World stabilizer

Chapter seventeen: world stabilizer

Caelum remained seated in the chair at the center of the white room, his body at ease but his mind deeply engaged. Around him, various creatures moved about, each a product of his will.

The various creatures that drifted through the air were of all kinds.

A bird with long, flowing tails wreathed in flames flapped lazily above, leaving faint embers in its wake. The flame danced along the edges of its tails, but it never burned, as if it were merely an illusion rather than real fire.

A butterfly fluttered nearby, its translucent wings shimmering as it scattered trails of blue dust. All of them created an unnatural yet beautiful environment.

Caelum however, despite these peculiar beings surrounding him, paid them no attention. His focus was entirely on the notebook resting in front of him.

His focus remained entirely unshaken. His pen moved swiftly, gliding over the page with calculated strokes. He had been taking detailed notes for quite some time now, documenting his experiments with the quill and his recent discovery of how his willpower interacted with the creations.

"So changing the biological structure does work, It changes the internal structure to my liking. But altering both the biological structure and the fundamental definition of something consumes significantly more willpower, way more than simply redefining the creature's external form or its existence directly."

He paused, tapping the tip of his pen against the paper and frowned slightly.

'With this my assumptions are becoming solid facts.' Then, settling his thoughts his gaze shifted toward the table.

Looking up from his notes, he saw a small potted plant on the table. It stood no taller than a baby's arm, its thin stem supporting a cluster of deep green leaves.

At first glance, it might have seemed normal with an unassuming vibrant green. But upon closer inspection, the sight was far from ordinary.

The plant had a mouth, a jagged, toothy maw split the stem near its base, opening and closing slightly as if tasting the air. From between those rows of needle-sharp teeth, a long, thin tongue flicked outward before retreating back into the dark cavity.

Caelum studied the strange creation for a moment, then picked up his pen again returning to his notes.

"It seems that as long as I desire it, I can even modify a plant's biological structure to something akin to the biological structure of a creature made of flesh and blood."

He set the pen down with a soft thud and exhaled then pushed the notebook aside.

Leaning back in his chair, he flexed his fingers experimentally.

"Hmmm, not even half of my willpower is drained."

He clenched and unclenched his hands, testing his reserves.

Even after all his experimentation, after creating and altering these abominations, his energy barely diminished. It remained steady.

"Back when i first started using the quill, even simple creations had exhausted me." Caelum chuckled looking around the room.

"I had fainted more than once in a single day from trying to push my limits. But now, after spending hours experimenting, i still have plenty of energy left to spare." His voice was filled with a tone of satisfaction.

Caelum leaned back in his chair, as his gaze continued flicking around the room. The burning-tailed bird, the shimmering butterfly, the carnivorous plant, they all were proof of his growing knowledge.

"Phew~" A deep sigh escaped his lips.

"I've really gone and made a collection of monsters, huh?"

But despite the amusement laced in his voice, his eyes carried a hint of thoughtfulness.

His gaze drifted toward the window.

Outside, beyond the limits of this small white room, stretched an endless starry sky. A vast cosmos, that seemed utterly silent and unmoving.

Caelum's expression sobered.

"Yeah… I should start working on that as well."

He had spent so much time refining his understanding of individual creations, but there was still an entire world to build.

And caelum had no intention of leaving it unfinished for long.

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After a bit of contemplating, caelum stood up from his chair, the quill resting in his fingers as he reached for another book on the table, it was a thick one with a brown leather cover, slightly worn at the edges from constant use in the short amount of time.

"Hmmm~i should hurry, i feel like it's already quite late outside." Caelum stretched his arms as if trying to shake off his fatigue.

With the book in hand, he stepped toward the window and looked out into the vast, motionless cosmos stretching endlessly beyond the white room.

After a few seconds of looking he muttered to himself, exhaling softly. "hah....This is going to take quite a while."

Caelum's gaze then shifted to the corner near the window, then without any hesitation, he flipped the book in his hands open, to the specific page that depicted the next part of his plan.

On the spread out page was a detailed diagram of an oval-shaped mechanism, sketched with precise, deliberate strokes. Above the illustration, written in his neat handwriting, were the words:

"World Stabilizer."

This was caelum's solution, the mechanism he had devised to ensure his painted world could grow naturally and remain stable.

"My remaining willpower should do, right?"

He asked himself a question he didn't know the answer to, then Holding the quill firmly, he reached forward and pressed the empty space itself, as if it were solid.

After letting his willpower flow, caelum guided the quill in a slow and deliberate stroke.

"Phew." The moment he pulled away, the empty space twisted and flickered, and then, a structure materialized in the corner of the room.

The structure closely resembled the one in his book: a glowing yellow oval with a smooth, flat surface at the top. At its center, embedded within the structure, was a circular window made of shining white crystal, faintly pulsing with energy.

Caelum took a step back, tilting his head as he examined it.

"…It looks a bit weird?" he muttered before shaking his head slowly.

'Not like i was expecting perfection from the start, Adjustments would have to be made along the way.' caelum had a thoughtful look on his face.

"I'll have to modify it anyway, so this will do for now." And finally, he let out his thoughts loudly.

Turning back to his book, he flipped through the pages filled with diagrams, calculations, and notes on the stabilizer's functionality. His own handwriting filled the paper in neat, methodical lines:

"The World Stabilizer. A mechanism that will function as a proxy for expanding the world."

Caelum nodded to himself before continuing to read.

"Step one: Construct a mechanism capable of expanding the world automatically, mimicking natural planetary formation—though, of course, at a much faster rate."

"Step two: The stabilizer would definitely require the willpower supply, to act as an energy source for expanding the world. However, since it will be imitating a natural process, the energy cost should be minimal."

"Step three: From the stabilizer, I will be able to monitor the entire world from the White Room."

Below the notes were additional diagrams and detailed annotations explaining the inner workings of the mechanism. He skimmed over them briefly before closing the book with a soft thud.

Walking over, he Placed both the book and the quill back on the table, then he turned to the stabilizer once more.

"Okay." He took a deep breath, hovering his hands slightly above its surface.

"…Let's give it a go."

As soon as he let those words out, his energy began to flow from his body into the stabilizer according to his will.

"Umm? This is."

Caelum felt a bit different, as Unlike the quill, which drained his willpower continuously as it created, this was hitting differently.

"This time, it's me who is willingly transferring energy."

Caelum felt strange on how contrary it felt compared to the quill, almost like pouring water into a container, the stabilizer drawing in the willpower smoothly and efficiently.

After what felt like a few minutes had passed, his breathing grew heavier. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

With a sharp exhale, he pulled his hands away as he slumped slightly. "Phew— I'm almost dried out."

For a few moments, there was no response from the stabilizer. Then, the stabilizer let out a soft hum.

Thummm!

A translucent glow rippled from its surface, followed by a wave of pure energy bursting outward.

Thummm!

Caelum watched as the wave spread out instantly, passing through the White Room and spreading out onto the vacuum of space, then slowly descending toward the small, park-sized world floating below.

The moment the translucent energy touched the land, the ground trembled.

The terrain moved. Mountains stretched taller, rivers carved new paths, and the very fabric of the world expanded outward.

It was as if time itself had sped up, the nature of the small world was rapidly unfolding under the stabilizer's influence.

Caelum leaned in, his eyes locked on the scene displayed within the stabilizer's crystal window.

A slow smile crept onto his face.

"It's working perfectly."

He let out a deep breath, the exhaustion weighing on him, but the satisfaction of progress kept him standing.

After a few moments, he turned back to the table and picked up the quill once again. His gaze returned to the stabilizer, his thoughts already racing inside his head.

"This is definitely going to take a lot of time," he murmured.

Then, shaking his head, he let out a deep chuckle.

"This is just the first step, there would be a lot to do in the future"

With that final thought, he willed himself out of the painted world.

His vision blurred as his consciousness was pulled out of the world.

After a few passing moments, his body slowly reformed inside his bedroom. He was back.

The sensation of returning to reality was jarring. The familiar weight of his body settled in as darkness filled his vision. Only the soft glow of moonlight seeped through the window, casting faint silver streaks across his bedroom floor.

"…It's already night, huh?"

He sighed, stretching his stiff limbs before walking over to his window, he gripped the curtains with one hand then pulled them shut.

The pale glow of the moon vanished behind the thick fabric, leaving his room dimly lit. caelum then pressed on the switch of the electric board.

With a "tap." Sound the ceiling light turned on, bathing the space in a soft, artificial glow. And at that exact moment—

Grrrgle.

A deep, hollow rumble echoed from his stomach.

"…Ugh." He pressed a hand against his abdomen, sighing. "Let's have some food first."

With sluggish steps, he exited his room and made his way to the bathroom. The cold water he splashed onto his face jolted him awake, chasing away the lingering fatigue.

Shaking his head, he grabbed a towel, dried his face, and left the bathroom, heading straight for the kitchen.

The first thing he did was grab a glass from the cupboard and fill it with water and downing it in one go. The cool liquid soothed his dry throat, leaving a refreshing sensation as he placed the empty glass on the counter.

Then, he grabbed a bowl. Holding it steady with one hand, he reached for the quill with the other.

"What to eat..." He barely had to think, the image of what he wanted was already clear in his mind.

With a single stroke of the quill's tip against the air, reality twisted for a brief moment, and in the blink of an eye, steaming instant ramen materialized in the bowl.

The rich aroma of broth filled the kitchen, mingling with the mouthwatering scent of tender pork slices resting atop the glistening noodles. A soft-boiled egg floated near the edge, half-submerged, its golden yolk barely visible beneath the broth.

Caelum manifested a pair of chopsticks and wasted no time digging in.

The first bite was heavenly—the warmth of the broth spread through his chest, the salty, umami-rich flavor of the pork melting in his mouth. He slurped the noodles without hesitation, the warmth of the meal soothing his tired body.

Within minutes, the bowl was empty.

"Ah, nothing is better than instant ramen with pork." He exhaled in satisfaction, lazily tossing the chopsticks into the empty bowl before walking over to the sink. Without bothering to wash it, he tossed the dish into the basin, where it clattered against the basin surface.

"…I'll deal with this tomorrow morning."

With his hunger sated, he dragged his feet back to his room, the exhaustion finally catching up to him.

As he stepped inside, he tossed the quill onto the table with a careless flick of his wrist and collapsed onto his bed.

The mattress dipped under his weight as he sprawled out, arms spread wide, sinking into the comforting softness of his sheets.

His eyelids grew heavier. His body relaxed.

And within moments, caelum was fast asleep, the steady rhythm of his breathing the only sound filling the quiet room.