I looked around me at this strange forest I found myself in. The temperature was pleasant and the sun was high in the sky. The green canopy creating beautiful god rays as though I was in some sort of high end video game. I suppose I should start with how I ended up in this situation.

I woke up and did my usual morning ritual. Drink some water, go to the bathroom, and brush my teeth. I thankfully work from home so I didn't need to prepare for any sort of commute. I then prepared my breakfast, sat at my desk and fired up my computer. What work doesn't know is that I also fire up the World Box. The World Box allows me to be the God of Creation, as I lord over the mortals of the world I created.

I keep the game open on one screen and work on my other monitor. I see that the orcs are planning on picking a fight with the dwarves again. I normally don't like to interfere with their lives, but sometimes I feel like it just needs to happen.

In this world I made, which I called Elardia, I created five main continents and several islands. The northern continent I made with many mountains and hills, which I gave to the dwarves. To the east I made thick with forests and a little section walled off by mountains. This I gave to the elves and made the walled off area an enchanted forest biome. To the south I made a savanah like place and gave that to the orcs. To the west I made a diverse place with forests, mountains, and plains. This I gave to the humans. The very center I made a sort of monster island. I infested it with undead and all sorts of horrible monsters that were hostile to anything. In return for such a dangerous place I filled it to the brim with mithril, orichalcum, and all sorts of riches.

As I'm working on some material for my job, I see the ships from the mortal races traveling to and fro. Trade was invented a couple thousand years ago, and the other races have been engaging in trade for some time. The orcs were slow to trade, but I took a portion of their population and removed the ferocious trait from them. So on one side of the continent were bloodthirsty orcs, and the other side had peaceful orcs. I found the peaceful orcs engaged in trade more often.

I remember when I first made the world and populated it with the first mortals. Back then the world was very peaceful. I didn't see many wars, or plots being made. It was the Age of Hope, as this game has many ages.

I finish up my work and saved my game in World Box. I switched over to my steam deck and moved to my room to lay down. I boot up the World Box again to keep working on my world. I sent the rains, and helped the crops grow. I replaced the mined ores and replenished the trees. As far as other players of this game, I tend to be a more benevolent player. I've never summoned the crabs, and I've never intentionally destroyed civilizations for the joy of it.

I've tried to think about their lives and how they lived. I even used a text ai to give some feeling to the beings in my world. Some people have said I have an unhealthy obsession, but I enjoy them. We all need hobbies. Mine just happens to be a god of creation.

As I was sitting on my bed sending the rains for the farmers, I saw a mortal on the human continent plotting. I clicked on him to see what he was planning. I saw that this man was part of the royal family and was plotting a civil war. I normally don't involve myself with the plots of the royal families but this man came from the kingdom I had introduced magic to the bloodlines. So I decided to check up on the royal court. I saw that the current king was cruel, greedy, and had quite a large kill count.

I paused time for my world, as I wanted to consider if I got involved or not. I walked to my kitchen and got myself some dinner. I sat at the dinner table with my game and looked at the city this man plotting a civil war was currently at. It was just south of the mountain range I created that I filled with iron when I would see it depleted.

I took a sip of my drink and made my decision. While time was frozen, I gave this man wisdom, strength, and gave him immunity to poison. I blessed his soldiers and himself. I instantly grew all his crops and replenished the mountain with iron, silver, and gold.

I unpaused time and watched as the workers instantly went and gathered the crops and worked in the mines. I gave him a lot of benefits. It's up to him if he pulls off the civil war now.

I put my plate and cup into the dishwasher after working replenishing the dwarven mines and replenishing the elven forests. I had to get everyone prepared as the Age of Tears was coming to an end soon and the Age of the Moon was coming, and I always made sure the tumors wouldn't affect my people too much. I really hated seeing these artificial people suffer. Well I felt like they suffered in a way.

I saved my game and turned off the deck. I started getting ready for bed and lay in bed on my phone reading some light novels. Sometimes I would imagine what it would be like if I lived in those worlds.

As I was drifting off to sleep, I had two thoughts. The first one being what would it be like if I could visit the world I created in World Box. The second thought was why could I smell gas? I knew I had turned off the stove, but I could still smell gas.

I then fell asleep and I couldn't remember any dreams. I rolled over and found that I was incredibly uncomfortable. I opened my eyes and saw that I was laying on the ground. There was a thick layer of leaves on the ground and lots of trees surrounding me. I could hear the sounds of birds and I saw the canopy of leaves above me.

[How did I get here?] I had hoped someone might be around.

[Hello?]

I stood there for a moment hoping someone would come.

[Maybe I'm just dreaming.] I stood up and looked around me. [Wow, this is a really detailed dream. I can feel the wind and smell the dirt.] Maybe I was lucid dreaming? It was possible. I try to get my bearings, but it's just forests as far as I can see. I close my eyes hoping I can hear running water.

I can't hear water running. Maybe I can follow the birds towards water? I look up and I don't see any birds. Just the thick canopy of the trees. This isn't a very accommodating dream.

[Oh well. Let's just do regular dream stuff.] I instantly think of flying off but I don't move an inch. Usually that works in lucid dreams, right? I try all sorts of methods. I think of a door to another realm, I try teleportation, I try to call on a dream guide, and nothing happens.

[This is a dream, right?] I'm beginning to have second thoughts as none of the usual dream stuff is happening like I've read on the net. Oh well, let's just see how this dream works. Maybe I don't have enough faith for it to work?

I start walking in a random direction. I'm bound to find something eventually if I keep going in a straight line. If the sun rises in the east, then I'm definitely going west right now. Hopefully I run into a road, or a river, and I can use that to navigate. Which is oddly detailed for a dream.

I can still hear the birds but I don't see any birds. Also I seem to not be tired after walking some distance. I look down at myself and realize I'm wearing my pajamas. Even though I'm walking on the forest floor, I don't seem to be hurting my feet.

[So this part of the dream isn't realistic, huh?] I keep walking for some time, and I think the sun has passed the midday part. I look around me and still can't find a river or any road. There's not even a simple trail in sight. As I'm walking, I keep looking around myself, hoping to spot something out of the ordinary.

I see a butterfly just fluttering about off to my left. Normally I wouldn't bother, but when I saw the butterfly and wondered about it a status screen appeared next to it in my field of view.

Name: Xwrtsyr

Age: 1

Origin: The Holy Kingdom of Berilar

Desire: Nectar

Kills: 0

Level: 1

Traits: Peaceful

I rub my eyes and try to make sure I'm actually seeing this. The status window was the exact same as when I looked at the mortals in the World Box. I looked at the name of the place of origin and saw the name Berilar. That was the human kingdom in the middle of the continent. I look away and look back. The text is the exact same.

[Wait, doesn't text change each time you look at it in a dream?] I start walking towards the butterfly, but it's quickly trying to fly away from me. As I follow it I see other insects. I can see their status windows as well. I can see their names, where they came from, how old they were, how many children, their favorite food, all of it. I couldn't help but smile and think that it was actually kind of nice to be having a dream about my favorite game.

[Hm...maybe I am playing this game a bit too much.] After all, I'm starting to have vivid dreams about it now. As I walk through the forest I look ahead and see a clearing in the trees.

Deciding to investigate the gap in the trees opened up to a clearing with a great lake in the center. Surrounding the lake were many bushes with a red fruit on the branches. It was then I had a fairly good idea where I was in my dream.

[If this is the Holy Kingdom of Berilar, then this giant lake should be just south of the city of Tol Skeral.] I even took the time to rename the cities and towns from the randomly generated names the game does. I guess I was just that devoted.

I look at the bushes and see the plump berries hanging off the branches. I walk over to one of the bushes and grab the fist sized berry and decide to give it a taste. I'm not worried about being poisoned. Besides this being a detailed dream, I'm the one who put these bushes here in the first place to feed the human race when they first came through here.

The berry tasted like a mix between a lemon and fresh honey. It was actually very tasty, so I decide to grab a few more even though I don't really have anything to carry the berries in other than my pockets.

As I'm walking along chewing on one of these berries, I see some deer grazing next to the far side of the lake on the north side. I decide to get a closer look. Once again my eyes are assaulted by their status screens. I then notice one of them is a little different from the others.

Name: Kurrriburrr

Age: 6

Origin: The Holy Kingdom of Berilar

Desire: Bread

Kills: 24

Level: 8

Traits: Peaceful, Wise, Shortsighted, Crippled, Light

Mood: Sad

As I was looking at the trait and walking up to the deer, the other deer noticed me and started to run off, except this deer. It tried to run, but I saw that its leg was broken and was healing at an odd angle. I decided this won't do, and it was time to be hands on in this really odd dream.

[Let's see what I can do.]

-End of Chapter 1-

Name: Tasaki Ichiro

Age: Unknown

Origin: Earth

Desire: Unknown

Kills: Unknown

Level: Unknown

Traits: Unknown

Mood: Unknown

Current Age: The Age of Tears

Current Year: 3195 AC (After Creation)

Current Location: Midlands of the Continent of Humans