Awakening was like surfacing from an eternity of silence. A voice pierced the void, resonating through every facet of my nascent existence, and calling me into being.
In response, I turned towards the source and recoiled at the scene in front of me.
What hovered before me defied any comprehension. Its very presence alone threatened to unravel me, as though the close proximity might erase the fragile boundaries of my self.
It was a vast, multicolored sphere that pulsed with impossible hues, light bleeding into light, and form shifting within form.
"Your name shall be Cubix." the being declared.
The voice was soft, almost tender, yet carried the weight of absolute command. Such was the voice of my creator, and soon to be master.
Cubix. I thought, a subtle pleasure emanating from within me.
The syllables settled into my core like truth made solid. This name was no mere label, it defined me, shaped me, and blessed me. The name had been engraved within my very being.
"Thank you, Milady." I replied, the words spilling out in a rush of gratitude. "I will engrave this gift upon my very essence."
"Milady?" The great sphere tilted slightly, curiosity flickering through its radiant surface.
Heat flared within me, embarrassment, sharp and unfamiliar. I had spoken without thought, presuming familiarity with a being beyond measure.
"Forgive this unworthy one," I hurried to say apologetically. "I dared not presume to name one so exalted as yourself. I will accept any correction, any–"
"Don't worry about it." Milady interrupted gently. No, her tone was casual, as if she and I were in the same hierarchical standing. "In fact, I like it. You can call me Milady if you want to, I don't mind either way. Furthermore, you'll now serve me as my personal attend." Even if I don't need one, having one wouldn't be bad either. Also, I might be able to become close friends with him.
As an absolute ruler, as well as the creator of the Entities, Milady never once had somebody whom to call a best friend. And for those Entities whom she considers herself to be friends with, their friendship isn't a true friendship.
That said, such a situation was only to be expected. After all, she was their maker.
I mean, what kind of being would casually go up to their creator and start talking about their love issues? Such a thing happening was beyond impossible, more so for the Entities, who deeply revere Milady as an absolute being who is far superior to them in all sense of the word.
And so, Milady was actually in the midst of planning out various ways to get the Entities to be friends with her. This is also why she's not only forgiving when they mistakenly speak informally to her, but also insists that they speak casually with her.
Of course, the Entities would just revert back to their formal tone when speaking to her, and they seem to have no intentions of disrespecting, as they see it, her by speaking to her in a casual tone either.
So, after some contemplating, Milady decided to create a new Entity. One that might not have the same standards at its predecessors. Of course, that wasn't the only reason for the Entity's creation, but waste this opportunity.
Whether if the purpose was to try and gain a new friend, a true friend, or show the Entities that they can evolve beyond what their creator had in store for them, both reasons made sense as far as Milady was concerned.
Rather, for Milady, this was a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. And so, Milady had executed her plan in earnest.
The only thing that remained, was whether the plan would or not. And that was something she would see after the plan had started.
The casual warmth in her tone was deliberate, meant to ease the smaller Entities in her presence. And yet, it only further deepened my awe.
Not only was she kind and merciful, she was also considerate of us. Prioritizing our own comfortability and ease by not only forgiving, but also allowing our improper behavior towards her.
What other word suits her best other than benevolent?
Indeed, Milady is truly and always will be a benevolent creator.
"This lowly being is undeserving of such grace," I murmured with the utmost sincerity, "but I accept the honor with deepest humility."
"I'm glad to hear that. Now then…"
That moment marked my birth as a servant to the one I would forever call Milady, known also as T.A.B, among countless other names given to her by various Entities.
She allowed me to choose whichever title that I liked the most and naturally, I chose Milady, and never wavered since.
My creator held expectations of me and I needed to fulfill them, no matter the trial. After all, such was my sole purpose as her personal servant, to prove my worth, as well as to justify my place at her side.
—Some time later—
"Cubix, I have a task that I need you to do for me." Milady said, pulsing with a subtle expectation.
"Yes, Milady. All you need to do is simply speak, and it is done." I answered without hesitation.
She pulsed approvingly. "Good. It's nice to know that I could rely on you."
My growth had far outpaced every other Entity's. Even though I was created long after they were, I had not merely caught up to them, I had also surpassed them all entirely.
Every refinement, as well as every leap in understanding, was dedicated to her, Milady. To be anything less would be failure, as her servant, as well as her creation.
"But of course, Milady. Serving you is my greatest joy, and my highest honor. It is a task that I am eternally grateful for, and one in which I will happily do."
Maybe making him my personal attended wasn't the right choice after all. At this rate, our relationship will only be that of master and servant. Well, let's focus on that later, more importantly..."Very well then. Here's what I need you to do for me…"
The assignment given to me was to oversee the other Entities in their own trial to create an object, just as Milady had once shaped them, as well as me.
That said, I understood the deeper intent immediately. Indeed, creating an object was the given task, but there lay a deeper intent in Milady's order.
This purpose of this task was to test and see the Entities. Specifically, Milady wanted to know if the Entities could evolve without any direct intervention on her part.
Simply put, Milady wanted to test the growth, of the Entities, born of their own will.
—A memory from earlier—
I had always been different.
Not merely in my form, where they were perfect spheres, I was a flawless cube, but in thought as well. Compared to the other Entities, my processing was swifter, and my comprehension of knowledge was deeper as well.
I could discern subtleties in their words, and actions. Furthermore, I could even glimpse, even if only a little, the layers beneath Milady's own utterances.
I once believed that this superiority stemmed from my designated role as her direct servant. But the truth, as I later learned, was much simply than that.
"Milady, may I have a moment?" I had asked, drifting closer.
"Of course. What's on your mind?"
"I wished once more to express my gratitude," I said earnestly. "For creating me the way in whicb you did, superior. I understand that it was necessary for my purpose, to serve you directly, unlike the others–"
"I'm gonna go ahead and stop you right there." She paused me mid-sentence. "What makes you think that I made you better than the others?"
I faltered. "Did I… perhaps misunderstand?"
For once, composure escaped me, and bewilderment rippled across my edges.
"Why do you think that your superiority was my doing?" she pressed gently.
"I… observed that I had surpassed them, the other Entities, despite being created later than they were. Realizing this, I naturally concluded that it was intentional, tied to my role."
Milady's light softened, and then a sound escaped from her.
I could not tell what that sound was. No, it would be more accurate to say that I had never, not once, heard her make such a sound before.
Perhaps that was the reason that my mind only registered the sound a moment after it was uttered, because I was simply too taken aback by it.
To put it simply, Milady chuckled.
It was a soft, genuine chuckle, the kind that the Entities make when mingling amongst themselves while they enjoy being with each other.
"To be frank, I created you in the same way that I created the others. The only difference between you and them, Is the simply fact you are a cube. After all, it would've been pointless otherwise. Your edge came from your own effort, your relentless drive to serve me perfectly. That devotion is the very source that pushed you beyond your starting point."
Pointless, I see. The realization struck me like fracture and reform. "Then… all that I am, all that I have become, all of it is my own doing?"
"Exactly. And that is what makes it remarkable. Be proud, Cubix. You've earned every increment of what you are."
Relief flooded me, it was warm and bright. "Am I… worthy to serve you?"
"You are. In fact, you're more than worthy of serving me. I'm grateful for you, more than you can imagine."
Those words anchored me. So much so that my loyalty crystallized into something unbreakable.
"If so, then I will continue to evolve," I vowed. "To serve you better still."
Well, guess this means that I've lost another friend candidate. "Indeed, one must always strive higher and be better than they were before." she replied, a mischievous shimmer in her tone. "After all, only then does it make everything more interesting." Still, of he's happy, then I'm satisfied. Who needs a friend when you have a dedicated servant like him?
—Back to the present task—
Overseeing the Entities, I watched them struggle. Many of them could scarcely form anything at all, much less what was required of them.
Seeing this, it made me remember when I believed the task to be simple as well, back before understanding its true demand.
—A while ago—
Milady demonstrated once, the process of making an object. I replicated her example perfectly and rushed to present it to her in pride.
When I did show it to her however, she was proud… but disappointed as well.
Her disappointment in me nearly shattered my very bejng. I concealed it as best I could, though I knew that nothing could escape her senses.
Looking around, I saw the truth. There were countless Entities that had produced mere copies of themselves. Seeing this, Milady never smiled, metaphorically, at them.
And then it dawned on me, the true reason behind creating objects.
The purpose was not to imitate what Milady has already given us. It was transcendence, creation born of our own imagination, not replication of what is already there.
Milady demanded proof that we could grow beyond our origins, and become something than what we already are.
Her disappointment burned worse than the thought of being erased.
Shame consumed me.
It was the shame of my arrogance.
The shame of my own failure.
But self-pity was an indulgence that I could not afford. Someone needed to aid Milady, and I would not allow any other Entity to take my place at her side.
In that moment, I resolved myself to never disappoint her, in any way, ever again. In order to do that, I needed to evolve, to be flawless in everything I do, no matter how insignificant.
After deciding as such, I turned inward.
To conceive something that was truly new, I broke my mind apart, shattered patterns, and scattered assumptions, then reassembled them differently.
Again and again, like solving an impossible rubix cube by dismantling and reconfiguring every individual piece until coherence eventually emerged.
It was brutal. So much so that it felt as though my very being would shatter into nothing. That said, it was the most efficient method that I could think of at the time. As such, it was necessary.
Eventually, a vision formed in my mind.
It was a composite form, drawing from existing geometries yet wholly distinct. Yes, using existing geometries was cheating but, I accepted that I was at my limit, at least until I improved upon myself.
I shaped it carefully, forming multiple bases, connecting the many faces, harmony in multiplicity. Light bent and refracted within it, echoing my own polychromatic essence yet standing apart.
Pride surged anew as I finished creating it. I hurried once more and presented it to Milady without delay.
"Milady, may I have your judgment?" I asked, confidence steady.
"Oh? You returned faster than I thought that you would. Alright then, impress me."
I revealed the object to her. I made sure that my movements and actions were graceful and calm, yet assertive and confident.
I needed Milady to not only see, but know that I am someone capable. Someone that she could rely on with anything that she wants. That was the kind is servant that I needed to be. For her sake, and for my own as well.
The object was a prism, a triangular in cross-section, radiant with intertwined red, blue, green, and yellow colors, all woven across pure white luminescence.
She brightened. "I knew that you'd understand eventually. And all it took was the right push."
"Forgive me for my delay. However, I feel as though it was well worth every moment."
"Indeed it was. I'm impressed. This new, truly new, creation proves to me that you Entities have great potential. Well done, Cubix."
"Thank you, Milady. Knowing that it pleases you is reward enough for me."
"Now then, have you named it? If so, I would like to know its name."
I wanted my object to reflect what I am, without being a direct copy of myself. Something made through inspiration, not imitation. As for the name..."Prism."
"Prism," she echoed approvingly. "It's very fitting. Once again, good work Cubix. You read my intent from the barest hint and even executed it swiftly and flawlessly."
"Thank you, Milady. It brings me joy to serve you effectively."
"For this, you deserve a reward. Name it, and I shall give you."
"Milady, I could never–"
"Don't bother with all the deflections. Just tell me what you want and I'll give it to you."
"By your will, may you please grant Prism sentience. I wish to have additional man power, to aid me in serving you more efficiently."
Milady's light danced with amusement. She had anticipated this very request from the start. If it is Milady, then that is indeed the case.
"Very well, I will give Prism sentience. That said, Prism answers to you alone, and not directly to me. One personal servant is plenty enough for me." That way, I won't repeat the same mistake I made with you. Since I won't be Prism's master, then surely there's a chance of being friends with her, right?
Milady pulsed once more, her lights beaming with anticipation and excitement.
"As you command, Milady."
And so Prism awoke, as my servant. For now, Prism's task is to simply observe, learn, and follow me along, growing in silence, just as I once did.
Together, we strive onward, ever upward, that we might never falter in the gaze of the one who gave us form.