Reset [PART 3]

[What?] The voice responded with evident shock, but Alexander barreled on, undeterred.

"I know I messed up by attempting to recreate the universe or whatever, and now you're mad at me. You've decided to send me back to these barren lands to punish me, so just get on with it." His words carried a dismissive finality, as if he had already resigned himself to his supposed fate.

For a moment, the voice seemed at a loss, stunned into silence by Alexander's outlandish proclamation. When it finally responded, there was an unmistakable edge of exasperation.

[I'm not a supreme being, you idiot!]

[I'm S... never mind,] the voice responded cryptically, leaving its shrouded in mystery for the time being.

However, it quickly corrected Alexander's outlandish theory. "You're partially right. I am indeed a supreme being of sorts."

Alexander's brow furrowed as he processed this revelation. "What do you want from me, then?" he asked, bracing himself for some cosmic reckoning.

The voice's response was direct. [I want you to fix your mess. You must recreate the artificial singularity and use it to undo the damage you've caused.]

Alexander scoffed dismissively. "And why should I bother? To accomplish such a feat, I'd have to advance this civilization to the point where I could even conceive of replicating that level of technology and engineering. Not even my eleven PhDs would prepare me for such an undertaking. If you wish to punish me, then be content with taking my life."

[That's where you're mistaken,] the voice countered, its tone carrying a hint of reproach. [You haven't merely been displaced in time. The entire world – the entire universe – has been overwritten by the expansion of your ill-fated singularity.]

Alexander's eyes snapped open, the full weight of the revelation crashing over him like a tidal wave. "What?" he breathed, his mind reeling.

[Didn't you understand the implications of infinite mass and energy?] the voice mocked. [When your experiment went awry, the singularity you created began devouring reality itself, rewriting the fundamental laws of physics with each passing moment. This..." It gestured around them, encompassing the primordial wilderness. "...is the result of your hubris."

Alexander's knees threatened to buckle beneath him as he absorbed the staggering truth. He had not merely punched a hole through the fabric of space-time – he had unraveled the entire tapestry of existence, reducing the universe to a blank slate, a canvas upon which reality had been rewritten from the dawn of creation.

"How... how is that even possible?" he rasped, his mind struggling to grasp the enormity of what he had unleashed.

[Your singularity became a nexus of infinite potential,] the voice explained, its words carrying the weight of eons. [By harnessing the concentrated energy of the Big Bang itself, you effectively rewound the universe to its primordial state, overwriting all that came before.]

Alexander's gaze swept over the lush forests, the towering trees that had witnessed the birth of life itself. "Then this... this is a new universe? A rewritten reality, shaped by the consequences of my experiment?"

[Precisely.] The voice seemed to relish in his dawning comprehension. [And now, the only way to restore what was lost, to reset the cosmic balance, is to recreate the singularity – to cancel out the effects of the first with a second, perfectly controlled event.]

A tremor ran through Alexander's form as the implications became clear. He had been tasked with nothing less than the rewriting of existence itself, the culmination of his life's work writ large across the canvas of eternity.

"How am I supposed to accomplish such a feat?" he whispered, his voice barely audible over the cacophony of his racing thoughts. "Even if I dedicate my life to this endeavor, I may never unlock the secrets necessary to recreate the singularity."

[Then you had best get started,] the disembodied voice intoned, its ethereal tones brooking no argument. [For if you fail, this nascent reality will be all that remains – a blank slate, devoid of the wonders and civilizations that once graced the cosmos.]

Alexander listened intently, his brow furrowing as suspicion crept into his voice. "If it's that dire, why don't you fix it yourself? Shouldn't you, as an all-powerful being, be capable of restoring reality?"

The voice's response was measured, hinting at deeper complexities. [Things aren't as simple as you think. Besides, your little singularity resetting the timeline isn't the only thing that happened.]

"What do you mean by that?" Alexander pressed, his curiosity piqued.

[You'll see. If you live to see it that is,] the voice replied cryptically, its words carrying an ominous undertone.

"What?" Alexander began, but his question was cut short as a figure emerged from the treeline, drawing his attention like a moth to a flame.

At first, he mistook her for a child, her stature diminutive – no more than five-and-a-half feet tall. But as she drew closer, the details of her appearance dispelled any notion of youth. Her skin, weathered and tanned by the elements, bore the indelible marks of a life lived in harsh conditions. Animal furs adorned her lithe frame, their patterns and hues blending seamlessly with the surrounding foliage.

Yet, it was the casual manner in which she wielded her weapon that truly gave Alexander pause. Gripped in her calloused hands was a massive tree trunk, its girth surpassing that of her slender torso. She brandished the makeshift club with a practiced ease that belied its immense weight, her sinewy muscles coiling beneath the tanned flesh as she advanced.

Her gaze locked onto Alexander, and in that moment, he felt a visceral chill run down his spine. Those eyes, set deep beneath a furrowed brow, did not regard him as a fellow human – merely as prey, a source of sustenance to be claimed and consumed.

Alexander's eyes widened as the primitive figure bore down upon him, massive tree trunk raised high in preparation to strike. His muscles tensed, bracing for the inevitable impact that would likely shatter bone and pulverize flesh.

Yet, as the improvised weapon began its fatal descent, Alexander became acutely aware of an odd sensation – or rather, the lack thereof. His limbs felt constrained, restrained in a way that should have been glaringly obvious from the start.

For the first time, he realized his arms and legs had been securely bound, the coarse fibers biting into his skin as his body lay sprawled helplessly upon the forest floor. So consumed had he been by the disembodied voice and its revelations that he had somehow managed to overlook his own captivity.

The primitive warrior's makeshift club slammed into the earth mere inches from Alexander's face, the shockwave tousling his sweat-matted hair as soil and vegetation exploded outward. A feral snarl curled her lips, revealing a maw of yellowed fangs as she reared back for another crushing blow.

The voice, ever-present in his consciousness, seemed to relish in his growing trepidation. [Well, well... it seems your first challenge has arrived. Let's see how you fare against the untamed might of nature itself.]