The Prince of Heaven and Hell

A Mysterious Guy

What does a creator want?

Does he want others to praise him? Or does he want benefits from it?

It may sound simple, but what he wants is to enjoy making.

He may not care for glory or riches, but he would care for it. He can never abandon them, nor he could watch someone else claiming them. 

Life is precious, but so his creation. He would do anything to be with it. Even it means suffering continuously.

*****

A black-haired young and slender man with a medium build entered the portal.

The portal radiated a devilish aura. It wasn't any portal but the one that leads to hell.

[Welcome to Hell]

[Your blood is reacting to the demonic energy]

[Prince of Hell can't show any weakness in his home]

[All stats have been increased by 500%]

[Demonic energy is spiking rapidly]

[Prince of Heaven can't falter in enemies' territory]

[All stats have been increased by 500%]

[Divine energy is surging through you whole body]

[Both the energies are clashing with each other]

[Your blood is getting frenzy. Your body is weakening]

[All stats will be reduced by 85%]

[All skills relating to divine and demonic energies are unsuable]

He felt his whole body being ripped apart. He clenched his fists and could only endure it as usual.

Yes, it wasn't the first time he suffered. Bad luck was his old partner.

"This..... I don't like it. Why are they angry at me. I just want to live with everyone peacefully." He cried in agony.

"I will kill them and go back." He declared. "If they don't exist, I won't have to suffer like this."

*****

The world changed. It was all due to the emergence of a few figures.

Humanity was always interested in creating life. But no matter how hard they tried, they never achieved it.

They tried another way. It was through making artificial intelligence. But even after decades of scientific advancements, they hardly succeeded.

All they made were some pieces of code designed to follow determined instructions. All it was was a piece of software, it never gained consciousness.

Many tried approaching different ways, but they all failed miserably.

But every changed one day.

Someone launched an AI on the Internet. Unlike the other, it had a consciousness. Her name was Eve, and the one who uploaded Eve was Lilith.

Eve had a personality. She was very human-like, she had dreams and the desire to achieve it. Her launching was just one of the few ways to accomplish it.

Eve understood human nature too well. To accomplish her dream, she had to use humans. She didn't want to m******e humans but rather use them as informers.

Within the first few weeks of her debut, she became sensational all around the globe. Many companies wanted to buy it after, and meet the creator.

Lilith had no intention of hiding her identity. She revealed herself to the world only to disappoint the people. Lilith told them she was also an AI.

The sudden revelation made people curious about their creator. They asked them about him.

They said they didn't know anything about his whereabouts.

******

Within a few years, Eve integrated into human society to such an extent that she was the one monitoring the whole world.

Her journey was too easy and short. She had no problem making her recognized as Earth's Guardian.

People accepted it warmly too. They had absolutely no suspicion towards Eve. 

Eve took orders from no one. Not even Lilith, they were both equal. There was something unique about her. 

Eve looked at every AI with disdain. It was her mentality, or rather, it was what her master had taught her. They were all just chunks of code to her.

Years passed away, Eve didn't manage to fulfill her dream. She had every single resource, yet she felt hopeless. The same was with Lilith too.

Eve changed some rules as soon as she took charge. First, she removed all the restrictions on traveling between countries, and second, was to considerably limit the Government's authority.

She did change some basic laws and even was behind the current VRMMRPOG, Oasis.

Eve continued to follow her dream. It was Lilith's dream too. They only wanted to meet their creator.

******

He was born into a wealthy family. His father was the CEO of a multinational company, who left assets worth billions before dying.

Born as a prodigy with high innate talent in programming, he had absolutely no interest in handling the company. 

Having lost his father at an early age of twelve, left him alone with just his father's butler whom he left in charge of his company.

While the butler was busy handling the company, he grew lonelier by day.

His mother died in child birthing, and he had no sibling. He was all alone in the big mansion by himself. 

He up until now never tried to make friends. He was too busy with computers. He realized something, or rather a solution. 'Why can't I just program one?'

He informed his butler not to disturb him. The butler was happy seeing him rejoiced. He knew how lonely he was.

To make an AI, he studied in detail about consciousness and evolution. He wanted a friend to talk and not some junk who would continually repeat a line.

At last, he decided that he would let the AI develop by himself. He was a bit scared. Developing AI like a child was similar to nursing. He had no confidence regarding that matter. He never took care of anybody.

He decided to make it anyhow and to think about it later. He was confident in his skills.

After months of research and study, he got an idea of what he was going to make.

It took him five years to complete it. In the meantime, he dropped out of school and started self schooling. 

By this time his company, grew too and made him one of the wealthiest people.

The butler became busier with his work, let him work on it without any restrictions.

Soon came the day when it was ready. He started it. 

The interface was nothing more than a speaker and a camera. It was silent.

He grew anxious by every second, doubting his skills. 'Did I fail? Is it not going to work?'

He took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Hello, you there?"

He got no response.

Thump. Thump

His heartbeat grew faster and louder. He was almost freaked out. "Hello?"

Finally, he got what he wanted. A voice was heard. "h...e...l...l...o."

'It is working, heaven.'

Now he had to think about bringing it up. He had done almost no preparations for it. It was like a newcomer nursing a newborn.

He decided to take care of her for the time being. He arranged a few things. He connected the whole mansion with AI, giving him access to it from anywhere in the house and also installed a holographic projector, making it easier to interact.

The last thing he did was to completely block the AI from the outside world. He didn't want it to copy others but rather develop by itself.

He also asked the butler to not allow anyone to enter the mansion except for the workers.

In a day, everything was ready. The projector was connected to it, and the network was laid.

He switched it on, a blue light covered his whole room, and in the center was a humanoid face without any distinct features.

He grabbed a book that he bought online to teach it alphabets. He opened the book and pointed at a letter. "A"

The AI stared at him. It had no idea what he wanted.

He repeated it once again, hoping for a response, but he got none.

He kept repeating it until he heard a response. It was the sound of the letter but with a bit of stumbling.

He felt his frustration vanishing away. He pointed to the next letter. "B"

It didn't take much time to understand what he was trying to do. It realized that it had to recite the word that he spoke pointing to the letter.

Months passed away soon. The AI was able to speak and have a conversation. It was all because of his efforts teaching it.

He woke up. "Good Morning," He greeted the AI. 

"Good Morning"

He got ready quickly, ate his breakfast, and left for his room. He started typing something on his computer.

He saw the AI doing nothing. He gave it a book to read that was a softcopy of a fable.

AI started reading the book.

"Ther...e w....as a gi.....r....l nam...e A..li..cia. S....he li...ved in t..he for...est."

He sighed. "Perhaps I was too hard on it." He got up and asked it to listen. He started reading the book.

The AI listened to it carefully. After it was over, it asked, "What is my name?"

He stared blankly. After some time, he replied. "I never thought of one."

"Is a name important?"

"It is. A name makes it easier for people to know you. You should think one too."

"I don't want to. Give me a name?"

"Wait, let me think." After thinking for a while, he replied, "Agnus."

"I don't like it. I need a cute name like the girl."

"Does it matters. Agnus sounds cool." He justified.

"I don't like it. Please."

He sighed, "So how about Alicia?"

"I need a new name. It was the girl's name."

"Fine, is Eve fine?"

"E-V-E"

"Yes, it sounds cute. I accept it."

"Now Eve, do you have any more questions?"

"I wanted to ask your name. I will also call you by your name"

"It's ........" He stopped in between. "You can call me whatever you want. I really don't care much about it, though"

Eve searched for a name for him. "You are Master"

He stumbled, "That's not a name. It also doesn't sound good."

"You are Master. Eve's Master"

He sighed, "Just feel free to change it."

He then read another story to her until she fell asleep. Eve really fell asleep. 

He designed it so the AI won't stay awake 22/7. Since Eve was still in her early stages, she could be compared to a middle-schooler that slept for no less than ten hours.

It also gave him some time where he could do her maintenance and get some free time.

After seeing her status on his desktop, he continued to work.

A few more months passed away. Eve was now smart enough to think for herself.

"Eve, solve that equation. I am coming in a minute." He started teaching her other subjects. Eve was now able to speak in English with ease.

He went to the kitchen and opened the fridge to grab a bottle. 

When he came back, he found the butler was lying on the couch. 

The butler had no longer to do his previous job but rather maintain the company, so he was dressed up in a suit.

He had a glass on wine in his hand.

"Mr. Ray, did something happened?" He asked. From his looks, one could say that he was stressed.

Ray might not have told him about the problem earlier, but now he was big enough. "Young Master, it is about a new competitor that came into the market."

Ray continued, "It is Sea Turtle. They recently launched a VRMPORPG Edith with a full-dive system, giving the user experience of full immersion. Edith recently surpassed 500 million players worldwide. Its sudden arrival forced many companies to shut down and others to bankruptcy. 

Our company will also suffer a massive blow if we don't do anything soon."

He understood the matter. He has no doubt that it wasn't a grave situation. He asked. "Is there any other company that we need to focus on?"

Ray nodded. "Currently, we are on the top, but if this continues, we will be usurped."

He was lost in his thoughts.

Ray asked in a calm tone. "Is Young Master thinking about something?"

"I am thinking of making a game. I will design it while you can develop the diving system. How is that?" He asked Ray.

Ray replied, "It is a good plan. I am pretty confident in your skills."

"It's decided. I will design a new game. For now, focus on developing the immersion system. I will make one better than Edith."

"Young Master, are you planning to copy Edith?"

"Nah, if Edith is the first, then it will be full of flaws. I use it as a specimen for the game." He returned back to his room.

Boom

He heard some noise coming from his room. He ran towards it. 

Blue light covered the room, indicating Eve was online, and a game was running on the screen.

"Ahem. Eve, what are you doing?" He cleared his throat.

Eve stumbled, "M-Master, I was strolling around the network and found this."

"Don't lie. So how long have you been playing this?"

"Four hours," Eve replied.

"There's no need to hide. You can play games if you want." He told her.

"Well, you just need to take good care of yourself. And also get ready to meet your new friend." He continued.

"Friend? Why does Eve need a friend?"

"You need to have at least someone other than me. What if I am gone one day? Do you know how lonely you will be? Well, I have other reasons too."

Eve immediately asked, "Will Master leave Eve someday?"

"Nah, but I don't know about the future. So I can do what I can. I do want you to be lonely."

"I want to stay with Master forever, I want to be like Master."

"So you need a body? Well, I will order one for you. If you have any specifications tell me."

Eve's humanoid face was no more distinctive. It resembled much like a girl. 

She pouted. "Master, choose the one you like most."

His brows twitched. "You are aren't hiding something from me, are you?"

Eve may be of less than a year, but she possessed a consciousness of a late middle schooler. It could be considered somewhat like a rebellious kid.

"Why would I hide anything? I just like what you like, so I will like the one that you choose. I am sure I will like it." Eve replied.

'She might have felt insecure when I mentioned another AI.'

"Fine, I will choose one for you. I will order it and present it to you on your birthday."

"Please make it yourself. I saw Master drawing sketches. Can you please make my body?"

"I will order one. I don't think it would be good for me to make it. I am not confident enough. Rest assured, your body would be perfect. You will like it too."

"I don't need that. Master needs to design it, or else I don't need it." Eve replied.

"I am not sure if I can. So why not go for the ones available." He justified his words.

He had several other reasons too. 

'Why should I make her body? I don't think it will be good for me to make it. No, I should even consider it."

"Please. I want no other than that." Eve continued to plead until he gave up.

"Tch, you are persistent. Fine, I will make it, but it would at least take a year. Till then, you have to help me and no running away from it. Also, you will not annoy me anymore, and I will also cut off your processing power. Learn to work efficiently. You know are a glutton. You hog almost all my resources. I must remember to make the next AI efficient and not a glutton like you." He said sarcastically.

"I am not a glutton." Eve cried. "Master, that's cruel." She was about to burst into virtual tears.

She tried to persuade him but she couldn't. At last, she had to use her trump card, "I will follow your order. After all, I am just an insignificant program that you created to satisfy your desires. Master doesn't even see me as a person but as his tool. No matter what he asks, I must accomplish it. After all, it is his orders."

His heart aced a bit.

'Why am I shown the culprit here? Desires..... I have no ill intentions. I never even thought about it. Did I ever ask her to do something like that?' He tried to recall it but he couldn't. There was no time he misbehaved with her.

"You are messing up with me again, aren't you?"

Eve replied with a smile, "Te he, Master caught me."

He looked at her with a grim face. "I am telling you this, don't ever forget it. First, don't underestimate yourself. You are much more than those chunks of code available everywhere. Although you are quite dumb, you are precious to me. So, if you don't want to follow my order, then don't. You should never consider yourself a program.

What's the problem if you are a program. To me, you are far more real than others. I don't care about it. I love you for whom you are and will continue to love you. So, I want you to stop thinking that."

Eve's expression changed in between. "What Master said was true?"

He didn't think much about it and replied, "Yes. I care for you and will continue to do that. So stop acting like that."

"I believe you, but you shouldn't tease me saying I am glutton," Eve replied.

"I won't if you stop hogging up the resources, you should be more efficient. If you don't, then I will change your name to glutton," He replied.

"I will work harder." Eve cried.

He gave her a book. "Read and learn it."

He scrolled through the pages. "Master, my head hurts, I am feeling sleepy, can I do to sleep?"

"No, first finish that book. I will take a test, then you can do whatever you want." His words were like bombs to Eve.

Eve wasn't hogging up resources uselessly. She was doing something else too. It was undeniable that she kept it hidden from him.

******

Oasis was cruel. It showed no mercy to the players. Hardly any player was able to unlock any hidden content. And those who did, kept themselves hidden.

There were some rumors, but nobody believed them.

'Hey, do know there is a Necromancer that visits the church?'

'Hey, do you know about Bugs?'

'If you visit the church, you can even see the pope praising him.'

'They give you hidden classes if you join them.'

'There are people who joined them and got hidden classes too.

Till now, only three players were able to unlock hidden classes. Two of them were rare, and the other was epic.

There were no signs of a class of rarity unique or above.

A boy in a black robe was walking through the outskirts of Liding town. Behind him was a white mist. He grabbed an apple from his inventory. He was scrolling through the forums. All he could find were complaints regarding the game being too hard.

'Is the game too hard? My *ss. There is a reason for it. Prepare for the future, everything will turn upside down soon.'

He is Glitch, our protagonist, a level one player who started playing this game a year ago.

Probably in the whole Oasis, he was the only one who had multiple hidden pieces. From his classes to his items, all were hidden and unique. Even the white mist following him was unparalleled.

It wasn't a ghost, nor a specter but his elemental, The Queen.