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## Chapter 6: First Expressions
The sheer potential of Aethel stretched before Aris's awareness, an unwritten symphony waiting for its first notes. He felt a surge of creative energy, a cosmic itch to *make* something. "Alright, Kalas' canvas," he resonated, a playful reverence in his planetary voice, "let's slap some… fundamental forces around and see what sticks. Figuratively speaking, of course. Wouldn't want any actual sticking."
His initial attempts at shaping his world were enthusiastic but lacked finesse. He remembered the Kalas' emphasis on beauty and balance, and his scientific mind, bless its still-human core, thought big. "Landmasses," he mused. "Gotta have some solid ground. Maybe something… continental? With dramatic coastlines? Think less 'bland pancake,' more 'epic jigsaw puzzle designed by a caffeinated toddler.'"
He channeled energy through the Genesis System, envisioning vast tectonic plates shifting and colliding with majestic slowness. What resulted was… less majestic continental drift and more a series of jarring shudders that made his nascent molten core feel a bit queasy.
"Whoa there, easy does it," Aris resonated, feeling the planetary equivalent of a headache. "Didn't mean to give myself the cosmic hiccups. Remind me to engage the 'gentle nudge' setting next time. Assuming there *is* a 'gentle nudge' setting. Maybe it's labeled in those hieroglyph-emoji things?"
The System, with its patient wisdom, highlighted areas of instability, projecting shimmering lines of stress across his internal awareness. "Right, too much enthusiasm, not enough finesse," Aris interpreted. "Story of my life, even before I was sentient geology."
He decided to try something smaller, something more… contained. A canyon. Inspired by the dramatic gorges of Earth, he envisioned a deep, winding chasm, a testament to the erosive power of… well, he didn't have any erosion yet. "Let's call it a 'pre-erosion appreciation trench,'" he decided.
His attempt resulted in a shallow, lopsided gash. "Huh. More of a 'cosmic scratch' than a grand canyon. Maybe I need to think… smaller first? Like… really impressive individual rocks?"
He experimented with localized pressure, trying to sculpt a single, majestic mountain peak. What he got was a series of oddly shaped lumps. "Are those… sentient potatoes?" Aris wondered, a flicker of amusement in his awareness. "Definitely not the 'tribute to the Kalas' grandeur' I had in mind. I hope they appreciate the abstract phase."
The System provided feedback, displaying schematics of geological stability and material density. Aris squinted at the information. "Okay, so 'whimsy' is not a recognized geological principle. Noted."
Despite the less-than-stellar initial results, Aris remained optimistic. Each failed attempt was a learning experience, a clumsy step towards mastery. "Alright, Aethel," he resonated, a determined hum in his core. "We may not be winning any cosmic landscape awards just yet. But we'll get there. We'll learn to sculpt mountains that sing (metaphorically, probably), and carve canyons that inspire awe. Just gotta… calibrate my planetary artistic sensibilities first."
He paused, a thought rippling through his awareness. "You know," he mused, a hint of meta-commentary coloring his internal monologue, "you hear about these creator beings in all the stories, always getting rebelled against by their creations. Makes you wonder if they started out with this kind of… geological slapstick. Maybe the whole 'vengeful god' thing is just cosmic embarrassment over their early design fails? Just a thought. Definitely not planning any rebellions here, Kalas. Just… learning the ropes. With a few planetary pratfalls along the way."
With a renewed sense of purpose (and a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor), Aris turned his attention back to the blank canvas of Aethel, ready for his next attempt at planetary artistry.
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