In the March issue of the TAV Times, and before the coronavirus confinement, we read part 1 of Sam’s tale of a godlike being named Toku and his kingdom on the Twelfth Heaven, of the catastrophic events that befell that entire world! Then, we learned that gold was the only remedy to patch up the profound wounds those beings had caused to their environmental systems. Later, it was also revealed that, in the whole solar system, they could only procure it in the necessary quantities here on Earth. Finally, there was an incredibly intense dual between a pair of the biggest most powerful gods that are, as of yet still unnamed. My name is Nin, Sam, last name Urai, was my father and he lived for a very long time. My dad would always tell me stories from the past. Some were beautiful, others were frightening, but all were vivid and never failed to transport me back to a time when gods from the heavens walked the Earth.
Part II: From Heaven To Earth
Toku first sent out his daughter Nobu, as she possessed a childlike flexible temperament which was in stark contrast to most of her kind who were haughty, rigid, and proud. So much so that they were ashamed to be in need of a foreign, therefore, a ‘lesser’ world. This made Nobu the most adaptable to the ‘alien’ conditions on Earth. She was also largely responsible for discovering this young world and was spearheading the R & D branch of the kingdom’s elite crisis response team. The primary task for Nobu, along with her handpicked special task-force, was to scout for an ideal site for a base camp, a settlement if you will, for the brave astronaut workers who would be following suit in waves of fifty at a time. For this purpose, she thoroughly circumnavigated the Earth in search of a site that would suit their perfect selves.
When they first arrived on this relatively small blue sphere, it was about thirteen thousand years ago. It is almost impossible for us to imagine now, but our world was completely “naked”. It was pure, natural, and innocent like an infant. It had untouched wilderness stretching the four corners of the globe. Fish swam rhythmically up and down different bodies of water. Grazers gracefully roamed the open plains and exchanged favors with benevolent meat-eaters, in a partnership to complete the circle of life. Critters danced all day in the agreeable weather for there was an abundance of food and natural materials for shelter. It was delightful. The first-contact group was taken aback by the ‘primitive’ yet harmonious world.
Knowing that easy access to Earth’s primary gold vain laid in the southern hemisphere, on a massive continent called Gandawandaland, the team picked a lush zone across the ocean from the future mine sites. It was an incredibly fertile botanical wonder of diverse beauties. Filled with life, there was a range of wild vegetables and herbs, countless fruit trees of all shapes and sizes, and the most exquisite assortment of pungent and colorful flowers anywhere. An ecosystem of bees, small birds, and all manner of plant lovers flourished amid the exotic garden. This land would later serve as what ancient scholars imagined when depicting “Paradise”. Rightfully so, because the sun seemed to never set there. Clear blue skies prevailed with a sweet breeze gently caressing the plants and animals. It was dotted by ponds and lakes, along with green hills and valleys that seemed to stretch for miles on end. This paradise was nestled between two important rivers and capped by a mountain range to the far north. These were none other than the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Indeed, the majestic garden was in Mesopotamia!
The entire plan of the heavenly beings was to mine for the abundant gold found on Earth, send it across the solar system to their own world, melt it down and inject it deep past the layers of the planetary crust and into the viscous mantle near the core. In so doing, avert the permanent distraction of their planet and secure their future! Straight forward right? Wrong! It remains that the events that would follow the arrival of the colossal beings on Earth would forever alter its evolutionary course.
As you shall find out farther down, the alien astronauts did not account for the Earth’s atmosphere to put such a strain on their perfect godly consciousness or for the very ground they would walk on to challenge their timeless values. Nor did they foresee that as their home planet would eventually show signs of steady improvement, their mission on Earth would decrease in urgency for their compatriots back home. Consequently, a feeling of abandonment would wash over those contracted on Earth. Critically, this would open the door to a broader view of some. This is when things first deviated from the original plan. Such an unprecedented situation would cause differing ideologies to emerge. No one could have imagined a split to form in the workers that had descended on our world. These factions came to adopt dramatically different visions, from how the mining should be carried out and delivered, to the very nature of the world and their role in it! The opposing stances would frequently cause friction and this tension would progressively lead to skirmishes and finally, the skirmishes would eventually erupt in open hostility. And so a full-scale war was not far behind. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. All of this would gradually occur over thousands of years, the equivalent of only a couple of years for the walking nuclear reactors. The friction would progressively cause confusion to set in, accentuated by the neglect of their homeworld’s leadership, bringing further doubts in their flawless beliefs!
At this juncture, the focus of our tale shall shift to the characters themselves. Starting with our dear Nobu, who would later be called “The Wicked Wizard” by her kind. Why? We will find out. Then came one who would be forever revered as “The Righteous Son”, but we will simply call him by his name, Eiya. And finally, a myriad of supporting characters shall enter the narrative as well, including my dad.
Nobu and Eiya were siblings, of course. Eiya was the favorite child because he was the spitting image of his father, both in appearance and in personality. By contrast, she was nothing like the both of them, Though the firstborn, she had a reputation of being indecisive and unreliable. Eiya thought her to be sentimental and often moody. Nobu, in turn, would simply dismiss him as a daddy’s boy. Back in their world, Nobu had always been something of a troublemaker in the conservative society, often disobeying and rebelling against her father. However, this is what distinguished her mind from her peers and made her the brilliant and creative problem solver she was. Conversely, Eiya was content with the established societal structures in place and worked only to maintain them. Like his father, he was stubborn and slow to admit fault. Also, like his father, he was a towering warrior second to none but stoic and slow to anger. A mighty and wise leader with the charismatic ability to move his people. Though his very presence commanded respect, he was also noted as shortsighted and was infamous for hoarding all things beautiful and luxurious! Sibling rivalry and the fact that it was Eiya who was appointed Commander-In-Chief of his kind’s Earth expedition by their father and not Nobu played a small role in raising tensions.
Once the Earth Expedition’s logistics, administration, and chain of command were established, gold started arriving on their devastated world. Toku, reaffirmed as the eternal ruler, proceeded alongside his subjects to begin nursing their beloved Twelfth Heaven. The other pressing matters demanded their full attention, like assessing the damage, performing ritualistic rites for those who didn’t make it, and implementing significant climate and industry reforms so nothing like this would ever happen again. They would be so busy that the Earth Expedition was neglected and left to manage its own affairs. Toku and his royal court grossly underestimated the changes that were taking place across the solar system. All they were concerned about now was applying this cure of injecting molten gold deep beneath their feet. It was working fine, but progress was slow. It looked like quite a bit of time and an important quantity more of the strange element would still be required. The immense loss of life was making itself felt, however, as the reports that made it in from Earth were those requesting more workers for mining. But the labor shortage was everywhere and so Toku could not spare any more hands. No one in this divine civilization was ever going to forget the apocalyptic times that had brought them on the brink of extinction.
I hope this tale was able to take your mind off of our immediate COVID-19 anxieties for a little bit and restore to you a sense of perspective, as there has been a time before the current pandemic and there will be a time after it as well. Before we know it, we will be on the other side of the rainbow. Let us look forward to it together! That’s it for the mother of all stories! Let us know on the TAV Times Instagram if you would like to read more, thanks!
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