Last Gift

"Your last days?", Cerys asked in confusion, "I thought you were immortal.".

"Hmm…", Effiong thought, "I guess you could say I am, but I cannot stay on this planet forever."

Wasting no more time upon seeing their confused faces, he said, "I am not from this world. You could call me a world traveller. While I have figured out a way to achieve immortality here, it would bind me to this planet. I want to continue my journey, so I won't use it."

"Not from this world?", an old lady who had retained much of her beauty, making it difficult to guess her actual age, asked.

His glittering eyes turned to the lady as he replied, "Yes Talia. For aeons now, my soul has leapt from world to world. I…"

His explanation was brief as he brought us to an earthen hut. He told them that as they spent time with him here, their biological age would reverse back to its prime and as such they began to live with him in a man-made… or god-made paradise.

The golden sun rays had an unnatural warmth on her skin as she lay in bed. Unnatural yes, because it was magical. Cerys got up from her bed, her body full of youthful energy. No one would believe it was a 70-year-old granny. As he said, the mystical energy in the environment had worked its magic. It permeated her body and brought a near-godly beauty out of her. There was ample entertainment, much more than what could be found elsewhere. They had personal servants, fairies which are sentient coagulations of mana. Their wills directly affected reality on the island. The 11 years she had spent here on the magical island with her alien boyfriend felt like some sort of heaven to her.

During her stay, he had shared with the woman many tales about his life. He spoke of his identity, his journey, and how he had amassed such alien looks and power. He laid motives and future plans bare before them, he let them know why he camped on his baby-making island for more than a century. He was a being caught in an endless cycle of reincarnation.

All through his existence, every action he took, every individual he encountered, and all his achievements and relationships, seemed inconsequential. They were all destined to vanish, fading into nothing more than memories. Yet, it was these memories that remained with him, the only constant in his ever-changing life. It was these memories he was cursed to carry every time he was reborn in another world, it was his torturer and comforter.

Driven by the realization that his mind is all that he has, he decided to seek knowledge from the numerous civilizations, worlds, and universes he had visited. Knowledge of their practices, techniques, technologies, and any other thing that seemed useful or interesting. This accumulated knowledge brought him power, and that power came with an insatiable desire to seize control of his life.

He had long since grown weary of being a puppet to fate. He now desired to attain immortality, or at least, to dictate his own destiny in death. The pain of losing everyone and everything he cherished with each cycle was unbearable. His existential crisis had led him to live all kinds of lives before he resolved to find the secret to immortality so that he and those he decided could at least stay with him for some time.

With renewed determination, he embarked on a quest for new methods and genetic codes, and transformed his mind into a vast repository of information. By the time he arrived in the world of Azzar, he had already acquired a plethora of desirable genetic information from various species across the universe. He also had mastered numerous techniques, some of which could even alter his genetic code.

Upon arrival, he slowly regained his strength and dove into research. He secluded himself on an island to focus on his research. He decided to "gift" back to the world by releasing near-perfect genetic information and advanced knowledge to the world. This doubled as training the perfect research assistants. After years of research on Azzar, he discovered the secret to immortality. However, faster-than-light travel eluded him. He yearned to explore the universe, but the prospect of spending aeons in travel was daunting. For the time being, death was a more efficient means of exploration.

Despite this, he wished to leave traces of his existence scattered across the universe. He carved out a path to immortality for his descendants. If they could achieve 100% blood energy, they could discard their physical forms and exist indefinitely in a realm he had created - The Mind Realm. He left connections to the Mind Realm within his genetic code to aid his future offspring in their pursuit of immortality. He deliberately designed it so that they could not remain in the physical world once they became too powerful, to prevent the misuse of their abilities.

He had already bestowed upon his children immense power. He was aware of the existence of monsters and could speculate on the chaos that would ensue upon his departure. This is why he decided to leave humanity one last gift before his departure - Guardian Goddesses. And they were his chosen candidates. Unlike those who exist solely in the mind realm, they would have the limited ability to influence the world offering blessings, guidance and protection. They would later be known as the ancient gods while his offspring that reach the mind realm as mind gods.

But amidst the awe and wonder upon knowing more, there was a growing sense of restlessness within Cerys. She looked up at Effiong, her eyes searching his for answers. "Will you take us with you on your journey?", she asked, her voice filled with a mix of hope and trepidation.

Effiong gazed back at her, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Would you at least come back for us?", she pressed. "You would have time, more time than you could imagine. A gift or a curse, I don't know, but anything could happen. I could come back, or you could come and find me." He replied.