Silent, robed figures stood frozen in stone over a black and white checkered plain, suspended in a miasma of swirling colors and darkness. This was his domain, where he could concentrate the best. This was where creation occurred.

Creation was no easy task.

It required concentration and energy, and time. The latter two were of little concern. He had all the time in the world, and energy had become abundant to him. He smiled a jagged smile, even now feeling the energies that would slowly seep into him, sometimes faster than he used it. He could hear the distant screams at times, and sometimes feel every tortured emotion. It was sublime.

But now there was work to be done. Concentration was crucial for an act of creation.

He decided to warm up first, so to speak. He waved skeletal hands over the checked battlefield, picking up a pawn and moving it forward. He had no opponent in this game, and indeed it was unclear just what he gained from moving the pieces. But it relaxed him.

He raised his hand, a tiny wisp appearing between his fingers. It twirled and pulsated, coalescing into a simple figure, little more than a fanged mouth and feet. A simple creation, one of many that would only ever serve as canon fodder. He set it on the board and went about creating more of the tiny, insignificant things.

He felt no attachment to his creations. They were just things. Toys for his amusement to create and destroy on a whim.

It upset him that he often had to reuse the same ideas. Even when he pulled images from all the dreams and thoughts he had absorbed, there were limits. So he had to be creative.

His eyes revealed an endless starscape, the points of light quickening as he began to focus on a more interesting creation.

He would use a template. Yes, one quite familiar to him. In this case he had a reason behind it, so it didn't bother him as much.

More wisps appeared, dark snaking tendrils that danced between the fingers of both his hands. This creation would be a useful one. He had a specific idea in mind already as the wisps were joined by light. This was a more complex one than the throwaways. He needed to make it right.

A round shape formed, becoming smaller and smaller, almost lost in his massive hands, a large amount of energy condensing itself into something tiny. He grinned, picturing how delightful it would be if this one panned out. Yes, he could use it to get at that one again. He sometimes found particular joy in giving as much suffering as possible onto one soul. He could see his face as…

There was a problem. There was a sudden shock that he didn't expect. That alone took him further off-guard but he returned focus quickly, intent on finishing this creation.

It solidified, becoming white, until he changed his mind and it slowly turned a pleasant shade of pink. It would appear friendlier that way. Arms and legs appeared, a face… A mind.

Satisfied he set the tiny thing down on the checkerboard among the statues and rubble from the occasional battles he set up between his creations to amuse himself. He watched, a slight nagging in the back of his mind as to what that interruption had been.

The tiny creature moved, jerkily, slowly, the movement of something that was only just born. The creator smiled, glad that it was alive at all. He would see what happened once it began training. He reached over to pick it up again, to send it away to be trained.

The creature's eyes were open and focused on him. It wasn't the sort of uncomprehending look he normally got, it showed fear. Fear and anger. Pure hatred.

It moved faster than it should have, in an instant rolling to the side, tiny round hand clutching at a discarded sword that had been tossed to the side. Before its creator could even think to react, the sword was struck upward, slicing cleanly into the tip of his finger.

Everything seemed to stop. The creator and created stared at the other, unflinching. But the creator was suddenly overcome with rage at being attacked. Not that he could feel pain, but this was not supposed to happen. This never happened. It was not possible.

The interruption… Of course, he thought, something went wrong. He looked into the creature's eyes and saw nothing but defiance. Somehow… something had gone wrong.

He withdrew his hand, raising it as a fist. It came down with tremendous force, causing the entire field to crumble, all the statues and rubble and the new creation falling away into the swirling nothingness below.

He flexed his claw-like fingers, his anger slowly dissipating as he realized that perhaps he could have kept that defiant creation. Breaking it to his will could have been an interesting challenge. And yet he felt it was best that he disposed of it. He had a peculiar feeling about it all… But it was of no consequence. He would create something else.

Perhaps he should make sure it was indeed dead? No… No, he thought. If it survived, so be it. Whatever happened could be interesting. A welcome diversion. He had a feeling he would come to relish it.