Transformed into Cosmic Horror in a Sci-Fi Universe

EP.102 Elemental Spirits

First, I created small human-like forms for myself and Idra.

This was to minimize our impact on the potential birth of life forms.

The first place we visited was an extremely cold planet.

While there were many planets in the universe, Nyarlathotep informed us about this one, which had the highest possibility for the birth of life forms at present, so we headed there.

I gave our avatar bodies resistance to withstand the extreme cold.

This wasn’t particularly difficult for me or Idra.

After all, extreme cold is just about -250 degrees Celsius, isn’t it?

The universe operates on different physical laws, and there are universes with even lower temperatures.

But this place is what’s commonly called a ‘standard’ type of universe.

It’s a universe with the most commonly distributed form of physical laws.

It’s easier to think of it as the universe I remember from when I was human, or the universe in SF settings.

There are universes with lower temperatures than this, but they’re considered ‘aberrant’ universes, not standard, so they’re excluded from experiments.

Life forms born there are subject to entirely different physical laws.

Basically, universes for tests or experiments often follow the form of this standard universe.

Just as I’ve been doing until now.

Anyway, we arrived at a surprisingly massive planet.

It was located in a ‘void’ where the distance between galaxies was so vast that tens of billions of light-years seemed almost empty.

Not only were the galaxies far apart, but within the galaxy, the distances between stars were extremely vast.

It was what’s commonly called a ‘lonely planet’.

With barely any light reaching it, the sky was pitch black.

Naturally, no heat reached it either.

The surrounding temperature was close to absolute zero, about -250 degrees Celsius.

Even the atmospheric gases were frozen solid, leaving no atmosphere, and the surface was covered with layers of ice made of nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen.

You might wonder how fragile life forms could possibly survive in a place where ice never melts.

Surprisingly, there are quite a lot of life forms that can withstand low temperatures.

Fundamentally, the universe is a very low-temperature environment.

While planets where ordinary life forms live are warm, and areas close to stars are unimaginably hot,

Most of the empty space in the universe is cold.

Life forms that traverse such a universe are basically designed to withstand temperatures below -100 degrees Celsius.

To give examples from SF universe settings… Xenomorphs, the Kapterians, and the Warden species are typical examples.

Come to think of it, I once subjected the Kapterians to extreme cold torture.

At that time, the temperature was beyond the physical laws of the universe, so they completely froze and shattered.

After several decades, even that has become a memory.

Anyway, life forms designed to withstand such low temperatures are widespread in the universe.

However, it’s safe to say that life forms rarely originate in temperatures close to absolute zero, around -230 to -250 degrees Celsius.

Unless, of course, they’re born elsewhere and evolve over time to withstand such conditions.

“Oh, look over there.”

Life forms are basically organic entities created by the fusion of proteins.

However, proteins typically can’t fuse or even decompose in extremely cold or hot environments.

Of course, that’s just common sense for Terrans… that is, humans.

In the universe…

Especially in universes with different physical laws, countless things happen, many of which are incomprehensible by human common sense.

“Oh… the first microorganism.”

Proteins synthesize to create organic entities that can move on their own.

A protein mass that can move on its own even at -230 degrees Celsius.

That was the first life form born in this environment.

Apart from the low temperature, it’s a process similar to how life forms are born on Earth or other planets.

An organic entity capable of activity in extreme cold.

This seems like it could be a good idea.

#

The next place we headed to was the one I was most curious about.

The first extremely cold planet was a place Nyarlathotep had dropped us off at, but this place was an ultra-high temperature star.

It’s a monstrous star with a core temperature exceeding 300 million degrees Celsius and a mass millions of times that of the Sun.

Everyone would probably think that life forms couldn’t possibly appear in such a place.

After all, it’s an environment far more extreme than the extreme cold.

But surprisingly, life forms exist here too.

If we define life forms as entities that move on their own and breathe, then they are certainly life forms.

“Plasma life forms. Commonly called ‘elementals’.”

These are life forms made of plasma, the fourth state of matter.

Of course, there are life forms made of solids.

If you search through various worldviews, you’ll naturally find life forms made of liquids and gases too.

Similarly, life forms in the form of plasma, also called the fourth state of matter, naturally exist as well.

Elementals, ghosts, spirits, and so on.

These are the very things referred to by various occult elements.

Because they’re not in a common form, they’re usually not visible, and they’re born in these special environments.

Or they can also be created when some components inside a life form partially turn into plasma after death.

The life forms living in this ultra-high temperature star are also of this form, where flames generated from the tremendous heat energy emitted by nuclear fusion have gained will and life activities.

In simple terms, they’re what you might call fire elementals.

I’ve had experience creating these too.

Or rather, I should say I’ve seen what something I created made.

The light elementals created by the Elf God are exactly that.

I wasn’t really thinking about it, but seeing what the Elf God Rios created piqued my interest.

So I wanted to see the appearance of naturally occurring elementals for myself.

That opportunity has finally come.

An incredibly hot flame burning white.

A tiny ball of flame popped out from there.

That mass, about the size of a normal person’s fist.

Even that small flame contained enough thermal energy to completely incinerate an entire planet.

It flickered like an ordinary flame at first, but then it detached from the surface and began to move independently.

A movement with will, clearly different from the flickering of flames.

Life had taken root in the burning plasma energy.

“So, an elemental.”

“It’s beautiful.”

After finishing our observation of other life forms like that, Idra and I dispelled our avatar bodies and returned to Nyarlathotep’s laboratory.

[ How was it? I’d like to hear your detailed impressions. ]

As soon as we arrived, without even a chance to rest, we were subjected to an interview bordering on interrogation by Nyarlathotep.

I told her about my impressions and various points that I thought could be improved.

Of course, it’s just my opinion, so she’ll filter it as she sees fit.

Idra also seemed to have realized that Nyarlathotep wasn’t just a being conducting sadistic experiments, seeing the beautiful and exotic forms of life that were more impressive than she had imagined.

[ It would be nice if you only did good experiments like this. ]

[ No, I’m just doing this out of curiosity. I’m going to experiment to see how much these things evolve and how extreme environments the evolved life forms can withstand. ]

Of course, Nyarlathotep snorted and blurted out words that Idra would dislike.

[ Oh my! I wish you’d understand the preciousness of life forms. But I’ll give you credit this time. It was beautiful. ]

[ ……. ]

It seemed like she wanted to say that it’s because she knows how important and precious life forms are that she’s curious and conducts various experiments.

But Nyarlathotep didn’t bother to say it, probably finding it troublesome.

[ Would you like to experience some other places? ]

[ No, I was thinking of going somewhere else this time. ]

Although I was extremely interested in Nyarlathotep’s universe for preserving life forms, since we mentioned elementals, I decided to save that visit for another opportunity as I had a place I wanted to go.

[ Hmm, I’m interested too. May I come along? ]

Huh? Suddenly?

[ What about the laboratory? ]

[ I can pause it for a while. ]

Saying that, Nyarlathotep instantly stopped everything, just as I had done.

What’s this, why is she suddenly saying she wants to come along?

Well, I guess Outer Gods are known to act on their own whims when curiosity strikes, but it’s still quite sudden.

I don’t really have a reason to refuse.

After all, I brought Idra along, so it would be a bit awkward to say Nyarlathotep can’t come.

But there’s one problem.

[ Um… the place I’m planning to go now is Cthugha’s universe, is that okay? ]

[ …Cthugha? ]

At those words, Nyarlathotep’s tentacles suddenly stood on end.