The Rise to Godhood

“Raarhh…I got to run faster. They are getting closer. Ggrrrr!”

Thorax looked over his shoulder as he ran faster than he had ever run before. In the divine dimension, there were no obstacles that inhibited his running speed, and he had been running at over 100 kilometres an hour for several hours. In less than an hour, he would reach Xenora. Yet, a problem approached him from behind. Several Zetan hovercrafts were chasing him, and those vehicles cruised a lot faster than he could run.

“I got to keep going; my salvation is near.” Thorax urged as he ran towards his destiny.

***

“The fugitive is within range of our lasers, and we should fire before he escapes.”

Amela Andelan looked at the hovercraft’s captain, Petar Ademom, and shook her head. While Thorax needed to die for what he had done to her poor daughter, killing him with lasers was too lenient. Instead, he needed to suffer.

“My beloved Sarah is in the ICU after what that monster did to her. We cannot allow him the mercy of a swift death!” Amela commanded furiously.

“But what if he escapes?” Petar said.

“Then we’ll chase after him. We will follow that monster to the edge of the universe if we need to. Besides, we’ll catch up with him in less than 10 minutes.”

The captain was about to answer when a flash of light blinded them. As the light disappeared, Thorax had vanished from their sensors.

“He is gone. What do we do?” Petar asked.

“We’ll pursue him, of course,” Amela replied.

“But we don’t know where he went?” Petar objected.

’There is supposed to be a Zeto Crystal on the inhospitable planet Xenora. Thorax spoke about the planet’s existence when the True Maker possessed him. One day you and I will go there and claim what is ours...’

Amela recalled this conversation she had with Arish many years earlier. At the time, Arish had ambitious plans for the Zetan race. However, as Podixa had found out about their affair, she had given Amela a better offer.

“Thorax has escaped to the planet Xenora. We will pursue him there.” Amela stated.

“Planet Xenora? I have never heard of it. How can you be so sure?” Petar asked.

Amela thought of telling Petar what she knew about Xenora, but she refrained from doing so. She was far away from home, and it was better if Petar didn’t know about the Zeto Crystal on Xenora. Otherwise, he might get too ambitious.

“Don’t worry about that. Carry out my commands. We’ll head there at once.” Amela stated.

“Understood, Vice Governess Andelan,” Petar replied and rushed off to alert his men.

As Petar left, Amela ground her teeth in resentment. Her daughter had suffered at the hands of Thorax. If she could avenge Sarah and obtain the Xenora Zeto Crystal, it would be worth facing the vile flesh-eating Xenos.

***

“Hrrnm…. The sun is approaching noontime; take cover.”

As Thorax opened his eyes, he was on an alien planet covered in grassfires. A dark blue star covered a large portion of the maroon, cloudy and smoky dark sky. How could anything live in this hellhole?

“Hisss….Don’t stand there. Take cover, child.” A Xeno female shouted from a hatch in a cliffside.

Thorax nodded and ran towards the woman. She closed the hatch as he got to her, stepped away from the door, and spoke, “What were you doing in the noontime sun, child? Are you too injured to run with the others?”

Thorax looked at the woman. She was three meters tall, and she had massive claws, fangs, and purple eyes. She looked gorgeous in Thorax’s eyes. Yet, he sensed that she was older, far beyond her child-bearing age.

“I am not a child. I am a hybrid of Xeno and Zetan. Half of my genome is that of another species,” Thorax revealed.

“Hrrnmm… What are you talking about? We cannot breed with other species on this planet.” The Xeno woman replied.

“I am not from this planet. Anyway, let’s get introduced. I am Thorax Zelinkom from Zetani.” Thorax said.

The woman stared at Thorax, nodded, sighed, and spoke, “It has finally happened. The prophecy is about to come true!”

“You don’t seem very excited, lady?” Thorax replied.

“My name is Sandrung. The prophecy is not a good thing. It marks the end of an era.” Sandrung replied.

“Why is that?” Thorax asked.

“Hrrnmm……To understand that, you must first know what this place is. These tunnels are our nurseries. This is where our proud females give birth, and babies live here for the first years of their lives. This is also where those too old to live on the surface look after the young.” Sandrung replied.

“How could anything live on the surface? That place was an inferno.” Thorax replied.

“Hirrrsss…… It all depends on the time of the day. Xenora has a slow rotation, so it is a paradise in the morning as the sun defrosts the ice and everything springs to life. It turns into a blazing inferno at midday as the sun heats the planet, and at night, everything freezes to ice. So those who are fit can run westwards to stay in the morning, which is a paradise,” Sandrung revealed.

“Interesting. Would you mind if I stay here until the morning?” Thorax asked.

“I would not mind at all. I cannot send a handsome young man like you to your death. You can help me raise the young.” Sandrung replied.

“Thank you,” Thorax said, growled happily, and sat down to reflect on his options. While this place was his destiny, it didn’t feel encouraging to lurk in a dark cave while babysitting children.

‘Oh well, things will improve when the morning comes,’ Thorax thought and started eating the giant mushrooms, the only food source in the cave.

***

“Vice Governess Andelan. We need to leave this planet at once.”

Amela looked at Petar. Her captain was correct, yet she couldn’t leave things as they were. She couldn’t give up pursuing Thorax after what he had done to her daughter.

“Thorax is still out there. We need to capture him and bring him back to Zetani Nova for what he did.” Amela commanded.

“That’s not going to happen. Thorax must have died in the inferno, and so will we if we venture out to look for him.” Petar replied.

“Yet, I command you and your men to help me look for him.” Amela urged.

“No. Soldiers, capture Vice Governess Andelan. We are returning to Zetani Nova.” Petar commanded.

“You cannot do this to me. This is treason!” Amela exclaimed in shock.

“No, this is following orders. We are loyal to Governess Podixa Sairan. She ordered us to make sure that you stay safe.” Petar stated as a few soldiers grabbed Amela, and the group left Xenora through the same portal as they arrived.