As I place my finger on my palm the world flies away and is replaced by pure darkness. Compared to the previous time I did this I feel far more nauseated seeing the world rush around me so quickly.

I sit there contemplating for a short while as I look around the space. I didn’t question this space before, but with the knowledge that I should have more control I can’t help but inspect it further.

“I should be able to interface with something in here, shouldn’t I? What would be the point of this space if thinking of the monster was all I had to do?” I say to myself as I look around for some sort of menu

Trying to open my normal menu fails no matter how many times I try, so this place must have its own rules. Maybe it's a matter of concentration?

Would you like to customize a servant?

[YES] [NO]

After concentrating hard for what feels like ages finally a dialogue box appears.

This is... different isn’t it? I can’t put my finger on it, but the style of it doesn’t really match up to the other windows that have popped up in the past. Including the ones in my menu.

Swallowing my concerns I select “YES” and a full menu pops up before me. The menu itself is a bit impressive honestly. It resembles a character creator, but it seems to have every imaginable option for customization.

If I remember correctly time stops while I’m in this space, so I should be able to look through these options at my leisure.

I look carefully through the options, overviewing every detail I can. After a while, I note a few key points.

Certain species come with a minimum power cost. The goblins for instance come at a much smaller cost than something like an orc or a dragon. To make a single lesser dragon I would have to use about as much power as I would making nearly 500 goblins. There is no cap to the amount of power one can put into a creature. I could make a fly that could go toe to toe with an orc if I had the power to spare. I can choose latent abilities and skills that the creature will emerge with. The skills available all seem rather low level so I assume it determines what traits the creature will grow with as well. A very large number of skills were blanked out and not available to pick, so I only had a small number to work with. When I attempt to add any skills to a creature there is a noticeable drop in stats. The cost is rather high even for these low-class skills. Not all species are the same. Some come with additional options that govern special features about them. One such option of interest was the number of tails on certain feline species, which increased the cost in return for a spike in stats. The conversion rate was somewhat ridiculous though. The jump in stats far outweighed the value of the extra power usage.

The most concerning thing, however, was one particular race that was available for creation... “Humans”.

The vibe that I get from humans and monsters alike is that I’m the “Leader of all non-humans” but how did that come about? Why are specifically humans the ones that are fighting so hard against everything else? If they fall into the umbrella of creatures I can create, and I’m deemed the leader for my power and creation ability, then why would humans be the only exclusion? Was it always like that, or did something make the Maou and humans enemies?... Why is it that with every new piece of information I get more questions rather than answers? Can’t fate at least let me know the cause of the imminent doom it’s stuck me with?

Sigh “No use dwelling on it I guess. I doubt I’m going to find any answers in here.” I say aloud trying to clear my head

I feel slightly embarrassed talking to myself, but it works and I move on and continued creation.

I saw many similar creatures to what I had in mind, but nothing that matched perfectly, so in the end, I picked the “Custom” option. When I do my menu changes to a far more simple design, showing little more than the stats of the custom creation.

“Create a clear image of your new servant. Lapses in focus can lead to unwanted features.” Is ascribed at the bottom of the simplified menu

Even in this dark area, I still close my eyes and focus on the creature I want. I have my doubts that I would have made a mistake in visualizing it either way however, the creature is exceedingly simple after all.

After several moments I open my eyes and am greeted with exactly what I was hoping it would be. I look over the stats and modify in a few select skills before imputing the power that I decided on.

Is this correct?

[YES] [NO]

Once satisfied with my setup a prompt opens up before me. I select “YES” and the world floods back in around me.

Unlike last time where my creations were waiting for me upon my return though, I can’t seem to find it no matter where I look.

“Is something wrong Mano-sama? Were you not able to create the monster you had in mind?” Gero ask with a tilted head upon my return without results

“No I definitel-!” I begin to explain before I’m interrupted by an emerging pink light forming between the three of us

“Ah here it is!” I say with relief as I watch the light grow

It continues to grow, with its center becoming brighter as it does, until it is roughly the size of a basketball. Upon reaching that size it begins to float in random directions seemingly lost.

“Is... this it? What exactly is it?” Kurobe ask staring at the ball of light with fascination

“It doesn’t really have a name in this world yet, so I think I’m just gonna call it a ‘Will o'wisp’. It’s a ball of mana given life and a few distinct abilities. Aside from that though there is nothing to it honestly.” I explain as I watch the warm glow of it cast shadows on the dark forest trees