Jack stepped back from his work on Planetos, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Not bad. A whole new world, a bunch of evolving humans, and some pretty epic creatures. I think I'm getting the hang of this godly creator thing."
Just as he was about to relax, a notification chimed in his head.
Achievement Unlocked: First Natural Born Creature.
Reward: Power of Evolution.
Jack blinked. "Wait… evolution? Like, I can speed up how my creations evolve?" A grin spread across his face. "Okay, that's awesome. This is gonna be fun."
He felt a sudden surge of curiosity and turned his attention to the other half of his dimension—the part he'd left to develop on its own. Time to see how that side of things was going. As he focused on it, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
"Jack, there's been a development. The energy buildup has reached critical mass." Ari, his sentient system, chimed in. "New life is forming."
"Let's take a look, then." Jack's tone was casual, but excitement buzzed under his skin. As he looked into the blank expanse, he saw it—a flash of light, followed by two distinct forms.
One of them shimmered with pure, radiant light, while the other seemed to be forged from shadows, swirling with chaotic energy. Jack raised an eyebrow. "Okay, now this is interesting."
"Both are formed from the essence of virtues and sins," Ari explained. "Though the concentrations vary, they are unique."
"Yeah, I can tell." Jack crossed his arms, observing the two beings more closely. "The light one... let's call him Amendeial. And the darker one? Lucifer. Yeah, those names fit."
As Jack watched, more spirits began to form around Lucifer and Amendeial—lesser beings, flickering between light and dark. He could see the potential in them, the same duality that existed within himself.
"Alright, let's give them something a little more solid to work with." He cracked his knuckles, summoning his newly acquired Power of Evolution. With a thought, he reached out and began to reshape Lucifer and Amendeial, turning their ethereal forms into physical bodies.
Lucifer's form became solid first, and to Jack's surprise, he looked an awful lot like the actor from Lucifer—the TV show Jack used to binge-watch. "No way," Jack muttered, holding back a laugh. "Of course he looks like that guy."
Amendeial followed, his transformation just as striking. "And he looks like—wow, okay. I guess I'm pulling more from pop culture than I thought."
Lucifer stretched, looking himself over with a satisfied smirk. "Well, this is unexpected... but not unwelcome. I quite like this form."
Jack chuckled. "Yeah, you would."
Amendeial glanced at his hands, flexing them experimentally. "This... feels right. Thank you for granting us these forms."
"No problem," Jack said, casually leaning against an invisible wall. "You're gonna need those bodies for what comes next. You see, I didn't just create this place for fun. You're here for a reason, but for now, you're free to do whatever you like in this part of the dimension. Explore, create, destroy... it's all up to you. If you need anything or want to try something new, just ask."
Lucifer raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "So, we can just run things as we see fit?"
"Exactly," Jack confirmed. "This place is new, and while it'll need some structure in the future, I trust you to make it your own for now."
Lucifer flashed a devilish grin. "I think I can get behind that. Sounds like a good time."
More spirits began to solidify around them—angels and demons, each one taking on its own unique form and abilities. Jack could sense their power, their potential. Each one had something different—control over shadows, light manipulation, even telepathy.
"Not bad," Jack muttered, impressed by the diversity of abilities that had naturally emerged. "I think we're off to a good start."
Then, another notification popped up in his mind.