had created a family, that family grew to 14 in just the first century. Now.. more than 17,000 generations had passed while Jigui was undergoing his period of contemplation. People now numbered in the Millions, and not all of them were good.
"The Custodians have created Empires, although our children are mortal, virtually all of the 502 Custodians are still alive and quite powerful. Their children have plenty of strength themselves... and things have become complicated."
"My Dottie, she gave birth to 12. Of the children we've brought up, all have died. Only my great great grand children's grandchildren remain. To keep things in peace, the Custodians came to a unanimous decision, they would stop creating more children and let the mortals live their own lives. Despite all the choices we ancestors have made and the efforts we put forth, many of our progeny have taken to fighting. My Family's understanding of Martial Arts and Magics are quite extensive, thanks to you Master." Munidod had quite some praise for Jigui, and continued. "There won't be a solution without the loss of life, All the Custodians know this and so we have all taken our own sides, forcing a splintering of our cohesion. I do not believe it will be easy to solve the problems we have with just words, and I do not believe for a second that Ranko will allow me to live after I vaporized his 4th Grandchild for his actions against my Clan."
"Ranko?" Jigui was still confused, but understood it was the name of one of the Guardians.
"Yes, Ranko. If we had a ranking for the Custodians, he was 2nd... while I remained the First." Munidod clarified with a unsettled tone.
"How many Custodians are left? Was there infighting?" Jigui inquired without much hesitation.
"No, there was no infighting. While many of us disagree on what we are to become, Most of us knew that you would one day return but some don't want to wait anymore." Munidod's eyes looked down, as if trying to avoid a tough discussion.
"You're hiding something" Jigui said.
"Master, I have killed a Guardian with my own hands. My family was in danger from some of Hestia's forces and rather than watch my progeny turn to ash, I took her life. The battle took six days and it wasn't until she exhausted herself that my children finally brought her down from the skies; It was then that took her head." Munidod did not seem sorrowful for what he had done, only pity in reflection of his deed.
"Whats more, is that she was with child. We had all agreed that it was for the best that our kind stop creating more and for me to snuff a light from our world. It had me in tears." Munidod could not escape his own torturous memories.
Jigui finally understood a few things about this world, it was at war and the Guardians might be Immortal but can be terminated by a number of means. Thirdly, Humans were there! That development left Jigui with a feeling of elation and complication.
He was still the creator of the world, everything went to his design.. modified on the appearance, but still the rules set in place were very firm. Looking up at the sky, Jigui did not speak for a few minutes. He was only lost in thought, he muttered "Okay."
Jigui strode back to Munidod to thank him again.
With a wave of his hand a piece of paper appeared on his hand. Checking it quickly, Jigui handed it to Munidod and said, "Read it."
Munidod grabbed the note, then he dropped his hands to his side and kowtowed.
Jigui waved his hand again and Munidod vanished from sight, sent back to his home.
He looked at Dottie while she looked back in concern. Munidod smiled, caressed Dottie's lower back and carried her to bed.
Jigui had come to a dimension shattering, earth splitting, world consuming decision.
He would leave it.
He would leave his isolation, delete his memories, give up his power and die. Jigui knew humans could die in this New World and while he might be the 'God' of this world, he was still a man. If he gave up his power, this power, he was sure he could die in satisfaction the next time.
He had not lived, and so he must not die.
He had not died, and so he cannot just yet.
He had chosen to change.
To be the architect of his own path, and let Fate, Destiny, and Chance take root.
Judging by the state of the world, creating a life for himself with no power was akin to shooting himself in the face the moment he's born.
Jigui wouldn't do that, the picture of a baby blowing its brains out didn't sit well with him either. What sort of Karma would he have to endure at that point? He would have none of that.
So, he drafted a system and rules for governing his life, knowing full and well that he had the chance to die, he was utterly prepared. 17,038 generations was more than enough time for self-reflection. If he so chose it he could probably find a way to end his life now but if he did, he would not know what it was like to truly live.
He could not appreciate this world because of it being his creation and so he would have to let it go.
All the memories of the past had to leave him before he could truly accept this world as his home so that he could die. Leaving himself with a small ember of Darkflame and fantastic speed, he made a few more minor alterations so he could grow and learn from this world.
"Its life, one must live it." Jigui flexed his hands.
With his final preparations nearly complete, he re-summoned Munidod, pulling Dottie alongside him. They discussed what was to happen and both of them chose to heed his warnings. He would emerge into this World, at a random place and they were not to interfere or disclose anything about the creation drive to the World. Even though the World knew of the Creator, they also believed the Creator had gone from it.
The Custodians thought that he'd abandoned them to fate and watched from the clouds.
'Truly, To be abandoned by god doesn't sound so appealing.' Jigui had already taken all the time to reflect that he needed. A wave of his hand had sent the pair away with a blinding light while Jigui turned to a spec of Light and Dust, floating to the wind.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍