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Chapter 1: Head Empty, Will Build Instead
🕑 Added 2025-01-07 21:59:22 +0000 UTCSynopsis: A man from another world is placed inside the body of an engine of calamity and decides he would really rather just build some cool cities. Naturally this goes poorly for everyone involved.
Alexander POV
Oi past me, why the actual fuck would you complete that shady CYOA?!
Sure, in my defence, nobody sane would expect some random email to kidnap me across dimensions. On the other hand I wasn’t going to blame whatever managed to place me here because I would prefer to not be messed with any further.
Thus, by the will of some unknowable but likely bored entity, I was forced to leave my world and body behind.
Yes my body was left behind, or at least I assume it was because as I shudder and look around I can immediately tell my physical form had changed. Smooth blue crystalline hands stretch out in front of me, and not just the usual two hands. By my count I now had six delicate looking arms hanging serenely in the air.
Why the fuck did I choose to become an Endbringer?
Let’s see, what else is there…seems like I have a fairly normal face, though my hair is unusually long. Feet, I’ve got them. Boobs are there, surprisingly firm feeling.
I do a double take, I have fucking boobs? That cross-dimensional prick made me a girl?
I…I’ll just try to ignore it. I’m not actually a girl, just a hyperdense kaiju of death and destruction. Focus on that instead. I try, but all I feel is an ugly bubbling feeling in my chest that I quickly identify as hatred.
One of my many hands twitches and surges downward to break through the rock at my feet, dragging silt, sand and granite up by my fingers with surprising ease. I stare for a moment as the situation fully hits me, my hate fading slightly.
I’m a fucking Endbringer. In fucking Worm.
The sand and rock languidly drifts around me moved by underwater currents and I idly watch them float away, my mind still feeling like I was a million miles away.
Worm was a pretty shit setting. It focused on a particularly delusional teenager in a world of somehow even dumber people who were given superpowers by a pair of godlike aliens who possessed the creativity of a rock. Was it a fun place to read about? Sure. Was it fun to actually be a part of? Nope.
It was one of those grimdark super gritty stories that took itself a bit too seriously and made sure that there was very little hope afforded to anyone. It had a giant telepathic space pigeon who can mind rape you and see the future in order to mind rape you even more. It had a super-secret illuminati who somehow made Cerberus seem competent and dozens of potential threats to the world, and this wasn’t even counting the depressed golden alien who could wipe out trillions of versions of Earth if he ever felt like it.
I am an Endbringer with the power to alter matter and build various forms of technology which is capped at a planetary level of development. In many other settings I would be unstoppable, but here?
I was screwed.
I closed my eyes and sat upon a protruding piece of cement. I tried to place my head in my hands, only to let out a sad aborted chuckle as far too many hands met my face.
I needed time. I needed to think.
Thankfully it was just myself and the fishes down here, so I had plenty of time.
-Next Day-
I felt drained, but surprisingly light, as I surveyed my current abode. I had spent the night crying, praying, planning and oftentimes some mixture of the three.
It was kinda sad, best not to dwell on it.
My search had lead me across many buildings, most were made of concrete and wouldn’t look out of place in any random city you could find across the world. It was the rest that gave me pause. Rotten wooden structures with tiled roofs, gaping holes where sliding doors used to be present. A broken and decaying Torii gate confirmed my suspicions.
This was Kyushu.
A part of Japan that had been sunk by Leviathan, turning a once prosperous first world nation into a third world hellhole. Worm didn’t go into too much detail about what happened to Japan, but I could guess.
A part of me itched, there was a need that I couldn’t quite explain. My hands reached for something that wasn’t there, as I stared at the broken gate.
There was something viscerally disgusting about the sight. This was once a city that had once held millions of people, it possessed works of culture and art that people had taken pride in. Now it was left discarded at the bottom of the ocean.
Like trash.
Why did that bother me so much? In a few short years the entire world would be like this, broken and destroyed. It felt childish to be so heartbroken over something so small. And yet…
It him me like a flash of lightning and I laughed. I wanted to take it back. I wanted to rebuild this city and drag it back out of the waves. Leave it to be retaken by humanity, for laughter and art and life to once more return to this silent grave.
The sound of my laughter echoed unnaturally across the drowned city, as I clutched my form with my many hands. What a stupid thing to want! I should be preparing, building weapons for the final day. Instead I wanted to build a city!
I hadn’t changed my mind on my chances, I was going to die. There were no ifs or buts about it to me. So why the hell not?
I reached towards the burning star eagerly awaiting in my head, promising endless potential if I only asked.
‘Give me something to fix this’, I almost pleaded with my power, ‘something that can set this all right’.
The orb flickered and pulsed, seeming almost thoughtful for a second, before blooming like a lotus in my head. Woodworking, carpentry, art philosophy and more all burst into my head like a dam that had finally been let loose. I took it all in with an ease that surprised me, my crystalline brain holding the knowledge with a clarity that would be impossible for the me of before.
SilkPunk Level 1 – A mesh of magic and technology with an aesthetic that mirrors East Asia. It is a mesh of both technology and poetry where art has meaning beyond simply beauty.
It was merely the first level, there was no magic to be had. It had given me a grounding and understanding of the various arts and cultures of East Asia. Now, as I looked around, I could pick out which buildings were made in the Giyofu style, which were in the Daibutsuyo style and I could even see a single building with hallmarks of the Shinden style so beloved in the Heian era.
This amount of knowledge was, at the very least, the equivalent of a year or two studying in university. I looked around the warped remains of the city, wood and concrete jutting upwards like some macabre ribcage.
Yeah, this alone wasn’t going to cut it.
I willed my second power to pulse outwards, water molecules evaporating before being separated into hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The sound of the ocean being torn into gaseous form hit like a sledgehammer, the molecules screeched as they were torn apart and the many voids left behind were eagerly filled with a sharp crack. I grunted as I enforced my will onto the surrounding sea, ensuring that the looming ocean above was fixed in place. To my relief I couldn’t feel even a single ripple grace the surface in spite of my actions.
It was hard. I could maintain this for quite a while, but I got the distinct impression that this was not what my matter manipulation was for. It was like using a multitool as a hammer, a graceful precise instrument being used to brute force my designs.
The many rotten and decaying houses groaned in protest as the weight of gravity took them into it’s merciless hold, several of them fully collapsing without the buoyancy of the ocean. Fish fell to the wet floor, splashing about in protest of their sudden removal from the water.
Whoops.
I stared blankly at the fishes for a moment before facepalming. Depositing the sea life back into the ocean was a trivially easy thing to do with my powers, and I couldn’t stop a laugh out of the incredulity of the situation.
“This is so fucking stupid” I chuckle to myself, before pausing at the velvety voice that had come from my lips.
My work with the fish ceased for a fraction of a second before continuing.
Don’t think about it Alex.
Just try to ignore it.
A frail smile spreads across my lips as pieces of rock flew into my hand, their forms twisting and morphing into a variety of woodworking tools. I stepped forwards, my hands grasping at a wooden door.
A little bit of work sounds perfect right about now.
-12 Hours Later-
“Okay, there has to be a faster way of doing this” I mutter, no longer surprised at the sound of my voice.
The house in front of me was once again standing proudly, the wooden walls a rich light brown and the floors still sparkling clean after I had gone over it. There was a small garden present, the seaweed did detract a bit from the vibe but I didn’t exactly have grass to work with at the bottom of the ocean.
It was an impressive building to be sure, the problem is that it was all I had managed to do.
I looked to the side, an endless pile of rock and wood jutted up irregularly, the view stretching on well beyond my physical sight.
“I feel like I should have planned this out a bit more”
-1 Hour Later-
So, to the surprise of no one but myself, it turns out I was being a bit of an idiot.
Because who in their right mind would spend way too many hours fixing a building by hand when they had fucking Matter Manipulation!
Me, apparently!
I sighed as the once lifeless land surged, behaving like a living being as wood fused together and stone was remoulded into thousands upon thousands of bricks. My hair whipped around my face from the wind of so much material being moved around so quickly.
As I had guessed earlier, and then promptly forgot like a moron, my Matter Manipulation seems well suited to doing many small tasks at once. My mind effortlessly catalogues each individual substance flying through the air, propelled by invisible strings of will and shard bullshit.
The work was proceeding faster now, by my estimate I was completing a hundred buildings every ten minutes. This waxed and waned depending on the type of housing in each individual area, as some were more complicated to build.
A burning mote appeared in my mind, and I almost missed a step from the sheer suddenness of the feeling. It was my tinker power, appearing once more to offer new secrets to me.
I paused to consider my choices. On one hand I could continue down the path of SilkPunk, deepening my understanding and likely gaining magic, which was always a plus in my book. On the other hand I could begin down another path and learn the foundation of another tech tree.
I looked around and grimaced as I took in the work of the previous hour. Many of the more modern buildings had been left incomplete, not because I didn’t want to complete them but because I simply couldn’t.
Electricity, heating, sewer systems, roads and many other things were needed for a proper city to function.
I was a skilled woodworker who was knowledgeable in the culture and arts of East Asia, none of that knowledge would help me build those vital functions. Even if further improving SilkPunk did give me a solution to those problems, would any future residents be able to properly understand how it functioned? The higher end of my only specialisation involved magic that relied upon complex poetic language.
Versatile? Sure.
Intuitive? Not really.
There was only one choice.
SolarPunk Level 1- A technology based focused on sustainable energy sources and living in harmony with nature. It is a vision of a future that encourages community, independence and ingenuity.
I had considered choosing TeslaPunk, but SolarPunk fit in a way the other tech tree simply couldn’t match. I marvelled at the data flowing into my mind. Solar panels that could outcompete any currently on the market, biodegradable plastics that were stronger and cheaper to make, machines that could encourage the growth of plants in the surrounding area and so much more.
There was a lurch in the material flowing around me as copper, silicon, aluminium and other substances rushed to fill in the empty gaps left behind, the scintillating weaving of metal and concrete came to form a modern looking apartment building. It was quickly joined by a dozen more buildings as I sedately walked through what used to be a residential area.
I grinned, at this rate it would only take me another day or so to completely rebuild this city.
I paused.
Did Kyushu have more than one city? It probably did right? Ugh I may enjoy building but there’s a limit even for me.
I’ll complete this city and see where I go from there.
-2 Days Later-
Mom, your son has become a workaholic hermit. Please send help.
I had completed the city only 18 or so hours after obtaining SolarPunk technology, but then…
SolarPunk Level 2- A technology based focused on sustainable energy sources and living in harmony with nature. It is a vision of a future that encourages community, independence and ingenuity. The user is now more knowledgeable of the intricacies of this technology and is able to craft larger and more powerful pieces of technology capable of effecting entire cities.
My gaze was dominated by a verdant green landscape, genetically engineered lichen grew from every concrete building, trailing down and producing vibrant patterns that bloomed with many coloured flowers. Trees dotted the landscape, the leaves glowing a bioluminescent green and bringing light to this underwater haven for the first time in years.
Oh yeah, apparently I can see in the dark and hadn’t noticed until I made those. It was a pretty neat discovery.
Solar panels were present on every roof, eager to provide power to the homes they rested upon, all while windmills towered over even the highest buildings. Those white and green lumbering forms seemed ungainly, but I knew that the blades of the structure could move silently even under the strongest of winds.
Everything was done, all that was left to do was to raise this island from the sea floor.
I grimaced, I knew that things would get complicated then. The PRT, CUI, the Japanese and every other organisation worth mentioning would take note of this. Would possibly take note of me.
I didn’t allow myself to wallow in those thoughts, I had done enough of that on the first day here. If they had a problem with me even after bringing back an entire landmass from a watery grave with a fully functioning city to boot then that was on them. I wasn’t going to be held back by anything.
My power rocketed outwards, taking ahold of the ground underneath me as I fed that mass earth and sand from the surrounding area. The ground quaked, the buildings shook and waved from the vibrations, but I had built them too well for any of them too collapse and any small amounts of damage that could come from this would be easily fixed.
I could feel the water above my bubble churning as we ascended, I was no longer trying to hide what was happening. Small rafts of wood on the surface shifted and tried to sail away, my power held them in place. I wanted an audience, and I couldn’t have that if they behaved like disturbed insects.
My mouth split open into a wide grin.
Time to make an entrance!
-On the Surface-
Chiaki Second Person POV
His hands ached as he rowed forwards desperately, thin lines of blood dripping down the oars of his boat from how tightly he was gripping them
No no no no no! This couldn’t be happening!
He kept rowing, but he wasn’t moving. he screamed, the noise echoing uselessly against the muddy brown water that surrounded him.
It couldn’t be back! It just couldn’t! Endbringers aren’t supposed to attack the same place twice!
As if in mockery to his thoughts the water was whipped into an even further frenzy, his hair clung to his face as he felt the icy touch of fear seep into his spine. He shuddered, finally closing his eyes from the horror that would no doubt emerge from the depths.
“Why couldn’t you just leave us alone? Why?” he screamed, huddled into his raft. His knees reached up to his face, uselessly trying to drown out the sounds of rushing water.
He lamented. He should have listened, there was never any fish out here anyway! They had all left when Leviathan drowned Kyushu.
His hands curled against His painfully protruding ribs and he held back a sob of agony.
he was going to die. he was going to drown here, pointlessly and that beast will go and do to the same thing to everyone else.
He cowered in his boat. What else was there to do?
Time passed as the sea raged on, the sound intensifying every second until it was a hoarse roar in his ears. Then, mercifully, the sound began to recede, slowly at first but then quicker with every second until all was silent.
He didn’t look, he didn’t dare to, in fear of the monster finding him.
A dull clack of wood upon stone met his ears, startling him from the sudden noise, before his boat began to Tilt. An undignified shout left the man’s lips as he stumbled onto wet floor that definitely shouldn’t be there.
Chiaki groaned, dazed and prone as he tried to get my bearings. His calloused hands grasped onto the wooden frame of his boat as he tried to get up, his eyes blurry from tears and sea water. The man blinked and rubbed his face with the sleeve of his ratty coat, only succeeding in adding more water to his face and sputtering
Despite this his eyes eventually cleared, and he could only stand dumbstruck at what he saw.
It was a city. An entire city had just…Appeared out of nowhere and it was like no city the man had ever seen before.
Green, that was the first thing he noticed upon opening his eyes. Green was everywhere, there were trees on the roofs of buildings, grass grew right next to roads and vines hung precariously on the side of buildings.
And what buildings they were. Uniform, clean and beautiful were all he could think as he stared at them, nothing like the dilapidated shacks that he and his family had been forced to live in after they had fled their home from the second Endbringer.
The air was sweet, an earthy floral smell that danced upon his tongue as he breathed.
It was serene. It was such a juxtaposition from the last twenty minutes that he could only stare in wonder. The only movement in his eyes was the soft swaying of trees and the clean spin of windmills that moved silently in the distance.
And then he saw a flash of blue and his breathing stopped.
It looked like a woman, but no woman was that large. Arms radiated out from the figure like petals from a flower. It was walking, and not too fast either. The blue face was fixed in a calm smile and her eyes were closed. He watched as the figure advanced towards a pier, the wood under her feet somehow not giving way.
The figure paused and seemed to take notice of him for the first time as she turned and looked at him.
His breath immediately picked back up, quick and short as his heart hammered in his chest. His feet remained rooted to the ground, leaden in spite of his attempts to run.
He could only whimper softly, feeling with absolute surety that death had come for him.
Instead the woman simply waved one of her many arms and smiled slightly wider as she turned back towards the ocean. A few more steps led he to the edge of the pier before she gently hopped into the water, her form quickly disappearing into the strangely clear water.
The man blinked.
“What the fu-
-Under the Sea-
Alexander POV
Nailed it.
AN: Okay here is the first chapter of (End)Bringing You A New Home! I will post a build of the exact powers the MC has later, but it should be pretty apparent what he can do. Thank you for reading, please give me lots of comments!
