The Rise to Godhood
Chapter 21: The Discovery of the Zetani Nova Crystal.

Kailow was walking along a lake when he heard water splashing around a bend on his path. He couldn’t see anything because of trees and shrubbery blocking his view, but he sensed a solid psionic presence. This presence was much stronger than he felt while around someone in his entourage. Were there other sentient species on the planet?

He snuck closer to the splashing sound. He didn’t know the intentions of the native inhabitants, and he wanted to replace out more about them before initiating contact. Kailow snuck up to a viewing spot to overlook the gorge below. What he saw mesmerised his eyes. A stunning humanoid female was bathing by herself while humming on a beautiful and melodic tune in the waist-deep crystal-clear water. The woman had a light tan, a tall, slender body, and long luscious blonde hair. She was unlike anything Kailow had ever seen, and she instantly overtook Podixa’s place as the object of his desire.

Kailow felt shameful about his sudden sexual desire. This woman belonged to another species, yet he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He missed his old life on Zetani, where he had other activities to keep his mind occupied. After leaving the Zetani culture and its strict adherence to sexual abstinence, his mind had been trapped in an unending cycle of desire to fornicate.

Kailow decided to head back and tell the others about what he had seen, as it wasn’t his place to make the first contact with the native inhabitants. But, as he got up, he stumbled on a sharp rock and spun down the hillside.

***

Gaia felt blissful while bathing in the beautiful lake on Zetani Nova when the noise from a rockslide startled her. Yet, after the initial shock, she felt curious, so she walked towards the foot of the lake. She was about to get dressed when she heard a moaning under the rubble.

Gaia rushed to the hillside, and she saw a silvery blue hand sticking out under the rocks. Gaia started digging through the rocks, and she faced an unconscious, blue-skinned humanoid being. She had never seen a being like this before. Could this be the Zetan she was looking for, the one True Maker had instructed her to replace?

She sensed the man’s good aura, and she felt more familiar with him than she had ever felt with humans on earth. Although she was a human, she felt close to this Zetan, as they both had a close affinity to the Zeto Crystal and the True Maker. She looked at the roughed up but handsome blue gentleman. He looked close to her relative age, and he had a large gash on his forehead, which leaked a stream of silvery-blue fresh blood.

Gaia listened to the man’s breathing. He was injured, and she needed to save him. However, True Maker had warned her of using her supernatural powers to alter events, and she had warned Gaia about teleporting to Zetani Nova.

‘I’ll try to save him without using my healing powers,’ Gaia thought and lifted the wounded man towards the riverbank. She placed the man in a flat position and fetched her clothes. She tore her clothes as a bandage and cleaned the man’s wounds.

Once she had done the bandaging, she sat close to the man. She put her hand on his temple, using her empath abilities to read his mind, to learn about him and his people. She felt at peace while connecting to Kailow, learning about the ancient Zetan prophecies and why he was on Zetani Nova. She felt hungry and went out to look for food while leaving Kailow in a safe location.

***

“Ugh…. my head... What happened?”

Kailow felt confused as he returned to consciousness and heard the familiar sound of something grilling over a campfire. He remembered falling after seeing a beautiful humanoid bathing, but how had he gotten back to his camp?

“Areela, what happened?” Kailow moaned.

“I am not Areela; I am Gaia,” Gaia replied.

Kailow opened his eyes, and Gaia’s ultimate sophistication and magnificent beauty took him aback. Her face had a perfect symmetry, and she was the guardian angel who had saved him. Yet, while admiring Gaia’s beauty, he also felt afraid. Gaia had the same glowing blue eyes as Thorax had whenever True Maker inhabited his body. Was he facing the embodiment of the supreme deity?

“Don’t be afraid, Kailow,” Gaia said, and her blue eyes stopped shining.

“How did you do that?” Kailow asked.

“Do what?” Gaia said.

“How did you stop your eyes from glowing?” Kailow asked.

“My eyes glow because of my deep connection with True Maker. But don’t be afraid. I am not her.” Gaia replied.

“I am not afraid; I am fascinated. So, who are you?” Kailow asked.

“I am a clone of someone who will save True Maker and the Milky Way Galaxy in the future,” Gaia replied.

“I don’t understand. How can you be a clone of someone who has no physical embodiment?” Kailow asked.

“I am the embodiment of the True Maker in a human form. True Maker saw my form in a vision. She created me as an exact copy of what she saw. We live in the 1000th iteration of the Milky Way Galaxy, and things will turn out differently this time. In all the 999 iterations that have passed, humanity went extinct during the Mount Toba ice age, while the Zetans stagnated and went extinct when Zetani Maximus turned supernova. You are the first Zetan to ever set foot on Zetani Nova, the haven planet for your species after the inevitable destruction of Zetani.” Gaia revealed.

“So, are we stuck in a time loop? Is the universe a simulation?” Kailow asked.

Gaia reflected on Kailow’s question. It wasn’t a farfetched conclusion. It was plausible that True Maker was the controlling software of the simulation. However, if that were the case, did True Maker keep this detail hidden from her, or was True Maker herself unaware of the more comprehensive reality?

Gaia concluded that it didn’t matter whether her reality was a simulation. She needed to make sure that humanity survived this iteration of the Milky Way Galaxy. It was her purpose.

“We are not stuck in a time loop. From our perspective, time will be linear and mono-directional. It doesn’t matter if True Maker has predicted our actions or not; we have roles to play and lives to safe.” Gaia said.

“So, what do we need to do?” Kailow asked.

“This planet’s Zeto Crystal lies behind that waterfall over there. Can you save my species on Earth if I show it to you?” Gaia asked.

“I cannot, but my brethren can. Zelinko Siblexom found a way to store the energy from the Zeto Crystal in sapphires. His rival Arish Kisherom invented a nanotechnology dome that protected Disyerto-2’s inhabitants from raging sandstorms. If you can get them to work together, we should be able to save your species.” Kailow explained.

“Well, follow me then,” Gaia chirped, grabbed Kailow’s hand, and led him through the secret passageway behind the waterfall.

***

“His destiny is to marry an elven princess on Elvonia. Don’t listen to your sexual urges….”

Gaia tried to ignore True Maker’s voice that echoed in her head. She was upset that her creator was spying on her, and she felt frustrated by her loneliness and the human need for warmth. Yet, Gaia felt something she had never felt before during her short time with Kailow; she felt a deep connection and purpose. Before meeting him, she had never experienced a normal childhood or had any relationship aside from her associations with True Maker. The True Maker had created her as a young adult, and she had been the physical resting place for the deity during the last three years. Yet she felt she could become more than just an empty vessel for the supreme deity. She was her own person, and that person yearned for Kailow.

“Are you okay, Gaia? What’s the matter?” Kailow asked.

“Umm, I am okay. It’s just that I have never been in here with someone before.” Gaia said shyly.

“Okay. Is it safe to move the Zeto Crystal away from here?” Kailow asked.

Gaia reflected on Kailow’s question. Technically, the Zeto Crystal’s location didn’t matter if it remained on the planet. But then again, what was the purpose of moving the fragment of True Maker’s soul out of its beautiful resting place?

“Let’s leave it for now, so we can show your kin the crystal in its natural resting place,” Gaia concluded.

“Cool. Let’s head back to our camp. I am sure everyone will be excited to hear the good news.” Kailow chirped.

‘Let’s hope so,’ Gaia thought, nodded, and replied. “Well, lead the way, Kailow.”

Gaia held Kailow’s hand as they left the sanctuary and felt whole and joyful.