The Rise to Godhood
Chapter 27: Farewell to Zetani Nova.

Areela Kheeran was packing her bags for the upcoming trip to Elvonia and Earth. It felt bittersweet to leave the paradise planet Zetani Nova such a short time after they found it, but they needed to move on. She had promised to help Gaia do everything they could to save humanity, as requested by True Maker. What kind of person would she be if she backed down on that promise? Besides, breaking promises to the supreme deity seemed dangerous, although True Maker had never explicitly warned what would happen if Areela didn’t keep her promise.

As Areela was planning on her trip, Thorax walked up to her. Areela looked at her beasty son. He had grown to be as tall as a 10-year-old child, despite being only a year and a half. Areela felt fearful when she was in Thorax’s presence, which pained her. What kind of mother felt this way around her child?

Thorax’s eyes were shining blue, which indicated that True Maker was talking through him. True Maker’s presence in him was foreboding, and it was now a rare occurrence, as True Maker had used Gaia for communicating since their paths crossed a year earlier.

“Mother, I have come to bid thee farewell,” Thorax said.

“What are you talking about, my son? You are coming with us to Elvonia and Earth.” Areela replied. “No, I cannot come with you. My destiny will take me elsewhere.” Thorax replied.

Areela looked at Thorax and struggled to look happy. She couldn’t smile while bidding farewell, yet she felt this was for the best. “So, what is your destiny, my son?” Areela asked.

“My destiny is to stay here until she instructs me otherwise. True Maker doesn’t have many heralds in this galaxy; it’s a waste to keep us in the same place,” Thorax replied.

“But my son, you are less than two years old. Who is going to look after you?” Areela objected.

“Podixa will look after me. I have already spoken to her. This is my farewell,” Thorax said, and his eye colour reverted to purple.

As Thorax reverted to himself, he looked at Areela in confusion and said, “Mamma? Hungry?”

Before Areela had answered, Thorax spotted a rabbit. He sprinted on all four and slashed the rabbit with his sharp claws. After that, he carried the dead rabbit between his teeth and dropped it at Areela’s feet.

“Thorax loves mammma. Thorax brought a present for mummy.” Thorax said and smiled with blood dripping from his mouth.

“Thanks. Mummy loves you as well.” Areela replied and patted Thorax on the head while she secretly thought, ‘I better follow True Maker’s instructions and leave this beast child here.’

***

Later the same day, Areela spotted Gaia and Podixa at the public baths. They were submerged in the warm water from a thermal spring, drinking wine while listening to meditative Zetan music. Areela entered the rockpool, and she decided to discuss the dilemma she faced with her son.

“Podixa, Thorax said you promised to look after him while I am away?” Areela said.

Podixa put down her wine chalice. She sensed hostility from Areela, but she couldn’t pinpoint why. “Yes, he approached me while he was under the influence of the True Maker and asked whether I would look after him in your absence. I wasn’t going to argue with the supreme deity, so I accepted.”

“Why didn’t you discuss this with me? I am his mother!” Areela exclaimed.

“I assumed that he had discussed it with you. No one is happier than me if you bring that freaky kid on your journey.” Podixa replied.

Hearing this, Areela was about to burst into anger, but Gaia intervened, grabbed her arm, and soothed Areela’s mind with her empath powers. Areela broke down and cried, “I feel like such a terrible mother. I am relieved that Thorax is not coming with us. I am terrified and disgusted by him.” Areela sobbed.

Gaia held Areela’s hand, looked into her eyes, and spoke. “Don’t feel terrible. The truth is that Thorax has the genome of the Xenos, a fierce and proud species, which are dissimilar to the Zetans.”

“The Xenos? I have never heard about them. How could Xialiab turn my child into a monster!?” Areela exclaimed.

“Xialiab wanted to make your child as disfigured as possible from the Zetan perspective. So, when he altered Thorax’s DNA, the result became a Xeno/Zetan hybrid by chance.” Gaia explained.

“But Thorax’s destiny was to be the Chosen One. So why did True Maker allow Xialiab to disfigure him?” Areela sobbed.

“The disfigurement turned him into the Chosen One. Without Xialiab’s intervention, you would have given birth to a normal child. In that scenario, Zelinko wouldn’t have acknowledged the child as his, and you would have ended up on Disyerto-2 with Podixa.” Gaia revealed.

Hearing this, Areela sighed, poured some wine, and drank it blindly. Then, Podixa spoke, “If True Maker gives us free will, how can she know what choices we will make?”

“Because True Maker doesn’t only have power over time, she is time. So, she knows what choices you’ll make.” Gaia replied.

“But she won’t tell us what will happen?” Podixa asked.

“If she did, you would no longer have free will,” Gaia replied.

“What about you? Do you know what will happen in your life?” Podixa asked.

“No, because that would invalidate my free will. However, the most interesting thing in this iteration of the Milky Way Galaxy is that True Maker doesn’t know what will happen to herself….” Gaia replied.

“How can that be?” Podixa asked.

“Because no one, not even the True Maker, can see events that take them past their own death,” Gaia replied.

“Wow, this got dark very quickly. Let’s drink some wine and focus on what we can do now, and let’s enjoy our last day on Zetani Nova together.” Areela said and raised her chalice.

“Cheers to the present,” Gaia replied, and they drank their wine while letting the healing springs rejuvenate their bodies.

***

Arish Kisherom was making the finishing touches for the future interdimensional landing facility on Zetani Nova. Six months earlier, when they had landed and flattened Arishome Valley, they had unleashed an enormous energy burst as they arrived from the Divine Dimension, as they didn’t have a proper landing facility. Arish had thought of a theoretical solution, but he hadn’t been able to put it to practical use because of the difficulties of setting up a new colony.

Arish looked at the plans. The ideal landing platform would be inside a vacuum in an underground bunker with the shape of a pyramid. If the landing from Dihawara Densi took place in a vacuum, it couldn’t create a destructive shockwave. But where would the excess energy go? The laws of thermodynamics stated that energy couldn’t disappear; it could only turn into other forms of energy.

‘Hmm, the Zeto-charged sapphires break against the laws of thermodynamics,’ Arish thought. If he left the sapphires in a vacuumized bunker, they should attract the excess energy that the landings released.

Arish summoned his assistant Amela Andelan to the landing site office in the Karmena Mountains, 100 kilometres north of Podixania. She looked displeased as she arrived and spoke, “Master Arish, I heard that you left Podixa Sairan in charge of Podixania during your expedition to Earth.”

“Yes, my wife is loyal and a fitting ruler in my absence,” Arish replied.

“But why is she not coming with you? Wouldn’t you rather have her by your side?” Amela replied.

Arish studied Amela. He knew what his assistant was after, and yes, she was more competent than Podixa, whose main strengths were her sexy body and her capability of giving him healthy offspring.

“Podixa is staying in Podixania to look after my children. I do not wish to drag them along on a dangerous mission to Earth in the middle of an ice age. Besides, I am giving you a more important mission than my wife.” Arish said.

“I don’t understand. What are we building here?” Amela asked.

“We are building the future of interstellar travel. For eons, our species have travelled through space to reach other worlds. Our generation is the first to travel through the dimensions instead. This reimagining of space travel will change everything, and I am leaving you in charge of figuring out better ways to travel in the future.” Arish said and handed Amela a device with blueprints on it.

Amela opened three-dimensional blueprints, studied them for a while, and spoke, “These blueprints are impossible to build. Your plans defy the laws of physics.”

“Yet here we are, 450 lightyears from home, travelling through the dimensions while breaking the known laws of physics. If anyone could build these designs, it is you.” Arish said and kissed Amela.

“I will not fail you, Master Arish,” Amela replied shyly.

“Good. I am returning to Podixania now. I will see you when I return. Sooner rather than later, I hope,” Arish stated.

Amela licked her lips and seduced, “Master Arish, would you mind giving me a proper farewell before you go.”

Arish smiled and unbuttoned his pants; he wouldn’t mind that at all!

***

Gaia looked at the temporary pyramid-like structure that Arish had built on the Karmena Mountains. While the makeshift portal structure looked unimpressive, Gaia had visions of the future when such buildings would become massive interdimensional portal platforms. A colossal pyramid covered in gold and gemstones flashed before her eyes. At some point, the Zetan civilisation would be powerful and wealthy beyond measure, thanks to Arish.

Gaia approached the hovercraft where Zelinko, Areela, Kailow, Arish, and a dozen other Zetans were waiting for her.

Kailow walked up to Gaia and teased, “Good morning, sleeping beauty. Are you excited about our expedition?”

Gaia felt silly that she was the last to arrive for the briefing and replied, “Yes, I am sorry I am late.”

“All good. We hoped that you had changed your mind so we wouldn’t need to travel 100,000 kilometres to visit your icy home planet,” Arish taunted.

Gaia didn’t reply to Arish’s provocation. She knew that he was too fearful of True Maker to betray his promise, so it was just as well if he handled his disapproval by taunting her.

Instead of arguing with Arish, Gaia looked at the vehicles he had constructed for the expedition. They were impressive. The primary vehicle was a hovercraft spaceship with sleeping pods for 50 people and storage space for a two-year expedition. In addition, there were four smaller hovercrafts, spacesuits, and respirators for different thermal conditions inside the large hovercraft.

Arish pointed towards the hovercraft and spoke, “Behold the Terra-1 hovercraft, the first hovercraft powered by Zeto-charged sapphires. It will take us to places where we have never been before. Our first destination is Elvonia, where we will contact the Elves to seek an alliance. For the new Zetan empire! Mua Zetani Nova!”

“For the new Zetan empire! Mua Zetani Nova!” The men chanted and boarded the hovercraft.

Hearing their intentions made Gaia sad. She had hoped that the Zetans would traverse the galaxy to help save humanity, but they seemed more intent on other reasons.

“Everything will happen as it is meant to happen,” True Maker whispered.

True Maker’s words made Gaia forget her objections. Instead, she entered Arish’s hovercraft and left Zetani Nova, never to return.