Return Of The Cosmic God

The announcement came over the intercom, its tone calm but filled with anticipation:

"Attention, crew of The Odyssey, we are now approaching the orbit of Kepler-009AV. All crew members are advised to proceed to the observation bay for a view of the planet. Please maintain order and follow all protocols."

The message sent a ripple of excitement through the ship. We had been travelling through the vast emptiness of space for two and a half years, and now, we were finally at the brink of our destination.

When I arrived, the observation bay was already packed with crew members. It was one of the largest sections of the ship, with a massive, reinforced viewport designed specifically for missions like this. Everyone was gathered there. They were murmuring excitedly among themselves, and their faces were pressed close to the glass as they waited for their first glimpse of Kepler-009AV.

"Move it, Shin!" Joseph called from near the front. He was waving me over, his usual grin plastered on his face.

I made my way through the crowd, ignoring the excited chatter around me. Captain Zhang stood off to the side, her arms crossed as she observed the crew. Even she seemed unable to hide her curiosity completely…

The viewport's dim lighting adjusted as the ship's position shifted, and then, there it was: Kepler-009AV…

Gasps filled the room as the planet came into full view. It was almost uncanny how much it resembled Earth. From the swirling blue oceans to the sprawling continents covered in green and brown, it was as if we were staring at our home from centuries ago… The only difference is this planet is seven times larger than our planet Earth…

"Holy crap…" someone whispered.

"It's just like Earth...Just bigger…" another murmured.

"Not exactly," Eva said, pointing to the planet's faintly glowing atmosphere, which shimmered with a strange, otherworldly hue. "Look at the way the light bends around it. That's not normal..."

"Normal's overrated…" Joseph quipped. "I say we call it Earth 2.0."

While the rest of the crew marveled at the planet's beauty, I found myself staring at it with a growing sense of unease. On the surface, it looked perfect…. but there was something beneath that perfection. Something I couldn't quite explain…

It was as if the planet itself was... alive. Watching us… Especially me…

Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through my chest, breaking me out of my thoughts…

"Ah…" I gasped, clutching at my chest as the pain radiated outward.

"Shin?!" Joseph's voice cut through the noise, his grin replaced with genuine concern. He stepped closer, and his hand rested on my shoulder. "You okay, buddy?"

"I'm fine…" I replied quickly, forcing a weak smile. The pain subsided just as suddenly as it had come, but the unease lingered…

"You sure?!" Joseph pressed, his brow furrowed. "You don't look fine, though…"

"I said I'm fine…" I insisted, brushing him off. "Probably just... excitement or something..."

Joseph didn't look convinced, but he nodded anyway. "Alright. But if you kneel over, don't expect me to carry you to the med bay..."

Meanwhile, the crew continued to stare at Kepler in awe. Harris was snapping pictures with a handheld device and was muttering about how the photos didn't do the planet justice. Eva was furiously taking notes on her tablet, her scientific mind racing with possibilities…

"It's beautiful…" someone said softly.

"It's more than beautiful…" Captain Zhang interjected, her voice calm but authoritative. "This planet could be our future home. Let's not forget that..."

The room quieted at her words, and the weight of the mission settled over us once more…

I kept my gaze fixed on the planet, and my chest was still tingling faintly from the pain. There was no denying its beauty, but the closer we got, the stronger my unease grew…

It felt like something was pulling at me…an invisible thread tugging at the edge of my consciousness…

"Shin…" Joseph whispered, leaning closer. "You sure you're okay? You look like you've seen a ghost..."

I forced another smile. "I'm fine. Just... tired, I guess…"

Joseph didn't push further, but his worried glance lingered as we returned to the viewport.

As the ship approached, the crew's excitement mingled with a sense of caution...

The crew gathered in the main briefing room the next moment, and the atmosphere was tense with anticipation. The moment we had all been waiting for had finally arrived: the selection of the first exploratory team to land on Kepler-009AV…

"The selection will be random…" Captain Zhang announced, standing tall at the front of the room. Her sharp gaze swept over the crew. "The lottery ensures fairness. Whoever is chosen will take the first pod down. Be prepared for anything..."

The tension was palpable in the air as a holographic display appeared in the center of the room, spinning through the names of potential candidates. Each name flickered across the display for a moment before vanishing, replaced by another…

"Come on, come on…" Joseph muttered beside me, crossing his fingers.

Finally, the spinning stopped, and one name remained: Joseph Carter…

The room erupted into cheers and congratulations as Joseph grinned, pumping his fist into the air.

"Yes! That's right, baby! I'm the chosen one!" he declared, flashing his signature grin.

Even Captain Zhang allowed herself a small smirk. "Congratulations, Joseph... Get ready. You leave in an hour…"

As the excitement buzzed around the room, something stirred deep inside me…a gut feeling, almost instinctual…

"Wait…" I said, my voice cutting through the noise.

The room quieted as everyone turned to look at me. Joseph raised an eyebrow…

"I'll go…" I said, stepping forward. My tone was calm, but there was an edge to it that even surprised me.

"What?!" Joseph said, blinking. "Shin, what are you talking about? My name came up, not yours…"

"I know…" I said firmly. "But I'm going instead..."

A hush fell over the room. Captain Zhang studied me carefully, her sharp eyes narrowed slightly…

"Mr. Takamiya…." she began, her tone measured, "This isn't something to take lightly. Are you sure about this?"

"Yes…" I said, my voice unwavering.

Joseph opened his mouth to protest, but something in my expression stopped him. He frowned, his usual carefree demeanor replaced with concern.

"You look different…." he said, his voice quieter now. "Like... like someone else…"

Zhang's gaze lingered on me, and I could tell she saw it too…

"Alright…" Zhang said after a moment, nodding. "The crew agrees. Shin will go..."

As the crew dispersed to prepare for the mission, Joseph and Zhang lingered. Joseph's expression was tense, his grin completely gone.

"You wanna tell me what's going on, buddy?" he asked, his voice low. "Because this isn't like you. …"

Zhang stepped closer; her arms crossed. "Takamiya, if there's something we need to know, now's the time to speak..."

I looked at them both—two of the people I trusted most in the universe. Without thinking, I stepped forward and pulled them into a hug...

"Hey, hey!!!" Joseph protested, though his voice wavered. "What's with the dramatics, man?"

"Thank you…" I said softly, my voice thick with emotion. "For everything. Both of you."

Zhang tensed in my embrace, unused to displays of emotion, but she didn't pull away. Joseph, on the other hand, froze completely.

"Wait…" he said, realization dawning in his voice. "Shin, what are you saying? This isn't…"

I stepped back, forcing a smile. "Take care of each other, okay?"

Zhang frowned, but before she could respond, I turned and left the room.

The dressing room was silent as I suited up. The only sound was the hum of my equipment. My thoughts raced as I secured the helmet and the weight of the moment pressed down on me…

I wasn't afraid. Not for myself, at least. But there was a heaviness in my chest—a feeling that this might be the last time I saw any of them.

After dressing up I went to the pod bay. As I approached the pod bay, I saw Joseph waiting for me while leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His expression was unreadable, but there was a fire in his eyes that I had never seen in his eyes….

"Shin!!!" he said, his tone firm. "You can't do this. If something's wrong, you need to tell me. Don't shut me out…"

I paused, meeting his gaze.

"If something happens down there…" I said quietly, "Tell Maki that I loved her. And tell her I'm sorry…"

Joseph's eyes widened. "What the hell are you talking about? Nothing's gonna happen…"

"Promise me, Joseph," I interrupted, my voice steady but firm.

For a moment, he looked like he was going to argue. But then he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

I managed a small smile. "Yeah. I know."

Without another word, I turned and climbed into the pod. The door hissed shut behind me, sealing me inside. The cockpit was cramped but functional and its controls glowed faintly in the dim light…

Through the viewport, I could see Joseph standing there, watching me with an expression of frustration and sadness. Beside him, Captain Zhang had joined him, her face as unreadable as ever…

As the pod powered up, I took a deep breath and fixed my eyes on the planet below…

Whatever awaited me on Kepler-009AV, I was ready to face it. Alone…

The descent was smoother than expected. The pod hummed softly as it cut through Kepler-009AV's atmosphere, its heat shields glowing faintly from the friction. Through the small viewport, the planet's surface came into view—lush green forests, rolling blue oceans, and patches of towering mountains shrouded in mist…

It was truly breathtaking…

"This is Pod 1 to The Odyssey…" I said, my voice crackling slightly over the comms. "The landing is proceeding as planned. Kepler-009AV is... unbelievable. It looks just like Earth…"

"Pod 1, this is Captain Zhang…" her voice steady but tinged with awe. "We're receiving visuals. Confirm the readings—oxygen levels, temperature, atmosphere composition..."

I glanced at the console. The readings were uncanny. Oxygen levels, nitrogen composition, and even the atmospheric pressure… All within Earth-like ranges…

"Confirmed…" I spoke. "Everything's normal... too normal. It's like stepping back in time…"

"See anything weird down there?" Joseph chimed in. "Like, you know, alien or giant monsters?"

"Not yet…" I replied while smirking. "I'll keep an eye out for both…"

The crew chuckled over the comms and their laughter eased some of the tension I felt as the pod touched down on the surface.

The pod's door hissed open, and I stepped out onto the planet's surface. A soft breeze rustled the grass beneath my boots, carrying with it the faint scent of wildflowers and damp earth…

For a moment, I just stood there. I was overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of it all. The sky was a vibrant shade of blue, with clouds drifting lazily across it. The sun—or whatever this planet's star was called—shone warmly on my face…

"It's beautiful…" I murmured, forgetting for a moment that the crew could hear me.

"Pod 1, you're coming through…" Zhang said. "We see the visuals. Proceed with caution, Takamiya. Remember the protocol."

"Yeah, yeah, don't touch anything weird," I replied, my eyes scanning the horizon. "Got it."

Then I moved deeper. As I moved deeper into the landscape, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The beauty of the planet seemed almost... staged, as though it were trying too hard to appear perfect…

"Shin, what do you see?" Joseph asked through the comms.

"Forest ahead, some hills to the east…" I said, my voice tinged with unease. "It's quiet... too quiet…"

"Don't start with the horror movie cliches," he joked.

But he wasn't wrong to joke. Something about this place felt like it was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.

As I moved further deeper into the forest, the air grew heavier, each step felt heavier than the last one. The comms crackled, Zhang's voice cutting in faintly.

"Takamiya, do you copy?"

"I'm here…" I replied. "The signal's getting weak. Must be interference from the terrain..."

I pushed forward, but with each step, the world around me seemed to change. The trees grew darker, their branches gnarled and twisted. The air smelled of sulfur, and the ground beneath my boots became hot, almost unbearable.

"Shin, your vitals are spiking," Zhang's voice said faintly, her concern clear.

"Something's wrong," I said, my breath hitching.

Suddenly, the comms went silent.

Without warning, the world around me disappeared. The lush forest and clear skies dissolved. It was replaced by the nightmarish landscape from my dream…

The ground beneath me was cracked and molten, glowing with rivers of red-hot magma. The air was suffocating, filled with the acrid stench of burning rock and sulfur. Black clouds churned in the sky above and it was pierced by streaks of crimson lightning...

It wasn't a dream this time. It was real….

I could feel the oppressive heat pressing against my suit, the sweat dripping down my face. Every breath burned my lungs, and my heart pounded in my chest.

TO BE CONTINUED