The Rise to Godhood

Gaia woke up when the first rays of the morning sun reached her from the rear windows of the hovercraft. There was a mountain radiating with blue light ahead of her.

“Is this the right place? What do you see?” Zelinko asked.

“It’s beautiful. The whole mountains shimmer with energy.” Gaia replied.

“Is that so? I don’t see anything out of the ordinary.” Zelinko replied.

Gaia grabbed Zelinko’s arm, looked him in the eyes, and spoke, “Yet, you brought me here for a reason, didn’t you?”

Zelinko looked at Gaia’s glowing blue eyes. It was terrifying to be in True Maker’s presence, and he preferred when her spirit wasn’t present in Gaia. But without the True Maker, Gaia would be clueless concerning the Zeto Crystal’s location.

“Well, lead the way then,” Zelinko said, opened the hatch to the outside and climbed out. Gaia followed suit, and shortly afterwards, they were at the foot of Mount Sinai.

“Follow me,” Gaia instructed, and they started their ascent of the mountain.

As they got to a higher altitude, the wind got icy, and Gaia wondered how they would reach the top under the conditions. While the skies had cleared after the Mount Toba eruption, Earth was still under an ice age, so any elevated position was freezing cold.

Gaia got other things to think about when a group of humans approached them. They reminded her of Lucy, who had gained her sympathy and stabbed her in the neck. Were these humans also Neanderthal humans? Gaia knew one thing; she did not trust the group.

The group’s leader stepped forward and spoke, “You are intruding on our holy mountain.”

Gaia smiled at the man and replied. “We are not intruding. My mother, The True Maker, instructed me to fetch a magical artefact on the top of the mountain.”

“This mountain belongs to Wanita Gunung. Go away.” The man warned.

“What is he saying?” Zelinko whispered to Gaia.

“He says that this mountain belongs to another deity, The Lady of the Mountain,” Gaia replied. “That’s nonsense. Tell him that I am the mountain lord and demand their immediate departure, lest I unleash my wrath.”

Gaia forwarded Zelinko’s message to the Neanderthals, but it didn’t have the intended effect. Instead of becoming awe-struck, one of the men started shouting, “It’s him. He is the blue devil that stole our children and killed Lucy.”

The Neanderthal man threw a spear and struck Zelinko in the shoulder. The Zetan master responded with a psionic blast, which, much to his dismay, didn’t affect his adversaries. As the humans approached him with spears and clubs, he pulled up his pistol to shoot them. However, the gun jammed while the group’s leader pierced Zelinko with a spear, lifted him with one arm, and roared, “Revenge for Lucy!”

The group chanted, “Revenge for Lucy,” while Zelinko punched the giant man with feeble and weakened arms. After a few seconds, the giant threw Zelinko off the cliff, thus ending the days of Zelinko Siblexom.

Seeing Zelinko plunge to his death, Gaia jumped to the floor to pick up his gun. Violence, it seemed, was the only way to handle this encounter.

The giant man was about to stab Gaia when her pistol unjammed, and she fired off a shot that hit the man in the head. The man stared at her in shock and slumped dead to the ground. After killing the man, Gaia grabbed the sack of uncharged sapphire and ran towards the mountain’s summit. Meanwhile, the Neanderthals ran in the opposite direction, as each group was equally terrified of the other.

***

As Gaia reached a shrine near the top of Mount Sinai, True Maker approached her as Keila. True Maker smiled and spoke, “You did it, Gaia. You found the Terran Zeto Crystal. I am sure you understand that it cannot leave this temple?”

“Is that because Arish would steal it and bring it to Zetani Nova?” Gaia asked.

“Yes. The locations of the Zeto Crystals are critical to keeping the galaxy in balance. They contain fragments of my soul.”

“So, what do I do?” Gaia asked.

“You should charge the common sapphires. Give the large one to Arish and claim that it’s the Terran Zeto Crystal. Then we’ll find out about Arish’s intentions.” True Maker replied.

“But you already know the future?” Gaia asked.

“You can never judge a man based on your suspicions. You can only judge them on their actions. The opposite would be a terrible example.”

“Okay, I am ready,” Gaia said and took her mother’s hand.

They put all the sapphires on the altar next to the Zeto Crystal, and they chanted while holding hands, “Gong Dau, Gong Dia, Gong Undung. Mua Terra. (For the past, for the present, for the future, my Terra.)”

Together they watched as the energy from True Maker’s soul streamed into the sapphires and filled them with lifegiving energy. It was a sight to behold.

***

Gaia cried when she dragged the dead body of Zelinko onto her hovercraft. She felt guilty for letting him die, yet she would not defy her mother and alter the timeline by trying to resuscitate him. Besides, he was in the way of her pre-destined relationship with Areela.

“Oh, Zelinko, why did you have to pass like this?” Gaia said while she looked at the Zetan. He looked old, worn out, and he had died in terror. She had never understood what Areela saw in him, yet Areela’s preferences in men were none of her business.

Gaia feared how the other Zetans would react to Zelinko’s death. Would they blame her, or would they understand? How would Areela handle what had happened? She thought of asking her mother for advice, but she refrained from doing so. Uncertainty was part of life, and she would have to deal with it like everyone else.

After strapping Zelinko to a seat, Gaia set the hovercraft’s autopilot for the Garden of Eden, tilted her chair backwards, and resigned to whatever fate would bring upon her return.