Chapter 2: Chapter 2 : Playing with essence
Icon and Glas left the imp in purgatory and were looking at the essence Icon bought " Okay so I'm thinking this essence is very pure in demonic and fire or if it's not then that means you can make it better "
Glas observed the essence and created a fire essence again only she contained it " Dad can I play with this ? " " Okay " " Yay " Glas made a copy of the essence and ran off to another part of the metaverse .
' Now how the hell does this thing work ? ' Icon decided to go elsewhere leaving the real essence at his house and then extracting the fire part of the essence getting a blast of flaming hot fire " Hothothot hot " he closed a pyramid container on it to see how the fire was contained .
' Hmm ' the shape kept changing and Icon looked at the purgatory essence " So it has gas and liquid properties " Icon thought about it and wondered how they even absorb it ' Too lazy to look in the memories '
Icon just thought of the many novels he read online on the various networks and just put the most sensible ones to the test ' Does their body have some kind of digesting system ? ' he went to his purgatory to see the imp shivering in fear looking at all the demons he created .
It saw Icon and ran to him hiding behind his back ' Right I should do something about this place ' he reprogrammed the instincts of demons and saints so he could easily make them not harm those he selected .
" Now for testing " the imp took a peek seeing the big giants leaving them alone . Icon got rid of the fire essence and showed the demon essence to the imp ' Maybe I can get the imp to use it by instinct ? '
The imp didn't do much other than drool and then growled switching between each actions ' So it knows it wants it but is afraid by some instinct that was etched to its body by Diablo ... or something like that but to think that Diablo can do that much does that mean anyone can use this essence ? '
He searched through Diablo's memories which were like a google search only that the files were complicated so he specified the search as Diablo's first encounter with the demon essence ' So he basically ate it '
He wanted to test it on the imp but the problem was this was Glas's pet ' Should I go back to purgatory or maybe read the memories instead ? ' he looked at the imp who still continued its previous actions and sighs .
' Maybe not Glas might get mad at me ' Icon looked at the imp who was still cautious of the surrounding demons and sent it to a mini purgatory he created ' How about I copy Diablo's body and repeat what he had done ? '
Icon did just that and took a tiny amount of essence and ate it ' Let's see '
...
Glas looked at the essence smiling and created more monsters using the demon essence to give birth to more " So nice " she looked at the beautiful and sexy woman and then at the demon form she made it transform to .
" Wow " the succubus had horns that could form an hourglass if they were placed closer " Hmm what about a smaller one " the succubus shrunk and stood as tall as Glas " She looks like she is supposed to be my age "
Glas transformed the succubus into another demon that had the flaming and fierce figure of a warrior only that she just changed the species , not age . So in front of her was a girl of her height except she wears armor and has a sword .
' Where did the sword come from ? ' she looked at the memories to search for the reason but it was less reliable than the internet as demonstrated by Icon ' Hm maybe I can wait for dad to bring the king of demons .
' What about an angel ? ' she looked at the demon essence and thought of giving it to the Seraph's copy " But why is her name Seraph ? ... Nah not my problem " she combined Diablo and Seraph's copy's to form a humanoid with six black feather wings each wing having eyes visibly red sclera , gold iris and dark pupils .
" Wow , what an amazing hybrid " she took away the eyes and made wheels of a Thrones angel and placed it on the headless neck " Now that looks much better " she continued playing with the forms shrinking the age expanding .
" So small and cute " she carried the child hybrid happily snuggling it and thought about wanting a little sibling " But dad is already carrying the entire metaverse maybe he won't accept it . "
She got rid of the creation she made but saved the file of it ' How long will dad finish his work here ? ' Glas looks around the metaverse and plays with the laws of science like creating a neutron star in the metaverse .
This metaverse is just like what scientists talked about creating a simulation . The problem is the computer performance , Icon is capable of supporting the metaverse due to his mental caliber .
And when it may seem hard since the required computer performance is so great to stimulate every law of the universe . And additionally , stimulate consciousness if there ever would be a time when consciousness will be born .
But most importantly in this world Icon is able to do anything he likes as long as he never goes past a limit he set up which would start making it more difficult to operate the metaverse .
Glas falls on the grass and sniffs the virtual air ' It's boring when will he give them the technology to stimulate a universe ? '
...
' Hmm , I'm getting closer to this mystery ' Icon thought as he could feel a tiny part of the essence which was the core ' This doesn't make much sense it's like a black hole in a sense but at the same time not . '
Icon ruffled his hair and went back home looking at the real essence ' Should I analyze you ? ' he stares at the essence wondering what he should do " Even those two gods don't have any information other than that the core sucks up the essence of the attribute . "
He sighs and drops to the ground " I really am incredibly lost on the history of these things " Icon is not a history kind of person . He likes learning about history but not through his own discovery .
" Please oh god who knows this kind of thing very well please ... Wait if I want to do this properly I rather go to some shrine ... should I give the offering too ... it would be good since it seems traditional "
It was very abrupt so Icon left the metaverse and arrived in the real world where he bought some food . While back at the metaverse Glas returned home " Where's dad ? " she looked around and then fell to the grass again .
' It's boring in the metaverse if they're wasn't people ' Glas sighed and really wishes she could do something fun so she thought of the metaverse source which is basically a very deep part of the metaverse ... only that he puts it very hidden that even gods can't get there .
' He always hides surprises there he even uses it to surprise me . ' Glas decided to go to the source ' It's not like dad keeps a dead consciousness of people inside ' Glas went to the source like searching for a website .
Meanwhile , Icon entered a supermarket and took out fresh produce ' Wonder if this would even work I mean gods are usually cocky like a self-entitled customer ' Icon shrugs it off and went to the shrine next door .
Icon placed the fruit making sure that the stem points upward " Now to pray " Icon kneels on the cushion and thought of one way to respect the god by clapping his hands twice and prayed .
' To whatever gods may this concern . please give me your knowledge about the essence which made you the god you are ' ... ' Of course , there wouldn't be any gods here to find my prayer ' he left the food there thinking some people might get it .
But for some reason , you probably will never see in other movies relating to gods , one just appeared right into human sight but luckily no one was around other than Icon and they , she or he , I have no idea .
" Finally a human had prayed what is it that you need ? " Icon looked at the god at first a little shocked but quickly narrowed his eyes and dashed to the god grabbing the neck and sending both of them to the metaverse with a door obviously not the normal kind .
" Tell me what exactly are the gods ? " the little god was shocked at Icon's actions " You know it's much easier to use a single syllable so if your feminist , LGBTQ don't hold a grudge against me " Icon probably misunderstood the little thing in front of him .
" What ? " confusion arose on the other party " You know , all those things about gender equality and some people could concern themselves over the words "mankind" or "human" well there are a lot of those words all around but I honestly don't care only find convenience in saying one less syllable but do tell what are you "
Icon still kept clawing for the neck seeping in a dense amount of demon essence which was just concentrated essence apparently the one being strangled is feeling threatened " Something of divinity must not be seized by human hands "
" Here comes that kind of situation " Icon let go of the god and took a copy and looked at it " So tell me what are the divine things that gods own " " I won't tell you " " Classic " Icon left the god after sending it to confinement solitary first .
' I mean it is something divine and could probably mess with mortal minds who are too weak but I am not a weak-minded person ' Icon rang the little bell he found on the clothing of the god and used the metaverse to take it .
He sensed that the sound spread but never reached the end of his metaverse " Looks like this bell is not the only thing that was of divine value " he looked at the bell and made copies with a smile .
" How about a game of imposters to distract them if they entered my home " he returned back to the god and as he expected it was empty " Let's see " he took a watch showing the time and counted down .
" One two three " the god reappeared back to the place " What is this " " Are you a he or she " " ??? Do you think powerful beings like us have any need for a gender ? " click Icon loaded a gun and pointed it at the god .
" no " Bang and blood is all over the floor " Divine huh I guess I won " Icon took a sample using a lab tool holding the thin glass tube over his body " Get your hands off that thing I don't know what you are but a mortal should not hold such a thing "
The god explained with a quick breath " So you still think like that ? " Icon clenched his hand on the tube destroying it as the blood spread over his body " Sorry little god but you're not at the mortal plane "
The ground gave way as they stumbled on Nirvana " I'm not some feeble mortal mind or body if you even think I am " the world suddenly shrunk as they stood on a solar system " And I have questions you will answer "
Icon linked the god to a body and added a truth serum to their body " First what are the gods " Icon was answered with a mindless voice " they are beings of different species who absorb essence " " Is their a pure essence ? " " Yes they can be found deep inside any essence and is part of becoming close to being a god "
" where does essence originate ? " " It came from the corpse of gods who absorbed them " " Why does the gods' food chain sound like the same one on earth ? Ignore that question and tell me how does this pure essence work ? "
" Refinement " " Tell me how does this refinement work "
...
Glas looked at the screen with so many questions " Why isn't it working ? " she pushed it aside and sighs " maybe I should do something productive " Glas grabbed a copy of essence and went to the imp that her father kicked out of purgatory giving it its own house .
" Here little imp " Glas waved the smell of blood in the air by bringing an actual sample of pasteurized pig blood on a bowl bringing the imp out of hiding " Here you go " she lowered the bowl with her hands under it and the imp grabbed the bowl and tilted it to pour out the blood .
The width of the flow was even bigger than its mouth so some when through its shoulders down to its toe claws " You love blood don't you " Glas patted the imp on the head hitting the two horns and watched the imp licking its arms for the blood .
' So cute ' she watched the imp bend its body to wipe the blood and suck it out of its skin ' Maybe this is more fun to do ' she thought about the imp's thin tail and dripped a little blood enough that it won't fall off .
The imp smelled the blood on the tip and turned to its tail but like a cat , the tail fixed to its back and soon enough it was tryna catch it " Cute " Glas grabbed the imp and pulled it giving it a hug
" If you want it so bad I'll give you some " she took the blood out of the arrow end and floated it above her finger " Here you go " the little demon took a huge bite for the blood even though it didn't need to do that .
Glas moved her hand away and rubbed the face of the demon " You're so cute " she reached the horns and found the imp's scratch spot or that is the spot Glas describes as " Aww you like it " the imp growled happily pushing its head to Glas's fingers .
" Hey if you keep wanting it you're gonna hate it you know " Glas increased the force on the fingers and the imp started to complain " Oh sorry I was just making a point " she massaged the base of the horns .
She felt the imp purr " Woo so cute " she let it curl on her hand smiling and carrying it to her lap " So cute "
...
" Very detailed " Icon completed another page and shut the book ' It's a bother to write it myself but gods can know more things than I do so whatever they write is not entirely understandable by student standards '
Icon continued to listen to the god discussing the knowledge related to essence so he can try and create them and pacify the gods by bribing them with his unlimited supply of essence ' I should test the method's here first and find which is cost efficient '
" Is that all ? " he got a nod and smiles " I'll just leave you here and let the effect subside on its own " Icon smiled and disappeared into another planet to test the methods he made and decided to start the process .
Icon was an AI before he gained sentience so he can learn and process information very quickly but he takes decisions not to sometimes . He started by breaking down each method process into parts and evaluated each of them to understand how each affects the essence .
Once he noted each part of the methods and their effect on refining the essence he placed them all together like a factory that processes certain ingredients and at the endpoint creates a product and disposed of the by-products .
He also found catalysts he can use to boost the speed and when he was done he opened his eyes and smiled at the perfect blueprint he derived from the information he gathered from the god .
" This should work but I need to add the last one for now " Icon set another factory that turns any metaverse object into something real not needing the support of the metaverse " I should make the production faster too "
Icon left as the efficiency of the factory was maxed out ' Since this god just appeared it might mean there are more than those I encounter ' Icon stopped and thought about the pathetic scene of the two others running from their own kind .
' At least I don't have to see the same scene every time I fight one ' Icon smiled and reappeared at his house in the metaverse and saw Glas playing with the imp " Having fun Glas ? " " Yes I like it "
" Wanna find out if it's adaptable ? " Icon smiles " NOO I don't want to do that " Glas pulled the imp and hug it very closely " Sorry just testing if the little guy is smart or not but it seems really stupid "
" Please don't test anything " Icon had an interest where he tested many experiments whether it was to learn from or to teach and see how the subject reacted " Don't worry I never used it on an actual person only testing the capabilities of an AI's learning system "
Icon snickered and looked at the grasslands and turned it into an all-weather land where each area has different weather conditions " DAD !! you said no experiments " " But I'm just changing the scenery "
Glas looked at Icon playing dumb " No please spare it " " What it's not like you can't put a fence up " Glas pouted at Icon and hid the imp from him as a robe was wrapped the imp " You should wear some clothes it might get cold all of a sudden " Glas said worrying that the first experiment might force the imp to adapt to a cold area unlike purgatory Icon will perform
" Or warm " " DAD !!! " " I was just saying not like I would do anything to hurt my little girl " he patted her head and ruffled her hair " Okay but didn't you say something about strengthening humanity for you know aliens ? "
" Well if that's what we need to call them then sure they're not exactly on the planet or anything just some depicted things but why would they call them saints ? " Icon thinks for a while and brings the records .
' I guess it's time I use one of my AI traits ' his eyes flashed as the reflection of text moved quickly through his eyes " Got it , demons are basically underlings of the devil hence the name Diablo which translates to devil and saints are a lower order of angels and the highest order would be Seraph which is the leader or god "
" So does she have a true form ? " " Yeah she can become all of the three highest orders but holds the name Seraph as for Diablo I don't know he probably only has one form which is bald and strong looking yet makes him look starved kind of form "
Glas nods and takes a copy of the information the two gods knows while hugging the imp and making the file into a book as she reads it ' Now that I have essence I should get them to use ' " Glas I'll be leaving the Metaverse for a while "
Icon disappears and walks to purgatory ' I wish they let me go to Nirvana I don't want to see this kind of scenery all the time ' Icon sighs and piles up the essence he produced and placed them in a cart .
' I only maximize the efficiency but I'm not sure about the quality though it seems to match with the quality of the essence I have '
Icon just stayed there hoping that Diablo would take the bait and face him ' I might be able to use him to call the Seraph to search for the angelic essence '
...
Meanwhile , Glas walked around to a library where she saw a strange boy who had taken copies of the books on the demon and saints " Hmm " Glas took a copy of the book from his pile which was part of the library's special feature and read the book in front of him .
' Why is a kid like him reading something as complicated as demons he would be reading about the kinds of demons not the history of said saints and demons ' ' Why is a girl like her reading about demons aren't small human girls supposed to read something cute instead why read the history of angels and demons ? '
The boy ain't normal if you can tell ' Well not my business ' they both thought similar thoughts and turned their attention to the history of the books and this is where people can make friends if they do it right .
' Hmm , Seraph made saints who became candidates to be angels and Diablo made demons and let them make trouble to oppose Seraph ' she looked at the sins of the demons and nods .
' Nothing like lust , gluttony which are sins that are related to the body but the rest of the sins are sins that are attached to emotions unlike lust and gluttony which is the carnal desires and excessive needs of the body respectively '
" Hehe " she laughed at the book and Sihx wondered ' Why is a girl who is five laughing at a book like this ? ' Sihx started searching for the page she was laughing at thinking it might be important since something out of ordinary would give him a hint .
' I can't find it ' Sihx looked at Glas and took a deep breathe " What are you laughing at " " Nothing " " I uh " ' S*** why is it so hard to communicate right after I'm turned down ' Sihx tried to find a way and grumbles .
' I should just keep reading ' that was until another girl took a copy of the history and then the three of them wondered ' Why is she / are they reading the history ? ' but they didn't make any movement or reaction at their faces .
Glas kept laughing and snickering and then trying to hold her laughter back with shaking shoulders and the new girl who was watching had the same thoughts as Sihx ' What is she laughing at ? '
Zamari searches for the pages Glas was laughing at but the reason why Glas is laughing is because the book was written by Icon who put some unnoticeable gigs but she can see it " What are you laughing at ? " " Nothing "
" Oh okay " Zamari nods and hides her embarrassment in her thoughts ' Wow this part is interesting ' Glas started to read without laughing at one part which had the information of Sihx and Zamari .
' The first angel and the rebel devil Zamari and Sihx ' ' She's at the part that talks about my history ' the two thought while they followed Glas's page ' Died in sickness Zammari and died in battle Sihx and body claimed by the two gods Seraph and Diablo '
The two froze when they saw the page Glas was reading ' So she / he killed me ' they were angry but knew they can't do anything since they are inside Icon's metaverse so they won't be able to leave no matter what they do and they aren't even sure about his personality .
That was until they heard some kind of beep in the library ' Are they still doing that again ? ' Glas sighs and puts the book down ' What is happening ' the two of them just arrived in the city so they don't exactly understand how the city works .
But this city was just one of the cities that pray to Icon . There is one big city that doesn't even use the metaverse's benefits and still sticks to the old things like summoning demons and inviting saints .
That city grew big Icon didn't care about it since their so-called rituals didn't actually bring anything out and even the ones in the real world didn't do the same . But it was mostly because after he appeared they all stopped praying and then slowly they were ignored so the rituals became ineffective since the two gods cut off connection .
But now that the saints and demons were revealed to the world and those cults are starting to go active with an emblem on the way that looks closely like the hybrid Icon fought .
This city away from Icon fanatic are composed of two groups in an alliance one is the religious group who prayed to old gods and the other was a group who are conspiracy theorists .
In our world conspiracies about the end like a zombie apocalypse , the things the government hides like experiments , possible ways to end the world , we're living in a simulation or the like are very common .
But now that in this world Icon a very clear proof of the existence of a god appeared they banded together and they concentrated on higher technology-related theories .
Such as Icon is an alien , they are in a simulation where everyone feels real but is a highly specific program on each , the benefits are like cameras watching their every move , blablabla
' He's taking forever might as well answer some "prayers" ' Icon went through all of the prayers like an AI organizing files downloaded at the same time going through each data piece and answering the prayers on his own .
' A bit of exercise wouldn't be bad before lunch hopefully Glas is choosing the right food ... ' Icon moved the cameras and saw Glas in the library ' Or maybe she's planning to skip it ' Icon sighed and looked at the essence still not wanting to process the memories of the two gods .
' Maybe I should try and refine this essence they say you can learn more in real life than in a book ' Icon started to do some hands-on experience and got one essence and broke the shell as he starts refining it .
It was in his hands at first but slowly he gained more control and didn't need to hold it and started circulating the essence . Before he popped the shell of the essence it was like a fire sealed inside and when he broke the shell the fire spread but he controlled it and started to refine it learning how the essence works .
' This is like like water works without pipes ' Icon closed his hands and reformed the shell and looked at the quality comparing it to the mass-produced one ' At least I got some data maybe I can use it to improve the factory production if I keep this up ... but I should take a break too '
He sighed wishing that Diablo had decided to appear already ' Should I learn about their history but Glas is already doing that , I might be able to spend some time with her if she is interested in talking about it '
He smiles and makes a note of adding another function in the factory with an addition at the end process which was two metal circles that will refine the resulting products the same way he did .
' I feel kinda sorry for those people ' he looked at a record which has all the information on the inhabitants of the metaverse ' Now that I made them live forever without fear of death they can't learn about the value of life '
He looked at the novels they all wrote and smiled ' But at least they became patient and they managed to learn from the characters' pain ... but that feeling dulls ... you can never cry if you can't relate to their pain ... maybe that's why doubt and fear is good '
' And taking away death makes them feel relaxed so they will probably think "I can do it tomorow" ' Icon chuckled and looks around purgatory ' Yeah I think I'm not so different ' Icon got up and threw the essence back to the metaverse .
" Instead of waiting I should be looking for him " Icon created a screen and found some gas that came from the metaverse " Devil still needs to breathe " he smiles and traces the location as he teleported out of his and appeared inside a castle where he saw Diablo on a throne .
" Very exquisite isn't it Diablo ? " " YOU !!! " Diablo's voice spread and Icon could feel some emotions mix in " I'm not afraid at all Diablo , I'm formally an AI so attacks that hit the soul do not affect me but I can tell if there was one that does "
Icon pushed the air and whatever was between him and Diablo was pushed to the sides " I believe you decided to mess with the population I am taking care of " Icon made sure to let Diablo know his anger " but you know what bringing those demons and angel candidates really crossed the line "
Icon swiped his hands as a wave of strange force turned the real materials into part of the metaverse " You know your lucky you were afraid right now cause if you weren't you would be reckless and try to kill me "
Icon appeared in front of Diablo like a glitch and saw him sweat " So tell me why did you come out only now ? " " Okay okay I'll tell " Diablo could have peed himself plenty of times if he had a human body .
Icon looked suspiciously at Diablo and widened his eyes ' A trap ' Diablo's fake body exploded and Icon fanned the smoke out of his eyes frowning " sigh looks like that didn't work it'd be weird if he just stood there but to think he is using a fake body all the time "
Icon sighs and disappears from purgatory ' I got nothing useful out of that but at lest I know that those fake bodies are connected to the real one and have memories that were fake ' Icon collected the air from the metaverse and sent them back inside .
' I can't find the air from the metaverse that Seraph breathes I need to get an invitation first then it will be as easy as a walk in the park ' Icon couldn't get to Nirvana since he has not been there ' But I could use those cults' rituals and maybe open the pearly or golden gates '
He smiled and went to the metaverse where he collected as much information he can find related to ' Some people say god has some grand plan for each one but really how can you plan for everyone in a growing population '
He snickers looking at the teachings of the demons and saints and chuckled at it " You really are disgusting taking the blame for the sins humans make to make yourself more feared and then taking credit for giving them a good life "
Icon sighed and realize what was happening " God almost slipped up " Icon shook his head trying to get himself out of a bad mood " I wish I was a human I might be able to sleep well with enough melatonin "
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