I checked the time on my tooltip and saw that one hundred thousand years flew by in a flash. Finally! I wanted to jump down onto the planet right this second and explore, but I had to stop myself. First, I wanted to check some things out like the area I first visited. I brought the holographic display of the planet closer and quickly found the spot.

  The area had changed very little over the years that passed. The rocky outcropping where Helios and I stood as I reforged the world stood exactly the same. Thousands of trees reached into the sky and grew even more massive than before I re-sculpted the world. There were small flocks of birds soaring through the air, and shapes could be seen rustling through the canopy of the trees.. Faint greenish blue light from the rings cast a teal shadow that lit the world with a strange teal glow.

  Here stood a forest that was teeming to the brim with life. I felt happiness grow in my chest at the sight of all of this. I turned my head to talk to Helios, only to find that he had vanished. More than likely he was down there already snooping around if I had to guess, and I didn’t blame him in the slightest. I wasn’t too far behind him.

  I reached out and grabbed my spear that was resting against the console, and then closed my eyes and visualized the cliff side. A split second later, I felt the ground underneath me twist. The salty air kissed my nose, and the wind whipped around my ears. The trees behind me creaked softly as their leaves were rustled. My eyes fluttered open, and I turned around to gaze at the sea. The night sky was bright as the rings I made filled the air with turquoise. I brought my hand up to reach out towards the rings and saw that it still held the same inky black features of space. If any of the local people were to see me, I wonder what they would think of me.

  This wouldn't do. I don't want to risk the locals seeing me as a god or as a monster. "Helios?" I called out tentatively, and a split second later, his voice came from behind me.

  "Yes, my lord?"

  I turned to look at him and saw that his clothing had changed. His plain tunic that he wore was gone, and in its place was a handmade robe that seemed to catch the wind and flow behind him. It had stitched leaves onto it, with vines that twisted around the seams. It was the softest green I’ve ever seen, and it oozed a sense of serenity.

  "Can I create an avatar?" I asked him as I sat down in the grass and stretched out, enjoying the feeling of the grass tickling my legs and the sound of the sea crashing into the rocks below.

  "Yes, I'd recommend that you buy an organic assimilator module once you get the creation points back however. That way, you can create customized avatars that are permanent, amongst other things. However, at the moment, you can select the avatar that you want through your stat page, but it will be randomized." He walked over the grass and sat down next to me. The strands of grass seemed to come up and wrap around his fingers, and make a cushion around his legs.

  "What other things?" I asked as I brought my legs up and made a quick gesture for my screen to come up and went right into my stat page, which had changed dramatically. All my sub stats had vanished, and so did a lot of other things. The only thing that hadn’t changed were the base three stats, and my class.

  "Well, when we reach the first milestone, we can choose the first significant path to follow. The organic assimilator will allow you to create host bodies based on the path you have chosen." He explained to me and brushed away some dirt that was gathering on the hem of his robe.

  "What are the paths?" I asked him as my mind started to feel overwhelmed again. It seemed like it went from one thing into the other as an Administrator. My work never seemed to be done.

  "In due time, my liege. Just go in and select a random avatar for now." He closed his eyes and laid back onto the grass which grew quickly around him like a blanket.

  “Show off.” I muttered as I went back to looking through my stat page.

  My stat page was a lot sleeker, and I didn’t have to worry about sub stats. Which was a relief. While I didn’t mind a game-like system, it felt like it was going to be alot to keep track of. So hopefully a free form system would be alot easier to work with. Now it was just trying to decide where my current stat points would go, but that can wait. In the meantime, I will select a random avatar and see what happens.

  Once I clicked it, I saw that it subtracted ten creation points from my inventory. The second they left my possession, my flesh bubbled. It wasn’t painful by any stretch, or unpleasant, in fact, I could hardly feel it. I watched in wonder as my skin literally crawled and bones grew under it. For the first time in a while, I felt heavier, and this made me uncomfortable. But it also made me realize just how much I had changed.

  The change was over as soon as it had started, and I instantly didn’t like it. My hands still had five fingers, and I knew from looking at them I was human again. How ironic, to shed my humanity, only to come back to it. I reached up towards the rings once more, and I cringed at the feeling of my muscles and how they tugged at my bones. It was at this moment that I realized I disliked the softness and weakness of flesh.

  My eyes traveled up my slim arms, and I dropped my hands and glanced down at the rest of my body. In all ways, I was average. My chest was slender, my arms lithe, and my legs wiry. It was as if this body was suited to traveling long distances on foot and with little rest. I was in the body of a hunter from the looks of it, or at least, that is what it seemed like from a simple glance. My next step would be to find a mirror or something reflective so I could see my face.

  With a heave, I forced myself off of the ground, and found that I lacked any sense of balance. I knew how to walk! But trying to walk in this form felt heavy and cumbersome, as if weights were on every single inch of my flesh. There was one thing that I noticed, and that was the lack of clothing. “Helios, can you use that plant magic of yours and make me something I can wear?”

  He snapped his fingers, and the grass weaved around my legs like a snake. The cold grass, wrapped almost gingerly around my skin, sealing it away in a pair of fibrous plants that could rival the softest of silks. From the pants, more strands of grass rushed upwards, and wrapped around my chest, forming a long sleeve shirt that clung tightly to my body.

  I gave my arm a test swing, and shockingly enough, the shirt seemed to flow like water around me. It was neither restrictive, nor was it too loose. My only complaint was that I figured I looked like some sort of tree hugger. “Thank you.” I reached down and grabbed my spear, and slung it across my back, and the grass there seemed to reach out hold it close. In a heartbeat I decided to take back my complaint. It came as a holster, and that was cool as fuck.

  “Not a problem.” He pushed himself off the ground and dusted whatever dirt was left on his clothes. “Now, where are we off to?”

  “I actually don’t know. I figured we’d wander around and see what there was to see. Maybe see if there is a settlement to visit?” I shrugged and turned towards the tree line. I actually had no clue. In my excitement I seemed to have lacked any sort of proper planning. But I’ll argue that it was part of the adventure!

  “I see. Lead the way then o great one.” He snickered as he fell in line behind me and we started to walk towards the tree line.

  “Can it, tree hugger.” I retorted as I glanced up towards the trees. They were bigger in real life. But it added to their majesty. Maybe we could find some orcs! Or humans! Or Dark Elves! Ah, I was so excited, I felt like a child again, and I had to stop myself from dashing into the forest.

  “Don’t hate Kairos. Trees can be great friends.” He chuckled as we descended into the forest depths. While it was dark here, I could see perfectly fine. It was almost like I had night vision, but better. All around us, as far as the eye could see were trees, vines, and other stuff that existed on the forest floor. I was almost sure I could see some leaves on the ground rustling as if stuff were moving underneath it.

  “I wouldn’t know Helios. I don’t talk to them.” The banter made me feel good, and quite honestly it helped center me. This was my new life, and this my new home, and in these moments, I realized just how much the little things mattered.

  “Nature magic can be quite interesting. I suggest you give it a try when you get some free time.” The vegetation split in front of us like a sea, allowing us free access through the forest. Small squirrel-like creatures darted from tree to tree above me, and I heard the cries of birds in the air high above the trees.

  I carefully stepped over the roots, trying my best to not trip over what hadn’t moved since I've never been very acclimated to the woods. That wasn’t even to mention how little I was used to the human form since my life in it felt like a distant memory. “I’ll add it to my to-do list. Though when I do get to it, you can teach me.”

  “Deal.” He glided through the forest, as if this was always his home. The trees seemed to bend away from him, and lower their leaves in reverence. What a show off. I just seeded life, and this man had already started learning magic.

  We traveled through the woods for hours until we heard a coursing river. The sound of the water reached through the trees, followed by the wet musk of trees. Instead of rushing forward, I decided we should take it slow, and see what was here. Because in the grand scheme of things, where there was a river there was often life.