The Rise to Godhood

Zelinko Siblexom was looking at the beast-like ugly creature, the outcome of his affair with Areela. The 3-month-old was a hostile and fearsome animal who grunted with an unpleasant roar whenever something upset him. Even more sickening was that the creature seemed to prefer raw meat over milk. What kind of baby was this?

Zelinko looked at the baby, whom he had named Thorax Zelinkom. As much as he wanted the child to reflect on his greatness, he could not admit fatherhood to the child. Yet it was the baby that Seeress Ahana Anchalan had foreseen as the chosen one while on her deathbed.

As Zelinko studied his progeny, Thorax’s eye colour changed from dark purple to glowing blue, the same colour as the primordial Zeto crystal. This transformation had happened a few times, and the baby would utter a word or two in a Zen state before regressing to his beastlike behaviour.

“Zelinko… Zeto Crystal… Save Areela…” Thorax said, in an echoing sound, as if he was receiving messages from a faraway source.

Zelinko massaged his temple. Was he going insane, or had the animal-like baby given him a prophetical message from the True Maker? He knew one thing. If he were to save Areela Kheeran, he needed to hurry up as she was due for execution by sunset.

‘I need to find the truth.’ Zelinko thought to himself, grabbed Thorax, and headed towards the underground vault where his father Siblex hid the primordial Zeto Crystal.

***

Areela was raving mad in her prison cell. She had lost everything, and the city council would execute her for a crime she committed in self-defence. Although she had tried to reveal the truth about Xialiab’s experiments and that he used his power of attorney to alter her unborn baby’s DNA, no one had listened to her. Quite the opposite. During the mock trial, Judge Jasper Javonom had been inside her head and blasted her with psionic energy every time she was about to say something. These actions had made her words come out as incoherent nonsense.

The secret telepathic and psionic powers that the Zetan leadership possessed were terrifying forces they used to dominate their subjects. Areela had lived in ignorance for the first 200 years of her life, and the last year had been an endless nightmare.

“Let me out, you bastards! I am innocent. Judge Javonom was inside my head during the trial to discredit me.” Areela shouted and kept banging on the cell door. No one came to answer the door, and she collapsed to the floor with tears flooding down her cheeks. She was inconsolable as she was due for execution and had given birth to a monster.

***

“Kailow, I have some good news.”

Kailow looked at Jasper, who approached him in his prison cell. Why had the judge who sentenced him to imprisonment and exile come to talk to him?

“What is it?” Kailow asked.

“I am giving you permission to participate in today’s autumn equinox celebration,” Jasper replied. “Why is that?” Kailow asked.

“As Areela will face public execution today, I want you to be in the front row. I want the two of you to suffer for what you did to my brother.” Jasper taunted.

“Fuck you. I am not going anywhere.” Kailow exclaimed.

Jasper blasted Kailow into a wall with his powers and mocked, “Oooh, did that hurt? Learn to respect your betters, and it will happen less often.”

Having said this, Jasper left the room, and two guards entered. They handcuffed Kailow and dragged him away.

***

“Access denied.”

Zelinko swore as he failed to open the electronic lock to the secret bunker where the Zetan leadership kept the Zetani Zeto Crystal. Officially, the primordial Zeto Crystal was on display at the top of a sculpture in central Ronesia. However, that crystal was a worthless prop. Society could not allow every Zetan to unlock their inner potential because that would make a master and a servant indistinguishable.

“Please let me try.”

Zelinko looked at baby Thorax, whom he held in his arm. The baby’s eyes were glowing blue, and the baby looked wise beyond his years.

“Uhm, okay,” Zelinko said as he moved baby Thorax closer to the touchpad and the biometric lock of the bunker.

Thorax put his hand on the biometric scanner and typed in the code. ‘Access granted’ appeared on the display, and the heavy vault doors slid open.

“Put me down. We’ll move quicker on foot.” Thorax said and rushed ahead as Zelinko put him down.

Zelinko stared in amazement at the lizard-like baby. What kind of devilry was this? Why could his three-month-old baby walk and talk?

“Hurry up, we don’t have all day,” Thorax exclaimed, which got Zelinko to spring into action.

They rushed down a corridor and reached the inner vault, where the city council kept the Zeto Crystal and other priceless treasures. “Lift me; I cannot reach the control panel,” Thorax instructed.

Zelinko did as instructed, Thorax opened the door to the vault, and they both entered the inner sanctum. Zelinko felt mesmerized when he looked at the primordial Zeto Crystal.

It was the second time that he had seen the beautiful crystal. He first saw it during his Bar Zhadung adulthood ceremony when he had turned 100 years old. He had touched the crystal, and it had unlocked his innate abilities. It was the initiation ceremony to become one of the few members of the Master caste. Anyone who had their innate telepathy, premonitions and psionic powers unleashed had an enormous advantage on other Zetans in their day-to-day lives.

“Grab those sapphires,” Thorax instructed and pointed to some beautiful gemstones.

“Why?” Zelinko asked.

“She has shown me the way. When our consciousnesses linked, I found a way to replicate the power of the Zeto Crystal. Those sapphires should suffice as vessels for its power.” Thorax revealed.

Zelinko hesitated. It was insane that he considered taking instruction from the three-month-old freak next to him. But, then again, he had dreamt of fathering the chosen one, which had to have a higher purpose.

Zelinko picked up a few sapphires and spoke, “I got the sapphires; what now?”

“Now hold the sapphires close to the Zeto Crystal and utter the following phrase, ‘Gong Dau, Gong Dia, Gong Undung. Mua Zetani. (For the past, for the present, for the future, my Zetani.)’”

Zelinko did as his son commanded, and the room lit up as immense energy streamed from the Zeto Crystal to the sapphires, making them shine almost as bright as the crystal.

“Zelinko Siblexom. What are you doing in our sacred vault?”

Zelinko turned around, and he saw his father, Siblex Valzom, accompanied by two security officers. The strict looks on their faces indicated that this could lead to a confrontation.

“Thorax told me to come here. I needed to power up these sapphires and save Areela.” Zelinko replied.

“Thorax? Have you lost your mind? There is no way your freaky son would tell you anything. He is only three months old.” Siblex replied.

“You tell him, Thorax!” Zelinko exclaimed.

“Frrr, graoww, graah?” Thorax replied in confusion.

Zelinko turned to his son. The shining blue light in his eyes was gone, and he had reversed to his beast-like purple eyes.

“He spoke to me before; I promise,” Zelinko mumbled.

“Son, everything is going to be okay. Come with me, and we will take you somewhere outside of public view until we have resolved this nasty Areela business.” Siblex replied.

“No, you cannot execute her. She saved me.” Zelinko mumbled.

“Who cares? She murdered a council member, and his brother took his place. We cannot pardon this criminal or admit your crimes. Her life is forfeit.” Siblex stated.

“No!” Zelinko exclaimed and released an uncontrolled psionic blast in front of him. The shockwave was strong enough to slice his father and the security officers in half. Zelinko stared in shock at the scene. What had he done?

He kneeled next to his father and exclaimed, “Oh no. Father, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Siblex opened his eyes and wheezed, “Zelinko…. You have doomed us all.”

Those were the last words of Siblex Valzom, the 21st mayor of Ronesia during the fifth age.