The Rise to Godhood
Chapter 43: The Terran Guardians.

“Gaia. Come back to me. Please, I love you.”

Gaia woke in shock as she took a deep painful breath. She had been out before, but never like this. The other times, her mind had teleported to the Divine Dimension, but she had only experienced the dark oblivion of death this time. Gaia opened her eyes, and she smiled at the angelic beauty of Areela Kheeran, who smiled behind a face covered in tears. The bright light from the Terran Zeto Crystal in Areela’s hand revealed what Gaia had suspected for a long time. They were equals, chosen by destiny for a higher purpose.

“Did we win?” Gaia asked.

“Yes,” Areela replied.

“And our children?” Gaia asked.

“They are safe,” Areela replied.

Gaia took another breath. It wasn’t as painful as the one that awoken her from death, and with a bit of luck, she would make a full recovery. “Thank you, mother.” She whispered and closed her eyes.

***

“Thank you for leading those evil men into my trap. It would have been terrible if Arish stole the Zeto Crystal.”

As Gaia opened her eyes, it was night, and she was rolled up in animal furs next to a bonfire. Dying was tiresome, and all she wanted was to get more sleep, yet she was intrigued about where she was.

Her eyes caught the tall and obese primitive woman who stood next to the fire. The Neanderthal humans worship her, yet Gaia had never seen anyone fatter and uglier in her life.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover, my daughter. I am the essence of beauty to these people,” The fat woman stated in the Zetan language.

“Mother?” Gaia asked.

“Yes, but to these people, I am Dewi Kesuburan. As unappealing as I am in your eyes, I am the pinnacle of beauty in this caveman world where people starve in the cold.” True Maker revealed.

“I don’t understand. Why did you train these people to fight Arish instead of helping me directly?” Gaia asked.

“The problem is choice. I told you this so many times in the past.” True Maker replied.

“But you influenced them,” Gaia argued.

“Yes, but in the end, they chose to fight the invaders at the risk of their own lives. I taught them how to control the falcons and kill with bows and arrows, but they chose to fight for what they believed in.” True Maker revealed.

Gaia disagreed with True Maker, but she did not voice her opinion. Her mother was the way she was, and her methods were mystical.

“So, did I die when I got shot?” Gaia asked.

“Yes. I left it to Areela to decide whether to save you or not. It was her choice.” True Maker replied.

“Thank you,” Gaia said with an afterthought.

“Yes, now get some rest. I will move the Terran Zeto Crystal to a new location. I will also give you enough Zeto-charged sapphires to last you a lifetime.” True Maker said.

“Thank you, mother,” Gaia said, closed her eyes, and caught some well-needed sleep.

***

“Thank you for saving me.”

Areela said and looked at Gaia as they were on the hovercraft for the flight back to the Garden of Eden.

“I don’t understand. You were the one who saved me.” Gaia protested.

“You saved me from myself. I never hated you for letting Zelinko die as he used me and left me to die. I was on death row for nine months because he didn’t stand up for me, and he didn’t tell the court what happened on the night when Xialiab died. During my time in prison, I hated him more than anything, and although he saved me in the end, I could never love him.” Areela revealed.

“I understand. Thank you for saving my life, and I hope that there will never be any more reasons for us to hate each other.” Gaia said.

“I hope that as well!”

Gaia and Areela turned around, and they saw True Maker, who had taken the form of Keila Eisenstein.

Being in the presence of the supreme deity, Areela kneeled, bowed, and said, “Your eminence, you honour me with your presence.”

True Maker put her hand on Areela’s head, filled her with blue energy, smiled, and spoke, “I am the one who should thank you, Areela Kheeran, for saving my daughter. As my daughter-in-law, I have bestowed you with the same powers as Gaia. Therefore, you should roam this planet as equals until you replace your final purpose.”

“Thank you, mother,” Areela said and smiled at True Maker while her eyes were glowing blue.

True Maker nodded and was about to evaporate into thin air when an unusual feeling gripped her. She felt guilty. She didn’t know if this was because of the human shell she inhabited or if something else was at play, but she did know one thing. She needed to get it off her chest.

“Daughters, there is something I need to tell you,” True Maker said.

“Yes, mother?” Gaia replied.

“I… I feel a sense of guilt.” True Maker mumbled.

“A sense of guilt, your eminence? How can that be?” Areela replied confusedly.

“I sacrificed the lives of the Neanderthal humans with my choices in this timeline. They were the noblest of the humanoid species on Earth, and they would have continued to live even if I didn’t task Gaia with building the Garden of Eden. But, instead, the spread of Homo Sapiens will lead to the Neanderthals’ demise, as they will be killed by the former.” True Maker revealed and sobbed silently.

Gaia hugged her mother, and Areela joined in. Although they didn’t know what to say to comfort the deity, they found peace when they embraced the source of pure energy. True Maker evaporated after a while, leaving the women alone and blissful. They looked at each other and felt content, knowing that even the supreme deity faced the same emotional dilemmas as they did.