The Rise to Godhood
Chapter 2: The Thirst for New Experiences

“The lowest of servants, the daughter of the false prophet Kheera Allahan will become the Dina Wibb and give birth to our next Messiah. Whoever sires this child is bound for greatness. These are my dying words. Make me proud, my son….”

These were the last words of Grand Seeress Ahana Anchalan on her deathbed in the Year 9998 of 5th Age (71202 years before present day). Two years have passed since the prophecy.

***

“Areela, wake up.”

Areela Kheeran shook her head in disapproval at her brother for waking her up. Today was her birthday, but as her birthday coincided with midsummer at Zetani, this hardly made her unique. In Zetan culture, it was a virtue to only engage in procreation during the midsummer holiday. As the gestation period for the Zetan species was a year, most people had their birthdays on or around the holiday.

Areela looked at her brother, Kailow, whose blue skin glittered from excitement. “Happy Birthday, sister.” Kailow Voltrom chirped.

“Cut it out, Kailow. You only woke me up, so I would wish you happy birthday as well.” Areela snapped.

“Yet, you only turn 200 once. How does it feel to reach adulthood?” Kailow teased.

Areela paused to think. What did she feel? She felt that Zetan society wasn’t enough to quench her thirst for new experiences. She wanted to experience something different, a community that wasn’t inhibited by the strict adherence to ancient laws, a society where you could celebrate birthdays any day of the year.

“I feel that I would enjoy my birthday more if I didn’t share it with half the people in our capital,” Areela exclaimed.

“Shh, that’s blasphemy. What you are saying is that people should have sex on forbidden days. You know how bad that could end.” Kailow replied.

Areela didn’t know, at least not from personal experience. The justification for the rule was to avoid overpopulation, as this would drain the Zeto Crystal and force the Zetans to use unclean energy sources. The overpopulation had happened 10,000 years earlier and had led to planetwide wars and wanton ecological destruction. The planet and the Zetans had recovered since then, but the myths of that terrible period were crucial for the Zetan civilisation.

“I know what happened at the end of the fourth age, but the grand clerics’ solution is dumb. Why don’t we replace a way to enjoy sex without causing overpopulation?” Areela asked.

“What are you talking about? Copulation without the probability of conception is against the natural order.” Kailow objected.

“What about lowering the probability? Would that be outside the natural order?” Areela asked.

“I don’t know. I am not as obsessed with sex as you are. At least you’ll get to experience sex today since you have reached adulthood.” Kailow teased.

“Shut up, Kailow. This is not what I want. I want the freedom to choose who I am with and when I am with him!” Areela exclaimed and stormed out of the room.

***

Areela was sitting by a waterfall in the wilderness overlooking the Zetan Capital of Ronesia. She felt ambivalent. Today was the first day she was allowed to experience sex after a century of abstinence. The Zetan species had a lifespan of a thousand years, with the fertile period being between 100 and 600 years of age. The law stated that only individuals aged 200-500 years could procreate, and only during the midsummer eve. This rule ensured that the population remained constant so that Zetani could remain a pristine paradise.

While there was no penalty for having sex outside the allowed period, conceiving at the wrong age or time of the year was a crime that led to banishment. Areela’s friend Podixa had fallen to the temptation a century earlier, and she was now living with her son on Disyerto-2, a barren world, 50 years travel away. Would she risk this for the fleeting pleasure of physical contact?

When thinking of Podixa, Areela wondered why there were no other beautiful worlds like Zetani in the Milky Way Galaxy. The Zetan lore stated that only planets that had Zeto Crystals could host naturally occurring life, which was the reason for Zetani’s uniqueness. Zetani was the only planet with a natural ecosystem in the known universe. Yet, the Zetans had only explored worlds within a 50-lightyear radius of Zetani. As the diameter of the Milky Way Galaxy was 200,000 lightyears, there were bound to be other planets with rich ecosystems in the galaxy. However, how would she ever reach them in her lifetime?

Areela didn’t know the answer to this question, but she did know one thing, she wouldn’t lose her virginity tonight. As she was single, the Zetan genome masters had matched her with a 398-year-old Zetan man called Xialiab. While the masters claimed they would be compatible, Areela felt nothing but disdain for the old and uninteresting fellow.

‘I am not sleeping with him; I’d rather wait another year.’ Areela thought and messaged Xialiab via a hologram. “Xialiab, I am sorry, but I feel ill and cannot make it to Mancin Island tonight. I hope you’ll have an enjoyable summer solstice.”

Having sent this message, Areela went home to sleep through an uneventful midsummer.