The Alien Within

Chapter 240: The Wormhole 2!

Tessa left the pilot's arch after bidding a solemn farewell to Nzak Deri and the piloting crew. The mood was heavy, the air thick with unspoken sentiments. Nzak's gaze lingered, searching her face for any hesitation, but Tessa's expression was resolute, a blend of determination and quiet resolve.

Stepping into the passenger space, she addressed the crew and hinted at her plans.

""I will be heading into the wormhole alone," Tessa announced, her voice steady, though the weight of her words was palpable. Her gaze swept across the gathered crew, lingering for a moment on each face. "I don't know what lies within that space, but it is better for me to enter alone than to sacrifice you all. I hope to return as soon as I've verified what is inside, so we can chart a safe course back to the planet."

Her words were measured, almost rehearsed, projecting an image of unwavering bravery. The crew stood in silence, their expressions a mix of awe and apprehension. Tessa's declaration painted her as a selfless leader, one willing to walk into the unknown for their sake. Yet, beneath this façade of nobility lay a deeper, more complex truth: the secret of the Universal Tree.

A few of the Deri Legu people exchanged curious glances. Their questioning eyes hinted at thoughts they dared not voice aloud. Was the wormhole truly Tessa's intended destination all along? Or was this a desperate, last-minute gamble? The chaotic circumstances that had brought them to this moment made it difficult to tell. Still, most refrained from asking, overwhelmed by the surreal and conflicting nature of their current predicament.

Tessa, however, noticed the subtle flickers of doubt on their faces. The tightened brows, the half-formed questions lingering in their expressions—it was all too familiar. She could read their hesitations like an open book but chose not to address them. It wasn't out of malice; it was strategy. Every word she spoke was deliberate, calculated to keep the truth buried.

Her reasons for concealing the knowledge of the Universal Tree were coldly logical. Trust, she knew, was a fragile thing. Though the crew had proven their skills and, at times, their loyalty, she couldn't ignore the corrosive power of greed. If they discovered the Universal Tree—a cosmic treasure with the potential to reshape existence—they might sell its secrets to the highest bidder, dooming countless lives in the process.

Even worse, if they were captured, the truth could be wrenched from them through torture. No amount of courage or camaraderie could withstand the horrors of true pain. The Universal Tree's existence was a truth too volatile, too dangerous, to entrust to anyone but herself.

Yet, her decision was not without cost. Tessa felt a pang of guilt as she glanced at familiar faces. She had shared laughter and triumphs with these people, weathered storms and battles side by side. But sentimentality had no place here. Her silence was a shield, a means of protecting not just herself but the fragile balance of the universe.

As she turned and moved deeper into the passenger space, Tessa's thoughts drifted to the Universal Tree, a cosmic entity of myth and legend. Its roots were said to thread through dimensions, anchoring the fabric of reality itself. The tree's fruit, sap, and roots were treasures of incomparable value, each imbued with unique, world-altering properties. Of these, it was the sap she sought—a substance far less elusive than the other components, but no less extraordinary.

The sap had a singular, staggering purpose: it could elevate a mortal to godhood. Consuming it infused the individual with an immense, almost unfathomable power, unlocking dormant potentials that defied natural law. With repeated use, the sap offered an even greater promise—the transformation into a time god, a being capable of manipulating the very threads of time and space. Such power was intoxicating to imagine and dangerous to covet. Yet, Tessa wasn't after the sap for herself. She sought it for a greater purpose, one she hadn't dared voice even in the quiet sanctum of her thoughts.

The fruit of the Universal Tree was another matter entirely. It appeared only once every million years, taking the form of a single grape-like orb. Its beauty was said to be otherworldly, shimmering with the radiance of a newborn star. But this fruit was beyond her reach, and not just because of its rarity. The fruit's power was so immense it could only be wielded by a time god. To anyone else, it was untouchable, a force that would unravel them entirely if they dared to consume it. Tessa had no delusions about her limitations; the fruit was not hers to claim.

Then there were the roots, arguably the most miraculous aspect of the Universal Tree. To obtain even a fragment of the root meant possessing the ability to reproduce the tree itself, planting the seeds of an entirely new Universal Tree wherever it was buried. Yet, this was no simple task. The roots weren't just tangled tendrils; they held within them the budding seeds of nascent worlds, miniature universes waiting to bloom. Digging out the root was akin to attempting to unearth the foundation of reality itself. It wasn't just impossible—it was madness.

Tessa's steps slowed as her thoughts deepened. The weight of her mission pressed heavily on her shoulders. The sap, while attainable, came at a cost she hadn't yet calculated. The fruit, while alluring, was entirely out of her grasp. And the root, the most wondrous of all, was a fool's errand. She wasn't just navigating through a wormhole into the unknown; she was entering a space where myth and reality blurred, where the stakes were cosmic, and where failure wasn't just a personal loss—it could mean the unraveling of everything.

A treasure of such magnitude demanded absolute secrecy. To even speak of the Universal Tree aloud felt like courting disaster. The knowledge she carried was a burden, one that isolated her from everyone else on the ship. To the crew, she was their brave leader, their unwavering savior. But in truth, she was a solitary guardian of a secret too dangerous to share, even as the enormity of it threatened to crush her.

Tessa clenched her fists, determination hardening her resolve. There was no room for hesitation, no space for doubt. The Universal Tree and its mysteries awaited her beyond the wormhole, and she would face them alone.