《Evolution of a Ball of Light》
Chapter 1: Little Ball of Light
¡°Wake up Steve!¡± a quirky female voice shouted. ¡°We have to start now!¡±
Steve awoke with a massive headache. He felt too dizzy to obey the command just now. The world was swirling with bright colors and he found himself in a forest of some sort.
Then, he felt something. Rather than felt, he sensed. Right next to him was a thin long bug. It was brown colored, like the color of¡ What was it again? Steve paid it no mind and focused on the task at hand.
He awoke completely. Then he got overwhelmed because of his overloaded senses, and promptly passed out again.
¡°Come on Steve!¡± the Voice pestered. ¡°You¡¯re falling behind.¡±
This time was a bit different. Steve felt a bit better in the head, and started to arise.
Only, he didn¡¯t actually get up. He just sort of floated. As Steve realized this, he was startled awake. He instantly shot up five feet in the air and looked all around. All at once.
Steve couldn¡¯t really put a finger on it, but it felt wrong. Though, he couldn¡¯t understand why it didn¡¯t feel right.
He looked around again and saw a forest all around. There were multi-colored rocks on the ground in the little clearing that he was in, but other than that there were blue colored trees not too far from his location. The trees were all different heights, from three feet tall to twenty feet tall or more. The rocks were all sorts of different solid colors.
Steve realized what was wrong. The Voice that was talking to him seemingly didn¡¯t come from anywhere.
This could only mean one thing.
He looked at the brown bug next to him and started talking.
¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on?¡± Steve asked the bug.
The bug just stood there, unmoving.
¡°Well¡ you¡¯re in a new place now, Steve. I can tell you what is going on, but you¡¯ll have to be fast. Start walking to the edge of the forest to that purple rock over there.¡± It replied.
Steve started hovering as it started explaining. He took a look at the bug again and kept his vision on it as he hovered over there slowly
¡°This is a world filled with danger and opportunity. I¡¯m not too sure why you were brought here, but your memories are sealed by Ancient-class magic. Here you will have the opportunity to be anything you want to be, but at an equivalent cost. To my knowledge, it seems like there were a number of others as well.¡± The distinctly female Voice continued.
It was then that the bug began to move. It moved slowly at first, towards Steve.
¡°I have been given a set of rules for you for the first countdown. The rules are as follows:
1) Don¡¯t die.
2) Don¡¯t wander outside of your 10 kilometer radius until countdown ends.
3) Don¡¯t evolve until countdown ends.
4) Don¡¯t intentionally kill until countdown ends.
And failure to obey these rules will result in consequences.¡±
Steve was confused. He understood the rule part, but nothing about the countdown part.
¡°What is this countdown?¡± Steve asked.
The bug was now three feet from Steve¡¯s current location. The speed in which the bug moved was a bit faster than Steve¡¯s current relaxed speed. It kept up with him as he made his way over to the rock.
¡°If you focus your mind for a bit on the word countdown, it¡¯ll pop up for you!¡± the Voice happily answered, clearly pleased that Steve was paying attention.
Steve focused his mind for a bit and found the countdown. It currently read:
4 Days, 23 Hours, 20 Minutes, 10 Seconds.
There was also four numbers going too fast after the Second¡¯s mark. Steve felt that this was interesting to watch and sort of useless. Steve reached the rock. He still felt a bit weird, like he was having trouble adjusting to his new body. Steve frowned. It just didn¡¯t make sense, that he would be having trouble with his body.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Wasn¡¯t he always a normal ball of light?
He rested on the rock.
¡°What should I do?¡± Steve voiced his concerns out loud.
¡°Not sure, but I guess you can start considering your options now!¡± the Voice replied merrily. ¡°I¡¯ll send you a mental list.¡±
Instantly, an image of some choices popped up in his mind. They were written in some kind of language that Steve had forgotten the name of. But the words themselves, he still recognized.
| 1 | Goblin |
| 2 | Elf |
| 3 | Undead |
| 4 | Troll |
| 5 | Ogre |
| 6 | Slime |
| 7 | Kobold |
| 8 | Naga |
| 9 | Turtle |
| 10 | Human |
There were a bunch of explanations next to these words, but they were long and Steve felt that this wasn¡¯t the moment to go through them all.
He figured that he didn¡¯t need to decide right now since he did have close to five days. Something was nagging at him, but Steve couldn¡¯t quite place his thought on it.
His mind was still in a light haze from the first time he woke up, but he really did feel much better now. Compared to the first time he awoke, he felt a bit of energy coursing through his metaphorical veins.
Steve suddenly thought of something.
¡°What are you?¡± He asked the bug. By now, it was about a foot away from his position.
¡°I¡¯m your helper! Unfortunately, my memory isn¡¯t that intact too, somehow.¡± the Voice started off strong, then started trailing off. ¡°I also don¡¯t know too much about this place at the moment, but I can assure you I can help¡¡±
The voice had a habit of appearing right in his mind, or right next to him. He wasn¡¯t sure how the creature was doing that, but it seemed trustworthy. Steve started feeling a bit warmer about now.
¡°I told you to move closer to this rock, because the sunlight falls more heavily in this area than your original place. It feels like sunlight is good for you, right?¡± the Voice asked hesitantly. It was unsure, by the tone of voice.
¡°I¡¯m feeling a lot better now, thank you,¡± Steve replied. It was the truth, he did feel a lot better than he did before. The red sun shining above his head were evidently causing this.
Wait.
A red sun? Steve turned his attention away from the slow moving bug and focused on the sky. It was blue, with a small red sun in the middle of it. Steve felt that this wasn¡¯t right, but he couldn¡¯t pinpoint his feeling exactly.
¡°Uhm¡ Steve?¡± the Voice said, seemingly recalling something. ¡°You might want to move away from that bug. I have a feeling it isn¡¯t friendly.¡±
Steve turned his focus back to the bug. He felt confusion.
¡°You mean this isn¡¯t you?¡± he asked as he stared at the bug, now even closer.
Then, the bug jumped him.
Chapter 2: An unexpected gift!
Far away, there were more existences that awoke at the same time.
They were almost the same as Steve, off by a little bit. Six more light beings, scattered around.
Six more Voices, accompanying them in their journeys.
These six could be described in one phrase.
Tabula Rasa.
Interestingly enough, they all awoke at the same time. Though after that one moment, their journeys began to vastly differ.
¡°This doesn¡¯t seem good?¡± Steve was hesitant about his new situation. ¡°Why is this happening to me?¡±
¡°Well, your body is slowly adjusting to the new climate.¡± the Voice helpfully answered. ¡°It¡¯s normal to feel a bit of fatigue at first, then recover your energy later.¡±
¡°That¡¯s well and all¡ but can you tell me why this bug is inside me?¡± Steve tried again. Steve couldn¡¯t exactly see inside of himself, as it was way too bright, but he could vaguely feel something inside of him.
¡°Ah¡ Oh! I remember now. This bug is one of the common insect types found in this place. I think it¡¯s called a Cockroach.¡± the Voice seemed happy about reclaiming some of its memory. ¡°I think it likes you!¡±
¡°I¡I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case.¡± Steve stated his opinion.
As of this moment, Steve began to feel warmer inside. It was a lot warmer than the sunlight, that¡¯s for sure. The feeling was extremely pleasant.
¡°Hold on, I¡¯m beginning to feel something inside. I feel¡ great!¡± Steve exclaimed. ¡°It must have something to do with this cockroach!¡±
There was no reply from the Voice this time. Steve felt that this was a bit odd, so he tried again in the form of a question.
¡°Does it have something to do with this cockroach inside of me?¡± Steve asked.
¡°Yes! I believe that it has something to do with energy. You are currently absorbing its energy, fueling yourself as a light being.¡± the Voice continued. ¡°Energy has many uses in this world!¡±
The feeling was getting warmer now. It was getting a bit too hot for Steve¡¯s liking. Steve also felt himself grow larger as his vision expanded a little.
¡°I feel too hot.¡± Steve stated. ¡°What should I do to fix this problem?¡±
This time the Voice was hesitant. It didn¡¯t remember, once again.
¡°Well¡ You could maybe try to expel the energy. But it really isn¡¯t a problem, Steve! Take this energy and use it to expand your energy pool a bit!¡± the Voice let it all out as it struggled to reclaim it¡¯s memory. ¡°Try it, Steve! Imagine your inner energy pool and use the energy inside of you to let loose a small Shock at that tree right there.¡±
Steve focused on the tree and tried moving his ¡®inner energy pool¡¯.
Nothing happened.
After a minute of trying to focus his energy, he got disheartened.
¡°Try visualizing it in your mind as a fog and imagine it turning into a small lightning bolt!¡± the Voice piped up.
Steve followed the Voice¡¯s directions. Suddenly, a lightning bolt arced out and hit the tree, making a small smoldering dent. Smoke immediately started rising up from the artificially created dent.
All of a sudden, Steve heard something drop from his being. He focused his attention on it and found out that it was the thin, long carcass of a cockroach. It looked smaller than before, but Steve wasn¡¯t all that sure. A small wave of exhaustion swept over Steve. His light had visibly thinned, signaling that he had used his energy properly.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
¡°So¡what should I do now?¡± It had been five minutes since he had shot the lightning bolt. Steve just sort of floated there silently with the Voice until he finally decided to ask.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not able to discuss that with you.¡± a quick reply from the Voice answered his question. ¡°There¡¯s a firm blockage of anything related to that kind of thing!¡±
Steve¡¯s thoughts were still in a jumble, as if there were something missing. He didn¡¯t have his memories and had trouble forming coherent thought.
By now, Steve had fully recovered from his earlier stupor and was going over the course of events from today, because those were the only memories that he had. He had been woken up twice and launched into a bizarre world of color.
He was a light being, something he had a nagging feeling about, and could shoot out lightning from his body. By now, the beginning smallish smoke had turned into a larger smoldering within the dent in the tree. He checked the countdown timer once more, just because he could. It read:
4 Days 23 Hours 3 Minutes 55 Seconds
Steve felt that this timer was important, so he decided to ask.
¡°What does this timer do?¡± Steve wondered out loud.
¡°This timer counts down the Initial Beginner moment!¡± the Voice happily said. Steve guessed that he had bored it again with the wait.
¡°Make sure you understand all your evolution choices and collect enough energy for the big moment!¡± it continued.
Steve thought about this and went over the listing once more in his head. He turned the mental page and read down the list.
Page 2:
| 11 | Beast-man |
| 12 | Vampire |
| 13 | Dragon |
| 14 | Orc |
| 15 | Dwarf |
The list went on and on.
¡°Does each evolution require different amounts of energy?¡± Steve directly asked the Voice again.
¡°Yes! Some evolutions are more powerful than others, so the base energy necessary for the change will be greater!¡± the Voice answered. ¡°I can list them out in terms of most to least energy required, if you would like!¡±
Steve agreed, and opened the newly rearranged list in his mind.
Now the list looked a bit different. It read:
| 1 | ??? |
| 2 | ??? |
| 3 | ??? |
| 4 | Dragon |
| 5 | Undead |
| 6 | Elf |
| 7 | Slime |
| 8 | Turtle |
| 9 | Goblin |
| 10 | Human |
¡°I can¡¯t read the first three choices,¡± Steve stated. ¡°What does it mean?¡±
As he asked this, the smoke from the tree grew even bigger as the tree started to catch flame. Steve and his Voice paid it no mind as they continued their conversation.
¡°I¡¯m not too sure either, but I think these three paths must be better than a dragon!¡± the Voice exclaimed.
¡°Interesting¡ well, I guess I can start focusing on gathering energy then.¡± Steve thought of something. ¡°By the way, what should I call you? I still don¡¯t know your name!¡±
A loud yell sounded, breaking the moment.
¡°I¡¯ve found it, it¡¯s over here!¡± another voice sounded out from behind the smoldering tree.
Chapter 3: Niti Village
Ash shouted out his finding to the rest of his group as he came up to the tree. He chanted a basic water spell to put out the small fire. The water, collected from the atmosphere, combined to put out the fire. He was just about to report back to his clansmen when he noticed a glowing spot of light behind the blue tree.
Ash couldn¡¯t help himself. He walked up the battered ground and found himself in the presence of a God.
It was at this unfortunate moment that the countdown hit:
4 Days 23 Hours 0 Minutes 0 Seconds.
After that trailed 4 more digits of varying importance.
Steve was hit with a sudden feeling.
Confidence flowed through him like a drug. It was like somebody had flipped a metaphorical switch in his mind and the whole of his light body felt amazing.
While Steve was taking in this new feeling, a boy nearby popped out of the woods and began to prostrate himself on the dirty forest ground.
Shortly after, a young girl and an older boy also came out of the forest and into the clearing. They gawked at Steve¡¯s form, and also began to kneel on the ground.
¡°Steve, we have visitors.¡± the Voice happily reminded him.
It had been a whole minute since the three children had arrived, and Steve was still basking in his newfound emotion.
¡°Hmm? It seems like my presence has attracted visitors!¡± Steve noticed the prostrating children. ¡°Arise, people.¡±
Steve only had an inkling of an idea pertaining to what he was saying, but it didn¡¯t matter. He felt wonderful.
The children looked at each other, then slowly rose. They kept their eyes on the floor, not daring to look at his godly form. Finally, the first child spoke.
¡°To which God are we finding our lowly selves in the presence of?¡± the child asked.
¡°My name is Steve!¡± Steve exclaimed. All this time, Steve still didn¡¯t know if his name really was Steve or not. There was no way to confirm at the moment, anyhow.
¡°Oh mighty God Steve, I, on the behalf of my village, beseech you to bless us with your presence!¡± the child continued with his request. ¡°Please come meet with our elder.¡±
The other two kids started looking around. They seemed a bit shocked at what they saw, and started whispering to each other. The older one looked especially shocked, to the point of widening eyes and an open mouth.
¡°I think we should take this opportunity, Steve.¡± the Voice sounded crafty this time, almost like it wanted something to stave off boredom. ¡°We could learn a lot from this village.¡±
¡°I will come with you!¡± Steve confidently stated. ¡°Lead the way, good peoples!¡±
It was at this moment the two children at the side stopped whispering. The older boy took a look at the surroundings once again. Then he looked right below where Steve was hovering.
¡°May I take one of Your elemental stones back to the village?¡± the older boy chanced.
The younger boy instantly shot a death-glare at him and started to plead to Steve.
¡°Please, he meant no offens¡ª¡°
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.¡°That¡¯s completely fine!¡± Steve magnanimously cut the younger boy off. ¡°You may even have two!¡±
At this point, Steve was completely overcome with his newfound feeling. He had absolutely no control over it. It gave him a rush whenever he applied his confidence to a situation. Steve was definitely feeling good.
The older boy immediately started collecting the two rocks he was allotted. He chose a red rock and a blue rock, both not too heavy for his abilities. The younger boy, not knowing what to do after the greater being deemed his words unnecessary, waited for the older boy to finish. He then started the conversation again.
¡°O mighty God Steve, please follow me.¡± the younger boy said, pointing and gesturing to the two kids around him. ¡°I am known as Ash, but you may call me whatever your esteemed being deems convenient. This is my younger sister Azra, and this is Lemoy, but we know him as Loop.¡±
Ash started walking towards the thicker part of the forest, away from the edge of the clearing. The two other children followed, one of them holding two rocks in his arms.
Steve took one last look at his starting point, took a metaphorical deep breath, and followed Ash.
They moved at a leisurely pace. Ash and Loop eventually took turns holding the red and blue rocks, since the rocks were quite heavy. The younger sister didn¡¯t speak a word yet, staring at the forest ground seemingly interested. Once in a while, she would sneak a peek at Steve, thinking he wouldn¡¯t notice.
Of course, Steve noticed.
After they completely got out of the forest clearing, Steve noticed that the trees and rocks took a different shade completely. The ordinary blue and multi-colored rocks changed to be green and grayish-white respectively. After a while of seeing this phenomenon, Steve reasoned that he was in a special place before, which caused the environment to change color. Steve once again checked the countdown. It read:
4 Days 22 Hours 40 Minutes 3 Seconds
He felt that there was something more to the countdown than met the eye, but he couldn¡¯t quite place the feeling.
The four beings walked and floated a few more minutes until they came to the edge of the forest that met a plain. The plain was filled with blue grass that grew to the childrens¡¯ waists. There was a small grey stone path that led somewhere, and Ash was currently standing on it with one red rock in both arms. He was sweating quite heavily, and looked like he was tired. Loop wasn¡¯t much better, as he tiredly walked forwards to meet Ash.
¡°Eh... I really thought it would be more fun than this!¡± the Voice complained. ¡°We¡¯ve been doing nothing but traveling across a rather drab forest.¡±
This confirmed Steve¡¯s thoughts. The Voice in his head was a bored Voice, through and through.
¡°Just up ahead is our very own Niti Village!¡± Ash exclaimed. ¡°We are but a simple farming village.¡±
Steve decided to float far above the somewhat neatly trimmed blue grass stalks. He found a rather large, simple looking village. It had buildings and strange creatures, along with people that looked just like the children he was currently with. Only, these people seemed to be having some sort of gathering.
The group walked a little bit more, and arrived to the village entrance. There was a brown pole with a somewhat larger block of brown on top. On it were strange characters Steve didn¡¯t recognize. As they walked further up, Steve noticed something.
All of the older people there were wearing dark pointed hats.
Official Launch of BoL:Evolution
Hey guys, long time no see!
Ball of Light: Evolution is now available on Amazon here:
US: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B07VRK3N2M UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07VRK3N2M
CA: http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07VRK3N2M DE: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B07VRK3N2MReading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07VRK3N2M
Blaise''s Official Site:
http://blaise-corvin.com/ball-of-light-evolution-is-live/
It''s been a long journey, and I thank each and everyone of you for sharing it with me. Quick shoutout to Blaise Corvin who pretty much carried me to the finish line!
Some of you are already asking about when book 2 is launching. I don''t have a great answer to that, but I believe late 2020 should be a safe estimate.
I tend to stay off social media, but if anyone wants to find me you can DM me here at https://www.facebook.com/ARCHENWRITING
Sorry for the long wait guys!
Thanks!
Vambient